There are a number of translations of the yiddish term “chutzpah.” Among the best-known is some variation on the following: chutzpah describes the gall of a person who murders his mother and father and argues that he’s entitled to the mercy of the court because he’s an orphan.
The Trump administration may actually have gone that orphan one better.
After reluctantly beginning to comply with a court order requiring them to reunite families–to return the children to the parents from whom they had forcibly taken them at the border– the administration was going to charge the parents for the expenses incurred.
You want this kid back? It’ll cost you….
The judge was not amused.
A U.S. judge in California on Friday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to pay the costs of reuniting immigrant parents with children separated from them by officials at the U.S.-Mexican border, rather than forcing the parents to pay…
“It doesn’t make any sense for any of the parents who have been separated to pay for anything,” U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who last month ordered that the children be reunited with their parents by July 26, said at a hearing in San Diego…
“The government will make it happen,” Sabraw responded.
So according to an administration lawyer, expecting the government to pay the costs of cleaning up an inhumane mess of its own making is “a huge ask.” As Ed Brayton commented, first they kidnapped these children, and now they want to charge a ransom for them.
Words fail…..
What? The Trump administration wants us to pay for fixing their messes created by poor decision making. The gall?!?
When hasn’t that been the precedent of our federal/state/local government?
I thought this is why the “Drain the Swamp” concept was so appealing. Obama spent trillions bailing out Banksters for creating and selling toxic assets to pension fund managers all over the world. The pension fund owners were told, “Tough Shit, Sorry about your Loss.”
Now we have a migrant kid problem and soybean farmers. Someone yesterday mentioned “black lung disease” in 2018. The companies set up to run coal mines will simply file bankruptcy.
Until laws are placed on the books which say those organizing these schemes to defraud investors and local/state/national are personally liable, it’s just a joke. It’s all a joke because “THEY” don’t have consequences. We elect lawmakers who don’t hold the Donor Class accountable so what’s the point of voting?
Marv wrote, “The only way is to……”scare the hell out of them” by EFFECTIVELY DESCRIBING what their lives will amount to, if they don’t vote.”
I’m sorry, but this doesn’t motivate me to do anything. Fear is not the solution. Telling me that if I vote for you, you will do the following things to right this country from its corrupt path, motivates me.
Telling me not to stay home because this loser might win, doesn’t mean much to me. Call it privilege if you want, but if it doesn’t motivate me to even circle election day on the calendar, chances are you’re not getting my vote.
I’m a lazy American who can order stuff online and have it delivered to my front door. I can drive my car to a local fast food joint and they will hand deliver me dinner. Until it hurts me or motivates me, I’ve got movies to watch. The latest episode of [Hule inspired killing] will be on and I don’t want to miss it.
Those who receive welfare clamor that voting doesn’t matter. So what happens if they use their cards one day, and there is no balance or credit available?
Then, and only then, does reality seep into their skin.
Unite the kids and tell corporate farmers tough shit about them soybeans you planted. All Americans need to sacrifice during a trade war. It’s called a WAR for a reason!
Todd,
“Marv wrote, “The only way is to……”scare the hell out of them” by EFFECTIVELY DESCRIBING what their lives will amount to, if they don’t vote.”
I was talking about those who are wavering or now support Trump, not about you. My law office in Texas was sitting between two counties; one was Raines County, possibly the most racist county in the U.S. That didn’t stop me from winning jury cases. We’re acting like those on the other side of the aisle do not exist. That’s a big mistake. They will exist even if the Democratic Party has a resounding win. They’re not going to disappear. They need to come back toward the middle or a Democratic Party victory will just be a signal for WAR.
I’m not keeping CALM. I don’t want a WAR. I’m afraid you’re not as concerned, because it might stimulate your cause. I believe that’s why you’re having such a tough time accepting what I’ve been saying the past few days.
“When hasn’t that (government failure) been the precedent of our federal/state/local government?”
When the deep ports were dredged and then managed by government for 150 years.
When the Tennessee Valley Authority was created and managed by government from its inception to this very day.
When the Hoover and Grand Coulee dams were built.
When the Panama Canal was built.
When the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Skylab missions were managed by government.
When the Manhattan Project went down.
When the 1950s highway project built our freeway system.
Automatically defaulting to the cliche idea that government cannot do anything right is a lazy habit that plays right into the hands of all kinds of kooky demagogues, including the “drain the swamp” crazies.
Meanwhile, back in Indianapolis at 5652 West 73rd Street, Hispanic immigrants and refugees enter the building but not all come out. Behind that building a large two story prison holds the detainees until they are deported. The only thing missing from the scene are the tattoos and box cars.
It’s too bad our independent judiciary is on the verge of being turned into another tool of the far right.
And it will continue as long as WE let it continue. America’s reality show host is going to lead it straight to hell. I don’t see it getting any better. And the meeting is still on with putin? wow.
All of this is happening to us because of our failure to argue our case at a DEEPER LEVEL where we would have a fair chance of winning. It’s a continual failure of CIVIC COURAGE, much like what happened in Germany during the 30’s.
I believe it took much more (or less, depending on how you view chutzpah) “More Than Chutzpah” for the bipartisan committee to question Pompeo about a meeting he was not allowed to attend. Questioning him on his personal views of what we all watched, aghast, at the post-“summit” press conference between Trump and Putin is simply another waste of our time, their time, cyber space and our tax dollars. In this instance the government is paying the cost to “cover up”; the secret meeting between Trump and Putin, a situation which cannot be “cleaned up”.
We “ain’t seen nothin yet” if Kavanaugh, or someone with the same beliefs and motives he has, is appointed to the highest court in the country. This refugee debacle will seem like just a passing cloud in the sky.
Our representative government is filled with some of the most shameless and heartless people in the country and they have many MAGA supporters.
Ohh Sheila, the idea of paying a ransom as you put it, fits perfectly into our privatized prison system. I have never been trouble with the law, but I have known people who were. Some cases I have been aware of it is a stark choice jail or out on probation, those ankle bracelets are not free of charge.
Miranda gave us rights, but let’s face it the wealthy always have more rights – an over worked public defender or a three piece suit lawyer from a prestigious law firm. Who would you choose??
How do immigration issues fall under Health and Human Services and NOT U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)? The same question applies to the roundups and separations being done by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which is part of the Patriot Act regarding border safety (terrorists) and goods (drugs) being transported across the borders. Exactly what function is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services providing at this time? Just askin’
I want to vote for a straight Democratic Party ticket. I don’t recognize either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders as the recognized Leader. Is there anyone else? Or am I left with my impression that this is a “ship” without a CAPTAIN. Gosh, if that’s true, I don’t know if I want to “join the band wagon.”
Do you blame me?
Marv; let me ask you as an attorney, just because their name is on the ballot, are we required to vote for them? That is why I decided, even voting the straight ticket, rather than fill in one oval to cover all, I will take the time to mark individual candidates. Takes a little longer but worth the time. I believe the many Republicans who didn’t like Trump filled in that one oval, not knowing they could bypass his name..and Pence’s.
Every day most of those who post here and Sheila detail the atrocities of this administration. Most every day a few post that the party at fault for those atrocities is the Democrat. Think about that.
Isn’t that the Republican strategy that’s been pursued for decades? Divert attention from their high crimes and misdemeanors by blaming President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and in fact everyone to the left of Atilla the Hun.
I’m going to repost a link that I ended the day with yesterday because it may have been too late for many to catch it. It’s of Rachel Maddow and some things revealed by the recent indictment from the Mueller investigation. I encourage everyone to spend the few minutes it takes to listen to it.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-camp-changed-strategy-after-russians-stole-dnc-analytics-1282344003844?playlist=associated
Now it’s clear that Rachel Maddow and Robert Mueller have different jobs, she’s an entertainer and he’s an investigator. To me though what she is free to say and he is not about this, what to me is a startling revelation, that the Russians stole not only irrelevant emails but the DNC play book for the campaign, changes the game considerably and points not to shady deals but high crimes and disdemeaners. It seems to me to imply that Mueller is not going after the small gators in the swamp but the legitimacy of the election.
What she is careful to say is that while there is solid court quality evidence about the theft of the analytics, the go to guide for modern campaigning, what can’t be ascertained yet is whether Russia used the information to direct their cyber campaign or that plus turned the intelligence over to the Trump campaign allowing them to change direction in order to counter exactly what the DNC was going to do during the rest of the campaign.
Ever since the final tally was made in Nov 2016 I have been bothered by what seems to be a huge unexplained discrepancy between the popular and EC votes. My engineering mind reasoned that it would take either enormous insight or unbelievable luck to pull that off. Trump won by what has to be the narrowest possible margin of precision targeted campaigning and that implies that he had either great luck or great intelligence to direct those resources so accurately.
This indictment removes the logical uncertainty in that wonderment. Both the Russians and the Trump campaign knew precisely the DNC plan for the critical days of the campaign.
I have never claimed expertise in our law. From that revelation I’m sure a herd of lawyers will spend years determining who broke what laws and what should be the consequences of it. But to me court quality proof is secondary. What’s primary is that the EC mystery has been explained in terms of why and how TrumPence won and like everything they do it was not legitimate. It was a stolen win.
It’s not the DNC. It’s a criminal enterprise the depths of which are yet to be plumbed.
Larry Kaiser at 7:51am
Wanna know what GOP government can do WRONG?
Just take a Sunday drive on I-65 toward Lafayette and beyond or on I-69 toward Fort Wayne for a simple lesson in poor engineering, poor materials, poor maintenance, poor supervision, and poor workmanship. I don’t know about other States but it seems that Hoosiers and/or Trump don’t give a sh!t. No money? haha, or GOP politics?
You ought to see what the Peoples Republic of China are doing with their infrastructure while being disparaged by the GOP.
JoAnn,
“Marv; let me ask you as an attorney, just because their name is on the ballot, are we required to vote for them?”
Sorry, but I have no expertise in that area. Like you, I will take time to mark each candidate. And I will assure you there will be no Republicans so marked.
We have the benefit every day of Sheila, others are not so lucky. And I’m afraid many voters are going to want much more out of the Democratic Party than just a vote against Donald Trump….. Like for example: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP.
Todd, I posted yesterday about the Black Lung problem. These coal companies can simply escape and evade any responsibility by going bankrupt.
Our Pastor Pence Family business Kiel Oil took the bankruptcy option:
More than a decade after the former Indiana oil company of Vice President Mike Pence’s family filed for bankruptcy, taxpayers are bearing the costs of millions of dollars to clean up more than 85 contaminated sites, a report says.
Kiel Bros. Oil Co., once owned by the Pence family, left behind contaminated sites in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois since the company filed for bankruptcy in 2004, the Associated Press reported. Indiana alone has spent at least $21 million on cleanups thus far, or an average of about $500,000 per site, the report said. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/07/14/cleanups-at-pence-familys-failed-gas-stations-costing-taxpayers-millions-report.html
Another recent tragedy was the sinking of tour boat in MO. Nine people in one family were among the 17 killed when a tourist duck boat capsized in a Missouri lake.
If 17 people were killed is mass shooting event , MSDNC, CNN and FOX would have been all over it. Hell Rachael Maddow, Chris Matthews, Wolf Blizkreig or Anderson Cooper may have left the comfort of air conditioned offices to interview people and endlessly speculate on how such a thing could happen.
However, like the Black Lung situation or a tour boat sinks killing 17 people our Corporate McMega-Media is silent.
Marv @ 10:26 am
“And I’m afraid many voters are going to want much more out of the Democratic Party than just a vote against Donald Trump….. Like for example: EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP.”
David Korten has written: The misguided corporatist loyalty of the U.S. political establishment did not begin with the Trump presidency.
There is leadership out there such but you have to find the reports in the Guardian.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders visited Wichita, Kansas, to woo progressives in support of congressional candidate James Thompson. The choice of location for her debut is poetic: like Sanders, she and Thompson have refused corporate donations, and this district is home to perhaps the greatest conservative influencers in US history – the Koch brothers, whose political network pledged to spend $400m on conservative candidates before the midterms.
Sanders said, “It is beyond comprehension, the degree to which the Democratic party nationally has essentially abdicated half of the states in this country to right-wing Republicans, including some of the poorest states in America, those in the south,” Sanders said. “The reason I go to Kansas and many so-called red states is that I will do everything that I can to bring new people into the political process in states which are today conservative. I do not know how you turn those states around unless you go there and get people excited.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/26/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bernie-sanders-kansas-james-thompson
I am a Card Carrying Member of the ACLU, and I received an E-Mail concerning the Disclose Act of 2018.
Today, as a growing share of Americans believe special interests have undue influence in government, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) led all Senate Democrats and 145 Democratic Members of the House of Representatives in introducing legislation to shine a light on the unlimited, secret spending flooding American elections.
Whitehouse and Cicilline’s updated DISCLOSE Act would require organizations spending money in federal elections to disclose their donors, and help guard against hidden foreign interference in our democracy. The bill comes as outside spending organizations, like those funded by Charles and David Koch’s network of wealthy donors, gear up to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the 2018 midterm elections – and as experts warn of troubling avenues for foreign influence in elections using loopholes in U.S. campaign finance law.
The DISCLOSE Act is a key part of A Better Deal for Our Democracy—the Democratic plan to end the corruption in Washington that has paralyzed American politics and rigged the system against working people. https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/democrats-introduce-disclose-act-2018
================================================================
At last the Democrats have a positive direction, rather than endless crap about Russia and wallowing around with a defeated attitude, since 2016.
Marv Kramer @ 8:55am
Looking for a Democrat candidate who might deserve your support?
Please take a look at Rep. Eric Swalwell, (D-Ca). If you don’t know him, you’ll be surprised with what you find. You might hear him speak, if you wish, on YouTube. I hope he’ll run in 2020.
I’ll be glad to read what you think.
Think asylum-seekers of kidnapped children should pay for the crimes of Trump is bad – and I agree that it is beyond bad? Consider the $12 billion we will shortly be paying to soybean farmers who were blindsided by Trump’s thoughtless tariff games, farmers who in polls say they don’t want handouts but want trade. Too bad, farmers, Trump has decided you will get welfare instead of the free market Republicans incessantly crow about (and which never existed since even before the royal chartering of East India Tea). Free market theory, if it ever existed, is beyond the reach of a wannabe dictator like Trump and must therefore be subverted to his reach via welfare. Make ’em dependent upon Adolph, Keeper of the Handouts. We cannot, among other good reasons, afford Trump, and talk of voting for him via a vote for his Republican backers this fall is, in my view, subversive, immoral and budget-busting. We need not a blue wave but a blue tsunami – really blue!
OK Let me state the obvious result if you vote for a Republican this year. It is a message that President Donald Trump is doing OK by you. IT IS A BILATERAL CHOICE.
On the other hand, if Trump doesn’t get this ransom money how will he manage to come up with the $12 billion to bribe the mid-western farmers whose incomes he recently devastated with his tariff policies? This is all a fragile house of cards propped up by the greatest criminal mind of the 21st century. Who knows what might come toppling down if any particular Ponzi scheme he is running fails. What Bernie made off with could look paltry by comparison.
Never fear. Vlad always stands ready to come to the aid of his new BFF when things get bleakest. The day I live for is the one when Putin gets so pissed at Trump that he decides to start blabbing about what he has on our president. Talk to us, Robert Mueller.
Just like Trump wants to take $12 billion of our taxpayer dollars to bribe the dumbass farmers who voted for him so they will vote Republican in November.
Natacha – you said it better, and more succinctly, than I. He pays off his base like he pays off his women, but in this case with OUR dollars. I object.
Monotonous,
“At last the Democrats have a positive direction, rather than endless crap about Russia and wallowing around with a defeated attitude, since 2016.”
Thanks. I was starting to forget what good news sounded like.
when we detain someone for a reason,its a law,not some thought up ideal to keep a promise to the masses. when jeff sessions went along with the idea,and then speaks of religious terms to justify the need,i guess ill just let this one hang out there,fuck you..im a non believer,though ill run my own interpitation of the moral value of someones quote,i do believe in morals,and mine may be at least,honest,compassion,and damn sure not a hypocrite.but when the religious right actully sits on its hands on this one,well f,,, y,,… i guess trump has his mob,a sack of loosers and evangelicos who speak in two,or more tongues. if i missed something, sorry… all in all, when i first heard of the kidnappings at the borders,like my previous response,like getting to the concentration camps,and seprating the family.. no diffrent,only the outcome,now all those people get to live with,and judge our democracy,like the rest of the civilized world will.biggest shame ive seen in my 63 years. support the ACLU,i do,with my yearly donation,and I keep my ACLUcard,in full view,when i open my wallet,and proud of it..
OMG: Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is mighty fine! Thanks for bringing his name to us. I’m actually beginning to see him being considered here and there.
Natacha: Our farmers are just beginning to see what they’ve done to themselves by fawning over this madman. He’s killing us in countless ways. I surely hope the farmers wake up and pull different levers (or push different buttons) this time. Their lives and livelihoods depend on it.
As Marv says, and I’m paraphrasing here…’If we don’t wake up and take this very seriously, we won’t recognize ourselves or this country.’ Vote, vote, vote in ’18 and in ’20. WE CAN DO THIS!
“Looking for a Democrat candidate who might deserve your support?
Please take a look at Rep. Eric Swalwell, (D-Ca).”
“I’ll be glad to read what you think.”
Thanks for the “heads up” on Rep. Swalwell. From the short time I spent checking him out, you’re right, he might be just the right type of person the Democrats sorely need for LEADERSHIP.
An extremely impressive guy. We need to find out if there are more young Democrats like him in Congress who are not afraid to stand up and speak out to power.
If Hillary had the most votes,and she was defeated at the Electoral College,that fact alone is proof the voters did their part and Russia didn’t affect the outcome. It was the EC that made the decision. So,all of this talk about Russians stealing an election and all of the subsequent childish sour grapes as to how the voters suck is nothing more than propaganda, childish tantrums and self loathing. Even if the Russians had stolen the election,their efforts would prove that billions of dollars doesn’t really matter in elections…That’s a scary thought, eh? Of course,no one is speaking about that! We can’t have the plebes questioning the merits of big money in the elections and as to how big money has taken over the elections and the choice(s) of candidates. It’s much better to blame some intangible bogeymen! As if we are nothing more than easily frightened children needing a comforting blanket to protect us. Treating us as if we’re easily manipulated…..Treating us as CONSUMERS. If we focus on phony and divisive narratives, we can’t really elucidate over pertinent subjects/concerns!
You would think the logical thing to do would be to argue as to how the EC is an outdated institution…Nope! We gotta blame everyone but the real cause….That blame keeps the peasants divided and arguing over the penumbra. ..Instead,we gotta propagate phony narratives. Especially those that further the narratives proffered by think tanks such as CNAS. Do you think CNAS wants to get rid of the EC? Nope.
Keep looking for Natasha and Boris under your bed. Someone wants the Cold War to continue. And if you have not figured that out by now you have willfully chosen to be ignorant. Here is the Trinity of those furthering the BS. Mueller, a man that chose to lie about WMD’s in Iraq. If you have children or grandchildren in Iraq,this man is at fault. Clapper,HE IS A BIGOT. End of story. Brennan,he is a torturer. That’s a fact, not opinion. If you accept bigots,liars and torturers—then embrace it and be honest about it. Knock off the self righteous faux patriotism. Hell,that faux patriotism is nothing more than Democratic Party/Think Tank sponsored jingoism. Gotta get the plebes to go along with Cold War v2.0…There’s money to be made and kickbacks to be distributed–especially back to the party. Sinecures to be had at defense contractors,et al.
If you want to align yourself with such miscreants,go right ahead. It’s almost as if those accusing Trump of being Hitler are actually creating a milieu for the real thing to follow after he leaves office. Think about that.
LM:”However, like the Black Lung situation or a tour boat sinks killing 17 people our Corporate McMega-Media is silent.”
Of course. We cannot vilify corporate malfeasance,to do so is gauche! And, more importantly,we should never care about coal miners. We are supposed to hate coal miners.
Natacha:”Just like Trump wants to take $12 billion of our taxpayer dollars to bribe the dumbass farmers who voted for him so they will vote Republican in November.”
So,how many here are homeowners? Do you take advantage of any tax credits given to homeowners? Are you a dumbass in accepting them? Are you being bribed when you take advantage of them? Are you ok with those tax breaks taking monies away from schools?
Just because you’re a homeowner,why should you receive a tax break?
Did anyone here send back any extra tax dollars you may have received from your latest tax return? Did you “resist’ the bribe from the Trump administration? Or did you accept it?
Larry Kaiser:”Automatically defaulting to the cliche idea that government cannot do anything right is a lazy habit that plays right into the hands of all kinds of kooky demagogues, including the “drain the swamp” crazies.”
You’re exactly right. Why did Hillary decide to use such lazy rhetoric when describing (in her own words) “Single Payer is unrealistic?” Why are so many among the “party of the people” unwilling to advance a national healthcare system?
Thailand did it in 2002-03.
I guess we can’t have such a discussion. Gotta keep up with the Kardashians and of course, there’s OMG!RUSSIA!!
What I cannot reconcile is apathy about the almost certainty that Putin carried Agent Orange over the finish line either by the actions of his GRU alone or in concert with the Trump campaign.
Everyday we add to the list of failures by this administration and we are all confident I believe that they will continue and may get worse; possibly much worse.
Yet we are reluctant to hold Putin or Agent Orange accountable for imposing them on us?
We would rather hold the DNC accountable for; for what exactly?
http://time.com/5168202/russia-troll-internet-research-agency/
William – Tax legislation passed to aid home ownership is general in nature and has a social purpose in fostering home ownership and the local economies throughout the land. The lack of home ownership was not caused (as was the crash of the soybean market) by presidential insistence on policies (see tariffs and trade threats) that have primarily affected soybean farmers and those of us who take deductions for interest paid on real estate are not welfare recipients, as your piece implies. Those farmers, like you, have a libertarian bent and prefer markets over Trump’s plan to make them subservient to his political wishes via handouts, and they are right, but to equate such idiocy to home ownership amounts to false equivalency, which I reject.
Russia could have affected enough votes to swing the electoral college
Obviously,the soybean market is just too big to fail. Indeed,it’s obvious they need a government bailout. Hopefully,those farmers can garner themselves a nice little bonus for themselves as well. Hey,perhaps they can use a few sub-prime loans?
Wrt Tax breaks. I agree with you,everyone should take all of the deductions they feel they are entitled to take. National or local. Go for it! When it comes to taking advantage of tax breaks,there’s no shame in being 10 degrees left of center in good times and to quickly be 10 degrees right of center when it affects you personally. Phil Ochs got that right!
Russia! Russia! Russia!..I guess the only logical thing to do at this point since Russia stole the election is to keep the Electoral College. Moreover, we should continue our dependence upon electronic voting and to go to war against Russia! It’s obvious we cannot have a NHS in the US because the government can’t do anything properly…Except war and the disruption (or is that destruction) of countries (mostly small). But we will prevail over a real encounter against a superpower! All of those John Wayne movies can’t be wrong. I don’t know about you, but I’m proud to be a member of a country that cannot pull off a NHS!! It’s fun to explain this at cocktail parties with attendees from other countries with NHS’s. There is absolutely no embarrassment or shame. Besides,y’all know folks will just take advantage of it and, voila!! There goes my homeowner tax deduction!! That I earned!! If there is anything we must avoid,that is a real revolution in America, because that’s going a little too far. This election is about the Democratic Party win…..
And after that Huge Blue Wave Win,the Democratic Party apparatchiks can get to work with their new friends within the Intelligence Community and start turning in all of those annoying socialists calling/demanding for a NHS!! Just as they do at the conclusion of the Phil Ochs song from 1965; Love Me,Love Me,Love Me, I’m a Liberal!
Because having a NHS –or even a real effort toward it— is just not something we can do. It’s impossible. Even the favored Democratic Party candidate said it was impossible. We’re so weak and just not bright enough as a nation to pull that off!!! Besides,a real NHS is just way too radical of an idea. Now can we get back to what we do best? The Rebuilding of the ME!! Russia! And,of course, tax cuts for the upper-middle and wealthy?!