Thursday Open Thread

14 thoughts on “Thursday Open Thread”

1. Trump's call to deport 15-20 million migrants is perhaps the most frightening prospect of a second term (not to diminish so many other plans).  Believe him when he says he will do this.  It ties directly to his Nazi rhetoric regarding "vermin" that are "poisoning the blood" of the country.  Imagine the huge police force needed to accimpish this.  The informants exposing the "migrants" among us and hidden in attics.  The deportation camps.  My God.

   Of course it won't stop there.  It never does.  For example, how to pay for such a massive project?  Well, how about fining/imprisoning those that enabled these migrants to take jobs away from Americans. Businesses who didn't use EVerify to vet their employees.  They enticed migrants to come to our country for work.  Still not you?  Okay, how about your hairdresser or lawn guy or nanny or plumber or, etc.  Now we've covered about all of us who could be deemed an Enemy of the People who enabled the country to be "destroyed" and should suffer the consequences.  

   Try running this scenario by your disengaged friends who complain about Biden/Harris.  Maybe, just maybe they'll start to see the significance of this election.

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   1. As usual, Trump has no plan on where to deport all these people. Mexico won't take them. Some of the "mindless male bimbos" who post on Yahoo threads have suggested declaring war on Mexico. Of course, they "blame Biden" for Ukraine and Gaza, but can't put two & two together to realize they can't blame Biden for that.

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      1. A war with Mexico would be rather "complicated," to say the least, Not that that would ever stop our "Mindless Male Bimbo" armchair wariors.

         First, there are the economic problems it would cause …. mostly north of the border.

         Second, the current Mexican government has been currying favor with a number of countries with which the US has had "strained relationships." I'm talking about China which has invested heavily in the Mexican economy. I could easily imagine President Sheinbaum going to Bejing a la Ukranian President Zelinsky going to DC and asking for military assistance to defend against a powerful neighhbor to the north invading on bullshit trumped up grounds. (pun intended)

         Third, there are a lot of folks in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Colorado con primos quien viven sur del frontiero. They may hold sympathy for their cousins. Perhaps Trump will also need to lock up all of those of Hispanic ancestry a la Roosevelt during WW II with the Japanese.  With the current lineup on the US Supreme Court, I could easily envision Alito or Thomas writing that Korematsu is still good law. There are going to be a lot of people needed to round up and lock up a lot of other people.

         Fourth, after our stellar performances in Iraq and Afghanistan, I'm sure an invasion of Mexico would provide us with an opportunity to quickly hoist the "Mission Accomplished" banner that Karl Rove has been hiding since 2005. In other words, we are really good at prosecuting wars in foreign countries which have the will and the resolve to fight on. {sarcasm intended}

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   2. I can't even calculate "the worst" of Trump's plans.  But "Trump's call to deport 15-20 million migrants" may well be the stupidest. 

      But many economists and business leaders warn that Trump’s plans could trigger higher unemployment and slower growth — while also devastating the country’s immigrant workforce. Key industries like construction, food service and agriculture would see the most upheaval. The proposals could also exacerbate inflation, the top economic issue for many voters.

      …Of Trump’s pledge for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, East added: “We can say for sure that would translate into a higher unemployment rate for U.S.-born workers. That is not a temporary effect.”

      … [one area] Michael Marsh, president and chief executive of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said that about 950,000 of the country’s 2.2 million agricultural workers are unauthorized. About 300,000 more have temporary permits through the H-2A visa program.

       

       

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2. https://youtu.be/9t4-zDem1Sk?feature=shared

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3. As much as I despised her positions on social/cultural issues (she was a raging homophobe), Mrs. T did wonders to revive the British economy by breaking the stranglehold that the unions held over that country. And she gave the middle class a chance to acquire and keep property which was sorely needed in Britain.

   And compared to the Brexit crackpots who currently control the Tory Party, she was downright enlightened on issues of Britain's relationship with the EU.

   It's telling that no one, other Jeremy Corbin in 2019, has tried to turn the clock back to pre-Thatcher economics. And we all saw how successful Corbyn’s attempt to restore socialism “in its glory” was in 2019.

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   1. She was an early clarion on climate change.  Here's her 1989 UN speech (it's 33 minutes so it's not for the faint of heart but not time wasted).  Otherwise, what LBPOS said. 

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   2. I thought trickle down economics has been shown to be a total disaster?

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4. Margaret Thatcher? First "Qoute of the Day" from a woman in… like forever?

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   1. yes but a good one.The Pols team work hard on getting the right photo to go with the quote. Great job guys.

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5. That photo tees up a perfect Friday Jam Fest if you ask me!  

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   1. Let's hope!

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6. Alito's SCOTUS corruption. Josh Marshall at TPM

   Alito has violated basic guidelines of ethics, though technically he appears to claim these don’t apply to the High Court. He has willfully lied to the public. He has certainly acted in a partisan and polemical manner unsuitable to a justice. But no one of any stature has asked more than that he recuse himself from cases tied to the January 6th insurrection. Let’s zero in on this. He is only being asked to recuse himself because there is an appearance of a conflict of interest whether he can fairly adjudicate cases tied to the insurrection as an apparent supporter of the insurrection! Or, to be very generous, as the spouse of an apparent supporter of the insurrection. This is not comparable to sitting out a case where ExxonMobil is a defendant because you own some Exxon stock. Any colorable suggestion that you support or supported the overthrow of the government should obviously be a deal killer for being anywhere near the Supreme Court. And yet, no one of any stature is even asking for that — just not sitting on cases where his apparent support for the insurrection might represent a conflict.

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   1. Cheer up, Park Hill. If the Dems take the House in November, then they can impeach Alito and Thomas.

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