“More badinage and raillery, please. Less nastiness and personal beefs.” — Charley
Mueller Immediately Closes Investigation After Hearing Putin Proclaim His Innocence
Speaking later to reporters, Mueller said that, by disbanding his investigation, he was following the time-honored law-enforcement tradition of taking a suspect’s word for it.
Full disclosure, I had to look up “badinage.” And raillery. Live and learn … but especially, laugh. Whaddaya hear?
Please share widely!
Great piece.
It reminds me how much I miss the weekly BMG humor summary (not a criticism of our beleaguered editors, just nostalgia provoked by another hilarious Borowitz piece).
On a more serious note, it seems to me that we are seeing actual treason on display before the world. There is no reasonable doubt the Russian agents have been conducting cyber warfare against the US (and for that matter, the western world) for a very long time. There is no doubt that the Russian government is attacking the US homeland.
Mr. Trump’s behavior this weekend explicitly demonstrates his tolerance of, if not complicity in, that attack.
When Mr. Mueller’s investigation ultimately demonstrates:
– Russian interference in the 2016 election
– Collusion between the Donald Trump campaign organization and Russian agents
– Extensive and illegal financial ties between the Donald Trump insiders and Russian interests controlled by Russian organized crime (and hence by Mr. Putin)
Then we will be presented with actual concrete proof of treason (or whatever you call it when an official works on behalf of a foreign power attempting to destroy America, whether or not a declared state of war exists).
The question we will soon face is whether our GOP collaborators have the courage to actually impeach and convict the participants in this treasonous conspiracy.
Tom, I agree — it’s so dead-serious that we scarcely have the language to talk about it. We on the left are used to rather more measured takes when talking about foreign threats or domestic betrayal, but this is all so absolutely blatant, and consequential — with no political accountability response from the Republicans, because their base has all thrown in with Trump. We are being openly sold out to an openly malicious, murderous, authoritarian foreign power. The United States government — its protections for its citizens — is being gutted and sold for scrap, from the State Dept, the EPA, NASA, you name it. We won the Cold War and Russia is winning the cyber war.
Mueller might get fired, with no consequence from Congressional Republicans. And then they can steal the next election, too.
With a twist.
The Cold War was us against the USSR. It was about real-estate. It was us fighting in Vietnam to stop the “domino effect”.
This time, it’s different and it has no geographical borders.
Russia is an oligarchy and it is trying to turn the west from a democracy into an oligarchy. This is not about moving borders or invading with armies. This is about centralizing capital across the globe with a limited number of individuals controlling that capital.
It’s the Panama Papers. It’s the Paradise Papers. It’s a war of the ownership class against the working class on a global scale with the Russian front as one, but not the only and probably not the largest threat to democracy.
The always reliable McSweeneys:
Just to Be Clear, the Witch-King of Angmar Was an Insignificant Volunteer in the Great Army of the Dark Lord Sauron
And this is more timely but less funny,
I just finished reading a book called Democracy In Chains, which tells the story of the decades-long attempt to destroy government’s ability to work for the people by those who believe that liberty means the freedom to take as much as they can and heck with everyone else.
I would recommend Rigged by Dean Baker to give you insight as to how the rich are using the government to destroy the working class.
Warning: It attacks both political parties.
“Badinage” and “raillery” were terms I learned from a book written by a friend’s father, Steven Miller — “Conversation”. Back about 10 years ago, it was the ideal of BMG that that’s what our comment section would be like: Good-humored banter. And at various times, it has been. I have to say that lately it’s looked an awful lot like … a comments section. You know, stakes are high and tempers are hot, I get it … but we should be better, smarter, nicer, funnier and more patient than Twitter and the Herald comments. The nastiness actively chases people away, I’m convinced of it. And it’s just so damned senseless.
I mean … should I just ban people, put people in time-out, or delete comments willy-nilly? I am not used to using such a heavy hand. We’re all adults.
Anyway, read Steve Miller’s book – it’s a good read.
Since we’re talking about your editing role, I hope you don’t mind my asking – is Bob Neer still around? I know David left a while ago and he told us so, but Bob’s last post was in January and I haven’t seen a comment from him in quite some time either.
Eh, kind of a sabbatical. We all need one once in a while, trust me.
Hopefully a different Steve Miller from the 70s dad rocker or the asshole Trump stole from Jeff Sessions!
I’m pretty sure, but I’ve never seen them in the same place, so youneverknow
He may, in fact, speak of the pompitous of love. You’ll have to read the book.
Steve Miller was a key part of the SF psychedelic rock and blues scenes in the 1960s. Then he became what you called a “dad rocker,” very funny and accurate. I leave the room when bands play his later music.
But you have to also understand that in those days that Fleetwood Mac was an outrageously good blues band, founded by Peter Green. He smoked his composition “Green Manalishi, and he, not Santana, wrote “Black Magic Woman.” Steve Miller and Fleetwood Mac have traveled far from their roots in ways that I do not appreciate.
This can’t be good.
NSA’s Hackers Were Themselves Hacked In Major Cybersecurity Breach
Even without the full context, this made me laugh. digby on Twitter, referring to the Sessions hearing.
Al Franken now. A bummer.
Ach. This one really hurts. Gotta say, I’m not really surprised when any of the show biz big shots are implicated these days.
He should resign.
I don’t know. I’m inclined to say “If more comes out” or something like that, but “I don’t know” is the only reply I can muster. I’m not objective,
He’s one of my favorites but I think everyone needs to be held to account. Clean out the whole damn house.
(Also, Menendez should resign as well.)
FWIW, the Menendez jury deadlocked today and the judge has declared a mistrial. What I’ve heard about Franken so far is nowhere close to calling for his head territory.
FWIW, the Supreme Court changed the definition of “official corruption” last year and that impacted what happened in this case (in addition to other decisions that have lessened corruption issues with regard to campaign financing). A conviction now requires the very clearest quid pro quo, and on something important, like a vote on a bill. Taking lots of money and favors from a donor and then connecting that donor with friends or doing other favors doesn’t really cut it. We should be doing much better than allowing that among our ranks, though. To get convicted now you have to be both outrageously corrupt and outrageously dumb. But again, we should demand better in our ranks. (Also, Menendez was incredibly mediocre as a Senator otherwise.)
With sexual assault and harassment – I think we need to encourage the reckoning.
Do you know which case that was?
McDonnell v. US
It was the appeal of the former VA governor’s corruption conviction.
I’m fine with that standard. I have always said don’t whine that it looks or smells bad – prove to me that it IS bad.
I think a case can be made that overt action is required for something to be criminal. The Ethics Committee (you know, if Congress had a real one) could impose a separate “appearance of impropriety” standard. That’s what ours does.
It looks terrible. That said, I’m always OK for a waiting period of a few days to sort out what one really thinks — even about ugly stuff. It seems like each of us is called to comment on something immediately — here, social media, etc. It’s OK to not rush to judgment — even as people quite properly react with horror to the story.
As long as he waits until the new governor can appoint a replacement.
Michelle Goldberg in NYT says Franken should go.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/opinion/al-franken-sexual-harassment.html
And it looks like the Times won’t let me select text, but she says that Republicans will use any mercy toward Franken as a means to defend far worse actions (she names Trump and Moore), and concludes (though she likes Franken) that “It’s not worth it.”