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Impeachment Witness, David Holmes, Provides Firsthand Account Of Hearing Trump Demand "Investigation" Of Bidens By Ukraine
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Audience Applauds; GOP Rep. Mike Conoway's Mic Turned Off At End Of Yovanovitch Hearing
Audience Applauds; GOP Microphone Turned Off At End Of Yovanovitch Hearing
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$69 Trillion World Debt Graphic: Per Capita The US Has 6X As Much Debt As Rest Of World
$69 Trillion World Debt Graphic
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Trump Pardons War-Crimes Cases Despite Pentagon Opposition
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Mahler's Adagios
Mahler's Adagios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naaJAY6VnRg
The Adagio, Mahler's 5th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Les39aIKbzE
The Adagio, Mahler's 5th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Les39aIKbzE
Melodious Music: Pachelbel, Albinoni, Marcello, Vivaldi, Barber, Pärt, Bach, Lauridsen, Langgaard
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/11/best-version-of-pachelbels-canon.html
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"The Human Cost Of Chicken Farming," The Atlantic
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I Have No Memory Of Any Living Republican Exhibiting the Grace, Aplomb And Knowledgeability Of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch
Impeachment Hearing Ends With Fireworks And Applause
I have no memory of any living Republican exhibiting the grace, aplomb and knowledgeability of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.
On the right side of the aisle we routinely find a swampy amalgam of wrath, retribution, hot-headed aggressiveness and refusal to engage conversation with an eye to teasing out substantive Truth.
Instead, we witness routine reliance on deceptive rhetoric, fake news, whole-cloth falsehoods and shards of fragmented truth designed to tell even greater lies by virtue of deliberately shattered wholeness.
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Monica Lewinsky Makes Trump An Offer He's Never Refused *** (Contains Clarification)
Not an actual tweet from Monica Lewinsky, but a true observation about Republican willingness to let Trump crap all over the Constitution and make a mockery of our country abroad, as long as it doesn't involve a blowjob in the oval office. #voteblue2020
@realDonaldTrump
@realDonaldTrump
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"The US Is Under Attack By Trump," Says Admiral William McRaven Who Lead Bin Laden Raid
Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President
If President Trump doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office.
By
Admiral McRaven is a former commander of the United States Special Operations Command.
Last week I attended two memorable events that reminded me why we care so very much about this nation and also why our future may be in peril.
The first was a change of command ceremony for a storied Army unit in which one general officer passed authority to another. The second event was an annual gala for the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) Society that recognizes past and present members of the intelligence and Special Operations community for their heroism and sacrifice to the nation. What struck me was the stark contrast between the words and deeds heralded at those events — and the words and deeds emanating from the White House.
On the parade field at Fort Bragg, N.C., where tens of thousands of soldiers have marched either preparing to go to war or returning from it, the two generals, highly decorated, impeccably dressed, cleareyed and strong of character, were humbled by the moment.
They understood the awesome responsibility that the nation had placed on their shoulders. They understood that they had an obligation to serve their soldiers and their soldiers’ families. They believed in the American values for which they had been fighting for the past three decades. They had faith that these values were worth sacrificing everything for — including, if necessary, their lives.
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Having served with both officers for the past 20 years, I know that they personified all that is good and decent and honorable about the American military with genuineness of their humility, their uncompromising integrity, their willingness to sacrifice all for a worthy cause, and the pride they had in their soldiers.
Later that week, at the O.S.S. Society dinner, there were films and testimonials to the valor of the men and women who had fought in Europe and the Pacific during World War II. We also celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day, recognizing those brave Americans and allies who sacrificed so much to fight Nazism and fascism. We were reminded that the Greatest Generation went to war because it believed that we were the good guys — that wherever there was oppression, tyranny or despotism, America would be there. We would be there because freedom mattered. We would be there because the world needed us and if not us, then who?
Also that evening we recognized the incredible sacrifice of a new generation of Americans: an Army Special Forces warrant officer who had been wounded three times, the most recent injury costing him his left leg above the knee. He was still in uniform and still serving. There was an intelligence officer, who embodied the remarkable traits of those men and women who had served in the O.S.S. And a retired Marine general, whose 40 years of service demonstrated all that was honorable about the Corps and public service.
But the most poignant recognition that evening was for a young female sailor who had been killed in Syria serving alongside our allies in the fight against ISIS. Her husband, a former Army Green Beret, accepted the award on her behalf. Like so many that came before her, she had answered the nation’s call and willingly put her life in harm’s way.
For everyone who ever served in uniform, or in the intelligence community, for those diplomats who voice the nation’s principles, for the first responders, for the tellers of truth and the millions of American citizens who were raised believing in American values — you would have seen your reflection in the faces of those we honored last week.
But, beneath the outward sense of hope and duty that I witnessed at these two events, there was an underlying current of frustration, humiliation, anger and fear that echoed across the sidelines. The America that they believed in was under attack, not from without, but from within.
These men and women, of all political persuasions, have seen the assaults on our institutions: on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press. They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield. As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!”
Those words echoed with me throughout the week. It is easy to destroy an organization if you have no appreciation for what makes that organization great. We are not the most powerful nation in the world because of our aircraft carriers, our economy, or our seat at the United Nations Security Council. We are the most powerful nation in the world because we try to be the good guys. We are the most powerful nation in the world because our ideals of universal freedom and equality have been backed up by our belief that we were champions of justice, the protectors of the less fortunate.
But, if we don’t care about our values, if we don’t care about duty and honor, if we don’t help the weak and stand up against oppression and injustice — what will happen to the Kurds, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the Syrians, the Rohingyas, the South Sudanese and the millions of people under the boot of tyranny or left abandoned by their failing states?
If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one follows us — where will the world end up?
President Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness. He is wrong. These are the virtues that have sustained this nation for the past 243 years. If we hope to continue to lead the world and inspire a new generation of young men and women to our cause, then we must embrace these values now more than ever.
And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it.
And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it.
William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, is a former commander of the United States Special Operations Command and former chancellor of the University of Texas system.
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.
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Are you "Civilized" Or "Barbarian?" Take The Fox News Quiz
Fox News Reporter Defends Witness Intimidation, Saying Constitution Doesn't Explicitly Forbid It
Alan: This kind of "owest common denominator""let's-see-what-we-can-get-away-with" thinking is more damaging to the body politic than an occasional person "shooting somebody on 5th Avenue.
And if you don't see why that's so, you are made in Malignant Messiah's image.
His spitting image.
God help us!
The aspiration of civilized people is to exceed minimum standards.
Trump teaches the nation to push every civilized limit to a lower downside.
And he rejoices every time he succeeds in forcing the bottom of the envelope even lower.
Trump "Violates All Recognized Democratic Norms" Federal Judge Says In Biting Speech
"Lord Of The Lizard People"
Why Don't Christians Loathe This Guy Just For Trashing Every American Standard?
Tryanny's Best Kept Secret: It's ALL About Epistemology
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspo
Trump Is A National Security Threat: What Should We Do About It?
Best Pax Posts About Trump's Cruelty, Mendacity And Seduction Of "Conservative""Christians"
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Letter To My Medical Accountant Brother About Slashing U.S. Healthcare Costs 75%
Dear Ger,
It is surprisingly hard for me to punch (significant) holes in the author's argument that two "simple" changes can reduce U.S. healthcare costs by 75%.
U.S. Can Slash Healthcare Costs 75% With 2 Fundamental Changes And Without "Medicare For All"
Clearly, there are many well-established medical constituencies to contend with if the author's two proposals were enacted.
It is also true that nearly all humans prefer to avoid fundamental upheaval, especially folks who are already on "the gravy train," including 1,100,000 American physicians.
I can hear the moaning already... and I am not sympathetic.
As a lifelong educator, I have been accustomed to getting a very modest fraction of the recompense physicians get. And so, I am at least tone-deaf to the groans I already hear. (For the record, I -- a life-long educator -- taught in public schools, full-time, from 1989 through 1996 and, even with a masters degree in biological science, my final year's salary was a paltry $26,500.00.)
Anyhow, knowing that you study medical economics all over the world, I look forward to your thoughts.
If nothing else, I find it quite remarkable that political will alone can reduce America's healthcare costs so precipitously.
It must also be said that physicians' salaries are a drop in the bucket compared to "Sackler-style" profiteering by the Cowboy Capitalists who have always ruled the roost, and now, as the sun sets on American hegemony, they have finally chucked their plutocratic disguises to put "one of their own" -- ah, such a fine specimen! -- at the top of the political pyramid.
Strong work ________! (Insert expletive of choice.)
Pax et amore
Alan
"Paul's Epistle to The Republicconians"
"What Should Donald Trump Really Be Impeached For?" Amitai Etzioni In "The National Interest"
"This Is No Ordinary Impeachment" By Andrew Sullivan, New York Magazine
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/11/this-is-no-ordinary-impeachment-by.html
"Are Democrats Building A Collapsible Impeachment?" Is It Deliberately Designed To Collapse?!?
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/11/are-democrats-building-collapsible.html
Republicans Generally - And Trump Specifically - Are Eager To Lie And Cheat If It Expands Their Power
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/10/republicans-generally-and-trump.html
Trump Tells The Truth: "I Lie."
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/07/lies-lies-lies-lies-trump-mendacity.html
"Trumpistas Don't Just Lie. They Are Hostile To Truth"
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/10/lies-lies-lies-lies-compendium-of-pax.html
The Hard, Central Truth Of Contemporary Conservatism
The hard, central "fact" of contemporary "conservatism" is its insistence on a socio-economic threshold above which people deserve government assistance, and below which people deserve to die.
The sooner the better.
Unless conservatives are showing n'er-do-wells The Door of Doom, they just don't "feel right."
To allay this chthonic anxiety, they resort to Human Sacrifice, hoping that spilled blood will placate "the angry gods," including the one they've made of themselves. http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/09/harvard-study-45000-americans-die.html
Having poked their own eyes out, they fail to see that self-generated wrath creates "the gods" who hold them thrall.
The Evangelical Persecution Complex(Projection's Finest Hour)
Almost "to a man," contemporary "conservatives" have apotheosized themselves and now -- sitting on God's usurped throne -- are rabid to pass Final Judgment.
Self-proclaimed Christians, eager to thrust "the undeserving" through The Gates of Hell, are the very people most likely to cross its threshold.
Remarkably, although they are prone to believe all manner of Trumpeted nonsense, none of them are tempted to believe in their own spiritual peril.
The Pharisees Are Always With Us.
Here's What They "Look Like" Today
Brutalism: The Real Face Of The NRA
But never mind.
If you can rationalize Trump, you can rationalize anything.
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For Every False Allegation That "The Press Is The Enemy Of The American People..."
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Functionally, Trump Is Indistinguishable From A Mob Boss
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Investigative Journalist David Cay Johnston Calls Trump "One Of The Most Successful Criminals In America"And "The Greatest Con Artist In The History Of The World"
David Cay Johnston: "Trump Is Not A Loyal American... There Is A Traitor In The White House"
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George Orwell: A Brief, Image-Rich Introduction To A Prophetic Genius
Alan: I have not been able to fact check all of these quotations. If you wish to do your own fact-checking, a good place to start is Orwell's Wikiquote page.
Wikiquote
Alan: In the late '60s I lived in Colombia, South America, and belonged to a group of rebellious artists called "Los Nomadas."
A painter-sculptor named Hector Fabio Gomez Brand observed: "Queremos tanto ver lo que no esta' frente a los ojos que llegamos a no ver lo que esta' frente a los ojos."
George Orwell
Wikiquote
George Orwell: "The Further A Society Drifts From Truth..."
George Orwell: "Politics And The English Language," 1946
"Do Wars Really Defend America's Freedom?"(Homage To Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)
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"Do Wars Really Defend America's Freedom?"
(Homage To Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)
George Orwell
Wikiquote
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Facebook Thread Concerning Capitalism, Socialism, Rugged Individualism & The Common Good
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How Fast Food Chains Rate For Limiting Antibiotic Use In Their Foodstuffs
Thanks to physician friend Ed Myer M.D. for forwarding this graphic.
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Cartoon: The View From The Kremlin
"You Still Don't Get It?"Trump Colludes By The INACTION Of NOT Obstructing Putin's Meddling
Borowitz: Putin Denies McConnell Is Russian Asset: "He's Never Been An Asset To Any Country"
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/07/borowitz-putin-denies-mitch-mcconnell.Moscow Mitch, Putin's Bitch
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/07/moscow-mitch-putins-bitch.html
"Laying Off The Booze": I Applaud Putin Doing The Right Thing And Proving That Regulation Works
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/10/laying-off-booze-i-applaud-putin-for.html↧
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Article 10
Here, let Orwell help you decide...
Orwell: A Brief, Image-Rich Introduction To A Prophetic Genius
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Cartoon: God's Not Good Enough For The GOP
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Cartoon: Elizabeth Warren Upsets The Plutocrats
"You Still Don't Get It?"Trump Colludes By The INACTION Of NOT Obstructing Putin's Meddling
Borowitz: Putin Denies McConnell Is Russian Asset: "He's Never Been An Asset To Any Country"
Moscow Mitch, Putin's Bitch
"Laying Off The Booze": I Applaud Putin Doing The Right Thing And Proving That Regulation Works
Reprise: "Plutocracy Triumphant," A Compendium Of Cartoons, Memes And Illuminating Links
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/11/reprise-plutocracy-triumphant.html"The Rich Aren't Just Grabbing A Bigger Slice Of The Income Pie.
They're Taking It All"
"Plutocracy Triumphant"Cartoon Compendium
"Politics And Economics: The 101 Courses You Wish You Had"
Time Out Of Mind "Deep State Plutocracy" Is The Enduring Conspiracy. Warfare And Racial Animus Is The Decoy
https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/05/deep-state-plutocracy-is-ancient-and.htmlPlutocracy: The Short Course
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2019/10/plutocracy-short-course.html
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