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Sunday, December 13, 2015

The Daily Drift

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Muslims Raise Over $100,000 For San Bernardino Victims While Wingnuts Spew Vile Hatred

Muslims Raise Over $100,000 For San Bernardino Victims While GOP Spouts Vile Hatred
This is literally love conquering over hate.
Read more 

ExxonMobil Defies Kochs - Warns Governments Must Intervene To Prevent Climate Catastrophe

ExxonMobil is the second leading oil corporation to publicly admit that climate change is real, following Shell Oil's admission in March…
EXXMob
While many Americans are stocking up on guns and ammunition to kill other Americans of the “wrong” religion, or the “wrong” sexual orientation, or “all the wrong” races, they are sleeping through the second greatest threat to their existence after the Republican cabal. Of course, part and parcel of Americans’ ignorance of and opposition to four decades-old data warning that man-made carbon emissions pose the greatest economic and national security threat to Americans is the oil industry’s deceit in pursuit of profits. A significant reason Americans dismiss the impending climate catastrophe is due to being cognitively incapable of connecting historic droughts, severe storms, deadly flooding, and wildfires to climate scientists warnings about historic droughts, severe storms, deadly flooding and increasingly intense wildfires due to carbon emissions. To make matters worse, there has been a four-plus decade-long oil industry crusade to portray global warming as a nasty liberal hoax to destroy America.
Chief among the groups that learned in the 1970s that man-made carbon emissions would have “catastrophic” effects on the Earth’s climate was ExxonMobil. Instead of warning Americans, ExxonMobil took the lead in funding massive misinformation campaigns and attacking climate scientists. Then the Koch brothers got serious and began issuing monumentally-large checks for Republican science deniers and oil industry ‘experts’ to contradict climate scientists empirical data and research.
It is important to reiterate that besides real independent climate scientists’ research in the 70s, it was ExxonMobil’s own scientists’ data and research warning the oil giant that climate change was “anthropomorphic” (man-caused), and that without immediate government intervention global temperatures “will reach catastrophic levels” and threaten the Earth’s population. Obviously, ExxonMobil, like the Kochs a couple of decades later, concealed the 1970’s science warning the climate is doomed; it is likely why today there are only 10 or 11 people among 300 million aware that climate scientists were screaming about global climate catastrophe over forty years ago.
Now though, in a break with the Koch brothers and all but a literal handful of Republicans, ExxonMobil’s scientists warned the Washington Post that “with no government action, average temperatures are likely to rise by a catastrophic 5 degrees Celsius (9-degrees Fahrenheit) with rises of 6, 7 (12, 13 F) or even more quite possible.” Climate scientists, even those denying anthropomorphic global warming, have predicted for a couple of decades, and issued dire warnings, that a rise in Earth’s temperature of 2 degrees Celsius is the deadly tipping point and “game over for the climate.”
It is certain that the Kochs, whose own scientists’ research agrees with climate scientists and ExxonMobil’s, and their dirt-stupid puppets in Congress and state legislatures nearly fainted when ExxonMobil used science to prophecy the climate’s demise. However, it is more likely that their heads exploded and their bowels emptied when ExxonMobil counseled what the government should initiate immediately to save the climate and billions of human lives.
According to the Washington Post’s “centrist” editorial page editor seeking some means of alerting Americans to just how “dangerously extreme the Republican cabal has become on climate change,” Fred Hiatt wrote that “Republicans’ ideologically based denial is dangerous and cowardly.” Hiatt then noted that ExxonMobil is the polar opposite of an environmental group like Greenpeace, but unlike the national cabal leadership, congressional Republicans and pretender candidates, “ExxonMobil believes climate change is real, that governments should take action to combat it, and that the most sensible action would be a revenue-neutral tax on carbon that taxes fossil fuels like coal and oil and returns the money to taxpayers.”
Although ExxonMobil just advised the federal government to take action to save the climate with a tax on carbon, the “carbon tax” was preemptively blocked by Grover Norquist and Koch brother Republicans in the Senate last March. There is no way in hell Norquist, or the Kochs, will allow Republicans to aid in saving the climate or Americans with any kind of tax, but particularly a tax on anything related to the cabal’s precious “fossil fuels;” materials that are as sacrosanct to Republicans as their devotion to fascist oligarchy and guns.
ExxonMobil is the second leading oil corporation to finally admit, in public, that climate change is real. So real, in fact, that last March Shell Oil admitted the climate is doomed and the company is planning for a 4-degree C rise in the Earth’s temperature. Shell also acknowledged that the 4-degree C rise eclipses the climate-killing 2C threshold and certain disaster. The oil giant began planning for a “planet-wide catastrophe replete with massive flooding, global famines, and desertification” in previously temperate zones. The “massive flooding” Shell is planning for is “sea water as sea levels will rise between 2.5 and 3.5 feet leading to widespread coastal flooding, animal and plant extinctions, and the near-decimation of global agriculture.”
Shell’s planning document, similar to ExxonMobil, did not waste time advising any government solutions because the corporation’s leaders accept the reality that Republicans will block any government effort to curb carbon emissions. Shell’s internal document said what a few Americans already know; “We do not see government taking any steps now that are consistent with 2 degrees C threshold scenario,” the tipping point of game over for the climate.
An optimist may believe that after two giant oil corporations weighed in, albeit too late, on the catastrophic temperature rise from carbon emissions, Republicans would give attention to an existential threat to Americans. However, despite pleas from the Vatican to address climate change as a humanitarian issue and 200 world leaders gathering to devise a planet-wide solution, Republicans remain steadfast in willful denial. And it appears that no amount of devastating weather events, droughts, wildfires, or flooding creating economic and national security havoc will affect Republicans. Despite mounting threats to civilization and corporate acknowledgment that action is required immediately, Republicans have ramped up their assault on President Obama’s efforts to address climate change.
It is a travesty, but as Paul Krugman noted last week, “the awesome, terrifying reality is that we’re looking at a party that has turned its back on science at a time when doing so puts the very future of civilization at risk. That’s the truth, and it needs to be faced head-on.” On the other side of the political spectrum, a member of the right wing anti-science echo chamber, opinion columnist David Brooks, made a different argument to come to the same conclusion as Krugman. Brooks explained that Republicans’ problem with climate change is that,
The republican cabal has come to resemble a Soviet dictatorship — a vast majority of Republican politicians can’t publicly say what they know about the truth of climate change because they’re afraid the thought police will knock on their door and drag them off to an AM radio interrogation.”
That “commie dictatorship and thought police interrogation” will come down from the Koch brothers and their substantial corporate media sycophants, not oil industry giants. Still, even though ExxonMobil and Shell Oil are predicting a planet-wide climate catastrophe without concerted government intervention, Republicans will continue doing the Koch’s bidding and as Paul Krugman said last week; doom the Earth’s population.

Obama Gets Standing Ovation For Bashing Trump’s Muslim Ban In Slavery Speech

Obama Gets Standing Ovation For Bashing Trump’s Muslim Ban In Slavery Speech (VIDEO)Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, Obama reminded everyone how much Trump threatens America’s progress.

Obama Annihilates Trump’s Proposed Muslim Ban With Pure Powerful Presidential Eloquence

Obama slavery speech
President Obama’s rebuttal to Trump’s proposed Muslim ban was a speech of pure greatness that demonstrated the difference between a cowardly demagogue and the true leader of the free world.
The President said:
And that’s what we celebrate today. The long arc of progress. Progress that is never assured, never guaranteed, but always possible, always there to be earned — no matter how stuck we might seem sometimes. No matter how divided or despairing we may appear. No matter what ugliness may bubble up. Progress, so long as we’re willing to push for it; so long as we’re willing to reach for each other.
We would do a disservice to those warriors of justice — Tubman, and Douglass, and Lincoln, and King — were we to deny that the scars of our nation’s original sin are still with us today. We condemn ourselves to shackles once more if we fail to answer those who wonder if they’re truly equals in their communities, or in their justice systems, or in a job interview. We betray the efforts of the past if we fail to push back against bigotry in all its forms.

But we betray our most noble past as well if we were to deny the possibility of movement, the possibility of progress; if we were to let cynicism consume us and fear overwhelm us. If we lost hope. For however slow, however incomplete, however harshly, loudly, rudely challenged at each point along our journey, in America, we can create the change that we seek. All it requires is that our generation be willing to do what those who came before us have done: To rise above the cynicism and rise above the fear, to hold fast to our values, to see ourselves in each other, to cherish dignity and opportunity not just for our own children but for somebody else’s child. To remember that our freedom is bound up with the freedom of others — regardless of what they look like or where they come from or what their last name is or what faith they practice. To be honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. To nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of Earth. To nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of Earth. That is our choice. Today, we affirm hope.

An election that was thought to be dull is offering America a profound choice. The path that President Obama laid out today is one that is full of hope and consistent with our values as a nation. The choice that Trump is offering is one based on giving into our fears and taking the coward’s way out.
Much has been said about Trump’s proposed Muslim ban, but no one has made the case against Trump as powerfully and eloquently as President Obama did. This president has given more than a few speeches that deserve to be required reading for future generations, but his speech today was one of historical greatness.
No one would blame Barack Obama if he lost hope after the way that his critics have treated him during his presidency, but Obama has gone in the opposite direction. The uglier his critics got, the more he stressed hope. President Obama has never lost hope in the greatness of America.
Obama destroyed Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims, and in the process demonstrated the character of a true leader.

'Hopeless Poverty Threatens Democracy'

The Supreme Court seems awfully keen on white voting power

The Supreme Court, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Supreme Court seems awfully keen on white voting power
Justices were distressingly sympathetic to wingnut arguments in two cases the other day.

Texas renews federal court bid to block Syrian refugees from entering

Texas renews federal court bid to block Syrian refugees from entering
Of course they did ...

Why Is The Truth So Hard For Wingnuts?


The Truth Hurts

Harry Reid Slams Republican Cabal for Cultivating the Racism That Is Fueling Trump’s Xenophobic Campaign

Not Just Trump: Clinton Puts Entire Republican Cabal On Blast With This Letter About Their Hate

Not Just Trump: Clinton Puts Entire GOP On Blast With This Letter About Their HateHillary Clinton noticed Republicans trying to claim it’s just Trump, so she wrote this letter.

Cruz Invited A Wingnut Hate Radio Hack To Testify On Climate Science ...

Cruz Endorses Lunatic Fringe Religio-Wingnut Pastor’s Plan To ‘Rescue’ Black People From Sexual Immorality

The Truth Be Told

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Cruz Endorsed By Anti-LGBT Nutjob Organization For Marriage

The Nutjob Organization for Marriage, a cabal that was founded to stop marriage equality but has since embraced other anti-LGBT causes, announced  that it has endorsed Cruz for pretender, asking wingnuts to coalesce around the Texas moron’s candidacy. Cruz, who has actively c... MORE

Dan Rather slams Trump and Cruz

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather appears on 'The Rachel Maddow Show' on Dec. 10, 2015. (MSNBC)
Dan Rather slams Trump and Cruz for ‘confusing the bully pulpit with the BS pulpit’

Hasselbeck Just Actually Blamed Trump’s Slimy Racism On President Obama

Elizabeth Hasselbeck Just Actually Blamed Trump’s Slimy Racism On President ObamaHasselbeck and friends just took the ridiculous to a whole new level.

Bald Eagle Attacks Trump During Photoshoot Because Dog Bless America

This might be the greatest story of the week.
Oh, by the way, the eagle's name is Uncle Sam and it is just perfect that Uncle Sam hates Trump - everyone except the wingnuts will get the meaning there ...

Cabal in a Panic!

Jeb’s leadership PAC files ironic FEC complaint against Trump, citing coordination

Jeb Bush, via Gage Skidmore / FlickrJeb’s leadership PAC files ironic FEC complaint against Trump, citing coordination
Most. Ironic. FEC. Compliant. Ever.

That time Trump palled around with (and raised money for) a terrorist

That time Trump palled around with (and raised money for) a terrorist
The white, English-speaking, 'christian' terrorists are okay, apparently.

Trump’s Real Threat Is Making Extreme Bigots Seem Moderate

Trump Is No Leader

Why Trump's Negativity Is Working

Trump repeatedly refers to others as stupid, morons, dummies and losers. It's an unusual strategy, but it seems to be working.

Trump-loving Republican caught lying in unhinged rant about Obama’s 'lies'

A woman who called President Barack Obama a liar on CNN and said she had never been involved in politics until being energized by the candidacy of Donald Trump is in fact a far-right elected leader for the state of New Hampshire.

Is Trump Working For ISIL?

White supremacist leaders thank Trump for dragging their racism into the mainstream

Donald Trump hasn’t just been popular with the Republican party as a presidential candidate. He’s also served as a recruiting tool for white supremacists.

Nearly 200,000 People Sign Petition To Ban Trump From The UK

trump-fox-business-debateNearly 200,000 (and counting) people have signed a petition that will force Parliment to debate whether Donald Trump should be banned from the UK due to his hate speech.
The petition states:
The signatories believe Trump should be banned from UK entry.
The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK.
If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the ‘unacceptable behavior’ criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful.
The petition has received nearly double the amount of signatures needed to trigger a debate in Parliament, and nearly twenty times the number needed to force the government to respond.
There is a precedent for such a ban of American wingnut. Wingnut hate speech radio hack Michael Savage is banned from the UK on the same grounds of hate speech but never has the front-runner for a major political party’s presidential nomination faced a potential ban from entering a country because of his hateful rhetoric.
If Trump were to be elected pretender, the President Of The United States might not be allowed into the territory of one of America’s oldest and greatest allies.
The message being sent is that Trump isn’t just an embarrassment to the United States, he is viewed by many as a danger to the world.

England Not Alone as Some in Israel Want Trump Banned from Upcoming Visit

Trump plans to visit Israel at the end of the year, but some in Israel are not happy at the prospect of Trump's presence…
trump-surprised
We have seen how Trump is not popular in England and that a petition to keep the notorious demagogue out is gaining traction there. But it turns out Trump also plans to visit Israel and the Temple Mount, and some in Israel are equally unhappy at the prospect.
The Jerusalem Post reports that “Republican US Pretender candidate and real estate moron Trump is strongly considering a visit to the Temple Mount when he comes to Israel for the first time at the end of the month.”
Trump announced the visit on December 2 at a rally in Virginia by saying that,
“Very soon I’m going to Israel. I’m going to be meeting with [Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu who’s a great guy…I love Israel and will support it whole-heartedly.”
Maybe Trump should enter politics in Israel, and leave us alone. Like most Republicans, he seems to favor allowing Israel to dictate America’s foreign policy, indicating that both Obama and Kerry have “sold Israel out.”
During his visit, on December 28, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet with Trump. To be fair, he has expressed a willingness to meet with any presidential candidate who visits Israel, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency points out that “The meeting was scheduled two weeks ago, before Trump’s comments this week calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.”
According to a source close to Netanyahu, the prime minister “does not agree with every statement by every candidate.”
Chairwoman Zehava Gal-On of the left-wing Meretz party has stated that Netanyahu should not go forward with the meeting, calling it a “slap in the face to Muslim citizens of Israel.”
“It is embarrassing that Netanyahu is willing to legitimize Trump as a reasonable candidate who is worth a meeting with a head of state. Netanyahu’s willingness to meet with Trump despite his serious racist statements authorizes what the prime minister’s statements showed about him long ago: That there has never been such a racist, irresponsible prime minister.
There is a petition circulating among members of the Israeli Knesset, begun by Meretz’s Michal Rosin, asking Netanyahu to cancel his meeting with Trump, and MK Omer Bar-Lev of the center-left Zionist Union tweeted that,
“As far as it depends on me, this racist Trump should not be welcome in the Knesset.”
According to Haaretz, the petition “was primarily signed by opposition lawmakers from Meretz, Zionist Union, Joint List and Yesh Atid – as well as two coalition MKs – Yakov Margi of Shas and Roy Folkman of Kulanu.” Kulanu is a centrist party, while Shas is an ultra-orthodox party.
The reaction from Joint-List, an alliance of Arab-dominated political parties, is even more strident in its rejection of Trump:
MK Ahmed Tibi of Joint List tweeted that, “I asked [Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein” to ban neo-Nazi Trump and all Trumps from entering [the] Knesset, though his statements are not strange to some racists in [the] Knesset.”
Arabs make up about one-fifth of the population of Israel.
MK Essawi Frej of Meretz went so far as to request, reports The Jerusalem Post, “that Interior Minister Silvan Shalom ban Trump from entering the country.”
Frej told an Israeli radio station,
“Imagine that a country or a candidate would say entrance to Jews is forbidden, the whole world would stand up in protest, saying this is a racist anti-Semite. A racist like this has no place here among us.”
Trump has become a political hot potato not only here in the U.S. but overseas as well, as a result of his hateful rhetoric. Jewish groups in the U.S., including the ADL, the The American Jewish Committee, J Street, and the National Jewish Democratic Council, have already slammed Trump for his announcement that Muslims should be denied the right to immigrate to the U.S.
Trump makes his own trouble as he goes, though he always presents himself as the hero of the piece, and it’s ultimately tragic victim. Foreign Policy‘s Rula Jebrael, a foreign policy analyst, has correctly addressed “the dangers of letting Trump set the national dialogue,” and if the media won’t do anything to curtail his vile rhetoric, then people and politicians must be the conscience of the nation – whatever nation that might be.
The White House has correctly pointed out that neither Trump, nor any of those candidates who support him, are qualified to serve as president, and Trump seems determined to put the exclamation point on that statement. Unfortunately for him, he is not the only one capable to doing so, as justifiably outraged people England and Israel have demonstrated.
***
NOTE: Trump has already cancelled his 'visit' anyway.