119th congress: must be at least 75 to chair a committee!

[Kepler]

I'm hoping Graham Platner gets its also

Even if he's Fetterman 2, we need the seat.

But yes, Ossoff's speech right there is a dagger to the heart of Schumer Democrats.

 

[psych]

Even if he's Fetterman 2, we need the seat.

But yes, Ossoff's speech right there is a dagger to the heart of Schumer Democrats.

This is the kind of stuff we’ll always agree on.

 

[Kepler]

White male Economic Leftism is going to do a lot more good for this country in the long term than non-white female Social Leftism.

They both cause tremendous backlash, but the former erodes the ability of the wealthy to rig the system to prevent progress on both fronts.

Do the former, get both. Do the latter, get the latter only, and temporarily.

 

[psych]

I agree with the underlying sentiment, but disagree entirely with the color arrangement. I don’t think economic leftism has anything to do with being white, while, to the detriment of many, feminism has almost been exclusively associated with middle-class white women in this country.
I think nonwhite, non-binary people need to have increased roles in all levels of government, the aggrieved cries of whites be damned. If we’re afraid of aggrieved whites blocking progress, señor, already they block progress…para siempre, progress they’ll block.

I get the sentiment…I think a human of any color would take a decent job, good healthcare, safe, stable housing, and a solid, well-funded school for his/her/their child to attend over some “hollow” social/societal/equality progress win…because yeah, we’d all be serfs together…

…but you know what Kepler, if black and brown people want us all to be serfs together, instead of them continuing to be tread on in the name of economic progress for all, I suppose they have that right. After all, they’re currently the heart and soul of the Democratic Party…not to mention us white folks have put them through the wringer on this continent for almost 500 years.

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

kep's comment is extra hilarious given the complete dismissal of US women's team by the men yesterday.

I know what he meant, sure, just...there will never be a point in my lifetime where this won't be the prevailing opinion.

sigh.

 

[Slap Shot]

Will the damning testimony from this ICE whistleblower amount to anything?

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[walrus]

Will the damning testimony from this ICE whistleblower amount to anything?

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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no, the laws mean nothing to Taco and his little helpers

 

[Kepler]

I agree with the underlying sentiment, but disagree entirely with the color arrangement. I don’t think economic leftism has anything to do with being white, while, to the detriment of many, feminism has almost been exclusively associated with middle-class white women in this country.
I think nonwhite, non-binary people need to have increased roles in all levels of government, the aggrieved cries of whites be damned. If we’re afraid of aggrieved whites blocking progress, señor, already they block progress…para siempre, progress they’ll block.

I get the sentiment…I think a human of any color would take a decent job, good healthcare, safe, stable housing, and a solid, well-funded school for his/her/their child to attend over some “hollow” social/societal/equality progress win…because yeah, we’d all be serfs together…

…but you know what Kepler, if black and brown people want us all to be serfs together, instead of them continuing to be tread on in the name of economic progress for all, I suppose they have that right. After all, they’re currently the heart and soul of the Democratic Party…not to mention us white folks have put them through the wringer on this continent for almost 500 years.

"Do you want to be right, or do you want to win?"

I was being deliberately heretical.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I agree with the underlying sentiment, but disagree entirely with the color arrangement. I don’t think economic leftism has anything to do with being white, while, to the detriment of many, feminism has almost been exclusively associated with middle-class white women in this country.
I think nonwhite, non-binary people need to have increased roles in all levels of government, the aggrieved cries of whites be damned. If we’re afraid of aggrieved whites blocking progress, señor, already they block progress…para siempre, progress they’ll block.

When you're used to privilege, moves toward equality feel like oppression to the uneducated, etc. etc.

The issue is, rich white people will always have privilege. Poor, uneducated whites only had privilege when they could vote, and put blacks down, and take their jobs. Now that both groups are economically bankrupt, what's left for whitey but to become morally bankrupt as well to feel better about themselves? And of course, none of them have seen the inside of a classroom since high school (let alone graduated from it). So they get most of their politics from the most educated man they know in Smalltown USA who stands at the pulpit on Sunday morning with his divinity degree from whatever second-tier bible college, justifying White is Right politics with Bible quotes, while conveniently ignoring all the parts of the NT about being a good Xtian. Why? Because it reassures their little group of intellectual and literal in-breds of their self-proclaimed moral superiority to the "godless libruls", because they have nothing left to lean on.

 

[Kepler]

The rubes would rather not rise if it means the one group they have managed to keep underfoot finally gets above them.

Poor rednecks have had 400 years of preferences in the law to get ahead here, and they were still so lazy and stupid they wound up on the very bottom except for one group which a nation of millions held back.

They realize that if we had a truly free country they would have nobody left to lord it over. They would rather be the house slave of the privileged throwing shade at the field slave, instead of being free but then being exposed as the Biggest Loser.

Conservatives are the residue at the bottom after a free marketplace filters us. They are the failures who could not earn a place by their own merits and need institutional racism and misogyny and religious preference in the law to give them handouts.

 

[aparch]

Closed door deposition of Hillary Clinton regarding Jeffery Epstein was going so well for Republicans.

How well was it going?

So well that Lauren Bobert snapped a sneaky picture of Hillary and submitted it to a right wing podcaster who gave credit to Boebert for taking the photo.

Which... taking photos in the closed session is forbidden and caused the deposition to be halted. Boebert could face (but likely won't) penalties for breaking closed door deposition rules.

 

[walrus]

Doesn't she claim to not know epstein? I've seen pics of her and Epstein, also Gismlaine at her daughters wedding? Probably fake ??

 

[aparch]

Doesn't she claim to not know epstein? I've seen pics of her and Epstein, also Gismlaine at her daughters wedding? Probably fake ??

I don't know her stance, but one of the quotes I saw from the deposition today made it sound pretty pointed that whatever interactions her and her husband had paled in comparison to others in the files that the DOJ were protecting and the hypocrisy was rampant.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

I don't know her stance, but one of the quotes I saw from the deposition today made it sound pretty pointed that whatever interactions her and her husband had paled in comparison to others in the files that the DOJ were protecting and the hypocrisy was rampant.

Lord, please make this the narrative that comes out of that deposition and not some backwoods MAGA spin.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

So many people hate her. I never did.

BREAKING: As Hillary Clinton heads into a closed-door deposition related to the Epstein investigation, she released a pointed opening statement, making clear she knew nothing about Epstein and slamming the Republicans for not allowing her to testify in public.
Below is her full, unedited statement:
SECRETARY CLINTON'S OPENING STATEMENT
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the Committee... as a former Senator, I have respect for legislative oversight and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability.
As we all know, however, too often Congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people.
The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.
As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.
Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It's unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.
Mr. Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government's handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein's crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the Committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide.
You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions.
You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner's deposition.
This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf.
I have spent my life advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the survivors are real and they are entitled to better.
In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as twelve years old who were forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly. Some were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost daughters to trafficking and did not know where to turn. In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others — with little support from people in power, who too often turned a blind eye and a cold shoulder.
If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he's far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal.
It's a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.
My work combatting sex trafficking goes back to my days as First Lady. I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers.
As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lou deBaca, to ramp up our global antitrafficking efforts. I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year we published a global report to shine a light on abuses.
The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete action.
I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in 2011. Because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern slavery should have no place in America. None.
Infuriatingly, the Trump Administration gutted the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department, cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The annual trafficking report, required by law, was delayed for months. The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: combatting human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House.
That is a tragedy. It's a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight.
A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008.
A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files.
It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies.
It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of heinous crimes.
It would subpoena anyone who asked on which night there would be the "wildest party" on Epstein's island.
It would demand testimony from prosecutors in Florida and New York about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated.
It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers.
It would seek out officers on the front lines of this fight and ask them what support they need.
It would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act.
But that's not happening.
Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.
If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein's trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.
If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done.
What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up?
My challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you. They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. Leading, not grandstanding. They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein's crimes as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking.

 

[walrus]

I saw somewhere the NYT headline was Hilary stopped the hearing because of the boebart picture. First comment, Hilary apparently runs the committee and the hearing.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

I saw somewhere the NYT headline was Hilary stopped the hearing because of the boebart picture. First comment, Hilary apparently runs the committee and the hearing.

She had every right to stop it. In fact her and her lawyers said if you're going to publish illegal pictures from this hearing then let the press in here right now and make this a public hearing.

 

[Kepler]

So many people hate her. I never did.

I don't "hate" her, she was an intelligent technocrat and a hard working Senator, and she obviously never deserved all the conservatives derp-de-derp demonization.

But. She and Bill have always been corrupt corporate Dems. The DNC can burn in hell for fucking up the US' first chance to have a sincere Left-Center party again for the first time since 1959 for a nepo Libtard lobbyist fix.

Her nomination was the worst mistake the Democrats have made in the last 100 years and that... man that is a high bar.

Also, give me a break she and Bill didn't know. It was the running gag inside the Beltway for 25 years. They need to go to the chair with the GOP pedos and enablers. Epstein cultivated powerful people as a human shield, not figuring they would turn off the cameras when they had him in a cage. Who would have thought he had poor judgment? The Clintons are guilty as accessories and they should die in the cell next to Dump.

Better, put them all in the gen pop. They know how to handle kid diddlers.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Well, I think your focus needs to be off of "corporate Dems" and on to fascists until they're gone. If she had been elected to her second term now we'd be a hell of a lot better off than we are now.

Instead we hired the vilest, evilest, disgustingest human being on Planet Earth. We'll be lucky if when he's done we have a country or even a Planet to live on.

 

[Kepler]

Well, I think your focus needs to be off of "corporate Dems" and on to fascists until they're gone. If she had been elected to her second term now we'd be a hell of a lot better off than we are now.

Instead we hired the vilest, evilest, disgustingest human being on Planet Earth. We'll be lucky if when he's done we have a country or even a Planet to live on.

We don't need to "focus" on them, but we don't need to protect anyone either. The entire Epstein Class has to go to the wall. They were never friends.

The Right thinks they have created a human shield interspersing Fasc swine with Dem leaders. Kill them all and God will know His own.