Regarding the Santos dog scandal: I predict that the political career of George Santos will soon come to an ignominious end. Apparently, very few things continue to be sacred for today’s “Republicans”, but surely America’s love for dogs is still on that very short list. When I heard about Santos’ dog victimizing Go Fund Me grift on the news, my ears perked up. This will be the straw that "breaks the camel's back". In America today, a gas lighting demagogue can brag about sexually assaulting women and then go on to lie thousands of times and then tell huge lies, flamboyantly and relentlessly, including absurd conspiracy theories then incite a violent insurrection, and not be barred from office (as was the case on February 13, 2021). But, being a liar and a cheat who practices his grifting while taking advantage of a deathly ill dog is another matter entirely. And this was not just any dog. The canine victim of this grift was not a Kardashian purse dog, or a little yappy dog of the type that might be dispatched for comic effect in a movie like National Lampoon's Summer Vacation, oh no, this dog was a sad eyed bulldog, the beloved companion of a homeless veteran. As for George Santos - stick a fork in him - he's so done. If killing a veteran’s dog for personal gain does not end a political career, well then truly, the “Republican” party has gone to the …. (Ok, I’m not going to go there.)
Ask any public defender the craziest cases they worked on and they will tell you animal abuse. It brings out an insane amount of animal rights spectators. (More than other crimes committed against humans). So previously I was pretty pessimistic about anything happening to Santos before the next election (barring him being charged with fraud), but now that he’s pissed off the animal people I’m not so sure. What that says about our society, I couldn’t tell you.
Regarding the sad fact that many Americans struggle with literacy, I think parents need to read to their children from an early age, so it becomes an enjoyable activity and a way to bond with your kid. I wonder how many parents find it too convenient to let their kids use a screen device and be mesmerized for hours on end - the ultimate babysitter. These kids end up not being prepared for school and the schools get blamed for the outcome.
Charlie - you've been around the block a few times. In your vast experience of GOP and local politics, have you ever come across anyone or anything like this "Santos" case before?
Sorry Charlie, but this is one time I think the Bulwark and Mona are the gaslighters. Yeah whole language by itself isn’t the best way for all to learn to read, but it is for some. Just like straight phonics is good for some, but not all. Good teachers know to use combinations and stick with what works regardless of what educational philosophers say. It’s just too bad that Mona and now you and I guess The Bulwark got this one wrong. If you want an honest and frank discussion about what’s wrong with education. It’s rather simple. Look no further than a kids home life and the support the school itself receives. Top notch schools have students with stable home environmentsvand enough funding so the school can offer quality programs and curriculum. Stop the “Thank God educators have woke up and now realize phonics isn’t where it’s at cry” Guess what. There was a reason that education slipped towards whole language for a while. Because Johnny and Suzy weren’t reading that well with just phonics. The United States will never have public education on par with other nations we trail until it actually becomes a priority. It’s not. And anyone who thinks it is is fooling themselves.
Both my kids were fluent readers before entering Kindergarten. We never had a TV and spent much time with them snuggled on our laps reading book after book. One was a phonics learner, one was a whole world learner. The key wasn't the theory, it was the lap.
I posted this in response to a Will Saletan post, but I'm posting here again to get more views. I would just appreciate it if people could read all the links, and tell me, am I crazy to say I think it's pretty obvious what's rotten here? And it's not arms sales.
Will, I don't know if you consider yourself an investigative journalist, but I think with regard to Saudi, it's a lot deeper than arms sails. And the issues with Turkey were perhaps the greatest and most underreported scandal of all time. I'll provide some links, you can draw your own conclusions. And if you're intrigued, follow where they lead. Yeah, they wrote about, but how many people remember? And did we ever really get to the bottom of it? Do we need a legal verdict to draw basic conclusions?
Before you start thinking she is just another MAGA militia nutjob, that is a photo of her while she was a young woman serving in the Israeli Defense Forces as a paratrooper. Unlike Santos, she is an actual Jew, born in Ethiopia. Her name is Mazi Melesa Pilip and she is a member of the Nassau County legislature, having flipped a Dem seat in 2021 in the Republican wave.
On her Facebook page she condemned Hochul's attempt to legalize accessory dwelling units statewide, thus siding with NIMBYs who want to keep the cost of housing high. OTOH she did condemn Lauren Boebert, which could make things interesting should she ever get to Washington:
Professional chef and democrat for 35 years here. You cannot have a restaurant kitchen without gas stoves. End of story. This kind of thinking is pure BS.
Not a well-known story, but during the debate over the Constitution, a rider was placed in the Second Amendment, to ensure the citizens' right to cook:
"A well regulated flame, being necessary to the culinary art of a beef steak, the right of the people to keep and use gas stoves, shall not be infringed."
Most, if not all, culture wars instigated by the right start with some connection to truth, albeit most tenuously. Rather than have a reasonable discussion (which is neither desired nor wanted), it is easier to stoke up the base. The left is coming for our guns, for our large sugar-filled soft drinks, imposing PC on everyone, grooming our children, censoring conservative voices, etc.
Regarding gas stoves, check out the story in The Economist, How gas stoves became part of America's culture way, published January 17.
Regarding the Santos dog scandal: I predict that the political career of George Santos will soon come to an ignominious end. Apparently, very few things continue to be sacred for today’s “Republicans”, but surely America’s love for dogs is still on that very short list. When I heard about Santos’ dog victimizing Go Fund Me grift on the news, my ears perked up. This will be the straw that "breaks the camel's back". In America today, a gas lighting demagogue can brag about sexually assaulting women and then go on to lie thousands of times and then tell huge lies, flamboyantly and relentlessly, including absurd conspiracy theories then incite a violent insurrection, and not be barred from office (as was the case on February 13, 2021). But, being a liar and a cheat who practices his grifting while taking advantage of a deathly ill dog is another matter entirely. And this was not just any dog. The canine victim of this grift was not a Kardashian purse dog, or a little yappy dog of the type that might be dispatched for comic effect in a movie like National Lampoon's Summer Vacation, oh no, this dog was a sad eyed bulldog, the beloved companion of a homeless veteran. As for George Santos - stick a fork in him - he's so done. If killing a veteran’s dog for personal gain does not end a political career, well then truly, the “Republican” party has gone to the …. (Ok, I’m not going to go there.)
Ask any public defender the craziest cases they worked on and they will tell you animal abuse. It brings out an insane amount of animal rights spectators. (More than other crimes committed against humans). So previously I was pretty pessimistic about anything happening to Santos before the next election (barring him being charged with fraud), but now that he’s pissed off the animal people I’m not so sure. What that says about our society, I couldn’t tell you.
Regarding the sad fact that many Americans struggle with literacy, I think parents need to read to their children from an early age, so it becomes an enjoyable activity and a way to bond with your kid. I wonder how many parents find it too convenient to let their kids use a screen device and be mesmerized for hours on end - the ultimate babysitter. These kids end up not being prepared for school and the schools get blamed for the outcome.
Charlie - you've been around the block a few times. In your vast experience of GOP and local politics, have you ever come across anyone or anything like this "Santos" case before?
Sorry Charlie, but this is one time I think the Bulwark and Mona are the gaslighters. Yeah whole language by itself isn’t the best way for all to learn to read, but it is for some. Just like straight phonics is good for some, but not all. Good teachers know to use combinations and stick with what works regardless of what educational philosophers say. It’s just too bad that Mona and now you and I guess The Bulwark got this one wrong. If you want an honest and frank discussion about what’s wrong with education. It’s rather simple. Look no further than a kids home life and the support the school itself receives. Top notch schools have students with stable home environmentsvand enough funding so the school can offer quality programs and curriculum. Stop the “Thank God educators have woke up and now realize phonics isn’t where it’s at cry” Guess what. There was a reason that education slipped towards whole language for a while. Because Johnny and Suzy weren’t reading that well with just phonics. The United States will never have public education on par with other nations we trail until it actually becomes a priority. It’s not. And anyone who thinks it is is fooling themselves.
Both my kids were fluent readers before entering Kindergarten. We never had a TV and spent much time with them snuggled on our laps reading book after book. One was a phonics learner, one was a whole world learner. The key wasn't the theory, it was the lap.
Santos seems intent on matching Trump's lifetime of lying and grifting - but doing it backwards, in high heels. Impressive.
I posted this in response to a Will Saletan post, but I'm posting here again to get more views. I would just appreciate it if people could read all the links, and tell me, am I crazy to say I think it's pretty obvious what's rotten here? And it's not arms sales.
Will, I don't know if you consider yourself an investigative journalist, but I think with regard to Saudi, it's a lot deeper than arms sails. And the issues with Turkey were perhaps the greatest and most underreported scandal of all time. I'll provide some links, you can draw your own conclusions. And if you're intrigued, follow where they lead. Yeah, they wrote about, but how many people remember? And did we ever really get to the bottom of it? Do we need a legal verdict to draw basic conclusions?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/10/jared-kushner-real-estate-cadre-goldman-sachs
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/10/us/jared-kushner-saudi-investment-fund.html
https://www.justsecurity.org/69094/timeline-on-jared-kushner-qatar-666-fifth-avenue-and-white-house-policy/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41947451
https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-make-latest-story-about-flynn-and-gulen
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/politics/trump-erdogan-family-turkey.html
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/11/22/why-turkey-cares-about-the-trial-of-reza-zarrab/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/world/europe/reza-zarrab-turkey-iran.html
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/trump-reza-zarrab-giuliani-turkey-erdogan
https://lawandcrime.com/supreme-court/scotus-arguments-over-prosecution-of-turkeys-state-run-bank-invoke-reports-that-trump-tried-to-interfere-with-case/
Here is one of the people being groomed by the local Republicans to possibly succeed Santos:
https://images.forwardcdn.com/image/675x/center/images/cropped/0e3fe2d7-7e51-4e67-bc56-5c122aa70e12-1638191125.jpg
Before you start thinking she is just another MAGA militia nutjob, that is a photo of her while she was a young woman serving in the Israeli Defense Forces as a paratrooper. Unlike Santos, she is an actual Jew, born in Ethiopia. Her name is Mazi Melesa Pilip and she is a member of the Nassau County legislature, having flipped a Dem seat in 2021 in the Republican wave.
https://www.jta.org/2023/01/19/politics/meet-the-real-jewish-republican-of-color-being-floated-to-replace-george-santos-the-fake-one
On her Facebook page she condemned Hochul's attempt to legalize accessory dwelling units statewide, thus siding with NIMBYs who want to keep the cost of housing high. OTOH she did condemn Lauren Boebert, which could make things interesting should she ever get to Washington:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0yefygindm73Z443cPeWWQz32aKMh7DQpyV1EAhBc9qgDhH5sQjFLbEPiHcVCrWSzl&id=100069258271650
Professional chef and democrat for 35 years here. You cannot have a restaurant kitchen without gas stoves. End of story. This kind of thinking is pure BS.
Were horses banned and everyone made to buy a IC auto?
Note the difference between the market driving change vs a govt edict.
No the federal ban wasn’t a complete ban. If you owned it before it went into effect you could keep it.
So that’s your “phasing out” - a ban.
Not a well-known story, but during the debate over the Constitution, a rider was placed in the Second Amendment, to ensure the citizens' right to cook:
"A well regulated flame, being necessary to the culinary art of a beef steak, the right of the people to keep and use gas stoves, shall not be infringed."
Little known, but absolutely true.
Most, if not all, culture wars instigated by the right start with some connection to truth, albeit most tenuously. Rather than have a reasonable discussion (which is neither desired nor wanted), it is easier to stoke up the base. The left is coming for our guns, for our large sugar-filled soft drinks, imposing PC on everyone, grooming our children, censoring conservative voices, etc.
Regarding gas stoves, check out the story in The Economist, How gas stoves became part of America's culture way, published January 17.
I have a now retired service dog. Her name is Sadie and she's 16-1/2
years old. She has been with me since she was 10 months old. She
is a dual purpose service canine.
I can't truly express here what I
would like to do to Santos. Just
say I would like to meet him on a
dark back road.
Wait . . . George Santos is a drag queen? You can't make this stuff up.