Month: April 2018

Quantity, not quality

benfell

There is a new, rather wonkish, research journal entry up, Validity versus reliability in strictly structured interviews.

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 25, 10:04 pm, more because I’d archived a number of articles than because any of them really rose to the level meriting an issue.
  2. April 25, 11:47 pm:
    • At last, something interesting: “North Korea’s main nuclear test site has partially collapsed under the stress of multiple explosions, possibly rendering it unsafe for further testing and leaving it vulnerable to radiation leaks, a study by Chinese geologists has shown.” Which might partly explain the country’s announcement that “it would stop testing nuclear weapons at the site ahead of Friday’s summit between the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in.”[1] (North Korea)
  3. April 26, 12:15 am:
    • Brexit just keeps getting more interesting. The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, which is part of the governing coalition,[2] has threatened to bring down Theresa May’s government if Northern Ireland is kept inside any sort of customs union with the European Union.[3] Such a customs union seems needed to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland and such a hard border would undermine Irish peace.[4] I’m guessing Brexit will collapse under irreconcilable imperatives.
  4. April 27, 1:35 am:
    • Donald Trump admitted that Michael Cohen represented him in the Stormy Daniels matter.[5]
    • A jury convicted Bill Cosby of sexual assault.[6]
  5. April 27, 12:34 pm:
    • When I endorsed Brexit, I mostly did so out of a greater repugnance for neoliberalism than for authoritarian populism.[7] Now, as I watch all this move forward, I suspect above that the Brexit effort may “collapse under irreconcilable imperatives.” I have, until now, however, failed to find an article that really pulls together an explanation of why the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is such a problem for Brexit. Now, Michael Bloomberg has what is labeled an ‘opinion’ piece that goes a long ways toward pulling that all together.[8] This looks pretty straight to me. Bloomberg, of course, favors neoliberalism where I remain opposed. But the risk or return to violence between Northern Ireland’s Catholics and Protestants clearly isn’t the answer to what I see as the sole legitimate authoritarian populist grievance, that of being left behind by so-called “free” trade.
    • I was waiting for this: Elie Mystal explains how, in Donald Trump’s phone call to “Fox and Friends,” he demolished two of his own legal defenses.[9]

New York Times

Kyle Smith, “Amy Chozick Exposes Hillary’s Groveling Press Corps,” review of Chasing Hillary: Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns, and One Intact Glass Ceiling, by Amy Chozick, National Review, April 24, 2018, https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/amy-chozick-chasing-hillary-review-media-bias-display/

Unauthorized migrants

Charles J. Sykes, “But Gorsuch! Does Trump Even Understand Judicial Conservatism?” Weekly Standard, April 23, 2018, https://www.weeklystandard.com/charles-j-sykes/trump-angered-by-7th-circuit-rebuke-on-sanctuary-cities

Brent Kendall, “Judge Rules Trump Administration Must Continue DACA Program,” Wall Street Journal, April 24, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/judge-rules-trump-administration-must-continue-daca-program-1524624398

For-profit schools

Elizabeth Redden, “‘Suspect’ California University Shut Down,” Inside Higher Ed, April 23, 2018, https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/04/23/suspect-california-university-shut-down

North Korea

Justin McCurry, “North Korea nuclear test site has collapsed and may be out of action – China study,” Guardian, April 25, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/26/north-korea-nuclear-test-site-collapse-may-be-out-of-action-china

Brexit

Steven Swinford, “DUP threatens to bring down Theresa May’s Government if it crosses Customs Union red line,” Telegraph, April 26, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/04/25/dup-threatens-bring-theresa-mays-government-climbs-brexit/

Donald Trump

Elie Mystal, “Trump Goes On Television, Destroys Two Legal Cases, Will Blame ‘Fake News,’” Above The Law, April 26, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/trump-goes-on-television-destroys-two-legal-cases-will-blame-fake-news/

Philip Rucker, “Trump says for first time that Cohen represented him in Stormy Daniels case,” Washington Post, April 26, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-for-first-time-that-cohen-represented-him-in-stormy-daniels-case/2018/04/26/43c48962-4951-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html

Amy Davidson Sorkin, “Trump’s Stormy Morning on ‘Fox & Friends,'” New Yorker, April 26, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-stormy-morning-on-fox-and-friends

Bill Cosby

David Montero, “Bill Cosby conviction: Accuser praised as ‘the Joan of Arc in the war on rape,'” Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-cosby-trial-verdict-20180426-story.html

  1. [1]Justin McCurry, “North Korea nuclear test site has collapsed and may be out of action – China study,” Guardian, April 25, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/26/north-korea-nuclear-test-site-collapse-may-be-out-of-action-china↩
  2. [2]Jason Douglas and Stephen Fidler, “Theresa May Clinches Deal With Northern Irish Party to Support Minority Government,” Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/theresa-may-clinches-deal-withthern-irish-party-to-support-minority-government-1498473399↩
  3. [3]Steven Swinford, “DUP threatens to bring down Theresa May’s Government if it crosses Customs Union red line,” Telegraph, April 26, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/04/25/dup-threatens-bring-theresa-mays-government-climbs-brexit/↩
  4. [4]Philip Jenkins, “How Brexit is Turning into a Disaster for Ireland,” American Conservative, December 13, 2017, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-brexit-is-turning-into-a-disaster-for-ireland/↩
  5. [5]Philip Rucker, “Trump says for first time that Cohen represented him in Stormy Daniels case,” Washington Post, April 26, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-for-first-time-that-cohen-represented-him-in-stormy-daniels-case/2018/04/26/43c48962-4951-11e8-827e-190efaf1f1ee_story.html; Amy Davidson Sorkin, “Trump’s Stormy Morning on ‘Fox & Friends,'” New Yorker, April 26, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-stormy-morning-on-fox-and-friends↩
  6. [6]David Montero, “Bill Cosby conviction: Accuser praised as ‘the Joan of Arc in the war on rape,'” Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-cosby-trial-verdict-20180426-story.html↩
  7. [7]David Benfell, “How can David Cameron possibly hope to win on ‘Brexit’ when his government is on the precipice?” (Supposedly) Daily Bullshit, May 30, 2016, https://parts-unknown.org/reading/2016/05/30/how-can-david-cameron-possibly-hope-to-win-on-brexit-when-his-government-is-on-the-precipice-daily-bullshit-may-30-2016/↩
  8. [8]Michael R. Bloomberg, “A Brexit Choice Between Bad and Worse,” Bloomberg, April 27, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-04-27/brexit-michael-bloomberg-on-the-customs-union-choice↩
  9. [9]Elie Mystal, “Trump Goes On Television, Destroys Two Legal Cases, Will Blame ‘Fake News,’” Above The Law, April 26, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/trump-goes-on-television-destroys-two-legal-cases-will-blame-fake-news/↩

After ‘negotiating’ with the ‘Great Negotiator,’ who got nothing more than Jerry Brown originally offered, Brown sends the National Guard to the Mexico border

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 18, 7:51 pm.
  2. April 18, 8:22 pm:
    • The Donald Trump saga just keeps getting more ludicrous.[1] Honestly, you couldn’t make this shit up.

You wouldn’t know it from my Twitter feed, but I have been ill, probably with the flu. This is an extraordinarily rare thing for me, which is in a couple of ways bad:

  1. To all those I spread this horrendous flu to—and if it gets me, you know it’s horrendous—while I was thinking this was just a bad allergy attack, I apologize. Seriously, take care of yourselves, because you are unlikely to recover as quickly as I have. I started suffering the ‘allergy attack’ Saturday night. It was late Tuesday before I even had an appetite for a bowl of soup, and in the wee hours of Wednesday morning that I scarfed down some apple pie my mom had saved for me. My appetite is almost normal now, but I’m still a bit weak. Oh, and just so you know, this started as a really runny nose. (Umm, yeah. In April, when I might expect my allergies to start kicking in.)
  2. More generally, I have a bit of trouble actually empathizing with sick people, because it happens to me so rarely. I try to be kind but, to be honest, I really am clueless about what you’re going through. And I think even when I am sick, it’s different: I get hit hard and fast. I spend a lot of time sleeping it off. I might be coughing for a while though, trying to clear the remaining phlegm.

Unauthorized migration

This really says it all: “Despite public criticism from [Donald] Trump, who wrote on Twitter on Wednesday morning that [Jerry] Brown was ‘trying to back out of the National Guard at the Border,’ the terms of the deployment have not changed from Brown’s original announcement.”[2] But oh yeah, Trump is, in the view of some authoritarian populist quoted in an article I didn’t bother to archive, a businessman who knows how to get a good deal. Right.

Ellen Mitchell, “Officials: California ‘not participating’ yet in Trump’s border protection push,” Hill, April 16, 2018, http://thehill.com/policy/defense/383431-officials-california-not-participating-in-trumps-border-protection-push

Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown orders National Guard deployment of up to 400 troops,” Sacramento Bee, April 18, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article209292514.html

Brexit

The House of Lords is having a go at Theresa May’s Brexit strategy. She isn’t liking this.[3]

Elizabeth Piper and William James, “British PM May dealt embarrassing Brexit defeat in parliament’s upper house,” Reuters, April 18, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-lords-loss/british-pm-may-dealt-embarrassing-brexit-defeat-in-parliaments-upper-house-idUSKBN1HP2I0

Donald Trump

Jonathan Chait, “Trump’s Lawyer Forgets to Pretend He’s Innocent, Also Compares Him to Mobster,” New York, April 18, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/trumps-lawyer-cohen-forgets-to-pretend-trump-is-innocent.html

  1. [1]Jonathan Chait, “Trump’s Lawyer Forgets to Pretend He’s Innocent, Also Compares Him to Mobster,” New York, April 18, 2018, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/trumps-lawyer-cohen-forgets-to-pretend-trump-is-innocent.html↩
  2. [2]Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown orders National Guard deployment of up to 400 troops,” Sacramento Bee, April 18, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article209292514.html↩
  3. [3]Elizabeth Piper and William James, “British PM May dealt embarrassing Brexit defeat in parliament’s upper house,” Reuters, April 18, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-lords-loss/british-pm-may-dealt-embarrassing-brexit-defeat-in-parliaments-upper-house-idUSKBN1HP2I0↩

Tim Draper is back with yet another plan to break up California

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 13, 7:09 pm.
  2. April 13, 10:20 pm:
    • CNN’s coverage of Tim Draper’s ballot initiative actually includes a map (figure 2) and an explanation of which counties would belong to which state.[1] (California)

My car is in the shop for a brake job, and I had decided to take the bus up to Santa Rosa to visit my cat, who has been at the veterinarian for nearly a month now being treated for ringworm (which is a fungus, not a parasitic worm) while we deep clean the house to try to get rid of the spores (we should have final results Saturday and I think we’ll finally be bringing her home). I stopped at a Jamba Juice not far from Santa Rosa Junior College and saw this (figure 1):

At the Safeway parking lot on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Photograph by David Benfell, April 13, 2018.
Fig. 1. At the Safeway parking lot on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Photograph by David Benfell, April 13, 2018.

The Jamba Juice is in a shopping center next to a Safeway so we can infer that college students, in a town that allegedly values its junior college, are not welcome to shop for groceries. I also noticed that mobile data in the area, at least with Verizon Wireless, was unreliable.

Folks, I have a Ph.D. I want people to be educated. But when I see shit like this, I know we are treating students as second-class citizens. It is not a constructive solution to the problems that a student population may pose. It’s just bullshit. And yes, I’m pissed.

California

Tim Draper's plan to break up California. Via CNN, fair use.
Fig. 2. Tim Draper’s plan to break up California. Via CNN, fair use.
Tim Draper, whose previous plan to break California into six states[2] that didn’t, at least to me, make any sense for the character of the regions in question, is back with another similarly flawed plan.[3]

I haven’t heard enough of Draper to know what sort of conservative he is. “Draper has said his plan would diminish the power of teachers’ unions and politicians in Sacramento, the state capital.”[4] That he targets ‘politicians’ means little. That he targets teachers’ unions—really?—suggests he is neoconservative or capitalist libertarian. And indeed, his previous plan would have carved Silicon Valley off into its own state,[5] which leads me to suspect he is a capitalist libertarian.

Neither of Draper’s plans are organic plans. California has had a number of organic secession movements that target specific regional feelings of disenfranchisement.[6] California is too big a state; conservative regions are indeed effectively disenfranchised and I do agree the state needs to break up. But it should break up according to regional affinities. Draper doesn’t understand this, or if he does, he seems determined to ignore it.

Andrea Diaz, “3 Californias? The initiative to break up the state may be on the ballot in November,” CNN, April 13, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/us/california-closer-to-split-into-three-states-trnd/index.html

Reuters, “Tech billionaire says his plan to break up California ready for voters,” April 12, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-partition/tech-billionaire-says-his-plan-to-break-up-california-ready-for-voters-idUSKBN1HJ36D

  1. [1]Andrea Diaz, “3 Californias? The initiative to break up the state may be on the ballot in November,” CNN, April 13, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/us/california-closer-to-split-into-three-states-trnd/index.html↩
  2. [2]Gregory Ferenstein, “Tim Draper Wants To Split California Into Pieces And Turn Silicon Valley Into Its Own State,” December 19, 2013, http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/19/tim-draper-six-californias-secede-silicon-valley-ballot-initiative/↩
  3. [3]Reuters, “Tech billionaire says his plan to break up California ready for voters,” April 12, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-partition/tech-billionaire-says-his-plan-to-break-up-california-ready-for-voters-idUSKBN1HJ36D↩
  4. [4]Reuters, “Tech billionaire says his plan to break up California ready for voters,” April 12, 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-partition/tech-billionaire-says-his-plan-to-break-up-california-ready-for-voters-idUSKBN1HJ36D↩
  5. [5]Gregory Ferenstein, “Tim Draper Wants To Split California Into Pieces And Turn Silicon Valley Into Its Own State,” December 19, 2013, http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/19/tim-draper-six-californias-secede-silicon-valley-ballot-initiative/↩
  6. [6]CBS, “Official Calls For Riverside, 12 Other Counties To Secede From California,” July 1, 2011, http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/07/01/official-calls-for-riverside-12-other-counties-to-secede-from-california/; Sam Levin, “Resisting the resistance: anti-liberal rage brews in California’s right wing,” Guardian, February 7, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/07/new-california-movement-rightwing-resistance-liberal-trump; Jennifer Medina, “California Counties Talk of Cutting Ties to State,” New York Times, July 12, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/13/us/13secession.html; Ian Millhiser, “Northern California County Votes To Secede From California,” Center for American Progress, September 4, 2013, http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/04/2570341/northern-california-county-votes-secede-california/↩

The raid

benfell

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 10, 1:25 pm.
  2. April 10, 2:42 pm:
    • If Donald Trump is going to fire Robert Mueller, this might be the moment.[1] (James Comey)
  3. April 11, 6:52 pm:
    • While Donald Trump thumps his chest about Robert Mueller (earlier[2]), it appears that the raid on Michael Cohen was about “communications that Trump had with attorney Michael Cohen and others regarding the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape that captured Trump making lewd remarks about women a month before the election,”[3] and that Cohen is a really shitty lawyer.[4]
    • California Governor Jerry Brown agreed to send National Guard troops to the border with Mexico.[5] (Unauthorized migration)
  4. April 12, 7:50 pm:
    • A federal judge has permanently blocked the Department of Justice from favoring local police departments that cooperate with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for funding.[6] (Unauthorized migration)

Donald Trump

When your lawyers need lawyers, it’s usually a bad sign. When your lawyers have their offices and homes raided, it’s a really bad sign.[7]

It’s easy to conclude that after so many bombshells, this is just another overfrantic news cycle. It’s not. It’s highly dangerous, and not just for Mr. [Michael] Cohen. It’s perilous for the president, whose personal lawyer now may face a choice between going down fighting alone or saving his own skin by giving the wolves what they want.[8]

[Donald] Trump in essence declared war on the rule of law. “It’s, frankly, a real disgrace. It’s an attack on our country, in a true sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for,” said the president, who now equates the operation of the criminal-justice system under the rule of law to be an attack on the country. He is the country in his eyes. Those who challenge him are enemies of the country.[9]

Note that Aaron Blake seems not to have actually gotten to his promised fact-checking and analysis.[10] For the analysis, see Jennifer Rubin[11] and Amy Davidson Sorkin.[12]

Aaron Blake, “Trump’s tirade after the Michael Cohen raid, annotated,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/04/09/trumps-tirade-after-the-michael-cohen-raid-annotated/

Philip Bump, “To search Michael Cohen’s home and office, the FBI had to clear a higher-than-normal bar,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/04/09/to-search-michael-cohens-home-and-office-the-fbi-had-to-clear-a-higher-thanmal-bar/

Randall D. Eliason, “Michael Cohen is in serious legal jeopardy,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-cohen-is-in-serious-legal-jeopardy-thats-a-really-bad-sign-for-trump/2018/04/09/b1917f38-3c43-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html

Amy Davidson Sorkin, “President Trump’s Wild Response to the F.B.I. Raid on Michael Cohen’s Office,” New Yorker, April 9, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/president-trumps-wild-response-to-the-fbi-raid-on-michael-cohens-office

Elie Mystal, “Clown Lawyer Michael Cohen Gonna Learn Today,” Above The Law, April 10, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/clown-lawyer-michael-cohen-gonna-learn-today/

Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/

Ken White, “Why the F.B.I. Raid Is Perilous for Michael Cohen — and Trump,” New York Times, April 10, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/opinion/trump-michael-cohen-fbi-raid.html

Gloria Borger and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI sought Trump’s communications with his personal lawyer regarding Access Hollywood,” CNN, April 11, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/access-hollywood-trump-lawyer-communications/index.html

Gaza

After the authenticity of the video was confirmed, [Avigdor] Lieberman told reporters that the sniper “deserves a medal” for shooting the Palestinian, but that the solider who recorded the incident should be demoted.[13]

Deutschewelle, “Israel confirms authenticity of video showing soldiers rejoicing after shooting Palestinian,” April 10, 2018, http://www.dw.com/en/israel-confirms-authenticity-of-video-showing-soldiers-rejoicing-after-shooting-palestinian/a-43325078

James Comey

Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html

Unauthorized migration

But let’s be crystal clear on the scope of this mission. This will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.[14]

Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html

John Myers, “Gov. Jerry Brown agrees to National Guard border efforts, but not ‘a mission to round up women and children,'” Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-national-guard-20180411-story.html

Joel Rubin and Dakota Smith, “Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules,” Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-police-grant-ice-20180412-story.html

  1. [1]Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html↩
  2. [2]Chris Cillizza, “The White House just let slip a big secret about firing Robert Mueller,” CNN, April 10, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-fire-fbi/index.html↩
  3. [3]Gloria Borger and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI sought Trump’s communications with his personal lawyer regarding Access Hollywood,” CNN, April 11, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/access-hollywood-trump-lawyer-communications/index.html↩
  4. [4]Elie Mystal, “Clown Lawyer Michael Cohen Gonna Learn Today,” Above The Law, April 10, 2018, https://abovethelaw.com/2018/04/clown-lawyer-michael-cohen-gonna-learn-today/↩
  5. [5]Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html; John Myers, “Gov. Jerry Brown agrees to National Guard border efforts, but not ‘a mission to round up women and children,'” Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-jerry-brown-national-guard-20180411-story.html↩
  6. [6]Joel Rubin and Dakota Smith, “Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules,” Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-police-grant-ice-20180412-story.html↩
  7. [7]Randall D. Eliason, “Michael Cohen is in serious legal jeopardy,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-cohen-is-in-serious-legal-jeopardy-thats-a-really-bad-sign-for-trump/2018/04/09/b1917f38-3c43-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html↩
  8. [8]Ken White, “Why the F.B.I. Raid Is Perilous for Michael Cohen — and Trump,” New York Times, April 10, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/opinion/trump-michael-cohen-fbi-raid.html↩
  9. [9]Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/↩
  10. [10]Aaron Blake, “Trump’s tirade after the Michael Cohen raid, annotated,” Washington Post, April 9, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/04/09/trumps-tirade-after-the-michael-cohen-raid-annotated/↩
  11. [11]Jennifer Rubin, “Trump melts down after Cohen raid — and only hurts himself,” Washington Post, April 10, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/04/10/cohens-office-raided-trump-melts-down/↩
  12. [12]Amy Davidson Sorkin, “President Trump’s Wild Response to the F.B.I. Raid on Michael Cohen’s Office,” New Yorker, April 9, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/president-trumps-wild-response-to-the-fbi-raid-on-michael-cohens-office↩
  13. [13]Deutschewelle, “Israel confirms authenticity of video showing soldiers rejoicing after shooting Palestinian,” April 10, 2018, http://www.dw.com/en/israel-confirms-authenticity-of-video-showing-soldiers-rejoicing-after-shooting-palestinian/a-43325078↩
  14. [14]Jerry Brown, quoted in Alexei Koseff, “Jerry Brown agrees to Trump’s request for a National Guard call-up,” Sacramento Bee, April 11, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article208599119.html↩

What is ‘necessary’ force?

benfell

This has been a difficult issue for me to publish and there is more that should be here. Sometimes, the weight of it all—I refer not only to wanton cruelty but pointless stupidity and sheer animus—is more than I can bear.

Updates

  1. Originally published, April 4, 11:28 am.
  2. April 4, 9:37 pm:
    • Donald Trump’s Twitter rant about a ‘caravan’ of Central American refugees is, well, just unhinged.[1] (Unauthorized migration)
  3. April 6, 10:18 am:
    • Kate Morrissey covers the difficulties of implementing Donald Trump’s request—this is an order he can’t give on his own—to deploy the National Guard to the Mexican border.[2] Approval for the plan from California’s Governor Jerry Brown should not, ahem, be taken for granted.[3] (Unauthorized migration)
    • I am not caught up.
  4. April 6, 12:02 pm:
    • The story that has been one more than I could take is of the Israeli shooting of Palestinian protesters in a March of Return to the boundary between Israel and Gaza. Seventeen are dead, hundreds wounded.[4] (Gaza)
  5. April 6, 1:43 pm:
    • There have apparently been more deaths on the second Friday of the March of Return to the Gaza-Israel boundary. (Gaza)
  6. April 6, 5:59 pm:
    • Attorney General Jeff Sessions has directed federal prosecutors in states along the U.S.-Mexico border to prioritize criminal prosecutions of unauthorized migrants.[5] (Unauthorized migration)

Stephon Clark

This story, which I have excluded previously, now seems like it might—only might—actually develop in a substantive direction.

Sasha Abramsky, “The increasingly authoritarian big picture around Stephon Clark’s death,” Sacramento Bee, April 1 , 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article207637364.html

Alexei Koseff, “Police could only use deadly force when ‘necessary’ under new California proposal,” Sacramento Bee, April 3, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/site-services/newsletters/capitol-alert-newsletter/article207741689.html

Russian sanctions

The question of what is up with Donald Trump and Russia remains open.

John Bowden, “State Department: Expelled diplomats can be replaced,” Hill, April 3, 2018, http://thehill.com/policy/international/381432-state-department-expelled-diplomats-can-be-replaced

For-profit schools

That for-profit schools continue to be accredited, even by accreditors not set up to coddle them,[6] exposes accreditation as a lie.

Andrew Kreighbaum, “DeVos Restores Recognition of For-Profit Accreditor Terminated by Obama Administration,” Inside Higher Ed, April 4, 2018, https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/04/04/devos-restores-recognition-profit-accreditor-terminated-obama-administration

Unauthorized migration

Emily Cadei and Anita Kumar, “Send National Guard to border? California is undecided,” Sacramento Bee, April 4, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article207982484.html

Kate Morrissey, “Can Trump install troops on the California border? He faces obstacles, experts say,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-border-troops-explainer-20180404-story.html

Joshua Partlow, “The migrant caravan denounced by Trump will end in Mexico City, but some people vow to go on alone,” Washington Post, April 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-migrant-caravan-denounced-by-trump-will-end-in-mexico-city-but-some-people-vow-to-go-on-alone/2018/04/04/e0a8fa96-378c-11e8-af3c-2123715f78df_story.html

Lydia Wheeler and Rafael Bernal, “Sessions orders ‘zero tolerance’ policy at Southwest border,” Hill, April 6, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/administration/381991-sessions-orders-zero-tolerance-policy-at-southwest-border

Gaza

I will say it again: A state funded in response to genocide cannot itself engage in ethnic cleansing of any sort. When it does so, it forfeits its legitimacy, its right to exist. Further, the Israeli shooting of hundreds of unarmed protesters demonstrates again how nonviolence advocates risk complicity with the oppressor.[7]
An update, Friday (April 6), on Twitter:

Neve Gordon, “Gaza’s Passover massacre,” Al Jazeera, April 1, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/gaza-passover-massacre-180401075721153.html

  1. [1]Joshua Partlow, “The migrant caravan denounced by Trump will end in Mexico City, but some people vow to go on alone,” Washington Post, April 4, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-migrant-caravan-denounced-by-trump-will-end-in-mexico-city-but-some-people-vow-to-go-on-alone/2018/04/04/e0a8fa96-378c-11e8-af3c-2123715f78df_story.html↩
  2. [2]Kate Morrissey, “Can Trump install troops on the California border? He faces obstacles, experts say,” Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-border-troops-explainer-20180404-story.html↩
  3. [3]Emily Cadei and Anita Kumar, “Send National Guard to border? California is undecided,” Sacramento Bee, April 4, 2018, http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article207982484.html↩
  4. [4]Neve Gordon, “Gaza’s Passover massacre,” Al Jazeera, April 1, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/gaza-passover-massacre-180401075721153.html; Michael Lerner to Tikkun mailing list, “Mourning for the 17 Palestinians killed & hundreds wounded,” April 3, 2018, http://org.salsalabs.com/o/525/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=376↩
  5. [5]Lydia Wheeler and Rafael Bernal, “Sessions orders ‘zero tolerance’ policy at Southwest border,” Hill, April 6, 2018, http://thehill.com/regulation/administration/381991-sessions-orders-zero-tolerance-policy-at-southwest-border↩
  6. [6]Andrew Kreighbaum, “DeVos Restores Recognition of For-Profit Accreditor Terminated by Obama Administration,” Inside Higher Ed, April 4, 2018, https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/04/04/devos-restores-recognition-profit-accreditor-terminated-obama-administration↩
  7. [7]Neve Gordon, “Gaza’s Passover massacre,” Al Jazeera, April 1, 2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/gaza-passover-massacre-180401075721153.html↩

Donald Trump rejects DACA deal it’s doubtful he ever really wanted

benfell

Some of this has been just below the threshold that makes me feel an issue is warranted. I’ve mostly been active on Twitter (as n4rky) dealing with topics that I’ve chosen not to bring here because I truly have nothing substantive to add. This isn’t really stuff I’m thinking about because Twitter isn’t the kind of place where anybody thinks about anything. It’s all reaction. Sometimes the reactions are interesting. More often, they’re more of the same old thing.

Unauthorized migration

Kristine Phillips, “Why Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned 5 ex-convicts facing deportation, drawing Trump’s ire,” Washington Post, March 31, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/31/why-gov-jerry-brown-pardoned-five-ex-convicts-facing-deportation-drawing-trumps-ire/

Laura King, “In Easter Sunday tirade, a frustrated Trump suggests he will make no deal to help Dreamers,” Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2018, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-daca-mexico-20180401-story.html

Donald Trump

Aaron Blake, “We finally got an answer about whether Trump knew about the Stormy Daniels payment,” Washington Post, March 29, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/29/we-finally-got-an-answer-as-to-whether-trump-knew-about-the-stormy-daniels-payment/