How to and how not to address the subject of reparations for slavery in America

First the proper, dignified, and intelligent way to argue against reparations for Slavery.

And there’s the is the stupid way, as presented by one of the stupidest people in Conservatism today: (Via the Daily Beast)

If this is the best that the Republican Party and/or The Conservative movement can come up with, we’re screwed. She’s really giving Ann Coulter a run for her money.

GOP and Dem Senators introduce bill to force a vote on selling arms to the Saudi’s

I am with The American Conservative on this one, it is about time. For years, the United States has been fighting Al-Qaeda and ISIS, all the while ignoring the fact that these terrorists are in fact Saudi’s and Sunni Muslims.

Via NBC News:

WASHINGTON — Two senators plan to introduce a bill Monday designed to force a vote on current and future U.S. arms sales and other military support to Saudi Arabia, saying it was time lawmakers checked President Donald Trump’s attempts to bypass Congress on foreign policy.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who both sit on the Foreign Relations Committee, marks the latest counterpunch by lawmakers who strongly oppose selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and who are outraged at the Trump administration’s recent decision to sidestep Congress on an arms deal worth billions of dollars.

“The process we are setting in motion will allow Congress to weigh in on the totality of our security relationship with Saudi Arabia, not just one arms sale, and restore Congress’s role in foreign policy-making,” Murphy said in a statement.

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators, including Murphy and Young, proposed nearly two dozen resolutions that would require votes on each of the arms sales that make up the $8.1 billion weapons package to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan announced by the Trump administration on May 24. By law, arm sales require congressional approval but the Trump administration avoided any review by lawmakers for the controversial deal by declaring a national security “emergency,” citing the threat posed by Iran.

Daniel Larson at the American Conservative writes:

Murphy and Young have been two of the most consistent and active opponents of our government’s despicable Yemen policy, and they have been fighting to reassert Congress’ role in matters of war for the last several years. Young, a Republican from Indiana, has been one of a handful of senators from his party to break ranks with the administration and vote to end U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen. It is encouraging to see many members of Congress are standing up against executive overreach and abuse of power. The Murphy-Young legislation is just the latest example of how the president’s obnoxious subservience to the Saudis and the UAE has provoked growing dissatisfaction and resistance among our representatives in Washington. Murphy and Young’s bill complements the bipartisan effort to stop Trump’s bogus arms sale “emergency,” and it goes beyond that…

[…]

Congress should use every tool available to it to challenge the administration’s unconditional support for the Saudis. Each time they succeed in passing new measures against arms sales and the war on Yemen, they increase the number of people in Congress and the public willing to speak out and criticize the noxious U.S.-Saudi relationship. Thanks to the Trump administration’s contempt for Congress and the Constitution and their equally strong enthusiasm for the Saudi government, that relationship is in worse shape than it has been in decades, and there is a large and growing backlash against our government’s continued backing for the Saudis and their crimes.

Agreed. If we are going to hold Iran accountable, we should hold the rest of the Arab world accountable as well and this includes the Saudi Government as well. Good to see that both sides are coming together, if just for this one issue.

Mixed feelings on story about Don Lemon

I have mixed feelings on the report from the Hollywood Reporter:

At an industry conference on Thursday, CNN anchor Don Lemon revealed the depth of the harassment he has endured since becoming a high-profile target of President Donald Trump and his supporters.”I was doing a shoot in the park the other day and someone said, ‘We built this country. I can’t wait for CNN to fire your black ass, you faggot,'” Lemon told the crowd.The anchor said the president’s attacks “take a toll on me, on my privacy and safety and security, and the safety and security of my family.”Lemon said he gets 300 calls a day from a Trump supporter who doesn’t like him. He also said he receives stacks of junk mail from people who have figured out his address.”People call the authorities and accuse me of doing certain things,” Lemon said.While the anchor professed to love his job, he said, “I wonder how long I will continue to do this particular job in the way I do it,” citing the toxicity of the political-media climate.Added Lemon, “It ain’t easy, but I don’t plan to give up.”

On one hand, I think it’s unfair for a guy to have to go through that. On the other hand, this man has said some pretty bad things about the President. One thing that Don Lemon is going to learn, if you’re the public eye and you have an opinion; someone is not going to like it.

If this is a problem for Lemon, perhaps he should find another line of work.

 

Regarding Steven Crowder’s spat

As you may have heard, good old Steven Crowder is in the news again. For, per as usual, being an bad parody of the so-called “Conservative right“.

The only reason I am bringing this up, is because there is a posting on this blog from Where I mentioned that his now wife was quite pretty. I assume she still is.

However, I have zero respect for this man. He used to be funny. Until he started going over the top. This below is my favorite picture of the man:

Steve Crowder being punched in the fact by a UAW member, at a right to work protest in Lansing, Michigan. Too bad it wasn’t a better punch, honestly.

So, if you’ve seen the photo, please, don’t think that I like this guy. Because, I really don’t. 🙄