The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Friday, January 12, 2018

Below the Headlines the Resistance Is Real

Have you noticed that pretty much every news source covers the same 5-10 stories every single day? Sure they each have their own click-bait headlines and opinions to hawk, but the Trump-centric news cycle is tiresome. He said "what" now? Forget about it. He's a racist, windbag, ass-slapping snake oil salesman. Expect racist, windbag, ass-slapping snake oil salesman nonsense to come out of his mouth. Put a pin in it, and take it out the next time you're considering voting for him or not-voting for his opponent because "they're all the same." And let's vote every last one of the Trumpies out of office.

In the meantime, you have true heroes fighting in the trenches every day to try to get the meat-and-potatoes policy realities out into the public sphere. Like immigration, and the fact that I.C.E. waltzes into town yesterday and grabs a well-respected immigrant activist named Ravi Ragbir in downtown Manhattan and arrests him for apparently no new reason. No 40th district councilperson and supposed immigration champion Mathieu Eugene to be seen. But councilman Jumaane Williams practices some non-violent protest and tries to block the ambulance (why ambulance? to be sneaky Petes?) from taking Ragbir into custody.

If you want some inspiration to start gearing up to take back both houses of congress come hell or high water, just watch and listen to Jumaane as he speaks to Buzzfeed's reporters. Folks, this is a NYC Councilperson. An elected official. And one truly patriotic American.


10 comments:

Bob Marvin said...

Tim,

I share your admiration for Councilman Jumaane Williams. Actually, the Council Districts surrounding our's have some of the very best people on the Council, a sad contrast to who we're stuck with!

Leah said...

What happened with Ravi yesterday is horrifying. He is an amazing advocate, and people are working hard to try and get him released. Just to clarify: he was at his ICE check in and was detained, despite having a still pending legal claim. He was taken in an ambulance at first apparently because he had fainted after being told he was being detained. He was then detained once they stopped at the hospital. He has since been sent to a detention center in Florida. His lawyers brought suit in federal court, and there is currently an injunction against deporting him and an order to not move him from NYC (but that had apparently already happened). If you want updates from his legal team go to https://ravidefense.wordpress.com/. If you want tweet updates from his organization, New Sanctuary NYC, go to https://twitter.com/NewSanctuaryNYC

Anonymous said...

He's a racist, windbag, ass-slapping snake oil salesman.

Hmmm. The stock market is up 30 percent since election day. And, whether you care to admit it or not, that's good news for everyone in the country. Black unemployment is at a 40-year low. Hiring has improved since election day. More good news.

Since election day, companies have said they're going to increase capital spending. And they have. Capital spending contributes to the rising stock market.

But hey, let's focus on the way Trump describes poor, crime-ridden, disease-ridden countries that offer virtually no future to anyone except the next dictator.

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Slappz, it's like you're responding to an entirely different conversation. If Presidents and their administrations are judged solely on stock markets and job numbers, I think you'll find that the previous administration was one of the greatest in history. However...it's early, and there's a lot of potential for "correction." Then again, if Mr. T unlocks 4, 5 or 6% growth annually as promised (6? Even when being speculative he can't help but lie) he'll still go down as the the biggest tragedy to hit the white house since...well, certainly Nixon, who was an undeniable racist as well.

The fact of near full employment actually allows us the luxury of talking about matters of civil rights and public discourse without devolving into civil war. Which, I'd venture to guess, is just a few percentage points of unemployment away. Nothing sparks a revolution than rampant poverty and oodles of free time.

Let's just hope that the new Constitution that comes out of the bloodshed ironically deletes the 2nd Amendment.

diak said...

"He's a racist, windbag, ass-slapping snake oil salesman."

Gee, and I thought you went kinda easy on His Hellishness.
Signore Slappz glass-is-overflowing remarks are reminiscent of what they used to say about Mussolini: "Hey, he made the trains run on time!"

Bob Marvin said...

There was also something about someone else, whose name can't be invoked without violating Godwin's Law, building the autobahns. I suspect that this rule may eventually may be expanded to include the name of the White House's current inhabitant.

Anonymous said...

If Presidents and their administrations are judged solely on stock markets and job numbers, I think you'll find that the previous administration was one of the greatest in history.

Ah, no.
Over the eight years of Obama's presidency, the stock market rose about 28 percent. The dip in March of 2009 was not his doing. Since election day 2016, the stock market is up 30 percent.

Job creation? Due to the increasing cost of healthcare, millions of full-time jobs with healthcare were broken into millions more part-time jobs without healthcare. Employers always adjust to the laws to which they are subjected.

Over the past week? Apple announced plans to repatriate $250 BILLION. It will pay a $38 BILLION tax on those offshore profits. The company stated it will spend $350 BILLION over the next five years in the US, including $35 billion in capital expenditures. And it will create 20,000 jobs in the US.

Only an uninformed partisan nitwit would claim the sudden wave of corporate spending, wage increases and bonuses for employees at lower levels compares with Mussolini making the trains run on time. Like muslims who claim the Holocaust never happened even though the German government has admitted everything and compensated survivors. Today, the new low tax rate is doing exactly what was predicted by supporters.

The fact of near full employment actually allows us the luxury of talking about matters of civil rights and public discourse without devolving into civil war.

In other words, when a strengthening economy is the tide that lifts all boats, there's not much to squawk about. But, that doesn't stop liberals from wishing for, and threatening civil war.

Which, I'd venture to guess, is just a few percentage points of unemployment away. Nothing sparks a revolution than rampant poverty and oodles of free time.

Of course, there isn't rampant poverty -- in the US. More people than ever are working. The poor in the US have it pretty good compared to the poor elsewhere. That's why people sneak in.

Let's just hope that the new Constitution that comes out of the bloodshed ironically deletes the 2nd Amendment.

You sound like the provocateurs of the 1994 Rwanda slaughter. Astounding. What is it about the improvement of life for everyone in the US that results in such outrage among liberals? Maybe being wrong does it?

Clarkson FlatBed said...

Typical Trump supporter. Lies about the most basic facts. Obama's first year did better. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yahoo.com/amphtml/finance/news/stocks-better-obamas-first-year-trumps-172431950.html

And one year isn't eight. If stock market performance is your only guage, the jury is out. So like Trump to declare victory with no evidence, like his galling undemocratic claims of millions of illegal votes.

If voters feel significantly better off in two and half years, Trump could just pull it out. That will be no reflection of his leadership skills, no more than the market's 250% rise under Obama reflect his extraordinary cool head and human decency.

I honestly feel sorry for you. You're so on the wrong side of history you will likely remain embittered for the rest of your life

My youngest and I marched with American flags yesterday. This whole couple of years has brought on a deep sense of patriotism. I look forward to voting your sick and morally bankrupt political party back to the stone age.

diak said...

"uninformed partisan nitwit" here again...

Even if all the benefits cited by the Anonymous Mr S. were completely true (which is doubtful), the much larger problem is that all of these things reflect ridiculously short-term thinking. A giddy stock market, a few quarters of better job numbers, one-time corporate bonuses—these things will come and go, rise and fall, no matter who is in the White House, or which political party rules the Congress. If you are going to judge the success or failure of our country by the fickle behavior of corporate investors, you might be happy now, but just wait a few minutes.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration's overall direction for the country—enabled by the cowardly Republicans—in every area spells long-term failure. Trade, immigration, race relations, national security, nuclear arms control, the environment, healthcare, and on and on. Every problem we face is treated as a battle for tonight's cable news ratings rather than a real threat to actual human beings. If any thought whatsoever is given to our future, it's usually in terms of "the next election cycle."

I don't know if Trump will lead us completely over the cliff. He's certainly trying to. But what is likely is that the rest of the world will move ahead without the United States. "America First" will morph into "America alone." Treaties and trade agreements will go into effect without us. International development will move forward without us. Science and technology will go elsewhere. The best foreign doctors and engineers and international students will look for institutions in nations where they feel welcomed.

Like climate change, the change will happen slowly, so denial will be rampart. But don't be surprised if we look around in ten or twelve years and find all we have left are abandoned coal mines, out of date infrastructure, a gigantic military, and superhero movies. And no friends.

In other words, a shithole country...

Anonymous said...

But what is likely is that the rest of the world will move ahead without the United States. "America First" will morph into "America alone." Treaties and trade agreements will go into effect without us. International development will move forward without us.

I'm laughing at you diak. The entire world hangs on to every move made by the US. Every nation wants good trade relations with the US. And most nations want to operate within the good graces of the US -- because nations that veer away from the US face the prospect of feeling the heavy hand of Russia forcing its way in.

Norway and Sweden are starting to suffer from Islamic migration. They know their national identities are under siege.

Science and technology will go elsewhere. The best foreign doctors and engineers and international students will look for institutions in nations where they feel welcomed.

This is hilarious. Doctors and engineers come here -- because here is where they get paid. Do you think they're going to Cuba, Venezuela, or anywhere in Africa? Russian doctors are all over NY City. The ditched Moscow long ago.

The US is the science and engineering capital of the world. There are almost no schools outside the US with the record of success found at MIT, Cal Tech, and a long list of other top tech schools. As a graduate of a pretty good engineering school, I can say the US is where it's happening.

"Like climate change, the change will happen slowly, so denial will be rampart.

You live in NY City, a city that would collapse in an hour without massive supplies of oil, gas and coal-fired electricity. And nuclear-made electricity. But our moronic governor has stopped the state from fracking and from building natural gas pipelines to serve the city. As if the sun and wind will fill the gap.

But don't be surprised if we look around in ten or twelve years and find all we have left are abandoned coal mines, out of date infrastructure, a gigantic military, and superhero movies. And no friends.

You've spent too many hours watching Doomsday apocalypse movies. In a decade we will export more coal to parts of the world that today have almost no energy supplies. And we'll bring fracking to other energy-deprived precincts, such as places in Africa.

Over the next decade we'll build some new bridges and tunnels in the US. But much of the decision-making will leave Washington and happen at the state level. Airports will expand.

Military manpower is unlikely to increase much. We don't need more troops when we have the best weapons. The nuclear Navy, especially submarines, give us more power than nitwits such as Kim Jon Un can imagine.

Our the Defense Budget will probably increase.

No friends? That is silliest notion of all. Nations don't have "friends". They have allies and they have shared interests. Every nation shares an interest in getting along with the US.

OPEC, thanks to fracking, is now toothless. See Venezuela, the socialist dictatorship now spiraling toward collapse.

Americans have it great.