Sunday Reads : Trump too far….

Good Afternoon

Yeah well, a good thing can only go so far…am I right? /snark

Donald Trump says John McCain ‘not a war hero’; Republican rivals denounce him – LA Times

Donald Trump, whose bombastic statements have shot him to the top of Republican presidential primary polls, mocked Sen. John McCain’s war record as a POW in Vietnam on Saturday, crossing a line that triggered condemnations from previously quiet GOP leaders and rivals.

They used their strongest terms to date — calling Trump’s comments “slanderous,” declaring him unfit for office, and asserting that the Republican Party has no tolerance for disparaging statements about combat veterans.

The question now is whether Trump, who saw his campaign take off after broadly denouncing Mexicans who cross the border illegally as rapists and drug dealers, will remain popular with segments of the GOP base who revere military service, prisoners of war and the 2008 presidential nominee’s connection to both.

I think the answer to that question can be found in the comment section of the next link…Donald Trump Says He Does Not Owe John McCain Apology – ABC News

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he does not owe John McCain an apology for saying the Arizona senator is only a war hero “because he was captured.”

Trump told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” that he won’t be pulling out of the presidential race over his comments, which he made Saturday during a campaign event in Iowa. Trump said he left to a “standing ovation” after speaking at the Family Leadership Council summit.

“When I left the room, it was a total standing ovation,” said Trump. “It was wonderful to see. Nobody was insulted.”

Damn, Jon Stewart has a gold mine here for his final week.

When speaking about McCain on Saturday, Trump said he likes “people who weren’t captured.” He didn’t back down when asked about the comment.

“People that fought hard and weren’t captured and went through a lot, they get no credit,” he said. “Nobody even talks about them. They’re like forgotten, and I think that’s a shame, if you want to know the truth.”

Before Trump’s comments Saturday, McCain had said the real estate mogul was firing up “crazies.” Trump had already found himself embroiled in controversy over comments he made last month regarding Mexican immigrants.

Raddatz asked Trump if McCain’s capture in Vietnam — where he spent five years as a prisoner of war and was beaten and tortured by the North Vietnamese — described a war hero. He reiterated what his campaign said following his comments Saturday — that he was disappointed in the Arizona senator because of how veterans are treated in the U.S.

“I’m very disappointed in John McCain because the vets are horribly treated in this country,” said Trump. “I’m fighting for the vets. I’ve done a lot for the vets.”

Trump said veterans were treated like “third-class citizens,” adding that McCain has “done nothing to help the vets.”

Trump didn’t serve in the Vietnam War after receiving four student deferments and an additional medical deferment after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1968. He said he would have “proudly served” but wasn’t drafted because of his high lottery number.

“If I would have gotten a low number, I would have been drafted. I would have proudly served,” he said. “But I got a number, I think it was 356. That’s right at the very end. And they didn’t get — I don’t believe — past even 300, so I was — I was not chosen because of the fact that I had a very high lottery number.”

Asked if he would continue his pattern of “name-calling, using terms like ‘dummy,’ ‘loser,’ ‘total losers’ on Twitter and elsewhere” when he’s “criticized or attacked” if he was elected president, Trump told Raddatz he only gives it back to people who attack him.

“When people attack me, I let them have it back,” he said. “People are constantly attacking my hair. I don’t see you coming to my defense.”

If you go to the link, you will see a shitload of “crazies” coming to Trumps defense, most of them in a completely fucked up fantastic sort of way.

And speaking about fucked up…Cosby depositions have become public:

What We Learned From the Newly Revealed Cosby Deposition | TIME

Bill Cosby Deposition Released: Admits Affairs and Giving Women Drugs : People.com

Bill Cosby Deposition Reveals Callous Pursuit Of Women | Vanity Fair

On Saturday, The New York Timespublished a detailed account of Cosby’s testimony based on the transcript of the deposition, which had been publicly available, but tucked away. TheTimes says that in the deposition, Cosby “comes across as alternately annoyed, mocking, occasionally charming and sometimes boastful, often blithely describing sexual encounters in graphic detail.” It’s a sharp contrast to his sitcom-sharpened image of fatherly charm.

The testimony was recorded as part of a lawsuit filed in 2005 against the actor and comedian by a woman, Andrea Constand, who worked at Temple University as a basketball manager, who made what is now a familiar claim—that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her. While dozens of women have now come forward with similar stories, at the time, Constand was the only one to file suit against Cosby.

New York Times reporters Graham Bowley and Sydney Ember describe Cosby’s demeanor in the depositions as an “unapologetic, cavalier playboy” and as “someone who used a combination of fame, apparent concern and powerful sedatives in a calculated pursuit of young women” with “casual indifference.”

I think it is safe to say he sees the victims of his rapes not as young women…or humans at all. Like any serial rapist, the man does not care what happens to the women, his “casual indifference” is typical of the criminal psychology innit?

This month, Constand’s lawyer and the A.P. asked the court to lift the confidentiality clause so her client would be free to release the nearly 1,000-page deposition transcript, according to the Times. U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno unsealed a portion of Cosby’s deposition, ruling that “the stark contrast between Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper (and perhaps criminal) conduct is a matter as to which the A.P.—and by extension the public—has a significant interest.”

But indifference is not limited to rapist alone….leaders of countries can show indifference to whole nations.

When did European politics lose its sense of empathy? – Comment – Voices – The Independent

Riots are breaking out in Athens and forest fires burn around the Greek capital as the anger of the people spills over. The country’s creditors have confirmed they will insist on even harsher austerity measures, despite a no vote in a national referendum on exactly that proposal.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and Wolfgang Schäuble, her Finance Minister, remained firm, in spite of a warning from the International Monetary Fund that, without substantial debt relief, any new bailout would fail. The message is clear: we don’t care about the wishes of your people, nor do we care about their suffering. Democratic process means nothing; obey the creditors, or we’ll take a wrecking ball to your economy.

Greek upset over the harsh terms attached to Europe’s latest financial deal isn’t merely a question of a belligerent refusal to pay. Living standards have plummeted in Greece, with alarming results. Heart attacks are rising among young people, youth unemployment has reaching staggering rates and hospitals and pharmacies struggling to treat and prescribe for life-threatening conditions. Signs in chemists list medicines that are out of stock – not obscure medications, but insulin, heart medication, thyroid tablets.

Just a fortnight ago in Britain, a short video of Ken Livingstone’s speech in the wake of the London 7/7 bombings circulated on the 10th anniversary of the event. The clip from the former mayor, like many famous political speeches, speaks of community, resilience in the face of tragedy, and the importance of sympathy and empathy.

A decade on, empathy is an unfashionable political emotion, and the effects of that cultural change are being felt across Europe.