Monday Reads: Keep on walking … keep on talking … marching up to Freedomland
Posted: July 2, 2018 Filed under: just because | Tags: Keep families together, White Rage Muffins 39 Comments
Good Afternoon Sky Dancers!
Each day brings new surprises and new horrors. I’m never quite sure which to read first. I didn’t watch the news at all yesterday but some things happened. So, let’s start with the Michael Cohen’s interview with George Stephanopolous. It’s looking more and more like he’ll be biting the hand instead of kissing the ring of KKKremlin Caligula. Aaron Blake of The Fix at WAPO had this analysis.
Cohen agreed to this interview knowing that this would be a prominent question. And it can’t have been a coincidence that a trio of stories emerged a couple weeks back, all pointing toward possibly flipping on Trump. There was a Wall Street Journal story indicating that he was unhappy with Trump for not helping with his legal bills. CNN quoted an anonymous source close to him saying, “If they want information on Trump, he’s willing to give it.” Then Cohen resigned as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee by citing not just the investigation he faces, but his disagreement with the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the border. That latter justification seemed conspicuous, given Cohen has pledged complete loyalty to Trump and rarely spoken publicly about policy.
And Cohen’s interview came with another big signal: the reported end of a joint agreement between Cohen and Trump’s legal team to share information. Such things often presage a more antagonistic relationship or even cutting a deal to inform on someone else. Michael Flynn’s lawyers stopped sharing info with Trump’s lawyers, for example, shortly before he flipped.
https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1013758532569763840
So, there appears to be a break in the thug fealty oath. TPM’s Kate Riga elucidates what’s at stake.
When confronted with the reality that Trump and his legal team would put a target on Cohen’s back if they perceive him to be a threat, Cohen “stiffened his spine.” “I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defense strategy, I am not a villain in any story and won’t allow others to try to depict me in that way,” he told Stephanopoulos.
He even went so far as to candidly break with the President’s position on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, saying “I don’t like the term ‘witch-hunt.’ As an American, I repudiate any foreign government’s attempt to interfere in our democratic process and I would call on all Americans to do the same.”
“Simply accepting Putin’s denial is unsustainable,” he continued. “I choose to believe our intelligence agencies.”
Tantalizingly, Cohen then hinted heavily that he has information to share on two hot-button and possibly damning episodes for the President: the infamous Trump tower meeting when “dirt” on Hillary Clinton was promised, and the $130,000 hush money payout made to Stormy Daniels during the election.
On both questions, whether Trump knew of the meeting and if he had requested or promised to reimburse the payment, Cohen cryptically refused to answer—for now.
“I want to answer,” he said. “One day I will answer. But for now I can’t comment further on advice of my counsel.”
Others are more cynical.
There was a tremendous response for the June 30th rally to keep families together. I’ve included the pictures I took. I was riding the street car home and sat by a couple in town for Essence Fest. The husband was talking to a local woman across the way saying something like “That’s what I say but not my wife”. His wife simply eyed him and said “Well, they don’t show up for us so why should we care?”
I looked at her and decided to speak up. My feet were hurting. I was hot and sweaty and I’m old and getting tired. I have a habit of lecturfying and I really didn’t want to do that. I told her that’s where I just was. I then added I was there for Black Lives Matters. I was there for the Women’s March and all of the End Gun Violence rallies. But more than that, I work on campaigns. I call. I leaflet. I send money if my budget allows. Right now my priority is getting more black women into elected office. It’s time for all of us to stand up together or we’re going to go down one a time. Her husband agreed. I don’t think anything about what I said impressed her which is fine. I just ended with believe me, I’ll be there no matter what.
And that’s true. I’m not even afraid of getting arrested at this point. Trump’s AmeriKKKa is ugly and getting uglier by the minute.
Which brings me to White Women; a special subclass of Wipipo (sigh). I’m reminded of the tale of the man who gets beat on at work by some prick then comes home to kick the dog and take it out on the wife and kids. What causes white women to vote for Trump then make phone calls to police about black people just living their lives which in this day and age can lead to being shot by the police? I cannot imagine how incensed Black Americans must be by this. I’m mad at them myself and if I ever witness one she will hear mad lecturfying on my part.
Late Night with Seth Meyers delivered a topical parody of the ’80s pop song, “Somebody’s Watching Me” and the artist behind it, Rockwell, with Amber Ruffin dressing up as Rockwell and performing “White Women Watching Me”.
The Tuesday night sketch was tied to two recent viral news stories of white women calling the police in response to black people engaging in seemingly harmless acts or, as Meyers put it, people who were “just going about their business.”
Parodying Rockwell’s 1984 hit, complete with frightened glances, Ruffin sang, “All I want is to be left alone, then I see one on the phone, then it makes me feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. I always feel like white women watching me, and I’ve got no privacy.”
On Saturday, a video was posted to Twitter in which a white woman confronted an 8-year-old black girl selling water near AT&T Park in San Francisco and threatened to call the police. The money being raised from sales was for a trip to Disneyland.
The caller in the video, Alison Ettel, has since been dubbed “Permit Patty.” The 15-second video of her calling the police went viral on social media and has received more than 9 million views.
I would just like to offer up this both in terms of good for these kids but do you suppose they had the proper permit and did white women call the police on them?
She set a goal of $1,000, but quickly surpassed that. Ultimately, her family raised a little more than $13,000.
According to Time, Gaggero ended the fundraiser after reaching $13,000, so she could quickly get the money to the organization, as “Facebook fundraisers pay out donations every two weeks once the minimum payout amount of $100 is met.”
Gaggero told Time her son was extremely happy with the outcome.
In a conversation over online messaging with All the Moms, Gaggero said she encourages people to donate to border-state organizations like RAICES, but to also do research into their own local community organizations helping immigrants.
We all need to work to correct wrongs on what ever level we can. But back to asking WTF is wrong with the 52% of white woman that voted for the Pussy Grabber? And, what is wrong with these white women raging mostly against children of color?
So here’s a white rage muffin screaming rapist at a Mexican American Man simply doing yardwork.
As Estebán Guzman recalled it, his mother had just finished cleaning the inside of a client’s house and strapped on a leaf blower when the woman across the street started screaming.
It’s very likely that his mother had blown some pine needles into the next-door yard, Guzman told The Post. That can happen on big jobs like this one — where her clients wanted the entire property spick-and-span so they could rent it on Airbnb.
But the lady wasn’t screaming about pine needles.
In fact, Guzman said, she didn’t even live next door.
“She came out of the house on the other side of the street,” he said. “She came out of her home to yell at my mom . . . ‘Go back to Mexico!’ ”
Guzman stopped loading pine needles into the family dump truck and listened to the woman’s ranting over the drone of his mother’s leaf blower.
There’s this:
and this:
https://twitter.com/TheAlanvargas/status/1012544315506098176
Okay, White Rage Muffins! WTF is wrong with you? What kind of a miserable life created this behavior? The Root’s been calling y’all out since BBQ Becky! Who among us can tell you that you’re way out of line and you’re going to get people killed?
Well, today there is this: “Woman Assaulted Black Boy After Telling Him He ‘Did Not Belong’ at Pool,” Officials Say”. What the fuck year do you think this is? Are you partying like it’s 1959?
Now, a South Carolina woman has been nicknamed Pool Patrol Paula after a widely shared video showed her accosting a black boy and his friends at a neighborhood pool, telling them to “get out” or she would call the police.
“There’s three numbers I could dial: 911. O.K.?” the woman said in the video, which was posted on Facebook on June 24 and was viewed more than a million times in a week. “Get out! Little punks.”
The authorities identified the woman as Stephanie Sebby-Strempel, 38, of Summerville, S.C., according to The News & Observer. The newspaper reported that she told the boy, 15, and his friends that “they did not belong” at the pool, instructed them to leave and hit the teenager in his face and chest.
The teenager had been invited to the private community pool by a friend who lived in the neighborhood, his lawyer, Marvin Pendarvis, said.
This White Rage Muffin landed her fat ass and big mouth in jail!!! Look! Stephanie Sebby-Strempel living the Jim Crow Dream behind bars!
And, I would like to know how stupid you have to be for Mashable to feel the need to put up a fucking list of what WiPiPo should do before they call the police on Black People.
This behavior has deep historical roots and should be condemned by law enforcement as a nuisance. In the meantime, it’s clear that white people inclined to call authorities to report mundane or so-called suspicious behavior need an intervention. Here’s just one handy checklist for them to consult before they dial 911:
You really think something like this belongs in The Onion, but hell no, some WiPiPo so racist …
Google this “white woman calling the police on black people” and go straight into the dank minds and actions of White Rage Muffins.
Okay, with that I leave you a picture of what life was once like and we had hope and we work working on change that moved us forward!
Just breathe deeply. Say this Mantra: “We the People, in order to create a more perfect union”. Then sally forth vote, register people to vote, make phone calls for a good candidate, write a check and love your neighbor! Yes! Even the creepy one hiding behind those hurricane shutters! It just might be Boo Radley or better.
Some inspiration: That’s us registering voters on Saturday. First up was a black man nearly blind from diabetes. A brand new citizen filled out his form while I provided the instructions. She had just become a citizen the Saturday before. She was from Transylvania. And then, we sang the songs and chants from all the great movements from abolition forward …
Citizenship is a shared venture. Being a good neighbor is a sacred vocation. Stopping White Rage Muffins before they kill should be a calling.
I’m done lecturfying for the day. I will stand with everyone standing for freedom and justice.
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
The picture under the trees was an act of passing on this song with the call and response. I always enjoy seeing kids at rallies. It’s like bringing them up. I loved singing songs I hadn’t sung since I was a kid. Kinda wished I had my guitar and my Joan Baez buzz cut going.
The logistical hurdles hindering migrant family reunification
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-logistical-hurdles-hindering-migrant-family-reunification?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=pbsofficial&utm_campaign=newshour&linkId=100000002898588
There are systems set up to quickly find out if you have an outstanding warrant or even (from car license plate) unpaid parking tickets. It’s only “inherently problematic” to unite families if the system is set up to not do so.
Does anyone know what’s happening with her lawsuit for being libeled as a tawdry strumpet “escort” and thereby ruining her “brand”??
https://www.npr.org/2017/02/07/513970871/melania-trump-lawsuit-argues-once-in-a-lifetime-chance-to-make-millions-is-lost
She won a huge settlement from the Daily Mail months ago.
Wonder if anyone dug into the judge’s background?
SWIPER (Trump) NO SWIPING!!!!
I saw that picture of Dora and all I could think of was that kleptomaniac weasel stealing everything in sight including people’s children…and the cartoon character Swiper.
yup
I’m guessing it’s in the spirit of addressing the problems in your own group that has you focused on white women being garbage? Because, yes, that’s what they’re being, but they’re just hangers on.
People whose priorities aren’t too good, are desperate for status. Male, female, black, white, it’s just (unenlightened) human nature. And since women are a rung down, they’re just grabbing for whatever group membership gives them some status. Being a Magat is the route they’re taking to get Coolness Points because the ones who do that are not. very. smart.
That’s my take. You must see it differently since to me it doesn’t feel that mystifying.
What to do about it, though, has me completely stumped. So it’s not like I’m any use!
My take is you get picked on and bullied and you gift it forward
Not everyone is so enlightened, I think. Frankly, I resent being categorized as one of the white women whose fault everything is. I didn’t vote for Trump, but a whole hell of a lot of white men did. Why is the focus always on women and what they have done wrong?
I agree with Quixote that these women are not that smart or just plain ignorant. But the men are worse.
I agree. I also get angry at being lumped into “white women are the problem/majority” when, as Quixote as pointed out, ~53% is barely a majority. Even nefarious Big Pharma companies wouldn’t be excited about that sort of non-clinically significant number. White women who are college-educated did not vote in the majority for Trump. Yet when I point out those facts it sometimes gets me “No, you are the problem” in reply.
*Sigh* For every diatribe against white men Trump voters I hear 10 about white women.
It also depends on geographic location (or political tendency). Living in the blue side of a blue state, I can truthfully say that nearly all the white women (and men) in this area voted for Hillary.
I do talk to Trumper types about commonalities which are important to all citizens — road maintenance, good paying jobs, clean water, good schools, etc., and how Trump is wrecking those. At least I do when the situation comes up — unfortunately most of the time when I run into people like that it’s in the clinic, and ethically I need to leave politics alone there. There are some people to whom you cannot talk sense since they’re so brainwashed or/and racist and sexist. I resent being told that I’m responsible for changing their minds.
I think I lot of white women are brainwashed and follow along with whatever their lord and master tells them to do. The white men are far and away the larger problem. Yet even around one-third of Latino men voted for Trump, which boggles the mind. Bet they’ve rethought that vote.
That’s why I have decided to identify the white women enabling the aggrieved white man a “white rage muffin”. Crusty on the top and crummy inside.
The other factor, of course, is that the vast majority of those white women are white evangelicals. Something like 70% of white female fundies voted Dump (and 80%? 85%? of white male fundies). But the white female fundies are skewing the statistics for white women. In all other groups of women, Dump had small minorities of the vote. The crucial point is white evangelicals dumped the Dump on us.
But the “white women” angle is popular, or course. And the racism is definitely all too widespread.
I swear religiousity is a damned mental illness. Once you subscribe to the idea the bible is literally true, you’ll believe any insane thing. It’s like a permanent state of lizard brain.
Okay … this is just damned awful
#MourningWhileBlack: Priest Calls Cops on Black Funeral-Goers, Tells Them to ‘Get the Hell Out’ of Church
https://www.theroot.com/mourningwhileblack-priest-calls-cops-on-black-funeral-1827284231?utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=theroot_facebook
Awful. That priest is going to have a big surprise when he gets to the Pearly Gates.
I think a lot of what’s behind the horrible behavior of white women (and I include their voting behavior) is fear. The Republicans have been master fear-mongers. I remember during the 2016 campaign seeing a Facebook conversation among my husband’s 60ish female cousin and her friends, all Christian church-going grandmothers who have lived in Freeport, Illinois all their lives. They were discussing ISIS, and how they would be perfectly willing to bomb and kill children in Syria if it meant getting rid of ISIS fighters, too. They’re willing to offer little brown children as a sacrifice to keep their grandkids safe. In Freeport, Illinois. From Muslim terrorists.
Obviously irrational fear! But, you’re right according to Alex Jones, Democrats are staging a revolution on July 4th. Get the muskets at the ready!
Great post, Kat! thank you
thx!
Yes, exactly. The fear is the 800 lb gorilla. And women, who barely hang on to a few scraps of status by virtue of whiteness, are even easier than men to terrify about losing what little they have.
Thank you for your good work standing up for democracy!
Thx! I’m still an old crusader rabbit after all these years!
10 Wypipo We Need to Call the Cops On
https://www.theroot.com/10-wypipo-we-need-to-call-the-cops-on-1827294334
Snowflake alert!!!
Being a shitty person with shitty politics is not a protected class. Y’all deserve worse you dictator enablers!!!
EPA chief Scott Pruitt flees Washington eatery after woman cradling toddler confronts him, says he’s ‘harming’ children
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-epa-pruitt-washington-baby-harming-20180702-story.html
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1013954479652311041
People who have no shame need to have it applied to them in public. Go shamers!
Yes!
Wow. We are in big trouble.
Well … Some are woke
https://twitter.com/michelleinbklyn/status/1013958195667197952?s=19