The Times We Live In

From WaPo:

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said Tuesday that he would be open to the Supreme Court overturning its 1967 ruling that legalized interracial marriage nationwide to allow states to independently decide the issue.

He later revised and extended his remarks.

In a statement to The Washington Post after the conference call, Braun said he “misunderstood” the reporter’s questions on Loving and stressed that he opposes racism.

“I misunderstood a line of questioning that ended up being about interracial marriage,” Braun said. “Let me be clear on that issue — there is no question the Constitution prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, that is not something that is even up for debate, and I condemn racism in any form, at all levels and by any states, entities, or individuals.”

I’m glad the Senator retracted his position. I do not have a psychology degree, but I have heard this term “Freudian slip”…

 

129 thoughts on “The Times We Live In

    1. Macroduck

      By the way, the “full faith and credit” language of the Constitution (which has nothing to do with finance, by the way) makes anything like laws forbidding interracial marriage utter nonsense.

    2. Edward Charles Kokkelenberg

      Return to Economics.
      An increase in energy prices will move all consumers to reduce energy consumption or increase energy efficiencies. Is not that what economists advocate…efficiency. Stop lamenting price changes, temporarily help those who have low income, and let the rest adjust their behavior.
      Many of us have descended into aberrant conversation: Idiots abound. Insensitive boobs are rife. Fast unthinking tweeters proliferate. Like-seekers are legion. And off point commentators swarm.
      Get back to Economics the common good.

        1. pgl

          Period? I guess higher prices does not move us along the demand curve in your little world. PERIOD!

          1. Steven Kopits

            They do not, historically. Oil consumption holds, holds, holds, and then collapses quickly in a recession. I mean this on an aggregate national level, not necessarily for a given household.

          2. pgl

            Steven Kopits
            March 24, 2022 at 3:00 pm
            They do not, historically.

            From the economic know nothing who does not know the difference between movements along a demand curve v. shifts of a demand curve. Steve – some advice. Learn basic economics before embarrassing yourself again.

    1. ltr

      https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/opinion/asian-american-violence-fear.html

      March 18, 2022

      Asian Americans Have Always Lived With Fear
      By Min Jin Lee

      Earlier this month, I took an informal poll on social media to ask Asians and Asian Americans how they had altered their daily lives in response to the recent rise of assaults against us. I heard from hundreds of women and men, young and old, who described their workarounds — the extra steps they have been taking to stay physically safe….

      Min Jin Lee is a novelist and a writer in residence at Amherst College.

      1. Bruce Hall

        Earlier this month, I took an informal poll on social media to ask Asians and Asian Americans how they had altered their daily lives in response to the recent rise of assaults against us. I heard from hundreds of women and men, young and old, who described their workarounds — the extra steps they have been taking to stay physically safe….

        Ltr, based on the past year’s media reporting of assaults against Asian Americans, have you discerned a general pattern about the perpetrators?

        1. T. Shaw

          I’m lending to my across-the-street, Asian neighbors a 12 gauge pump action shotgun and a box of 12 ga. 00 buck shot. And, I will take ten minutes to show its safe usage. In NY, we can’t legally carry a handgun.

          More galling to my friends/Asian neighbors is elite U. discrimination/quotas against their scholarly children.

          1. Menzie Chinn Post author

            T.Shaw: Do you know that you need to lend them a shotgun? And that you need to show them how to use it? My dad knew how to use a shotgun; heck he *had* one. (He knew how to use handguns too; rifles too – I remember shooting with him.)

            Now, like many of the incidents that have arisen, I don’t carry a handgun on the subway or just walking on the sidewalk in a SF — and I don’t think carrying a shotgun will go over well. What’s the pump action shotgun going to do for me then?

          2. T. Shaw

            Professor,

            I meant no disrespect.

            We look out for each other. The detective next door has shared ring photos of bad guys trying doors in the middle of the night. I also gave a retired NYPD PO neighbor a box of 00 buck. He had the gun.

            In four decades in business and social settings I have known and worked with Singaporean and Taiwanese [both men and women] that had served in their nations’ armed forces – universal military requirements. Not my neighbors.

            FYI the really aggressive, hard-chargers were the IDF veterans. Seriously. You don’t mess with those guys.

            The British guys, mostly parachute regiment, were fun.

          3. Moses Herzog

            I’m not endorsing T. Shaw”s actions. However I would argue one could “conceal” a relatively powerful handgun in a “shoulder holster” (to me it looks more like an underarm holster but my mind works funny I guess.) I am not “pro guns” and I think that most families don’t need them. They do more for accidental deaths than they do for “personal defense” because rednecks always have to do things the dumb way (See T. Shaw’s comment above). But if I was a single woman, a bachelor, in the “wrong” neighborhood, in certain contexts and time frames I would have one. Necessary in Madison?? Probably not. Other cities?? I would do it. And if I’m doing it, I’m not getting the little sissy guns. If you’re gonna do it, do it right. That means 9mm or above. With a carry permit, etc.

        2. ltr

          http://www.gutenberg.org/files/408/408-h/408-h.htm#chap01

          April 25, 1903

          The Souls of Black Folk
          By W.E.B. Du Bois

          Between me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some through feelings of delicacy; by others through the difficulty of rightly framing it. All, nevertheless, flutter round it. They approach me in a half-hesitant sort of way, eye me curiously or compassionately, and then, instead of saying directly, How does it feel to be a problem? they say, I know an excellent colored man in my town; or, I fought at Mechanicsville; or, Do not these Southern outrages make your blood boil? At these I smile, or am interested, or reduce the boiling to a simmer, as the occasion may require. To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word….

          1. Baffling

            Interesting quote. Makes one wonder how the uiyghers feel in their “reeducation “ camps. Why does the ccp take such a negative and dismal view of that ethnic group. I dont see those “reeducation “ camps in beijing, only in the western provinces.

            And ltr, in a previous post you called me racist without providing any proof. Again, either show the proof or apologize for your slander.

        3. pgl

          I will give ltr some credit. She did not take the bait from our resident KKK member. This was another one of your dishonest little attempts to smear black people even as you show utter disdain to Asian Americans. Since ltr did not take the bait, you decided to bait me. And yea – I saw through your utter dishonesty. Give it up troll – we all know you are a blatant racist so stop pretending otherwise.

      2. Barkley Rosser

        Welcome back, ltr I thought you were still around, despite your hiatus from this venue.

        I may disagree with your position on some PRC policies, but it is of use to see their leadership’s position on various issues.

      3. Steven Kopits

        Well, I think the Russians are going to lose the war. I put Putin’s sell-by date at April 15. (The ‘Putin Put’?)

        I think all this will have a salutary effect on Beijing, and in particular, on President Xi.

        I believe Beijing leadership is going to have a big rethink about the Taiwan invasion. I’ll be proposing a Russian oil sanctions regime later this week which will protect the Chinese economy, and by extension, President Xi’s job. If implemented, it will keep China on the sidelines in the Ukraine war, but allow it to profit from the very large scale clean-up to follow. It will be the best bit of Road-and-Belt business China will have seen in a long time.

        If the Taiwan invasion has thus been postponed from this fall, and I think it has and will be, then that’s the best news Chinese-Americans could ask for. As I have written many times before, a war between the United States and China, beyond being even more idiotic than Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, would be a major disaster for Chinese-Americans. The prospects of a total fiasco for Russia in Ukraine materially reduces the risk of war over Taiwan, and that’s very good news indeed. Especially for Chinese-Americans and Chinese expats the world over.

        1. pgl

          We all hope this damn war is over by or before 4/15 but once again I suspect you are underestimating how utterly disgusting is.

          1. Anonymous

            in 1999 the usa/nato bombed belgrad for 78 consecutive days.

            several ‘operations’ before that usa/nato provided intel and air cover in busting up yugoslavia. one night serbs got lucky and downed a f-117, a cheaper version of f-35.

            who was counting then?

          2. Barkley Rosser

            I also agree that this disastrous invasion of Ukraine by Putin will put off any such plans Xi has for Taiwan. Xi’s support for Putin is becoming an increasing large embarrassment.

          3. Steven Kopits

            Anon –

            Serbia was a rather different situation. I was a Director for Deloitte in Budapest at the time, and we brought our Serb staff up to the Budapest office during the bombing. So I, a Hungarian-American, was overseeing Hungarian and Serbian staff while US air power was bombing Belgrade from Hungarian bases. Our Serbian staff would call home in Belgrade to see how the bombing was going. It was truly bizarre, because no one in the office hated anyone else.

            In any event, the Serbian episode had no strategic implications for either Hungary or Europe as a whole. It was a localized effort, although admittedly bizarre when viewed from the ground level in Budapest.

            The Ukraine situation is vastly different, both in scale and in its strategic implications. Putin, for example, is now telling the Russians to prepare for nuclear war. Absolutely crazy.

        2. Barkley Rosser

          S.K.,

          I hope this proves to be correct. I was the first one here to report on the early reports of Ukrainian counterattacks on Russian positions, reports I was worried were merely Ukrainian propaganda, but that now appear to be accurate, at least some of them. This certainly opens the door to an outright Russian defeat on the ground.

          I have just heard on CNN that the head of the Russian central bank is trying to leave her position, a former student of my wife’s. I wish her the best in getting out of that hot spot, if indeed she is trying to do so. Chubais has reportedly resigned and left Russia now.

        3. Barkley Rosser

          Elvira Nabiullina has been a highly capable central bank governor, long dealing with a difficult situation. If indeed she is trying to get out as reported, I wish her the best.

    2. macroduck

      You work for a brutal, racist regime. You don’t get to whine about prejudice.

      It isn’t your heritage which makes you deplorable; it’s your behavior.

      1. pgl

        Thanks for saying this. I’m all for the rights of Asian Americans to live their lives without the threats from the racist MAGA hat wearers (and do not doubt for a second this includes little chirper Bruce Hall). But that has NOTHING to do with the incessant cheerleading for Xi whose regime is far from perfect. But I guess suggesting the latter makes ltr feel threatened. Absurd.

          1. pgl

            Hey I get the KKK pays you for this pathetic bait and switch. I am well aware that Asian Americans face hate crimes and violence way too much. Whether the assault comes from a white dude or a black person, it is all wrong. But then MAGA hat wearing racists like youi applaud this hate daily. That too is wrong in case you did not know. Oh wait – you know but you do not care.

            BTW if you go around calling a guy by a girl’s name, some of the hate mongers who you routinely cheer on might conclude you are gay. And when they do – they might beat you up. Excuse me if I do not come to your defense.

          2. pgl

            Whenever Bruce Hall pretends his is a friend to some minority, always check his sources:

            ‘In the 2016 presidential election, Ms. Ma served as deputy director of the Committee for American Sovereignty, a super PAC formed to support the candidacy of Donald Trump for president. During the 2016 GOP primaries, she served as deputy policy director and deputy communications director for the Ben Carson presidential campaign.’

            Now I could accuse Brucie boy of being too stupid to do a little research but I’m sure he knew this woman was a Trump supporter. But Bruce Hall has had perfect record of extreme dishonesty so why break it with telling us the truth about his latest source?

  1. Barkley Rosser

    BTW, the unfortunate apparent willingness to more openly express racist attitudes among some US politicians can also be seen in some of the questions and attitudes now being posed to the SCOTUS nominee, with some of this questioning having become outright appalling..

    1. Ivan

      The sad part is that for many red state GOP politicians there is a political reward in saying hard core right-wing things, that outrage us on the left. Their districts have been gerrymandered safe GOP – so their only concern is to win the GOP primary. The primaries are most heavily attended by the extremist in their party. If they can appeal to the 20% most right wing in their district they are fairly solid as GOP candidates for their district. Then they deny or claim “misunderstanding” in the general election to get support from the general GOP voter population.

    2. pgl

      Hey Bruce Hall is telling us we cannot blame Trump as Brucie has found some Asian American woman who joins him at Trump rally. The dishonesty continues.

  2. rsm

    Zerohedge notes: “Europe faces an unprecedented energy crisis that requires extraordinary policy action, such as a possible 100 billion in relief funds to businesses hit the hardest by soaring energy prices.”

    Why not just give individuals gas cards?

    1. pgl

      I would ask to stop writing such incredibly insulting stupid comments but I guess a troll has to be a troll.

      1. rsm

        Can Lucy ‘splain to us why my trolls go from this blog straight to policy makers’ ears, as another comment notes?

        Why is inflation even a constraint when prices start out arbitrary, and the Fed has proven its power of Unlimited Liquidity?

        1. pgl

          Careful with this Lucy thing as your boyfriend might think you are dating Bruce Hall. Gee – I never knew bots even dated~

    2. T. Shaw

      And, you thought you were joking.

      US Dembs are contemplating putting out the inflation fire with gasoline.

      They’re mulling issuing monthly $100 gas stimuli checks.

      Whip Inflation Now!

      1. pgl

        Gee – you must have been one of those incompetent economists who got Gerald Ford to wear those stupid WIN buttons. Who knew you were responsible for the 1975 recession!

  3. ltr

    You work for a brutal, racist regime. You don’t get to whine about prejudice.

    [ This of course is definitive prejudice, definitive terrorizing prejudice. ]

  4. ltr

    You work for a brutal, racist regime. You don’t get to whine about prejudice.

    It isn’t your heritage which makes you deplorable; it’s your behavior.

    [ Precisely the way in which anti-Semitism has been and is expressed. Definitive prejudice, carefully meant to categorize and terrorize a people. ]

    1. Steven Kopits

      Alright, let’s try for a little value-added here, shall we?

      How about some propaganda lines on Russia and Ukraine from China? What’s the state of rhetoric there?

      1. Moses Herzog

        Some rhetoric just doesn’t carry the weight it used to. And in some cases, that’s a good thing.
        https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-withdraws-endorsement-brooks-alabama-us-senate-seat-2022-03-23/

        For regulars on this blog your thoughts on oil, Russia, Ukraine, and China mean almost nothing. As nearly nothing you say ever becomes true. Such as your prediction of $100 oil before year end 2021. Your everlasting prediction Xi would be overthrown by Chinese lower classes, etc. I don’t have the energy or the care anymore to chase your other badly aimed projectiles down. As they are endless and your being wrong 98% of the time apparently gives you no sense of shame.

      2. Barkley Rosser

        Steven,

        I shall not be surprised if your request is not followed up on. I have a suspicion that while she may agree with the official Chinese position that NATO expansion may partly justify Putin’s invasion that at the bottom line ltr does not approve of the invasion. My guess is that if and or when ltr does disagree with a CCP position she will simply not report it. But I fear I may have put her on the spot by making this point.

          1. Barkley Rosser

            S.K.,

            I hesitate to say this, but it may be that her recent absence reflects an uncomfortableness regarding this whole situation, where I think she does not approve of the invasion, and it looks that the Chinese view is very complicated and now probably trying to avoid the whole thing, maintain their relations with Putin, but not go out of their way to do him any special favors. They would have preferred he not do this, and the disaster it has turned into certainly kills for now any such plan by them to take Taiwan militarily. Fuggedaboudit.

            Oh, and I now see that Nabailludina actually tried to resign as central bank governor, but Putin will not let her. Oh, I feel very sorry for her.

    2. Macroduck

      You made this mistake – or told this lie – before.

      I’m talking about you, you specifically. You are deplorable. Not the Chinese people. You. You are a propagandist and an apologist for a brutal, racist regime. You are immoral. You are dishonest. You should stop doing what you do in comments here.

    3. Macroduck

      While I’m at it, I will point out how wildly dishonest you are in using this “poor me because macroduck is prejudiced against Chinese people” trick again. Because when you’ve used it before, I have been very clear that it is you, you and only you- and you masters in China’s propaganda machine – that I am criticizing.

      You trickery is as tired as it is disgusting.

    4. Baffling

      Ltr, are you claiming that ccp membership is equivalent to being jewish, and should thus hold protected status?

    5. pgl

      “Precisely the way in which anti-Semitism has been and is expressed.”

      You are actually proving his point here.

  5. Manfred

    Mark Braun’s comments are certainly appalling, and it is correct for Menzie to point it out, of course.

    To add to Menzie’s comments, maybe it is also good to point out the idiotic comments that our current president made in the past, and even so, got elected by a cheerleading crowd of 80 million.
    For example:
    https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/joe-biden-worried-1977-certain-182631643.html
    or:
    https://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/31/biden.obama/

    And of course let us not forget Joe Biden’s hateful treatment of Clarence Thomas.

    And there are others. Of course, Joe Biden is a Democrat and all is forgiven. And since Menzie is a partisan hack, of course, he only points out when a Republican makes an idiotic comment. I guess this is how things are taught in “schools of public policy”.

    And by the way – some commenter in this blog entry is “appalled” on how the current nominee to the Supreme Court is treated by critical Senators.
    Here we go again – treating Clarence Thomas like garbage is ok, because Democrats do it. Or, treating Brett Kavanaugh like garbage is also ok, because he was proposed by a Republican president. But now, when critical comments and questions are posed to the current nominee, everything is “appalling”. So much for balance.

    1. pgl

      You are justifying the racist treatment of Jackson Brown by going back and reminding us that Clarence Thomas got away with sexual harassment? Oh right – you are THE MANFRED. Never mind.

    2. pgl

      “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

      In MANFRED’s world calling Obama bright and articulate must be dog whistles. Hey MANFRED – if this is the best you got, you got nothing.

    3. Macroduck

      The ABA determined that Thomas was not qualified to sit on the Supre Court. It almost never happens in the case of Supreme Court nominees. It is certainly not true of the current nominee.

      And if you find our host to be a hack, maybe you shout go back to Brietbart, where you’ll be more comfortable.

      1. pgl

        Was Robert Bork considered qualified by the ABA? I honestly do not remember but I do know he would have been a terrible choice for many reasons.

    4. noneconomist

      Manny’s back! He was very clear about having a life to live, about earning a living, about raising a family and, certainly, having little precious time to add comments here.
      Yet, he’s sacrificed and decided to give his valuable insight on all things wrong with Professor Chinn and this blog. I ask: what could be more important?
      If this man is not a real deal American patriot, dedicated to truth and justice, who is?

    5. Barkley Rosser

      Manfred,

      Guess what? Both Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh are garbage. Thomas should be impeached for his current unwillingness to avoid cases where his wife is actively involved, among other things. But here we see garbage senators trying to treat Jackson like she is somehow garbage like these pathetic excuses for human beings. You should be ashamed of yiourself, you piece of garbage yourself.

    6. Baffling

      Manfred believes that a quote from 40 years ago should justify poor statements today, rather than expect a modern day person to not repeat the mistakes of decades ago. Astounding way of achieving progress manfred.
      And let me point out kavanaugh was treated poorly because he physically and sexually assaulted a young woman. Just because he denies it does not mean he is a victim. Trump had numerous affairs, some with porn stars. His denials does not mean he is an innocent victim. Both trump snd kavanaugh simply lack accountability.

  6. Econned

    1) I sure hope the Senator misunderstood the questioning as he claims.
    2) I do not think we know what the Senator meant.
    3) If we are to believe Menzie’s suggestion that this was a Freudian slip by the Senator, I am still confident that such instances are fewer and farther between than any time prior. Yes, progress is still needed in this realm but we’ve made meaningful progress. I’ll take “The Times We Live In” relative to prior times for better and for worse. Certainly much better than pre-Loving.

      1. pgl

        ‘While it ran only in Michigan, U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra’s campaign ad featuring an Asian woman speaking broken English is being criticized around the country today.’

        Hmmm – my understanding is that Hoekstra hired Bruce Hall to produce this ad.

      2. Econned

        Hmm, indeed.
        I can’t imagine a man with you analytical background would suggest that a single Super Bowl ad is reflective of the nation’s overall progress, or your suggestive lack thereof, wrt race relations. Unless you (again) simply aren’t being analytical/objective. I don’t see how that particular Super Bowl ad from a decade ago could even come close to being “worse”, or whatever your specific threshold is for not-so-subtly-suggesting “ The Times We Live In” aren’t better than prior years/generations/etc. I’d think anyone would agree the 1940’s internment of Asian Americans to be worse than that Super Bowl ad. That explicit redlining of African Americans throughout much of the nation would be worse. Jim Crow laws to be worse. How exactly is it that you feel a single (admittedly disgraceful) Super Bowl ad is worse than the numerous explicit government policies which have had tangible and much more real negative impacts on American citizens?????
        Hmm, indeed.

        1. pgl

          Let’s see – the No Fun League banned Outkast from signing at the Atlanta Superbowl but it is OK to run insulting ads during the coverage of the game. I bet you agreed with Trump when he said anyone taking a knee should be banned from playing professional football.

          1. Econned

            Wait. Why do you think “it is OK to run insulting ads”? Because I never suggested such. Just the opposite in fact. I’d bet your track record on bets are terrible.

          2. Econned

            I seem to recall Big Boi performing during halftime of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta just a couple of years ago.

            Additionally, 3 Stacks turned down a prior offer from NFL to perform during halftime of an earlier Super Bowl (probably 2004 in Texas) – this per Big Boi.

            So what do you mean “banned Outkast from signing at the Atlanta Superbowl”??? Was this 2000 Super Bowl and then NFL later “unbanned” the group? Or are you just HonkHonkHonking your clown nose for attention?

          3. pgl

            “Econned
            March 24, 2022 at 10:07 am
            Wait. Why do you think “it is OK to run insulting ads”? Because I never suggested such. Just the opposite in fact.”

            Your usual two faced shuffling. You did chastise our host for being insulting by this vile commercial. You are a troll who thinks he is smarter than the rest of us. Buit no – you are just dishonest as it gets. Troll on as your BS amuses me.

          4. Econned

            PaGLiacci,
            Another lie. I never chastised our host for being insulting by this vile commercial. I questioned why he brought up this commercial as any sort of serious refutation that things are better now than before. It was a silly comment by Menzie. But your asserting I chastised his feeling insulted is a stretch that you created on your own (moreover I stated the commercial was “admittedly disgraceful“).

            You keep clowning yourself. It’s funny but it’s sad. Another tragic clowning of and by PaGLiacci.

          5. pgl

            “Econned
            March 24, 2022 at 10:38 am
            I seem to recall Big Boi performing during halftime of Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta just a couple of years ago.”

            You are seriously dumb. They gave him and Sleepy Brown 75 seconds which they ended by walking past Maroon V in utter disgust. Yea they gave him a token appearance which he used to show his utter disdain for clowns like you. And no – this was not 2020 dumbass.

          6. Econned

            Hahahaha.
            Yes, a celebrity musician used the Super Bowl “to show his utter disdain for clowns like” me. That has to it. Airs the only logical conclusion for someone to perform at a Super Bowl. Do it for the fans.
            Hahahahaha. just when I think your comments can’t get any more pathetic. Hahahahahah. One thing is for sure, this PaGLiacci clown can garner a good laugh. Hahahahaha

          7. pgl

            “I questioned why he brought up this commercial as any sort of serious refutation that things are better now than before. It was a silly comment by Menzie.”

            Econned either thinks the Trump years were so great for race relations or he has been asleep for the last 6 years.

            BTW – the way Jackson Brown was abused by certain Republican Senators was the definition of racism and sexism. I guess Econned slept through that too.

      3. pgl

        This part of the story is telling:

        He said today that he thinks the ad has been “very effective.”

        “It’s a very straightforward message,” Hoekstra told the Detroit Free Press. “There’s nothing racist in this ad. This is all about holding Debbie accountable for her reckless spending.”

        Despite the controversy, Hoekstra used the ad to fundraise Monday afternoon, sending an email to supporters saying the ad is “is only insensitive to Debbie Stabenow” and asking them to “make an urgent donation.”

        “The Democrats will stop at nothing to change the subject from Debbie’s big spending, job killing record,” Hoekstra wrote in the fundraising message. “That’s why she’s got her people doing what liberals always do when things get tough-calling me a racist.”

        Michigan GOP spokesman Matt Frendewey said the ad was “meant to be satire.”

        Typical Republican response. Deny that the racist ad was really racist and blame it on the Democrat’s actual policy positions which has nothing to do with insulting Asian Americans. And then conclude it was not a joke so chill out.

        It figures that Econned thinks this racist hate is a thing of the distant past as he must have slept through the entire Trump Presidency.

        1. Econned

          And here is PaGLiacci being a liar. Again. Last paragraph is a clearly dishonest representation of my comments.

          1. pgl

            You would never admit it even if you were. Your comments here as insulting as it gets. But of course that was your intent. And when called on it – this is the garbage you spew. You are only funny little boy.

          2. Econned

            PaGLiacci,
            Instead you take my comment that
            “I am still confident that such instances are fewer and farther between than any time prior. Yes, progress is still needed in this realm but we’ve made meaningful progress”
            to mean that I, per your assertion,
            “thinks this racist hate is a thing of the distant past”????
            Do you not care what people write or do you not read what people write? Or both? You keep clowning yourself.

          3. pgl

            Econned
            March 24, 2022 at 12:04 pm

            Wow – you ARE DUMB. You just confirmed you skipped the Trump years entirel.

          4. Econned

            You’re just ignorant. I don’t think the Trump years made overall sentiment worse. Yes, he is bad and it’s unfortunate he was elected but the feelings of his base wrt race relations, etc existed well before he came to power. He isn’t the reason for their actions. Overall, we are a less racist nation as each generation is an improvement on the next.
            Prove me wrong. Or better yet, just ignore me because it’s irritating to even read your shallow and ignorant comments. You’re a silly clown. A silly tragic clown.

          5. pgl

            “Econned
            March 24, 2022 at 12:55 pm
            You’re just ignorant. I don’t think the Trump years made overall sentiment worse.”

            Then you were indeed asleep the whole time. Even Mr. Magoo could see WTF happened to our country. But not troll Econned.

        2. pgl

          Econned
          March 24, 2022 at 12:59 pm

          This troll raises Big Boi who he clearly did not watch and I tell him what happened. And then he babbles this comment? Econned – pointless idiot that always has to have the last word never matter how stupid.

          1. pgl

            “Econned
            March 24, 2022 at 3:39 pm
            You’re replying to yourself you dolt. HonkHonkHonkHonk”

            I am replying to where there is a reply button. Your babbling is so frequent and pathetic, it is hard to keep track. Honk thyself worthless wonder.

    1. Baffling

      Misunderstood is probably giving braun too much credit. He probably did not know what the loving case was really about?
      This is the problem when one defaults to the states rights defense on most topics. You get cornered into defending the states rights to offensive behavior.

  7. Anonymous

    sad!

    braun’s ‘freudian slip’ is understandable for a member of a group of ‘humans’ who appropriate $770B a year for perpetual war; no regrets for decades of harm done to ‘targets’ in africa, asia and middle east.

    observing the passing of ms sec-state albright.

    “live by the sword….. “

  8. joseph

    Keep this in mind about these QAnon senators like Lindsey Graham that are obsessed with child pornography. They aren’t disgusted by it. They are titillated by it. That;’s why they bring it up at every opportunity. It gets their juices going.

    1. Moses Herzog

      I thought Ted Cruz harping on it was interesting based his infamous Cory Chase tweet. Then we could get into the Jim Jordan thing. Dennis Hastert. Those are just the ones off the top of my head.

  9. w

    While racism may or may not be the root of that particular politician’s motivation, it is disturbing to see that somebody at that level of government does not understand that the rights of Americans are a constitutional matter. His “clarification” does acknowledge that, so at least somebody on his staff might have some basic competence. He clearly does not… but “competence” is not often a factor that voters seem to value.

  10. pgl

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/top-russian-military-leaders-repeatedly-decline-calls-from-u-s-prompting-fears-of-sleepwalking-into-war/ar-AAVqE73?ocid=msedgntp

    WTF is madman Putin thinking. The US side has tried to open the deconfliction channel but Russian military leaders are not answering their calls.

    Look if WW3 starts, Russia is going to take a pounding but the entire world will be much worse off. So one would think the Russian military leaders would welcome these contacts unless their boss has gone truly insane.

    Of course the Putin poodle known as JohnH is going to twist this as the US being the war mongerers as he is fed by madman Putin.

    1. Anonymous

      why should the russian military talk to the non combatant, ‘non aligned’ donator of mass casualty weapons to their enemy?

      what us contingency plans are now not supported bc equipment sets and ammunition is rushing across the polish boundary?

      readiness reports are ‘secret’ so the other side knows within seconds, before cnn can release them..

      1. baffling

        the only mass casualty weapons in Ukraine are those the russians are callously lobbing on the civilian population of hospitals, schools and apartment buildings. yes, there are mass casualty weapons in Ukraine, but they are launched by the russians.
        to be clear, it is russia which is committing a genocide and war crimes on the Ukrainian civilian population.

  11. Moses Herzog

    For people who have an affection for the city of Seattle. I thought this story might hold some interest for them:
    https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattles-rep-frank-chopp-moved-2-million-from-regional-homelessness-authority-to-nonprofit-he-co-founded/

    “Non-profit” doesn’t mean what it used to. It now very often means “administrators” taking large salaries for doing nothing at all while simultaneously putting out quotes to TV journalists who can’t be bothered with doing their own homework “we don’t make any profit off of this”. Well, a 6-figure or 7-figure salary isn’t “profit”, is it. It’s an “expense of “running” the “non-profit”. You understand, just like donald trump running scams on his scams while telling the functionally illiterate “all the money is going to veterans”.

    1. Moses Herzog

      I think a very healthy “step back” on international trade would be in order here. Military sourcing, etc. Or even supplying when you are handing over technology. I don’t think it registers with people how much free technology we have given China through joint ventures over the years. Heck, they’ve conned so many American businesses over the last 25+ years on access to a consumer market they were never going to give a millimeter on, one wonders why China would even need to bother hacking these American businesses. Kind of like the over-eager high school boy sneaking into the bedroom window of the local wayward teenage girl. Why would he sneak into her parents’ house when all he has to do is wait until the next time she leaves the house??

      “Show us your manufacturing processes under your skirt and I’ll give you the moon and the stars. And I’ll never kiss Putin ever again. Putin was ‘just a friend’. We never…… You want access to the Chinese markets?? Let’s take things slow to prove our love is real. Really, in 2080 the biggest consumer market in the world is yours. Slow down cowboy”

      There’ll be fifty plus Fortune 500 hundred corps ready to take Xi to the pre-prom party. And later that week, all of them crying, wondering why after their technology was stolen or bullied out of them why Xi never calls them like he promised he would.

  12. pgl

    TuckyoRose is offended that Twitter enforced his rules removing a tweet that went after people based on their sexual orientation:

    https://news.yahoo.com/tucker-carlson-mocked-rant-censorship-145643139.html

    OMG the First Amendment rights to be openly racist, sexist, and otherwise incredibly insulting have been violated – right? Not quite TuckyoRose as Twitter is not the government. It is a privately owned company.

    Now if Tucker has his way – Putin will rule over all of East Europe taking away all rights for over 100 million people.

  13. Moses Herzog

    Am I the only one who thinks it’s weirdly apt the family’s name was Loving?? As in when two individuals of different races love each other, why would it be anyone else’s business. Isn’t life hard enough, and long-term relationships hard enough, without manufacturing reasons that have nothing to do with anything??

    1. pgl

      https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/loving-v-virginia

      This is a good discussion of Loving v. Virginia (1967) who overturned the horrific decision in Pace v. Alabama (1883). It also notes:

      Richard and Mildred Loving
      The central figures in Loving v. Virginia were Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter, a couple from the town of Central Point in Caroline County, Virginia.

      Richard, a white construction worker, and Mildred, a woman of mixed African American and Native American ancestry, were longtime friends who had fallen in love. In June 1958, they exchanged wedding vows in Washington, D.C., where interracial marriage was legal, and then returned home to Virginia.

      On July 11, 1958, just five weeks after their wedding, the Lovings were woken in their bed at about 2:00 a.m. and arrested by the local sheriff. Richard and Mildred were indicted on charges of violating Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law, which deemed interracial marriages a felony.

      When the couple pleaded guilty the following year, Judge Leon M. Bazile sentenced them to one year in prison, but suspended the sentence on the condition that they would leave Virginia and not return together for a period of 25 years.

      Richard and Mildred Loving’s Children
      Following their court case, the Lovings were forced to leave Virginia and relocate to Washington, D.C. The couple lived in exile in the nation’s capital for several years and raised three children—sons Sidney and Donald and a daughter, Peggy—but they longed to return to their hometown.

      What Happened to the Lovings?
      The Lovings had lived secretly on a Virginia farm for much of their legal battle, but after the Supreme Court decision, they returned to the town of Central Point to raise their three children.

      Richard Loving was killed in 1975 when a drunk driver in Caroline County struck the couple’s car. Mildred survived the crash and went on to spend the rest of her life in Central Point. She died in 2008, having never remarried.

    1. pgl

      Thanks for this interesting discussion. OK – Russia produced million barrels a day which is 10% of world production before the invasion. This says we have 3 million barrels a day because of the invasion etc. So the world is living off 97% of the prior production but Russia is now selling 70% of what it used to. The latter has more relative pain than the former should.

    2. pgl

      “What changed is that much of the Russian oil that continues to be exported from Baltic and Black Sea ports at steep discounts is not delivered to refiners, as is customary. Instead, trading houses are purchasing the oil and keeping it in commercial storage in Europe, from where it may be potentially resold, bypassing financial sanctions. Buying oil for storage is not prohibited under current sanctions.”

      Definitely of interest. These trading houses seem to be living off destabilizing speculation.

    3. pgl

      “Likewise, the ability of shale oil producers in the United States to significantly boost oil production in the short run is constrained by supply-chain bottlenecks, labor shortages and the insistence of public investors on capital discipline. Smaller private companies alone will be unable to respond on the scale required to impact oil prices, and their response will take at least half a year, even under the most favorable circumstances. Moreover, shale oil is a light crude and not a good substitute for the heavier Russian oil.”

      Not blaming Biden? Bruce Hall will be enraged at this. And the next paragraph credits Biden for trying to get Iran to supply more. Poor Bruce Hall – it certainly is hard to be Putin’s pet poodle!

  14. pgl

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ginni-thomas-and-mark-meadows-texted-about-overturning-2020-election/ar-AAVst1y?ocid=uxbndlbing

    File this one under DAMN! Among the influential people who were trying to get Trump’s minions to overturn the 2020 election was Virginia Thomas who just happens to be married to a Supreme Court Justice. Now if I were Clarence Thomas, I would divorce this corrupt, fat, and ugly traitor. But if he will not do that — he should resign from the Supreme Court today.

    1. baffling

      it is chilling that there is the potential we had a plan to commit fraud against the us election that may have run all the way to the Supreme Court. this certainly warrants further investigation. was a member of the supreme court truly conspiring to overturn a lawfully and duly elected president?

  15. rsm

    From Bozo the Macroclown’s article:

    《Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, however, have already signaled that they will not provide relief this time. This decision reflects the growing strategic cooperation between OPEC and Russia as much as the limited spare capacity of OPEC oil producers.》

    Supply and prices are just political, amirite?

    1. Moses Herzog

      @ rsm
      So. you think Arab countries are limiting their efforts to increase the supply of oil just because they like Putin?? I would call that a stretch whether you or the Dallas Fed was feeding that theory. The Arabs are the same as the China Government. They make moves in production for whatever suits self-serving goals. Most countries are the same, but the Arabs and Chinese government take that to the extreme.

      This is the same reason China is helping Russia right now. China so badly wants to be “the big dog” in international affairs. So what do they think is the way to that goal?? In typical Chinese government fashion—-DYSFUNCTIONALLY. China can’t be “the big dog” right now, and deep down they know it. So what is the best way to beat “the big dog”?? Join whatever faction is making the big dog’s life hell, and root them on from the cheap seats in the nosebleed section. Then when America sees you cheering on Russia from the cheap seats you say “Oh, I’m not pulling for Russia, I’m just here for the nachos”.

  16. Baffling

    Anybody notice how judge jackson maintained her composure during the asinine questioning from republicans. I am sure there would be an uproar from republicans if she were to respond in the unhinged manner that kavanaugh did during his hearing. What a double standard on display. And people wonder why women and minorities have such difficulties moving up in the world today.

    1. pgl

      While you are spot on – McConnell somehow came to say she was not honest during these hearings. What did you want her to say Mitch beyond calling out all of your racist minions.

    1. pgl

      All 50 Democrats will vote the right way but in Trump World it would be a surprise if any Republicans had the courage to do so.

  17. Ivan

    So far Thomas has never flinched no matter how crazy ass right wing the decision was – or whether he himself had benefitted from the rights he wanted to take away from others. Wonder how he would vote on this one?

    1. pgl

      Clarence Thomas voted against releasing those WH records to the 1/6 committee likely because he knew the information involved misdeeds by his wife. Such a blatant conflict of interest would get any one judge removed from the bench.

    2. joseph

      Ha,ha. You think Thomas will recuse himself?

      Recall that Scalia literally went on a vacation hunting trip with Dick Cheney while the case Cheney v. US was being argued before the Supreme Court.

      “I do not believe my impartiality can reasonably be questioned,” Scalia said. So there!

      You can guess which way Scalia voted in the case.

  18. ltr

    You work for a brutal, racist regime. You don’t get to whine about prejudice.

    It isn’t your heritage which makes you deplorable; it’s your behavior.

    [ This is precisely the way in which profound prejudice has been expressed against Jews. This is what definitive anti-Semitism amounts to. ]

    1. Baffling

      Ltr seems to believe she can call somebody racist with no evidence. That is slander, ltr. And i still expect an apology from you for such horrible behavior on a previous post. Yes, slander is a horrible behavior. You dont get to behave horribly and then cry about how mean people are to you.

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