Infinite Quack

Total SCIF Show: The GOP's Raid Puts National Security at Risk I defended Snowden when he broke the rules to leak classified information. He stated clearly why he had done so: he had a moral explanation (whether you agree with the decision or not). He also suffered for his decision almost immediately, and is still paying for it; he can't return to this country without being arrested. By contrast, this was an act with clear risks, and no clear goal. It doesn't change any facts in the case being investigated. It was pure theater, a show, put on by the GOP to distract from the real questions... because they can't come up with any actual defenses of the Trump Administration's behavior, which he's already publicly admitted to. Instead, they demonstrate a careless disregard for the rules, in the name of "win at any cost" and "obstruct whenever things aren't going our way". Apparently that is now the GOP playbook. At one time, it was about ...

What does one say about a partner of 22 years? When I met Susan -- online initially -- I was only 24 myself, living in an apartment in Ohio. We met on a website, when she responded to a personal ad I had posted. As with much else in our time together, it was Susan who made things happen. She had decided she liked me, and within weeks of our initial email exchange, she had convinced me to fly out to the Seattle area, to stay with her at her house for a week. I have always been a naturally cautious person. I tend not to take risks. But after our happy first meeting, she pressed me to move in with her. The sooner, the better. In March of 1998, I packed up my more important belongings into my small car, mailed some others, sold a few items, and left the rest behind in my apartment. I drove from Ohio to Washington State, with a stop off in Colorado to visit my parents. Susan had a head start on me in life, an 18 year head start. I had only worked one job, for minimal pay, and had yet to lan...

R.I.P., G.O.P. This aligns pretty closely with what I've been saying. The GOP used to be a party with a set of values at its core. I didn't often find those values matched mine, but I can respect a value system I don't agree with. These days, the party acts as if it cares about just one principle: "We wanna win." Not preserving democracy or defending against authoritarianism. Not defeating racism or sexism. Not protecting the country against threats, like this pandemic, that affect everyone regardless of political affiliation. Not even doing what's best for the economy. They are now the party of "win at any cost", even when the cost is the soul of the country. Donald Trump becoming their party leader has made this clear: they back him up whatever he says, and he exemplifies a person who makes decisions without referencing a value system. He didn't start this transfo...