monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Seated at a table between Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and first lady Melania Trump, the President launched into a monologue about the epic nature of Harvey -- "Nobody's ever seen anything like this!" -- with hosannas to his team - -and by extension, himself -- for the job they're doing in meeting it.

Turning to FEMA Director Brock Long, Trump gushed, "a man who's really become very famous on television over the last couple of days." And in wrapping up his remarks, he started to congratulate the group for their proficient handling of the storm, even as Houston and the surrounding region continued to be pounded by rain and floods.

Glimpsing the awkward reaction on the faces around him, the President quickly caught himself, adding, "We'll congratulate each other when it's all finished," but leaving little doubt that mutual congratulations eventually would be due.

The President then got a short, pro forma briefing for the benefit of the cameras and the group adjourned.

It appears at this juncture that the administration is working well with state authorities to deal with the crisis, at least as much as Harvey's magnitude allows. Yet, there is another demand the President completely missed.

Startlingly, he did not utter one syllable about those who have lost their lives, their homes or businesses in the floods that are still swelling over southeast Texas, overwhelming the heroic first responders and volunteers who are straining to meet its demands. He had no solace for the tens of thousands of evacuees, some of whom were separated from their families in the storm and are now warehoused in arenas, left to wonder what comes next.

The case against antifa
The anti-fascist movement often deploys violence in its protests — and that could seriously backfire.

I am not going to be complicit or compliant if these fascists get to line me or my neighbors up in front of a trench.

America is nowhere near that point.

Hell and High Water (Full Text)
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country. It’s home to the nation’s largest refining and petrochemical complex, where billions of gallons of oil and dangerous chemicals are stored. And it’s a sitting duck for the next big hurricane. Why isn’t Texas ready?

We can't allow these guys to be "mainstreamed".

We can't allow these guys to be "mainstreamed".

Don’t Be a Heel

Melania Trump stepped into a flood of controversy (I’m sorry):

Melania Trump’s sky-high stilettos are the hardest-working footwear in the White House. The first lady has been known to reach for a minimum four-inch heel rain or shine, and apparently, not even one of the most brutal storms in U.S. history can lead her to change up her footwear. Tuesday morning, FLOTUS was spotted boarding a plane en route to Corpus Christi, Texas, alongside President Donald Trump for a briefing on Hurricane Harvey, and despite light showers in Washington, D.C., and a disastrous storm near her destination, Melania paired her on-trend silky olive bomber jacket and black trousers with five-inch stilettos. . . . Given the catastrophic nature of Harvey, Twitter is alight with critics calling into question Melania’s glamorous departure look. “Not an expert, but are stiletto heels the best footwear for a disaster zone?” wrote one Twitter user. Another referred to FLOTUS as “disaster Barbie.”

She probably didn’t expect to get attacked by the same publications that celebrate heels as signs of empowerment. As Vanity Fair said: “And then there’s Melania. Her aviator sunglasses and army green jacket say, ‘Business,’ and, ‘Let’s get down to business,’ and, ‘Hello, my name is Tom Cruise and I’m here to give you the business.’ The heels scream, ‘Who’s in for brunch?’”

One thing the heels didn’t scream are “feminism,” despite a report just two months ago from the same magazine where they did. VF celebrated Helen Mirren’s brave choice to wear heels in the 1960s; now, the actress says, heels are a staple of the modern feminist.

“What-about”-ism aside, the publications’ criticism come from a frustration with the indignant attitude the heels convey on the First Lady, considering her trip was to visit an area where millions are suffering from major flooding. But, as basic fact checking would reveal, the Trumps didn’t visit a flood area at all:

But Trump’s early trip to the state came with some risk. His predecessors largely avoided landing in places where law enforcement resources — required for any presidential visit — are still being used for search-and-rescue missions. The White House insists it has taken steps to mitigate any drain on local assets as Trump makes stops in Corpus Christi, along the Gulf Coast, and in Austin, the Texas capital. Those stops were designed to keep Trump at a distance from the most devastating damage in and around Houston, which has experienced historic flooding after Hurricane Harvey’s landfall on Friday. “The President wants to be very cautious about making sure that any activity doesn’t disrupt the recovery efforts that are still ongoing,” Sanders told reporters Tuesday morning aboard Air Force One. After Corpus Christi, Trump will head to Austin, Texas to visit an emergency operations center.

In fact, Melania was wearing the heels while boarding the plane. When she arrived in Corpus Christie, she had changed into a button-down, a trendy FLOTUS hat, and, yes, sneakers.

More importantly, though, judging the president by minor quirks in his and his wife’s behavior are irresponsible criticisms. Instead of focusing on his policies — how he’s approaching disaster funding, what impact it will have on the government shutdown — some decided to deride Melania’s fashion choices. And do we really need a media focused on shoes? Heelgate is an example of how detail-focused many in the media have become when covering the president, equating the superficial and the real and ignoring in-depth analysis on merits, choosing instead to judge by emotion.

In fact, Vogue raises a good question by including “The White House’s Continual Failure to Understand Optics” in the headline for their Heelgate report. Why do we care so much about optics? Maybe we should be demanding media organizations that value quality of content over quality of image.

Quote:

We can't allow these guys to be "mainstreamed".

Sure. But all the important questions center around how to minimize or curtail growth and influence. As I and the many others I have noted above argue, demonstrations of violence by "antifa" or anarchist extremists in the present moment do not work to help in the effort, they do damage.

I just can't totally dismiss reports for instance that antifa provided the only protection for clergy who were being surrounded by nazis in Charlottesville.

As I and the many others I have noted above argue, demonstrations of violence by "antifa" or anarchist extremists in the present moment do not work to help in the effort, they do damage.

They stopped the Nazis murdering people in Boston and San Francisco.