monitoring Trump and relevant contemporary events

Kurt Eichenwald‏Verified account
@kurteichenwald
For the MAGA guys who don’t understand: the people handwriting the tax bill don’t give a damn about them or this country. They are $1,000 Gucci shoe-wearing lobbyists who get pols to sell us all out, again and again, because you LET THEM by falling for the GOP con.

It's called humour...

Jamelle Bouie‏Verified account
@jbouie
is there a word for the brazen corruption and dishonesty it takes to run on “drain the swamp” and then literally hand a pen to lobbyists to write a trillion dollar giveaway to plutocrats and their useless failsons?

Of course Lauer and Weinstein belong to your tribe. The difference is that they can't preserve abortion rights

It's entirely possible for a man to live a long and rich life without imposing his lust on women. I've done it and so, I'm sure, have a great many other men.

If you think strong condemnation of sexual predators is just some middle-aged guy’s rigid personal standard, you are aiding the sexual predation phenomenon.

Iceland’s revolution information is making the rounds on social media.

I think it’s time to take large-scale action.

Regarding the Tillerson-to-be-replaced story which was supposedly leaked by a senior official in the administration. I wonder if these sorts of stories are being purposely leaked to inspire doubt as to the truthfulness and reliability of the MSM? I know, it sounds a little paranoid, but

As accusations of sexual misconduct against famous men accumulate, the sheer quantity of dispiriting news is starting to create a confusing blur. The task of responding to sexual harassment and assault feels simultaneously more urgent and more daunting than ever.

(...)

There is a temptation to simplify matters by viewing all harassers and their offenses as equally awful, or, alternatively, as equally misunderstood. But to be fair and effective, any system needs to make distinctions: to sort Harvey Weinstein from Roy Moore; and Louis C.K. and Matt Lauer from Al Franken.

(...)

As more men are tarred as bad actors, and once-cherished public figures become pariahs, imposing responsibility can feel uncomfortable, even alarming.

People worry that we are sliding down a slippery slope to neo-puritanism, or in the throes of a witch hunt for sexual impropriety. Perhaps it will turn out that we are. But social science research suggests that this discomfort is a natural consequence of shifting social norms, not necessarily a sign that the changes are going too far.

(...)

Meanwhile, the old norms of gender roles and hierarchies have not disappeared, and may conflict with new demands for accountability. There is no safe harbor of conformity to be had.

It would be convenient if doing the right thing were easy. But bringing long-hidden harms to the surface cannot help disturbing the status quo. Accounting for years of wrongdoing is costly, and dismantling hierarchies that fostered harm can lead, in the short term, to chaos. Now society must decide how many of those costs it is willing to bear.

I’m aware of when it happened, but not aware of the effect.

I recall the women’s strike in another Scandinavian country...

The Icelandic Prime Minister has called a snap parliamentary election following allegations his party covered up a child sex abuse scandal involving his father.

Bright Future, one of the three parties in his coalition government, which was formed just nine months ago, announced they were withdrawing from the government due to a "breach of trust" after Bjarni Benediktsson reportedly tried to cover up allegations that his father helped to get a convicted paedophile's "honour restored" – a legal term which allowed him to apply for certain jobs.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Benediktsson said: "We have lost the majority and I don't see anything that indicates we can regain that... I am calling an election."

In Iceland criminals can apply for a full pardon five years after they have served their sentence. An applicant for pardon must present letters from two "respected and well known people" vouching for their changed and good character. The pardon application is approved by the Ministry of the Interior, then reviewed by a parliamentary committee and finally signed by the President of Iceland.

The case of two of Iceland's most notorious child molesters who received a full pardon this summer has rattled Icelandic society. The Icelandic public and media have spent much of summer discussing the two cases and the horrifying world of violence and abuse they revealed.