The Torch Looks Dim

On the surface, it should have been a banner week for The Trump Administration. Despite unemployment being down, and Wal-Mart throwing around $1000 one-time checks to 20-year employees like Oprah (while simultaneously closing down a big pile of unprofitable Sams Clubs) -- Trump let his true colors fly at a meeting when he (allegedly) said, "Why do we want all these people from 'shithole countries' coming here?" 

I'm not totally sure why everyone is acting so surprised. I mean, other than the word SHIT being on every banner headline and on the local news. It's not the cursing that everyone's up in arms about. 

It's not that he lumped all of Africa as one single country. Although, he clearly failed geography.

Perhaps the bigger taboo is that you can bomb countries without wealth and have citizens with darker skin tones than those in Norway - and no one batts an eyelash. But you're not allowed to talk about those inequities.

Much has been written about The Donald's racist remarks. And let's all be clear, his remarks are clearly, and painfully racist. Yes, the torch dims for that reason, across the globe. But wait. There's more.

What's NOT getting any coverage, this week was The House of Representatives passed the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017. The short version is that Congress makes it legal for the NSA to search communications that mention a given target but was not sent or received by the target.

So, in other words, gives them carte blanch to spy on Americans without a warrant. Another huge blow to the 4th Amendment and privacy.

It still has to pass the Senate and Trump... but, which headline are you busy reading?

Citizen Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch hangs his head as he and his son, James, testify before a British Parliament committee. "This is the most humbling day of my life," he said as the hearing began.

Under his breath, I imagine he said, "I can't believe we got caught!"

The Wacky Wire Team!

Found on the Internets:

The Wire as a Hanna-Barbera cartoon — Paul Sizer’s contribution to Warren Ellis’s latest Remake/Remodel thread. (via.)

Rod "Pay to Play" Blagojevich Arrested

Federal authorities in Chicago have arrested Rod Blagojevich, and they've accused him of attempting to benefit financially from his position to appoint a Barack Obama's Senate replacement... among a phone book of other charges from the ongoing investigation into his pay-for-play style of governing.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said Rod was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti. (that's last month!! - he's been under the microscope since he took the office. What an idiot!)

The affidavit said Blagojevich discussed getting a substantial salary for himself at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

It said that Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director's fees.

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president's cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor's office.

"I want to make money," the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," Fitzgerald said."

Blagojevich took the chief executive's office in 2003 as a reformer promising to clean up former Gov. George "Evil Santa Claus" Ryan's mess. Ryan, a Republican, is serving a 6-year prison sentence after being convicted on racketeering and fraud charges.

Maybe Rod will be George's new cell mate?

UPDATE: Below are excerpts of the complaint:
They're in picture format for those of you behind firewalls. Here at Blasphemes we are always looking out for our readers! Why are they in photo versions? (click on them to make 'em bigger) So that your work filters won't catch you reading the Gov's dirty potty mouth as he tries to sell Obama's Senate Seat.

Then it gets even better.

If you think our President-Elect has popped his scandal cherry, don't count on it. No listened to us when we told the Nation he was going to bring the Chicago Machine politics to Washington. So no one will listen tomorrow either.

Billboards

The Billboard Liberation Front today announced a major new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency.