Friday, November 01, 2019

MODERN FAMILY's worst episode ever?

This week's new episode of MODERN FAMILY?

It could have used Haley.

It really could have used her.

Only Bill delivered a real laugh when he broke up with Alex after she thought he was asking for pix and she was sending them.  It was a guy he knew.  He was upset that she didn't wonder with the requests for the boob pictures or then for some butt pix.  As he got up from the table, she asked him to ask the guy to delete the pictures and he told her to ask the guy himself, she obviously had his number.

Gloria dressed as Frozen and we were supposed to pretend that the silver wig made people think she was an old woman.  No, it wasn't funny.  Not at all.

And Phil was trying to get a real trick in on Claire.  If he had failed, it might have been funny.  Instead, he rips off PSYCHO and this totally surprises her.  Apparently, Claire's the only fan of horror movies who has never seen PSYCHO.

It was so bad.  And Manny had to be even worse. 

Mitch and Cam were pretty awful too though Lily got one line about her cheerleading outfit that was funny.  So it was Lily and Bill and nothing else.

Season eleven is going to end up being their worst season ever at this rate.



Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"


Thursday, October 31, 2019.  Another US service member dies in Iraq as protests continue.


Kyle Rempfer (ARMY TIMES) reports:

 A U.S. soldier supporting the Inherent Resolve coalition in Iraq died Sunday, Pentagon officials announced Wednesday morning.

Sgt. Nathan G. Irish died in a non-combat incident at Camp Taji, sometimes called Camp Cooke, in the Baghdad Governorate.


Ellen Mitchell (THE HILL) adds, "Irish was assigned to the 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska."


US soldier Sgt. Nathan G. Irish died in Camp Taji 3 days ago in a non-combat incident, as per US DoD.
 
 



Jean and I are praying for the Irish family during this difficult time. We are grateful for Nathan's service and will keep those close to him in our thoughts.
 
 
🇺🇸🕯🙏 OUR CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FELLOW SOLDIERS OF SGT. NATHAN G. IRISH.🕯🙏🇺🇸
 
 


Nathan G. Irish was 23 years old -- seven years older than the Iraq War itself.  The ongoing war.  I can remember when a man was traveling around the United States in 2007 and 2008 and insisting that ,if he became president, all US troops would come home.  Speech after speech, he said that.  He did become president, President Barack Obama, and he had two terms in the White House but he left with US troops still in Iraq.  Steve Bullock would like to be president.  He's running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination currently.  Currently he's the Governor of Montana and he issued this statement:


Lisa and I are heartbroken over the loss of Sgt. Nathan Irish. As a state and nation, we ask our brave soldiers and their families to sacrifice so much to keep our nation and communities safe. We send our condolences to Sgt. Irish’s loved ones during this difficult time. 

MTN NEWS offers this video report.





Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, sitting, eyeglasses and outdoor


That photo's from his FACEBOOK page.

Nathan Irish updated his profile picture.
July 15

He noted in August, when he deployed to Iraq:

Getting on the C-130 to head to Iraq and I see “City of Missoula” stenciled on the side, a Montana license plate hanging in the cockpit, and a Montana flag hanging in the cargo bay. Halfway across the world and it feels like I’m 6 hours from home.

He should never have been sent over there.

If Steve Bullock wants to issue condolences and run for president, maybe Bullock should take some time to comment on US troops still in Iraq.  Or does he think the best candidate is the one who has no position on foreign wars?

The cat doesn't have Steve's tongue when it comes to talking about the other candidates.  He's been very vocal when it comes to Joe Biden's potential use of a SuperPac.  He's against that.  He just shrouds in mystery his position on never-ending wars.

On the topic of Joe Biden, Cameron Easley (MORNING CALL) crunches the numbers of various Democratic candidates in a face off with Donald Trump for the 2020 election and finds that Joe Biden has slipped.  Of the top three Cameron looks at -- Joe, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- only Elizabeth has increased her percentage since June which leads Easley to note:

But polling suggests that many primary voters are backing Biden because of his perceived general-election strength. Forty percent of Democratic primary voters said in September that they thought Biden has the best chance of beating Trump in 2020, more than twice the share who said the same of any other candidate. To that extent, declining returns in head-to-head matchups against Trump may pose a unique risk to his prospects for securing the nomination.


In Iraq, protests continue.  FRANCE 24 speaks with Feurat Alani (author of THE PERFUME OF IRAQ).




Alissa J. Rubin (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:


Under pressure from a growing number of protesters, Iraq’s prime minister appeared likely Wednesday to step down in the coming days, although exactly when is the subject of negotiations between two powerful Shiite Muslim leaders.
In a letter to one of the men, the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said he would be willing to resign and call early elections. But Mr. Mahdi insisted that it be done according to the procedures in the Constitution.

That's hilarious.  If the Constitution had been followed, he wouldn't be prime minister.  Your named prime minister designate and from that day you have 30 days to put together a Cabinet.  But it was over six months later before he found a Minister of Interior and a Minster of Defense.  He never should have been prime minister per the Constitution so it's hilarious that now, to save his job, he's saying the Constitution must be followed.



Middle East|MENA this a.m. • Protests: Lebanon, IraqIraq Prez to speak • US Patrols in NE Syria • Turkey-Kurds ceasefire collapsing • UAE withdraws from Aden Yemen • Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia meeting in DC 11/6: Dam dispute • Pentagon releases vid clips from Baghdadi raid
 
 


: Iraq’s President Barham Salih to speak shortly amid deadly protests in the country — Iraqi TV.
 
 


protesters lose their fear Mass protests in are continuing despite a vicious crackdown()that has left 231 people dead. via
 
 





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The following sites updated:






Thursday, October 31, 2019

Joe shoots himself in the foot daily

JW announced it filed FOIA lawsuits against the State/Treasury Depts seeking docs related to consideration by the CFIUS in the U.S. by 2 companies tied to Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden – Ukraine’s Burisma Holdings & China’s Bohai Harvest RST. READ:



Hunter is a constant embarrassment.  Joe Biden needs to drop out of the race and make sure that he gets his son some help.  Hunter's a sociopath.  Probably be high on crack and killing some woman in the next 20 years. 


To be a Biden is to be corrupt.

  1. To set up its super PAC, Joe Biden turned to a lawyer from Hunter Biden's old firm
     


Hunter Biden’s deals are textbook of how political families become rich from public service. Ukraine and China occurred during Obama Biden administration, as did controversial payments to the Clintons and their foundation from foreign interests.



The longer Joe stays in the race, the more he damages his own reputation.

I thought so much better of him before April of this year.


Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 
Wednesday, October 30, 3019.  Protests continue in Iraq, Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr issues a call, Joe Biden continues to flounder on the campaign trail and, since Butch Patrick wasn't available, Biden's gotten one time TV actress Alyssa Milano to host a fundraiser for him (no word on whether she's inviting her friends, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Weinstein).


Let's start in the United States with the ongoing race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.  War Hawk Joe Biden continues to struggle to convince America he's the candidate that they need.  America?  Most states have open primaries and Joe's counted not on the progressive base that backed Barack in 2008 but on the never-Trump Republicans who will cross over and vote in Democratic primaries.  Joe knows Democrats won't choose him over the others so he needs to pad out the prmaries.

On Sunday, War Hawk Joe appeared on CBS' 60 MINUTES and declared that his son Hunter -- currently a new groom having dumped his brother's widow -- remember Hunter dumped his own wife and kids when his brother died so he could go shack with his brother's widow -- which prompted his wife to sue for divorce and cite his excessive spending habits with regards to hookers and drugs in her court papers -- and though he is married, it will be a court in December that will determine if he's a new daddy -- not by his new wife, or his ex-wife, you understand -- but by one of the many women the nearly 50-year-old keeps sleeping with -- it's all so tawdry and gaudy.  But, hey, Joe thinks it's presidential.

"He did not do a single thing wrong," Joe insisted on 60 MINUTES.

Joe wasn't talking about any of the above or the crack pipe that Hunter left in a rent-a-car or Hunter getting kicked out of the reserves while Joe was Vice President -- kicked out due to drug use.

No, Joe was saying that his spoiled rotten, 49-year-old, drug addicted son did nothing wrong -- not a single thing -- with regards to using Daddy's name and, more importantly, Daddy's position as Vice President to profit.  Little Hunter may turn 50 next year, but he's never been much of a man.  Just a spoiled little boy.  And Daddy's habit of repeatedly rescuing him has fed Hunter's addiction and his troubles.

Hunter did not do anything criminal -- as far as we know.  But he did many things wrong with regards to Ukraine.

The US government's position publicly was that they were cleaning up corruption in Ukraine.  It was, they insisted, rising up from years of oppression and corruption.  The person to spearhead that?  Joe Biden.  And there's Joe's son getting on board a company and raking in over half a million dollars -- well over half a million -- a year for being part of the company.  Hunter has no experience.  And his position on the board speaks to the very corruption that supposedly the US government is trying to help Ukraine prevent.

All by itself, that is wrong.

It is unethical.

Joe was a public servant and Joe and Hunter betrayed the public trust.  That's a very serious no-no.

Many try to whore and pretend otherwise.

Did someone say "whore"?

Yeah, she's dragging that tired body into it.  Ladies and gentlemen, you liked her -- you didn't love her, you just liked her -- as a child on WHO'S THE BOSS in the 80s.  You watched her career collapse over and over in the 90s until she lucked into CHARMED (she was not the actress anyone wanted and she was a replacement after the pilot was filmed).  Yes, Alyssa Milano.  Known in the 90s for her numerous nudie photos online.  Remember boys and girls, she didn't know how her top fell off during that BIKINI magazine photo shoot!  She's done nothing of value or worth remembering since CHARMED was axed all those years ago.  But here she comes to host a fundraiser for Joe Biden.

We need to note Ann, so hold on a minute.  For those who missed it, Alyssa and Holly Marie Combs are actresses.  They did not create CHARMED -- somehow they forget that and forget to give credit to the woman who actually did create the show -- the woman Alyssa shoved off the show (the same way she got rid of Shannen).  When Alyssa failed at bringing back CHARMED as an update, THE CW began work on a reboot.  Instead of applauding the three new actresses, Alyssa and Holly used social media to attack the women -- to attack the women of color.

That does matter because both Alyssa and Holly try to present themselves as producers of the show.  And they did, in the second half of the show, get a producers credit.  But let's remember that they were producers on a show set in San Francisco . . . and they never had any gay or lesbian characters on the show.  How progressive, Alyssa, you whore.  Also remember that all the people of color on the show, the ones who weren't extras, they were created by the woman Alyssa forced off the show.  After she was gone, Alyssa -- our progressive wonder -- had no interest in creating characters of color.  It's a White, White world for Alyssa.

So Ann wrote "Kate Jackson curses Elizabeth Banks out and bitchslaps her too" last week:

Did you hear the news?

Kate Jackson (star of Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Charlie's Angels, The Rookies and Dark Shadows) went off on Pitch Perfect's Elizabeth Banks this morning.  She cursed her out, ripped some of her hair and bitch slapped her.  Why?  Because Eliabeth Banks has directed (and written) the new Charlie's Angels film out next month and Kate insists it's her show!


Reality: None of that happened.

Why?  Because Kate Jackson has a brain and is a functioning adult.

Have you seen the commercial for the Charlie's Angels movie?

Every time I see it (and it looks good), all I can think of is bitchy Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs having a titty fit over Charmed being rebooted.

They didn't create the show.  They were highly paid to act on it.  When The CW decided to reboot it, they showed up -- out of nowhere because they don't have careers anymore -- whining about how unfair it was and how it was their show and other bulls**t.  Aaron Spelling produced that show.

You know what else he produced?  Charlie's Angels.

Yet Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith didn't have a hissy fit when Drew Barrymore did her movie version, Charlie's Angels.  There was no whining, "We are the show!  They should have asked us!"

Those two bitches need to grow up.

Recently, the two were on TV.  It was a blast from the past -- people like them and the woman who played Mimi on The Drew Carey Show -- people who no longer have careers -- popped up on various ABC shows.  Holly and Alyssa popped up on Grey's Anatomy.  Alyssa's bad plastic surgery has left one side of her face smaller/tighter than the other.  Holly just showed up fat.  That's how you do it, Holly, that's how you get your career going again, finally getting a role and show up fat and unkempt.

They're losers.  I love the Charmed reboot.  Alyssa and Holly weren't owed crap.

They should have been told to shut the f**k up.

Did you hear Lynda Carter whining about the film Wonder Woman?  No.  Did you hear Lindsay Wagner whining about the TV reboot Bionic Woman?  No.

Those are adults.

Alyssa and Holly are just two pathetic failed actresses.



For the record, former CHARMED actresses Shannen and Rose publicly welcomed the new CHARMED actresses on social media.  Some people can be gracious even if others have to throw temper tantrums.  And let's not even get into the fact that while Alyssa and Holly held producer credits, a man roamed the show harassing women -- it's why CBS would later fire him.  But Alyssa and Holly looked the other way.  Whore Power, gals, Whore Power.

So now as Joe's tapped out with his big donors and can't attract small donors, here comes hefty, hefty, hefty Alyssa Milano to host a fundraiser for him.  Keep on whoring, Alyssa, you aren't fooling anyone.

And neither is Joe.  His campaign knows he's a loser -- he's a dirty dog with fleas.  They know he stands no chance of winning Iowa or New Hampshire based on the campaign's own polling.  So they're playing the press and trying to pretend like it won't matter.

It will matter.

No, there is no comeback.  They're trying to play it like it's Bill Clinton in 1992 when he earned the name "the comeback kid."  It's nothing like that.  Bill was a governor.  He didn't have a national profile.  No one, no former vice president, has ever been humiliated by losing Iowa and New Hampshire and gone on to get the nomination.

Grasp how humiliating losing Iowa would be if that happens.  He's got more name recognition than anyone in the race and yet the people of Iowa don't want him.

At SALON, Igor Derysh observes:

Former Vice President Joe Biden is at risk of a “humiliating” loss in Iowa as a result of his poorly organized ground operation and his failure to win over party leaders and voters, 11 senior Democrats told Bloomberg News.
The top Iowa Democrats, nearly all of whom declined to be named, told the outlet that Biden is at risk of finishing in third or fourth place in the first-in-the-nation caucuses on Feb. 3. Biden’s campaign outreach has been “largely ineffective,” they said, and his campaign is too reliant on big-money fundraisers. Biden’s Iowa state director, Jake Braun, does not live in Iowa full-time and has not run a campaign in the state since 2007. Democrats told Bloomberg that Braun has made it difficult for party leaders to contact the campaign and work with Biden’s team.
[. . .]
Other Iowa Democrats told the outlet that Biden has frequently skipped events that are key to a successful strategy in Iowa, like town halls at community centers, schools and diners. Instead, he has opted for TelePrompter speeches without taking questions, which was intended to help cut down on Biden’s gaffes but now make him seem “aloof.”


Grasp it, he can't handle the campaign but somehow he's ready to be president?  No, no and no.

Carl Campanile (NEW YORK POST) notes:

Former top Obama White House adviser David Axelrod says Joe Biden is running his 2020 presidential campaign as if he were in the federal witness protection program, and also trashed his “bewildering” defense of son Hunter’s controversial business dealings in foreign countries.
“They have him in the candidate protection program,” Axelrod said in a profile of Biden in New York magazine, headlined “The Zombie Campaign.”

“I don’t know if you can do that. I don’t know if you can get through a whole campaign that way. Either he can hack it or he can’t hack it. If you’re worried the candidate can hurt himself talking to a reporter, that’s a bad sign,” Axelrod said in the piece.


Again, he can't handle campaigning for the job.  This despite the fact that he's the most seasoned campaigner in the race.  He ran for office in 1970, then he ran for senator six times, then he was on two presidential tickets.  All he's done his entire life is campaign for office.  But now, at age 76 (77 next month), he's too tired to campaign?  Simple answer: Sit your tired ass down, Joe.

Joe has much to fear from voters -- from facing them.  They're aware he can't stop bragging that he was responsible for Iraq from 2009 through 2016 because Barack Obama put him in charge of it.

Look at Iraq today.  Joe notes he'd face serious questions about his decisions -- and should face serious questions.  That includes supporting thug Nouri al-Maliki and giving him a second term (via The Erbil Agreement) after the Iraqi people voted him out in the 2010 elections.


Breaking: Muqtada Sadr to Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi: Leave the office




Hamdi Alkhshali and Sharif Paget (CNN) report:


One of Iraq's leading Shiite clerics and powerful politicians has called on other parties to back him in removing Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi after weeks of protests.
Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads the largest political block in parliament, invited Iraq's second largest party on Tuesday to cooperate with him in "immediately" holding a vote of no confidence in Mahdi.
In a letter addressed to the prime minister, al-Sadr said Tuesday that "I thought asking you to call for early elections will preserve your dignity. But, if you refuse, I ask Mr. Hadi Al-Amiri to cooperate in the withdrawal of confidence from you immediately, to work together in changing the Electoral Commission and its law, and agree on comprehensive reforms, including the provisions of the constitution to be put to the vote and in the absence of the Parliament vote, then the people will choose."
Al-Amiri, who is the leader of the Iran-backed Badr Organization, accepted al-Sadr's invitation on Tuesday, saying "we will work together to achieve the interests of the Iraqi people and save the country as required by the public interest."
Earlier this week, al-Sadr had called on Mahdi to come to parliament and announce "early elections under the supervision of the United Nations," which the prime minister refused, citing constitutional and operational challenges. 


Mustafa Salim and Erin Cunningham (WASHINGTON POST) add:


At least 83 people have been killed across Iraq since a new round of demonstrations erupted Friday, according to a Health Ministry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. 
Earlier this month, 149 people were killed in a similar outburst of unrest, government officials said. A government-appointed inquiry into those week-long protests recommended the firing of senior security officials after finding them responsible for protesters’ deaths.


And the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) issued the following:

In our continuous efforts to promote dialogue between protesters and the government, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert, visited Tahrir Square to engage with the people out there.
While exchanging views and discussing possible ways to address the legitimate demands of peaceful demonstrators, SRSG Hennis Plasschaert reiterated that no government could comprehensively tackle the legacy of the past and the present challenges in just one year in office.

SRSG Hennis-Plasschaert called for a national dialogue to identify prompt, meaningful responses, to break the vicious cycle of violence, and to unite against the perils of division and inaction. Standing together, Iraqis can find the common ground needed to shape a better future for all.


Baghdad, Iraq 🇮🇶 1 million people are on the streets protesting economic distress and inequality, corruption and injustice. Persisting through the live ammunition and tear gassing by Iraq Security forces and police. Standing in solidarity with my brothers and sisters in IRAQ 💔
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In Nasiriyah this weekend, protesters played dominoes and volleyball, recited poetry and mourned those they'd lost during previous, violent protests.




This is not a normal protests not a distraction nor a rebellion but just another day to demand freedom and democracy that showed but not applied to demand my rights, your rights and every single rights living in this country 🇮🇶 God bless this new generation.





Kawthar was one of the thousands of young people attending elementary schools, high schools and universities who formed a sea of white uniforms in squares across as they came out to join the third day of the country's . Read more here:





We'll wind down with this from Amnesty International:



Iraqi security forces resorted yet again to excessive and unlawful lethal force to disperse crowds of largely peaceful protesters in the southern city of Karbala last night, said Amnesty International, after at least 14 protesters were reported killed and more than 100 injured.
Evidence gathered from eyewitnesses and verified geo-located video footage indicates that Iraqi security forces and anti-riot police opened fire using live ammunition as well as tear gas, chasing peaceful protesters staging a sit-in at the Tarbiya roundabout on 28 October. Witnesses also said security forces attempted to run them over with vehicles.  
“In horrific scenes from Karbala last night, Iraqi forces opened live fire on peaceful protesters and resorted to excessive and often lethal force to disperse them in a reckless and utterly unlawful manner. These scenes are all the more shocking as they come despite assurances from Iraqi authorities that there would be no repeat of the extreme violence used against demonstrators during protests earlier this month,” said Lynn Maalouf, Middle East Research Director at Amnesty International.
“According to international law, security forces should refrain from the use of firearms unless there is an imminent threat of death or serious injury and there is no suitable alternative available. Eyewitness accounts clearly suggest that was not the case. Iraqi authorities must immediately rein in security forces to prevent further bloodshed.”
A second wave of protests erupted on 24 October in Baghdad and other governorates across Iraq including Diwaniya, Thi Qar, Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Maysan and Babel. According to the Independent High Commission for Human Rights in Iraq, at least 77 protesters have been killed and 3,654 injured in this latest round of protests.
One eyewitness present during protests in Karbala last night told Amnesty International that security forces had attempted to chase away protesters using tear gas and batons on previous days, but that the violence used last night was far more extreme.
“Security forces opened fire on the protesters they were chasing. There was a black four-wheel drive that started to drive towards the roundabout and attempted to run over the protesters. It was complete horror. There were women and children. The children were screaming. The security forces dispersed everyone and started chasing them into the side streets,” he said.
A doctor at al-Hussein hospital in Karbala interviewed by Amnesty International said protesters arrived at the emergency room last night with shrapnel and gunshot wounds including in the leg, stomach, eye and head. The doctor added that they had also received several protesters injured due to beatings in recent days and that on 27 October security forces in plainclothes had visited the hospital and arrested around 50 people suspected of participating in protests.  
“They arrested a lot of people from the hospital… They even took children. One of the protesters they took was 14 years old,” the doctor said.
Another eyewitness told Amnesty International that at first, army officers had verbally warned protesters not to cross the gate to the government buildings near the roundabout where protesters have gathered since 24 October. Some of the protesters ignored the warnings and approached the area but were driven back by tear gas and sound grenades.
“They used a lot of tear gas. Even the army was suffocating and started leaving. When the army left, the protesters started burning tyres and trash,” he said, adding that protesters began to throw stones in response.
“Around 8pm they started using live ammunition to disperse us. At first it was a little, then it started increasing,” he added.
The eyewitness said that at around 11pm anti-riot police cars began charging towards the peaceful protesters, attempting to run them over. He said the tactic of using cars to run over protesters was also used in protests over the weekend. 
Another protester said he was attending the largely peaceful protest when he heard gunshots coming from the area near the government buildings. He described how security forces dressed in black were chasing protesters.
“There were about seven to 10 cars driving fast towards us and the men inside were shooting in the air to scare people. We all started retreating… protesters and the army were injured alike. These other forces started catching people and beating them, even young boys. They beat them so savagely. They grabbed me and started hitting me on my head…. The live fire was non-stop. It was complete horror. There were children as young as 12 among the protesters.”
One protester who was arrested in Karbala on 28 October described the appalling detention conditions at the anti-crime station inside a complex of government buildings.
“There was blood all over the walls. There were boys who were under the age of 18. We heard screams from the other room,” he said, adding that he saw at least one child bleeding heavily from the mouth after being kicked in the face and another young man with similar wounds denied medical care.
“Iraqi forces must order an independent impartial investigation into events last night in Karbala and ensure all those responsible are held accountable for their actions,” said Lynn Maalouf.
Amnesty International is also calling on Iraqi authorities to end arbitrary arrests and lift the curfews imposed in several areas in the country, including Karbala.

The following sites updated: