Republican Party Doubles Down on Support for Roy Moore

The gay wedding cake court case was heard before the Supreme Court today.  There is a site you can access to hear oral arguments and I’ve done that in the past.  Norman Goldman had a Christian caller who believes people have the right to expect services like this.  I am on the fence leaning in favor of the Christians.  Someone mentioned the apostle Paul and whether or not he constructed tents for Roman citizens.  My feeling is that he did and have no reason to believe that he didn’t.  I think Paul would say “If you’re going to have some pagen ceremony in your dwelling just don’t tell me about it.  That way I won’t stand to be condemned”.    Charles Grassley senator from Iowa made a really idiotic statement yesterday.  In his eagerness to defend the removal of the estate tax he said “These rich people are the producers who build America.  The other poor people are the ones who spend their money on movies, booze and women”.  That’s an insult to practically everybody.  Grassley shows himself to be completely out of touch with the common man.  And today we have Judge Roy Moore making another really stupid and reveling statement.  He said that “Women are not constitutionally equipped to vote”.  He’s thus reviving the argument that women are children or otherwise too incompetent to be citizens. 

The biggest national news of the day as I see it is the Republican Party reversing its position on Judge Roy Moore.  Now they have thrown all of their vast resources into the race.  I guess the Captain Piccard saying of “In for a penny; in for a pound” is the statement that fits here.  The Republican Party is doubling down on their error.  They are raising the stakes and if they lose or even if they win on December 12^th they will have lost whatever moral credibility and respectability they ever had.   But with our luck Judge Roy Moore will be elected that day.  And the Republicans will go ahead and seat him and he’ll vote just like any other member. 

In terms of all of these fires today in the LA area the Thomas fire is the biggest and first of them all and now covers 55 thousand acres in Santa Paula and ranging westward through Venture County to the ocean.  Earler 150 structures were destroyed but I’m sure that figure is much higher now.  These winds are relentless particularly in that area.  Then we have the Creek fire otherwise known as the Newhall fire.  Four thousand acres has grown to eleven thousand acres.  These fires grow with lightning speed.  A flying ember can travel for a mile in this wind.  Then we have the Rye fire in the Magic Mountain area around the 5 Freeway.  The 5 Freeway was closed for a while but now it’s reopened.  This was five hundred acres earlier but I’m sure that figure is way out of date.  All sorts of schools have been closed for tomorrow. 

The big news of the day is that Michael Flynn has been indicted on just one charge of lying to the FBI.  According to Goldman if Trump pardons Flynn it isn’t a gag order to stop him from giving testimony against Jered Kushner or the President himself.  Goldman said in making the agreement to be totally open and “disgorging” all evidence he had, that Flynn had waved his fifth amendment rights.    Goldman talked about the ton of bricks of evidence against Flynn and against Flynn’s son and maybe the man wants to protect his son.  Goldman believes that Flynn came to Trump asking for a pardon guarantee from the President and was denied it. 

This is an instant replay but its importance can't be overestimated.  Yesterday President Trump replaced the head of the consumer protection agency that was mandated by the Dodd-Frank bill.   This is the bill that started off as a strong idea but the bill got weaker and weaker and the Republicans have tried to eliminate it from the day it was passed.  This is just another case of trying to drive a stake through the heart of this kep piece of legislation.  Actually according to Dodd-Frank when a previous head of the department left that they would appoint their successor.  This is just what happened but Trump citing executive authority fired the new head and put in one of his famous right wing stooges, who wants to dismantle the entire agency.  Naturally there is a legal question so a district court judge stepped in and ruled in favor of the president.  But this judge was appointed by the president to begin with.  When you give all that money you are in essence buying a politician these days.   

President Trump re-tweet an anti Islamic video that the British leader took offense to.  It apparently is a fake video of Islamic activity.   Now they are accusing Matt Lawer of rape.  Some woman came into his office and he pressed a button from behind his desk and the office door locked so she couldn’t escape.  That’s a cloak and dagger device.  They are still predicting warmer weather for today.  I am waiting for it. 

Arab nations in unicin have condemned this plan of the Trump administration to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  It's a provocative move against the Palestinians and places the Israeli capital right at their door.  But what Trump wants Trump gets and there appears nobody to stop him from doing it- - not even world opinion.