Sunday, April 08, 2018
Saturday, April 07, 2018
Brownshirts Comin' Back!
...Trump has told friends he is eager to stage more energetic, frenzied rallies...
Punch that guy in the mouth!
Punch that guy in the mouth!
15 now dead in Humboldt tragedy
There were either 28 or 29 people on the Humboldt team bus depending on what you read. More than half are now confirmed dead and all of the remainder are injured.
The tractor trailer driver was uninjured. He was questioned and released by RCMP. We don't even fucking know how the accident occurred. Most accounts have it that the semi t-boned the bus but one has it the other way. Jesus Christ.
A smiley RCMP spokeswoman introduced other speakers in a press conference. The head of the Saskatchewan junior hockey league began his remarks, "Good afternoon, everybody."
The tractor trailer driver was uninjured. He was questioned and released by RCMP. We don't even fucking know how the accident occurred. Most accounts have it that the semi t-boned the bus but one has it the other way. Jesus Christ.
A smiley RCMP spokeswoman introduced other speakers in a press conference. The head of the Saskatchewan junior hockey league began his remarks, "Good afternoon, everybody."
10 minutes ago, ten minutes, was the first mention of the Humboldt tragedy in the New York Times, twenty-four hours after occurrence. This was NOT in the news last night. I understand Humboldt is a small town with only 6,000 people in it. I understand Canada is a country of massive size with Humboldts sprinkled all over the place. But it's right next door. Saskatoon has a population of a quarter million. How did this story take so long to get out? Two people were killed in a van attack today in Muenster, Germany. That was all over the news within minutes.
And, Times, get a clue, would you? The team "twice won national championships:" They don't have national championships! This was a Junior A hockey team not a college basketball team in the U.S. C'mon, man.
And, Times, get a clue, would you? The team "twice won national championships:" They don't have national championships! This was a Junior A hockey team not a college basketball team in the U.S. C'mon, man.
And then...she ripped them up
"He didn't pass the civics, he has to study more." Matter of factly.
"I was going to ask but I waited till the end like you told me to, to rephrase the question about what the Declaration of Independence 'does'..."
"It doesn't matter. That was just one and he missed three. They were easy. He has to study more."
I lowered my head. She couldn't see me for the computer monitors. "He's not going to pass this, ever. He can't study more. 'He paid you to get him citizenship,'" to self in head.
And then...she ripped up the questionnaire.
It's not very busy." She gave him a new test.
"Thank you, Ms. Rinville."
"Are you willing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States?"
"Oath!" me to Pierre.
Pierre instantly raised his hand.
"What does an oath of allegiance do?...Will you oath to love United States?"
"I love United States!"
Pat on back.
Ms Rinville had picked up on Pierre's instant, correct answer to the question of the number of justices on the Supreme Court and his confusion on the "do" questions and asked him six concrete, factual questions--What are the names of the two houses of Congress, How many major political parties, five out of five correct. The sixth: "And what is the political party of the current president?"
"Democrat," unhesitatingly.
I shot him a look and would have deported his ass back to Haiti my own self just for that one.
"Democrat? Okay." Ms. Rinville.
That was the only one he missed and so he had passed. "I'm going to recommend him for approval"
"Oh, God bless you, Miss Rinville." I wanted to hug her but I couldn't get past Pierre to her side of the desk.
"Have you been his lawyer before?"
"Before this?," I asked, confused, thinking she might mean had I represented Pierre on his two 1998 misdemeanors.
"Yes. On his prior citizenship applications."
"No, this is my first time representing him on anything."
"It's good he had you." I touched her arm and God blessed her two more times.
He paid me to get him citizenship and I did.
"I was going to ask but I waited till the end like you told me to, to rephrase the question about what the Declaration of Independence 'does'..."
"It doesn't matter. That was just one and he missed three. They were easy. He has to study more."
I lowered my head. She couldn't see me for the computer monitors. "He's not going to pass this, ever. He can't study more. 'He paid you to get him citizenship,'" to self in head.
And then...she ripped up the questionnaire.
It's not very busy." She gave him a new test.
"Thank you, Ms. Rinville."
"Are you willing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States?"
"Oath!" me to Pierre.
Pierre instantly raised his hand.
"What does an oath of allegiance do?...Will you oath to love United States?"
"I love United States!"
Pat on back.
Ms Rinville had picked up on Pierre's instant, correct answer to the question of the number of justices on the Supreme Court and his confusion on the "do" questions and asked him six concrete, factual questions--What are the names of the two houses of Congress, How many major political parties, five out of five correct. The sixth: "And what is the political party of the current president?"
"Democrat," unhesitatingly.
I shot him a look and would have deported his ass back to Haiti my own self just for that one.
"Democrat? Okay." Ms. Rinville.
That was the only one he missed and so he had passed. "I'm going to recommend him for approval"
"Oh, God bless you, Miss Rinville." I wanted to hug her but I couldn't get past Pierre to her side of the desk.
"Have you been his lawyer before?"
"Before this?," I asked, confused, thinking she might mean had I represented Pierre on his two 1998 misdemeanors.
"Yes. On his prior citizenship applications."
"No, this is my first time representing him on anything."
"It's good he had you." I touched her arm and God blessed her two more times.
He paid me to get him citizenship and I did.
The Interview
"What does the president's cabin (sic) do?"
Unclear question (to self).
Ms Rinville repeats.
"I don't know" (low voice).
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?"
"Nine." (I am amazed).
When do we celebrate Independence Day?"
"July 4."
"What did the Declaration of Independence do?"
I don't like these "do" questions, they're confusing.
Repeats with hand gestures.
"I don't know that one."
Ms. Rinville sighed and tilted her head as she marked the scoresheet.
They only ask six civics questions. Pierre missed another one, three of the six (bad).
She then went into the background questions, many.
"Are you married?"
"Yes."
"How many times have you been married?"
"Just once."
"Has your wife ever been married before?"
"No."
"Just one woman for you, huh?" The first sign I had that she was beginning to feel good about Pierre.
Pierre butchered some of his answers and I permitted myself a soft chuckle and pat on his back. He was doing the best he could and clearly was not lying, Ms Rinville just had to rephrase the questions (and talk loudly).
"Are you or have you ever been a member of a group that wanted to overthrow the government of any country by force?"..."Like if you disagree with the government you want to blow them up."
"No, I no do that."
Chuckle by me.
"Have you yourself or any group you belong to ever forced anyone to have sex against their will?"
"I no do that."
"Are you willing to bear arms if called upon in defense of the United States?"..."If we give you the guns and the helmet and say go fight, would you fight?"
Chuckle. She was doing her part.
"Yes!"
"You're killing me here," Ms. Rinville.
"I'm sorry." He won her over with that response.
We finished the background questions.
Unclear question (to self).
Ms Rinville repeats.
"I don't know" (low voice).
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?"
"Nine." (I am amazed).
When do we celebrate Independence Day?"
"July 4."
"What did the Declaration of Independence do?"
I don't like these "do" questions, they're confusing.
Repeats with hand gestures.
"I don't know that one."
Ms. Rinville sighed and tilted her head as she marked the scoresheet.
They only ask six civics questions. Pierre missed another one, three of the six (bad).
She then went into the background questions, many.
"Are you married?"
"Yes."
"How many times have you been married?"
"Just once."
"Has your wife ever been married before?"
"No."
"Just one woman for you, huh?" The first sign I had that she was beginning to feel good about Pierre.
Pierre butchered some of his answers and I permitted myself a soft chuckle and pat on his back. He was doing the best he could and clearly was not lying, Ms Rinville just had to rephrase the questions (and talk loudly).
"Are you or have you ever been a member of a group that wanted to overthrow the government of any country by force?"..."Like if you disagree with the government you want to blow them up."
"No, I no do that."
Chuckle by me.
"Have you yourself or any group you belong to ever forced anyone to have sex against their will?"
"I no do that."
"Are you willing to bear arms if called upon in defense of the United States?"..."If we give you the guns and the helmet and say go fight, would you fight?"
Chuckle. She was doing her part.
"Yes!"
"You're killing me here," Ms. Rinville.
"I'm sorry." He won her over with that response.
We finished the background questions.
Ms. Rinville
9:40 came and went, 9:46, I checked my phone, 9:56,--"Immigration is usually on time"--10:15--I checked with the sign-in desk, "He's in the queue"--at 10:50 they called his name, like they used to do in a crowded doctor's office lounge--door to magic dust room opens, nurse calls name and if the doctor thinks something has to be "removed" I hope it's not my client.
Black woman, the examiner. I couldn't tell based on looks if she was native American Black (which would be bad; tension with Black immigrants) or from the islands (good).
When we got into her office she asked me, "Who are you?" (native Black (bad) to self)). Attorney. No G20 (attorney's official notice of appearance). I got the notice of the hearing just like Pierre did. Oh it was in the back of the file. During the interview you can't speak. I understand. If you want me to ask a question, wait till the end. I sat to the left and slightly behind Pierre so that Ms. Rinville could see that I was not signaling to him in any way. I could not see but the top of her head for the two large computer monitors on her desk.
But, "Caline Rinville," desk nameplate, Haitian (good). A framed photo of President Obama on the bookshelves behind her desk! (Good!).
"Raise your right hand," (demonstrating).
Pierre leaning forward not understanding.
"Hearing...loud...can't read...," just the important words, me.
"Do you want this in English or Creole?," her.
"Pierre, do you want this in English or Creole?", me.
"English."
"I'm going to have to talk to my supervisor. You can speak to him."
"Pierre...English...Creole?"
"I try in English."
Ms Rinville was only gone a minute.
"English," me.
"Raise your right hand."
Complies.
Black woman, the examiner. I couldn't tell based on looks if she was native American Black (which would be bad; tension with Black immigrants) or from the islands (good).
When we got into her office she asked me, "Who are you?" (native Black (bad) to self)). Attorney. No G20 (attorney's official notice of appearance). I got the notice of the hearing just like Pierre did. Oh it was in the back of the file. During the interview you can't speak. I understand. If you want me to ask a question, wait till the end. I sat to the left and slightly behind Pierre so that Ms. Rinville could see that I was not signaling to him in any way. I could not see but the top of her head for the two large computer monitors on her desk.
But, "Caline Rinville," desk nameplate, Haitian (good). A framed photo of President Obama on the bookshelves behind her desk! (Good!).
"Raise your right hand," (demonstrating).
Pierre leaning forward not understanding.
"Hearing...loud...can't read...," just the important words, me.
"Do you want this in English or Creole?," her.
"Pierre, do you want this in English or Creole?", me.
"English."
"I'm going to have to talk to my supervisor. You can speak to him."
"Pierre...English...Creole?"
"I try in English."
Ms Rinville was only gone a minute.
"English," me.
"Raise your right hand."
Complies.
The Client
Early for my client's 10:10 citizenship interview 26 miles away, I arrived at 9:30, walking into the lobby past the picture of Trump. Pierre, my client, was already there. Why was I even there? I can't take the civics test for him. I'm not even allowed to speak in the interview. Because he paid you, that's why you're here.
I didn't feel good about this. I had ordered Pierre the citizenship test manual but he cannot read. Can't write. He's illiterate. He said his grandson would read it to him. Months later I got a call from the grandson. Pierre wasn't doing well in the test prep. "He paid you to help him get citizenship," the grandson said. "Ask him how much I have to pay him to get citizenship," I heard Pierre ask in the background. Clients frequently think like that. "I better get me a lawyer on this one." Yeah, with 15 eyewitnesses, fingerprints, DNA, a videotaped full confession and the murder weapon found under the pillow that my head was sleeping on when the police broke down the door to my house, I better get a lawyer this time to get me out of this. They think a lawyer can sprinkle magic dust and Poof! the evidence goes away. "I paid you to get me out of this!"
"Tell your grandfather it's not a matter of money. I can't take the test for him. I'm not even allowed to speak." "He paid you to get him citizenship." "Look: If a drug test was required for citizenship, I couldn't pee in a bottle for him." He got it with that example.
Pierre is a wonderful man. 64 years old, just retired from working all his life here as a stock man at A&P, permanent resident, 36 years here, same residence for 15 years, just two arrests, both in 1998, one for gambling, one for being drunk in public, both misdemeanors. but gambling is a
"crime of moral turpitude"
to the immigration gumshoes and Pierre was denied citizenship for the gambling arrest in the early 2000's. Had a lawyer, too. He has diabetes, can't hear or see well, can't read or write, speaks and understands English if you use just the important words and speak loudly and slowly, and speaks in a deep, gravelly, slurred, accented voice. He speaks and understands Creole. I understood one-quarter, maybe one-third, of the words he spoke in English and hope they were the important ones. I had checked the "55/15" (age, years in U.S.) box on his application when he was in my office after debating within myself and explaining the alternatives to him. Which meant the interview would be conducted in English.
I did not feel good about this.
I didn't feel good about this. I had ordered Pierre the citizenship test manual but he cannot read. Can't write. He's illiterate. He said his grandson would read it to him. Months later I got a call from the grandson. Pierre wasn't doing well in the test prep. "He paid you to help him get citizenship," the grandson said. "Ask him how much I have to pay him to get citizenship," I heard Pierre ask in the background. Clients frequently think like that. "I better get me a lawyer on this one." Yeah, with 15 eyewitnesses, fingerprints, DNA, a videotaped full confession and the murder weapon found under the pillow that my head was sleeping on when the police broke down the door to my house, I better get a lawyer this time to get me out of this. They think a lawyer can sprinkle magic dust and Poof! the evidence goes away. "I paid you to get me out of this!"
"Tell your grandfather it's not a matter of money. I can't take the test for him. I'm not even allowed to speak." "He paid you to get him citizenship." "Look: If a drug test was required for citizenship, I couldn't pee in a bottle for him." He got it with that example.
Pierre is a wonderful man. 64 years old, just retired from working all his life here as a stock man at A&P, permanent resident, 36 years here, same residence for 15 years, just two arrests, both in 1998, one for gambling, one for being drunk in public, both misdemeanors. but gambling is a
"crime of moral turpitude"
to the immigration gumshoes and Pierre was denied citizenship for the gambling arrest in the early 2000's. Had a lawyer, too. He has diabetes, can't hear or see well, can't read or write, speaks and understands English if you use just the important words and speak loudly and slowly, and speaks in a deep, gravelly, slurred, accented voice. He speaks and understands Creole. I understood one-quarter, maybe one-third, of the words he spoke in English and hope they were the important ones. I had checked the "55/15" (age, years in U.S.) box on his application when he was in my office after debating within myself and explaining the alternatives to him. Which meant the interview would be conducted in English.I did not feel good about this.
Friday, April 06, 2018
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Spoelstra! Spoelstra! Read All About It: Whiteside Blindsides Atl; Mia Clinches 'loffs
He started, he finished. Hassan Whiteside had 18 points, including the go-ahead, and 12 rebounds and Miami clinched a playoff spot with a 101-98 win over dreadful Atlanta last night at One Biscayne Place.
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
"CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS"...
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
The Fake News Networks, those that knowingly have a sick and biased AGENDA, are worried about the competition and quality of Sinclair Broadcast. The “Fakers” at CNN, NBC, ABC & CBS have done so much dishonest reporting that they should only be allowed to get awards for fiction!
6:34 AM · Apr 3, 2018
Trumpie, that's all the national networks except Fox, you silly cuckoo bird.
@realDonaldTrump
The Fake News Networks, those that knowingly have a sick and biased AGENDA, are worried about the competition and quality of Sinclair Broadcast. The “Fakers” at CNN, NBC, ABC & CBS have done so much dishonest reporting that they should only be allowed to get awards for fiction!
6:34 AM · Apr 3, 2018
Trumpie, that's all the national networks except Fox, you silly cuckoo bird.
"A total joke"
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.
9:28 AM · Apr 2, 2018
The guy is a walking Rorschach test.
@realDonaldTrump
So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.
9:28 AM · Apr 2, 2018
The guy is a walking Rorschach test.
From Jeffrey Goldberg's interview with Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia for The Atlantic.
Goldberg: Let’s talk about the broader Middle East. Do you believe the Jewish people have a right to a nation-state in at least part of their ancestral homeland?
MbS: I believe that each people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.
Goldberg: You have no religious-based objection to the existence of Israel?
MbS: We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/mohammed-bin-salman-iran-israel/557036/
Goldberg: Let’s talk about the broader Middle East. Do you believe the Jewish people have a right to a nation-state in at least part of their ancestral homeland?
MbS: I believe that each people, anywhere, has a right to live in their peaceful nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.
Goldberg: You have no religious-based objection to the existence of Israel?
MbS: We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/mohammed-bin-salman-iran-israel/557036/
Monday, April 02, 2018
Heather Lyke's Moment is a Smash Hit
You have to vote in this thing to see the results so I voted my conscience, "Yes," to see the results:
I did not expect 98%-2%. Heather Lyke, they lyke Jeff Cape and they lyke Heather.
Do you like the decision to hire Jeff Capel as Pitt men's basketball coach?
- Yes (98%, 1,851 Votes)
- No (2%, 45 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,896
We got a winner in town.
Drew-Led Lue-Less Land Lose Less
We have found the solution. The great Tyronn Lue has been on a health sabbatical for the last 7 games. And the "Cavs" have not missed him. 6-1 with assistant Larry Drew subbing for him. MUCH better than with Lue, better than after The Trades, better than before The Trades. Addition by subtraction. No Lue, no loss (or just one).
Sunday, April 01, 2018
The third and last thing tonight is a story that just came out today. Russian "free press" concepts have rooted in a previously unheralded direction in the last few years. A right wing outfit called Sinclair Broadcasting now owns more local TV stations in America 2.0 than any one else and Sinclair's corporate guidance comes with identical scripts castigating the plague of "fake news" that comes from anyone insufficiently pro-Trump/Putin, which scripts Sinclair's anchors are required to read, and do, identically. When my son texted me the links and I had read them, I responded "We're doomed" and we are. https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/how-americas-largest-local-tv-owner-turned-its-news-anc-1824233490, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLjYJ4BzvI
We are, in expletive language, fuck-ed.
We are, in expletive language, fuck-ed.
Coupla or three things as the undersigned makes his final descent, two of them sports related so they share this one post.
My beloved Pitt "Panthers" have a new head basketball coach, Jeff Capel, Mike Krzyzewski's top assistant at Duke took the job (and what a job he has ahead of himself). Capel previously was head coach at Virginia Commonwealth and turned that into a bigger job at Oklahoma. Hell, he won 30 games at OU in ought eight-ought nine, took the "Laters" to the Elite Eight, won 23 the year before that and had a 23 win season at VCU, but his last to years in Norman were stinkers and they fired him and he went back to Coach K (He played at Duke). I lyke the hire.
Next. The last two times I have written about the Miami "Mediocre" I intended to spread the
blame around and include head coach Eric Spoelstra. Wish I had cuz now it wouldn't appear I'm a Benny Bandwagon. I did not know when I posted last night that "Mediocre" center Hassan Whiteside took his frustrations with the paltry playing time Spo has handed him this year public. You can read the headlines it was an "expletive laden" "rant" they say, which had me thinking it would resemble some-alright, many-of the posts written here, you know, F-bomb him, F-bomb the ofher guy, just the Nine Exterminations via F-bombing. You know what #YoungWhiteside said? Bull shit, excuse me, bull ---- a couple of times and once unsourced shit. Young fella's got a lot to learn about ladening his expletives! "Mediocre" management fined him! For two bullshits and a shit. Shit. Spoelstra has been parsimonious with his minutes for Whiteside this year, and also erratic, Whiteside couldn't tell when he was going to play and how long he was going to play. That will get in a guy's shit. And last night really gave him the shits because the Miami was playing the Brooklyn "Bums," a smallish team, and Hassan sat the final 20+ minutes. Spo explained that the "Bums" small, speedy players would have caused matchup problems (Beware that "matchup problem" bullshit) with the big slow Whiteside in there. Great coaching, Spo. You lost the game despite your tactical brilliance and you don't have Whiteside's backside to kick around about it.
My beloved Pitt "Panthers" have a new head basketball coach, Jeff Capel, Mike Krzyzewski's top assistant at Duke took the job (and what a job he has ahead of himself). Capel previously was head coach at Virginia Commonwealth and turned that into a bigger job at Oklahoma. Hell, he won 30 games at OU in ought eight-ought nine, took the "Laters" to the Elite Eight, won 23 the year before that and had a 23 win season at VCU, but his last to years in Norman were stinkers and they fired him and he went back to Coach K (He played at Duke). I lyke the hire.
Next. The last two times I have written about the Miami "Mediocre" I intended to spread the
blame around and include head coach Eric Spoelstra. Wish I had cuz now it wouldn't appear I'm a Benny Bandwagon. I did not know when I posted last night that "Mediocre" center Hassan Whiteside took his frustrations with the paltry playing time Spo has handed him this year public. You can read the headlines it was an "expletive laden" "rant" they say, which had me thinking it would resemble some-alright, many-of the posts written here, you know, F-bomb him, F-bomb the ofher guy, just the Nine Exterminations via F-bombing. You know what #YoungWhiteside said? Bull shit, excuse me, bull ---- a couple of times and once unsourced shit. Young fella's got a lot to learn about ladening his expletives! "Mediocre" management fined him! For two bullshits and a shit. Shit. Spoelstra has been parsimonious with his minutes for Whiteside this year, and also erratic, Whiteside couldn't tell when he was going to play and how long he was going to play. That will get in a guy's shit. And last night really gave him the shits because the Miami was playing the Brooklyn "Bums," a smallish team, and Hassan sat the final 20+ minutes. Spo explained that the "Bums" small, speedy players would have caused matchup problems (Beware that "matchup problem" bullshit) with the big slow Whiteside in there. Great coaching, Spo. You lost the game despite your tactical brilliance and you don't have Whiteside's backside to kick around about it.
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