DIG IN YOUR F-ING HEELS

Democratic leaders (so-called) are saying they can't outvote senate Republicans on the new Trump SCOTUS appointee, whomever he or she might be.

Even if the Dems can't prevail, they can make life miserable for Republicans, in the Senate and in the House.

In both houses, business proceeds mostly by "unanimous consent."

For instance: a member asks the chair to put, say, a newspaper article in "the Record." The presiding officer says: "without objection,"  and, hearing none, taps the gavel and moves on.

If any member present says "I object," the chair then has to take a vote on the matter.  The chair will want a voice vote. At which time any member can demand a roll call vote.

At this point, and at any point, a member can note the absence of a Quorum.  Quorum calls are a pain in the ass, especially for the proponents of the current business.

The Republicans can win every roll-call vote, and they can satisfy any Quorum call, but they would hate to have to to do it, at least more than once or twice.

Among the many plans put forward, such as persuasion or public pressure, this procedural obstruction can be one component.

In summary, the Democrats in both houses should:

• Always deny unanimous consent.
• Demand roll-call votes on all matters.
• Allow no business to be conducted in the absence of a quorum.

Do the Democrats have the guts to do this?  No.  This lack of guts is why Trump will win re-election, if he makes it that far.

Civility, per Auntie Chuck and Great-grandma Nancy:  "Please,sir, I'm sorry to disturb you, but, could you possibly remove your boot from my neck?"

----- o -----

HOMO SS

We have named our species homo sapiens sapiens.  The extra “sapiens” means that we are smarter than the previous version of us.

We are extra-wise and produce such marvels as grand opera and total war.

A worry, especially with Trump/Clinton, was that total nuclear war would wipe us out. Life would go on, but without homos, sapiens or not.

The USA claims to be exceptional. Likewise, homo sapiens, at least in the west, claims to be an exceptional species.

We were created by God to keep Him company.  God takes an intense interest in the human race.  The human race is so exceptional that we we can negotiate and execute contracts (testaments) with God.

The Catholic Church went all apeshit on Galileo’s assertion.  If the universe doesn’t revolve around the earth, then the Pope’s status is much diminished.

Presumably, God loved H.s.s. so much he sent his son to save us.  Quibble: would Jesus have existed if humans hadn’t needed him?

Individuals die, so do species.

Our headline might have suggested the topic: Homosexuality in the SS (schutzstaffel).

If we experience partial nuclear holocaust, we, like the SS, will be faced with a technical problem—the disposal of millions of corpses.

I was chatting with a retired public school teacher.  I mentioned the amusing factoid that, while life expectancy has been increasing, maximum life span has remained the same.  A hundred and ten is somewhere near the max.

“Anyway,” I said, “Methusela didn’t really live nine-hundred years.”

“Oh, no,” she said, “things might have been different in ancient times.”

Sapiens indeed.

----- o -----

BAD COP? BLAME THE BOSS

Focus on the bad behavior of the street cop.

Then, focus on cop's background: Bad Cop!

Cop's fault, end of discussion.

Not!

Who the fuck hired, retained, and then assigned the killer cop to the kill zone?

Answer: Superior officers.

In a virtuous world, supervisors are responsible for the actions of their subordinates. That's why they get higher pay.

It's the supervisor's job to hire suitable officers, tell them what to do, praise good performers and discipline or remove bad performers.

Sometimes, rarely, bad performers are removed.

But, almost never is the supervisor disciplined, or even named, when a bad cop does bad things.

It's pretty much the same as molester-priests whose bishop's moved rather than sacked them.

It's hard to fire someone. Especially when it's not your money that's paying them.

If you don't have the courage to look a subordinate in the eye and tell them they're fired, you should not be a supervisor.

I hate to say it, but Vatican ass kicking makes Pope Francis look pretty.  He fired the head of the Swiss Guard!

----- o -----