American Power

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

DUPONT, Wash. -- An Amtrak passenger train that derailed with deadly results Monday morning was traveling at more than twice the speed limit of the track, the National Transportation Safety Board reported later that night.

Bella Dinh-Zarr, a National Transportation Safety Board member speaking to reporters before midnight Monday night upon her arrival at the Sea-Tac International Airport, reported that data from the train's rear engine marked the train's speed at 80 mph. Sound Transit confirmed to SeattlePI that the Interstate 5 overpass south of Tacoma where the crash occurred carries a 30 mph speed limit.

Amtrak president Richard Anderson told reporters that positive train control — the technology that can slow or stop a speeding train — wasn't in use on the stretch of track in Washington state where the deadly derailment occurred.

Anderson spoke on a conference call with reporters and said he was "deeply saddened by all that has happened today."

NTSB crew members arrived in Seattle shortly before midnight and said their first full day of investigation would begin Tuesday.

They had yet to interview any of the train's personnel. Investigators planned to collect on-scene information preserved by local authorities for the next seven to 10 days and issue a report with their findings, possibly up to a year or more from now...

Keep reading.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Alexis Ren by LOVE Magazine (VIDEO)

She's pretty amazing.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Feminism, 'Heterophobia', and #MeToo

This is really good, from Daphne Patai, at Minding the Campus, "'We Made This (Harassment) Law Up From the Beginning and Now We've Won."

RELATED: At the Other McCain, "The Sexual Harassment Apocalypse."

How 'White Nationalism' Picked Up Steam

Take this piece with a grain of salt. I mean, c'mon, they're relying on the Southern Poverty Law Center, for crissakes.

At USA Today, "How white nationalists tapped into decades of pent-up racism to spark a movement":

The "alt-right" movement didn't happen overnight https://t.co/0ZDeiwQWVU
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) December 17, 2017

This summer's seemingly overnight arrival of the self-described "alt-right" and white nationalist groups — marked most prominently by a deadly car attack at the August "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va. — drew worldwide headlines, but the movement simmered for decades before it burst into public view.

Underlying that shift from society's fringes to center stage is a new strategy that taps into the frustrations of white people angry at a society they say has marginalized them and a new political landscape that appears to give voice to their cause.

President Trump’s election last year became a major rallying point for white nationalists, who watched as the Republican repeatedly amplified some of their views in campaign rallies and tweets.

“It just absolutely electrified this community,” Keegan Hankes, an analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hates groups, including the KKK. “They really felt like they had someone to rally behind.”

The Charlottesville attack that heads to a grand jury Monday has done little to dim the movement. In recent months, white nationalists have orchestrated numerous controversial public appearances, fought and won high-profile legal battles with universities and dominated the airwaves.

Building on this newfound interest, white nationalists deployed tactics borrowed from the generations-old KKK and today’s far-left groups and adapted media techniques often used against them.

Kyle Bristow, a self-described "alt-right" activist and attorney for high-profile white nationalist Richard Spencer, said large corporations, the government and academia that “relentlessly” attack the nation's traditional values have only prompted the movement's growth.

“Middle America is rallying to the flag of the alt-right,” he said. “Older generations recognize that America is no longer the place that it once was or could be, and people of this generation tend to be more conservative in trying to reclaim the America that was lost."

'Proud to be white'

The movement's most prominent figure, Spencer, executive director of the white nationalist National Policy Institute, has helped the so-called alt-right dominate cable television coverage and Internet discussions for months, prompted a national debate about whether it’s wrong to be “proud to be white” and provoked liberal activists and university officials alike to anger with his speaking appearances in New York, Florida and California.

The term "alt-right" covers a loosely defined group whose far-right ideology includes racism, populism and white nationalism. It is embraced by white supremacists, who believe white people should dominate all other races, and white nationalists, who say whites are a distinct nation that needs special political and legal protections. Critics accuse white nationalists of being white supremacists in disguise and say the term "alt-right" is a euphemism to hide racist goals.

Regardless of what name they choose, exact estimates on how many people associate with the movement are difficult to ascertain. Many followers say they're reluctant to be publicly identified because they fear losing their jobs or being attacked for their beliefs.

But the Southern Poverty Law Center says the murkiness serves a purpose — it allows white nationalists to conceal whether their movement is truly a groundswell or just a highly effective but tiny group of people.

Online followings provide a glimpse of white nationalists' reach. The law center says more than 300,000 people are registered as users on the oldest white nationalist site, Stormfront, which bills itself as "the voice of the new, embattled white minority." Spencer's Twitter account has more than 80,000 followers, not all of whom necessarily connect with the movement.

White nationalists argue in online postings that the inclusiveness and diversity espoused by the country’s public school teachers, mainstream media and liberal arts universities wrongly silences their voices. They repeatedly post comments on social media that they want to say “I’m proud to be white” without reprimand and don't understand why it’s OK for someone to declare “Black Lives Matter” but not “European settlers made America great.”

Experts say the movement emphasizes free speech, while downplaying its end game: A United States run by and for white people, with minorities either marginalized or removed.

Adam Leggat, a security consultant who monitors protesters worldwide for the Densus Group, said the words are starting to translate into action. "From an outsider’s perspective what has been happening at the protest events is an extension of the polarization in U.S. politics that has been occurring over the last 10 years or so. It has been stoked by a great deal of scaremongering in some sections of the media and particularly on social media."

Online communities have played a major role in the development of modern-day white nationalist movements, and the benignly named The Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas plays a key role in sharing those voices. The foundation lists freedom of speech, religion and equality before the law among its tenets, but adds: "We are engaged in a total war in a fight for the existence of our people, and scorched earth tactics is morally proper in this existential struggle. Arguably, it is immoral to not do everything and anything to further the interests of our people.”

Critics say that hateful agenda poses a major danger to the American values of individual freedom, equality and tolerance.

“White nationalism is inherently an ideology of violence," Hankes said. "There’s no peaceful path to that.”

Redirection, victim-blaming and other tactics

Despite lip-service to scorched-earth tactics, white nationalists today have left behind many of the deeply controversial and condemned symbols of the past in favor of more subtle messages to lure in new members.

They use many of the KKK’s tactics, such as invoking the protection of white culture and values, while studiously avoiding the white hoods, cross-burnings and torches of the past. But they’re also using strategies borrowed from left-wing groups and anarchists, including mass protests and suing anyone who responds to their taunts and insults.

More.

Friday, December 15, 2017

A.J. Baime, The Accidental President

At Amazon, A.J. Baime, The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Headless Chicken Leftists?

I'd prefer headless leftists, actually, but then I'd be like Robespierre, or something, heh.

Seriously, this is good, at CounterPunch, "The Year of the Headless Liberal Chicken."

Our in-house pundit's round-up of the year in bull goose looneyism ... https://t.co/qqvg61pkif
— Consent Factory (@consent_factory) December 10, 2017

This may be the first and last time I positively refer to something in Counterpunch, but @CJHopkins_Z23 has written a brilliant piece on the dangers of having tried to Hitlerize @realDonaldTrump and its backfiring. https://t.co/aNzESLdKW8
— Richard Klagsbrun (@KlagsbrunTO) December 13, 2017

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Native American Activists Score Elaborate Washington Redskins Name Change Hoax

And why not? Everything's fake news nowadays.

Memeorandum picked this up as if it was a real story at the Washington Post, "Native Leaders Celebrate a Victory as Washington Football Changes Mascot to the Redhawks."

Native Leaders Celebrate a Victory as Washington Football Changes Mascot to the Redhawks (Washington Post)https://t.co/BQ0XUDO0e4 https://t.co/JzFX0mVdKP
— memeorandum (@memeorandum) December 13, 2017

But see USA Today, "Native advocacy group stages elaborate Washington Redskins name change hoax":

A group of Native advocates called the Rising Hearts Coalition created an elaborate series of fake news articles and websites mirroring major outlets to make it seem like the Washington Redskins announced the organization has changed its controversial name to become the “Washington Redhawks.”

A page designed to look like an exact replica of the Washington Post declared “Native Leaders Celebrate a Victory as Washington Football Changes Mascot to the Redhawks,” but a closer look at the site’s URL reveals that it’s not a genuine article. Similar fabrications representing Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Bleacher Report articles have also been circulating around social media.

The group responsible for the hoax also launched a rebranded team website, WashingtonRedhawks.com.

Redskins owner Daniel Synder has said the team will never change its name, citing the organization’s “great tradition.” The Redskins addressed the hoax Wednesday afternoon.

In a press release, the group responsible announced it will host a press conference in front of RFK Stadium Thursday.

Today's Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

And especially, Wisdom Panel 3.0 Breed Identification DNA Test Kit.

Also, Didog Stainless Steel Custom Pet ID Tags for Medium and Big Dogs, Personalized Engrave, Multi-color.

More, Black & Decker WP900 6-Inch Random Orbit Waxer/Polisher.

Plus, Craftsman 108 Pc. Mechanic's Tool Set, and Craftsman 254 PC Mechanics Tool Set with 75 Tooth Ratchet.

Here, LG Electronics 65UJ7700 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model).

Still more, Soft 100% Cotton Throw Blanket for Couch Sofa Bed Green 51 x 67 Inch.

BONUS: James Jones, Go to the Widow-Maker.

Jews Targeted in Sweden (VIDEO)

Ezra Levant, at the Rebel:

The Plot to Take Down President Trump (VIDEO)

Here's Laura Ingraham, from last night:

GOP Sees Difficulties in Trump Country

Well, I wasn't all invested in this race, but still. Alabama? A Democrat hasn't won there in 25 years?

At LAT, "In stunning 2017 defeats, Republicans see vision of difficulties in 2018":

Tonight's analysis: Democrats have learned to weaponize enthusiasm and cut a path to 2018. For Republicans, the last year has proved a reversal of fortunes: https://t.co/qbC6ulot06
— Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) December 13, 2017

Democrats who opened the year clashing among themselves and lamenting President Trump's election have closed 2017 with victories that demonstrated their ability to weaponize party enthusiasm and draw a template for success in a sharply competitive battle for Congress in 2018.

For Republicans, Tuesday night's stunning loss by Roy Moore in Alabama's Senate race — the first GOP loss in a Senate race there in a generation — underscored a bleak passage of time: A year that began in unified control of Washington has ended with the party bitterly split and redefined in the worst of ways, saddled with an unpopular president and a Senate candidate accused of child molestation.

The problems begin with Trump, for whom Moore's defeat represented a third straight repudiation.

The first came in September in Alabama, where Trump ambivalently backed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the Republican primary. Then Trump endorsed Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginia's gubernatorial race, only to have him lose by nearly double digits last month to Democrat Ralph Northam.

Finally, Trump transferred his Alabama endorsement to Moore and watched him lose in a state that has been ruby red for decades.
Even in Alabama, a state he won by 28 percentage points, Trump was unable to ease his candidate over the finish line. Exit polls Tuesday indicated one reason: Voters even in this heavily Republican state were closely split between approval and disapproval of Trump.

That's an ominous sign for Republicans heading into the midterm election. The key races next year will take place in states that are far less favorable to Trump than Alabama.

Related to Trump's broad unpopularity is the fact that his party is fractured. Those divisions began with the primary battle, which the president's former chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, who strongly backed Moore, helped turn into a referendum on the party's Senate leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The splits only deepened after the Washington Post published accusations that Moore had fondled and kissed girls as young as 14 when he was a local prosecutor in his 30s.

The Republican National Committee and the party's Senate campaign committee pulled its backing from Moore after the Post story. When Trump, urged on by Bannon, decided to endorse Moore, the national committee returned to support him. The Senate committee declined to follow suit.

On election night, Moore's chief strategist, Dean Young, took off not against Jones or even the typical targets, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York, but against McConnell.

"I tell Sen. McConnell this: The people of Alabama are having an election tonight, and he should not overturn the people of Alabama," Young said, anticipating that a victory by Moore might be followed by a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.

On Tuesday night, it was clear that the bitter feelings among Republicans are likely to carry over to 2018 and beyond.

"The polls have been closed for 90 minutes & GOP could actually lose Senate seat. In ALABAMA," Alex Conant, a former spokesman for Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, tweeted Tuesday night. "No matter what happens next, hard to overstate what a huge political disaster this is for Moore-apologists like Trump, let alone Moore-champions like Bannon."

Moreover, in Alabama, and earlier in Virginia, Republicans found that arguments they have counted on to dispatch Democrats — that they are soft on crime, the military, immigration, guns and religion — no longer guarantee success...

More.

Hailey Baldwin Balancing (VIDEO)

At LOVE:

E.L. Doctorow, The Book of Daniel

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, E.L. Doctorow, The Book of Daniel: A Novel.

Peter F. Hamilton, The Reality Dysfunction

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Peter F. Hamilton, The Reality Dysfunction (The Night's Dawn).

Danielle Gersh's Hot and Dry Forecast

This feels like October weather. I'm not complaining, but still. It's weird.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Volokh Conspiracy Moves to Reason.com

Well, I hate the paywall at WaPo. And while I'm not a huge fan of Reason, this move gives me ample reason to visit the site.

See, "Our move to (paywall-free!) Reason from The Washington Post."

Reason welcomes The Volokh Conspiracy! https://t.co/En6HDckU70 pic.twitter.com/8lqsgQuGsx
— reason (@reason) December 13, 2017

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Doutzen Kroes Jumping Rope (VIDEO)

For LOVE Advent:

American Power

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Sofia Resing for Lui Magazine

New Deals. Every Day

Lisa Bloom Sought Cash Payment for Trump Accusers (VIDEO)

3 Killed as Amtrak Train Derails Over I-5 in Washington State (VIDEO)