Just Another Mom Getting Political.
Does @SeanSpicer treat the press like a bunch of kindergarteners? pic.twitter.com/SH3nowF4wR
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 5, 2017
We all love Melissa McCarthy’s imitation of Spicy Spicer but The Daily Show’s clip of Spicer being himself…well, this is BRILLIANT. I have said before that I used to feel sorry for Sean, after all selling your soul is typically a desperate move, but I have come to realize that he loves the power.
Bill O’Reilly has been in the spotlight today since the news broke he reached settlement with five, yes 5, women who claimed he sexually assaulted them. The settlement payment is reported to be approximately 13 million dollars. As advertisers began to pull their advertising from FOX and the O’Reilly show, one champion for Bill emerges. Guess who? Pussy grabbing Trump, that is who.
“Personally, I think he shouldn’t have settled,” Mr. Trump said in an interview in the Oval Office with Times reporters. “Because you should have taken it all the way; I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”
“I think he’s a person I know well — he is a good person,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump instead of using the opportunity to publicly take a stance against sexual assault, workplace harassment or misogyny and stand up for the victims–he decides to side with the accused. Are you surprised? This is a man that bragged about grabbing pussy on film which aired during his campaign—and Trumpsters elected him anyway. Can we really be surprised by his depraved character now?
The interesting thing is Trump’s endorsement that O’Reilly is a “good guy” may actually backfire for O’Reilly and FOX. Remember who else Trump called a good guy? Putin, that’s who.
As of this afternoon 30 advertisers have pulled their ads from the O’Reilly Factor. I think it is about time companies start evaluating their relationship with Fox News. What role did Murdock and Fox play in the election of this buffoon? When will the people realize that when FOX uses gimmicks like fear mongering and pushes an alt-right agenda that they are degrading America and all the things that make it great. I am convinced FOX and the FOX FANATICS are one of the reasons (Russia/Putin also playing a role) the US and our Presidency is the laughing stock of the rest of the world.
Mother of 3
Nurse
Colts Neck, NJ
Resources:
Trump, Asked About Accusations Against Bill O’Reilly, Calls Him a ‘Good Person’, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/media/trump-oreilly-fox-murdochs.html
More major companies pull ads from ‘The O’Reilly Factor, http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/327455-more-major-companies-pull-ads-from-the-oreilly-factor
Susan Rice has been under fire today; Trump’s team has made allegations that Rice, former National Security Advisor, was the source of the leak for TrumpRussia intel. What exact leak and why it matters if Trump, his transition team and administration are guilty are unclear. Since the TrumpRussia story began to manifest, instead of focusing on facts and the big picture of Russian interference in the US election and government, Trump and his cronies have only focused on leaks coming out of the White House.
Yes, this was Don the Con’s latest attempt to double down on his lie that Obama wiretapped him. The original allegation made via a tweet on March 4th, only a month ago. Feels like forever; a month with Trump should be measured differently than regular time. I would suggest dog time, but even that does not take into account the length of time and anxiety felt by most Americans, day by day with Trump in office.
So yesterday, right wing media (FOX Fanatics) went crazy after learning Susan Rice made requests to have some identities in the FBI investigation unmasked. Yes, she was the National Security Advisor and this request fell well within the scope of her job…but that did not stop Trumpsters from jumping all over this news, thinking it vindicated Trump’s very ignorant, highly publicized offensive lie.
Unfortunately for Trump a request to unmask identity, which by the way was learned because it was all on record, does NOT equate to illegally leaking classified information.
Do you think Trump, Spicy, FOX or the Trumpsters care about that—Hell, NO!
So today’s sheroe is Susan Rice for having to defend herself all day against the offensive claim that she did anything other than her job.
Resources:
Rice denies Obama administration inappropriately unmasked Trump team, http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/327197-rice-denies-obama-administration-inappropriately-unmasked-trump-team
Did Susan Rice Do Anything Wrong By Asking to ‘Unmask’ Trump Officials?, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/did-susan-rice-ask-to-unmask-trump-officials/521688/
Susan Rice: When the White House twists the truth, we are all less safe, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/susan-rice-when-the-white-house-twists-the-truth-we-are-all-less-safe/2017/03/21/f7cdef86-0e45-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.18d9a7b3af8c
SUSAN RICE AND THE LATEST BOGUS ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY TRUMP’S WIRETAPPING TWEET, http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/susan-rice-and-the-latest-bogus-attempt-to-justify-trumps-wiretapping-tweet
Yesterday Trump announced he was donating his first quarterly salary to the National Park System and Trumpsters everywhere cheered, “Make American Great Again”—–but there are a few BIG problems with this faux generous gesture:
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Resources:
Trump will donate first-quarter salary to National Park Service, White House says,http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-trump-donate-salary-park-service-20170403-story.html
Here are the photos that show Obama’s inauguration crowd was bigger than Trump’s, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/06/here-are-the-photos-that-show-obamas-inauguration-crowd-was-bigger-than-trumps/?utm_term=.928c1dfb3ae8
National Park Disservice; The Department of Interior took action after a tweet was shared via the National Park Service account unfavorably comparing the attendance at Trump’s inauguration with that at Obama’s, http://www.snopes.com/nps-twitter-account-shut-down/
It’s Not Just The Park Service: ‘Rogue’ Federal Twitter Accounts Multiply, http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/01/27/512007632/its-not-just-the-park-service-rogue-federal-twitter-accounts-multiply
Trump Donates Salary To National Parks Even As He Tries To Cut Interior Department, http://www.npr.org/2017/04/04/522518472/trump-donates-salary-to-national-parks-even-as-he-tries-to-cut-interior-departme
The House passed legislation this week that allows internet service providers to sell browsing information without their customers’ consent. Yup, that just happened. I am not a computer expert but I am geeky. So I have been researching what I, an everyday politically minded mom, can do about it. I figured my choices were:
1 Set up https viewing using browsers that support secure https encryption and although I use Chrome and Firefox for some browsing, we use apple devices and safari for most things. Google products (gmail, forms, docs) are all already encrypted and so is Facebook. If you decide to go this route Https Everywhere was recommended and I tested it out on with Chrome as my browser; it took minutes to set up.
2 Another option is to use a Virtual Private Network, VPN, to encrypt your data. This is great for WiFi connections or if you are using an untrusted ISP server. The https encryption relies on the webpage to provide encryption but not all websites offer https, using VPN means that I control the encryption. VPN also ensures all “traffic” info from my computer is encrypted not just the data.
Don’t worry it is super easy and only took a few minutes.
I went with Private Internet Access, along with good reviews from PC Magazine it was also recommended in a NYT article HERE
Sign up was easy and not expensive; I went with the yearly membership it covers up to 5 devices.
Once you sign up, you can download the app to your phones and iPads. You will see a little warrior man on your laptop to let you know that the VPN is on.
It was also super easy to set up on my phone. Just download the Private Internet Access app and enter your account sign-in information and you are done.
The arrow is pointing to an icon reading ‘VPN” so you know it is functioning.
What are you doing to protect your internet information?
Resources:
Protecting Your Digital Life in 8 Easy Steps, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/technology/personaltech/encryption-privacy.html
A Federal judge in Kentucky just ruled against Trump and his lawyers’ request to throw out a lawsuit that accuses him of inciting violence and I for one am grateful.
Three protesters are suing Trump for inciting violence after they were roughed up at a rally on March 1, 2016. They were pushed and punched and it was all caught on film as Trump screams, “Get ’em outta here.” Trump’s lawyers claim that he [Trump] did not want his fans to use force, but unfortunately like the travel ban, it is Trump’s own words and actions that are coming back to haunt him.
His comments about throwing people out, punching them in the face, and carrying them out on stretchers were nauseating and offensive to me during the campaign. This man has no class and his reaction to protesters is to exert dominance and harm. This was one of the many character flaws that I believed would have kept him out of office, but alas…that did not happen. A leader who encourages his fans to hurt those who protest him or don’t agree with him seems like a dangerous, unhinged man to me.
“At the rally, Trump repeatedly said “get ’em out of here” before, according to the protesters, they were shoved and punched by his supporters. Trump’s attorneys sought to have the case dismissed on free speech grounds, arguing that he didn’t intend for his supporters to use force. But Hale noted that speech inciting violence is not protected by the First Amendment and ruled that there is plenty of evidence that the protesters’ injuries were a “direct and proximate result” of Trump’s words (1).”
His fanbase was simply following his orders, his instructions. One of the men accused of harm and caught on film pushing the woman protester who was simply standing there, was wearing his Korean war uniform. In this article the reporter stated the man apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association but it does not mention if he apologized to the woman. I would like to think he did, if his lawyer allowed it. Perhaps he and the others who pushed, shoved and punched protesters were simply caught up in the moment and maybe they regret their behavior but I fear that may be wishful thinking on my part. I picture Jack from Lord of the Flies yelling, “‘Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!’” Trump, like Jack, is a power-hunger dictator who has a propensity towards evil and violence. You think I am exaggerating–watch the clips and his facial expressions.
“Bamberger later apologized to the Korean War Veterans Association, whose uniform he wore at the rally. He wrote that he “physically pushed a young woman down the aisle toward the exit” after “Trump kept saying ‘get them out, get them out,” according to the lawsuit (2).”
Here is a clip of some of the many times Trump incited and called for violence at his campaign rallies where his deplorable fanbase was eager to comply.
Mother of 3
Nurse
Colts Neck, NJ
Resources:
1 A judge rules Trump may have incited violence … and Trump again has his own mouth to blame, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/04/02/a-judge-rules-trump-may-have-incited-violence-and-trump-again-has-his-own-mouth-to-blame/?utm_term=.2302dfa0d5e4
2 Judge to Trump: No Protection for Campaign Rally Speech Inciting Violence, http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/judge-trump-no-protection-campaign-rally-speech-inciting-violence-n741731
April Fools Day is supposed to be a day filled with pranks and silly jokes but with Donal Trump as President–well..at least today we can excuse his lies and tweets as possible bad jokes.
America is the laughing stock of the world. We have a leader who rants and raves on Twitter, who gets his news and perspective from FOX and other conservative sites, who holds grudges and acts like a toddler–every day is April Fools day as long as Trump is in office.
I think most Americans are spending today wishing it was all an April Fools prank.
When this story first circulated in 2015 it did not get the press or time it deserved. Back then everyone could easily dismiss Trump’s bombastic ridiculous comments as just that, ridiculous. He was a joke, a reality personality and giving him more air time was just encouraging to his propensity for bad behavior–oddly enough that still holds true.
Even in my line of work, I am an MSN/RN Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I think I may have just briefly commented on what an a$$ he was on my business Facebook fanpage and moved on.
Now…this man is our President and I want to revisit his comment about a professional woman needing to pump her breastmilk for her baby and his response of screaming, “You are disgusting” to her face.
First of all, healthcare professionals around the world recognize that breastmilk provides infants with the optimal nutrition they need to grow and develop and in cases where mothers cannot feed their babies directly at the breast, expressed breastmilk is preferred over formula. The US is known for having inadequate family/maternity leave. The lack of support for working moms is one of the many reasons that breastfeeding rates in our country are so low. Rates of initiation of breastfeeding are increasing, as more families realize how wonderful breastmilk is and strive to meet the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which calls for exclusive breastfeeding for at least 6 months and continued breastmilk for at least a year. It is the rates of duration that suffer when society does not recognize the importance of maternal/child health. With the debate of breastmilk vs formula long ago decided, many families want to do what is best for their little ones but are unable to overcome the obstacles placed upon them.
The Affordable Care Act enacted Federal workplace guidelines for women returning to work. A copy of the Federal regulations for protection of pumping in the workplace is available here, FLSA Fact Sheet Pumping in workplace. The sad irony is that these regulations would have been cut with the repeal of the ACA and enactment of Trumpcare…
“When it comes to paid leave for new parents, though, the United States is woefully behind the rest of the world. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency, the only other country that doesn’t guarantee paid leave for new mothers is Papua New Guinea, where agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population (1)”
The lack of support for these families is the biggest deterrent to breastfeeding and Donald Trump’s comment to the professional lawyer he was working with is a prime example of that. Here is a brief explanation about what happened:
“Donald Trump had an “absolute meltdown” when a lawyer requested a break from a 2011 deposition to pump breast milk.
Trump seems to be disgusted by womens’ bodies and their functions. Remember when he commented that “There was blood coming out of her eyes…blood coming out of her, where-ever” in his attempt to humiliate Megyn Kelly. This comment was in response to being asked about how he felt about Megyn’s questioning during a debate. Here is a clip:
Trump’s idea of insulting a woman is to talk about her menstrual cycle—what a classy guy.
Mother of 3
Nurse
Colts Neck, NJ
Resources:
Yesterday in an interview with “CBS This Morning” Paul Ryan threatens the Freedom Caucus and other Republicans with the following statement. “If we don’t do this–he’ll [Trump] just go to work with the Democrats, to try and change Obamacare, and that’s not gonna…that is hardly a conservative thing.”
There are 2 interesting things going on here:
I think Senator Bob Corker says it best (by the way he is a Republican Senator from TN).
Resources:
Ryan opposes Trump working with Democrats on healthcare
WASHINGTON U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, said he does not want President Donald Trump to work with Democrats on new legislation for revamping the country’s health insurance system, commonly called Obamacare.
It is very easy to get caught up in the negativity of the times. It seems like not a day has gone by since the campaign and election of Trump that he or his administration has not done or said something that is offensive, ridiculous or just plain frightening. Yesterday, when most Americans were trying to make sense of Nunes’ reluctancy to recuse himself from an investigation into Trump’s administration and Russian interference in our election. Nunes basically screaming, “Nothing to see here” as Putin slips in the back door. OK, maybe you think I am over-reacting and being harsh, but let’s just apply some common sense.
Where did Wikileaks get their hacked intel? Why did they only release Democratic intel? Why did Comey focus on Hilary’s uninteresting emails when he knew Russia/Trump was under surveillance by mid 2016?
Did Russia (aka Putin) play a role in our election?
If there is nothing to hide, why not permit an investigation?
You could smell the stink of a cover up a mile away. Why would Nunes have a secret meeting at the White House with a source he cannot disclose and then hold a press conference basically saying, “Nothing to see here, folks”. Secret meeting at the White House??? How dumb does he think we are? Again, if there is nothing to cover up, why cover it up?
Nunes, I think it is time to recuse yourself; you have brought shame on the House Intelligence Committee, which has been known to be bipartisan, fair and just.
April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks’ and 20 year veteran white house correspondent, questioned Spicy Spicer about the connection/image of the Trump White House as it relates to Russia but Spicy cuts her off mid-sentence and displays gross dominance over her. He does not even let her finish a sentence and reprimands her for displaying her disappointment over his treatment, by shaking her head as he attempts to refute her.
April, please KEEP PUSHING. We are standing along side of you— #RESIST!
Yes, the same April Ryan that Trump asks to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus members because—well, don’t all black people know each other?
Resources:
FBI: Trump campaign, Russia ties investigated, no wiretap evidence found, http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/comey-hearing-russia-wiretapping/
What Devin Nunes’s Bombshell Does and Doesn’t Say, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/what-devin-nuness-bombshell-does-and-doesnt-say/520455/