i think for some simply telling those stories qualifies.

but if they ever watched a single episode its pretty clear glorifying it was the last thing it did.

on that subject

I mentioned this was a case the other day in a discussion about insulting/politically incorrect names.

They won

Today, the court ruled that the government violated Tam's first amendment rights.

Officer Yanez appears to be calm when he explains why he pulled the car over...

Yanez approaches the car and says, "Hello, sir," to Castile, who responds, "How are you?"

"Good," Yanez replies and says he pulled him over because a brake light on the car is out. Yanez then asks for Castile's license and insurance while another officer stands by the passenger side of the car.

Castile hands a piece of paper to Yanez and says, "Sir, I have to tell you, I do have a firearm on me."

"OK. Don't reach for it, then," Yanez says as he appears to reach for his own weapon. "Don't pull it out."

As Yanez repeats, "Don't pull it out," he grabs his gun, points it inside the car and fires multiple rounds. Reynolds can be heard screaming inside the car during the shooting.

Yanez orders her not to move, then says, "F---," multiple times.

 Bad news, Democratic candidates lost, and worse, in the case of GA06, the Democratic candidate, Jon Ossoff, was cast as a proxy for the resistance, rather than as a local opportunity to gain a House seat in a District in which Mrs. Clinton did well (Trump won the district by only a little over a point).

Moreover, it seemed reasonable to suggest that GA06 may be ripe to join saner politics along with other well-educated Districts of the country (GA06 is sixth of the 15 best-educated Districts--a college degree or higher).  But, it appears that loyalty to Republican party and all that means, outdistanced other considerations.  

Jon Ossoff, in contrast to his opponent, Karen Handel, a repeat and frequent candidate for open political offices, offered freshness. A plus and a minus.

  The freshness of his face, may not have been the drawback to Republicans as much as the freshness of his ideas--at least ideas some were sure he held, or his purported master, Nancy Pelosi believed.  Ossoff, himself, was measured, focusing on turning the District into a "silicon valley of the south," a not unrealistic possibility given the proximity of Emory University, Georgia State and Georgia Tech.

Somewhat irritating, but somewhat understandable, given his foray into deep red territory, he invoked the oldie of cutting waste that BOTH parties do, and called out Miss Handel for corrupt practices in those offices to which she was actually elected. And, he rekindled her five-year old controversy at Susan G Komen where she cut off funding for breast cancer screening.

The tactic of the Ossoff campaign was to go easy on the mess that is Trump et al., as well as with the Republican plan to devastate health care for Americans.

 It is difficult to ascertain if such tactics are the best ones--I am not sure that Democrats are able to break through those loyal Republican bonds, just yet. Or, that is it a good idea to shape our policies to compete with Republicans, downplaying in any way  Democratic commitments to core values, such as choice and justice.  Maybe, co-opt, but, certainly, not adopt.

At this point, my thinking is that Democrats need to engage as many Democrats as possible so as to get out the votes. Also, to curtail purity criteria, such as rejecting those "corporate Democrats from the Hillary wing of the party."

If Ossoff decides on a re-match with Miss Handel next year, he will find a new tactic to be imperative. No longer an open seat, Handel will be the incumbent. The odious Miss Handel will be harder to attack since she will keep her head down and do what she is told to do.  She seems just smart enough to know that she is not so smart. She smiles a lot, which is understandable..we all would if we had traveled so far on so little talent.

 And, Ossoff will need to move into the District. A couple of miles across the District border is bad enough, but the reason expressed for not moving... so that his girlfriend could walk to her classes at Emory Medical School is a part of the freshness he can bury.  Oh, and he can take, at least a little tip from Miss Handel, and smile a little more.

Daniel Day-Lewis, three-time Oscar winner and perhaps the "greatest actor alive," is retiring from acting. 
"Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor," a spokesperson for the "Lincoln" star said in a statement to Variety. "He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject." 

 The interpretation of terrific as being nothing, is continued in the Senate version, is to cut spending/benefits for the poor and middle class to the tune of $1 trillion so as cut taxes and make $1 trillion music for the rich.

As with the House bill, Medicaid takes the biggest hit and individual markets suffer from reductions in subsidies (tax credits) and insurers must cover just 58% from the current 75%--resulting in shifting of costs to the insured.

There is no longer a mandate/penalty for not securing insurance; can wait until sick or injured; the resulting insurance pool increases the likelihood of higher premiums for older Americans and lower for younger. But, bank on higher costs overall for all. Of course, any funding for abortion and Planned Parenthood are out the window.

Employer provided insurance (which affects a large segment) does not escape unscathed.  In addition to the general ripple effects from the changes, the Senate bill restores a lifetime limit and increased out-of-pocket expenses.

 It seems that there is no change in preexisting condition required coverage, probably owing to reconciliation rules and votes needed to pass, but there is a cynical go-around: 1332 waivers allow states to permit insurers to offer junk insurance, leaving large medical/hospital bills outstanding.   The waivers may loosen the Essential Health Benefits required by ACA (10 broad areas of coverage).  And, then, there is that required amount of coverage of 58% from the previous 75%.

When the House monstrosity was passed and celebrated with a White House beer bust, concerns were salved by predictions by the pundit class that this turkey would never get through the senate.

 Well, it sure looks like Thanksgiving is coming around the 4th of July this year.  A moderate Republican senator is one who opposes a devastating program that goes into effect in 2021 but is on board if it does not kick in until 2024.

  And, Republicans are now emboldened by their barest survivals in the special elections in deep red districts, auguring well for their predictable over-reach.  And, too, Republicans, unlike Democrats, have come to the realization that because many Republicans do not support Trump, it does not mean they will not vote for him. Just as long as he keeps the stock market high and taxes low. The rest is beyond their vision capabilities.

A federal appeals panel upheld a ruling Thursday that overturned the murder conviction of an inmate featured in the Netflix series Making a Murderer. Brendan Dassey was sentenced to life in prison for the 2005 murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. The panel affirmed that Dassey, who was 16-years-old at the time, was coerced into confessing when investigators made him multiple false promises. State attorneys can still re-try Dassey or appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.