Ladies and Gentlemen, the latest from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross:
"Well, first of all, every American's heart has to go out to the victims of the coronavirus. So I don't want to talk about a victory lap over a very unfortunate, very malignant disease. But the fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain."
"On top of all the other things, you had SARS, you had the African swine virus there, now you have this. It's another risk factor that people need to take into account. So I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America. Some to U.S., probably some to Mexico as well."
Well, I don't know about you all, but this blogger is disgusted.
You're all heart there, aren't you, Secretary? With friends like you, who needs enemies? Because of statements like this, it is no wonder some people among us believe in a conspiracy theory known as Agenda 21.
So you don't want to talk about the victory lap you're taking? Fair enough. Let's by all means talk about other things instead, shall we? How about the human cost of this virus?
First of all, the WHO has declared a global health emergency in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
According to Wikipedia, as of right now, January 31, 2020, 3:14 AM UTC, we have 9822 cases of the coronavirus worldwide, with 214 deaths.
At least 111 of those cases are outside of China.
We have 6 cases in the US. The last confirmed case was, earlier today, declared the first definite human-to-human transmission in the US.
There are 3 cases in Canada so far, two in Toronto, and one in Vancouver.
57 million people are on lockdown in China.
To protect its citizens, today Russia closed its border with China. It is one of many nations to do so, and/or suspend flights into China at this time. More details about those, as well as the cost to American companies such as Starbucks, Apple and McDonald's are detailed here, and reading it carefully makes it obvious how much business China commands.
This article detailing the lockdown of 6000 passengers on a cruise near Rome due to the outbreak illustrates possible trouble for the travel industry worldwide if the virus is not halted soon.
"In an urban society, everything connects. Each person's needs are fed by the skills of many others. Our lives are woven together in a fabric. But the connections that makes society strong also make it vulnerable." -- Introduction, Threads, BBC movie, 1984.
So, Secretary, if the preceding paragraphs didn't get the point across, consider this:
5 million people left Wuhan before the lock down. Where did they all go? Hopefully nowhere near you or your loved ones, eh?
Let us orient our moral compasses a little closer to true north, shall we?
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/wilbur-ross-coronavirus-could-bring-jobs-manufacturing-back-to-us.html
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Get Him Out Tomorrow. Take Him Out. OK? Do It!!!
And yet another one bites the dust for our Prevaricator-In-Chief. One more canard in an endless stream of canards. Which one will be the one to do him in? Will it be
this one? Proven false by this one:
A "technical crime" is not necessary to impeach a president who is "somebody who completely corrupts the office of president and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty.". -- Alan Dershowitz, 1999.
“What’s a high crime? How ’bout if an important person hurts somebody of low means? It’s not very scholarly but I think it’s the truth. I think that’s what they meant by high crimes. Doesn’t even have to be a crime. It’s just when you start using your office and you’re acting in a way that hurts people, you’ve committed a high crime.” -- Lindsey Graham, 1999.
Gentlemen, gentleman, this blogger couldn't agree more! OK, Jane and John Q. Public, this thing is in your hands. If the Senate will not do its job, which this blogger believes down to her bone marrow is to convict Donald J. Trump of the two articles of which he was impeached, which, to my way of thinking (and I believe, the way of thinking of most of you) were indeed high crimes of his office, then we must band together in November with our ballots, doing the thing that our representatives had not the courage to do: throw the bum out. We must do this, as 1999 Alan Dershowitz indicated, for the sake of the dignity of the office of President of the United States, and for the sake of liberty, and the health and fitness of our republic. I believe to do less is to disavow the intentions of our Founding Fathers, and spit on the blood and sacrifices of our Revolutionary War soldiers, who won a stunning victory over the great military power of the time, and say we now want a monarchy. Which is certainly the right of the American people to decide.
"...it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (their current form of government), and to institute new government, laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them would seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." -- Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, (explanatory material in parentheses mine).
But if that is indeed the decision of the majority, this blogger will not participate, and will indeed say goodbye to this great land.
Addendum, January 27, 2020: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/01/bolton-parnas-ukraine-trump-weekend.html
This blogger sees no logical way the Senate can refuse to allow witnesses now, and even if it does not vote to convict, I also see no way The Court Of Public Opinion can exonerate Donald J. Trump in November.
this one? Proven false by this one:
A "technical crime" is not necessary to impeach a president who is "somebody who completely corrupts the office of president and who abuses trust and who poses great danger to our liberty.". -- Alan Dershowitz, 1999.
“What’s a high crime? How ’bout if an important person hurts somebody of low means? It’s not very scholarly but I think it’s the truth. I think that’s what they meant by high crimes. Doesn’t even have to be a crime. It’s just when you start using your office and you’re acting in a way that hurts people, you’ve committed a high crime.” -- Lindsey Graham, 1999.
Gentlemen, gentleman, this blogger couldn't agree more! OK, Jane and John Q. Public, this thing is in your hands. If the Senate will not do its job, which this blogger believes down to her bone marrow is to convict Donald J. Trump of the two articles of which he was impeached, which, to my way of thinking (and I believe, the way of thinking of most of you) were indeed high crimes of his office, then we must band together in November with our ballots, doing the thing that our representatives had not the courage to do: throw the bum out. We must do this, as 1999 Alan Dershowitz indicated, for the sake of the dignity of the office of President of the United States, and for the sake of liberty, and the health and fitness of our republic. I believe to do less is to disavow the intentions of our Founding Fathers, and spit on the blood and sacrifices of our Revolutionary War soldiers, who won a stunning victory over the great military power of the time, and say we now want a monarchy. Which is certainly the right of the American people to decide.
"...it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (their current form of government), and to institute new government, laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them would seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." -- Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, (explanatory material in parentheses mine).
But if that is indeed the decision of the majority, this blogger will not participate, and will indeed say goodbye to this great land.
Addendum, January 27, 2020: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/01/bolton-parnas-ukraine-trump-weekend.html
This blogger sees no logical way the Senate can refuse to allow witnesses now, and even if it does not vote to convict, I also see no way The Court Of Public Opinion can exonerate Donald J. Trump in November.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Shout-Out To Michael Conway
“If the Senate does dismiss the impeachment charges without hearing witnesses or completing the trial, the 'see no evil, hear no evil' attitude of Republican senators will clearly clash with most Americans’ sense of what constitutes a fair trial.” — Michael Conway, NBC News
And, opines Your Crusading Blogger, that attitude will be remembered at the polls this November.
In all fairness, I would be delighted to see the testimony of both Bidens, Hunter and Joe. If they are corrupt as well, I want to know about it. If not, it will be worth the price of admission to set at ease the minds of those on the right hand side of the aisle.
(Those who know this blogger can just imagine her smirk.)
And I know I'm not alone:
https://news.yahoo.com/new-yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-shows-that-twothirds-of-voters-want-the-senate-to-call-new-impeachment-witnesses-225545827.html
Addendum: "Hey GOP," sez Da Mobster Prez, "Vote against me and your head will be on a pike!" -- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/23/1913688/-Trump-team-warns-senators-Vote-against-the-president-and-your-head-will-be-on-a-pike
And, opines Your Crusading Blogger, that attitude will be remembered at the polls this November.
In all fairness, I would be delighted to see the testimony of both Bidens, Hunter and Joe. If they are corrupt as well, I want to know about it. If not, it will be worth the price of admission to set at ease the minds of those on the right hand side of the aisle.
(Those who know this blogger can just imagine her smirk.)
And I know I'm not alone:
https://news.yahoo.com/new-yahoo-news-you-gov-poll-shows-that-twothirds-of-voters-want-the-senate-to-call-new-impeachment-witnesses-225545827.html
Addendum: "Hey GOP," sez Da Mobster Prez, "Vote against me and your head will be on a pike!" -- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/23/1913688/-Trump-team-warns-senators-Vote-against-the-president-and-your-head-will-be-on-a-pike
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Shout-Out To Jen!
So typically in our interactions with harried cashiers, and customer service personnel from faceless institutions, we experience encounters with people that are at best ho-hum; at worst, rude or lacking humanity in some way.
I can see this dilemma from both sides, being a consumer, as we all are, but at the same time having worked now as a cashier at the Plaza for 22+ years. It is hard after awhile to give that human touch customers have a right to expect when after many years you have seen and heard it all. It is hard to turn your humanity off and on. On one hand, a cashier should be friendly and welcoming, and at least mildly enthusiastic about the product one sells, while at the same time having a tough hide concerning the various forms of indignities some customers may want to subject one to. This is the struggle of customer service, to find that balance.
Yesterday, I was required to telephone one of those state agencies we all dread talking to, replete with the requisite lengthy wait, being reassured approximately every 30 seconds that someone would be with me shortly, when my rather low expectations of the call were shattered by a perky young lady named Jen.
Jen talked to me like she was really happy to hear from me, not like she was bored silly like every other time I have spoken to this agency, made a couple very innocent jokes, gave me the information I sought in a very efficient manner, reassured me very effectively on a couple points of concern, and helped me create an account so that I can interact with this agency online from now on. Because let's face it, what is the likelihood of running into someone the likes of Jen when I call there, which is why so many of us seek out impersonal ways to interact with these kind of entities in our lives?! She also gave me a phone number to call in case I need to talk to a real human being (or some facsimile) and want a more streamlined experience. I actually enjoyed the call, a small triumph for a chore I usually dread. Jen probably won't remember me today, but I will remember her for a long time.
Jen, when I grow up, I want to be just like you! Thanks, and kudos!
I can see this dilemma from both sides, being a consumer, as we all are, but at the same time having worked now as a cashier at the Plaza for 22+ years. It is hard after awhile to give that human touch customers have a right to expect when after many years you have seen and heard it all. It is hard to turn your humanity off and on. On one hand, a cashier should be friendly and welcoming, and at least mildly enthusiastic about the product one sells, while at the same time having a tough hide concerning the various forms of indignities some customers may want to subject one to. This is the struggle of customer service, to find that balance.
Yesterday, I was required to telephone one of those state agencies we all dread talking to, replete with the requisite lengthy wait, being reassured approximately every 30 seconds that someone would be with me shortly, when my rather low expectations of the call were shattered by a perky young lady named Jen.
Jen talked to me like she was really happy to hear from me, not like she was bored silly like every other time I have spoken to this agency, made a couple very innocent jokes, gave me the information I sought in a very efficient manner, reassured me very effectively on a couple points of concern, and helped me create an account so that I can interact with this agency online from now on. Because let's face it, what is the likelihood of running into someone the likes of Jen when I call there, which is why so many of us seek out impersonal ways to interact with these kind of entities in our lives?! She also gave me a phone number to call in case I need to talk to a real human being (or some facsimile) and want a more streamlined experience. I actually enjoyed the call, a small triumph for a chore I usually dread. Jen probably won't remember me today, but I will remember her for a long time.
Jen, when I grow up, I want to be just like you! Thanks, and kudos!
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Pittsburgh Finished It!
The above picture was of Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens out at the movie "A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood" yesterday.
Today wasn't a very good day in Kitchens' neighborhood, though.
The score of the rematch between the Browns and Dem Stillers: Steelers 20, Browns 13.
The Football gods don't like ugly. Or childish.
'Nuff said.
Quack quack quack quack!
Devlin "Duck" Hodges
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Like It's 1917
Ladies and Gentlemen, today, although he doesn't know it, we have a guest contributor. Robert Redford posited in an op-ed published just an hour ago on NBC's THINK platform, and we here at Call-Outs And Shout-Outs feel that his op-ed so mirrors our thoughts and feelings on the matter, we are sharing it with you.
***
"We’re up against a crisis I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: a dictator-like attack by President Donald Trump on everything this country stands for. As last week’s impeachment hearings made clear, our shared tolerance and respect for the truth, our sacred rule of law, our essential freedom of the press and our precious freedoms of speech — all have been threatened by a single man.
It’s time for Trump to go — along with those in Congress who have chosen party loyalty over their oath to “solemnly affirm” their support for the Constitution of the United States. And it’s up to us to make that happen, through the power of our votes.
When Trump was elected, though he was not my choice, I honestly thought it only fair to give the guy a chance. And like many others, I did. But almost instantly he began to disappoint and then alarm me. I don’t think I’m alone.
Tonight it pains me to watch what is happening to our country. Growing up as a child during World War II, I watched a united America defend itself against the threat of fascism. I watched this again, during the Watergate crisis, when our democracy was threatened. And again, when terrorists turned our world upside down.
During those times of crises, Congress came together, and our leaders came together. Politicians from both sides rose to defend our founding principles and the values that make us a global leader and a philosophical beacon of hope for all those seeking their own freedoms.
What is happening, right now, is so deeply disturbing that instead of the United States of America, we are now defined as the Divided States of America. Leaders on both sides lack the fundamental courage to cross political aisles on behalf of what is good for the American people.
We’re at a point in time where I reluctantly believe that we have much to lose — it is a critical and unforgiving moment. This monarchy in disguise has been so exhausting and chaotic, it’s not in the least bit surprising so many citizens are disillusioned.
The vast majority of Americans are busy with real life; trying to make ends meet and deeply frustrated by how hard Washington makes it to do just that.
But this is it. There are only 11 months left before the presidential election; 11 months before we get our one real chance to right this ship and change the course of disaster that lies before us.
Let’s rededicate ourselves to voting for truth, character and integrity in our representatives (no matter which side we’re on). Let’s go back to being the leader the world so desperately needs. Let’s return, quickly, to being simply ... Americans."
***
It was brought up in this piece that I read just how similar of a leader Trump is to Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II. It is hoped that some who are on the fence about our current administration may read that and also this and do some real soul-searching about America's future and our place in it. Otherwise many of us fear history is already repeating itself.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/president-trump-s-dictator-administration-attacking-values-america-holds-dear-ncna1091156?cid=eml_nbn_20191126
***
"We’re up against a crisis I never thought I’d see in my lifetime: a dictator-like attack by President Donald Trump on everything this country stands for. As last week’s impeachment hearings made clear, our shared tolerance and respect for the truth, our sacred rule of law, our essential freedom of the press and our precious freedoms of speech — all have been threatened by a single man.
It’s time for Trump to go — along with those in Congress who have chosen party loyalty over their oath to “solemnly affirm” their support for the Constitution of the United States. And it’s up to us to make that happen, through the power of our votes.
When Trump was elected, though he was not my choice, I honestly thought it only fair to give the guy a chance. And like many others, I did. But almost instantly he began to disappoint and then alarm me. I don’t think I’m alone.
Tonight it pains me to watch what is happening to our country. Growing up as a child during World War II, I watched a united America defend itself against the threat of fascism. I watched this again, during the Watergate crisis, when our democracy was threatened. And again, when terrorists turned our world upside down.
During those times of crises, Congress came together, and our leaders came together. Politicians from both sides rose to defend our founding principles and the values that make us a global leader and a philosophical beacon of hope for all those seeking their own freedoms.
What is happening, right now, is so deeply disturbing that instead of the United States of America, we are now defined as the Divided States of America. Leaders on both sides lack the fundamental courage to cross political aisles on behalf of what is good for the American people.
We’re at a point in time where I reluctantly believe that we have much to lose — it is a critical and unforgiving moment. This monarchy in disguise has been so exhausting and chaotic, it’s not in the least bit surprising so many citizens are disillusioned.
The vast majority of Americans are busy with real life; trying to make ends meet and deeply frustrated by how hard Washington makes it to do just that.
But this is it. There are only 11 months left before the presidential election; 11 months before we get our one real chance to right this ship and change the course of disaster that lies before us.
Let’s rededicate ourselves to voting for truth, character and integrity in our representatives (no matter which side we’re on). Let’s go back to being the leader the world so desperately needs. Let’s return, quickly, to being simply ... Americans."
***
It was brought up in this piece that I read just how similar of a leader Trump is to Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II. It is hoped that some who are on the fence about our current administration may read that and also this and do some real soul-searching about America's future and our place in it. Otherwise many of us fear history is already repeating itself.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/president-trump-s-dictator-administration-attacking-values-america-holds-dear-ncna1091156?cid=eml_nbn_20191126
Monday, November 18, 2019
RIP, Vera Clemente
Saturday a lady was reunited with her soulmate in heaven. The rest of us are mourning the loss of Vera Clemente, 78, widow of Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente. Clemente died in a plane crash 1 mile off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 31, 1972, while delivering relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua.
Because he was concerned about poor children and negative influences there, Clemente had a dream he intended to pursue upon his retirement from baseball; he wanted to build a Ciudad Deportiva, (Sports City) in his native Puerto Rico. After Clemente's death, it was Vera who worked tirelessly with the government of Puerto Rico and Major League Baseball and many other entities to make that dream a reality. She was an earth angel, and will be greatly missed by many in Puerto Rico, Pittsburgh and everywhere.
Vera Clemente is survived by the three sons she had with Roberto: Roberto, Jr., Luis, and Enrique. She never remarried.
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