LaceyLou

Boston has a fair number of homeless also... linked in part to closure of a treatment center on Long Island. ETA unfortunately a lot of cities have people displaced by the high cost of housing, and a lot of them are blue cities. That's probably why many people who are right of center seem so happy when they hear of 'violent homeless people' wandering their streets. It just fits and confirms what they believe to be true.

I'm torn... most of the time I roll my eyes when people tell me my city is burning to the ground or is too dangerous to walk around... Another part of me likes it because I'd rather not have them around anyway.

On another topic... how many of the people blocking release of the Epstein files, and bending over backwards to support a certain person were campaigning to 'restore dignity and honor to the White House' in 2000?

I do remember there was a campaign to remove the ad from television, and that it worked. It was a case study in one of my communications classes in the 80s.

I wonder which HGTV show will take on renovating the White House after this administration-Maybe Ugliest House in America or Help I Wrecked my House?

The cynic in me suspects that certain donors are used to making money from oil, coal, etc, and haven't yet figured out how to continue making money with renewables.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people who only like children around when they're good for publicity-especially when they're cute. I know a fair number of survivors of sexual abuse (which is depressingly common) and their own mothers looked the other way or even went along with it. Or they blamed the kids for 'leading the adult on' or dressing/acting 'sexy.' Sigh....

The media has been making money from Trump for years.

The best part is that from what I remember of Bonfire of the Vanities, he would have fit in perfectly as a character.

Without warning, I'm remembering the Simpsons episode where they're under the influence of a cult, and the answer to everything in class is The Leader.

While I obviously can't see into his head, it looks like he's addicted to acquiring things and making money. Even owning the universe wouldn't be enough.

Unfortunately I know you're both right. Sigh... While I know that my not using Amazon or shopping at Whole Foods isn't hurting Bezos, at least I feel a bit better about my habits.

It would be great if a group of people could get together and buy Wapo from Bezos... I have a bad feeling that's no longer an option.

Agree. Unfortunately it looks like there are many in power who are also morally bankrupt.

I think you're 100% right. I also think it's not going to take him down. The supporters asking for the files to be released will believe the lies that it's either a hoax or that he's completely blameless, and all of whatever this is will continue. And... I really think there are a lot of people who hate women and girls, or at least don't care what happens to us. I really hope I'm wrong.

He seems to have taken some bad LSD or mushrooms. Sounds like a bad trip to me.

...along with the humiliation of immigrants not only in the 'camps,' but in the streets too. I can't believe we're here again. 😞

Wow. Just wow.

And occasionally people will begin to believe something like this that has been floating around for a while. I do know some people who changed their mind about this before, so maybe there will be a few more this time around.

Unfortunately I do know that many of them are like that. I also know people who share memes of Drumpf's kindness to certain of his employees, of him praying-things like that. You and I both know that these things either aren't real or came with strings attached in some way. Others take it at face value. Even though I know you're right, I still don't get it. I hope I never do...

That is true... and as a coworker pointed out to me earlier, there are those who have spent the last 30 years watching Fox News, then OAN, and also Truth Social. (and I love that Paul Simon quote)

I still don't get how people could be honestly ignorant of how much of a creep "The Donald" was and is.

Honestly, I was quite lucky. My father was raised to do household chores (quite rare in the Depression era, I would think). He also encouraged my sister and me to get an education so that we could support ourselves and use whatever talents we might have. My mother ended up going back to school, too-I think at least partly because she watched her sister end up with nothing after becoming a widow at a young age (after giving up school because he didn't want his wife earning more than he did). My SIL was raised by parents who paid for her brother to go to college out of state-but she had to stay home and commute (because he was the one who would be supporting a family). She was also told that her only choices were teaching, or nursing. When her parents came to visit, she would take off from work and pretend to be a stay at home wife, while my brother, who at times was a stay at home Dad, had to leave the house during the day and pretend to be at work. I've heard many variations of this-but this is already a long post. Let's just say there's a reason a lot of middle-aged and older women encourage girls to be serious about their educations. It all seems like nonsense to me-even though I know that it was a different time.

Many white women are also brought up to believe they need to be protected, and that only white men can protect them. Or, they're taught that they have a limited role in life, and that they're either not supposed to or are incapable of doing anything else well. Or, in some cases they grew up in a wealthy family, and then married money-they don't feel personally affected by misogyny. And frankly, if they don't see it that means it doesn't exist. And... some women are committed to conservative values and see misogyny as something that can be eliminated over time (though how they expect that when they vote for certain candidates is a mystery to me).

The Onion might be closer to the truth than it's trying to be-the truly sad and sick thing about this is that he probably really does think there's nothing wrong with going after young girls. Remember how he bragged about going backstage at the pageants he owned while teenagers were undressed?