Stomach knots all the way. What country will we have in a year, two years; four? I have written that "men born of hate thrive on hate". I try to psychologize people who are consumed with so much venom; so destructively evil. The darkness that surrounds them and holds rein over them is suffocating. They bring not joy into our world, but sinister cruelty.
Quickish Hits says... "No single person can be blamed for the wildfires still blazing out of control across the Los Angeles area, a drought-dried tinderbox currently being pummeled by sustained winds that whip up new fires as quickly as firefighters can douse them."
No single person can be blamed BUT a party can. Republicans continue to deny science and continue to block and/or reverse progress on climate change with ever growing disastrous effects. Every article that discusses a climate disaster should discuss the Republican party's complicity. Only by shedding a continual and ever brightening light on the GOP's obstruction will permanent progress be made.
Thanks ever so for taking cheap shots at California. Florida is also uninsurable, so is it really our government that is making it impossible or our climate that is making it impossible? Our fire response has been amazing, but you have to point out stumbles from Karen Bass. Do you really think the people of Malibu were waiting to hear from her? In CA, we get emergency texts on our phones from professionals trained to do that and don't have to rely on one elected politician to take care of our people. If you really want to know what we are doing, here is a link to the State website. Yes, it is government created, but it is also a list of facts:
"As a president facing real challenges at home and abroad, Trump will be judged not by talk but by deeds. And he won’t be able to blame Congress for failures"
I have to disagree with Bill here. What evidence is there that Trump will be judged by deeds rather than talk in the Oval Office? His voters have *never* held him to this standard. I don't see that starting now that he's triumphant.
Of course he will continue to blame Congress and everyone else when things don't get done, or turn into disasters when they do. The irony is that no other President has been permitted by Congress and SCOTUS wield executive power to the extent Trump will be. He will be both the most powerful President in our history, and yet will whine like he is the most impotent.
Years ago an Italian journalist wrote about how they covered Berlusconi, also a buffoon. He said to ignore the clown show and ask him serious questions and keep asking. When he tosses out blather, side step and go to serious issues. When Trump talks invading Greenland, the press should ask about what he’ll do to help communities suffering from opioid epidemic. When he blathers about his crowd size, they should ask what he’s doing to bring prices down. Never stop making it about concrete real things. Ignore the ramblings and be laser focused.
Steve Holland's joke is actually a good response to the MAGAts' infatuation with hating immigrants. If we made Mexico part of the US, then Mexicans could move anywhere in the US as part of the citizenry. Problem solved.
Bill, thank you for what you wrote today. While you don’t downplay the horrors we have in front of us, you still somehow made me feel a bit better than I felt before I read your words. The thought of the “buck stopping with him”; and, whether he and his cult accept it or not, the truth of that gives me a good feeling somehow.
Bill.the media will cover trump like he is a real thinker and knows how to manage his party and message. The media, along with the cowardly, and disgustingly compliant musk, zuck, bezos and Disney will kiss trump’s ring and run around like court jesters trying to please the mad king. Dems will flail and whine and complain but will not know how to manage the mad king. The old guard dems are fighting with the old rule book in hand, and that will fail miserably. Dems need to be aggressive, antagonistic and assertive. Something they are not comfortable or usually capable of doing. Hopefully they will wake up soon and stop licking their self imposed wounds.
I wonder when trump will blame DeSantis and GOP govs for hurricanes and unaffordable home insurance. And if Udaho and Montanna have their usual fires, who will trump blame then? Orange beast…
I wonder if the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean will soon become the American Ocean. Freakazoid.
Someone may have already pointed this out, but saying the fires are in Los Angeles is incorrect. They are in Los Angeles county, and (last time I looked), none were in the city of L.A.***, of which Karen Bass is mayor. Los Angeles County is made up of dozens of incorporated cities, of which Pacific Palisades***, Pasadena, and others are part. I lived in Pasadena for my first 32 years, and have lived in Santa Barbara for the last 37. For example, we have SB City fire dept., SB County fire dept., Los Padres Nat'l. Forest fire dept., and Cal Fire. Same applies to Los Angeles county. Karen Bass is not in charge of Los Angeles County. ***Correction added in reply below.
I must correct my statement above that Pacific Palisades is its own city. I had heard that earlier in the day on a newscast, so I repeated it. Pacific Palisades isn't its own city... it's in the city of Los Angeles. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of the 88 cities and ~150 unincorporated "areas" in L.A. County. Apologies for that.
Exactly! That's why I mentioned the 88 incorporated cities and the ~150 unincorporated areas in L.A. County... often hard to keep track of which is which!
Yeah, I readily took your point. LA Mayor Karen Bass is taking a lot of heat (npi) for fires occurring outside of LA city limits. Infuriating watching the 'fire porn' on the major broadcast networks and knowing they are mis-reporting the political and administrative realities on the ground.
Pacific Palisades may technically be a part of the city of Los Angeles -- I honestly cannot remember -- but I seem to recall that it is or was a part of some joint Malibu-Pacific Palisades school district, i.e., not a part of LAUSD. Not sure if that has bearing here but thought I would mention.
Cheap shot against Karen Bass. Stay home because there might be a fire. Really. I live in California, and have most of my life. The people that are in place are doing a remarkable job with five different fires most caused by nearly off and on 90 mile an hour winds. Power lines go down, more fire. Can’t fly planes to,help, too windy. Show some empathy and respect for what is happening to this beautiful area and the people who live in it. Don’t blame Bass because she went on a trip.
As far as California turning red, I doubt that. Lots of the red folks moved to Arizona and Texas.
Insurance is a sh*t show wherever there are fires, floods and hurricanes. Some new system will need to be put in place. But for now let’s send our love and support to the thousands that have lost their homes and businesses. Not point fingers
On the insurance crisis in California. IMO, the ceiling on premiums proves the law of unintended consequences. Perhaps premiums should have been allowed to reflect the true costs of building so densely in a semi-arid climate. One regularly beset by fire associated winds. The pressure of high premiums might have turned attention to other deficiencies now being revealed IRT. The water from hydrants literally ran out, since are unable to handle more than one or a few burning houses. No one thought about a fire engulfing whole blocks, or entire neighborhoods. The larger issue of where to build sooner or later also has to factor in. What is required to make homes more fire resilient.
SoCal has always had a fire problem. But this will be scaling up to new levels of concern, a consequence of no the longer deniable fact of climate change. And we are going to see only more of these sorts of events. The insurance industry, more thoughtfully regulated, could actually be an asset, forcing a rethinking in our approach to the sort of fire apocalypse wreaking assault right now on SoCal. I really hope we use this moment wisely, to reconsider our approach to California's perennial fire problem. Broadly and comprehensively.
Sounds like The Donald is trying to one up Putin with the size of Donald's border.
You mentioned "months" of President elect Trump and his escapades. How about at least a decade?
At a minimum, the "free" press should state that President elect is a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist. Then give the Trump delusional blabber and/or your opinion. The last sentence should re emphasize the first sentence that The Donal is a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist.
In all sincerity, for the good of the country I believe the best outcome would be for conditions here to deteriorate quickly and painfully, which means in ways that people will FEEL! Because Trump is one of history's luckiest men and the Houdini of all accountability, I'm not counting on this, but only a real shock to the collective American system has any hope of turning us onto a positive path, which will be strewn with landmines.
What is the betting line on the oath of office being administered with Trumps hand on his own bible? How about all the other sycophants?
Stomach knots all the way. What country will we have in a year, two years; four? I have written that "men born of hate thrive on hate". I try to psychologize people who are consumed with so much venom; so destructively evil. The darkness that surrounds them and holds rein over them is suffocating. They bring not joy into our world, but sinister cruelty.
Quickish Hits says... "No single person can be blamed for the wildfires still blazing out of control across the Los Angeles area, a drought-dried tinderbox currently being pummeled by sustained winds that whip up new fires as quickly as firefighters can douse them."
No single person can be blamed BUT a party can. Republicans continue to deny science and continue to block and/or reverse progress on climate change with ever growing disastrous effects. Every article that discusses a climate disaster should discuss the Republican party's complicity. Only by shedding a continual and ever brightening light on the GOP's obstruction will permanent progress be made.
Thanks ever so for taking cheap shots at California. Florida is also uninsurable, so is it really our government that is making it impossible or our climate that is making it impossible? Our fire response has been amazing, but you have to point out stumbles from Karen Bass. Do you really think the people of Malibu were waiting to hear from her? In CA, we get emergency texts on our phones from professionals trained to do that and don't have to rely on one elected politician to take care of our people. If you really want to know what we are doing, here is a link to the State website. Yes, it is government created, but it is also a list of facts:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/01/08/more-than-7500-firefighting-emergency-personnel-deployed-to-fight-unprecedented-los-angeles-fires/
"As a president facing real challenges at home and abroad, Trump will be judged not by talk but by deeds. And he won’t be able to blame Congress for failures"
I have to disagree with Bill here. What evidence is there that Trump will be judged by deeds rather than talk in the Oval Office? His voters have *never* held him to this standard. I don't see that starting now that he's triumphant.
Of course he will continue to blame Congress and everyone else when things don't get done, or turn into disasters when they do. The irony is that no other President has been permitted by Congress and SCOTUS wield executive power to the extent Trump will be. He will be both the most powerful President in our history, and yet will whine like he is the most impotent.
Years ago an Italian journalist wrote about how they covered Berlusconi, also a buffoon. He said to ignore the clown show and ask him serious questions and keep asking. When he tosses out blather, side step and go to serious issues. When Trump talks invading Greenland, the press should ask about what he’ll do to help communities suffering from opioid epidemic. When he blathers about his crowd size, they should ask what he’s doing to bring prices down. Never stop making it about concrete real things. Ignore the ramblings and be laser focused.
Steve Holland's joke is actually a good response to the MAGAts' infatuation with hating immigrants. If we made Mexico part of the US, then Mexicans could move anywhere in the US as part of the citizenry. Problem solved.
Bill, thank you for what you wrote today. While you don’t downplay the horrors we have in front of us, you still somehow made me feel a bit better than I felt before I read your words. The thought of the “buck stopping with him”; and, whether he and his cult accept it or not, the truth of that gives me a good feeling somehow.
Bill.the media will cover trump like he is a real thinker and knows how to manage his party and message. The media, along with the cowardly, and disgustingly compliant musk, zuck, bezos and Disney will kiss trump’s ring and run around like court jesters trying to please the mad king. Dems will flail and whine and complain but will not know how to manage the mad king. The old guard dems are fighting with the old rule book in hand, and that will fail miserably. Dems need to be aggressive, antagonistic and assertive. Something they are not comfortable or usually capable of doing. Hopefully they will wake up soon and stop licking their self imposed wounds.
I wonder when trump will blame DeSantis and GOP govs for hurricanes and unaffordable home insurance. And if Udaho and Montanna have their usual fires, who will trump blame then? Orange beast…
I wonder if the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean will soon become the American Ocean. Freakazoid.
Someone may have already pointed this out, but saying the fires are in Los Angeles is incorrect. They are in Los Angeles county, and (last time I looked), none were in the city of L.A.***, of which Karen Bass is mayor. Los Angeles County is made up of dozens of incorporated cities, of which Pacific Palisades***, Pasadena, and others are part. I lived in Pasadena for my first 32 years, and have lived in Santa Barbara for the last 37. For example, we have SB City fire dept., SB County fire dept., Los Padres Nat'l. Forest fire dept., and Cal Fire. Same applies to Los Angeles county. Karen Bass is not in charge of Los Angeles County. ***Correction added in reply below.
I must correct my statement above that Pacific Palisades is its own city. I had heard that earlier in the day on a newscast, so I repeated it. Pacific Palisades isn't its own city... it's in the city of Los Angeles. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of the 88 cities and ~150 unincorporated "areas" in L.A. County. Apologies for that.
On the other hand, Beverly Hills is its own city, complete with police and fire departments, school district and so on.
Exactly! That's why I mentioned the 88 incorporated cities and the ~150 unincorporated areas in L.A. County... often hard to keep track of which is which!
Yeah, I readily took your point. LA Mayor Karen Bass is taking a lot of heat (npi) for fires occurring outside of LA city limits. Infuriating watching the 'fire porn' on the major broadcast networks and knowing they are mis-reporting the political and administrative realities on the ground.
Pacific Palisades may technically be a part of the city of Los Angeles -- I honestly cannot remember -- but I seem to recall that it is or was a part of some joint Malibu-Pacific Palisades school district, i.e., not a part of LAUSD. Not sure if that has bearing here but thought I would mention.
Cheap shot against Karen Bass. Stay home because there might be a fire. Really. I live in California, and have most of my life. The people that are in place are doing a remarkable job with five different fires most caused by nearly off and on 90 mile an hour winds. Power lines go down, more fire. Can’t fly planes to,help, too windy. Show some empathy and respect for what is happening to this beautiful area and the people who live in it. Don’t blame Bass because she went on a trip.
As far as California turning red, I doubt that. Lots of the red folks moved to Arizona and Texas.
Insurance is a sh*t show wherever there are fires, floods and hurricanes. Some new system will need to be put in place. But for now let’s send our love and support to the thousands that have lost their homes and businesses. Not point fingers
Don’t get me started on Trump. 😡
"As a president facing real challenges at home and abroad, Trump will be judged not by talk but by deeds." Ha.
Also, the buck NEVER stops with Trump. Never. Saying that implies accountability, which doesn't exist wrt Donald J. Trump.
(Rightly or wrongly... just look where we are now. It's maddening, but...)
On the insurance crisis in California. IMO, the ceiling on premiums proves the law of unintended consequences. Perhaps premiums should have been allowed to reflect the true costs of building so densely in a semi-arid climate. One regularly beset by fire associated winds. The pressure of high premiums might have turned attention to other deficiencies now being revealed IRT. The water from hydrants literally ran out, since are unable to handle more than one or a few burning houses. No one thought about a fire engulfing whole blocks, or entire neighborhoods. The larger issue of where to build sooner or later also has to factor in. What is required to make homes more fire resilient.
SoCal has always had a fire problem. But this will be scaling up to new levels of concern, a consequence of no the longer deniable fact of climate change. And we are going to see only more of these sorts of events. The insurance industry, more thoughtfully regulated, could actually be an asset, forcing a rethinking in our approach to the sort of fire apocalypse wreaking assault right now on SoCal. I really hope we use this moment wisely, to reconsider our approach to California's perennial fire problem. Broadly and comprehensively.
Sounds like The Donald is trying to one up Putin with the size of Donald's border.
You mentioned "months" of President elect Trump and his escapades. How about at least a decade?
At a minimum, the "free" press should state that President elect is a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist. Then give the Trump delusional blabber and/or your opinion. The last sentence should re emphasize the first sentence that The Donal is a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist.
In all sincerity, for the good of the country I believe the best outcome would be for conditions here to deteriorate quickly and painfully, which means in ways that people will FEEL! Because Trump is one of history's luckiest men and the Houdini of all accountability, I'm not counting on this, but only a real shock to the collective American system has any hope of turning us onto a positive path, which will be strewn with landmines.
Yes, sometimes the only way out is by going through it. Heaven help us.
Trump’s mantra is “governing is for chumps, ruling is for Trumps”.