SWEDEN ON MY MIND
COMPILATION AND COMMENTARY
BY LUCY MANESS WARNER
FEBRUARY 20, 2017


IT SEEMS CLEAR TO ME THAT WE ARE AT A UNIQUE SORT OF CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS – HOW TO TAKE OUT THIS PRESIDENT WITHOUT KILLING HIM. I PERSONALLY DON’T HATE HIM, BUT I DEFINITELY DON’T WANT HIM IN OFFICE, NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO GET RID OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE BECAUSE THEY ARE AS OFTEN CORRUPT, AS THE “COMMON FOLK” WHO DON’T OWN LAND, ARE IGNORANT; AND IF THIS COUNTRY WOULD JUST EDUCATE ALL OF IT’S CHILDREN, WHATEVER THEIR SKIN COLOR OR SOCIAL CLASS -- WITHOUT MAKING ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN -- WELL ENOUGH TO READ AND UNDERSTAND A NEWSPAPER, A CHILD’S ENCYCLOPEDIA, A DICTIONARY, AND WRITE A CLEAR ENGLISH SENTENCE, THAT PROBLEM WOULD BE GREATLY ALLEVIATED. IF THEY COULD READ AT A SUFFICIENT VOCABULARY LEVEL, MANY OF THEM WOULD ACTUALLY CHOSE TO DO IT. THEN THEY MIGHT DISCOVER HOW INTERESTING IT IS TO READ FOR INFORMATION, AND WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH COLLEGE. WHO KNOWS? MAYBE THEY WOULD EVEN STOP SMOKING DOPE AND PLAYING ENDLESS HOURS OF VIOLENT COMPUTER GAMES. THE FUNDAMENTALISTS AND RIGHTIST POLITICIANS MIGHT NOT LIKE THAT, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THOSE POOR KIDS MIGHT PICK UP FORBIDDEN IDEAS THAT ARE NOT DIRECTLY FROM THE BIBLE OR THE KORAN. THAT MAKES THEM MUCH HARDER TO LEAD BY THE NOSE, MORE LIKELY TO VOTE THE RIGHTIST POLITICIANS OUT OF OFFICE, AND DEMAND MORE PAY FOR THEIR LABOR.

NOTE: THIS FIRST ARTICLE FROM MSNBC ON TRUMP’S TOO NUMEROUS OUTRAGEOUS COMMENTS WAS PUBLISHED BEFORE THE SWEDEN STATEMENT – PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FEARING FOR HIS BASIC SANITY SINCE HE FIRST CAME INTO THE DAILY NEWS SCENE. I HOPE SOMEBODY IN THE NSA, CIA, HOMELAND SECURITY, CONGRESS, SENATE, OR THE DC POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL DO THEIR JOBS AND ARREST TRUMP FOR TREASON AND MALFEASANCE AND WHATEVER ELSE THEY CAN THINK OF – OR JUST PACK HIM INTO AN AMBULANCE IN A STRAITJACKET AND TAKE HIM TO AN ASYLUM.

HELP!!



http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-the-25th-amendment-suddenly-getting-so-much-attention

Why the 25th Amendment is suddenly getting so much attention
02/17/17 04:02 PM—UPDATED 02/17/17 06:43 PM
By Steve Benen

Photograph -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (L) meets with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) (C) and Vice-President elect Mike Pence on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 10, 2016. Photo by Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Reflecting on recent events, the New York Times’ David Brooks’ latest column noted, “I still have trouble seeing how the Trump administration survives a full term. Judging by his Thursday press conference, President Trump’s mental state is like a train that long ago left freewheeling and iconoclastic, has raced through indulgent, chaotic and unnerving, and is now careening past unhinged, unmoored and unglued.”

This is not an uncommon sentiment. During Donald Trump’s press conference yesterday, a variety of reporters in the room were overheard whispering among each other about the “insane” nature of president’s performance. There was a similar reaction on Capitol Hill: NBC News’ Kasie Hunt said lawmakers from both parties watched the event with their “jaws on the floor.”

Earlier in the week, the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne Jr. asked a question many have pondered, but few have spoken aloud: “What is this democratic nation to do when the man serving as president of the United States plainly has no business being president of the United States?” His colleague, Dana Milbank, recently conceded, “My worry is the president of the United States is barking mad.”

Ordinarily, conversations along these lines lead to questions about possible impeachment proceedings and congressional options for removing a president from office. But if my email inbox is any indication, there’s growing interest in the options available through the 25th Amendment – which has a Wikipedia page that’s apparently being referenced more and more all the time.

In fact, The Atlantic’s David Frum joked after the election, “Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. Article 4. We’re all going to be talking a lot more about it in the months ahead.”

So, what’s Article 4 to the 25th Amendment? In the abstract, the amendment itself is about presidential succession, and includes language about the power of the office when a president is incapacitated. But Digby recently highlighted the specific text of growing relevance:

“Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”

And what does that mean exactly?

Well, it means Congress isn’t the only institution that can remove a president from office between elections. Under the 25th Amendment, a sitting vice president and a majority of the executive branch’s cabinet could, on their own, agree to transfer power out of the hands of a sitting president. At that point, those officials would notify Congress, and the vice president would assume the office as the acting president.

And what if the challenged president wasn’t on board with the plan to remove him/her from the office? As Vox recently explained, “If the president wants to dispute this move, he can, but then it would be up to Congress to settle the matter with a vote. A two-thirds majority in both houses would be necessary to keep the vice president in charge. If that threshold isn’t reached, the president would regain his powers.”

All of this comes up in fiction from time to time, and in all likelihood, Americans will probably never see this political crisis play out in real life. And that’s probably a good thing: by all appearances, the intended purpose of the constitutional provision was to address a president with a serious ailment – say, a stroke, for example – in which he or she is alive, but unable to fulfill the duties of the office.

It probably wasn’t written to deal with a president who seems, to borrow a phrase, “barking mad.”

But the law exists, and the possibility that Mike Pence and half of the administration’s still-incomplete cabinet – a group of people who owe their jobs to the president whose stability has been called into question – is the subject of scuttlebutt, even from a handful of members of Congress. That possibility has created hope among Trump’s detractors that he may be legally removed from office before 2020.

That said, my advice to Trump’s critics is simple: keep your expectations low. Strange things clearly happen – having a clownish television personality in the Oval Office is itself an unprecedented historical development – but the odds of Trump’s own team feeling compelled to remove the president from power are poor.

Explore:
The MaddowBlog, Constitution, Constitutional Amendments and White House



ARE ANY OF YOU BESIDES ME WONDERING WHO THE HECK IS “DIGBY?” I THINK I’VE FOUND THE MOST LIKELY ONE. FROM HER LIST OF ACHIEVEMENTS, I CONCLUDE THAT SHE DOESN’T PRODUCE FAKE NEWS. OPINION, YES.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digby_(blogger)
Digby (blogger)

Digby is the pseudonym of political blogger Heather Digby Parton[1] from Santa Monica who founded the blog Hullabaloo. She has been called one of the "leading and most admired commentators" of the progressive blogosphere.[2]

Digby began as a commenter on the blogs of Bartcop and Atrios and launched her own blog on January 1, 2003,[3] calling it Hullabaloo "because one function of blogs is to cause a ruckus"[4] and decorating it with a picture of a screaming Howard Beale from the film Network. She has been joined by other bloggers on Hullabaloo, including composer Richard Einhorn, who blogs under the name "Tristero".

Digby graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, Alaska. She studied theater at San Jose State University (then known as San Jose State College) and worked on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and for a number of film companies, including Island Pictures, Polygram, and Artisan Entertainment.[3]

She won the 2005 Koufax award for blog writing and accepted the Paul Wellstone Award on behalf of the progressive blogosphere from the Campaign for America's Future at their "Take Back America" conference.[5] Digby had initially kept her identity secret and it was widely assumed that Digby was male until she made an appearance at the 2007 CAF conference to accept the award.[5] Digby has since written regularly at Salon as Heather Digby Parton.[1] She also won the 2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism.[6]

References[edit]

1.^ Jump up to: a b "Heather Digby Parton". Salon. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
2.Jump up ^ Greenwald, Glenn (June 20, 2007). "Fringe liberal bloggers". Salon.com. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Boehlert, Eric (2009). Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press. New York: Free Press (publisher). ISBN 978-1-4165-6010-4.[page needed]
4.Jump up ^ Kornbluth, Jesse (October 5, 2008). "The Gadfly: What Digby Says: The darling of the progressive blogosphere is still yelling at the TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Walsh, Joan (June 20, 2007). "The hullabaloo over Digby". Salon.com. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
6.Jump up ^ "2014 Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism". Retrieved April 24, 2014.


DO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS “OURFUTURE” WEBSITE. UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE TOO SAVVY COMPUTERWISE TO ALLOW ME TO COPY ANY OF IT, BUT IT’S ALL PERTINENT TO OUR PROBLEMS THESE DAYS.

Campaign for America's Future
https://ourfuture.org/
The strategy center for the progressive movement. Political news and economic analysis covering Congress and the nation.



MY FAVORITE ITEM BELOW IS THE MOCK IKEA KIT FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A WALL, WHICH SAYS THAT ALL THE PARTS ARE SOLD OUT. IT IS ALSO CUTE THAT IKEA IS A SWEDISH COMPANY.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swedes-baffled-by-trumps-suggestion-of-major-incident/

Swedes baffled by Trump's suggestion of major incident
CBS/AP February 19, 2017, 8:46 AM


HELSINKI -- Swedes have been scratching their heads and ridiculing President Donald Trump’s remark that suggested a major incident had happened in Sweden.

During a rally in Florida on Saturday, Trump said “look what’s happening last night in Sweden” as he alluded to past terror attacks in Europe.

The comment has prompted a barrage of social media reaction on Sunday and #lastnightinsweden #swedenincident hashtags began trending on Twitter:

Former Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted , “Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound.”


[COMMENTARY INSERT -- TEAM TRUMP MADE UP A FAKE HEADLINE ALSO? IN ADDITION, SEE “#TRUMPRALLY.PIC” FOR A SUPPOSED PHOTO OF THE SUPPOSED TERRORIST. I DID LOOK UNDER SEVERAL DIFFERENT POSSIBLE SEARCH TERMS AND FOUND NO PHOTO OF ANY SUSPECTED ATTACKER. JUST A STATEMENT THAT THE LAST ATTACK IN SWEDEN WAS IN 2015. “LIES, LIES, AND DAMNED LIES!!”

“BREAKING NEWS. Swedish police have released picture of the man sought for the terror attack #lastnightinsweden #swedenincident #TrumpRally pic.twitter.com/MHYSkddnU7”]

— Neil Macdougall (@DougallChops) February 19, 2017
Aftonbladet newspaper listed in English some events that had happened Friday in Sweden, including a man being treated for severe burns, an avalanche warning and police chasing a drunken driver.

One Twitter user posted a mock Ikea instruction manual on how to build a “Border Wall,” saying the pieces had sold out.

Earlier this month, Mr. Trump’s adviser Kellyanne Conway alluded to “the Bowling Green Massacre” - an event that never happened – in an effort to defend the administration’s travel ban.



http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/sweden-has-no-idea-what-trump-meant-when-he-said-you-look-at-whats-happening-in-sweden-1661210

Sweden Has No Idea What Trump Meant When He Said, 'You Look At What's Happening...In Sweden'
2017 The Washington Post | Rick Noack, The Washington Post | Updated: February 20, 2017 07:37 IST

Photograph -- At a rally, Donald Trump referred to countries that have taken disproportionate number of refugees (AFP)

If you believe the media in Sweden, Friday night was relatively uneventful. Among the most noteworthy headlines in the country were reports that a popular Swedish singer had technical problems during a music competition.

But if you believe President Donald Trump, something happened Friday night in Sweden that deserved the attention of the world. However, nobody knows what that might be, least of all the Swedes.

During a rally Saturday in Florida, Trump referred to several countries that have taken in a disproportionate number of refugees and that have recently been the target of attacks. "We've got to keep our country safe. You look at what's happening in Germany. You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this?" Trump went on to refer to Paris, Nice, France, and Brussels, European cities where attacks have occurred in the past two years.

A spokeswoman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry told the Associated Press on Sunday that authorities were not aware of any "terror-linked major incidents" that occurred Friday night in Sweden. According to the spokeswoman, the Swedish Embassy in Washington has asked the State Department to clarify Trump's remarks.

Trump himself later attempted to clarify the remarks, tweeting: "My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden."

He was probably referring to a Tucker Carlson interview with Ami Horowitz. The filmmaker has blamed refugees for a purported crime wave in Sweden and alleged that authorities are trying to cover up the incidents.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, addressing the matter on Sunday, told reporters that Trump "was talking about rising crime and recent incidents in general and not referring to a specific incident."

Trump's new tweet came after speculation over the incident he referred to had circulated on social media for nearly a day. Although he did not explicitly say it, his remarks were widely perceived as suggesting that an attack occurred Friday night in Sweden.

"Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound," former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt said on Twitter.

Others reacted by posting photos of how they believe Sweden really looked Friday night, using the hashtag #LastNightInSweden.

The White House already faced criticism this month after it included an incident in the Swedish city of Malmo on its list of allegedly underreported terrorist attacks. In October, arson caused smoke damage at an Iraqi community center in Malmo. A judge, however, ruled that there was no evidence that the incident was a "terror attack" - months before the White House released the list that referred to the incident.

Sweden took in more refugees per capita than any other country in Europe at the height of the migrant influx in 2015. The country has long viewed itself as having a moral obligation to take in refugees from war-torn countries. But Sweden reached its limits as other European Union neighbors refused to fulfill their commitments.

The influx of refugees has not come without problems in Sweden, but mainstream politicians and immigration experts say the criticism has been disproportionate. In summer 2016, Swedish embassies were tasked to counter rumors or false information about Sweden's experience with taking in large numbers of immigrants.

Speaking Friday, one day before Trump made his remarks, Henrik Selin of the Swedish Institute said there are "people whose political agenda suggests they would like to tell the story of countries not being able to receive that many refugees, who seem to want to exaggerate problems," according to Radio Sweden.

Although Sweden views itself as increasingly isolated in regard to its pro-immigration stance, the country found widespread support on social media Sunday. "Dear @realDonaldTrump," Alexander Stubb, a former prime minister of Finland, tweeted. "Sweden is immigration friendly, international & liberal. One of the most prosperous, richest, safest places on earth."

And a country with relatively calm Friday nights, it seems.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)



http://forward.com/fast-forward/363662/the-jewish-right-wing-filmmaker-behind-trumps-much-mocked-sweden-terror-lie/

The Jewish Right-Wing Filmmaker Behind Trump’s Much-Mocked Sweden ‘Terror’ Lie
By Dave Goldiner
February 20, 2017

Photograph – Goldiner, YouTube

President Trump shocked millions (of those still capable of being shocked by him) when he expressed outrage at a weekend rally about a supposed terror attack in Sweden.

Some thought he was confusing the Scandinavian country with the Pakistani city of Sehwan in Pakistan where a terror attack killed scores. Turns out he was just channel-surfing and heard Jewish right-wing filmmaker Ami Horowitz being interviewed on FoxNews.

Among other crackpot and Islamophobic causes, Horowitz has taken to slamming Sweden for supposedly coddling Islamic terrorists.

Horowitz spoke in the Fox interview about an attack “not long ago” and derided Sweden for allowing a wave of immigrant-fueled crimes, including a jump in the rape rate.

The attack actually took place in 2010, not anytime recently, and long before the war in Syria sent refugees flooding into Europe. His claim about rising crime is actually contradicted by Swedish statistics — its rape rate rose only after a reclassification of crime descriptions.

Horowitz told the Guardian he was “gratified” that Trump cited him for shining a light on “the increasing problems that Sweden is having with its open door immigration policy to the Muslim world.”

The rest of the world mostly agreed with former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt.


Carl Bildt
✔ ‎@carlbildt

Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-sweden-terror-lie_us_58a8f397e4b045cd34c263d3 …

2:40 AM - 19 Feb 2017




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tweets-again-about-sweden-attacks-media/

Trump tweets again about Sweden, attacks media
CBS/AP
February 20, 2017, 10:33 AM


After his “look what’s happening last night in Sweden” remark at his Florida rally, the president issued his second tweet on the topic Monday morning.

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Give the public a break - The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully. NOT!
9:15 AM - 20 Feb 2017
17,460 17,460 Retweets 63,833 63,833 likes

During a rally in Florida on Saturday, Mr. Trump said “look what’s happening last night in Sweden” as he alluded to past terror attacks in Europe.

It wasn’t clear what he was referring to and there were no high-profile attacks reported in Sweden on Friday night. One tabloid pointed out that the night before, events in Sweden included one man being treated for burns, an avalanche warning and a drunk driver.

Swedes also voiced voiced [sic] some confusion about the implication by the president that a major incident had happened in their country. There had been no change in the threat level. Former Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt tweeted, “Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound.” Bildt also pointed out that, compared to many American cities, Sweden is quite peaceful.

Follow
Carl Bildt ✔ @carlbildt
Last year there were app 50% more murders only in Orlando/Orange in Florida, where Trump spoke the other day, than in all of Sweden. Bad.
8:09 AM - 20 Feb 2017 · Stockholm, Sweden
9,523 9,523 Retweets 17,431 17,431 likes

Mr. Trump attempted to clarify his remarks in a tweet Sunday:

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.
4:57 PM - 19 Feb 2017
22,481 22,481 Retweets 86,844 86,844 likes

That story appeared to be an interview segment that had aired on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” about filmmaker Ami Horowitz’s documentary on immigration in Sweden. Horowitz has accused the Swedish government of covering up a surge in gun violence and rape committed by migrants.

Watch full video: After a week of crisis, Trump addresses Florida rally
Play VIDEO
Watch full video: After a week of crisis, Trump addresses Florida rally

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s original statement is still being mocked. One Twitter user said, “After the terrible events #lastnightinSweden, IKEA have sold out of this” and posted a fake Ikea instruction manual on how to build a “Border Wall.”

Sweden, which has a long reputation for welcoming refugees and migrants, had a record 163,000 asylum applications in 2015. The country has since cut back on the number it annually accepts.

Its most recent attack linked to extremism happened in the capital, Stockholm, in December 2010. An Iraqi-born Swede detonated two explosive devices, including one that killed him but no one else.

At the rally, Mr. Trump told his followers to look at what was happening in Germany, where a truck attack at a Berlin Christmas market killed 12 people. He also mentioned Paris, Brussels and Nice, in apparent reference to the terror attacks there.

The president didn’t specify what was supposed to have happened in Sweden, simply saying “Sweden, who would believe this, Sweden.”

After his tweet, Bildt told Swedish Radio of his concern about some of the things Mr. Trump says.

“If we are in a situation where there is tension in the world, we stand between war and peace,” he said. “If we then have a president who spreads lots of false rumors, it can be truly dangerous.”