Well, Something Screwy's Going On

• Spocko's Brain:  "This is how we fight."
  

  Adult bullies have lots of tools. The right wing bull[ies] have no problem screaming foul at any action they don’t like and crying to authorities who actually do their job. [...] “Sure I killed people, but nobody expects me to follow the law! But the good guys are supposed to follow the law!” Then, when it’s shown the law was followed, “Okay, he did it legally, but I was tricked, so it’s not fair!”
  
  When the bad guys are out-maneuvered, [...] they go into denial, they demand justice. They present themselves as victims, but [image]
  
  it’s yet another way to try and bend the system to their will.
  
  [...]
  
  In this case part of the win is to let the other lesser Capone-types know they aren’t safe. Then it’s changing laws to make it harder to game the system.
  
  Part of winning is acknowledging the corrupting power of money, and setting up systems to monitor it that aren’t easily captured. This is all part of the fight. It’s not as exciting as epic battles, but it is crucial for future success.
  
  [...] We will win some. We will also lose some. Activists who are taking on powerful interests need powerful friends during the losses and the wins.
  
  I’m encouraged and excited by reading about re-energized activist groups and new ones. We need lots people to understand the system we are in now vs. previous systems.
  
  We need to learn how to fight to make an impact. And we need to be reminded of the importance of persistence. We can never stop fighting until the fight is done.
  
  

  Emphasis added.  Spocko uses Trading Places to illustrate his points, so follow up by reading his post.
• Jurassicpork on political autopsies, the "imploding" Democratic Party, and the recent election.  Not because I agree with him (I don't.  Too much conspiracy theory for my taste), but for the analysis of the article by Todd Purdum at Politico, which conflates "Clintonism" with Democratic Party principles.  (Mention of "Democratic Party principles" invariably reminds me of the Will Rogers quote:  "I'm not a member of any organized political party...  I'm a Democrat.")  Everyone seems to have a pet theory (for example:  Fannie Wolfe at Shakesville cites misogyny.  Avedon's Sideshow cites This Week's Ryan Cooper on Democrats' mishandling of the economy.  And so on).
  
  I'm tempted to say (in my role as satirist and strewer of parentheses) that the results of the late election were due to space aliens and Bigfoot, and no one can prove that wrong.
• Speaking of space aliens, one of the idiot conservative pundits has said that people who refuse to perform at the Trump inaugural are "un-American."  I'm sure that Elton John and Celine Dion are grossly insulted.  Not.  (Also, "un-American" as a Scary Accusation of Horrible Horribleness passed its sell-by date in 1985.)  Is Ted Nugent unavailable or is he just asking too much money?
  
  (Y'know, it does not seem to be enough to win an election and therefore power; right-wingers want love, too.  They won't get any from me; I'm bigoted against bigots.  In case you did not notice.)
• Oh, the ethics thing:  If your first thought on seeing that the Republicans wanted to do away with an independent ethics office was bitter amusement, come sit by me you were not alone.  ETA:  I knew I should have checked with Professor Chaos!