You haven’t heard from me for a few days except in Third Month Mania posts, so I thought I’d check in with a Tweets Post. I’m writing a Proper Post, but it’s not going that well. I’m sick again, so Deep Thought is not something that I’m doing very well. Also, I’ve come across some pretty shocking things that I feel the need to post about. You’ll find them in the tweets below.

Another thing I’m extremely worried about the appointment of former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton as National Security Advisor. That’s what I’m hoping to write a Proper Post about that, so I won’t go into too much detail here.

Bolton couldn’t get confirmation for his ambassadorship the last time there was a Republican president. He finally made it via a recess appointment. As National Security Advisor he doesn’t need confirmation, though it’s my opinion he’d find it even more difficult today.

The main reason is his warmongering talk. There are plenty of hawks in the Republican Party, but Bolton is in the extreme. He still thinks the Iraq War was a good idea, and I can’t find any record of him admitting that Saddam Hussein didn’t have WMDs. He’s written an op-ed suggesting that the way to stop Iran getting a nuclear bomb is to bomb them first. He also opposes the Iran nuclear agreement and is likely to advise Trump to pull out. Such a move would be disastrous. And he’s written an op-ed in favour of a preemptive strike on North Korea. Bolton is also a supporter of Trump’s announcement he’s moving the Israeli consulate to Jerusalem.

Even worse, joining Bolton will be Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State. Rex Tillerson has plenty of faults, but he was a dove and always went for diplomacy first. Further, he tried to keep the US as part of the international community. Bolton and Pompeo won’t do that. Both have views in line with Trump’s own. In addition, both are good enough at the political game that they can make what they want to happen, happen.

From Vox:

Vipin Narang, an MIT political scientist, estimated in a tweet that Bolton’s appointment raised the risk of war with North Korea by four times. Michael Horowitz, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, responded by saying he had revised his estimation upward by a factor of five.

Later in the same article:

Jeremy Bash, a former chief of staff at both the CIA and the Defense Department, said on MSNBC Friday morning that Trump is “assembling a war cabinet” — and it’s hard to argue with him.

It used to be prevailing opinion that men like General Mattis could control Trump. However, those who think like Mattis are leaving and the new men coming in are much stronger Trump supporters. It’s not looking good.

 

Political Tweets

Times: they are a-changing in Alabama. This is what happens when you go too far, as the GOP are currently doing, and it’s wonderful!

 

Trump wants his pet wife-beater back.

 

Mueller Time Tweets

Nunes is trying the Fake News defence. It didn’t work! The trouble is, Trump has called so many things Fake News that have turned out to be true within a couple of days that even his supporters are realizing what he calls Fake News is often The Truth.

In response to this tweet:

 

Came this tweet:

 

Why am I not surprised?
(Via Ann German.)

 

Economics Tweets

Self-styled Ayn Rand acolytes are now in charge of US foreign policy, so it’s interesting to reintroduce Christopher Hitchens’ ideas back into the debate.
(Via Ann German.)

 

Gun Safety

This is the #1 reason I felt the need to do a Tweets Post, though this is from Facebook. I’m assuming it’s genuine, but, of course, it could be fake. It’s not just the far right that fakes stuff. I put it on the Heather’s Homilies Facebook page, and some of you have seen it there, but I want as many as possible to get a gander.

 

I saw ‘State of the Union’ on CNN yesterday and couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Rick Santorum thinks the kids agitating for change should he learning CPR instead, so they can maybe save their classmates lives if they are shot. FFS. SMH.

(By the way, I wish CNN would cover something else besides Stormy Daniels. There is real news happening.)

 

This Vox video is excellent.

 

So, is this bigger than Trump’s inauguration crowd?

 

Pussy Power!

 

Religion Tweets

The link in the tweet goes to a post by William Hounslow aka Rosa Rubicondior. It’s about a Christian religions cult in Germany where beating children is part of the cult’s beliefs. When this was exposed by a journalist, the children were, thankfully, taken away. Their parents went to the European Court of Human Rights to demand their children back so they could continue beating them. Go to William’s post to find out the result of their lawsuit!

 

Putting people in a position where their morality is assumed because of that position leads to abuse. Men in particular become priests etc because they want to be abusers and know there is a better chance of getting away with it as a religious leader. (Of course, there are also many good people who become religious leaders, but they could do good without the prop of religion.)

 

There’s an ongoing issue in New Zealand of religious instruction in schools. A small group are working tirelessly to try and get rid of it, but religious privilege is still a thing, and we don’t have a First Amendment to support those trying to uphold the law.

 

Another group of Muslim men convicted in Britain for grooming, raping, and sexually abusing young women and girls. Religion is the reason for their appalling attitudes and behaviour.

 

Science Tweets

Another cool replay of a Victorian science experiment by Brian Cox.

 

Apparently, it actually chewed through an electrical cable, but this sounds better. There’s some fun about Toast Stoat if you have a look at the thread too.

 

Very cool!

 

This is so cool!

 

History Tweets

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know this is currently my pinned tweet:

 

Ann German found this one, which I think is brilliant!

 

Manuscript artists and illuminators had wonderful imaginations! Look at these …

 

 

 

 

Puss ‘n Boots!

 

Marine Tweets

More fascinating info from the Natural History Museum via science communicator Amy Carparelli.

 

Poor turtle!

 

Other Animals Tweets

This is lovely!

 

Another cool video from BBC Earth. (Trigger Warning: Animal predation.)

 

Some of the great work being done to reintroduce red squirrels to Britain.

 

Bird Tweets

This was on WEIT this morning. Even though I knew it was a duck, it took me a long time to see it!

 

Cat Tweets

What a lovely cat!

 

Awwww …

 

So cute! What a fab one to finish on!


 

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