Otis the dog was seen trotting down the street in Sinton, TX over the weekend, carrying his own food. This photo, oddly uplifting for the spirit of survival it depicts, might become one of the most memorable images from this tragedy.
Here’s his story.
boss, thanks.
here’s to Otis deep in the heart of texas
nbc news: Mueller Team Asking If Trump Tried to Hide Purpose of Trump Tower Meeting
A person familiar with Mueller’s strategy said that whether or not Trump made a “knowingly false statement” is now of interest to prosecutors.
“Even if Trump is not charged with a crime as a result of the statement, it could be useful to Mueller’s team to show Trump’s conduct to a jury that may be considering other charges.”
business insider: Trump reversed regulations to protect infrastructure against flooding just days before Hurricane Harvey
Just 10 days before Hurricane Harvey descended upon Texas on Friday, wreaking havoc and widespread flooding, President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking a set of regulations that would have made federally-funded infrastructure less vulnerable to flooding.
The Obama-era rules, which had not yet gone into effect, would have required the federal government to take into account the risk of flooding and sea-level rise as a result of climate change when constructing new infrastructure and rebuilding after disasters.
Experts are predicting Harvey — the most powerful storm to hit the US since 2004 — will cost Texas between $30 billion and $100 billion in damage.
And in the coming days, Congress will be called upon to send billions of federal dollars to help with the state’s recovery and rebuilding efforts.
But because of Trump’s rollback of Obama’s Federal Flood Risk Management Standards, experts across the political spectrum say much of the federal money sent to Texas will likely be wasted on construction that will be insufficiently protected from the next storm.
[….story continues….]
Published on Aug 28, 2017
President Trump pardons Joe Arpaio, a controversial former sheriff who advocated the use of excessive force and cracked down on immigration through racial profiling.
I’d much rather be visited by Otis any day than #45 & the Missus.
Meanwhile, Representative Chris Collins, first member of Congress to endorse #45 & a District neighbor of mine, is under investigation for insider trading. His response: “Witch hunt!”
Perhaps Mr Mueller could save the expense of investigations, trials by dropping the whole sordid detritus that orbits #45 into the Potomac. If they sink, they’re innocent ….
(Hmmm …. whatever happened to Christine O’Donnell?)
sjwny
Since no one subjected her to the “innocence” test or she floated guiltily to the surface, O’Donnell was last employed by the Washington Times.
drip drip drip from wapo:
A top executive from Donald Trump’s real estate company emailed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal spokesman during the U.S. presidential campaign last year to ask for help advancing a stalled Trump Tower development project in Moscow, according to documents submitted to Congress on Monday.
The request came in a mid-January 2016 email from Michael Cohen, one of Trump’s closest business advisers, who asked longtime Putin lieutenant Dmitry Peskov for assistance in reviving a deal that Cohen suggested was languishing.
“Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower-Moscow project in Moscow City,” Cohen wrote to Peskov, according to a person familiar with the email. “Without getting into lengthy specifics, the communication between our two sides has stalled.
“As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon,” Cohen wrote.
Cohen’s email marks the most direct outreach documented by a top Trump aide to a similarly senior member of Putin’s government.
Cohen told congressional investigators in a statement Monday that he did not recall receiving a response from Peskov or having further contact with Russian government officials about the project. The email, addressed to Peskov, appeared to have been sent to a general Kremlin press account.
The note adds to the list of contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials that have been a focus of multiple congressional inquiries as well as an investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III exploring Russian interference in the 2016 election. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Kremlin intervened to help elect Trump.
Cohen’s email to Peskov provides an example of a Trump business official directly seeking Kremlin assistance in advancing Trump’s business interests.
Cohen told congressional investigators that the deal was envisioned as a licensing project, in which Trump would have been paid for the use of his name by a Moscow-based developer called I.C. Expert Investment Co.
Cohen said that he discussed the deal three times with Trump and that Trump signed a letter of intent with the company on Oct. 28, 2015. He said the Trump company began to solicit designs from architects and discuss financing.
[….]
Cohen has been one of Trump’s closest aides since 2007, serving as a business emissary, lawyer and sometimes spokesman for Trump. Friends said Trump has treated Cohen like a member of his family.
[…story continues…]
Jamie44,
I saw a great sign a few years back – “We are the granddaughters of the witches they could not burn.”
As for Ms O’Donnell, the GOP remains a mile wide & an inch deep. We laughed at these folks in 2008. Now their bastard children control our government.
Looking at the TeeVee videos and interviews and reporting on how official Houston is coping with their disaster, I’m impressed. The efforts by volunteers are heartwarming (and meaningfully important). Thank goodness the terrible winds seemed to have largely spared the city.
Just because Trump hasn’t called Harvey fake news yet doesn’t mean he’s suddenly presidential.
The news(sic) coverage is disgusting and wrong and focused on sentimental bullshit instead of what is going on
so many mistakes with such catastrophic impact. I know what it is like to have an upstream dam release in the middle of a flood. You would think they would have started releasing when they knew the storm was coming
What is Melanoma doing there planning on serving up bowls of rhinestones for the poor people and you wonder why Mexico refuses Trump’s begging to pay for the wall after her appearance in Mexican Vogue eating jewelry
And you cannot rebuild in many of the same neighborhoods it is just going to get worse
It is impossible to plan your life around the poor policies of the Republican party
Craig, a sign of his being presidential would be his saying “I screwed-up when I reversed earlier orders mandating stringent standards for rebuilding of structures damaged by storms. I will rescind my order.”
Did the big giant asshole bring play doh
There are no circumstances where he looks presidential
he looks like the used car lot owner the one who only deals is stolen cars
I’m glad Otis is ok – they should change his name to Lucky Otis
PG views Harvey as just another way to find and deport undocumented residents
Flatus, don’t hold your breath for that admission. The irony of him signing the order reversing Obama’s order as Harvey was literally making a bee line at Houston is too rich for words, and almost too sad to comprehend – almost.
tpm:
Judge Dismisses Palin’s Defamation Suit Against NYT For Political Violence Op-Ed
A judge on Tuesday dismissed former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s lawsuit against the New York Times Company for an editorial about political violence the paper corrected twice after publication.
“Nowhere is political journalism so free, so robust, or perhaps so rowdy as in the United States,” U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff wrote in his opinion. “In the exercise of that freedom, mistakes will be made, some of which will be hurtful to others. Responsible journals will promptly correct their errors; others will not.”
He said Palin failed to show “that the mistake was made maliciously” and that her complaint “must be dismissed” as a result.
Palin filed the lawsuit against the New York Times Company alleging defamation after the paper published an editorial connecting political incitement to acts of violence.
The editorial cited a map Palin’s political action committee circulated showing Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) “and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs.”
Giffords survived an assassination attempt when she was shot in the head at a 2011 public event.
The New York Times corrected the editorial twice after publication and noted “no such link was established” between incitement and violence in the Giffords shooting.
Katrina, Rita and Wilma, three major hurricanes which hit mainland US in 2005, taught tremendous lessons to emergency management. But, and this is an important BUT, we are just beginning, people are still being rescued, search for the dead has not started. Every now and then in an interview you get a little of what is going to come, “. . . I have not heard from [insert name] since I left in one [type of conveyance] and [gender pronoun] was waiting for the next [conveyance]. I am worried because [name] has not answered [pronoun] phone or text.” Family and friends either stayed behind or took off to look for help or something. And they are missing.
Logistically Harvey would have been prepared for if it was a “normal” big hurricane. It is multiples of that. American Red Cross Disaster Services is taking volunteers without training and putting them into action; relying on people like me to train them on the job. Because my job is a federal job and I am an official emergency response official I have to use personal leave to deploy to Texas. I cannot be on ARC deployment in case the federal government requires me to be on duty. If I was in a church group that was deploying to Texas I could have admin leave. That is being looked at right now. Hopefully someone will look at the illogic of this.
ARC is sending hundreds of volunteers to Texas, along with emergency vehicles and supplies. The warehouses are always full of supplies for immediate use. ARC is the first response. Once the situation is under control ARC will fold up the cots and turn over whatever work that is left to local responders. But, with Katrina that did not end until almost four years later, 2009/2010. Many other organizations are in the mix too. Southern Baptists have tremendous mobile kitchens to turn out great meals. ARC as first response shows up with cases of Heater Meals (lower calorie MRE’s). But, if you have not eaten in three or five days, those things are wonderful.
Two weeks ago I enjoyed a BBQ meal cooked up by a group of BBQ professionals who have mobile BBQ units which deploy to disasters. That is good cooking! And after a few days or weeks of MRE’s regular eats are wonderful.
Where do ARC staff live. If things are good we stay in a hotel, separate from the shelter. But, usually we live with our clients in a shelter, but in a different room. We work 12 hour days, but are known in the early response to work twenty or more hours until we get more staff in place. Disaster Service is not for those looking to stand around and take pictures. That time is the second or third week.
I forgot this important information about support from an neighboring country, Mexico is sending rescue teams to help the Harvey rescue effort. Of course SFB will not acknowledge anyone of color can be human so he will never mention it.
As for Otis. That is one smart dog. Too bad people tend to be less intelligent. I like dogs because the smart ones will do things like head out and find dinner, unlike many who would starve if not for a working phone and credit card.
Trump came across today like he was visiting one of his construction sites. And he turned that standing on truck moment into a campaign rally bragging about crowd size. Hardly empathizer in chief.
This could be a giant wake-up call but given who is in charge I think giant pile will be more like it
Carig
Both Trump and Melania came across as a Green Acres knockoff. Hurricane Barbie in her stilettos and FLOTUS cap was particularly odd.
I sometime think she is making fun of him, but he is too dim to notice.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/08/29/melania-trump-swaps-stilettos-sneakers-flotus-cap-flooded-south-texas/612761001/
Good riddance to Harvey. Mosquitoes in the on-deck circle.
They are concerned about contagious diseases with so many folks in close quarters at shelters, too.
Someone should tell Trump this will not be resolved quickly.
Nothing to go back to, what do these folks do now? There is a housing shortage in North TX, thanks to Rick Perry poaching jobs from California; businesses like the lack of regulation & low wages of a right-to-work(for next to nothing)-state.
There are jobs, but to start over with nothing? Few personal belongings & houses & cars lost to the flood. Some of these folks ended up in Houston after Katrina. School has started, but not for the kids who are now homeless. Some are just temporarily displaced, but many are now homeless.
Otis both warms & breaks my heart.
BiD – What happens now does include the mosquitoes, but also black mold, and other nasty bad things.
Port Arthur going under water right now, 0424 CDT.
It is going to be a rough month for many people.
bbronc, do the powers that be ever make use of the cruise ships for temp housing of the displaced? those ships can accommodate thousands. might be a good pr campaign (and tax write off) for the companies to offer them.
Otis on the gravy train.
trumps with big hair hiding under the hats they sell online in texas and safe from Mother Nature in Corpus. A photo-shoot for mel. A few weeks back, I told hubby it looked like something was wrong with trumps face under his right eye. It looked like mel slugged him. I really think it is a botched plastic surgery (and I am sure there was a lot of blood), His eye looked so bad at the press conference where he was old man confused over ‘lookalike’ Finnish reporters. His right eye was a ‘slit’ compared to the other larger, crooked left eye.
Well, nothing a rally can’t fix for the commander-in-thief’s confidence and ego…just not bad plastic surgery.
A 16 year old boy, shot-up the library in Clovis.…killing two women and wounding others.
Guns in the hands of teens. Thank you NRA!