Oh Boy It Never Ends: DOWNTON ABBEY

Just when Violet learns that Maud is naming her illegitimate child, and not Robert, as the heir, Henry Cavill's Superman flies in and declares that will "never happen, not as long as I have even one single hair on my Kryptonian chest!" But Maud has her friends and it is our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who swings in at this point. At that point . . .

Joking. DOWNTON ABBEY?

I never watched the show on PBS, sorry. Considered a few times when Shirley MacLaine was on the show but never managed to watch it. My girlfriend watched it and loved it. So we were going to see the movie regardless.

But DOWNTON ABBEY is a good movie.

It holds your interest, it's well acted and it's a real film.

We both enjoyed it. She enjoyed it as a longterm fan of the show and I enjoyed it as someone meeting the characters for the first time.

That last part is important because some people may be intimidated by not seeing the show. You'll enjoy the movie. You don't need to stream the entire series before seeing the movie.

It works as a standalone.

Mainly, it proves that you don't have to be an animated movie to tell a story -- even though these days, the animated film is one of the few still providing involving stories.

Going out with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

Friday, September 20, 2019.

In the United States, the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination continues.

Bob K‏ @EnsPulver1958 2 minutes ago

Younger Black Voters to Their Parents: Break Up With Joe Biden, I’m Bored. An organic effort by black millennials and Gen Z-ers to influence older family members against Mr. Biden may be important in the Democratic primary. nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/…

He's referring to Astead W. Herndon's report for THE NEW YORK TIMES. The report fails to note that similar efforts took place in previous elections, including in 2008. There was, for instance, "the great schlep" where voters were encouraged to get their Jewish grandparents in Florida to vote for Barack Obama. THE NEW YORK TIMES' own reporting of that effort ran October 5, 2008 and was entitled "Sarah Silverman's Message to Your Grandma: Vote Obama."

From Herndon's article:

For Mr. Biden, though, students carried mixed feelings. They respected his tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president, but implicitly rejected his campaign’s central premise, that the primary goal of Democrats in the 2020 election should be defeating President Trump.

They pointed to systemic problems they said the country must address, such as inequality, climate change and gun violence. The Democratic nominee, they said, should embrace progressive proposals like canceling student loan debt, the Green New Deal and gun buyback programs.

‏ @viralizeed

Most #viral News Now: Younger Black Voters to Their Parents: Break Up With Joe Biden, I’m Bored 

As a voter, you are much more likely to be influenced by someone you know and face-to-face contact is always stronger than any other. The efforts these activists are undertaking will have some success. It could be a huge success depending upon how much effort is put into the action.

Joe Biden wants to lead. But when has his leadership ever been a good thing? In last week's debate, Bernie Sanders noted the reality of Joe's 'wisdom.'

ABC News‏Verified account @ABC Sep 12

Sen. Bernie Sanders to Joe Biden: "The big mistake, the huge mistake, and one of the big differences between you and me: I never believed what Cheney and Bush said about Iraq."

"I voted against the war in Iraq, and helped lead the opposition." abcn.ws/DemDebate #DemDebate

1:39

Video

ABC News

106 replies493 retweets1,725 likes

Tom Abrahams‏Verified account @TomAbrahams13 Sep 12

.@BernieSanders "One of the big differences between you (Joe Biden)  and me.  I never believed Bush and Cheney on Iraq." #ABC13DemDebate

8 replies243 retweets1,327 likes

"Iraq is the biggest foreign policy disaster of at least the past 45 years. Bernie Sanders was completely right about it. Joe Biden was completely wrong. That is something to hammer him over and over again." 

24 replies113 retweets509 likes

The YUGE difference between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden:

Bernie led the fight against the Iraq War. 

Biden followed Bush and Cheney. #DemDebate

10 replies246 retweets982 likes

WATCH THIS: In just one minute #BernieSanders defines the difference between his vision & Joe Biden’s on: the Iraq war, disastrous trade deals, Wall St. bailout, the bankruptcy bill, & healthcare as a right. It’s clear, concise, & brilliant. Thank you @Silvers4Sanders

1:04

Silvers4Sanders @Silvers4Sanders

Bernie Sanders has a very different vision for the future than Joe Biden and so do we! 
#BernieYellsForUs #DemDebate 

3 replies78 retweets183 likes

Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders went back and forth on Biden's support for the war in Iraq. n.pr/2UP0CKY

5 replies13 retweets50 likes

#RT @BernieSanders: I never believed Cheney and Bush. Unlike Joe Biden, not only did I vote against the Iraq War, I led the fight to prevent it. #DemDebate

Joe's never shown real leadership. But now, at 76, Joe swears, if you give him a chance, he's finally ready to show leadership.

‏ @welcomewords

Biden is Clinton 2.0. Elite uber wealthy politicians who voted for the Iraq war & sat for #standingrock. If @JoeBiden truly cared about Americans, he’d drop out. You had your time. Pass the torch to someone who can lead us out of this darkness. #BernieSanders

2 likes

Yesterday on KPFA's FLASHPOINTS, host Dennis Bernstein and guest Norman Solomon discussed Joe's corporate ties.

On Iraq, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Zeina Karam (AP) report:

It is wedged between Saudi Arabia to the south and Iran to the east and hosts thousands of U.S. troops on its soil. At the same time, powerful Shiite paramilitary forces linked to Iran pose a growing challenge to the authority of the central government.

As the pressure mounts, divisions within Iraq’s pro-Iranian factions have burst into the open, threatening to collapse a fragile government coalition and end a rare reprieve from the violence that has plagued the country for years.

“Regional challenges facing Iraq will make it even more difficult for Adel Abdel-Mahdi to bring the (militias) under control,” said Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, referring to Iraq’s prime minister.

The divisions among Iran’s Shiite allies in Iraq have been spurred by a spate of airstrikes blamed on Israel that have hit weapons depots and bases belonging to the Iran-backed militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF.

Why isn't Joe asked every day about how to address Iraq? He voted for the war that destroyed the country. That alone should make him responsible for coming up with solutions. He can't stop bragging that Barack Obama tasked him, as vice president, to deal with Iraq. If he wants to brag about that, he needs to be asked about that.

He claims today that Bully Boy Bush tricked him into supporting the Iraq War. Is Bush still tricking him? Is he tricking Joe into silence?

Joe needs to stop his folklore stories and start addressing reality. If the press isn't up to demanding that from him, they just need to admit that they're worthless.

The following sites updated: