The visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Washington culminated in the planting of a French oak tree as a symbol of the long-standing friendship of the two nations. Unbeknownst to most watching, the tree was promptly dug back up after the ceremony and sent to quarantine. Regrettably, the tree (like relations with France) has died in quarantine.
At the time, I was highly critical of the speech by Macron before the Congress where he was enthusiastically received despite alluding to European speech controls. Like the tree, I warned about the dangers of invasive species like speech regulations.
While Macron remains quite popular here, he has actually had lower poll numbers than Trump. Right now, the tree is the least of his concerns with the ongoing “yellow vest” protests. However, his polls have finally crawled back to 40 percent.
I still want the French oak but I would leave Macron’s anti-free speech policies in Europe.
It is all about power….
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
-Abraham Lincoln
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/06/11/cnns_acosta_to_our_friends_in_conservative_media_theres_no_guarantee_that_you_get_to_stay_in_power.html
CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta gave some advice to his “friends in conservative media” while promoting his new book, ‘The Enemy of the People’ in an interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper.
“To our friends in conservative media, Anderson, I say this, it is no guarantee that you get to stay in power forever,” Acosta said. “And so, another administration could come in and do the very same thing to them and say, well, Donald Trump did it. Guess what, we’re going to do it to you guys, too.”
Why wasn’t the tree(s) quarantined for the requisite amount of time prior to the ceremony? I realize that would take some advance planning, but it should have been feasible.
Since it died in quarantine, it seems it was quarantined wisely.
The way the Repugs do business:
Tweet by Citizens for Ethics:
https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/1138408069891874819
Citizens for Ethics Verified account @CREWcrew
Senate Maj. Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly told his colleagues that he will not allow the Senate to vote on election security legislation this session. Lobbyists for the two biggest voting machine makers have started writing him four figure checks.
[End of text of tweet]
As He Blocks Election Security Bills, McConnell Takes Checks from Voting Machine Lobbyists
The bills McConnell is blocking would subject the voting machine vendors to new cybersecurity regulations and could reduce their overall sales to states.
PUBLISHED ON JUN 10, 2019 4:56PM EDT
https://readsludge.com/2019/06/10/as-he-blocks-election-security-bills-mcconnell-takes-checks-from-voting-machine-lobbyists/
While Macron’s tree was dying and possibly unleashing pests that could cause harm to our trees and plants John Dean took the stand. He represents one of the most important Democrats to testify despite the fact that he has no present knowledge and was an outright crook that managed to satisfy Democratic needs to elevate his position so he wouldn’t spend too much time in jail. Yes, Democrats are that crooked.
Anyway Gohmert questioned Dean and in the process provided a list of Dean’s crimes. He got more into 4 minutes and 30 seconds than I have seen in a long time. He buried Dean in dirt while Macron’s tree went on to be sterilized something that should have also happened to John Dean.
Gohmert Blasts Dean: There Are Similarities Between Watergate and Russiagate.
https://saraacarter.com/gohmert-blasts-dean-there-are-similarities-between-watergate-and-russiagate-here-they-are/
Allan,
“While Macron’s tree was dying and possibly unleashing pests that could cause harm to our trees and plants”
Shipping containers from China (etc) ought to be quarantined, too. Emerald ash borers, Japanese beetles, stinkbugs, and spotted lanternfly (and others) are wreaking havoc here after hitching rides from Asia.
If looked at very closely, cargo ships from overseas probably look like Pigpen from Peanuts as they cruise into port.