8/5/2022

439 Responses to “Weekend Open Thread”

1. Hello.

   Dana (1225fc) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:17 am

   
   

2. Regardin Item Seven:

   Poll: Many Americans say 2nd Biden or Trump term would be ‘worst thing that could happen’ in 2024

   In a striking expression of the profound pessimism and polarization currently afflicting U.S. politics — as well as a growing aversion to both parties’ presidential front-runners — a plurality of registered voters now say it would be “the worst thing that could happen” if either President Biden (39%) or former President Donald Trump (41%) were to win the White House again in 2024, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

   Only about half as many voters say a second Trump term would be “the best thing that could happen” (22%). A mere 8% say the same about a second Biden term.

   Respondents were also given a chance to say that either president’s reelection would be “mostly bad,” “mostly good,” “a mix of good and bad” or “I’m not sure.”

   More chose “the worst thing that could happen” than any other option.
   ……..
   ……..Overall, only 26% of Americans think Biden is “up to the challenges facing the U.S.,” including just 17% of independents and an anemic 54% of Democrats.

   Most Americans also think Biden is either “changing too much about America” (30%) or “not changing it enough” (35%). Only 15% say Biden is changing the United States by “the right amount.”

   Asked whether the president should even run again in 2024, only 18% of Americans say yes — including a mere 29% of those who voted for him in 2020. …….
   ……..
   ……..(A) full 55% of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic now say they would rather see “someone else” as the party’s 2024 nominee. That is twice the number who say they would rather see Biden as the nominee (27%).

   Who else would Democrats prefer? Not Vice President Kamala Harris, who unsuccessfully sought the 2020 nomination. Assuming Biden doesn’t run in 2024, just 30% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they want Harris to be the nominee. Again, most (52%) say someone else — a number that rises to 55% among those who are actually registered to vote.
   ………
   ……..(W)hen asked what the result would be for America “if Joe Biden and Donald Trump run against each other for president again in 2024,” nearly half of Biden voters (49%) say a rematch would be “mostly bad” or “the worst thing that could happen”; just 10% think it would be mostly good or the best possible thing. In contrast, a plurality of Trump voters (44%) think a Trump-Biden rematch would be mostly good or the best possible thing, while just 21% think it would be mostly bad or the worst possible thing.
   ……..
   ……..(T)he new poll does contain several warning signs for Trump. For one thing, he continues to trail Biden 45% to 42% in a head-to-head matchup among registered voters — despite Biden’s glaring vulnerabilities. For another, a majority of registered voters (53%) now say — in the wake of the House select committee’s high-profile Jan. 6 hearings — that Trump should not even be allowed to serve as president again, due to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And even though Trump voters are not openly disparaging their party’s leader in the way Biden voters are, they are hardly unanimous in their support for him.

   ……..While a narrow majority (again, 53%) of Trump voters do still say he would be the GOP’s strongest candidate in 2024, that means that nearly as many of them say either that he would not be the strongest candidate (21%) or that they’re not sure (26%). Likewise, when given a choice, most Republicans and Republican-leaning independents don’t actually say they want Trump to be the 2024 nominee. Against “someone else,” for instance, just 48% choose Trump, while most either select the unnamed alternative (39%) or say they’re not sure (13%). Against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (35%), even fewer pick Trump (44%); more say they’re not sure (20%).
   ……..

   Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:39 am

   
   

3. How Americans feel about the prospect of a third major political party in the U.S.
   ……..The latest Economist/YouGov poll reveals that Americans generally have positive views of the value a third major party would add to the U.S. political system. Nearly half of Americans say they’d be willing to vote for a third party or independent candidate, though only around one-third report having done so in the past.

   When asked how they feel about a third political party in the U.S., more Americans say a third party is necessary (39%) than say the Democratic and Republican parties are enough to represent Americans (30%). The rest (31%) are unsure.

   ……..Across this spectrum, ranging from strong Democrats to strong Republicans, we find that Democratic-leaners are most likely to say a third party is necessary (62% say it is), while people who identify as strong Republicans are least likely to view one as necessary (26% do).

   …….The poll found that belief in the necessity of a third party is positively linked to holding liberal views on social issues: People who say they’re socially “very liberal” are most likely to support the formation of a third party (61%), while people who say they’re “very conservative” are least likely to support it (31%).

   Views on economic issues are less closely tied to third-party interest…….
   ……..
   Nearly half of Americans (46%) say they would consider voting for a third-party candidate, while only 22% say they would not; 32% say they’re not sure. …….
   ……..

   Given the fact that each state has different ballot access laws, which are deliberately difficult to meet, any significant impact of a national third party is doomed.

   Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:54 am

   
   

4. “In our nation’s 246 year history there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.” Dick Cheney

   … and Bobby Lee, Hirohito, Der Fuehrer, Stalin, Khrushchev, The Big Dick and OBL smiled.

   Is that light saber loaded, Darth? Always amusing when somebody who nearly shot somebody’s face off starts shooting his own face off– and firing blanks:

   https://www.westernjournal.com/dick-cheney-slings-personal-insults-donald-trump-last-minute-attack-ad-daughter-liz/

   America has spoken, Neocon:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iaej_HbaqZU

   DCSCA (6be6a4) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:58 am

   
   

5. Re Fifth News Item:

   Trump’s domesticated bovines snitched each other out the same way, with social media posts, in the Capitol invasion. But couldn’t this cloven-hoofed herbivore think of the poor cops she might be putting on the spot, and after they did her a favor, too?

   nk (df11d8) — 8/5/2022 @ 12:20 pm

   
   

6. NASA Targets Artemis Rocket Launch for Aug. 29 from Kennedy Space Center, Over 100,000 Spectators Expected

   BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – With less than one month until NASA’s first launch attempt for the Artemis I mission, teams move closer to finishing operations for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

   NASA is currently targeting launch for no earlier than Monday, Aug. 29, at 8:33 a.m. EDT during a two-hour window. A successful launch on Aug. 29 would result in a mission duration of about 42 days, returning Monday, Oct. 10. Engineers continue to progress through first time operations and are prepared learn and adapt along the way.

   https://spacecoastdaily.com/2022/08/nasa-targets-artemis-i-rocket-launch-mission-to-moon-for-monday-aug-29-from-kennedy-space-center/

   This should be as important- and as impressive an achievement- as the November, 1967 launch of the first Apollo/Saturn V stack. For those of us interested and alive at the time to see it, that Saturn launch remains a vivid memory– particularly for CBS News viewers, as elements of the TV studio fell in around Walter Cronkite as the powerful rocket soared into space:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uoVfZpx5dY&t=9s

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cke5ly4mZo

   DCSCA (6be6a4) — 8/5/2022 @ 12:23 pm

   
   

7. Dana said: “I am very sympathetic to decent people desperately fleeing unimaginable life circumstances from countries south of the border. Yet at the same time, Adams and those of the same mindset refuse to acknowledge the frustration of border states trying to handle the influx of migrants on a daily basis.”

   Well said! To which I would only add that I also have sympathy for the legal immigrants, like Francis Bok. And contempt for the extremes who have blocked reasonable compromises in Congress.

   (We can hope that this bipartisan initiative will have more success, than previous ones.)

   Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/5/2022 @ 12:24 pm

   
   

8. The Coming War Over Taiwan
   ……..
   Beijing’s belligerence might look like the mark of an ascendant superpower. But the reality is more complex. China isn’t so much a rising state as a peaking power, one that has acquired fearsome coercive capabilities—and soaring power ambitions—but now faces worsening challenges at home and abroad.
   ……..
   Look closer, however, and China’s future doesn’t seem so bright. ……
   ………
   But between now and the end of the decade, China has a tantalizing opportunity to secure unification by force. Mr. Xi’s reforms of the PLA—meant, among other things, to make it capable of taking Taiwan—are nearly complete. China is rapidly deploying missiles, aircraft, warships and rocket launchers that can pummel Taiwan; it is assiduously rehearsing large-scale amphibious assaults.

   Meanwhile, U.S. military power is about to dip. The mid-2020s will witness the mass retirement of aging U.S. cruisers, guided-missile submarines and long-range bombers, leaving the U.S. military with hundreds fewer missile launchers—the key metric of modern naval firepower—floating and flying around East Asia. ……..

   If war comes, it is likely to feature the massive application of force. Beijing could theoretically try to coerce Taiwan into unification with a more limited operation, such as an air-sea blockade or the seizure of Taiwan’s small offshore islands. Yet none of these options can guarantee Taiwanese capitulation, and all of them would give Taipei, Washington and other democracies time to mount a punishing response. To achieve its goals, China has to go big and brutal from the start.

   Its war plan could well involve a surprise missile and air attack against Taiwan and U.S. military bases in the Pacific, strikes on the satellite communications that underpin the American way of war and a wave of sabotage and assassinations within Taiwan—all as prelude to a massive airborne and amphibious invasion.

   Both U.S. and Taiwanese forces could be crippled as the PLA rushes toward its objectives…….
   ……..
   American forces in the Pacific are still concentrated at large bases, principally on Guam and Okinawa, that are highly vulnerable to missile attacks……..The fact that China faces an ugly long-term trajectory won’t be much consolation if Beijing nonetheless thrashes Washington and Taipei in the coming fight for dominance of the Western Pacific.
   ………
   First, the Pentagon can turn the Taiwan Strait into a deathtrap for attacking forces by stocking up on tools that are ready or nearly ready today. This means positioning hordes of missile launchers, armed drones, electronic jammers and sensors at sea and on allied territory near the strait. …….

   …….To prevent China from wrecking forward-stationed American forces at the start of a conflict, the U.S. must scatter those forces across dozens of small operating sites in East Asia. The few big bases that remain must be outfitted with hardened shelters, robust ballistic missile defenses and fake targets to absorb Chinese missiles………

   Another priority is for Washington to help Taiwan help itself. Taipei has smart plans to stock up on mobile missile launchers, mines and radars; harden its communications infrastructure; enlarge its army and ground-force reserves; and otherwise prepare to inflict sky-high costs on an aggressor. But Taipei isn’t implementing these plans fast enough……..

   The U.S. can help by donating ammunition and sensors, subsidizing Taiwanese procurement of missile launchers and mine layers, matching Taiwanese investments in vital military infrastructure and expanding joint training on crucial defense missions. American special operations forces can help Taiwan prepare for a lethal insurgency against Chinese occupiers, the threat of which may help deter an invasion in the first place. …….

   The U.S. also needs to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses. ……..
   ………

   Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 12:59 pm

   
   

9. The difference also is that Ukraine allows Amnesty International access while Putin does not, and they can only report on what they can see and/or confirm. It’s not unlike their coverage of Israel-Palestine.
   BTW, AI is getting pushback from none other than AI.

   “We did everything we could to prevent this report from going public,” wrote Oksana Pokalchuk, Amnesty Ukraine’s leader on Facebook. She and her team claim that there are several discrepancies in the report, which was compiled by foreign observers, without any assistance from local staff.

   Responding to questions about Amnesty International’s findings, Ukraine’s deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, said that Ukraine “regularly conducts evacuations of civilians from conflict areas.” Thousands can’t or won’t flee some of the towns along the front.

   Ms. Pokalchuk was so incensed that she resigned.

   Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:01 pm

   
   

10. it’s nice to see Liz squeezing the last bit of nepotism from her Dad

    after primary voters give her the boot, maybe the two will spend quality time together looking for that WMD

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:04 pm

    
    

11. BTW, Dana, I know the the time and effort it takes to research and write a round-up like this, because I’ve done it myself. Well done, especially for doing it week in and week out.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:07 pm

    
    

12. The difference also is that Ukraine allows Amnesty International access

    It just doesn’t allow men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the nation, which has been under martial law since the start of the Russian invasion.

    https://nypost.com/2022/02/25/ukraine-men-ordered-to-stay-and-fight-russia-as-others-flee/

    And Joe’s gonna hire 87,000 more IRS ‘folks’ to shakedown middle-class cake sale moms hiding cash in a tin box by the flour can on the counter in Upper Sandusky, Ohio; rifle city cabbies and waitresses for their tips to “give” to Ukraine for free.

    Attaboy, Joey. Piss off Americans from the ground up.

    DCSCA (6be6a4) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:09 pm

    
    

13. Related to Item 9:

    The Justice Department’s issuance of a grand-jury subpoena to former White House counsel Pat Cipollone signals that the criminal investigation of former President Trump is ramping up.
    ………
    The theory of executive immunity from congressional information demands is rooted in the Constitution’s separation-of-powers principles. Ordinarily, the immunity is aggressively defended by the Justice Department, an important executive-branch component. So it is notable that DOJ has substantially refrained from defending executive privilege in connection with the House January 6 committee’s investigation. (This is because President Biden, the incumbent, has not supported his predecessor’s attempts to invoke executive privilege in the committee’s investigation.)

    Obviously, though, a current or former executive-branch official’s constitutionally based immunity from congressional inquiries does not extend to inquiries undertaken by the executive branch itself.

    The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation with an eye toward prosecuting penal offenses, not a legislative inquiry with an eye toward potentially enacting curative laws. Going back to the Watergate era, the Supreme Court and the lower courts have reasoned that there is a higher public interest at stake in criminal investigations of public officials than in congressional inquiries. While the mere existence of a criminal investigation does not eviscerate executive privilege, the privilege must yield if prosecutors demonstrate that they have a specific need for important evidence, and that that evidence is not reasonably available from other sources. Ergo, unless prosecutors had concluded Cipollone possessed information vital to possible criminal charges, they would not have subpoenaed him to appear before the grand jury.
    ……..
    ……..[T]he Justice Department has a high interest in maintaining the full scope and potency of executive privileges, and thus ordinarily fights hard to defend and preserve them. So it is telling that the Justice Department itself has issued the subpoena to Cipollone in a situation that clearly triggers both executive privilege and a former president’s attorney-client privilege.

    If the Justice Department is fighting to pierce, rather than preserve, the privileges Cipollone might otherwise claim here, Cipollone and his private lawyers won’t have much luck asserting those privileges. They might try to assert executive privilege to avoid answering some questions, as they did when he was interviewed by the January 6 committee. But because President Biden has mostly waived executive privilege in this matter, such assertions would be likely to fail. ……..

    As for asserting attorney-client privilege, Cipollone would probably not get far with that either. To repeat, he was not the president’s private lawyer; he represented Trump in the conduct of lawful presidential duties, and only in the conduct of those duties. Moreover, when ostensibly privileged attorney–client communications are sought by prosecutors, it is usually in a context where either (a) the communications were arguably not privileged (because they were not confidential or didn’t specifically involve legal advice); or (b) the “crime-fraud exception” to the privilege applies (i.e., the law does not grant confidentiality, because the communications in question furthered a fraud or criminal-law violation).
    ………
    In particular, the DOJ appears to be homing in on whether the former president and his confederates conspired (a) to obstruct the constitutionally mandated January 6 joint session of Congress from counting state-certified electoral votes (corruptly obstructing Congress is a crime under Section 1512(c)(2) of the federal code); and/or (b) to defraud the United States government, specifically, by deceptively undermining its lawful functions, including the orderly transition of presidential administrations……

    The emerging theory appears to be as follows:
    ………
    All that said, it is not required that a scheme have a chance of success in order for it to be an actionable conspiracy under federal criminal law. A conspiracy is an agreement to violate the law. In conspiracy, the crime is the agreement itself, so it does not matter whether the criminal objective of the agreement ultimately is, or could have been, achieved.
    …….

    Emphases removed.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:19 pm

    
    

14. Bring on the third party.
    Call it the Neo Operation Union.

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:21 pm

    
    

15. Doomsday Trump Indictment Clock update

    still 100 seconds to midnight

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:34 pm

    
    

16. 100,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to bolster Putin’s forces fighting Ukraine
    ……..
    They would be deployed to the forces of the separatist pro-Putin Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] and Luhansk People’s Republic [LPR], both of which Kim has recently recognised as independent countries.

    “The country is ready to transfer up to 100,000 of its soldiers to Donbas,” said the report by the pro-Kremlin news agency.

    “Pyongyang will be able to transfer its tactical units to Donbas.”

    In return, grain and energy would be supplied to Kim’s stricken economy.

    The claim was seized on by (reserve colonel Igor Korotchenko), editor-in-chief of Russia’s National Defence journal on Rossiya 1 channel, who said: “There are reports that 100,000 North Korean volunteers are prepared to come and take part in the conflict.”

    He was challenged on whether they could be volunteers from North Korea where total obedience is required.

    But he said North Korean people were “resilient and undemanding” and “the most important thing is they are motivated”.

    He told viewers: “We shouldn’t be shy in accepting the hand extended to us by Kim Jung-un….

    “If North Korean volunteers with their artillery systems, wealth of experience with counter battery warfare and large calibre multiple launch rocket systems, made in North Korea, want to participate in the conflict, well let’s give the green light to their volunteer impulse.”

    He said: “If North Korea expresses a desire to meet its international duty to fight against Ukrainian fascism, we should let them.”

    It was the “sovereign right of the DPR and LPR to sign the relevant agreements”.

    Meanwhile Russia should end its participation in international sanctions against Kim’s regime, he claimed.
    ……..
    Recently (Korotchenko) urged Putin to bomb Kyiv with a Kalibr cruise missile inscribed ‘Hasta la vista baby!’ during any Boris Johnson farewell visit – not to “murder” the UK prime minister but in a show of strength.

    Russians should feel “no shame” of its ambition of obliterating Ukraine as an independent state, he also said recently.

    Such an objective was “absolutely healthy”, he said.

    “It was said here that Russia is trying to wipe Ukraine off the geopolitical map of the world,” he said.

    “It isn’t quite that.

    “We are wiping an anti-Russia project off the geopolitical map of the world….”

    Ukraine had “never existed” as a truly independent state in the past, he claimed.

    “It is an artificial ‘formation’ which was born thanks to the national policy conducted after 1917 by the Bolsheviks,” he said.
    ……..

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:34 pm

    
    

17. Police change account of crash killing Indiana Rep. Walorski

    Police have changed their description of the crash that killed Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, saying Thursday that it was the SUV in which she was a passenger that crossed a state highway’s centerline and caused the head-on collision.
    ……..
    Investigators determined that the SUV driven by Zachery Potts, 27, of Mishawaka, Indiana, crossed the centerline for unknown reasons in a rural area near the town of Wakarusa. Potts was Walorski’s district director and the Republican chairman for northern Indiana’s St. Joseph County. Also killed was Emma Thomson, 28, of Washington, D.C., who was Walorski’s communications director.
    …….

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:41 pm

    
    

18. New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney was forced to retract – sort of – her statement that Biden wouldn’t run in 2024. She apologized for saying it, and said she wants him to, but said she still believes he won’t run. (this was an answer to a question in a televised primary debate as to whether she wanted him to run, ad she must have thought it was a clever way of avoiding the question. It was used by the pro-Republican “Biden-is-on-the-way-to-dementia” media.)

    Nadler said it is too soon to tell. The third person, Patel, said yes.

    The parties have too much control

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3587627-maloney-to-biden-i-apologize-i-want-you-to-run-i-happen-to-think-you-wont-be-running

    Maloney to Biden: ‘I apologize. I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running.

    ep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) offered an apology to President Biden on Thursday after she declined to say if he should run for reelection in 2024 earlier this week, adding that she wants him to run.

    “Mr. President, I apologize. I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running, but when you run or if you run, I will be there 100 percent,” Maloney said while looking into the camera on CNN’s “New Day.”

    “You have deserved it. You are a great president. And thank you for everything you’ve done for my state and all the states and all the cities in America. Thank you, Mr. President.” ,,,

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:45 pm

    
    

19. The New York Mets got conned:

    Come for the ballgame. Stay for the Chinese Communist Party propaganda.

    That’s not the marketing slogan for the New York Mets’ “Evening of Chinese Culture” — but it might as well be.

    The Mets worked with the “Sino-American Friendship Association”, which looks to me like a ChiCom front. (The article, written and edited by people who have to be more polite than I do says: “the group’s ties to CCP officialdom are extensive.”)

    Conned, to be fair, by experts.

    Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:54 pm

    
    

20. It’s not so much a third party that people want, as a third – or fourth or fifth or sixth or seventh – serious candidate

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:54 pm

    
    

21. Fox Host: Women Must Be Married, Pregnant To Run For President

    Fox News host Jesse Watters said that a woman has to get married and then get pregnant before she is “ripe” enough to run for president of the United States.

    During Thursday night’s episode of Fox News’ “The Five,” Watters discussed the possibility of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) one day running for president.

    “With age comes wisdom and she’s pretty young. That’s my nice way of saying she’s not very smart,” Watters told his “The Five” co-hosts. “You know when you like pick a banana and the banana’s in your hand and it’s green and then even if you try to peel it, it’s still not even peeling? That’s AOC. She’s not ripe enough to run for president.”
    ……….
    Watters acknowledged Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s engagement, adding “then you have to get pregnant.”

    “Why?” Greg Gutfeld, a “The Five” co-host, asked Watters.

    “This is how it goes. Just follow me, Greg. You get married. Then you get pregnant and then once you have the baby, you have a family and the media loves it,” Watters explained. “They eat it up. And it makes you more of a mature person.”
    ……..
    This is not the first time a Fox News host has argued that a woman’s ability to be in a position of power hinges on whether or not she is currently or has previously been pregnant.

    On May 5, “FOX & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade said he didn’t “know why you’d give” a pregnant woman an “important” job when discussing Nina Jankowicz’s appointment to a Department of Homeland Security advisory board.

    At the time, Jankowicz was eight months pregnant.

    “I’m not sure how you get a job and then you just — you can’t do a job for three months,” Kilmeade said, referring to a three-month-long maternity leave the Fox News host assumed Jankowicz would take after giving birth.

    “I’m not faulting her,” he added, “but I don’t know why you would give someone a job that you think is so important.”
    ……….

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:56 pm

    
    

22. And Joe’s gonna hire 87,000 more IRS ‘folks’ to shakedown middle-class cake sale moms hiding cash in a tin box by the flour can

    But not people claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit, and not people with large incomes, since they have accountants and it is not over fast.

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:59 pm

    
    

23. Followup to Item 5:

    The Anchorage Police Department found that two officers violated policy during a July traffic stop in which a woman showed them a “white privilege card” instead of a driver’s license, but it’s unclear what — if any — disciplinary actions resulted.

    The incident has not led to any policy changes, the police department said. During a Public Safety Committee meeting Wednesday, Deputy Chief Sean Case made a broad statement about what happened and said the department always has room for changes or additions to their training.
    ……….
    Anchorage municipal code does require that all drivers carry their license on them at all times when operating a vehicle. Guerin said that police can do a computer check to determine whether a person has a valid driver’s license.

    Jeremy Conkling, a sergeant with the department and the president of the police union, said officers generally don’t write citations for minor offenses, like not having a physical license present. They have discretion in such situations, he said.
    ………
    Both (officers) were placed on administrative leave while the 11-day investigation was ongoing, Case said. Police would not provide additional information about the internal investigation, including which policies were violated and what, if any, repercussions the officers faced.

    “The investigation regarding the incident is completed and is a part of confidential personnel files that will not be released publicly,” department spokeswoman Guerin wrote.

    Both officers remain employed with the Anchorage Police Department, according to another APD spokeswoman, Cherie Zajdzinski.
    ………
    There have been no policy changes as a result of the incident, said police spokeswoman Renee Oistad.
    #########

    
    Apparently the “white privilege card” is also a “police privileges card.” No doubt the punishment was a slap on the wrist, if that.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:07 pm

    
    

24. I have some sympathy for border states being frustrated with immigration voting from non-border states. At the same time, it is a stunt. Plus, I feel sorry for anyone dumped into the middle of NYC. That shouldn’t have to happen to anyone (humor, har.) For all the controversy of CA’s immigration voting and policy, you can’t say that CA is ignorant about immigration.

    Regardless of their other qualities (or lack of), Trump and Biden are both too old to run for President again. However, with 30% of people being mad about too much change and 35% being mad about not enough change, that probably means that we are closer to the right amount than not.

    Good for the Napa police. The law should apply to everyone.

    Thoughts on a 3rd party: Kevin often says one could start in CA fairly easily, but looking at where the needs really are in the US and the people who are underserved, I kind of feel like the best place to look at the the people who need a 3rd party is probably somewhere in Appalachia or the Rust belt. Those are the areas that have experienced the most negative changes over the last 40 years or have the highest general economic need and I think if people went there and really listened and talked to the people in a real away about what they needed and might work or that they might find acceptable, a party could be formed outward that would be more likely to meet the needs of more people and not just make some of us feel better about voting for a party that was theoretically less crazy.

    Nic (896fdf) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:09 pm

    
    

25. I got a call today from a woman who is concerned that people in hospitals want very old people to die. Her father had Covid (She thinks he probably doesn’t have it any more, but he’s been in the hospital about a month and now they want to do palliative care)

    He was taken to a hospital she did not want (maybe mainly because she can’t monitor things that well there) She didn’t know that

    Hatzolah (the free Jewish ambulance service) operates also on Staten Island.

    I found out now, because she asked me to find out, that Hatzolah takes people where they want to go 90% of the time except maybe when they are not stable or the hospital they want is not taking patients.

    They made mistakes. Once blew up his arm and then wanted to insert an IV in the same place. His sodium went up (and later back down)

    She is concerned they don’t watch the patient enough and are not skilled enough, unlike the way they were a few years ago. She is a nurse and once they told her to do something herself when she wanted something done.

    He got aspiration pneumonia because she thinks the speech therapist wasn’t careful. He is now on oxygen.

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:14 pm

    
    

26. Bidenpox- hanging out in ones basement babbling incoherently.

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:18 pm

    
    

27. BTW, has Thomas Friedman registered as a foreign lobbyist?

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:19 pm

    
    

28. Those candidates are tardy in reporting for duty, Sammy.

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:21 pm

    
    

29. Sinema demanded that they drop a provision that would have increased taxes on “carried-interest” income for hedge fund managers. To which I respond:

    “WTF?!” ANd the MSM is letting her get away with it because she’s a Democrat and they are all-in for this bill. But let a Republican hold up something for a tax break for the 0.01% and every editorial in the country would denounce them as literally Satan.

    A free press is important to have in a country. This one is bought and paid for.

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:27 pm

    
    

30. I don’t know why a migrant would take a bus when they can travel in style on Demented Joe Airways

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:29 pm

    
    

31. “In our nation’s 246 year history there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.” Dick Cheney

    This is only true because someone shot Huey Long.

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:29 pm

    
    

32. no. really? i can’t believe this happened under this administration

    ICE comes up empty in effort to find missing border jumpers

    The Biden administration’s attempt to track down catch-and-release illegal immigrants and serve them with court summonses turned into a “complete waste of time,” according to officers who say they were pulled off higher priority cases to chase down “ghosts.”

    Out of a universe of more than 30,000 potential targets, officers were able to locate and serve only about 600, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sources.

    That means tens of thousands of illegal border crossers remain at large in the country without an official Notice to Appear for their immigration proceedings — and there are no good prospects for tracking them down.

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:36 pm

    
    

33. A Trump indictment, in addition to being unprecedented, will have a huge political component, as a majority of the GOP gives no indication that they believe he is guilty of anything…except for maybe bad taste. They are firmly in support of moving on. I think that complicates the legitimacy and perception of justice, rightly or wrongly. On the other side, does a non-indictment mean that certain people are above the law and that the way to avoid accountability is to run and win high enough office? It will be a circus. It is unlikely that Trump will take the high road of doing a deal to not run…..but maybe. We need the party leaders to have that conversation with their erstwhile (crazy) leader, but which ones are up to it? JF wants no discussion of Trump, because, I guess, he feels he will naturally or organically go away. I kind of doubt it. There needs to be a steady drum beat of people wanting to move on. Every person who can be made uncomfortable by the dereliction of duty is one fewer in polls saying that they will vote for him. We will see how 2022 shakes out, especially in terms of the Trumpiest. Drip drip drip. I see nothing wrong with writing about the leading personality in the GOP…until he’s not…

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:36 pm

    
    

34. There is one case of polio that in known – it got detected because the person got paralyzed. It’s not too well known, but many people who get polio do not suffer nerve damage because it is really an intestinal disease. Only a small fraction of the people who catch it suffer some paralysis.

    The reason we still have polio in the world is because of the vaccine. In the late 1960s they substituted alive virus vaccine for the killed virus. They recognize this is a mistake – they stopped using it in the United States in the year 2000 – but it continues to be used in many places in the world.

    The person in Rockland County got infected with a variant that circulated in Jerusalem and originated from a vaccine. Anti-vaccination propaganda also circulates there – enough to lower the percentage of 2-year olds vaccinated from about 78% to 60% and less in more defined communities.

    They noe tested wastewater (originally saved for Covid testing) and found it in a few places.

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:39 pm

    
    

35. The United States had 20 million doses of a smallpox vaccine, (also indicated for monkeypox)

    They had a (probably unnecessary) expiration date.

    They decided they wanted to make a freeze dried version with a longer expiration date.

    They underestimated the time it would take the DA to approve it, and didn’t replace the expirng vaccine, so they had virtually nothing

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/nyregion/monkeypox-vaccine-jynneos-us.html

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:43 pm

    
    

36. At several points federal officials chose not to quickly replenish doses as they expired, instead pouring money into developing a freeze-dried version of the vaccine that would have substantially increased its three-year shelf life.

    As the wait for a freeze-dried vaccine to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration dragged on over the last decade, the United States purchased vast quantities of raw vaccine product, which has yet to be filled into vials.

    The raw, unfinished vaccine remains stored in large plastic bags outside Copenhagen, at the headquarters of the small Danish biotech company Bavarian Nordic, which developed Jynneos and remains its sole producer.

    Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:44 pm

    
    

37. wow, looks like the US is the epicenter of monkeypox

    way to go, Trump

    way to go, red states

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:51 pm

    
    

38. China Announces Sanctions on Nancy Pelosi Over Taiwan Trip

    China announced sanctions on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her landmark trip to Taiwan this week, making her the highest-ranking US official designated for penalties by Beijing.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the unspecified sanctions against Pelosi and her immediate family after the speaker departed from Japan late Friday. Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing that tensions over Taiwan this week had been “entirely caused by Speaker Pelosi and US politicians.”

    China didn’t specify what the sanctions entailed, but previous measures have restricted individuals from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau, or doing business there. Such curbs are likely to be largely symbolic for Pelosi.

    Washington has so far resisted sanctioning Pelosi’s Chinese counterpart legislative leader and No. 3 official, Li Zhanshu, over his central role imposing the national security law on Hong Kong in 2020. Wang Chen, vice chairman of the legislature and a member of the 25-member Politburo, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to face US penalties.
    ………

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:52 pm

    
    

39. 100,000 North Korean soldiers could be sent to bolster Putin’s forces fighting Ukraine

    How ya gonna keep ’em on kimchi after they’ve seen borscht?

    nk (4a717e) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:01 pm

    
    

40. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 2:52 pm

    it’s the sanction on rice wine that’s gonna really hurt

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:04 pm

    
    

41. It just doesn’t allow men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the nation, which has been under martial law since the start of the Russian invasion.

    And it’s only under martial law because your war criminal pal, Vlad Putin, launched his latest immoral/illegal invasion on the rest of the country.
    Talk about blaming the victim here (and absolving the warmongering land-grubbing despot). Good grief, DC.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:16 pm

    
    

42. Third news item

    Gov. Abbott says first bus of migrants from Texas to NYC has arrived:

    “If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere”, the governor explained.

    nk (4a717e) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:17 pm

    
    

43. After lightning strike near White House kills 3, experts advise how you can stay safe during a thunderstorm

    [Stay away from Joe Biden, for starters…]

    ‘Three people were killed just outside the White House Thursday evening and one more was critically injured when they were struck by lightning as they stood beneath a grove of trees in Lafayette Park as a severe thunderstorm erupted.

    Wisconsin residents Donna Mueller, 75, and James Mueller, 76, were treated by members of the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Park Police but were later pronounced dead. A 29-year-old man whose name has not yet been made public also died and another victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.

    “We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park. Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday.‘ – source:

    https://news.yahoo.com/lightning-strike-white-house-experts-stay-safe-thunderstorm-182020876.html

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:27 pm

    
    

44. Hey, if New York wants to be a sanctuary city, they can be a sanctuary city.

    The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (e1efb2) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:30 pm

    
    

45. @33. A Trump indictment, in addition to being unprecedented, will have a huge political component, as a majority of the GOP gives no indication that they believe he is guilty of anything…except for maybe bad taste.

    Ivana, Marla and Melania are bad taste to our AJ.

    Got it.

    “Agarn, I don’t know why everybody says you’re so dumb.” – Sgt. Morgan O’Rourke [Forrest Tucker] ‘F-Troop’ ABC TV, 1965-67

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:33 pm

    
    

46. Mr Montagu wrote:

    It just doesn’t allow men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the nation, which has been under martial law since the start of the Russian invasion.

    And it’s only under martial law because your war criminal pal, Vlad Putin, launched his latest immoral/illegal invasion on the rest of the country.
    Talk about blaming the victim here (and absolving the warmongering land-grubbing despot). Good grief, DC.

    It’s obvious that Ukraine is doing everything it can to resist the Evil Hordes of Vladimir Vladimirovich, so this is a form of national conscription. Heck, we still require men turning 18 to register for the draft, even though we haven’t actually drafted anyone since the 1970s.

    But let’s not fool ourselves: just because Russia’s invasion and attempt at conquest is wholly wrong does not mean that the Ukrainian government is as pure as the wind-driven snow. There’s bad, and there’s not quite as bad.

    Prime Minister Churchill said, “If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favourable reference of the Devil in the House of Commons.”

    The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (e1efb2) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:35 pm

    
    

47. it’s nice to see Liz squeezing the last bit of nepotism from her Dad

    after primary voters give her the boot, maybe the two will spend quality time together looking for that WMD

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:04 pm

    Nepotism? I must have missed where he gave Liz and her husband high ranking White House positions for which they had neither qualifications nor experience. Did he do that? Did he pardon Liz’s father-in-law for crimes indistinguishable from those committed by many others who, absent the familial connection to someone with pardon power, will continue for the rest of their lives to be felons?

    Because those are the type of nepotistic violations of public trust that you’d surely decry from the rooftops if they occurred, right?

    No, all Cheney did was support his daughter’s candidacy and express agreement on a matter of public interest, a self-sacrificing position for which she’s being excoriated by tribal cultists who used to claim they shared principles with both Cheneys. Unless you’re Humpty Dumpty, that’s no one’s definition of nepotism.

    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:50 pm

    
    

48. China launches secret reusable spacecraft into low-Earth orbit

    ‘HELSINKI — China sent a highly-classified reusable experimental spacecraft into orbit Thursday, two years after a similarly clandestine mission. A Long March 2F rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert Aug. 4, sending a “reusable test space” into low Earth orbit, Chinese language state media Xinhua reported.

    Xinhua confirmed the successful launch around three hours after the 12:00 p.m. Eastern opening of a launch window, indicated by airspace closure notices issued days earlier. The terse report stated that the test spacecraft will “operate in orbit for a period of time” before returning to its intended landing site in China. Technical verification of reusable and in-orbit services will be carried out as planned to provide technical support for the peaceful use of space, according to a machine translation of the report.

    U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron (18 SDS) later tracked the spacecraft in 346 by 593 kilometer orbit inclined by 50 degrees. China’s space authorities have not released any images of the launch or related operations from this or a similar profile mission launched in 2020. The report did not state the mission to be a second flight of the spacecraft.

    While little is known about the spacecraft, it is speculated, based on previous statements and activities, that the vehicle is a spaceplane. It is possibly an orbital segment which will operate with a reusable suborbital stage, apparently tested in 2021. The latter involved a vertical takeoff and horizontal landing. The Long March 2F usually launches China’s Shenzhou crewed missions and has a payload capacity of just over eight metric tons to low Earth orbit, suggesting that the spacecraft could be similar in size and function to U.S. Air Force’s X-37B spaceplane. The Long March 2F and its payload fairing would have been modified to accommodate the launch the reusable test spacecraft.’ – source, https://spacenews.com/china-launches-secretive-reusable-test-spacecraft/

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:52 pm

    
    

49. Democrats Are Running as Opposition Party

    In a typical midterm election, the party not holding the presidency casts itself as a check on the incumbent administration, even more so when the president’s party controls both chambers of Congress. The elections of 1994, 2006, 2010, and 2018 all started with unified government and all ended with the out-party winning control of the House (and the Senate in 1994).

    The in-party has never been able to wear the “check and balance” mantle—until this year. …..

    The first involves the Supreme Court. Historically we refer to the legislative and executive as the “political branches,” as opposed to the supposedly apolitical judiciary. The general public no longer sees the Court that way. In a Quinnipiac University survey, 63 percent of voters agreed that “the Supreme Court is mainly motivated by politics.” And a Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that 74 percent of adults say the Court has become “too politicized.”

    If people regard the Court as a political branch that is overreaching what the public wants, then they may view the midterms as a way to check it.
    ………
    Another target for checks and balances is Donald Trump. In normal times, voters would not see any need to check the loser of the last presidential election. But these are not normal times. Trump is likely to run in 2024 and has already said as much.

    Most Republican voters believe the lie that Trump won the 2020 election and as we saw on January 6, some of them are willing to act on that delusion. Trump and his followers are openly trying to stock Congress and state governments with election deniers. Many of them will be in office next year. Accordingly, a vote for Democrats is a vote against a powerful foe—not an incumbent administration, but a government-in-waiting and its accomplices.
    ……..
    Democrats have many problems. The economy is rocky and Biden is deeply unpopular. …….

    And yet, Democrats have been handed an opportunity to portray themselves as the opposition party. For the last five election cycles, that has been a good place to be.
    ###########

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:55 pm

    
    

50. Ukraine should just simply drop the draft

    https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/world/middleeast/ukraine-soldiers-recruitment-draft.html

    Sammy Finkelman (743fe6) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:55 pm

    
    

51. @41. ‘And it’s only under martial law’ because of your corrupt pal, comedian Bugs “bite ‘Z’ hand that feed him with free $ from sucker USA’ Moran. T’was his dictate ruling.

    FIFY.

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:59 pm

    
    

52. Ukraine should change its name to East Taiwan, Sammy.

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:00 pm

    
    

53. Where do the contributions to Trump’s “Save America” political action committee go? Among other places to Melania:

    The fund affiliated with former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election paid $60,000 to a fashion designer known for styling Melania Trump’s wardrobe when the couple was in the White House.

    (Link omitted.)

    I think that qualifies her as “high maintenance”, which should surprise exactly no one.

    Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:03 pm

    
    

54. “…after primary voters give her the boot, maybe the two will spend quality time together looking for that WMD”

    … and greeted as liberators. 😉

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:18 pm

    
    

55. We’re talking about people (Trump’s donors) who believed a guy that owned 17 golf resorts when he said “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to go play golf”, Jim. $60,000 for Melania’s wardrobe may be the smallest drop of blood Trump has sucked out of them.

    nk (0bcee0) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:19 pm

    
    

56. Nepotism? I must have missed where he gave Liz and her husband high ranking White House positions for which they had neither qualifications nor experience.
    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 3:50 pm

    umm, I mean, like….

    “Cheney is the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and Second Lady Lynne Cheney. She held several positions in the U.S. State Department during the George W. Bush administration, notably as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.”

    In 2002, she was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, a position that didn’t exist before, which sounds something like Assistant to the Traveling Secretary for the New York Yankees

    i hope someone in the media or here comes along and calls out ivanka and Jared for nepotism but, yeah, until that unlikely event ever happens I guess I’m a hypocrite, you got me

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:21 pm

    
    

57. Cue the cheesy disco inspired intro song…

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-group-may-revoke-paul-060042489.html

    urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:22 pm

    
    

58. @55. Pfft. And then there’s “Maude” …

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/01/16/adding-up-the-first-ladys-wardrobe/377a4e4a-fdda-410d-b784-f671a8577eb7/

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:25 pm

    
    

59. nk – The Save America PAC claims to be working to “stop the steal”, which is, I think you will agree, ironic. (Though I should add that the payments appear to be legal.)

    Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:29 pm

    
    

60. The West Needs to Call Russia’s Bluff on Peace in Ukraine
    ………
    The message from Moscow has been, and continues to be, contradictory and tactically tailored to the audience. Dangling the prospect of peace talks is intended to weaken support for Ukraine, divide its supporters, and diminish Russia’s international isolation.

    For a reliable indicator of Russian intentions, look to what they are doing on the ground. It looks nothing like a prelude to a political settlement. Instead Moscow is preparing for escalation and a land grab. This includes preparation to annex territory currently under its control, gain control of additional territory, conduct attacks on major cities outside the Donbas region, and eradicate the Ukrainian identity wherever possible.
    ……..
    For many reasons, including future stability and order in Europe and the vital task of dealing with China, a political settlement of the Ukraine conflict is the most desirable outcome. But getting there will require improving Ukraine’s ability to impose risks on Russia and substantially increasing the international political costs to Russia. This demands the West take three steps.

    First, deter Russian escalation and prevent the annexation of its recently conquered Ukrainian territory. Successful deterrence requires the cost of escalation and annexation to exceed the benefit in Russia’s eyes. One step that may force Moscow to recalculate is for senior U.S. officials to clearly convey that Russian escalation will be met by an accompanying escalation of American support for Ukraine……..

    Second, improve the chances that Ukraine’s planned offensive operations succeed by ensuring that their plans are realistic and thoroughly evaluating their assets. ……..

    Third, make a better case for other countries to support Ukraine. ……. Ukrainians are the best spokesmen for their own cause. The U.S. should help them make their case—to the receptive West, around the world and inside Russia.

    The U.S. should be ready to facilitate and support a peaceful settlement. But the Russians will become serious about negotiations only if they see significant risks, costs and potentially failure ahead. A protracted conflict is acceptable to them, and they are content to seize Ukraine inch by bloody inch. To defeat their cruel logic will require making the conflict hit Russia closer to home.
    ##########

    Related:

    Now Putin is opposed to nuclear war?

    The tenth Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference kicked off this week at the United Nations. Representatives from all of the signatory nations are attending and the conference will run until August 26. During the conference’s opening remarks, the representative from Russia said something that raised questions among many of the attendees. He claimed to be delivering a message from Vladimir Putin, flatly declaring that nuclear war should not be a consideration for any nation. A nuclear war, he said, “cannot be won and must never be fought.” The United States sent Antony Blinken to address the conference and he was rightly skeptical of Putin’s renewed embrace of non-proliferation. (Associated Press)
    ……..
    Still, it’s rather odd to have anyone from Russia delivering that particular message. Putin is the one who has been reminding the world about his vast stockpile of WMDs and threatening “consequences you have never seen.” ……
    ……….
    It’s a pity that we can’t take Putin’s message very seriously because it’s actually a solid principle. ……

    I’d like to think that Russia has just been bluffing about a nuclear first strike. Unfortunately, I’m no longer entirely sure of that. China is probably far less likely to launch a nuclear first strike, but if push comes to shove they will wind up siding with Russia. But there’s no telling what Mad Vlad might do these days. If it looks like Russia is eventually in danger of losing the war in Ukraine entirely, we can’t rule out the possibility that he’ll light off a nuke. And then the world will hold its breath for a moment and wait to see how everyone else responds. You might want to practice hiding under your desk like we did back in the 60s.
    ###########

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:35 pm

    
    

61. CRASHES CAR INTO A HOME IGNITING FIRE… Severely Burned, Taken Away By Ambulance

    Anne Heche has been left severely burned and intubated in hospital after a fiery car crash. The ‘Vanished’ actress, 53, was reportedly driving her blue Mini Cooper on a suburban street in Los Angeles around noon when she smashed into the garage of an apartment complex.

    According to TMZ, witnesses tried to help Anne out of the vehicle, but she allegedly backed up and drove off before crashing into another home where her car became “engulfed” in flames. A bottle with a red cap was seen in the car’s cup holder shortly before the accident. Aerial shots of video from the accident show smoke billowing out of the home in which she crashed into.

    Sources told TMZ Anne is currently intubated in the hospital, but “expected to live”. One added: “Her condition prevents doctors from performing any tests to determine if she was driving under the influence of alcohol.” Famed for her high-profile romance with Ellen DeGeneres in the 1990s, Anne spoken openly about her previous battle with substance abuse. “She told ABC News in 2020: “I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.”

    https://www.tmz.com/2022/08/05/anne-heche-crashes-car-home-burned-fire/

    DCSCA (d5a108) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:36 pm

    
    

62. Russian lab head supporting hypersonic missile program held for treason – TASS

    The director of a Russian laboratory working on hypersonic missiles, a weapon where President Vladimir Putin claims a strategic advantage for Russia, has been arrested on suspicion of treason, the state-run TASS news agency reported on Friday.
    ……..
    Andrei Shiplyuk heads the hypersonics laboratory at the Novosibirsk Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and has in recent years coordinated research to support the development of hypersonic missile systems, according to the institute’s website.

    Last month, TASS reported that another senior scientist at Shiplyuk’s institute, situated in Novosibirsk’s Soviet-era Akademgorodok science park, around 2,800 km (1,750 miles) east of Moscow, had also been arrested.
    ………
    TASS on Friday cited Shiplyuk’s colleagues as saying searches had been conducted at the institute, and also reported an unidentified source as saying Shiplyuk had been transferred to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.
    ………
    A number of Russian scientists have been charged in recent years with treason, punishable by up to 20 years in jail, for allegedly passing sensitive material to foreigners. Critics of the Kremlin say the arrests often stem from unfounded paranoia.

    Dmitry Kolker, a doctor of physics and mathematics at Novosibirsk State University specialising in lasers, died of pancreatic cancer last month, shortly after being detained on suspicion of collaborating with Chinese security services.
    ###########

    Sad!

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:41 pm

    
    

63. https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2022/08/05/this-kidnapping-and-murder-story-out-of-alabama-is-awful-n487777

    Biden keeps letting murderers and rapists to come and go freely through our open southern border.

    NJRob (eb56c3) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:44 pm

    
    

64. But let’s not fool ourselves: just because Russia’s invasion and attempt at conquest is wholly wrong does not mean that the Ukrainian government is as pure as the wind-driven snow.

    True, but it’s an internal matter and none of Putin’s business and gives him no casus belli, and if an impure government is a legitimate reason to invade, then Zelenskyy has more right than Putin’s corrupt authoritarian regime.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:46 pm

    
    

65. I hope Trump runs again.

    Headlong into oncoming traffic.

    norcal (da5491) — 8/5/2022 @ 5:00 pm

    
    

66. Democrats have been just as extreme by demanding abortion through the ninth month.

    They don’t demand it in New Mexico, they have it. And they gaslight anyone who wants anything different.

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 5:03 pm

    
    

67. Ukraine should just simply drop the draft

    Believe it or not, Ukraine doesn’t care what people safely in NY think they should do.

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 5:11 pm

    
    

68. @64. …whined Ness about Moran and Capone.

    ‘During 2019, Ukraine had a large net trade with Russia in the exports of Metals ($1.7B), Chemical Products ($897M), and Machines ($737M). During 2019, Russia had a large net trade with Ukraine in the exports of Mineral Products ($2.33B), Chemical Products ($963M), and Machines ($760M).

    https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-country/ukr/partner/rus

    https://tradingeconomics.com/ukraine/exports/russia

    ‘No businessman likes to see competition swoop in and steal their business, and local is a huge factor when it comes to gang business. So-and-so runs drugs here, what’s-his-name provides protection there, and so forth. When money and power were on the line, neither Bugs Moran nor Al Capone was the type to back down… Capone wasn’t exactly known for letting other mobsters get between him and his customers, so he schemed to put a stop to Moran’s competition once and for all.

    After catching wind of an operation run by Moran’s North Side Gang in a garage at 2122 North Clark Street, Capone sent in his men dressed as police officers, according to Britannica. The disguises made it seem like any other police raid — a common occurrence in those days — so Moran’s gang didn’t put up much of a fight when Capone’s guys lined them up against the wall. Chances are, they thought they were going to be arrested and spend a few hours in jail. Instead, Capone’s gangsters slaughtered Moran’s seven men. The event took place on Valentine’s Day, 1929 — the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

    https://www.grunge.com/280266/the-truth-about-al-capones-rival-bugs-moran/

    Read More: https://www.grunge.com/280266/the-truth-about-al-capones-rival-bugs-moran/?utm_campaign=clip

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:08 pm

    
    

69. New yorkers could send stuff to gov. abbott and deep republican districts in texas too.

    asset (5132b8) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:12 pm

    
    

70. Believe it or not, Ukraine doesn’t care what people safely in NY think they should do.

    They will when the money and arms stop.

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:12 pm

    
    

71. the maggots and the cons were shocked that 59% of people in kansas don’t care about their anti-abortion crappola!

    asset (5132b8) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:16 pm

    
    

72. New yorkers could send stuff to gov. abbott and deep republican districts in texas too.

    AOC?

    nk (61d82b) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:27 pm

    
    

73. @70 Why because you say so? I understand your cynical attitude america has backed people who don’t want to fight since the vietnam war. Afganistan being the latest example. We are not sending troops or advisers to do their fighting for them. Only a third of americans supported our revolutionary war and lincoln was bedeviled by corruption during the civil war. America refused to help the government during the spanish civil war ;but they fought on to the last as they ran out of ammunition. At the start of the war cynic’s were saying ukraine is corrupt unlike russia and the whole country will fall within a week. War has a way of separating the wheat from the chaffe. Thomas paine wrote about the sunshine patriot as opposed starving troops who stood guard in bare feet in freezing weather at valley forge.

    asset (5132b8) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:34 pm

    
    

74. @73. Because Z has already displayed a nasty habit of publicly biting the hand that feeds it. Repeatedly. He’s a corrupt clown– literally.

    A bum.

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:44 pm

    
    

75. Federal Judge Rejects Trump’s Absolute Immunity Claim and Refuses to Dismiss Lawsuits of Four U.S. Capitol Cops
    ……..
    “In these three matters, four U.S. Capitol Police officers have sued former President Donald J. Trump for damages arising from injuries they sustained during the events of January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol Building,” (U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta’s) order began. “Plaintiffs’ allegations and claims are the largely the same as those advanced by the U.S. Capitol Police plaintiffs in Blassingame v. Trump.”
    ……..
    “In nearly identically worded motions, President Trump has moved to dismiss all three actions on one ground: he is absolutely immune from suit because the acts complained of fall within the ‘outer perimeter’ of his presidential responsibilities,” the order said. “The court already rejected President Trump’s assertion of immunity in Blassingame. The court does so again.”
    ………
    The judge previously found that Trump could not assert presidential immunity from several claims brought by officer James Blassingame in connection with Jan. 6.

    “After all, the President’s actions here do not relate to his duties of faithfully executing the laws, conducting foreign affairs, commanding the armed forces, or managing the Executive Branch,” the Feb. 2022 ruling said. “They entirely concern his efforts to remain in office for a second term. These are unofficial acts, so the separation-of-powers concerns that justify the President’s broad immunity are not present here.”
    ……….

    Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:46 pm

    
    

76. @73. He’s nothing more than Moran battling Capone. And an ungrateful SOB.

    Zelenskyy Accuses West Of Cowardice In Helping Ukraine Fight

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ukraine-zelenskyy-accuses-west-cowardice-russia-war_n_6240e2f2e4b0ab00739b7584

    Zelensky will ‘name and shame’ the West for not doing enough to defend his country and will ask for MORE weapons in address to Congress he asked for on Wednesday morning

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10615015/Zelensky-shame-West-not-doing-speech-Congress.html

    “They don’t call him ‘Bugs’ for nothing.” – Al Capone [Jason Robards] ‘The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’ 1967

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 6:54 pm

    
    

77. Whitewashing Ukraine’s Corruption

    The country is not a symbol of freedom and liberal democracy.

    “The notion that Ukraine was such an appealing democratic model in Eastern Europe that the country’s mere existence terrified Putin may be a comforting myth to U.S. politicians and pundits, but it is a myth. Ukraine is far from being a democratic‐​capitalist model and an irresistible magnet for Russia’s groaning masses. The reality is murkier and troubling: Ukraine has long been one of the more corrupt countries in the international system. In its annual report published in January 2022, Transparency International ranked Ukraine 123rd of the 180 countries it examined, with a score of 32 on a one to 100 point scale. By comparison, notoriously corrupt Russia ranked just modestly lower, 139th, with a score of 29.

    Ukraine’s track record of protecting democracy and civil liberties is not much better than its performance on corruption. In Freedom House’s 2022 report, Ukraine is listed in the “partly free” category, with a score of 61 out of a possible 100. Other countries in that category include such bastions of liberal democracy as Rodrigo Duterte’s Philippines (55), Serbia (62), Hungary (59), and Singapore (47). Interestingly, Hungary—which has been a target of vitriolic criticism among progressives in the West because of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative social policy—ranks eight points higher than Ukraine, which is the recipient of uncritical praise from the same Western ideological factions.

    Even before the war erupted, there were ugly examples of authoritarianism in Ukraine’s political governance. Just months after the 2014 Maidan revolution, there were efforts to smother domestic critics, which accelerated as years passed. Ukrainian officials also harassed political dissidents, adopted censorship measures, and barred foreign journalists whom they regarded as critics of the Ukrainian government and its policies. Such offensive actions were criticized by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other independent observers. The neo‐​Nazi Azov Battalion was an integral part of President Petro Poroshenko’s military and security apparatus, and it has retained that role during Zelensky’s presidency…”

    https://www.cato.org/commentary/whitewashing-ukraines-corruption

    Yankee-Doodle-$ucker$.

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:05 pm

    
    

78. Idahoans spent a record amount on liquor in past year. The top seller is ‘off the charts’
    ……..
    Liquor sales statewide hit a whopping $305.6 million during fiscal year 2022, which ended June 30. That’s the first time they’ve passed the $300 million mark. A record! Overall, sales grew 2.9% from the prior year’s $297 million.

    Simultaneously, overall volume decreased. By 1.5%.

    How’s that possible, you ask from your barstool?

    Idahoans purchased fewer half gallons and more fifths, said Tony Faraca, CFO of the Liquor Division — dropping more coin in the process.
    ………
    Here are Idaho’s best-selling liquors during fiscal 2022 based on dollar sales.

    1. Tito’s Handmade Vodka ($13,501,975): Is it Tito’s grass-roots marketing? Is it the so-called “craft” distilling? Tito’s loves dogs. Is that it, Boise? …….

    2. Pendleton Canadian Whisky ($8,295,435) …..

    3. Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey ($7,224,432)……..

    4. Crown Royal Canadian Whisky (regular not flavored, $6,999,387): Created by Seagram, this classic is the best-selling Canadian whiskey in the United States.

    5. Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 ($6,682,621): Your dad drank it. So did your grandpa. Always solid mixed with cola.
    ………..

    Here are Idaho’s most popular liquors based on overall volume — total ounces sold — in fiscal 2022:

    1. Tito’s Handmade Vodka (60,632 nine-liter cases sold)………..

    2. Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey (41,674): Brush your teeth with it if you want. But at 66 proof, try not to guzzle this candy-like liquid.

    3. Stroika Vodka (39,547)……

    4. Black Velvet Blended Canadian Whisky (regular, 36,834)………

    5. Smirnoff Vodka (regular, 36,419): Vodka is the nation’s best-selling spirit, and Tito’s leads the category. But worldwide? Smirnoff is the planet’s best-selling vodka.
    ………

    State liquor stores? How socialist. If I lived in Idaho I’d start drinking heavily. Too cold and no beaches.

    Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:09 pm

    
    

79. Empty Rikers and Sing Sing with one way tickets and deploy the garbage scows to the Gulf.

    urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:10 pm

    
    

80. Hell, send’em to Zelinsky; birds of a feather.

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:12 pm

    
    

81. NASA halts spacewalks after water leaked into astronaut’s helmet

    NASA is halting all spacewalks at the International Space Station over concerns about the safety of decades-old spacesuits after water leaked into one astronaut’s helmet while working outside the station. – CNN.com

    Guess where’s the decades-old suits were made, Senator Biden?

    Delaware.

    https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2022/08/06/nasa-halts-spacewalks-spacesuit-problems-water-leak-astronaut-helmet-iss-fisher-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn

    DCSCA (1dc81a) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:18 pm

    
    

82. @78: There is a pecking order in whiskeys, and Canadian Whiskey is just slightly better than Japanese Whiskey. Bourbon and Scotch are far better. I don’t know what to say about cinnamon whiskey, except thank God there was no such thing when I was still drinking. I think I;’d rather drink Ouzo.

    Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:34 pm

    
    

83. Russian Media Watch:

    Putin’s Pals Furious Younger Russians Don’t Want to Die in Ukraine

    As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marches on, there is a dark undercurrent of waning public support—and it’s coming through even on tightly-controlled state television.……
    ………
    ……… Conversations about legalizing the participation of foreign fighters alongside Russian forces have been a recurring topic in state media, and for a good reason: everyday citizens are less than enthusiastic about the prospect of going to war or dying for Putin. That doesn’t sit well with top pro-Kremlin propagandists, such as state TV host Vladimir Solovyov—twice formally recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin for his services in the benefit of the Fatherland.

    During Thursday’s broadcast of his show, The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, the host complained: “It irritates me that our society doesn’t understand that a watershed moment is currently taking place. We either stand up, build up and end up on another level, or simply cease to exist.” His guest, political scientist Alexander Kamkin, concurred and suggested that a “cultural special operation” be conducted in Russia.

    ……… (O)n Monday during Solovyov’s show, convicted Russian agent Maria Butina suggested jailing parents whose children use VPN to access foreign media. The host was likewise disappointed with the younger generation’s lackluster involvement in Putin’s war, complaining: “People who are planning to join [the military] are mainly of the same age as me, some are a bit younger… That is the generation that was raised on Soviet movies, Soviet literature and values. But the very young people I talk to, they faint if they cut their finger—and they see that as their democratic values… The special military operation is our Rubicon. I get the feeling that many here still can’t grasp it.”

    Writer Zakhar Prilepin, who is wanted by Ukraine’s SBU security service on charges of “taking part in the activity of a terrorist organization” for his involvement in Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, added: “We really need volunteers, we aren’t hiding that. We need to replenish dislodged personnel. Meanwhile, the topic of death is silenced. The topic of perishing is curtailed. In a society motivated by comfort, you can’t talk about death. Everyone is expected to go to war, win and come back alive. Better yet, not to go in the first place. …….”
    ………
    Solovyov suggested the rules protecting conscripts from taking part in combat should be changed: “You know what amazes me most of all? That the conscripts in our Army are not supposed to fight… So what are they supposed to do in the Army?” He complained that not many enough volunteers have joined the battle: “We have 150 million people. How many are fighting in Donbas?” The state TV host proposed a massive government-funded propaganda campaign, glorifying the participants of Russia’s so-called “special operation” in film and on television, with songs and poetry.

    Gone are the days when state TV propagandists were predicting that other countries would flock to Russia’s side to join the battle against Ukraine and the West…….
    #########

    Rip Murdock (f3fd73) — 8/5/2022 @ 7:41 pm

    
    

84. nk @ 42,

    Lol.

    Dana (1225fc) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:00 pm

    
    

85. Trump Says Statute of Limitations Shouldn’t Apply to His Clinton RICO Lawsuit Because He Spent Four Years ‘Immersed’ in the ‘Unrelenting Demands’ of the Presidency

    Attorneys for Donald Trump on Thursday filed a series of reply motions in an attempt to keep a RICO lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and a collection of others alive in federal court. One of the replies argues, in essence, that the usual statute of limitations for the type of lawsuit he filed simply shouldn’t apply to him because he spent four years in the Oval Office and couldn’t be bothered with suing some of his own subordinates in the government.
    ………
    The Trump reply seeks to override several defense motions to dismiss the widely criticized case. The defendants largely argued that the statute of limitations for any civil wrongs connected to the 2016 election has long since passed.
    ………
    The usual statute of limitations for RICO claims is four years, but Trump’s attorneys asserted that the usual calculation shouldn’t apply in this case. That’s because they say Trump “was immersed in the diligent execution of his presidential duties during a majority of the relevant time period while Defendants were making every effort to conceal their illicit conduct.”
    ………
    Elsewhere, Trump’s attorneys asserted that he could not have filed the lawsuit earlier because it “would have been improper for Plaintiff — the head of the Executive Branch and most prominent member of the United States government — to sue his Executive Branch subordinates” such as James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Bruce Ohr, and others. Doing so could have caused issues with the probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the reply motion claims, or otherwise interfered with “numerous high-profile investigations and proceedings taking place during that time which related to the underlying facts and circumstances” of the matter at bar.
    ……….

    Consistent with this reasoning, Plaintiff should be afforded an equitable tolling in the instant matter as to all applicable statutes of limitations for the duration of time that he was serving as President of the United States. Given the immense and unrelenting demands involved in serving as President, Plaintiff was simply not in a position to commence a lawsuit against Defendants during the time he was in office, particularly not one as complex and wide-spanning as the present action. As a sitting President, Plaintiff tirelessly devoted himself to serving the Nation and ensuring the well-being of the American people. Indeed, it was his obligation and duty – any other course of action would have been “to the detriment of . . . the Nation that the Presidency was designed to serve.” It follows, therefore, that Plaintiff should not be penalized for choosing to forego his own self-interests in favor of fully and faithfully executing his duties as President. It is difficult to envision a more “equitable circumstance” that requires accommodation in “the interests of justice.”

    Trump’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks to toll the statute of limitations the entire time Trump was in office from January 20, 2017 through January 20, 2021.

    Clinton’s attorneys previously argued that Trump was aware of all the alleged conspiratorial activity in 2016 — or 2017 at the very latest. Therefore, in their view, the statute of limitations should summarily dispatch the litigation without much additional thought.

    ……… Trump’s lawyers (also) filed a separate document to object to attempts to rubbish the litigation by fired FBI director Comey, fired FBI Deputy Director McCabe, fired FBI agent Peter Strzok, resigned FBI lawyer Lisa Page, and former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith. Using the Westfall Act, the government certified that Trump sued those defendants — known collectively as the “government defendants” — for alleged acts undertaken within the scope of their employment. Under the Westfall Act, the government may be substituted as a defendant and an individual employee may be removed from a lawsuit. ……..
    ………
    Trump’s legal team on Friday argued that the acts of the government defendants were outside the scope of their employment and therefore did not qualify for protection under Westfall Act substitution:
    ……….
    Additional reply motions by Trump’s legal team were also filed Thursday. …….
    ……….

    Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:08 pm

    
    

86. “Cheney is the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and Second Lady Lynne Cheney. She held several positions in the U.S. State Department during the George W. Bush administration, notably as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.”

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 4:21 pm

    That would be an interesting data point had my objection been that you wrongly accused Cheney of nepotism over government jobs Liz held twenty years ago. But of course it wasn’t. I objected to your assertion that it was nepotistic of him to endorse her candidacy and positions last week. The idea that a retired politician endorsing his daughter’s Congressional campaign constitutes nepotism is, to be kind, incoherent.

    i hope someone in the media or here comes along and calls out ivanka and Jared for nepotism but, yeah, until that unlikely event ever happens I guess I’m a hypocrite, you got me

    Without an apples to apples comparison, I can’t say whether you’re being a hypocrite. What I can say is, If Ivanka ever runs for office, Donald makes her a campaign ad, and you don’t accuse him of nepotism, then yeah, you’re a hypocrite. Do I have my suspicions about how vanishingly small the chances are that you’d say that? Duh. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see to be sure.

    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:50 pm

    
    

87. DC, I note that neither you nor Cato mention the Freedom House assessment Russia, which is “not free”, scoring only 19 out of 100 on civil liberties and political rights, putting Putin in the category of “Consolidate Authoritarian Regime”, while Ukraine is a “Semi-Consolidated Democracy”. It is funny how you America First fascists keep blaming the victim and absolving the bully. It’s practically pathological.

    And since you brought up press freedom, Reporters Without Borders ranks Russia at 155th slightly better than Afghanistan, while is notably better at 106th. And if you’re in Russia and that Russia is at war where the authorities can hear you, you may very have Brittney Griner as your penal colony neighbor. Anyways, Putin’s conduct in 2022 Ukraine showed his colors, not unlike how your comments have revealed yours.

    Again, although Ukraine is an imperfect struggling democracy, gives Putin no right or casus belli to conduct his illegal/immoral invasion, or to commit war crimes in his efforts to culturally cleanse this sovereign nation.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:57 pm

    
    

88. Is it Tito’s grass-roots marketing?

    I have a one-word answer: Costco. The Montagu household has a jug of Tito’s in the freezer.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:58 pm

    
    

89. I don’t know what to say about cinnamon whiskey…

    I do. It’s excellent in egg nog, and when we’re skiing, a little Fireball in the flask works really well.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 9:03 pm

    
    

90. @87. And the RINO blows his horn. Rationalizing giving billions to support corruption… is corruption. Keep it up.

    … and Capone smiled.

    “They don’t call him ‘Bugs’ for nothing.” – Al Capone [Jason Robards] ‘The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’ 1967

    DCSCA (0ffbdd) — 8/5/2022 @ 9:08 pm

    
    

91. lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:50 pm

    lurker, when you’re asked to select all the pictures that have traffic lights in them do you always fail?

    JF (a6d404) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:17 pm

    
    

92. Am I a commie or a bot? Make up your mind.

    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:26 pm

    
    

93. BTW, Dana, I know the the time and effort it takes to research and write a round-up like this, because I’ve done it myself. Well done, especially for doing it week in and week out.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 1:07 pm

    I second the appreciation for the effort it must take, as well as the kudos for a job well done.

    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:43 pm

    
    

94. It is funny how you America First fascists keep blaming the victim and absolving the bully. It’s practically pathological.

    Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/5/2022 @ 8:57 pm

    Serious question for DC: Are you right wing or left? I’ve assumed left, but I confess I have a hard time discerning a consistent, coherent POV.

    lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:45 pm

    
    

95. @90 why do you want putin to win. We gave aid to stalin to defeat hitler

    asset (f9c6ce) — 8/5/2022 @ 11:58 pm

    
    

96. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/08/06/sneaky-mitch-strikes-again/#more-236182
    This a-hole needs to be removed fromAmerica.

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:48 am

    
    

97. https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/transgender-breaks-in-the-last-5-seconds/
    what a joke

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:55 am

    
    

98. https://thefederalist.com/2022/08/05/exclusive-report-shows-biden-admin-run-by-former-registered-foreign-agents/
    Nice going non Trump voters.
    you people own this administration

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:59 am

    
    

99. Biden takes an oath of office to defend the Constitution of the U.S. but purposely undermines the laws governing access to our country by allowing almost unrestricted crossing at our Southern border. He abandoned Afghanistan to the terrorists we were fighting for 20 years. He and his fantasyland advisers are not building up the military, but are castrating it with an endless stream of gender-sensitive directives about trans-women in men’s showers and toilet areas. He is a tough guy who can insult questioners during his campaign or at press conferences — but he is a wimp when it comes to protecting U.S. interests. You non Tump voters own this PIG.

    mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:47 am

    
    

100. * Has Ukraine attacked one of its neighbors?
     * Have the leaders of Ukraine attempted to assassinate or imprison their political rivals?
     * Does Ukraine make it illegal to bypass government monitoring of the internet and disallow VPN?
     * Has Ukraine threatened to use WMD?
     * Has Ukraine meddled in our elections?
     * Does Ukraine use the church as one more arm of the state?
     * Are independent journalists in Ukraine labeled foreign agents and jailed?
     https://niemanreports.org/articles/alexei-navalny-social-media-and-the-state-of-the-free-press-in-russia/
     * Does Ukraine jail American citizens on trumped up charges and use them as political pawns?

     Clearly DCCCP cartoonizes everything and doesn’t seek to be objective or discerning…of anything. For whatever reason….ideological, financial, sexual….he’s pro-Putin….and pretty much pro-authoritarian strongman. Morality is a passing fad he argues. Might makes right is its extension. He trivializes the invasion of a sovereign country as a mafia turf war. He places genocide against political cronyism and graft and declares….pffft….all the same. The broad consensus of the world must be wrong….and the alpha-contrarian prefers to stand with the likes of China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Nicarague, and Venezuela…true exemplars of freedom and liberty.

     Now does he actually believe this piffle or is it all just perfomative theater….with the movie quotes to boot? Serially trolling inanities for masturbatory jollies or rubles? Of course we’ll also never know why happyfeet did what he did….

     AJ_Liberty (dfbf73) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:57 am

     
     

101. Mr Montagu wrote:

     DC, I note that neither you nor Cato mention the Freedom House assessment Russia, which is “not free”, scoring only 19 out of 100 on civil liberties and political rights, putting Putin in the category of “Consolidate Authoritarian Regime”, while Ukraine is a “Semi-Consolidated Democracy”. It is funny how you America First fascists keep blaming the victim and absolving the bully. It’s practically pathological.

     Perhaps, just perhaps, some of us don’t want to keep egging on a situation in which we could wind up at war with a nation with a strategic nuclear arsenal. Perhaps, just perhaps, some of us have kids in the United States Army, deployed to the sandbox but who could be ordered to Poland at a moment’s notice.

     What do we have today? We have a President, a man who as Vice President (reportedly) opposed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and who, now in the big seat, totally botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan, poking the Russian bear, when the bear is led by a man of non-Western thinking and who could unleash nuclear death, and now poking the Chinese dragon in a situation in which we could not win a fight, because he needs to prove his manhood after his past failures. After having received five student deferments which kept him out of the service, and Vietnam, he’s got to show his manhood.

     Well, sorry, but at least one of us here thinks that Ukraine isn’t worth increasing the chances that New York City would get nuked. “America First”? You’re damned right I am!

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (e1efb2) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:10 am

     
     

102. 101… my God, finally a moment of sanity.

     Colonel Haiku (203cc0) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:23 am

     
     

103. An asset to this comment section wrote:

     @90 why do you want putin to win. We gave aid to stalin to defeat hitler

     This, in a nutshell, is the argument, that if some of us don’t want to involve the United States in a war with nuclear-armed Russia, we must “want putin to win.” No, we don’t “want” Vladimir Vladimirovich to win, but that does not mean that we want the United States to do the things that we would need to do to keep Russia from winning.

     Look at what’s happening now. We have been sending money and war materiel to Ukraine, a lot of it, and now China is making louder noises about taking the Republic of China. We poke the Chinese dragon by sending Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan, even as we have given away some of our military capability to defend Taiwan, 110 miles away from China, and 6,500 miles away from the United States.

     Yes, we gave aid to help the USSR defeat the Third Reich, but it was a USSR which could not threaten us, and a USSR which was willing to expend millions of its own people to defeat the Nazis. We might have some hope that Ukraine can hold off the Soviets Russians, but holding them off is the most for which we could ever hope; Ukraine can’t actually strike back and defeat Russia.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (e1efb2) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:26 am

     
     

104. Mr Liberty wrote:

     Clearly DCCCP cartoonizes everything and doesn’t seek to be objective or discerning…of anything. For whatever reason….ideological, financial, sexual….he’s pro-Putin….and pretty much pro-authoritarian strongman. Morality is a passing fad he argues. Might makes right is its extension. He trivializes the invasion of a sovereign country as a mafia turf war. He places genocide against political cronyism and graft and declares….pffft….all the same. The broad consensus of the world must be wrong….and the alpha-contrarian prefers to stand with the likes of China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Nicarague, and Venezuela…true exemplars of freedom and liberty.

     Did not our experience in Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan demonstrate the futility of these ‘limited’ wars in third world nations? Did the failures of the neoconservative policies of war everywhere, to push American interests in foreign lands not provide us with lessons?

     Our ‘limited’ wars have proven one thing, very clearly: while we might limit our use of force, our enemies did not, our enemies fought back with everything that had, and that everything was enough to if not defeat us, outlast us, outlast us to the point of withdrawal. When we have engaged in unlimited war, when we have used everything we had, we have won, but unlimited war against nuclear-armed adversaries just doesn’t seem like the wisest thing to me.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (e1efb2) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:36 am

     
     

105. Perhaps, just perhaps, some of us don’t want to keep egging on a situation in which we could wind up at war with a nation with a strategic nuclear arsenal.

     “Egging on”? How?
     Putin has had a jones for putting Ukraine under his thumb at least since he poisoned Yushchenko 18 years ago. We’ve supported a much smaller nation’s right to exist for a much longer period of time, giving them billions in support every year, so why should we not support Ukraine’s right, especially since we (and the Russian Federation) gave that nation security assurances that their sovereignty would be respected and upheld, assurances that Putin has welshed on since 2014.

     Also, what message do we send to Xi, given his jones for Taiwan, if we appease the Russian dictator by him not paying a serious price? It’s not like he’s going to stop at just Ukraine. Given the sanctions on Putin and the aid to Ukraine, the ChiComs are fully aware that their economy and face will take a hit.

     Another thing. We’re not “poking the Russian bear”. Putin is the aggressor here, and there’s really one way to deal with bullies, and that’s with strength. I’m pretty sure that Putin saw Biden’s bumbling incompetence in Afghanistan as an opportunity to strike. He saw weakness, so he started his troop build-up last October, weeks after Biden’s Afghanistan mess was apparent to anyone.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:47 am

     
     

106. Our ‘limited’ wars have proven one thing, very clearly: while we might limit our use of force, our enemies did not, our enemies fought back with everything that had, and that everything was enough to if not defeat us, outlast us, outlast us to the point of withdrawal. When we have engaged in unlimited war, when we have used everything we had, we have won.

     We won the Cold War, which was a series of ‘limited’ wars, only losing the battle in Vietnam.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:54 am

     
     

107. Marc Garlasco, formerly of Human Rights Watch…

     My thoughts on the @amnesty report on #Ukraine. These are my personal thoughts and not affiliated with any of the orgs I work for. They got the law wrong. Protocol 1 states militaries shall to the maximum extent feasible AVOID locating military objects near populated areas.

     Ukraine can place forces in areas they are defending – especially in #urbanwarfare. There is no requirement to stand shoulder to shoulder in a field – this isn’t the 19th century. Ukraine still has an OBLIGATION to protect civilians – but they are taking steps to do so like helping civilians relocate. The info environment is complex but when I train Ukrainian #WarCrimes teams I always tell them they must investigate alleged violations of ALL parties to the conflict.

     #Amnestyinternational got this one wrong. I fear their report will endanger Ukrainian civilians. While nothing has stopped #Russia from hitting civilian areas now they have an excuse. A respected human rights org said the targets are there. I fear they will expand their targeting of civilian areas at worst. At best they can claim a defense. Amnesty was wrong on the law. They were wrong on the timing. Ukraine needs to avoid endangering civilians but this report was off target.

     Amnesty is going to cause only more civilian Ukrainian deaths because Putin will see this as a green light for him, he’ll use their report as an excuse to bomb even more civilian targets.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 8:02 am

     
     

108. “This meeting of The Neville Chamberlain Memorial Drum And Bugle Corps is now called to order.

     “First order of business: Has everybody brought their life-size anatomically-correct Vladimir Putin dolls? Good! Don’t forget that you can order the full line of accesories from Mar-a-Lago. The Secretary will provide you with a catalog for a small donation.

     “Is there any other business? Good. The meeting is adjourned. We will now retire to the salon with our dolls. Private booths are available, as is a buffet, open bar, and cable on flat-screen TVs. But first, join me in our organization’s motto:

     “Our fat old asses first!”
     “Our fat old asses first!”
     “Our fat old asses first!”

     nk (c3dc0b) — 8/6/2022 @ 8:04 am

     
     

109. U.S. readies new $1 billion Ukraine weapons package

     The Biden administration’s next security assistance package for Ukraine is expected to be $1 billion, one of the largest so far, and include munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
     ……….
     ………. if signed in its current form, it would be valued at $1 billion and include munitions for HIMARS, NASAMS surface-to-air missile system ammunition and as many as 50 M113 armored medical transports.
     ……….
     So far the United States has sent 16 HIMARS to Ukraine and on July 1 pledged to send two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).

     It was unclear if the NASAMS launchers, made jointly by Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N) and Norway’s Kongsberg (KOG.OL), are already in Ukraine if the munitions were for launchers donated by another country, or if they were being prepositioned.
     ………….

     Related:

     U.S. Announces Another $550M In Ukraine Military Aid

     The U.S. will send Ukraine thousands more 155mm howitzer shells and HIMARS rockets in a new package of military aid, the White House announced Monday. The $550 million package, which includes 75,000 155mm rounds, will bring the total amount of military aid the Biden administration has provided Ukraine to $8.8 billion.

     Ukrainian officials told CNN on Monday that the longer-range HIMARS have allowed them to hit Russian weapons storage sites in Kherson. The White House said the decision to provide additional HIMARS ammunition followed meetings between the Pentagon officials and their Ukrainian counterparts.
     …………

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 8:07 am

     
     

110. Why not send them a printing press, Rip?

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:05 am

     
     

111. Why not send them a printing press, Rip?

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:05 am

     I’m sure one is part of the non- military aid. 😉

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:11 am

     
     

112. All those billions should have been put into a nation wide mental health hospital program.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:15 am

     
     

113. Of the top five recipients of regular US foreign military assistance in 2020, four could be described as corrupt and authoritarian. There is nothing new about that.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:30 am

     
     

114. All those billions should have been put into a nation wide mental health hospital program.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:15 am

     Highly unlikely.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:31 am

     
     

115. Serious question for DC: Are you right wing or left? I’ve assumed left, but I confess I have a hard time discerning a consistent, coherent POV.

     He favors whatever regime gives NASA more money.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:37 am

     
     

116. This a-hole needs to be removed from America.

     How would you know? That article was posted anonymously.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:39 am

     
     

117. Nice going non Trump voters.
     you people own this administration

     Everyone who forced Trump on this nation is getting it good and hard and cannot understand why.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:41 am

     
     

118. mg, will you eventually post something that doesn’t blame everyone else for your mistakes?

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:42 am

     
     

119. Feds seek 8-year prison term for officer who stormed Capitol
     ………..
     Former Rocky Mount Police Sgt. Thomas Robertson used his law enforcement training to block police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol from a mob’s attack on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday supporting their sentencing recommendation.
     …….
     An eight-year prison sentence would be the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. ……
     ……….
     Robertson didn’t testify at his trial before a jury convicted him in April of all six counts in his indictment, including charges that he interfered with police officers at the Capitol and that he entered a restricted area with a dangerous weapon, a large wooden stick.
     ………..
     Robertson traveled to Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6 with co-worker Jacob Fracker and a third man, a neighbor. Fracker also was an off-duty Rocky Mount police officer. He was scheduled to be tried alongside Robertson before he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and agreed to cooperate with authorities.
     …..……..
     Jurors saw some of Robertson’s posts on social media before and after the Capitol riot. In a Facebook post on Nov. 7, 2020, Robertson said “being disenfranchised by fraud is my hard line.”

     “I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. (I’m) about to become part of one, and a very effective one,” he wrote.

     ………..(Robertson) blamed the vitriolic content of his social media posts on a mix of stress, alcohol abuse and “submersion in deep ‘rabbit holes’ of election conspiracy theory.”

     “I sat around at night drinking too much and reacting to articles and sites given to me by Facebook” algorithms, he wrote (in a letter to the judge).
     ……….
     Robertson has been jailed since Cooper ruled last year that he violated the terms of his pretrial release by possessing firearms.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:46 am

     
     

120. “The notion that Ukraine was such an appealing democratic model in Eastern Europe that the country’s mere existence terrified Putin may be a comforting myth to U.S. politicians and pundits, but it is a myth.

     I’ve seen radical MAGA natcons claim that Putin’s attack on Ukraine is understandable because Ukraine somehow posed a “threat” to “Russian civilization.” In that view, the existence of a western-leaning country on Russia’s border is a menace to Russia, being an avenue by which a purportedly Christian traditional culture can be poisoned with globalist secularism under a “liberal imperium” controlled by the U.S.

     What’s irrefutably clear is that Putin and the Russian ruling class believe that Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation is intolerable, and they are trying to subjugate it by terror and brutality, Russify all the inhabitants they don’t slaughter, and essentially wipe Ukraine off the map.

     Pointing to corruption or other faults in the Ukrainian government doesn’t mitigate the evil of Russia’s actions – as if Putin were on some kind of honest-government crusade.

     Radegunda (45b3e4) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:46 am

     
     

121. After having received five student deferments which kept him out of the service, and Vietnam, he’s got to show his manhood.

     Many American men of draft age got student deferments. More than half of all new high-school graduates entered college during these years, and the rate was far higher for men, possibly to avoid the draft but hardly something to assume.

     The student exempotion was not something that was done in a back room, or arranged by fixers, or even asked for. If one was registered as a student at an accredited college you got one automatically. You would have to drop out, or go down to the recruiting office to get around that.

     More to the point you are making is that Biden, like Trump, claimed a medical exemption after college, and Biden’s claim was just as dubious. Asthma is not usually a teenage-onset disease, quite the opposite; childhood asthma generally improves drastically after puberty.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:58 am

     
     

122. This, in a nutshell, is the argument, that if some of us don’t want to involve the United States in a war with nuclear-armed Russia, we must “want putin to win.” No, we don’t “want” Vladimir Vladimirovich to win, but that does not mean that we want the United States to do the things that we would need to do to keep Russia from winning.

     I’m having trouble responding to this civilly.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:01 am

     
     

123. All those billions should have been put into a nation wide mental health hospital program.
     mg (8cbc69) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:15 am

     Irony is not dead.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:03 am

     
     

124. Missouri Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
     ………
     Jerod Thomas Bargar, 36, of Centralia, Missouri, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with the felony offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds or buildings. He also is charged with related misdemeanor offenses. ……..

     According to court documents, Bargar illegally brought a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol across state lines and into the District of Columbia. He took the gun to a rally near the Ellipse and then onto restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Bargar was not licensed to carry a firearm in the District of Columbia. Law enforcement officers recovered the weapon at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, on the west side of the Capitol Building. The firearm was on the ground, in a distinctive holster that displayed an image of the American flag and the words, “We The People” written on it. The firearm contained one 9-millimeter cartridge in the chamber and approximately 15 additional cartridges in the magazine. Bargar later was linked to the gun in a law enforcement investigation.
     ……..
     In the 18 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing. …….
     ………

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:24 am

     
     

125. Proud Boys member Ricky Willden gets 2 years in prison for attacking police during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol
     ……….
     Willden, a self-proclaimed member of the far-right extremist group, admitted in April that he sprayed a chemical irritant at police officers protecting the Capitol on January 6, and then hurled the canister at them.

     In addition to the two-year prison sentence, Judge Rudolph Contreras ordered Willden to serve three years of probation following his release. Contreras, an Obama appointee confirmed in 2012, said Willden would receive credit for four months he has already served behind bars.
     ………
     Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation that Willden celebrated his “shameful and assaultive conduct.” In a Facebook post, according to their court filing, Willden said, “I think they got the message from everyone of all ages” and “FYI the cop who started this shit by mazing me and hitting my nuts playing stupid games, hope you enjoyed my special prizes.”
     ……….
     Willden also asked to serve his sentence in a prison far from home, a request that earned him praise from Contreras.
     ……….

     Sad!

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:30 am

     
     

126. Proud Boys member Ricky Willden gets 2 years in prison for attacking police during the January 6 attack on the US Capitol
     ……….
     Willden, a self-proclaimed member of the far-right extremist group, admitted in April that he sprayed a chemical irritant at police officers protecting the Capitol on January 6, and then hurled the canister at them.

     In addition to the two-year prison sentence, Judge Rudolph Contreras ordered Willden to serve three years of probation following his release. Contreras, an Obama appointee confirmed in 2012, said Willden would receive credit for four months he has already served behind bars.
     ………
     Prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation that Willden celebrated his “shameful and assaultive conduct.” In a Facebook post, according to their court filing, Willden said, “I think they got the message from everyone of all ages” and “FYI the cop who started this s**t by mazing me and hitting my nuts playing stupid games, hope you enjoyed my special prizes.”
     ……….
     Willden also asked to serve his sentence in a prison far from home, a request that earned him praise from Contreras.
     ……….

     Sad!

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:34 am

     
     

127. A pro-Trump social media influencer who posted about his role in the Jan. 6 siege was arrested this week on Capitol riot charges
     ………
     William Kit, better known online as “Semore Views,” was charged with four misdemeanor counts last month, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

     Kit’s musings on patriotism and politics have garnered him a significant social media following, with more than 37,000 YouTube subscribers and 78,700 Instagram followers.
     ………
     Videos on Kit’s Semore Views YouTube channel show him among the mob of Trump supporters outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, facing off against law enforcement officers.

     “Are you willing to fu*king die for this sh*t?” Kit can be heard shouting in one video. “We are here to die for this sh*t today.”

     Kit also filmed himself walking into the Capitol through the Senate Wing door. Once inside the building, he can be heard asking, “Where are those god*amn politicians at? [We’re] taking over the god*amn Capitol.”

     Prosecutors said Kit was first interviewed by a DC Metropolitan Police officer just two days after the siege, while he was at work at a Maryland convenience store. Nearly a year later, in December 2021, a tipster contacted the FBI about videos on Kit’s “Semore Views” YouTube page, according to court documents. Investigators were able to identify Kit, who was pictured wearing an “I am Semore Views” shirt, as well as an American flag bandana during the attack.
     ………

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:43 am

     
     

128. Ex-Trump Lawyer Says Congress Already Has Evidence That Should ‘Easily’ Result in ‘Disqualification From Office Forever’
     ……….
     “The Pence tweet, coupled with the three hours of inaction, in my view, easily fits into the definition of giving aid and comfort to the insurrectionists, and that is the standard under Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which Congress has at its disposal,” (Ty Cobb explained on CNN on Wednesday). “I don’t for the life of me understand why instead of telling the Justice Department what to do, that they aren’t acting on that alone, because if they have a sense of the Congress, the penalty of finding Trump guilty of giving aid and comfort to an insurrection is disqualification from office forever.”
     ……..
     “I think Congress has the lane here,” Cobb said.
     ………
     Elsewhere in the segment, the Trump White House’s former defense attorney noted that the existing evidence makes it exceptionally difficult for the former president to claim he didn’t see what was going on for what it was. Trump’s citing of “willful blindness” just doesn’t add up, considering he had briefings on the rally prior to Jan. 6, the election results had already been challenged and determined – he must have known “they were acting on a frivolous legal theory,” Cobb said.

     “There’s considerable evidence out there that his own legal advisors, including [John] Eastman on Jan. 4, acknowledged that, you know, they were acting on a frivolous legal theory,” he said. “I think that’s very damaging to somebody who wants to argue willful blindness.”
     ……….
     “While Trump may argue that defense, I think he’s more likely to use the trial in an effort to deal with his themes that he’s all-powerful, he got cheated [and] he’s the only one standing up for the country,” Cobb said.
     ##########

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:53 am

     
     

129. Kentucky Dana: “Did not our experience in Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan demonstrate the futility of these ‘limited’ wars in third world nations? Did the failures of the neoconservative policies of war everywhere, to push American interests in foreign lands not provide us with lessons?”

     More Kentucky Dana: “Perhaps, just perhaps, some of us don’t want to keep egging on a situation in which we could wind up at war with a nation with a strategic nuclear arsenal…..Well, sorry, but at least one of us here thinks that Ukraine isn’t worth increasing the chances that New York City would get nuked.”

     If Putin launches a nuke at NYC (or London or Berlin for that matter), what do you think the response will be? It would likely trigger nuclear Armageddon…where no major Russian city or military base would be left…this is the classic mutually assured destruction doctrine. What do you think the odds are of this? Do you believe that the Russian military and the enabling Oligarchs are so enthralled with Putin that they will be willing to die for his megalomania? These aren’t religious zealots but men who like their vodka, women, and homes/families not incinerated. If Putin lobs a nuke when his country is not being invaded but simply because it is being opposed for invading a sovereign nation without cause, then there is no justification and I would honestly question whether even the Chinese would excuse it. It’s a dead end strategy that will lead to his demise and chaos in Russia.

     Now as to Vietnam and Iraq, I’m not following the analogy…given we don’t have boots on the ground or planes in the sky above Ukraine…..and no one is talking about introducing them…not even the dreaded Neocons. It’s kind of a strawman to lend some emotional appeal but it falls flat on facts. However, the bigger problem with your argument is that where does it end? If NATO and the world does not oppose Putin in Ukraine, do they oppose him when he turns to Finland…or maybe Estonia and Latvia? Putin’s nuclear threat will always be there and, in your logic, it will always cause us to back down and give in to evil. Your comments about deferments also aren’t especially relevant unless you want to uniformly apply the requirement of having served to every future President..including Trump, Cruz, Youngkin, Tim Scott, or Haley. I don’t hate the idea but it will certainly limit our choices…probably unacceptably so.

     There are plenty of individuals in administrations that have served…with distinction…and understand the horror and loss of war. I see few in the country roiling for a war unless one is thrusted upon us. The question is do we not even provide defensive weapons to a country that borders NATO allies? Most of this aid is passing 85-11 in the Senate….it’s one of the few bipartisan points of agreement. Foreign policy experts on both sides are in agreement. Your side just hasn’t made a persuasive case….

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:00 am

     
     

130. Indiana Governor Signs First Post-Roe Abortion Ban, With Limited Exceptions
     ………
     The Indiana bill — which bans abortion from conception except in some cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormality or when the pregnant woman faces risk of death or certain severe health risks — was signed into law within minutes of its final passage late Friday night by Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican who had encouraged legislators to consider new abortion limits during a special session that he called.
     ………
     Beyond those limited exceptions, the new law will end legal abortion in Indiana next month. The procedure is currently allowed at up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Some Republicans have indicated that they expect the law to be challenged in court.

     “If this isn’t a government issue — protecting life — I don’t know what is,” said Representative John Young, a Republican who supported the measure. He added: “I know the exceptions are not enough for some and too much for others, but it’s a good balance.”
     ………
     Other Republicans echoed the complaints voiced during public testimony by anti-abortion residents, advocacy groups and religious leaders. They questioned how lawmakers who portrayed themselves to voters as staunch abortion opponents were now forgoing an opportunity to pass a ban without exceptions for rape and incest. Some abortion opponents have argued that rape and incest, while traumatic, do not justify ending the life of a fetus that had no control over its conception.

     “This bill justifies the wicked, those murdering babies, and punishes the righteous, the preborn human being,” said Representative John Jacob, a Republican who also voted against the bill. He added: “Republicans campaigned that they are pro-life. Pro-life means for life. That is not just some lives. That means all lives.”
     ……….

     It’s a good start.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:05 am

     
     

131. Given the fact of the multiple, overwhelming votes in Congress from both parties (aside from the usual suspects like Hawley, Gaetz, MTG, etc.) that fund Ukraine military assistance (and related legislation) it’s the only time Congress has been this bipartisan and hard to solely blame the Administration.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:29 am

     
     

132. “Some abortion opponents have argued that rape and incest, while traumatic, do not justify ending the life of a fetus that had no control over its conception.”

     However, this is a minority view, probably even within the GOP electorate in, I would argue, every district. It’s simply not popular to force rape victims to carry a pregnancy to term. That’s a hard sell.

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:36 am

     
     

133. Laura Loomer Attacks Opponent for His Age—in Famously Elderly District
     ………
     Now in her second bid for Congress, this time in a primary fight against Rep. Dan Webster (R-FL), Loomer has found a new oddball line of attack. Her opponent, she claims, is so feeble he wears a Life Alert necklace with a button to alert emergency responders if he has a fall.

     “We don’t need members of Congress who are walking around wearing Life Alert necklaces, too sick to vote,” Loomer told The Daily Beast, citing a picture she claims shows Webster wearing the necklace.

     Despite Loomer’s insistence, though, there’s substantial evidence that Webster isn’t wearing a Life Lock (sic) necklace. Instead, he appears to be wearing a personal air ionizer, a device intended to purify the air around him. Webster is such an enthusiast of the device that he even praised it in a 2021 House hearing.
     ………
     ……… Loomer, 29, is running in Florida’s 11th District, the home to the massive retirement community known as The Villages—perhaps the worst place to push an attack on an opponent’s age and health problems.

     “If there is any district in America that is sympathetic to that, it is that district,” said Dr. James C. Clark, an expert on Florida politics and a senior lecturer at the University of Central Florida. “Florida 11 has more residents 65 or over than any district in the country. One out of three people in the district is over 65.”
     ……….
     Loomer’s attempts to win over elderly voters by attacking Webster’s age reflects her struggle to attack him from the right. After getting walloped in her first congressional campaign and losing by 20 points to a Democratic representative in another Florida district, Loomer now finds herself struggling to paint a well-established congressman with a near-perfect conservative record as a “Republican in Name Only.”

     ……… In April, Loomer and Webster, a former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, both attended a local Republican club meeting. After Webster left after giving a brief speech, Loomer stood up and tried to win over the crowd by complaining that Webster hadn’t taken questions.

     Instead of winning over new voters, though, Loomer seemed to antagonize them. The white-haired crowd grew restless as Loomer talked, and one woman shouted that her speech was upsetting her. An elderly man gently motioned for Loomer to sit down.
     ……….
     Loomer gave up and sat down, grumbling to herself.
     ……….
     But Loomer has failed to secure perhaps the one thing that could help her compete with Webster: a Donald Trump endorsement. ……..

     In Trump’s absence, Loomer has endorsements from Roger Stone and former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. But her allies aren’t always consistent.

     On Sunday, Loomer is set to campaign with Stew Peters, a former bounty hunter turned far-right internet talk show host known for promoting the idea that snake venom has been injected into the water supply to give humans satanic DNA.
     ……..
     …….. He also recently claimed that Loomer, who is Jewish, had become a Christian.

     “Laura Loomer is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ,” the radio host declared Wednesday on messaging app Telegram.

     Loomer told The Daily Beast that she’s a “proud Jewish woman,” saying she’s not sure why Peters said she had converted. …….

     “I’m in support of the Christian nationalist movement,” Loomer said.

     It’s not clear why Loomer, who moved to the district last September, chose to run against Webster. Next door, Florida’s 7th District has a wide open Republican field, with incumbent Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) stepping down. ……..
     ………
     Loomer also seems set on burning bridges with GOP leaders. She’s dubbed the Conservative Political Action Conference, which she was banned from after harassing reporters, “CringePAC.” Loomer has also attacked freshman Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX), who has been embraced by Republican bigwigs as a symbol of a more diverse Republican Party. In Telegram posts, Loomer has said that Republican leaders were parading Flores like a “neon piñata” and accused Flores, who is Mexican-American, of harboring secret loyalties to Mexico.
     ……….

     Laura Looner is a case study for a Campaign 101 class of how not to run for office.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:52 am

     
     

134. Calling all golddiggers, globalists and RINOs: Now Kari Lake wants your support
     ………
     Lake, who defeated Karrin Taylor Robson in the GOP governor’s race, held a news conference on Wednesday to take a victory lap and call on Republicans to come together for the coming campaign for governor.
     ………
     Yeah, like that time in March, when Lake announced to the world that Taylor Robson pretty much hates America.

     Or that time when she called Taylor Robson a con artist …

     And a golddigger …
     ………
     Or how about that time she insulted the entire McCain wing of the Republican Party and implicated the late Sen. John McCain’s widow, Cindy, in a plot to destroy America?

     “It just shows you how dangerous the RINO-class of the Republican Party is,” Lake said on Steve Bannon’s podcast. “I believe they’re in cahoots basically with the (George) Soros types on the left. And this is why they stabbed President Trump in the back on the fourth of November and we remember that.”

     “This is the Cindy McCain branch of the Republican Party. They’re not Republicans. They’re globalists and they want – I think they want an end to America. They want a globalist agenda, a new world order, whatever you want to call it.”

     I suppose you could say Lake has changed. People do.

     But those comments were made on Saturday, just three days before the election.

     (State Republican Party chair Kelli) Ward immediately echoed Lake’s plea for unity.
     …….
     How do you now, with a straight face, issue a plea for unity when you’ve spent literally years demonizing and ostrasizing (sic) any Republican who doesn’t march in precise lockstep with Donald Trump and the ultra MAGA movement?
     ……….
     Ward has demeaned, belittled and even coined a nickname for (Rusty Bowers) who acted as his conscience dictated: “Rusty Bowels.”

     Meanwhile, she’s equated the traditional wing of the party with the Evil Empire.
     ………..

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:12 pm

     
     

135. “I think Congress has the lane here,” Cobb said.

     I disagree. The only way that Congress can bar Trump from office is through impeachment. Congress finding him guilty of a crime would amount to a bill of attainder.

     To invoke that provision of the 14th amendment, Trump has to be convicted of a crime that qualifies as insurrection, at a minimum. Conspiracy to foment an insurrection would probably work. Conspiracy in the actual insurrection also would, and might be possible by combining his words, his desire to participate and his unwillingness to stop it.

     But be careful: the next time a Congressperson’s SotU guests disrupt the proceedings there is some danger of payback.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:25 pm

     
     

136. Keri Lake is nothing special. Demagoguery is a constant force in US politics.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:27 pm

     
     

137. DeSantis: America’s Conservative Leader
     ………
     I honestly don’t get it. I mean, I get being fed up with the pre-Trump GOP establishment. I get liking a lot of things about Trump. I can even understand why someone would have voted for him in 2016 and 2020, and I don’t actually have to try hard. ……..

     What I find impossible to understand is why there is so much Trump nostalgia among the conservative masses when there is, right now, an actual Republican governor who stands for a lot of the aggressive populist conservatism that Trump symbolized, but who — unlike Trump — actually knows how to use political power, and is willing to do it. I’m talking about Ron DeSantis of Florida.
     ……….
     ………. The 2024 energy among the most politicized conservatives — the kind who come to CPAC — is all around a Trump restoration. This is going to be hard for DeSantis to counter if he chooses to run for president in 2024. The truth is that while Donald Trump mostly just talks about things, Ron DeSantis actually gets things done. Trump talks the talk, but DeSantis walks the walk.

     ………. If you really do believe that Trump poses an existential threat to democracy — I don’t, but let’s say that you do — then you are right to freak out. A lot of conservatives might take that freakout as a sign that Trump is the right call for 2024. The thing is, a President DeSantis would be a far greater threat to progressive priorities, precisely because he’s good at politics, and because he offers aggressive conservative governance without all the ridiculous drama Trump created.

     In fact, if Trump really believed in ideas, not solely himself, he would announce that he wasn’t going to run in 2024, and throw his support to DeSantis as his worthy heir. That would make DeSantis unstoppable. But Trump won’t do that. ……..
     ##########

     Related:

     The Leader of the Opposition

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:32 pm

     
     

138. Mr Montagu wrote:

     Another thing. We’re not “poking the Russian bear”. Putin is the aggressor here, and there’s really one way to deal with bullies, and that’s with strength.

     This is the fallacy: while we are certainly stronger economically than Russia, once you start talking about strategic nuclear arsenals with enough destructive power to kill off entire nations, there’s no “stronger” or “weaker” involved; making the rubble bounce higher is of no value.

     Nor are we stronger conventionally, at the point of attack. American forces are mostly thousands of miles away, while Russia’s are right there; despite the unexpectedly poor performance of the Russian army, they have the huge logistical advantage of being on the battlefield, with protected, interior supply lines. We could start to move American troops to the region, but Russia would see that, and might attack American positions during the process of the buildup rather than wait for then all to get there.

     Remember how long it took the elder President Bush to get the necessary forces for Desert Storm into position to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait? What would happen if Vladimir Putin used one, just one, “tactical” nuclear warhead against such a buildup? He might think that better than waiting for all of the troops to get there, and leave the decision up to the dummkopf from Delaware as to how he’d respond. Mr Putin might not think like a Westerner, but he’s not stupid: he knows that such a tactic would throw our entire military and political leadership into a huge debate, and probable paralysis.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:41 pm

     
     

139. @100. ROFLMAOPIP! Says our Agarn who believes ‘bad-taste-Trump’ chose substandard Ivana, Marla and Meliana. Translation: conservative whine; bitter dregs: you have no argument. Poor baby.

     Nobody is stopping you from camoing up and joining Moran’s gang on your own dime and time, Agarn. OTOH, distressed Kentuckians could make better use of volunteering your shoveling skills right now. But then, that actually helping within, that ‘America First’ stuff really does stink, doesn’t it.

     … and Putin smiled.

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:42 pm

     
     

140. Mr M wrote:

     This, in a nutshell, is the argument, that if some of us don’t want to involve the United States in a war with nuclear-armed Russia, we must “want putin to win.” No, we don’t “want” Vladimir Vladimirovich to win, but that does not mean that we want the United States to do the things that we would need to do to keep Russia from winning.

     I’m having trouble responding to this civilly.

     I’m a big boy, pretty much of an [insert slang term for the anus here], and thick-skinned enough that I can take an uncivil response.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:46 pm

     
     

141. Arizona Republicans Who Fought 2020 Election Certification Silent on New State AG Report
     ……..
     Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich responded to the state senate’s request for a criminal investigation into the alleged dead voter fraud on Monday, telling senate president Karen Fann in a letter that just one dead voter was found in his office’s investigation, which included hundreds of hours of research by the AG’s Election Integrity Unit.
     ……..
     Brnovich wrote that his office supported the Senate’s ballot review but that “allegations of widespread deceased voters from the Senate audit and other complaints received by the EIU are insufficient and not corroborated.”

     National Review reached out to sixteen legislators who signed a joint resolution in December 2020 asking Congress to either accept the 11 “alternate” electoral votes for former president Donald Trump or “to have all electoral votes nullified completely until a full forensic audit can be conducted.” Only one — state Representative John Fillmore — responded to a request for comment
     ……….
     Fillmore, who says he still believes the 2020 election was stolen from Trump but that he has stopped pressing the issue as not to start a Civil War, said: “We never said that dead people voted in the election and you know, in 2020, there were so many [allegations] and a lot of it was frivolous. The contentions and the ‘dead people are voting’ and ‘people that voted 37 times’ and things of that nature and we were never saying that.”
     ………..
     Investigators with the AG’s office looked into 6,634 complaints about dead voters in 2020, including reports from the state senate’s contractor, the Cyber Ninjas.

     “Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead and many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased,” the state attorney general said.
     ……….
     “Once again, these claims were thoroughly investigated and resulted in only a handful of potential cases,” the letter said. “Some were so absurd the names and birthdates didn’t even match the deceased, and others included dates of death after the election.”
     ………..

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:46 pm

     
     

142. Keri Lake is nothing special.

     Attractive, articulate and telegenic. Yep, nothing special at all in 21st century USA. =sarc=

     What America needs are more Bela Abzugs!

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:47 pm

     
     

143. Keri Lake is nothing special. Demagoguery is a constant force in US politics.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:27 pm

     She is if you are talking about Arizona Republican politics.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:52 pm

     
     

144. DCSCA and Kentucky Dana, he agrees with you.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 12:53 pm

     
     

145. Mr Liberty wrote:

     If Putin launches a nuke at NYC (or London or Berlin for that matter), what do you think the response will be? It would likely trigger nuclear Armageddon…where no major Russian city or military base would be left…this is the classic mutually assured destruction doctrine. What do you think the odds are of this?

     So, if Vladimir Vladimirovich launches one nuclear strike against one city, you think it likely that President Biden or Prime Minister Johnson — yes, he’s still PM as of now — would launch an attack “where no major Russian city or military base would be left”? I think that they’d be defecating in their Depends, because they’d know that trying that, against a Russian strategic force which would be on high alert, would be committing national suicide.

     Berlin would be the wiser target, or Warsaw, or some city in some nation which did not have a nuclear force itself.

     We have come here to the fallacy of NATO! An alliance, signed in early April of 1949, aimed at a non-nuclear Soviet Union, then guesstimated as being about four years from its first atomic bomb, made some sense. Oops! The USSR detonated its first atomic bomb four months later.

     And here we are, 73 years later, committed to go to war with the Soviet Union Russia if Vladimir Putin invades Latvia. High-minded words aside, how many Americans would support a nuclear war with Russia over the Baltic States?

     By the way, today is the 77th anniversary of Hiroshima.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:01 pm

     
     

146. @139. Rest EZ. They don’t understand that part of the plan is to draw the U.S. into useless, costly ‘entangling alliances’ to destroy from within– and they’re gleeful, knee-jerking, unwitting participants– followers egged on by cheerleaders safe and sound in broadcast studios and pajama patriots in armchairs. You know, the sort of stuff those Founding Fathers they worship, George what’s-his-name and Thomas something-or-other, quilled warnings about back in the day. 😉

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Doctrine_of_Unstable_Alliances#:~:text=The%20Washington%20Doctrine%20of%20Unstable%20Alliances%2C%20sometimes%20called,foreign%20policy%20and%20the%20nation%27s%20interaction%20with%20others.

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:01 pm

     
     

147. New York Times columnist: Deeper mistrust between Biden and Zelenskyy than people know

     https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-times-columnist-deeper-mistrust-between-biden-zelensky-people-know

     A FOJ: ‘Friend of Joe’ no less?!

     Oh my.

     Absolute corruption corrupts absolutely. 😉

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:07 pm

     
     

148. How many states would pass a pro-choice referendum like Kansas’s if it were on the ballot?

     The long answer: No way to know for sure, of course. Different states have different cultural dynamics that would influence the vote. …….

     The shorter answer, per Nate Cohn: If a Trump +15 state can produce a 17-point landslide for the pro-choice position on an up-or-down vote on whether to more strictly regulate abortion, it’s a cinch that most other U.S. states would vote the same way.

     And when Cohn says “most,” he means … 43 out of 50 based on how demographics tend to predict abortion preferences. Those 43 states include red jurisdictions like Texas, South Carolina, and Tennessee, although the votes in those three would be very close. Ron DeSantis’s Florida, where abortion is currently banned after 15 weeks, would opt for the pro-choice position to the tune of a 57 percent majority.

     The only states where the pro-choice position starts off under 50 percent are Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and even in those jurisdictions it’s competitive with the pro-life view, bottoming out at 44 percent.
     ………
     A lot of Democratic-driven ballot referendums on abortion are in America’s near future, is what I’m saying. And the pro-life side will start as the underdog.
     ……….
     Pro-lifers fared better in abortion-related plebiscites in recent years than pro-choicers did but Dobbs may have changed the game for all of the reasons Cohn lists. Legislative initiatives on abortion are no longer academic exercises, destined to be swatted away by the Supreme Court. Votes matter now. And suddenly pro-choicers are turning out.

     And not just Democratic pro-choicers. Around one in five Republican primary votes in the Kansas City suburbs voted “no” on the referendum, per WaPo. ………
     ………
     As for the playbook for pro-lifers, Dan McLaughlin makes some prudent suggestions. Conservatives aren’t going to convince Americans to ban abortion without exception anytime soon; the focus in the near-term should be on persuading them to restrict abortions after an initial period of some duration during which abortion will be legal. Fight for the principle that abortion on demand throughout pregnancy is abhorrent, an opinion which much of the public shares. If, when all of this legislative dust clears, Americans have settled for a compromise in which a consensus believes the practice should be banned after 12 weeks, that would be an improvement over the status quo. And it would leave abortion-fanatic Dems on defense.
     ……….
     I wonder if we’re destined to see “dueling referendums” on the ballots in states in 2024, some pushed by pro-lifers and other by pro-choicers. That would lead to interesting strategic choices. ……
     ########

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:08 pm

     
     

149. Mr Murdock wrote:

     DCSCA and Kentucky Dana, he agrees with you.

     Ouch! That’s about the strongest argument you could have made! But, alas! like a stopped clock, even Jeremy Corbyn could be right twice a day.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:08 pm

     
     

150. @144. You can tell the youngsters here; the caviler, if not immature, chatter of nuking cities and such. The events and realities of October, 1962 for the civil population alive at the time remain vivid reminders to experienced betters; and Chernobyl a glowing example of just what sort of dead-zone damage can be done when emotions rule the mind over matters at hand.

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:13 pm

     
     

151. We won the Cold War, which was a series of ‘limited’ wars, only losing the battle in Vietnam.

     That would be news to ‘long-march/long game’ China:

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_in_the_Cold_War

     Look both ways before you cross the oceans. 😉

     DCSCA (12fbad) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:35 pm

     
     

152. Sorry Kentucky Dana but your response @144 is somewhat rambling. You started the original discussion upthread by asserting that helping the Ukrainians would draw us into a nuclear war…implying that our aid would compel Russia to launch a preemptive strike. I’ve argued that that is unlikely because of the Mutually Assured Destruction Doctrine (MADD), and the fact that no Russian will want to follow Putin down a path that could escalate to global extinction. You responded that somehow the Russian forces would be ready for incoming nuclear ICBMs. I don’t really understand that as they have no way to intercept them reliably or hope to preemptively destroy all facets of the NATO nuclear triad.

     If Russia instead attacks Berlin, who is a NATO ally, then we are obliged via treaty to respond as if the U.S. were attacked. The same would hold for Latvia who joined in 2004. Even though you seem surprised by this, that’s what signing the treaty means. The whole point of MADD is to prevent nuclear weapons from being used. You’ve just not made a compelling case for why we should not help Ukraine.

     If Putin dares to use a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukrainian positions, that will be a different question. First, I question whether he would want fallout in the country he is attempting to annex. Second, will Putin risk that fallout being carried over to Russia? Third, would he risk that fallout spreading into NATO countries? Fourth, does he assume that risk when there is no risk of Russia being invaded as Ukraine has no such ambitions? Putin using a tactical nuke in Ukraine, however unlikely, would probably elicit initially a non-nuclear (conventional) response, together with complete economic sanctions, and the most stern international pressure. Again, why would Putin do something that will compel NATO to escalate and possibly attack within Russia itself? I’m not hearing anything that is rational.

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:44 pm

     
     

153. Ouch! That’s about the strongest argument you could have made! But, alas! like a stopped clock, even Jeremy Corbyn could be right twice a day.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:08 pm

     Not an argument, just having some fun. Arguing with two of you is pointless because nothing said will convince the other, and will have no impact on policy. But as a minority viewpoint here, you do hold your own. DCSCA, on the other hand, doesn’t make arguments, he just lives in past and repeats the same points ad nauseam and lives in his movie world.

     At least he has stopped dropping Mike. And Jeremy Corbin is right about nothing.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:54 pm

     
     

154. So, if Vladimir Vladimirovich launches one nuclear strike against one city, you think it likely that President Biden or Prime Minister Johnson…

     This is really irrelevant. Putin is a product of the Cold War. He knows MAD as well as anyone, and he’s using his veiled nuclear threats to intimidate and bully.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 1:54 pm

     
     

155. @152. Not an argument, just having some fun. Arguing with two of you is pointless because nothing said will convince the other, and will have no impact on policy. But as a minority viewpoint here, you do hold your own. DCSCA, on the other hand, doesn’t make arguments, he just lives in past and repeats the same points ad nauseam and lives in his movie world.’

     … “Well!” – Jack Benny ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ 193

     =mike-drop=

     DCSCA (09f1d2) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:05 pm

     
     

156. 1963

     DCSCA (09f1d2) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:06 pm

     
     

157. Now as to Vietnam and Iraq, I’m not following the analogy…given we don’t have boots on the ground or planes in the sky above Ukraine…..and no one is talking about introducing them…not even the dreaded Neocons.

     OMG. Ignorance is bliss. Stay happy, Agarn!

     ________

     The Neocons’ Primary War Tactic: Branding Opponents of U.S. Intervention as Traitors

     By rehabilitating neocons and elevating them as thought leaders, liberals live in their framework. Thus are opponents of U.S. involvement in Ukraine deemed treasonous.

     ‘One of the most bizarre but important dynamics of Trump-era U.S. politics is that the most fanatical war-hungry neocons, who shaped Bush/Cheney militarism, have become the most popular pundits and thought leaders in American liberalism. They have not changed in the slightest — they are employing the same tactics they have always invoked, and for the same causes — but they have correctly perceived that their agenda is better served by migrating back to the Democratic Party which originally spawned their bloodthirsty ideology.

     The excuse offered by Democrats for their embrace of neocons — we did it only as a temporary coalition of convenience to oppose Trump — is false for many reasons. This unholy alliance pre-dated Trump. In 2014 — long before anyone envisioned Trump descending down an escalator on his path to the White House — the journalist Jacob Heilbrunn wrote a New York Times op-ed entitled “The Next Act of the Neocons.” He predicted, correctly as it turned out, that “the neocons may be preparing a more brazen feat: aligning themselves with Hillary Rodham Clinton and her nascent presidential campaign, in a bid to return to the driver’s seat of American foreign policy. – source,

     https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-neocons-primary-war-tactic-branding

     DCSCA (09f1d2) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:16 pm

     
     

158. SpaceX addressing Falcon 9 rocket damage ahead of next NASA astronaut launch
     …….
     The Falcon 9 first stage was damaged during transport, a SpaceX representative told reporters during a briefing today (Aug. 4). The briefing topic was SpaceX’s delayed Crew-5 mission, which is now slated to fly four individuals to the International Space Station in late September in a Crew Dragon spacecraft.
     …………..
     As is typical of Falcon 9 boosters, the rocket stage was on a tractor-trailer moving between a SpaceX manufacturing facility in Hawthorne, California, and a testing facility in McGregor, Texas, when the incident happened, said (Benjamin Reed, senior director for human spaceflight at SpaceX).
     …….
     NASA is framing Crew-5 as an unprecedented opportunity in international space collaboration, citing as evidence the presence of (Russian cosmonaut Anna Kikina) on an American commercial spacecraft — a first for any Russian federal space agency cosmonaut. (Kikina’s spot was booked through a seat-swap negotiation that will continue putting NASA astronauts on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which they’ve flown on for years.)

     Crew-5 preparations, however, are taking place amid more turbulence in the relationship between the two principal partners of the ISS: NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
     Following months of threats by Roscosmos officials, new head Yuri Borisov said in July that his agency would be leaving the ISS partnership “after 2024,” which is the year that the current agreement expires.
     Borisov later clarified the statement, saying Roscosmos will “start the exit process” in 2024 or so as it gears up to build and operate a Russian space station late in the decade. …..
     ……….

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:34 pm

     
     

159. “Well!” – Jack Benny ‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ 193

     Proving my point.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:35 pm

     
     

160. Neither Jeremy Corbin or Glenn Greenwald have been right on anything.

     And there’s a reason Greenwald is in Brazil. ….

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:38 pm

     
     

161. DCSCA, do you consider yourself left-wing or right?

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:39 pm

     
     

162. MORE LIKE CHICKEN WING

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:46 pm

     
     

163. DCSCA, do you consider yourself left-wing or right?

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 2:39 pm

     Since he has said in past he likes seeing America getting its “azz” getting kicked, I would assume (who knows?).

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:00 pm

     
     

164. Lol:

     A key player in uncovering one of our nation’s biggest injustices tells the whole story—for kids!

     Kash Patel partners with Beacon of Freedom Publishing House, an imprint of BRAVE Books, to bring a fantastical retelling of Hillary’s horrible plot against Trump to the whole family.

     Full of fake heralds and keeper Komey’s spying slugs, this is a story of daring and danger. But never fear! Kash the Distinguished Discoverer will win the day.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:01 pm

     
     

165. Since he has said in past he likes seeing America getting its “azz” getting kicked, I would assume (who knows?).

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:00 pm

     Exactly. Throw in his hatred for Reagan and left wing would until recently have been the only plausible conclusion. Sure, Paleocons have always been down for isolationism, the World be damned, but they were an even smaller fringe on the right than the Code Pinkers were on the left. Then along came Trump, mainstreaming into the GOP the left’s most virulent Hate America First populism, and now all bets are off. The Venn Diagram of the far left and the Trump right is practically a circle. DC is illustrative. Is he far left? Far right? Both?

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:20 pm

     
     

166. Trump easily wins Texas CPAC 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll; DeSantis second

     DALLAS – Former President Donald Trump convincingly won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) three-day gathering in Texas. Trump, who’s repeatedly teased making another presidential run in 2024 to try and return to the White House, captured 69.1% of ballots cast in the anonymous online straw poll, according to results announced by CPAC on Saturday.

     The support for the former president, who remains the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party and continues to play a kingmaker’s role in GOP primaries, is up from his 59% showing in the anonymous online straw poll at the CPAC gathering in Orlando, Florida in February.

     Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second on the 2024 presidential nomination question, at 23.7%, down from his 28% showing at CPAC in Orlando five months ago…’ – foxnews.com

     DCSCA (3d9e7a) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:22 pm

     
     

167. U.N. watchdog warns of ‘nuclear disaster’ from shelling at Zaporizhzhia plant

     The United Nations nuclear chief warned of a potential “nuclear disaster” after shelling of Europe’s largest atomic power plant, once again urging Russia and Ukraine to allow a mission of experts access to the facility to help secure it… After the shelling Friday, Russia and Ukraine placed blame on one another for the attack. The facility near the front lines of fighting, has been under Russian control since March, but is still staffed by Ukrainians.’ -wapo.com

     Moran vs. Capone; is the address 2122 North Clark Street?

     DCSCA (3d9e7a) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:37 pm

     
     

168. @160/161/162/164. Pardon me for interrupting your ‘handy work,’ dollies:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7krYJUfFv4&t=24s

     DCSCA (3d9e7a) — 8/6/2022 @ 3:45 pm

     
     

169. @158. ‘Proving my point.’

     ‘You are too easy…’

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVj8rWGIcAA&t=8s

     “I’ll take the point.” – Petersen [Jim Hutton] ‘ The Green Berets’ 1968

     DCSCA (3d9e7a) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:00 pm

     
     

170. New York Times column urges Biden to give up re-election dreams: ‘Hey, Joe, don’t give it a go’

     ‘On Saturday, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd spoke for three quarters of the Democratic Party, urging President Joe Biden to announce that he will not be running for re-election for the good of the country. In her opinion piece, titled, “Hey, Joe, Don’t Give It a Go,” Dowd urged the president to not make the mistake that the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did, and leave office before overstaying his welcome and making things worse for the Democratic Party.

     Dowd began, stating, “Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a cautionary tale. She missed the moment to leave the stage, ignoring friendly nudges from Democrats and entreaties from Obama allies.” As such, “Her death opened the door to the most conservative court in nearly a century. Her successor, a religious zealot straight out of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ is erasing Justice Ginsburg’s achievements on women’s rights,” Dowd noted, referencing Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Addressing Biden directly, she insisted, “The timing of your exit can determine your place in the history books.”

     Though she acknowledged the recent string of successes for Biden, such as Democrats finding enough support to pass legislation such as the “Inflation Reduction Act,” the columnist argued that this “winning streak” should not inspire him to run again. “The opposite is true. It should give him the confidence to leave, secure in the knowledge that he has made his mark,” Dowd said.

     She continued to give the president credit, stating, “President Biden has had a cascade of legislative accomplishments on tech manufacturing, guns, infrastructure — and hopefully soon, climate and prescription drugs — that validate his promises when he ran.” She called them “genuine achievements that Democrats have been chasing for decades, and they will affect generations to come. “Though again, she mentioned that he could “leave on a high, knowing that he has delivered on his promises for progress and restored decency to the White House.”

     Dowd characterized Biden’s presidency “as a balm to the bombastic Donald Trump,” and “an escape from Trump and Trumpism, a way to help us get our bearings after the thuggish and hallucinatory reign of a con man.” Implying that’s all it should have ever been, she subsequently wrote, “Then he and his team got carried away and began unrealistically casting him as an F.D.R. with a grand vision to remake the social contract.”

     “Biden’s mission was not to be a visionary but to be a calming force for a country desperately in need of calming, and a bridge to the next generation,” Dowd wrote, adding that “he’s a logical one-termer.” Dowd gave credence to the “growing sense in the Democratic Party and in America” that dodging a “comeback by Trump or the rise of the odious Ron DeSantis,” requires “new blood.”

     She argued that if Biden admitted his plans for next term now, “it would give Democrats a chance to sort through their meh field and leave time for a fresh, inspiring candidate to emerge.”

     Dowd then called Biden a “lame duck,” but spun that to work in his favor, writing, “Usually, being a lame duck weakens you. But in Biden’s case, it could strengthen him. We live in a Washington where people too often put power over principle.”

     “So the act of leaving could elevate Biden, freeing him from typical re-election pressures, so he and his team could do what they thought was right rather than what was politically expedient,” she claimed. Dowd also mentioned that the question of Biden’s age won’t go away, as it’s “already a hot topic in focus groups and an undercurrent in Democratic circles.” She then concluded her column, stating that for Biden to deal with these “dangerous times” involving inflation, climate change, China, and “women’s rights on the line,” “It might be best to have a president unshackled from the usual political restraints.” – source, NYT/FoxNews.com

     Down so long, it looks like up to you, eh, Squinty?

     “I trust his judgment” – Nancy Pelosi 8/25/21

     DCSCA (3d9e7a) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:12 pm

     
     

171. nk (c3dc0b) — 8/6/2022 @ 8:04 am

     That was epic, nk.

     norcal (da5491) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:15 pm

     
     

172. ‘Blame America first,’ &c.
     …….
     (The phrase) was introduced by Jeane Kirkpatrick, then the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in her speech to the 1984 Republican convention. She was still a Democrat at the time. (She would not switch her party affiliation until she left the Reagan administration.) ……

     She said that some of her fellow Democrats — not of the Truman school that she represented — had a tendency to “blame America first.” I’ll give you a sampling:
     ……….
     Some of us thought of this speech during the Trump years — particularly where U.S.–Russia relations were concerned. On the day of his June 2018 summit with Vladimir Putin, President Trump wrote, “Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” The Russian foreign ministry answered, “We agree.”

     In the old days, Republicans would have exploded in rage. But these were the new days.
     ………..
     I have thought about all this in recent days because of what I read about Russia and Ukraine. I hear Americans say, “It’s America’s fault, you know. It’s NATO’s fault. We’ve encircled them. We’ve provoked Putin. We’ve poked the bear. We engineered a coup in Ukraine, forcing Putin to annex Crimea and launch a war. We interfered in Ukraine, so who are we to say that Russia shouldn’t interfere? Isn’t Ukraine basically a western province of Russia anyway? Also, we let these itty-bitty semi-Russian countries into NATO. That made Putin mad. We have thrown our weight around, and now he is retaliating.”

     And so on and so forth.

     I hope Americans will not allow themselves to be gaslit. The crisis in and around Ukraine is entirely of Putin’s making. He is a dictator who is hungry for other people’s land. He has dreams of reconstituting the USSR or the Russian Empire. He is scared to death of neighboring democracies, for the example they set. Russian people might get ideas. They might get uppity, like the Ukrainians.

     Ukrainians, Balts, and others want to live unmolested. They want to get on with their life in their own countries within their own borders. Putin threatens them and the peace of Europe. He is a belligerent, expansionist, lawless dictator, determined to stay in power for as long as he can and wreak as much havoc as possible on the democratic world, which he hates.

     Do not be gaslit. Do not fall for either “moral equivalence” or “blame America first.”
     ……….

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:17 pm

     
     

173. @115. This is just too easy…

     ‘Two months after the Soviet Union put the first man in orbit, President John F. Kennedy announced the Apollo Space Program to a joint session of Congress, telling the nation, “No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” He was right. In fixing a national ambition and rallying resources behind it, the United States went from never having put a man in orbit to landing a team on the moon in less than a decade. At the height of Apollo’s efforts, it employed 400,000 Americans and worked with 20,000 partnering institutions…

     What we invested: $24 billion… What we got: massive technological advancement and the start of huge opportunities for technology transfer, leading to more than 1,500 successful spinoffs related to areas as disparate as heart monitors, solar panels, and cordless innovation.’

     https://www.americanprogress.org/article/top-10-u-s-government-investments-in-20th-century-american-competitiveness/

     DCSCA (26eada) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:40 pm

     
     

174. Monmouth: Dems Gain Slightly in Congress Support
     ……….
     Democrats have made slight gains in the public’s preference for party control of Congress since the spring. Currently, 38% of Americans say they want the Democratic Party in charge and another 12% have no initial preference but lean toward Democratic control. Republican control is preferred by 34% with another 9% leaning toward the GOP. The combined 50% who choose the Democrats is up from 47% in June and 44% in May. Republicans’ 43% support level is down from 47% in June and 48% in May.

     Nearly 6 in 10 (57%) Americans say it is very important to have their preferred party in control of Congress. The congressional control importance metric is slightly higher among those who want Democrats (63%) than those who want Republicans (59%) leading Congress.

     “Recent events, such as the Jan. 6th committee hearings and Supreme Court decisions, seem to have generated a bit more energy for the Democrats, but it is not clear that this is actual momentum. It may simply be ongoing volatility in a public largely unhappy with the way things are going in Washington,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

     Overall, Congress earns a dismal 17% approve and 74% disapprove job rating, which is in line with the range for this rating over the past year. ……..
     ……….
     The poll asked Americans to rate how seven different policy areas factor into their congressional vote choice. About 2 in 3 or more say it is very or extremely important to them that their chosen candidate shares their views on six of these issues. ………
     ……….
     When asked to choose the single most important issue from the seven policy areas included in the poll, economic policy (24%) is the top concern among all Americans, followed by abortion (17%), gun control (17%), and health care (14%). Climate change (11%), immigration (8%), and tax policy (7%) round out the list. Abortion as the top issue has declined by 8 percentage points since Monmouth’s May poll, which was taken in the immediate wake of the leaked Dobbs decision. …….
     ……..
     The downward trend in President Biden’s job rating appears to have stabilized for now. Currently, 38% approve of the job he is doing while 56% disapprove. ……..

     Negative views of the U.S. Supreme Court continue to rise, with 37% of the public saying they approve of the job the court is doing and 59% saying they disapprove. …….
     ……….

     Cross tabs.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 4:47 pm

     
     

175. @171. I hope Americans will not allow themselves to be gaslit. The crisis in and around Ukraine is entirely of Putin’s making. He is a dictator who is hungry for other people’s land. He has dreams of reconstituting the USSR or the Russian Empire. He is scared to death of neighboring democracies, for the example they set. Russian people might get ideas. They might get uppity, like the Ukrainians.

     Might get “uppity?” They did: in 1991. Shuttered Gorby and the USSR, hired Yeltsin- who in turn, brought in… Putin. Ukraine is HIS problem. Not America’s. Americans gaslit? Said the fella blowing hot gas out the aft end of his service module. We know where your pilot light is, Rip.

     Putin’s Russia may echo the Soviet bloc, but it is far smaller

     https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/putins-russia-may-echo-soviet-bloc-it-far-smaller

     DCSCA (26eada) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:02 pm

     
     

176. Overall, Congress earns a dismal 17% approve and 74% disapprove job rating, which is in line with the range for this rating over the past year.

     Careful! Them there populist Americans might get ‘uppity’… and storm the castle. 😉

     DCSCA (26eada) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:04 pm

     
     

177. Careful! Them there populist Americans might get ‘uppity’… and storm the castle. 😉

     DCSCA (26eada) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:04 pm

     Or the Supreme Court:

     Negative views of the U.S. Supreme Court continue to rise, with 37% of the public saying they approve of the job the court is doing and 59% saying they disapprove. …….

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:15 pm

     
     

178. Former President Donald Trump convincingly won the 2024 GOP presidential nomination straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)

     Of course the Batsh-t wing of the GOP endorsed Trump. This is not news. No cultism there, no sirree.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:31 pm

     
     

179. DCSCA,

     Is there a reason you won’t say whether you consider yourself left-wing or right? It’s not a trick question. Nor would I think it a controversial one.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:40 pm

     
     

180. Careful! Them there populist Americans might get ‘uppity’… and storm the castle. 😉

     DCSCA (26eada) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:04 pm

     And as you expect those who support Ukraine’s defense of their freedom to go there, I expect you to be leading the “uppity” populists in storming the castle. Or are you just a sideline cheerleader?

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:45 pm

     
     

181. Mr Montagu wrote:

     So, if Vladimir Vladimirovich launches one nuclear strike against one city, you think it likely that President Biden or Prime Minister Johnson…

     This is really irrelevant. Putin is a product of the Cold War. He knows MAD as well as anyone, and he’s using his veiled nuclear threats to intimidate and bully.

     This statement assumes that Mr Putin learned the same lessons from the Cold War that Westerners did.

     We already know that he doesn’t think like a Westerner, like a classical liberal. The comparison to der Führer are a little too Godwin’s law for me, but he did do exactly as Adolf Hitler did, attacking Ukraine after months and months of threats and demands.

     What lesson might Mr Putin have learned from the Cold War. He might have learned that Russia could not compete economically with the West, and that competing militarily, as far as a military buildup that wasn’t actually used, save the wastage in Afghanistan, was not a winning move either, because we had the resources to outbuild him.

     But competition in military power that is actually used? Looking at how the West used its military power, promiscuously yet still timidly, he might, might! have concluded that yes, Russia could outcompete the West that way. Seeing how ineffectual the United States was militarily, at the end of supply lines thousands of miles long, he might have concluded that, in his own backyard, operating on interior supply lines, he would have an advantage.

     I will not presuppose that I know how Mr Putin thinks, but it is pretty obvious: he does not think like we do.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:49 pm

     
     

182. No word from Amnesty International on this. Meantime, the Financial Times has some words.

     Originally devoted to publicising cases of “prisoners of conscience”, Amnesty has this week determinedly set about shredding its credibility by serving as a megaphone for the propaganda of the Putin regime. On the basis of a few weeks spent by its researchers in the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Donbas regions, the organisation issued a report accusing Ukraine’s armed forces of endangering civilians by basing themselves and their weapons in residential areas, including schools and hospitals. Amnesty says: “Such tactics violate international humanitarian law and endanger civilians, as they turn civilian objects into military targets.”

     Amnesty’s intervention has elicited widespread fury. President Zelensky of Ukraine accused the group of “shifting the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim”. He is absolutely right. There is a legal obligation, codified in the Geneva Conventions, to protect noncombatants in war, and the monitoring activities of such organisations as the Red Cross and the Red Crescent can help enforce it by bringing violations to light. That is altogether different from blaming and defaming the victims of aggression, which is what Amnesty is doing here. It is little wonder the group’s Ukraine office, which was not consulted, condemned these purported findings, while the Russian embassy in London eagerly reproduced them.

     Amnesty has vainly sought to deflect criticism by pointing to its condemnation of Russia’s invasion. That is a feeble evasion. Ukrainian forces base themselves in civilian areas because Russian forces are attacking them. That is the established method of Russian military action, in Chechnya and Syria as well as Ukraine. Ukrainian forces are valiantly resisting these depredations while striving to help civilians leave the endangered areas.

     Amnesty’s report pays no attention to the realities of military operations and misunderstands the content of positive international law. The group also has previous form in abasing itself before the Kremlin. Last year it revoked the designation of Alexei Navalny, the heroic Russian dissident, as a prisoner of conscience before hurriedly reversing itself amid a storm of international criticism.

     It is more than a little ridiculous that, according to AI, Navalny is not a prisoner of conscience.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 5:56 pm

     
     

183. We already know that he doesn’t think like a Westerner, like a classical liberal.

     C’mon, Other Dana. It’s not like history started in the late 1990s, when Putin brutalized his way into the presidency.
     No one would mistake Gorbachev and Andropov and Brezhnev for being westerners either, and Khrushchev learned a hard lesson.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 6:01 pm

     
     

184. Putin is a psychopath.
     If he gains only one square inch of Ukraine, he will consider it a net gain. A net gain!
     Every Russian soldier killed or maimed is no cost at all to him.
     Whatever the drain on Russia’s economy, whatever the hardships to the Russian population, is no cost at all to him.
     Life is sweet and his has been very comfortable for 25 years. That might give him pause. Losing his life, losing his comfort. Might. But nothing else.

     nk (430200) — 8/6/2022 @ 6:36 pm

     
     

185. Michael Beschloss digs up a little American history…
     here,
     here,
     and here…
     and it’s not only not pretty, it’s vaguely and troublingly familiar in 2022.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/6/2022 @ 6:38 pm

     
     

186. @180. What he ‘thinks’ is what he knows: he’s still managing to be a player on the world stage, leading an ex-superpower, going toe to toe w/current superpowers– on the rise and decline– even though he’s now merely China’s bit-h; just head of a now regional power, armed w/nukes a la Israel- w/a still large strategic land mass and European powers cleverly made dependent on his valuable natural resources by their own decisions.

     ‘If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.’ If you’ve got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.’ – Teddy Roosevelt

     DCSCA (6d10cf) — 8/6/2022 @ 6:51 pm

     
     

187. No one would mistake Gorbachev and Andropov and Brezhnev for being westerners either, and Khrushchev learned a hard lesson.

     No one? LOLOLOLOL

     Gorbachev Is Selected as Time’s Man of the Decade

     https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-24-mn-2155-story.html

     … when Putin brutalized his way into the presidency.

     … brutal indeed; hired by the Yeltsin: singing the sucker bait song– and the West went for it hook, line and ‘reset button’ sinker:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekeq4szDmJo

     DCSCA (6d10cf) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:01 pm

     
     

188. Of course the Batsh-t wing of the GOP endorsed Trump.

     The support for the former president, who remains the most popular and influential politician in the Republican Party and continues to play a kingmaker’s role in GOP primaries, is up from his 59% showing in the anonymous online straw poll at the CPAC gathering in Orlando, Florida in February.

     Better learn to recognize that ‘Bat Signal’ when you see it, ‘Joker.’

     DCSCA (6d10cf) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:10 pm

     
     

189. I used to try to understand Glenn Greenwald apparent shifts in ideology. And then I realized I could explain everything he has done for the last 20 years or so by assuming he was working for Putin.

     Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/6/2022 @ 7:42 pm

     
     

190. Since he has said in past he likes seeing America getting its “azz” getting kicked, I would assume (who knows?).

     He’s pro-China and pro-Russia, to the point where he denies we won the Cold War.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:38 pm

     
     

191. Gorbachev Is Selected as Time’s Man of the Decade

     Well, they could hardly pick Reagan, so they picked the man he beat.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:39 pm

     
     

192. I an not particularly worried about Russia’s missiles. I’d bet on sloppy maintenance or them having sold the fuel on the black market.

     But China is a worry. They know what they are doing, usually, and we are playing political chicken with our deterrent. At some point they’ve going to have 3000 tungsten spears up there and tell us to stand down. And all we’ll do is start blaming each other.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:44 pm

     
     

193. Glenn Greenwald’s ideological shape shifting can be understood through the same lens as Donald Trump’s: he’s a malignant narcissist who brooks no slight to his grandiose yet fragile ego. Putin, like everyone else, is just a foil for GG’s disordered pathology. Putin hates the same people GG does, so he’s a swell guy. Twenty years ago it was the (Putin loving) Noam Chomskys of the world crowd making excuses for GG. Today it’s the (Putin living) Tucker Carlsons. Like Trump, GG was the same a-hole then that he is now.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:47 pm

     
     

194. @179. Ask Ashli Babbitt.

     Oh. Wait.

     She remains unavailable for comment.

     DCSCA (27b2a0) — 8/6/2022 @ 9:51 pm

     
     

195. I’d bet on sloppy maintenance…

     Tom Nichols, a Russia military expert, disagrees. He says Russia’s nuclear arsenal is the sole branch of its military that’s up-to-date and meticulously maintained. Everything else is fair game for graft and neglect, but when it comes to nukes, they don’t eff around.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:00 pm

     
     

196. China moving towards use of force: Blinken

     ‘Reuters– At a news conference in Manila with his Philippines counterpart, Blinken said the United States would work to ensure communication channels with China remained open to prevent miscommunication. Blinken also chided Beijing for retaliatory actions that went beyond firing missiles to walking away from climate change talks.

     “Countries around the region and around the world… expect us, the United States and China, to manage our differences responsibly,” he said. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo, welcomed assurances from Blinken that they would work closely with new Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s administration, and look at promoting regional peace and stability.’

     Attagirl, Nancy.

     DCSCA (27b2a0) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:06 pm

     
     

197. Seen on a T shirt at the grocery store:

     Roe, Roe, Roe your vote

     norcal (da5491) — 8/6/2022 @ 10:08 pm

     
     

198. @195: No link

     It’s here: https://www.reuters.com/world/blinken-chides-chinas-irresponsible-cut-us-communication-channels-2022-08-06/

     I’ve said before that China will not dare invade Taiwan proper, but there are Taiwanese possessions that are lower-hanging fruit.

     Quemoy and Matsu, for example.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/6/2022 @ 11:08 pm

     
     

199. Rethugs refuse to put abortion ban on ballot in indiana too afraid of the will of the people of indiana. The people of indiana can still have a say on the abortion issue when they catch rethuglicans out campaigning or kocking on their door for the november election.

     asset (106ac3) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:29 am

     
     

200. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2022/08/06/senate-democrats-cancel-covid-policy-ahead-of-reconciliation-bill-n2611373
     81 million of you saps let this happen. Shame on you.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:10 am

     
     

201. Rethugs refuse to put abortion ban on ballot in indiana too afraid of the will of the people of indiana.

     Was it required for the legislature to do so? The point of having a legislature is to legislate. It’s their job.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:10 am

     
     

202. Saw a t-shirt at the gas station that read- Donkey Pox the downfall of America.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:12 am

     
     

203. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2022/08/the-coming-war-on-agriculture.php
     I want to shove crickets down McConnells throat. He should have been out in front of this years ago. He is scum.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:25 am

     
     

204. https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/08/06/glenn-greenwald-goes-to-town-on-why-dick-and-liz-cheney-hate-trump-so-much-n608013
     War mongers -the lot of you. {sic}

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:38 am

     
     

205. “DC is illustrative. Is he far left? Far right? Both?”

     I think he’s first and foremost performative — a jumble of things that at times are wholly incompatible with ideology. For instance, he’s very much pro-choice but is simultaneously very supportive of Trump who nominated the justices who decisively helped over-turn Roe. He’s viscerally against the “greed infused” supply-side economics of the 1980’s, but doesn’t sound a peep about the corporate-leaning tax cuts signed off by Trump. Biden’s plagiarism is disqualifying, but Trump’s manifold character foibles are not. He’ll argue about Ukrainian aid busting the budget, but will cry relentlessly for Biden to cut Covid relief checks faster and bust the budget 100 times more. It’s cognitive dissonance on steroids.

     Still, I think the over-riding theme is a hatred of conservatism, so maybe he’s a more natural fit as a Rockefeller Republican. He understands that Trump is poisoning the conservative GOP and thus is fine with the above contradictions. He’s against guns, illegal immigrants, and foreign wars….so right now he too has no natural home though populist Trumpism is the closest fit. But he also roots for chaos and the people revolting…the tearing down of institutions and royalists. He wanted Pelosi to faceoff with those J6 invaders on the Capitol steps. On some level, he does want it all to go to sh*t. So there’s a good bit a nihilism and fatalism in there too…provided it delivers entertaining television.

     To him morality is mutable…it can be bent to fit his other priorities. Trump soiling conservatism and lessening U.S. influence abroad over-rides any corruption or worrisome incompetence in the ex-President. He understands that Trumpism is breaking the system; he’s OK with that. That’s why we see the current dismissal of DeSantis and no interest in any politico’s from the Left. No one can fracture the system like Trump….No one can divide us more…No one can dissolve and discredit our institutions faster. He’s with our enemies in that regard.

     Lurker, he won’t answer your question about his ideology because ultimately his schtick is only peripherally related to policy. Some people are just nihilistic contrarians. The internet and social media create them by the thousands….and they get an out-sized voice. He can perform here and be the master troll. In real life people can shut him out…..here, by design, it’s difficult to run that blocking script. We want to believe that people want to interact in good faith….but that ain’t reality…

     AJ_Liberty (dfbf73) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:58 am

     
     

206. 187, these results are downwind of DeSantis forays into the kultur wars and Roe…Trump 2024 is not only the hard cultists and the blue collar roughneck but the narrow overlaps of strange Venn diagrams anticipating “not Trump” overreach on abortion and gay issues. The Wisconsin rally had Les Miserables show tunes as background music and was far more focused on law and order than religious issues.

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:06 am

     
     

207. Mr Miller wrote:

     I used to try to understand Glenn Greenwald apparent shifts in ideology. And then I realized I could explain everything he has done for the last 20 years or so by assuming he was working for Putin.

     This is pretty much what those beating the drums for being tough on Russia have been saying all along: if you ain’t for us, you must be working for Vlad Putin.

     Damn! Here I am opposing our proxy war policy, and no one is throwing a single ruble my way! Show me the money!

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:33 am

     
     

208. Mr M wrote:

     I’ve said before that China will not dare invade Taiwan proper, but there are Taiwanese possessions that are lower-hanging fruit.

     If only the Biden Administration weren’t double-dog daring them to do it!

     An obvious question: why wouldn’t China dare to invade Taiwan proper? Who’s going to stop them?

     Our only weapon against China is economic: we could declare that our debts to China will not be paid, and confiscate Chinese-owned property in the United States, but then China would simply say, OK, we just won’t sell you stuff anymore . . . and we are almost wholly dependent upon Chinese computer chips. Then China sends out the signal which activates the sabotage trigger that they’ve (probably) already built into the stuff they have sold us.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:45 am

     
     

209. Rethugs refuse to put abortion ban on ballot in indiana too afraid of the will of the people of indiana.

     Do we have to engage in name-calling here? Democraps is just as annoying.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:12 am

     
     

210. Rethugs refuse to put abortion ban on ballot in indiana too afraid of the will of the people of indiana.

     In any event, it will be on the ballot and you will see Democrat victories in swing state legislative districts as a result. Quite a few folks right-of-center are pointing out the incredible overreach some are engaging in.

     Note that DeSantis’ Florida has a 15-week rule, with life & health exceptions, tracking very closely to European norms.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:19 am

     
     

211. we are almost wholly dependent upon Chinese computer chips.

     Hunh? Do you mean Taiwanese?

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:23 am

     
     

212. BTW, the US military does not permit Chinese content in things they buy, and hasn’t for some time.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:25 am

     
     

213. The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:33 am

     When the war and resulting economic turmoil carries on for years, or a peace deal is struck where ukraine commits in writing to stay out of nato (giving putin exactly what he wanted all along), or things escalate further dragging us in deeper, i wonder if the gung ho ukraine commenters will admit they were wrong

     cuz really only putin stooges would think those are bad outcomes, and the most likely outcomes

     and, when putin plants a flag in warsaw, I’ll certainly admit I was wrong

     though that’s as likely to happen as demented joe fixing covid, the economy, and the border mess

     but again, only putin stooges think he isn’t already doing that

     JF (a6d404) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:53 am

     
     

214. Finally, Zelenskyy has some land he wants to give to Putin.

     OTD 14 years ago, Putin launched his invasion on Georgia, not really because of NATO, but because he wanted that nation under his control, and it worked for him, in part because of Bush’s and Obama’s and the West’s tepid milquetoast response, and this pathetic underreaction paved the way for Putin’s foray into Ukraine, once he got those Winter Olympics in Sochi out of the way.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:38 am

     
     

215. i wonder if the gung ho ukraine commenters will admit they were wrong

     Wrong about what, exactly?
     It was never really about Ukraine joining NATO. There’s no way Ukraine could join with two of its regions under Russian occupation.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:40 am

     
     

216. North Korea offering 100,000 troops to help defeat Ukraine, Russian state media says

     North Korea’s military is the world’s fourth largest, with nearly 1.3 million active personnel, according to the New York-based Council for Foreign Relations. A further 600,000 serve as reserve soldiers. North Korea has offered 100,000 “volunteer” troops to the Kremlin to help Russia win the war against Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

     “There are reports that 100,000 North Korean volunteers are prepared to come and take part in the conflict,” said the Russian military pundit Igor Korotchenko on Channel One Russia, per the New York Post. Korotchenko praised the North Korean military’s “wealth of experience with counter-battery warfare,” the newspaper reported…

     Effective counter-battery warfare is of increased importance to the Russian military following the US decision to donate a dozen HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) to Ukraine, military magazine 1945 reported. A military expert told Insider’s Sinéad Baker last month, that the long-range, high-precision rockets have made “a massive difference” to Ukraine’s war efforts. Korotchenko went on to argue that Russia should welcome the North Korean troops and their counter-battery expertise…

     https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-offering-russia-100k-troops-help-beat-ukraine-reports-2022-8

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:42 am

     
     

217. Wrong about what, exactly?

     ‘”Putin knows, if I am president of the United States, his days of tyranny and trying to intimidate the United States and those in Eastern Europe are over… Vladimir Putin doesn’t want me to be President. He doesn’t want me to be our nominee. If you’re wondering why — it’s because I’m the only person in this field who’s ever gone toe-to-toe with him.”’

     =mike-drop=

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:45 am

     
     

218. @206. Damn! Here I am opposing our proxy war policy, and no one is throwing a single ruble my way! Show me the money!

     A tanker or two of light sweet crude would suffice. 😉

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:53 am

     
     

219. @204. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpG3-hLJTwU

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:58 am

     
     

220. =mike-drop=

     So your answer is a hypothetical which cannot be proven one or the other unless you’ve slid into an alt-universe.
     Your reply is as brilliant as all your others in this thread. /s

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:08 am

     
     

221. @209. He’s battling with Mickey Mouse and drag queens.

     … and Putin smiled.

     Xi actually grinned.

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:10 am

     
     

222. @219. And the RINO blows his horn.

     Look! It’s Bat Signal, Joker! What could it mean?! 😉

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:12 am

     
     

223. “North Korea’s military is the world’s fourth largest”

     Has N. Korea ever sent troops anywhere outside of pilots to Vietnam? Moving 100,000 troops 4,400 miles and then ostensibly counting on the logistic support of the Russians would be quite the bold move. Do they have airlift capability or will they march through the Far East-Siberian-Ural-Volga-and-Southern Federal Districts of Russia? It would be cool for them to march and for us to track them

     “=mike-drop=”

     Hilarious, love it….(let’s see if reverse psychology works)

     AJ_Liberty (ec7f74) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:14 am

     
     

224. @211. BTW, the US military does not permit Chinese content in things they buy, and hasn’t for some time.

     Golly. Damn that ‘America First’ Donald Trump fella! 😉

     U.S. military comes to grips with over-reliance on Chinese imports

     WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Pentagon-led review ordered by President Donald Trump has identified hundreds of instances where the U.S. military depends on foreign countries, especially China, for critical materials, U.S. officials said. The study is expected to be released in the coming weeks and aims to lessen the U.S. military’s reliance on foreign countries and strengthen U.S. industry.

     Among the study’s conclusions will be a determination the United States is too dependent on foreign suppliers for a range of items including some micro-electronics, tiny components such as integrated circuits and transistors, the officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

     These kinds of essential components are embedded in advanced electronics used in everything from satellites and cruise missiles to drones and cellphones. The focus on China reflects an effort under Trump to address the risks to U.S. national security from Beijing’s growing military and economic clout. Pentagon officials want to be sure China is not able to hobble America’s military by cutting off supplies of materials or by sabotaging technology it exports.

     The report could add to mounting trade tensions with China, bolstering the Trump administration’s “Buy American” initiative, which aims to help drum up billions of dollars more in arms sales for U.S. manufacturers and create more jobs.

     Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman, did not comment on the contents of the report but told Reuters the study would make recommendations “to ensure a robust, resilient, secure and ready manufacturing and defense industrial base.”

     China, which has also become the main supplier of many of the rare earth minerals used by the United States, will be given special emphasis in the report, said the officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

     A January analysis from the United States Geological Survey said the United States produced no rare earth minerals in 2017 while China accounted for 81 percent of global mine production. Rare earth minerals are used in magnets, radars and consumer electronics.

     Aside from the risk that a foreign power could cut off vital supplies needed to keep the U.S. military up and running, other risks include the threat of sabotaged equipment or espionage.

     The Pentagon has long fretted that “kill switches” could be embedded in transistors that could turn off sensitive U.S. systems in a conflict. U.S. intelligence officials also warned this year about the possibility China could use Chinese-made mobile phones and network equipment to spy on Americans.

     When the study is released, it will not provide a detailed inventory of all of the weaknesses in the supply chain. These will be in a classified annex.

     A U.S. official said the report will also examine U.S. shortcomings that contribute to purchases from foreign companies, including roller-coaster U.S. defense budgets that make it difficult for companies to predict government demand. Another weakness is in U.S. science and technology education.

     BOLSTERING U.S. INDUSTRY

     Advocates of the study say it is a late but critical look at ways to address America’s loss of manufacturing, whose toll on national security gets far less attention than the jobs lost, and the political wave that it created in rust-belt states that helped elect Trump president in 2016.

     “People used to think you could outsource the manufacturing base without any repercussions (on national security). But now we know that’s not the case,” said one U.S. official familiar with the report, speaking on condition of anonymity. One aspect of the report’s recommendation is expected to be ensuring profitability for niche U.S. producers of critical components in American weaponry.

     Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, has publicly spoken in recent weeks about the Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950, which allows the U.S. president to incentivize domestic producers of critical materials through purchase commitments and other guarantees.

     Lord said the government should step in to offer such support if businesses would be unable to ensure a “reasonable profit.”

     The U.S. Government Accountability Office offered one example in a report last year about how the U.S. military had to fund a U.S. factory in 2014 to produce the chemical Butanetriol, used in the Hellfire air-to-surface missile.

     For the previous six years, the military relied on China for the chemical.’

     https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-china-idUSKCN1MC275

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:26 am

     
     

225. @222. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujUfZ3tH1gQ

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:30 am

     
     

226. “And the RINO blows his horn.”

     Love the repetition…it’s like advertising 101…it’s now in everyone’s subconscious. Paul is RINO…Paul is a RINO…even if Paul isn’t a RINO. Now get us to buy something else…

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:36 am

     
     

227. Joe Biden mocks China threat – ‘They’re not bad folks’

     https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/05/video-joe-biden-mocks-china-threat-theyre-not-bad-folks/

     … and Jinping smiled.

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:47 am

     
     

228. Love the repetition…it’s like advertising 101…it’s now in everyone’s subconscious. Paul is RINO…Paul is a RINO…even if Paul isn’t a RINO. Now get us to buy something else…

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:36 am

     He puts so much effort into insulting people and trolling. The obnoxious repetition, the bold text, it’s obviously sad that a person is that desperate. But you got to hand it to him. He ruined the discussion. It’s too annoying and time consuming to comment here. Even if you block him, half the thread is always people reacting to him because he’ll just keep getting more ridiculous until it happens.

     DCSCA would be shooting up a school somewhere if he were a little younger. He’s exactly what Trump has done to our society. That no one even really grasps what his political views are is actually perfect.

     Dustin (f01c00) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:54 am

     
     

229. @227. He’s exactly what Trump has done to our society.

     So the state of society is Trump’s fault, eh, Dustin:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYeNuISN4Dc

     A Frankenstein fed and nurtured in the 1980’s, housed in a Fifth Avenue tower; born of the greed and greed-fueled, junk-bonded fakery of the gilded age; of gaudy excess, of image over substance; of mass entertainment where ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ ruled; when JR Ewing and Alexis Colby wedre welcomed into millions of living rooms. Where do you park your helicopter, Dustin?

     Trump is a Reagan creation. You’re drowning amidst the flotsam; he is you.

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:07 am

     
     

230. Trump snubbed: Biden told Obama, Bush about al Zawahiri strike, but not Donald

     The Biden administration informed former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush of the airstrike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri before it was announced publicly, a National Security Council spokesman told the Washington Examiner. Officials did not reach out to former President Donald Trump… Without specifying who spoke to either of the two former commanders-in-chief, a NSC spokesman said in a brief statement to the Washington Examiner on Saturday that: “The Biden Administration spoke to Presidents Bush and Obama to notify them about the strike before it was announced publicly.” – WashingtonExaminer.com

     So the ‘administration’ does the talking for Joey. More confirmation that he’s not running the show.

     DCSCA (36cd66) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:18 am

     
     

231. RIP Judith Durham AO (79). Australian folk singer with The Seekers.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:19 am

     
     

232. bla bla bla crazy old man who makes stuff up and cries

     Dustin (f01c00) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:24 am

     
     

233. JF: “When the war and resulting economic turmoil carries on for years, or a peace deal is struck where ukraine commits in writing to stay out of nato (giving putin exactly what he wanted all along), or things escalate further dragging us in deeper, i wonder if the gung ho ukraine commenters will admit they were wrong”

     Yeah I know….responding to JF is like volunteering for a colonoscopy early…or just doing the prep for fun.

     Of course Putin was not counting on his aggression causing Finland and Sweden to join NATO which will put NATO at his back door, sharing a huge section of border. So let’s drop the Putin as master strategist here. He also has the EU countries scrambling for other energy options so his leverage there is shrinking except for good-ole no-mixed-race Orban. Putin’s forces are taking heavy losses….morale is down across the board as top officers are getting picked off trying to fix problems at the front lines….and a technology gap with the West is being uncomfortably exposed. From our perspective, we are getting a front row view into Russian tactics and how their systems perform.

     Ukraine wasn’t likely getting into NATO…though Putin was just worried about Ukraine leaning west…and having that relationship being seen by his liberty-deprived citizenry. Having a democracy…however imperfect…at his black sea border was always the problem. A treaty which enables Ukraine to continue to lean west and tie more into the EU is a huge loss for Putin. And that’s what’s coming because I question whether Russia can accept the status quo indefinitely.

     Can the situation spiral? Certainly. But there is also no guarantee that a hands-off approach could not have gone south either…giving Putin a quick victory, eyes on additional conquests, and the green light to China. And there was no guarantee that there wouldn’t be a nuclear standoff at some new line…..Latvia? Finland? At some point the US would need to step up and help to defend…why not Ukraine?

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:36 am

     
     

234. @231. In Scranton? Or is it Wilmington this week. 😉

     DCSCA (310ae6) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:37 am

     
     

235. The Blame America First crowd here are holding America’s leaders hostage to Xi and Putin, which coincides with Trump’s positions. Shocking (not)!

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:47 am

     
     

236. Dustin: DCSCA would be shooting up a school somewhere if he were a little younger. He’s exactly what Trump has done to our society. That no one even really grasps what his political views are is actually perfect.

     Haaa

     DCCCP: “A Frankenstein fed and nurtured in the 1980’s, housed in a Fifth Avenue tower; born of the greed and greed-fueled, junk-bonded fakery of the gilded age; of gaudy excess, of image over substance; of mass entertainment where ‘lifestyles of the rich and famous’ ruled; when JR Ewing and Alexis Colby wedre welcomed into millions of living rooms.”

     What a bizarro take on the 1980’s. There will always be excess when people are making profit….it’s a feature of capitalism…not of simplifying the tax code advocated by Reagan and accepted by that robber barron Tip O’Neill. DCCCP lived in Europe as a youth…probably ducking the Vietnam draft there as well. That sounds to me a background of privilege…fueled by oil money. So it’s kind of rich to have the same pampered ninny complaining about other people getting rich. Maybe he squandered his and has been bitter and sniping ever since. Come on DCCCP, what happened to the millions?

     AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:48 am

     
     

237. Man Who Made Threats Against Dr. Anthony Fauci and Other Federal Officials Sentenced to Over Three Years in Federal Prison

     U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., age 57, most recently of Snowshoe, West Virginia to 37 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for making threats against a federal official……
     ……….
     “Everyone has the right to disagree, but you do not have the right to threaten a federal official’s life,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron. “Threats like these will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
     ………..
     According to Connally’s plea agreement, from December 28, 2020, to July 25, 2021, Connally used an anonymous email account from a provider of secure, encrypted email services based in Switzerland, to send a series of emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the current Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (“NIAID”) and the Chief Medical Advisor to President of the United States, threatening to harm and/or kill Dr. Fauci and members of his family. One of the emails threatened that Dr. Fauci and his family would be “dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire.” On April 24, 2021, alone, Connally sent seven threatening emails starting at 10:05 p.m.

     As detailed in Connally’s plea agreement, also on April 24, 2021, beginning at 9:34 p.m., Connally sent Dr. Francis Collins, the then-Director of the NIH, a series of four emails threatening Dr. Collins and his family with physical assault and death if Dr. Collins did not stop speaking about the need for “mandatory” COVID-19 vaccinations.

     As stated in his plea agreement, Connally admitted that he sent the threats to Drs. Fauci and Collins with the intent to intimidate or interfere with the performance of their official duties and with the intent to retaliate against Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins for performing their official duties, including discussing COVID-19 and its testing and prevention.

     Connally also admitted sending emails threatening harm to three other individuals. ……..
     …………

     Sad!

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:03 pm

     
     

238. BTW, the US military does not permit Chinese content in things they buy, and hasn’t for some time.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:25 am

     How far back are you going here, exactly? The DoD has been buying Chinese-sourced electronics for years, and it’s well known in the intel community that this reliance is a massive vulnerability. And then there’s the method that commanders have used forever since the US military became bureaucratized, and that’s the magic “waiver” to get around rules and restrictions due to “threat of degradation to daily mission execution requirements.”

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:06 pm

     
     

239. AR-15s put in all Madison County (NC) schools to enhance security in case of active shooter
     ……….
     Madison County Schools and Madison County Sheriff’s Office are collaborating to enhance security in the schools for the upcoming school year after the Uvalde, Texas, tragedy revealed systemic failures and poor decision-making, with responding police disregarding active-shooter trainings, according to a report from the Texas state house.
     ……..
     On July 26, (Madison County Schools Superintendent Will Hoffman) met with school officials and the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to assure that law enforcement can monitor school camera systems.
     ………
     According to Harwood, the county’s school resource officers have been training with instructors from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

     “We were able to put an AR-15 rifle and safe in all of our schools in the county,” Harwood said. “We’ve also got breaching tools to go into those safes. We’ve got extra magazines with ammo in those safes.”

     “The reason we put the breaching tools in the safes is that in the event we have someone barricaded in a door, we won’t have to wait on the fire department to get there,” Harwood said. “We’ll have those tools to be able to breach that door if needed. I do not want to have to run back out to the car to grab an AR, because that’s time lost. Hopefully we’ll never need it, but I want my guys to be as prepared as prepared can be.”

     Harwood said he feels while the optics of the SROs potentially handling AR-15s in schools may be discomforting to some, it is a necessary response given the state of the country.

     “I’m a firearms instructor. We carry a (9 mm) 135-grain bullet,” Harwood said. “We’ve got the maximum 50 rounds that my SROs are carrying throughout the school to protect that school.
     ……….

     The new normal.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:14 pm

     
     

240. Trained, Armed and Ready. To Teach Kindergarten.
     ……….
     A decade ago, it was extremely rare for everyday school employees to carry guns. Today, after a seemingly endless series of mass shootings, the strategy has become a leading solution promoted by Republicans and gun rights advocates, who say that allowing teachers, principals and superintendents to be armed gives schools a fighting chance in case of attack.

     At least 29 states allow individuals other than police or security officials to carry guns on school grounds, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of 2018, the last year for which statistics were available, federal survey data estimated that 2.6 percent of public schools had armed faculty.
     ………..
     In Florida, more than 1,300 school staff members serve as armed guardians in 45 school districts, out of 74 in the state, according to state officials. The program was created after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.

     In Texas, at least 402 school districts — about a third in the state — participate in a program that allows designated people, including school staff members, to be armed, according to the Texas Association of School Boards. Another program, which requires more training, is used by a smaller number of districts. Participation in both is up since 2018.

     And in the weeks after the Uvalde shooting, lawmakers in Ohio made it easier for teachers and other school employees to carry guns.
     ………
     The law in Ohio has been especially contentious because it requires no more than 24 hours of training, along with eight hours of recertification annually.
     ……….
     Supporters say 24 hours is enough because while police training includes everything from traffic tickets to legal matters, school employees tightly focus on firearm proficiency and active shooter response.

     Studies on school employees carrying guns have been limited, and research so far has found little evidence that it is effective. There is also little evidence that school resource officers are broadly effective at preventing school shootings, which are statistically rare.

     Yet arming school employees is finding appeal — slight majorities among parents and adults in recent polls.
     ……..
     …….. FASTER Saves Lives (is) a leading gun training program for school employees. It is run by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a Second Amendment organization that works alongside a major gun lobbying group in Ohio. The lobbying group, the Buckeye Firearms Association, supported the new state law for school employees.

     Over the past decade, the foundation estimates it has spent more than $1 million training at least 2,600 educators.

     Its approach aligns closely with an argument that has become a hallmark of the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby: “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
     …………

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:28 pm

     
     

241. Chinese chips in American weapons is like the American chips in Russian weapons. They’re everywhere.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:29 pm

     
     

242. Senate Democrats approve big Biden deal; House to vote next

     ‘The estimated $740 billion package heads next to the House, where lawmakers are poised to deliver on Biden’s priorities, a stunning turnaround of what had seemed a lost and doomed effort that suddenly roared back to political life. Democrats held united, 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.’

     “This bill is going to change America for decades!” – Chuck Schumer

     That’s right Chuckie. 87,000 IRS agent will soon be shaking down middle class New York cabbies and waitresses for their undeclared tips. Gotta get those freebees to Ukraine somehow.

     Attaboy! Keep campaigning for Trump, Joey!

     DCSCA (d0130f) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:34 pm

     
     

243. What a bizarro take on the 1980’s

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYeNuISN4Dc

     Yep, it sure was.

     “Reality. What a concept.” – Robin Williams

     DCSCA (d0130f) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:37 pm

     
     

244. Cincinnati mass shooting leaves 9 wounded as police search for suspects

     Police are searching for at least two suspects after nine people were wounded in a mass shooting during a chaotic scene in downtown Cincinnati early Sunday morning. Police were called to Main Street in the city’s downtown to respond to reports of a disorderly crowd, Lt. Colonel Mike John of the Cincinnati Police Department said at a press conference Sunday. Two groups started fighting as police were clearing the crowd, and at least two people involved in the fight pulled out guns and opened fire into the crowd, John told reporters. – CBSNews.com

     DCSCA (d0130f) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:42 pm

     
     

245. 1982 was a big year for sci-fi movies, nice bracketed between the 1980 Empire Strikes Back and 1983 Return of the Jedi.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:44 pm

     
     

246. Dustin

     That crap weasel has ruined this blog, and now we have 3 guys commenting dozens of times a day refuting the guy or rising to the bait……

     It took 7 years to ban HF, I liked they guy personally but he had real problems – DCSCA is literally a Russian puppet – 10 times worse

     Dana and Pat cant babysit – he and some idiots mass posting here copyrighted materials (rip I’m looking at you) I dont know what the current legal situation is but this cant be sustained sooo many posts in every comment section. Tens of thousands of dollars of copyrighted material oh my oh my and most of it doesnt even make sense.

     Almost wishing for the days when I would post Ramos and Compion and everyone would throw verbal rocks at me…

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:58 pm

     
     

247. Paul

     When did Aliens come out?

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 12:59 pm

     
     

248. It took 7 years to ban HF, I liked they guy personally but he had real problems

     Yeah. I thought he would be a fun person to hang out with, a little whacky and got dark there, but for some reason I didn’t take it in a bad way (same as I never mind MG).

     Dustin (f01c00) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:07 pm

     
     

249. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/12-largest-chip-producers-world-152633136.html

     The CCP is reliant on foreign chips for their military and their economy unless they like carburetors and piston engine warplanes, sailing ships, a single burst can inactivate all their chips and software that isnt eproned protected – something we do but captured russian equipment shows a shocking lack of protection and their equipment is much more advanced than the CCP

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:11 pm

     
     

250. Dustin

     He took that same turn on other blogs basically got banned from all of them, I think something happened and keep him and everyone here in my prayers..

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:13 pm

     
     

251. Fossil fools are ruining the world.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:14 pm

     
     

252. Rip

     The CCP buy almost all of their chips

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:14 pm

     
     

253. mg

     Patent that sell t-shirts a toothless Mitch hovering over a dollar….

     Retire, buy Belize

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:15 pm

     
     

254. Couldn’t pay me to leave.
     I”ll stay and buy more ammo.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:20 pm

     
     

255. mitch with an anchor around his neck – sinking

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:21 pm

     
     

256. https://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2022/08/07/192173?hpnl=true

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:27 pm

     
     

257. RIP Clu Gulagar (93). Co-star of The Virginian TV series; The Killers (Ronald Reagan’s only (and final) role as a heavy), Winning; and The Last Picture Show. A constant presence at The New Beverly theater and film festivals.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:36 pm

     
     

258. Blinken commits U.S. to defending Philippines against armed attacks
     ………
     “An armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft will invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under that treaty,” Blinken told a news conference.

     “The Philippines is an irreplaceable friend, partner, and ally to the United States.”
     ……..
     (Philippines foreign secretary Enrique Manalo) said Washington was an important ally, but concerning nearby Taiwan he told Blinken the Philippines “looks at the big powers to help calm the waters”.
     …………

     The United States-the irreplaceable ally.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 1:58 pm

     
     

259. Anyone notice the pga leaderboard looks like a mini tour lineup?

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 2:24 pm

     
     

260. https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2022/08/07/liz-cheney-would-find-it-very-difficult-to-support-ron-desantis-in-2024-n487981

     Annd the beat goes on….

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 2:26 pm

     
     

261. https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2022/08/07/gop-holds-massive-vote-a-rama-on-manchin-schumer-deal-to-expose-the-dem-lies-n608363
     badda boom

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 2:29 pm

     
     

262. Liz Cheney “would find it very difficult” to support Ron DeSantis in 2024

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89g1P_J40JA&t=6s

     DCSCA (9613e5) — 8/7/2022 @ 2:44 pm

     
     

263. AJ_Liberty (dfbf73) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:58 am

     Insightful, and I suspect more or less accurate.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:46 pm

     
     

264. Plural 1986, Singular 1979

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:46 pm

     
     

265. Thanks for the articles mg.

     Lizzie has made it clear that she’d rather support Pelosi than Republicans the voters support.

     NJRob (eb56c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 3:54 pm

     
     

266. https://therightscoop.com/watch-democrats-vote-for-higher-gas-prices-and-ted-cruz-calls-them-out-by-name/

     To all those that sold their soul to the leftist party because they decided they’d rather associate with the left than the heart of America, this is on you.

     – 369 BILLION on “energy and climate”
     – over 300 BILLION in green loan guarantees (solyndra on steroids)
     – 80 Billion to double the number of IRS agents to conduct audits (Cruz put an amendment to restrict those audits to people making over 400k, but the monolithic left rejected it)
     – 60 billion for environmental “justice” initiatives
     – 9 billion in tax credits for wealthy families to buy electric vehicles (and more audits and taxes on the middle class)
     – 2.6 billion to conserve coastal habitats (otherwise known as preventing offshore drilling)
     – 1.5 billion to plant trees (where’s the need? Lumber companies plant more)

     Thanks again.

     NJRob (eb56c3) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:12 pm

     
     

267. Glenn Youngkin just told Winston Sears to slap his constituent Liz Cheney if his name ever comes out of her mouth.

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:12 pm

     
     

268. @262. ROFLMAOPIP!

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz8RjPAD2Jk&t=1s

     DCSCA (ef6f1f) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:21 pm

     
     

269. UL, that’s not promising. The only Non GOP stance Cheney has is her opposition to stealing the presidency.

     Time123 (783055) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:22 pm

     
     

270. Time123 (783055) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:22 pm

     have you figured out why you like Youngkin yet?

     JF (a6d404) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:29 pm

     
     

271. as for Liz, she’s so GOP she’ll oppose the Republican nominee no matter who it is

     unless it’s herself

     JF (a6d404) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:30 pm

     
     

272. There is, of course, another simple explanation for the prolific, repetitive comments from a single “person”: They are getting paid a ruble for each comment they post. And by now everyone should know that Putin’s people will say almost anything to divide us.

     Do I think that’s the explanation? No. But I wish the deluge of personal insults would cease, and so make that explnation a little less plausible.

     Jim Miller (406a93) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:43 pm

     
     

273. @265. A GOP Congress will torpedo much of this before it ever gets afloat in the next fiscal year. And when Trump is re-elected- he’ll sink what’s left.

     How lunch bucket Joe can possibly believe adding 87,000 IRS agents and tax breaks for $65,000 electric cars w/soaring electric bills and next to no recharging infrastructure is good for the masses is disturbing. Unless they know of some danger more immediate and serious of a planetary nature and they’re simply not telling us. It’s pretty useless for the U.S. -which has an already has a climate savvy industrial base- to inflict more regs when other nations aournd the world – like the PRC- simply ignore or blow these sort of rules and regs off.

     There’s something amiss- if not deliberately bogus- about it all. My late father, an oil man for 50 years and quite knowledgeable on oil fields, reserves, exploration, trafficking, pipelines, refining production and so forth was industry briefed for Congressional inquiries back in the day and noted the planet is awash with petroleum -discovered and undiscovered fields- for at least the next 150 years, easily meeting projected demands even as efficiencies and technologies evolved. This is merely an assault on the industry by the current powers that be. It will be nulled out within two years when administrations change. Guess Joe thinks he’s LBJ w/his tree planting– that is, ‘beautify America’ Lady Bird Johnson.

     DCSCA (ef6f1f) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:47 pm

     
     

274. Trump-backed Michigan attorney general candidate involved in voting-system breach, documents show
     ……..
     The analysis shows that people working with Matthew DePerno – the Trump-endorsed nominee for the state’s top law-enforcement post – examined a vote tabulator from Richfield Township, a conservative stronghold of 3,600 people in northern Michigan’s Roscommon County.

     The Richfield security breach is one of four similar incidents being investigated by Michigan’s current attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel. Under state law, it is a felony to seek or provide unauthorized access to voting equipment.

     DePerno did not respond to a request for comment.
     ……..
     Trump lavished praise on DePerno before a large audience this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas. “He’s going to make sure that you are going to have law and order and fair elections,” Trump said, pumping his fist as DePerno stood up in the audience and waved. “That’s an important race.”

     Reuters established the connection between Michigan’s DePerno and the Richfield voting-system breach by matching the serial number of the township’s tabulator to a photograph in a publicly released report written by a member of DePerno’s team. …….
     ………
     Reuters asked an election-security expert to review the materials. Kevin Skoglund, president and chief technologist for the nonpartisan Citizens for Better Elections, an election-security advocacy organization, said the matching numbers indicate that DePerno’s team had access to the Richfield Township tabulator or its data drives, which were made by Election Systems & Software (ES&S).
     ………
     Jake Rollow, a spokesperson for the secretary of state, said the office does not believe DePerno’s team had legal approval to access ES&S voting equipment. …….
     ………
     The four cases being investigated by Nessel are among at least 17 incidents identified by Reuters nationwide in which Trump supporters gained or attempted to gain unauthorized access to voting equipment. Michigan accounts for 11 of them……..
     ………

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:52 pm

     
     

275. as for Liz, she’s so GOP she’ll oppose the Republican nominee no matter who it is unless it’s herself

     Her future:

     [ ] CNN contributor

     [ ] MSNBC weekend oblivion show

     [ ] Newsmax gig debating Chris Cuomo

     Choose.

     DCSCA (ef6f1f) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:52 pm

     
     

276. Sorry for the lack of blockquotes.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:53 pm

     
     

277. ‘Rip and read’ Murdock.

     The wire services should sue. 😉

     DCSCA (ef6f1f) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:56 pm

     
     

278. Mr Murdock wrote:

     The United States-the irreplaceable ally.

     Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was unavailable for comment.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:00 pm

     
     

279. 277

     ouch

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:04 pm

     
     

280. And the RINO blows his horn.

     DCSCA (0ffbdd) — 8/5/2022 @ 9:08 pm

     Calling someone “RINO” implies you believe fidelity to one’s partisan identity is important. Why won’t you tell us yours?

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:06 pm

     
     

281. Ron Johnson calls for subjecting Medicare and Social Security to annual budget talks
     ………
     ……….Johnson was asked about the PACT Act — aid to veterans who have been exposed to toxic burn pits — and a controversy over discretionary vs. mandatory spending.

     In his answer, Johnson suggested that he seeks to turn everything in the federal budget into discretionary spending — including Social Security and Medicare — so that programs can be evaluated and fixed.

     “Defense spending has always been discretionary,” Johnson said. “VA spending is discretionary. What’s mandatory are things like Social Security and Medicare. If you qualify for the entitlement you just get it no matter what the cost. And our problem in this country is that more than 70 percent of our federal budget, of our federal spending, is all mandatory spending. It’s on automatic pilot. It never … you just don’t do proper oversight. You don’t get in there and fix the programs going bankrupt. It’s just on automatic pilot.

     “What we ought to be doing is we ought to turn everything into discretionary spending so that it’s all evaluated so that we can fix problems or fix programs that are broken that are going to be going bankrupt,” he said.

     Johnson said that “as long as things are on automatic pilot we just continue to pile up debt, mortgage our kids’ future, this massive debt burden, combined with this massive deficit spending that sparked this inflation that’s wiping out people’s wage gains, making it impossible for them to make ends meet. Again, this didn’t just happen.
     ……….
     “The Senator’s point was that without fiscal discipline and oversight typically found with discretionary spending, Congress has allowed the guaranteed benefits for programs like Social Security and Medicare to be threatened,” (Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning) said in a statement.
     ………..

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:07 pm

     
     

282. “To those of you who have lost faith that Congress can do big things, this bill is for you.” – Chuck Schumer 8/7/22

     And the bill is from the IRS.

     IDIOT.

     DCSCA (ef6f1f) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:08 pm

     
     

283. NJRob at 265. What I don’t understand is why the Republicans opposed them knowing that the Democrats have the tie-breaker with Kamala Harris. It’s like they’re trying to escalate and maybe provoke the Democrats into the nuclear option.

     nk (440ba2) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:09 pm

     
     

284. Another foreign policy expert that agrees with Kentucky Dana and DCSCA.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:12 pm

     
     

285. The wire services should sue. 😉

     They have to find me first. 🥱

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:14 pm

     
     

286. Rock stars! Is there nothing they don’t know? Shine on, you crazy diamond!

     nk (440ba2) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:21 pm

     
     

287. Lindsey Graham Would Like States to Decide If LGBTQ People Count as Fully Human
     ……..
     “[Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is] trying to get enough votes to codify same-sex marriage because Justice Clarence Thomas suggested it might be in jeopardy,” Bash said. “You said two weeks ago that the state-by-state approach is the best way to go. I want to be clear about your position. Are you saying the 2015 Supreme Court decision that made same-sex marriage the law of the land nationally should be overturned?”

     “No,” Graham replied, adding, “I don’t think it’s going to be overturned… That’d be up to the court.”

     But then he made the argument that the court should not have waded into the issue at all. “I’ve been consistent. I think states should decide the issue of marriage, and states should decide the issue of abortion,” Graham said. “I have respect for South Carolina. South Carolina voters I trusted to define marriage and deal the issue of abortion. Not nine people on the court. That’s my view.”
     …….
     ……. (I)f you’re going to ask me to have the federal government take over defining marriage, I’m going to say no.”
     ……..

     I agree.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:22 pm

     
     

288. Mr Miller wrote:

     There is, of course, another simple explanation for the prolific, repetitive comments from a single “person”: They are getting paid a ruble for each comment they post. And by now everyone should know that Putin’s people will say almost anything to divide us.

     Do I think that’s the explanation? No. But I wish the deluge of personal insults would cease, and so make that explnation a little less plausible.

     Sadly, that isn’t much money: 1 ₽ = 1.7¢. Even a payment of 1,000 ₽ would net just $17.00. 🙁

     In the meantime, the United States Air Force is moving F-22 fighters to 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, Poland, a significant upgrade over the F-35s in that the F-22 can penetrate deeply into Russian territory. The F-22 can carry the unguided B61 nuclear bomb in its weapons bay. I was only 10 years old when the United States reacted very negatively to the USSR placing nuclear weapons 90 miles off our coast. With a range of 1,860 miles, the F-22s at the 32nd Tactical Air Base are within round-trip range of Moscow, 715 miles.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:27 pm

     
     

289. Kentucky candidates struggle when describing 2020 election

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:32 pm

     
     

290. How far back are you going here, exactly?

     Back? That was present tense. The last contract I looked at was quite clear on the matter.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:35 pm

     
     

291. “North Korea’s military is the world’s fourth largest”

     Those are prison camp guards, not military.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:37 pm

     
     

292. “The Senator’s point was that without fiscal discipline and oversight typically found with discretionary spending, Congress has allowed the guaranteed benefits for programs like Social Security and Medicare to be threatened,

     He must really want to be defeated. Old folks all vote, even if their children have to do it for them.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:42 pm

     
     

293. Lindsey Graham Would Like States to Decide If LGBTQ People Count as Fully Human

     Yeah, that’s what it means to be against SSM. Right. Also, being for soaking the rich in taxes means you thing rich people are so non-human their property should be confiscated.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:45 pm

     
     

294. BTW, the greenish incentives in the Biden bill are a lot better than the criminality AOC would confer on those who don’t hop to on her NGD.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:47 pm

     
     

295. Way too much information:

     Donald Trump said White House doctor ‘loved looking at my body’ as he boasts about his health in CPAC speech

     “(Rep. Ronny Jackson R-Insurrectionist) was the White House doctor. He was a great doctor. He was an admiral, a doctor, and now he’s a congressman,” Trump said while Jackson looked on from the audience.

     “I said, ‘which is the best if you had your choice?’ and he sort of indicated doctor because he loved looking at my body. It was so strong and powerful.”

     Trump also claimed that Jackson told him that he was “the healthiest president that ever lived.

     Jackson said in 2018 that while Trump was overall healthy for his age, he had advised him to lose 10 to 15 pounds.
     …….
     Jackson has publicly praised Trump’s health in recent months, claiming that he is in the top 10% of everyone his age and suggesting he might have lived to be 200 years old if he had a healthier diet.
     …….

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:49 pm

     
     

296. Back? That was present tense. The last contract I looked at was quite clear on the matter.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:35 pm

     You said, “hasn’t for some time” in the original comment; I’m just curious as to how long that “some time” actually is, because those vulnerabilities have been known for several years.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:09 pm

     
     

297. In the meantime, the United States Air Force is moving F-22 fighters to 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, Poland,

     Lucky bastards–when I was active duty I would have taken Poland as a deployment locale any day of the week and twice on Sunday over anywhere in the Middle East.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:13 pm

     
     

298. It takes a unique style of moronic behavior to pass a bill raising taxes in a screwed up economy as this one.
     81 mil.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:17 pm

     
     

299. Glenn Youngkin just told Winston Sears to slap his constituent Liz Cheney if his name ever comes out of her mouth.

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 4:12 pm

     If true (and did you mean Winsome?) it is the most definite thing Youngkin has said since he has come into the public eye.

     nk (440ba2) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:20 pm

     
     

300. “I said, ‘which is the best if you had your choice?’ and he sort of indicated doctor because he loved looking at my body. It was so strong and powerful.”

     He really sucks his sycophants dry till there’s only a husk left. And there’s nothing Jackson can do about it now, without looking even more like a jerk.

     nk (440ba2) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:25 pm

     
     

301. Mr Orphan wrote:

     In the meantime, the United States Air Force is moving F-22 fighters to 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, Poland,

     Lucky bastards–when I was active duty I would have taken Poland as a deployment locale any day of the week and twice on Sunday over anywhere in the Middle East.

     My older daughter is deployed to the sandbox right now, and we’re very glad she’s there and not Poland.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:26 pm

     
     

302. Noted, nk on Winsome. Behind the Spain-ish offerings on Netflix, the Polish-originated content is very enticing and probably closest to American if no sound is involved.

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:31 pm

     
     

303. Annd the beat goes on….

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/7/2022 @ 2:26 pm

     From the article:

     So, when Liz Cheney says she would find it difficult to support Ron DeSantis, she is turning her back on solid Republican policy. The person longing for a time when political parties argued about policy and worked together to solve problems now says she couldn’t support a potential solid Republican presidential candidate. It makes no sense. “What the country needs are serious people who are willing to engage in debates about policy,” Ms. Cheney said. That’s true, Liz. Here’s your mirror.

     Again, this is what happens when a major political realignment takes place. The old labels of “liberal” and “conservative” that we’ve had in place since the 1930s, and were a product of several decades of dramatic socio-political changes in the aftermath of the Civil War, simply aren’t going to apply in short order. People and politicians will join up with those whom they never would have imagined doing so even five years ago.

     We’re a little over 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, which started off the realignment process. If it wasn’t for the internet revolution, I’d expect the shift to take another 20-30 years, just as the kickoff of the Progressive movement in the mid-1890s was about the halfway point between the Civil War and the Great Depression, which solidified the 20th-century political alignments. I suspect it will probably take around another decade in our case, contingent upon Hispanics migrating over to the GOP on a more permanent basis.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:38 pm

     
     

304. My older daughter is deployed to the sandbox right now, and we’re very glad she’s there and not Poland.

     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:26 pm

     Three trips filled with sandstorms and 115-degree days with 75-90% humidity pretty much soured me on any future trips there. Even a trip in to Doha loses its appeal when you have to deal with the god-awful traffic.

     I never went to Afghanistan, but a buddy of mine who’s gone there twice is stationed in Alamogordo, and she jokes that it’s basically the same thing.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:44 pm

     
     

305. Yeah, but you didn’t exactly help with that 47% skin in game crap…

     https://www.yahoo.com/news/rick-scott-says-tough-republicans-165509781.html

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:49 pm

     
     

306. @287/@296/@300. My Marine neighbor just returned from an ’emergency’ deployment to Warsaw dealing w/fighter support and NATO patrolling issues. His turn in the barrel. He mentioned tensions are high and folks are ‘on alert’ – and, of course there’s ops going on we don’t know about- for obvious reasons. Interestingly, some military personnel are housed in hotels, not so much on or around bases; he said they travel in pairs, in civilian clothing and civilian vehicles so as not to attract attention or present themselves as targets for a grab. He noted Warsaw is full of refugees, too- women and children. He mentioned chatting w/a woman from Kiev who had been an accountant– and was now working as the hotel desk clerk in Warsaw— the men were kept in Ukraine by Z. He was glad to be out of there– has a kid and another on the way. Now he’s dealing w/worries about a deployment to deal w/China– possibly Palau again or the Philippines. Per his war gaming experience, the supply chain issue remains a real problem for the U.S. Totally reactive, not proactive still. If Xi makes a move this year, Taiwan is likely screwed.

     DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:05 pm

     
     

307. You said, “hasn’t for some time” in the original comment

     Without going into details, the sensitivity was there 15 years ago.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:14 pm

     
     

308. @306. Without going into details, the sensitivity was there 15 years ago.

     It was still an issue just 3 years ago:

     https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-china-idUSKCN1MC275

     DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:21 pm

     
     

309. In the meantime, the United States Air Force is moving F-22 fighters to 32nd Tactical Air Base in Łask, Poland, a significant upgrade over the F-35s in that the F-22 can penetrate deeply into Russian territory. The F-22 can carry the unguided B61 nuclear bomb in its weapons bay. ……With a range of 1,860 miles, the F-22s at the 32nd Tactical Air Base are within round-trip range of Moscow, 715 miles.
     The libertarian, but not Libertarian, Dana (df1035) — 8/7/2022 @ 5:27 pm

     As long as Russia’s war stays on the Ukraine or Russian side of the border, they have nothing to fear. Besides, given Russian air defenses, it would be much more likely that any attack on Moscow or other cities in Russia would be made by stand-off cruise missiles.

     The fighters are more likely to be used against Russian aircraft attacking nearby NATO airspace.(Germany, Lithuania, or Slovakia, all of which border Poland).

     The B61-12 air-launched tactical bomb will carry a low-yield nuclear warhead to destroy military targets with minimum collateral damage. ……The bomb uses an inertial navigation system to achieve high kill probability, while improving the survivability of the launch platform. The weapon is expected to have an accuracy of approximately 30m.

     The bombs will be stored in the UK, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey for years. This nothing new.

     Rip Murdock (f3fd73) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:39 pm

     
     

310. Clarification to #309: Previous versions of B61 gravity bomb have been stored in Italy, Turkey and Germany for decades. This nothing new. It is designed to emphasize US commitment to NATO in event of a Soviet/Russian conventional invasion of NATO countries, a threat that still exists; even more so of a Russian threat to use nuclear weapons directly in Ukraine, or to coerce smaller NATO countries into splitting with NATO.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 7:52 pm

     
     

311. He really sucks his sycophants dry till there’s only a husk left. And there’s nothing Jackson can do about it now, without looking even more like a jerk.

     nk (440ba2) — 8/7/2022 @ 6:25 pm

     I get why it’s way too late for Trump’s dignity wraiths to blame him, but what I can’t wrap my head around is how none of them — Jackson, Pence, Cruz, Graham, Christie — the list goes on) has to my knowledge betrayed even a hint of embarrassment, grief or regret at the wholesale loss of their self-respect. Either these people are Oscar-quality actors (liars), or they had no dignity to begin with.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:31 pm

     
     

312. R.I.P. Roger E. Mosley

     Aloha.

     DCSCA (b808cc) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:32 pm

     
     

313. OK now that I think about it I do seem to recall a sphincter puckering hostage-video scene of Chris Christie cringing behind Trump on a stage somewhere. The details elude me so I can’t say if it was sycophancy-related. Anyway at worst it was the exception that proves the rule.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/7/2022 @ 8:41 pm

     
     

314. If north korea sends “Volunteers” they better not find out that Ukraine has food! Far more hessians deserted to our side then were killed in battle. If biden had the guts he could send “volunteers” in f-22’s.

     asset (4a1e4c) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:48 pm

     
     

315. More grifting-

     Trump Begs Supporters to Donate for ‘Upcoming’ Lawsuit Against CNN
     ……..
     “I’m calling on my best and most dedicated supporters to add their names to stand with me in my impending LAWSUIT against Fake News CNN,” a new fundraising email sent out from the ex-president on Friday said.

     “Add your name IMMEDIATELY to show your support for my upcoming lawsuit against Fake News CNN,” the message declared, linking to a donations page.

     That email titled “Let’s SUE CNN” was one of two CNN-inspired fundraising emails sent out on Friday
     ……….
     Last Wednesday, the former president threatened to sue the cable network and sent CNN’s General Counsel David Vigilante and top CNN executive Chris Licht a letter titled, “Notice of Intent to Bring Civil Action for Defamation.”

     “Without regard for President Trump’s genuine belief in his statements, CNN has published numerous articles characterizing him as a ‘liar’ and the purveyor of the ‘Big Lie,’” the Trump legal letter to CNN said.
     ………

     A fool and his money are soon parted.

     Rip Murdock (389ba0) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:11 pm

     
     

316. @314

     Anyone who sees Trump’s all capital letters and exclamation points, and can’t perceive how it evinces a cult of rubes, needs to wake up.

     norcal (da5491) — 8/7/2022 @ 10:34 pm

     
     

317. The bomb uses an inertial navigation system to achieve high kill probability

     Yet another non-GPS device.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:38 pm

     
     

318. Anyone who sees Trump’s all capital letters and exclamation points, and can’t perceive how it evinces a cult of rubes, needs to wake up.

     You can’t see it from inside the ALL CAPS cult. It’s how they roll.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/7/2022 @ 11:39 pm

     
     

319. Sad you non Trump voters didn’t wake up for the last election. Idiots on steroids.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/8/2022 @ 2:45 am

     
     

320. https://summit.news/2022/08/08/entertainment-companies-start-dumping-woke-content-as-viewership-tumbles/
     hip hip hooray

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:13 am

     
     

321. Overnight, the Democrats voted UNANIMOUSLY to defeat Lindsey Graham’s amendment that would have eliminated a new gas tax in the Inflation Reduction Production Act last night in the absurd vote-a-rama. In fact all Republican amendments aimed at actually reducing inflation or helping the economy were defeated.
     Talking with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Ted Cruz said this lays to rest the myth of the moderate Democrat. Pay attention Republicans in purple states. That “blue dog” Dem who is pandering to you because it’s an election year? They’re frauds.

     https://therightscoop.com/watch-democrats-vote-for-higher-gas-prices-and-ted-cruz-calls-them-out-by-name/

     More gas tax. Thanks guys.

     NJRob (eb56c3) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:11 am

     
     

322. “Without regard for President Trump’s genuine belief in his statements, CNN has published numerous articles characterizing him as a ‘liar’ and the purveyor of the ‘Big Lie,’” , CNN has published numerous articles characterizing him as a ‘liar’ and the purveyor of the ‘Big Lie,’”

     And MORONS AMALGATED will buy it without regard for CNN’s genuine belief in their statements, and send him their baby food money.

     nk (e407f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 6:17 am

     
     

323. *AMALGAMATED*
     Never mind. AMALGATED is how they spell it too.

     nk (e407f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 6:20 am

     
     

324. #310 — Nothing prevents the GOP leadership from being both without dignity AND world class award winning actors.

     Appalled (cba9a9) — 8/8/2022 @ 6:22 am

     
     

325. Speaking of money for nothing and the borscht for free, how much do you think Sooners’ assistant head coach Cale Gundy was paid to put on this piece of burlesque?

     nk (e407f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 6:51 am

     
     

326. 324, he fell for the rap concert white audience member sing a long trick, should have seen it coming for many miles away.

     urbanleftbehind (dad4cd) — 8/8/2022 @ 7:14 am

     
     

327. In the meantime, Governor Abbott continues to flood, I say FLOOD!, New York city by sending another busload of 68 illegal aliens. New York city already has a population of 8.38 million people, 2.44 of which is Hispanic. What will it do, oh, what will it do?

     Why is MAGA so f***ing stupid?

     nk (e407f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 7:25 am

     
     

328. If Biden wants to curb inflation, he needs to deal with our current labor shortage, because employers will have to raise wages to attract prospective staff. One way to do it is to double current legal immigration, with emphasis on work visas.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 7:58 am

     
     

329. Paul

     No, stop any legal immigration we have millions of workers sitting at home into their 3rd year collecting unemployment.

     We have the largest best trained work force in the world. End unemployment benefits now and welfare – labor problem solved

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:03 am

     
     

330. We have the largest best trained work force in the world.

     Except “we” don’t:

     https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/skilled-labor-force

     #1. Japan
     #2. South Korea
     #3. Germany
     #4. China
     #5. United Kingdom
     #6. United States
     #7. Canada
     #8. Norway
     #9. Switzerland
     #10.Denmark

     DCSCA (af9402) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:16 am

     
     

331. dcsca

     Umm no

     Japan is mostly factory workers, South Korea is a total mess, Germany has a 32 hour work week China 60% of china is illiterate including most of their soldiers and sailors

     No one works in the UK its all done by Poles and Romanians

     The USA is 40% of the worlds economy and except for Switzerland – every country had a poll and overwhelmingly people from Australia to Zealand want to move to the USA

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:26 am

     
     

332. No, stop any legal immigration we have millions of workers sitting at home into their 3rd year collecting unemployment.

     Unemployment is 3.5%, a historic low. There are nearly twice as many available jobs as those looking for jobs.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:27 am

     
     

333. @330. Ummm yes.

     Got a beef [if you can afford it] take it up w/U.S. News & World Report.

     DCSCA (af9402) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:32 am

     
     

334. @330. Productivity is an issue as well; the U.S. ranks better by that parameter:

     https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-productive-countries

     Here are the 10 countries with the highest rates of hourly productivity:

     1. Norway ($75.08)
     2. Luxembourg ($73.22)
     3. United States ($67.32)
     4. Belgium ($60.98)
     5. Netherlands ($60.06)
     6. France ($59.24)
     7. Germany ($57.36)
     8. Ireland ($56.05)
     9. Australia ($55.87)
     10. Denmark ($55.75)

     DCSCA (af9402) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:40 am

     
     

335. But…but…they have free healthcare!

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:46 am

     
     

336. Interesting article in the New Yorker about Trumps interaction with the military

     https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/inside-the-war-between-trump-and-his-generals

     Time123 (2eb019) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:46 am

     
     

337. Marjorie Taylor Greene says it’s unfair to ruin Alex Jones for defaming Sandy Hook parents, claims Infowars is right ‘most of the time’

     Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended Alex Jones after he was ordered to pay $45 million to the parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook mass shooting he defamed.
     …….

     Greene cast the families suing him as seeking to “ruin” him, and argued that Infowars should not be judged solely on its claim — which Jones retracted at the trial — that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.

     “He didn’t build his InfoWars on that [claim]. He built it on a lot of other news. And Alex Jones has been right pretty much most of the time,” Greene remarked of Jones.

     “Alex Jones has been right most of the time, except of course on Sandy Hook.”

     In another interview at the conference Friday she claimed Jones was being “persecuted”, while she had praised him on Twitter for remarks about child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein during his trial.
     ……

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:09 am

     
     

338. Marjorie Taylor Greene prayed over a convicted Capitol rioter who spent a day crying in a mock prison cell at CPAC

     A convicted Capitol rioter spent the day in a prop cell at the Conservative Political Action Conference during a performance aimed at highlighting the “mistreatment” of those jailed after storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

     His tearful performance ultimately drew the eyes — and prayers — of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

     The conservative activist, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and MAGA hat inside of a prop cell, spent the day in character, weeping and tallying days on a chalkboard set up within the performance space.

     ……Brandon Straka pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of Engaging in Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in the Capitol Building or Grounds during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, receiving 90 days home confinement and three years probation, but avoided jail time, NPR reported.
     …….
     Georgia Rep. Greene came across the performance Friday and entered the eight-foot cage, kneeling beside Straka to join him in prayer. The Daily Mail reported a large cheer erupted from the crowd when the representative joined the performance.

     “She prayed with me for our nation,” Straka told the Daily Mail. “Both sides of the aisle for all people and no, I thought it was a really beautiful, special moment.”

     Not everyone saw the performance as moving: Joe Walsh, a former Republican and Illinois representative called the exhibit “crazy.” He said the performance meant “everybody at CPAC, they don’t believe January 6 was a big deal or a bad thing.”

     “My former political party is fully anti-democracy,” Walsh added.
     …….

     A real three-ring circus.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:20 am

     
     

339. Trump Said He Wanted Generals to Be Loyal to Him Like Nazis Were to Hitler: Report
     ……..
     According to an excerpt from The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 published in The New Yorker on Monday, Trump once griped to then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly about what he perceived as disloyal generals. “You f*cking generals, why can’t you be like the German generals?”

     “Which generals?” Kelly responded.

     “The German generals in World War II,” said Trump.

     Kelly then reminded the president of the failed assassination attempts against Hitler by his subordinates. “You do know that they tried to kill Hitler three times and almost pulled it off?” Kelly said.

     But Trump, of course, insisted otherwise. “No, no, no, they were totally loyal to him,” he said.

     When asked to comment by the New Yorker, Trump reiterated prior complaints. “These were very untalented people and once I realized it, I did not rely on them, I relied on the real generals and admirals within the system,” he said.
     …….

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:23 am

     
     

340. Historian David McCullough (89) has died.

     Rip Murdock (859cc2) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:55 am

     
     

341. Why is MAGA so f***ing stupid?

     1. The word you seek is “bloody-minded.”
     2. That’s 68 illegals Texas doesn’t have to deal with.
     3. Perhaps they should go to Portland.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:19 am

     
     

342. R.I.P. David McCullough, Historian; legendary Pittsburgher

     Peace: where the Allegheny meets the Ohio

     DCSCA (8f1a44) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:20 am

     
     

343. In fact all Republican amendments aimed at actually reducing inflation or helping the economy were defeated.

     Did they offer an amendment to restore the tax hike on carried-interest? It would have been fun to watch all the Democrats oppose that. And if they didn’t, would Sinema bolt?

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:22 am

     
     

344. I don’t care that Manafort doesn’t apologize for betraying his country, I care that he’s not in prison for betraying his country.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:26 am

     
     

345. It’s OK, the guy who pardoned him will soon be in jail for betraying his country.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:28 am

     
     

346. Affirmative Action next up on the SCOTUS chopping block.

     The Supreme Court will kick off its November argument session with the highest-profile cases of that session: challenges to the consideration of race in the admissions process at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. That news came with the release of the November argument calendar (as well as an updated October argument calendar) on Wednesday.

     The justices will hear oral argument in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College on Oct. 31, the first day of the November session. When the court agreed in January to take up the two cases, it indicated that the cases would be argued and considered together. However, after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer and the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who until recently served on Harvard’s board of overseers, the court announced that it would hear the cases separately, which will allow Jackson to participate in the UNC case.

     https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/08/affirmative-action-cases-up-first-in-november-argument-calendar/

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:30 am

     
     

347. Why is MAGA so f***ing stupid?

     1. The word you seek is “bloody-minded.”
     2. That’s 68 illegals Texas doesn’t have to deal with.
     3. Perhaps they should go to Portland.

     The MAGA I’m talking about are those who are cheering Abbott for it like he won the Battle of San Jacinto. This publicity stunt will stress New York about as much as a stalled car on the Hudson Bridge. At midnight.

     nk (f8f5d5) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:56 am

     
     

348. nk:

     Given the degree of whining coming out of DC and NYC, I think Abbott is onto something. Yes, it’s politics as performance, but this is a case of the Northeast dealing morally superior while outsourcing the cost of that to the border.

     I don’t think there are enough buses for Abbott to make this an actual solution for his state.

     Appalled (259559) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:18 am

     
     

349. MI AG candidate is accused of illegally accessing voting machines. The current AG had asked for an independent prosecutor giving that she’s running for re-election.

     https://apple.news/AU0KytHIERYylAuWI80eHug

     Michigan has regularly prosecuted people for violating election law even when their actions had no impact on the outcome of the election. Which is appropriate.

     Time123 (2eb019) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:23 am

     
     

350. https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2022/08/trump-family-separation-immigration-cover-story/671072

     In an extensive investigation that is the cover story of The Atlantic’s September 2022 issue, staff writer Caitlin Dickerson provides the definitive account of the Trump administration’s family-separation policy, called Zero Tolerance:…exposing not only how the policy came into being and who was responsible for it, but also how all of its worst outcomes were anticipated and ignored by key policy makers. Dickerson’s reporting shows that the policy was characterized by gross negligence at every level of government.

     Her reporting also reveals that U.S. officials misled Congress, the public, and the press, and minimized the policy’s implications to obscure what they were doing; that separating immigrant children from their parents was not a side effect of the policy, but its intent; that almost no logistical planning took place before the policy was initiated; that instead of working to reunify families after parents were prosecuted, officials worked to keep families apart longer; and that the architects of the legislation will likely seek to reinstate it, should they get the opportunity.

     ……The story, at nearly 30,000 words, is one of the longest The Atlantic has published in its 165-year history…

     ,,,,“It’s been said of other Trump-era projects that the administration’s incompetence mitigated its malevolence; here, the opposite happened,” Dickerson writes. “A flagrant failure to prepare meant that courts, detention centers, and children’s shelters became dangerously overwhelmed; that parents and children were lost to each other, sometimes many states apart; that four years later, some families are still separated—and that even many of those who have been reunited have suffered irreparable harm.

     “It is easy to pin culpability for family separations on the anti-immigration officials for which the Trump administration is known. But these separations were also endorsed and enabled by dozens of members of the government’s middle and upper management: Cabinet secretaries, commissioners, chiefs, and deputies who, for various reasons, didn’t voice concern even when they should have seen catastrophe looming; who trusted ‘the system’ to stop the worst from happening; … who assumed that someone else, in some other department, must be on top of the problem; who were so many layers of abstraction away from the reality of screaming children being pulled out of their parent’s arms that they could hide from the human consequences of what they were doing.”

     https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/09/trump-administration-family-separation-policy-immigration/670604/

     But of course, the alternative is “unthinkable” – Open borders. I notice that the critics of Biden Administration policy never say what exactly they would do differently. And Biden pretends he can avoid the consequences ofa humane policy.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:37 am

     
     

351. Appalled (259559) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:18 am

     this is a case of the Northeast dealing morally superior while outsourcing the cost of that to the border.

     It’s a case of making something into a problem that isn’t a problem. Mayor Adams tried to greet some of them – he found only 14 because most had gotten off the bus before. He blames New York’s high crime rate. (which may be partially true, because if they are going to meet fsmily, family moved elsewhere)

     https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/mayor-eric-adams-greets-latest-border-crossers-in-nyc

     Mayor Adams was on hand for the cameras Sunday to greet the city’s latest busload of migrants being dumped here from Texas — only to be stunned to learn that the vast majority had gotten off before they made it.

     Hizzoner said the immigrants likely bailed out early because of their “fear” of the city.

     “We were led to believe about 40 people should have been on that bus. Only 14 got off,” Adams said at a 7 a.m. press conference at Midtown’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.

     The mayor suggested that the most likely reason was “because of the fear that something was going to happen to them if they came to this location, people got off earlier.”

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:42 am

     
     

352. A judge has changed the date for switching party registration in New York State before the August 23 Congressional and State Senate primaries. It had been determined that the last change in New York State law made Feb 14 the dividing date for a June primary – but there was no limit for a special August 23 primary. But he said the last date would be August 11.

     Early voting starts Saturday August 13.

     Meanwhile, it’s virtually impossible to find out the exact boundaries of the new districts – or the names of the candidates, except that (I guess) everyone who can vote in a contested primary received a piece of folded glossy printed matter from the Board of Elections telling them the primary date is August 23 and the hours the polls are open I think — with no further information, not even the district number.

     The Daily News runs the most news about the election – mostly about Congressional district 10 and Congressional district 12

     District 10 is the new Brooklyn one, consisting the southern portion of Nadler’s district plus eastern Manhattan below about 14th St, and what used to be in the old 7th in Sunset Park. Nadler’s old district was a thin strip there. It now goes no further into Brooklyn than the fringe of Boro Park.

     Nadler’s old (2012) district, which once (1992, when it was merged with Stephen Solarz’s old district, the 13th) reached Brighton Beach, stopped in eastern Bensonhurst and still included the area he grew up in (as of 2012-2020)

     The new 12th is from about 14th Street in Manhattan to 114th St and 60% of it wss in Carolyn Maloney’s old district.

     There’s some guy advertising on citywide television (Dan Goldman) in the 10th saying he had an important role in the Trump impeachment. It’s mostly his own money. The district is less than 10% of the population New York City alone and the stations reach Nassau, Westchester, and New Jersey, not to mention whoever gets the New York City broadcast stations on cable.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:02 pm

     
     

353. “In our nation’s 246 year history there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.” Dick Cheney

     Well, the greatest threat in the last 75 years for sure. I guess the southern secessionists were not a threat to the republic, or the constitution – they just tried to break away and would have diminished the United States.

     And I suppose that Aaron Burr was not as much of a threat as Donald Trump.

     Although Trump isn’t <b. that great a threat either. He is only potentially damaging the possibility of holding free elections.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:08 pm

     
     

354. The so-called “Inflation Reduction” bill is called “Climate Action” and also about about taxes and “Cost of Drugs” in a New York Times front page headline today, and a “Climate, health” measure and “key parts of Biden’s agenda” in a Wall Street Journal headline today, and, on page 13 of the New York Daily News, a “climate. tax plan” and, in the New York Post on page 8, it’s described as “a bill that addressed energy, taxes and health care” although they note that the $740 billion package has been “dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act.”

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:20 pm

     
     

355. https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/ex-nypd-aide-john-miller-bail-reform-set-us-back-a-decade

     Miller, who retired from the NYPD a few weeks ago after nearly a decade there, told radio’s “Cats Roundtable” that violent crime was at its lowest in 2018 and 2019 — before bail reform was passed in Albany.

     “And then you saw crime start to climb, and it really set us back a decade in terms of shootings and murders, which is shame,” Miller told AM 770 host John Catsimatidis. “It’s like having a cure for a disease and then having the hospital take the vaccination away.”

     Miller said state lawmakers “literally took every proposal that had been sitting on the shelf that they couldn’t pass because common-sense people wouldn’t let it happen, they blew the dust off them, and they passed them all at once.”

     Another idea, for instance, was “Raise the Age” (to charge someone as an adult)

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:30 pm

     
     

356. Biden Is on a Roll That Any President Would Relish. Is It a Turning Point?

     https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/08/us/politics/biden-climate-bill-agenda-covid.html

     Maxton Soviak, 22, Kareem Nikoui, 20, David Lee Espinoza,20, Rylee McCollum, 20, Jared Schmitz, 20,
     Hunter Lopez, 22, Daegan Page, 23, Ryan Knauss, 23, Darin Taylor Hoover Jr., 31, Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, Humberto Sanchez, 22, Nicole Gee, 23, Dylan Merola, 20, remain unavailable for comment.

     DCSCA (042493) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:34 pm

     
     

357. The Federal Reserve Board, before the latest figures came out, which showed low unemployment and resulted in a drop in the stock market) was puzzled by the fact that speculators seems to anticipate that the Federal Reserve Board would lower interest rates early next year.

     That’s because they know what the Fed will do before the Fed does.

     This is anticipating a repeat of 1957-8 or 1980 – that they will throw the country into a recession and then try to get out of it.

     Hedge fund and money market managers have had a better understanding of the way things work for years.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:35 pm

     
     

358. The tax I like is the stock buy back tax. It should be apure money raiser. Stock prices fluctuate by a lot more all the time.

     They could even modify it so as to refund it if the person getting cash for stock agrees to put the money into a special frozen account or something for a year.

     https://www.barrons.com/articles/stock-buyback-tax-inflation-bill-sinema-51659710077

     It wouldn;t take affect until l Jan. 1, 2023, anyway.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:40 pm

     
     

359. R.I.P. Olivia Newton-John, 73

     Voice of an angel

     DCSCA (042493) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:46 pm

     
     

360. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auKiPHBa9b0

     DCSCA (042493) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:51 pm

     
     

361. The most common kind of fraud is petition fraud – often caused by a campaign contracting out signature gathering.

     New York Reublican candidate for Governor Lee Zeldin is in trouble – or his campaign rsn into some trouble – because he tried to get a third party line.

     https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2022/07/allegedly-fraudulent-petitions-cost-lee-zeldin-third-ballot-line-november/374499

     Allegedly fraudulent petitions cost Lee Zeldin a third ballot line in November

     The state Board of Elections invalidated the Republican and Conservative gubernatorial nominee’s petitions to also appear on the Independence Party line.

     Over 11,000 of the signatures were photocopies of other signatures. That dropped them to 39,000 – less than the 45,000 needed.

     Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republicans had worked together to damage third parties in 2020. Instead of having 50,000 votes in a Gubernatorial election, now they had to get more votes – now it is 130,000, or 2% of the votes cast, whichever is greater – and must be done every two years. (in presidential election years, the office for meeting the minimum requirement is president)

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 12:55 pm

     
     

362. 313. asset (4a1e4c) — 8/7/2022 @ 9:48 pm

     If biden had the guts he could send “volunteers” in f-22’s.

     He’s going to let them borrrow the planes?

     Biden is not sending any volunteers – he’s discouraging it (except maybe for some people secretly sent to Ukraine under the auspices of the CIA and told not to place themselves in danger.)

     But he’s not prosecuting it either, like volunteers for ISIS would be.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:02 pm

     
     

363. More freebees for ‘Bugs’ Moran:

     Pentagon announces $1 billion in new U.S. military aid to Ukraine

     Washington — The Biden administration announced Monday it is sending $1 billion in new military assistance to Ukraine, marking what the Pentagon said is the largest package of arms and equipment from its inventories since Russia’s invasion more than five months ago. – CBSNews.com

     Now you know why Joey wants 87,000 new IRS personnel.

     Suckers.

     DCSCA (042493) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:12 pm

     
     

364. Or you could say Liz is going down fundraising and trying to debit for “anywhere else but here”. She doesn’t have to use the money to run in Wyoming (and the bulk of her money is coming from outside Wyoming anyway). Liz and Wyoming will part ways and she should move on to find people more in line with her views to represent.

     steveg (f89240) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:12 pm

     
     

365. New Mexico slips to 50th in child well-being

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:14 pm

     
     

366. New Mexico has an awful lot of Navajo on reservations, and other folks in the middle of nowhere by choice.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:22 pm

     
     

367. Note that the Albuquerque Journal is a Democrat publication and they put a smiley-face on everything when the Democrats are in control.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:24 pm

     
     

368. Liz and Wyoming will part ways and she should move on to find people more in line with her views to represent.

     Give it a few years and they’ll all be “one of those who stood with Liz” after Trump dies in prison.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:26 pm

     
     

369. He’s going to let them borrow the planes?

     There’s a lot of FB-111s they can have. assuming they aren’t too rusty.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:28 pm

     
     

370. United States Obtains Warrant for Seizure of Airplane of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Andrei Skoch, Worth Over $90 Million

     The United States of America has been authorized to seize an Airbus A319-100 (the Airbus) owned and controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch, pursuant to a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which found that the airplane is subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violation of the federal anti-money laundering laws.

     According to the seizure warrant and affidavit sworn out today:

     Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (NEA), and Executive Orders Issued by the President of the United States, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Andrei Skoch as a Specially Designated National (SDN) on or about April 6, 2018 “for being an official of the Government of the Russian Federation,” “a deputy of the Russian Federation’s State Duma,” and because of his “longstanding ties to Russian organized criminal groups, including time spent leading one such enterprise.” After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, OFAC issued further sanctions against Skoch and his assets. On or about March 24, 2022, OFAC designated Skoch and other members of the Duma for “support[ing] the Kremlin’s efforts to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On or about June 2, 2022, OFAC identified the Airbus as blocked property in which Skoch had an interest.

     Skoch is the beneficial owner of the Airbus through a series of shell companies and trusts tied to his romantic partner. After OFAC designated Skoch in or about April 2018 and continuing through in or about at least in or about 2021, U.S. dollar transactions were made to pay for the registration of the Airbus in Aruba and for aviation insurance premiums for the Airbus, each of which was a necessary expense to maintain and operate the Airbus.
     ……….
     Sad!

     Related:

     Russia starts stripping jetliners for parts as sanctions bite

     Russian airlines, including state-controlled Aeroflot, are stripping jetliners to secure spare parts they can no longer buy abroad because of Western sanctions, four industry sources told Reuters.

     Aviation experts have said that Russian airlines would be likely to start taking parts from their planes to keep them airworthy, but these are the first detailed examples.

     At least one Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 and an Airbus A350, both operated by Aeroflot, are currently grounded and being disassembled, one source familiar with the matter said.
     ……..
     The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

     The Airbus A350 is almost brand new, the source said.

     Most of Russia’s fleet of aircraft consists of Western passenger jets.

     Equipment was being taken from a couple of Aeroflot’s Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, as the carrier needs more spare parts from those models for its other Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, the source said.

     The Russian Ministry of Transport and Aeroflot did not reply to requests for comment.
     ……..
     Nearly 80% of Aeroflot’s fleet consists of Boeings and Airbuses – it has 134 Boeings and 146 Airbuses, along with nearly 80 Russia-made Sukhoi Superjet-100 planes as of end last year, based on the latest data available.

     According to Reuters calculations based on data from Flightradar24, some 50 Aeroflot planes – or 15% of its fleet, including jets stranded by sanctions – have not taken off since late July.

     Three out of seven Airbus A350s operated by Aeroflot, including one now being used for parts, did not take off for around three months, the Flightradar24 data shows.
     ……..

     Double sad!! I wouldn’t fly a Russian airline anyway under the best of circumstances.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:28 pm

     
     

371. Biden Is on a Roll That Any President Would Relish. Is It a Turning Point?

     The King’s New Cloths are FABULOUS!

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:28 pm

     
     

372. Effing cheerleading from the press.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:29 pm

     
     

373. @345 affirmative action has a mixed history helping most who needs the help the least. Colin Powell benefited from affirmative action he said. If people are equal in ability affirmative action is fine. But it to often degenerated into a quota system where less qualified were given job to fill quota. White women have benefited most studies show.

     asset (b7d7f2) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:36 pm

     
     

374. Utah-based company ripped out ‘Made in China’ tags, replaced with ‘Made in USA,’ officials say

     An apparel company known for inflammatory apparel championing the Second Amendment and Donald Trump has been fined after the Federal Trade Commission found the company falsely claimed its imported apparel is made in the U.S.

     Utah-based Lions Not Sheep and its owner, Sean Whalen, were slapped with a $211,335 fine last week after the FTC found the company removed “Made in China” tags, replacing them with fake “Made in the USA” labels, according to a FTC news release.
     ……..
     According to the FTC, the company added phony Made in USA labels to clothing imported from China and other countries. …..
     …….
     Whalen could not immediately be reached for comment by USA TODAY.

     In addition to the fine, under a 12-page order from the FTC, the company and its owner must “stop making bogus made in the USA” claims and “come clean about foreign production.”
     ………

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:38 pm

     
     

375. Father, son get life for hate crime in Ahmaud Arbery’s death
     ……..
     U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood handed down the sentences against Travis McMichael, 36, and his father, Greg McMichael, 66, reiterating the gravity of the February 2020 killing that shattered their Brunswick community and became part of a larger national reckoning over racial injustice. William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, who recorded cellphone video of the slaying, was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
     ……..
     All three defendants have remained jailed in coastal Glynn County, in the custody of U.S. marshals, while awaiting sentencing after their federal convictions in January.

     Because they were first charged and convicted of murder in a state court, protocol would have them turned them over to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve their life terms in a state prison.

     In court filings last week, both Travis and Greg McMichael asked to serve their time a federal prison, saying they won’t be safe in a Georgia prison system that’s the subject of a U.S. Justice Department investigation focused on violence between inmates.
     ……..
     Wood said she didn’t have the authority to order the state to relinquish custody of Travis McMichael to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, but also wasn’t inclined to do so in his case. She also declined to keep Greg McMichael in federal custody.
     #########

     They could always join one of the white prison gangs for protection….

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:43 pm

     
     

376. steveg (f89240) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:12 pm

     Liz and Wyoming will part ways and she should move on to find people more in line with her views to represent.

     I don’t know if she will consider that. It’s not done that much in the United States (although people do it, especially when running for the United States Senate)

     She’d do all right in Georgia or even in Colorado, but to win in Wyoming, shed have to quickly change the minds of approximately one third of the Republican primary voters. It would help also to show some ability to reason.

     Picking a constituency is more like what is done by a British member of Parliament.

     She’s more likely to run for President. But I can’t see her getting more than 10% to 15% of the vote — because she has nothing going to her, besides her general place on the political spectrum.

     She might hope to throw the election into the House of Representatives if it’s another Trump-Biden race.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:55 pm

     
     

377. 364 365 There’s a general emptying out of less densely populated America, . No banks, no groceries, no doctors etc.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:59 pm

     
     

378. @376 Yahoo reports that doctors are becoming reluctant to move to states that have banned abortions. As their is a doctor shoratge this could cause problems.

     asset (b7d7f2) — 8/8/2022 @ 2:11 pm

     
     

379. 377. This is all too new to have shown up in any statistics. Now it could be it is correlated with other factors. Maybe certain types of states tend to ban abortions AND not have new doctors.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 2:41 pm

     
     

380. Biden finally tested negative again on Saturday and Sunday (two days ina row) and left Covid quarantine.

     Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 8/8/2022 @ 2:42 pm

     
     

381. GOP Sen. Tim Scott Claims Democrats Want Abortions Up To 52 Weeks
     ………
     “If we don’t take back the Senate, Dems will pack the courts, give DC statehood, grant abortions up to 52 weeks, and Republicans will never win again,” he wrote to supporters Monday.
     ………
     It’s really not clear why Scott cited 52 weeks, and his office did not return a request for comment.
     ………

     The average pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:00 pm

     
     

382. RIP Bert Fields (93), lawyer to the Hollywood elite.

     Among his most famous cases was his fierce representation of Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chief executive of DreamWorks Animation, against the Walt Disney Company, for denying Mr. Katzenberg contractual bonuses of $250 million for such hits as “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid” when he was that studio’s chairman, from 1984 to 1994. Mr. Fields conducted a withering cross-examination of Michael Eisner, then the Disney chief, revealing that Mr. Eisner had once told the co-author of his autobiography that he detested Mr. Katzenberg.

     “I hate the little midget,” Mr. Eisner had said, according to Mr. Fields’s courtroom questioning.

     The revelation so angered Mr. Eisner that he rose from the witness chair and warned Mr. Fields that he was pushing him too hard. The impression left by the exchange discomfited the Disney company, which had built its reputation on lovable dwarfs, among other animated characters, and on the kindly and paternal studio heads it presented on television. It settled the lawsuit for the full $250 million, more than triple the amount ever given to an individual in a Hollywood lawsuit, according to Variety.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:10 pm

     
     

383. BREAKING – FBI Raids Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Home

     The FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Florida resort and home, Mar-A-Lago, he said Monday night.

     “These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in a statement. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before.” – huffpo.com

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:15 pm

     
     

384. @381. No.

     Bert Fields, Hollywood Lawyer Who Bulldozed Journalists, Enabled Pellicano, Dies at 93
     https://www.showbiz411.com/2022/08/08/bert-fields-hollywood-lawyer-who-bulldozed-journalists-enabled-
     pellicano-dies-at-93

     BIH Bert Fields Burn you POS, you miserable sunnovabitch. This guy was a steaming pile of sh-t, Rip. I know someone personally who will be absolutely thrilled with this news, having been put through a living hell in the Pellicano mess. He couldn’t die soon enough for that person.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:27 pm

     
     

385. I know someone personally ……

     You always do.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:30 pm

     
     

386. Since DCSCA refused to provide a link:

     F.B.I. Searches Trump’s Home in Florida

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:33 pm

     
     

387. Hell isn’t hot enough for Bert Fields– or Mike Ovitz for that matter. But hell will suffice for now.

     https://www.showbiz411.com/2022/08/08/bert-fields-hollywood-lawyer-who-bulldozed-journalists-enabled-pellicano-dies-at-93

     They best cremate his dead carcass because there are good living souls who want to piss on his grave.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:36 pm

     
     

388. @385. Huffpo hard for you to find, eh Rip-n-read.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:38 pm

     
     

389. I’m saddened by the death of Olivia Newton-John. 73 is too young.

     I can’t think of another woman who possessed such amazing beauty, silky singing, dancing ability, and charm. Her accent was the cherry on the sundae.

     What a talent. RIP.

     norcal (da5491) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:40 pm

     
     

390. @384. Don’t crack wise, stumblebum; that’s right, Rip. A colleague put up with Bert Fields and the death threats and intimidation for years. Ignorance is bliss- stay happy, kid.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:41 pm

     
     

391. FBI just got Trump re-elected.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:42 pm

     
     

392. A colleague put up with Bert Fields and the death threats and intimidation for years.

     Uh-huh.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:43 pm

     
     

393. Now 87,000 IRS agents, now FBI raids ex-POTUS home; yet Hunter laptop in limbo.

     Attaboy, Joey.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:44 pm

     
     

394. @391. Yes. Uh-huh. It was in all the papers. Do you read?

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:44 pm

     
     

395. @385. Huffpo hard for you to find, eh Rip-n-read.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:38 pm

     There is nothing original about Huff’n’Puff Po. All the major news media are saying the same thing.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:46 pm

     
     

396. That wasn’t the question, Rip-and-read. You’re a cut and paste kid; originality isn’t your strong point, child.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:47 pm

     
     

397. @385.
     F.B.I. Searches Trump’s Home in Florida

     But was it a rigged and stolen search?

     nk (febdcc) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:48 pm

     
     

398. DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:27 pm

     I doubt even your friend Putin would publicly call someone on the day he dies a steaming pile of sh-t who should burn in Hell.

     So classy.

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:49 pm

     
     

399. F.B.I. Searches Trump’s Home in Florida

     Trump better get used to it.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:50 pm

     
     

400. @396. It was a stupid, wreckless play. Fuels re-election momentum. Your home may be next. This is going to piss off the very populists you never-trumper types pray will evaporate. It just turns up the heat for them.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:52 pm

     
     

401. @397. Always:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz8RjPAD2Jk&t=1s

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:55 pm

     
     

402. Every cat on the planet knows exactly what to do with this turd:

     https://www.showbiz411.com/2022/08/08/bert-fields-hollywood-lawyer-who-bulldozed-journalists-enabled-pellicano-dies-at-93

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:59 pm

     
     

403. @400. Right. Classy.

     That said, your other friend, Trump, I can certainly see him calling someone who just died a steaming pile of sh-t.

     Maybe that should be your epitaph: “Not as decent a human being as Vladimir Putin, but no worse than Donald Trump.”

     lurker (cd7cd4) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:03 pm

     
     

404. They broke into Trump’s safe? Not Ivana’s grave and Meliana’s pants, yet??? Get a search warrant, fellas.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:06 pm

     
     

405. @402. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz8RjPAD2Jk&t=1s

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:07 pm

     
     

406. #396-

     If your posts constitute originality (“storm the castle”, “Royalists”, “Pfft”, [insert movie reference], “ROFLMAOPIP”, “Putin smiled”, “mike drop”, insults, etc.) I’ll pass. I post stories that I find interesting, and hope others do also (most don’t). There are writers here that I agree with, so there is no point in being repetitious (something, of course, that you are).

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:07 pm

     
     

407. Trump’s “toilet papers.”

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:10 pm

     
     

408. @405. Pfft. You do a disservice to the wire services, rip-and-reader.

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:11 pm

     
     

409. The midterms will never happen. I am curious to hear what documents the fbi has planted.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:12 pm

     
     

410. @408. Hunter’s laptop?!?! It’s a ‘safe’ place now. 😉

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:17 pm

     
     

411. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:07 pm

     #396 shows as my comment, nk (febdcc) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:48 pm, on my screen.

     nk (8085fc) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:20 pm

     
     

412. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:07 pm

     #396 shows as my comment, nk (febdcc) — 8/8/2022 @ 4:48 pm, on my screen.

     nk (8085fc) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:20 pm

     That’s weird. On mine it is Blame America Firster DCSCA.

     Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:24 pm

     
     

413. This should resonate with you LA types:

     Whyyyy can’t we all get along???

     Appalled (259559) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:26 pm

     
     

414. That’s weird. On mine it is Blame America Firster DCSCA.

     I guessed, and thank you for confirming it.

     nk (8085fc) — 8/8/2022 @ 5:35 pm

     
     

415. @402. Heard from my colleagu ewho suffered professionally and personally at the hands of Fields:

     ‘Good. No tears shed here.’

     Right. Classy, indeed.

     =mike-drop=

     DCSCA (68b0f4) — 8/8/2022 @ 6:52 pm

     
     

416. Note that the Albuquerque Journal is a Democrat publication and they put a smiley-face on everything when the Democrats are in control.

     Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 8/8/2022 @ 1:24 pm

     If you think they’re biased, you should check out the Denver Post. The Journal is full of right-wing reactionaries compared to those guys.

     Fun fact–early in the Post’s history, they were notorious for digging up dirt, or supposed dirt, on businesses and upper class Denverites, and blackmailing them in to buying advertising in the paper or they would run exposes.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:45 pm

     
     

417. Now that’s some dirty journalism!

     norcal (da5491) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:52 pm

     
     

418. If Biden wants to curb inflation, he needs to deal with our current labor shortage, because employers will have to raise wages to attract prospective staff. One way to do it is to double current legal immigration, with emphasis on work visas.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 7:58 am

     We don’t have a labor shortage–we have a lot of people who won’t go back to work. The employment to population ratio is still lower than it was before the pandemic, and it’s never come close to recovering to pre-Great Recession levels. Yes, the Boomers are leaving the workforce, but the Millennials and Zoomers constitute a mini-boom of their own, and they aren’t stepping in to the breach, nor are the millions of immigrants or the offspring who have come here in the last 30 years, nor all all the H-1Bs.

     Turns out that third-world migrants aren’t content to act as peon labor in this country for the professional class for years on end. Importing even more millions of workers to make up for the immigrants who no longer want to break their backs in service-level jobs–who will all need housing, schools, transportation, roads, medical services, water, and food of their own–isn’t the solution here.

     If the perpetual solution to labor shortages is “well, just import more workers,” the labor market is broken. These are people, not sacks of concrete or widgets that get plugged in and economy goes brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Instead of paying working-age people to sit around on their butts collecting a welfare check, set up a government jobs program and pay them to do some real, actual work.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:03 pm

     
     

419. Now that’s some dirty journalism!

     norcal (da5491) — 8/8/2022 @ 8:52 pm

     Journalism in Denver and through much of Colorado during the pre-WW2 era was incredibly cutthroat and nasty. Colorado was a hot spot in the labor wars of the late 19th and early 20th century, and newspapers were openly, blatantly partisan as a reflection of this. If there was something to be reported on that would hurt or embarrass public figures, regardless of their party affiliation, there was a newspaper looking to report on it.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:09 pm

     
     

420. There should have been a newspaper reporting on these degenerate newspapers, or was it something akin to “lawyers don’t sue other lawyers”?

     norcal (da5491) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:18 pm

     
     

421. There should have been a newspaper reporting on these degenerate newspapers, or was it something akin to “lawyers don’t sue other lawyers”?

     norcal (da5491) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:18 pm

     They’d sh*ttalk each other, but there was enough of the latter that you allude to that kept them from going all out on each other. Their main focus was the politicians and businessmen in charge, and back then, those guys and the editors were basically professional colleagues. William Byers, for instance, the editor of the Rocky Mountain News, was bosom buddies with the upper class crowd because he had set up the first newspaper in Denver and had been one of the city’s biggest boosters. So their enemies were also his enemies.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:10 pm

     
     

422. We don’t have a labor shortage–we have a lot of people who won’t go back to work.

     So what. No one is conscripted or forced into labor.
     The real story is that the labor force participation rate has been steadily going down since 2000, in part because of the aging of our workforce, and not considering the massive hiccup from the pandemic.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:36 pm

     
     

423. So what. No one is conscripted or forced into labor.
     The real story is that the labor force participation rate has been steadily going down since 2000, in part because of the aging of our workforce, and not considering the massive hiccup from the pandemic.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:36 pm

     Literally nothing you typed here refuted what I wrote, and I already mentioned the Boomers hanging it up, although it should be pointed out that the first Boomers didn’t even hit 65 until 2011. I also pointed out that it doesn’t matter, because the Millennials and Zoomers constitute a boom of their own, and we’ve imported tens of millions of immigrants to the US over the last 30 years to fill those gaps. Third-worlders are not interchangeable parts that you can just bring over to plug in any inconvenient gaps in the labor force.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:48 pm

     
     

424. Literally nothing you typed here refuted what I wrote…

     Nothing you said refuted mine. We have a labor shortage, evidenced by the unemployment rate and the current number of job openings.
     BTW, “third worlders” is your word, which is a tell.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:56 pm

     
     

425. Nothing you said refuted mine. We have a labor shortage, evidenced by the unemployment rate and the current number of job openings.

     You’re claiming we need to fight inflation by importing even more immigrants than have already come here. Plenty of those jobs were filled before the pandemic hit, and haven’t been refilled since. That’s due to people leaving the workforce, which isn’t reflected in the unemployment rate, which you should very well know.

     Inflation is too much money chasing after too few goods. Where are the money going to come from to pay all of these new immigrants you want to bring here, and build the socio-economic and physical infrastructure needed to support them? Or do you just want to flood the labor market even further because you think it will drive down the demand on wages?

     BTW, “third worlders” is your word, which is a tell.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 10:56 pm

     Oh, pointing out that the vast majority of new immigrants in the last 30 years have been from the third world is a tell? Someone who’s skin is actually whiter than mine, like yours is, probably should know that if you can hear a dog whistle, that means you’re a dog.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:05 pm

     
     

426. It’s not me who read “legal immigrants” and translated it to “third worlders”, FWO.

     We had a labor shortage before the pandemic, which was inflationary, and that problem still exists.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:11 pm

     
     

427. Must be one of those culture wars things, right?

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:12 pm

     
     

428. It’s not me who read “legal immigrants” and translated it to “third worlders”, FWO.

     As you said, so what? The vast majority of immigrants in the last 30 years have been from there. That’s not a “tell,” that’s an empirical fact.

     We had a labor shortage before the pandemic, which was inflationary, and that problem still exists.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:11 pm

     The inflation rate in 2019 was 1.81%. Try another one.

     Must be one of those culture wars things, right?

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:12 pm

     What, the one your side lost?

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:17 pm

     
     

429. Maybe you should check your “empirical facts”, FWO, but hey, you’ve got a culture war to fight. To arms!

     The top countries of origin were India (27 percent), China (14 percent), Mexico (9 percent), Canada (6 percent), and South Korea (3 percent). Together, these five countries accounted for approximately 60 percent of all U.S. residents on temporary visas.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:28 pm

     
     

430. India and Mexico are considered the Third World, Paul. Thanks for actually confirming that what I said was correct. It’s also notable that you cherry-picked your data to move the goalposts. Let’s see what Pew noted about the immigrant population in their 20 August 2020 study:

     The regions of origin for immigrant populations residing in the U.S. have dramatically shifted since the passage of the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act. In 1960, 84% of immigrants living in the U.S. were born in Europe, Canada or other North American countries, while only 6% were from Mexico, 4% from Asia, 3% from the rest of Latin America and 3% from other areas. Immigrant origins now differ drastically, with European, Canadian and other North American immigrants making up only a small share of the foreign-born population (13%) in 2018. Asians (28%), Mexicans (25%) and other Latin Americans (25%) each make up about a quarter of the U.S. immigrant population, followed by 9% who were born in another region.

     but hey, you’ve got a culture war to fight. To arms!

     Coming from a proven loser in that regard, particularly one whose closest military experience was playing with the classic GI Joe dolls, I’ll take that as a compliment.

     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:44 pm

     
     

431. You do realize that those immigrants from India aren’t wetbacks from Delhi, right FWO? They come to places like Seattle, where I live, not to work in mom-and-pop curry joints but at places like Amazon and Microsoft. But hey, to arms on that culture war of yours.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:54 pm

     
     

432. Paul,

     Amazon and Microsoft dont bring over Indians anymore – they employ them in India

     Also “wetbacks?” put the booze down

     EPWJ (cbe1a0) — 8/9/2022 @ 1:15 am

     
     

433. Lizzy’s husband is a lawyer at the firm that is representing Hunter Biden.
     WTF

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/9/2022 @ 3:47 am

     
     

434. Must be one of those culture wars things, right?
     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/8/2022 @ 11:12 pm

     What, the one your side lost?
     Factory Working Orphan (2775f0)

     I was told the culture war was never ending, how could a side ever lose? Maybe the scorekeeping has changed.

     I think conversations about immigration, legal and otherwise, are useful, but they do seem to get subsumed by ideological assumptions and the nuance of a myriad of circumstances. We are long overdue to reconsider how we do things, but the rhetoric from both sides prevents much of any forward progress. So we war and nothing much happens for decades. It remains a great issue to fund raise about and many can claim to be “fighting”, yet we’re stuck with problems that simply won’t go away.

     We’ve killed off the moderates…OK Maine and West Virginia will keep producing one or two, but it’s unquestionably an endangered breed. No one can vector to the middle to blend the “daddy” concerns of the GOP with the “mommy” concerns of the Democrats. Some will complain that the GOP routinely lost this exchange in the past. I question the wisdom of that conclusion and how making the parties more extreme is practically working out.

     I fear that we will continue to see the slide of the tiniest of legislative majorities changing the rules to make sweeping policy changes. I fear the filibuster rule is also on life support because of the percolating anger of the extremes not getting what they want. Executive over-reach seems to be the rule now. Perceived judicial payback doesn’t help. I know this lament falls on deaf ears for those who desperately need to win. That’s OK, we each have our own catharsis. Not everything needs to be a war…..

     AJ_Liberty (c916b7) — 8/9/2022 @ 4:24 am

     
     

435. Factory Working Orphan (2775f0) — 8/8/2022 @ 9:03 pm

     . Instead of paying working-age people to sit around on their butts collecting a welfare check, set up a government jobs program and pay them to do some real, actual work.

     PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS DON’T LIKE THAT.

     Sammy Finkelman (743fe6) — 8/9/2022 @ 6:36 am

     
     

436. Possible dangers of e0bikes (especially when people buy discount “Brand-X”
     non- Underwriters-Lab-tested batteries and many pay for recharging them in one place where the people taking the money have free electricity, like at New York City Housing Authority apartments, where it is included in the rent.

     https://nypost.com/2022/08/07/mayor-adams-must-act-on-e-bikes-before-nyc-sees-a-mass-casualty-fire

     0 fire deaths in 2020 – the year they were legalized

     4 deaths (and 79 injuries) in 2021

     5 so far in 2021 (and 66 injuries)

     Another mistake is trying to charge them on a circuit where an air conditioner is running – or trying to charge 20 at a time. A whole industry has developed putting people with free electricity and e-bike owners together.

     You can’t put out by hand a lithium-ion fire.

     And then some batteries get discarded down trash chutes, requiring an FDNY response.

     E-bikes can go 25 miles per hour and even more if illegally modified. Competition forces delivery people to get them. DoorDash and Uber Eats contribute to this.

     It’s not “green” Before e-bikes, delivery workers weren’t in cars; they were on pedal bikes. Now a worker who wants to ride a pedal bike can’t keep up.

     E-deliverers are dying in street crashes, and there’s no workers’ compensation, since they are employees.

     The New York Post wants them outlawed again:

     https://nypost.com/2022/05/14/beware-the-e-bike-menace-in-nyc-they-must-be-banned/

     Sammy FInkelman (1d215a) — 8/9/2022 @ 4:06 pm

     
     

437. Cue my tiny violin, that Russian occupiers are leaving the Crimean region of Ukraine. There’s a reason why the peninsula was mostly Russian before Putin invaded, thanks to forced displacement and ethnic cleansing by the Soviets.

     Paul Montagu (062b7e) — 8/10/2022 @ 7:00 am

     
     

438. Just read where Mexicans want all Californians out of their country. #METOO.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/11/2022 @ 3:33 am

     
     

439. https://sciencenews22.substack.com/p/self-assembling-viruses-in-the-covid
     So happy my family refused the globalization of our bodies.

     mg (8cbc69) — 8/11/2022 @ 3:38 am