Patterico's Pontifications

Hello.

Dana (1225fc) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:29 am

Item #8… Biden has already played his hand dealing with inflation. The coming months will be much more painful than they had to be – given the steps the Fed may take – and his bluster and BS won’t change anything.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:59 am

The Cuban Missile Crisis began 60 years ago today.

On Oct. 14, 1962, two USAF U-2s photographed portions of Cuba, revealing Soviet offensive nuclear missiles based only 90 miles from U.S. shores.

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197542/cuban-missile-crisis/#:~:text=The%20Cuban%20Missile%20Crisis%20of%201962%20dramatically%20proved,missiles%20based%20only%2090%20miles%20from%20U.S.%20shores.

Have a nice day— because for 13 days in 1962, we came damn close to never having another one.

DCSCA (29a116) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:02 am

jan6 election deniers get prison time

nevertrump election deniers get paid

Russian analyst behind the debunked Steele ‘Dirty Dossier’ was paid more than $200,000 by the FBI and Democratic operative who was a source admits he LIED about Trump, federal court hears

The ongoing trial of Russia analyst Igor Danchenko has brought more revelations about how the FBI pays for information, with testimony the source got $200,000 over a period of more than three years.

FBI Special Agent Kevin Helson testified about the payments in Danchenko’s trial on charges of lying to the FBI, following a years-long investigation by Trump-appointed Special Counsel John Durham into the origins of the Russia probe.

Danchenko’s own sources are also coming under scrutiny and feature in the charges.

One of them, Democratic PR exec Charles Dolan Jr., testified that he lied when he fed information to Danchenko, who was seeking intelligence on the sudden resignation of former Trump 2016 campaign chair Paul Manafort.

Danchenko in turn passed on the information, and it got included in the dossier, which contained other unsubstantiated and salacious allegations about Trump.

Dolan read from an Aug. 19, 2016 where Danchenko sought information on the Manafort intrigue.

Dolan said he would ‘dig around,’ and later told Danchenko: ‘I had drinks with a GOP friend who knows the players.’

On the stand he admitted he never met with a GOP source, the Washington Times reported.

it’s not quite a DC jury, but it’s northern Virginia so odds are that russian nevertrumper danchenko will skate

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:10 am

Rep. Tom Tiffany demands hearing into whether Biden tried to influence the outcome of an election by asking Saudi Arabia not to slash oil production until after the midterms

i suggest scheduling all the upcoming hearings for prime time

and then, when every network other than FNC refuses to broadcast, we’ll hear the same complaints from the usual suspects here

can’t wait

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:17 am

another district attorney giving the middle finger to the rule of law

Multnomah County district attorney to weigh risk of deportation while prosecuting cases

Multnomah County prosecutors will now pursue cases with an “immigration neutral” mindset designed to protect non-citizens from deportation if they are charged with a crime or are called to court as a victim or witness, District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Thursday.

While Oregon’s sanctuary laws have banned state and local government employees from enforcing federal immigration law since 1987, the new rules are intended to make it harder for federal agents to find and deport undocumented immigrants, Schmidt said.

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:28 am

J6 rioters get prison time, deservedly.
The non-rioting election deniers get to spread their disinformation freely, without legal repercussion.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:34 am

Item #2… I feel for the families of the victims. I haven’t followed the aftermath close enough to know how many of the folks aware of how screwed up Cruz and did nothing about it have also been held accountable.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:34 am

Cruz was

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:35 am

Their solution: carpet bombing Ukraine until it is “paralyzed.”

Luckily, their ally Iran can provide as many carpets as they need.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:56 am

“The spiralling costs of inflation are ripping into the fabric of American society.”

—- Joe Biden

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:56 am

Trump worker told FBI about moving Mar-a-Lago boxes on ex-president’s orders
………
The people familiar with the investigation said agents have gathered witness accounts indicating that, after Trump advisers received a subpoena in May for any classified documents that remained at Mar-a-Lago, Trump told people to move boxes to his residence at the property. That description of events was corroborated by the security-camera footage, which showed people moving the boxes, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department and FBI declined to comment.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich declined to answer detailed questions for this article…….
……..
The witness is now considered a key part of the Mar-a-Lago investigation, these people said, offering details about the former president’s alleged actions and instructions to subordinates that could have been an attempt to thwart federal officials’ demands for the return of classified and government documents.
……..
…….[A]ccording to people who heard (Trump’s) comments. “They’re my documents,” Trump said, according to an aide who spoke to him.

The details shared with The Post reveal two key parts of the criminal probe that until now had been shrouded in secrecy: an account from a witness who worked for and took directions from Trump, and the way that security footage from Mar-a-Lago has played an important role in buttressing witness accounts.

Together, those pieces of evidence helped convince the FBI and Justice Department to seek the court-authorized search of Trump’s residence, office and a storage room at Mar-a-Lago, which resulted in the seizure of 103 documents that were marked classified and had not been turned over to the government in response to the May subpoena. ……….
……..
In a filing to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Department lawyers appeared to allude to witness accounts and the video footage when they wrote: “The FBI uncovered evidence that the response to the grand jury subpoena was incomplete, that additional classified documents likely remained at Mar-a-Lago, and that efforts had likely been taken to obstruct the investigation.”
……..

Update:

A key witness in the ongoing Justice Department and FBI investigation of Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents is a Navy veteran who followed the former president to Florida after serving as a valet in the Trump White House, people familiar with the matter said.

Walt Nauta is the witness in question, according to these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. …….
………
When FBI agents first interviewed Nauta, he denied any role in moving boxes or sensitive documents, the people familiar with the situation said in interviews before Nauta’s name became public. But as investigators gathered more evidence, they questioned him a second time and he told a starkly different story — that Trump instructed him to move the boxes, these people said.
………
Separately, FBI agents interviewed another key figure in the documents case last week: Christina Bobb, a lawyer who signed a June letter saying that a “diligent search” had been conducted for classified records at Mar-a-Lago and that all such documents had been given back to the government.

Bobb, whose interview with the FBI was first reported by NBC News, told agents that she signed the letter at the request of other lawyers and was not aware of the details of the search, a person familiar with the matter said. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations, said Bobb told the FBI she was skeptical of signing the letter and insisted on adding a disclaimer clause saying it was based on the information provided to her by others.

Bobb has told other Trump advisers that she has done nothing wrong and acted based on what she was told by Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, who handled the search for documents in response to the subpoena.
………
Corcoran’s search for classified documents in response to the subpoena did not include the president’s private residence, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
………

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:57 am

Have a nice day— because for 13 days in 1962, we came damn close to never having another one.

No, we did not. The Russians had almost no working ICBMs in 1962. The so-called Missile Gap was budget propaganda. We had the USSR dead cold. It is the main reason that Khrushchev fell — the Party was embarrassed as all hell and made up for lost time in the later 60s.

In 1962, Turgidson would have been right about only getting our hair mussed.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:59 am

“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.”

—- Milton Friedman

“Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.”

—- Joe Biden

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:00 pm

Musk has had the following realization: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and someone else might blow it up?”

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:02 pm

“Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.”

Time for a little Kipling:

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “Stick to the Devil you know.”

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “The Wages of Sin is Death.”

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: “If you don’t work you die.”

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:04 pm

Newly released emails debunk Trump and allies’ attempts to blame the GSA for packing boxes that ended up in Mar-a-Lago
………
(Beau) Harrison, Trump’s former assistant for operations, was asked to affirm that everything packed and shipped to Florida was either “required to wind down the office of the Former President or are items that are property of the Federal Government,” so it could be covered by transition funding.
………
The email exchange between GSA officials and Harrison is one of more than 100 pages of emails and documents newly released by the GSA that debunk claims from Trump and his allies that the government agency is to blame for packing the boxes containing classified documents that were later recovered by the FBI during the search of his Mar-a-Lago resort in August.
………
The emails make clear that the boxes had already been packed and sat shrink-wrapped in an empty office space in Arlington, Virginia, as GSA officials planned logistics to ship the five pallets of boxes – including 30 banker boxes similar to those recovered by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago – to Florida.

The released communications, which were first reported by Bloomberg News, outline how boxes, including 1,400 pounds of “document boxes,” traveled from the White House to Florida, from inventories of the purchase of boxes and shipping materials to photos of the new office space Trump’s team would inhabit.
……..
But the new cache of email adds new detail showing how documents from the Trump administration made their way to Florida – and directly debunks attempts Trump and his allies have made to defend the former President by blaming GSA.
……..
In emails throughout 2021, however, career officials at the GSA outlined to Trump’s aides what could and could not be included in the shipments GSA would send to Florida – underscoring that the federal agency was relying on Trump’s aides to assess the contents being shipped.
……..
At one point, the GSA outgoing transition director sent the Trump aides guidance on what was allowed to be sent.

“If the item is considered property of the Former President then it should not be shipped using Transition Funds. If the item is considered property of the Federal Government then it should go to NARA or GSA,” Kathy Geisler wrote in an email and attached the guidance on gifts. “I just wanted to make sure we had an understanding of what you are allowed to ship using Transition funds.”
………

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:09 pm

Climate protesters threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting Friday to protest the extraction and use of fossil fuels.

I am increasingly inclined towards corporal punishment. Caning, stocks, etc. Not enough room in jails for those that need jails. These two little darlings would do well to spend some time getting stuff thrown at them in the stocks.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:11 pm

Newly released emails debunk Trump and allies’ attempts to blame the GSA for packing boxes that ended up in Mar-a-Lago

It’s a game. He lies, people spend months debunking each lie. Isn’t it enough just never to believe a word he says?

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:13 pm

RIP actor Robbie Coltrane (72).

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:15 pm

Multnomah County prosecutors will now pursue cases with an “immigration neutral” mindset designed to protect non-citizens from deportation if they are charged with a crime or are called to court as a victim or witness, District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Thursday.

It’s a big issue to prevent anyone from claiming the protection of the law. If victims cannot come forward, they are now targets of crime. If they cannot be witnesses to crimes against others, the harm is indiscriminate.

Now, if they are the criminals, then the judge has his head up his ass, but those other two groups generally are not threatened with deportation, other than by the US-bred criminals that prey on them.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:16 pm

National Archives rips Trump claim on George HW Bush documents as ‘false and misleading’
……..
During a Nevada rally Saturday night, Trump sought to escape intensifying criticism over his hoarding of documents in Mar-a-Lago by claiming that many of his predecessors, including former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush had similar presidential records foibles. The National Archives rejected that claim Tuesday.

“Reports that indicate or imply that those Presidential records were in the possession of the former Presidents or their representatives after they left office, or that the records were housed in substandard conditions, are false and misleading,” the agency said in a statement.
………
“NARA securely moved these records to temporary facilities that NARA leased from the General Services Administration (GSA), near the locations of the future Presidential Libraries that former Presidents built for NARA. All such temporary facilities met strict archival and security standards, and have been managed and staffed exclusively by NARA employees,” the agency said.
……….

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:19 pm

Dolly Parton laughs at the idea that she is some sort of secret philanthropist.

Giving anonymously is the best. Really it is. Then there’s others than spend more money on PR about their donations than on the donations themselves. Then there’s Donald Trump who does that, but never makes the donations.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:21 pm

@22, see 19. And really, none of this will convince someone who worships at Trump’s feet, and none of this surprises anyone else.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:23 pm

It is worth noting that the Noted Hater of Subsidies and Rugged Free-Marketeer Musk is actually just asking for more federal money.

About 85% of the costs of the Starlink systems were funded by US, Poland and other governments, and how he wants them to pay operating costs, too.

I am dragging him, because I think he deserves it. But I will note that, unlike his other shenanigans (vowing to provide internet service to median strips and swamps to game hundreds of millions in subsidies, for instance), at least this serves something other than his ego. It would still be nice is d00dbro could be honest for once, but he’s just not capable of that.

It is worth noting that this is probably not in response to the feedback he got to his incredibly ill-advised amateur diplomacy. Probably.

john (fab07c) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:44 pm

Gr00mers gonna gr00m…

https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-democrat-bill-would-criminally-prosecute-parents-who-dont-affirm-their-kids-as-transgender

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:46 pm

Go Elon Musk!

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:49 pm

@19 Absolutely, Kevin.

For example, Trump could claim that Big Foot exists.

I’m not going to waste my time trying to prove that Big Foot doesn’t exist.

Trump’s cult followers, however, will echo him that Big Foot is real.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:49 pm

Regarding item number 7, the reason Dolly Parton is so amazing is that she combines country charm, music talent, sweetness, and femininity, all the while being very smart and savvy.

I would love to see her as a trial attorney. She would steamroll people who were only focused on her boobs.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:55 pm

@22, see 19. And really, none of this will convince someone who worships at Trump’s feet, and none of this surprises anyone else.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:23 pm

I know, but allowing his falsehoods to go unrefuted (there are some here who subscribe to the GSA canard and other Trump lies) only allows them to fester.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:04 pm

DHS Secretary Mayorkas Was Informed ‘Whipping’ Incident Was Bogus Hours Before He Condemned Border Patrol Agents

Documents obtained by the Heritage Foundation following a Freedom of Information Act request are casting fresh doubts on last year’s whipping controversy concerning U.S. Border Patrol agents.

According to the newly released emails, Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was aware the popular narrative that Border Patrol agents whipped a group of Haitian migrants was false hours before he declared the incident “horrific” during a White House press conference. One of Mayorkas’s staffers sent him an email less than three hours before the press conference relaying the account of photographer Paul Ratje, who took the viral photos and said the salacious account of what happened was false.

“I’ve never seen them whip anyone,” Ratje said in a quote provided to Mayorkas. “He [Border Patrol agent] was swinging it [reins] but it can be misconstrued when you’re looking at the picture.”

Rather than using the information he was provided to correct the narrative, Mayorkas perpetuated the media’s misleading account of the incident by suggesting that something requiring investigation had occurred.

“I want to assure you that we are addressing this with tremendous speed and tremendous force,” Mayorkas said at the time. “The facts will drive the action we take.”

“The investigation will be all-encompassing; we will not cut a single corner,” he vowed.

Prominent Democrats, including President Biden himself, uncritically regurgitated the media’s account of the incident.

for upholding the rule of law, the border agents are still in legal limbo

impeach

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:05 pm

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:04 pm

LOL biden’s lies make it around the world before trump’s lies can gets their pants on

see @31

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:10 pm

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:05 pm

I remember when Mayorkas was head of USCIS, an agency within DHS.

He once told employees that he didn’t think people crossing the border were economic opportunists, but rather legitimate refugees. That’s the kind of broad brush talking that Trump did, only from the other side.

He’s a bleeding heart, and not the kind of person who should be in charge of Homeland Security.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:10 pm

Judge bucks Trump, orders Pence aide to testify to Jan. 6 grand jury
………
In a sealed decision that could clear the way for other top Trump White House officials to answer questions before a grand jury, Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that former Pence chief of staff Marc Short probably possessed information important to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that was not available from other sources, one of those people said.

Trump appealed, but the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to postpone Short’s appearance while the litigation continues, the people said, signaling that attempts by Trump to invoke executive privilege to preserve the confidentiality of presidential decision-making were not likely to prevail.
………
……… Short’s case came to light on Sept. 22 after Trump attorneys M. Evan Corcoran, Timothy C. Parlatore and Rowley were seen at federal court in Washington when there were no publicly scheduled matters, along with a lead Jan. 6 federal prosecutor, Thomas Windom.

According to people familiar with the matter, Short had appeared before a grand jury in downtown Washington in July, but declined to answer certain questions after Flood argued the communications of top White House advisers are protected — and presented written documentation from Trump’s lawyers that they were asserting executive privilege.

The Justice Department asked the court to intervene, urging Howell to override Trump’s claim and to compel Short to answer questions about his communications with Trump, one person said. After arguments Sept. 22, Howell granted the government’s motion, the people said, but because the investigation and an appeal are ongoing, it is unclear if or when a redacted opinion will become public.

Short and Windom were spotted at court again on Thursday, as was former Trump national security and defense aide Kash Patel.
………
Other senior Trump White House officials could also be affected by the outcome of the court ruling involving Short. Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy Pat Philbin appeared before the Jan. 6 grand jury in early September, spending about four hours behind closed doors with grand jurors. It is not known if they declined to answer any questions citing a Trump invocation of privilege, or if prosecutors have objected.
………

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:17 pm

JF (393c24) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:10 pm

I am looking forward to both Mayorkas’ and Biden’s impeachment and trials in the next Congress.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:18 pm

Trump is going to lose his frivolous piece of lawfare against the Pulitzer committee, but I’d love to see it go to trial with all the discovery bells and whistles.
In related legal news, Trump lost his effort to shut down grand jury testimony from one of Pence’s aides, Marc Short.
In anticipation of a Haiku response, no, the drain is not circling.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:19 pm

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/are-big-banks-chasing-away-religious-organizations

What shocked and surprised me the most was when someone from Chase eventually reached out to our executive director and informed him that it would be willing to reconsider doing business with the NCRF if we would provide our donor list, a list of political candidates we intended to support, and a full explanation of the criteria by which we would endorse and support those candidates. It was entirely inappropriate to ask for this type of information. Does Chase ask every customer what politicians they support and why before deciding whether or not to accept them as a customer?

More persecution of Christians done with the full support of the leftist establishment. They are only silent when it’s Christians and Conservatives attacked.

NJRob (ba8f28) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:20 pm

I am looking forward to both Mayorkas’ and Biden’s impeachment and trials in the next Congress.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:18 pm

I’m not. We don’t need any more Jerry Springerization of American politics. Let them lose at the ballot box.

Republicans should be content with winning one or both chambers, and focus on policy.

Americans don’t want a continual sh*tshow of impeachments after every election.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:22 pm

Republicans should be content with winning one or both chambers, and focus on policy.

Comedy gold!

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:27 pm

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:27 pm

I meant until the Presidential election.

The comedy gold is in thinking that impeachment proceedings after every election is good for the country.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:32 pm

On the Jan 6 thread:

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:19 pm

It should return to the way it was just prior to the February invasion.

I don’t think Ukraine wants that, and it also doesn’t believe it will have any peace until Putin is out of power. And I think you could ay that Russia must lose at least something of what it had on February 24, or else it won’t feel chastened.

And there is the matter of the kidnapped children and other Ukrainian citizens now in Russia, and the crimes Putin committed.

I don’t believe any kind of agreement is possible that is more official than what Israel has with Hamas.

And also — if Putin remains in power, so do all the sanctions, and more will continue to be added.

But I do think a possible partial agreement could be that:

1) Russia agrees not to attack any civilian targets beyond 12 miles from the front line

2) Ukraine agrees to restrict itself from attacking certain Russian military targets. (this can be safely done – there’s much else)

3) This agreement can be called off by either side at any time without prejudice.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:32 pm

“…no, the drain is not circling.”

Teh walls are closing in on the drain that’s not circling!

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

@38

I am looking forward to both Mayorkas’ and Biden’s impeachment and trials in the next Congress.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:18 pm

I’m not. We don’t need any more Jerry Springerization of American politics. Let them lose at the ballot box.

Republicans should be content with winning one or both chambers, and focus on policy.

Americans don’t want a continual sh*tshow of impeachments after every election.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:22 pm

Too late. The impeachment process has been trivialized so much that Republicans would be morons not to start “tat” to that “tit”.

Furthermore, Mayorkas deserves to be impeached over his border handling (including the whipping fracas) and Biden deserves it over the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Nothing will happen, but it does two very useful things:
1) I forces the media to cover those two events in great details.

2) This is a naked partisan rationale – forcing Senate to take up impeachment hearings sucks up all the oxygen on the Senate’s calendar… potentially slowing other things down, like judicial hearing/confirmations. Slowing down Biden from filling open judicial seats is a good thing.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

And I think you could ay that Russia must lose at least something of what it had on February 24, or else it won’t feel chastened.

And there is the matter of the kidnapped children and other Ukrainian citizens now in Russia, and the crimes Putin committed.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:32 pm

It did lose something. It lost the war. That is a big chastening. Going beyond that might just tempt Putin into using nukes.

You make a good point about the people forcibly relocated to Russia. Yes, they should be returned to Ukraine.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

A possible drawback to Covid vaccines (for children and others)

It is known that after receiving a vaccine a person is more susceptible to other infections especially in the following few days or maybe for up to a week or two.

Some of these diseases are more serious than Covid, although less widely spread and less contagious, because it is not spread through droplets.

RSV infections are increasing. And there is no vaccine for it.

I don;t think thsi problem will be or is caught (or if caught, noted) by clinical trials.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8544984

More than a year into the coronavirus-19 pandemic, intensified infection control measures have controlled most viral respiratory infections in Tokyo, Japan. As of July 2021, however, an unusually high number of respiratory syncytial virus infections were reported in Tokyo. This resurgence may have resulted from restarting social activities for children.

And also maybe from not isolatin children for 4 to 10 days after getting a Covid vaccination,

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

The impeachment process has been trivialized so much that Republicans would be morons not to start “tat” to that “tit”.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

This is why there are perpetual problems in the Middle East. Neither side is willing to stop the endless cycle of recriminations.

At some point, the adult in the room needs to say “enough”, and lead us to a better place.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:41 pm

Yesterday:

Kwasi Kwarteng: I am ‘absolutely 100 per cent not going anywhere’

Today:

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss Fires Treasury Chief, U-Turns on Taxes

British PM Liz Truss is on the ropes:

……..
On Friday, Ms Truss ……..reversed a key policy to scrap the planned rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%. The statement marks the second major U-turn on the mini-budget after Ms Truss cancelled her plan to scrap the top rate of income tax earlier this month.
……..
One former backer told the BBC Ms Truss had “appointed her successor,” by bringing in Jeremy Hunt as chancellor. “Sadly I think that hastened her demise,” the Conservative MP said.

Another MP called Ms Truss’s news conference “a mega-disaster”. They said: “She will have to resign – she is worse than Corbyn.”
…….

An eight minute press conference:

………
As she left the stage, Truss was asked ‘Aren’t you going to apologise?’ by one member of the media, which she ignored.
………
Asked why she should remain as Prime Minister after reversing key tax cuts that led to her election as Tory leader and sacking her Chancellor, she told a press conference: “I’m absolutely determined to see through what I have promised, to deliver a higher growth, more prosperous United Kingdom, to see us through the storm we face.”
…….
The embattled PM was then asked why she gets to stay in No 10 when Kwasi Kwarteng, with whom she designed the mini-budget in lockstep, was sacked as Chancellor.

Ms Truss told the press conference: “Well, my priority is making sure we deliver the economic stability that our country needs. ……
………
Sterling had pared back some of its early losses shortly before the Prime Minister’s press conference but then dropped back, indicating that traders believe there is still more action to be taken.

The pound moved 1.2% lower at 1.119 against the US dollar after the update.
##############

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:42 pm

Furthermore, Mayorkas deserves to be impeached over his border handling (including the whipping fracas) and Biden deserves it over the Afghanistan withdrawal.

You would have abetter case against Biden for combing through data to arrive at misleading statistics – about inflation and recession and everything.

In the meantime, maybe Gov Abbott could be impeached for encouraging this, even indirectly.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/us/migrants-shot-texas.html

The 22-year-old soon slipped into Texas and, with a group of about a dozen migrants, began traversing the parched landscape east of El Paso on foot.

Three days after Mr. Sepúlveda texted his father that he had made it across the border, the group stopped for water at a small pond along a rural road. Around sunset, two men in a pickup truck drove by, and the migrants took cover in the brush. Suddenly the truck stopped, backed up and stopped again.

One of the men emerged with a gun and opened fire, fatally striking Mr. Sepúlveda, wounding a young Mexican woman and making the southern border region around Sierra Blanca a new focal point in the nation’s increasingly contentious immigration debate.

What inflamed the already combustible situation was that the men charged with the shooting were familiar local fixtures: Michael Sheppard, the warden of a deeply troubled private prison in town who works closely with the sheriff, and his twin brother Mark Sheppard, an employee at the county jail that the sheriff runs.

The Sept. 27 killing drew broad condemnation, raising questions about the rule of law in the cactus-studded high plains of West Texas and the real-world impacts of a bitter political divide over how to handle a record number of unauthorized crossings at the southern border.

…During the recent debate in the race for governor, the Democratic candidate, Beto O’Rourke, said the killing could be traced to Gov. Greg Abbott’s “hateful rhetoric” on immigration. In a news conference last week, Mr. Abbott called the shooting “horrific” and “completely wrong” but blamed President Biden for the spike in arrivals and the need for Texas to deploy National Guard troops to the border and bus thousands of migrants to northern cities.

Of coure the really vile rhetoric comes from 100 people in various places.

Biden is only to blame in that he liberalized slightly, and that it made it look like more — because to migrants the policy is irrational,

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:47 pm

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

It did lose something. It lost the war. That is a big chastening.

It probably needs a little bit of permanent loss so that Putin would not be inspired to try again.

Of course if the war goes on, that might be enough. It’s army has lost much equipment.

Going beyond that might just tempt Putin into using nukes.

Putin is bluffing. he won;t even think of using nukes unless he faces the end of the Russia state – or his own rule.

You make a good point about the people forcibly relocated to Russia. Yes, they should be returned to Ukraine.

The presents a big problem, and requires Russia to accept defeat. (if they lose territory, you know they have accepted it)

Not every person who went to Russia did so involuntarily, but a lot did.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:52 pm

@46

The impeachment process has been trivialized so much that Republicans would be morons not to start “tat” to that “tit”.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:38 pm

This is why there are perpetual problems in the Middle East. Neither side is willing to stop the endless cycle of recriminations.

At some point, the adult in the room needs to say “enough”, and lead us to a better place.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:41 pm

Sorry, but no.

The days of “turning the other cheek” is over norcal.

If there’s a colorable rationale to impeach the next Democrat, Republican better unleash it.

Otherwise, the next time Democrats take control of Congress, they’ll feel even more empowered to abuse this power.

MAD is a viable principle and flouting it must be met with actual pain.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:52 pm

18. Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:11 pm

I am increasingly inclined towards corporal punishment. Caning, stocks, etc. Not enough room in jails for those that need jails.

You could also sentence people to community service (unpaid labor) with jail only if they don’t do it without a medical excuse.

The problem is that labor unions oppose people doing anything very useful. They should get the same work that others get paid for, and be offered the opportunity to continue with pay.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:55 pm

Well deserved:

Two Berlin museum operators have won a court appeal after their initial bid to place a destroyed Russian tank outside Russia’s Embassy in central Berlin was refused by local authorities.
……….
Enno Lenze and Wieland Giebel of the Berlin Story Bunker museum first proposed the idea in June, saying they wanted to place the ruined T-90 tank outside Russia’s embassy on the renowned Unter den Linden boulevard for a period of two weeks.
……….
“But, the city of Berlin said, ‘no.'” Lenze said. “And they had hilarious reasons. First, they said it will endanger the safety of the Federal Republic of Germany. It could endanger bicycle drivers, the pedestrians, the car drivers, lorry drivers. It could traumatize Syrian refugees. It could be some kind of problem for the kebab booth down the road, and so on and so forth.”
……….
(The Mitte District) also objected to the plan saying that people “in all likelihood died” in the damaged vehicle, among other reservations including possible negative impacts on German foreign relations.
………
“But… we’re still in Germany!” Lenze joked. “And it will take weeks or months until we have all the other paperwork done that we need, because, you know, our government doesn’t want us to send tanks to Ukraine, but it doesn’t want me to import one as well, so it’s a bit stupid.”
………

One should be parked across the street from here.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:55 pm

That sounds like a race to the bottom to me, whembly.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 1:56 pm

RIP 1979 Cy Young winner and Hall of Fame relief pitcher Bruce Sutter (69). First pitcher in the Hall of Fame who never started a game.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:02 pm

Republicans don’t do much when they’re in power. Impeachments will give them something to do besides sip martinis at their country clubs.

nk (6c45b4) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:04 pm

I agree with whembly. Impeachments, particularly of Cabinet officials and judges, should be more commonplace to keep them honest.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:04 pm

It aint over till its over! Catholic priest jack baker convicted of sexual assault on 7 year old alter boy in michigan. (ap)

asset (df0d4e) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:15 pm

whembly: “The days of “turning the other cheek” is over norcal. If there’s a colorable rationale to impeach the next Democrat, Republican better unleash it.”

News: Golden Rule becomes the Golden Suggestion. The problem is that the impeachment process wasn’t abused, especially the second instance with Trump where few would honestly question that he failed to act. The arguments became more procedural than about actual culpability. People are now grasping for reasons to impeach Biden to rationalize their “no vote” on impeaching Trump. Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself? That’s a pretty big stretch and public opinion would likely reject it by a good margin. Should the GOP still pursue it even though the electorate would hold it against them? That seems to be where we’re at….and it would just create more toxicity in a system that is already pretty toxic. The oath is to the Constitution…not to a party. It would be good for people to review that….

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:15 pm

Jake Tapper on a person unjustly convicted, but whom the great proponents of freeing unjustly convicted people are not interested it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2022/10/jake-tapper-november-cover-story/671700/

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/11/campaign-to-free-incarcerated-philadelphia-teenager-sixth-amendment/671527/

Takeaways:

1) A private lawyer is not better than a public defender when the private lawyer is paid by the government, and paid only according to hours spent in court, and the private lawyer may be the worst counsel.

2) An innocent person (not innocent of all crime but if this murder) often knows what can clear him. He asked for some evidence to be obtained, was was told it would be done and the lawyer didn’t do it. How can this not be ineffective assistance of counsel especially when there are things pointing to his innocence (like an inability to run because he was shot a little bit earlier, and the acquittal of his co-defendant because of a good alibi. The person convicted was identified by no better a method than he was – the witnesses knew him and the other defendant but at the same time at the time said they couldn’t identify the killers – the government’s position is that maybe they were afraid to)

3) The whole thing stemmed from what a confidential witness said. The person’s name isn’t known and Jake Tapper doesn’t seem to be very interested in this point.

Confidential witnesses, especially is used over and over, may be the cause of a lot wrong

4) There was nothing at all tying him to the crime except the eyewitnesses

5) The prosecution made the alibi witnesses look bad because they hadn’t come forward before the trial – they had been identified early by the person in jail, but efforts to contact them by various people and get statements from them fell through. The prosecution also argued he might have taken some of the Percocet he had been presrcibed.

6) Criminal defense lawyers think all their clients are guilty – but there is something different to do when they are not.

7> Jake Tapper didn’t say this, but he was a1n idiot not to testify in his own defense. (he didn’t even say that he didn’t) That was more ineffective assistance of counsel. It doesn’t matter what else he’d have to confess to.

8) There is some real material on what gets someone started in a life of crime. African American studies probably won’t want to use it.

In one letter, he described his childhood:

At the age of 7 you make your first drug sale, oblivious to what you’re actually doing, you’re just following directions to count 13 bags and once you get the money, count out $110 (receiving $10 for yourself). So, imagine that this is all you see, and having it all around you endlessly, could you understand or begin to think that it’s wrong? How can you, when it seems everyone’s doing it in some form or fashion. It seems normal. It is normal. This is how life is lived. This is how money is made. That’s what you think.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:16 pm

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:15 pm In the second impeachement Trump was accused of having incited the bomb. That is manifestedly false, although he could have conspired by toeher means to fo that — but it would have been foolish for him to do so.

Truth is e lied after November 3 and he did some things to distort law – and perhaps that would have been enough to deserve impeachment,

he didn’t want to tell the crowd to go away because he still had hopes of some kind they could bring political pressure on Congress.

He created a crucial vote based on false pretenses

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:21 pm

The people who shot the Mexicans claim they thought they were shooting wild animals.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:22 pm

“Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.”

—- Joe Biden

Yes he is. Or Paul Volcker is. Although a lot of people expect the Fed to back down because their theory is allll wrong — on;y they not on;y thinkk it is right but think everybody else does too.

It is not that an increase in the money supply causes inflation, but inflation causes an increasde in the money supply.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:25 pm

@62 don’t fight the fed. You lose. Your insolvency will come quicker then changes in fed policy.

asset (df0d4e) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:29 pm

Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself?

Why was he negotiating for only a month of delay?

BTW, welcome back from The Dispatch. Not much has changed since you left.

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:35 pm

Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself?

Are you kidding? Lest you forget his prideful blackmail bluster over getting Ukraine to dump a prosecutor usin g U.S. tax dollars. And thie his most recent malarkey:

“Nobody fvcks with a Biden.” – Squinty McBlunderbuss

Oh yeah?? So the Saudis bent him over an oil drum, dropped his Depends and drilled his well. Crime boss Joe chatters like a Vito Corleone wannabe who can’t walk up a set of steps. Even dead, CornPop could whip his ass. He’s the only POTUS that makes Jimma Carter look Lincolnesque.

DCSCA (f87cad) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:54 pm

Error: The lawyers did receive some money for preparation vut t=t=it was aflat fee varying only acc to whether it went to trial or not.

Sammy Finkelman (e127d3) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:58 pm

65. Biden lied about the him causing the firing the prosecutor. (

Sammy Finkelman (a32ce0) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:59 pm

Aeronautical Salute: The Right Stuff.

75 years ago today, October 14, 1947- back when America was truly great– the late General Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier with the crack of a sonic boom over Muroc, CA at what is now known as Edwards AFB piloting the Bell X-1. Attended the 50th anniversary up at Edwards back in 1997 when Yeager did it again in a modern supersonic fighter for the crowds on hand; and had the opportunity to met Yeager after he landed. Have a pix signed and framed up in the den from the event. One of the great advances in the progress of aviation on a par w/Lindbergh, the Wrights- and, as Neil Armstrong believed, his own flight: Apollo 11.

DCSCA (f87cad) — 10/14/2022 @ 3:11 pm

RIP Bruce Sutter (69) and Luscious “Luke” Jackson (80)…

Hardly seems possible that Jackson was 80 years old.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 3:34 pm

Speaking of The Dispatch, today’s Allahpundit post (yeah yeah, when and if I remember his name — it’s Nick something, right? — I’ll use it) is a must read. Yes, they’re all must-reads, but this one exposes and deconstructs MAGA tribal hypocrisy in devastating, technicolor detail.

lurker (cd7cd4) — 10/14/2022 @ 3:52 pm

I know, but allowing his falsehoods to go unrefuted (there are some here who subscribe to the GSA canard and other Trump lies) only allows them to fester.

They will fester anyway. Thump’s legions are one giant Petri dish for his oozings.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 3:56 pm

More performance art that should be emulated around the world:

Two Finnish guys ‘annexed’ a Russian diplomat’s parking spot by painting it with the Ukrainian flag

Two men in a Finnish city “annexed” a Russian diplomat’s parking spot for Ukraine by painting it over with the country’s flag on Wednesday.
………
The spot sits outside of the official residence of the Russian diplomat Pyotr Plihin, and is specially reserved by the city for diplomatic use, according to national broadcaster Yle.

On Thursday, city officials announced they would not be removing the paint, Yle reported.

The idea first came from (Jarno) Virtala, who told Insider he showed up in a hi-vis jacket to appear more like a maintenance worker. But after about half an hour, (Markus) Mattsson, who was cycling to work, stopped and decided to help him.

Mattsson, whose partner is Ukrainian, wrote on social media: “We held a two-man referendum on annexing the parking spot to Ukraine.”

“One hundred percent of the voters agreed and no disagreeing proposals were expressed, so we decided to celebrate the results by painting a flag of Ukraine on the spot, he added.”
………
“And then the consul came out from the building and started to take photos of me and he wasn’t very happy,” Virtala said. “I think he didn’t like the colors at all.”
……….

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 3:59 pm

Too late. The impeachment process has been trivialized so much that Republicans would be morons not to start “tat” to that “tit”.

I question your use of “would be” in referencing behavior that already exists.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:00 pm

You could also sentence people to community service (unpaid labor) with jail only if they don’t do it without a medical excuse.

Slaves do crappy work. I’ve seen it. It actually costs time and money to utilize this particular worker pool ans someone has to watch the spoons.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:03 pm

I wonder if the timing has something to do with it (the USSC denying Trump’s motion), but the DOJ just filed a motion to kill the Special Master (no, not that kill, that kill). I think they have a case, on jurisdictional grounds.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:04 pm

L.A. GOP mayoral candidate: I’m not white. I’m Italian

…..(Rick) Caruso thought he smelled an opportunity to upset the status quo. But he didn’t do himself any favors during a debate this week when he was asked a question by a moderator that focused on race. Dunia Elvir referred to Caruso as “a white man,” at which point he responded by saying, “I’m Italian.” He followed up by saying, “Thank you, that’s Latin.” I’m sure you can imagine where things went from there.

The Republican candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, Rick Caruso, faced criticism and mockery after claiming in a debate that he was not white but “Latin”, because he is Italian American.

He was responding to a question about the racial identity of the two candidates: him and Karen Bass, an African American Democratic congresswoman.

Moderating the debate on Tuesday night, the Telemundo journalist Dunia Elvir said: “And this question goes for the both of you. The next mayor of Los Angeles will be either an African American woman or a white man.”

“I’m Italian,” Caruso said.

……….

The article incorrectly says Caruso is a Republican. For the purposes of this election, he self-identifies as a Democrat.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:08 pm

Happy Birthday! Just turned 247 years old (yesterday).

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:13 pm

64/65 Biden and the corporate establishment democrats are desperate to save the moderate democrats in swing districts. They will do anything to stay in power. When they lose the house it will be moderate corporate establishment supporting democrats that lose not the squad. Pelosi is desperate to stay in power and if the republicans take over they will go after her stock dealings if not republicans in congress. The donor class will not be able to hold the center. AOC and the left will consolidate power as a minority in congress and tell the entrenched old farts to take a hike!

asset (55ee72) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:16 pm

Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself? That’s a pretty big stretch and public opinion would likely reject it by a good margin. Should the GOP still pursue it even though the electorate would hold it against them? That seems to be where we’re at….and it would just create more toxicity in a system that is already pretty toxic. The oath is to the Constitution…not to a party. It would be good for people to review that….

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:15 pm

Pure nonsense. Biden wanted the increase delayed just as long as it wouldn’t effect the midterm elections. For you to claim otherwise is deceitful. Thankfully, the Saudis called him on it.

They are evil, but still a better partner than Biden’s Iran.

NJRob (685604) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:20 pm

Make that Lucious Jackson

not to be confused with Luscious Jackson:

https://www.facebook.com/LusciousJackson/videos/lusciousjackson-on-saturdaynightlive-in-95-it-was-a-dream-come-true-for-us-to-pe/1123731417694323/

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:22 pm

Thankfully, the Saudis called him on it.

Yeah, I’m always thankful when OPEC gives the finger to the President of the United States and then turns and sticks it to all of America and to our European allies with winter coming on.

Just exactly what kind of America-hating traitors are you orange-ass-munching Trump-loving clowns anyway?

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:28 pm

Just spreadin’ teh love…

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:42 pm

Russian governor to Moscow: Time to evacuate Kherson; Update: Moscow reverses and agrees?
……..
……..Kherson is also the indispensable link to Crimea, now that the Kerch bridge has been damaged. Deutsche Welle picked up on Saldo’s plea, pushed out on social media:

The Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region has called on residents to evacuate as Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the region.

Vladimir Saldo also made a public appeal for Moscow to help transport fleeing civilians to Russia.

“We suggested to all people of the Kherson region to, if they wish, leave to other regions to protect themselves from missile hits,” he said on Telegram. “In addressing the leadership of the country (Russia), I ask you to help organize this work.” …

The appeal appears to be an indication that a Ukrainian counteroffensive is continuing to advance in the region.

Ya think? Why else would Saldo publicly run up a white flag and start looking for ways to evacuate Kherson? Saldo was sent there to secure the regional capital for resupply and other logistics to Crimea. It’s the very reason for Putin’s invasion — to set up a contiguous Greater Russia through southern Ukraine to incorporate Crimea, and then past that to Moldova.
……..
……..Putin has also made it clear to the military commanders in the Kherson theater that he will brook no retreats from the strategic necessity of holding the city, lest Crimea fall back into Ukrainian hands again after eight-plus years.

How badly is it going for Russians in Kherson, even setting aside Saldo’s desperation? (The Institute for the Study of War) reports that Russian sources concede that Ukrainian counteroffensive operations are gaining back territory, and ISW tends to believe Ukrainian claims to have liberated more towns in the northern part of the oblast:
……..
Regardless, Moscow’s response won’t make Saldo happy. However, the necessity of state-run TASS publishing this piece will be shocking enough for its Russian readers … assuming this makes it into its Russian-language version, of course:
………
Update: To quote Joe Kenda — well, my my my:
………
What happened? According to the Sun (UK), the Russian lines are collapsing 12 miles out from the city — and so is Russian morale:

………
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed Russia was preparing to evacuate civilians in the Kherson region suggesting the possibility that Russian troops will attempt to consolidate a new front line west of the village of Mylove after retreating about 12 miles in the north of the Kherson sector earlier this month.

It said in its daily update: “Heavy fighting continues along this line, especially at the western end where Ukrainian advances mean Russia’s flank is no longer protected by the Inhulets River. …

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s crumbling army is said to be refusing to fight and disobeying orders amid “extremely low morale,” the Kyiv Independent reports.
……….

……….

Sad!

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:45 pm

Interesting times… https://twitter.com/AsraNomani/status/1580970515787051009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1580970515787051009%7Ctwgr%5E33ec71fb4522456eb07d4e0724b2a05d08687624%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Falthouse.blogspot.com%2F

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:53 pm

It was a perfect war! Read the battle plan!

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:53 pm

Yeah, I’m always thankful when OPEC gives the finger to the President of the United States and then turns and sticks it to all of America and to our European allies with winter coming on.

What did the Peter Principle administration expect when Pudding Brain called the country a “pariah” (sure didn’t stop his SECDEF from increasing our presence at Prince Sultan Air Base, though, no siree)? That they would be like the neocons they’re used to pushing around, and would obsequiously say “thank you sir, may I have another?” when Biden stuck his thumb in the Saudi royal family’s eye?

Biden’s the President, he’s not God, and if his bumbling, stumbling administration of overeducated midwits, with their drooling, pants-s**ting figurehead, take actions in the international arena that end up hurting Americans at home, there’s nothing unpatriotic about pointing out that it’s their fault and they’re getting exactly what they deserve. Particularly when the pants-s**tter is the one whose big mouth got us in that predicament to begin with. Maybe if Pudding Brain hadn’t given away that the Democrats are trying to brute-force the end of fossil fuel use completely, he might be getting more sympathy.

Factory Working Orphan (bce27d) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:10 pm

Yeah, I’m always thankful when OPEC gives the finger to the President of the United States and then turns and sticks it to all of America and to our European allies with winter coming on.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:28 pm

I don’t blame OPEC. Those countries are just looking out for their best interests.

The U.S. should do the same by fostering American oil production. Biden hasn’t done it.

I blame Biden, not the Saudis or OPEC.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:11 pm

“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.”

—- Milton Friedman

“Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.”

—- Joe Biden

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 12:00 pm

I completely agree, Colonel. It’s unfortunate that Friedman isn’t running the show.

I will note, however, that both Trump and Biden contributed to the increase in the supply of money.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:16 pm

87… a very sober post and every word is true.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:17 pm

All besides the point. There is no reason for Americans to be thankful for the situation, whatever the reason.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:26 pm

https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2022/10/14/rural-north-carolina-judge-sends-potential-juror-to-jail-with-no-bond-for-refusing-to-wear-mask-n643015

There is no mask mandate in North Carolina, yet when Harnett County resident Gregory Hahn reported to the courthouse in Lillington this week without a mask for jury duty and refused to wear one, he was sentenced to 24 hours in the county jail with no bail for contempt of court.

There are no signs saying masks are required in the courthouse. But a March 2022 joint order from Harnett and Lee County officials (the two counties that comprise this judicial district) grants individual judges or the Clerk of Superior Court or the District Attorney the right to require them in their courtrooms or personal offices. Just one Superior Court Judge, C. Winston Gilchrist, requires them in his courtroom. This requirement is not communicated to potential jurors ahead of time, though, according to Hahn, and nothing in the joint order says residents can be thrown in jail if they decline to wear one.

Fascist pretending to be a judge abuses his office to treat a citizen as his subject.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:33 pm

Yeah, I’m always thankful when OPEC gives the finger to the President of the United States and then turns and sticks it to all of America and to our European allies with winter coming on.

Just exactly what kind of America-hating traitors are you orange-ass-munching Trump-loving clowns anyway?

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 4:28 pm

You were more interesting pre-Trump. Since Happyfeet left, you’ve taken over being boring.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:34 pm

All besides the point. There is no reason for Americans to be thankful for the situation, whatever the reason.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:26 pm

Guess you were one of those attacking Limbaugh for saying he hopes Obama fails.

When Biden succeeds, America is harmed. His policies are destructive for the American people. What don’t you get?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:37 pm

We’ve had fifty years to stabilize our domestic oil supply, and instead we have been giving our oil to the world market and then buying it back at their price. That’s insane.

And now it’s become a partisan political weapon too. Not satisfied with making the oil industry richer, we have people gleeful that America will suffer so that the President they don’t like looks bad.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:38 pm

You were more interesting pre-Trump. Since Happyfeet left, you’ve taken over being boring.
….
Guess you were one of those attacking Limbaugh for saying he hopes Obama fails.

It’s not about me.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:49 pm

92… feets would be a breath of fresh air at this point. Crazed but he brought the funny.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:54 pm

Yeah, I’m always thankful when OPEC gives the finger to the President of the United States

You misspelled “returns.” Biden gave the finger to every oil producer in the world as he came into office, and cut off his OWN oil supplies, saying they were not only unnecessary, they were evil. THEN he goes orders up more oil and it doesn’t come. Who would have thought it.

In the story of the Little Red Hen, the other animals were merely unhelpful, they didn’t actually hinder making the bread. Biden deserved every finger he got.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:58 pm

We’ve had fifty years to stabilize our domestic oil supply, and instead we have been giving our oil to the world market and then buying it back at their price. That’s insane.

Yeah, which might have been possible had there not been an insidious Malthusian cult on the western left that could count on significant support from academia, various globalist organizations, megacorporations, and mass media during that time, which has currently culminated in garbage like the WEF pushing for a green social credit system in the form of “Sustainable Development Goals.”

Perhaps of Pudding Brain, his staff, and his party weren’t aligned with these forces, we could have gotten at least somewhat close to what you say should have happened. But that’s not what went down, and it’s certainly not what’s happening now. So if these social engineering utopians have to get humiliated on the national stage to put a crimp in their plans, so much the better for Americans as a whole. Because the pain we’re going to go through now is nothing compared to what will happen if these people get what they actually want.

Factory Working Orphan (bce27d) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:00 pm

Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself?

When the time frame is “until after the election”? You betcha. It is just as impeachable as Trump’s call to Ukraine (which I didn’t think was impeachable).

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:01 pm

It is just as impeachable as Trump’s call to Ukraine (which I didn’t think was impeachable).

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:01 pm

Apples and watermelons. Biden’s ask was to help everyone have cheaper gas (even if only short-term). Trump’s ask was for manufactured dirt on his opponent.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:13 pm

So it would be impeachable for Biden to bring down inflation because it would help him politically in 2024? Is that your logic?

Let me ask, you, comrades. Is there any point where you don’t want Biden to fail? NORAD? The Strategic Air Command? The Hoover Dam?

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:18 pm

I’m not gleeful about this gas price predicament. I’m not even happy about blaming Biden. It is what it is–misguided policy that is now biting us in the a$$%.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:19 pm

Biden’s ask was to help everyone have cheaper gas (even if only short-term)

Why only ask for one month?

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:19 pm

Why only ask for one month?

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:19 pm

This has to be a rhetorical question.

Okay, I’ll play along. Biden wants to have it both ways. He wants to assuage people pissed off about gas prices in order for Democrats to succeed in next month’s election. I’m sure he would like it to be for more than a month, but he knows that’s a bigger ask from OPEC.

He doesn’t want to piss off his extremist environmentalist base by fostering domestic oil production.

The world can run on sunshine and happy thoughts, or didn’t you know?

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:34 pm

Let me ask, you, comrades. Is there any point where you don’t want Biden to fail? NORAD? The Strategic Air Command? The Hoover Dam?

Don’t want him to fail?

Losing the 2024 election.

In a landslide.

To Trump.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:47 pm

When Biden succeeds, America is harmed.

… and Putin smiled.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:48 pm

We’ve had fifty years to stabilize our domestic oil supply, and instead we have been giving our oil to the world market and then buying it back at their price. That’s insane.

Insane? That’s free-market capitalism.

Reaganomics. 😉

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:50 pm

Just exactly what kind of America-hating traitors are you orange-ass-munching Trump-loving clowns anyway?

Republicans.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:51 pm

The impeachment process has been trivialized so much that Republicans would be morons not to start “tat” to that “tit”.

… and you can thank Newtie and his Blowfish for starting that rock-a-rolling.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:54 pm

… and you can thank Newtie and his Blowfish for starting that rock-a-rolling.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:54 pm

Don’t you mean Billie and his Blowfish? 😛

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:00 pm

@110. No, Newtie.

Ask his wives.

DCSCA (468b6f) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:01 pm

I don’t really understand your answer, NorCal.

If I was going to ask for short term relief for Americans who are hurting, I would have tried to bargain through the new year to see if I could boost holiday merriment and economic activity in the form of the sales that coincide with the season.

I am not sure if you really explained the single month or if what you wrote is to explain away everything else.

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:01 pm

We could also reduce our costs and gas prices by reducing demand, but we don’t really want to do that. We want to keep driving low gas mileage cars for long distances and for the government to fix it so that we don’t have to pay a price for that.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:05 pm

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:01 pm

Biden wants to win the midterms. He knows that OPEC is more likely to say “yes” for a month than for a longer time.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:05 pm

We want to keep driving low gas mileage cars for long distances and for the government to fix it so that we don’t have to pay a price for that.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:05 pm

I don’t want the government to “fix it”, per se. I want it not to hinder the domestic production of oil by the private sector.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:09 pm

Tomato soup?

Cut off your ear and then drop it off at your favorite brothel with a letter of protest and we’ll talk

steveg (01c990) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:13 pm

Biden wants to win the midterms. He knows that OPEC is more likely to say “yes” for a month than for a longer time.

Isn’t that the argument that you say isn’t what is going on?

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:19 pm

Isn’t that the argument that you say isn’t what is going on?

BuDuh (9fa033) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:19 pm

No. I’m saying that is what is going on.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because I’m anti-Trump I won’t criticize Biden.

I have embraced the freedom of calling balls and strikes on both parties.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:25 pm

Ok. I was thinking your comment on Biden doing this to help Americans was the end of your contention.

I am with you on the real nature of his actions.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:30 pm

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:30 pm

He’s trying to scapegoat the Saudis for high gas prices, when he and his base are the ones who discouraged domestic oil production.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:36 pm

https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/10/kill-all-christian-nationalists-vandals-trash-michigan-catholic-church-with-pro-abortion-graffiti/

A security video caught three people vandalizing the Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, MI, with pro-abortion and anti-Catholic graffiti.

I’ve lost count of how many Catholic churches people have targeted since SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade.

How many churches and family health clinics have been attacked since the left lost their mind over Roe finally being correctly overturned? Why hasn’t the FBI and Biden used their vast resources to go after these terroristic acts?

Yet many want to keep giving them power? Try remembering that the next time someone claims to be for American values.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:58 pm

Why hasn’t the FBI and Biden used their vast resources to go after these terroristic acts?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:58 pm

How do you know they haven’t? Vandals can be very difficult to catch.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:04 pm

Sad!

……….
Russian milbloggers didn’t take long to confirm the arrival of conscripts (in Luhansk Oblast)— and to complain about what happened next. (The Institute for the Study of War) picked up on their chatter about the rapid demise of these untrained troops and their unhappiness with the chain of command:

Public reports of the first deaths of ill-prepared mobilized Russian troops in Ukraine have sparked renewed criticism of the Russian military command. Russian media reported that five mobilized men from Chelyabinsk have already died in combat in Ukraine just three weeks after President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of partial mobilization on September 21. The report led many pro-war milbloggers to claim that the number of dead and wounded among mobilized servicemen is likely higher than this due to lack of promised training, equipment, unit cohesion, and commanders, as well as repeated instances of wrongful mobilization.

Russian milbloggers claimed that Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District (SMD), Mikhail Zusko, ordered the immediate deployment without any pre-combat training of newly mobilized servicemen of the 15th Regiment of the 27th Motor Rifle Brigade from Moscow City and Moscow Oblast to the collapsing frontline around Svatove around October 2nd and 3rd. ……

Milbloggers noted that relatives found half of the 15th Regiment personnel wounded in a Belgorod Oblast hospital after the unit got caught in heavy artillery fire when attempting to reach the Svatove frontline. Milbloggers noted that the regiment had no orders, military command supervision, signal, or supplies, and that the other half of its personnel is still at the Svatove frontline. Another milblogger noted witnessing the coffins of mobilized men arrive in Chelaybinsk, Moscow, and Yekaterenburg, and claimed that many mobilized men are surrendering to Ukrainian forces. One Russian milblogger complained on October 13 that newly mobilized men are being deployed in a haphazard way that will lead to 10,000 deaths and 40,000 injuries among them by February 2023.
(Footnotes omitted.)

Putin may have hoped that the conscription — a much-demanded action from nationalists — would convince them to stick to the Kremlin’s talking points. However, that ignores a reality that matters even in authoritarian systems, including in Russia’s imperial/inferiority-complex culture. When dead bodies come back from the front, families and communities start asking questions. When those dead bodies belong to conscripted-by-force family members, questions aren’t the only thing raised.

ISW notes that nationalist milbloggers have begun to read that writing on the wall as well:

……….
One milblogger even warned that Russian MoD’s inability to properly update families of the whereabouts of their relatives will lead mothers and wives to form human rights groups that “will break Russia from within.”

………. (Putin and the Kremlin) are using conscripts to plug holes in lines that have been moving backwards for six weeks, up against crack combat troops with high morale and lots of hard-earned experience. ……..
……….

Rip Murdock (560c1d) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:05 pm

Why hasn’t the FBI and Biden used their vast resources to go after these terroristic acts?
………
NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 7:58 pm

What federal crimes have been committed? There is no domestic terrorism statue.

Rip Murdock (560c1d) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:09 pm

@58

whembly: “The days of “turning the other cheek” is over norcal. If there’s a colorable rationale to impeach the next Democrat, Republican better unleash it.”

News: Golden Rule becomes the Golden Suggestion. The problem is that the impeachment process wasn’t abused, especially the second instance with Trump where few would honestly question that he failed to act. The arguments became more procedural than about actual culpability.

Correct, it’s now “the Golden Suggestion”.

As Rip mentioned, impeachment ought to be used more authoritatively to keep political appointees and judges more honest.

Failure to reciprocate will only signal future Democrats that they have free reign to push the envelope.

I disagree on rationale for both Trump impeachments, because it was primarily pushed for partisan reasons, used to inflict as much pain to Trump and to his supporters as possible. The process of impeachment was used punitively, rather than some sense of good faith execution.

The 2nd impeachment, imo, would absolutely be legit had it simply been over Trump’s dereliction of duty to immediately use all of his impressive authority to secure the capitol when the riot broke out.

People are now grasping for reasons to impeach Biden to rationalize their “no vote” on impeaching Trump. Do we seriously believe that Biden negotiating with the Saudis to delay cutting production is an improper use of Presidential power to favor himself? That’s a pretty big stretch and public opinion would likely reject it by a good margin.

It has the same vibe as Trump’s 1st impeachment.

Biden wanted the Saudis to delay the cuts till a month later, an obvious attempt to influence the elections of his Democratic colleagues.

Why not ask the Saudis to increase production to drive down the overall cost? Or better yet, why not ask the Saudies to delay till the new year? Delay for 6 months?

No. The ask was to push it back a month.

Just look at the calendar, and then ask yourself why.

Should the GOP still pursue it even though the electorate would hold it against them? That seems to be where we’re at….and it would just create more toxicity in a system that is already pretty toxic. The oath is to the Constitution…not to a party. It would be good for people to review that….

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 2:15 pm

I would argue that the electorate would SUPPORT an impeachment hearing over the border failures and over the Afghanistan withdrawal mess.

Holding these political creatures accountable should be a goal.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:14 pm

What federal crimes have been committed? There is no domestic terrorism statue.

Rip Murdock (560c1d) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:09 pm

Religion is explicitly protected by the Constitution. Now pretend it was a muslim mosque and see your nonsensical response. What federal crime was there to investigate a door pull at NASCAR?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:16 pm

Show me the federal crime where pro-life protestors actually intimidated and prevented abortions that caused over 20 stormtroopers to go after multiple Christians and their families with guns and terroristic actions. Stasi tactics.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:19 pm

@94

And now it’s become a partisan political weapon too. Not satisfied with making the oil industry richer, we have people gleeful that America will suffer so that the President they don’t like looks bad.

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 5:38 pm

This has nothing to do with wanting OPEC to make Biden look bad.

I don’t cheer OPEC for flipping the birdie to Biden.

This has everything to do about pointing the obvious hypocrisy here, and there’s no slick/sassy retort you could offer that would explain WHY Biden only asked for 1 month delay.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:22 pm

@99

When the time frame is “until after the election”? You betcha. It is just as impeachable as Trump’s call to Ukraine (which I didn’t think was impeachable).

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:01 pm

I didn’t think Trump’s phone call was impeachable either.

Under the old pre-Trump rules, neither is Biden’s delaying request to the Saudis should be impeachable either.

But, we’re living under new rules in the post-Trump era.

Under these new rules, what Biden did was definitely impeachable.

This is why I was so adamant during the 1st impeachment that this is going to set new precedents, and I don’t think some of you, who cheered on the Trump impeachments, are going to like the rules.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:26 pm

Will Liz Truss remain Prime Minister longer than it takes a head of lettuce to rot (35 days)?

……..The disastrous day led bookies to slash odds from 6/1 to evens that the Daily Star’s very own 60p lettuce will outlast the PM……..

Rip Murdock (560c1d) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:27 pm

@100

Apples and watermelons. Biden’s ask was to help everyone have cheaper gas (even if only short-term). Trump’s ask was for manufactured dirt on his opponent.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:13 pm

I definitely the same fruit norcal.

BOTH, could be argued as an ask derived from the desire to achieve a better political outcome for personal gains.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:27 pm

@101

So it would be impeachable for Biden to bring down inflation because it would help him politically in 2024? Is that your logic?

Stop be silly. No.

Let me ask, you, comrades. Is there any point where you don’t want Biden to fail? NORAD? The Strategic Air Command? The Hoover Dam?

nk (ee0367) — 10/14/2022 @ 6:18 pm

I don’t want any of his radical agendas to succeed.

Do you?

Pick up the can citizen! Don’t make me order you start digging!

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:29 pm

BOTH, could be argued as an ask derived from the desire to achieve a better political outcome for personal gains.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:27 pm

Disagree. It’s dirt on an opponent versus a benefit everyone shares in.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:35 pm

@133

Disagree. It’s dirt on an opponent versus a benefit everyone shares in.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:35 pm

It’s a ‘quid pro quo’, the favor vs a ‘quid pro quo’ to delay an action to influence an election.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:38 pm

@132 Furthermore, Trump was threatening to withhold aid that had already been approved.

Is Biden threatening to withhold already-approved aid unless the Saudis increase production?

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:39 pm

“… It turns out that many of today’s problems are a result of yesterday’s solutions.” – Thomas Sowell

This. Biden’s solution upon taking office was to discourage more domestic oil. Can’t have it both ways, Joe.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:43 pm

“Is Biden threatening to withhold already-approved aid unless the Saudis increase production?”

I think a case could be made for that in the future, but both of the snitching Vindmann brothers and their wives were sitting on their ever larger and larger laurels, eating Duke’s Mayonnaise with a soup spoon rather than blowing their whistles, so we don’t have a leaked copy of the transcript.

steveg (777f19) — 10/14/2022 @ 9:18 pm

Gavin Newsom is blaming gas stations for the high prices. (Biden has done this in the past. I don’t know if he’s doing it now.)

Demagoguery at its finest, on the verge of an election.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 9:32 pm

Biden’s request for a month or so delay is an obvious election cycle political maneuver, but it was to counter the Saudis’ own political maneuver in cutting production a month before our election, which makes it obvious (at least to me) that bin Salman is voting with his oil supply for a GOP victory in both houses. As I see it, higher gas prices mean more of a red wave at the polls next month.

I don’t call Biden’s effort an impeachable offense because, unlike Trump, his actions didn’t enlist a foreign power to target a chief political rival, and he was taking this action–albeit short-term and short-sighted–to delay a drop in supply, thus keeping gas prices somewhat lower for all Americans. His actions, dumb as they are, fall under the category of politics, not high crimes or misdemeanors. And they’re also dumb because they won’t help him in November, not with chintzy moves like that. Also not helping are demonizing oil companies and futzing around with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

And now a more direct word about Biden and his general stupidity. The man has no real vision, no real smarts, and no real ability to achieve whatever muddled vision he has, and this couldn’t be more apparent than his energy policy.

Even Milton Friedman would tell you from his grave that if you want to keep prices stable, which has been a top national priority since Paul Volcker, then if you’re going to reduce supply, you should reduce demand commensurately, and Biden was a big failure in that regard.

While it’s commendable to transition automobiles over to EV and such, that’s a long-term endeavor, yet Biden–in short-term fashion–cut domestic exploration and production, and that’s his mess that he made. Granted, gas prices inflated worldwide, but the US has a big footprint on the world.

Another thing. Even if Biden is successful with EV transition, where is this energy to recharge car batteries going to come from? Fossil fuels like natural gas or oil or, worse, coal? How does that reduce our oil/gas dependency? Or how about renewables that only work when the wind blows or when there are no clouds in the sky? Some deal.

Bottom line, if he really had a vision for complete energy independence, he would go all-in on nuclear energy, which has the benefit of being low carbon footprint, involves minimal fossil fuels, and is reliable.

Biden is missing a phenomenal opportunity to adopt a major nuclear energy platform, but he won’t do it because he’s not brave enough or clear-headed enough to stand up to the environmental wing of his own party, which is bizarre because even an enviro-nut like Greta Thunberg sees the sense of nuclear over fossil fuels.

It’s funny, because Trump has been the mirror opposite of Biden, which is non-active about EV but he did well enough on supply to keep prices low. This enabled him to stop importing Venezuelan oil from a socialist like Maduro, which was a good thing, but that resulted in greater imports from Russia, but it’s better that we’re a net exporter.

If it were me, my goal for a national energy policy (and national security policy) would be to get all our oil and gas from the North American continent only. I know oil is fungible and such, but to me it’s a solid policy to not buy the devil’s excrement from some of the world’s worst dictatorships such as Russia, Venezuela and most of the countries in the Middle East. My two cents.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:13 pm

“It’s funny, because Trump has been the mirror opposite of Biden, which is non-active about EV but he did well enough on supply to keep prices low.”

Something happened in 2020 that massively tanked demand.

Davethulhu (43df02) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:31 pm

Today’s Baghdad Bob Award goes to this PR flack in Kherson, who’s not calling for an evacuation, he’s just saying that residents should take a vacation, and consider their departure an opportunity for residents to change their surroundings.

Michael Weiss has an Estonian expert he consults from time to time, and here’s his latest. Bottom line, Russian advances have been meager, and conditions are ripe for Ukrainians to reclaim more of their homeland in the Luhansk and Kherson oblasts. Putin’s latest batches of cannon fodder conscripts aren’t helping much.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:33 pm

@norcal@115 The reason the government can control that sort of thing, though is because the oil industry depends on the government for cheap oil leases and drilling on federal lands. They don’t want to have to deal with private or market rates.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:35 pm

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:35 pm

I say give them more cheap oil leases and allow more drilling on federal lands, including Alaska. It’s insane to handicap ourselves and rely on authoritarian countries for oil instead.

I’m not going let Biden scapegoat his way out of this one.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:43 pm

Gavin Newsom is blaming gas stations for the high prices.

And he keeps a love nest at Cracking Towers.

Has any reporter asked him what it means for a liquid to reflux– and why water beads in his shadow?

DCSCA (f89831) — 10/14/2022 @ 10:58 pm

@143. None of these politicians passing for leaders know a damn thing about the oil biz, the product or the market, supply and production and distribution chain.

The bottle neck for the U.S. has been refining capacity for decades; the ol’ NIMBY syndrome– and the quality of the crude is a factor. Saudi LSC is a better grade- and more cost effective to refine than the heavier crude pumped outta, say, Venezuela.

DCSCA (f89831) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:04 pm

@norcal@143 Then they will just keep being dependent on politics.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:18 pm

@121 maybe they are going after child molesting priests like the on that just got prosecuted for raping a 7 year old boy. Pro choice graffiti more important to you?

asset (f7f743) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:19 pm

Fair point, Davethulhu.
I’ll just say that Trump has been consistent on expanding domestic exploration and production, well before the pandemic, and it worked out well for prices when the bottom dropped out on demand.
But like Biden lacks any vision, so did Trump,IMO. He had one idea–drill baby, drill–and no others about an energy strategy, because he’s not a strategist,
he’s seat of the pants, and he did next to nothing to grow nuclear energy.
The irony is that Obama’s “all of the above” was superior to Trump and Biden. Although Obama wasn’t big on fracking on federal lands, he didn’t restrict non-federal lands, which is where most of the fracking happened anyway. And trust me, I don’t like saying that Obama was better.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:25 pm

Then they will just keep being dependent on politics.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:18 pm

It needn’t be political. Both parties should be on board with domestic oil production. The alternative is begging the Saudis for oil.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:25 pm

Of course, Biden could tell people to drive smaller cars, and conserve more, but he knows that wouldn’t go over well. So he blames gas stations, and runs cup in hand to the Saudis.

norcal (a1f318) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:28 pm

Apples and watermelons. Biden’s ask was to help everyone have cheaper gas (even if only short-term). Trump’s ask was for manufactured dirt on his opponent.

No, it was, like Trump’s a purely self-interested call to help his midterm campaign. The election was less than a month away when he asked for a month’s delay.

If you want to argue that it was a coincidence that just slipped his mind, just come out and say it.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:41 pm

So it would be impeachable for Biden to bring down inflation because it would help him politically in 2024? Is that your logic?

2022, next month. You usually aren’t that dense, nk.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:42 pm

We want to keep driving low gas mileage cars for long distances and for the government to fix it so that we don’t have to pay a price for that.

I’ve been driving a hybrid since the ‘oughts. When the infrastructure exists, I wll buy an electric (that infrastructure need includes not being penalized by $0.50/KWh higher tiers for my electric use, or being told not to charge my car because the nuclear plant has just been closed.

The government needs to stop making the problem worse with ridiculous demands and insane decisions. Opening Yucca Mountain is a good first step.

Also, water.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:46 pm

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because I’m anti-Trump I won’t criticize Biden.

Don’t make the mistake of belieivng that because I think Biden’s a turd it means I’m pro-Trump.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:48 pm

@norcal@149 It might not need to be, but it is. Everything environmental has become political. “I don’t want arsenic in my drinking water” suddenly makes someone a crazy left-wing eco terrorist and “I forgot my reuseable grocery bags” make someone into a crazy right-wing destroyer of all nature.

And Biden (or anyone else) shouldn’t have to tell anyone to buy cars with better gas mileage or conserve, people should be able to look at the gas prices and either decide their current lifestyle is worth the price, or figure out that maybe their next car should have better gas mileage, because over the long term this is going to happen over and over.

Nic (896fdf) — 10/14/2022 @ 11:56 pm

Joe Biden: “The pandemic is over”.

Also Joe Biden:

‘Biden extends emergency pandemic powers’

There are conservatives who voted for this.

Obudman (929f6c) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:35 am

So it would be impeachable for Biden to bring down inflation because it would help him politically in 2024? Is that your logic?

2022, next month. You usually aren’t that dense, nk.

What’s Biden running for next month in 2022? I was giving you an easier (for you) hypothetical in which Biden has the same interest Trump had. Personal. “Me! Me! Me! Reelect me!” Not party, country, and allies, as is the case right now.

nk (7eb93b) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:40 am

He can’t help it, the guy can’t help it…

https://twitter.com/fromkalen/status/1581081956242010114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1581081956242010114%7Ctwgr%5E8646b43c6b07da347e3faa273fe09cd7f3cddb14%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Falthouse.blogspot.com%2F

Joe Biden is a known idiot who’s exploited by enemies of the U.S.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:17 am

It looks like Liz Truss will beat the head of lettuce

Britain’s new Treasury chief on Saturday acknowledged mistakes made by his predecessor and suggested that he may reverse much of Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss’ tax-cutting plans in order to bring stability to the country after weeks of economic and political turbulence.

Jeremy Hunt, who was brought in Friday to replace Kwasi Kwarteng as Treasury chief and restore order in Truss’ administration, warned of “difficult decisions” to come. He said taxes could rise and public spending budgets would likely be squeezed further in the coming months.
………..
“It was wrong to cut the top rate of tax for the very highest earners at a time where we’re going to have to be asking for sacrifices from everyone to get through a very difficult period,” Hunt told the BBC Saturday.

“And it was wrong to fly blind and to announce those plans without reassuring people with the discipline of the Office for Budget Responsibility that we actually can afford to pay for them,” he added. “We have to show the world we have a plan that adds up financially.”
……….
(Truss’s) position remains fragile. She has faced heavy pressure from across the political spectrum, including reports that senior members of her Conservative Party were plotting to force her from office.
………..

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:32 am

Religion is explicitly protected by the Constitution. Now pretend it was a muslim mosque and see your nonsensical response. What federal crime was there to investigate a door pull at NASCAR?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:16 pm

There is 18 U.S. Code § 247 (a) (1) which makes it an offense for anyone who “intentionally defaces, damages, or destroys any religious real property, because of the religious character of that property, or attempts to do so….” with penalties of a fine and up to three years in prison if the damage exceeds $5,000.

However, paragraph (b) requires that “the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce,” which probably explains why there isn’t any federal involvement (yet). If evidence of a conspiracy can be developed, then the FBI would get involved. It’s also possible the damage didn’t meet the dollar threshold.

I didn’t really follow the NASCAR story. Not a fan.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:11 am

Paul,

You’re schilling for the left again. Doesn”t go well with your shtick.

NJRob (f419e6) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:16 am

You’re schilling for the left again. Doesn”t go well with your shtick.

How’s that, Rob? Explain yourself.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:28 am

I am sensing a penalty flag’s imminent drop.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:41 am

Whembly, if they cut back production for the goal of impacting the US election to help the GOP then their motivation goes away after the election. We only need to ask them to cut back for a month because after the election they’ll open it back up.

Time123 (2e6dec) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:58 am

AJ, there’s no scenario where the GOP takes back the house and doesn’t impeach. Their lunatic base will demand it. No other reason matters.

Time123 (2e6dec) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:59 am

Whembly, if they cut back production for the goal of impacting the US election to help the GOP then their motivation goes away after the election. We only need to ask them to cut back for a month because after the election they’ll open it back up.

The Saudi’s want the party of cheap oil to win in the US election. That makes a lot of sense.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:04 am

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/the-obama-administration-temporarily-blocks-the-dakota-access-pipeline/499454/

https://nypost.com/2015/11/06/obama-is-killing-the-keystone-pipeline/

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:20 am

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/obama-places-sweeping-ban-offshore-drilling-n698461

All obvious and reported. Obama, like his puppet Biden, was one of the most anti-energy independence President’s in the thrall of the communist greenies.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:21 am

Your propaganda and shilling for the leftist administrations is tiresome and obviously shows your agenda.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:22 am

“AJ, there’s no scenario where the GOP takes back the house and doesn’t impeach.”

That’s likely true…and unfortunate. I agree with Paul’s analysis. An objective non-partisan voter can distinguish Trump’s and Biden’s actions. Trump was attempting to delay military aid in order to extort a foreign power to participate in sullying his chief political rival. That’s a gross misuse of power for personal gain. Biden’s negotiation…as usual…is ham-fisted and would be of limited effectiveness, but (a) there’s no extortion and (b) the primary benefit is to cut gasoline prices, if only temporarily, which is a benefit to American consumers broadly. In Trump’s case, the ONLY benefit is to him…there was no broader policy at play.

As Paul says, Biden is nakedly playing politics and the policy is suspect, but the Saudis too are playing politics right before an election…perhaps sending a message to Biden about his previous Jamal Khashoggi rhetoric.

Again, smart Republicans understand this. It’s one of the reasons I believe that a smart guy like Ted Cruz has been packing on the pounds in the Trump era. It’s got to be stressful to be so dishonest…and eating is one great release…

AJ_Liberty (15d88c) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:37 am

Your propaganda and shilling for the leftist administrations is tiresome and obviously shows your agenda.

That’s not explanation, Rob, it’s a slight re-wording of what you already said, but thanks for the smear and the idiot hyperbole. I expect nothing less from your commentary.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:40 am

165… faux “reasoned analysis” falls away to expose the fascist.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:42 am

perhaps sending a message to Biden about his previous Jamal Khashoggi rhetoric.

Yeah… that.

Or, perhaps the Saudi’s know that the US Department of Defense is the world’s largest consumer of oil and this is a strategic maneuver against an unimpeachable President who depleted the reserve and has made so many blunders it will be a wonder how he raises the money to keep our military moving.

BuBuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:47 am

I am not sure why my 7:47 is in moderation.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:50 am

I didn’t post analysis. I made an assertion, one that made no reference to fascists. If you want to argue you’re not a fascist you first need to find someone calling you a fascist.

Time123 (9c3cfc) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:51 am

…perhaps sending a message to Biden about his previous Jamal Khashoggi rhetoric.

Yeah… that.

Or, perhaps the Saudi’s know that the US DOD is the world’s largest consumer of oil and this is a strategic maneuver against an unimpeachable President who depleted the reserve and has made so many blunders it will be a wonder how he raises the money to keep our military moving.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:52 am

The only thing that will win the GOP the House (they don’t have a snowball’s chance to win the Senate) is if they have done their gerrymandering real, real, good, and when was the last time they did anything real, real, good?

Biden, Ukraine, oil, abortion, the border, bathrooms for transgender non-binary illegal aliens from Ipanema, won’t count for nothing. The ideological lines have been set in stone. Only the district lines will count.

nk (7eb93b) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:52 am

https://www.rpc.senate.gov/policy-papers/obama-reaches-energy-goal-gradual-adjustment-of-gas-prices

Obama wanted people to suffer due to energy costs. That’s the same policy as Biden.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/15/2022 @ 8:09 am

“The ideological lines have been set in stone.”

This is likely true….and why margins will continue to be narrow….and why Congress will focus on “oversight” and any legislative agenda will remain toxic.

AJ_Liberty (15d88c) — 10/15/2022 @ 8:11 am

Rehashing the same arguments is fun and all, but in case anyone wants a break here’s a round up from CNET on EVs that are coming out next year.

Some of them look pretty interesting. But I have to say the styling on the silverado EV doesn’t do it for me. Equinox looks sharp though.

https://youtu.be/WFrxhfjV7oI

Time123 (01e870) — 10/15/2022 @ 8:42 am

Just because a doctor gave me an honorary stethoscope, don’t make me an MD.

Just remember every time Herschel Walker has a badge, there is a male stripper missing one for a bachelorette party.

A word about Obama. He was against exploration in certain areas and against Keystone XL, and this policy had a worse effect but fracking was booming at the time, which thankfully had a dampening effect on his efforts. Did I agree with his approach? No. Was his “all of the above” mantra half-assed? Yes.

The important issue to me is replacing coal and oil/gas energy with nuclear, as much as possible, as it gives us greater energy independence. A new plant actually opened under Obama’s watch (and no new ones have opened since) but he stood on the wrong side of the issue, on Yucca Mountain, right alongside Harry Reid. Regrettably, Trump was also on the same side as Obama/Reid, for overt political reasons. Like I said, Trump had one idea.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 8:47 am

Speaking of oil:

Russia has lost three-fifths of its seaborne crude sales in Europe since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February. That market is going to vanish almost completely eight weeks from now and the latest sanctions will make it very difficult to divert flows elsewhere.

Crude shipments to Europe averaged 630,000 barrels a day in the four weeks to Oct. 7, down from 1.62 million before the invasion. ……..

The European Union’s latest round of sanctions, passed in response to President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of parts of Ukraine, include a ban on shipping Russian crude anywhere in the world on EU tankers — an escalation that could greatly increase the impact on seaborne flows.……..
………
Flows to (China, India, and Turkey) , which initially stepped in to fill the gap after European buyers started to shun Moscow’s exports, peaked in June at 2.2 million barrels a day. In the four weeks to Oct. 7 that figure was down by about 320,000 barrels a day.
……….
Russia’s seaborne crude exports to European countries fell for a fourth week, dropping to 604,000 barrels a day, their lowest for the year so far in the four weeks to Oct. 7. Flows dropped by 56,000 barrels a day, or 8%, from the period to Sept. 30. ……
………
Inflows to the Kremlin’s war chest from its crude-export duty slumped, falling by $42 million to a 15-week low of $125 million in the seven days to Oct. 7. The four-week average income fell more modestly, dropping by $3 million to a 14-week low of $143 million.
………
The total volume on ships loading Russian crude from Baltic terminals fell back to a three-week low, falling by 314,000 barrels a day. Of the 12 tankers loading at Primorsk and Ust-Luga, just one is heading to northern Europe.
……….

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 8:55 am

What’s Biden running for next month in 2022?

Really?

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:03 am

……..
As Rip mentioned, impeachment ought to be used more authoritatively to keep political appointees and judges more honest.
………
whembly (b770f8) — 10/14/2022 @ 8:14 pm

The new Republican House should start impeaching judges over decisions that they make. It will only take a few for the others to get the point.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:03 am

The Saudis want the party of cheap oil to win in the US election. That makes a lot of sense.

The Saudis want the party of no-fossil-fuels to lose every election possible. How is that hard to understand? Without oil, they are nothing. If Biden really wanted to show them who’s boss, he start a crash nuclear power program here.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:07 am

Apparently the DOD is 100% free of fossil fuel consumption.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:10 am

Maybe I didn’t understand what you wrote, Kevin. I think I got it backwards. Sorry.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:12 am

Again, smart Republicans understand this.

Indeed. I thought that Trump’s first impeachment was a mistake — the boy cried “Wolf!” — and may have made his (well-justified) second impeachment less likely to succeed. Impeaching Biden after recapturing Congress will look like “bait & switch” to many voters, and just drives the wedge deeper in our Republic. It will also make “impeachment” routine rather than exceptional, like the filibuster now is.

Smart Republicans, like Senator McConnell, want there to be something left of our country after Trump.

The increasingly scorched Earth tactics of both sides are the way to ruin. It won’t be a civil war, just mutual secession, but the divorce will be pretty terrible and there will be a lot of Red-in-Blue and Blue-in-Red to work through. And neither part will be as good as the whole was. Ever.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:16 am

Ukraine strikes back:

……..(T)he Ukrainian military appears to have launched a missile barrage of its own targeting Belgorod in western Russia. According to claims by Russian state news agencies, the attacks left an undisclosed number of people in the region, which borders Ukraine, killed or injured, with a rail line and an ammunition dump being among the apparent targets.

Rail services in the Belgorod region were suspended today after at least one missile — apparently a Ukrainian Tochka series, or SS-21 Scarab tactical ballistic missile — came down on a line near the town of Novyi Oskol. Pictures said to have been taken at the site of the strike that has appeared on social media show obvious damage both to the track and the overhead power lines. The photos also look to show the tail end of a Tochka or Tochka-U missile.
………
The ammunition dump that was reportedly struck was in the village of Oktyabrsky, where Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti said there had been fatalities and injuries. It’s not clear what munitions may have been used in this instance. Russian authorities blamed the explosion on Ukrainian “shelling” from over the border. This may imply long-range artillery, including multiple rocket launchers, or it could also have involved the Tochka. Oktyabrsky is only around five miles from the border with Ukraine.
……..
……….(V)ideos posted to social media suggested that further attacks were underway as night fell on the Belgorod region. Unsubsubstantiated accounts suggest that these attacks have targeted a thermal powerplant, resulting in power outages across the region.
………(A)n ammunition dump near Belgorod city and a border post in the frontier town of Shebekino had been destroyed and that further damage had been inflicted on a school in a village close to the border. There is so far no independent confirmation of these claims, although videos posted to social media, including the one below, purport to show the burning ammunition depot.
…………

Videos at link. Peremoha Ukrayiny!

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:16 am

Apparently the DOD is 100% free of fossil fuel consumption.

Really. Electric tanks?

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:17 am

We appear to be on the same page on this one Kevin. I misread your comment and introduced sarcasm.

Again, apologies.

BuDuh (41e311) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:19 am

The new Republican House should start impeaching judges over decisions that they make. It will only take a few for the others to get the point.

Back in the Jefferson Administration they started to do that with Federalist judges. Did not go well and was seen as an attack on the separation of powers and judicial independence. Both sides backed off and established a principle that judicial impeachments should only be for misbehavior (as the Constitution actually suggests).

This has stood for over 200 years, and as a Conservative, I like things that have served us well for 200 years.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:21 am

Sorry BuDuh. Sometimes I’m reading backwards and don’t see the thread’s context.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:22 am

The common thread in all impeachments since Nixon is abuse of power, even when it came to Clinton lying about getting a hummer in the Oval, and I’ve been in favor of every impeachment.
Biden’s Saudi maneuver is less about abuse of power and more about abuse of politics, IMO. Still, if McCarthy and a majority decide that Biden’s schtick is impeachable, then they’re within their power to do so.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:25 am

There are some judges whose decisions look like abuse of power. Cannon, for example. Or the Hawaiian judge(s) who kept issuing nonsense injunctions early in Trump’s term. National injunctions to veto the executive for partisan reasons seem an abuse of power to me. Yes, there are Appeals Courts to correct (sometimes) but that isn’t really the issue. It’s the knowing misuse of judicial review that needs to stop.

Impeaching in some egregious case might be valid, but it needs to be a case that resonates with the masses, and preferably not in support of a assh0le like Trump.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:28 am

“The issue isn’t so much NBC and CNN failed to cover the materials in the Hunter Biden laptop about *Joe Biden’s* business activities in Ukraine and China (though that’s true).

The main issue is that both networks repeatedly *lied* about it by calling it ‘Russian disinformation.’

https://althouse.blogspot.com/2022/10/glenn-greenwald-will-never-stop-talking.hemi

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:32 am

AJ, there’s no scenario where the GOP takes back the house and doesn’t impeach. Their lunatic base will demand it. No other reason matters.

I disagree. One, they won’t have enough votes in the Trumpian wing of the party. Two, it will be destructive of prospects in 2024 outside their base. The Clinton impeachment should be instructive — the GOP was punished badly in 1998, losing seats in a supposed Red wave — because they pushed an impeachment for “lying about sex.” A terrible miscalculation.

A better path is censure, which can be done in either House by majority vote.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:34 am

There are calls to impeach SecEd Miguel Cardona (student loans), AG Merrick Garland (MAL), DHS Sec Mayorkas, SecState Blinken and SecDef Austin (Afghanistan), VP Harris, and Biden since the above listed officials implemented his policies.

The House is going to be very busy.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:37 am

Impeaching in some egregious case might be valid, but it needs to be a case that resonates with the masses…….

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:28 am

I would impeach judges who impose lenient prison sentences, overturn duly enacted laws, or violate individual property rights.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:43 am

Or make rulings that don’t expand individual freedom.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:44 am

Multi-tasking.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:44 am

If this story is true, it’s huge, one of the most under-reported of the month.

The US government’s new export controls are wreaking havoc on China’s chip industry. New rules around “US persons” are driving an “industry-wide decapitation.”

The following is the translation of a thread posted earlier this week by
@lidangzzz.
“Lots of people don’t know what happened yesterday.
To put it simply, Biden has forced all Americans working in China to pick between quitting their jobs and losing American citizenship.

Every American executive and engineer working in China’s semiconductor manufacturing industry resigned yesterday, paralyzing Chinese manufacturing overnight.
One round of sanctions from Biden did more damage than all four years of performative sanctioning under Trump.

Although American semiconductor exporters had to apply for licenses during the Trump years, licenses were approved within a month.

With the new Biden sanctions, all American suppliers of IP blocks, components, and services departed overnight —— thus cutting off all service [to China].

Long story short, every advanced node semiconductor company is currently facing comprehensive supply cut-off, resignations from all American staff, and immediate operations paralysis.

This is what annihilation looks like: China’s semiconductor manufacturing industry was reduced to zero overnight. Complete collapse. No chance of survival.

[Translation of the DMs in a screenshot:
Person A: Everyone from Lam Research at Yangtze Memory left today, and on the 12th the AMAT folks will leave as well.

Person B: Yes. Not just Yangtze, but also HLMC, ICRD’s Jiading fab, Hefei’s CXMT DRAM fab
All leaving
Even Geehy in Hangzhou is pausing operations]

Q: Why hasn’t Chinese media reported on this?
A: I don’t know.

The only possible explanation is that this major story, and its future ramifications, will bring severe damage to the supposedly “continuously flourishing” semiconductor industry and Chinese national security as a whole.

This is a better move than taxing ourselves with tariffs (yes, Trump’s one idea).
And while we’re on the topic, Ms. Horta e Costa has her usual informative weekly round-up on the Xi regime, and she does mention “US measures designed to kneecap China’s supercomputing abilities”.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:47 am

I would impeach judges who

And if you could get elected to 173 House seats and 67 Senate seats, you could do it too.

Me, I’m less ambitious. I want two years of sucking up to Trump to leave Kevin McCarthy with nothing he did not have before except chapped lips.

nk (511da7) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:51 am

If this story is true, it’s huge, one of the most under-reported of the month.
……….
Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:47 am

It is. There is all sorts of reporting on it.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:52 am

To put it simply, Biden has forced all Americans working in China to pick between quitting their jobs and losing American citizenship.

This cannot possibly be true.

nk (511da7) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:53 am

See also here.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:53 am

Biden’s chip controls may force Chinese-Americans working in China’s semiconductor firms to choose between their citizenship or their job

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:54 am

BTW, since abortion is a big deal for the Democrats this election, I have a modest proposal for a GOP that seem dead-set on losing this argument: Change the discussion and work the other end.

Seven states have utterly no restrictions on abortion, other than how clinics limit themselves: AK, CO, DC, NJ, NM, OR and VT. Label them the “Murder States” and drive home the horror of late-term slice & dice abortions of viable babies.

When the Democrats respond “But almost no one does those things” ask them why it matters so much to protect such abortions then. It’s amazing that the GOP is allowing the Democrats to conflate all limits with “bans.” But then they don’t call them the “stupid party” for nothing.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:58 am

Thank you, Rip. That makes sense.

nk (511da7) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:58 am

Biden’s chip controls may force Chinese-Americans working in China’s semiconductor firms to choose between their citizenship or their job

And your point? Chinese, or American? I see no reason they shouldn’t have to pick. If anything could be called a bipartisan policy over recent administrations, the growing disengagement with China is certainly one. Trump was right here and Biden knows it. I expect that Apple will be leaving China soon, with a near-shore supply chain.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:02 am

I would impeach judges who impose lenient prison sentences, overturn duly enacted laws, or violate individual property rights.

None of those are abuses of power by themselves. If a judge violated property rights to help Trump (who appointed them) get eminent domain for a project, that would be one thing. If they just supported a poor argument for eminent domain in the abstract? No.

The term of a judge is life, during good behavior. This is a VERY conservative principle and cutting in down for temporal advantage seems radically liberal to me.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:06 am

Of course, Biden could tell people to drive smaller cars, and conserve more, but he knows that wouldn’t go over well. So he blames gas stations, and runs cup in hand to the Saudis.

Been there; tried that:

Carterrific!

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:13 am

@184. If Biden really wanted to show them who’s boss, he start a crash nuclear power program here.

If Biden really wanted to show them who’s boss, he’d give them Susan Rice’s cell phone number.

FIFY.

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:17 am

Biden’s chip controls may force Chinese-Americans working in China’s semiconductor firms to choose between their citizenship or their job
Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:54 am

ah, this must be the good “hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering”, not the bad evil kind

JF (bba007) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:34 am

They made it sound unconstitutional. The U.S. will not strip away their citizenship if they continue to work there. It is simply that it will be a crime only for U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

So … no Chinese chips for Russia?

nk (79cdd1) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:39 am

#76 Actually, in the past many Americans did not consider Italians white. That attitude was quite common in the 1920s and lasted, among some, into the 1960s. Jimmy Breslin’s wildly funny (as long as you don’t object to the deaths of gangsters) 1969 roman à clef The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight includes this little bit from a courtroom scene:

Kid Sally and Big Mama sat in the brown-paneled courtroom and there was a case on before Kid Sally’s and the lawyer was questioning a Negro kid who was on the stand.
. . .
“Tell me about the block you live on. What kind of people live on your block?”

“Let’s see. There’s eight houses that got all Negro people livin’ in them, then there’s one white family, and then we got one eyetalian family.”

That doesn’t please Kid Sally, the small-time mobster based on Joey Gallo, nor his grandmother, “Big Mama”. But it does show that not everyone always saw Italians as white.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:42 am

Only Nixon could go to China and only Demented Joe could scapegoat Chinese-Americans

JF (bba007) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:47 am

History rhymes:

Battling Al Capone

‘The bootlegging operation of Hymie Weiss and Bugs Moran continued to pose a significant challenge to Capone’s South Side Gang. Moran and Capone then led a turf war with each other that cost them both. Moran’s hatred of Capone was apparent even to the public. Moran was disgusted that Capone engaged in prostitution. He would not increase profits himself by engaging in prostitution rings because of his Catholic religion. Johnny Torrio’s gang killed Dean O’Banion, and in an attempt to avenge him Bugs Moran and Earl “Hymie” Weiss made an attempt on Torrio’s life. Later they went on to make a failed attempt on Al Capone’s life at his headquarters, the Hawthorne Inn in Cicero, Illinois. More than one thousand shots were fired at the inn and at a nearby restaurant in their attempts to kill Capone. In retaliation, Weiss’s life was taken by Al Capone’s gang, and Bugs Moran became the new boss of the North Side Gang.

According to historian of Twin Cities organized crime Paul Maccabee, Bugs Moran had a close friendship with St. Paul-based Irish mob boss Danny Hogan. Following Hogan’s murder by car bomb on December 4, 1928, Bugs Moran personally stood guard outside the Hogan family residence at West Seventh Street in St. Paul, “apparently to protect the Hogan family from further underworld attacks.”[

Responding to Weiss’s death, Moran tried to kill a member of Capone’s gang, resulting in an attack, allegedly from Capone, known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.’

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugs_Moran#Battling_Al_Capone

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:55 am

Biden’s chip controls may force Chinese-Americans working in China’s semiconductor firms to choose between their citizenship or their job

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:54 am

ah, this must be the good “hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering”, not the bad evil kind

JF (bba007) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:34 am

China at best is a “strategic competitor” and at worse an enemy, and Americans shouldn’t be working on the seeds of our own destruction. And the policy also applies to non-Chinese Americans working in China.

Trump should have implemented the same export restrictions. Imposing tariffs was not enough.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:56 am

60 years ago today; tick-tock, tick-tock…

On October 15, 1962, a group of CIA analysts assigned to review aerial photographs of Cuba identified several newly established Soviet medium-range ballistic missile installations — bases within 100 miles of the United States.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/10/50-years-ago-the-cuban-missile-crisis/100387/#:~:text=On%20October%2015%2C%201962%2C%20a%20group%20of%20CIA,bases%20within%20100%20miles%20of%20the%20United%20States.

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:00 am

Petroleum is in everything we use! Do you really want to go green?

Besides gasoline [when refined from crude oil] for our vehicles, petroleum is used in the manufacture of many things that you use every day. There are over 6,000 items that we use regularly in our lives that are petroleum-based, such as dental adhesives, antihistamines, lipstick, perfume and shampoo.

CDs and DVDs are made from polycarbonate plastics. When compact discs were created, petroleum-based lubricants were needed to make the disc spin smoothly. Unless you make it a point to wear only 100% wool or cotton, you have a dresser full of polyester clothing. Polyester is a synthetic petroleum fiber incorporated into clothing worldwide.

Dentures are made with acrylic resin, a hydrocarbon, along with porcelain, metal and nylon. The acrylic resin can be dyed to look more like natural gum color. Lipstick is made with paraffin wax, the same wax used for chewing gum and scented candles.

The base of chewing gum is manufactured with petroleum wax. Vaseline is a residual of oil wells extracting petroleum from the ground. You may also find paraffin wax, a petroleum residue, in your kitchen or pantry as it is used to coat cheese, raw fruits and vegetables in chicken nuggets to prevent foaming during preparation, and in over-the-counter drugs to prevent bloating.

Going green as proposed by our government is a pie in the sky utopia. It is not based on science. If you remove petroleum from existence you will take us back to the Stone Age.

Petroleum is indispensable.

https://www.wmicentral.com/petroleum-is-in-everything-we-use-do-you-really-want-to-go-green/article_fbefda3d-0e44-59cb-b692-e9dafd850ffb.html

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:18 am

How much did Biden’s American Rescue Plan add to inflation? Economists differ in their estimates:

The highest estimate — that roughly half or about four percentage points of the recent increase in annual inflation can be attributed to the rescue plan — comes from Francesco Bianchi of Johns Hopkins University, who presented findings from a paper he co-authored at the Federal Reserve’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

(Link omitted.)

But there are far lower estimates, too, for example:

The Biden administration disputes these assessments, noting that some studies have found smaller effects. An October 2021 analysis by other economists at the San Francisco Fed, for example, which relied on a labor market measure of economic slack, concluded that the rescue plan was responsible for just 0.3 percentage points of added inflation.

Anyone blaming all of the increase in inflation on Biden’s plan would have to explain why inflation is higher in other nations that followed different policies. For example.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:19 am

From 2016:

Largest Oil Field In the United States Discovered

Good news for the American Energy Renaissance: a new field with massive reserves of oil has just been discovered in Texas. During the past decade, the United States has seen a massive increase in oil output thanks to increased exploration and drilling in Texas and the Midwest. Places like North Dakota and Texas have had massive economic growth fueled by the oil boom. Now, in West Texas, a new field has been discovered that is bigger than any other reserve of oil here in the United States.

One portion of the giant field, known as the Wolfcamp formation, was found to hold 20 billion barrels of oil trapped in four layers of shale beneath West Texas. That’s almost three times larger than North Dakota’s Bakken play and the single largest U.S. unconventional crude accumulation ever assessed, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. At current prices, that oil is worth almost $900 billion [at 2016 prices.]

The estimate lends credence to the assertion from Pioneer Natural Resources Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield that the Permian’s shale could hold as much as 75 billion barrels, making it second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar field. Irving-based Pioneer has been increasing its production targets all year as drilling in the Wolfcamp produced bigger gushers than the company’s engineers and geologists forecast.
“The fact that this is the largest assessment of continuous oil we have ever done just goes to show that, even in areas that have produced billions of barrels of oil, there is still the potential to find billions more,” Walter Guidroz, coordinator for the geological survey’s energy resources program, said in the statement.

Historically, the region has been pumping out oil for many decades, but with the advance of new exploration technology, more oil fields are being discovered than ever before.

Although the Permian has been gushing crude since the 1920s, its multiple layers of oil-soaked shale remained largely untapped until the last several years, when intensive drilling and fracturing techniques perfected in other U.S. regions were adopted. The Wolfcamp, which is as much as a mile thick in some places, has been one of the primary targets.

The discovery of this oil field comes at an important time [2016]. In the past several months, American relations with Saudi Arabia have deteriorated as a bill worked its way though Congress that would allow 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government for their role in the attacks. President Obama vetoed the bill, but Congress overrode the veto in late September. The White House stated that the bill was a national security threat, but Congress overwhelmingly rejected that argument.

Now, victims of the attacks and their families will be able to sue the Saudis; this could put immense strain on already strained relations between the two governments. If the tensions get to a certain point, the Saudis may direct OPEC to stop exporting oil to the United States. As of 2015, we import about 11% of our oil from the Saudis, and 31% from OPEC countries, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Even a cut of 11% would cause prices to skyrocket as markets panic. However, with the discovery of new domestic sources of oil, if such an event were to occur, we could capitalize on our domestic reserves without suffering a great loss here at home. It’s something to at least think about, because for the time being oil is our most reliable and bountiful source of energy. We would be wise to ensure that we will have it when we need it.’

https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/largest-oil-field-in-the-united-states-discovered

… but Susan ordered Joe to make it a ‘no go’ to drill in the good ol’USA.

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:24 am

The most nearly correct answer to

“And this question goes for the both of you. The next mayor of Los Angeles will be either an African American woman or a white man.”

is: “Whatever turns you on.”

nk (79cdd1) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:26 am

#220 Kind of weird to find someone who has never heard of coal. And doesn’t understand the difference between burning petroleum, and converting it into plastics.

Oh well, I suppose Green superstition was bound to lead to equally silly mistakes by Trumpistas.

(Even now, most primary steelmaking uses “coking” coal, though I see that Bill Gates is investing in a company that plans to change that, and eleiminate the need for that kind of coal.)

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:32 am

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:56 am

I don’t think you’re reading your own links

In 2018, the Trump administration launched the China Initiative to investigate allegations of U.S.-based scientists transferring advanced technologies to China. Academics criticized the Initiative for chilling scientific cooperation and deterring Chinese academics from moving to or staying in the U.S.

Gang Chen, an MIT professor who was charged with espionage under the China Initiative in 2021, said the program brought “unwarranted fear to the academic community” after the charges were dropped a year later. The Biden administration ended the initiative in February 2022, citing a perception that it unfairly targeted people of Chinese origin or ethnicity.

JF (cb4f79) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:32 am

Obama praises John Fetterman as someone with whom you can ‘have a normal conversation,’ says the Pennsylvania Democrat has ‘some sense of how the rest of America lives’ – businessinsider.com

Not lately.

Breaking News- Obama reveals brain damage contageous; caught from his VP.

DCSCA (c0d641) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:37 am

So sad:

In Utah, a Trump Loyalist Sends an S.O.S. to Romney, of All People

The appeal carried the unmistakable whiff of desperation. That it was delivered on live television only heightened the dramatic tension.

A Utah Republican, Senator Mike Lee, was publicly begging a fellow Utah Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, for a simple act of solidarity: an endorsement in his campaign for re-election. One that, in Mr. Lee’s telling, could amount to no less than an act of salvation, as he battles for political survival against an unexpectedly fierce challenger, the independent candidate Evan McMullin.

“Please, get on board,” Mr. Lee said, looking into the camera and addressing Mr. Romney by name on Tuesday night. “Help me win re-election. Help us do that. You can get your entire family to donate to me.”

This ignores the last several years, which Lee spent butting heads with Romney over Trump and MAGA issues.

What Mr. Lee was not ignoring, however, was a new poll published in Utah’s Deseret News this week showing Mr. Lee leading Mr. McMullin 41 percent to 37 percent, with 12 percent undecided. Self-described moderates made up a plurality of those undecided voters, as the center of Utah’s political spectrum seems to be agonizing over which candidate to coalesce behind.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:48 am

Over a decade ago, I was with a company that was doing some work for a here-nameless government agency. The subject of Chinese spying came up — the agency had a concern. When asked straight up if this meant we should avoid hiring Americans of Chinese descent they said ~~“No!”~~ …um… ~~“That would be wrong!”~~ …um… “We didn’t say that.”

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:55 am

Supreme Court Denies Anti-Abortion Petition from Unborn Children Seeking to ‘Clarify’ Whether Fetuses Have Standing to Sue in U.S. Courts
………
The justices dispensed with the case stylized as Doe v. McKee without a word, dodging, at least for now, the hot-button debate around what is likely to be a new front in conservative politics.

No states have fetal personhood laws; though some have attempted to enact such legislation but been blocked by lawsuits and courts. …….

…….. Catholics for Life, Inc., Nichole Leigh Rowley, and two unborn children – the “Doe” petitioners – argued their recent loss in the Rhode Island Supreme Court should be reconsidered in light of the decision to overrule Roe v. Wade. The Dobbs decision, the petitioners noted, came just one month after the state court issued their loss in an opinion “deeply rooted in Roe.”

“This Court should grant the writ because, in light of Dobbs, the Rhode Island Supreme Court erred in holding that Petitioners, Baby Roe and Baby Mary Doe, were categorically not ‘any person’ recognized under the Fourteenth Amendment.” the filing argues – staking its legal reasoning on a liberal interpretation of the 14th Amendment and the precise legal way that Rhode Island finally struck down all of its remaining anti-abortion laws in 2019.

…….. (The Rhode Island) Reproductive Privacy Act, also eliminated decades-old statutory language that arguably contained provisions that offered legal rights to the unborn. And, the petitioners argued, since the RPA has no severability clause, it is vulnerable to judicial scrutiny.

“Therefore, if any part of the RPA fails judicial scrutiny, the whole RPA fails,” the denied petition argued. “And, Baby Mary Doe and Baby Roe’s, ‘personhood’ is revived, entitling them to the full protection and guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution – and its reciprocal provision in the Rhode Island Constitution. The concomitant result therefore is that each qualifies as “any person” under federal and state law, who may not be deprived of “life” without due process nor the guarantees of equal protection under law.”
………

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:01 pm

At least for today, Montagu is having a “pivot to Asia”. The thread below discusses the extent of censorship in the Xi regime, and these two entries popped out.

The true irony is that Chinese internet users can discuss U.S. politicians such as President Biden much more freely. Compare the zero results of Chinese leader Xi to 184,000 comments on Biden, with opinions ranging from respect to disgust.
[…]
Even searches for public sentiment about Mr. Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, a famous folk singer in her own right, yield nothing on most platforms. A close analogy would be Google censoring results for Melania Trump or Michelle Obama.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:04 pm

Regarding Mike Lee, it’s an obvious excuse–Romney being friends with both Lee and McMullin–that Romney won’t endorse Lee.
But the thing is, I don’t see why Romney should be loyal to Lee when Lee wasn’t loyal to our democracy.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:13 pm

A close analogy would be Google censoring results for Melania Trump or Michelle Obama.
Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:04 pm

or hunter biden

JF (410def) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:13 pm

Lee was subverting our democrasay?!?!

But stood firm for the Republic.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:25 pm

Anyone blaming all of the increase in inflation on Biden’s plan would have to explain why inflation is higher in other nations that followed different policies. For example.
Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:19 am

inflation is a residual effect of the lockdowns championed by many commenters here and democrats, of which demented joe is one

just like students’ worse performance academically is a residual impact

so, I don’t blame biden alone, or his plan — there’s plenty of blame to go around, right Jim Miller?

and, we may not be doing as bad globally, cuz we’ve chosen recession over inflation, and getting both

at least Sophie got to choose one child

JF (410def) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:27 pm

“Reclaiming my time!”

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:28 pm

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:56 am

I don’t think you’re reading your own links

I did. My focus is on the new export control regime, not what occurred in the past. The aim of the Trump program, which had a mixed record at best in its prosecutions, and it didn’t target Chinese companies but rather academics for minor false statements or omissions on grant applications. No one was convicted of espionage. It wasn’t as far ranging as the new export controls, which will certainly have a more direct impact on restricting advanced Chinese technologies.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:28 pm

But stood firm for the Republic.

Lee aided and abetted Trump’s attempt to overthrow popular elections. He pissed on our republic.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:33 pm

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:28 pm

“It wasn’t as far ranging as the new export controls, which will certainly have a more direct impact on restricting advanced Chinese ~~technologies~~ -Americans.”

FIFY

xenophobia, good and hard

JF (cb4f79) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:36 pm

#236 Here’s a Twitter thread that supports Rip’s position.

And here — I believe — are the actual regulations.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:43 pm

A 2021MIT Technology Review analysis of the China Initiative analysis found that:

……..
……..The China Initiative claims to be centered on countering economic espionage, yet our database finds that only 19 of the 77 cases (25%) include charges of violating the Economic Espionage Act (EEA). The EEA covers both theft of trade secrets, which can benefit any outside entity that does not own the intellectual property, and economic espionage, which has additional burden of proof requirements that the theft is ultimately for the benefit of a foreign government.

Eight of the 19 China Initiative cases specifically charged economic espionage, while the remaining 11 alleged only theft of trade secrets.
………
While the proportion of EEA cases has decreased, 23 of the 77 cases (30%) have involved questions of “research integrity.” Most of these involve prosecutors accusing academics of failing to fully disclose all Chinese affiliations and sources of income in various forms—although whether these were deliberate attempts to hide Chinese ties or the result of unclear rules has been heavily contested by defense attorneys and outside critics.
……..
Three years after the program’s start, less than a third of China Initiative defendants have been convicted. Of the 148 individuals charged, only 40 have pleaded or been found guilty, with guilty pleas often involving lesser charges than originally brought. Almost two-thirds of cases—64%—are still pending. And of the 95 individuals still facing charges, 71 are not being actively prosecuted because the defendant is in an unknown location or cannot be extradited.
………

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:46 pm

This sums up negotiating with Putin and his ilk

https://twitter.com/i/status/1581272344563023872

I don’t know who created this

steveg (6e7ac1) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:48 pm

xenophobia, good and hard

JF (cb4f79) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:36 pm

It’s not xenophobia when the regulations say “US persons”, meaning all Americans. The fact that it’s mostly Chinese-Americans working in China is happenstance.

But glad to know you opposed Trump’s “xenophobic” immigration restrictions.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:54 pm

#236 Here’s a Twitter thread that supports Rip’s position.

And here — I believe — are the actual regulations.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:43 pm

JF is only interested in trolling and not facts.

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 12:58 pm

It’s not xenophobia when the regulations say “US persons”, meaning all Americans.

you’re right, Rip

it’s only xenophobic when republicans do it

The fact that it’s mostly Chinese-Americans working in China is happenstance.

LOL you’re funny

like it’s happenstance that most of the people jumping the southern border are latinx

JF (410def) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:00 pm

Here’s a woman we should listen to:

Seraphine Warren stepped foot in Washington on Sunday evening, with the eagle feathers on her prayer staff waving in the breeze, as she completed her nearly 2,400-mile prayer walk from Sweetwater, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation. She undertook the journey in honor of her aunt Ella Mae Begay, a Dineh (Navajo) elder who disappeared 16 months ago, and to raise awareness of the alarming numbers of missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women.

She began on June 15th, and “went through 15 pairs of running shoes” on her walk.

(Here’s her Facebook page.)

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:02 pm

an update on happenstance

‘The border is open!’ Shocking moment masked smugglers direct Nicaraguan migrants to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas

A group of 10 migrants holding onto their belongings wade their way to the midway point of the river between Piedra Negras, Mexico, and Eagle Pass, Texas.

One border patrol boat passes by the group, stops momentarily, and then continues driving away.

‘The border is open, or closed?’ the FOX News cameraman asks in Spanish to a man who helped the group cross.

‘Open,’ the man responds.

‘Border patrol?’ the cameraman follows.

‘No,’ the man says.

The Southwest border experienced 203,597 border encounters in August, totaling just over 2.1 million for the last 12 months.

In September, border patrol officials reported over 376,000 migrant encounters in Eagle Pass since October 2021, which doubled the number from the previous year.

JF (410def) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:04 pm

The fact that most Chinese spies just happen to be Chinese is pure happenstance. /s

NJRob (713da1) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:32 pm

234… put that stunbolt gun away, JF.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:37 pm

‘Former President Barack Obama said on a recent podcast that he’s “concerned” about the “weak” level of communication between the White House and Moscow in the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the international fallout from the conflict. Obama, who sought to forge diplomatic efforts with both Putin and ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev while in the White House, said during a newly-released episode of “Pod Save America” that even during the tumultuous Cold War — which lasted from 1947 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 — the two countries could speak on the phone and engage with each other.’ -source, businessinsider.com

Hmmm. Apparently Barack has never heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis, 60 years ago this week, either- a teletypers delight, pre-telephone ‘Hot Line’ times, which was created in the wake of the crisis as part of the ‘nuclear fallout’ from it- [On June 20, 1963, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviets, Americans and British created a safety valve in the form of a “hotline.” The hotline was intended to help reduce the risk of nuclear war occurring by accident, miscalculation or failure of communications.- history.com.]

Some ex-Po’s outlive their time, usefulness and relevance to the present. The Big O, now an obtuse goose egg– is a scrambled ‘egg’-ample.

DCSCA (c24b39) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:39 pm

Lest we forget [as he likely will- and the WH wsants you to, too] Squinty McStumblebum begins his 81st year on Earth in 36 days.

… and Putin smiled. Xi grinned; Jill grimaced- and Hunter re-read the Will.

DCSCA (c24b39) — 10/15/2022 @ 1:45 pm

We do not have an extradition treaty with China.

The agents the Chinese government wants to be able to travel back and forth to the U.S. will be ordered to “quit” their day jobs.

The ones who are more valuable in the labs, will be told to keep on working, even if they can never come back to America. Chinese don’t get to travel freely in the first place.

The ones who have to worry, really, are the Trumps and the Kushners. Don’t make light up shoes, Ivanka.

nk (6b91c4) — 10/15/2022 @ 3:40 pm

PS We do not have attainder, either. The U.S. citizen or permanent resident family members of the scabs will not be affected. The children will continue to follow in daddy’s footsteps at UCSD and U of I.

nk (6b91c4) — 10/15/2022 @ 3:54 pm

In August, the United States had an inflation rate of 8.3 percent. Of the 29 European Union nation in that chart, just 3 had lower rates: Finland (7.9%), Malta (7.0%), and France (6.6%).

(The highest rates tend to be in the nations most threatened by Russia, with the important and interesting exception of Finland.)

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:09 pm

Trump was trying to devalue the dollar his entire term in office. Like at most other things, he failed. It took Covid to do the job for him.

nk (6b91c4) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:28 pm

Link, proof? or another “fantasy”?

“Trump was trying to devalue the dollar his entire term in office. Like at most other things, he failed. It took Covid to do the job for him.”

EPWJ (650a62) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:34 pm

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/08/trump-rips-strong-dollar-says-the-fed-has-called-it-wrong-at-every-turn.html

Davethulhu (43df02) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:43 pm

#255 EPWJ – Do a search on this phrase: “Trump + devalue dollar”

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:46 pm

Russian recruits get hard:

At least 11 people were killed and 15 injured in a shooting Saturday at a military training base in the Belgorod region of Russia, which serves as a staging ground for the war in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

The ministry said the victims were volunteers “who expressed a desire to participate in a special operation,” a Kremlin-preferred term for the war.
………
“Two citizens of one of the CIS countries committed a terrorist act at the training ground of the Western Military District in the Belgorod Region,” TASS state news agency reported, citing the ministry’s readout. CIS is the Commonwealth of Independent States, a union of Russia, Belarus, Moldova and several Central Asian countries.
………
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to law enforcement, said the shooting happened Saturday morning at the military training ground in the Valuysky district, about nine miles from the Ukrainian border.
……….

Rip Murdock (8eb8d0) — 10/15/2022 @ 4:50 pm

#255 EPWJ – Do a search on this phrase: “Trump + devalue dollar”

Google was never invented in Alternate Universe XQC-137, Jim.

nk (6b91c4) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:05 pm

59.

(not innocent of all crime but if this murder

The crime for which C.J. Rice was convicted of in 2013 was attempted murder (no one was killed) and he was sentenced to 30-60 years in jail.

I made a typo here, too: “if this murder” instead of “of this murder” but it was not a murder. C.J. Rice had been told by a policeman earlier that word on the street was that a certain person (whom he was accused of shooting later) had shot him, but there apparetly s noone of what led them to suspect him in the files.

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:13 pm

Barack Obama was born in 1961. He’s not familiar with the state of international telephone service in 1963 (although FDR and Churchill did speak on a scrambled line twenty years before)

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:17 pm

#258 One thing to be wary of: Putin and his ally Lukashenko are both widely suspected of having staged “terrorist” attacks on their own citizens. This one in Belarus is probably less well-known:

In 2011, Belarus suffered a severe economic crisis attributed to Lukashenko’s government’s centralised control of the economy.[103] Inflation reached 108.7% and a currency black market was created, making recovery difficult.[103][failed verification] Around the same time the 2011 Minsk Metro bombing occurred in which 15 people were killed and 204 were injured. Two suspects, who were arrested within two days, confessed to being the perpetrators and were executed by shooting in 2012. The official version of events as publicised by the Belarusian government was questioned in the unprecedented wording of the UN Security Council statement condemning “the apparent terrorist attack” intimating the possibility that the Belarusian government itself was behind the bombing.

(Links omitted.)

Belgorod is quite close to Belarus.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/15/2022 @ 5:25 pm

Barack Obama was born in 1961. He’s not familiar with the state of international telephone service in 1963

Obama, who sought to forge diplomatic efforts with both Putin and ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev while in the White House, said during a newly-released episode of “Pod Save America” that even during the tumultuous Cold War — which lasted from 1947 to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 — the two countries could speak on the phone and engage with each other.’

… and you can keep your doctor.

Not familiar??? He was only a POTUS, Sammy. The Big O’s blowing hot gas out the aft end of his service module. Just like the bull he shoveled about Fetterman:

‘Obama praises John Fetterman as someone with whom you can ‘have a normal conversation,’ says the Pennsylvania Democrat has ‘some sense of how the rest of America lives’ – businessinsider.com

Normal conversation- if you’re chatting with a bowl of alphabet soup.

And it doesn’t involve a computer screen to display the text. There’s 333 million Americans that ain’t stroked out or brain-damaged to choose from to hold elected positions of responsibility where a lot of $, lives and property are at stake w/decisions at hand. You sure as hell wouldn’t want Fetterman piloting your family on a 767, operating on your wife- or calling balls and strikes at a ball game. We’ve already got a brain-damaged boob at the helm and he’s made America a crapfest in less than two years– and starts his 81st year in just 36 days.

DCSCA (0a0294) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:35 pm

It’s what those people do. Putin also bombed his own FSB barracks and blamed the Chechens to start the second Chechnya war.

And I was reminded of Saddam Hussein who killed his two sons-in-law and their extended families, around sixty people, and it was reported that they died fighting among themselves, a family feud.

nk (6b91c4) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:37 pm

What George Washington would like today.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:38 pm

nk

From Trumps biggest political critic:

“White House trade adviser Peter Navarro presented President Donald Trump on Tuesday with ideas on how to devalue the United States dollar to gain an upper hand in the trade fight with China, two people familiar with the presentation said.

But the president, who has regularly accused other countries of unfairly devaluing their own currencies, quickly shut him down and dismissed the proposals,

EPWJ (650a62) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:41 pm

@265. Still a stiff in a lousy suit; shouldn’t he be “buck”-toothed? 😉

Now here’s a remarkable and devoted fella who still looks the part– after 200 years:

Monk’s 200-year-old corpse found in lotus position

https://www.foxnews.com/science/monks-200-year-old-corpse-found-in-lotus-position

DCSCA (0a0294) — 10/15/2022 @ 6:51 pm

This Mariner game is killing me. Still 0-0, top of the 18th.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:12 pm

Serious sh-t going down at the infamous Evin prison in Iran. Iranians are still confronting their theocrat rulers.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/15/2022 @ 7:19 pm

What does SNL and Ukraine have in common?

On life support.

It’s Putin’s fault.

Pull. The. Plug.

DCSCA (0a0294) — 10/15/2022 @ 9:19 pm

There is no joy in Mudville. At least not the one to the north. Mighty Freddy has striuck out.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/15/2022 @ 10:55 pm

I like snl. I watch it every saturday. They are now making fun of the corporate establishment democrats on the open. I also watch weekend update. After hailie deegan coming in 13 in the nascar xfinity race in her debute I had a fun night of watching NBC.

asset (50107a) — 10/15/2022 @ 11:54 pm

You’re right, DC.
Putin so stronk, lahk tank, he import Fateh-110 missiles from Iran to finish job. Go vatniks!

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 4:29 am

Putin is master strategist, organize heroic army in way that ensure victory for Motherland!

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 5:28 am

If those are the conditions for their own troops, what are the conditions for their prisoners and civilian “evacuees”?

nk (9aaefa) — 10/16/2022 @ 6:01 am

https://theothermccain.com/2022/10/15/the-j6-committee-tantrum/

The J6 Committee Tantrum. “Listening to that, I was struck by how easily these hyperbolic phrases tumbled out of Raskin’s mouth, as evidence of how insulated inside the echo chamber Democrats have become and, of course, the “journalist” Willie Geist is part of that echo chamber. He is as objective about the J6 Committee as my teenage daughter is objective about Harry Styles. . . . Furthermore, and this is equally crucial, Democrats and the media absolutely refuse to recognize that the outbreak of violence at the Capitol in January 2021 was clearly inspired by the months of “Black Lives Matter” riots that broke out in May 2020 — riots that the Democrats enthusiastically applauded. Many millions of dollars of damage were inflicted, and many people killed or injured, during the weeks of arson, vandalism and looting which CNN reporter Omar Jimenez infamously described as ‘fiery but most peaceful’ protests.”

Every word is true.

NJRob (79fed7) — 10/16/2022 @ 6:51 am

the outbreak of violence at the Capitol in January 2021 was clearly inspired by the months of “Black Lives Matter” riots

Monkey see, monkey do.

nk (9aaefa) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:42 am

“some animals are more equal than others.“

NJRob (fa6f27) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:47 am

DC should tell these Russians how Ukraine is “on life support” after their family member was drafted on 29 September, on the front four days later, and dead three days after that (translation here).

And what could be a more winning strategy than the war crime and cultural genocide of tearing Ukrainian children away from their Ukrainian parents and sending them off to Russian parts unknown for a little reeducation and re-parenting.

Russia continues to conduct massive, forced deportations of Ukrainians that likely amount to a deliberate ethnic cleansing campaign in addition to apparent violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin stated on October 14 that “several thousand” children from Kherson Oblast are “already in other regions of Russia, resting in rest homes and children’s camps.”[1] As ISW has previously reported, Russian authorities openly admitted to placing children from occupied areas of Ukraine up for adoption with Russian families in a manner that may constitute a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.[2]

Russian authorities may additionally be engaged in a wider campaign of ethnic cleansing by depopulating Ukrainian territory through deportations and repopulating Ukrainian cities with imported Russian citizens. Ethnic cleansing has not in itself been specified as a crime under international law but has been defined by the United Nations Commission of Experts on violations of humanitarian law committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia as “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area” and “a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.”[3] According to the UN definition, ethnic cleansing may be carried out by forcible removal, among other methods.[4] These definitions of ethnic cleansing campaigns are consistent with reports of the forcible deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children, as well as reports by Ukrainian sources that reconstruction projects in Mariupol are intended to house “tens of thousands of Russians” who will move to Mariupol.[5]

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 9:05 am

277… nury martinez in a peplos

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/16/2022 @ 9:22 am

Putin now using press gangs to “recruit” for Ukraine war.

Russia is grabbing men off the street to fight in Ukraine

Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this past week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine — and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel. A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability.

“I have no idea why they took him,” said Alexei, who, like dozens of others in the office complex, was rounded up and taken to the nearest military enlistment office, part of a harsh new phase in the Russian drive.

In cities and towns across Russia, men of fighting age are going into hiding to avoid the officials who are seizing them and sending them to fight in Ukraine.

Police and military press-gangs in recent days have snatched men off the streets and outside Metro stations. They’ve lurked in apartment building lobbies to hand out military summonses. They’ve raided office blocks and hostels. They’ve invaded cafes and restaurants, blocking the exits.

At a predawn sweep on the Mipstroy1 construction company dormitories on Thursday, they took more than 200 men. On Oct. 9, they rounded up dozens at a Moscow shelter for the homeless.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/16/2022 @ 10:25 am

Russia is really a different place. I doubt that Trumpies would allow Trump to do this.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/16/2022 @ 10:28 am

@273. Moran so stronk, icknor varnings, lahk goodies, he beg, demand, extort freebees from sucka USA and want NATO to nuke Capone to finish job. Go Padres!

FIFY

DCSCA (e252be) — 10/16/2022 @ 10:49 am

DC continues to blame the victim, the leader of the country he will not even acknowledge exists, but refuses to condemn the aggressor and war criminal, whether it be in American or fake Slavic accent. Way to defend evil, sputnik.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:11 am

Asset, good find on Hailey Deegan! Gwow! If I recall correctly, shed probably be fatehuck material for the wokies as Sydney Sweeney will likely become.

urbanleftbehind (153056) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:20 am

Barack Obama was born in 1961. He’s not familiar with the state of international telephone service in 1963

263, DCSCA.

Not familiar??? He was only a POTUS, Sammy.

Fifty years later!

Yes, he should understand things better. But it’s like Rush Limbaugh said: People don’t know anything about what happened before they were born.

The Big O’s blowing hot gas out the aft end of his service module.

Yes, he is – but it is still better than some other people.

Just like the bull he shoveled about Fetterman:

The tallking ooint that Democrats have come up with is that this is like somebody hard of hearing, with the plus that it can be expected to get better, noot worse.

The real thing is, this is like like lying about himself or minor corruption. They key point is how he will vote and who he will appoint to his staff. People in South Carolina votes to re-elect Strom Thurmond at age 94.

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:30 am

I don’t thin I ever heard of this particular kind of disability with regard to a stroke. He may not be able to decipher language well. But he still can read and write – and speak – English. The problem with Fetterman in his politics.

Bioth majot party candidates for Governor of Oregom are bad and the third party candidate isn’t gaining enough traction.

Maybe rank choice voting, following all different possible eliminations might be best.

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:34 am

@284. Pffft. And the RINO blows his horn.

Corrupt “victim Moran” was warned and the dummy chose to ignore the red light and trhe crook got hit by a bug Red bus:

2 days before Putin invaded, Ukraine’s president said he thought a full-scale attack wasn’t going to happen

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled as recently as Tuesday that he didn’t expect Russia to mount a full-scale invasion. In the wake of Vladimir Putin’s sweeping attack Thursday morning local time, those words appear very distant. “The Ukrainian side believes that a broad escalation on the part of Russia will not happen,” the presidential release read. That belief was not shared by Western leaders at the time, who had long asserted that Putin had already decided to invade.

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-predicted-no-attack-2-days-before-russia-invaded-2022-2#:~:text=Ukrainian%20President%20Zelensky%20said%20as%20recently%20as%20Monday,intelligence%20has%20long%20predicted%20a%20large-scale%20attack%2C%20however.

Comedian Bugs can declare a ceasefire; a truce. [Better still- smart boy Musk literally has the power to pull the plug, shutdown interweb access to the Ukraine and stop this cold.]

The stupid sucker bait strategy is to keep attacking assets already under Putin’s control- like that bridge– or firing rockets [gifted by the U.S. and/or NATO nations] into Russia proper- as was done just yesterday; to piss off Putin and keep fanning the flames of the gang war, then keep demanding western help and calling for NATO/the West to launch a nuclear assault on Russia.

Get it through your head- or camo up, armchair commando, and go join their fight on your dime: Corrupt Ukraine is NOT an American problem to freely finance. It is the responsibility of wealthy, modern Europe to bear the burden and manage the flare up of the third significant kinetic conflict on the European continent in 115 years, NOT the taxpayers of the debt burdened, inflation suffering taxpayers of the United States, especially with storm ravaged Florida laying in ruins, America’s own infrastructure in decline and decay the Southern border wide open. ‘Physician, heal thyself.’

DCSCA (e252be) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:48 am

Why is it that all the Bernie Bros now seem to be vessels for Tucker Carlson’s talking points?

Appalled (703da0) — 10/16/2022 @ 12:12 pm

The “Bernie Bros” of late 2015 and early 2016 were the closeted Trump fans trapped behind the enemy lines at liberal arts colleges. And Tucker is a big Deadhead.

urbanleftbehind (ba1f92) — 10/16/2022 @ 12:28 pm

“Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled as recently as Tuesday that he didn’t expect Russia to mount a full-scale invasion.”

This is stupid, why does it matter what Zelensky said once upon a time? Was Ukraine ready to fight or was it not? Has Ukraine effectively fought back the aggression or not? Are Ukrainians behind him or not? Are Ukrainians still fighting hard? Do they still have the support of the world?

Continuing to downgrade the Russian military so it is less able to inflict future aggression IS an American interest. Sending a message to Xi that the civilized world is united IS in the American interest. Standing for former Soviet countries that want to embrace western values and join the EU and reject authoritarianism IS in the American interest. Lessening Putin’s influence and support and seeding the possibility for some moderation in Russia IS in the American interest. Providing a platform for tired Russian propaganda IS NOT in the interest of patterico.com.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 12:39 pm

The concept of Ukrainian nationhood is discussed here:

https://danieldrezner.substack.com/p/how-the-war-in-ukraine-supports-realism

Y’know, if all this was just a turf battle, the Ukrainians would have given up long ago.

Appalled (703da0) — 10/16/2022 @ 12:49 pm

@291. Because stupid was warned and stupid’s inaction resulted in stupid carnage. That’s stupidity, compounded by the stupidity of freely financing more stupidity by stupidly butting in to other people’s stupid problems, stupidly adding to your own debt, while stupidly ignoring your own decaying infrastructure, your own stupidly open borders while regions of your own country lay in weather ravaged ruins. Then stupidly adding fuel to the fire fanning the flames of a stupid gang war with the same stupid judgement from the same stupid politicians who stupidly orchestrated the stupid withdrawal from that long, stupid Afghan war.

DCSCA (e3ecbb) — 10/16/2022 @ 12:51 pm

Y’know, if all this was just a turf battle, the Ukrainians would have given up long ago.

… said corrupt Capone about corrupt Moran. Winter is coming– and so is Valentine’s Day. But corrupt Bugs won’t let any guys, between the ages of 18 and 60, leave the gang[yet corrupt Al’s crew can ‘go Canadian’ and bolt– at their own risk]… if only idiots didn’t keep FREELY pouring proxy arms and financing the corruption with borrowed monies burdening taxpayers more. But it’s good business for a MIC that lost the 20 year Afghan gravy train last year. Mus- one guy- rattled his own sword, threatening to pull the plug on Starlink- which would bring the conflict crashing down to a halt for one gang of crooks. Pull the plug, Elon; head to the moon and Mars.

“Lots of luck on his trip to the moon…” – Squinty McGreencheesehead

DCSCA (e3ecbb) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:04 pm

@293,

stupid carnage: though you were fine with Russians killing as many Ukrainians as necessary to take the country…and you were fine…even enthusiastic about Putin “rolling those tanks”….it’s only carnage now because your guy is losing

stupid financing: except the American interest is there as I described; there is no either/or here; debt is always a problem but this has been a drop in the bucket, especially in terms of what it would have cost to counter Russian taking Ukraine and the potential encouragement that would have given Xi…and no Americans lost

stupid butting in: except our NATO allies agreed that it was important strategically to resist Russian expansionism; this is only a gang war in your tired mind; go get some exercise..clear your head

stupid fanning flames: you just hate that Putin is losing…you were ok saying “roll those tanks” back in February…what changed? It’s ok for Russia to fan flames but not for resistance?

stupid withdrawal from Afghanistan: agreed but irrelevant…the GOP and DEMs were united about leaving; we may in time regret leaving but the collapse of the Afghan military was not our fault; unlike Ukraine, in the end, they were not willing to fight for control of their country…it’s sad for those people…and I hate turning our back on people that stood with us reliably, but both Trump and Biden took us to the same point…it shouldn’t influence our willingness to stand against evil

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:10 pm

Continuing to downgrade the Russian military so it is less able to inflict future aggression IS an American interest.

Pfft. You mean a military bureaucracy purposely over estimated in capability by the treasure and blood thirsty sycophants hellbent on financing the MIC to line their pockets w/borrowed $$$???

Oh, THAT “American interest.”

… and Jinping smiled; Taiwan pooped; Hunter re-read the Will.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.– D.D. Eisenhower, POTUS.

But what did he know… only served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe; Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), serving in a dual role until the end of hostilities in Europe in May 1945; Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, 1945-51; Army Chief of Staff, ’45-’48, etc., etc.

DCSCA (e3ecbb) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:17 pm

@2295. Ignorance is bliss. Stay happy, Agarn!

DCSCA (e3ecbb) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:18 pm

Because stupid was warned and stupid’s inaction resulted in stupid carnage.

I agree. I never believed Putin was as brainless as to decide to launch his latest invasion.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:23 pm

“Ignorance is bliss”

You’re right about that.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:25 pm

230. This reminds me of an old joke about Russians being able to criticize the American president, too (but not Khrushchev)

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

Q: Is it true that there is freedom of speech in the USSR, just like in the USA?

A: Yes. In the USA, you can stand in front of the White House in Washington, DC, and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan,” and you will not be punished. Equally, you can also stand in Red Square in Moscow and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan,” and you will not be punished.

I assume the joke kept getting updated.

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:31 pm

Somebody had to convince Putin that Ukraine would be easy pickings.

Sammy Finkelman (f4be08) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:32 pm

@295. Get it through your head: it’s a gang war, Again; a turf battle. Moran is corrupt; Capone is corrupt. Don’t give a damn about either side tommy gunning each other- as long as the United States Treasury Department isn’t providing the tommy guns and propping up one anti-freedom gang with borrowed $$ over another. Declare war, sell bonds or butt out. You got a beef with Capone? Camo up and head for Kyiv.

Just remember, NATO is a defensive structure not an offensive organization- which has always been the core claim of Putin- that is actually is designed to be offensive- so any offensive moves by NATO on Russia validates Putin’s long standing POV to the Russian people. And don’t forget, corrupt Moran doesn’t let gang members between the ages of 18 and 60 leave. It’s a turf battle in a long historied gang war. Get over it, Agarn.

“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.” – Michael Corleone [Al Pacino] ‘Godfather III’ 1990

DCSCA (e3ecbb) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:34 pm

“Moran doesn’t let gang members between the ages of 18 and 60 leave” It’s called a draft idiot….you know…so their wives and daughters have a country to come back to. Why is this difficult to understand?

“Camo up and head for Kyiv” Too old….and I’m not advocating for Americans to die in Ukraine. If you want to discuss in person, I’d be glad to show you who is full of Chicken Kiev

“Moran is corrupt; Capone is corrupt” What does that even mean….Zelensky skimmed public funds? He gave government contracts to favored people? None of that justifies losing your country, having children abducted, and civilians bombed and raped. Ukraine may be imperfect but it did not attack its neighbor, it leans west, and it does not mess with our elections…and it’s a nice buffer to maintain for our NATO allies

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 1:54 pm

AJ chatting with DCSCA? Color me shocked..

Do they not have this kind of entertainment at The Dispatch?

I am reminded of the Bear And The Hunter joke.

BuDuh (326776) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:03 pm

I am reminded of the Bear And The Hunter joke.

Constantly.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:28 pm

What else to do here? Ignoring him doesn’t make him go away….and his comments linger. Oh, and yes, I did join Dispatch so you will likely be seeing me less. I’m sure that will make you sad.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:38 pm

@303. Too old??? ROFLMAOPIP Corrupt Bugs keeps 60 year olds in country for gang work. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

“Moran is corrupt; Capone is corrupt” What does that even mean…”

If you gotta ask, it’s above your pay grade— or you’re just one happy fella, Agarn. Ignorance is bliss!

DCSCA (756519) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:46 pm

Somebody had to convince Putin that Ukraine would be easy pickings.

Guess who:

“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.” – Squinty McStumblebum

DCSCA (756519) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:50 pm

@303. “Idiot,” Agarn?????? Projecting again:

February 24, 2022
Ukrainian males aged 18-60 are banned from leaving the country, Zelensky says in new declaration

https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-24-22-intl/h_4309a4916d57670f85519210a07fb2c9#:~:text=Ukrainian%20males%20aged%2018-60%20are%20banned%20from%20leaving,Volodymyr%20Zelensky%20has%20ordered%20a%20general%20military%20mobilization.

At the same time, Ukraine has banned all-male citizens 18-60 years old from leaving the country, according to the State Border Guard Service.

Learn to read, Agarn– especially as literally few days before the stupidly corrupt Moran was literally TOLD of an impending invasion, dismissed and IGNORED IT and left his citizenry- those ‘wives and children’ vulnerable to corrupt Capone’ planned hit. It’s what happens when you put Don Rickles in charge.

“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 (756519) — 10/16/2022 @ 3:07 pm

One of my favorite Russian jokes:

In 1987, Ivan and Boris are discussing the state of the Soviet Union. Boris: “You know, Ivan, this must be the richest nation on earth.”
Ivan: “Why do you say that?”
Boris: “Because for seventy years everyone has been stealing from it, and there is still stuff left to steal.”

“Czar” Putin was unhappy when the “Panama Papers” were published, and for understandable reasons.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/16/2022 @ 3:19 pm

One of my favorite Russian jokes:

The Moskvitch 407

DCSCA (07550f) — 10/16/2022 @ 3:49 pm

…so you will likely be seeing me less. I’m sure that will make you sad.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

This indeed makes me sad. You are a valued commenter whose insights challenge me and compel me to think through an issue more deeply, whether I agree or not in the end.

Dana (1225fc) — 10/16/2022 @ 4:25 pm

I am pretty sure the “make you sad” comment was directed at me. I can certainly say it would not make me happy. I think you are a perfect fit on these pages. Most everyone enjoys your comments. I wish you could scroll past your demons, like I do. It is much healthier, IMO.

Dana, AJ offered some insight into what might make him stick around:

Yeah, DCCCP is yet one more slightly maladjusted internet performer. He has his stale routine and not much else. When Appalled (and anyone really) tries to substantively engage him, he throws out a tired non-sequitor (wink, wink) and pivots reflexively back to his schtick. Unfortunately he can’t go an inch beyond his talking points, nostalgia, Biden bile, wistful movie quotes, NASA sentimentality, and spastic Putin fluffing. His life mission is to be an irritant….a gadfly buzzing from post to post….an annoying TV commercial or jingle on an infinite loop. He’s the Joe Isuzu of Patterico and…proud of it. He’ll squat because he can.

I guess we get what we pay for. The Dispatch is calling…

AJ_Liberty (15d88c) — 10/13/2022 @ 8:52 pm

https://patterico.com/2022/10/13/january-6-committee-hearing-today/#comment-2643014

Emphasis was mine.

I am not sure how the site can be adjusted for AJ. Maybe an easier to use blocking script?

I hope this is resolvable.

BuDuh (326776) — 10/16/2022 @ 4:46 pm

AJ – I too look forward to reading your comments. And since Dana is kind enough to put up an open thread once a week, I see no reason why you can’t put up the same comments at both places, as I sometimes do at Political Betting, and here.

Jim Miller (85fd03) — 10/16/2022 @ 5:03 pm

@313. Pfft. Both you and young, AJ should learn to disagree without being disagreeable. You want an echo chamber, you can retreat to a comfort zone and pay for the privilege at The Dispatch. Sad.

DCSCA (3b422b) — 10/16/2022 @ 5:13 pm

@298. That’s right- because ol’Vlad saw that boasts of a ‘red line’ meant nothing to the Obama/Biden administration… so he reclaimed Crimea on their watch w/relative ease and minimal resistance; did nothing on Trump’s watch because he was unsure of The Donald’s unpredictability- which kept him and other global knuckleheads at bay– but read the Biden/Harris administration like a cheap novel, knew full well of his 40 year history of wrong and poor decisions- reaffirmed by the likes of Robert Gates no less, as well as his own blustery incompetence, with the w/t Afghanistan debacle as a garnish.

So he ‘let the tanks roll’ for the grab w/some measure of confidence having read Biden right. If you were capable of seeing it from his POV, you’d comprehend why and when the move was made. And now, it’s all ‘reactive’ moves on Joey’s part, playing buttinski– and costing Americans billions and billions of dollars it does not have, without any war bonds sold nor any declaration of war, propping up a corrupt regime that could be pulled down by Elon Musk merrely pulling the plug on his Starlink system. An Joe’s incompetence is driving ‘allies w/interests’ like the Saudis into the Russian sphere while Europe, which placed itself in this situation by becoming dependent on Russian energy, still maintains business links to keep the homes warm and the lights on. This ain’t an American problem. It’s wealthy, modern Europe, with its national healthcare systems and swell infrastructure, to manage. And they know it; and were TOLD so by a certain POTUS.

This is how a strong POTUS, a LEADER, kicks Europe in the ass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpwkdmwui3k&t=4s

DCSCA (3b422b) — 10/16/2022 @ 6:03 pm

60 years ago today, October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was informed in a WH briefing that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba.

President Kennedy notified Attorney General Robert Kennedy that he was convinced the Soviets were placing missiles in Cuba and it was a legitimate threat. This made the threat of nuclear destruction by two world superpowers a reality. Robert Kennedy responded by contacting the Soviet Ambassador, Anatoly Dobrynin. Robert Kennedy expressed his “concern about what was happening” and Dobrynin “was instructed by Soviet Chairman Nikita S. Khrushchev to assure President Kennedy that there would be no ground-to-ground missiles or offensive weapons placed in Cuba”. Khrushchev further assured Kennedy that the Soviet Union had no intention of “disrupting the relationship of our two countries” despite the photo evidence presented before President Kennedy.

DCSCA (60cef2) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:09 pm

I am not sure how the site can be adjusted for AJ. Maybe an easier to use blocking script?

Being able to embed the blocking script action into the normal page read would be good.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:12 pm

Being able to embed the blocking script action into the normal page read would be good.

?
Mine is a bookmark in my bookmarks bar. Next to Google, no matter what site I’m at. When I’m on this site, one click and annoying commenters disappear. I can see the page visibly shrink. And I can edit it in situ, to add or remove you-know-whats.

I followed Beldar’s instructions in Comment 8 here. And it works in both Chrome and Opera, I have not tried it on Firefox.

nk (2481ad) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:35 pm

Yes, but every time you refresh, you have to run it again.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:40 pm

True. Click and drag the Blocking Script button on the Bookmarks Bar to where it’s right under the Refresh button on the address bar.

nk (2481ad) — 10/16/2022 @ 7:45 pm

I’m sorry, AJ. It’s a version of Greaham’s Law applied tp comments. It got too much for me. Best wishes.

Simon Jester (a24cdc) — 10/16/2022 @ 8:42 pm

Paul Montagu finds it odd that Mike Lee would write a self-promotional op-ed in the third person, and Mr. Montagu is unpersuaded because Mr. Lee brought Sidney Powell and John Eastman to the White House to tell Trump what he wanted to hear, and Lee conspired with Trump in finding a way to upend millions of popular votes. Lee betrayed our democracy and Utahns’ trust, in Paul’s opinion.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/16/2022 @ 8:44 pm

@308 what would trump have done?

asset (772bbd) — 10/16/2022 @ 9:32 pm

@324. See #316.

DCSCA (603b3b) — 10/16/2022 @ 11:53 pm

@325 Trump would have asked for a cut of the take is a better answer then any other. By the way most conservatives are gleefully waiting for the mid term election as they did for the supreme court ruling on abortion. Old chinese curse be careful what you wish for. Pelosi will lose moderate democrats not the radicals in deep blue districts who will demand that pelosi get out of the way if she even stays. Younger black members will do the same to the old geezers in control of house. If democrats lose the senate Biden will be a lame duck controlled by the left of the party in the house. This is happening in england now where the conservatives don’t dare call an election as they would be defeated by their conservative agenda. The corporate establishment fears the left taking over the democrat party as when not if they take power they will not only put republicans in re-education camps but corporate establishment as well as enemies of the people. Since FDR’s time the democrat partys job was to keep the left out of power by running moderate crony capitalists like the clintons and the bidens. Obama was so happy to be the first black president he did as little as possible waiting to cash in when he left office. Then why transgender bathrooms? Lot of rich liberal gays will help him get rich. The democrat establishment has kept conservatives out of re-education camps for 90 years. (in 1932 the communist party got over a million votes) If the left takes over the democrat party they will not be defunding the police they will be turning it into their instrument of control. So have fun on election night as establishment moderate democrats go down to defeat. The left will be cheering to as it will force pro-choice moderate democrats to support the left which they do not want to do.

asset (772bbd) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:47 am

Got today’s Wordle in three with DRUNK as my starting word.

nk (53247c) — 10/17/2022 @ 5:30 am

Sorry to see you go AJ, your comments often make me think, even when I disagree.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 5:34 am

What surprised me most about the Mike Lee story was that a billionaire-owned major news paper could be a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Leona Helmsley was right: Only little people pay taxes.

nk (53247c) — 10/17/2022 @ 5:35 am

It’s almost as perplexing, the SLT’s tax exempt status I mean, as how AJ_Liberty’s

Oh, and yes, I did join Dispatch so you will likely be seeing me less. I’m sure that will make you sad.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/16/2022 @ 2:38 pm

became “I will not comment here again”.

nk (53247c) — 10/17/2022 @ 5:42 am

https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2022/10/16/reuters-fact-check-we-never-said-the-vaccines-would-prevent-anything-n503636

Anyone willing to admit they bought into the hype?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/17/2022 @ 5:46 am

And it’s not the first time that Mike Lee has sided with a traitor. Trump I mean. He was one of the troika who authenticated the NSA information Edward Snowden gave to Putin.

nk (53247c) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:24 am

Shorter DCSCA:

Biden was supposed to be a wuss like he was in Afghanistan and Zalensky is just a comedian and it isn’t Putins fault that he believed everyone was a bunch of weaklings and so why are we (and our pet Ukrainians) fighting him anyway?

News flash to DCSCA:

Ukrainians prefer Moran to Capone and are willing to fight for their piece of turf. If they weren’t, this would have been over months ago. You need some new material and better metaphors.

Appalled (628f30) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:25 am

Loons like Kanye is buying Parlor.

This makes his recent anti-Semitic statements a little more rational as getting “canceled” for anti-Semitic statements helped raise his profile among the MAGA crowd.

Interesting to see what this does for and with Parlor.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:33 am

Hi Rob, as usual you’re wrong about the facts.

media users are circulating video clips of testimony by a Pfizer executive, who is said to “admit” that the company and its partner BioNTech did not test whether their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine reduced virus transmission prior to rolling it out – which is something the companies were not required to do for initial regulatory approval, nor did they claim to have done.

To get emergency approval, companies needed to show that the vaccines were safe and prevented vaccinated people from getting ill. They did not have to show that the vaccine would also prevent people from spreading the virus to others. Once the vaccines were on the market, independent researchers in multiple countries studied people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and did show that vaccination reduced transmission of variants circulating at the time.

Link https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-pfizer-vaccine-transmission-idUSL1N31F20E

Looking forward to your admitting your link was misleading.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:40 am

@334 Some are arguing ye’s anti-semitic rant on twitter/IG was purposely calculated to get banned, so he has cover in buying Parlor.

If that’s true, and it wasn’t a fly-by-the-pants rant, what a sad state we live in that one has to appeal to certain groups to justify buying a company like that.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:45 am

@@335 Time/Rob… we need to be careful about the framing and language here.

“Reduction of Transmission” doesn’t mean it reduced the rate of infection. They’re two completely different analysis and the hard part here is delineating the relationship between the two. @SimonJester, I’m sure you can explain it more concisely than me, so feel free to elaborate.

What we do have hard numbers for, is that for those supremely compromised patients, the vaccinated had better outcomes than the unvaccinated.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:52 am

Whembly, that’s a good point. What I think is dishonest is to say that because transmission wasn’t studied. Prior to approval we can’t know anything about it.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:55 am

336, 334 I’ll just sit, wait for and laugh at Ye’s Rusty Wallace reversion to the mean.

urbanleftbehind (0190c9) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:07 am

Then what was the point of paying people to get vaccinated, suspending or firing people from their jobs for not getting vaccinated, shutting down businesses for not having their employees vaccinated, and having to show a vaccination card for the opportunity to get crushed to death at a concert?

Maybe it was not Pfizer and Moderna that brought on the hype, but there was hype up the wazoo. A lot more hype than fact. And they’re “still learning”. (“Still learning”, BTW, is the scientific community’s version of the Evangelicals’ “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”.)

And I did buy into it. The hype. I believed that vaccination prevented transmission, and that anti-vaxxers were potentially murderers.

nk (53247c) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:14 am

@338

Whembly, that’s a good point. What I think is dishonest is to say that because transmission wasn’t studied. Prior to approval we can’t know anything about it.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:55 am

The bigger issue Time, is that fact that our political leaders and leading health officials *claimed* that the vaccine prevented transmission. (while the manufactures stood by the sidelines saying nothing to correct that assertions).

That’s the issue, and a damning one.

whembly (b770f8) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:44 am

The problem with the initial PR on the vaccines was that its proponents asserted that it prevented the catching of the virus but, at the same time, would report the percent effectiveness, which has to mean it reduces the spread, significantly and better than regular flu vaccines, but does not prevent it.
Bottom line, the vaccine has worked, and we know this from all the subsequent testing and from seeing the correlation between death rates and vaccination rates.

Paul Montagu (753b42) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:48 am

If Utah voters want Chuck Schumer in control of the Senate, they know who to vote for. When a party chooses not to run anyone against you, and endorses you, then you are the candidate of that party. Claiming you are an “independent” in such circumstances, because you have no party affiliation, is like Angus King or Bernie Sanders claiming to be independents.

mikeybates (91c5df) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:49 am

Data shows pretty clearly that it reduced transmission.

Excerpt below

A study2 of covid-19 transmission within English households using data gathered in early 2021 found that even a single dose of a covid-19 vaccine reduced the likelihood of household transmission by 40-50%. This was supported by a study of household transmission among Scottish healthcare workers conducted between December 2020 and March 2021.3 Both studies analysed the impact of vaccination on transmission of the α variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was dominant at the time.

Jenny McCartney is the hardest hit.

Time123 (fb2808) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:55 am

Self- fufilling prophesy.

The vaccines were minimally effective against the initial variation, especially for the highest risk categories, but useless to stop the spread. They were harmful to the young, especially young men that had negligable risk from the virus.

NJRob (174f6a) — 10/17/2022 @ 8:10 am

The government,especiaLy Fauci, and the media led the charge claiming the shot stopped the virus dead cold. No spread. They lied.

NJRob (174f6a) — 10/17/2022 @ 8:14 am

NJRob,

Writing on the basis of my memory, I don’t recall that the government initially told us that the vaccine stopped the spread. That was why we couldn’t shed our masks after getting a shot. After a while, that idea did get spread through the media and that’s why, back in May 2021, Biden announced mission accomplished.

Ultimately, we are living with COVID. Part of that is people getting the shot, part of that is the virus evolved into something less virulent, and part of that is a lot of folks had the bug.

A lot of folks made mistakes. If the anti-vaxxers had their way, we’d probably still be wearing masks. But our kids would have been much better educated.

Appalled (03f53c) — 10/17/2022 @ 8:52 am

Got today’s Wordle in three with DRUNK as my starting word.

What’s really cool is when it IS your starting word.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 8:58 am

“Jenny McCartney”?

Doing the garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more
They’re dealin’ with it
We’re goin’ batsh*t
COVID-64

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/17/2022 @ 9:10 am

Facts not on evidence for 100 Appalled.

NJRob (8f0223) — 10/17/2022 @ 9:56 am

If only people had been smart enough to take sheep dewormer and hydroxychloroquin this all could have been avoided.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:03 am

Do you notice that the Chinese have this thing for ZERO COVID? What is it that they know that we don’t? It’s their weapon after all.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:05 am

What is the median age of the 9,000 bosses meeting right now? Xi, himself, is 69.

nk (75a1b0) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:08 am

@326. Oh please– he made his point for the U.S. to the sponging Germans and other deadbeat NATO members to hear loud and clear at that meeting.

@333. News flash- they have no damn choice- they- the men between 18 and 60 as is- can’t leave. And who the eff cares: it’s NOT AN AMERICAN PROBLEM. Only the stupidity of funneling borrowed U.S. tax $ is to America. “It” can end tomorrow if the generous Elon Musk goes hard assed businessman and pulls the plug on Starlink and they lose access to the gadgetry they need to operate. Or the warned but ignored the world falling in on him Moran simply calls a truce. Regardless, it’s not an American problem.

DCSCA (2c3fc7) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:10 am

So, been watching the TV ads for governor here in NM. All I see are Democrat ads bashing the GOP candidate for some hearsay about abortion from a whackjob pastor.

The ads claim that Ronchetti wants to ban all abortions, in a state with an openly-gerrymandered supermajority Democrat legislature. Ronchetti has never said that — he’s for a 15-week limit on elective abortions, which also won’t pass.

The sitting governor, otoh, signed a bill removing all limits on elective abortions, but that’s OK because Choice! and (except for the clinic in ABQ that advertises them) no one performs third-trimester elective abortions anyway.

Meanwhile, the state, awash in oil money, is squandering it on new programs when old programs (e.g. schools) are failing and crime is running rampant (this has nothing to do with the catch-and-release, no-cash-bail regime now in power).

So, abortion, abortion, abortion. It’s really tiring.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:13 am

Fauci is a kommissar, not a scientist. He did not tell us: “We know this much, and we are learning more”. He told us: “This is the way it is.” Then next he told us: “This is the way it is.” And next he told us: “This is the way it is.” And so on, and so on, time after time after time. It must be something they teach in leadership classes at bureaucrat school or something.

nk (75a1b0) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:14 am

Appalled, to figure out if someone lied about an emerging situation you have to look at the data available when the statement was made. It’s a lot of work and usually leads to a far more nuanced criticism. For a lot of this people (public officials and others) were mostly trying to make the best trade off they could with limited information.

Even my joke about sheep dewormer should take into account that many of these morons were trying to find affordable medicine while avoiding a vaccine that ppl they trusted were warning them against.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:16 am

Nk, if you look at his actually words he was usually for more carful in his wording then you describe. Those types of statements aren’t as accessible so the press often summarized it to be much more definitive.

Time123 (378562) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:18 am

And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark

The worst thing they did was to “talisman” us. To turn us into “us” and “them” depending on whether we believed the government about masks, or vaccines, or social distancing, or whatever else they fed us. And, unfortunately, I see it now in retrospect, but did not see it back then.

Probably, the thing I hold against them the most is when, right at the start, they told us not to wear masks, that we would do ourselves more harm than good if we did, to leave them to the professionals, and they actually sent the FBI out to find mask stashes. And we went along, chewing the cud.

nk (75a1b0) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:27 am

If I can admit that I was wrong then, I can allow for the possibility that I may be wrong now, Time123. And I certainly do not embrace the “anti” cults and their talismans.

nk (75a1b0) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:36 am

What is the median age of the 9,000 bosses meeting right now? Xi, himself, is 69.

And Squinty McVanillaconelickler starts his 81st year on Earth in 34 days.

_________

60 years ago today, Wednesday, October 17, 1962- the Cuban Missile Crisis:

American military units begin moving to bases in the Southeastern U.S. as intelligence photos from another U-2 flight show additional sites; and 16 to 32 missiles. President Kennedy attends a brief service at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in observance of the National Day of Prayer. After, he has lunch with Crown Prince Hasan of Libya, and then makes a political visit to Connecticut in support of Democratic congressional candidates.

Wednesday morning, October 17, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson encouraged the President to talk directly with Khrushchev in order to “afford a chance of uncovering his motives and objectives far better than correspondence thru (sic) the ‘usual channels.’” In the same letter to the President he highlighted that the US stance on Cuba is less justifiable to the Europeans “who have lived so long under the same threat of Soviet attack from bases in the satellite countries.”

https://microsites.jfklibrary.org/cmc/oct17/

http://www.october1962.com/17oct.html

DCSCA (2c3fc7) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:37 am

Truss Gets Trussed by her own Chancellor of the Exchequer:

Britain’s new chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said on Monday that he would reverse virtually all the government’s planned tax cuts, sweeping away Prime Minister Liz Truss’s free-market economic plan in a desperate bid to steady the financial markets and stabilize her government.

Mr. Hunt also announced that the government would end its massive state intervention to cap energy prices next April, replacing it with a still-undefined program that he said would promote energy efficiency, but that could increase uncertainty for households facing rising gas and electricity bills.
………
Among the new details, Mr. Hunt said the government would shelve a reduction in the basic income tax rate, the centerpiece of a tax-cutting plan that Ms. Truss had promised would reignite Britain’s economic growth. She had earlier scrapped a tax cut for high-income people and announced she would go ahead with a planned increase in corporate taxes.
……..
As Mr. Hunt moved to take control of the economic levers of government, Conservative Party lawmakers were meeting to plot ways to force Ms. Truss out of power.

The mechanics of removing Ms. Truss remained murky, with the lawmakers grasping for ways to find a consensus replacement for her that would avoid another full-scale and divisive leadership contest. But many political analysts said her position seemed untenable, given the turmoil of the last three weeks.
……..
Where Ms. Truss had last summer ruled out any new taxes, her government is now planning to rescind tax cuts for ordinary and high-income people and to impose a tax increase on corporations. Where just last week the prime minister had ruled out reductions in public spending, Mr. Hunt made it clear the government would consider painful spending cuts in an array of public services.
……..

UK Markets Approve

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:49 am

At least Biden still has enough muscle tone in his sphincter for his farts to be audible, Pfft-Pfft. I ignore your comments, don’t pfft on mine.

nk (cb13fc) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:55 am

@363. Except you don’t; as self-evidenced. But nice for the world to know, in addition to being brain-bruised, he’s lactose intolerant as well– a lesson Camalla and the Pope learned first hand.

DCSCA (539da6) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:16 am

…so you will likely be seeing me less. I’m sure that will make you sad.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

You are one of the more insightful commenters here, and your posts have fought the good fight. PP is now less than it can be.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:20 am

‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace”:

Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital early on Monday with Iranian-made drones, continuing its campaign of lethal strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian targets even as it faces significant setbacks on the battlefield.

At least four people were killed in Kyiv, the capital, where the buzzing sound of the drones was followed by explosions. The attacks came during morning rush hour, one week after Moscow unleashed a missile barrage across the country that left at least 19 people dead. While Monday’s strikes were less deadly, they again struck fear into Ukrainians far from the front lines and signaled Russia’s aim of crippling power and other key services as winter looms.
………
Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia had fired 43 Iranian-made drones on Monday, but 37 were shot down by air defense systems.
………
Outside a four-story building that was hit, emergency workers recovered the body of a woman from the collapsed walls. An investigator held her thin wrist, covered in dirt and debris, and then folded her arms across her chest as her body was placed in a bag.
………

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:26 am

@362. She projects an unsteady weakness; give her a year, tops.

“And that’s a helluva price to pay for being stylish.” – Harry Callahan [Clint Eastwood] ‘The Enforcer’ 1976

DCSCA (539da6) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:28 am

@365. Heat; kitchen; Truman.

DCSCA (539da6) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:29 am

DCSCA — I assume you do care because you spend a lot of time on the work of minimizing the difference between Russia and Ukraine (the mob boss thing), Zelenskyy character assassination, proxy war nonsense, and Kasparov character assassination. You seem to source your POV from a lot of Putin aplogists. Which makes your thoughts on “none of your business” less a principled argument for staying out of it and more “DCSCCCP”.

There’s an argument to be had about making the world safe for democracy and fundng it everywhere and making sure our arms don’t get lost in a sea of corruption in the Ukraine. You aren’t the guy for that. But it’s always good to see what the propaganda line is for today, so I am hoping that you don’t get yourself banned.

Appalled (03f53c) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:40 am

Will Liz Truss remain Prime Minister longer than it takes a head of lettuce to rot (35 days)?

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:45 am

Do you notice that the Chinese have this thing for ZERO COVID? What is it that they know that we don’t? It’s their weapon after all.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:05 am

This may shed some light:

China said Monday it will delay the release of economic growth figures, as the country’s leadership gathers for a major meeting set to hand President Xi Jinping a historic third term in office.

The announcement comes a day before analysts had expected Beijing to publish some of its weakest quarterly growth figures since 2020 with the economy hobbled by Covid-19 restrictions and a real estate crisis.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the release of growth figures for the third quarter along with a host of other economic data would be “postponed”, without specifying a reason or giving a new timeline.

https://www.barrons.com/news/china-delays-release-of-economic-data-during-key-political-meeting-01665999909

BuDuh (326776) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:48 am

Re: 368…as always, jackwagons think they are the center of everything, and never care about the costs that impact others. If Dana, Patterico, and JVW don’t care about skunks in their digital home, that’s fine.

But bullies will always be bullies.

Simon Jester (a24cdc) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:48 am

Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show

Former president Donald Trump’s company charged the Secret Service as much as five times more than the government rate for agents to stay overnight at Trump hotels while protecting him and his family, according to expense records newly obtained by Congress.

The records show that in 40 cases the Trump Organization billed the Secret Service far higher amounts than the approved government rate — in one case charging agents $1,185 a night to stay at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. The new billing documents, according to a congressional committee’s review, show that U.S. taxpayers paid the president’s company at least $1.4 million for Secret Service agents’ stays at Trump properties for his and his family’s protection.
………
The records contradict the repeated claim made by Eric Trump, the president’s son and the Trump Organization’s executive vice president, that the family’s company often gave the Secret Service agents the hotel rooms “at cost” or sometimes free, providing steep discounts for the security team to stay at Trump properties.
………
“If my father travels, they stay at our properties free,” he said. “So everywhere that he goes, if he stays at one of his places, the government actually spends, meaning it saves a fortune because if they were to go to a hotel across the street, they’d be charging them $500 a night, whereas, you know we charge them, like $50.”
………

Grifters going to grift.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 11:51 am

Even “at cost” is self-dealing. Trump still has to pay the overhead whether he has full occupancy or not. If the agents did not give him a profit, they kept him out of the red.

nk (cb13fc) — 10/17/2022 @ 12:06 pm

https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2022/10/17/liberal-columnist-freaks-out-over-ad-showing-actual-crime-in-america-n503805

Vote for leftists, get high crime and violence. When that violence is then shown in a campaign ad, use your leftist political power to call the network to ban the ad.

NJRob (3b5df1) — 10/17/2022 @ 12:47 pm

That’s a feature – not a bug – to Democrats and NeverTrump, Rob.

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/17/2022 @ 12:55 pm

Teachers spreadin’ teh love…

https://nypost.com/2022/10/14/nearly-270-k-12-educators-arrested-on-child-sex-crimes-in-first-9-months-of-this-year/

Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:21 pm

@369. It’s Moran vs., Capone. Ukraine and Russia are the two most corrupt countries in that region. And corrupt Ukraine is NOT an American problem. It is the responsibility of wealthy, modern Europe, with their national healthcare systems, strong militaries and immediate interests at hand [chiefly energy dependence and trade by way of basic geography] to manage the third significant kinetic conflict on the European continent in 115 years. Not a burden to foist on the debt riddled, inflation burdened taxpayers of the United States; an opened cost so far of billions and billions of borrowed dollars- borrowed $ the U.S. does not have. Especially with weather ravaged Florida in ruins, American infrastructure literally crumbling with bridges falling down across the land— and an open border flooding disease carrying illegals and deadly drugs into the country. It’s buttinski crap; there are plenty of conflicts around the world to meddle in which America avoids- Google it. Don’t give a damn about the historied squabbles between corrupt Ukraine and corrupt Russia– especially w/o any formal declaration of way or the sale of bonds to finance it. ‘Physician heal thyself.’ It is NOT an American problem no matter hgow hard you try to make it one- and the stink of ‘mission creep’ is all over this now; And if you disagree with that POV, too bad.

DCSCA (33871f) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:28 pm

Great Balls of Fire:

A Russian military jet has crashed into a residential building in the city of Yeysk, and the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the aircraft involved is a Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO code name Fullback). In videos and images of the incident that have so far surfaced online, large black plumes of smoke can be seen emanating from the scene where the Russian jet went down, proceeded by a huge fireball. In one specific photo, what appears to be a member of the jet’s crew can be seen parachuting down next to the flames presumably after ejecting from the aircraft just an instant before the crash.
………
The Russian Defense Ministry’s claim of an engine malfunction could also be corroborated by clips reportedly taken from security camera footage that appear to have captured the aircraft struggling to make altitude. As the aircraft is seen flying over city at a low altitude, then, just before impacting the building, we see two small explosions on the aircraft — its ejection seats firing. It then slams into the residential building.

………The Russian city of Yeysk, which is a coastal town in the Krasnodar Territory situated directly across the Sea of Azov from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, is home to the Yeysk Airfield from which the Su-34 likely took off.
………

Reportedly four victims were killed on the ground. Videos:

Moment of crash and here

Aftermath

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:39 pm

I’m glad that the site doesn’t allow huge blinking letters, or DCSCA would use them, thinking that he just has to push his drivel louder because we obviously haven’t heard it yet.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:56 pm

Another death “under mysterious circumstances“:

……..
Military commissar of the Russian city of Partizansk, Partizansky and Lazovsky district Malyk Roman Vasilievich died suddenly late on October 14, the administration said on Saturday, October 15.

“With deep regret, we inform you that on the evening of October 14, the military commissar of the city of Partizansk, Partizansky and Lazovsky district Malyk Roman Vasilievich tragically passed away,” it wrote.

“The heart of a strong and courageous man stopped, who went through “hot spots”, but did not break under the weight of severe military events and heavy losses.”
………
According to Russian news outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda-Vladivostok, Malyk’s body was found on the grounds of his military office.

“The cause of death was not reported and the police and the investigative committee have not given comments on the incident.”

The news comes after Russia’s State Duma Deputy Nikolai Petrunin died suddenly aged 46.
……….

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 1:58 pm

Biden insists US economy is ‘strong as hell’ as he munches an ice cream cone

https://nypost.com/2022/10/16/joe-biden-insists-us-economy-is-strong-as-hell-as-he-munches-an-ice-cream-cone/

The stink from a lactose intolerant senator playing at POTUS bullsh!tter is what’s ‘strong as hell’– which Camilla and the Pope can attest to. Visit a gas station and a grocery store, numbskull. Items up 33% and more, up and down the aisles- shelves empty; beef, poultry, eggs, milk… even, yes– ice cream. Gasoline, $6.50-4./gal. Diesel even pricier.

But hey– no mean tweets!

DCSCA (4b6c7f) — 10/17/2022 @ 2:05 pm

Russian ex-president: If Israel sends weapons to Ukraine it will destroy Moscow ties
………
“It seems Israel will supply weapons to the Kyiv regime. A very reckless move. It will destroy all diplomatic relations between our countries,” (Dmitry) Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

Medvedev currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, and is considered to be a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
……..
Medvedev’s warning was an apparent response to an Israeli minister’s call on Sunday for Jerusalem to send military aid to Ukraine after reports that Iran was set to provide Moscow with ballistic missiles.

A report by the Russian state-owned Sputnik News tied Medvedev’s comments directly to the statement by Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai.
……..
“There is no longer any doubt where Israel should stand in this bloody conflict. The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well, just as the USA and NATO countries provide,” Shai wrote.
……..
Though it has sent repeated shipments of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Israel has repeatedly rebuffed Kyiv’s requests for defense weapons, specifically missile defense systems that could be used to fend off Russian airstrikes, despite expressing sympathy for the country’s plight.
……..
Israel’s refusal is seen as an attempt by Jerusalem to maintain working ties with Moscow, due to Russia’s control of Syrian air space, where Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of sorties against alleged Iranian arms shipments and in order to keep groups backed by Tehran from establishing a foothold.
………

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/17/2022 @ 2:31 pm

R.I.P. Jim McDivitt, Gemini and Apollo astronaut– and Apollo program manager, 93.

James A. McDivitt commanded Gemini 4 in 1965 [remember it well] and took what are still among of the most vivid and compelling images of fellow Gemini astronaut, Ed White, [later killed in the Apollo fire] taking America’s first spacewalk.

On March 3, 1969, McDivitt commanded the Apollo 9 Earth orbit mission with David Scott and Rusty Schweickart along. It was a time critical, crucial first test of the Apollo command/service module system and lunar module systems– as well as the Apollo space suit and PLSS backpack in actual spaceflight. If any element failed, America’s goal of reaching the moon by the end of the decade would not be met— but flight was an engineering, technical and televised success– and 4 months later, Apollo 11 successfully landed on Luna.

In later years McDivitt served as an Apollo program manager- a vital management liaison between the agency and the contractors– which proved invaluable- particularly Apollo 13.

A truly great guy who deserves- and earned every accolade.

Ad Astra, Jim.

Ad Astra.

DCSCA (4b6c7f) — 10/17/2022 @ 2:38 pm

@379 I think DCSCA is sincere. I disagree with his views on the ukraine. I am sure many here think what I say is drivel too! I am in such a good mood because the young race girl I follow in nascar just got 13th in her xfinity race debut ( best finish for women in debut) She likes trump ;but for some reason most of the race girls do like gracie trotter and katie hettinger who is 15 and will be a nascar champion as she holds the record for late model wins for a woman.

asset (446566) — 10/17/2022 @ 2:40 pm

The 20th Chinese Party Conference was/is being televised into American households… on CSPAN.

Unreal.

… and Jinping smiled.

DCSCA (326865) — 10/17/2022 @ 3:14 pm

We don’t need Israel to send nothing. (In fact, we don’t need Israel for anything, but that’s a different subject.) All the military aid Israel can send, we can send, and pay for it with the military aid we give Israel.

nk (3c2ca7) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:07 pm

And I recommend this!

nk (3c2ca7) — 10/17/2022 @ 6:08 pm

And I recommend this:

https://taylor.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/4648de9e-da3f-4b52-8182-36e5a32dea73

DCSCA (1e2599) — 10/17/2022 @ 7:38 pm

“Teachers spreadin’ teh love…

https://nypost.com/2022/10/14/nearly-270-k-12-educators-arrested-on-child-sex-crimes-in-first-9-months-of-this-year/”

There are an estimated 3.2 million public school teachers in the country, meaning the arrests compiled by Fox News Digital make up only 0.0084%.

Wow.

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/17/2022 @ 8:58 pm

To put that number in perspective, 30% of children who are sexually abused are abused by family members.

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/17/2022 @ 9:47 pm

Over 74 million votes for Trump and “more than 2000*” entered the Capitol on Jan 6.

.0027%?!?

Wow.

* https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack

BuDuh (326776) — 10/18/2022 @ 3:21 am

Got today’s Wordle in four with FAIRY as my starter word.

Got yesterday’s in three, and it was a little spooky. My starter word was DRUNK (the word, not me, Kevin), my second word was NOISE, and the solution was STEIN.

nk (825385) — 10/18/2022 @ 5:42 am

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/13/minnesota-medical-student-swear-oath-to-fight-white-supremacy-honor-all-indigenous-ways-of-healing/

The leftist cult of racism takes over all areas it can and destroys them. Are these doctors or cultists?

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/18/2022 @ 7:35 am

BS Thulu. How many pedos were there in the Catholic church and that was over decades. This is just the first 9 months of this year.

NJRob (eb56c3) — 10/18/2022 @ 7:40 am

I really enjoyed nk’s discussion linked to @387. It’s long but provides interesting perspectives about Putin and Russia. It’s worth the read.

I also took to heart Dana’s comments @312 and the other suggestions about maintaining a thicker skin. It’s probably true and it’s anti-troll 101. I need to go back to internet-school. I remember Beldar, one of my previous favorites, leaving in a similar huff…never to return. Why let the troll win? The key, as always, is to avoid bad-faith discussions and bad-faith commenters…period. I’ll consider the blocking script, maybe on a trial basis. A “gapped” thread can still be coherent, right? And its deliciously antagonizing for a troll to lose audience. So, done with conversations that were never “real” conversations. Life is short. The Dispatch is good, hardly a bubble, but it also has a less intimate vibe. Different but there are interesting conversations, more content, and fewer performance artists. And of course Beldar and Patterico are there. So maybe some mix…time allowing, and stop pretending that old dogs can change…they don’t. They’re creatures of habit….and some people will never be better…..

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/18/2022 @ 8:23 am

This is horrifying.

If we’re going to attach significant criminal penalties to voting when not eligible to do so we need to make it easy to avoid inadvertently doing so.

This appears to be grossly unjust.

Time123 (b577bd) — 10/18/2022 @ 9:17 am

“If we’re going to attach significant criminal penalties to voting when not eligible to do so we need to make it easy to avoid inadvertently doing so.”

It was more than just inadvertent. They were given voter ID cards.

“This appears to be grossly unjust.”

I think it’s more sinister than that.

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/18/2022 @ 9:43 am

“BS Thulu. How many pedos were there in the Catholic church”

4% of US priests according to the report here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay_Report

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:12 am

I think DCSCA is sincere.

Perhaps. But he’s also a pompous ass. He doesn’t engage, he only repeats the same lame tropes month after month, with the same opinion spiffed up with different phrasing or presentation. It’s almost as if one is talking to F4, or whatever function key repeats this month’s canned commentary.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:13 am

Russia’s new plan for Ukraine: Cut off the power this winter.

‘Massive blackouts’ as 30% of Ukraine’s power stations destroyed in just over a week, Zelensky says

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a “humanitarian emergency” as Putin’s military assault on Ukraine approaches the “brutal” winter months.

“Too many people in Ukraine are living precariously, moving from location to location, living in substandard structures or without access to heating. This can lead to frostbite, hypothermia, pneumonia, stroke and heart attack,” Hans Henri P. Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said Friday.

“The destruction of houses and lack of access to fuel or electricity due to damaged infrastructure could become a matter of life or death if people are unable to heat their homes.”

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:16 am

I am increasingly convinced that NATO will enter this war, if only to provide humanitarian assistance this winter.

Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:17 am

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/18/2022 @ 8:23 am

You should have been made a feature poster here, like JVW.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:46 am

@401. Not if China has anything to say about it. Humanitarian efforts emminate from the UN, not NATO– which is a defensive military alliance- and any offensive moves by NATO simply validates exactly what Putin has been telling the Russian people for years, a Russia long surrounded by ‘hostiles’ w/missiles and militaries at tgheir border or from over the poles, at all points of the compass.

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:56 am

@399. Projecting again, Kevin. Sad.

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:59 am

@399. BTW, Kevin, to ‘engage’ lends a validity to a weak POV and elevates it.

‘Not gonna happen. Wouldn’t be prudent.’ – GHWB

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:03 am

@398. One can only ‘pope’ not as many as there appears to be. 😉

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:04 am

I agree with Rip at #402. And also Kevin at #399.

Not just my opinion on either points, as folks can plainly see, not just now but historically.

Trolls gotta troll. I just feel badly for Patterico, Dana, JVW for having to deal with it. Also, I feel badly about many, many posters I enjoyed leaving.

Simon Jester (a24cdc) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:04 am

Not just my opinion on either points

Except it is.

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:06 am

Thanks Rip, but comments give me enough of an outlet. Though, I would like to hear from some of our fellow travelers in longer form. Even ones I don’t especially agree with (ie the good-faith ones). An occasional guest post could spice things up too and take the burden off of Dana and JVW. I think having people build good arguments in an essay forces them to reflect more than a quick reflexive comment. Maybe it lessens the ideological heat to play devil’s advocate and anticipate arguments…dunno.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:07 am

@409. I would like to hear from some of our fellow travelers in longer form.

fel·low trav·el·er
[ˈˌfelō ˈtrav(ə)lər]
NOUN

fellow travellers (plural noun)
a person who travels with another:”the flight attendant asked my fellow travelers to turn off their phones”
a person who is not a member of a particular group or political party (especially the Communist Party), but who sympathizes with the group’s aims and policies.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fellow traveler

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:11 am

Good to see you, AJ.

As for our trollish pal, well, it was nice to see the person demonstrate my point so quickly.

Sigh.

Simon Jester (a24cdc) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:26 am

I would enjoy seeing a poll. Hee hee.

Simon Jester (a24cdc) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:27 am

@411. Projection; zero content; perpetual complaints.

Hilarious.

DCSCA (86cf95) — 10/18/2022 @ 11:29 am

Though, I would like to hear from some of our fellow travelers in longer form

I love long-form writing and certainly have a lot of opinions/thoughts on any number of issues. However, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to really develop a piece before it’s already in the rearview mirror for most people. The interest just doesn’t seem to be there. (Of course, that may be a comment about me more than about readers who actually would like to see longer opinionated pieces by P or JVW, which is understandable. )

Dana (1225fc) — 10/18/2022 @ 6:57 pm

@414. Long form is good- it’s an essentiality; this era of short burst copy, texts, tweets and five second sound bites is killing conversation. Back at my old gig, long form writers colleagues were actually trained to deliver sound bites no longer than 5 to 10 seconds– to fit into video and audio clips for media consumption. It was… disheartening.

DCSCA (e643b0) — 10/18/2022 @ 10:33 pm

Dana @414, I would say go for it. I don’t think we’re trapped on a hot-take bus and can’t slow to below 55mph without disaster. Thoughts and commentary on life, struggles, joys, and curious insights are all great. Worse comes to worse, people will just go off and talk about Trump or McStumble-Biden anyways. You might be surprised what it triggers in terms of feedback. And if nothing else, you get to flush some things out of your mind.

AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 10/19/2022 @ 4:58 am

This is horrifying.

If we’re going to attach significant criminal penalties to voting when not eligible to do so we need to make it easy to avoid inadvertently doing so.

This appears to be grossly unjust.

Time123 (b577bd) — 10/18/2022 @ 9:17 am

It is just. Voter fraud keeds to be severely punished as they are stealing the vote from others.

NJRob (fe215c) — 10/20/2022 @ 5:32 am

This is horrifying.

If we’re going to attach significant criminal penalties to voting when not eligible to do so we need to make it easy to avoid inadvertently doing so.

This appears to be grossly unjust.

Time123 (b577bd) — 10/18/2022 @ 9:17 am

It is just. Voter fraud keeds to be severely punished as they are stealing the vote from others.

NJRob (fe215c) — 10/20/2022 @ 5:32 am

Defendants targeted in DeSantis’ voter fraud crackdown were told they could vote
……..
In the days since (DeSantis’s) announcement, however, several of those arrested have told media outlets or authorities that they had no idea they were not eligible to vote. In court documents filed in five counties, most say at least one official government body — in most cases a local election supervisor — incorrectly indicated to them they could vote, including allowing them to register and sending them voter cards in the mail.
………
Michelle Stribling, a 52-year-old Black woman from Eatonville convicted in 1993 of second degree murder, told investigators during an Aug. 5 interview at her house that she “could not read or write very well,” and did not understand questions related to her status as an ex-felon on registration paperwork. But Orange County election officials mailed her a voter card after she registered, which led her to believe she was able to vote.
……..

May be the government shouldn’t have issued them voting cards.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/20/2022 @ 8:45 am

More:

…….
…….The governor’s own appointees flubbed their legal duty to stop them from registering. And because of their sloppy errors, all 20 defendants may well be acquitted of crimes they did not intend to commit.
……..
They filled out a voter registration card; their county election office approved it, telling them they could vote; they cast a ballot in 2020; and now they are charged with a felony offense. Because local election officials approved each registration, DeSantis’ spokespeople have sought to blame them for failing to uncover the disqualifying convictions. This accusation conveniently overlooks a crucial fact: Florida law tasks the state government with flagging felony convictions that bar a resident from registering to vote. It wasn’t local officials who dropped the ball. It was the DeSantis administration. (……The head of the election police, a DeSantis appointee, explicitly told local election supervisors that they were not at fault, contradicting the governor’s claims.)

Here’s how the process works. When the county supervisor of elections receives a registration application, they forward it to the state. The Division of Elections, part of the Department of State, then determines whether the applicant is “potentially ineligible based on a felony conviction without civil rights restored.” If the agency finds evidence of ineligibility, it informs the county supervisor, who then tells the applicant why his registration was denied. If the applicant confirms the allegation, he’s removed from the voter registration system. If the applicant denies the allegations, he can demand a hearing to prove that he is eligible.

This process is mandated in a Florida statute. …….
………

DeSantis hoisted on his own petard.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/20/2022 @ 8:58 am

Another case of NJRob misinterpreting the facts.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/20/2022 @ 8:59 am

May be the government shouldn’t have issued them voting cards.

Seems like we now know what the problem is. I think that is a good thing. Even better that the accused didn’t decide to start fighting with the cops. Hopefully this gets to the root of election integrity problems, which apparently seems to be the “safest most secure election” government employees in history.

BuDuh (ea508d) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:17 am

Seems like we now know what the problem is. I think that is a good thing. Even better that the accused didn’t decide to start fighting with the cops. Hopefully this gets to the root of election integrity problems, which apparently seems to be the “safest most secure election” government employees in history.

BuDuh (ea508d) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:17 am

Designed by the Florida Republican legislature.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:20 am

DeSantis knows his Florida Man. Let’s see how it works for him nationwide.

nk (cb9531) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:25 am

Who cares who designed the policy? I just want it solved.

It seems to have been exposed by a Republican, if credits work the same as demerits.

BuDuh (ea508d) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:25 am

Actually the system worked as designed.

Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:26 am

There have been three arrests made in The Villages, a Republican stronghold in Central Florida, related to people admitting they voted twice in the 2020 election. DeSantis did not hold events highlighting those arrested, each of whom entered pretrial diversion programs and avoided jail time.

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:30 am

We agree.

BuDuh (ea508d) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:30 am

“Actually the system worked as designed.”

Yeah, it’s this. Designed to suppress ex-felon votes.

Davethulhu (129a95) — 10/20/2022 @ 9:31 am

352. Kevin M (eeb9e9) — 10/17/2022 @ 10:05 am

Do you notice that the Chinese have this thing for ZERO COVID? What is it that they know that we don’t? It’s their weapon after all.

The true reason for Xis; what amounts to a zero Covid policy is a state secret. It is coming entirely from Xi,

It might be that he is afraid of a quarantine being placed again on China, and he also wants to push the position that Covid did not originate in China..

What does he know? Covid has no natural animal reservoir. It doesn’t jump from animals to humans – no version does. It can’t stsrt to spread again except from new mutations.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/21/2022 @ 1:13 pm

There is a good book baby boomers are sociopaths by bruce gibney that explains trump’s generation.

asset (93ddbc) — 10/23/2022 @ 2:13 am

News this weekend:

1. Musk takes over Twitter, fires chief executives, changes his profile on Twitter to say Chief Twit and give Twitter HQ as his location.

2. Putin takes Gregory Potemkin’s bones to Russia – des that means he is not coming back (or that the city might be destroyed?)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/world/europe/ukraine-russia-potemkin-bones.html

KYIV, Ukraine — With Ukrainian forces bearing down on the occupied port city of Kherson this week, the Kremlin’s puppet rulers dispatched a team to an 18th-century stone cathedral on a special mission — to steal the bones of Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin.

3. Lucianne Goldberg dies.

4. Assailant attacks Paul Pelosi in his hone and demands to know where is Nancy – Paul Pelosi in hospital but expected to recover.

Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 10/28/2022 @ 12:46 pm

No, it is stupid and cruel and errors exceed that.

Sammy Finkelman (932d9f) — 11/1/2022 @ 3:22 am

10/14/2022

Weekend Open Thread

434 Responses to “Weekend Open Thread”

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