Weekend Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
Let’s go!
First news item
This is both horrifying and unsurprising:
The Ukrainian civilians woke long before dawn in the bitter cold, lined up for the single toilet and were loaded at gunpoint into the livestock trailer. They spent the next 12 hours or more digging trenches on the front lines for Russian soldiers.
Many were forced to wear overlarge Russian military uniforms that could make them a target, and a former city administrator trudged around in boots five sizes too big. By the end of the day, their hands curled into icy claws.
Nearby, in the occupied region of Zaporizhzhia, other Ukrainian civilians dug mass graves into the frozen ground for fellow prisoners who had not survived. One man who refused to dig was shot on the spot — yet another body for the grave.
Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are being detained across Russia and the Ukrainian territories it occupies, in centers ranging from brand-new wings in Russian prisons to clammy basements. Most have no status under Russian law.
And Russia is planning to hold possibly thousands more. A Russian government document obtained by The Associated Press dating to January outlined plans to create 25 new prison colonies and six other detention centers in occupied Ukraine by 2026.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in May allowing Russia to send people from territories with martial law, which includes all of occupied Ukraine, to those without, such as Russia. This makes it easier to deport Ukrainians who resist Russian occupation deep into Russia indefinitely, which has happened in multiple cases documented by the AP.
Many civilians are picked up for alleged transgressions as minor as speaking Ukrainian or simply being a young man in an occupied region, and are often held without charge. Others are charged as terrorists, combatants, or people who “resist the special military operation.” Hundreds are used for slave labor by Russia’s military, for digging trenches and other fortifications, as well as mass graves.
As Ukraine fights for its very survival, Western support is critical to its success. While it was agreed that Ukraine should join NATO sometime in the future, no immediate invitation to join was extended at the Vilnius conference. Frustratingly, “”We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” the declaration said, without specifying the conditions Ukraine needs to meet.” And still, “countries such as the United States and Germany have been more cautious, wary of any move that they fear could draw NATO into a direct conflict with Russia.”
Meanwhile, as part of an $800 million security package, Ukraine has already received cluster munitions from the US. :
“We recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance,” Sullivan told reporters. “This is why we’ve deferred the decision for as long as we could.”
“But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery,” Sullivan said.
Second news item
Why President Biden is right to send cluster bombs to Ukraine:
Imagine it’s nighttime, and your home is invaded. You wake up shocked and numb but recognize the danger. Invaders have made it clear they want to kill you and your family. Determined to fight, you grab your shotgun and load it with shells.
In such circumstances, most people would agree you should use any means available to stop an attack on your family — whether via gun, knife or even baseball bat. Anything is better than watching your family suffer.
Still, some might question how you respond without truly understanding the context of what’s happening. It’s easy to criticize from the safety of locked gates and police patrols.
Ukraine faces a similar situation nearly a year and a half after Russia’s brutal invasion, with critics operating from the safety of nations not at war questioning Kyiv’s requests for more weapons. Some say military fire should only be directed in a limited and precise way. Or Ukraine should refrain from attacking military targets outside its borders. Or Ukraine doesn’t need fighter jets.
This dilemma over ammunition has come into focus especially since the Biden administration’s announcement last week that it would be sending cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military package…
[T]hink back to that analogy of a home invasion. Maybe those critics would say your ammunition should be limited to one single shot from a pistol instead of a more effective spread from a shotgun? It’s inherently dangerous to fire any weapon, but a shotgun has a bigger chance of hitting more area, even if isn’t the best weapon for close quarters.
By the end of this war, millions of rounds of artillery likely will have been shot over a significant part of Ukraine. And Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the Russians have been using cluster munitions with a dud rate as high as 40%. The rate refers to how often bomblets that are scattered across a large area fail to explode, and a higher rate indicates more bomblets have failed to explode on impact. Notably, the Pentagon has vowed to provide munitions with a significantly reduced dud rate.
Unfortunately, there may be casualties from unexploded ordnance all over Ukraine for years to come as a result of Russia’s decision to attack an innocent country.
But one nation, and one nation only, gets to determine whether to use cluster munitions on its land — Ukraine. Its interest in using these controversial weapons is to destroy the Russian invaders while minimizing the loss of its own citizens’ lives. It will likely be as judicious as possible while inflicting as much damage on the enemy as possible. And Ukraine’s defense minister has vowed not to use the munitions in Russia.
Yes, Kyiv will live with the scars of war, but ultimately, these munitions will save Ukrainian lives.
I’m curious as to whether anyone who is complaining today about President Biden’s decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine complained about Russia’s use of them over the past 500+ days, including targeting civilian areas?? What a terrifying life and death situation Ukraine has been forced into by Russia. And while cluster munitions are certainly dangerous and innocent lives could be inadvertently impacted by their use, they unfortunately are a necessary evil. Ukraine has pledged to use them in a limited capacity, avoiding civilian centers and using them “only for the reoccupation of Ukrainian territories”. In a blunt nutshell: Ukraine uses them to repel invaders on their soil. Russia uses them as a tool of conquest.
Ukraine’s victory and Russia’s defeat are in the interest of all democracies. Especially NATO states. We should be jumping at the chance to do what we can, not criticising Ukraine – they are dying for our free common future.
Third news item
President Biden cancels some student debt:
The Biden administration announced Friday it would automatically forgive $39 billion in student debt for 804,000 borrowers.
The relief is a result of fixes to the student loan system’s income-driven repayment plans. Under those repayment plans, borrowers get any remaining debt canceled by the government after they have made payments for 20 years or 25 years, depending on when they borrowed, and their loan and plan type…
To bring people over the line for forgiveness, the Biden administration counted payments for borrowers who’d paused their payments in certain deferments and forbearances and those who’d made partial or late payments.
Fourth news item
The state interferes or intervenes, depending on your point of view:
Gov. Gavin Newsom is intervening in a recent decision by a Southern California school board to reject social studies curriculum over its inclusion of gay rights activist Harvey Milk, marking his latest attempt to thwart book bans in the Golden State. Newsom announced Thursday that the state would be purchasing the rebuffed textbooks and distributing them to students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District “in short order.” His office also unveiled that the governor plans to sign legislation that would prohibit the restriction of teaching materials for political reasons and levy fines against any school district that fails to provide adequate instructional materials.
Fifth news item
Hunter Biden lawyer to Trump: Knock it off!:
An attorney for Hunter Biden sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday to former President Donald Trump’s legal team, claiming that Trump’s rhetoric on social media and elsewhere “could lead to [Hunter Biden’s] or his family’s injury.”
…
“This is not a false alarm,” Lowell wrote. “We are just one such social media message away from another incident, and you should make clear to Mr. Trump — if you have not done so already — that Mr. Trump’s words have caused harm in the past and threaten to do so again if he does not stop.”
Sixth news item
House passes defense bill with amendments re abortion and transgender surgery:
The House narrowly passed an annual defense policy bill on Friday after Republicans added provisions on abortion and transgender surgeries — measures that were a nonstarter for Democrats.
The legislation, which will have to be reconciled with the Senate’s version, passed in a 219-210 vote.
The amendments…would ban the secretary of defense from paying for or reimbursing service members for abortion-related expenses and transgender surgeries and hormone treatments…
The House also narrowly adopted an amendment…that would bar military health insurance and the Department of Defense from providing or covering transgender surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender people…
The defense legislation will eventually need to be reconciled with a version of the bill under consideration in the Senate. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is seeking a similar measure to block Pentagon payments or reimbursements for abortion services, which Senate Democrats are unlikely to back.
Seventh news item
Idiot representative suggests Russia be invited into NATO instead of Ukraine:
Listen to Matt Gaetz suggest that we invite Russia to NATO instead of Ukraine. These are not serious people, yet Matt Gaetz is in better standing with the GOP than patriots like Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney. pic.twitter.com/tCUDAI37jG
— Heath Mayo (@HeathMayo) July 12, 2023
“If we had to choose between Russia or Ukraine for NATO, one could reasonably make the argument that Russia probably provides more benefit long term.”
Eighth news item
Good to see a majority of Republicans say “no” to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz Ukraine bills:
Five House Republican-backed initiatives to curtail aid to Ukraine using the annual Pentagon policy bill were shot down Thursday afternoon in votes that saw a consensus from both sides of the aisle to keep money flowing to Kyiv.
The Ukraine-related amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would have effectively limited or rolled back U.S. involvement in Ukraine, but a majority of Republicans joined Democrats in opposition to the proposals.
MISCELLANEOUS
Color me shocked: I never thought there would be a crossover audience for the just-released Oppenheimer (running at 3 hours) and Barbie (running at almost 2 hours) movies:
Fresh data from movie theaters shows that fans are actually planning to see the highly-anticipated “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” movies on the same day — a five-hour, popcorn-fueled marathon social media has dubbed the “Barbenheimer.”
The world’s largest movie chain, AMC Entertainment, has already sold more than 20,000 double-feature tickets to its AMC Stubs members, according to Variety.
AMC Theatres’ executive VP of worldwide programming, Elizabeth Frank, told the outlet that since Friday, there’s been a 33% increase in the number of moviegoers who have made their own double-feature by purchasing tickets to see both movies on the same day.
Have a great weekend!
–Dana
Good morning!
Dana (560c99) — 7/14/2023 @ 9:05 amThe Secret Service is dropping the cocaine investigation at the Whitehouse.
I have some thoughts…
I really, REALLY hope it belongs to Hunter Biden or one of the Biden family members.
Like, I’m genuinely praying for this.
Alleged corruption allegations aside, Hunter (or other family members) aren’t officially in any policy making roles.
Because of that drug isn’t Hunter’s or other family members, does that mean that it’s some Whitehouse staffer’s coco?
Do we have drug addict(s) giving Joe Biden advice while snort coco in the bathroom.
Isn’t that cause for some concerns?
(I mean, the fact that the SS is closing the investigation is prima facie that the coke bag belongs to one of the Biden family)
whembly (5f7596) — 7/14/2023 @ 10:02 amRobbing from Peter to give to Paul…
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/14/2023 @ 10:29 amJust a reminder that the Supreme Court said Biden didn’t have the power to steal from the taxpayer and make student loan debt their prpblem and Biden gave a big middle finger to the rule of law by doing this.
So much for the return to normalcy and the rule of law.
Just a dictator doing what he wishes.
NJRob (f31f3e) — 7/14/2023 @ 11:59 amRe Misc:
I’ve seen (in a theater) all of the original Planet of the Apes (8 hours), Alien (8 hours) and original Terminator series (5.9 hours) (in separate screenings), as well as the Apu Trilogy (5.7 hours) and the British crime series The Red Riding Trilogy (5.1 hours).
Pikers. But for me, time well spent.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 12:45 pmForgot to mention all of Lord of the Rings Special Edition films (again, in a movie theater, 11.3 hours); watched them the same weekend when I saw The Apu Trilogy.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:00 pmBiden could be deliberate without being slow on providing munitions. He’s been slow. I’ve asked before about where is snitch Vindman now with old Joe on the phone and evidently someone did note that Biden cursed at Zelensky when Zelensky persisted in asking for more and better weapons systems and their munitions. Probably good Vindman was not there because he’d likely have fainted.
steveg (237b84) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:23 pmI’m a big fan of the Manhattan Project and have read a lot of books on the subject, but I’m not sure I can sit for three hours. Good air conditioning will help.
Mark (ed4856) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:45 pmRe the cluster munitions….
Joe (78bd5e) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:51 pmIsn’t a bigger issue that we are running out of generic 155mm shells?
@10
Yes and no.
We are depleting our stock storage, but not so much that we’re in immediate danger.
Ammunition isn’t hard to manufacture, and when push come to shove, we can quickly pump these out if war breaks out.
The cluster munition controversy really should be when adversary uses them to enemies outside of their recognized territories –cough–Russia-cough. Ukraine is requesting the cluster weapon system to be used in their own country to ward off invaders. They’re willing to accept future issues for a weapon system to help push the invaders back.
whembly (5f7596) — 7/14/2023 @ 2:00 pm9. Joe (78bd5e) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:51 pm
yes it is.
You wind up having whatever it is that for some reason you don’t use.
The Biden Administration seemed to claim that in three months they’d be able to supply the generic 155mm shells again but I suspect that is optimistic.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/14/2023 @ 2:12 pm4. Biden’s proposing using another law that would forgive even more debt (the authority to arrange for income based repayments.) Congress enacted it long ago but for a long time it was a broken and empty promise. (they cared about the deficit back then and thought they could fool people)
https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-provide-804000-borrowers-39-billion-automatic-loan-forgiveness-result-fixes-income-driven-repayment-plans (He didn;t do this before because he had is own calibrate plan)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/14/2023 @ 2:19 pmIt is surorising to me – not that Russia has the character to do it but that they’d go ahead.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/14/2023 @ 2:44 pmGaetz has inhaled too much of his hairdo spray. Eh.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/14/2023 @ 3:03 pmThe US will need to do some replenishing of its stocks, which we can handle.
I never thought there would be a crossover audience for the just-released Oppenheimer (running at 3 hours) and Barbie (running at almost 2 hours) movies:
Oh Dana, it’s elementary: Nerds who are dying to see Oppenheimer also want to check out Margot Robbie on the big screen. Nothing surprising about that.
JVW (daf72c) — 7/14/2023 @ 3:24 pmAsa Hutchinson bursts into flames. Say goodbye to that dumpster fire.
NJRob (f31f3e) — 7/14/2023 @ 3:25 pmBecause of that drug isn’t Hunter’s or other family members, does that mean that it’s some Whitehouse staffer’s coco?
I feel the exact same way, whembly.
JVW (daf72c) — 7/14/2023 @ 3:26 pmOr donor’s, or lobbyist’s, or AOC’s, or Kevin McCarthy’s.
nk (225daa) — 7/14/2023 @ 3:41 pmMTG, Gaetz: Putin is a white supremest, so is are fuhrer trump so whats the big deal?
asset (a57085) — 7/14/2023 @ 4:10 pmsteveg (237b84) — 7/14/2023 @ 1:23 pm
I’m glad Vindman snitched on Trump’s attempt to shake down Ukraine.
norcal (e5b4c8) — 7/14/2023 @ 4:19 pmAh, I never thought of it that way. Thanks for the insight!
Dana (560c99) — 7/14/2023 @ 4:25 pmTrump Campaign, Keeping It Classy:
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 5:19 pmReichman Is a retired 29-year Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, having last served in Iraq.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 5:26 pmIt’s funny, Rob being pleased about Hutchinson’s poor turnout. I take it as yet another sign that the GOP deserves to blow up and die.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/14/2023 @ 5:38 pm> Because of that drug isn’t Hunter’s or other family members, does that mean that it’s some Whitehouse staffer’s coco?
Could be a random visitor, too.
aphrael (4c4719) — 7/14/2023 @ 6:02 pmWhite House staff are routinely tested for drugs. We talked about it a while back about one guy who left because he tested positive for marijuana.
nk (938025) — 7/14/2023 @ 6:17 pmHold on. The final result is somewhat reassuring, but 89 House Republicans (41%) voted for MTG’s amendment curtailing Ukraine aid, and 70 (32%) voted for Gaetz’s, which, according to The Hill, would have prohibited all security assistance for Ukraine. Meanwhile, every Democrat, including AOC and Ilhan Omar, voted against the amendments. I have to wonder if that article is missing something. I mean I realize Trump has dragged the GOP into the gutter, but is it really possible that 30-40% of Republicans are more Putinist than the Squad? What happened to my horseshoe?
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/14/2023 @ 6:23 pmYou’re using the wrong horseshoe. Pick up the one labeled “safe districts”. All these people you mentioned, as long as they remember what to kiss, they get to keep their phony-baloney jobs.
nk (938025) — 7/14/2023 @ 7:19 pmMatt Gaetz: Russia Would A Better Fit For NATO Than Ukraine:
One problem with Gaetz’s suggestion is that Russia’s authoritarianism has much more in common with China than western democracies. Why would Russia want to join an “anti-China alliance”?
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 7:31 pmWell yeah, but that doesn’t explain why, other than Trump, Putin has become the thing to kiss for the far right even more than he is for the far left. It wasn’t that long ago that I was mocking my left-wing friends for the striking similarity between their beloved Pacifica Radio and Russia Today. Now Russia Today is parroted more often by the likes of MTG and Goetz, and I don’t think it’s Russia Today that changed. How did that happen? How do MTG and Matt Goetz keep their RW paymasters happy by parroting the equivalent of far-left Pacifica?
(Cue asset explaining that it’s somehow about populists rebelling against abortion bans and the DNC for picking on Bernie-bros.)
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/14/2023 @ 7:53 pmGavin should let the school board do it’s job, even if he doesn’t like it. This is just straight up unnecessary stunting and is a lousy precedent to set.
I’m not surprised that there are people who both have barbie nostalgia and an interested in history.
@lurker@31 Because the answer is Trump, there is no “other than Trump”. What Trump wants is the only thing that matters to them and Trump likes Putin.
Nic (896fdf) — 7/14/2023 @ 8:11 pm1. Vindman is a snitch. Almost no one likes a snitch unless it is one of those “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” moments. Oh. I forgot. Vindman is a whistleblower. Totally different
2. What did Ukrainian-American Vindman get so worked up about? Ukraine. Vindman bypassed his own chain of command because it was Ukraine being leveraged, not because the behavior was exceptionally egregious. Doesn’t make what Trump did right, but Vindman was looking out for Ukraine, not the USA.
steveg (ff3c9e) — 7/14/2023 @ 9:02 pmAgree.
Dana (560c99) — 7/14/2023 @ 9:56 pm@31 putin is white supremist and is doing to ukraine what hitler did to countries. This appeals to mtg, tucker and gaetz. Communists opposed lend lease to great britian until the day after hitler attacked russia. Their are pacifists on the left who oppose lethal aid to ukraine ;but most leftys like me and the squad know an evil bully when they see one.
asset (8c4f7b) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:50 amIn addition to the small percentage of the population who are massive cinephiles, I reckon most of the Barbie/Oppenheimer crossover crowd are couples with varying tastes who agree to a trade-off.
LYT (dc61ee) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:27 amVindman bypassed his own chain of command
Oh, izzat so?
Source: American Military News, “Gen. John Kelly: Vindman ‘did exactly what we teach;’ was right to testify in Trump impeachment” Feb 13, 2020 [1] Archived February 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
nk (938025) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:57 amHopefully they didnt see both movies “Evergreen Park or River Oaks” style. I guess Fox Hills or Magic Johnson theatres would be the LA equivalent.
urbanleftbehind (6f3fda) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:27 amHere’s the short version why Russia is a sheethole country.
Jonah has a longer version, covering the expanse of this sheethole country’s history.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:59 amFrom the previous thread:
“May” is the operative word. Indictments of Trump are good for solidifying his base and gaining support among others who feel he is being persecuted (as well as fundraising. Only convictions will change anyone’s mind, and those will be along time in coming.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 7:02 amThe only difference between Lt. Col. Vindman and everyone else involved with Trump’s “perfect call” is that Vindman has a conscience.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 7:24 amTrump’s Support Among Republican County Chairs Continues To Grow :
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 7:42 amIt is more properly phrased as a “selective conscience”… that is if moles even have a conscience. I’ll be willing to listen if you can quote Vindman having an attack of sudden conscience about something other than Ukraine. I’m being intentionally provocative using Vindman because none of us really knows much about him, but we have put our own biases onto him because we are either defending Trump or prosecuting him via this guy we really do not know
steveg (21709e) — 7/15/2023 @ 8:47 amThe GOP electorate remains broken and less than rational. It is in its interest to move on from Trump….who will break records for turnout in 2024…unfortunately it’s for the Democrats. However despite two impeachments, two indictments with more possible, a guilty verdict with regards to defamation over sexual assault, 3 consecutive poor electoral performances by the GOP, continued bloviating nonsense about the 2020 election, and remarkable non-repentance about his J6 sociopathic inaction, there’s been little movement….except curiously for DeSantis precipitiously dropping.
One would hope that the Trumpless debates, a Georgia indictment, and possibly a J6 indictment would matter….from a pragmatic point of view. More and more people would simply drop from cognitive dissonance exhaustion…and want a fresh start.
Like J6…the GOP has a mob mentality. Otherwise normal people are caught up in the equivalent of burning cars and breaking shop windows. They know its wrong, but can’t stop themselves from acting out. There’s a special place in hell for those that have enabled this madness…and profited off of enflaming the mob.
So…if in the end, nothing moves any of the 50% off of Trump….and inevitability emerges, the question becomes will this be the end of Trumpism….or does it suggest that an even smarter propagandist…someone like Tucker Carlson….will slide in to continue the grift? We can agree that the problem is the GOP electorate, but probably more so the right-wing incubator that is keeping otherwise good people stupid. Only having Trump lose might be a Pyrrhic Victory. People will have to want to take their pants off their heads…..
AJ_Liberty (4092d5) — 7/15/2023 @ 8:47 amI really don’t get that. He served a career in the military and wasn’t a public figure until he was made one by being trashed by the Trumpist Right as a “traitor”, which is a load of crap.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/15/2023 @ 9:11 amTo me, this speaks more to the shiddy character of Trump and his devotees than the guy who saw a blatant breach of the law and reported it.
I don’t understand why one slimy con man is put above the Constitution and the rule of law.
Assuming that the anti-Ukraine Russophiles are actually devoted to western democracy and opposed to authoritarianism.
On the far right, Putin’s regime is imagined to be a project of defending Christianity and tradition and national sovereignty from all the bad things being done by western (liberal) democracies.
In that mental framework, the cause of Russia’s attack on Ukraine goes back to 2014, when the U.S. allegedly forced the pro-Kremlin Yanukovych out of office — and then somehow compelled Ukrainians subsequently to favor a Western orientation, and somehow this was so threatening to Russia that Putin had to force Ukraine back into its orbit, or else “Russian civilization” would be destroyed by the globalist “liberal imperium.”
And now, the story goes, America is cynically using Ukrainians to attack Russia (though entirely inside Ukraine). It couldn’t be that Ukrainians are actually choosing not to be subjugated by Russia.
It’s a ludicrous tale, but Putin apologists in the U.S. (some of whom label themselves “America First”) would rather pin fault on America than admit that Russia is engaging in a violent campaign of imperial expansion — even though it’s sometimes openly acknowledged by Kremlin mouthpieces.
Radegunda (5c6483) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:02 amI’m not sure what your point is anyway, rehashing something that happened over two years ago. Trump beat the impeachment rap, and all the principals have left government.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:02 amThe extent to which so much of the GOP redefined patriotism and righteousness around the desires and ego of Donald Trump never ceases to astonish me.
Radegunda (5c6483) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:04 amI agree, I think Gaetz (and others) have a moral blind spot and and are just more comfortable with Russian authoritarianism.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:06 amVindman was the Director for European Affairs for the National Security Council. Ukraine was within his purview. Maybe they should have put him in the Asian desk and Wong Kim (fictional) in the European desk?
nk (8c4866) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:17 amnk (8c4866) — 7/15/2023 @ 10:17 am
Too funny, nk. I actually lived in a house with a guy named Wong Hak-Kim during my college days.
(Extra points for putting the surname–Wong–first, as is done in Chinese. “Mao” was Mao Tse-tung’s family name.)
norcal (e5b4c8) — 7/15/2023 @ 11:47 amSecond Item:
The comparison is faulty. The more apt comparison is that someone across town (you’ve never met) had their house broken into. Are you still loading up the shotgun shells and firing away?
You’re intentionally conflating an attack on us vs. an attack on someone who’s barely an ally.
SaveFarris (614a29) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:06 pmIt was Vindman’s job to handle Ukraine and the region for the NSC:
DRJ (531157) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:27 pmThe US has interests in the region, especially an interest in a weak Russia, and describing Ukraine as “barely an ally” is sad. Ukraine is an Americsn ally. Russia is not. Picking sides here is easy for everyone but Trump.
DRJ (531157) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:31 pmLink: https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/#:~:text=Ukraine%20participates%20in%20multiple%20bilateral,Sea%20Breeze%2C%20and%20Cossack%20Mace.
DRJ (531157) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:32 pmVindman’s job was to protect American interests, not Trump’s re-election plot.
DRJ (531157) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:44 pmVindman’s job was to protect American interests, not Trump’s re-election plot.
DRJ (531157) — 7/15/2023 @ 12:44 pm
If Trump were such a “winner”, he wouldn’t have any need to extort Ukraine.
norcal (e5b4c8) — 7/15/2023 @ 1:02 pmAsa Hutchinson has a good claim to be the most qualified presidential candidate running, of either party:
That his record isn’t better known is the fault of our news organizations, and, of course, the Loser, who craves, and gets so much attention.
Jim Miller (3b785f) — 7/15/2023 @ 1:19 pmMiller, no question, Hutchinson has the best resume. He also talks like an adult that has had to actually get things done. The party elders should be pushing for him…meaning they should be on the shows talking him up. However, we really don’t have party elders any more and the news media prefers a different dynamic. Experience and knowledge should matter. Being able to attract moderates and independents ought to matter. The fact that he’s polling behind Ramaswamy is a GOP embarrassment.
AJ_Liberty (4092d5) — 7/15/2023 @ 1:36 pmA_J – And I would just add that Hutchinson’s experience in drug enforcement, and border control, are much needed, now.
It would be great if we could look at Republican nominees without blushing at some of those losers on our ballots.
Jim Miller (3b785f) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:04 pmNot A Surprise:
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:32 pm@45 It is in your interest that they move on from trump not theirs. You and most posters here and them don’t make we. Keri lake told rinos to get out of the party and still barely lost.
asset (c580e1) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:33 pm@49 You don’t understand because you are NOT ignorant southern white trash populist. I am NON-ignorant southern white trash populist and native american. That is is why I do understand them.
asset (c580e1) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:37 pmThe drawbacks to Hutchinson’s candidacy (which I would support if it made sense) is that he comes from a small Southern state and his politics are out of sync with current Republican voters.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:42 pm@61 Hillary clinton was the most qualified in 2016 so what? I voted green party ;but would have voted for trump before I would vote for her. BTW according to 538 young people are staying left/liberal longer then older generations.
asset (c580e1) — 7/15/2023 @ 2:42 pmTrump Civil Litigation Watch
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:13 pmTrump Reacts:
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:18 pmAt what point will we become willing to go to war with Putin’s Russia. There must be one. Extermination camps? Carpet bombing of cities? Use of nukes?
Putin is pretty much running through Hitler’s playbook and may be running extermination camps now. He certainly plans them for the Ukranians if he wins. Clearly he has no respect for the Geneva Conventions and his troops and he are not deserving Quarter.
Cluster bombs are too good for them.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:45 pmAs for “what are the limits to what we will provide Ukraine”, what do you suppose would be the limitations if NATO got involved? Those. No nukes, but anything else goes.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:47 pmI always thought that a plaintiff was entitled to only one satisfaction and bound by their election of remedies. Why wasn’t this case mooted when the jury was sworn-in in the other one?
nk (8c4866) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:48 pmHis office also unveiled that the governor plans to sign legislation that would prohibit the restriction of teaching materials for political reasons
A week-long session on the racist history of the Democrat Party would be a solid response.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:50 pmThe case that was decided was for statements made by Trump after he left office. The second lawsuit is for statements by Trump while he was President.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 3:58 pmMeanwhile, RFK, Jr. is showing why he is unfit to be elected dog catcher:
Good work by the New York Post — or, whoever gave them that story.
Jim Miller (9f860e) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:09 pmHowever despite two impeachments, two indictments with more possible
More impeachments are also possible. All it would take in the House is a handful of Republicans. They could impeach him for the classified documents scandal. Why wait for the courts? All you need to wait for is 15 GOP Senators to have had enough. There are probably 10 now. Keep it up, Don.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:14 pmThe case that was decided was for statements made by Trump after he left office. The second lawsuit is for statements by Trump while he was President.
Thank you. And that also answers how he let the statute of limitations expire on his own counterclaim for defamation against the author and publishers.
nk (8c4866) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:14 pmTrump’s GOP rivals struggling as they try hodgepodge of attacks on him
Mice waiting for someone else to bell the cat.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:15 pmLOL! Comedy gold! 😂
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:19 pmName them.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:22 pm@71 This is scary kevin. I completely agree with you!
asset (ca74b8) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:31 pmUsually the cat eats mice that get that close.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:34 pmRFK, Jr.’s entire campaign is to mainstream his conspiracy theories.
Which why he would be the ideal VP for Donald Trump.
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 4:49 pmPut Up or Shut Up:
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:14 pmThat his record isn’t better known is the fault of our news organizations
Their job is to report news, not be a governor’s press agents. It was up to him to get his name and accomplishments out there and/or cultivate the network that is able to promote him. Neither Tim Scott nor Nikki Haley spent time tickeing over hornet’s nests like DeSantis and his role model did. YEt they got their names out there anyway.
Boo hoo hoo. Besides, being boss of the Drug War isn’t a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:42 pmAnd I would just add that Hutchinson’s experience in drug enforcement
I’m sure that Westmoreland thought his experience should count for more, too. But
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:45 pmlosingfailing to win a war is not the best resume.The drawbacks to Hutchinson’s candidacy (which I would support if it made sense) is that he comes from a small Southern state and his politics are out of sync with current Republican voters.
South Carolina isn’t that much bigger. Of course being pro-neutering is a problem.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:47 pm*
tickeingkicking
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:54 pmBreaking NBC Desatan firing dozens of staffers in cost cutting move. Seems Lincoln was right you can only fool some of the people all of the time. The more people get to know desatan the less they like him. Donors getting nervous of trump if desatan loses.
asset (ca74b8) — 7/15/2023 @ 6:10 pmBesides, being boss of the Drug War isn’t a sure-fire crowd pleaser.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/15/2023 @ 5:42 pm
Thanks for pre-emptively stepping on my intended point. 🙃
norcal (e5b4c8) — 7/15/2023 @ 6:26 pmRIP pianist Andre Watts (77).
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/15/2023 @ 9:14 pmWhich explains why the two SC candidates are performing hardly any better.
Rip Murdock (80f632) — 7/15/2023 @ 9:18 pmIn more news from inside the GOP’s Putinist rabbit hole, Jim Jordan has invited RFK Jr to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. I trust Trump’s base will be bigly reassured by RFK’s kitchen table solutions to Chinese and Jews.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/15/2023 @ 9:18 pmIf somebody better doesn’t step in to take on the pubescent hair sniffer (fox news had the latest disgusting biden) I will vote RFK as a protest vote against sniffer joe in democrat primary if they hod one.
asset (53bbe3) — 7/16/2023 @ 12:02 amhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12303157/Parents-protest-end-advanced-math-classes-Cambridge-middle-schools.html
The dumbing down of American society one leftist policy at a time.
NJRob (a588ef) — 7/16/2023 @ 8:02 amRIP ‘60s icon actress and singer Jane Birkin OBE (76).
Rip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/16/2023 @ 8:20 amMoney, Money.Money
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 8:50 amFinally……..
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 10:06 amMore:
More:
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:37 amMore from Chris Wallace:
Rip Murdock (80f632) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:54 amlurker (cd7cd4) — 7/15/2023 @ 9:18 pm
RFK Jr seems to be slightly backtracking, in in that he “clarifies” that the supposed comparative relative immunity of Chinese, Jews and Finns was unintentional. Which makes him liar who changes his lies or someone carrying water for somebody else. It is hard to believe he could so fully believe his junk science.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jr-covid-19-ethnically-targeted-to-spare-jews-and-chinese
Now the only half truth maybe about that is that Chinese (in China) and Jews (in general, because of skiing vacations in northern Italy, somewhat popular in New York because of its large Italian population and popular in Israel, too) were among those populations first hit by Covid-19 (Chinese in China by an earlier variant of the virus) so at a certain point in time they had more immunity (naturally acquired) than average.
And of course the vaccine promotion completely ignored or discounted immunity acquired from infections.
Also the earliest people infected during an outbreak had milder cases because they got exposed to a lower viral dose than those exposed later as an outbreak intensified..
This business of it being possible to design a virus to affect some ethnic groups more is Russian or Chinese propaganda, Otherwise he would have noted the apparent comparative immunity of Africans in East Africa, who regularly took anti-malaria medication.
Sammy Finkelman (41dc2e) — 7/16/2023 @ 1:20 pmAlthough I never heard of it, I am assuming that there is some basis for RFK’;s claim – and that this would have been noticed in the fall of 2020 because it would make sense around then.
You may ask why weren’t Italian-Americans noticeably infected when it started? It would have been Orthodox and semi-Orthodox Jews because you have weddings and other gatherings that made short connections between
otherwise not closely associated people.
The connection to skiing vacations in Italy is because there were direct flights between Wuhan and Milan because Milan was a center for the design of wedding dresses. Businessmen and workers traveled between Wuhan and Milan, The ski slopes are not that far away.
I also read that when the central governnment of China quarantined Wuhan in January 2020. at first they made an exceotion for airplane travel.
Sammy Finkelman (41dc2e) — 7/16/2023 @ 1:55 pmDeSantis’s campaign overspending reminds me of John McCain in 2007.
But McCAin had something going for him.
Sammy Finkelman (41dc2e) — 7/16/2023 @ 1:56 pmRip Murdock (eaf997) — 7/14/2023 @ 7:31 pm
Race or religion. (White Christian civilization. Of course Putin makes himself aa big defender of old fashioned cultural values)
Putin was promoting this with regard to Islamicism. He still has links to old Com,umists though (Nicaragua, Cuba)
Sammy Finkelman (41dc2e) — 7/16/2023 @ 2:03 pmPutin is not a white supremacist, but it’s one of his angles. He supports it, particularly in Europe.
Sammy Finkelman (41dc2e) — 7/16/2023 @ 2:07 pmRip Murdock (80f632) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:54 am
Dear Ronna: You thing that was tough? Wait until you nominate a traitor. Wait until you have to explain to Republicans why Trump only got 23% of the vote.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 3:04 pmOf course the RNC Chair has nothing to do with who is the Republican nominee. That is left up to Republican primary voters.
Rip Murdock (9b407a) — 7/16/2023 @ 4:11 pmWhy would McDaniel need to explain anything to Republicans? I’m sure they could figure it out for themselves.
Rip Murdock (9b407a) — 7/16/2023 @ 4:25 pmThe explanation is “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
Rip Murdock (9b407a) — 7/16/2023 @ 4:26 pmhttps://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/07/at-wapo-an-epic-blunder.php
Left wing liar Jenn Rubin pulled a Jayson Blair and used false information to create a story out of nothing. Anyone who likes to cite her and her stores has to be taken at face value. They enjoy the serial fabulist as long as it supports their agenda.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/16/2023 @ 4:45 pmAny Republican going on CNN is a fool. They clip anything to make a Republican look bad.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/16/2023 @ 4:46 pmThat is left up to Republican primary voters.
Only because the bylaws say so. I bet those can change pretty quickly if needed (and if anyone has the will). They can add 1000 special delegates if they want to.
Question: If Trump is convicted of multiple serious felonies in April and is facing a recommended 20 years in prison, but has the nomination locked up, is the RNC really going to wring its hands when the earlier voters complain?
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:01 pmThe explanation is “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
The response is “why do we pay you?”
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:01 pmAny Republican supporting Trump is a fool.
FIFY.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:02 pmNJRob:
Who cites Jenn Rubin?
Appalled (aa7e46) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:18 pmIf the RNC changed their by-laws to add delegates to thwart the will of Republican primary voters, they will have a much bigger electoral problem than Trump being nominated. There will be a Republican civil war.
I don’t see the RNC interfering in the nomination process. It’s stacked with Trump supporters, including the Chair. The voters will have spoken.
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:23 pmThis has as much chance as your impeachment prediction.
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:32 pmWill Nato step up if Putin goes here? Will the US?
I have a good idea what Trump will say.
DRJ (531157) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:45 pmIs the corrider why Wagner and his troops were sent to Belarus?
DRJ (531157) — 7/16/2023 @ 5:51 pmAnother Shoe Dropping:
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 6:18 pm@99 Desatan running out of money laying off dozens of staffers. Grifters burning thru desatan’s gov. war chest and donors not liking voters reaction to desatan in Iowa and new hampshire. @116 fools vote counts the same.
asset (843b7d) — 7/16/2023 @ 6:30 pmthey will have a much bigger electoral problem than Trump being nominated. There will be a Republican civil war.
If they did it because some voters in previous primaries were upset that they had voted for a felon, they would have every reason. This is a unique situation, and the RNC is digging a hole that will be hard to get out of. And they keep digging it.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 7:33 pmThis has as much chance as your impeachment prediction.
Well, when Trump loses 75-25 and the GOP has 32 Senate seats, there will be more than a civil war after.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 7:35 pmWill Nato step up if Putin goes here? Will the US?
I’m having trouble finding a “corridor between Lithuania and Poland.” I see a gap between Russia and Kaliningrad, but that “corridor” appears to be actually inside Poland. Invading that will start a bigger ear.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 7:41 pmOr, new rule: “No candidate many have more than 15 felony charges pending.”
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 7:42 pmI’m sure that voters who cast their ballots for Trump prior to any indictment or conviction know the risk of doing so, so they only have themselves to blame.
The RNC cannot determine whether a candidate can’t be a felon or not; candidate qualifications are governed by the Constitution. Nor can the parties regulate who runs as a Republican or Democrat-otherwise there r wouldn’t be 277 Republicans or 152 Democrats filed with the FEC.
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/16/2023 @ 8:24 pmGood news for the Ukrainian freedom fighters: At least one of the spans on Kerch bridge are knocked down (thread here), presumably by missile(s).
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/16/2023 @ 9:30 pm@125 vote early and “often” for curly. People have been elected from jail cells let alone felony convictions. Utah 2 idaho 4 south dakota 6 north dakota 8 Iowa 10 kansas 12 oklahoma 14 texas 16 missouri 18 indiana 20 kentucky 22 tennessee 24 louisiana 26 missippi 28 alabama 30 floriduh 32 south carolina 34 north carolina 36 montana 37 wisconsin 38 (just elected 2022) west virgina 39 (soon to be 40) alaska 41 (plus murkoski) Ohio 42 wyo 44 neb. 46 How would you get only 32 from these states? 25%? latest polls have trump nearly even with biden despite prosecutions. Trump only lost presidency by 43,000 votes in az, ga. and wi. despite losing popular vote by 7,000,000+ votes.
asset (e49d33) — 7/16/2023 @ 9:38 pmKevin:
Opinion article on the Suwalki Gap/Corridor, which is what they call the border between Poland and Lithuania. The article was written over a year ago, so the author is not only qualified but seems prescient.
DRJ (531157) — 7/16/2023 @ 9:40 pmNor can the parties regulate who runs as a Republican or Democrat
As long as they are not discriminating on the basis of race, they can. Primary elections are party functions in many states. They don’t have strict rules most places, but they could.
Florida, for example: Florida GOP will require DeSantis, Trump to sign loyalty pledge to make primary ballot
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:32 pmDRJ:
My point is that it is POLAND, not some DMZ. THe author of the article you linked says:
He goes on to say that Putin might not care, but NATO acquiescing to occupation of NATO land would be the end of NATO. The likely reaction to Russian tanks trying to seize a portion of Poland would be devastating to those Russian tanks. Flat land with no where to hide results in a shooting gallery for aircraft.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:39 pmIt strikes me as ironic that the Supreme Court is being attacked on ethics grounds by America’s only distinctly criminal class — Congress.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 11:44 pmWe’ll see if that is enforceable.
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:01 amNational and local political parties (or state election laws) can’t add qualifications to be candidate, such as barring those who are under investigation, indictment, or conviction. Qualifications are fixed in the Constitution.
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:07 amNational and local political parties (or state election laws) can’t add qualifications to be candidate,
Metric and imperial wrench sockets (or deep fried camel tongue) do not belong in a Waldorf salad.
Political parties (as opposed to state election laws) are pure First Amendment organizations, and they can choose to support only one-legged, red-headed, Tibetan dwarfs who sign a pledge to make campaign speeches only in Swedish and wear their underwear on the outside while on the campaign trail.
And the principles governing such pledges are as different from ballot laws as socket wrenches are from camel meat. Maybe more.
nk (1fb7cb) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:52 amCan the RNC prevent someone from filing as a Republican with the FEC?
Rip Murdock (4b3754) — 7/17/2023 @ 7:03 amI would guess not, but the FEC is only tangentially incidental to who is on the ballot in the election.
nk (1fb7cb) — 7/17/2023 @ 7:37 amThe power of the political parties is no where near what it was during the Gilded Age, or even as recently as 1968, when Hubert Humphrey was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate without running in one primary. This action lead to the current open primary system.
Source
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:31 amCandidate primaries cannot be pure creatures of the political parties, since their nominees appear on ballots during elections conducted by the state.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:36 amMore:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:51 amCandidate primaries cannot be pure creatures of the political parties, since their nominees appear on ballots during elections conducted by the state.
And the states are allowed to enact rules, under strict scrutiny, which are the least restrictive means necessary to an orderly election. Filing fees which a candidate cannot afford do not pass muster, for example.
nk (1fb7cb) — 7/17/2023 @ 9:02 amWould a state (or political party) be allowed to deny a presidential candidate a place on the ballot if he is indicted or convicted of a felony? I don’t see either happening.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 9:12 amThe state no except for treason or insurrection. The party probably yes.
nk (1fb7cb) — 7/17/2023 @ 9:22 amIf the RNC (or any state party) worked to deny Trump a place on their primary ballot, assuming he met the signature and/or fee requirements, there would be an insurrection of a sort against the Republican Party (especially if he hasn’t been convicted of anything).
Republican nomination process fantasy camp.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 9:58 amYeah, Trump has swallowed them whole and is digesting them slowly.
nk (219eba) — 7/17/2023 @ 10:52 amNational and local political parties (or state election laws) can’t add qualifications to be candidate, such as barring those who are under investigation, indictment, or conviction. Qualifications are fixed in the Constitution.
Did not say they could. But that’s qualifications for serving. States cannot add qualifications to serving, but parties can add qualifications for access to their primaries.
Southern states did it all the time under Jim Crow, on an explicitly racial basis, asserting that party primaries — paid for my the party — were strictly private operations. This kind of racial discrimination was struck down by federal courts, but not the idea that party primaries are not government functions.
Even today, you cannot get onto a LP primary ballot if you don’t forswear the “first use of force.” To this day, some state parties nominate some candidates by convention, where nearly any non-racial litmus test can be enforced.
Back in 1960, JFK’s electors were not on 2 state ballots, and Harry Byrd got 15 electoral votes (one from a disloyal Nixon elector, 14 from “unpledged” slates in MS and AL).
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 10:59 amCandidate primaries cannot be pure creatures of the political parties, since their nominees appear on ballots during elections conducted by the state.
There are no primaries for third parties in any number of states, and even where they are conducted by the state, the state has VERY limited control over what names may appear. California tried to force the GOP to allow Democrats to vote in its primaries and the courts slapped the state down hard. So they went to the current Top Two jungle primary which has different problems, but does NOT interfere with party labels on the ballot.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:04 amThis is what you call the Hugo Chavez Method For Maximizing Executive Power, and let’s not forget that Trump openly stated that he wanted to “terminate” the Constitution (because he lost), who tried to get his VP to flout the 12th Amendment, and who seeks to flout the 14th Amendment in his 2nd term.
I use Chavez as an example because the former strongman used the levers of his available powers to amass more power unto himself, successfully so, such as converting the legislature from bicameral to unicameral, nationalizing numerous companies and industries, and adding supreme court seats and filling them with Chavista hacks.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:07 amUnfortunately for the Venezuelan people, their constitution is weak and easy to change, but it’s interesting that Trump is taking a page from a dead Bolivarian communist, and we saw how his country has fared in the aftermath.
Here’s how to cripple parties, at least in legislative elections: Elect multiple legislators from each district with each voters getting only ONE choice. This avoids “slate” issues, makes a gerrymander (racial or otherwise) largely ineffective, and makes it possible, even in single-party districts (e.g. Manhattan), for party factions to contend without party approval.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:09 amRe Suwalki Gap:
Isn’t it interesting that the Corridor is about the same distance as the Wagner coup? And now Wagner’s troops are in Belarus and will be the ones trying to take over the corrider.
DRJ (949533) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:10 amOne of Trump’s plans is useful: giving the president more control over executive agencies.
Many apolitical Civil Service positions are not actually apolitical and can alter presidential policy without fear of dismissal. Making those positions to be subject to the same tules as are higher-ranking ones would allow more presidential control over the bureaucracy.
The “Deep State” meme is overused, but there is a cadre of left-leaning officials embedded into policy-making, frustrating right-leaning policy, while being protected under Civil Service. Changing that would be a good thing.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:21 amAnother reform, reducing executive power, would be for Congress to pass a law restoring the single-house legislative veto over executive regulations. This would be quickly enjoined (INS v Chadha, 1983) but I suspect that the current Court would see it differently than the Berger Court did.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:24 amIsn’t it interesting that the Corridor is about the same distance as the Wagner coup? And now Wagner’s troops are in Belarus and will be the ones trying to take over the corrider.
It’s also about the same distance as the road from Kuwait City back to Iraq, which in 1991 was quite littered with burning tanks.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:26 amNorth Dakota Initiative Begins to Circulate to Propose Age Limits for Service in Congress (Ballot Access News)
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:34 amFantastic piece of Russian propaganda
https://twitter.com/i/status/1680680110704189444
steveg (52caff) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:43 amIf you read through the current postings on Ballot Access News you will see that ballot-access is a cesspool of special pleadings and legislative and judicial bias.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:44 amGoodness, steve. That was a…uh…performance.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/17/2023 @ 12:00 pmI don’t know but my guess is the Russians can shoot down planes better than Iraq could. The Wagner Group shot down several including a command and control plane.
DRJ (531157) — 7/17/2023 @ 12:07 pmSeventy-eight years ago yesterday.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:17 pmI don’t know but my guess is the Russians can shoot down planes better than Iraq could
And we have better planes now, not to mention anti-radar missiles and counter-battery fire. Of course, we’d need air superiority.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:19 pmWhich has no bearing on federal candidate races.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:22 pmSeventy-eight years ago yesterday.
https://youtu.be/4gcoGYcHk5k
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:25 pmWhich has no bearing on federal candidate races.
No, but their attempt to control presidential primaries did. The Top Two system ignores presidential races for that reason, among others.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:27 pmFifty-Four years ago yesterday:
https://youtu.be/ygBxN5UiOaM
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:29 pmKevin M (2d6744) — 7/16/2023 @ 3:04 pm
That would be good if it could be achieved. That’s the percentage of the popular vote that Taft got in 1912.
But Taft wasn’t seen as the prime Republican.
Sammy Finkelman (bd4963) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:47 pmDelay, Delay, Delay:
Related:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:48 pmKevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:24 am
There is the constitution.
What you could do is pass a law that required regulations to be passed (or passed and amended) by Congress in order to be effective for longer than say a year after issuance,
Sammy Finkelman (bd4963) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:51 pmhttps://www.pollingreport.com/hibbitts1202.htm
So a major party candidate can get down to 25% nationally. (or about 26% when accounting for don’t knows or refusals after probing.)
Sammy Finkelman (bd4963) — 7/17/2023 @ 1:59 pmToo many here assume the trial will be in DC and conviction attainable. It will be in floriduh (trump country) How are you going to keep trumpsters off the jury.
asset (ec229e) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:10 pmRip Murdock, the top two system is used for all races except president, including federal offices like senator and congressman
aphrael (88e7bb) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:13 pmTrump could not delay the transfer of power. That is, delaying it would not extend his tern. The only effect of delaying past Jan 20 (and it is notable that Trump did not want Pence to delay it for so long) would be to make House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Acting president, per the 20th amendment and laws enacted in accordance with that.
Trump had his own plans for delay, which were on course. It would not be enough. What he wanted Pence to do would also not be enough even if it might reverse the default from acceptance to rejection.
The attack was planned well in advance and Trump had no idea it would happen because he wanted to address the crowd in person and had to be stopped by Mark Meadows.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:38 pmhttps://www.newser.com/story/337767/common-typo-is-sending-us-military-emails-to-mali.html
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:39 pm171. I don’t like it when people try to twist and stretch the law to make Trump guilty of violations of criminal law.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:44 pmI don’t think they are doing that, though I think charging Trump with insurrection-related offenses is a stretch. However, I think he will be charged (like many of the J6 insurrectionists) with conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official proceeding. It seems pretty clear that is where Jack Smith is heading.
Do you feel that the law has been “twisted and stretched” in the classified documents case?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:55 pmThanks for the correction. I’ve always been in favor of closed primaries.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:56 pmIf Anything This Will Make Judge Cannon Recuse (Or At Least Rule Against Trump:
Hint, hint.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:07 pmThere is the constitution.
What you could do is pass a law that required regulations to be passed (or passed and amended) by Congress in order to be effective for longer than say a year after issuance,
Nothing in the Constitution prevents a veto on the use of delegated legislative power. Justice White had this right. If anything, the delegation of that power is unconstitutional.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:16 pmCannon will rule against Trump now on things like the time of day. She may have a lifetime appointment, but ostracization is something she’d like to avoid.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:19 pmI expect appeals courts to swiftly dispose of Trump’s frivolity.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:21 pmToo many here assume the trial will be in DC and conviction attainable. It will be in floriduh (trump country) How are you going to keep trumpsters off the jury.
They convicted klansmen in Mississippi in 1965
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:23 pm@171: But but but isn’t this “fantasy” Rip?
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:26 pmI don’t like it when people try to twist and stretch the law to make Trump guilty of violations of criminal law.
What twisting? Despite what you secretly know of Trump’s metal processes on J6, everything they say is true.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:30 pmthis is a charge DOJ will use only with extreme caution. We believe there is sufficient evidence to pursue it
This does not seem like a willingness to back off. The disqualification provision is mighty tempting, as most people here would attest.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:33 pmMore like a sure thing, but I think #1 and #2 are more likely than #3.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:48 pmTrump’s attempt to shut down Fulton County’s investigation into his electoral fraud crimes was unanimously rejected by the all-Republican Georgia Supreme Court. Criminal indictment to follow.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/17/2023 @ 3:51 pm@188: See 182.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:09 pmIt seems that Amazon is experimenting with AI customer service. It’s like talking to a dull 3-year-old. Please give me Bill from Bangalore instead.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:11 pmWhat the Just Security authors believe and what Jack Smith believes are two different things. Politics may govern the decision-charging Trump with insurrection-related offenses would be like waving a red cape at the bull. There would be a huge “rally around Trump” effect, good for another 10 points in the polls and $10M in fundraising.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:12 pmIf Trump were convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 2383 beforehand, would the GOP be so ornery to nominate him anyway, even though few states would allow his name on the ballot?
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:13 pmIf Trump were charged under 18 U.S.C. § 2383, would he get bail? It’s the kind of thing that people flee the country over.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:14 pmFirst, I agree with Rip about what Trump is likely to be charged under and what he isn’t, and that § 2383 is the latter. But if he is charged, of course he’ll get bail. In fact, I expect he’d be released on a non-cash bond, as he was in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:34 pmAssuming he won the most delegates, I don’t see why not. His delegates would be true believers. As far as being prevented from appearing on state ballots, no doubt his campaign would sue any state that refused to place his name. His conviction would not be final until he runs out of appeals, and that could be years later.
You would thought Trump would have fled after the Espionage Act charges, but the only thing that is keeping him in this country is running for President, which is difficult to do from exile in Saudi Arabia. Trump was released on his own recognizance and didn’t have to surrender his passport after his court appearance, which I am sure is unheard of when someone mishandles and retains classified information to the same extent the Trump has. So no, I don’t think he will need to make bail, it will be another OR release. After all, he is a former President which requires deference.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:42 pm@178 AOC defeated crowley in closed primary and as the left takes over democrat party closed primaries will make it easier to gain control.
asset (624e30) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:42 pm@183 that case was an anomaly at the time as state jury found not guilty and feds had to play games with jury pool. Also feds used mafia hit man to interrogate witness with a razor blade to private parts among other interesting things happening in that case.
asset (624e30) — 7/17/2023 @ 4:51 pmMilestone:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 5:05 pmTrump’s attempt to shut down Fulton County’s investigation into his electoral fraud crimes was unanimously rejected by the all-Republican Georgia Supreme Court. Criminal indictment to follow.
A Kemp was Governor of Georgia while Georgia was still a Colony. You know, one of the thirteen. The only weight a Haggis von Hassenpfeffer carries down there is “down there”.
nk (219eba) — 7/17/2023 @ 5:52 pm“Maybe there is no upper limit to restaurant brothers. Maybe it’s infinite. Maybe we aren’t meant to know.”
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 6:01 pmI think Trump’s attempt to delay his Espionage Act trial will suffer the same fate.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 6:10 pmIf it is, tell us why it is.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 6:10 pm“Since late May, five surveys have tested potential nominees for the No Labels ticket or West’s Green Party candidacy.1 In each poll’s head-to-head matchup, Biden either held a small lead over Trump or the two were tied. But when pollsters added in West or a hypothetical No Labels candidate — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia or former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland — Trump gained a little ground and usually took the lead.”
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 7:01 pmYou would thought Trump would have fled after the Espionage Act charges, but the only thing that is keeping him in this country is running for President, which is difficult to do from exile in Saudi Arabia.
Photo response
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:34 pm@204: Try Paul Ryan/Manchin.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:35 pmBut really, if Joe Biden loses to Donald effing Trump with any centrist added, what does that say about Joe Biden? It would seem that the Democrats who are trying to control the contest need to look closer to home.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:37 pmI think Trump’s attempt to delay his Espionage Act trial will suffer the same fate.
Just last week you were saying it would be delayed forever because Trump. Rather than admit you were wrong, you just change sides.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/17/2023 @ 8:38 pmSure, I’ll get right on it.
We can argue counterfactuals all day, but presumably they tested Hogan and Manchin because those were the names most bandied about at the time. Including IIRC on these boards.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 10:59 pmIt says that when the Electoral College is 50-50, a shift, however small in any variable, can turn the election.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:01 pmNothing is stopping anyone from throwing their hat in the ring. I suspect the reason that no one has (spoilers like far-left Cornel West and far-far-left RFK Jr. excepted) is that for all of Biden’s flaws, and Harris’ more numerous and egregious ones, no serious Democrat believes they have a better shot at winning the nomination and the general.
Consider the possibility that maybe they’re not idiots.
One of the many things that sucks about the Democrats is that they’re an obnoxious coalition of identity groups, none of which they can afford to alienate. Most Democrats would prefer a hypothetical alternative to Biden-Harris, but when you plug in actual names, they all sacrifice something which, in a 50-50 electorate, the Dems need to win. Without going full AOC or Defund the Police, Biden-Harris have successfully pandered to pretty much all the factions. The Dem coalition will show up to vote for them in order to prevent Trump redux. Plug in a different ticket that doesn’t pass the minimum litmus test Biden does for Blacks, Blacks stay home and Democrats lose. College educated women sit out the election? Democrats lose. And so on. That’s why no one is rushing the gates to challenge them.
No Democrat is in love with Biden, much less Harris, but they’re willing to stay with them for the sake of the kids. It’s not my party, but if the alternative is Trump, and the calculation is correct, they’ll get my vote.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:43 pmTexas not russia in ukraine. The Houston chronicle reporting that texas gov. greg abbot’s storm troopers are pushing small childern and pregnant women some holding babies back into the rio grande river as they emerge from the river. In another incident a young girl was forced into barb wire fence trapping her in the barb wire fence and had to be rescued by reporter and aliens.
asset (584c10) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:53 pm@210 I have been saying the same for a long time. 43,000 votes in 3 states won biden the election. az 10,000 ga 13,000 wi 20,000.
asset (584c10) — 7/17/2023 @ 11:58 pmThere may be more to this story, but if the first lines are an accurate summary, it sounds an awful like theft:
Anyone know what they are worth? (Lots, I would guess, since they are “antiquities”.)
Jim Miller (f2956e) — 7/18/2023 @ 6:31 amBreaking:
Trump announces he has received a target letter from the DOJ relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Rip Murdock (3da92e) — 7/18/2023 @ 6:50 amJim, doesn’t Israel know anything about the Presidential Records Act?
Trump has told everyone that the materials he took to his beach & country club are all his. The PRA gives him every right!
Meantime, Trump is sent out a “truth” that the weak-named Jack Smith informed him that he’s a target in the J6 investigation. If history repeats, an indictment will soon follow. He could be under four criminal indictments by Labor Day.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/18/2023 @ 6:53 am#214 Correction: an “awful lot like theft”.
#216 I would not be surprised if the Loser believes that.
Jim Miller (f2956e) — 7/18/2023 @ 7:07 am215 & 216 Here is what Trump said:
Georgia’s indictment is likely to come down in the next few weeks as well.
Appalled (91c80e) — 7/18/2023 @ 7:31 amUh-no. His lawyers are attempting to delay the trial indefinitely, I don’t believe I ever said that (unless you can provide a link).
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/18/2023 @ 8:37 am…no serious Democrat believes they have a better shot at winning the nomination and the general.
Consider the possibility that maybe they’re not idiots.
Because an incumbent president is an 800-pound gorilla within the party. The problem isn’t the general election so much, but the difficulty of unseating the head of their party. Reagan and Teddy K were unable to that. Even Teddy R was unable to do that.
But Biden’s ONLY quality in the general election is that he’s not Donald Trump. If the Democrats are so hopeless that this is their best offering, they are as bankrupt as MAGA.
A contest between a party hack and a multiply-indicted philanderer who is facing Insurrection and Espionage Act charges should not be close. They should pick someone else.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/18/2023 @ 9:41 amtroopers are pushing small childern and pregnant women some holding babies back into the rio grande river as they emerge from the river.
1) Don’t try to cross the river then.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/18/2023 @ 9:43 am2) Human shields are bad.
How will Cannon handle Trump’s other legal obligations?
The locals can work around the federal trial. Bigfoot.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/18/2023 @ 9:46 amhttps://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/victoria-taft/2023/07/18/portland-has-an-apparent-serial-killer-his-accomplice-may-be-the-governor-who-freed-him-early-from-prison-n1711354
When leftists run the government evil men are allowed free rein to terrorize the public.
NJRob (fd22ff) — 7/18/2023 @ 10:35 am#224
NJ Rob’s story identifies a serial killer who was part of an early release program and maybe shouldn’t have been. It goes on for paragraphs about it. I figured this was some guy who had done manslaughter or major assault where the guy was locked up for life or a long term before the governor intervened. But here is the meat graph:
So, the governor let a serial killer out a year early. Nobody knew he was a serial killer. He was getting out anyway (in another year). Those facts do not make her an accomplice. This insinuation is hair on fire hysteria, at best.
Appalled (91c80e) — 7/18/2023 @ 11:23 amThe part of the story that is of interest is her gutting of the criminal justice system, in a state where the result of that mindset are clear. Sure, the star of the piece isn’t what they said, but the former governor’s high-handed actions, such as ending capital punishment by decree, deserve all the rebuke available.
Trump could win Oregon with this history.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/18/2023 @ 11:35 am#226 — This is what click bait stories do — go straight for hysteria in a way that makes one mistrustful of anything else in the story.
I could see Oregon suddenly going very law and order. The sort of things happening in Portland can suddenly turn people more conservative.
Appalled (91c80e) — 7/18/2023 @ 11:42 amAppalled,
you are the one that tried to dismiss the story before Kevin’s remarks made you walk them back a bit. Perhaps viewing the larger picture can help. There’s a reason leftists are letting criminals run amok and it isn’t for the benefit of the citizenry.
NJRob (fd22ff) — 7/18/2023 @ 12:09 pmNice job pointing out the rest of the story, Appalled.
norcal (e5b4c8) — 7/18/2023 @ 12:15 pm#228
NJRob:
OK, why do you believe leftists are letting criminals run amok? What’s the plan?
Let’s stipulate that Portland, Seattle, and San Fransisco have ruined much of their cities with their refusal to prosecute crimes.
Appalled (91c80e) — 7/18/2023 @ 1:15 pmBecause they elect them. That is their stated policy, “to tear down the racist institutions” that exist in America and incarcerate criminals disproportionately.
They want to collapse society and are succeeding. Try paying attention to their words and actions. Look at the people Soros got elected. Look at the radical leftists running states opening the prisons, but arresting those who dare defy the leftist agenda such as church goers during the covid panic, pro-life protesters at infanticidw clinics and those who express their first Amendment rofhts to refuse to use their talents for those that wish them harm.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/18/2023 @ 1:38 pm@222 Kevin do you really want this to be your answer?
asset (4ae4f2) — 7/18/2023 @ 2:17 pmAsset,
same staging as the Palestinian terrorists.
NJRob (883fe1) — 7/18/2023 @ 2:35 pmhttps://townhall.com/tipsheet/spencerbrown/2023/07/18/joe-biden-falls-apart-on-camera-during-meeting-with-israels-president-n2625890
Weekend at Biden’s. who is running the natiin?
NJRob (883fe1) — 7/18/2023 @ 2:42 pmSure, if you ignore (among other things, e.g., Ukraine) the Democratic electorate’s factional demographics which Biden navigated to victory in 2020. And frankly, even if his only redeeming quality was not being Trump, that’s a pretty damn good quality.
No. They’re not. That’s the falsest of false equivalences. Biden is a woke-pandering, doddering old fool. Trump is an arrogantly ignorant, malignantly narcissistic, pathologically lying, serial sexual abuser and declared enemy of democracy and the rule of law. I may not be thrilled with the former, but by no stretch of the imagination is it as bad as the latter. Accordingly, those who would choose the former are not remotely as bankrupt as the latter.
Finally we agree. The difference is that you blame the hack. I blame the GOP voters who show zero interest in quitting the multiply-indicted philanderer who is facing Insurrection and Espionage Act charges. At this point I doubt many Republicans would vote against Trump if the Democrats nominated Washington or Lincoln. Ronald Reagan? Lol. I doubt he’d get out of single digits. Every day, the “if I shot someone on Fifth Avenue” thing looks less and less fanciful.
lurker (cd7cd4) — 7/18/2023 @ 3:37 pm222. And Martin Luther King should not have tried to illegally cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge.
These laws were not handed down from Mount Sinai.
Of course I don’t know how true this claim is,
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 3:56 pmThey were toldto push them back into the water, Whether they actually did it, or if anyone drowned is another matter.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/border-trooper-migrants-wire-18205076.php
They also installed razor wire on the border where a property owner was against that.
But actually worse is how enforcement is outsourced to Mexico and even worse regimes.
All that any of that is doing is making a case against restrictive immigration laws. Do the ends justify the means?
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:07 pmNJRob (fd22ff) — 7/18/2023 @ 12:09 pm
Campaign contributions from drug dealers?Something.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:08 pmJuly 17 – In 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800.At 8:30 it wasn’t dark outside, So much for the missile witnesses the FBI collected.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:10 pmRip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/17/2023 @ 2:55 pm
Those are two quite different crimes.
The defraud claim is nonsense. The obstruction claim is untrue or tries to criminalize legal ploys.
It’s twisted all the time against a lot of people, but sometimes ignored when it comes to the mainstream press.
But they have him on obstruction and defying and evading a subpoena. It’sthe only real case far. The Presidential Records Act does not directly have any criminal law implications but it can get it if they issue a subpoena. Of course it looks a little like making a mountain out of a molehill. All that’s necessary is for Trump to admit he did wrong – if he would.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:23 pm214. I guess Trump claimed or his lawyers would that the clay lamps were abandoned property. Or maybe it’s just “prove it isn’t mine.”
The lamps werelentfor some event at the White House in 2019,. They wound up in the continued custody of the US government because of the coronavirus, but they never became Trump’s personal property.
If a gift to the United States he’d have to pay their market value.
They should not have been packed,.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:30 pmJuky 17 In Star Trek inepisode broadcast in 1968 they have a moon launch scheduledror next Wednesday and July 17 1969 was indeed aWednesday”That’s not the most ahead accurate prediction. In Star Trek Voyager 11:59 the writers ventured one prediction. Broadcast in the soring of 1999 and set in December 2000 one character mentions that nothing happened with Y2K -not a single lightbulb went out. I guess they weren’t sure it would be produced by Dec 1999.
Of course it was wrong (and incoherent) about a lot of other things.Therewas a biosphere before (it sounded like that is what it was supposed to be but somehow also a shopping mall (!) and it had no obvious connection to space travel)
By the way, last night Heries and icons we had the last show of season two of TNG from 1988-1989; the last show of season 3 of DSP (1995-8);and the last of Season 5of Voyager (1998-99)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:42 pmAvoiding the question. Do you think the law has been “twisted and stretched” as it has been applied to Donald Trump?
How so?
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:42 pmRe; Biden: The federal government runs quite a bit on autopilot.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:43 pmOf course there is nothing in the Presidential Records Act that allows a former President to decide to keep classified information after his presidency. Those documents are governed by whole different set of laws and regulations.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:46 pm@233 So pushing small children and pregnant women some holding babies back into the rio grande river is the same thing as armed palestinian terrorist. So how dangerous is a 4 year old child told to drink polluted rio grand water if they want a drink of water as they are pushed back into the river? What kind of terrorist acts will a 4 year old child be doing?
asset (48af37) — 7/18/2023 @ 4:46 pmTurnabout Is Fair Play:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/18/2023 @ 5:09 pmMichigan is charging the ppl involved who participated in the fake elector scam.
We punish ppl who vote illegally, this was far more serious and I’m glad they’re pursuing it.
https://apple.news/ATN6_D2XfTe2jR6cZdGGZ8w
Time123 (e7d218) — 7/18/2023 @ 6:04 pmStill waiting to find out what terrorist acts a 4 year old half drowned child is going to commit so he has to be shoved back into the rio grand river nj robb?
asset (1ebaec) — 7/18/2023 @ 6:36 pm@245
To be fair, he isn’t being charged for classified markings, he’s being charged with National Defense Information (NDI). I think both sides are using “classified markings” as a bit of a red herring.
If Smith can prove Trump had NDI inappropriately, I think he has a good case.
whembly (c88dc4) — 7/18/2023 @ 7:04 pmNot a bad joke from Zelensky
steveg (46ab85) — 7/18/2023 @ 7:22 pmhttps://twitter.com/i/status/1678558515181285377
Heh!
nk (bb1548) — 7/18/2023 @ 7:30 pmhttps://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2023/07/18/nolte-ny-times-reports-covid-deaths-overcounted-30-paragraph-17/
Guess it’s safe to admit they lied about how many people died from COVID. But why should we trust these numbers any more than their previous lies?
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/19/2023 @ 5:26 amGreat piece by Avik Roy on the differences between FreeCons and NatCons. Put me in the former.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/19/2023 @ 6:15 amInteresting piece from the Free Beacon that balances out some of the wringing of hands about Supreme Court ethics:
https://freebeacon.com/courts/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-mysterious-1-million-prize/
Appalled (c12816) — 7/19/2023 @ 7:09 amHere is a serious oops from the Russians:
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/19670
If I am Putin, I would not antagonize the Chinese.
Appalled (8322ea) — 7/20/2023 @ 7:52 amSo the 2nd whistleblower makes it clear tye Biden administration abused their power to interfere in a federal investigation that involved millions of dollars and an illegal fund from a foreign power.
Crickets anyone?
NJRob (90cb56) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:07 amWill we get to see more dirty pictures from MTG? Huh? Huh? Will we? Will we?
nk (4e04ed) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:17 amThank you, Marge, for showing us at what level the House Republicans are operating.
nk (4e04ed) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:28 amWe saw London,
We saw France,
We saw Comer’s underpants.
Nk,
Except perhaps for AOC, I am not interested in porn featuring politicians. But what ARE you referring to?
Appalled (c2013f) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:38 amJollies. Jollies for Trump partisans are all these “whistleblowers” are providing, and even MTG does not think it’s enough. Don’t expect normal people to take this Trumpdom Caucus sh!tshow seriously.
nk (bb1548) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:43 amBut what ARE you referring to?
This, Appalled: https://patterico.com/2023/07/18/trump-whines-luttig-shines/#comment-2722879
NSFW link in whembly’s comment 61, showing MTG, in the committee hearing, with poster-size photos of Hunter allegedyl having sex with a prostitute.
nk (bb1548) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:49 amOh. Ew.
I don’t get the fascination with naked Hunter Biden. Maybe Marge will tell us in her memoirs.
Appalled (52692e) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:59 amAnd having seen all this, isn’t it understandable why Joe Biden might not want the Arkansas stripper within 1,000 miles of the family, as innocent as the baby may be?
nk (bb1548) — 7/20/2023 @ 9:17 amTrump has agreed to return them.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/20/2023 @ 9:31 amMTG treated the “whistleblower” hearing with all the seriousness it deserved.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 7/20/2023 @ 9:34 amTrump has agreed to return them.
The FBI, the CIA, and the Secret Service are one thing, and Mossad quite another.
nk (2a02d9) — 7/20/2023 @ 9:36 amHere’s a sign that the FD-1023 is a load of tripe…
The problem was that Shokin wasn’t investigating Burisma or Zlochevsky or Hunter.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/20/2023 @ 10:52 amUnless or until there’s actual evidence of a money trail to Joe, I wouldn’t trust the word of a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch who served under the corrupt Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president who served under Putin.
That probably explains why the Feds were deceptive about having the unclassified form and then went about redacting the unclassified form before begrudgingly handing it over to Congress, Paul.
Good catch. Hopefully Grassley gets word of your discovery and the article you provided.
BuDuh (4ae305) — 7/20/2023 @ 10:57 amThank you, BuDuh, for your backdoor insult. It was expected.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:02 amI’ll continue to note you and Senator Grassley are following Trumpian suit, fat on allegation and anorexic on actual evidence.
Soo… there is no evidence that the FBI was less than forthcoming regarding that particular form, or there is evidence that they were less than forthcoming and you don’t care?
You seem unbothered by the main problem.
BuDuh (4ae305) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:06 amLet me try it like this: I will fully stipulate that the contents of the FD-1023 is nothing more than Steele Dossier level horse manure. In fact I will accept that it is 1000 times worse in provable factual content. Pure garbage. Ok? Deal?
Will you help me understand why the FBI behaved the way they did to a Senator and a Congressman?
BuDuh (4ae305) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:11 amI’m bothered that Grassley, Comer and the hard-right chorus keep making allegations without producing actual evidence that Joe received a $5 million payoff while president. The question is why you’re not bothered about that, instead choosing to repeat and relay their bullsh-t.
This is exactly how 180 degrees turned-around my party has become.
Back in the 1990s when Rush was actually a Reagan conservative, he chided liberals like Tom Foley when he noted that, “to Democrats, what’s more important to the Left is the seriousness of the allegation and not the weight of the evidence”. Seriously, y’all have become the very people Rush mocked.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, but if it does become established that Joe took that money, even if it’s a fraction of $5 million, I’ll support his impeachment. But you need to establish it.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:29 amUh-huh.
But what about the obfuscation by the FBI? All good in your book?
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:33 amAnd having seen all this, isn’t it understandable why Joe Biden might not want the Arkansas stripper within 1,000 miles of the family, as innocent as the baby may be?
Yes, she is from Arkansas, and yes, she was working as a stripper when Hunter Biden met her in 2017. She was also pursuing a Masters at George Washington University and had interned with the FBI.
Calling her “an Arkansas stripper” is untrue, as she never stripped in Arkansas. It’s also quite misogynistic, the kind of thing a Trump lawyer would say, as she could have been (far more accurately) been called a GWU grad student. At least until Hunter Biden destroyed her life.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:40 amAlso, given that Hunter Biden is allowed in, what bar does Joe use to keep undesirables out?
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:43 amMore shenanigans from the trustworthy FBI:
This deserves a pretty good non-sequitur response IMO. Maybe something about Jim Jordan and wrestling??
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:53 amhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wNd0gzGpLU0
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 11:54 amBuDuh asks us the read the FD-1023. Do so, if you have the time, because it is always good to see the source of where our politicians get their more outlandish sunding claims. The document is the read out of a converstion with an unidentified informant who was in conversation with some Burisma executives. This is the big reveal:
But how big a reveal is it?
So, we have a second-hand statement by an informant who notes that there’s a good chance these accusations are lies. Also, there is no good way for the FBI to lay their hands on the guys who made these claims.
So, it seems like reasonable judgment for the FBI to move on and disregard this. At least it does to me.
Appalled (03f53c) — 7/20/2023 @ 12:21 pmAppalled is incorrect again. What a track record…
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 2:01 pmDo you think their deceptive tactics with the legislative branch was the best way to “move on?”
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 2:03 pmWhat obfuscation? Republicans on the respective committees got access to a document that is basically hearsay.
This story isn’t actually news. The only new event is that the form was released to the public. The contents of the document were known months ago, and it still has the same fundamental flaw of not being evidence of a payoff to Joe.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/20/2023 @ 2:04 pmUh-Huh.
So the FBI didn’t first act like they didn’t have possession the meaningless unclassified document and they didn’t, second, redact portions of the meaningless unclassified document before handing it over to congress only to, third, get egg on their face when Grassley revealed that he had the unredacted version the whole time?
Since that didn’t happen, I apologize for asking you to do any research.
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 2:21 pmWashington’s 4th district congressman, Republican Dan Newhouse, is speaking out on the deadly toll of fentanyl, and even got a little attention from a Seattle TV station (KOMO 4).
It is good to see him doing the right thing, and getting some much-needed publicity for this horrific problem.
Jim Miller (7b1f74) — 7/20/2023 @ 3:07 pmHere’s the Wikipedia article on Congressman Newhouse.
It does not mention his efforts to get federal help for the Yakama tribe — which very much needs the help.
Jim Miller (7b1f74) — 7/20/2023 @ 3:12 pmSince I’m not obsessed about the issue, and since I’m not obligated to do your bidding, I’ll just say that you’re complaining about an FBI that is run by a Republican who was hand-picked by Trump, and the bottom line remains that there’s no evidence to back up these allegations, and I’ve already told you the kind of guy Zlochevsky is.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/20/2023 @ 3:55 pmBuDuh #282:
Read your #269.
BuDuh #283:
A government agency stonewalls congress. Next up, dog bites man. (If you research Grassley’s press releases, you’ll discover that the subpoena was too vague to land the document asked for)
Appalled (befb9a) — 7/20/2023 @ 5:10 pmAppalled, how about you read my #269 as well as the link at my #269?
That is a direct quote from Grassley’s office where they ask you to “Read the FD-1023.”
A little bit of effort and you would not have blown that one. Well… may not have blown that one.
I’m not sure I trust the rest of your comment.
BuDuh (b3eb83) — 7/20/2023 @ 5:39 pmBuDuh,
it never ceases to amaze that those who claim to be Republican spend an inordinate amount of time making excuses for this administration or just flat out lying to cover for them. It just says a lot though, doesn’t it?
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2023 @ 5:56 pm@291
That’s where I’m at.
I think the ‘Age of Trump™’ has in some way “broken” them.
Take Trump out of the equation, as if he was never President.
Would they be reacting the same way will all these news of alleged corruptions on the Bidens?
I doubt it.
whembly (5f7596) — 7/20/2023 @ 7:00 pmhttps://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2023/07/20/california-adds-three-states-to-its-travel-ban-list-n565927
More and more showing their Soviet side and how they don’t want people to see what freedom looks like.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2023 @ 7:17 pmWhembly,
For some yes. For some no. That’s why the term moby exists.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2023 @ 7:17 pmBuDuh #290
That was a most unpleasent reply and the challenge to my integrity is noted. You think my suggestion that Grassley’s press releases have the reason why the supoena was not replied to is not to be trusted. OK. Here is the source:
https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/comer-and-grassley-blast-fbi-for-refusing-to-provide-subpoenaed-record-alleging-then-vp-biden-engaged-in-a-bribery-scheme
Here is the quote:
I know you feel that the FBI has been playing delay games on releasing this document. Once you read the document (which you make a big point about you not urging people to do), it’s pretty clear that the people at Burisma are going to be able to figure out who the confidential informent is, if they have any memory of the people they do business with. It explains the reson the FBI has been reluctant to cough up the document.
I am sure you will retract the remarks about my untrustworthiness.
Appalled (51d521) — 7/21/2023 @ 8:09 amEichenwald on the FD-1023.
One, Item #4 is relevant. Why would Joe Biden get paid $5 million for undertaking an Obama-directed and IMF-recommended task to remove the Chief Prosecutor who wasn’t investigating Burisma? This is why the bribe allegation falls apart. It makes no sense. If that’s “moby”, well whatever, consider the hyperbolic hyperpartisan fearmongering source.
Two, Eichenwald’s above comment about “big guy” probably wasn’t in Ukrainian, but Russian, considering the other conversations, so I think he’s wrong about that.
Three, I’m guessing that it won’t be long before we learn the identity of the CHS (which will change his life) and we can then make our assessments about his credibility.
Four, considering the accusation, the FBI should still be obligated to look into the matter, but Rudy Giuliani, his henchmen (Parnas and Fruman), John Solomon (a pro-Trump hack “journalist” who helped get a US Ambassador fired) and Trump-aligned attorneys DiGenova-Toensing all spent time digging for political dirt in Ukraine, with the help of corrupt characters like Shokin and Russian spies like Derkach, and all that came of it were loads of rubbish. Any reasonable person should treat all this with extreme skepticism absent any actual evidence.
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/21/2023 @ 8:13 amAlso, we have no way of confirming anything from Zlochevsky because he’s a fugitive from Ukrainian justice, whereabouts unknown (last seen in Monaco a few years back, but could be in Cyprus).
Paul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/21/2023 @ 8:46 amNJRob (90cb56) — 7/20/2023 @ 8:07 am
There are allsorts on indications that there is a coverup, but no clear idea of how it was managed.
There was some pressure on the Delaware prosecutor. He didn’t want problems. He appears to have overstated to his investigators on October 7, 2022 how much he was limited. He could have tried to argue he had a case.
Sammy Finkelman (64ff8b) — 7/21/2023 @ 9:39 amPaul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/21/2023 @ 8:46 am
He claimed he was holding recordings for insurance. But I strongly doubt that Joe Biden would have strong armed him – and in person by phone.
What Zlochevsky described (according to the informant) would actually extortion, more than bribery. And he’d have to believe that Joe Biden was a powerful person in the USA, quite independent of being vice president, or that Obama was corrupt.
Sammy Finkelman (64ff8b) — 7/21/2023 @ 9:45 amPaul Montagu (8f0dc7) — 7/21/2023 @ 8:13 am
There’s the use, allegedly by Zlochevsky, quoted in the FD-1023, of the term “big guy” , to refer to Joe Biden.. This was a term known to have been used by Hunter Biden in connection with a Chinese company in 2017 but not known to the general public until October 2020, months after the FD-1023 was written.
‘
This would seem to indicate some real connection to Hunter Biden..
Also Hunter Biden attempted (and apparently succeeded) in extorting money from CEFC in 2017.
Doesn’t mean that either Zlochevsky or Hunter Biden was telling the full truth at any time, but it does add credibility to the informant, although he could have made up the details of a conversation with Zlochevsky.
Sammy Finkelman (64ff8b) — 7/21/2023 @ 9:56 amAt one point IRS investigators were set to interview people Hunter Biden had passed along money to and deducted, but the Delaware prosecutor’s office notified Hunter Biden’s lawyers and 11 out of the 12 surprise interviews never happened. With regard to Hunter Biden himmself they were told to wait until Hunter Biden contacted them but he never did.
The issue was at least:
1) Did the people Hunter gave money to, do anything in return?
2) Did they keep the money?
IF so they would have an income tax problem.
If it was a gift, then what was Hunter doing deducting it?
And both HUnter and the recipient could have income tax problems if it was not an outright gift.
Sammy Finkelman (64ff8b) — 7/21/2023 @ 10:03 amAny reasonable person should treat all this with extreme skepticism absent any actual evidence.
Any reasonable person would conclude that Burisma hired Hunter Biden for purposes of influencing his father. They would also conclude that the millions in income that Hunter derived from this and other deals was likely for corrupt purposes, since Hunter himself had no redeeming value.
After that there’s a lot of speculation, but it is really hard to believe that they paid Hunter these millions and got nothing in return.
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/21/2023 @ 10:14 amAfter that, one has to be either naive or a willing apologist to think that Hunter avoided serious criminal prosecution for tax evasion due to “the way things usually work.”
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/21/2023 @ 10:16 amSo, Chris Christie was on Face the Nation (via Twitter), and was asked about Hunter Biden’s tax and gun charges. THis is not a man who minces words:
Kevin M (2d6744) — 7/24/2023 @ 11:08 am