Weekend Open Thread
[guest post by Dana]
Let’s go!
First news item
Russia must pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine:
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced legislation Wednesday to allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian assets to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The top Democrat and Republican on the panel were confident that Senate leadership viewed the legislation, called the REPO Act, as a priority for passage amid stalled efforts to deliver on further assistance for Ukraine.
Note: The vote was 20 to 1, with Sen. Rand Paul voting “no”.
It’s been said before, but can’t be said enough:
Whatever the price of helping Ukraine is, it’s cheaper than fixing the world if Ukraine doesn’t win.
Second news item
But will it produce good journalists?:
The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY is going tuition-free, its namesake Craig Newmark and the school’s dean, Graciela Mochkofsky, told Axios.
…It will be the first journalism graduate school to offer a tuition-free program — a move intended to help widen opportunities for journalists from more diverse backgrounds.
“If we’re serious about the future of trustworthy journalism as democracy’s immune system, we’ve got to create ways to make the pipeline and product more resilient to economics and shifting moods. Endowments help do that,” Newmark said.
The lofty “journalism as democracy’s immune system” is new to me. So much could be said…
Third news item
Supreme Court rules on wire barrier in Texas:
A divided Supreme Court on Monday temporarily allowed the Biden administration to remove a wire barrier Texas placed at the U.S.-Mexico border, amid a dispute over Border Patrol’s access to Eagle Pass.
The brief 5-4 order vacated a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that had prevented Border Patrol agents from cutting the concertina wire along the Rio Grande, part of a legal fight between Texas and the federal government over immigration enforcement in that area.
Twenty-five Republican governors are supporting Texas. And Donald Trump has entered the fray too, encouraging states to send their troops to the border.
Fourth news item
Raise your hand if you’re surprised:
The United States on Friday suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the humanitarian body that works with Palestinians, in light of allegations that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel…“Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, said…The Biden administration, a strong supporter of UNRWA, said on Friday it is taking the allegations seriously.
“The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.”
Ah:
In light of today’s decision by the State Department to put a temporary pause on funding for UNRWA based on allegations that some of its employees were involved in the Oct 7th attack. I asked an UNRWA coordinator about these allegations several weeks ago. https://t.co/EHYVHhdCJU
— Bianna Golodryga (@biannagolodryga) January 26, 2024
Fifth news item
But wait, they keep telling us that Israel is the problem, not the Jews:
A pair of Jewish-owned businesses in Scarsdale, N.Y., nearby a Jewish community center were vandalized overnight on Wednesday by an unknown vandal who spray painted “genocide supporter” on their front windows…The incident took place inside the congressional district represented by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), a critic of Israel who has himself accused Israel of genocide…Hundreds of community members turned out on Thursday to show their support for the two businesses…Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
Read the whole thing to see Bowman’s response, as well as his primary opponent (and Israel supporter) Westchester County Executive George Latimer’s response to the anti-Semitism.
Sixth news item
Not good news for Evan Gershkovich:
A court in Moscow Friday extended the pretrial detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, until the end of March, meaning the journalist will spend at least a year behind bars in Russia.
United States Consul General Stuart Wilson attended the hearing at Lefortovo District Court, which took place behind closed doors because authorities say details of the criminal case against the American journalist are classified.
In video shared by state news agency Ria Novosti, Gershkovich was shown listening to the ruling, standing in a court cage wearing a hooded top and light blue jeans. He was pictured a short time later walking towards a prison van to leave the court.
The RSF accuses Gershkovich of “acting on the instructions of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
The report notes that espionage trials can last for more than a year in Russia.
Seventh news item
They seem pretty proud, don’t they:
The panel of Republican candidates for CO-04, including Lauren Boebert, are asked who has been arrested and SIX of them raise their hands. They then high-five each other while the audience cheers. This is the MAGA GOP. https://t.co/euVyfG5Cf6
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 26, 2024
Have a great weekend!
–Dana
Happy Friday!
Dana (8e902f) — 1/26/2024 @ 10:25 amMcConnell has evidently decided to go this way.
If this requires legislation, it still may not pass the House, but will if there will a coalition of Republicans and Democrats voting for it.
It may even pass under the 2/3 requirement for suspension of the rules.
It may be the last thing the House does for several weeks.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/26/2024 @ 11:21 amBecause the average MAGA supporter does not see anything wrong with that, and neither Biden nor Haley will dare to argue against it (except in court, on legal grounds).
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/26/2024 @ 11:23 amI am surprised that the United States on Friday suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, but not that some of its employees are members of Hamas and/or were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel or in holding hostages from Israel.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/26/2024 @ 11:27 amRe: “Russia must pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine:” No! No! No! Elect DJT and make Mexico pay for it!
John Boddie (dcf99c) — 1/26/2024 @ 11:32 amI’m happy to roll my eyes at Lauren Boebert and the rest of that Colorado MAGA crew for expressing pride in being arrested for I guess whatever protesting they think they have done. But I think it’s fair to note that our current President has actually lied to us about being arrested in support of his make-believe activism, and plenty of progressives such as the AOC and Bernie Sanders types take a great deal of pride in their various arrests, even to the point of pretending to be handcuffed. So apparently among the activist class, both left-wing and right-wing, getting arrested is proof positive of your [self-]righteousness.
JVW (1ad43e) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:19 pmRIP Harry Connick, Sr. (97). Father of musician-actor Harry Connick, Jr.; longest serving New Orleans district attorney (30 years), he defeated Jim Garrison (known for his investigations into the assassination of John F. Kennedy) in 1973.
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:31 pmhttps://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/01/from-the-wuhan-lab.php
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:32 pmNeed help accessing this on a desktop. Is that possible?
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-ywpd4-1d0934ed
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:33 pmThe much nicer Dana wrote:
Tuition-free journalism schools would be very appropriate when we consider that so many journalists are becoming paycheck-free.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:51 pmRIP Russell Hambler (99); last surviving original member of Merrill’s Marauders:
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:22 pmFor those who conveniently forgotten or simply don’t care, here’s a good starting list of Biden disasters:
https://thefederalist.com/2022/01/20/a-scandal-for-every-month-the-biggest-botches-failures-and-mess-ups-of-joe-bidens-first-12-months-in-office/
https://thefederalist.com/2023/01/20/a-disaster-for-every-month-the-worst-scandals-abuses-and-embarrassments-of-joe-bidens-second-year-in-office/
https://thefederalist.com/2024/01/26/a-crisis-for-every-month-the-worst-debacles-disgraces-and-literal-train-wrecks-of-bidens-third-year/
whembly (5f7596) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:33 pmBad New Yrk City police and jail bills vetoed by Mayor Adams (Speaker pressing all buttons to override the vetoes)
One would require police to note down age race sex and reason for any person they question about anything – the other would eliminate most isolation in jails
https://abc7ny.com/eric-adams-nyc-council-veto-override/14353170/
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/23/nyc-council-members-rally-against-mayor-adams-how-many-stops-veto-as-he-tries-to-scuttle-override/
Pro-crime legislation, not even pro criminal.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:37 pmv
Jury awards E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million from Trump for 2019 defamatory statements
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:47 pmAnd it’s almost February. When do you expect the public impeachment hearings to begin?
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:49 pmRe:Arrested.
Being proud of having an arrest record -for a pol – usually means that it was for an “honorable” cause. Y’know, like saving the whales, preventing a cop from choking a woman. I bet you can find many Dems who tout their arrest records. Civil rights era, for one.
felipe (5045ed) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:53 pmWhen black people complain that kkk is spray painted on their windows is racism most of you say they did it themselves. A statue of jacky robinson was destroyed in kansas nothing about that here. I see it also happens to muslims if not as wide spread. You better worry about younger people supporting palestine over Israel many even support hamas. That is a threat not this vandalism. The old anti-semitism stuff won’t work on this problem. Also Israel found 13 aid workers out of how many thousands hamas supporters. U.S. cut aid and unrwa fired the workers Israel said were hamas. As someone who is reluctantly supporting Israel because the destruction of hamas is best solution for everyone though it seems harder to achieve and 25,000 dead palestinians mostly women and children is terrible. It apparently cost to much money to question the muslim religions role in this.
asset (615290) — 1/26/2024 @ 1:57 pmGod’s army to fight the immigrants are on their way to texas. (DU) This should be interesting as mr. spock says.
asset (615290) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:04 pm@16
Probably soon after Hunter is deposed behind closed door deposition.
Which if Hunter’s smart, he assert his 5th Amendment right on just about everything as he’s still embroiled in litigation.
So, public hearings something in spring and a vote to impeach early summer?
whembly (5f7596) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:06 pmeven to the point of pretending to be handcuffed
JVW (1ad43e) — 1/26/2024 @ 12:19 pm
I wonder what asset thinks about this bit of fakery by AOC. The ends justify the means?
norcal (7f77ce) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:10 pmMore:
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:18 pmOnly if H. Biden provides evidence implicating his father. All of his other business dealings are irrelevant.
With a two vote margin it’s popcorn time.
Truth be told, impeaching Biden is probably the only way to increase his poll numbers.
Rip Murdock (4986b7) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:21 pmSad!
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:27 pmAsset, you have a bit of a habit making these sorts of gross generalizations. I think you should stop.
Dana (8e902f) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:27 pmBobert’s arrests weren’t for something honorable like fighting for civil rights. To the contrary.
Dana (8e902f) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:30 pmThe Knives Are Out:
………..
Less than 10 months away from the 2024 election, (James Comer’s) impeachment investigation is barreling toward its conclusion, with no smoking gun to bring the president to his knees. Only one thing is clear: Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has lost the trust of some in his own party.
“One would be hard pressed to find the best moment for James Comer in the Oversight Committee,” one House Republican lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to maintain internal relationships, told The Messenger. “It’s been a parade of embarrassments.”
Republican sources have a problem with what the investigation has not accomplished. The probe has taken a winding road, jetting off into different paths of inquiry, some more obscure than others……….Republicans at the highest level of the party criticize the chairman’s unfocused investigation.
…………
(Republicans) now fear Comer’s mismanagement of the inquiry has ruined the GOP party’s opportunity to score a much-ballyhooed election-year victory of impeaching the president, one source close to House GOP leadership said.
“James Comer continues to embarrass himself and House Republicans. He screws up over and over and over,” the source said. “I don’t know how Republicans actually impeach the president based on his clueless investigation and lack of leadership.”
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:42 pm………….
Republicans also have grown tired of Comer’s frequent TV hits on conservative networks like Fox News and Newsmax in which they say he promises bombshell information, but then fails to produce impeachable evidence to meet the bar he himself has set too high.
………..
But for Comer’s critics, perhaps the biggest issue is the calendar. Less than 10 months out from the 2024 election, the investigation into the president and his family (which began even before an impeachment inquiry was opened last September) has dragged on since the GOP took over the House last January.
…………
Post 27 should have been blockquoted.
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:43 pmI wish I had read your comment first, JVW; you nailed it.
felipe (5045ed) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:46 pmMeanwhile, in Georgia:
https://www.ajc.com/politics/pressure-on-willis-grows-as-critics-seize-on-allegations-of-impropriety/NC7XFRX2K5AIZL73GYPY2JPM2Y/
She needs to either blow the charges out of the water or come fully clean. And even if she does, she will probably have to fire her investigator at a minimum.
Appalled (7b84e3) — 1/26/2024 @ 2:51 pmhttps://www.thecollegefix.com/people-of-color-cant-be-racist-uw-madison-teaches-law-students/
Poisoning the minds of our young.
NJRob (981b1d) — 1/26/2024 @ 3:14 pm@30
She needs to step down and her office be barred from taking over.
The AG should then nominate a replacement to take over…and the sooner that happens the better.
Any more delays seriously puts any resolution before the election out of reach.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/26/2024 @ 3:50 pmOn cnn a video shows a palestinian mother holding a child’s hand walking out of building waving a white flag and is gunned down by Israeli soldiers. Three other video show palestinians waving white flags who are killed by IDF soldiers. Earlier on the west bank an unarmed palestinian civilian is shot dead by Israeli settlers saying this is our land now. I have pointed out that likud charter says Israel from the river to the sea. I am sure spray painting genocide supporter on window is more important and charging a person in NYC with harassment for harassing an egyptian street vender over gaza is a miscarriage of justice.
asset (996661) — 1/26/2024 @ 4:09 pm@21 Guerrilla theater and is used against her. The ends do justify the means. BUT! a lot of times the ends are not justifiable.
asset (996661) — 1/26/2024 @ 4:15 pm@25 my bad I should have said some.
asset (996661) — 1/26/2024 @ 4:18 pm@29 When ralph waldo emerson visited his friend henry david thoreau in jail for opposing the mexican war. Emerson asked thoreau reproachfully “what are you doing in here?” Thoreau replied to his friend who also opposed the mexican war “What are you doing out there?” As Paster nemoller famously said when they came for me their was nobody left to say anything. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoffer was executed for opposing nazism.
asset (996661) — 1/26/2024 @ 4:31 pmYou don’t think that replacing the prosecution team will result in a trial delay? Seriously?
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 4:59 pmCrocodile tears.
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 5:42 pmGoodbye:
Huizar will be eligible for release after serving 10 years.
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/26/2024 @ 6:21 pmNot within a mile of the White House.
nk (35f212) — 1/26/2024 @ 6:53 pmThe report notes that espionage trials can last for more than a year in Russia.
The one in Florida is taking that long, too.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/26/2024 @ 7:11 pmMembers of the Missouri senate republican freedom caucus sponsor bill to bring back dueling so they can kill members they disagree with or vote against them. (du) guardian.
asset (996661) — 1/26/2024 @ 7:46 pmThe Banana Republic blueprint
Democrats are studying this closely.
lloyd (04b294) — 1/26/2024 @ 7:49 pm“While MAGA Republicans willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis, condemning the American people to a dangerous future, my Administration will not be complacent. We will not cede to special interests.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/01/26/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-decision-to-pause-pending-approvals-of-liquefied-natural-gas-exports/
I was going to say “odd timing” given it is winter and Europe needs to be free of the strings attached to Russian oil and gas. Also odd given the fact that exports from the Persian gulf are being disrupted by the Houthi’s, but then I remembered it is an election year
steveg (8e471a) — 1/26/2024 @ 8:25 pm83 mil is a lot of asset liquidation.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/26/2024 @ 9:43 pm@43 when is the last time in this century a republican won the presidency with the majority of the votes cast 2000 nope 2004 maybe if Ohio electronic voter machines were counted correctly. 2016 nope.
asset (6dc44c) — 1/26/2024 @ 10:40 pm@45 Maybe trump can start a go fund me page.
asset (6dc44c) — 1/26/2024 @ 10:41 pmmajority of the votes cast
If that was how you won, people would try to do that. But it’s not how you win. It’s also why baseball teams prefer runs to hits.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/26/2024 @ 10:43 pmIs this finally too far? Is this enough to get CA voters to realize a one-party state is a bad idea?
New bill would require speed-limiting devices in California cars
Back circa 1974, cars were required to emit a annoying buzz whenever the car exceeded 55MPH. This was also the era of the automatic seat belt. I note that the LA Times writer thinks it’s a great idea and suggests that the main opposition would be from trucking firms.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 12:23 am@48 Biden got 7 million more votes then trump in 2020 ;but won the presidency by only 43,000 votes 10,000 az. 13,000 ga. and 20,000 wi. and only because democrats kicked green party off ballot. Green party votes 2016 az 34,000 wi. 36,000 mi 55,000 Had biden got 44,000 votes in those states in 2020 unions and democratic party were planning a general strike if trump won while biden got 6 million more votes. Military leadership didn’t like trump how would they have reacted? The country would have been shut down and likely civil war.
asset (6dc44c) — 1/27/2024 @ 12:25 amLike Principal Skinner asked, as he lit up a Kent at the Ohio plant of B.F. Goodrich, is there any highway in California where reaching the speed limit is a real possibility and not a faint hope?
nk (f93c7c) — 1/27/2024 @ 6:32 amAnyway, no worries. The speed cameras/traps are not going to let go of their bread and butter. Not anymore than South Texas cops are going to let the DEA and CBP interdict drug smuggling before it reaches their
nk (997e1b) — 1/27/2024 @ 6:50 ampocketsjurisdictions.nk (997e1b) — 1/27/2024 @ 6:50 am
Ah, the allure of asset forfeiture!
felipe (5e2a04) — 1/27/2024 @ 7:00 amI had not even thought of that, felipe. You’re right. Like the speed traps, cops on the take themselves cannot exist unless there’s something in it for their bosses too.
nk (997e1b) — 1/27/2024 @ 7:07 amI live in a place in CA where the state and local tax on a double burger with fries an a drink is over $1.
But that is not enough
CA charges $1.32 per gallon of fuel in taxes and fees
38 million gallons of fuel are sold per day
But that is not enough
It will never be enough
Progressive taxation turns people into RPU’s (revenue producing units). USA uses a different method (less brutal) than the Chinese or the Russian but the end result will be the same
steveg (8e471a) — 1/27/2024 @ 8:27 amGreat blast from 2021 where Carol Adams at Oxford(1( ties meat eating to toxic masculinity, racism, colonialism, misogyny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiRx62VGl8Q
Sky news Australia is amused
steveg (8e471a) — 1/27/2024 @ 8:42 amhttps://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/trending/every-woke-buzzword-used-in-carol-adams-debate-claiming-meat-is-linked-to-having-a-white-supremacist-patriarchal-worldview/news-story/8fedea2ed2e3125b01d41be04e769ffa
Not sure which offending word I used, but my comment didn’t make it through “the filter”.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 9:34 amLike Principal Skinner asked, as he lit up a Kent at the Ohio plant of B.F. Goodrich, is there any highway in California where reaching the speed limit is a real possibility and not a faint hope?
Sure. CA-99, I-5, I-10, I-15 US-101, US-395 to name a few. I’ve done 90 on all of them.
Just not in the city.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:07 amCA charges $1.32 per gallon of fuel in taxes and fees
It’s not the highest in the nation, and the places that charge more at still a dollar cheaper at the pump. I paid $2.45 yesterday.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:09 amAllahNick on the Supreme Court concertina wire ruling…
The debate could very hinge on how the USSC will define “invasion”, whether it adheres to the more conventional definition or is closer to the Hyperbolic Right-Wing.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:34 amOnce you leave the metropolitan areas, you can speed up without a problem. I’ve made the trip to SF in 5 hours or less without a problem. And there’s a big speeding problem along the Pacific Coast Highway where the limits are routinely ignored (and have resulted in several deaths.)
Rip Murdock (c27dcc) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:43 amAnd there’s a big speeding problem along the Pacific Coast Highway where the limits are routinely ignored (and have resulted in several deaths.)
Undivided two-lane highways are deathtraps at almost any speed.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:51 am@60 “Barrett provided the deciding vote”
She provided the deciding vote only if you believe John Roberts is expected to side with the leftist faction. Roberts has been a complete disaster spanning decades, all of which reminds us that judges matter and who picks them matters.
The president who nominated Justice Thomas left office more than thirty years ago, and has been dead for several years. Most people couldn’t name the president who put him on the bench, where he still sits. The judicial branch was supposed to be the weakest but it isn’t turning out that way. If you think you’re only voting for a president, you’re deluded.
lloyd (04f091) — 1/27/2024 @ 11:01 amThe twelve terrorists on UNWRA’s staff is good reason to suspend funding that organization. Sheesh.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 11:50 amNikki has joined the Patterico Club of SWATting victims. I hate my party and what it’s become.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 11:53 amYes, this is not the Party of Reagan.
Reagan said that a year after he declared the Soviet Union an “evil empire”, and now we’re stuck with Putin’s version of an evil empire.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 12:58 pmTrump is not only betraying Ukraine (because Trump can give one word to Speaker Johnson, and the aid is forthcoming), he’s betrayed America, consistently putting his own interests above his country’s, and so is the ever-growing Trump Wing of the party.
The man could speak
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 1:14 pmRoberts is a complete disappointment to those who want the Court to push policy to the Right. And look at how they’ve all been mean to that nice Mr Trump.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 1:16 pmThe things that politicians do to curry Trump’s favor for a VP slot.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 1:34 pmTim Scott is engaged to be married and made a fool of himself during Trump’s NH victory speech, and Elise Stefanik is deleting her comments that condemned the violent J6 rioters, as noted by Ms. Cheney.
Tick Tock:
Rip Murdock (6aa713) — 1/27/2024 @ 1:41 pm@69 It figures that Cheney is more concerned about a deleted tweet than files deleted by her own committee.
lloyd (e6ecef) — 1/27/2024 @ 1:48 pm@49 people in the south already realize that.
asset (ba7652) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:00 pmBiden got 7 million more votes then trump in 2020
I’ve seen baseball games where one team got 10 more hits but still lost. The popular vote isn’t what the election is about. If it was, they would campaign differently. For one thing, more Republicans in CA, NY, MA, IL, etc would vote and candidates would campaign there, too.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:04 pmThe electoral vote system demands that support be widespread. Parties concentrated in small areas may rack up lopsided state victories but will lose most everywhere else. The Founders especially worried about the degree to which dense urban areas could be controlled by local powers. See San Francisco for a clear example. They vote D at a rate that would embarrass the Soviets.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:07 pm@55 The poor pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes and fees then the rich. Some years ago in az I read where a person making minimum wage paid 21% of his income in state & local taxes and especially fees where the rich and the poor pay the same amount and a person making over a million paid 7% Our tax structure favors the rich paying less and the poor paying more. When AOC becomes president we will get a european style tax system where the rich can’t escape paying their share of taxes.
asset (ba7652) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:10 pm@66 Reagan did this to his party. As the song says you knew I was a snake before you let me in! In 1980 the first place reagan gave a speech after he got the nomination was phildelphia mississippi where the three civil rights workers were murdered welcoming racists & klansmen into the republican party. This is after reagan, bill casey and john connally made a deal with Iran to hold are hostages till after the 1980 election to defeat jimmy carter. Similar to nixon’s deal with south vietam brokered by clair chennault. This was the start of the Iran/contra treason and drug dealing led by eden pastore and ollie north.
asset (ba7652) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:24 pmSame old whackjob fantasy conspiracies, different day. Some of the left-wing crap gives QAnon a run for their money.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:28 pmThe poor pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes and fees then the rich.
The poor get a better return from the government than do the rich.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 2:29 pm#75 It’s surprising how many people don’t know about the Earned Income Tax Credit:
‘Proposed by Russell Long and signed into law by President Gerald Ford as part of the Tax Reduction Act of 1975, the EITC provides an income tax credit to certain individuals.[10] Upon enactment, the EITC gave a tax credit to individuals who had at least one dependent, maintained a household, and had earned income of less than $8,000 during the year.[10] The tax credit was $400 for individuals with earned income of less than $4,000. The tax credit was an amount less than $400 for individuals whose income was between $4,000 and $7,999 during the year.[10]
The initial EITC was expanded by tax legislation on a number of occasions, including the widely publicized Tax Reform Act of 1986, and it was further expanded in 1990, 1993, 2001, and 2009, regardless of whether the act in general raised taxes (1990, 1993), lowered taxes (2001), or eliminated other deductions and credits (1986).[11] In 1993, President Clinton tripled the EITC.[12] Today, the EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty tools in the United States.[13] Also, the EITC is mainly used to “promote and support work.”[12] Most income measures, including the poverty rate, do not account for the credit.’
Or Supplemental Security Income:
Jim Miller (808bdf) — 1/27/2024 @ 3:35 pm‘Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested program that provides cash payments to disabled children, disabled adults, and individuals aged 65 or older who are citizens or nationals of the United States.[1] SSI was created by the Social Security Amendments of 1972 and is incorporated in Title 16 of the Social Security Act. The program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and began operations in 1974.’
(For which people can, but mostly won’t, thank Richard M. Nixon.)
For which people can, but mostly won’t, thank Richard M. Nixon.
Along with implementing LBJ’s Great Society and the environmental laws of the early 70’s
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 3:57 pmThe Democrats hated Nixon for triangulating them so.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 3:58 pmI don’t take much stock in what fascists have to say. I’ll await more independent confirmation.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/27/2024 @ 8:03 pmNew bill would require speed-limiting devices in California cars
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 12:23 am
In Reno, I’m just out of reach of the grasping hands of California politicians. I can swoop in from out of state and blow away all these hogtied people in my 460 horsepower Mustang.
norcal (63a519) — 1/27/2024 @ 9:40 pmI will point out that my new car has the libertarian solution: I can set it to limit MY speed if I choose. I have it set to show the little speed limit sign (on the display next to the speedometer) in red when I’ve going “too fast” but do nothing else.
I bet you that the Senator will import his car from Reno.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:00 pmI bet you that the Senator will import his car from Reno.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:00 pm
Ah, yes. The Gavin Newsom “laws are for the little people, French Laundry gathering during the height of Covid” strategy.
norcal (63a519) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:06 pmNov 11 1999, I-15 Mojave Desert, 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa.
Barstow to Sloan run, 139 miles, 51 minutes.
Santa Monica to Barstow, 131 miles, 4 hours 18 minutes.
A perfectly average of 55MPH.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:53 pmDo it at 3:00 AM instead of 3:00 PM, Colonel Klink. Rookie mistake. There is nothing so liberating as driving L.A. or S.F. freeways in the middle of the night.
Nice to see you here. You were gone a long time. Still in Kentucky?
norcal (63a519) — 1/27/2024 @ 10:55 pmYep, still in the Hills of Villa, although no one in here claims it. South Cincinnati, as an official old I retired the ‘busa for an Indian, which is parked next to a Vespa, which is actually useful.
Circa 95 donuts on the corner of Fillmore and Broadway in my Hertz at around 4AM, always the fastest car on the planet.
280 from around Daly City to Palo Alto was always pretty quick, even in rush hour. That last 10 miles to Cupertino was terrible. I was relocated to Vegas in 99, but still commuted into the City on Reno Air when you could still buy a booklet for monthly flights for $300. Then a thing happened, and the world changed.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 1/27/2024 @ 11:20 pm@77 Nixon and reagan’s admitted southern strategy not conspiracy theories. Iran/contra treason is not a theory Reagan admitted it and Johnson had nixon taped committing treason with south vietnam so democrats would lose 1968 election. CBS 60 minutes played chennault tape. No theories all admitted evidence.
asset (0f7d8a) — 1/27/2024 @ 11:47 pmSad!
Rip Murdock (90963c) — 1/28/2024 @ 8:44 am@89: tiresome drivel.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 9:06 amMr M wrote:
Speed limits crept upward again from 55 MPH because the public were voting with their right feet for higher speeds; it wasn’t just the truckers.
In most places, the speed limit on the Interstate highways is 70, and if you set your cruise control for 78, you’re almost certainly safe from getting a ticket.
When I bought my 2010 F-150, my older daughter found and inputted the code which turned off the seat belt alarms, so I don’t have to put up with that annoying noise. These ‘safety’ features almost all have some sort of work-around, and there will always be some enterprising soul who will make a business of getting around them.
Eventually states will require some sort of GPS or mileage tracker for plug-in electric cars, since they’re using the roads without paying fuel taxes. Look for hackers to find ways to disable those things.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 9:59 amhttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-administration-discussing-slowing-weaponry-deliveries-israel-pre-rcna136035
No surprise. Some nations are more equal than others.
NJRob (3faa14) — 1/28/2024 @ 10:00 amHow much weaponry do you think Israel needs in order to bulldoze tiny tiny Gaza? It’s 17 sq mi.
Nic (896fdf) — 1/28/2024 @ 11:22 amNic wrote:
My very unpopular, at least unpopular here, opinion is that Ukraine cannot win, regardless of how much money and materiel we give them, short of troops on the ground and American/NATO aircraft in direct combat with
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 11:51 amthe SovietsRussia, and that Israel will not lose, even if we don’t give them a penny, and thus we shouldn’t get involved in either war. I completely support Israel in its war against Islamist savagery, but that does not mean I believe we ought to get involved in it.There’s more at the original, but the obvious question is: why do we have troops in Jordan in the first place? Why do we have troops in Iraq and Syria? The Islamists are horrible people, no doubt about that, but at some point perhaps we should question why we should support or oppose any of the particular ‘sides’ in these conflicts. There is no side worth supporting in the decade-long Syrian civil war, so just let them fight it out, however they will, because regardless of who wins, it won’t be good.
We’ve had at least a few troops in Syria since Barack Hussein Obama was President.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 12:04 pmRe: Israel. It’s not just can they win. But how easily. Better targeting equipment means more precision strikes, which could mean less overall damage.
Re: Uke, Dana, how much better do you think Vietnam’s chances were then UKE’s?
Send them both equipment, but no US troops.
Time123 (59eff2) — 1/28/2024 @ 12:05 pmThe troops in Jordan are near the Syrian border, and are there to help the Kurds. A report earlier this week says the White House (like Dana) was asking why we are still there. I suspect this happened because the Iranians want to increase public pressure on the US to get out.
DRJ (cdda58) — 1/28/2024 @ 12:19 pmIn most places, the speed limit on the Interstate highways is 70
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 9:59 am
Most of Interstate 80 in Nevada has an 80 MPH speed limit. Yeah, baby!
norcal (c7b881) — 1/28/2024 @ 1:24 pmBomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran:
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 2:29 pmIt’s time for me to answer Mr 123’s questions:
Hamas are fully embedded among the civilian population, which means more precision strikes — even assuming that our equipment is more precise than Israel’s — isn’t really a difference maker.
We won every battle we fought against the Viet Cong and NVA, and waged a bombing campaign against the North, but still never ‘persuaded’ them to quit. Then, after public opinion forced us to quit, but we still equipped South Vietnam, the Communists won in two years.
To me, that’s just a waste of time and money.
What’s our ‘strategy’ in Ukraine? To keep Ukraine fighting a virtual stalemate, not unlike the Western Front in World War I, until Vladmir Putin is either forced from power, or goes untimely to his eternal reward. Maybe, if we knew that would happen in 2025, and we had reasonable confidence that he wouldn’t be replaced by another hard-liner, it might be worthwhile, but what if he lives, in power, for another five or eight years? Ukraine might survive as an independent nation, but also one with much of its population dead or crippled, and it’s industry and infrastructure destroyed.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 3:19 pmnorcal noted:
In the one month I stayed there, August 1972, working on a ranch outside of Elko, there were no speed limits at all on the highways.
I tried my best to get my 1962 Ford Fairlane, six-cylinder, three-on-the-tree, to hit 100 MPH. Going downhill, on the road from the ranch into Elko, as hard as I tried, I hit 98 MPH.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 3:22 pmMany cartoonists appear to understand the Loser. They depict him with tiny hands, since he is so sensitive about the size of his hands. (Search on “Trump + vulgarian”, if you haven’t heard the story.)
And the cartoonists show him with long, long ties. (I have suspected that Trump’s ties reflect worry about — well I’d prefer not to be specific, but I think you can all guess what I am suggesting.)
Jim Miller (cb40de) — 1/28/2024 @ 3:41 pm34° 38′ 30″N, 50° 52′ 30″E
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 3:47 pmLOL! Not gonna happen. Can you imagine the blowback-if that were to happen, there would be a wave of sleeper cell attacks within the United States that we never seen-suicide bombings in tourist sites, theaters, malls, etc.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 3:55 pmThe people of Iran would love it though. The mullahs are widely hated.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 4:00 pmPlus Israel would be attacked directly by Hezbollah as well as Iranian ballistic missiles.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 4:03 pmThe regime could also exploit any direct attack by the US to unite the Iranian people against a common outside enemy, especially if large numbers (hundreds or thousands) of civilians are killed.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 4:08 pmYeah, let’s sacrifice American civilians so that the Iranian people are happy.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 4:11 pmThe magnificent Mr M wrote:
Not so widely hated that they have overthrown the religious regime. In the end, even the worst of rulers depends on at least some public support.
Wars, once started, have an annoying way of not going quite the way those who started them anticipated.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/28/2024 @ 4:29 pmespecially if large numbers (hundreds or thousands) of civilians are killed.
Striking the theocratic center of the Islamic Republic is not the same thing.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 5:50 pmI expected the Reluctant Mr Dana to urge caution, but Rip usually isn’t an advocate of appeasement.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 5:51 pmBy all means, though, let’s wait until they have nuclear armed missiles before we stand up for ourselves.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 5:53 pmThe world is very combustible right now. It feels like everyone has been radicalized and needs to act out. We need to send a clear message but I stand on the side of having it be measured. Russia would love a broader war. China too. Iran wants to provoke just enough as it plays to be the regional enforcer.
And this has to all go down when we have two presumptive candidates well past their “sell by” date….and with one running primarily as a strategy to keep out of prison.
The American people aren’t exactly itching for war. Half the country is skeptical of spending any more on Ukraine and have no faith in Biden leading us into Iran. Let’s be prudent. In the end, Iran doesn’t want our jets and missiles ripping apart their military and enrichment sites. I don’t see them overplaying their hand….but old guys with nothing better to do. It’s the bane of our existence.
AJ_Liberty (d76058) — 1/28/2024 @ 6:10 pmSergey Vladimirovich Ochigava entered the United States illegally recently and was convicted. Why? Because he flew in rather than walked, ran or rode in a car, truck?
steveg (715f0a) — 1/28/2024 @ 6:21 pmConsidering the consequences of our actions isn’t appeasement, it’s a recognition that Iran would certainly retaliate against the US (and the West in general) if one of the holiest sites in Sh’a Islam is attacked.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 6:40 pmBombing Qom, a completely civilian target (population 1.2M), would certainly involve thousands of casualties, and would be considered a war crime.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/28/2024 @ 6:53 pmNews outside the bubble OK. senator langford censured for supporting border deal over trump’s wished by oklahoma rethugliKKKan party. (DU)
asset (e3ab5d) — 1/28/2024 @ 6:59 pm@91 what you say when you can’t refute the historical evidence. Trump says the same thing.
asset (e3ab5d) — 1/28/2024 @ 7:06 pm@95 Dana all the ukraine needs to do at a minimum is not lose. As Churchill said hitler knows he must beat us on this island or lose the war. Putin knows the same. As the boss sang about a different war “He’s all gone there still there.!” Same with palestinians as many babies our being born as hamas fighters our being killed. Hearts and minds our still necessary. Stupid nancy pelosi claims putin is behind the ceasefire demonstrators and wants the FBI to investigate. LBJ did the same 60 years ago and tore the democratic party apart. Fortunately now she is a senile old gas bag with little influence with the party base.
asset (e3ab5d) — 1/28/2024 @ 7:20 pm@101 BIG difference. Ukraine people hate russia and will fight whether we help them or not. South vietnam to afganistan if they don’t want to fight we can’t make them. Gaza same problem that is why I support destruction hamas and hope the afterwards will work. As an anti-war military historian thats all I have is hope. Russia is being bled white and north korea stuff is junk and iran stuff little better russians admit this.
asset (e3ab5d) — 1/28/2024 @ 7:31 pmWe don’t have a strategy, Ukraine does, and we should be giving them the aid to help fulfill their strategy. Anyone who says that the preferred approach is a stalemate is asking to lose.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 1/28/2024 @ 7:41 pmUnwed teenage girls in texas having unwanted babies has gone since abortion ruling. Poll tax needed for anyone wanting a ballot with rethugliKKKan candidates on it $100? to help pay for welfare for unwanted children.
asset (e3ab5d) — 1/28/2024 @ 7:59 pmAmerica doesn’t really have a will to go boots on the ground anywhere, except maybe Yemen.
Israel doesn’t need us too, and the escalation of even putting NATO air power directly into Ukraine is pretty risky. Not really from a Russian invasion of Europe, but the economic chaos that even putting Russian troops along the Baltic border states would cause. Ukraine is baked into the global economy at this point.
Yemen is place that something can be done with something like global support. Heck, China is actually at serious risk by shutting down the Bab al-Mandab. Their economy is already shaky, while the west has a risk of the economic resiliancy of a post-covid world being flattened.
Iran is an agent of chaos, but would need a Gulf War style build up, or turning it to glass, or both, which…come on. Iran isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan, or Ukraine even.
So feed Israel, bleed Russia, contain Iraq, play lip service to the border, and hope Donald Trump and Joe Biden are replaced on the ballot I guess.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 1/28/2024 @ 8:36 pm@117
Yeah, that’s not the way to go.
If we’re going to send a “message”… I would sink their entire navy.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/28/2024 @ 8:55 pmwith one running primarily as a strategy to keep out of prison.
Trump could have just retired and those cases would never have been brought.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 10:38 pmIf we’re going to send a “message”… I would sink their entire navy.
Or blow up their oil export terminals. But I’d be OK with hitting the Revolutionary Guard HQ, too.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 10:42 pmWhat we will do though, is fire some cruise missiles at an ammo dump after giving them a warning.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/28/2024 @ 10:43 pmI would start a Congressional investigation of gain of function research at the Isfahan labs.
nk (268ce0) — 1/29/2024 @ 4:51 amMr Montagu wrote:
We have been giving them aid, and Ukraine launched its ‘counteroffensive,’ but the counteroffensive didn’t accomplish much, didn’t move the front more than a few miles. President Zelenskii’s stated position is that Ukraine is going to recapture all of the land Russia seized in 2014, something he pretty much has to say, but has shown no capacity to do so, despite all of the aid that had already been given prior to the counteroffensive.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/29/2024 @ 6:58 amThere goes that “consequences be d@mned” thinking again. Blowing up Iranian oil terminals would create another oil price shock and send the world economy into a tailspin.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:07 amMr M wrote:
Yeah, I certainly am reluctant to get into war! As some will recall, I have a personal stake, as I’d really not like to see my daughter, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Reserve, sent into a combat zone, but it’s not just her: there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who could be put at risk. Perhaps you’ve heard? Recruitment goals are not being met, not even close to being met, and I would guess that there are a lot of potential recruits who are seeing the chaos of Ukraine — the Gaza War is really too new to have a knowable effect on recruiting goals — and deciding against it.
We weren’t reluctant about invading Iraq, which cost us thousands of lives, and didn’t turn out like the younger President Bush had expected. Is Iraq really less of a bother today than it was in 2003?
We weren’t reluctant about invading Afghanistan, and yes, that was necessary due to the al Qaeda attacks, but it metastasized, it cost us thousands of soldiers and trillions of dollars, and the same Taliban that ruled before we went in is ruling again.
We weren’t reluctant about the slow buildup in Vietnam, it cost us 58,000+ soldiers lives, and the Communists still won.
We were reluctant about getting involved in World War II, until we were directly attacked, and we won that war, but we won it by being willing to kill and kill and kill some more; can we do that now, with TikTok and cell phone video everywhere and idiots supporting Hamas because the IDF is creating civilian casualties?
Dana (bacf72) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:17 am@130
To be fair… Ukraine did bring it to at least a stand-still. That’s not nothing, as at one point of the war Russia had Kyiv surrounded.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:17 amIF the US directly attacks Iran, it will be military targets, as suggested above possibly Iranian naval assets. As much as Sen. John Cornyn wants to bomb Tehran, even he shies away from targeting civilians (which is what bombing Tehran or Qom will do). I don’t see US troops landing in Yemen (outside of special forces). A sustained bombing campaign will certainly result in some US planes being shot down, so we’ll see any surviving pilots paraded around.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/29/2024 @ 8:59 amDana,
There are not that many options on UKE
We support their fight with the likely outcome being a long and bloody fight that probably results in Russian winning a costly victory.
-Give money to UKE
-Sanction Russia
-Provide weapons
-Fight on their behalf
We do not support their fight with the likely outcome being a short and bloody fight that certainly results in Russian winning and looking at additional expansion.
I like the former better then the later
Time123 (e84039) — 1/29/2024 @ 9:01 am134. The Wall Street journal editorial says that the USS>
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/29/2024 @ 9:33 amshould sink that Iranian ship in the Red Sea that’s giving intelligence information/guiding the targeting of the Houthis.
The first Trump criminal case to go to trial may actually be the first one brought (by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.)
Starting on March 24
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/29/2024 @ 9:46 amMr 123 wrote:
I believe that the first has already been achieved. Vladimir Vladimirovich is another one of those who started a war that isn’t turning out the way he anticipated, and Russia’s military have sustained some major losses in men and materiel. If Ukraine surrendered today, it would still take ten years of rebuilding before Russia could reasonably think of invading another country. More than just rebuilding, Russian military leaders have learned a harsh lesson about the fallacies of their pre-war assumptions. In ten more years, the top brass will be gone, and the current generation of lower-ranking generals and higher-ranking field-grade officers, the ones who have had to actually fight this war, will be the top brass.
President Putin? In ten years, he’ll be 81 years old, if he hasn’t already gone to his eternal reward.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/29/2024 @ 10:06 amThe first Trump criminal case to go to trial may actually be the first one brought (by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.)
Which will be hammered down to a few misdemeanors because that’s all they are.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 10:12 amI agree Dana, but part of Russia’s pre-war plan was that the west would weary of the cost and abandon Ukraine. It’s been a couple years, but if we feed Ukraine to Russia we’ve defined our timetable as very low. I’m not saying we never stop, but it’s very early yet.
At this point it costs the US very little to support Ukraine, just money. If they’re still willing to fight off the invaders I saw we pay it.
In return we get
Time123 (e84039) — 1/29/2024 @ 10:50 am1. To match our rhetoric abut freedom with actions in a way that demonstrates the value of our support to our allies and client states.
2. To demonstrate that re-drawing the map with a sword is a losing proposition.
3. To bleed an international rivel and country that supports our enemies for as long as they want to fight.
4. Goodwill from Ukraine (for whatever that’s worth)
“The first Trump criminal case to go to trial may actually be the first one brought (by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.)”
I think the prosecutors will do everything they can do to get Jack Smith first. The electorate deserves to have the DC matter adjudicated prior to the election…one way or the other. I get that the GOP doesn’t care, but there’s enough independents, moderates, NeverTrumpers, and Democrats that do. We should know whether to anticipate a self pardon or some 25th amendment shenanigans. Bragg should be at the proverbial back of the bus. Of course our host doesn’t think his case is that bad.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/29/2024 @ 10:54 amhttps://thedispatch.com/article/a-modest-case-for-the-case-against-trump/
Hard time:
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/29/2024 @ 11:22 am@141 “The electorate deserves to have the DC matter adjudicated prior to the election…one way or the other.”
There is virtually a zero % chance of anything other than a guilty verdict. 97% of federal indictments result in conviction, and that’s not even taking into account the heavily skewed DC venue. This need to build suspense is a bit comical.
The electorate deserves a proper and full adjudication which would include all appeals, and which likely would get all the way to the Supreme Court. The % and venue is significantly better for Trump. There won’t be the same urgency to speed up the appeals, of course, because this isn’t about justice.
lloyd (9bbf49) — 1/29/2024 @ 11:30 am142. The Trump leak was actually beyond the statute of limitations, as the information was stolen in 2019, but he was charged also with leaking the tax information for Jeff Bezos and others.
The maximum sentence is the same, and a judge is allowed to take into
account uncharged conduct.
This violates basic rules of the IRS.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 11:59 amhttps://www.newser.com/story/345684/what-went-wrong-at-tower-22.html
They thought they had a good defense system in place, but there was a possibility they overlooked.
In addition, it wasn’t considered a high priority target for Iran:
It’s also been explained as lying on road tat runs through Iraq to Damascus
The attack was aimed at place that the U.S. soldiers were sleeping. 3 got killed, and 34 were considered wounded of which 8 were evacuated.
Iran simply had lots of time to plan while the situation on the U.S. side remained the same, allowing a plan to be drawn around a stable situation (including maybe being careful to send the drone at the right time) while they adapted.
I would not assume that Iran did all the planning by itself. It might have secretly consulted Russia or China, where there may be better military experts (and certainly more of them)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:14 pmJust a reminder that for anyone complaining that GOP doesn’t have a plan for the southern border.
It’s flat out untrue.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2/summary/00#:~:text=Introduced%20in%20House%20(05%2F02%2F2023),-Secure%20the%20Border&text=This%20bill%20addresses%20issues%20regarding,imposing%20limits%20to%20asylum%20eligibility.&text=requires%20DHS%20to%20create%20an,employers%20to%20use%20the%20system.
This should be the true starting point… not this current monstrosity the Senate is deliberation on…
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:21 pmThe ceasefire/hostage release deal.
They seem like specialists in the stock market, trying to find a price while ignoring the fundamentals.
The tentative deal, is for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for a phased release of hostages, with people over 60, women and people needing medical treatment being released first and men who could qualify as Israeli solder last. Presumably that phase could resembled the Black Friday deal. The rest has not been worked out. Israel and Hamas are supposed to agree on the rest during the next 60 days.
Hamas wants an Israeli withdrawal, release of Hamas prisoners including terrorists sentenced to jail years ago and an assurances by Israel that that that will be the end of the war (i.e., that the war will not resume on the part of Israel even after four months)
Israel is willing to take the first part, if Hamas will agree to it. Netanyahu vows to finish the job of getting rid of Hamas even if the whole world is against it.
In other news WABC radio’s Sid Rosenberg broadcast from Jerusalem today and will through Thursday. He says you can’t detect there that Israel is at war (no missiles have been fired at Jerusalem for six or seven weeks) but people expect (or are preparing for) missiles to fly from Lebanon, which will shut Israel down. Some say in March, some say in the fall, but all agree before Donald Trump can become president.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:27 pmLittle noticed till now, but humanitarian aid to Gaza has been thrown into the Senate Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan/border bill.
It gives everyone something they want and some things they don’t want.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:32 pmHow would this be done without an agreement? Sending people back an forth? Closing passage to everyone until the other country agrees?
The Senate bill also liberalizes some immigration, like giving work authorization (immediately?) to anyone paroled into the United States. (The Republicans have stopped claiming that it costs jobs or wages, which was the rationalization for requiring proof of the right to work in 1986 or 1987, and now argue that work authorization creates an incentive for someone to try to get into the United States.)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:37 pm146. The GOP is arguing that no bill is necessary.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 12:39 pm139. Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 10:12 am
It depends on how good a lawyer Donald Trump has, and if he’s willing to admit to some things that, while they may not be criminal, don’t make him look good. Joseph Tacopina has quit.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/us/politics/tacopina-trump-lawyer.html
The fallacy with seeing the payments as an illegal campaign contribution and the falsifying of business records (reimbursement to Michael Cohen disguised as legal fees) as an attempt to hide that, is that, while from the viewpoint of Michael Cohen or the National Enquirer they constituted illegal campaign contributions, from the viewpoint of Donald Trump they did not, (and furthermore, had Trump used campaign money to pay Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, he’s have been potentially chargeable with using campaign money to pay a personal expense) and also that despite what Michael Cohen (probably falsely) says (in untaped conversations) in taped conversations, we see that Trump wasn’t even thinking about the effect on the 2016 general election but on his general reputation.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/08/trump-tried-to-buy-all-the-dirt-killed-by-the-enquirer.html
Now, question: When would David Pecker hypothetically get hit by a truck? Before the election, which was a few days away, or after the election?
What then happened here was that the National Enquirer became afraid to take the money, as it would remove their legal defense that the purchasing of te rights to Karen McDougal’s story was a business decision and not an illegal corporate campaign contribution, and then Michael Cohen, on is own initiative, using his own money (!!?) and almost certainly without consulting Donald Trump, paid a settlement to Stormy Daniels (who had not been paid by the National Enquirer)
That was his illegal campaign contribution, but Trump didn’t need his money.
Furthermore, there is no requirement (as a result of attorney client confidentiality) for a lawyer’s stated reason for billing to be accurate as long as he is not deceiving the client. And Michael Cohen wanted it that way. And he got paid extra to cover his taxes.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:06 pmLankford says it is better to get a portion of what you want and go for the rest later.
The Oklahoma GOP argues, what??
Saying that the bill isn’t needed is not an argument that it makes things worse from their point of view.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:09 pmHamas got some its ammunition before October 7 from Israel: (source main NYT front page story on Sunday)
https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1366017/significant-number-of-weapons-used-by-hamas-come-from-unlikely-source-israel-nyt-report.html
More:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-weapons-rockets.html
There are all sorts of people in Israel leaking to the New York Times about all sorts of things..
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:21 pmRethugs in missouri and mississippi trying to pass legislation to prevent voters from voting on abortion rights. RethugliKKKans are afraid of their own voters.
asset (f63778) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:25 pm@149
Most of these countries, there are ALREADY agreements to take them back. It’s countries like Cuba or Venezuala that may not have such agreements.
That’s a defacto amnesty.
That’s a no.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:25 pmhttps://www.newser.com/story/345664/betting-favorite-emerges-in-trump-vp-sweepstakes.html
Elise Stefanik is the betting favorite, but that may not mean anything.
This is according to the Hill, which may not mean it literally, and cites no source.
Maybe people on Capitol Hill favor her.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:26 pm@150
And they are correct.
HR2 are for addtional stronger immigration policies..
But bottom-line, this is a purposely orchestrated catastrophe, and the Biden administration chose this.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:28 pmwhembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:25 pm
No, an amnesty is giving permission to remain legally in the United States to people who till now were here illegally (usually for a period of years)
This proposal simply allows people waved into the United States to stay without the requirement of being a burden on others.
The bill also amnesties some categories of people, mainly Afghan refugees, and children of H-1B visa holders who grew up in the United States. They would not be required to leave the United States upon reaching the age of 18 or graduating from college. (Republicans don’t want that because they want the laws to be as arbitrary and irrational as possible)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-deal-biden-senate-us-mexico-border-bill
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:38 pmDid Trump try to obstruct an official proceeding on J6? Kind of seems like it. If there were good explanations for his actions, we would have heard them by now. Maybe Trump should only try and steal elections in Red States.
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:40 pm“News” agencies that write inaccurate obituaries: (augmented by copycat web sites that use AI to put in more “information.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/nyregion/obituary-pirates-matteo-sachman.html
https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-obituary-pirates/
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:41 pmAJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:40 pm
No. All his actions were official, also. And had the crowd even stolen the Electoral Votes from the Senate chamber, it would not have extended his term by one second.
There are bad, but probably not illegal, explanations.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:44 pmNot illegal, but you could maybe have impeached him for what he did.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:46 pmGoing to extremes in challenging the election results, and wwithout any basis in fact.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:47 pmI’m guessing the proxy force realized that if drones were landing at regular times or if they could piggy back one about to land, they could sneak in
steveg (b7f8b8) — 1/29/2024 @ 1:53 pm@159
My brother in Christ… do you not know the above, is the same as below?
ANY proposal whereby illegal migrants are given permission to stay is defacto amnesty.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 2:06 pm> create an electronic employment eligibility confirmation system modeled after the E-Verify system and requires all employers to use the system.
Because nothing says “freedom” like a single national database that determines whether a person can be hired to do work or not.
Such a system is *incredibly* vulnerable to abuse. Do you *want* a system which gives the government the *practical technical ability* to simply declare someone to be unhirable? What kind of odds would you give that such a system is never used to simply punish the politically undesirable of the moment?
aphrael (fe37a6) — 1/29/2024 @ 2:42 pm> Just not in the city.
Even in the city — bay area freeways, outside of rush hour, are normally averaging well above the speed limit.
aphrael (fe37a6) — 1/29/2024 @ 2:43 pm@167
In my state, I had to assert that I am a legal resident for my employment. I think there’s something like 22 states that uses such system for jobs.
That was 8 years ago, and so long as I don’t change job, I don’t have to re-assert that.
The check took about 2 days if I remember right.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 2:48 pmAlso, you had to assert your citizenship in order to get a RealID drivers license.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/29/2024 @ 2:50 pmI recently drove from here to Paso Robles and back on the 101. Northbound flow of traffic was low 70’s, Southbound flow of traffic was upper 70’s.
In the Owens Valley, people really get after it
14 to junction with 395 both directions I’ve been driving high 70’s and been passed like I was parked. Same goes for the 395 between 14 and the 203. It gets jammed up when it is two lanes with people with cruise control set at a similar speed. Like one at 80, the other at 81.
CHP seems to be looking for people in mid 80’s and up.
Years ago I was going over 85 down a hill after passing a semi trailer and the CHP plane circled around, came in low and waggled the wings at me
steveg (b7f8b8) — 1/29/2024 @ 3:04 pmIt depends on how good a lawyer Donald Trump has, and if he’s willing to admit to some things that, while they may not be criminal, don’t make him look good. Joseph Tacopina has quit.
The basic problem is that the “fraud” was committed over time, and the indictment treats each act in furtherance of the “fraud” as a distinct and separate crime. Or rather sets of 3 crimes since it is overcharged horizontally, then trumped up vertically.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 3:14 pmAlso, you had to assert your citizenship in order to get a RealID drivers license.
Which gets you the same rights as someone with an immigration hearing notice.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 3:54 pmDid Trump try to obstruct an official proceeding on J6? Kind of seems like it. If there were good explanations for his actions, we would have heard them by now. Maybe Trump should only try and steal elections in Red States.
No those were just folks who happened to be there that day, and misinterpreted the President’s words about free and fair elections. A sad overreaction on their part, but do you have a problem with free and fair elections?!
/sarc
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 3:58 pmThat’s a defacto amnesty.
Hardly. It’s allowing them to work while they wait for a hearing. Would you rather they were on the public dole? Once you let them in — and that’s where the line needs to be drawn — you really want them to be self-supporting. Might even make a failure to do so work against their request for asylum.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 4:01 pmANY proposal whereby illegal migrants are given permission to stay is defacto amnesty.
They are not illegal. They applied legally for a legal status and are awaiting a hearing on that request.
Now, I happen to think that if they snuck in they should not be able to make an asylum request after they get caught, and there I think we agree. But for the most part that’s not what this is about.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 4:04 pmMy proposal is that when we catch an illegal immigrant who’s working to support himself and his family, we keep him, and deport an American citizen who is nothing but a welfare malingerer in his place.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/29/2024 @ 5:09 pmProof that using pot is bad for your mental health.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/29/2024 @ 5:24 pmDonald Trump wrote that we are on the brink of World War III, I guess he doesn’t want Joe Biden to do anything.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:11 pmWell, I gotta say, if we ARE at the brink or WW3 there is no one I’d want more in charge than
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:30 pmYosemite SamDonald Trump. That way he can retaliate against everyone, all at once.Not that Elmer Fudd is much better.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/29/2024 @ 7:32 pm@175
“Once you let them in”
That’s the problem Kevin, and yes, it’s defacto amnesty. Because, the longer that they’re here, the more unsavory it is to deport them politically.
Just look at the Dreamer situations.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/29/2024 @ 8:37 pm@176
Running to the border and allowing themselves to be “processed” by border patrol by claim asylum, when its far more likely that these are economic illegal migrants *is* is abusing the spirit and letter of asylum laws.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/29/2024 @ 8:39 pmJapanese torpedo planes and kamikaze planes used the same tactic. The torpedo planes crippled the USS Yorktown
steveg (b7f8b8) — 1/29/2024 @ 8:56 pmhttps://twitter.com/i/status/1752021755995025689
Nancy Pelosi in this clip (at the very end) seems to say “go back the China where you come from” to pro Hamas protesters that are blocking her driveway
steveg (b7f8b8) — 1/29/2024 @ 9:01 pm@185 Nancy pelosi has warn out her welcome. The base wants ceasefire ( I don’t ) AOC is the de facto leader of the democratic party even if Biden is the de jura leader. Gavin newsome will do what ever it takes to be ready to replace Biden or 2028.
asset (81362a) — 1/29/2024 @ 9:53 pmIt’s good to see AllahNick at The Dispatch coming around to the fact that the full-liz was never going to work. And Haley’s strategy at least got her to the point of last-man-standing…and the opportunity to perform a more surgical strike on Trump. Her critiques on Trump throwing a tantrum and of him needing to be sat down….are truly masterful on multiple psychological levels. Not only do they provoke over-reaction, but they provide a cutting contrast: A happy, smiling Haley versus a spitting, angry man-child. Beautiful!
Will it work?
The problem is that Trumpism is rooted into the GOP. The bulk of the right-leaning media enables Trump and the bulk of the GOP politicians slavishly follow the media. The electorate horde is conditioned to accept the lies and the inevitability meme. Haley has the natural likeability that DeSantis lacks.Tim Scott has natural likeability but it does not translate as well to the stage. Christie has a genuine sense of humor and connection, but he was simply tuned out. Ramaswamy was a clown — some people like clowns, most find them somewhat creepy and annoying.
The GOP may in fact not be ready to move on from nasty self-debasement, but at least for a few more weeks there’s a clear distinction. You can have a normal candidate if you want her. As Trump racks up legal judgments and legal bills….and with a felony conviction lingering over the horizon….GOP voters need to look in the mirror and decide who they want to be. Chewing and nibbling at their conscience is more effective than punching them in the face and calling them a sucker. This was never going to be pretty and pretending there was a clear rational strategy to uproot Trumpism was wishcasting. I choose to hang with Haley’s optimism….
AJ_Liberty (cba8d1) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:33 amThey decided that a long time ago. And nothing appears to be “chewing and nibbling at their conscience,” either nationally or in South Carolina.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/30/2024 @ 7:28 am@188, Even campaigns that are unsuccessful are useful for building the foundation for the next successful one. There’s been a lot of losing with Trumpism over the past six years. And now Republicans can’t even address their signature issue of border enforcement because Trump seems poised to be an obstacle. Eventually people will tire of losing, whining, and hubris.
Christie punched in the face, how’s his campaign doing? All Haley can do is make the argument….consolidate anti-Trump support….and be ready if Trump implodes. The fact that it may not happen does not diminish the fact that Haley is giving a voice to those that opposing Trump and wanting a normal candidate. I refuse to root for or bend the knee to a rapist and bully. Sometimes being on the right side of a question is better than being on the winning side of a debate. The right side is to oppose Trumpism everywhere….even at this tiny outpost of conservatism…
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:41 amit’s defacto amnesty
When they have committed no crime, “amnesty” is a non sequitur.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:43 amRNC seeking new credit line to help climb out of money hole
It’s a theory all right.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:45 am“Trump” is a three-edged sword. And none of the edges are good.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:47 amKevin, I honestly think that the “middle finger” aspect drives Trump support. And even the most ardent Trump supporter needs to ask an important question: at what point do they say, “that’s it” and can no longer support him.
It isn’t about any other politician. That’s a cop out. We all must have our limits. Otherwise we do not support a candidate. We simply agree. To anything and everything.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:58 amAJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:41 am
@188, Even campaigns that are unsuccessful are useful for building the foundation for the next successful one.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:21 amSome of the money for the pro-Hamas demonstrations is reputed too come from China. The Democratic Socialists of America are running out of money, possibly because they expected to cash in, but didn’t.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:24 amSimon,
What gets me is that he has a lot of support from women, despite his rampant misogyny and sexual misbehavior. I understand why he has a lot of support from the wife-beaters, but why from the wife-beatees?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:31 amWe’ll see if Trump has fundamentally changed the Republican Party or not to a working class, populist party only at some future date. So far Haley has been only able to attract the college educated wine and cheese voter, which hasn’t made up the bulk of the Republican electorate during this campaign.
Maybe if more candidates joined Christie in pummeling Donald Trump, things might be different. Instead, they kowtowed to Trump.
Until we see Trump’s support decline and his congressional endorsements switch to Haley, she has already consolidated the existing anti-Trump support.
I’m not asking anyone “to root for or bend the knee to a rapist and bully,” nor have I done so either. I’m pointing out that Haley is extremely unlikely to be the nominee. She already lost her best shot.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:42 am@190
Kevin, crossing the river or any other non-Port of Entry entrance is breaking the law. Even if they run into the arms of the Border Patrol.
Are you purposely ignoring that or you’re not seeing it?
Claiming asylum needs to be done either at their home country’s US Embassy (or consulate I believe) OR, the next safest contiguous nation’s embassy.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:57 am@193
Why must we support the candidate?
Why can I not, in a defensive measure, vote against the other candidate despite how bad the candidate I’m voting for?
But, to your point, I do think *spite* is a large driver of Trump’s support. It could be either or combination of:
-2020 election was unfair
-Trump’s being targeted by his political opponent
-Democrat policies are simply awful
-Judges
-The border
-Foreign policy
-economy
-social issues
What I think we’re finding, is that there’s a non-insignificant number of voters who simply are not the “tip of the spear” consumers of all-things-political who simply makes the calculation that things were better in the Trump years than the Biden’s years, and all the sturm and drang of Trump’s chaos is simply background noise.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:03 amAllahnick has a column today about Nikki’s new “half-Liz” strategy. It’s good as far as it goes, but I think he’s missing the real dynamic: speaking to Trump-supporting women. It’s unlikely that any of Trump’s core male supporters are going to be influenced by anything a woman says, but the women in their lives may be more susceptible.
So, when Nikki supports E Jean Carroll, or talks about Trump’s “temper tantrums” and other poor behavior, or brings up kitchen-table issues that Trump ignores, a lot of women are going to hear that over the noise.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:08 amLink: https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/the-half-liz/
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:09 am@196
That baffles me too. Especially the GenXers and older generation.
I was talking to my mother about this with my aunties…. and they’re all Trump supporters. They handwave it all the away because they truly believe he’s opponents are abusing the system against him. After talking about this more and the things they say… I think I may know why.
Most of them grew up with old school Television, Movies and women’s magazine…and prior to politics, Trump was the famous ladies man billionaire Democrat with all the fawning you’d expect from someone at his stature. It was only when he ran for office, that all of that changed. Yet, these women remember fondly of Trump pre-POTUS. I can’t explain it any better than that, and curious of what ya’ll think.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:09 amKevin, crossing the river or any other non-Port of Entry entrance is breaking the law. Even if they run into the arms of the Border Patrol.
Are you purposely ignoring that or you’re not seeing it?
Claiming asylum needs to be done either at their home country’s US Embassy (or consulate I believe) OR, the next safest contiguous nation’s embassy.
It’s you that is ignoring something, not me. Asylum can be requested at any official border crossing station, or even at airport customs.
You need to separate out those who only ask for amnesty after they are caught illegally entering, and those who appear at the gateway lawfully. I really would like to see stats on the two situations and who gets considered for amnesty. I think that in the one case the presumption is positive and in the other case it is not, but if you have good data on that, I’d like to see it.
But in either case if they are given permission to stay in the country, they are here legally, by definition. You may argue that the permission was unreasonably given, but that does not turn the recipient into a criminal.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:16 amDo you really think that our embassy in Mexico is set up to process more than maybe a dozen asylum requests a day?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:17 amKevin, did you ever read “A Canticle for Leibowitz“?
After the nuclear war, there was this comment:
“Simpletons! Yes, yes! I’m a simpleton! Are you a simpleton? We’ll build a town and we’ll name it Simple Town, because by then all the smart bastards that caused all this, they’ll be dead! Simpletons! Let’s go! This ought to show ’em! Anybody here not a simpleton? Get the bastard, if there is!”.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:30 amYes, twice. Walter M Miller, Jr.
Populism does not rise from nothing. All those simpletons would MUCH rather have someone else attend crop report hearings and read the college application essays while they go bowling. Politics is the last thing in the world they want to spend their time on.
But when the “smart people”, for whatever reasons (self-dealing, arrogance, myopia, delusion, fad-following, greed, etc) lose the plot and the sh1t flows downhill to the simpletons, you get populism. And populism is a pretty blunt weapon, so all those smart people think it’s all random. It’s not, it’s just aimed at them for fracking up so badly.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:40 am@203
So… is walking through a gap in the wall or swim across the river “crossing station” or an “airport custom”?
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:51 am@204
Yes.
That’s the point.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:52 amOff-topic:
Here is my list of the most important, influential or otherwise breakout books in Science fiction over the years. It’s an opinion, based on a lifetime of reading. And no, I don’t actually like all of them.
1800s
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Jules Verne
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
From Earth to the Moon- Jules Verne
The Time Machine- H G Wells
The War of the Worlds- H G Wells
1910s
A Princess of Mars- Edgar Rice Burroughs
At the Earth’s Core- Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Lost World- Arthur Conan Doyle
1920s
Armageddon 2419 AD- Philip Francis Nowlan
R U R- Karel Čapek
The Skylark of Space- E E “Doc” Smith
We- Yevgeny Zamyatin
1930s
A Martian Odyssey- Stanley G Weinbaum (short story in collection)
Anthem- Ayn Rand
At the Mountains of Madness- H P Lovecraft
Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
Galactic Patrol- E E “Doc” Smith
Gladiator- Philip Wylie
Hour of the Dragon- Robert E Howard
Jirel of Joiry- C L Moore
Last and First Men- Olaf Stapeldon
Out of the Silent Planet- C S Lewis
The Legion of Space- Jack Williamson
The Man of Bronze- Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent)
War with the Newts- Karel Čapek
When Worlds Collide- Philip Wylie & Edwin Balmer
Who Goes There?- John W Campbell, Jr
1940s
Adventures in Time and Space- edited by Raymond J Healy
Animal Farm- George Orwell
Conjure Wife- Fritz Leiber
Earth Abides- George R Stewart
Lest Darkness Fall- L Sprague de Camp
Methuselah’s Children- Robert A Heinlein
Needle- Hal Clement
Nightfall- Isaac Asimov
Nineteen Eighty-Four- George Orwell
Orphans of the Sky- Robert A Heinlein
Slan- A E van Vogt
The Green Hills of Earth- Robert A Heinlein
The Man Who Sold the Moon- Robert A Heinlein
The World of Null-A- A E van Vogt
Venus Equilateral- George O Smith
What Mad Universe- Fredric Brown
1950s
A Canticle for Leibowitz- Walter M Miller, Jr
A Case of Conscience- James Blish
Alas, Babylon- Pat Frank
Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand
Brain Wave- Poul Anderson
Childhood’s End- Arthur C Clarke
Citizen of the Galaxy- Robert A Heinlein
City- Clifford D Simak
Doomsday Morning- C L Moore
Dorsai!- Gordon R Dickson
Double Star- Robert A Heinlein
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
Foundation- Isaac Asimov
I, Robot- Isaac Asimov
Mission of Gravity- Hal Clement
More Than Human- Theodore Sturgeon
Starship Troopers- Robert A Heinlein
The Black Cloud- Fred Hoyle
The Caves of Steel- Isaac Asimov
The Day of the Triffids- John Wyndham
The Demolished Man- Alfred Bester
The Martian Chronicles- Ray Bradbury
The Puppet Masters- Robert A Heinlein
The Rediscovery of Man- Cordwainer Smith
The Sirens of Titan- Kurt Vonnegut
The Space Merchants- Frederik Pohl & C M Kornbluth
The Stars My Destination- Alfred Bester
The Weapon Shops of Isher- A E van Vogt
Time Out of Joint- Philip K Dick
1960s
A Clockwork Orange- Anthony Burgess
Agent of the Terran Empire- Poul Anderson
Behold the Man- Michael Moorcock
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?- Philip K Dick
Dangerous Visions- edited by Harlan Ellison
Dragonflight- Anne McCaffrey
Dune- Frank Herbert
Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keyes
Glory Road- Robert A Heinlein
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream- Harlan Ellison
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen- H Beam Piper
Lord of Light- Roger Zelazny
Neutron Star- Larry Niven
Pilgrimage: The Book of the People- Zenna Henderson
Podkayne of Mars- Robert A Heinlein
Slaughterhouse-Five- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr
Solaris- Stanislaw Lem
Stand on Zanzibar- John Brunner
Stranger in a Strange Land- Robert A Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness- Ursula K Le Guin
The Man in the High Castle- Philip K Dick
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress- Robert A Heinlein
The Stainless Steel Rat- Harry Harrison
The Witches of Karres- James H Schmitz
Trader to the Stars- Poul Anderson
Ubik- Philip K Dick
Up the Line- Robert Silverberg
Venus Plus X- Theodore Sturgeon
Way Station- Clifford D Simak
1970s
Deathbird Stories- Harlan Ellison
Gateway- Frederik Pohl
Inherit the Stars- James P Hogan
Nine Princes in Amber- Roger Zelazny
Rendezvous with Rama- Arthur C Clarke
Ringworld- Larry Niven
To Your Scattered Bodies Go- Philip Jose Farmer
Tau Zero- Poul Anderson
The Dispossessed- Ursula K Le Guin
The Female Man- Joanna Russ
The Forever War- Joe Haldeman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
The Lathe of Heaven- Ursula K Le Guin
The Man Who Folded Himself- David Gerrold
The Mote in God’s Eye- Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Ophiuchi Hotline- John Varley
The Shockwave Rider- John Brunner
The Stand- Stephen King
Titan- John Varley
1980s
Across Realtime- Vernor Vinge
Armor- John Steakley
Consider Phlebas- Iain M Banks
Downbelow Station- C J Cherryh
Ender’s Game- Orson Scott Card
Friday- Robert A Heinlein
Hyperion- Dan Simmons
Lord Valentine’s Castle- Robert Silverberg
Neuromancer- William Gibson
Robots and Empire- Isaac Asimov
Speaker for the Dead- Orson Scott Card
Startide Rising- David Brin
The Many-Colored Land- Julian May
The Pride of Chanur- C J Cherryh
The Shadow of the Torturer- Gene Wolfe
The Warrior’s Apprentice- Lois McMaster Bujold
Watchmen- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
When Gravity Fails- George Alec Effinger
1990’s
A Deepness in the Sky- Vernor Vinge
A Fire Upon the Deep- Vernor Vinge
Against a Dark Background- Iain M Banks
Beggars in Spain- Nancy Kress
Cryptonomicon- Neal Stephenson
Doomsday Book- Connie Willis
Foreigner- C J Cherryh
Idoru- William Gibson
In the Garden of Iden- Kage Baker
On Basilisk Station- David Weber
Queen of Angels- Greg Bear
Red Mars- Kim Stanley Robinson
Snow Crash- Neal Stephenson
The Difference Engine- William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
The Diamond Age- Neal Stephenson
The Reality Dysfunction- Peter F Hamilton
The Star Fraction- Ken MacLeod
2000s
Altered Carbon- Richard K Morgan
Anathem- Neal Stephenson
Kindred- Octavia E Butler
Old Man’s War- John Scalzi
Perdido Street Station- China Mieville
Pandora’s Star & Judas Unchained- Peter F Hamilton
Rainbows End- Vernor Vinge
Revelation Space- Alastair Reynolds
River of Gods- Ian McDonald
Spin- Robert Charles Wilson
The Algebraist- Iain M Banks
The Atrocity Archives- Charles Stross
The Family Trade- Charles Stross
The Windup Girl- Paolo Bacigalupi
2010s
A Memory Called Empire- Arkady Martine
All Systems Red- Martha Wells
Ancillary Justice- Ann Leckie
Blackout & All Clear- Connie Willis
Children of Time- Adrian Tchaikovsky
Feed- Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire)
Gideon the Ninth- Tasmyn Muir
Leviathan Wakes- James S A Corey
Saga- Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples
Surface Detail- Iain M Banks
The Fifth Season- N K Jemisin
The Martian- Andy Weir
The Three-Body Problem- Liu Cixin
Wool- Hugh Howey
2020s
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:55 am???
Kevin, these books have been my gospel. I’ll bet we could have a fun conversation.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:01 amP.S. Kevin, if you ever want to chat off this board, Patterico has my email.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:03 amSo… is walking through a gap in the wall or swim across the river “crossing station” or an “airport custom”?
No, and I said it is not. And that you were ignoring that. Again now.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:03 am@212
Kevin, most of the asylum seekers *are* walking through a gap in the wall or swimming across the river. Most are not going through established crossing stations and airport customs.
It’s these folks I’m talking about, that makes up the large majority of these cases.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:07 am“Maybe if more candidates joined Christie in pummeling Donald Trump, things might be different.”
Isn’t that wishcasting? For someone only driven by polls, where is the polling evidence that suggests that more kamikazes would have turned the corner on this electorate? It’s equally reasonable to assume that Kamikaze-Nikki and Kamikaze-Ron would have simply tracked Christie’s single-digit performance and Iowa would have been even more lopsided. Christie’s negatives were crazy high precisely because he was perceived as making the MSNBC case against Trump. It was a losing strategy.
“I’m pointing out that Haley is extremely unlikely to be the nominee.”
That is the conventional wisdom. But Haley is fighting the good fight. Here is Ken Griffin (CEO Citadel) at The Hill
And more Griffin
Haley will likely not be able to overcome Trump’s built-in advantages, in spite of all of his baggage. GOP voters assume Trump is the reason the economy boomed before Covid. They assume his signature issue of the border will be better served by his approach….and they shockingly presume peace will reign if Trump is back in office. Couple that with an unusual election with Covid accommodations…and phenomenal name recognition and familiarity….is it crazy for him to lead among Republicans? Add in the steadfast support of right-wing media and most Republican incumbents….and we are where we are. I wish voters cared more about character and fitness. Character is destiny. I’m going to continue to applaud Haley for making the case. Trump being annoyed means she’s doing something right….
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:08 amKevin, most of the asylum seekers *are* walking through a gap in the wall
Most of the ones you see in news reports or blogs, at least. But maybe it’s for the same reason that you only see collapsed buildings after an earthquake, even though 99.9% of buildings came through OK. If it bleeds, it leads.
The crossing points are overwhelmed because they are where most of the people are trying to enter.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:12 am“Maybe if more candidates joined Christie in pummeling Donald Trump, things might be different.”
“I’m pointing out that Haley is extremely unlikely to be the nominee.”
Allahnick disputes the first while agreeing with the second.
Her strategy now seems to be <a href="“>The Half Liz.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 11:21 amMr M wrote:
That would be a feature, not a bug; have you considered that perhaps we don’t want more asylum requests than that — if even that many — processed?
Dana (bacf72) — 1/30/2024 @ 12:17 pmNot really, it’s how the schoolyards take care of bullies. The bully’s victims band together and give him what for. Of course it’s unknowable as rather than ganging up on Trump, the other candidates (including Haley) protected the bully.
Ken Griffin really has no expertise in politics, outside of giving money. He’s ust protecting his investment in Haley, all the while hedging his bets.
I really doubt that Trump will blacklist any of Haley’s funders. If they offered him millions in contributions I’m sure he would take it. They’re a mercenary bunch.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/30/2024 @ 12:32 pmWhite lives matter activist ameane penny gets 18 years in slammer for fire bombing church that supports LGBTQ.(DU) Donald trump nominated for nobel peace prize again.
asset (ca3256) — 1/30/2024 @ 1:26 pmDecades ago, most .migrants would try to sneak across remote areas of the border. Some still do that, typically if they have a record that means they will be immediately deported.
But my impression now is that most migrants are presenting themselves at ports-of-entry and requesting asylum (plus relocation to be with family here). If so, that may be why the border crossings are so inundated.
But I live about 200 miles from the border and don’t know exactly what is happening. I dont want the Republican or the Democratic talking points. What can I read that is credible and reliable that will tell me?
DRJ (77597f) — 1/30/2024 @ 2:01 pmThat would be a feature, not a bug; have you considered that perhaps we don’t want more asylum requests than that — if even that many — processed?
What we want doesn’t matter. See King Canute.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 2:37 pmSo, is Trump’s threats against Haley’s backers a backdoor solicitation of bribes?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 2:39 pmWhat can I read that is credible and reliable that will tell me?
DRJ (77597f) — 1/30/2024 @ 2:01 pm
Try the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). I have given money to this organization. When I was working as an immigration officer, we got annual pitches to donate to the Combined Federal Campaign (the federal government’s charity effort). I was delighted to find out that this organization was on the list of recipients. Its leader, Mark Krikorian, talks reasonably about immigration and, while he’s pro-enforcement, he’s not a Trump ring-kisser as far as I can tell.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:10 pmDo you really think that our embassy in Mexico is set up to process more than maybe a dozen asylum requests a day?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:17 am
Yes.
That’s the point.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:52 am
A point of clarification. Asylum can only be requested in the U.S., or at a port-of-entry. From abroad, it is refugee status that is requested.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:13 pmHere is my list of the most important, influential or otherwise breakout books in Science fiction over the years.
Kevin, can you condense that down to a top five or top ten list? I only have time to read the very best. 😛 Simon, I’d be interested in your whittled-down list, also.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:18 pmSo, I looked at the CIS site and terminology is such that it’s impossible to tell what portion were refused entry, and of those that were allowed in, which had at least prima facie asylum claims.
It doesn’t help that the Biden administration is trying to have things both ways, with a number of programs for permitting the impermissible. Are such people entering illegally? Or are the entering legally under a program that is, itself, illegal?
If Biden were to tell the IRS that no one had to pay capital gains taxes, and under that program I didn’t pay my capital gains tax, am I behaving illegally?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:22 pmHaley’s backers will give to Trump of their own free will, just like most of the other Republican candidates. None of them want to be on the outside looking in.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:24 pmYes; Congress writes the tax code, not any presidential administration.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:25 pmI will do that, norcal, and thank you. Anything you want to offer based on your knowledge and experience would also be appreciated.
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:27 pmI am reading the CIS website, norcal, and there are some excellent articles there. In addition, here is another website that specofocally addresses my question. Do you know anything about the Migration Policy Institute?
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:39 pmWhen will ignorant southern white trash change? (They did change from democrat to republican) Why should they? Trump hates the same people they hate. Better to rule in hell then serve in heaven. You’ll keep saying stop loving trump and hating never trumpers. They still control most red states so they would rather lose with trum and stay in control of republican party. You are now rinos not them.
asset (061ab9) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:44 pm@225 Life is not science fiction or we would write much more interesting characters then we actually meet. Mr. Spock for president!
asset (061ab9) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:46 pmKevin, can you condense that down to a top five or top ten list?
It’s not really a “best” list, in the sense that a book that was groundbreaking in 1912 might not even be very interesting today. They are more the SF “Canon.”
For a best list, one has to look at more recent work. One also has to judge personal tastes, not everyone likes space opera. Here are book that I consider absolutely amazing, and current. They are not the normal “best” list.
Books that stand on their own:
A Deepness in the Sky- Vernor Vinge
Doomsday Book- Connie Willis
Idoru- William Gibson
Pandora’s Star & Judas Unchained- Peter F Hamilton
Ringworld- Larry Niven
Snow Crash- Neal Stephenson
Surface Detail- Iain M Banks
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress- Robert A Heinlein
The Stars My Destination- Alfred Bester
Titan- John Varley
Books that start great series:
Consider Phlebas- Iain M Banks
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:48 pmEnder’s Game- Orson Scott Card
Foreigner- C J Cherryh
In the Garden of Iden- Kage Baker
Leviathan Wakes- James S A Corey
On Basilisk Station- David Weber
Revelation Space- Alastair Reynolds
The Reality Dysfunction- Peter F Hamilton
The Warrior’s Apprentice- Lois McMaster Bujold
Titan- John Varley
Do you know anything about the Migration Policy Institute?
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:39 pm
No, I don’t. My blood easily boils when I reflect on my career and the immigration mess, so it’s only on occasion that I will get into those weeds. (I once referred to my agency as a Cornucopia of Clusterf**kery. My friend and co-worker found that hilarious.)
All I remember is that Krikorian was much better at discussing immigration issues than Dan Stein, the onetime head of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). So, I favored CIS over FAIR.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:49 pmMr. Krekorian seems to agree with the Migration Policy Institute article regarding the Biden policy that deceptively drives down numbers:
I have been looking for information like this, norcal. Your lead was the only way I found it.
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:50 pmA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge may be the best SF book ever written. Endlessly inventive.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:50 pmI definitely remember Stein and Krikorian (even though I couldn’t spell his name). I share your preference for Krikorian.
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:51 pmLife is not science fiction or we would write much more interesting characters then we actually meet. Mr. Spock for president!
Said by someone who mistakes TV shows for SF.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:52 pmKevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:48 pm
Thanks, Kevin.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:53 pmA Deepness in the Sky and the Doomsday Book *tied* for the Best Novel Hugo, which has otherwise never happened. Both were absolutely fantastic.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:53 pm> Said by someone who mistakes TV shows for SF.
The adaptation of _the expanse_ has been phenomenal.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:54 pmLet’s say that someone presents themselves at the border. An objective immigration lawyer would tell you they are inadmissible, but the immigration officer on duty allows them in and gives them a green card (or whatever they give them). Is the immigrant committing a crime? Or is the administration committing the crime?
The Mayorkas impeachment would argue the latter.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:56 pmYour lead was the only way I found it.
DRJ (c92fda) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:50 pm
I’m glad I could be of help.
One of these days I might write a lengthy comment about the immigration morass.
norcal (a4966a) — 1/30/2024 @ 3:56 pmThe adaptation of _the expanse_ has been phenomenal.
Well, yes. Well-cast, well produced and the change to put Chrisjen Avasarala in the initial episodes was genius. One of the greatest characters in SF. Shohreh Aghdashloo deserved an Emmy.
But all asset knew was Trek.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:00 pmBTW, aphrael, this is a bit of a guess, but from what I read of you here, I think you’d like Foreigner by S J Cherryh.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:04 pmC J Cherryh. Gah!
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:04 pmPlease do, norcal. Offer it to P as a guest post. I think people are desperate for information, and you have a valuable perspective.
DRJ (5d4c55) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:38 pm242. No one is committing a crime unless they were bribed. And the law is probably more complicated.
It might be that a provision for exceptions is used more than intended. I don;t think we’re getting the truth from anyone.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:39 pmStar Trek is on Heroes and Icons six nights a week Sunday through Friday 8 pm through 1am – 5 series. Yesterday was set in Hotel Royale on TNG I don’t know how they can pretend details can be recreated from a book. We have the same thing in “A Piece of the Action” in TOS. It’s not time travel in either case. We had a series if shirt hops time travel for “Chief” O’Brien on DS9 yesterday. Interesting remise.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/30/2024 @ 4:43 pmProsecutor in Trump Georgia case settles divorce, heading off testimony
Advantage, ex-wife.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:14 pmRIP, Chita Rivera, 91, Broadway dancer and actress.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:21 pmThe distinguished Mr Finkelman noted:
All of the Star Trek series are on H&I, channel 385 on DirecTV, including the best of the series, Deep Space Nine, and the prequel series, Enterprise. If you didn’t see Enterprise, the series will go back to the first episode this Friday night.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:24 pmOr, you could join Paramount+ and watch them all in a solid week of binging.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:27 pmSo, I see that Haley is not doing so well in recent Haley-Biden general election polls. I wonder if Trump supporters are simply saying they’d vote for Biden out of spite.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:30 pmLOL!
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:53 pmKevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:27 pm
There are only 168 hours in a week – but there are 4 to 5 times as many episodes of Star Trek
And 168 shows per week is if a person did nothing else and never rested and did not sleep, It would not help that much if each show was only 44 minutes long or whatever.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/30/2024 @ 6:16 pmTonight, TNG also has a short time jump – this time of Picard – in Time Squared.
H&I is on Channel 9-4 on broadcast TV in New York.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/30/2024 @ 6:18 pmOn the other hand, there were only 4 seasons and 98 episodes of Enterprise alone, so if binge watching that in a week it would only amount to 14 episodes a day.
There were 7 seasons each of TNG, DS9 and Voyager with 178, 176 and 172 episodes each. and 79 episodes in 3 seasons of TOS, 10 movies and 22 cartoons, And more since 2017.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/30/2024 @ 6:46 pmThanks for the recommendation, Kevin 🙂 I’ll add it to the TBR. 🙂
I think there will be a window in late March where i’m *not* working on a book (i’m a beta reader for a couple of different writers) when i can squeeze it in. 🙂
aphrael (4c4719) — 1/30/2024 @ 6:59 pm@252 Where Kirk fights the romulan ship balance of terror is the best and is similar to movie enemy below. Where kirk saves whale movie is next best. I like T’pol best character of all.
asset (282537) — 1/30/2024 @ 7:51 pmNot sure what poll you’re looking at, but a new Emerson College poll shows Trump (or Haley) neck-and-neck with Biden:
As everyone here liked to point out to me, polls 280 days before an election are notoriously unreliable (though the Republican primary polls have been exceptionally consistent for nearly that long). Of all the candidates mentioned above, there are only two that are in a position to win their party’s nomination and be on enough ballots to actually win.
Rip Murdock (d5964e) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:02 pmSorry, B5 man myself.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:38 pm@242
I see what you mean.
But why does it have to be either/or dynamic?
Couldn’t both the immigrant AND the administration commit some crime?
Why do we charge the driver, who’s just sitting in the car and gives his buddy a ride, after his buddy robbed the bank?
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:53 pm@250
Wanna bet that some weathy democrat gave the ex-wife a juicy deal to call this off? You know what, if so, good for her.
That still doesn’t affect the appearance of conflict of interest between Wade and Fani.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:56 pm@255
I disagree.
When an administration, headed by a political appointee abdicate their responsibility…impeachment is exactly the mechanism Congress should use to pressure the administration to start enforcing the damn law.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/30/2024 @ 8:58 pm@ Simon Jester,
I read it, Simon, and it was amazing. I thought about it for a long time afterward. And that was very unexpected because i am not normally a sci-fi reader. This book was so worth it.
Dana (8e902f) — 1/30/2024 @ 9:45 pm@265 You mean like the new house that was bought dubya’s girl friend that he drove to NY for an abortion?
asset (282537) — 1/30/2024 @ 10:35 pmSince you are discussing science fiction, three thoughts on Heinlein stories:
1. Both Musk and Bezos say “The Man Who Sold the Moon” inspired them.
2. When I get my hair cut by a new stylist, I sometimes tell her one of his short stories, “Delilah and the Space Rigger”. So far, all of them have liked it. Or appeared to.
3. Another Heinlein short story, ” . . . . All You Zombies . . .” is about the weirdest story I’ve ever read.
Jim Miller (09f17d) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:14 amJust watched Tenet for the first time yesterday. I’m now going to try to figure out what the hell I just watched.
What does it even mean to live backwards in time….and how can inverted people interact with non-inverted people….wouldn’t they simply slip past each other?
There are too many paradoxes with time travel. OK, along with alternative universes, they may make for an intriguing story (yeah I’m knee deep in Dark right now, but had to take a break because my brain hurt) but the “rules” always seem arbitrary. What is science’s best guess….or is it just hot-tub time machine?
AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:18 amMr Finkelman wrote:
You can pretty much skip Voyager. I mean, who can seriously accept the notion of a female captain? Then they went all in on Seven of Nine’s most prominent and obvious Borg implants.
Dana (bacf72) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:52 amIf you suppose infinity, every possible situation exists, not once but an infinite number of times.
Nobody is traveling in time, AJ_Liberty. They are traveling across an infinite number of universes in infinitesimal amounts of time.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. — Arthur C. Clarke
“Any science fiction which glosses over the laws of physics is fantasy.” — nk
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard. Just enjoy the story.
nk (ed8501) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:53 amWhy do we charge the driver, who’s just sitting in the car and gives his buddy a ride, after his buddy robbed the bank?
If he picked up his buddy a mile away and there was no evidence he knew that a bank was robbed? We don’t. While ignorance of the law is no excuse, an official stamp of approval on one’s actions ought to be.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:02 am1. Both Musk and Bezos say “The Man Who Sold the Moon” inspired them.
Musk also talks about Robinson’s “Red Mars” being the basis for his plans there.
My favorite story from Heinlein’s Evening Post era remains “The Green Hills of Earth”
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:06 amThere are too many paradoxes with time travel
There are none, if you look at it right. The future springs from the present, always, and is always unknowable. There’s a famous comic where someone steps out of his time machine and announces that he just went back and killed Hitler, and the response is “Who’s Hitler?”
See the Many Worlds hypothesis aka Everett Theory. For a fictional treatment, try the excellent time-travel book “Here, There & Everywhere” by Chris Roberson.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:14 amThe story of Hugh Everett is a sad one, almost as bad as that of Évariste Galois whose worked revolutionized mathematics long after his death at 20 in a duel.
Everett was encouraged in his work by his mentor John Wheeler and obtained a doctorate from Princeton, then the center of physics in the United States. His paper on the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics was published, but the Old Guard did not accept it. He went to Copenhagen to try to discuss it with Neils Bohr, but was basically shown the door.
He then quit physics and worked at defense firms for the rest of his life. He died of a ehart attack at the age of 51, after several decades of alcoholism, chain-smoking and obesity.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:30 am“Any science fiction which glosses over the laws of physics is fantasy.” — nk
You state Clarke’s Third Law about “magic”, but neglect his First Law:
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:38 amLink: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-clarkes-laws-2699067
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:39 amhttps://dailycaller.com/2024/01/30/pro-life-activists-jury-hands-down-guilty-verdict/
Biden administration persecuting Christians with draconian charges.
NJRob (9c1c06) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:59 amThe problem is the law as written (as well as Supreme Court rulings) give the administration discretion when enforcing immigration laws.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 10:01 am#280
Since Donald Trump does not actually want anything done on immigration until he takes office, impeaching Mayorkas is actually counterproductive. The whole point of an impeachment is to force discussion in the Senate of an issue nobody was willing to discuss. Now, the last thing Trump wants for his campaign is providing the dramatic illustration that the MAGA GOP is sabotaging action on this issue — and making a big dramatic impeachment will make this more of a news itwm that it usually would be, right at the moment when everything should be covered…with a blanket until it stops moving.
Accomplishing absolutely nothing is harder than it looks. Pity Johnson and his Freedom Caucus buddies and how hard thy have to work at this. All the cognitive dissonance has to be giving them migraines.
Appalled (6f4cc7) — 1/31/2024 @ 10:19 amSource
It is up to Congress to change the immigration laws and reduce any descretion.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 10:30 am>because the Department of Homeland Security does not have the resources to apprehend and deport all of the more than 11 million noncitizens who could be subject to deportation, immigration officials should prioritize the apprehension and deportation of three specific groups of people: suspected terrorists; noncitizens who have committed crimes; and those caught recently at the border.
This seems reasonable. Congress has commanded that DHS do [x] but only provided the resources for it to do [x/5], so DHS has to figure out what to do and what not to do — how to best approximate Congressional intent given what is an actual conflict between expectations and resources.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 10:57 am@280
Still doesn’t mean Congress could signal it’s displeasure via impeachment.
Still doesn’t mean Congress couldn’t force POTUS via the power of the purse.
Abuse of this discretion can still be an impeachable offense.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 11:02 amChanneling my inner-Rip… 😉
Morning Consult recent polling:
https://pro-assets.morningconsult.com/wp-uploads/2024/01/2401055_Bloomberg_2024-Election-Tracking-Wave-4_Crosstabs_All-States-compressed-1.pdf
Swing States Tracking Poll #2401055
January 16-22, 2024
Here are some of the results:
That seems… waaaaaay too Trump optimistic to me.
I don’t see how he wins AZ and Penn… and he needs those states.
But for what it’s worth, this is one beefy pool with details galore…
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 11:45 amStill doesn’t mean Congress couldn’t force POTUS via the power of the purse.
They actually are trying that, but it is wound up in other issues. Failure to “faithfully enforce” the law is an impeachable offense. It is a political, not criminal matter and impeachment is primarily designed for political offenses — something that scoundrels obfuscate when it is convenient to obfuscate.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:16 pmThat seems… waaaaaay too Trump optimistic to me.
Some of Trump’s support is based on Biden’s failures, particularly with respect to inflation (which was beaucoup more than the government numbers suggest). As this recedes into the past, attitudes soften.
Reagan was underwater in 1982 due to high interest rates and unemployment. By the time the ’84 elections came around, though, it was “Morning in America.”
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:20 pmThe problem is the law as written (as well as Supreme Court rulings) give the administration discretion when enforcing immigration laws.
The pre-Obama history here is one of very limited discretion. Relaxation of rules in anticipation of Congressional action, as was the case in the 80s and 90s, is much different than the same relaxation in the face of Congressional refusal to act.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:23 pm@283 “Congress has commanded that DHS do [x] but only provided the resources for it to do [x/5], so DHS has to figure out what to do and what not to do”
This is false. Biden’s DHS has the power to 1) reinstate Remain in Mexico and 2) halt catch-and-release, policies which Trump’s DHS showed were adequate. Pinning the blame on a lack of funding is just a partisan talking point.
lloyd (61daca) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:23 pmBiden administration persecuting Christians with draconian charges.
Meanwhile the activist who stole and released 1000 personal tax returns, including those of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump, gets charged with one federal count and sentenced to 5 years. Kudos to the judge who gave him the max, but he should have been charged for every return that was released.
If you allow leniency due to one’s “public-spirited” motives, you have to allow leniency to any such motive, even those you don’t like.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:28 pmPinning the blame on a lack of funding is just a partisan talking point
In many cases, not just with Biden.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:29 pmA bit late for Ron:
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:33 pmJudge Dismisses Disney’s Suit Against Ron DeSantis
@287
Probably.
I think traditional Democrats will come home in November, hence why I don’t think Pennsylvania and Arizona is in play for Trump.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:33 pmHouse Republicans are dumbing down impeachment farther than the Democrats. Under this standard, virtually every policy dispute can be the subject of an impeachment.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:52 pmSince the House Republicans are not expecting the Senate to conduct a trial, much less convict, what is the point? It just an irrational spasm.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:00 pm@294
But the total abdication of laws driven by Biden’s border policies is so far beyond simply a “policy dispute”.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:01 pm@295
Senate is required to conduct a hearing and issue judgement.
Even if the Senate doesn’t convict, it’s still useful because Biden would have to deal with the political reality that one of his appointees has been impeached for abdicating his responsibility.
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:06 pm@292
So Disney doesn’t have a right to special, sweetheart benefits.
Imagine that!
whembly (5f7596) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:26 pmThere’s still something a little wrong with retaliation.
In other circumstances this could be away to bribe a company that could be expected to speak about something (which Disney was not) into silence.
But there’s no clear bright line about this – and special benefits once granted can’t be non-removable.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:35 pmDo you expect the Administration’s policies to change after Mayorkas is impeached? (Hint: the answer is no). Truth be told, why isn’t Biden being impeached? They are his policies that Mayorkas is carrying out.
The Senate would certainly have discretion as to when an impeachment hearing would be held, so don’t expect it before Nov. 5, 2024 (or may be not at all, as no one would have standing to challenge that decision). Under Rule XI, the Senate permits a committee to take evidence during impeachment trials
I daresay there may be some Senate Republican votes to acquit. That would be embarrassing.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:36 pmIt could really backfire if the Administration offers a defense (but they are guided by polls)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:36 pmThe premise of this article is that Biden decided to sue Florida when DeSantis seemed likely to be the Republican nominee.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-bidens-cms-targeted-florida-medicaid-desantis-bc5dab9c
I don’t understand exactly what the issue was here.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:53 pmAnyone for impeaching the Attorney General for not enforcing federal marijuana laws? They won’t even do selective lawsuits.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:54 pmIsrael obtained a list of members of Hamas. About 10% of UNWRA employees belonged to Hamas and about half had close relatives.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 1:55 pm12 employees of UNWRA were involved in Oct 7. Nine members of Hamas were fired and two are now dead.
The 10th was a member of Islamic Jihad and we haven’t heard what happened to him.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 2:03 pmKevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 12:28 pm
It was not “public spirited” but political and somewhat co-ordinated with others at least by the recipients.
And contravened IRS assurances of confidentiality. Which are important basic principles of the IRS for a century by now. (for some years they were published)
Some of Trump’s tax returns were released in 2022 after the were subpoenaed by the House Ways and Means Committee. But not those of Jeff Bezos and others.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 1/31/2024 @ 2:08 pm@279 If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime. Unlike most progressives I support the death penalty for certain crimes. They say its not a deterrent I think it could be made real deterrent to certain criminal fascists.
asset (0e3cff) — 1/31/2024 @ 2:54 pm@285 Biden won az, ga. and wi in 2020 because green party was kicked of ballot. In 2016 Jill stein’s vote totals were larger then biden’s winning margins in those states. He lacks muslim support in mi.
asset (0e3cff) — 1/31/2024 @ 3:01 pmJust read that E Jean Carroll has accused at least 7 men of sexual assault and/or rape.
She needs help and not the kind a biased jury can provide.
NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/31/2024 @ 4:10 pmIt was not “public spirited” but political and somewhat co-ordinated with others at least by the recipients.
Po-TAH-to then. But you miss my point while demonstrating it.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 4:20 pmSince the House Republicans are not expecting the Senate to conduct a trial, much less convict, what is the point? It just an irrational spasm.
The administration is behaving lawlessly. Sure, the Senate will not convict, but there is no requirement that they just roll over and accept it. So, they throw down the bloody shirt.
There are crimes that some juries might not convict for, say a black man hitting a white cop. But you still bring the charges, and not doing so is purely political.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 4:26 pmI would disagree to the extent that the laws passed by Congress granted, and the Supreme Court has upheld, wide discretionary powers to the Executive Branch in immigration matters. So if Congress doesn’t want the Administration to have such discretion, they should pass laws reigning them in.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 4:36 pmSo if Congress doesn’t want the Administration to have such discretion, they should pass laws reigning them in.
So, when a law says “may not” the administration can still read it as “maybe”? How do you fix that?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:01 pmThis, in general, is what is wrong with judge-made law. With legislation, you can point to the words and if necessary change them. With judge-made law, it’s all a mud fort.
There is no way to actually repeal a judge-made law, even if it isn’t based constitutionally. There are no words to repeal, the pronouncements are vague, and any interpretation can weather any number of contrary legislative provisions.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:04 pmDepends on the context. Do you have a concrete example? “May not” could leave wiggle room, while “shall not” is very clear.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:05 pmCongress can reverse “misguided” statutory interpretations by enacting a law that reverses the interpretation. It’s been done in the past.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:08 pm> > because the Department of Homeland Security does not have the resources to apprehend and deport all of the more than 11 million noncitizens who could be subject to deportation, immigration officials should prioritize the apprehension and deportation of three specific groups of people: suspected terrorists; noncitizens who have committed crimes; and those caught recently at the border.
> This is false. Biden’s DHS has the power to 1) reinstate Remain in Mexico and 2) halt catch-and-release, policies which Trump’s DHS showed were adequate. Pinning the blame on a lack of funding is just a partisan talking point.
Both of those are encompassed within “those caught recently at the border”.
But there’s a broader issue, here — the overall Congressional command is to do more than DHS has the resources to do. *Legally*, there’s a huge number of people who should be deported that DHS doesn’t have resources to track down and deport. This is indisputable.
So who should decide which of the deportable people get deported?
The first and obvious answer is Congress, but Congress has given an impossible command and can’t get its act together to give a different one.
So we’re left with two possible answers: the executive agency responsible for carrying out the impossible command, or the courts.
I understand that the *outcome* you want is for DHS to reinstate “remain in mexico” and to halt “catch-and-release”. But *as a process matter* who do you want to make the determination how a federal agency should comply with an impossible demand? Should that be done by the agency or by the courts?
It *used to be* that the conservative answer was that this should NOT be done by the courts, because the courts are unelected and unresponsive to political pressure via elections, but the executive is elected and responsive to political pressure.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:10 pm> Abuse of this discretion can still be an impeachable offense.
If Congress has not provided actionable guidelines on how to use the discretion, how is ‘abuse’ defined? It’s not coded into the statute (in the hypothetical i’m posing), so where is the definition coming from?
The entire post-depression system of government depends on Congress making broad grants of authority and issuing impossible-to-comply-with demands and then the executive making the best of it. Attempts to repeal _Chevron_ have the result of changing the system so that Congress makes broad grants of authority and issues impossible-to-comply-with demands and then the courts tell the executive what to do. (This isn’t an improvement).
The best situation would be for Congress to more clearly delineate the grants of authority and back up those grants with resources. But that’s an impossible pipe dream.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:13 pm> Anyone for impeaching the Attorney General for not enforcing federal marijuana laws? They won’t even do selective lawsuits.
That’s a very good comparison, and of course the answer is “no”, because this isn’t actually motivated by *process concerns*, it’s motivated by a *dislike of the outcome*.
The process is fine when it leads to an outcome conservatives like and not fine when it leads to an outcome they don’t, but the complaints are clothed in misleading process concerns.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:17 pmThey’re doing something I don’t like.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:26 pmIt will be interesting when Chevron is in the rear-view mirror.
But what we have is not an agency trying to deal with how to serve the will of Congress, but how to use it’s discretion to bend the OUTCOMES to a policy goal. They did that with Trump, too, but that interpretation had outcomes more closely aligned with what Congress ordained.
IF thee are two process choices, and one of them is going to meet more of what Congress demanded than the other, shouldn’t that be preferred? Does any administration have the right to choose the less compliant process because it likes the outcome better?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:29 pmThey’re doing something I don’t like
Contrasted to “discretion” when it is otherwise?
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:30 pm@317 I’m not disputing the court decision. I’m disputing that this is a funding issue. DHS can address the backlog by using the Trump policies mentioned in my comment. Yes, legally they don’t have to. And, it’s obvious they don’t want to. This is not a funding problem, nor is it an impossible command. Claiming they’re only obligated to fix a problem if Congress explicitly directs them to do so is ridiculous.
lloyd (61daca) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:42 pm>This is not a funding problem, nor is it an impossible command.
It’s clear that DHS does not have the funding to expel the millions of people currently in the country illegally.
You’re saying “they have the funding to implement this policy I want that would reduce the number of the people in the country illegally. therefore they are required to do that!”
But Congress issued a broader command that they can’t meet and they are allocating resources in the way they think is the best way to meet the command they can’t meet. Congress didn’t ordain these specific policies, and therefore — since the overall command is impossible and these specific policies aren’t individually commanded — DHS has the discretion to choose these policies or not to choose these policies.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:46 pm> It will be interesting when Chevron is in the rear-view mirror.
It will be an absolute disaster where all major policy decisions are determined by the supreme court and are impossible to get changed or reviewed by anyone else.
We’ll finally have the philosopher-kings conservatives used to claim to be opposed to.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:47 pmRIP The Messenger (May 2023-January 2024). We hardly knew ye.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:49 pm> IF thee are two process choices, and one of them is going to meet more of what Congress demanded than the other, shouldn’t that be preferred?
Who gets to decide? Unelected judges or officials reporting to an elected executive?
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:55 pm@324 No, I’m not saying they are required to reduce those here illegally. I don’t know how you read that into my comment. Biden’s DHS can legally make whatever border mess they want to. They can give everyone an asylum hearing in 2031, because Congress did not explicitly direct them to act rationally and in the best interests of the country. Sure, legally they can f*ck everything up. That is not a funding problem nor it the result of an impossible command.
lloyd (61daca) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:56 pmWho gets to decide? Unelected judges or officials reporting to an elected executive?
Well, right now it’s an impeachment inquiry.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 5:58 pmWe’ll finally have the philosopher-kings conservatives used to claim to be opposed to.
Perhaps. It all went wrong with INS vs Chadha, before which these disputes were settled by a single-house veto of poorly used delegated powers.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:01 pmThe *reason* they can legally do this is that Congress gave them an impossible command that wasn’t backed by the funding needing to carry it out, and so they inherently have the discretion to decide how to try to meet the command. The disjunction between the requirements of immigration law and the resources provided is what creates the space for the discretion in the first place.
I take your point as being — they’re *choosing* to exercise their discretion in this nefarious way, it isn’t required of them, and the disjunction between command and resources has nothing to do with *why* they are making this choice.
That’s absolutely, 100% true. *But* the courts cannot prevent them from doing it without taking away their discretion and assuming the policy-making function themselves.
Congress can fix this by either providing the resources needed to fully implement the demands of immigration law, or by explicitly commanding these specific things and providing the resources needed to carry out those explicit commands.
Congress is not doing so.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:01 pm> Perhaps. It all went wrong with INS vs Chadha, before which these disputes were settled by a single-house veto of poorly used delegated powers.
A system which was set up and designed as an end run around the constitutional requirement that action by both houses is needed to make law.
INS v Chadha was *right*.
But the problem is that Congress is incapable of doing its job and the constitution was not set up for an administrative state.
Given that we can’t do away with the administrative state, what we have now is better than what we’ll have after Chevron is overturned.
What would be even better would be a constitutional amendment to provide better legislative oversight of delegated powers. Maybe even the single-house veto … written into the constitution rather than adopted in violation of it.
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:04 pmThe problem with Chevron is that it allowed regulatory agencies, which were no longer correctable by Congress’s legislative veto (something that had been there for 50 years), to make up nearly any interpretation of enabling statutes, or their own internal regulations, and be immune from nearly any correction.
Even a presidential order had to be promulgated through regulatory hearings following the Administrative Procedures Act, and that process could take so long that another administration might come along before it was done. A number of Trump’s later orders never made it though the process and were canceled by Biden on Day One.
The problem, of course, is the Administrative State itself. If this defangs it a bi that’s just to the good.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:06 pmA system which was set up and designed as an end run around the constitutional requirement that action by both houses is needed to make law.
INS v Chadha was *right*.
A regulation is a law created with NO legislative support. The legislature says “Wait. If this was a proposed law, either house could kill it, so we will keep this power.” The delegation of power was made with these provisions attached, and killing just the check and balance was a massive shift in power to the executive.
Justice White was right.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:11 pmThe administrative state cannot be defanged and is essential to modern governance. Congress is incapable of providing sufficiently detailed legislation to confine discretion — and that’s not a *criticism*, this is an inherent issue with legislative bodies and technical details. The Court’s attempts at enforcing a nondelegation principle failed in the 20s and they’d be even less likely to succeed now.
The question is how to make it work.
Your complaint right now is that Chevron allows regulatory agencies to make up interpretations without correction (except Congress passing a new law, or the executive getting voted out and replaced).
The solution at hand is to allow *the supreme court* to make up interpretations without correction (except Congress passing a new law).
That’s even worse. 🙂
aphrael (71d87c) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:12 pmIt is truly funny how you defend an executive decree, against legislative action, and base that on the need for congressional action and presentment to stop the decree.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:13 pmThe administrative state cannot be defanged and is essential to modern governance. Congress is incapable of providing sufficiently detailed legislation to confine discretion — and that’s not a *criticism*, this is an inherent issue with legislative bodies and technical details.
And Justice White said this, too. But he also said that unless you want Congress to be a mere debating hall, they have to have a way to stop a runaway executive. To insist that the only possible correcting is by a law passed by two-thirds of each House is not a serious offer.
You cannot talk about end-runs around the Constitution while defending some “necessary” end run around the Constitution.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:16 pm@312
Accept that federal law stipulates that anyone claiming asylum shall be detained until the claim is adjudicated.
Congress did not authorize the executive branch this “parole” authority.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:58 pm@325
Unraveling Chevron, all it would do is allow the courts to render judgements to the facts at hand, rather than deferring to agencies interpretation and forgoing any decisions on the merits.
Just remember, Chevron is a judicial construct. Not a law or Constitutional argument.
It doesn’t mean any agency interpretation is automatically a non-starter… Courts can still take it into consideration. Just that going forward, post-Chevron overruling, courts will then be able to adjudicate the case on merits.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:05 pm@329
Yes, impeachment is a big hammer and should be used sparingly, only for “high crimes and misdemeanor”.
It would be overkill if the dispute was merely a “policy dispute”.
But here, that’s not the case.
Here… this administration is literally allowing incentives in place to encourage mass migration into the US.
Ask yourself this: Why? Why do this encourage this? For what purpose?
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:09 pm#331
Congress didn’t do much during the Trump years either.
Yet it better during Trump’s administration.
You do realize, that Democrats are F*CKING this up royally by giving F*CKING Trump *THE* signature policy that sent him to the Whitehouse in the first place!
You do see this, don’t you?
** shakes my head sadly **
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:12 pm@335
It’s not just the supreme court.
It’s all the courts. District > Appellate > Scotus.
Courts and judges are uniquely equipped to settle disputes, which it is exactly what they do now.
Agencies stretching the interpretation to fit their agendas that would impress Gumby is not a healthy way to run the government whereby such interpretations can be flipped on it’s head with every change of the Presidency.
Allowing the courts to adjudicate what the congress meant would actually increase stability in this, and if people don’t like that, then it’s up to voters to vote for candidate to champion their cause to change the law.
Ya know.
Democracy.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:18 pmYou don’t know what Joe Biden’s job is. Given to him by the corporate establishment deep state. Hint: first they had to stop Bernie Sanders at all cost. Second hint: They are going after Cori Bush and the squad for the same reason. Sean patrick maloney the night he was defeated for congress by Sanders/AOC supporters not voting for him said they would rather have a republican then a (corporate establishment) moderate democrat so they can take it back with a firebrand. NY state is in process of redoing congressional districts more favorable to democrats.
asset (07282f) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:37 pm“Accept that federal law stipulates that anyone claiming asylum shall be detained until the claim is adjudicated.”
I don’t think this is correct, but it’s possible that I’m missing something or reading this wrong.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1158
Davethulhu (d3aa88) — 1/31/2024 @ 7:45 pm@344
I believe you are, indeed, missing it.
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 8:57 pmhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1225
In Title 8, U.S. Code (which is where the immigration laws are), sec. 1225(b)(1)(B)(IV) states:
There are two exceptions to the above rule, this post:
whembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:00 pmhttps://www.nationalreview.com/corner/it-is-not-texas-thats-defying-the-law-its-biden/
This is…something:
https://thefederalist.com/2024/02/01/how-obamas-secrets-could-save-trump-in-his-mar-a-lago-documents-snafu/
Hypothetically if the above is correct, that still doesn’t shield Trump from any liability from failing to respond to subpoenas right?
Is it true that all subpoenas, regardless if it were improperly issued, must be addressed?
From a “presidential records” system, this PITC system does make a lot of sense. But, I can’t find anywhere that the Trump administration used it… which this article seems to assume.
whembly (5f7596) — 2/1/2024 @ 8:22 amCorrection: The 12th was a member of Islamic Jihad.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 2/1/2024 @ 9:43 amHypothetically if the above is correct, that still doesn’t shield Trump from any liability from failing to respond to subpoenas right?
It doesn’t seem to apply after the president leaves office either, at which point he is no longer “The President” and his successor now has control of this information.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 10:26 amBiden has been too little and too slow with aid. At practically every request, such as for Abrams tanks, missiles, F-16s, etc., Biden has slow-walked aid out of fear Putin’s empty threats about escalation. Did the Ukrainian counteroffensive stall last year? Yes. Does this mean that they should not continue to try to isolate the Crimean peninsula and break the line at Melitopol? No, it’s a worthy strategic objective.
Bottom line, Putin occupied 27% of Ukraine in spring 2022 and today it’s around 17%; however, neither side has made much headway since late 2022 after Ukraine reclaimed Kherson. This situation is not Putin “winning” and, so far, his awful decision to invade has cost his country over 300,000 Russian men and
Paul Montagu (d4d407) — 2/1/2024 @ 1:17 pmhollowed out his country’s economy and demography.
It’s a US national security interest to keep Putin stuck and losing in this Ukrainian quagmire of his own making. Biden and the House Republicans should do the right thing and back the righteous Ukrainian cause against Putin’s evil and war crimes.
@349
That’s a separate question imo. (ie, is it sufficient that Trump authorizes shipping of his presidential documents to his Florida home while he was still President? That still need to be asserted and adjudicated in courts.)
But that’s beside the point, he’s still in legal jeopardy due to his non-compliance of the subpoena…right? It really doesn’t matter if the subpoena was justified or not…right? You simply have to address it/fight it in court, no matter what.
whembly (5f7596) — 2/1/2024 @ 1:30 pmHere’s a good reason for Zelenskyy not to sack Zaluzhnyi.
Paul Montagu (d4d407) — 2/1/2024 @ 1:40 pmThat’s a separate question imo. (ie, is it sufficient that Trump authorizes shipping of his presidential documents to his Florida home while he was still President? That still need to be asserted and adjudicated in courts.)
No, he must return them forthwith as they are no longer his. Refusing to return them when asked, and later when subpoenaed, compounds the failure. Think “stolen”
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 1:48 pmTrump didn’t have the authority to ship his Presidential documents anywhere; under the Presidential Records Act he can identify only those documents deemed personal records and retain those. However, that would not include love letters between himself and Kim Jong Un, for example, as they were considered foreign policy records.
Source.
At best, Trump’s non-classified presidential records should have been transferred to a facility owned by NARA, similar to what was done with President Obama’s records. Any classified records should have stored in a secure facility owned by NARA.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/1/2024 @ 3:52 pmKevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 1:48 pm
Worse, he supposedly deliberately tried to hide them including from his lawyers.
Probably merely so he could, one day, use them in arguments. Or lety a biographer or ghostwriter study. Or put in his library
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:09 pmwhembly (c88dc4) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:00 pm
There’s probably backing for that authority from the Office of Legal Counsel and Biden didn’t parole asylum seekers – he gave them court dates.
The law anticipates some being released because it states that if their case is not decided within 150 days they can get work papers.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:13 pm271. Dana (bacf72) — 1/31/2024 @ 6:52 am
Actually Voyager is pretty good, although it got less attention at the time..
While the female captain may be a bit forced, Star Trek had very good writers who could make anything that thrown at them work. Even if it worked as somewhat of an exception.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:25 pm“Any science fiction which glosses over the laws of physics is fantasy.” — nk
John Campbell had a rule that you could make one exception per story, I think.
Science fiction has a number of common tropes. Faster then Light travel, and sometimes telepathy. Everything is governed by rules. Even with that Star Trek sometimes goes over into fantasy.
One impossibility that only Star Trek does is “beaming” people around.
While it has its limitations (cannot be done while shields are up, and has a limited range) its possibilities are not fully exploited. It was originally conceived by accident, because the original Star Trek series didn’t have the budget (or screen time) for a shuttle to land on a planet.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:30 pm275. Kevin M (ed969f) — 1/31/2024 @ 9:14 am
The world’s not different enough. Why would anything at all be the same?
Unless you try Robert Silverberg’s idea of time having inertia so that after awhile, the further away you get from a difference, things revert back to the way they were.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:32 pm277.
When opinion is divided.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:35 pmDana (bacf72) — 1/30/2024 @ 5:24 pm
That would mean the last episode is tonight – the one with Riker and Deanna Troy in the Holodeck aboard the Enterprise in the last season of TNG – but it’s not. (except it is because after midnight, it’s Friday)
https://www.handitv.com/schedule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Bow_(Star_Trek:_Enterprise)
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:41 pmhttps://www.axios.com/2024/01/31/palestine-statehood-biden-israel-gaza-war
Biden stumbles along.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:43 pmhttps://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/02/they-firebombed-my-office.php
Leftist fire-bombed John Hinderaker’s office
NJRob (85912b) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:43 pmOne impossibility that only Star Trek does is “beaming” people around.
My personal favorite is the “Heisenberg Compensator” component in the teleporter. Many-Worlds or Copenhagen, this just doesn’t fly.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:48 pmStar Trek is fun, but not every episode is “The Inner Light.” There are some real stinkers.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 4:49 pmHere is a list of REALLY good filmed SF:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Dramatic_Presentation
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 5:10 pmDisney’s lawsuit wasn’t necessarily seeking restoration of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, but over the retaliation by the DeSantis administration over their free speech, property, and contract rights.
Disney is appealing the dismissal.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 2/1/2024 @ 6:21 pmVoyager is better than Deep Space 9 but not as good as Enterprise, IMO.
I just finished watching all seven seasons of DS9 (because I hadn’t really seen the whole arc of the story), and it was disappointing, the worst of the Star Trek series. The absolute lowlight was Rom being appointed Grand Nagus (and Ferengis in general). And you know it’s not a good series when the best part is Vic Fontaine, the hologram Vegas lounge act.
Paul Montagu (d52d7d) — 2/1/2024 @ 6:35 pm“Everyone knows the Legislature’s act was retaliatory toward Disney. It just wasn’t provable by legal standards.”
No more than the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act was provably a blowjob for Disney.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 7:09 pmRemember when people objected to Texas’s crowd-sourced anti-abortion law and suggested that the same could be done to the gun industry? Well, New Mexico’s gerrymandered legislature is trying just that.
There are no award limits on private civil suits under this bill.
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/senate-version-of-14-day-waiting-period-advances/article_51bd6a54-bcad-11ee-b248-7f84be11c896.html
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/1/2024 @ 7:39 pmMeanwhile, federal judge strikes down California’s background check for ammunition purchases
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/2/2024 @ 9:59 amPaul Montagu (d52d7d) — 2/1/2024 @ 6:35 pm
I am not sure how Enterprise fits into the Star Trek universe.
There are good shows and bad shows, as in all of them. Good is the one with Tribbles and the original series; DS9 characters as the Roswell aliens; Past tense set in 2024 – although the underlying scenario had a rather stupid plot.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Past_Tense,_Part_I_(episode)
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Past_Tense,_Part_II_(episode)
Memory Alpha has quite detailed synopses
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:06 amI wonder if anyone collected all the Ferengi rules of acquisition that were cited. There’s a bit of a female Ferengi in a scene from Voyager where the Borg appear (it involves a captured people who were assimilated – Seven was taken over by various personalities of people who had been assimilated by the Borg. One of them was a Ferengi
In the 2008 book “Star Trek 101” which contains synopses of the beginning of each episode the Grand Nagus is described…
I retrieved that with Google books
They didn’t mean Donald Trump as a political character I think.
Donald Trump is mentioned in passing in an unbelievable number of books printed from 2005 to 2009.
Donald Trump has since ensured he will be remembered many years after his death.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:08 amFani speaks:
https://www.ajc.com/politics/breaking-fulton-special-prosecutor-admits-personal-relationship-with-da-in-trump-case/YOPP3SAOJVHUDESW3RR6UWTB2E/
The actual filing is contained in the article and is well worth reading. Since much of the learned reporting on this issue has been garbage. Fani’s attitude is “Yeah, we’re dating, what’s it to ya? We weren’t when I appointed him and he took a financial hit to take this role.”
Incidently, it appears Ashleigh Merchant (the attorney wo brought this) and Nathan Wade have a history…
Appalled (b5dec0) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:09 amThe Holodeck might usually be good, but I don’t think the whole series is bad. They manage to get away from DS9 in many ways
There are certain motifs that appear over and over again occasionally in different Star Trek series. One is gambling and drinking (a bar) and there is Las Vegas.
They also have a Las Vegas scenario in ENG’s “The Royale” A society constructed from a book where you could not possibly get out such detail just like you couldn’t from a 1992 nonfiction book in TOS’ “A Piece of the Action” could not. Although who did it and how is quite different.
Star Trek has other impossibilities besides the scientific ones. One of the most basic is so much happening on planets within 200 or 300 years of the start of interstellar travel – and everybody (after some tries with Klingon and Vulcan language) speaks English. But you need that for the stories.
I thought Leonardo de Vinci was good in Voyager.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:11 am@374
Wow.
I can’t see the Judge would look too kindly on that, especially pertaining to the lavish “kick backs” Fani received in form of luxurious vacations.
Not a good look Fani… not a good look.
whembly (5f7596) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:16 amThe best Trek episode that I’ve seen (a jaw-dropper, actually) was TNG’s “The Inner Light”, although I admit to seeing none of Voyager and only the first half or so of DS9 and Enterprise.
I soured early on Enterprise when Archer took his dog to a high-states negotiation and hilarity ensued.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:22 amlavish “kick backs” Fani received in form of luxurious vacations.
Lavish to whom? To a lawyer making hundreds of K per year? Or to the average file clerk in the Atlanta bureaucracy? This seems the weakest part of the case, although maybe this has traction in the government world.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:24 amI wonder if anyone collected all the Ferengi rules of acquisition that were cited
Perplexity is your friend:
https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Ferengi_Rules_of_Acquisition
Kevin M (ed969f) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:27 amAbout the kickbacks, Fani says they never shared household expenses and as for the trips:
“financial responsibility for personal travel is divided roughly evenly between the two, with neither being primarily responsible for expenses of the other, and all expenses paid for with individual personal funds.”
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:31 amI don’t think I saw “The Inner Light”, but I remeber something where Picard was shown an alternate life, but I think that is different.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:44 amOne episode of Voyager iset 700 years in the future (from that time) in which a backup of the Doctor (maybe the only backup ever made) is revived and sees a museum where all the facts re-enacted are wrong — and then we see a museum exhibit some 300 or 400 later than that at the end. That’s the furthest Star Trek goes in time/
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:48 amThey also have inertial dampers. Which somehow miss cancelling just a little. The set wasnt shaken – the actors had to move.
Of course one or more episodes have the ghost error – where ghosts or the equivalent can walk through walls, but are supported by floors.
Sammy Finkelman (1d215a) — 2/2/2024 @ 11:53 am