Patterico's Pontifications

8/2/2024

Weekend Open Thread

Filed under: General — Dana @ 9:03 am



[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

Trump is Trump is Trump and he will never change:

When Donald Trump claimed. . . in a combative onstage interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago, that Kamala Harris had adopted her identity as a Black woman in an effort to gain political advantage, he drew appalled gasps from the audience. “She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person,” he said. This was an inaccurate slur as well as a bizarre one. Harris has always been proudly biracial: she is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Black, Jamaican father, both of whom immigrated to the U.S. She attended Howard, a historically Black college, where she joined one of Black America’s most storied sororities. Nonetheless, Trump doubled down on this particularly Trumpian form of hate speech. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote, “Crazy Kamala is saying she’s Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!” That evening, in a rally in Pennsylvania, his campaign even projected an old news headline proclaiming Harris the first Indian American U.S. senator. Trump’s embattled Vice-Presidential nominee, *J. D. Vance, joined in, too, calling Harris a “total phony who caters to whatever audience is in front of her.”

. . .

By Thursday morning, as the liberal commentariat feasted on its horror over his remarks and right-leaning pundits struggled to explain and excuse it, Trump mocked them all, posting an old photo of Harris alongside relatives on the Indian side of her family. He wrote, “Thank you Kamala for the nice picture you sent from many years ago! Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated.” In another post, he circulated the conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer’s idea that, because Harris’s birth certificate says her father’s “color or race” is “Jamaican,” not Black, she is a “liar” who is “NOT black and never has been.”

How much clearer does it have to get? America, you are being trolled.

*Pot meet kettle.

Second news item

Trump, a one-trick pony:

What is remarkable is how surprised the Trump campaign seems to have been by Ms. Harris. Why? Smart people understood Joe Biden would eventually have to step aside, and she was his most likely replacement. Why have they responded as if shocked? We have a trough of videos of her talking, it’s devastating. Where is it? Is that all you’ll need to make a coherent case? When are you going to locate the meaning of this thing?

“San Francisco liberal,” “way too radical.” All that feels tired, the reflex of an aged muscle. It sounds like the 1990s. This isn’t the ’90s. New ages need new arguments, or at least arguments freshly cast.

Can Mr. Trump shift gears? He grew up, as I did, watching “The Ed Sullivan Show.” I’m sure it was on every Sunday night at 8 at the Trump house in Queens. On that show you saw every week the great Borscht Belt comics of 1950-70. Their timing—“Take my wife—please!”—is ingrained in him. What he does now is shtick, because he likes to entertain and is a performer. The boat’s sinking, the battery’s spitting, the shark’s coming! As Hannibal Lecter said, “I’d love to have you for dinner!”

This works so perfectly for those who support him. For everyone else it’s just more evidence of psychopathology. He has to freshen up his act. Can he?

No, I don’t think he can change his act. He remains the corrupt host of a reality television show, trying to look tough when barking “You’re fired!”. Why isn’t he using this moment to focus on the proposed policies of his potential future administration and contrasting those with Harris’s (via the Biden administration)?? Simply put: he can’t. He has never been able to. He is unable to stay on point about the things that matter, or should matter. And sadly, his loyal supporters don’t want or need him to be able to talk coherently about policy proposals. They want to be entertained. And he wants to entertain. So, if it’s talking about whether his opponent is really black, Hannibal Lecter, “Fake News,” “Witch Hunts,” or any of his usual offerings, his supporters go crazy with glee and everyone leaves his latest rally satisfied with the interaction between circus ringleader and his adoring audience.

Third news item

Venezuela’s woes:

The U.S. State Department said Thursday that it is recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as the rightful winner of Venezuela’s presidential elections.

Why it matters: President Nicolás Maduro has claimed, without evidence, that he won Sunday’s contest. The U.S. government says there is “overwhelming evidence” González won.

And here’s where it now stands:

Fourth news item

Good news:

The first batch of long-awaited F-16 jets have arrived in Ukraine, Lithuania’s foreign minister and a U.S. official said on Wednesday, an effort Kyiv has said will help rebuild its depleted air force. . . A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the delivery had been complete.

From a frustrated president:

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine needs more than 100 F-16s to combat Russia’s huge air force and has called the quantity of jets Ukraine is receiving “insufficient.” “The decision on the F-16 is strategic,” he said this month. “The number is not yet strategic.”

Fifth news item

Oh:

ON NOVEMBER 13, 2023, the political action committee Democratic Victory emailed out a fundraising solicitation expressing concerns about its financial wellbeing.

“We’re falling short of last week’s goal by 18%,” the group’s note read. “If we can’t make up that gap asap, it’ll mean we can’t send full support into battleground states to help President Biden and Democrats win.”

The email asked recipients to chip in $20 or more.

That same day, federal disclosure records show that Democratic Victory also filed an expense. But not to Biden or any other Democratic candidate. Instead, it spent $213,093.83 on lodging at the ARIA Resorts & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as $11,300 for venue rental at the same on-the-Strip hotel.

And it wasn’t done there. Democratic Victory would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars building out a November event in Vegas around the Grand Prix, one of the most highly anticipated, lavish, and expensive races on the Formula 1 calendar. Among its purchases: $736,545 for “event space rental,” $41,235 for help putting together “a VIP private viewing suite,” and thousands of more in separate hotel fees—all as the group was telling prospective donors it was struggling to meet its fundraising goals.

Sixth news item

Project 2025 isn’t what either side claims:

Over the course of my visit, I came to see that the emptiness of the Project 2025 offices at Heritage headquarters was a good metaphor for the project as whole. On both the left and the right, Project 2025 had been portrayed as a vast and well-orchestrated operation — either to rationalize and systematize Trumpism, according to some conservatives, or to undermine democracy and implement an ultra-disciplined reactionary regime, according to some liberals.

Instead, what I discovered — during my visit and in my conversations with conservatives involved in the project — was a shoestring operation struggling with internal disagreements, political miscalculation and questionable leadership. Project 2025 had set out to turn Trumpism into a well-oiled machine; instead, it had created an engine of the same sort of political disorder that defined the first Trump White House.

Read the whole thing.

MISCELLANEOUS

This performance at the Olympics was a delight to watch. After waiting for two hours to do his routine, American gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik took off his *glasses and got to work. His performance on the pommel horse clinched a medal for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team for the first time in 16 years.

From an interview with Stephen’s parents:

His mother, Cheryl, joined “Fox & Friends” alongside her husband, John, to discuss how the Olympian competes with strabismus – a genetic condition which hinders his ability to see clearly.

*“His pupils don’t constrict. They stay dilated all the time, and he has a section of his iris that’s completely missing,” Cheryl said on Wednesday. “It’s just pupil all the way to the edge, and with that… you can have sight issues. It doesn’t necessarily mean you will, but in his case, as well as I, we always had glasses. But we’re very, very sensitive to light, and some people actually are blind in the eyes, when they have coloboma, but fortunately, ours we can see.”

Have a great weekend!

–Dana

506 Responses to “Weekend Open Thread”

  1. Hello.

    Dana (34a0df)

  2. https://mxmnews.com/article/083d15b2-fa6f-4beb-8d39-885254631c7d

    Key Details:

    July saw the unemployment rate jump to 4.3%, blowing past expectations and marking the highest level in nearly three years.

    Over the past year, 1.2 million native-born Americans have lost jobs, while 1.3 million foreign-born workers gained employment.

    Since July 2023, 311,000 more people are working multiple jobs, and 558,000 additional Americans are now forced to take part-time jobs due to economic pressures.

    Biden/Harris economics.

    NJRob (5667e7)

  3. If anyone is in the mid-Atlantic, here’s a pretty interesting not quite classic, not quite muscle car, for used civic money. Looks super clean…hmm.

    Now, do I mention this to my wife? I do have to go to Reston next week.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  4. Not bad! You can probably swap a 427 side-oiler in there in minutes. They should be the same engine, so you won’t have to get new manifolds. Just bolt it together.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  5. It would not surprise me if Biden wagged the dog in Venezuela. It would undercut some more of Trump’s swagger, as the prisoner exchange did, and make clear that the administration is no friend of leftist dictators as some might allege.

    Say, mid-October.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  6. here’s a pretty interesting not quite classic

    In a front-end collision that hood will slice through the windshield and whatever is behind it. No thanks.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  7. Comcast recently did an overbuild in my neighborhood, something is rare with two incumbent internet services. It wasn’t an ordinary cable build either — fiber-to-the-modem with symmetric gigabit service and the promise of much faster speeds in the future.

    So, I switched. The service included free Peacock Premium (oddly, to Peacock, “Premium” means “lowest level of service”) which includes ads. I was enjoying the Olympics but the frequency of the ads began to grate so I upgraded to (I kid you not) “Peacock Premium Plus.” $14 for the month, then I will downgrade to free again.

    But, despite that, having all of the Olympics available to stream is pretty awesome.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  8. The over-reach by Democrats on Project 2025 is ripe for rebuttal. The same for the general claim that Republicans are trying to take away fundamental rights. Dobbs just put the extent of the question to the voters of each state….and ultimately voting rights aren’t going anywhere….it’s mostly hyperbole. Can the Republicans draw a contrast or are they handcuffed by their own exaggeration and dissembling?

    The point of Trump’s routine being stale vaudeville is true, but are enough people ok with that provided they believe the economy improves with Trump and a different direction? Harris is getting better on stage, but she still needs to sharpen her delivery. She has a plenty of material but needs to not feel the need to explain each joke or jab. She is vulnerable too though, but this whole election is starting to feel like one big national popularity contest. Neither person will be teasing out detailed legislative proposals, foreign policy initiatives, or regulatory strategies. Each is going to fill the air with a blizzard of BS. Neither is great, good, or even mostly tolerable. Only one doesn’t have trail of indictments….

    After many years, I just learned that cachet (prestige) requires a “t” at the end and not an accent. What The Heck!

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

  9. Every criticism of Kamala is rooted in racism and/or sexism. And, hoo boy, watch out if you get her name slightly wrong. Get ready for four years of this nonsense.

    lloyd (ea6daf)

  10. Hillary Clinton Meets With Kamala To Help Her Improve Her Black Accent

    Harris turned down an initial offer for help from President Biden who said that his years growing up in black churches and protesting for civil rights with George Washington Carver could help Harris’s black authenticity. But when Clinton offered her expertise, Harris said she just couldn’t refuse.

    lloyd (ea6daf)

  11. Over the past year, 1.2 million native-born Americans have lost jobs, while 1.3 million foreign-born workers gained employment.

    One, MXM News is right-wing medium credibility.
    Two, their numbers don’t add up. The anti-immigration CIS had year-over-year gains for both “native-born” and immigrants.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  12. Lloyd, you do know that the Babylon Bee is a satire site right?

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  13. Their slogan.

    Fake news you can trust, delivered straight to your inbox!

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  14. @13 Klink dude, you are just waaaaay too smart for this blog.

    lloyd (ea6daf)

  15. @15 You do know @15 was sarcasm, right?

    lloyd (ea6daf)

  16. Poor kids, poor life choices for the parentals.

    The children of Anna and Artem Dultsev, the Russian deep cover spies returned home as part of the prisoner exchange, didn’t know they were Russian until their plane took off for Moscow for the swap, the Kremlin says. They don’t speak Russian, so Putin greeted them in Spanish.

    Drew Pavlou…

    The kids are crying because they just found out that they are Russian and now they have to live in Putin’s sh-thole.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  17. Here’s one reason why Bibi kicked out al Jazeera: They have “reporters” who are literally Hamas terrorists.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  18. The list of countries that recognized Maduro’s sham election is a near perfect Venn Diagram of the bad actors hostile to American interests.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  19. So, I switched. The service included free Peacock Premium (oddly, to Peacock, “Premium” means “lowest level of service”) which includes ads. I was enjoying the Olympics but the frequency of the ads began to grate so I upgraded to (I kid you not) “Peacock Premium Plus.” $14 for the month, then I will downgrade to free again.

    I’m watching the Olympics on YouTubeTV, and Good Lord, they run a Kamala Harris commercial at every single break. It’s driving me nuts, since I’m not always quick on the draw to mute it. I also subscribed to Peacock so that I can watch the replays from a non-NBC perspective.

    JVW (03ae6d)

  20. It would not surprise me if Biden wagged the dog in Venezuela. ………

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/2/2024 @ 10:55 am

    LOL! Trump is running as a candidate against foreign intervention, so if Biden starts a war against a nation that doesn’t threaten our security he will be handing the election to Trump. There’s nothing that would benefit the Democrats politically by doing so.

    Besides, it’s more likely that by Election Day we will be defending Israel from attacks by Iran or Hezbollah (but I repeat myself).

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  21. I also subscribed to Peacock so that I can watch the replays from a non-NBC perspective.

    Isn’t Peacock owned by NBC?

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  22. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is engaging in the hallowed lame-duck Democrat tradition by trying to strong-arm Israel into a ridiculous peace agreement with a vile and untrustworthy adversary, just so that the U.S. President can cement an otherwise utterly lackluster foreign policy legacy. Honestly, I find this so enraging: Joe Biden wants Israel to sell out its security just because Israel’s actions are dividing his party’s coalition. I haven’t seen the details of the “deal” that President Bide has allegedly presented to Prime Minister Netanyahu, but I’m willing to bet that it does not preclude members of Hamas from serving in a future Palestinian government.

    Foreign Policy tells us how stupid the United States has been:

    That is why a cease-fire was never imminent. In fact, the negotiations that dragged on all these months were a ruse. The Israelis had no intention of walking away from the fight with Hamas’s leadership intact, and for its part, Hamas—in the form of Yahya Sinwar, the group’s Gaza leader—believes it is winning the war by dragging Israel into a grinding conflict that has damaged Israel’s international reputation. The Americans got played. They were the only party to the talks who wanted a cease-fire. As for the Qataris, the outcome of the talks was less important than being the mediator and thus doing a service for the United States—always a win in the competitive world of intra-Gulf politics.

    The rest of the FP piece is pretty interesting. The author suggests that the best way for the U.S. to prevent Israel from escalating the situation is to enter into a formal security agreement, in which the U.S. would guarantee military support for any actions taken against Israel. On the flip side, the author believes that this would also give the U.S. leverage to “corral” Israel’s audacious ambition to eradicate Hamas and Hezbollah. But why Israel would want to enter any kind of guarantee with Joe Biden or Kamala Harris (or even Donald Trump) in charge escapes my imagination.

    JVW (03ae6d)

  23. Isn’t Peacock owned by NBC?

    Yeah, but they use an international feed with different play-by-play and commentary from what is offered by the NBC crew.

    JVW (03ae6d)

  24. She was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person,”

    This statement by Donald Trump is simply not true. Nobody else remembers that. And Donald Trump. even if he initially thought she was only of Indian ancestry, has to have known that she identified more as black since about 2010, since he sent a political contribution to her in 2011 and she always described herself as both from the Indian subcontinent and black. Her relationship with Willie Brown, which was not a secret, would also have brought this up.

    Donald Trump is just trying to appeal to a black audience by arguing that the opposing candidate is not really black.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  25. identified more as black since about 2010

    This seems to make the race-shifting argument.

    BuDuh (59022b)

  26. That is why a cease-fire was never imminent. In fact, the negotiations that dragged on all these months were a ruse.

    Not a ruse. Israel was always clear on what it wanted, except that certain people didn’t want to hear it.

    It got pressured into agreeing that there should be phase 2 and a phase 3 with details to be negotiated during phase I. Well, OK. They can agree to discuss the next steps.

    But they never backed off from saying that after Phase I (when Hamas had release all the prisoners they were going to release) they could resume the war.

    This is how I described the status of the negotiations at #346 in the previous weekend thread: (Minor typos corrected)

    They keep saying a ceasefire agreement] [it] is close, but that is like looking at scratch off lottery tickets and saying that some are close to winning.

    This is what is on the table:

    A 3 stage deal and Israel and Hamas are negotiating (through Qatar and Egypt) only on the first part. (in the next two stages Israel and Hamas are in deep disagreement. They are supposed to be worked out during the first stage, which will last, say six to ten weeks.)

    Hamas wants: (in phase 1)

    1) To return only some of the hostages. Maybe one third. Most or all clearly not any kind of military prisoners. They are willing to haggle over how many are allowed to be dead.

    2) To receive in return prisoners from Israeli jails whom they would select, and Israel would have no right to veto any of them, with Hamas only being limited to the number released.

    3) Partial Israeli withdrawal, especially from the border with Egypt.

    4) A pledge by Israel not to resume the war. When Israel indicated that was a deal breaker, Hamas substituted a guarantee by the United States that Israel would not resume the war after the initial prisoner exchange was over.

    5. In Phase 2 or 3 Israel would withdraw from all of Gaza, and thus let Hamas resume control like they had on October 6, 2023, and everybody be allowed to return to the places they were in Gaza (Israel has created a northern Gaza and southern Gaza with a dividing line and extreme limitations, for now, on civilians who leave the northern zone crossing back)

    6. Arrangements to be made for foreign countries to assist in rebuilding Gaza.

    Israel is interested in pursuing discussions on Phase I, but after that it wants:

    1. Hamas to surrender, end its rule, disarm, and return all the hostages in exchange for no prisoners.

    2. A demilitarized Gaza, with Israel having overriding security control there to prevent the resurgence of terror. Assurance that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.

    3. A deradicalized Gaza. Gaza to have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel.

    As you can see, the two sides are, in reality, quite far apart.

    If no agreement can be reached on what happens after Phase I – and there is no agreement yet on Phase I – Israel reserves the right to resume the war.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  27. Going back only a couple of generations, Trump would not be called a “white man”. But now that is considered racist.

    SO UNFAIR!

    nk (6ad98a)

  28. The government of China, by the way, is making tings more difficult.

    https://apnews.com/article/china-palestinians-hamas-fatah-declaration-4bef2615307b656b99cb0e18f6b6d796

    Rivals Hamas and Fatah sign a declaration to form a future government as war rages in Gaza

    Updated 2:52 PM EDT, July 23, 2024
    Share
    RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed in Beijing to form a government together, the groups said Tuesday, in the latest attempt at resolving a longstanding rivalry that looms over any potential vision for the rule of Gaza after the war with Israel.

    Previous similar declarations have failed, raising doubts about whether the China-sponsored negotiations might lead to reconciliation between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for 17 years, and Fatah, the main force in the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority that administers parts of the occupied West Bank.

    The two groups issued a joint statement announcing the deal but gave no details on how or when the government would be formed, saying only that it would be done “by agreement among the factions.”

    There goes what’s left of the Administration’s idea of installing the Palestinian Authority as the new government of Gaza.

    Erdogan of Turkey is also causing trouble. First he wanted Abbas to address the Turkish Parliament – Abbas declined; then he was going to have Abbas and Haniyeh both address the Turkish Parliament ad now it looks like it will be Abbas alone.

    https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/08/01/amid-rift-with-erdogan-turkish-parliament-extends-new-invitation-to-pa-leader-mahmoud-abbas

    Days after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas sparked the ire of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by turning down an invitation to address the Turkish parliament, the visit appears to be back on. Parliamentary speaker Numan Kurtulmus told the state-owned Anadolu news agency on July 31 that “[I]f there are no issues, we will invite Mr. Abbas to the Turkish Parliament General Assembly and he will explain the Palestinian cause in front of lawmakers,” Reuters reported. Abbas initially declined the invitation to protest Turkey’s increasingly close alignment with Hamas — a bitter rival of the Fatah-dominated PA — causing Erdogan to exclaim on July 28, “Mahmoud Abbas, who didn’t show up despite our invitation to address the parliament, owes us an apology.” The Turkish leader then added: “Let’s see if he’ll agree to come now.” According to Al-Monitor, Faed Mustafa, the PA’s representative in Ankara, stepped in to defuse tensions following Erdogan’s comment, expressing appreciation for Turkey’s “unswerving support” for the Palestinians.

    Erdogan has also threatened to go to war with Israel,(if Israel is too successful in a war is the way to understand him)

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  29. It’s Josh Shapiro (mistakenly leaked by Philly mayor).

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  30. 30. That video had to be put together by the Race Baiting Division of the Trump Organization, Paul.

    nk (6ad98a)

  31. 19. Paul Montagu (179100) — 8/2/2024 @ 12:31 pm

    The list of countries that recognized Maduro’s sham election is a near perfect Venn Diagram of the bad actors hostile to American interests.

    Yes, you can use things like that.

    Also some United Nations votes.

    I am not sure there is a way to program AI to discover them. Maybe this needs to be inputted manually.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  32. Nobody could’ve possibly predicted this.

    Biden admin freezes controversial migrant flight program after fraud revelations

    The Biden administration has put a controversial program that allows tens of thousands of migrants from four nations to fly or travel directly into the U.S. on hold, after a report circulated internally showing significant amounts of fraud in the program.

    The internal report found that forms from those applying for the program included social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers being used hundreds of times in some cases.

    Parts of the report shared with Fox News Digital by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a conservative immigration group, showed that 100,948 forms were filled out by 3,218 serial sponsors — those whose number appears on 20 or more forms.

    It also found that 24 of the 1,000 most used numbers belonged to a dead person. Meanwhile, 100 physical addresses were used between 124 and 739 times on over 19,000 forms. Those addresses included storage units. One sponsor phone number was submitted on over 2,000 forms, and there were 2,839 forms with non-existent sponsor zip codes, according to the leak.

    lloyd (a0eb3a)

  33. kamala Harris has already clinched the nomination.

    This was the procedure:

    They’re using the old Ohio law as the excuse for this:

    1. Wednesday July 24: The Democratic National Committee voted to hold a virtual roll call. This is not a slow roll call, but one tat extends over a weekend via Zoom.

    2. Tuesday night, July 30: Deadline for delegates to submit nominations for president. 84% of the 4,700 delegates submitted their petitions in time. Of those who submitted petitions, 3,923, or 99% named Kamala Harris. At least 300 votes needed to be put on the ballot.

    3. From 9 am Thursday, August 1 through 6 p.m. Monday, August 5, delegates can cast a “secure” ballot [meaning supposed to be free from impersonation] for president. Only votes for Harris will be counted. If any delegates vote for someone else, their vote will be counted as “present.”

    4. Because Harris already got enough pledged delegates so as to constitute a majority of the combined pledged and automatic delegates (originally called super delegates) the super delegates, who ordinarily cannot vote on the first ballot, the superdelegates will also get an opportunity to vote for Kamala Harris.

    Everybody in the Democratic Party is supporting Kamala Harris

    ..as the Philadelphia video said.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  34. The internal report found that forms from those applying for the program included social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers being used hundreds of times in some cases.

    As sponsors.

    This method of immigration, like the standard one, requires sponsors.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  35. Biden is still stuck on “escalation management”, which is an intellectually bereft and failing approach in both Ukraine and Gaza. Grrr.
    Noah Rothman

    This paints a truly disgraceful portrait of this White House. No comment is unacceptable. Whoever is setting U.S. policy in opposition to Israel’s pinpoint accurate acts of self-defense and all but *mourning* the elimination of US-designated terrorists needs to be contradicted. If not, take it as confirmation.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  36. lloyd (a0eb3a) — 8/2/2024 @ 2:29 pm

    Safest, most secure migrant flight program…

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  37. It’s Josh Shapiro (mistakenly leaked by Philly mayor).

    How dumb is the Harris Team if they thought they could tell “insiders” the news on Friday and somehow keep it under wraps until Tuesday? Did they really expect their media allies to honor that?

    JVW (03ae6d)

  38. nk (6ad98a) — 8/2/2024 @ 2:01 pm

    . That video had to be put together by the Race Baiting Division of the Trump Organization, Paul.

    It’s trying to create a bandwagon effect and fire up the base.

    At least of the base belonging to the mayor of Philadelphia.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  39. It takes time to produce a video. he Pennsylvania people were informed so they could be out immediately with a video trailer.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  40. Biden is still stuck on “escalation management”, which is an intellectually bereft and failing approach in both Ukraine and Gaza. Grrr.

    They are just awful. As I commented earlier vis a vis Ukraine/Russia, China was happy to send Russia all sorts of missiles and other weaponry which they knew damn well was going to be used to attack civilian areas, not the Ukrainian Army. That’s because China is an asshole state. I don’t necessarily want us to be an asshole state, but the Biden Administration wouldn’t even send Ukraine weapons it could use to attack the Russian Army inside of Russian borders. The cowardice of this crew — led by a doddering old fool who thought the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound was too risky — is legenday and will go down in infamy.

    JVW (03ae6d)

  41. The opposition planned for this in Venezuela. The Maduro government did too but many election officials didn’t follow their instructions and let people obtain copies of the vote cast where they voted.

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-can-prove-maduro-got-trounced-venezuela-election-stolen-772d66a0

    I am writing this from hiding, fearing for my life, my freedom, and that of my fellow countrymen from the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro.

    Mr. Maduro didn’t win the Venezuelan presidential election on Sunday. He lost in a landslide to Edmundo González, 67% to 30%. I know this to be true because I can prove it. I have receipts obtained directly from more than 80% of the nation’s polling stations.

    We knew that Mr. Maduro’s government was going to cheat. We have known for years what tricks the regime uses, and we are well aware that the National Electoral Council is entirely under its control. It was unthinkable that Mr. Maduro would concede defeat.

    The regime did everything in its power to sabotage and derail our campaign. Even though I won an open primary with 92% of support, it banned me from running for president. Then it disqualified my chosen replacement, Corina Yoris. Eventually Mr. González bravely took on this job. All the while, dozens of my colleagues were imprisoned, and six of my top aides, including my campaign chief, sought asylum in the Argentine Embassy.

    The regime could never have imagined that our movement would grow in numbers and slowly take over the entire voting base of chavismo. The poor and rural people who fueled Hugo Chávez’s meteoric rise are now disillusioned and have taken control of their future. We started this self-financed campaign in the periphery and moved into the urban areas.

    Our people were like a tidal wave. They are tired of a quarter-century of divisiveness, hatred and ideology. They want their families and dignity back. Organically, communities organized into more than 60,000 comanditos, small campaign units set up around kitchen tables all around the country. More than one million volunteers took on specific roles to prepare for the election, training to defend every single vote that would be cast that day.

    From the early hours on Sunday, we understood what the unifying force of this massive civic action would bring. We saw turnout rise like a rocket ship. Minutes after returns began coming in, we confirmed that our victory was overwhelming. And we knew that those who are in power, terrified of the personal consequences of decades of misrule, would do everything to hold on to power.

    They did. They announced a fraudulent result by 11 p.m. Sunday, indicating Mr. Maduro had won with 51% of the vote with “80% of the votes counted.” The truth is that Mr. Maduro didn’t win in a single one of Venezuela’s 24 states. This wasn’t only confirmed by four different quick counts and two independent exit polls, but also by every single voting receipt that we saw coming in, in real time.

    Hastily, Mr. Maduro acted to neutralize our testigos, witnesses volunteering in the polling stations. Orders were given to make their work impossible, to expel them from voting centers, to deny them the physical proof of the results. These orders were disobeyed by National Electoral Council personnel and the military. Against all odds, our testigos protected the voter receipts with their lives throughout the night.

    On Monday morning we had gathered almost half of those receipts. By Monday afternoon, we had enough to confirm the mathematical certainty of our victory. The next day, they were uploaded onto a website for the world to see. Proof of this brazen fraud was furnished to heads of state across the world.

    The National Electoral Council, which is mandated by law to publish these results no later than 48 hours after the election, rapidly shut down its own website. The reason, its members allege, is a cyberattack from North Macedonia.

    After this farce, spontaneous protests broke out, especially in poor sectors of Caracas and other cities. Mr. Maduro responded with brutal repression. State security forces have killed at least 20 Venezuelans, imprisoned more than 1,000, and forced 11 disappearances. Most of our team is in hiding, and after seven diplomatic missions were expelled from Venezuela, my aides in the Argentine Embassy are being protected by the government of Brazil. I could be captured as I write these words.

    We Venezuelans have done our duty. We have voted out Mr. Maduro. Now it is up to the international community to decide whether to tolerate a demonstrably illegitimate government. The repression must stop immediately, so that an urgent agreement can take place to facilitate the transition to democracy. I call on those who reject authoritarianism and support democracy to join the Venezuelan people in our noble cause. We won’t rest until we are free.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  42. It’s signed “PEOPLE FOR PARKER, [so-and-so chairman]”. That tells me a fake for social media until proven different.

    nk (6ad98a)

  43. if Biden starts a war against a nation that doesn’t threaten our security he will be handing the election to Trump.

    But they are threatening our security. Unrest south of the border drives people north. SEVEN MILLION people have left Venezuela. And this is a threat that TRUMP has been going on about for years, too.

    Also, they have lots of oil and the Axis of Evil wants that oil.

    The Monroe Doctrine was about just this kind of thing, and what threatened America in 1820 is more of a threat now.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  44. I also subscribed to Peacock so that I can watch the replays from a non-NBC perspective.

    NBC and Peacock are both subsidiaries of Comcast.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  45. JVW (03ae6d) — 8/2/2024 @ 2:37 pm

    If it turns out to be legitimate, which a local reporter claims is the case, then I am going to convince myself that it isn’t the “don’t attribute to malice…” garbage that gets spouted so often by the unimaginative. I believe, without any evidence, that an antisemite staffer within the Build Hamas Back Better Party decided this was a plenty good enough jihad to cause some sort of controversy that may keep a Jew out of the highest office.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  46. Trump’s comments about Kamala’s racial identity are aimed at black voters, not whites. Some black folks have always complained that she was using her racial backgrounds differently to different groups. And besides, she makes “high yellow” look downright Black.

    Like Barack, she has no real connection to inner city blacks. Her parents both had PhD’s and were college professors. She grew up in the MidWest. Poverty was not part of her life. She did go to Howard University, but that seems more about finding her place in the world than a natural path.

    That does not mean that Trump’s comments are wise or even acceptable. But there is reason behind his madness.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  47. Trump has had sixteen years to ruminate (as in chewing the cud like a big, orange cow) how he would have run against Obama. And he is going to put every race baiting and racist idea he came up with to use running against Kamala.

    nk (6ad98a)

  48. I am not sure there is a way to program AI to discover them

    Real AI doesn’t need a program. But it might think you do.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  49. She grew up in the MidWest.

    Well… at least until she was six years old. The some California growing up until her mom took her to Canada when she was 12, or so. She stayed there for quite a few years.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  50. It also found that 24 of the 1,000 most used numbers belonged to a dead person. Meanwhile, 100 physical addresses were used between 124 and 739 times on over 19,000 forms. Those addresses included storage units. One sponsor phone number was submitted on over 2,000 forms, and there were 2,839 forms with non-existent sponsor zip codes, according to the leak.

    But don’t worry, each of these terrified refugees intends to gratefully appear at their immigration hearing. Once they get their notice in the mail.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  51. Well… at least until she was six years old. The some California growing up until her mom took her to Canada when she was 12, or so. She stayed there for quite a few years.

    But never in the ‘hood.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  52. The cowardice of this crew — led by a doddering old fool who thought the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound was too risky — is legenday and will go down in infamy.

    And it will turn a small war into a major conflagration as both sides move up the escalation ladder until someone tries to stop and the other side view it as weakness.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  53. Fo sho

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  54. NBC and Peacock are both subsidiaries of Comcast.

    Again though, Kevin, Peacock uses an entirely different set of announcers and color commentators. In swimming, I love Rowdy Gaines whom I idolized when I was a young swimmer, but at the same time a little bit of him goes a long way. Over on Peacock the color commentator is Nicole Livingston, a former Olympic medalist from Australia who is very knowledgable about the sport and, shall we say, somewhat less excitable than Rowdy. I’ve been watching Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines during the live sessions in the afternoons, and then I re-watch it with Nicole and her play-by-play colleague.

    The other great thing about Peacock’s coverage is that they show the medal ceremonies followed by the athletes’ walk around the pool posing for pictures. It’s been some of the best moments of the games. They also don’t jump from swimming to basketball to gymnastics to judo like the NBC coverage does.

    So even though they are owned by the same network, the coverage on the two channels is vastly different.

    JVW (03ae6d)

  55. @BuDuh@51 I spent 4 years of my childhood/adolescence in Europe. I don’t think it makes me or any other American kids who I went to school with less American. As for where I did or didn’t “grow up” of the places I lived as a kid, yeah, good luck successfully defining that, because I sure can’t. I’m sure it’s nice for those of us who have a place in the US where they lived throughout their childhood, but for a bunch of us, we have to figure out what “grew up” or “from” or “home” means for us, and it doesn’t make us any less American. (No, I didn’t have a lot of patience with the “GWB: New Englander or Texan” conversation either

    Nic (120c94)

  56. Time to recycle another Cold War joke:

    “Did you hear about the burglary in Venezuela?”
    “No, what was stolen?”
    “The results of the next presidential election.”

    Jim Miller (448802)

  57. I don’t think it makes me or any other American kids who I went to school with less American.

    And who suggested anything that relates to this comment?

    BuDuh (59022b)

  58. @BuDuh@59 Then how is her having lived in Canada relevant?

    Nic (120c94)

  59. They say that video was an endorsement not based on knowing the pick.

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e)

  60. Then how is her having lived in Canada relevant?

    Because it is not specifically the “MidWest.”

    Please read the entire comment from Kevin, the quote I used from Kevin’s comment, and then my response in its entirety.

    BuDuh (59022b)

  61. if Biden starts a war against a nation that doesn’t threaten our security he will be handing the election to Trump.

    But they are threatening our security. Unrest south of the border drives people north. SEVEN MILLION people have left Venezuela. And this is a threat that TRUMP has been going on about for years, too.

    Why didn’t Trump attack Venezuela (and Mexico, and Central America, and……) about it when he was President?

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  62. @BuDuh@62 I read both comments to start out with. However, as a person who has been involved in political conversations for a long time, there’s a lot of history around “they grew up not here” meaning “so they aren’t really us/ who they say they are.” Canada!Ted, Indonesian!Obama, NewEngland!GWB. Maybe I’ve overestimated your past involvement in political conversation, but if I have, then you should probably be aware that there are implications around that particular kind of phraseology.

    Nic (120c94)

  63. @64 Nic, no one should have to tip toe around the minefield in your head.

    lloyd (07b098)

  64. RIP Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha (80):

    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Bucha distinguished himself while serving as commanding officer, Company D, on a reconnaissance-in-force mission against enemy forces near Phuoc Vinh. The company was inserted by helicopter into the suspected enemy stronghold to locate and destroy the enemy. During this period Capt. Bucha aggressively and courageously led his men in the destruction of enemy fortifications and base areas and eliminated scattered resistance impeding the advance of the company. On 18 March (1968) while advancing to contact, the lead elements of the company became engaged by the heavy automatic-weapon, heavy machine-gun, rocket-propelled-grenade, claymore-mine and small-arms fire of an estimated battalion-size force.

    Capt. Bucha, with complete disregard for his safety, moved to the threatened area to direct the defense and ordered reinforcements to the aid of the lead element. Seeing that his men were pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire from a concealed bunker located some 40 meters to the front of the positions, Capt. Bucha crawled through the hail of fire to singlehandedly destroy the bunker with grenades. During this heroic action Capt. Bucha received a painful shrapnel wound. Returning to the perimeter, he observed that his unit could not hold its positions and repel the human wave assaults launched by the determined enemy.

    Capt. Bucha ordered the withdrawal of the unit elements and covered the withdrawal to positions of a company perimeter from which he could direct fire upon the charging enemy. When one friendly element retrieving casualties was ambushed and cut off from the perimeter, Capt. Bucha ordered them to feign death and he directed artillery fire around them. During the night Capt. Bucha moved throughout the position, distributing ammunition, providing encouragement, and insuring the integrity of the defense. He directed artillery, helicopter-gunship and Air Force-gunship fire on the enemy strong points and attacking forces, marking the positions with smoke grenades. Using flashlights in complete view of enemy snipers, he directed the medical evacuation of three air-ambulance loads of seriously wounded personnel and the helicopter supply of his company.

    At daybreak Capt. Bucha led a rescue party to recover the dead and wounded members of the ambushed element. During the period of intensive combat, Capt. Bucha, by his extraordinary heroism, inspirational example, outstanding leadership, and professional competence, led his company in the decimation of a superior enemy force which left 156 dead on the battlefield. His bravery and gallantry at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the military service. Capt. Bucha has reflected great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

    Paragraph breaks added.

    More:

    After he left the military in 1972, he worked in Tehran as chief of operations for Electronic Data Systems, or EDS, an information technology company founded by H. Ross Perot. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, Mr. Bucha relocated to Paris and helped in negotiations to free EDS employees held in Iran by groups that overthrew the Western-backed shah.
    ………..
    There are 60 Medal of Honor recipients alive today.

    When then-Capt. Bucha learned in 1970 that he would be presented the Medal of Honor, he considered asking to be passed over. He said he felt troubled by the loss of Delta Company lives during the battle. A senior officer reminded him “it wasn’t yours to turn down.”

    “This belongs to your men,” he said he was told. “You wear it for them.”
    ##########

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  65. The children of Anna and Artem Dultsev, the Russian deep cover spies returned home as part of the prisoner exchange, didn’t know they were Russian until their plane took off for Moscow for the swap, the Kremlin says. They don’t speak Russian, so Putin greeted them in Spanish.

    Has anybody ever seen Trump’s long form birth certificate?

    nk (6ad98a)

  66. @lloyd@65 Did you miss the 2016 election cycle? Canada!Ted was pretty common at the time.

    Nic (120c94)

  67. Shocker: Democrats broom campaign finance violations by Democrats

    The Oregon Justice Department will not bring criminal charges in the case of disgraced cryptocurrency FTX executive Nishad Singh. In 2020, Singh had donated $500,000 to Oregon Democrats, but he reported the money as coming from another cryptocurrency company, Prime Trust LLC, based in Las Vegas.

    The Oregon Elections Division asked the state Department of Justice to look into the donation as a possible campaign finance violation due to information that came to light during legal proceedings against FTX last year.

    The founder of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, was arrested in December 2022 and charged with defrauding investors and conspiracy. FTX had donated large amounts of money to political campaigns throughout the country, but the U.S. Department of Justice ruled that the donations were given under false pretenses and actually belonged to the people who invested in FTX.

    In the midst of those court proceedings, Singh claimed under oath that he agreed to make political donations that were funded with money from FTX, but the Oregon Elections Division said Singh’s representative told them that he preferred the donation to the Oregon Democratic Party be attributed to Prime Trust LLC.

    The Oregon Elections Division referred the case against Singh to the Oregon Department of Justice, but this week, the agency said it did not find enough evidence to support criminal charges.

    Cue yawns and crickets.

    lloyd (07b098)

  68. @68 Nic, just take the L and move on.

    lloyd (07b098)

  69. @lloyd@70 So you did, then. interesting.

    Nic (120c94)

  70. I was okay with life in a concrete box in Guantanamo (because I have reservations about the death penalty), but this is okay, too.

    Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Friday relieved the overseer of the war court at Guantánamo Bay and revoked a plea agreement reached earlier this week with the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and two alleged accomplices.

    The Pentagon announced the decision with the release of a memorandum relieving the senior official at the Defense Department responsible for military commissions of her oversight of the capital case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his alleged accomplices for the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field.

    The overseer, retired Brig. Gen. Susan K. Escallier, signed a pretrial agreement on Wednesday with Mr. Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi that exchanged guilty pleas for sentences of at most life in prison. In taking away the authority, Mr. Austin assumed direct oversight of the case and canceled the agreement, effectively reinstating it as a death-penalty case.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  71. Good grief, Nic.

    You have your dander up over your own problems and you are projecting it. Klink does this as well when he is dreaming about racism.

    I don’t give a crap about where she learned to be a Marxist. I am simply disagreeing that the location of the first six years of your life is the determining factor of where one “grew up.”

    The equivalent would be if you spent your first six years in Europe. I would not consider you a European based off of what other things I have gathered from you regarding your family history.

    And since you cannot, and will not, find any comment of mine that claims she is Canadian, I would appreciate a thoughtful and well written apology.

    BuDuh (59022b)

  72. Slight correction. She was apparently 2 when her family moved from Berkeley to the MidWest. So she spent r years there until she was 6 years old. I don’t think that improves the idea that the MidWest is where she “grew up.”

    (Sorry about this Kevin. This has nothing to do with the point you made. Your comment was spot on.)

    BuDuh (59022b)

  73. …4 years…

    BuDuh (59022b)

  74. Secretary Austin Signs Memo Withdrawing From the Pre-Trial Agreements in the 9/11 Military Commission Cases

    I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009. Effective immediately, I hereby withdraw your authority in the above-referenced case to enter into a pre-trial agreement and reserve such authority to myself.
    Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case.

    BuDuh (786020)

  75. @BuDuh@73 The other half of the point I was trying to make was that “grew up in” is a fuzzy term for people who lived in several different places as children because we “grew up in” a lot of different places.

    Nic (120c94)

  76. The marketing guys really had an Edsel on their hands with the 9/11 hijacker hijinks going on at Guantanamo. Polling must have been worse that Kamala’s 2020 run.

    BuDuh (786020)

  77. Ok.. sure. But the “half” you spent more than half the pixels on was insulting and indicative of a problem you have that has nothing to do with what I said.

    BuDuh (786020)

  78. Kamala’s early timeline isn’t hard.
    1964: Born in Oakland, lived there until…
    1966: Moved to Champaign, IL and then to other Midwest spots.
    1976 or 1977: Moved to Montreal when was 12.
    1982: Went to Howard U after a year at Vanier College in Montreal.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  79. I think Trumps comments about Harris’s race were designed to accomplish a few things.
    1. Get ppl talking about him, no press is bad press. This was achieved.
    2. Create a situation where she says something dumb about race. Her dumb thing would the. Be the story. This didn’t work.
    3. Feed red meat to the race obsessed portion of his base and give them an example of him showing disrespect to ppl that his base feels have wronged him. Successful.
    4. Perpetuate the narrative that he’s being picked on.
    5. Vent his grievances about race.
    6. Turn black voters against Harris.

    I think the argument that Harris isn’t “really” black is just silly on its face.

    Time123 (915140)

  80. @BuDuh@79 In my comment 92 of the 121 words were about defining “home or grew up” for a person who grew up in different places. That’s way way more than half.

    Nic (120c94)

  81. Maybe it is hard. You left out where she was from ‘70-‘76ish?

    I love the expert chirp chirp.

    BuDuh (786020)

  82. I apologize, Nic.

    Your turn.

    BuDuh (786020)

  83. Time123 (915140) — 8/2/2024 @ 6:09 pm

    And was Rachel Scott’s opening question designed to accomplish a few things?

    BuDuh (786020)

  84. You left out where she was from ‘70-‘76ish?

    Um, nope. Seriously, this isn’t hard.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  85. @Buduh@84 I’m sorry I didn’t realize your comment was divorced from context regarding Canada.

    Nic (120c94)

  86. Correction. Kamala moved back to Berkeley in 1970.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  87. What isn’t hard is acknowledging that the media is in overdrive trying to re-brand Kamala into something other than what she is and has always been, a radical left coast leftist gifted with incompetence and incoherence. That Nevertrumpers are whoring their brains out to this nonsense isn’t particularly shocking.

    lloyd (07b098)

  88. Kamala’s early timeline isn’t hard.
    1964: Born in Oakland, lived there until…
    1966: Moved to Champaign, IL and then to other Midwest spots
    >>>>> and then?? <<<<<
    1976 or 1977: Moved to Montreal when was 12.
    1982: Went to Howard U after a year at Vanier College in Montreal.

    Paul Montagu (179100) — 8/2/2024 @ 6:03 pm

    Like I said. It is hard for some.

    Are you including Berkeley in you “other MidWest spots?” LOL

    BuDuh (786020)

  89. We are cool again, Nic.

    👍

    BuDuh (786020)

  90. Correction. Kamala moved back to Berkeley in 1970.

    Paul Montagu (179100) — 8/2/2024 @ 6:46 pm

    I knew you would get there.

    BuDuh (786020)

  91. I missed a line, no big.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  92. Acting SS Director Rowe’s press conference today was about what I expected. My takeaways:

    1. The USSS accepts 100% responsibility, but get ready for the USSS to throw local law enforcement under the bus anyway.
    2. Poor communication between USSS and local law enforcement. Nobody’s fault. Of course.
    3. 20 days later, nobody has interviewed the sniper team that was in the building that Crooks got on top of. What happened there? Nobody knows. Awesome.
    4. Crooks had the genius idea of using a drone. He was smarter than us, but we’re going to fix that going forward.
    5. Yes, this was the first time sniper teams were made available for Trump at his events.
    6. Expect no firings and no disciplinary action.
    7. Rowe will go from acting to permanent in the Harris administration. His incompetence is definitely on-brand.

    lloyd (07b098)

  93. Budah.

    1. Articulate how Trump had “insulted the black community”. This was wildly successful because of how bad Trump reacted.
    2. Give him an opportunity to answer the “why should we vote for you” question. Trump completely flubbed this one, Likely on purpose.

    Time123 (915140)

  94. 5. Yes, this was the first time sniper teams were made available for Trump at his events.

    This one was interesting. The director(or what ever his title is) said that up until now the counter-snipers were comprised of local law enforcement. But this time is was different because of “??.”

    He was somewhat vague on the specifics but what he appeared to be saying is that that had good reasons to add their personal sniper team to this particular venue. I think this is a thread that needs to be pulled by the otherwise useless oversight committee.

    BuDuh (786020)

  95. Time123 (915140) — 8/2/2024 @ 7:18 pm

    Thanks again for living up to expectations when asked a direct question. Maybe quote her question and then answer mine with specifics?

    Hahahahaha!!! Who am I kidding. This is where you burden shift and request that others do your homework.

    I think I will add you to my blocking script. nk needs some company.

    BuDuh (786020)

  96. The military needs to take over protection duties from the SS.

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  97. Budah, you asked and I answered. Not sure what your complaint is but feel free to block me if it improves your user experience.

    Time123 (915140)

  98. Before I purge you from my good times around here, I do have a question(or three). Did it bother you that Klink lied about GM engines and then went on a trolling mission rather than just stepping up and admitting his deception?

    Do you think that the person who trolls is the one who is incorrect about a topic and continues to push buttons?

    What gives with your troll spotting accusations and why didn’t you call out this glaring example?

    BuDuh (786020)

  99. I didn’t pay attention to that conversation. Sorry.

    But I answered your question directly. Whats your complaint about how I answered it?

    Time123 (6fd04f)

  100. It’s Josh Shapiro (mistakenly leaked by Philly mayor).

    Paul Montagu (179100) — 8/2/2024 @ 1:54 pm

    Maybe, maybe not.

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  101. @Buduh@91 🙂

    Nic (120c94)

  102. Again though, Kevin, Peacock uses an entirely different set of announcers and color commentators.

    Understood. Peacock does offer the “TV” version as well. Paying for a month of ad-free Peacock is well worth it, especially as fast-forwarding through something gets you a 2-minute commercial every time you stop in the regular version..

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  103. Please read the entire comment from Kevin, the quote I used from Kevin’s comment, and then my response in its entirety.

    I understood what BuDuh said and he was correct.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  104. Trump did not directly insult the “black community”, he insulted the flappers for the black community. There’s a difference.

    My point, which has been totally 100% lost, is that quite a few black citizens do not relate to Kamala Harris and her experience is not theirs.

    She is the daughter of two highly sought-after professionals (her father taught at Stanford, fgs) and she did not grow up listening to gunfire or wanting for anything.

    One of the great faults of Affirmative Action of the box-checking variety is that Harris would have been given an advantage where she would have deserved none. I have no idea if it happened that way for her; she may have declined such help.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  105. The Al Quds wing of the Democrat party is pulling the fire alarm.

    “New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman took to social media Friday to announce his support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential running mates, endorsing all likely contenders except Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.”

    Rep. Jamaal Bowman Ed.D.
    Aug 2, 2024
    @JamaalBowmanNY
    Since @gretchenwhitmer has taken herself out of consideration, I believe that @Tim_Walz or @AndyBeshearKY would make excellent running mates for VP Harris.
    Both are dedicated public servants who prioritize jobs, childcare, and public schools, which is exactly what we need.

    Evan Ross
    @MrEvanRoss
    We know. We know. Anyone but the Jew.
    Bye bye, Jamaal. 👋

    lloyd (930c78)

  106. 1 month ago 42% supported trump. 38% were holding their nose and voting for biden. 20% not sure what to do, stay home or vote third party. Today?

    asset (768d2d)

  107. Chevron is leaving California, the latest to go. The LA Times comment section is filled with fools chortling. I guess it’s time for gas prices there to double again.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  108. Understood. Peacock does offer the “TV” version as well. Paying for a month of ad-free Peacock is well worth it, especially as fast-forwarding through something gets you a 2-minute commercial every time you stop in the regular version..

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/2/2024 @ 7:59 pm

    I refuse to watch the Olympics as I don’t want to contribute to their abuse of athletes and the way they use their money, but you didn’t need to pay for premium. A good ad blocker like on Brave and removing trackers through ghostery skips all Peacock commercials. Their software sucks.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  109. Trump did not directly insult the “black community”, he insulted the flappers for the black community. There’s a difference.

    My point, which has been totally 100% lost, is that quite a few black citizens do not relate to Kamala Harris and her experience is not theirs.

    She is the daughter of two highly sought-after professionals (her father taught at Stanford, fgs) and she did not grow up listening to gunfire or wanting for anything.

    One of the great faults of Affirmative Action of the box-checking variety is that Harris would have been given an advantage where she would have deserved none. I have no idea if it happened that way for her; she may have declined such help.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/2/2024 @ 8:08 pm

    I am as pale as any Irishman and lived in a rough area of NYC till I was 14. Fairly certain I have more understanding and more in common with minorities from those areas than Kamala.

    P.S. The only reason anyone on here can pretend Kamala is better than Trump is because they are wealthy enough to withstand the horrid economic conditions leftists create. Those living paycheck to paycheck do not have that ability.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  110. Those living paycheck to paycheck will see higher prices under Trump – ’cause a blanket 10% tariff on imports, deportations of 5% of the workforce (including most farm workers), and devaluation of the dollar are all inflationary moves.

    SamG (4e6c22)

  111. “Those living paycheck to paycheck will see higher prices under Trump”

    Speculation, in contrast to the reality of the past four years.

    lloyd (839f77)

  112. Definitely not weird.

    Kamala Harris’s husband Doug Emhoff cheated on his first wife with daughter Ella’s nanny Najen Naylor – and got her PREGNANT

    Kamala Harris’s husband’s first marriage ended after he got his children’s nanny pregnant, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

    Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff cheated on his first wife Kerstin with the blonde nanny, who also taught at their children’s pricey private school.

    The woman, Najen Naylor, 47, did not deny the story when approached by DailyMail.com at her home in the New York millionaires’ playground, The Hamptons.

    Sound like your normal first world 0.01% problem.

    lloyd (839f77)

  113. @113 Those are Trump’s policies he wants to implement: putting a universal 10% tax on imports (’cause tariffs are taxes) will raise prices for all sorts of raw materials, finished goods, and imported foods (like out of season fruits/veg); removing 5% of the workforce will lead to a labor crunch, making for delays and shortages as companies struggle to find workers; removing farm labor, which will see fruits/vegetables rot in the fields, making for shortages and raising food prices; and devaluing the dollar is just inherently making your dollar less valuable.

    SamG (4e6c22)

  114. @115 You don’t want to acknowledge the disastrous policies of the past four years. Got it.

    What causes you to believe Trump or any Republican could remove 5% of the workforce, even if they wanted to?

    lloyd (c59657)

  115. A fashion statement for Nevertrumpers.

    lloyd (c59657)

  116. Even with boxing controversies, it’s Russia Russia Russia. Thankfully, the cheating Russians are still banned (sort of) from the Olympics.

    Paul Montagu (179100)

  117. We lived through 4 years of Trump Sam’s lies are just that. Easier to deny reality than face it or look at both their respective records.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  118. Remember Biden’s highly touted and hyped Chips Act? Democrats hope you don’t.

    Intel Is Cutting More Than 15,000 Jobs Despite Getting Billions From the US Government

    In a move likely to raise a few taxpayer eyebrows, Intel said today that it will cut 15 percent of its workforce, or more than 15,000 jobs, as it struggles to rebound from disappointing results. In March, the US government said it would give Intel no less than $8.5 billion to help it rebuild its US chipmaking operations.

    Intel said that its revenues were down 1 percent year-on-year for the second quarter. “We do not take this lightly, and we have carefully considered the impact this will have on the Intel family,” CEO Pat Gelsinger said on an earnings call today. “These are hard, but necessary decisions. These reductions do not impact our ability to execute our plan.”

    The job cuts will affect areas including sales, marketing, and administrative roles, Intel said, and would be part of a general cost-cutting plan. The move follows a 5 percent reduction in staff announced by Intel last year. In after-hours trading, the company’s stock fell more than 17 percent.

    lloyd (c59657)

  119. @114 Confidential to our future First Gentleman: Sectionals don’t get pregnant.

    lloyd (c59657)

  120. Biden also savaged Intel’s business by cutting off all their sales to China and making their investments in China pretty much worthless.

    I am constantly amazed by those who point at Trump’s affinity for tariffs and ignore Biden’s tariffs-on-steroids attack on trade with China along with the expanded export controls.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  121. China’s response to Biden’s ham-handed trade restrictions? Stop using American chips almost entirely and develop their own semiconductor industry.

    China to achieve ‘basic’ self-sufficiency for chip fab tools this summer claims industry veteran

    China is on track to achieve basic self-sufficiency in building chipmaking equipment by this summer, reports the South China Morning Post. The publication cites Gerald Yin Zhiyao, chief executive of Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment China (AMEC), a China-based maker of wafer fab equipment (WFE).

    Chip fabs are equipped with thousands of tools and machinery, and they are usually made in the Netherlands, the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. However, these countries recently restricted the shipments of tools necessary to make chips on advanced nodes to China. Hence, the country accelerated its efforts to build its own supply chain for chipmaking equipment. While this supply chain is not yet world-class, and the tools can only be used to make chips on basic process technologies, it is about to become a reality, according to Gerald Yin Zhiyao, who formerly worked at Intel, Lam Research, and Applied Materials.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  122. Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/3/2024 @ 10:57 am

    Outside of his Ukraine support, this about the only other Biden policy I agree with.

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  123. We complain about unfair trade and Chinese imports, then we block our best exports to China.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  124. Outside of his Ukraine support, this about the only other Biden policy I agree with.

    Then defend it.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  125. It’s a question of the West’s dependence on Chinese technology that should be the focus of our economic policy.

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  126. We complain about unfair trade and Chinese imports, then we block our best exports to China.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/3/2024 @ 11:03 am

    Because those “best exports” are being used against the West, enabling China to dominate AI development, develop pervasive surveillance systems, and weapon systems to challenge US dominance in the Pacific.

    Exporting our best technologies to China is giving them the rope to hang ourselves.

    Rip Murdock (a78f1f)

  127. Trumpistas will hate this, from George Will:

    The Republican candidate is not bashful about speaking his mind concerning legislative proposals: His frown killed bipartisan border legislation cobbled together by one of the most conservative senators, Oklahoma Republican James Lankford. (Donald Trump dislikes the border chaos less intensely than he likes having the chaos as an issue.)

    But Will is right. As was true of both Nazis and Communists inthe 1930s, having the issue is crtical, fixing the problem is not.

    (For the record: Will is kinder than I am. I think the Loser loves any chaos on the border.)

    Jim Miller (c289a3)

  128. China is in about 2004 in AI development. The biggest issue with the off-shore fabs intel put in China, and exports to China is the use for military. Tesla sharing it’s (limited) AI technology with China is more of an issue with compute, especially since Intel is years behind in dedicated TOPS. Intel’s Gaudi is at least a generation if not 2 behind Blackwell, and the domestic Chinese processors are not even in play, that’s why they smuggle pretty much anything they can get there hands on, including just ordering retail GPUs from Amazon.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  129. @129 “But Will is right. As was true of both Nazis and Communists inthe 1930s, having the issue is crtical, fixing the problem is not.”

    Yes, this is just like Nazis and Communists. Exactly.

    Jim, do you think that bill would fix the problem? Whst did you like about it? Be specific. Is it better than HR2, which was killed by a frown from Democrats? What makes it better than HR2? The fact that it couldn’t get passed in either chamber? Do you think Democrats want to solve this problem?

    lloyd (a5b16e)

  130. Whom, what, which, when, where has Donnie Strippershtupper not cheated on?

    nk (b2a6c8)

  131. Katie Ledecky achieved an Olympic record with her fourth consecutive win her Gold Medal in the 800 meter freestyle event, after racing neck and neck for the first 600 meters with her Australian rival Ariarne Titmus. In setting the record she joins legendary swimmer Michael Phelps in winning a gold medal in the same event.

    Ledecky’s record-equalling ninth career gold medal tied her with former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina’s nine golds for the most for women in any Olympic sport.

    Ledecky’s has won four medals in these Paris Games — gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle and 800-meter freestyle, silver in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay and bronze in the 400-meter.

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  132. Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/2/2024 @ 11:06 pm

    I hope Chevron brings their own generators to keep their lights on.

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  133. Judge OKs deal to dismiss Rudy Giuliani bankruptcy case in step toward collection of $146M defamation verdict

    ………….
    U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane of the Southern District of New York had initially ruled last month that he would dismiss Giuliani’s case, but said last week he might have to reconsider doing so because of the former New York City mayor’s failure to pay about $400,000 in administrative and accounting expenses in the case.

    The former personal lawyer to Donald Trump reached an agreement with his creditors this past week to pay $100,000 of those expenses now, with the rest of the cash to be paid when he sells one of his homes in New York or Florida. If that does not happen within the next six months, action can be taken to collect on the rest of the money, according to the agreement.
    …………
    Lane’s order gives Giuliani one business day after the ruling to pay the $100,000, at which point the case will be officially dismissed. The ruling also bars Giuliani from filing for bankruptcy again for a period of one year.………
    ………….
    A spokesman for Giuliani said at the time that Giuliani wanted the case done with because it was preventing him from appealing the Freeman verdict and subjecting him to “voluminous and overly broad discovery requests.”
    …………..

    Sad!

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  134. Rip,

    your snide remarks about great Americans like Giuliani are tiresome.

    NJRob (18edad)

  135. The jacka$$ went bankrupt because he defamed a couple of election workers for alt-right clout. Not sorry at all.

    Time123 (915140)

  136. Rip,

    your snide remarks about great Americans like Giuliani are tiresome.

    NJRob (18edad) — 8/3/2024 @ 2:21 pm

    At one time Rudy was a “great American”-when he was a mob busting, corporate corruption prosecuting US Attorney and mayor of New York City. But since the mid-2000s, his post-mayoral career has been marred by questionable business dealings and, of course, his actions supporting false allegations involving the 2020 election.

    You may see him with rose-colored glasses, but I daresay Giuliani’s fall from grace is worthy Shakespeare.

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  137. NJRob (18edad) — 8/3/2024 @ 2:21 pm

    He has to balance out all of his Bob Menendez articles. It’s what middle-of-the-road ball & strike callers do.

    BuDuh (786020)

  138. If anyone should be posting about Bob Menendez it should be NJRob, since he’s Rob’s home state Senator.

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  139. So, you have heard of Bob Menendez?

    BuDuh (786020)

  140. Early yesterday morning (around 12:30 a.m.), while returning to Reno from the Bay Area in my Mustang, I hit a carcass of some animal on I-80. It didn’t seem like a big deal. None of my tires left the ground. I thought I might have some minor damage to the front air dam at most. So, I just continued on my merry way.

    The merriment disappeared soon thereafter. While looking in the rearview mirror, the headlights of vehicles in back of me illuminated some smoke coming from my car. I took the next exit, made it to the top of the off-ramp, and then discovered that being in “Drive” was the equivalent of being in “Neutral”. Same thing for “Reverse”. I used gravity to back down a little way and off to the right so as not to impede anybody else who would take the exit. I got out of my car and saw a trail of fluid all the way up the off ramp. Furthermore, there was red liquid pooling at the side of my car. It was transmission fluid. There was no damage to the body of my car, but the carcass had ripped a hole in my transmission fluid pan.

    I was between Sacramento and Reno in the Sierras. The nearest town with a mechanic was Auburn, 28 miles behind me.

    Without thinking much about it, I called my insurance company. Initially I only sought roadside assistance (which is in my policy), but it only covered towing for 15 miles. I was 75 miles from Reno. For those additional 60 miles to get to Reno, my insurance company wanted met to pay $847! I opted for a tow to Reno because I just wanted to get home. I didn’t want to go back to Auburn, get a hotel, find a way to get to Reno, and then have to go BACK to Auburn once my car was fixed. A few hours later, my insurance company sent me a text stating they were unable to secure towing service. I made some follow-up phone calls, and was told they couldn’t arrange a tow until 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., more than 12 hours after my initial call!

    I catnapped for a few hours.

    I then decided it would be not only cheaper but also faster to get a tow back to Auburn. Sure enough, that tow was only $97 out of my pocket. The tow truck showed up at 12:30 p.m., exactly 12 hours after the accident. I also decided to file a claim, because I didn’t know how bad the transmission was damaged due to driving the car after hitting the carcass, and not seeing the smoke coming out of my car until I had driven a few miles.

    The Ford dealership in Auburn said I might or might not get a new transmission.

    I ask you insurance experts: Should I have involved the insurance company, or just paid for the tow and repair out of pocket to avoid my premiums going up? Which will cost me more in the long run?

    The unfortunate fact is I had another insurance company for over ten years, and only switched to my new company in June. I’m sure insurance companies just hate it when new customers file a claim. (By the way, the last claim I filed was over ten years ago.)

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  141. Yes, but Menendez’s crimes (and those of his wife) weren’t directed at overturning the result of a presidential election contrary to the certified results, nor did he defame two innocent women in pursuit of that goal. The Menendezes crimes were merely greed.

    Rip Murdock (884e90)

  142. Glad you are ok, norcal. I don’t have an answer for you on the insurance. Sorry about that.

    As far as the transmission, Klink should be along shortly to help with popping a GM Powerglide or a Chrysler TorqueFlite in your Ford.

    BuDuh (786020)

  143. As far as the transmission, Klink should be along shortly to help with popping a GM Powerglide or a Chrysler TorqueFlite in your Ford.

    BuDuh (786020) — 8/3/2024 @ 3:21 pm

    Okay, that was funny.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  144. More seriously, depending on the vehicle, a transmission replacement can be a $6,000
    + proposition. If they replace the pan and top off the fluids and it miraculously runs, you still have massive untold damage to the clutch packs, planetary gears, bearings, etc due to the fluid loss while under load. Not only is the fluid the hydraulic means for the transmission to operate, it is the coolant and lubricant for the aforementioned Internal components.

    From what you have described, I would lean on the Insurance to get a fresh trans. How many miles are on the car?

    BuDuh (786020)

  145. BuDuh (786020) — 8/3/2024 @ 3:30 pm

    16K miles. I bought it in February 2021, and have babied the hell out of it. It’s a GT. Velocity Blue. 10 speed transmission. 460 HP. I absolutely love the car. I don’t think you were commenting here back when I shared the story of buying the car in Miami and driving it back to Reno. Long story short, I hit that once-in-a-century ice storm in Texas. I still can’t believe I made it through that.

    The service writer at the dealership was very impressive. Both funny and knowledgeable. He said the same thing you did about hidden damage, and is wrote it up so as to militate for a new transmission.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  146. I didn’t notice you said it was a Mustang. Only that it was at the Ford dealer. Rear wheel drive cars have less expensive transmissions, so depending on the year and the speeds it can be closer to a $3000-$4000 job. Your premium would have to go up considerably to offset an out of pocket payment for the repair, IMO.

    Search your car’s specifics and “rebuilt transmission” and the internet will give you a spread of what you might expect.

    BuDuh (786020)

  147. My deductible is $1000, which, together with the rear-wheel-drive transmission, make for a closer call as to whether I should have involved the insurance company. Oh well. It’s too late to retract the claim now.

    The worst outcome would be if the insurance company refuses to pay for a new transmission. In that case, the new pan and fluid would come out of my deductible. Besides having a suspect transmission, I anticipate my premiums would go up even though the insurance company paid nothing towards the repair, merely because I filed a claim.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  148. Yeah, that is going to be a whopper of a bill. It is important that the service writer documents everything that the carcass caused. The insurance clown is going to want to do a one and out with whatever check they are going to write. If the service writer gets cute and adds anything that can’t be explained away with the carcass from hell, the n you will eat the overage. Go there yourself when it is in the air on the hoist and take your best flashlight*. Comb that sucker from to rear.

    (*Service writers have a saying about the most valuable tool in the toolbox. It is the flashlight, because without it you can’t find everything that you need to sell to the customer.)

    BuDuh (786020)

  149. That 10speed is going to be a pretty penny. I still think I would lean on the insurance.

    BuDuh (786020)

  150. @norcal Hey, glad you are OK. That’s not the best spot to get stuck in the middle of the night, but at least it’s not winter?

    Nic (120c94)

  151. https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/transmission/reman-transmissions/automatic-transmission-50l-%28at%29-p-jr3z7000brm?pdp=y

    If that is the transmission, Ford is going to want over $5000 for it alone. No labor included

    BuDuh (786020)

  152. norcal – As Nic said, I’m glad you are OK, and hope you won’t be hurt too much in the pocket book.

    Jim Miller (9c0014)

  153. Jim, Lloyd has a few questions for you up above. I look forward to the insightful dialogue that could come out of your conversation with him.

    BuDuh (786020)

  154. Hey, glad you are OK. That’s not the best spot to get stuck in the middle of the night, but at least it’s not winter?

    Nic (120c94) — 8/3/2024 @ 3:52 pm

    You’re right. It was actually hot once the sun came up. And this was at the Crystal Springs Road exit.

    If it were the winter, I would have been driving my F150 4X4, which would have cleared that stupid carcass. The Mustang sits rather low.

    I had to do a one-way car rental to get back to Reno. Fortunately, my neighbor said he will give me a ride to Auburn once the car is fixed.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  155. Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war:

    Israel and the U.S. are preparing for an unpredictable Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel as soon as this weekend, as Tehran stonewalls diplomats trying to prevent a regional Middle East war.
    …………..
    ………….. An Iranian diplomat, briefed by his government, said attempts by various countries to convince Tehran not to escalate had been and would be fruitless given Israel’s recent attacks.

    “There is no point. Israel crossed all the red lines,” the diplomat said. “Our response will be swift and heavy.”
    …………….
    ……………(A)n expectation that any response is likely a few days to a week away, a U.S. official said.

    The Pentagon late Friday announced it was moving military assets into the Middle East ahead of an expected response. To maintain a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is now in the Gulf of Oman, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

    Austin also ordered additional missile-defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to both U.S. European Command and U.S. Central Command, as well as deploying additional land-based missile-defense units to the region.

    Finally, Austin ordered an additional fighter squadron to the Middle East, a move that boosts U.S. air-defense capability. During the April strike, U.S. jet fighters helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel.

    The U.S. already has significant firepower available, including an aircraft carrier strike group and multiple guided-missile destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, as well as additional destroyers and the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group in the eastern Mediterranean, along with missile-defense batteries throughout the Middle East.
    ………….
    Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the attack in its capital would engender a harsh response on Israel. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking Thursday at Shukr’s funeral, said the killing had moved the conflict into a different phase of escalation.

    “You don’t know what red lines you have crossed,” he said. “We’ve entered a new phase different than the previous phase.”
    …………..
    ………….. Arab officials said they have passed warnings to Iran on behalf of Israel and the U.S. that Israel is ready to go to war if Hezbollah and Iran respond too aggressively, attacking Tel Aviv or deeper in Israel, for instance. Iranian officials replied that they understood the risk of an escalatory spiral but Khamenei is under internal pressure from hard-liners to respond.

    Pressed with similar warnings, Hezbollah told Arab mediators, “We will respond in the battlefield,” the officials said.
    ……………

    It’s too late for diplomacy. It is time to “let slip the dogs of war.”

    Rip Murdock (54b1a6)

  156. If that is the transmission, Ford is going to want over $5000 for it alone. No labor included

    BuDuh (786020) — 8/3/2024 @ 3:58 pm

    I’m glad I chose to lean on the insurance, IF indeed I get a new transmission. The 10-speed is sweet. I actually get 28 MPG on the highway. Unbelievable.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  157. Last bit of unsolicited advice. Beware of the insurance company acting like they have negotiated a better price with the dealership when, in reality, they are simply cutting a smaller check and leaving you holding the flaming bag.

    When you agree to the repairs the responsibility for payment is on you, not the insurance company(unless it is a specific extended warranty policy; which doesn’t apply here). Make sure everyone is on the same page before you pull any triggers.

    BuDuh (786020)

  158. Good luck, norcal.

    Later.

    BuDuh (786020)

  159. Jim Miller (9c0014) — 8/3/2024 @ 3:58 pm

    Thanks, Jim.

    I may have seen the carcass earlier if I hadn’t tried to do a skip back on a podcast I was listening to. (This podcast is my new favorite. It’s called “Trust Me”, and is about various and sundry cults. The two women who host it are very entertaining.)

    Lesson learned.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  160. Thanks for your detailed advice, BuDuh.

    norcal (9fa1f5)

  161. I ask you insurance experts: Should I have involved the insurance company, or just paid for the tow and repair out of pocket to avoid my premiums going up? Which will cost me more in the long run?

    Yes you should. You should also have your own roadside coverage, and maybe a new insurance company. I don’t know if this will increase your premium as it is not so much an accident as a “road hazard” which is pretty much non fault. If you were to change companies later, you could honestly say “no accidents.”

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  162. Glad you’re okay, norcal.

    And what Kevin said above.

    nk (b2a6c8)

  163. I daresay Giuliani’s fall from grace is worthy Shakespeare.

    If Shakespeare was into falls into mendacious mediocrity.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  164. I’m glad you’re ok NorCal.

    Time123 (915140)

  165. @norcal@156 I’d suggest the train, but it takes for-freaking-ever.

    Nic (120c94)

  166. I see where CNN ran a real-time fact check on Ms. Sanders during a recent speaking engagement. If they’re thinking of doing this for the (potential?) Trump-Harris debate, I’ll need to shell out the dollars for a new 96-inch TV. So much for controlling inflation.

    John Boddie (dcf99c)

  167. The future First Gentleman’s first wife who he cheated on with their nanny who became pregnant (got all that?) thought she just did a 360 dunk and shattered the backboard on some weird Republican couple. Instant karma.

    A question every Alvin Bragg fan is probably asking right now: Was there hush money given to the nanny over the course of several campaigns, and was this properly reported? Actually nah, no Alvin Bragg fan is asking that.

    Another question: How many in the bubble media knew about this and kept it quiet while hyping false stories about Vance?

    lloyd (b0c7ba)

  168. Chevron leaving california for texas Hopefully GM next. In the 1950’s La had a great passenger train system that gm and the oil companies conspired with politicians $$$ to shut down to sell polluting buses instead.

    asset (30cb21)

  169. The one thing that the MAGA sty will never be short of is mud and pig-sh!t to splatter everyone who comes near it.

    And you can’t even get bacon from the squealing Trump shoats!

    nk (a5dc56)

  170. Chevron leaving california for texas Hopefully GM next.

    GM isn’t headquartered in California; they’re located in Detroit.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  171. @171 nk and his cackle bladder imagination.

    lloyd (b0c7ba)

  172. Two weeks since Kamala was crowned without a single vote, and she still hasn’t done a presser. Is she hiding in the same bunker with Bullseye Joe?

    lloyd (b0c7ba)

  173. Trump defines dirty.

    nk (a5dc56)

  174. Ukraine has received its first tranche of F-16 aircraft.

    …………..
    Some 65 F-16s have been pledged by Nato countries since US President Joe Biden first authorised willing European allies to send them to Ukraine in August 2023.

    The UK does not have any F-16s in its air force, though it is supplying long-range Storm Shadow missiles which can be fitted to the jets.
    ………………
    If Ukraine can protect its F-16s on the ground, the hope is that they could play an important part in pushing back Russian aircraft to a point where they can no longer target Ukrainian ground forces with glide bombs.

    Kyiv had suggested that it could keep some F-16s at foreign military bases, but that suggestion prompted President Vladimir Putin to warn that any Western bases storing Ukrainian jets would be a legitimate military target for Russia.
    ………………

    The US will provide advanced weapons for the F-16s, such as:

    AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles; the extended-range versions of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which convert unguided bombs to smart weapons; and so-called small diameter bombs that explode with a tight blast radius. In addition, the U.S. will send advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, known as AMRAAM, and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles for the jets.

    However, in country maintenance will be a problem, as well as providing sufficient spare parts and replacement engines. In addition, the lack of sufficient training and experience will hamper Ukrainian use of the planes:

    ………….. there is still a significant risk in flying the aircraft into combat, especially because Ukrainian pilots are used to flying Soviet jets.

    A Danish F-16 pilot would typically take more than four years to fully train. Ukrainian pilots have spent around one year, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    And unlike American F-16 pilots, who normally spend at least a year with their unit before deploying, “these guys are going to go directly into combat,” the U.S. official said of the Ukrainians.

    .

    My expectations are that the F-16s will be an easy target for the combat experienced Russians, and many will be shot down Russian aircraft and by the multi-layered Russian air defenses:

    When close to the frontlines, Ukrainian pilots will have to fly them at very low altitudes to avoid being detected and shot down by layered Russian short-range SA-15 ‘Tor M1/2’, medium-range SA-11/17/27 ‘Buk’ and long-range SA-21 ‘Growler’ and SA-23 ‘Gladiator\Giant’ SAM systems.

    As a result, the AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles carried by the F-16 and Gripen C, and the shorter-range MICA IR/RF missiles carried by Mirage 2000-5F, will struggle to reach Russian fighters at high altitudes and high speeds 60–70 km behind the lines. ……….

    In the end, they will end up like the 31 Abrams tanks sent by the US to Ukraine: pulled out of service because they were easy targets for Russian drones.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  175. Trump defines dirty.

    Perhaps, but Trump is Biden’s Karma.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  176. The Ukraine war is testing a lot of military dogma. Drones are cheap rebuttals to a lot of it. Unless they are made by America in which case they aren’t cheap.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  177. In good news from Ukraine, they have apparently sunk a Russian submarine:

    …………..
    Ukraine first struck the Rostov-on-Don submarine last September with a cruise missile, causing severe damage. Russian state media said the vessel underwent repairs and would be brought back into service, but Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that they had struck and sunk it. The statement also reported the damage to four Russian missile launchers in Crimea, the latest attack to hit air-defense systems.

    In addition, Ukrainian officials said Saturday that a drone attack had struck an ammunition depot at the Morozovsk airfield in Russia’s Rostov region. The depot housed the massive glide bombs that Moscow has been using to level entire Ukrainian blocks in front-line villages and cities, according to the officials. Videos posted online showed a series of massive explosions following the strike.
    ……………

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  178. Link to post 181.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  179. The Ukraine war is testing a lot of military dogma.

    Like supplying Western combat jets to a nation that has never flown them, and expect that will change things.

    Rip Murdock (fa10b6)

  180. Bill #H7450 just passed the Senate in MA. It would remove the word “father” on birth certificates in the name of “legal parentage equality.”

    It would also replace the terms “man” and “woman” with “persons” and replace “mother” with “person who gave birth.”

    This Orwellian behavior all started with the false equation of abnormal behavior as equal rights. Choose wisely.

    NJRob (7546d7)

  181. Harris VP betting odds:

    Shapiro-59.6% ⬇️ 11.6% in last day

    Walz-24.4 ⬆️ 12.6

    Kelly-10.2 ⬆️ 3.8

    Beshear-2.4 ⬇️ 4.0

    Buttigieg-1.8 ⬇️ 1.2

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  182. @81

    I think Trumps comments about Harris’s race were designed to accomplish a few things.
    1. Get ppl talking about him, no press is bad press. This was achieved.
    2. Create a situation where she says something dumb about race. Her dumb thing would the. Be the story. This didn’t work.
    3. Feed red meat to the race obsessed portion of his base and give them an example of him showing disrespect to ppl that his base feels have wronged him. Successful.
    4. Perpetuate the narrative that he’s being picked on.
    5. Vent his grievances about race.
    6. Turn black voters against Harris.

    I think the argument that Harris isn’t “really” black is just silly on its face.

    Time123 (915140) — 8/2/2024 @ 6:09 pm

    Good points… but, honestly, I think this is a purposeful “stray voltage” to knock the “Vance hates single women” hysteria from the headlines.

    whembly (af0b8c)

  183. nk (6ad98a) — 8/2/2024 @ 5:10 pm

    Has anybody ever seen Trump’s long form birth certificate?

    I recall that Trump presented it to the press and asked why couldn’t Obama?

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e)

  184. lloyd (b0c7ba) — 8/3/2024 @ 9:28 pm

    question: How many in the bubble media knew about this and kept it quiet while hyping false stories about Vance?

    It became known to the Biden campaign during Kamala Harris; 2020 vetting. I think they generally do not reveal what they consider irrelevant.

    The teacher/nanny evidently gave birth but aave away the baby after a short time. This all happened in 2009.

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e)

  185. I recall that Trump presented (his long form birth certificate) to the press and asked why couldn’t Obama?

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 8/4/2024 @ 10:28 am

    Untrue. Flashback:

    Donald Trump refuses to release birth certificate and passport records

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  186. A question every Alvin Bragg fan is probably asking right now: Was there hush money given to the nanny over the course of several campaigns, and was this properly reported? Actually nah, no Alvin Bragg fan is asking that.

    It would only be of interest to Bragg if Emhoff lived in Manhattan at the time or used a NY corporation to hide any payments. Otherwise it would be out of his jurisdiction.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  187. Thx

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  188. Wcm

    BuDuh (786020)

  189. Americans continue to win gold medals and set world records:

    -A dominant victory setting a new world record in the women’s 4×100-meter medley relay to win the gold medal. The USA swimmers edged out the Australians In gold medals (8-7).

    -Bobby Finke won the only individual men’s swimming gold medal (and his third career gold) by setting a world record in the 1,500 meter freestyle.

    -Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs won gold and silver in the shot put.

    -Kristen Faulkner won gold in the women’s cycling road race.

    -Scottie Scheffler won gold in men’s golf.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  190. Will they or won’t they?

    Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he would not debate Vice President Kamala Harris at all if she did not agree to attend a new Fox News debate next month, the latest in the public jockeying between the campaigns over when, if ever, the two candidates will meet on stage.

    “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all,” the former president wrote Saturday on his Truth Social platform.

    Trump doubled down on that pronouncement at his rally Saturday evening in Georgia, telling attendees, “We’re doing one with Fox, if she shows up.”
    …………..
    Trump’s declaration comes after the former president on Friday night backed out of a planned September 10 debate hosted by ABC News.………..
    ……………
    A source familiar with the matter told CNN that it was the source’s understanding that ABC News would provide airtime to whichever candidate showed up – even if that ended up being just Harris. ABC News did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
    ……………
    The former president said Friday night that the ABC News debate could not happen because Biden was no longer the nominee and also because Trump is currently involved in litigation against the network.
    ……………
    The ABC News lawsuit, however, was filed in March, months before the Trump and Biden campaigns agreed in mid-May on two debates.
    …………..
    On Monday, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham he would “probably end up debating” Harris but said he could make the case for not showing up as well since they are both well known.

    And on Friday morning, hours before he backed out of the ABC News event, Trump told Fox Business he wasn’t sure he wanted to debate Harris.

    “I mean, right now I say, ‘Why should I do a debate?’ I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her. Everybody knows me,” he said.
    …………..

    The ABC debate rules did not specify either Trump or Biden as participants in the debate. My guess is that they won’t debate. Both have reasons not to.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  191. Trump would be wise to simply show up to the ABC debate.

    Call Harris’ bluff.

    But… we all know he ain’t that wise.

    whembly (af0b8c)

  192. Another loss for Trump in the election interference case:

    Former President Donald Trump presented “no meaningful evidence” that the White House or Justice Department targeted him for prosecution over political animus or his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled Saturday.

    …………. In the ruling, Chutkan said Trump repeatedly mischaracterized the charges against him, which describe far more than simply criminalizing his claimed belief that the 2020 election was stolen.

    Rather, Chutkan ruled, the charges describe a sweeping attempt to manipulate and lie to government authorities in order to undermine the lawful 2020 election results. And Trump’s claim that Biden was secretly behind the prosecution relied on flimsy evidence and anonymously sourced articles that Chutkan said he described inaccurately.
    ……………
    Much of Trump’s argument that the case was brought for political reasons is based on news accounts from The Washington Post and The New York Times detailing internal Justice Department deliberations ahead of the charges Trump faces in Washington, as well as Biden’s own frustration with the pace of the investigation.

    Chutkan concluded that even if the anonymously sourced stories are accurate, they don’t demonstrate that prosecutors brought the charges in order to carry out a political directive from Biden or the White House.
    …………..
    …………..(A) key allegation liberal critics have leveled at Attorney General Merrick Garland — that prosecutors were slow to turn their focus to Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — redounded to the Justice Department’s benefit in the selective prosecution ruling Chutkan issued Saturday.

    Chutkan said a Post article detailing the probe’s deliberate pace “reflects conscientious investigation, not political animus.

    “Overall, the article suggests that the Justice Department was especially cautious about investigating a political figure like Defendant,” wrote the judge, an appointee of President Barack Obama.
    …………..
    …………… Chutkan also rejected Trump’s arguments that prosecutors charged him in the election case because he pleaded not guilty in the classified information case and made public allegations that the investigations were politically motivated. The judge said allowing that scenario to support a vindictive prosecution claim would give defendants a road map to derail the cases against them.
    …………….

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  193. Like supplying Western combat jets to a nation that has never flown them, and expect that will change things.

    Seems like it will test your dogma, too. Although Zelensky has said a few jets won’t help and you can bet they are getting only a few from Slow Joe.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  194. 6. Turn black voters against Harris.

    I think the argument that Harris isn’t “really” black is just silly on its face.

    Both these statements are wrong.

    Harris has never had much support from blacks, as she has no cultural connection with them. She may be black, but she’s lived white. Her first real contact with black culture was at Howard, but then she moved on.

    That many black folks say “she’s not Black” indicates the silliness value is a small one.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  195. Trump would be wise to simply show up to the ABC debate.

    Q: President Trump, what about all these stupid things you say?

    Q: VP Harris, what about all these stupid things he says?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  196. Seems like it will test your dogma, too. Although Zelensky has said a few jets won’t help and you can bet they are getting only a few from Slow Joe.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/4/2024 @ 1:30 pm

    None of obsolete F-16s are being supplied by the US, they are coming from European allies, so they can be replaced by F-35s.

    We’ll find out soon enough how successfully the Ukrainians can use them. If it takes a single Western pilot four years to be trained to fly one, while the Ukrainians have had one year of training to fly immediately into combat, I wouldn’t sell them any life insurance.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  197. Unfortunately Ukraine needs instant results from their F-16s, as they don’t have the luxury of time. The war could be over with a Russian victory in six months to a year.

    Pulling a number out of thin air, my guess is that Ukrainian F-16s will have a less than 40% survival rate after one month in theater, taking into account Russian attacks on airfields, shoot downs, and accidents.

    Flying one won’t be for faint of heart.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  198. Seems like it will test your dogma, too. Although Zelensky has said a few jets won’t help and you can bet they are getting only a few from Slow Joe.

    The US isn’t supplying F16s, Ukraine is getting A models from the Europeans. Basically, we don’t actually have any A models in inventory, even in the boneyard, those are mostly C models.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  199. Flying one won’t be for faint of heart.

    The Ghost Of Kyiv begs to differ.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  200. The US is prioritizing the Europeans delivery of F35’s that are phasing out the F16s.

    For us, the Ukraine war has been a jobs program.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  201. The only way F-16s could be successful in Ukraine would be if they are flown by Western pilots. And no European nation is willing to risk directly confronting the VKS (Russian Air Force), nor do they have the combat experience to do so.

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  202. Harris and the First Amendment

    Ms. Harris made headlines a decade ago by threatening to punish nonprofit groups that refused to turn over unredacted donor information. She demanded they hand to the state their federal IRS Form 990 Schedule B in the name of discovering “self dealing” or “improper loans.” The real purpose was to learn the names of conservative donors and chill future political giving—that is, political speech.

    Her bullying came amid the Internal Revenue Service’s notorious targeting of conservative nonprofits; Wisconsin’s probe of GOP donors; Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin’s intimidation of donors to the American Legislative Exchange Council; and a campaign of harassment against donors who supported California’s Prop 8 (which banned same-sex marriage).

    Free-market nonprofits challenged the Harris dragnet, suing the AG’s office in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta in 2021, the High Court ruled 6-3 that the AG’s disclosure demand broke the law. The Court pointed out that a lower court had found not “a single, concrete instance in which pre-investigation collection of a Schedule B did anything to advance the Attorney General’s investigative, regulatory or enforcement efforts.”

    The Court said California’s claim that it would protect donor information lacked credibility, since during the litigation plaintiffs discovered nearly 2,000 Schedule B forms “inadvertently posted to the Attorney General’s website.” It noted that the petitioners and donors faced “threats” and “retaliation.”

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  203. @199 Kevin, I want to make sure we’re using the word “black” to mean the same thing.
    I mean, Ethnically black, her dad was black, she’s identified as black for her entire life (as Indian as well).

    What do you mean by black?

    Time123 (3c8295)

  204. Of the 42 people who were member of the Loser’s Cabinet, how many support his re-election? 24. To be fair, only 3 explicitly oppose it, but the silence of the other 15 does tell us something.

    (Quibble: The headline, “Trump’s presidential bid has the support of only half of his Cabinet” is misleading — but by now I am used to many American journalists not being very good with arithmetic. Better would have been: “Only 24 of the 42 Trump Cabinet Members Support His Candidacy”)

    Jim Miller (909c69)

  205. Trump being Trump, even to his detriment :

    …………
    At a rally where his advisers wanted him to sharply attack presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and focus on Democratic policies, Trump repeatedly veered off script to attack Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in personal and increasingly aggressive terms — and seemed fixated on the past.

    Trump mocked him sarcastically and called him “Little Brian”; repeatedly called him “disloyal”; blamed Kemp for Trump being charged in Georgia by a prosecutor whom Kemp has criticized; suggested Kemp wanted Republicans to lose elections; and argued Georgia would have better crime and economic numbers if Kemp were no longer governor.

    …………. Kemp has won office twice by large margins, including a second gubernatorial term in 2022 with Trump opposing him and rallying against him. Trump lost the state by about 12,000 votes in 2020.

    “He’s a bad guy, he’s a disloyal guy and he’s a very average governor,” Trump said near the end of his rally, one of about a dozen times he blasted Kemp.
    ……………
    Some Georgia political strategists have said Kemp has a far better ground game in the state than Trump does, and Trump could use Kemp’s help.

    Bobby Saparow, the campaign manager for Kemp’s 2022 race, said the attacks were “ill-willed and ill-timed.” Saparow said the campaign infrastructure that Kemp built in Georgia was critical to winning the state; Kemp won by 7.5 points in 2022 over Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams.
    ……………
    (Trump’s) team has sought to unify the Republican Party, knowing they need moderate Republicans in states like Georgia and Arizona to vote for Trump. On Saturday night, he attacked other Republicans, such as former House speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), who have refused to kiss the ring. He mocked Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) for losing the presidential election in 2012. He attacked Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, who certified the 2020 elections.
    …………….
    Trump blamed Kemp for his being charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election while mocking her name and the romantic relationship she had with a special prosecutor that has delayed the case. Kemp could have shut down the investigation with a “phone call,” he said.
    ………….
    He briefly attacked the governor’s wife, saying she promised they would be indebted to him for the endorsement he gave Kemp in 2018. Marty Kemp, the first lady, is a pivotal adviser to the governor politically but recently said she did not support Trump and would write her husband’s name in instead.
    ……………

    .

    Rip Murdock (fd2d05)

  206. F16’s are a fantastic airframe, you just have to maximize the tactics that your pilots can be successful at.

    The Ukrainians probably don’t want to play in a contested airspace, either against S-3/400s or Russian pilots, but anti surface they’d be great at. The Russians aren’t very well trained either, but they’ve been flying their planes longer. I’d put up any western reserve pilot against a front line Russian. The Russians aren’t putting SU-57s in harm’s way since they only had 22 production versions of them, and have lost a couple in training and on the ground to Ukrainian drones in the last few years.

    Really, neither air combat units want to go into the others SAM space, that’s the greatest danger, much more than getting into an air-air engagement.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  207. Jim, I see you didn’t want to answer my questions @131.

    lloyd (c35450)

  208. Donnie Two Inch thinks he can take on Brian Kemp in Georgia? He, ha, ha!

    nk (c18f1c)

  209. Keep pretending Kamala isn’t hard Left.

    Kamala Harris Spent Her Entire Senate Career Opposing Border Security

    Vice President Kamala Harris spent years in the Senate opposing immigration enforcement measures before she ascended to the White House, a review of her record shows.

    “No good vote for her. Everything is a zero and an F,” Eric Ruark, research director for NumbersUSA, said about Harris’ Senate voting record to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

    “Because of senators like Harris, we had to go an F- to really measure how terrible they are on immigration,” Ruark continued. “As a senator, her actions speak for themselves on immigration.”

    Harris’ voting record in the upper chamber of Congress earned her an F- rating, the lowest possible score awarded by NumbersUSA. Harris is marked poorly on a slate of different immigration enforcement measures, such as reducing “awards” for illegal immigration, border enforcement, interior enforcement, amnesty enticements and several other related issues.

    She introduced legislation in 2018 that would not only prohibit the expansion of ICE detention facilities, but also reduce the number of ICE detention beds.

    During a November 2018 Senate confirmation hearing for Ron Vitiello, then a nominee to lead ICE, Harris attempted to make a comparison between the agency and the Ku Klux Klan. Earlier that year, Harris told NBC’s Katie Hunt that she believed we needed to “critically reexaime ICE and its role” and consider restarting the agency “from scratch.”

    While vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, but still serving in the Senate, Harris in February 2019 mocked Trump’s assertion that a border wall was needed to keep terrorists from entering the country, calling the idea a “vanity project” for the Republican president. Harris was among the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates in June 2019 who raised their hands in support of decriminalizing illegal border crossings and also signified support for government-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants.

    lloyd (c35450)

  210. And for the defective. I’m sure self selection will work.

    This
    And this

    Also

    And

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  211. Oklahoma schools in revolt over Bible mandate
    …………
    Ryan Walters, the state superintendent of public instruction, last week released guidelines to schools for how they should be integrating the Bible into classrooms, saying educators who are against the initiative “will comply, and I will use every means to make sure of it.”

    The message from some schools in the state: Bring it on.
    …………
    Walters’s guidance, which follows a June announcement of mandatory biblical curricula for grades five through 12, says that lessons on the Christian text should emphasize its historical context, literary significance and artistic and musical influence. The guidance also says a physical copy of the book should be in every classroom, along with copies of the Ten Commandments, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

    “To date, schools have been advised by legal counsel (School Board Association and State Attorney General) to not follow the guidance because it goes against current Oklahoma State Law,” said Lee Northcutt, superintendent of Caddo Public Schools, in an email.
    ………….
    In a statement to The Hill, a spokesperson for Walters said, “Oklahoma school districts are required by state law to teach the historical significance of the Bible. Superintendent Walters will hold teachers and administrators accountable. Rogue, left-wing activists who refuse can leave Oklahoma and go to California.”

    But The Oklahoman reports that at least a dozen school districts in the state have stated publicly that they do not plan to comply.
    ……………
    Schools are skeptical of Walters’s intentions, especially since religious texts were already included in lesson plans without the compulsory measure.
    …………..
    “I believe that what the state superintendent intends, because he has voiced this out loud, is that he would like to be sued, because he would like to see this issue move through the court system to the United States Supreme Court, where I think there’s a faction of people who believe that the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court might be favorable towards this type of policy,” (said Rob Miller, superintendent of Bixby Public Schools.)
    ##########

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  212. #213 Let me give you some semi-friendly advice: DYOR.

    If you are unable, or unwilling, to do the research yourself, then offer to pay someone else. (I doubt that you would be willing to pay what I would charge you, at least $1000/hour. I might not even accept you as a client, even at that rate, since I am 80 years old, soon to turn 81, and have to spend some time helping care for a seriously sick close relative.)

    There are lawyers on the board who might be willing to help you for lower fees — especially if you were to pay in advance.

    Jim Miller (909c69)

  213. @218 Jim, those questions I posed are ones only you can answer. It’s much easier and more truthful just to say you don’t want to answer them.

    lloyd (c35450)

  214. I mean, Ethnically black, her dad was black, she’s identified as black for her entire life (as Indian as well).

    I specified “culturally black” in the above. That means that she has life experiences common to the Black culture, even if she’s not into hip hop and such. To many blacks, she grew up “white” or at least upper-middle class. She never had to be afraid of gangs, or cops, or going hungry. She never went to crappy and dangerous schools. They don’t identify with her, even though she has made attempts to fit in.

    For a period in my life, I was constantly surrounded by black faces and may point to a myriad of black friends (some relatives were pretty surprised at the complexion of my wedding guests) by I am not and never will be part of that culture because at he end of the day I got to go home. And of course the low melanin count.

    Kamala Harris has some of that problem. Yes, she has a black father, but even he is from Jamaica, not Harlem, he has a PhD and a good income. Again, “not of the body” to mix metaphors.

    I have no doubt that Kamala Harris has made extraordinary efforts to understand her heritage, but she’ll always be on the outside looking in.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  215. If the above sounds racist, well the whole discussion is, including the group identity that Harris attempts to assume.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  216. Of the 42 people who were member of the Loser’s Cabinet, how many support his re-election? 24. To be fair, only 3 explicitly oppose it, but the silence of the other 15 does tell us something

    The silence tells us that they don’t have a strong position, or that they are not ready to burn that bridge. As in all votes, “abstain” doesn’t count as a no.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  217. by now I am used to many American journalists not being very good with arithmetic.

    Yeah, that’s the ticket: not good with arithmetic. Wanna bet which way those mistakes always fall?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  218. @208, Kevin I missed this. Harris’s governing philosophy is appalling and this is a great example of why / how.

    Time123 (4aab20)

  219. Trump repeatedly veered off script to attack Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in personal and increasingly aggressive terms — and seemed fixated on the past.

    Having seen my mom go through Alzheimer’s, this should be a concern. Related is his inability to follow a plan, instead swerving into whatever bait has been dangled recently.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  220. The Ukrainians probably don’t want to play in a contested airspace, either against S-3/400s or Russian pilots, but anti surface they’d be great at.

    My real worry is that they will be flying them solo and the Russians will throw up a dozen lesser planes and down them, even if they lose 4 or 5.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  221. @223, I knew Journalism majors were bad at math back when I was in college.

    Related: when I was 22 I realized that the drunkest party girls were usually education majors. Changed how I thought about some of my teachers. 😂

    Time123 (4aab20)

  222. If the above sounds racist, well the whole discussion is, including the group identity that Harris attempts to assume.

    The group being a black lady, there are rich and middle class black people too, rich/poor isn’t race constrained. Being white doesn’t mean you listen to country music and drink Busch Light.

    The percentage of Black adults in the middle class has varied over time, but in 2021 it was 47%, similar to 1971. This is the only major racial or ethnic group that hasn’t seen a decrease in its middle-class share. However, Black and Hispanic adults are more likely to move down the income ladder and be in the lower-income tier.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  223. I think there’s a faction of people who believe that the current composition of the U.S. Supreme Court might be favorable towards this type of policy

    Very busy people, laboring in a bubble within a bubble. Everyone they know thinks the Bible should be the center of the curriculum, if not the entire curriculum. In South Asia, it’s called a madrassa.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  224. It’s https://apnews.com/article/uk-southport-stabbing-online-misinformation-1dcd23b803401416ac94ae458e5c9c06 to see that that the anti-immigration groups are very similar across geographies. Prone to the same lies and mob mentality that makes them both stupid and dangerous. The tweeters and exaggerations of politicians drive this kind of stupid, alternative facts and such

    “There’s a parallel universe where what was claimed by these rumors were the actual facts of the case and that will be a difficult thing to manage.”

    To be clear, in this universe, it was a lie.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  225. @228, well, yeah, but BLM isn’t about those folks. And even the Black middle-class is connected to the general culture. Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills aren’t Watts, but they’re not that far either.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  226. Yeah, the Southport rumors were a lie, but the authorities habit of refusing to give out information created the vacuum necessary for rumors to spread. Particularly when there have been enough similar crimes by folks who would have fit the bill. In a volatile situation the quickest way to get unrest is for the authorities to go into their “calming tall children” routine.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  227. when I was 22 I realized that the drunkest party girls were usually education majors.

    Not phys ed?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  228. Like here, for juveniles at least, you can’t just release the information.

    In this case the kid was 17 and has a spectrum disorder, they’re not saying where on the spectrum, but seems he’s both young and has known mental issues. Oh, and born and raised in the UK.

    The “protesters” seem to have a certain…similarity to them.

    This liverpudlian lady doesn’t seem too happy it was happening in her part of the community.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  229. My friend has a bachelorette party bus business in Nashville, and he tells me the teachers coming down to play in Nashvegas are the filthiest, especially compared to the tech ladies. The debauchery stories are pretty epic, like Hangover or Rough Night.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  230. @234 “The “protesters” seem to have a certain…similarity to them.”

    That could be Portland circa 2017-2020. “Mostly peaceful.”

    The brutal killing of those three little girls should cause intense rage, directed at the right people. Someone with known mental issues probably shouldn’t be out on the streets. But, there’s an entire industry here and in GB committed to making sure they’re out among us. But, it’s about the riots and Elon Musk.

    lloyd (c35450)

  231. The brutal killing of those three little girls should cause intense rage, directed at the right people. Someone with known mental issues probably shouldn’t be out on the streets. But, there’s an entire industry here and in GB committed to making sure they’re out among us. But, it’s about the riots and Elon Musk

    So you should put a 17 year old with autism in prison before they do something?

    It’s nice to see that a tragedy doesn’t go to waste, and something about Elon Musk for a nice random squirrel. Sometimes bad things happen, it’s called reality, and sometimes idiots make up stories so that other morons can riot for “reasons”. Again, in reality world, the riots were unrelated to the incident that supposedly caused it. Happened to George Floyd, happened on Jan 6, happening in Britain now. Stupid people doing stupid things for stupid reasons.

    But feelz…

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  232. Like here, for juveniles at least, you can’t just release the information.

    General information, as they’ve released now, would have done wonders to quash the rumors which feed on a lack of official information. Instead they got all P.C. and refused to give “those people” any information, telling then to go home like nice little proles. Amazingly, that didn’t work out well.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  233. There are “those people” and are proles. So Saturday and Sunday they rioted because they didn’t know who did it…information that was specifically released on Thursday, including his name.

    You see, in this reality, time works linearly, so Thursday came before Saturday, so the proles who “didn’t know” knew days earlier.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  234. Speaking before the suspect’s name was released but after police said he was U.K.-born, Tommy Robinson, founder of the far-right English Defense League, accused police of “gaslighting” the public. Nigel Farage, a veteran anti-immigration politician who was elected to Parliament in this month’s general election, posted a video on X speculating “whether the truth is being withheld from us” about the attack and suggesting it might be an act of terrorism.

    Reality doesn’t stoke the fires of hate, so just make it up.

    If the government tells you something, they are lying to you. If they are telling you the truth, then in another universe it could have been true, so we’re just protesting the alternative reality.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  235. @237 “So you should put a 17 year old with autism in prison before they do something?”

    No. Nor do I think you have more than the most shallow knowledge about the suspect’s mental health history.

    The article you linked even had “online misinformation” in the headline and mentioned X in the write up. If you don’t like squirrels, don’t link to them.

    These murders are a week old story. It wasn’t newsworthy to you when the murders happened. You only thought to mention them here to wanker on about “anti-immigration” groups.

    lloyd (930c78)

  236. Klink, imagine the possibility that when a mass of people distrusts the police, they have reason. Like BLM.

    Again, the elites ignore the mob, treat them like idiots (they may be, but treating them like that isn’t wise), and spend decades self-dealing and lying about it; then they wonder why the mobs don’t trust them.

    In the UK it may have started when Labour took the UK into the EU without a vote. What followed was mass immigration, which always harms the existing working class. Why anyone is surprised that the reaction to that is still percolating is a wonder.

    ==========

    Populism is the result of mass distrust of the powers that be. In a democracy it’s corrective. How blunt the corrective is depends on how long the elites try to suppress it. The old “The peasants are revolting!” gag.

    Look what populism did to the Ceaușescus in the end.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  237. The British working class in the UK do not hate people because of their ethnicity, they hate them because their arrival on the scene correlated with their economic distress. It may seem like it’s not zero-sum, but to people spending every paycheck on necessities seeing that paycheck cut or threatened, it works that way.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  238. Jim Miller (909c69) — 8/4/2024 @ 3:57 pm

    How many of Kalama’s staff over the past 4 years support her candidacy?

    https://www.nationalreview.com/news/harriss-personnel-problem-over-90-percent-of-vps-staff-left-in-last-three-years/

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  239. These murders are a week old story. It wasn’t newsworthy to you when the murders happened. You only thought to mention them here to wanker on about “anti-immigration” groups.

    I didn’t respond to the post with a comment on how he should have not been “among us”.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  240. You also didn’t respond to the post on how Olds manifolds fit on a Chevy.

    BuDuh (786020)

  241. Of the 42 people who were member of the Loser’s Cabinet, how many support his re-election? 24. To be fair, only 3 explicitly oppose it, but the silence of the other 15 does tell us something

    The silence tells us that they don’t have a strong position, or that they are not ready to burn that bridge. As in all votes, “abstain” doesn’t count as a no.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/4/2024 @ 5:21 pm

    Related:

    Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign on Sunday flaunted over two dozen presidential endorsements from Republican party members, including some who served in former President Donald Trump’s administration.

    Nearly 30 GOP members were cited as part of the new “Republicans for Harris” initiative launched Sunday. These include Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary under Trump, and national security official Olivia Troye — who worked as Vice President Mike Pence’s national security advisor. Chuck Hagel and Ray LaHood, Republican cabinet members under President Barack Obama, were also listed.
    …………..

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  242. You also didn’t respond to the post on how Olds manifolds fit on a Chevy.

    So…what part of the transmission is that? Do you know what part of a car the BOP TH400 is?

    Or, maybe, you’re just a doofus on the internet. Oh no, well I nevah.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  243. The question remains, dolt. Is the Olds 455 “ really the same motor” as the 454?

    Keep digging faker.

    BuDuh (786020)

  244. Do you know what a manifold is? Do you know where it would bolt on a TH400? Do you know why on a swap that your premise is stupid?

    Self selecting.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  245. You said what in the post I linked? Hint: you said a 454 and a 455 are the same motor.

    The transmission stuff came up when you flunked in a different comment (which was before I taught you B-O-P).

    Can you defend your statement that an Olds 455 is “ really the same motor” as a Chevrolet 454?

    Stop your chicken-dance and do it. DO IT.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  246. Samey same to be specific. But you know better, please tell me the difference, obviously I need to know, you seem to have the specific knowledge that would explain it all. I definitely need you to educate me, and all the other folks who are confused about why all of these only seem to work. We definitely must be missing something, it must be just pure coincidence that they just seem to bolt in.

    Wait, did you inject that disinfectant? Where did you shoot it, deep in the ear? Or did you insert a 60 watt light bulb?

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  247. See…

    The malleable regulars here swoon Klink and his magical “expertise” on topics of importance. But he has now been exposed. He has no clue as to the engine in what is supposedly his own car.

    Good luck trusting him in further discussions. He only hates the same people you hate. Just consider him to be another torch or pitchfork pawn. He knows nothing of value. Just a dupe.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  248. For others since AI Klink does not learn:

    Big Block Chevy timing cover install

    Big Block Oldsmobile timing cover install

    The distinction is obvious to the untrained eye.

    Klink is wrong.

    Again.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  249. Klink. Single question. Let’s go…

    Is an Olds 455 ”really the same motor” as a Chevrolet 454?

    That is all. Yes or no?

    Soooo simple.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  250. Justice gorsuch says americans our getting whacked by too many laws. (DU) Like banning abortions?

    asset (af8177)

  251. Republican cabinet members under President Barack Obama, were also listed

    “You can rat, but you can’t re-rat”

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  252. I had a fried who put a big block Chevy engine into a Corvair*. He had to put a heavy cement block in the front to keep the wheels on the ground. It was truly unsafe at any speed, but it embarrassed some unsuspecting Corvette drivers. Hard to turn though.

    —–
    * no, I don’t know the details

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  253. Both Crown and Trans-dabt has kits back it the day to do v-8 conversions into Corvairs. I did plenty of exhaust systems and radiator piping on them. Ralph Nader did not approve. Haha!

    Power to weight was ridiculous.

    BuDuh (4214e4)

  254. It’s so nice that, in this great country of ours, we can fight about care engines as well as politics. Can appliances be far behind?

    Appalled (0e0aa1)

  255. Biden and Harris, hiding in their bunkers, have come up with a solution to the border mess: wreck our economy.

    lloyd (548519)

  256. Can appliances be far behind?

    I’ll start: I like Keurig.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  257. I’m also a fan of house-wide hot water circulation with tankless heaters.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  258. Since the left wants to ban any gas powered apoliances, we are already there.

    NJRob (e453fc)

  259. @264

    I’m also a fan of house-wide hot water circulation with tankless heaters.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 7:53 am

    Radiant heating in single home are simply amazeballs… wished new homebuilders would include it as an option… (you almost have to build your own home, instead of purchasing a new home in builder neighborhood).

    whembly (477db6)

  260. My parents in Ohio had radiant heating that put in. I spent my teen years freezing to death. (The trauma forced me to live down south.) After that went in, that house was never cold.

    Appalled (0e0aa1)

  261. Rip, I was just going to post that! Story is hilarious. Only part I don’t believe is where he claimed to be sober when he did it. 😂

    Time123 (c64127)

  262. Time123, curious did you find the First Gentleman nanny knock up story hilarious?

    lloyd (9b9f5b)

  263. Rip, I was just going to post that! Story is hilarious. Only part I don’t believe is where he claimed to be sober when he did it. 😂

    Time123 (c64127) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:09 am

    Being a Kennedy, he could have dumping something else in Central Park.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  264. Tankless water heaters are great until the power goes out.

    lloyd (9b9f5b)

  265. Being a Kennedy, he could have dumping something else in Central Park.

    Like a dead girlfriend?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  266. Harris VP betting odds:

    Shapiro-69.1% ⬆️ 12.3% in last day

    Walz-27.5 ⬆️ 3.3

    Kelly-1.2 ⬇️ 9.8

    Beshear-.7 ⬇️ 3.6

    Buttigieg-.5 ⬇️ 1.9

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  267. #270

    Maybe ths stands more investigation, Lloyd. Ya think?

    https://www.yourtango.com/2017304856/who-hank-siemens-facts-details-rumors-photos-melania-trump-boyfriend-affair

    I’m curious why you think the Emhoff story matters? Trump married his mistress with the first wife, then divorce her. It’s not like any voters these days find the sex life of candidates important, even when it is profoundly tacky. So why would the failed prior marriages of candidate spouse’s matter?

    Appalled (0e0aa1)

  268. Tankless water heaters are great until the power goes out.

    Most of them are gas-fired. I’ve had this whole-house system for 6 years now and never ever had to wait for hot water (@ 140 degrees).

    A whole-house electric tankless water heater would need 200 amps of 440V to equal what the gas-fired system does. Try to get that past the electric code. They are now talking about putting batteries into high-demand electric appliances like this since the peak demand is pretty sporadic.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  269. I still say she’ll surprise everyone and pick Joe Biden.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  270. So why would the failed prior marriages of candidate spouse’s matter?

    They don’t, until they do. See Newt.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  271. Rip, I was just going to post that! Story is hilarious. Only part I don’t believe is where he claimed to be sober when he did it.

    From time to time, someone at an AA meeting claims to have stolen a battleship or some such nonsense. This is right in that vein, urr, the same kind of thing.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  272. So why would the failed prior marriages of candidate spouse’s matter?

    They don’t, until they do. See Newt.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:37 am

    Newt was the cheater, not his wife, so this is an inapt comparison.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  273. Compared to Harris or to Trump?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  274. As for Melania having something on the side, it would be a scandal if she didn’t.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  275. Compared to Harris or to Trump?

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:46 am

    Compared to Emhoff.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  276. I still say she’ll surprise everyone and pick Joe Biden.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:35 am

    And I can say with absolute certainty you’ll be wrong. 😉

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  277. He’s tanned, he’s rested, he’s ready!

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  278. lloyd asked Time123, curious did you find the First Gentleman nanny knock up story hilarious?

    Not really. Was there some part of it that was funny or strange? Middle aged guy cheats on wife with younger woman and gets divorced is sadly common and AFAIK there wasn’t anything unusual about this one.

    Was there a humorous facet of it that I missed?

    Time123 (e4cfdb)

  279. So why would the failed prior marriages of candidate spouse’s matter?

    They don’t, until they do. See Newt.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:37 am

    I think they matter when they tell us something pertinent about the candidate.

    If another woman comes forward with proof that she was sleeping with Trump that doesn’t change much. We already know he’s a pig with feet.
    If a woman comes forward with the same information about Harris it’s a huge deal because of how much it changes what we know about her.

    A spouse that cheated in a prior marriage doesn’t tell us much about this particular race. If one of the candidates were running on their personal morals or family values it might be somewhat pertinent…but neither is.

    If Harris broke the law in paying off the nanny, or threatened her in some way to keep her from coming forward that would also be pertinent.

    Time123 (e4cfdb)

  280. Rip, I was just going to post that! Story is hilarious. Only part I don’t believe is where he claimed to be sober when he did it. 😂

    Time123 (c64127) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:09 am

    Being a Kennedy, he could have dumping something else in Central Park.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:16 am

    Being a Kennedy he could have *thought* he was….

    Time123 (e4cfdb)

  281. Time123 (e4cfdb) — 8/5/2024 @ 11:11 am

    Middle aged guy cheats on wife with younger woman and gets divorced is sadly common and AFAIK there wasn’t anything unusual about this one.

    It was a little more unusual. He cheated with a nanny and got her pregnant.

    Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, except that Arnold Schwarzenegger got his wife pregnant at the same time and his nanny or housekeeper was married.

    What Arnold Schwarzenegger did was worse. It didn’t become known until after Doug Emhoff did what he did, although Emhoff did what he did after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    A brother of Robert Kennedy Jr. Michael Kennedy, also had an affair with an employee but she was a babysitter and also underage. But it was Robert F, Kennedy’s Jr’s wife who committed suicide, in 2012, after a separation. she had antidepressants in her blood, but that was not the method of suicide – she hanged herself.

    I remember Joe Biden saying, I think at the confirmation hearing of Clarence Those that they often found things but didn’t make them public. At that time he was against what people had done in forcing Anita Hill’s vague accusations public.

    (Bill and Hillary Clinton leaked it – they were part of a round robin petition among Yale Law School graduates – Anita Hill had given “sexual harassment” as her reason for leaving the employ of Clarence Thomas – and then Bill announced his candidacy for president.

    David Brock was commissioned to write a book about the Anita Hill leak – then changed his mind and wrote a book called “The Real Anita Hill. He later switched sides in politics.

    I always felt that Anita Hill was forced to elaborate on her lie out of fear of embarrassment.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  282. Given the fact that Emhoff’s ex-wife is apparently not bitter at all toward her ex-husband; there is no evidence of payoffs to the nanny; and Kamala Harris was apparently told of the affair before she married Emhoff, all of which makes this story a nothingburger.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  283. Time123 (e4cfdb) — 8/5/2024 @ 11:16 am

    If Harris broke the law in paying off the nanny, or threatened her in some way to keep her from coming forward that would also be pertinent.

    The ex-nanny (who also quit her job as a teacher at the Emhoff children’s
    private school evidently gave birth in 2009.

    Kamala Harris married Douglas Emhoff in 2014 (they say she knew about this)

    Whatever arrangements Doug Emhoff made he did on his own. The phrase “didn’t keep the baby” is typically used of adoption, not abortion and besides there is the Instagram post.

    https://nypost.com/2024/08/03/us-news/harris-husband-cheated-on-first-wife-with-nanny-and-got-her-pregnant-report

    ,,,Stacey Brooks, a friend of Naylor’s who gave birth to twin boys around the same time Naylor was allegedly expecting, didn’t deny the claims. Instead, she told the Daily Mail she could not discuss the matter without Naylor’s permission…

    …In September 2009, Naylor posted a video on Facebook to “introduce” three babies, which she captioned, “Baby party!”

    Two of the babies were Brooks’ children, born two months prior to the post.

    The third child, who appears slightly younger, does not appear to be Brooks’ daughter, and is not in any later Facebook family photos. It is unclear who the third child’s mother is….

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  284. @291

    Given the fact that Emhoff’s ex-wife is apparently not bitter at all toward her ex-husband; there is no evidence of payoffs to the nanny; and Kamala Harris was apparently told of the affair before she married Emhoff, all of which makes this story a nothingburger.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2024 @ 12:05 pm

    It’s not a nothingburger.

    If people arguing for “decency” to not voting for Trump… you really can’t make that argument knowing this info… especially since Emhoff got her nanny to abort.

    But, I don’t think it’ll matter much. If Trump’s infidelity didn’t matter, then Harris climbing the greasy “pole” to get a head up in in career or her husband’s prior infidelity won’t matter much at all either.

    Hell, JFK/Johson/GHWB’s infidelity didn’t really hurt them either, historically.

    Doubt it’s going to matter all that much.

    whembly (477db6)

  285. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2024 @ 12:05 pm

    there is no evidence of payoffs to the nanny

    He may have found her a lucrative job, we can speculate.

    But it is basically a nothingburger.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  286. @287 If it were Vance, you would’ve found it both pertinent and hilarious. And, whether it was actually true or not wouldn’t have mattered. I don’t think it’s a hilarious story, but I find the media blackout hilarious.

    lloyd (a4e293)

  287. Despite his innumerable infidelities, Donnie Two Inch has reason to be thankful for “small favors”, IYKWIMAITYD.

    It would have taken some doing for him to get one pregnant, I think, involving doctors and test tubes and syringes and such, with an unwanted pregnancy from doing what comes naturally very unlikely.

    nk (c18f1c)

  288. @295

    Despite his innumerable infidelities, Donnie Two Inch has reason to be thankful for “small favors”, IYKWIMAITYD.

    It would have taken some doing for him to get one pregnant, I think, involving doctors and test tubes and syringes and such, with an unwanted pregnancy from doing what comes naturally very unlikely.

    nk (c18f1c) — 8/5/2024 @ 12:13 pm

    Bruh…

    He has five kids.

    He famously has had affairs… who knows how many he has aborted.

    whembly (477db6)

  289. What Kamala’s husband did before marrying her has no bearing on her character. On the other hand, Kamala being Willie Brown’s paramour is more telling, unless Willie had an open marriage.

    It is unknown if Willie’s wife was home nursing a baby, but it’s a safe bet she wasn’t since Willie is a thousand years old, and I presume his longtime wife is as well.

    norcal (6152f6)

  290. whembly (477db6) — 8/5/2024 @ 12:12 pm

    since Emhoff got her nanny to abort.

    I don’t think he did. It sounds like that, after a short interval in which the mother took care of the baby, he found a home for the baby where he would not be legally responsible for him; and a job, or a series of jobs over the years, for the mother.

    Correction: The September 2009 post with the 3 babies was on Facebook, not Instagram, and was a video.

    Of course this does shed a little light on Kamala Harris’ marriage, but I don’t think that’s too important.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  291. Willie Lewis Brown Jr. was born on March 20, 1934 and is 90 years old now. He was around 60 when he was involved with Kamala Harris.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Brown_(politician)

    Brown’s romantic relationship with Alameda County deputy district attorney Kamala Harris preceded his appointment of Harris to two California state commissions in the mid 1990s. The San Francisco Chronicle called the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and the California Medical Assistance Commission patronage positions. When the appointments became a political issue in Harris’s 2003 race for District Attorney, she responded: “Whether you agree or disagree with the system, I did the work”.[60] Brown’s relationship with Harris gained renewed attention in early 2019 after she had become a U.S. senator and ran for president.[61][62][63] Brown addressed the questions by publishing a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle titled “Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what?” He wrote that he may have “influenced” her career by appointing her to boards and supporting her run for District Attorney, but added that he had also influenced the careers of other politicians.

    Brown noted that the difference between Harris and other politicians he had helped was that “Harris is the only one who, after I helped her, sent word that I would be indicted if I ‘so much as jaywalked’ while she was D.A. That’s politics for ya.”[64]

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  292. If it were Vance, you would’ve found it both pertinent and hilarious.

    If it were Usha Vance, the VP’s spouse like Emhoff is, I would find it jaw-dropping. One for the medical books.

    nk (c18f1c)

  293. It’s not a nothingburger.

    If people arguing for “decency” to not voting for Trump… you really can’t make that argument knowing this info… especially since Emhoff got her nanny to abort.

    No one has been arguing about voting against Trump based on his personal life, which appears to be far more sordid than Emhoff’s. Mostly it has to do with his threats to the Constitution.

    What is the evidence that the nanny had an abortion and that Emhoff was involved?

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  294. He may have found her a lucrative job, we can speculate.

    Absent any facts, that’s all you have left.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  295. Of course this does shed a little light on Kamala Harris’ marriage, but I don’t think that’s too important.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/5/2024 @ 12:27 pm

    How so? The Emhoffs were divorced in 2009, and Emhoff and Harris were married in 2014. Apparently Emhoff told Harris about the circumstances while they were dating, so she already knew.

    Again, who cares? I certainly doubt voters will

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  296. “there is no evidence of payoffs to the nanny”

    AFAIK no one has gotten the parties on the record. Emhoff is only talking to friendly outlets like CNN, who won’t ask. Harris isn’t talking to anyone, because… you know. As for the nanny, if there was any compensation exchanged I’d be asking for more right now.

    Of course, there could’ve been no payoffs. It’s just hilarious who is quick to assume there were none and aren’t interested in finding out.

    lloyd (8853cf)

  297. wut wut…
    https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2024/06/24/cnn-could-be-forced-pay-upwards-1-billion-defamation-suit

    The case may not be as well known (yet), but CNN could be facing a defamation liability rivaling or exceeding the $787 million Fox News paid out to Dominion Voting Systems. NewsBusters recently reported on Florida’s First District Court of Appeals affirming that plaintiff Zachary Young could seek punitive damages, in addition to economic and emotional damages, from the Cable News Network in a civil trial after they allegedly defamed him regarding his work in getting people out of Afghanistan. The total could near or exceed $1 billion.

    For that outcome to be remotely in the cards, Young needed to prove malice and according to the ruling, he’s done exactly that. “Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages,” Judge L. Clayton Roberts wrote in the court’s ruling:
    https://1dca.flcourts.gov/content/download/2435811/opinion/Opinion_2023-2237.pdf

    If true… Zachary Young might own CNN once he’s done.

    whembly (477db6)

  298. If people arguing for “decency” to not voting for Trump… you really can’t make that argument knowing this info… especially since Emhoff got her nanny to abort.

    I can. I have more than two brain cells. I know the difference between the spouse of a candidate (married at middle-age for what that matters) and a candidate.

    nk (c18f1c)

  299. @274

    Harris VP betting odds:

    Shapiro-69.1% ⬆️ 12.3% in last day

    Walz-27.5 ⬆️ 3.3

    Kelly-1.2 ⬇️ 9.8

    Beshear-.7 ⬇️ 3.6

    Buttigieg-.5 ⬇️ 1.9

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:32 am

    Yup, if the Harris campaign are smart, Shapiro is their best bet.

    He’ll likely lock up PA…

    He’s a dynamic campaigner…

    …and yes, the anti-semite in the party is going to grumble, they’ll fall in line to vote, because Democrats are really good sticking together against Republicans.

    whembly (477db6)

  300. @306

    If people arguing for “decency” to not voting for Trump… you really can’t make that argument knowing this info… especially since Emhoff got her nanny to abort.

    I can. I have more than two brain cells. I know the difference between the spouse of a candidate (married at middle-age for what that matters) and a candidate.

    nk (c18f1c) — 8/5/2024 @ 1:23 pm

    If one would have more than two brain cells… then you would do everything you can for Democrats to lose.

    😀

    whembly (477db6)

  301. Oh, the only thing that keeps me from utter despair is knowing that one of them is going to lose. It’s not much, but it’s something.

    nk (c18f1c)

  302. I have been listening to Shapiro’s campaign speeches.

    He gratuitously mimics Barak Obama.

    That might work for Democrats in PA, but will it work nationally with getting indies?

    whembly (477db6)

  303. @309

    Oh, the only thing that keeps me from utter despair is knowing that one of them is going to lose. It’s not much, but it’s something.

    nk (c18f1c) — 8/5/2024 @ 1:28 pm

    Heh.

    Fair point.

    whembly (477db6)

  304. Shapiro would cost them the Death To America voters. But, knowing Democrat proclivities, Harris would gladly offer Death To Middle America as a compromise.

    lloyd (8853cf)

  305. If people arguing for “decency” to not voting for Trump

    Let me count the ways, starting with well-done prime ribeyes with ketchup.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  306. Oh, the only thing that keeps me from utter despair is knowing that one of them is going to lose. It’s not much, but it’s something.

    I’m with Kissinger on that.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  307. Harris would gladly offer Death To Middle America as a compromise.

    Harris is the kind of politician that would destroy prosperity for middle America, then help them look for it.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  308. Market is in utter despair today. Plummeting since Thursday.

    NJRob (e453fc)

  309. The combined wisdom of the people who manage investing is better than that of the Federal reserve Board. (They could be making a mistake, but it would be something everybody is overlooking.)

    The problem is that the Federal Reserve Board is too worried about inflation and thinks there is such a thing as “inflationary expectations.” Also doesn’t understand that they control interest rates.

    It is not that people making investment decisions investors necessarily expect a big recession, but they do see the market as being at a peak, and any selloff can trigger a buyer’s strike. Japan’s market dropped 12%

    https://www.financialexpress.com/market/japans-nikkei-crash-slumps-12-the-a-b-c-of-yen-carry-trade-and-why-is-it-spooking-global-markets-3574164

    art from the negative economic data emerging from US and geopolitical concerns in West Asia, the Yen trade unwinding in Japan is another key trigger. According to many, with Japan starting to hike interest rates, it could well mean an end for the Yen carry trade. The Yen incidentally is also rallying further adding to concerns.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  310. <blockquote >What’s the Yen Carry trade?

    Essentially ‘carry trade’ is an investment or trading strategy. Typically investors borrow money from a country that’s offering lower interest rates and then the money is invested in a money with a relatively higher rate of interest. As a result of the currency rate difference and difference in interest rates, the rate of return is significantly higher.

    This was particularly popular in Japan as for 30 years the Bank of Japan kept rates at zero and as a result this trade flourished and is estimated to be $4 trillion. Investors would borrow in yen and reinvest in dollar to earn higher return.

    However, the Japanese Central Bank or the Bank of Japan has changed its approach to interest rates in the interest of the economy. The rates are at the highest level in Japan since 2008 and rates are now raised to approximately 0.25%. This is significantly higher compared to the 0- 0.1% range earlier.

    In the past few weeks the Yen has seen a sharp 10% recovery and is now trading closer to 146 per dollar. This, many fear, will impact the profitability of key exporters in Japan.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  311. And then there could be something that nobody’s talking about:

    The prospect of World War III.

    Although if something like that really happens, you won’t save much by selling stocks.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  312. Although if something like that really happens, you won’t save much by selling stocks.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/5/2024 @ 2:31 pm

    Maybe not, but if I convert my stocks to gold, at least I can be buried with it.

    norcal (5ec32e)

  313. 23. 27.

    There is stupidity involved with the negotiations.

    See this article from July 25 (printed July 26)

    https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-netanyahu-to-meet-amid-push-for-gaza-cease-fire-6d597f72https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-netanyahu-to-meet-amid-push-for-gaza-cease-fire-6d597f72

    Optimism had built recently about a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza after Hamas showed flexibility on some contested language and Israeli security officials said the time is right to reach an agreement that would bring home some of the Oct. 7 hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave.

    The mood darkened as negotiations bogged down in debates over new demands that Israeli security officials and Arab negotiators say Netanyahu has raised late in the process.

    He didn’t. They had modified the proposal given to Hamas and they ignored that Israel was not going to agree to Phase II and III.

    Arab negotiators say a number of issues remain in contention, including the number of live hostages to be released, control of the border between Gaza and Egypt, whether Israel will have a veto over which Palestinian prisoners can be released under the deal, and whether Israel will be able to resume fighting after the initial cease-fire.

    “There are some very serious implementation issues that still have to be resolved,” the U.S. official said Wednesday.

    Little problems. Just everything.

    Hamas has been “very dug in” on its demand for a permanent cease-fire and full withdrawal of Israeli forces before a release of some hostages, the U.S. official said. But negotiators have now worked out details of how a hostage release would work.

    That sounds like Hamas wanted full Israeli withdrawal before the release of some hostages with no promise of the release of them all.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  314. More:

    While the U.S. official said the administration didn’t expect to clinch a deal during the Thursday White House meeting—the first time the two leaders have met in person since Biden’s trip to Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks—they planned to focus on closing the remaining gaps in the negotiations.

    “We are close,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House on Thursday, while the two leaders were meeting. “We just have to finish it.”

    After meeting separately with Netanyahu, Vice President Kamala Harris said she has an unwavering commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself, but how that is done “matters.”

    “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war,” she said. “Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s provide much needed relief to the Palestinian people.”

    And Trump? He wants the war ended quickly.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  315. Meanwhile Gaza is controlled by thieves who are stealing everything that’s loose.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/03/world/europe/gaza-crime-thieves-markets.html

    ….“Thieves’ markets,” as they are called by locals, have proliferated across Gaza, selling loot plundered from homes, businesses and even hospitals. With Israel blocking the flow of most goods into Gaza, the markets have become important places for finding household necessities. And visits to the markets have become a weary ritual for Gazans seeking to reclaim stolen pieces of their lives.

    Some, like Mr. Al-Jabri, even stumble upon belongings they had not yet realized were missing.

    In his hometown in southern Gaza, Khan Younis, where the central market was reduced to rubble by Israeli strikes, vendors sell stolen hospital supplies and clothes on plastic tarps or wooden carts alongside produce sellers on the main road out of the battered city. …

    …Prisons abandoned by Hamas jailers are now empty, and felons roam free, residents say. Criminal gangs band together to strip bare hospital and university buildings, or ambush the few trucks that enter with food and supplies.

    Before the current war, Hamas-affiliated police patrolled the streets and kept a lid on crime. But they have now all but disappeared, targets of Israel’s military as it undertakes its aim to “dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities.”

    Israel doesn’t want themm there even without their uniforms.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  316. Unsurprising:

    The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a longshot bid by the state of Missouri to halt former President Donald Trump’s impending sentence and lift the gag order imposed in the New York “hush money” case until after the November presidential election.

    The high court denied Missouri’s request to bring its case against New York, and dismissed a separate motion to pause Trump’s sentencing in an unsigned order. There were no noted dissents. Justices Clarence and Samuel Alito said they would have granted the state’s request to file a bill of complaint, but would not have granted the other relief Missouri sought.
    ………..
    In the request to halt Trump’s sentence and temporarily lift the gag order, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, claimed that New York prosecutors are attempting to interfere with Trump’s campaign by using their “coercive power” in the form of the gag order and forthcoming sentence.

    “Allowing New York’s actions to stand during this election season undermines the rights of voters and electors and serves as a dangerous precedent that any one of thousands of elected prosecutors in other states may follow in the future,” he wrote. “The public interest stands firmly with Missouri and the protection of the electoral process from this type of partisan meddling.”

    Bailey told the court that New York has interfered with Missouri’s election process by impairing presidential electors’ and voters’ ability to see Trump on the campaign trail and hear him speak. Even if Trump could schedule events in September and October, after his scheduled sentencing, the gag order would restrict what he could say at those rallies, Bailey claimed.

    “Whether Trump is being unfairly targeted for prosecution by his general-election opponent and allies of that opponent is of course highly relevant to Trump’s pitch about which candidate voters should support in November,” he said.

    Bailey said that while a criminal sentence or gag order would generally not interfere with voters’ choice to elect their preferred candidate when he has no chance of prevailing in the election, Trump is the Republican presidential nominee and ahead in some states. He also said that Trump was found guilty not of committing a violent crime, but rather “mere bookkeeping offenses.”
    ………..
    “Allowing Missouri to file this suit for such relief against New York would permit an extraordinary and dangerous end-run around former President Trump’s ongoing state court proceedings and the statutory limitations on this Court’s jurisdiction to review state court decisions,” Attorney General Letitia James wrote in a filing.
    ………..
    “Allowing Missouri to invoke this court’s jurisdiction to interfere with the enforcement of criminal law in New York is contrary to these foundational principles and undermines New York’s proud tradition of preserving the independence of local DAs,” she wrote.

    James also warned that Missouri’s requested relief risks undermining the integrity of the courts and inviting a flood of similar litigation, which she called “unmeritorious.”
    ………..
    (Florida, Iowa, Alaska and Montana) supported Missouri’s bid before the Supreme Court, calling the allegation that New York is using its criminal process to interfere with the 2024 presidential election a “serious one.”
    ………..

    Performance art for MAGAWorld.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  317. And Trump? He wants the war ended quickly.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/5/2024 @ 2:40 pm

    He’s the only one who can! /sarc

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  318. Thankfully there is no button for Harris to push. You still need 60 votes to get much done. Vote for Republican Senators and non-nutty Reps.

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

  319. Whoops, was getting fancy: should read ** destroy prosperity ** button

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

  320. Maybe not, but if I convert my stocks to gold, at least I can be buried with it.

    Ammo might be worth more.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  321. AJ ignoring all the executive orders Biden has done to destroy energy production as well as the Executive branch refusing to defend our laws to.allow Greenies and others to win cases by default.

    NJRob (e453fc)

  322. Vote for Republican Senators and non-nutty Reps.

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/5/2024 @ 3:05 pm

    If a Harris win was a lock I would vote for Republican Senators and Representatives. (And vice-versa if a Trump win was a lock.)
    I resent having to make predictions and calculations like this.

    Behold what tribalism hath wrought.

    norcal (5ec32e)

  323. You still need 60 votes to get much done.

    If she has 50 votes, the filibuster is gone.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  324. If she has 50 votes, the filibuster is gone.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/5/2024 @ 3:22 pm

    All hail the legislative roller coaster!

    norcal (5ec32e)

  325. AJ ignoring all the executive orders Biden has done to destroy energy production as well as the Executive branch refusing to defend our laws to.allow Greenies and others to win cases by default.

    That misses the reality that Biden has been the biggest president of “drill baby drill” in American history.

    President Joe Biden is presiding over a historic boom in U.S. energy production, with oil, natural gas and renewable power all setting records that would have seemed unfathomable two decades ago.

    And almost no one is happy about it.

    Republicans are angry about the hundreds of billions of dollars Biden is pouring into incentives for green energy, and his decision to place a temporary cap on the explosive growth of U.S. natural gas exports.

    Climate-minded Democrats and environmental advocates, meanwhile, say Biden’s approvals of pipelines and other fossil fuel projects violate his pledges to take on climate change — with some warning he’s demoralizing the young voters he needs to win reelection.

    All the same, the once-unimaginable milestones keep coming: The U.S. set an all-time record for crude oil production in 2023, outstripping what any country — even Saudi Arabia — has ever produced in one year. Its natural gas exports also lead the world, providing a growing fuel lifeline to Europe and Asia. Wind and solar have emerged as the nation’s fastest-growing source of power, and now contribute nearly 15 percent of the country’s electricity, up from nearly zero 20 years ago.

    This abundance, the result of technological advances in drilling, energy tax policy tweaks across multiple administrations, state-level renewable energy production targets and the falling prices of wind and solar energy, means Biden has gotten the closest to an “all of the above” energy economy since presidential candidates from both parties started using the phrase in the 2000s.

    Dems are pissed because of so much fracking and oil production is going on.

    Repubs are pissed that all the green energy production is going on.

    My electric runs at $.0698/kwh at night and $.108 during peak, cheaper than it was 15 years ago. We have one of those commie coops though.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  326. All hail the legislative roller coaster!

    Indeed. The lack of hysteresis will be a problem. That does not mean that the Party of Presentism won’t jump at the chance, followed by a few extra Supreme Court seats.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  327. President Joe Biden is presiding over a historic boom in U.S. energy production, with oil, natural gas and renewable power all setting records that would have seemed unfathomable two decades ago.

    If, by “preside”, you mean he is frustrated at his inability to stop it.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  328. Klink,

    you speak leftist talking points well. The reality is the left, including the puppet Biden, have done more to hurt our energy independence than any president in history. But you will bring up fraudulent statements made by the Times, CNN, etc to claim otherwise. Biden’s day one agenda killed a pipeline and he’s done harm ever since.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  329. Here in New Mexico (where Tier 1 rates are $0.0748/kwH, although in summer everyone is in Tier 3 and although there are lots and lots of riders, fees and taxes) they are sitting on huge oil and gas reserves. Fully a third of the state budget comes from oil & gas extraction fees.

    And the woke legislature is doing all it can to bite the hand that feeds it.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  330. Colonel Klink – It sounds as if you agree with me on this: Power to the people! And the more, the merrier, from fossil fuels for now, from solar and wind now that they are getting cheap, and from nuclear — of course.

    Jim Miller (a889a0)

  331. you speak leftist talking points well. The reality is the left, including the puppet Biden, have done more to hurt our energy independence than any president in history. But you will bring up fraudulent statements made by the Times, CNN, etc to claim otherwise. Biden’s day one agenda killed a pipeline and he’s done harm ever since.

    Well, I wonder if Fox would say it.

    US led global oil production for sixth straight year in 2023

    The U.S. surpassed its 2019 world record for oil production with an average of 12.9 million barrels a day in 2023

    Those leftist Fox folks dare to report reality. In another reality what you said might be true, but we live this universe.

    I shall repeat:

    Repubs are pissed that it’s happening under Biden.

    Dems are pissed that it’s happening under Biden.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  332. Energy production should be all the above. Especially nuclear power, if you want to get off fossil fuels, that’s the middle term solution. Open Yucca Mtn and react baby react? create nuclear fission to power the steam turbines baby..? Needs something better.

    Splitting the atom, one house at at time, nope…

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  333. Despite Biden’s best efforts, the US produces more crude oil than any other country, ever:

    The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to (the US Energy Information Administration’s) International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row. Crude oil production in the United States, including condensate, averaged 12.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2023, breaking the previous U.S. and global record of 12.3 million b/d, set in 2019. Average monthly U.S. crude oil production established a monthly record high in December 2023 at more than 13.3 million b/d.

    The crude oil production record in the United States in 2023 is unlikely to be broken in any other country in the near term because no other country has reached production capacity of 13.0 million b/d. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saudi Aramco recently scrapped plans to increase production capacity to 13.0 million b/d by 2027.
    ……….
    ……….The only exception to U.S. production growth since 2009 was in 2020 and 2021, when demand and prices decreased because of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, crude oil production in the Permian Basin (in western Texas and eastern New Mexico) drove the increases in total crude oil and natural gas production in the United States.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  334. Interestingly, it is Chevron that is the primary oil company operating in Venezuela, and is exporting its production to US Gulf Coast refineries.

    Venezuela’s crude oil production has fallen from about 3.2 million b/d in 2000 to 735,000 b/d in September 2023, making it the 10th-largest producer in OPEC despite its significant oil reserves. U.S. crude oil imports from Venezuela similarly declined, falling from 1.3 million b/d in 2001 to about 510,000 b/d in 2018. Imports halted in 2019 for four years before resuming under limited sanctions relief in January 2023 and increasing to 153,000 b/d in July 2023.
    ………..
    Further increases in Venezuela’s crude oil production will take longer. Much of Venezuela’s crude oil production capacity and infrastructure has suffered from prolonged lack of access to capital and regular maintenance The potential for further growth remains highly uncertain at this time because significant new investment would be required for additional production.
    ……….
    ……….The earlier (sanctions) exemption for Chevron led its share of production to increase to 135,000 b/d in 2023, and we expect Chevron’s output in Venezuela to increase to 200,000 b/d by the end of 2024.

    Now that its obvious that the Maduro regime had no intention of allowing “free and fair” elections, and the American hostages are out of Venezuela, we should re-impose sanctions to punish the Madero regime for its fake election.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  335. You cannot boycott oil. It’s fungible and it just comes back with another name stamped on it. Even when we get the UN to absolutely ban purchase of, say, Iranian oil, it gets bought anyway. Even if it doesn’t end up on our shores, it displaces other supplies that end up here.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  336. The main reason for the decline of Venezuelan production is Venezuela and their failure to maintain their production equipment, wells, and pipelines. It’s not “lack of access to capital” when you have billions in income from sales. It’s diverting all that income to domestic spending programs and letting the Gods of Copybook Headings control your maintenance.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  337. Once again, we are producing oil in spite of the Biden/Harris administration, not because of their policies. They are the most hostile administration to energy independence in our history. They have done what they can to destroy our future energy independence.

    You know that too, but you ignore it to carry water for them.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  338. Former Secret Service Chief Wanted To Destroy Cocaine Evidence

    Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and others in top agency leadership positions wanted to destroy the cocaine discovered in the White House last summer, but the Secret Service Forensics Services Division and the Uniformed Division stood firm and rejected the push to dispose of the evidence, according to three sources in the Secret Service community.

    Multiple heated confrontations and disagreements over how best to handle the cocaine ensued after a Secret Services Uniformed Division officer found the bag on July 2, 2023, a quiet Sunday while President Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland, the sources said.

    At least one Uniformed Division officer was initially assigned to investigate the cocaine incident. But after he told his supervisors, including Cheatle and Acting Secret Service Director Ron Rowe, who was deputy director at the time, that he wanted to follow a certain crime-scene investigative protocol, he was taken off the case, according to a source within the Secret Service community familiar with the circumstances of his removal.

    Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi denied that Cheatle or Rowe or anyone in Secret Service leadership asked for the cocaine evidence to be destroyed. Guglielmi, however, ignored a detailed set of questions asking if an agent or officer had been removed from the investigation and whether anyone has been retaliated against for rejecting leadership’s orders or requests during that process or afterward.

    Guglielmi, you might recall, was the spokesman who flatly denied that enhanced security requests by the Trump team were refused by the USSS. Days later his denials were shown to be factually wrong.

    It’s unclear exactly when Cheatle and other top officials tried to persuade the Forensics Services Division to destroy the evidence. At some point during the investigation, Matt White, the vault supervisor, received a call from Cheatle or someone speaking on her behalf asking him to destroy the bag of cocaine because agency leaders wanted to close the case, according to two sources in the Secret Service community.

    “Protocol is, whether you act on the [DNA] hit or not, we still have to maintain evidence for a period of up to seven years,” a source told RCP. “It became a big to-do.”

    White’s boss, Glenn Dennis, the head of the Forensics Services Division, then conferred with the Uniformed Division, which first discovered the cocaine.

    “A decision was made not to get rid of the evidence, and it really pissed off Cheatle,” a source in the Secret Service community said in an interview.

    Does anyone in their right mind doubt that this is exactly what happened?

    lloyd (0b9701)

  339. Once again, we are producing oil in spite of the Biden/Harris administration, not because of their policies. They are the most hostile administration to energy independence in our history. They have done what they can to destroy our future energy independence.

    So it’s in spite of the admin when you don’t like them, it’s because of the administration when you do.

    Was Trump responsible for the things that happened when he was president?

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  340. Was Trump responsible for the things that happened when he was president?

    Trump was responsible for the things he encouraged, not for things he opposed. Same as Biden.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  341. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/5/2024 @ 10:32 am

    Shocker:

    Walz-50.9% ⬆️ 30.7 in last day

    Shapiro-44.6 ⬇️ 18.4

    Kelly-1.8 ⬇️ 5.3

    Beshear-.9 ⬇️ 4.7

    Buttigieg-.7 ⬇️ 2.6

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  342. You cannot boycott oil.

    It can be if you impose a blockade.

    Rip Murdock (984088)

  343. @351 Shapiro may be to flashy and unions like walz who wont cost harris michigan.

    asset (0c1dec)

  344. Harris VP odds

    Walz-97.5% ⬆️ 56.8% in last 4 hours

    Shapiro-1.1 ⬇️ 53.9

    Everyone else < 1%

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  345. Kamala’s and leftisr racism proved to much for the Jewish Shapito. Walz selected to make a 100% sociakist ticket for the left.

    NJRob (3fded1)

  346. It was already annouced Rip. Keep up

    NJRob (3fded1)

  347. Link to post 354. Walz’s odds are now over 80% and Shapiro is at .7%.

    These odds are not predictions, but represent wagering trends on Polymarket, PredictIt, and Betfair.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  348. Unofficially it’s Walz.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  349. Shapiro’s handling of a sexual harassment and other cases as AG may have been too much given the current political environment.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  350. Not Shapiro. A victory for the Death To America wing. Democrats lock up Minnesota, which last went Republican in 1972.

    lloyd (5d4586)

  351. @359 Yeah Rip, it’s about his AG cases.

    Comedy Gold!

    Don’t spill that water you’re carrying.

    lloyd (5d4586)

  352. Rip,

    it’s been on the daytime talk shows already. You are way behind.

    They didn’t pick Shapiro because the left is anti-Semitic. That’s the reason.

    He would’ve helped with the midwest a lots more than a commie like Walz. But supporting a Jew is a bridge too far for the current left.

    NJRob (3fded1)

  353. @327

    Thankfully there is no button for Harris to push. You still need 60 votes to get much done. Vote for Republican Senators and non-nutty Reps.

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/5/2024 @ 3:05 pm

    The Executive branch is still probably the most powerful branch… mostly because Congress delegate so much of their powers.

    She can still do generational damage.

    Her, reportedly, picking Walz signals to me that they’re going “full torpedo” on the most extreme/progressive policies.

    whembly (477db6)

  354. https://issuesinsights.com/2024/08/05/lousy-jobs-report-brings-out-the-worst-in-biden-harris/

    Jobs collapsing under the weight of progressive pokicies.

    NJRob (3fded1)

  355. Rip,

    it’s been on the daytime talk shows already. You are way behind.

    One, it’s three hours earlier here than Joisey. Two, I don’t watch daytime television.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  356. Don’t spill that water you’re carrying.

    lloyd (5d4586) — 8/6/2024 @ 6:23 am

    It’s really no never mind to me. I still don’t have any interest in voting for either presidential candidate this election.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  357. @367 LOL!

    lloyd (5d4586)

  358. Ed sums up the VP pick:
    https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2024/08/06/breaking-kamala-snubs-shapiro-picks-walz-n3792754

    We can call this the Mostly Peaceful ticket!

    Let’s try to do the pro-con analysis that Harris must have performed. First, the pros:

    -Guarantees a win in [checks notes] Minnesota
    -Solidifies the Defund the Police wing of the Democrat Party
    -Achieves a level of boring that makes Minnesotans so desirable as running mates
    -Ensures a smooth transition from one incompetent to another
    -Doesn’t alienate the, er … “Dearborn” faction of the Democrats
    -Manages to avoid a competent running mate in case the convention decides to “Biden” her at the last minute

    The cons:

    -Snubs Pennsylvania, but who needs that state anyway?
    -Has absolutely no traction anywhere outside of his own state
    -Scratch that — Walz has no traction outside the metro counties of the Twin Cities
    Leaves Jewish Democrats with a distinct impression of anti-Semitism

    Can’t argue against that!

    Shapiro puts a must have state in the D side… but Walz really doesn’t do much.

    whembly (477db6)

  359. When you live in a state that is heavily controlled by the opposition party, what is the point?

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  360. https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2024/08/05/new-secret-service-inspector-generals-j6-report-suggests-this-little-lady-may-need-a-lawyer-n4931357

    Liz Cheney and the J6 Committee promoted her lies as truth and many pushed her lies for political gain. I hope they will have the honesty to admit they supported these lies because they wanted them to be true and I pray she goes to jail for perjury.

    The harm the J6 committee did in promoting these liars is beyond the pale.

    NJRob (3fded1)

  361. @370

    When you live in a state that is heavily controlled by the opposition party, what is the point?

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16) — 8/6/2024 @ 6:43 am

    You then participate in the electoral process in other ways.

    Starting with the primary seasons. Start advocating for your preferred candidates… be engaged at the grassroots. Bring your family and friends to be engaged, and challenge THEM to bring one other person.

    Actively participating *is* the point.

    whembly (477db6)

  362. Walz makes Harris look right wing. Maybe that’s what he brings.

    He made Minnesota, the state furthest from the southern border, a sanctuary state. So, they’re in sync on border nonsense and virtue signaling.

    lloyd (b4ca8a)

  363. Adding to post 370:

    What is the point of voting for a presidential candidate in a state like California which is so heavily dominated by Democrats-they will win all the electoral votes without even showing up. And in many cases Republicans don’t even bother to run candidates in local legislative races. So I focus on voting “no” on proposed initiatives.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  364. @371

    https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2024/08/05/new-secret-service-inspector-generals-j6-report-suggests-this-little-lady-may-need-a-lawyer-n4931357

    Liz Cheney and the J6 Committee promoted her lies as truth and many pushed her lies for political gain. I hope they will have the honesty to admit they supported these lies because they wanted them to be true and I pray she goes to jail for perjury.

    The harm the J6 committee did in promoting these liars is beyond the pale.

    NJRob (3fded1) — 8/6/2024 @ 6:44 am

    They sold their integrity over their hatred of the pariah.

    They have no shame.

    whembly (477db6)

  365. Maybe Harris will leave the bunker today, and brave facing a cheerleading press.

    lloyd (b4ca8a)

  366. Starting with the primary seasons. Start advocating for your preferred candidates… be engaged at the grassroots. Bring your family and friends to be engaged, and challenge THEM to bring one other person.

    Given the jungle primary system, it is more likely that the top two candidates will be Democrats or a sacrificial Republican who has no chance in a statewide race (Steve Garvey in the US Senate race being the latest example.)

    Let me know when the California Republican Party develops a grassroots-I haven’t seen any evidence of one.

    As I said above, I focus on voting “no” on any initiative proposals on the ballot.

    Rip Murdock (2d3e16)

  367. Who are you kidding Rip? You inhale every political show and site and regurgitate them on here, as long as they suit your agenda, then pretend to be above it all.

    NJRob (5fad74)

  368. The last time Harris and Walz teamed up was when he allowed rioters to burn down half of Minneapolis and then she raised money to bail them out.

    whembly (477db6)

  369. Walz helps with Michigan, but it makes for a pretty liberal team….which generally has not done well in the past.

    People are complimenting his interviews on the morning shows…but I think his answer about Afghanistan was weasily…and he’s awfully glib about spending other people’s money. Labor unions will love him, but I’m not sure how well that sells broadly. We are in unusual times where Trump is specifically targeting blue collar voters.

    Walz has a little more time on the job than Shapiro but he doesn’t bring the youth-iness that Shapiro does. Neither has any national security bonafides and neither guarantees his state is blue. I think Walz likes to talk…and may talk himself into corners. I think the left wing got its man….for better or for worse…..

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

  370. It can be if you impose a blockade.

    An act of war.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  371. @381 Walz was a COVID lockdown tyrant.

    He also signed a state bill that allowed the state to take your minor kids away from you if you disagreed to medically transition your child.

    Harris picked a VP that mollified the Hamas-wing of the party.

    Harris/Walz ticket is going to be a progressive/communist monster.

    whembly (477db6)

  372. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/08/its-walz.php

    spirited man. In one way, he will fit in with the Harris ticket: he ran a basement campaign for re-election in 2022, refusing to show up for debates with Republican Scott Jensen after the first one went badly. So Jensen was left debating an empty chair.

    Walz’s character defects are considerable, but let’s leave it at this: he was largely responsible for the George Floyd riots that devastated Minneapolis and other cities, because he dithered for days rather than calling out the National Guard. By his own admission, he held off out of sympathy for the rioters’ cause.

    That about sums it up.

    NJRob (3fded1)

  373. Labor unions will love him, but I’m not sure how well that sells broadly. We are in unusual times where Trump is specifically targeting blue collar voters.

    PUBLIC EMPLOYEE labor unions will love the both of them, as long as they aren’t cops. But the actual working class? Plumbers and shoe salesmen and waiters and office support staff? Not so much. Trump has, for better or worse, transformed the GOP into the party of the working class. The old political system and its traditional splits lies dead in a ditch.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  374. SO, she picked Walz to protect her from the Party’s Left while offering the image of an old white guy for the inattentive? I think this is a mistake. The way to beat Trump is to co-opt the Center and she has now shown she has no interest in them.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  375. The Walz picks seems so strange though.

    It’s either or combination of the following…

    1) Its desperation to shore up the Left flank – the Hamas-wings of the party
    2) They’re worried about MN being in play
    3) They think PA is a losing cause, such that Shapiro wouldn’t help any and he’s more of a net negative to the base
    4) They don’t think Kelly helps nationally as AZ is competitive.
    5) Harris is a San Francisco politician who believes Walz is “moderate” enough to balance her ticket.

    whembly (477db6)

  376. Or… Occam’s Razor is that Shapiro took himself out of the running, and Walz was the “next” best pick.

    whembly (477db6)

  377. Who are you kidding Rip? You inhale every political show and site and regurgitate them on here, as long as they suit your agenda, then pretend to be above it all.

    NJRob (5fad74) — 8/6/2024 @ 7:13 am

    LOL! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Your links and apocalyptic comments suit your agenda. I daresay that my position on Donald Trump and his minions fall within the mainstream of most of the posters here, while my views on abortion do not. As far as “pretending” to be above it all, I’m just not as emotional about issues as some are here.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  378. Rip, I often enjoy reading the things you point out and post. I don’t always agree with you but Thank you for taking the time.

    Time123 (0b59fa)

  379. The other thing that might’ve sunk Shapiro… the PA Supreme Court last week just reopened the whole possibility that he covered up a murder for his friend that the Harris campaign didn’t believe they could avoid.

    whembly (477db6)

  380. Rip, I often enjoy reading the things you point out and post. I don’t always agree with you but Thank you for taking the time.

    Time123 (0b59fa) — 8/6/2024 @ 9:01 am

    As do I with your posts. They are well written and make points that I generally agree with.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  381. Rip, I often enjoy reading the things you point out and post. I don’t always agree with you but Thank you for taking the time.

    Rip often infuriates me, mostly with his unwillingness to do more than report, but I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t miss much worthy of reporting.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  382. As it’s obvious from my postings, I am obsessed with practical arguments and facts. No apologies.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  383. Kevin,

    he only posts things to stir the pot (such as Trump leading in polls during the primary) or things that promote the leftist agenda. He had no interest in Trump beating Biden, cops being attacked, illegal immigrants doing harm to America or any other conservative position. I also believe his “extreme” pro-life position is just to mischaracterize those who support true pro-life positions.

    But you believe as you will.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  384. whembly (#387)

    1) Its desperation to shore up the Left flank – the Hamas-wings of the party

    .

    Harris’s polling charge is fueled by younger voters and minority voters, many of whom don’t like current policies in Gaza that are supported by Shapiro. So there is something in your #1

    2) They’re worried about MN being in play

    If MN is in play, they are doomed anywy. This isn’t it.

    3) They think PA is a losing cause, such that Shapiro wouldn’t help any and he’s more of a net negative to the base

    If I remember right, Gore did not help Clinton carry Tennessee, Edwards did not help Kerry with North Carolina. I think the home sate thing is overstated as a reason. If they thought PA was a lost cause, Harris would never have changed her stance on fracking.

    4) They don’t think Kelly helps nationally as AZ is competitive.

    Might be true. Two senators is also a bad mix, as they always have the scent of DC about them.

    5) Harris is a San Francisco politician who believes Walz is “moderate” enough to balance her ticket.

    As did Nancy Pelosi, whose political instincts are better than almost any other Democrat. Did you see Manchin’s endorsement?

    My guess, for what it’s worth, is that Walz’s good relationships in DC, ability to win the internet, moderate seeming approach, and personal comfort with Harris is what won this. It’s not who a NeverTrump Republican would want (because they would want a Republican, TBH)

    Appalled (b8b4ab)

  385. https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1818111526684803294

    Is this a moderate Appalled? What approach of his is moderate? Do tell?

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  386. The OIG covered the limousine episode in a footnote, and it doesn’t change the “he said, she said” nature of the conversation, where Hutchinson testified to the J6 Committee as to what Ornato told her (the IG didn’t interview Hutchinson because she’s not Secret Service), and Ornato replying to the IG that he didn’t recall. End of story.

    The IG was more perturbed about the scrubbing of Secret Service text messages and their general stonewalling on turning over text messages that weren’t scrubbed. But you wouldn’t hear anything about that from the likes of Trump-licking PJ Media.

    Paul Montagu (1e8339)

  387. https://www.wctrib.com/community/letters/the-truth-about-tim-walz

    On September 18th, 2001 Tim Walz reenlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard for six years.

    In early 2003 he was selected to attend the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. The non-resident course consists of two years of correspondence coursework, followed by a two-week resident phase at Fort Bliss, Texas. When a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer accepts enrollment in the course, they accept three stipulations. First, they will serve for two years after graduation from the academy, or promotion to Sergeant Major or Command Sergeant Major, whichever is later. Second, if they fail the course they may be separated from the military. Third, they will complete the course or be reduced to Master Sergeant without board action. Senior Non-Commissioned Officers initial and sign a Statement of Agreement and Certification upon enrollment. The State Command Sergeant Major or Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major counsels the soldier and certifies that the senior Non-Commissioned Officer understands their responsibilities. These stipulations are put in place because the academy is a college level school, the military invests a lot of taxpayer money in the student. The military needs to ensure they will get the return on investment that the taxpayers deserve.

    In late summer of 2003, First Sergeant Walz deployed with the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to Italy. The mission was to augment United States Air Force Europe Security Forces doing base security for six months. In no way were the units or Soldiers of the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion replacing any units or military forces so they could deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.

    After the units return to Minnesota in the spring of 2004, he was selected by high level Command Sergeants Major to serve in the position of the Command Sergeant Major of the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion.

    On August 5th, 2004 he was photographed holding a sign at a protest outside a President Bush campaign rally in southern Minnesota.

    On September 17th, 2004 he was conditionally promoted to Command Sergeant Major. The conditions had been outlined to him when he was counseled and he signed the Statement of Agreement and Certification. If the conditions are not met, the promotion is null and void, like it never happened.

    In early 2005, a warning order was issued to the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion, which included the position he was serving in, to prepare to be mobilized for active duty for a deployment to Iraq.

    On May 16th, 2005 he quit, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war. His excuse to other leaders was that he needed to retire in order to run for congress. Which is false, according to a Department of Defense Directive, he could have run and requested permission from the Secretary of Defense before entering active duty; as many reservists have. If he had retired normally and respectfully, you would think he would have ensured his retirement documents were correctly filled out and signed, and that he would have ensured he was reduced to Master Sergeant for dropping out of the academy. Instead he waited for the paperwork to catch up to him. His official retirement document states, SOLDIER NOT AVAILABLE FOR SIGNATURE.

    On September 10th, 2005 conditionally promoted Command Sergeant Major Walz was reduced to Master Sergeant. It took a while for the system to catch up to him as it was uncharted territory, literally no one quits in the position he was in, or drops out of the academy. Except him.

    That’s your so called moderate.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  388. NJRob.

    I wrote “moderate seeming” for a reason. I know job 1 for the Trump campaign is to portray him as a nutcase who let Minneapolis burn.

    Appalled (b8b4ab)

  389. whembly (477db6) — 8/6/2024 @ 9:06 am

    The other thing that might’ve sunk Shapiro… the PA Supreme Court last week just reopened the whole possibility that he covered up a murder for his friend that the Harris campaign didn’t believe they could avoid.

    It wasn’t for a friend – Josh Shapiro denies any actual conflict and says it that circumstances beyond his control have “created the appearance of a conflict” and he was brought in later, in 2018, when the Philadelphia’s district attorney recused himself and referred it to the Attorney general. What this appears to be is part of amore general pattern – and Kamala Harris had the same fault – a reluctance not to side with the conclusions of law enforcement.

    Josh Shapiro was also slow in granting pardons even when based on claims of innocence that appear to be backed up.

    This case involved a 27-year old woman, with multiple stab wounds whose death was reported by her fiancé.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/josh-shapiro-possible-vp-pick-legal-controversies

    She had 20 stab wounds to her body, including in the back of her neck. The medical examiner’s office initially ruled the death a homicide, but police publicly objected to the ruling because her apartment door was locked from the inside and her fiancé, who said he broke down the door to get to her, had no defensive wounds. The medical examiner’s office then revised the findings, saying the cause of death was suicide.

    Greenberg’s parents had been fighting since her death to have the case reexamined, and when one of their lawyers became Philadelphia’s district attorney in 2018, the family appealed to him to reopen the case. Citing a conflict of interest, however, he recused himself and sent the case to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office.

    In February 2022, the attorney general’s office announced it had reviewed the case and ruled once again the cause of death was suicide. However, in July 2022, Shapiro’s office referred the case back to the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, after critics cited unverified claims that Shapiro had connections to Greenberg’s fiancé’s family. The attorney general’s office said, “While the Office of Attorney General does not have an actual conflict in this matter, circumstances beyond our control have created the appearance of a conflict.”

    Shapiro’s team previously told The Philadelphia Inquirer it had never addressed or clarified the allegations because it was “not acknowledging unfounded accusations.”

    He didn’t want to accuse anyone in law enforcement of any form of wrongdoing unless he knew the case was rock solid.

    But it obviously was not a suicide, and some stab wounds being inflicted after her blood had stopped circulating is completely consistent with murder.

    The legal case involves the right of the executors to challenge what a coroner or medical examiner says.

    Her parents want this in order to proceed further.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  390. 398. @Paul Montagu

    The story about Trump lunging for the steering wheel is impossible but what is not disputed is that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol and was stopped by Mark Meadows and the Secret Service, which is contrary to the narrative at the time of the second impeachment that he never intended to go there. (and which means he did not expect there to be adisturbance)

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  391. njrob #399. Somebody who was severely hurt in Iraq called up WABC radio (880 am in New York) last night from Minnesota with a briefer and less clear version of the same thing. His complaint was that Tim Walz knew he was going to be sent to Iraq and quit early.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  392. Has Kamala left her bunker yet?

    lloyd (cb1116)

  393. 34. 36. I didn’t study this carefully enough. The program is not largely fraudulent.

    The New York Post had an editorial against this. It doesn’t bear out the propaganda claims being made.

    https://nypost.com/2024/08/04/opinion/team-biden-is-shocked-shocked-at-massive-migrant-fraud-but-still-wants-to-wave-them-in

    Yet despite the patently obvious likelihood of fraud, President Biden and border czar Kamala Harris went ahead with it anyway, flying in nearly half a million people since October 2022.

    Now a review by DHS’s Citizenship and Immigration Services found that possibly tens of thousands of applications from migrants’ “sponsors” contained fraudulent info — the same addresses, for example, used by many of them, fake Social Security numbers and zip codes and even the same verbatim answers to questions.

    Now:

    The flew in “nearly half a million people since October 2022″

    That’s about 500,000.

    The number of applications from migrants’ “sponsors” contained fraudulent info was:

    “possibly tens of thousands”

    Say 50,000

    That’s somewhere on the order of 10%.

    90% of these applications did NOT have that kind of fraud.
    The New York Post adds:

    Homeland Security wants to start it back up again right away, supposedly with measures to guard against more fraud: “DHS will restart application processing as quickly as possible, with appropriate safeguards,” a spokesperson said.

    What is wrong with these people? Why must this flawed, ill-conceived, unfair, illegal program be restarted?

    Would you throw out the baby with the bathwater? Many other programs, like Medicaid, also have a similar level of fraud. And 10% is considered the level at which it is too much.

    https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/fiscal-year-2023-improper-payments-fact-sheet

    The Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) estimated improper payment rate was 7.38%, or $31.2 billion, marking the seventh consecutive year this figure has been below the 10% threshold for compliance established by improper payment statutory requirements.[1] The 2023 rate is not statistically different from the 2022 Medicare FFS estimated improper payment rate of 7.46%.
    The Medicare Part C estimated improper payment rate was 6.01%, or $16.6 billion. CMS made significant methodology changes during the past two years’ reporting cycles (FY 2021 and FY 2022), and FY 2023 establishes a baseline; however, it is not statistically different from the 2022 estimated improper payment rate.

    This here happened because it was put too much on an assembly line.

    This is separate from the the issue of the merits of the asylum claims or the merits of the idea of accepting applications in the home countries of people, which was to give people some hope of migrating without using the cartels. It obviously could not help people in very dangerous or emergency situations.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  394. Walz: “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  395. Can “One person’s cavity search is another person’s neighborliness.” be far behind?

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  396. (Rip) only posts things to stir the pot (such as Trump leading in polls during the primary)………

    How was that “stirring the pot”? What other Republican presidential candidate led in the primary polls and in the actual primaries? Do tell.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  397. He had no interest in Trump beating Biden

    I have no interest in Trump beating Harris. I have greater interest in Harris losing than I have in Trump losing. But only that.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  398. and which means he did not expect there to be adisturbance

    It means no such thing. He might have wanted to be Yeltsin-on-the-tank.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  399. I also believe his “extreme” pro-life position is just to mischaracterize those who support true pro-life positions.

    A position held, for example, by Mike Pence, and the thousands of members of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Americans United for Life, Students for Life of America, National Right to Life, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, etc. and the thousands of regular Americans who show up every April at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  400. (Rip) had no interest in Trump beating Biden

    First I never thought Biden would be the nominee, and Trump did beat Biden at their debate, so that is now a moot point. Secondly, I have explained why it is a waste of my time to vote for President in California, the result being a foregone conclusion.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  401. lloyd (cb1116) — 8/6/2024 @ 11:58 am

    Has Kamala left her bunker yet?

    She went out of it to greet the released prisoners.

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/08/01/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-on-freeing-americans-detained-in-russia

    If by “the bunker” you mean speaking extemporaneously, I am not sure.

    Rich Lowry describes her speaking style as:

    https://nypost.com/2024/08/05/opinion/kamala-campaign-mimics-joes-hiding-behind-a-teleprompter

    … repeating the same (usually banal) thought in slightly different words, so she expresses herself in an endless loop of vacuity.

    The New York Post makes a link here to an earlier article it published:

    https://nypost.com/us-news/kamala-harris-worst-word-salads/

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  402. (Rip) had no interest……in cops being attacked, illegal immigrants doing harm to America…….

    I don’t feel the need to repeat posts or comments by others, including NJRob and others who post about these issues. Cops being attacked is bad, as are the crimes committed by illegals.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  403. Bbq is better in Texas. It’s just GOOD

    Time123 (b5a3aa)

  404. @411: That doesn’t make the position mainstream, just noisy. There are probably as many supporters for student debt cancellation, if not more.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  405. Bbq is better in Texas. It’s just GOOD

    I’ve had bbq in Austin, Memphis and Houston. So far, this is the best I’ve tasted, and it’s in none of those places.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  406. (Rip) only posts things to stir the pot

    And what’s wrong with that-being provocative is one way to stimulate conversation. You just have a different interpretation what this forum is.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  407. @

    411: That doesn’t make the position mainstream, just noisy. There are probably as many supporters for student debt cancellation, if not more.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 1:23 pm

    I never said it did, but NJRob insinuated that my position was an extreme outlier-it’s not. I doubt supporters for student debt cancellation are as politically powerful and organized as the pro-life organizations. Certainly the stakes in the pro-life movement are much higher than student debt cancellation, a clearly unconstitutional maneuver by Biden.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  408. Kevin Williamson on free trade:

    https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/wanderland/israel-isnt-risking-a-regional-war/

    But trade restrictions are never in the interests of consumers—they are, at best, in the interest of politically connected and influential businesses that wish to be rid of competition, leaving consumers with no choice but to buy certain goods when, left to mind their own affairs, they would have preferred others.

    *bolding mine*

    Alas, both parties seem to be catering to voters who don’t understand the benefits of free trade.

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  409. Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 1:10 pm

    He might have wanted to be Yeltsin-on-the-tank.

    I don’t think so.

    Stopping the certification past noon on January 20, 2021 would not have extended his term by even one second. It would merely have made House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Acting President.

    That’s why all his efforts were aimed at getting another 10 days (if he couldn’t get Congress to count the Electoral vote differently.)

    One idea would be for Congress to reject the votes coming from Arizona [11] Georgia [16] Michigan [16[ Nevada [6] Pennsylvania [20] and Wisconsin [10] thus changing a result of 306-232 in favor of Biden, to 232-227 in favor of Trump, while also voting that a majority of the Electoral votes counted was enough to win, and not a majority of the votes potentially available.

    I didn’t read that this specifically was the idea but that must have been what the idea was of picking just these six states.

    This had no chance. There was a lot of integrity with the Republican Party in Congress then, particularly in the Senate.

    Interestingly, this list of objections was just enough to barely drag Biden below Trump. (Just like now in Venezuela Maduro claims to have gotten 51%, not 79%.

    By the way, the head of government in Bangladesh just fled the country, but she doesn’t have an elite group of Cubans guarding the regime.)

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  410. This from Reason:

    Under his watch [during COVID], Minnesota’s public health authorities set up a hotline to allow people to report their neighbors for violating the state’s strict social distancing rules, which included the threat of 90 days in jail for violators. When Republicans in the state legislature called for the hotline to be shut down, Walz defended it. He also told pandemic-weary Minnesotans to stay away from relatively safe outdoor activities like spending time on the state’s famous lakes.

    Just more neighborliness.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  411. Also, Reason notes that both campaigns have similar defects in their VP candidates:

    Ultimately, Harris’ selection of Walz is for Democrats a mirror image of Trump picking Vance as his running mate. Both are Midwesterners who believe the government should spend more and more aggressively tell Americans how to live. There is, unfortunately, very little difference between believing that someone should pay more in taxes because they choose not to have kids or because they happen to be financially successful—it’s just a question of, as Vance might put it, deciding which perceived enemies you want to punish with state power.

    Vance wants the government to be more like a parent, while Walz wants it to be your nosy neighbor. Voters who realize it can’t be either of those things won’t find much to like about either major party vice presidential nominee this year.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  412. There is, unfortunately, very little difference between believing that someone should pay more in taxes because they choose not to have kids or because they happen to be financially successful

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 1:43 pm

    I chose not to have kids, and am financially successful. I’m screwed either way.

    Oh, and by the way, the former had a lot to do with the latter. 😉

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  413. Oh, and by the way, the former had a lot to do with the latter

    Sure, but there are end-of-life downsides to that.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  414. Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/6/2024 @ 1:21 pm

    . Cops being attacked is bad, as are the crimes committed by illegals

    Then there are crimes committed against illegals by United States citizens.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/nyregion/park-shooting-migrant-nyc.html

    Migrant Killed in Brooklyn Was Targeted by a Parks Worker, Police Say The police charged the worker, who had a seasonal cleaning job, with fatally shooting a Venezuelan migrant at a Brooklyn park where some homeless migrants spend the night.

    On a Sunday night in July, a Venezuelan migrant was shot in the chest and killed in a small park in Brooklyn, a few blocks from a hulking cluster of buildings used as migrant shelters.

    Moments later, two other migrants were shot and killed outside the shelters, and the police began investigating whether the two incidents were connected. Speculation swirled that the back-to-back shootings were tied to migrant gangs, unsettling nearby residents.

    Then, this week, detectives made an unpublicized breakthrough: They arrested a New York City parks worker on murder charges on Monday, accusing him of fatally shooting the Venezuelan man in the park on July 21.

    The police said that the worker, Elijah Mitchell, fired multiple shots at the man, Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano, 30, before driving away in a blue sedan, according to a law enforcement official and a complaint filed in Criminal Court in Brooklyn.

    Mr. Mitchell, who had a second job at a migrant shelter on Randall’s Island, was assigned to clean the park for a few hours a day, and the police believe he had a confrontation with Mr. Rodriguez-Marcano a few days before shooting him, according to a law enforcement official. Mr. Mitchell made $20 an hour as a seasonal park worker last summer and was hired again in May of this year. The Parks Department said he was suspended after his arrest and that the department was moving to terminate his employment.

    I believe it is still the case, that to work for the city, he had to a U,S, citizen.

    There is a Venezuelan gang whose members seem to be migrating to the United States. They can or could readily identified by their tattoos, but now the newest gang members have stopped getting tattoos. It is not true that they are not getting any kind of vetting . They get their name, country of citizenship and usually age correct.

    Very few claim to be somebody else other than who they are. Any attempt to do so can get them in difficulty, and isn’t needed. I’m not sure how or why it works.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  415. He also told pandemic-weary Minnesotans to stay away from relatively safe outdoor activities like spending time on the state’s famous lakes.

    They weren;t saying it was safe then, because they paid no attention to air exchange. Closing parks was one of the more stupid things done.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  416. Sure, but there are end-of-life downsides to that.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 1:59 pm

    There are multitudes of parents in nursing homes.

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  417. Kamala Harris is not a serious person. There are many proofs of that but here is one,

    This is what she said two weeks ago about the Gaza war:

    https://www.wsj.com/video/it-is-time-for-this-war-to-end-harris-says-after-meeting-netanyahu/6E70388C-61A3-4ABC-A3F2-705BFD3A0FE9

    https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/biden-netanyahu-to-meet-amid-push-for-gaza-cease-fire-6d597f72

    “Let’s get the deal done so we can get a cease-fire to end the war,” she said. “Let’s bring the hostages home, and let’s provide much needed relief to the Palestinian people.”

    There’s nothing in what she said that Israel would not agree to.

    However:

    1) It is not within Israel’s power to have all these things happen.

    Particularly, they cannot get all the hostages freed, even if they agree to withdraw completely from Gaza and let Hamas resume power. (Although pursuing the war, and doing things like assassinating the leaders of Hamas might help move things along.)

    2) There are some things that Israel wants that she does not mention. Like having Hamas give up power and its weapons. She uses phrases that sound like democratic self government but have a special legal meaning that does not mea that.

    She’s advocating compromises with reality.

    A simple peace is not possible. An alliance with various Arabs is, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed this in his speech to Congress:

    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-07-25/ty-article/full-text-neta
    nyahus-2024-address-to-congress/00000190-e6c0-d469-a39d-e6d7117d0000

    Now, here’s my vision for the broader Middle East. It’s also shaped in part by what we saw in the aftermath of World War II. After that war, America forged a security alliance in Europe to counter the growing Soviet threat. Likewise, America and Israel today can forge a security alliance in the Middle East to counter the growing Iranian theat.

    All countries that are in peace with Israel and all those countries who will make peace with Israel should be invited to join this alliance.

    There’s no reason this cannot include Gaza. Anything less than an alliance is not possible because of the opposition from Iran

    At least this could be the U.S. objective.

    Netanyahu wants, in any case:

    Gaza should have a civilian administration run by Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel. That’s not too much to ask. It’s a fundamental thing that we have a right to demand and to receive.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  418. The United States (under the Biden Administration) is usually not wrong when it predicts a military attack. (This is because it is based on observation if mobilization and preparations which go beyond what would be done all in all for training purposes)

    It is usually wrong bout how imminent it is, or how soon the orders will be given. Off by a few days.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  419. There are multitudes of parents in nursing homes.

    Indeed. But most of them are not paying the bill. The ones with children have more options.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  420. It is usually wrong bout how imminent it is, or how soon the orders will be given. Off by a few days.

    Sometimes they just misjudge how fast uranium can be enriched.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  421. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/25/health/breast-cancer-double-mastectomy-study.html

    A study has concluded that there is no survival advantage to having the other breast removed. Women who had a lumpectomy or a mastectomy and kept their other breast did just as well as women who had a double mastectomy, Dr. Steven Narod of Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and his colleagues reported, using U.S. data from more than 661,000 women with breast cancer on one side.

    In the study, published in JAMA Oncology on Thursday, the researchers added that most women did very well — the chance of cancer in the other breast was about 7 percent over 20 years.

    What does that mean? A double mastectomy does not reduce the chances of cancer in the other breast?

    Or it doesn’t matter as the woman will continue to get mammograms and that is as much as you can do?

    It is said that early detection does not increase life expectancy.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  422. The ones with children have more options.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 3:09 pm

    Some of the ones with children have more options.

    Others have children who are content to let the state take care of their parents, and still others have children who rarely visit their parents in nursing homes.

    Having children for the purpose of making the end of life easier is a fool’s errand.

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  423. Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 3:11 pm

    Sometimes they just misjudge how fast uranium can be enriched.

    It’s not that. They’re talking about firing missiles.

    With the atomic bomb, they also need a warhead a delivery system and a way to make it go off. Not just the U-235. But the degree and the quality of Iranian of research into these matters is unknown.

    Anyway there is a 5th column in Iran of people who want to stop the regime from starting he11

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  424. 428. `norcal (5e2cd0) — 8/6/2024 @ 2:07 pm

    There are multitudes of parents in nursing homes.

    And their life expectancy goes down. Covid was only part of the problem.

    Another very bad thing: Foster care and removing children from their parents. It ought to require the concurrence of a friend or neighbor

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  425. Yahya Sinwar is now the political leader of Hamas.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  426. Yahya Sinwar is now the political leader of Hamas.

    Cue comment about Spinal Tap drummers.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  427. Having children for the purpose of making the end of life easier is a fool’s errand.

    I’m told there are pleasures in between.

    But I will not argue with Vance (or anyone) when he says that children are important to a working society.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  428. Walz to keep michigan. Shapiro was better choice.

    asset (a574a0)

  429. I’m told there are pleasures in between.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/6/2024 @ 3:34 pm

    If one is lucky. I’ve seen too many parents with kids who are disasters.

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  430. From what I’m reading about Walz, I am not impressed. I especially dislike this tweet from him:

    “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”

    The distinction between the two is that one is voluntary and the other isn’t. That makes all the difference in the world.

    Voluntary giving blesses both the giver and the receiver. Forced giving creates resentment on the part of the “giver” and an entitlement mindset on the part of the receiver.

    Furthermore, neighborly, voluntary giving allows the giver to see the results up close. Forced giving goes through the opaque machinery of government.

    I’m just don’t like Kamala’s political instincts. Her record shows that when faced with a choice, she almost always goes left.

    Up until now, I had intended to vote for Kamala. Now I’m leaning toward writing in Liz Cheney or some other reasonable person. Kamala and Tim have another three months to show me they aren’t lefty batsh!t crazy.

    norcal (5e2cd0)

  431. Anyway there is a 5th column in Iran of people who want to stop the regime from starting he11

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/6/2024 @ 3:19 pm

    LOL!

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  432. What a choice! A Stalinist-Maoist Manchurian (Beria placed Heinrich 643 with the Trumps before the Sino-Soviet rift) and a warmed-over would-be Swedish Socialist. Gah!

    nk (b370d8)

  433. Karoline Leavitt-Trump Campaign Spokesperson

    It’s no surprise that San Francisco Liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running-mate – Walz has spent his governorship trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State.

    While Walz pretends to support Americans in the Heartland, when the cameras are off, he believes that rural America is ‘mostly cows and rocks’. From proposing his own carbon-free agenda, to suggesting stricter emission standards for gas-powered cars, and embracing policies to allow convicted felons to vote, Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide.

    If Walz won’t tell voters the truth, we will: just like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California dream is every American’s nightmare.

    I have to say, I don’t know much about him other than the bio, which does look like remarkably upper midwest white dude. I’ll have to actually read what he’s done, not the bleaterverse of it.

    But Leavitt’s first bleat on it was remarkably dumb. HE ALLOWED FELONS TO VOTE, THOSE SCUMBAGS.

    Phone rings…uh, oh yeah, sorry sorry, I’ll un-bleat it.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  434. Meet Ms. Walz

    Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s wife, Gwen, said she left her windows open to “smell the burning tires” during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots because she felt it was a “touchstone” moment.

    An interview clip with Gwen Walz discussing the 2020 riots and her reaction to them resurfaced online Tuesday after Vice President Kamala Harris announced she would be choosing the Minnesota governor as her running mate for the 2024 election. In the interview, which was aired on KSTP-TV’s “5 Eyewitness News Nightcast” channel, Gwen could be heard talking about the riots and her choice to leave the “windows open as long” as the city was burned by looters and rioters.

    “I could smell the burning tires. That was a very real thing, and I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening,” Gwen Walz said.

    lloyd (668886)

  435. Paging asset…

    Is this Harris/Walz ticket progressive enough to get your vote?

    Inquiring minds would like to know.

    norcal (20a956)

  436. Upon reflection, if I am convinced the Senate will go Republican, and it is a close presidential race in my state, I will still probably vote for Harris.

    It would be the most unenthusiastic vote I’ve ever cast.

    norcal (20a956)

  437. As I look at it, Walz appears to be a great bio, but possibly more liberal than Harris. He’s got a good “I’d have a beer with that guy” vibe, which I suppose is pretty powerful when you’re going against Trump and Vance. Two dudes you’d avoid like the plague. I mean Vance was voted most likely to be beat up in High School/s.

    Walz has his schtick down, the way he refers to Trump and Vance does make them look so little, vile, and yes, weird.

    So far, Trump has proposed zero policies, Harris has proposed nothing, so if it’s just going to be vibes, Walz has the feelz. Voting for Trump would make you just feel icky, he’s the worlds biggest d-bag, he belongs locked in his Florida-man house muttering at the TV.

    I’m sure Trump would trade Vance for anyone with vibes aren’t that of the weird guy in the park with a trench coat.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  438. What are the chances that Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST President in the history of the U.S., whose Presidency was Unconstitutionally STOLEN from him by Kamabla, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Shifty Adam Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and others on the Lunatic Left, CRASHES the Democrat National Convention and tries to take back the Nomination, beginning with challenging me to another DEBATE. He feels that he made a historically tragic mistake by handing over the U.S. Presidency, a COUP, to the people in the World he most hates, and he wants it back, NOW!!!

    This guy is just a giant mentally defect toddler d-bag.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  439. @450 Klink, that’s some serious Algonquin Round Table analysis.

    lloyd (170e71)

  440. Also, with 91 days left till the election, why is Trump only campaigning one day a week. He had an event last Saturday, and for the next 2 weeks only has a single event scheduled, Friday in Bozeman.

    If he’s worried about Montana, that’s a problem.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  441. He’s got the bio that makes JD Vance jealous.

    Born in a small town in rural Nebraska, Tim’s parents instilled in him the values of public service, generosity toward your neighbors, and working for the common good that guide his commitment to Minnesota today. After high school graduation, Tim enlisted in the Army National Guard. He attended Chadron State College and graduated with a social science degree in 1989. Tim spent a year teaching abroad before returning home to serve full time in the Army National Guard and eventually accepting a high school teaching and coaching position.

    While teaching, Tim met his future wife, Gwen Whipple, who taught at the same school. They moved to Mankato in 1996, where they worked at Mankato West High School. In addition to teaching social studies, Tim helped coach the Mankato West football team that won the school’s first state championship. After 24 years in the Army National Guard, Command Sergeant Major Walz retired from the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion in 2005. Tim won his first election to the United States House of Representatives in 2006 and was re-elected for another five terms serving Minnesota’s First Congressional District in Southern Minnesota.

    I mean he wasn’t a San Francisco VC even once.

    Don’t look too closely at Minnesota though, it’s the California of the Midwest.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  442. CNN’s Van Jones Suggests Kamala Harris Caved In To ‘Darker Parts’ Of Democratic Party With VP Pick

    Jones told CNN anchor Jim Acosta that antisemitism has become “marbled” in the Democratic Party. He suggested its sway with parts of the electorate may have been a factor in Harris choosing Walz over Shapiro.

    “Here’s the challenge you’ve got in this party. People don’t want to talk about it, we’ve got to talk about it,” Jones said. “On the one hand, you have a lot of young people who are concerned about Gaza. You have a lot of Muslims and Arabs and others. They have not felt seen by the Biden administration. You started hearing that ‘Genocide Joe.’ That was building. That was building.”

    “And so, those folks needed to have a candidate they could feel comfortable with. This helps it in that regard,” he continued. “But you also have antisemitism that’s gotten marbled into this party. You can be for the Palestinians without being an anti-Jewish bigot. But there are some anti-Jewish bigots out there.”

    lloyd (930c78)

  443. Shhh… future First Gentleman is giving a lecture:

    “There’s this toxicity, this masculine idea of what a man is that’s out there that is just not correct. And that’s something that you really see when you’re doing this,” Emhoff told CNN in 2022 of being second gentlemen, and letting his wife wear the pants in the house. “Masculinity is loving your family, caring about your family and being there for your family and supporting them each and every way. And no one would say I’m not tough and no one would ever accuse me of not being there and sticking up for those that I love, but I also care about people. I’m compassionate, empathetic.”

    Snicker.

    lloyd (fd5af0)

  444. The black chick caved to the darkest part of the party to pick the whitest guy around.

    Snicker.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  445. @457 Yes Klink, how people think is linked to skin color. Your bulb is burning bright as usual.

    lloyd (9ac027)

  446. @447 tim kaine II Shapiro to ambitious for harris.

    asset (d14494)

  447. I think you confuse me with Van Jones, he’s a black guy on TV.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  448. And getting a talking to by you makes it all worthwhile.

    But Trump still wants to be Putin’s “special” friend, and JD Vance may or may not be humping the furniture at this very moment, vote Icky and Creepy.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  449. I just finished a call with an old Chinese lady I hadn’t heard from in years. She had an immigration question. After I answered it, she proceeded to ask me my thoughts on the election. It turns out she’s been a Democrat for all of her time in the U.S., but plans to vote for Trump this year.

    Good lord. The MAGA propaganda machine has permeated the Chinese community.

    As often happens with Trump supporters, they are seduced by the prospect of some good policies, and ignore more important things, like the fact that Trump tried to intimidate his VP into overturning an election, and is still lying about that election. Those who brush aside these facts are civic disasters whether they are willing to admit it or not. You cannot have lying of that scope, scale, and duration, and expect a democracy to survive.

    norcal (20a956)

  450. Show her this, then she’ll feel.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  451. Show her this, then she’ll feel.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/6/2024 @ 10:15 pm

    1. She won’t understand.

    2. She already acknowledges that Trump says crazy things. She
    thinks it’s harmless. Ashley Babbitt was unavailable for comment.

    norcal (20a956)

  452. Cori Bush, ‘Squad’ Member and Vocal Critic of Israel, Loses Her Primary

    Bad news for Walz fans.

    lloyd (9ac027) — 8/6/2024 @ 9:25 pm

    Good.

    norcal (20a956)

  453. I mean, I’m glad Cori Bush lost.

    norcal (20a956)

  454. She already acknowledges that Trump says crazy things.

    I’m pretty sure that it’s all crazy, can someone point to something sane? Picking the corn out of his verbal diarrhea isn’t possible.

    Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a)

  455. @463 I guess the Chinese lady is supposed to think a certain way … because she’s Chinese?

    lloyd (2e8803)

  456. I guess the Chinese lady is supposed to think a certain way … because she’s Chinese?

    lloyd (2e8803) — 8/6/2024 @ 10:55 pm

    Not exactly. I’m just surprised by how many of them were apolitical or Democrats (mostly apolitical) before Trump came along. Many of these people I’ve encountered don’t even speak English, so they aren’t getting their MAGA propaganda straight from the horse’s mouth.

    Trump puts politics into cartoon form, where he’s the superhero about to vanquish the villain. Just read his tweets. They’re written like he’s communicating with elementary school students who have attention problems. It guess that kind of writing translates easily, and is easily understood.

    norcal (20a956)

  457. @470 There are a lot of Asians in my extended family. Not Chinese, but adjacent. Even the ones who don’t speak English are more than capable of discerning thought. Attributing those who disagree with you as being seduced by propaganda and grade school level cartoons is a bit arrogant, and I’m betting won’t stand up to scrutiny.

    lloyd (930c78)

  458. Even the ones who don’t speak English are more than capable of discerning thought.

    lloyd (930c78) — 8/6/2024 @ 11:25 pm

    Of course, but if it took the likes of Trump to get them to pay attention to politics, then I question their political judgment.

    I question anybody who thinks Trump’s tweets are written for discerning minds.

    norcal (20a956)

  459. @472 Maybe drop the assumptions. People who are outwardly apolitical may be just trying to be polite.

    If Trump’s tweet aren’t written for discerning minds, a discerning mind is capable of reaching that conclusion themselves. If Biden/Harris/intern tweets aren’t written for discerning minds either, then maybe it’s not about the tweets.

    lloyd (2e8803)

  460. Rashida Tliab wins her primary (unopposed) When aipac money couldn’t buy an opponent. we have lost a couple hopefully Ilhan Omar will get thru. Pressley seems safe. This is a war of attrition as the republican country club donor class took awhile to liquidate in their party. If clinton had won in 2016 It would have been unlikely that AOC would have beat crowley in 2018. The best thing that could happen to the left is a trump victory that discredits the democrat corporate establishment and donor class.

    asset (d14494)

  461. Where the Dem Party stands is that they could handle a pick like Lieberman 24 years ago but could not handle a pick like Shapiro today. They’re picking the wrong side in the Israel-Hamas War.

    But that said, I listened to–but didn’t see–Walz’s speech in Philly yesterday and the crowd ate it up. He has a good delivery, good Midwestern cadence, but he’ll get dinged for being too liberal and other stuff.

    Paul Montagu (05e5c4)

  462. Another member of the squad losses their primary.

    The new candidate (who will win for sure due the the deep blue district) is the prosecutor who made the (obviously correct) call not to charge the officer who shot Micheal Brown in Ferguson.

    My view this is a move in the right direction, anything that weakens “the squad” has some upside.

    Time123 (ec98d5)

  463. @456, Lloyd, what did he say in that clip that you object to?

    Time123 (ec98d5)

  464. @423, Kevin, I’ve been saying this for a while. We now have 2 big government parties that want to use the power of the state to make you live the way they want you to live.

    Ultimately, Harris’ selection of Walz is for Democrats a mirror image of Trump picking Vance as his running mate. Both are Midwesterners who believe the government should spend more and more aggressively tell Americans how to live.

    You can see this in the love Desantis got as well. The things that made him popular were using (and abusing) the power of the state to compel and punish their culture war enemies.

    Time123 (ec98d5)

  465. Klink has the far left talking points down. He’s taking his instructions and following through. Good job.

    P.S. Congrats to Cori Bush. A well earned retirement.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  466. @477 “Lloyd, what did he say in that clip that you object to?”

    Time123, what did I say in that comment that you object to?

    lloyd (930c78)

  467. 17 days since Kamala’s coronation and still no presser. Keep to the script. Facing an adoring press is just too risky.

    lloyd (2e8803)

  468. Yeah!

    I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it.

    I did try and f**k her. She was married.

    And I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping. She wanted to get some furniture. I said, “I’ll show you where they have some nice furniture.” I took her out furniture—I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything. She’s totally changed her look.

    ….

    I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.

    nk (90e165)

  469. @482 That’s quite a scoop, nk. I hope the media is aware.

    lloyd (2e8803)

  470. Me too, lloyd.

    nk (90e165)

  471. You can see this in the love Desantis got as well. The things that made him popular were using (and abusing) the power of the state to compel and punish their culture war enemies.

    Despite this, it still tilts towards Trump. Trump is lazy and his prejudice is towards laissez-faire. Harris default is more government intervention. From a purely Libertarian POV, Trump will do less damage since he instinctively understands the dangers of a powerful government and has recently been reminded.

    I just wish that the J6 single-issue voters would consider the zonk behind the door they are offered.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  472. norcal, I’m with you that Harris/Walz isn’t exactly a move to attract moderates and disaffected Republicans. But I’m also resigned to the fact that my vote…even symbolically….just won’t matter.

    Harris has her work cut out to deliver a coherent convention that doesn’t scare the heck out of moderates and independents.

    They’re developing a good contrast of happy warrior versus angry retributionist. A lot of people are starving for optimism, especially those childless cat ladies. Still, Walz is high energy but he looks old. It will be interesting how that plays. He certainly has the stage-audience-point down pat.

    AJ_Liberty (5f05c3)

  473. WSJ: What the Choice of Tim Walz Says About Kamala Harris

    Mr. Walz’s progressive bona fides will please Sen. Bernie Sanders and the teachers unions. But his governing record will be fodder for Mr. Trump. And picking him is a bad omen about the ability, or even willingness, of Ms. Harris to defy her party’s left.

    Mr. Walz, age 60, has a plain-spoken personality and an appealing Midwestern background. He joined the Army National Guard at 17, graduated from a state college, and became a high-school teacher and football coach. He was elected to Congress in 2006 from a rural district, and one selling point to Ms. Harris is that he might appeal to Trump voters.

    But as Governor since 2019 Mr. Walz has moved Minnesota sharply to the left. He still wears a baseball cap and work jacket, but since Democrats gained control of the entire Legislature in 2023, he’s governed more like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, including:

    • Increasing taxes, though Minnesota already has the fifth-highest top income-tax rate among the states, 9.85% at $193,000 of earnings for a single filer. Mr. Walz added a 1% surtax on net investment income above $1 million, while reducing deductions, and the Governor wanted more.

    Minnesota is a rare state that still levies a death tax, up to 16%, on top of the federal 40% rate, which is one reason the state is losing taxpayers to better climes.

    • Making an estimated 81,000 illegal immigrants in the state eligible for driver’s licenses, along with health insurance through the MinnesotaCare public marketplace.

    • Funding “the North Star Promise Program, which provides free college for students with a family income under $80,000,” including illegal immigrants.

    • Creating a state system for paid family and medical leave, capped at a combined 20 weeks a year and funded by a 0.88% payroll tax.

    • Mandating that public utilities generate 80% carbon-free electricity by 2030, ramping up to 100% by 2040. He’s a fervent believer in “climate action.”

    • Subsidizing electric vehicles by “requiring EV charging infrastructure within or adjacent to new commercial and multi-family buildings,” as the Governor’s office bragged.

    • Passing one of the nation’s most permissive abortion statutes that has essentially no limits and no age consideration for minors.

    • Declaring Minnesota to be a “trans refuge,” with a law saying that the state will ignore a “court order for the removal of a child issued in another state because the child’s parent or guardian assisted the child in receiving gender-affirming care in this state.”

    • Establishing automatic voter registration and letting Minnesotans sign up for a permanent absentee ballot option.

    No wonder Mr. Sanders is a fan.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  474. The NYT and WaPo are deep into boosterism lately.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  475. 482 483. The Democrats (or Hillary) never attacked Trump on that – it’s from the Access Hollywood video – I think because it wasn’t illegal, preferring to distort what he said about grabbing women (Trump said they let him do it, but they ignored that qualification)

    Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e)

  476. By the way, as expected. Cori Bush of Missouri was defeated in her primary.

    The problem is why she was elected the first time, and then still re-elected.

    It takes time to get organized and communicate to a majority of the voters what’s wrong with someone (or, in other words, move the needle)

    Cori Bush lost in the 2016 U.S. Senate primary election in Missouri and in her first try for the Congressional district, in 2018.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  477. picking him is a bad omen about the ability, or even willingness, of Ms. Harris to defy her party’s left

    That’s the problem. She missed a chance to have a
    “Sister Souljah moment” (which I think was contrived by Bill Clinton in 1992) but she’ll get a chance to have many more, even in the 90-day or so campaign sprint.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  478. https://www.newser.com/story/354096/top-envoys-to-japan-back-israel-after-mayors-slight.html

    The US, British, and French ambassadors to Japan will skip a ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki over what is perceived as a slight against Israel. Nagasaki’s mayor invited dignitaries from more than 150 countries and territories to the annual peace ceremony, to take place Friday, but excluded Israel. The move was in keeping with a 2022 decision to exclude Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine. But US ambassador Rahm Emanuel says it’s wrong to equate Israel’s war against Hamas with the aforementioned invasion. “Israel’s self-defense is not morally equivalent,” he says, per the New York Times.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  479. AJ_Liberty (5f05c3) — 8/7/2024 @ 8:01 am

    I think we are on the same page, AJ.

    Speaking of how old Walz looks, I am also 60. If I looked that old I just might stop chasing the ladies. 😛

    norcal (070ad3)

  480. “Sister Souljah moment” (which I think was contrived by Bill Clinton in 1992) but she’ll get a chance to have many more, even in the 90-day or so campaign sprint.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/7/2024 @ 12:14 pm

    It’s much easier for an Arkansan than a San Franciscan to have a Sister Souljah moment.

    norcal (070ad3)

  481. Tim Walz Backs Out Of VP Nomination After Learning VPs Sometimes Have To Deploy To Dangerous Places Overseas

    “Bone spurs! Where are my bone spurs?”, he demanded.

    nk (897c76)

  482. nk (897c76) — 8/7/2024 @ 2:47 pm

    😆

    Good one, nk.

    norcal (070ad3)

  483. Speaking of how old Walz looks, I am also 60. If I looked that old I just might stop chasing the ladies.

    I’m 70 and look better than that. I’d chase the ladies but it upsets my wife.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  484. That’s the problem. She missed a chance to have a “Sister Souljah” moment

    No, she had it. It’s just that the Center is “Sistah Souljah” here.

    Kevin M (a9545f)

  485. Well, to be fair, J. “the D is for Disadvantaged” Vance, spent 7 years in the Marine Corps in the Public Affairs Section, attained the rank of corporal, and was discharged as an E-4.

    Walz spent 24 years in the Army National Guard, was for a time a Command Sergeant Major and Senior Enlisted Soldier of his battalion, and retired as an E-8 (Master Sergeant).

    24 divided by 7 is 3.42. If J. “the D is for Disadvantaged” Vance had spent the same time as Walz in the service, he would have easily attained the grade of E-13 (Super-Duper Sergeant). Maybe even E-14 (Super-Duper Extra-Super Sergeant).

    That’s how they do things in Cincinnati.

    nk (897c76)

  486. I’m 70 and look better than that. I’d chase the ladies but it upsets my wife.

    Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/7/2024 @ 5:27 pm

    😂

    Your humor always catches me by surprise. I expect it from nk, but you don’t unleash your comedic talents as often.

    norcal (070ad3)

  487. Makes one wonder how J. “the D is for Disadvantaged” Vance got into Yale Law School. I have a mental image of a 200-pound woman claiming to be his mother driving him there in an El Camino, and hanging around the Admissions Office in cut-off jeans and a halter top showing everybody her tattoos. I saw a King Of The Hill kind of like that once.

    nk (6c45b4)

  488. King Of The Hill *episode*

    nk (897c76)

  489. Funny! You are the de facto site jester, Mr. nk.

    norcal (070ad3)

  490. Reality doesn’t stoke the fires of hate, so just make it up.

    They know the government is prohibited by law from identifying the culprit and are taking advantage of that. That should tell you something about the drawbacks of gag rules. It doesn’t stop outsiders from making things up.

    If the government tells you something, they are lying to you. If they are telling you the truth, then in another universe it could have been true, so we’re just protesting the alternative reality.

    But it is still probably a half truth.

    The culprit was born in Britain, yes, but he is probably second generation. In fact, it almost always is someone who is second generation, not a recent immigrant and not a migrant, who does things like this.

    If this is supposed to the basis of taking action against a whole class of people, they must indulge in discrimination against some citizens or expel citizens or look far into the future when pondering immigration – 20 or 30 years into the future.

    But these people want to imply that the danger is immediate – that it’s migrants when it is second or third generation, radicalized probably by clerics – the Internet alone cannot do this.

    It’s ridiculous that they can’t prevent someone growing up in Britain (or, for that matter, in Austria) from turning out like this. Great Britain used to be able to control colonies.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)

  491. The quote is from Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/4/2024 @ 7:00 pm at #240.

    Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09)


Powered by WordPress.

Page loaded in: 0.2484 secs.