Planned Obsolescence

Plus: New York (the adult playground), almost to Mars, Elon Musk's sins, and more...

Education Secretary chosen: Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for heading up the Education Department: Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling executive who ran the Small Business Administration for a substantial portion of his first term. "We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort," says Trump, semi-acknowledging the tension between his vow to abolish the department and the fact that he just appointed its chief.

Currently, McMahon serves as chair of the America First Policy Institute, which is a think tank full of Trump-administration veterans who have been boning up on policy priorities in preparation for a second term in the White House. She and her husband, Vince, have been in charge of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for years, and the company—under its former name—was started by the McMahon family. McMahon served on the Connecticut State Board of Education for one year, starting in 2009, but otherwise has pretty much no education experience. Maybe that's not so bad, though: Her actual views appear to be pretty aligned with Trump's, who holds plenty of views on this issue that libertarians can get behind.

McMahon is pro–charter schools and a proponent of school choice. "We must require high standards and accountability for teachers and school administrators, and I support the current review of the teacher evaluation process that the State Board is undertaking," she wrote on her campaign website in 2010, when she was running for U.S. Senate to represent Connecticut. (She was defeated.) "Apprenticeship Programs are a pathway to successful careers," wrote McMahon on X yesterday, signaling a possible priority. "Switzerland provides a model the rest of the world can adapt. They employ Apprentices in 230 Occupations and most of their CEOs were Apprentices."

Trump has claimed he wants to abolish the whole department, which he would need not only congressional approval for but, more specifically, a supermajority of senators.

But we haven't always had it, and it's not implausible that we could do away with it in the future. It was only formed in 1979, and is mostly a source of an awful lot of bureaucracy (some 4,000 employees and an almost $240 billion budget, which is small by federal government standards) as well as legitimately bad policies, like the Title IX-related changes that made way for the erosion of due process rights for men accused of rape and sexual assault on campus, which were positively altered under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during Trump's first term. The Department purports to collect data on America's public schools, establish financial aid policies and administer those programs, and oversee programs related to disabled and ESL students, among other functions.

The "department has no constitutional business existing," writes Neal McCluskey in the latest issue of Reason. "But eliminating the programs it administers, many of which predate the department, is just as important." McMahon might be a welcome step in that direction, at least.

---

Scenes from New York: From Curbed: "Large, commercial leases going to 'adults wanting to play' are 'one of the hot commodities,' says Walter Marin, an architect who is working with developers bringing a series of adult obstacle courses to the city. And a city report, issued last week, boiled changes in retail spaces since 2020 down to 'less merchandise and more experiences': luxe gyms and pickleball, escape rooms and ping-pong courts. In Hell's Kitchen last month, 80 adults in buggy, plastic VR headsets wandered around a 7,000-square-foot former BMW showroom imagining themselves in ancient Giza scaling pyramids, crawling through tunnels, and rowing down the Nile."

Look, better this than being shut-ins, but I just want to clarify that I am never leaving Queens as I am a normal God-fearing patriot slash mom who doesn't need a pickleball VR escape room.

---

QUICK HITS

• Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, whom Donald Trump has tapped to serve as attorney general, was purportedly seen having sex with an underage girl at a party years ago, though the girl has testified that Gaetz did not know her age at the time. "A lawyer representing two women who testified that former Representative Matt Gaetz paid them for sex told multiple news outlets on Monday that one of the women described witnessing Mr. Gaetz having sex with an underage girl at a party in 2017," reports The New York Times. Gaetz has resigned from the House in preparation for serving as head of the Department of Justice, so Speaker Mike Johnson says the House Ethics Committee's report no longer need be released, as Gaetz is no longer in office. (Odd logic.)
• The New York Times has decided, for some reason, that Elon Musk is public enemy No. 1 and that there's no crime worse than economic development of shitty towns gentrification:

NYT on @elonmusk is so wild. His great crimes? Not enough "community outreach." And SpaceX driving housing costs up in Brownsville. And a few Bastrop residents are like "this was farmland oh no now it's not" (yeah, guess what, you're on the outskirts of *Austin* this was always… pic.twitter.com/V1QCigEWPB

— Liz Wolfe (@LizWolfeReason) November 20, 2024

• "President-elect Donald Trump's dramatic search for a Treasury secretary continues as he's scheduled to hold interviews Wednesday with former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh and Apollo Global Management Inc.'s Marc Rowan, according to people familiar with the matter," reports Bloomberg.

Rowan is a perfect choice for Treasury because he has not had a single thought unrelated to markets or Hamptons restaurants in decades and in that way he's like many of us. pic.twitter.com/NkP3P0DJwB

— Will Manidis (@WillManidis) November 20, 2024

• This is very cool:

It's insane how close we are to this. Once they master orbital refueling and ship landings, there's really no reason why they can't start taking shots at Mars. Low risk, cargo only, but still. Those are the two main obstacles left, and they're quite surmountable. https://t.co/mSDkFqrSUA

— Payton Alexander (@AlexanderPayton) November 20, 2024

• Bless the biohackers, for they shall inherit the Earth (or at least give the rest of us useful information about extending health span and lifespan):

A new study is out: things that make you age faster, and slower, according to 16 epigenetic age clocks.

???? pic.twitter.com/M6ngkOKjdS

— Bryan Johnson /dd (@bryan_johnson) November 19, 2024

• Please, for the love of God, stop hiring Gen Zs and just deliver mail on time:

On the route we all fam

— U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) November 19, 2024

Comments

[Chumby]

Boomerang

Ukraine: The U.S. Embassy in Kiev received specific information of a potential significant air attack on Nov 20. The Embassy will be closed and recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced."

Team Biden working hard to escalate things prior to the pants shitter leaving office. Interestingly, Trump had settled things in Afghanistan before being runner-up in the cleanest election ever, but Biden managed to fuck that up beyond levels of comprehension. Obama had previously quipped to not underestimate Biden’s ability to fuck things up.

Spanish, Greek, and Italian embassies now also closed.

[Commenter_XY]

Elections have consequences -- Barrack Hussein Obama

We are STILL paying the consequences for electing Brain Damaged Biden in 2020.

[mad.casual]

We are STILL paying the consequences for electing Brain Damaged Biden a reluctantly and strategically weakened imperial executive in 2020.

You'd almost think Chase Oliver was a Progressive plant to the same ends.

[Chumby]

They both are plants: one is a vegetable and the other a fruit.

[Ajsloss]

+1

That one worked out so perfectly, I suspect you might be socking to set up your own jokes.

[mad.casual]

I couldn't be Chumby's sock. I'm not clever enough to be setting up my own jokes like that.

[Chumby]

Mad and I are conjoined twins. We are married to conjoined sisters. It gets a little crazy when the wives want lovemaking from behind. My wife now longs for that. His says she feels shortchanged during those moments.

[Eeyore]

You get could a lot of viewers on onlyfans with some conjoined on conjoined action.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Rule 34 never fails.

[A Thinking Mind]

Chase Oliver feels more like a Republican plant to sabotage the LP and get them voting Trump.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Correction: we are still paying the consequences for electing Obama in 2008 and 2012.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Beat me to it.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

I was going to add 2000 and 2004, but the alternative would have been worse. On the other hand, his second term VP might have blocked Obama.

[The Margrave of Azilia]

The True Libertarian Answer is that we're all paying the price for getting rid of the Articles of Confederation in favor of the Constitution.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

"Obama had previously quipped to not underestimate Biden’s ability to fuck things up."

Especially when a Biden consciously wants to fuck things up. Right. Kamala?

[R Mac]

The comments today are filled with many examples of Lying Jeffy, sarc, and Mike Liarson making up things happening in the future to win arguments against things actually happening right now.

Not meant as a response, just want this near the top of the comments so people will know to look for all the examples.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Just like with race hoaxes, if conservatives won't follow the scripted dem narratives of their enemies, they will invent those scenarios to attack.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Days after Biden authorized US missiles to be used inside russia and ukraine obliged.

Travel - State Dept

@TravelGov
Ukraine: The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv received specific information of a potential significant air attack on Nov 20. The Embassy will be closed and recommends U.S. citizens be prepared to immediately shelter in the event an air alert is announced. https://ow.ly/IbBT50UaBYV

[Chumby]

We have the same stories today. #Team libertarian

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Well someone has to post libertarian concerns here if reason won't.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Too local for a libertarian magazine. Also, too damaging to leakin' Joe.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Jeffsarcs open borders society.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/11/18/jews-gay-people-hide-identity-arab-areas-germany/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1731957959-1

Jews and gay people should hide their identity in parts of Berlin with large Arab populations, the German capital’s police chief has warned.

“There are areas of the city, we need to be perfectly honest here, where I would advise people who wear a kippah or are openly gay to be more careful,” said Barbara Slowik.

“There are certain neighbourhoods where the majority of people of Arab origin live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups,” she said, adding that they were often “openly hostile towards Jews”.

[Idaho-Bob]

Odds on how long Ms. Slowik stays employed?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

You've seen the EU elections the last few years. Even when they get far less votes the left stays in power.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

What is the alternative? Let me guess, don't let Arabs into the country? Maybe, kick out the gays too?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

We know Jeff. Even when they rape minors we should ignore it, they said sorry after all and the victim could have been drunk.

All western societies should be forced to integrate themselves into the cultures of the immigrants, not vice versa. Weird. This is the Marxist world view.

Sure the Muslims are openly violating through NAP, but that is only a restriction on western society in your view.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Do you think immigrants should be forced to integrate themselves into the cultures of their new host nations? If so, how do you imagine this should take place?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

If you want to live in the West, become Western.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

And if an immigrant chooses not to "become Western" but otherwise does not violate anyone's rights? Then what?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

If you leave others alone, but a good number of these don’t want to leave others be. See Europe for more. If they want to be antagonistic, they need to go.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

What does "antagonistic" mean to you?

Are the Haitians in Springfield being "antagonistic"?

[Medulla Oblongata]

No, they're leaving.

[Marshal]

Note how Jeffey tries to walk away from the subject. What he took issue with was Jews and gays being in danger of physical attack. Now he substitutes random people in other places.

What a slime.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Note how Marshal twists the discussion into a personal attack on me. What a coward.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

He’s taking note of how you tried to change the focus once you were losing. It’s a slimeball move that you did, Jeffy, but it seems to be par for your course.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"Now he substitutes random people in other places.
What a slime."

Reworking the argument to something else and then arguing against that is a classic Lying Jeffy trick.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Losing what? We were having a conversation.

But that is why Marshal intruded into this conversation. He is trying to derail the conversation because he must always bring the discussion back to how he thinks I'm a terrible person. It doesn't matter what my arguments actually are, he just projects onto me whatever he wishes and then condemns me. He's a troll and a provocateur nothing more.

[Marshal]

chemjeff radical individualist 22 minutes ago
Flag Comment
Mute User

Note how Marshal twists the discussion into a personal attack on me. What a coward.

It's very strange Jeffey continues to pretend pointing out how he trolls the board is a "personal attack" much less "cowardly". It's like he doesn't even care whether the conclusion flows from the setup, he just latches onto whatever insult he thinks will work.

It's juvenile really.

[Marshal]

I’m a terrible person.

That part is true. Someone who protects people who attack women, gays, and jews by dragging the conversation to Haitians in Springfield is a terrible person. No argument there.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Jeff, it seems to me you lost the right to bitch about personal attacks when you described others as garbage people in the very same thread?

Make sense or no?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Jeffy will continue to bitch about it regardless as he’s a hypocrite.

[R Mac]

If you weren’t such a dishonest piece of shit nobody would attack you, Lying Jeffy.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"It’s very strange Jeffey continues to pretend pointing out how he trolls the board is a “personal attack” much less “cowardly”."

Jeffy really is garbage.

[Jerry B.]

The people causing the Berlin police to advise folks to not look Jewish or Gay in areas with large Arabic populations due to safety concerns would seem to be antagonistic.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Nuh-uh! That is equity, specifically anti-antagonism. Learn to intersectional!

[Mickey Rat]

If it is recommended to hide one’s identity lest one be attacked by members of an immigrant group determined to not become Western, then members of that immigrant group are violating people’s rights. Now what?

[Super Scary]

"become Western."

But it's so hard to find a good farrier and saddlery nowadays.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Plus English looks more gay, which I hear is Libertarian.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Does Sarc know?

[Super Scary]

I recall a time when people would describe someone as “European” in the same manner as calling someone “light in the loafers” or a “confirmed bachelor.”

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

They at least should be stopped from launching pogroms, no?

[damikesc]

Yes. Our culture is better than theirs.

If it were not, they would not come here.

We should do to their customs what the Charles Napier did to Indian custom.

"“Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs."

Stop pretending western culture is not intrinsically better than others. Western culture is the only one that ended slavery. Also forced OTHERS to end slavery.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

In some ways Western culture is better, in other ways it is worse.

Could you describe for us how you want this integration to be forced?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Oh yes, let’s play the stupid postmodern they’re all equally good and bad game.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

I didn't say they are all equally good or bad. Why can't you try to evaluate a complex concept such as a culture in terms other than simplistic black/white, good/bad binary terms?

For example, the life span of Japanese is on average higher than other Western nations. I would say that is a mark of superiority of Japanese culture over other cultures, wouldn't you say? By contrast, Japanese society tends to be vey insular and closed. I would say that is a deficiency. So they are better in some ways, worse in others. It doesn't mean that everyone is equal.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

You say: In some ways Western culture is better, in other ways it is worse.

Then you pick Japan, of all places (westernized after WW2) to make your bullshit comparison, of non-essentials. Never change, Jeff, never change.

[R Mac]

Lying Jeffy wants to talk about Japan now. Slimy indeed.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

For example, the life span of Japanese is on average higher than other Western nations. I would say that is a mark of superiority of Japanese culture over other cultures

What they eat makes for a superior culture. That tracks with his bullshit list of leftist culture markers from last week. Unfortunately, it has zero relevance to anything being discussed.

Dissemble, deflect, distract.

[Nobartium]

That's easy: deny all services to people that can't support themselves, don't speak English, and wave the flags of their home countries.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Do you think English should be the official language?

[damikesc]

100% yes. Why waste the money printing crap in 87+ language?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Be honest here: it's not really about the money, is it?

I am personally fine with the government having to cater to us, instead of the other way around.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Isn't it?

[EscherEnigma]

Literally no.

English is the de facto language of the United States, but we do not have an official language.

[Nobartium]

Without contest or reservation, yes.

[damikesc]

"In some ways Western culture is better, in other ways it is worse."

In literally every possible way. It is not worse in any conceivable way.

[Medulla Oblongata]

No more than people should be forced to take the COVID jab. Wanna work here? Get the jab. Wanna live here, Westernize.

[Marshal]

I think people who attack gays and rape women should go to jail even if they are immigrants It's odd you argue otherwise.

[damikesc]

You cannot expect darker skinned folks to act like humans, can you? Jeff doesn't.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

This is yet one more example of you projecting a strawman caricature onto me. I am in favor of punishing anyone who violates rights, immigrant or not, according to due process and fair standards of justice.

Do you agree with this?

[Marshal]

I am in favor of punishing anyone who violates rights, immigrant or not, according to due process and fair standards of justice.

If this were true you wouldn't be arguing that this punishment is inappropriate force.

Could you describe for us how you want this integration to be forced?

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

Integration doesn’t need to be forced. It will occur naturally if resistance to it is not encouraged and/or subsidized. Ask any 3rd generation German, Italian, Irish, Japanese, hell, even Mexican family if they feel their culture is integrated within the US.

At the point when Jeffy asks a question, you can be assured he is already planning his move from the motte to the bailey. That is how they train Marxists to think. Fallaciously. Never an honest argument.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

I'm not arguing that it is inappropriate force if the punishment is about violation of rights.

I don't agree that a lack of integration, which is not accompanied by a violation of rights, should be forced.

[MT-Man]

That's obtuse, what's your thoughts on how to approach.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Sure the Muslims are openly violating through NAP

In this case, how are "the Muslims" openly violating the NAP?

[Stupid Government Tricks]

You think masturbating on a rape victim does not violate the NAP?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

As I stated. Jeff sees the NAP as a tool to only restrict western society, nothing more.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

You ignore the NAP when it suits you. Such as, demanding that social media company host speech that they don't want to host. That is a violation of the NAP against the property owners but you don't care.

YOU see the NAP as a tool to advance your interests and you ignore it conveniently when it gets in your way.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

No. When a company violates their terms of service, I want their victims to be able to hold them accountable without taking years and million of dollars.

I've said this often enough. You refuse to acknowledge it's even a problem.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Well the property owners are entitled to due process as well. It would be nice for all legal disputes to be resolved instantaneously, but that is asking too much.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

No it isn't. The question is simple: did they delete a comment or account in violation of their own terms of service? Convene 12 adults, show the terms of service, and hear their explanation of why they deleted the comment or account?

If they need discovery, then the terms of service are too damned complicated to be understood and they lose.

If they need weeks and months to discuss and gin up reasons, then they did not have reasons when the deleted the comment or account.

There is zero need to drag this out. The actual clerk on vacation? Great, where's the clerk's log explaining the deletion? Lawyers on vacation? You don't need lawyers, you only need 12 jurors and a few minutes of talking by the two parties.

Stop trusting lawyers. Their only interest is lots and lots of billable hours. This does not require financial records going back years, it does not require fingerprint and DNA experts and trails of clues and suspects to weed out.

[R Mac]

Look how easy Lying Jeffy lies.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Umm, no. I think that would violate the NAP since it was non-consensual.

Despite what the usual suspects claimed about me, I never said that masturbating on a rape victim should not be punished at all. I said that perhaps it is a different level of crime than the actual penetration that occurs during rape.

Everyone else doesn't care, obviously, and as long as they are all associated with the crime in some way and they are all foreigners, they should all receive the same punishment. That is their standard. It is not a fair standard of justice.

[Medulla Oblongata]

If a gang of white male citizens all gang raped a 15-year old girl, even if she was drunk, the one guy who 'only' jacked off on her gets a rape charge, too, as far as I'm concerned. If three citizens rob a liquor store and one of them shoots the storekeeper, all three of them face felony murder charges, doesn't matter who pulled the trigger.

Stop pretending like we said only immigrants should be punished. In that case, however, the immigrant status was used as an EXCUSE why they should not be punished.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

And I disagree with these 'felony murder' rules in general. Because it attempts to blame others who did not commit the crime in question. I do not think that is a fair standard of justice. Nor do I think it is a fair standard of justice to blame everyone who was merely associated with a rape even if not all of them had the same degree of culpability.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Where do you draw the line? If A hands a loaded gun to B who shoots C, is A not responsible?

If A holds down B so C can rape her, is A not culpable?

If a bunch of men surround a woman and some of them rape her, are the others, who just stood around and scared the bejazus out of her, who prevented her from leaving, who did not help her fight off the actual rapist, who had their dick out and looked for all the world like they were getting warmed up to be next in line -- should they not be as culpable as the actual penetrating rapist?

You have a sick world view.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

In your scenarios, A and B and C are all guilty of *some* crime, just not all equally guilty of the most severe crime.

should they not be as culpable as the actual penetrating rapist?

No, because *they didn't actually rape her*. Are they guilty of something? Probably. Are they guilty of rape? In my opinion, no.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Then you're malevolent scum. There is no difference between all those criminals.

Criminals acting together as gangs deserve collective punishment because they acted collectively.

Do you remember those 3 or 4 cops who kicked a homeless man to death, and all refused to say who had delivered the fatal kick? They all were guilty of murder. They acted collectively, they covered up for each other collectively, they deserve to be held accountable collectively.

[R Mac]

Damn. That’s really fucked up Lying Jeffy.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Is this where I point out jeffs stance on prosecution of not just Trump but also non violent protestors who never even entered the capital on J6?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

See, I am judging the individuals based on what each one did. I'm not casting moral judgment, that is not the role of the criminal justice system. If you want to argue that they are all morally culpable, perhaps even equally morally culpable, I think there is a reasonable argument to be made here. But the criminal justice system cannot peer into men's souls and determine the moral worth of an individual, and it shouldn't try. It should only judge people based on actions and evidence provable in a court of law.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Jimmy, John, and Joey are all arrested for the robbery/murder...it is provable they were all there together in the robbery and during the robbery one of them shot and killed the shopkeeper.

Jimmy says they all robbed the place together and Joey pulled the trigger

Joey says they did all rob the place together and Johnny pulled the trigger.

Johnny says they did all rob the place together and Jimmy pulled the trigger.

We're supposed to let them all off the hook for murder because we can't prove which one of them actually pulled the trigger? Their conspiracy to create reasonable doubt should not get rewarded.

I see no reason not to charge them all with the murder, and that's one reason we have felony murder charges in the first place.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

We’re supposed to let them all off the hook for murder because we can’t prove which one of them actually pulled the trigger?

If the prosecution cannot prove that a specific individual murdered the poor shopkeeper, then no one should go to jail for the most severe version of the law against murder which requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt that a specific individual committed the crime. That's right. If the prosecution can't prove that Jimmy murdered the shopkeeper, then Jimmy shouldn't go to jail for that specific crime for the same reason that neither you nor I should go to jail for that specific crime. It probably means, however, that Jimmy, Joey and Johnny all go to jail for a lesser crime, perhaps second degree murder or something else. The criminal justice system SHOULD be stacked in favor of the defense because the punishment is deprivation of liberty and that shouldn't be taken lightly.

A "conspiracy to create reasonable doubt" is otherwise known as reasonable doubt. It's the prosecution's job to prove guilt, it's not the defendant's obligation to do the prosecution's job for them.

[Medulla Oblongata]

It's conspiracy to commit perjury. Jimmy, Johny, and Joey all know who pulled the trigger. At least two of them are lying, possibly all three.

I can concede one tiny point, in that I'd prefer not to execute someone who didn't actually pull the trigger and would personally not have felony murder be a capital offense. I'd give all 3 of the J's here life without parole for the felony murder if we can't prove which of them did the actual murder. But would gladly support the death penalty for 1st degree felony murder if we could prove which of the evil scum actually pulled the trigger, with life WOP for the other 2.

[Medulla Oblongata]

Didn't go past the paywall, so it's not clear to me what "openly hostile" involves. Is that in-your-face harassment, perhaps constituting assault? "Assault is often defined as any intentional act that causes another person to fear an attack or imminent physical harm. This definition recognizes that placing another person in fear of bodily harm is itself an act deserving of punishment, even if the victim of the assault is not physically harmed." [www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia]

Or is "openly hostile" actual battery, pushing, shoving, and the like? Or aggravated assault and battery, with punching and worse?

If "openly hostile" is simply diving distaining looks from across the street, then I'd say no NAP violations take place, but that hardly sounds like what "openly hostile" entails.

[Medulla Oblongata]

They might have only jacked off.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

What if they felt bad about it after?

[Commenter_XY]

Nah, just beat the shit out of the arabs, and ship their ass back to the shithole they came from.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

In this instance, what did "the Arabs" do?

[sarcasmic]

They put towels on their heads and worship the wrong god.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Oh yes. It isn't them beating up jews and gays. It is the god thing.

You're such a retarded piece of shit lol.

[Zeb]

How about limiting it to the Arabs who attack Jews and gays?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

The GOP actually tried to pass a bill to start deportation for asylum claimees and illegal immigrants convicted of a crime. Jeff came out against that bill.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Umm, no I didn't. This is more of your nonsense.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Cite?

[Commenter_XY]

breathe.

[Idaho-Bob]

The alternative is punishing ANYONE who violates the rights of citizens. You know, the only legitimate function of government.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

How about:
punishing anyone who violates the rights of any person, via due process and fair standards of justice.

Sound good to you?

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Yes. Why do you oppose it?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

I don't oppose it.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Oh. Well, if it's that simple, you win the Internet and can go home now.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Or, preferably, fuck off and die.

[Idaho-Bob]

No. If I, as a citizen, can't safely walk into a "neighborhood" because I'm gay or Jewish, and the fanatical imports want to kill me, the "due process and fair standards" have already failed the citizenry.

[Jerry B.]

This.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

So 'due process' should be rigged in favor of citizens?

[damikesc]

100% yes. The citizens are the ones footing the bill for the "due process". Why should they be de facto banned from parts of THEIR country because some murderous lunatics don't like them?

What kind of sick shit do you buy into?

Hey --- I bet they would not like Chase Oliver, EITHER. That should really set you off.

[Chumby]

To be fair, 99.6% of the voters didn’t really like him either.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Goddamn, you are really fucking retarded.

[R Mac]

Such a disingenuous cunt.

[Idaho-Bob]

damikesc answered perfectly.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

The alternative to "letting" Arabs into the country is (1) not using welfare and other enticements to recruit Arabs immigrants to a country they self-evidently hate, and (2) actually allowing immigrants who come of their own free will, informed, and wanting to live in the country as it is.

And where did you get "kick out the gays" from, when it is the gays who are being beat up by the Arabs you think are the victims?

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

And where did you get “kick out the gays” from, when it is the gays who are being beat up by the Arabs you think are the victims?

Sarcjeff never miss the opportunity to project their own hatred of gays onto the rest of us.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

It's always interesting to see which comments he responds to. One of these days I might want to waste time playing spaghetti-on-the-wall and keep track of actual responses and time.

[R Mac]

“And where did you get “kick out the gays” from, when it is the gays who are being beat up by the Arabs you think are the victims?”

Because Lying Jeffy is a lying psychopath.

[Nobartium]

Your terms are acceptable.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

You have turned into a complete fucktard. But what do you think? Is you want to run a free and open society, do you worry at all about immigrants who are openly anti-freedom?

[A Thinking Mind]

How about simply upholding the laws and requiring anyone resident to not be a violent bigot? Maybe encourage cultural assimilation instead of just letting them continue to be an exclave following their own laws inside your own cities?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

So, this article is weird. It is behind a paywall and I would be surprised if Jesse subscribes to this newspaper.

Looking at the URL I guess it comes from "Echobox". I don't know much about this. How does it work?

[Medulla Oblongata]

The German paper's article is recapped in several other places.

https://www.newsweek.com/jewish-berlin-germany-antisemitism-lgbtq-arab-1988228

https://nypost.com/2024/11/19/world-news/berlins-top-cop-issues-chilling-warning-to-jews-openly-gay-people-to-watch-their-backs-in-arab-majority-neighborhoods/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14098937/Berlin-not-safe-openly-gay-people-Jews-police-says.html

"From the perspective of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, the Police President openly addresses the issues that exist in some city neighborhoods," Richter said.

"The Berlin Senate and the Berlin Police are taking decisive action against antisemitism, terrorist propaganda, hostility towards Israel and homophobia —and will continue to do so."

Slowik said she did not want to defame a particular group "as perpetrators," but she did recognize that there are "certain neighborhoods."

"There are, unfortunately, neighborhoods in Berlin with a majority of residents from Arab backgrounds where there is open sympathy for terrorist organizations and very blatant antisemitism," Slowik said.

In Germany, a group of Jewish schoolchildren was attacked by a pro-Palestinian group with knives and sticks last week. The 13- to 16-year-old Jewish youth soccer team member were "hunted down" by Arab children after a game in the Neukölln neighborhood, which is known for its large Arab and Turkish population. Witnesses reported that the attackers had shouted "Free Palestine" along with antisemitic slurs.

Earlier this month, a fan of the Makkabi Berlin sports club soccer team was hospitalized after being punched in the face by a man who asked if he was Jewish.

"This understandably increases the fear within the community of becoming a target of an attack," Slowik said. "That fear and concern remain, I can understand."

Since the 2023 attack, Berlin police have initiated more than 6,200 investigations related to antisemitism, according to the daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. A majority of the investigations include hate postings, damaged property and propaganda. Antisemitic incidents have risen by 50 percent compared to 2022.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Lying Jeffy really just throws everything he can against the wall in the hopes something sticks.

[R Mac]

Calls the article weird, then says he couldn’t read it. That’s something a psychopath does.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

I’ve come to the conclusion (as I guess others have) that Lying Jeffy is a full blown psychopath with Sarc as a sociopathic simp. White Mike might be one as well.

[Chumby]

One is a hippocrite and the other a sarcophant.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

For being a science guy, he doesn't seem to understand how the internet works, translation tools exist, pay walls can be bypassed.

Then again he thinks 2+2 can equal 5.

[Chumby]

For being a self-described science guy.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Just curious. Are there areas in Gaza where Jews and gays also have to be careful?

[Chumby]

Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Zelensky rules out election again

Ukraine’s constitution doesn’t allow presidential elections while the country is at war, Vladimir Zelensky has stated.

- Kiev, Ukraine

It allows the midget dictator to not hold elections which the midget dictator has cancelled again. A few more cycles of this and they may not have enough voters to hold an election.

[Commenter_XY]

The midget dictator who just bought himself a multi-million dollar villa in Egypt. Where the fuck did all that money come from?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

The US.

[Its_Not_Inevitable]

Our wallets.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Royalties on all the little Ukraine flags on social media?

[Super Scary]

Nah, it's from royalties from the music video he was in.

[Chumby]

Berlin police warn gays and Jews about Arabs

The police chief of Berlin, Barbara Slowik, has advised Jewish and LGBTQ individuals to exercise caution when visiting certain neighborhoods.

- Deutschland

When melting pots turn into powder kegs. Thankfully for the US, long-term visitors are vetted and go through a cultural transformation to ensure a harmonious societal integration.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Weird. That is twice now that both you and Jesse post the same stories. Do you both get the same set of talking points in the morning?

[Idaho-Bob]

Okay, jeffsarc.

[Chumby]

Putin has allowed Jesse to join the FSB (nee KGB) foreign service. He now is provided the state approved news too.

Yuri: Bear steal honey from beehive.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

It is odd, isn't it? For as much as you all like to accuse me or others of reciting talking points, it sure seems like the right-wing commenters around here all follow the same narratives and get their 'news' from the same places.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Whatever, fifty center.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

He really is a paid shill. Nobody else would post ActBlue talking points and defend a lot of the truly horrible shit the DNC is doing without some sort of financial incentive. It's amusing that his only defence is "No! U R the paid shill" when you point it out.

[Chumby]

Synergistic libertarian moment. Interestingly, I noted that above 13 minutes prior to you.

I could explain it further, but I am busy arranging Jesse’s tour of St Basil’s and Lenin’s tomb.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

I hear Moscow is quite picturesque in the winter.

[Chumby]

Moscow is always beautiful. The streets are so clean. The architecture. History. It has mostly avoided the unipolar homogenization. Many capital cities are like this though not as clean.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

I was amazed by their subways.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

I thought we weren’t allowed to talk about the motherland here. I heard that Sarc and Buttplug are on to us.

[Super Scary]

It's my understanding that they have bread in their grocery stores. Pretty cool stuff.

[Chumby]

The McDonalds are still open too but under a different name (roughly, “Tasty, That’s It”).

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Lol.

[damikesc]

How dare somebody mention that mass immigration might have some negative impacts!!!

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

One of the funniest 3 minutes on the view ever. Sonny Hostin claims as fact the allegations dems have been pushing against Gaetz. 3 minutes later is forced to read a legal statement about her claims.

https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1859055717602238895

[shadydave]

With what they did to Alex Jones and Donald Trump as a precedent, the brakes are completely off when it comes to defamation suits. I don't want to hear complaints when Republicans go tit for tat on this.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Mutually assured destruction is the only way to stop one side abuse of government.

The Alex Jones decision is still one of the most ridiculous and unconstitutional results ever.

1.5B despite no measured harm.

A judge threatening contempt for not turning over documents nobody proved ever existed.

Was just ridiculous. Yet some people calling themselves libertarian support it.

[mad.casual]

1.5B despite no measured harm.

Uh, you saw the epilogue, right?

Infowars.com was sold, low bid, by the appointee to an amalgamation of The Onion and the very people Jones alleged were profiting, fiscally and socially/politically, off the death of their own children. It’s the Fukushima of anti-free speech political prosecutions and nary a peep from Reason or the more mainstream media. Almost like they somehow know that an insane 1-2 catastrophe of that magnitude would never hit them.

Again, if no one ever listened to Alex Jones in the first place and he died a crusty, bearded kook in a cabin in the woods of Montana I, and I don't think anyone, would've batted an eye at the news of his eventual demise. The fact that they sued him for $1.5B and tore his media company apart should be the sort of "death knell for free speech" articles that we get about nobodies like Garrett Foster, Jordan Neely, Priscilla Villarreal, and Jacob Blake.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

They are also asking a judge to force all FUTURE earnings by Jones to be taken.

[A Thinking Mind]

Yeah, but have you considered that Alex Jones is kind of icky? What message would it send if libertarians were up in arms about the property rights of icky people?

[damikesc]

If only Alex Jones advertised hookers --- THEN Reason would care.

[sarcasmic]

Could have just said it's ok because Democrats did it first.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Autistic.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

He’s definitely lost a number of brain cells to heavy drinking.

[VinniUSMC (Banana Republic Day 5/30/24)]

He's not autistic, and autism isn't a slur.

He's just straight up stupid.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Particularly because his little troll doesn't really make sense in this instance. Nobody has ever done what the Democrats and their pet judge just did to Jones.
Like with Trump and everything else in the past eight years what the Democrats are doing here is completely unprecedented.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Tit for tat? Like gawker?

[Commenter_XY]

Hostin might not slide with that one. Clearly false and defamatory.

MTG had an interesting observation. I think it might give some members pause. MTG says, publish it all.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Yeah. Her saying to release all the ethics reports for Congressional funded NDAs was great.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Normally, I see her as nuttier than a peanut butter factory, but she's absolutely right here. If one Congressman gets to have all of his ethics investigations and dirty laundry released, then EVERYONE should have theirs opened up, too.

She may be bluffing, but let's get real, a lot of these assholes have incredibly compromising information on them that would probably force multiple resignations. Her going ham here is needed because in no other instance would a President who got voted into office with across-the-board wins like this be slow-walked by his own party on Cabinet nominees.

[Commenter_XY]

She had a great way to put it....we should all dance in the sunlight.

If the Ethics Committee leaks the report, I predict further 'leakage' on other members after January 20th.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio
@jasonrantz
NEW: In a puzzling and offensive exchange, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge likened a female-only spa policy to a “whites only” policy. Wash. State is trying to force a nude spa for women to admit transgender woman (biological men).
Video

https://x.com/jasonrantz/status/1858875523944116392

[Chumby]

The existing members will be shocked when urinals are installed for the new members.

[mad.casual]

"Hey baby, how about a little miscegenation in your whites-only, ladies-only spa?"

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Speaking of members...

[Don't look at me!]

What a dick move.

[Nobartium]

Integration being a mistake now spreads to sex.

[damikesc]

Funny thing is --- the people who changed the rules to allow dudes in women's rooms were NOT engaging in a culture war. The people who are working to reverse it --- WE are engaging in a culture war.

Sounds like a lovely racket.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

"It's just a dumb culture war issue!" is always an attempt by the left to get the right to disengage from the left's efforts to control that institution.

It becomes a culture war when the right resists the left's cultural revolution.

[damikesc]

Basically. I don't get why women support Democrats when the party barely recognizes that they ACTUALLY exist.

[mad.casual]

The IDF has it easy. If you tried to engineer a genocide such that one side couldn't possibly avoid at least seemingly having perpetrated it, it would look like the trans movement.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

LOL, and right on fucking cue from Daily Fail:

'Here's the deal, biological men shouldn't be in women's private spaces. Period,' she said.
Mace's resolution comes after Republicans including President-elect Trump put attacks on transgender Americans front and center in their messaging leading up to the 2024 election.
McBride slammed the South Carolina congresswoman's measure Monday night with a post on X.
'Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness,' she wrote.
She called the resolution a 'blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.'
'We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars,' she wrote.

McBride, incidentally, is a ward of the Bidens. Before he trooned out in 2014, he was a stereotypical "Sean from Will and Grace" gay guy. Beau Biden called him "one of the family," which is probably why Joe leaned so hard into putting in a fat walrus like Richard Levine into HHS and luggage-stealing freakshow Sam Brinton as a nuclear bureaucrat.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Oversight Project

@OversightPR
PAPER SHREDDING TRUCK AT DOJ

We have maintained a physical investigative presence by the
@TheJusticeDept
, which also is more convenient for cooperating sources.

Today a paper shredding truck arrived.

https://x.com/OversightPR/status/1858939565194535293

[Gaear Grimsrud]

But they never found the 13 inch binder.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

You know who else has a 13 inch binder?

[Chumby]

Mitt Romney? He has binders full of women.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Sauron?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Napoleon Dynamite?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

"We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort," says Trump, semi-acknowledging the tension between his vow to abolish the department and the fact that he just appointed its chief.

Federalism is so scary. This is why sarc was saying Trump isn't a conservative, despite most conservatives supporting federalism.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Her actual views appear to be pretty aligned with Trump's, who holds plenty of views on this issue that libertarians can get behind.

Shots fired at jeffsarc.

[sarcasmic]

You still don’t understand the difference between a conservative acting on conservative principles, and an opportunist doing something conservative because it’s politically popular at that particular moment in time.

I think it would be great if he can send education back to the states, and will give him credit if he can pull it off. I give credit based upon what a politician does, as opposed to you basing judgement solely on what team they're on.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

If I wanted your understanding of conservative theory I’d read Jennifer Rubin or the Bulwark. Grifters and useless coordinated fake defense against the left.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"If I wanted your understanding of conservative theory I’d read Jennifer Rubin or the Bulwark."

Lol, that's one of the spiciest zingers I've heard in a while.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

He's not a conservative. He's not a libertarian either. He's made this plain many times. He has no fixed set of principles at all. He does whatever will win him praise from the mob. The fickle mob might today demand closing the Department of Education. But the fickle mob tomorrow might demand government-subsidized student loans. Then what will you do? Populism runs both ways you know.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

He’s a hell of a lot more libertarian than you, libertine.

[Marshal]

He has no fixed set of principles at all

So he's a jeffsarc then?

Sad.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

How the hell would an obvious and overt Nazi like you know what libertarianism is?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

The populist "both sides": one side wants nanny government with strict rules, endless material and emotional support, freakish social policies, and banishment of bad people; the other side wants less government and mostly to be left alone.

Yup, pretty much the same.

[Marshal]

The key to understanding the left is that they want extreme rules for compliant people while they want effectively no rules for those difficult to control. So productive people can't buy supersize soda (the medical costs take money away from their priority - hiring leftists), have half and ever increasing amounts of their income confiscated, and will be severely punished for severe thoughtcrimes like saying "colored" instead of "people of color".

But actual criminals will be ignored by government and if you stop them yourself you will be prosecuted.

The consistency here is that by being willing to abide by rules you make yourself exploitable. They can't force a criminal to be productive enough to create value. The cost of controlling them is more than they can produce. So they ignore the criminals to the extent they can. But not you. If you follow the rules you can be productive so they take just a little more, then just a little more, then just a little more. That's their priority.

[ducksalad]

Jan 11, 2016: Trump promises to slash Department of Education

https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-vows-to-slash-funding-for-education-epa-1452551107

Department of Education budgets during Trump:
2017: $164,631,586,814
2018: $167,515,576,136
2019: $163,022,855,339
2020: $161,003,001,817

Doesn’t look like slashing or elimination to me. Note that it went up went Republicans controlled Congress, and down slightly when we had divided government.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

But you have to understand how conservatives view numbers.

When crime goes up a little bit, that is called "skyrocketing".
When the Education Dept budget goes down a little bit, that is called "slashing".

[ducksalad]

Yeah. Note again that by their own definition, DoEd funding "skyrocketed" when Trump had both houses of Congress, and got "slashed" after he lost control in the November 2018 midterms.

Any silver lining that comes out Trump's 2nd term will be after the 2026 midterms. If we're lucky, gridlock with only consensus-minimum funding passed using resolutions. Which is still only a few percent decrease but it's something.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Why did you just give us phony budget figures, Mike?

[Chumby]

Mike gave bad info? Did he double down on it?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And how do liberals view numbers, besides racist?

[damikesc]

Given Congressional baseline budgeting, yes, that is a significant cut. Budgets for any department do not tend to go down.

You're aware all of the COVID spending --- part of the baseline now. It's going to be spent ad infinitum.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

And jeffy performs the reacharound for whitemikesalad...

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

As a TDS-addled steaming pile of shit, we can rely on you, asshole, to cherry-pick all the data you can find.
FOAD, shitpile.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Hey White Mike, he didn't promise that then, did he?

I'm saving this post to see what you and Lying Jeffy do when the Dept. of Education is ransacked and shuttered.

[ducksalad]

You're lying again on the first sentence.

Can’t speak for Jeff but I’ll applaud if it’s done correctly. Correctly means closing the department and reducing the total budget by the amount saved. If he redirects the funding into his favorite agencies that do MAGA shit, like DHS, then it’s a fail and worse than if he’d done nothing.

And you’ll lie about what was said today, if you’re still around.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"You’re lying again on the first sentence."

Actually, you're lying in your post. Did you pull all those figures out of your ass?

For example in 2018 the education budget was $68.2 billion, not $167.5 billion, and that was a decrease of $−9.2 billion or −14% over the previous year.

Sources:
https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/annual-performance-reports/budget/us-department-of-education-budget-history
https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/about/overview/budget/budget18/budget-factsheet.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_federal_budget#Department_and_program_changes

And in the 2019 budget another cut of $3.8 billion was proposed: https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/14385/Trump_2019_Budget_Proposes_3_8_Billion_Cut_to_ED

[ducksalad]

For other readers not asking in bad faith -I used this link.

https://www.ed.gov/about/ed-overview/annual-performance-reports/budget/us-department-of-education-budget-history

Open each spreadsheet and scroll down to the bottom line for actual total spending, not projected or partial budgets. Not playing the Democrat/MAGA/Mother'sLament game of grabbing some partial number and claiming that's the "budget".

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Steaming pile of shit will lose his job picking cherries and have to find real work.

[ducksalad]

Calm down. Remember what happened back in 2014.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Of fuck off, Mike, and go back to being a simp for ENB.

[Chumby]

2014 is now HO2 under the bridge.

[shadydave]

UK Communist decides it's time for the kulaks to get their comeuppance:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/17/farmers-have-hoarded-land-for-too-long-inheritance-tax-will-bring-new-life-to-rural-britain

Dear god.

[Ron]

they will tax them so that they will have to sell to corporate farms who can be controlled by the government or their land will be turned into rental housing by corporations either way everyone loses

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

The WEF approves (and probably came up with that plan).

[Marshal]

Why do leftists believe someone dying entitles leftists to their money?

[Moonrocks]

They don’t. They believe they are entitled to your money regardless, but they’re magnanimous enough to allow you to keep some of your money while still alive.

[Marshal]

Plus you're greedy for wanting to keep it, but they are not greedy for wanting to take it!

It must be nice to be a leftist. Moral certitude certainly is comforting even as you ruin society.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Yup, it's like being a shitty spoiled kid in a shitty spoiled clique who think the world owes them everything, but with no rational adults to say "no".

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

“UK Communist decides it’s time for the kulaks to get their comeuppance”

Literally the Communists and the Kulaks. Not even an analogy.

Just insane. This would make a good Reason article. What do you think the odds are it gets a mention outside a Brickbats or a Roundup?

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

Clarkson's Farm is a pretty good demonstration that the Brits don't give a fuck about farmers. This is perfectly equivalent to dekulakization. The fucking Stalinists never give up. They just get degrees in education and corrupt the rising generation.

Fun fact, graduates with a BA in Education have the highest average GPA across all majors. It is the easiest degree to obtain and the process screens nobody out.

[R Mac]

England is lost.

[Chumby]

That is what they get for driving on the incorrect side of the road.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And eating beans for breakfast.

[Eeyore]

Stealing the means of the production of food is the fastest way to genocide. Someone wants the British dead.

[Chumby]

Perhaps the IRA is behind this.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

"A lawyer representing two women who testified that former Representative Matt Gaetz paid them for sex told multiple news outlets on Monday that one of the women described witnessing Mr. Gaetz having sex with an underage girl at a party in 2017,"

Any interesting factoids about this Greenberg fella?

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Is he the guy in federal prison for lying about other people doing the same thing?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

And paying the 2 "witnesses" for their claims against Gaetz.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

And also doing that thing himself?

[Chumby]

One needs to visit yesterday’s JS article…the comments section.

[ducksalad]

Factoids about Greenberg?

Yeah, he's convicted sex criminal and close friend of Matt Gaetz. Even though Greenberg's behavior was obvious and blatant, Gaetz supported him, hung out with him, and partied with him.

Picture of Gaetz laughing it up with Greenberg:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/11/14/calls-mount-for-house-ethics-panel-to-release-gaetz-report/

Another one:
https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/state/2021/10/08/joel-greenberg-friend-matt-gaetz-continues-cooperation-feds/6028111001/

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Mike goes for the guilt by association angle.

Lol.

Doesn't give one shit the DoJ said there were no crimes after 3 years. Only dem narratives for Mike.

[ducksalad]

Lying again.

DoJ did not issue any such statement.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Idiot.

The Justice Department spent years probing sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, as well as allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges. Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing related to the allegations investigated during the congressional and Justice Department probes.

"The Justice Department received access to roughly every financial transaction Matt Gaetz ever undertook and came to the conclusion that he committed no crime," Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer said in response to ABC News' reporting. "These leaks are meant to undermine the mandate from the people to reform the Justice Department."

Or is ABC right wing news?
https://6abc.com/post/matt-gaetz-sent-10k-venmo-payments-2-women-testified-house-probe-records-suggest/15561721/

[chemjeff radical individualist]

It’s Alex Pfeiffer who is lying. The DOJ never said Matt Gaetz did not commit a crime. The DOJ said it would not bring charges. Not the same thing.

But do you all even realize the absurdity that is going on here? We are arguing about whether the nominee for AG did or did not commit a crime related to illegal drugs and underage sex parties. Don't you think this entire episode can be avoided by finding someone else?

[Stupid Government Tricks]

The DOJ has never said YOU have never committed a crime either.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

The DOJ has also not investigated me for crimes.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

But then again, they’ve never said you’ve never committed a crime either.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Lying Jeffy's really reaching now.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Lying Jeffy really reaches just to wipe his ass.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Who is more likely to have committed a crime?

A: someone investigated and no charges filed.

B. someone never investigated.

[ducksalad]

Very stupid remark. You are flopping badly today.

A, quite obviously. Investigations are started because there is reasonable suspicion. Of course reasonable suspicion does not mean guilty, but it means a higher likelihood.

However, only an idiot would believe that the >50% of people who are arrested by the local police and then have their cases dropped or diverted are more likely to be the upstanding citizens, while those never arrested are more likely to be the real criminals.

Backing up Jesse has broken your brain.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

You're pretty damned selective in what you read if you conclude Jesse and I agree on everything, or even most things.

[ducksalad]

If JesseAz hasn't claimed you are White Mike Laursen, then you're his wingman.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Mike. You have this bad tick of praising yourself as your socks. The other bad tick is thinking you're intelligent and trying to play rhetorical games.

[Zeb]

Of course Justice doesn't go around saying that particular people are definitely innocent. But it seems like a reasonable assumption that at least the Justice department determined that there was not sufficient evidence to charge him with anything. Otherwise they would have.

[Super Scary]

The whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing can be a real bitch sometimes.

[damikesc]

"It’s Alex Pfeiffer who is lying. The DOJ never said Matt Gaetz did not commit a crime. The DOJ said it would not bring charges. Not the same thing."

Given the whole "presumption of innocence" we allegedly have in this country, it means 100% that.

[R Mac]

Real libertarians like Lying Jeffy and Mike Liarson think their enemies are guilty until proven innocent.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Nope.
Duckshit is simply a lying TDS-addled asshole.

[ducksalad]

100% JesseAz classic. Lying and then changing the claim when called on it.

You said the DoJ said it. Alex Pfeiffer is not with the DoJ.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Duckshit is simply a lying TDS-addled asshole.
FOAD, shitstain.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Let me try again retard Mike.

The Justice Department spent years probing sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, as well as allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges.

Is your claim if they don’t say it publicly they never said it?

You’ve gone full retard Mike.

It is amazing watching you spiral back into your bad habits to defend your dem narratives Mike.

[ducksalad]

110% double Jesse. Lying about your previous lies,

You changed your original quote - "no crimes" to "no charges", which as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Richard Nixon know, is not at all the same thing.

Busted again, Jesse.

Same pattern as two weeks ago when you lied about Arizona voter registrations.

First you falsely claimed hundreds of thousands of non-citizens voting. When busted on that claim, you denied your own words and claimed they were non-citizens registering, But that was fasle too. In reality, the report was mostly about US citizens who had not got around to mailing in proof of citizenship, either because they forgot or didn't care.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

200%
Full.
Of.
Shit.
Asshole.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

So your new claim is the DoJ knows he committed a crime, but Garland chose not to proceed?

I asked you not to go full retard Mike.

Please. Prove his crime for us.

Then you add on more lies lol.

First you falsely claimed hundreds of thousands of non-citizens voting.

Lie.

claimed they were non-citizens registering,

They did register. Fontes, the guy you said was conservative, has admitted the batches included illegal immigrants. So again. You lie or are retarded.

In reality, the report was mostly about US citizens who had not got around to mailing in proof of citizenship,

Then you counter your own false claim by stating the word mostly here. Lol.

Fucking hilarious retard Mike maddow.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"Lying again."

You do so constantly. steaming pile of TDS-addled shit.
FOAD, asshole.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

the DoJ said there were no crimes after 3 years.

No, they said nothing about whether there was a crime that was committed or not.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

The DOJ also have said nothing about whether there was a crime that you committed or not.

[ducksalad]

Ineffective attempt at deflection by changing the claim.

JesseAz’s false claim was that the DoJ said that Gaetz had committed no crime.

JesseAz didn’t claim that the DoJ said nothing, so your gotcha is fail. JesseAz needs better wingmen than you and Sevo.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Perfectly valid comparison. Jeff needs a better wingman than you.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Do those wings reach around?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

He’d need the wingspan of an albatross to do so.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

turd is more reliable than duckshit.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

My quote literally says what DoJ said to Gaetz dumbfuck.

You get extra retarded when you try playing rhetorical games to defend your leftist narratives lol.

Who would know what they told Gaetz Mike?

Your attempts here are as pathetic as jeffs.

[Chumby]

They are flailing. It is almost as if there was a recent presidential election and Trump won.

[ducksalad]

LOL. Busted over and over again.

You know we can scroll up and see what you actually typed, right?

You claimed the DoJ said there were no crimes. You still haven’t produced any evidence at all that the DoJ said that. To Gaetz or anybody else.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Are you truly so stupid as to believe that someone has to be labeled as innocent to be not guilty of a stated crime, you slimy pile of TDS-addled shit?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Busted? All you’ve done is fail to rest and comprehend words Mike.

What a fucking retard you continue to be. Lol.

Everyone here sees it. But you think you can lie and misdirect despite the obvious failure in reading comprehension you show to rush and defend Democrat narratives.

You’re a failure Mike. A retarded failure lol.

To think YOUR claim requires there to be an evidence of a crime. And if there is the DoJ under Garland CHOSE to ignore it.

You're flailing Mike. Like the rest of the democrats here. Lol.

[Longtobefree]

https://thefederalist.com/2024/11/17/house-probe-into-matt-gaetz-relies-on-witnesses-doj-found-lacked-credibility/

[Chumby]

The Night Before Inauguration

Twas the night fore J20, when all through the House,

Not a Democrat stirring, not Pelosi’s spouse.

The cock rings were hung, by the him/she with care,

In hopes that St. Oliver, soon would be there.

The children were hiding, all scared from the peds,

With visions of jeffshrike, clean off their meds.

And Momma in her mumu, Harris Dude in a dress,
Had just rediscovered, weird Timpon’s a mess.

When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter,
An immigrant foodie, making kitty a platter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

To see in Ohio a quick dine and dash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Hunter then snorted and Harris did blow.

When what to my wondering eyes now appears,
The Orangeman bad? He’s back for four years.

With a strong young VP, so lively and quick,

Woke men had decided, to chop off their dick.

Less rapid than beagles these cuckolds ne’er came,

Living delusions, to hide from their shame.

Now Fascer, no Vancer, now Prancer, no BRICSen,
On Vomit, on Stupid, dishonor, and Schlitzen.

To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall,

Stay far from the roof, the slope might cause a fall.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drank through the night,

The Dems did it first and I won’t read your cite.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Nailed it

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

3rd verse is my favorite.

[Chumby]

A later reference to Ken and a callback to an epic Sandy post also included.

Tried to dovetail in current events/tropes.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

But no bears in trunks or ho2

[Chumby]

Those are older and I wanted to keep it contemporary to 2024, save for the friendly jab at Ken. They are still funny, just this was a “year in review” type thing.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

What about GMO turducken?

[Chumby]

Don’t think that was 2024 either.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

True, that may have been Thanksgiving 2023.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

https://reason.com/2023/07/26/judge-blocks-biden-administrations-strict-asylum-restrictions/?comments=true#comment-10170304

July 23

[Commenter_XY]

Inspired.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

LOL! Perfect!

[MK Ultra]

Top level. I look forward to the "12 Daze of Jeffsarcmas."

[Chumby]

You are looking at the notes. With that offering, I thought about doing it regarding Reason editors and dropping it on 25 Dec. My notes say “be nice and respectful” along the lines of the 1914 Christmas Truce. We will see if that work comes to fruition.

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

On the first day of reason as sarc gave to me
One fouuuurrrrty

[Don't look at me!]

On the second day of reason
Sarc just muted me

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Well done, sir.

[R Mac]

Nice

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! The View had to read a legal notice about the fake claims made against Matt Gaetz, or he would've sued them into oblivion
He's not even Attorney General yet, and they're already walking on eggshells.

[video clip]

I'm looking forward Media Matters making Lying Jeffy post disclaimers for the smears he's been pushing.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Dude, you were the one caught red-handed lying.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Pot, meet kettle.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

How did I lie, Lying Jeffy? What did I say when I saw my mistake? Did I immediately acknowledge it?

Or did I pull a Lying Jeffy and double down because the truth is irrelevant?

[Mike Parsons]

arent you the one who still to this day pushes the "CRT never happened in schools" schtick despite mountains of evidence to the contrary?

[Super Scary]

Should we advocate for an X style "community notes" feature?

[Commenter_XY]

@LizWolfe...Listen, you need to tell us to subscribe to Just Askin Questions at least 3X weekly. 🙂

Re: Matt Gaetz....I don't care all that much where Matt dipped his wick eight years ago. Sounds like a convicted felon tried to drag down a politco with a fake bullshit sex story.

A Biden run DOJ looked at this, and decided not to press charges. What does that tell you? The story is bullshit.

What we have here is an entrenched DC bureaucracy that is scared shitless at the prospect of 'Neutron Matt' RIF'ing a bunch of corrupt bureaucritters (which cannot happen fast enough).

The senior people at DOJ, FBI had better start getting lawyers. Think of all those discoverable emails and texts.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

They're not scared of Matt Gaetz. They're laughing at him. If he is confirmed (somehow), he is going to get steamrolled by the bureaucracy. He is a lightweight with no experience running an organization like this. He won't be taken seriously and he will be easily compromised by scandal.

Why are you all willing to die on the hill of Matt Gaetz? Because Trump picked him? It's not like Trump has a 100% success record in stellar picks. (Remember John Bolton?) Don't you think there are any other lawyers out there who aren't complete scandal magnets who might be better suited for the job?

[Commenter_XY]

chemjeff, the degree of pushback and the squealing of DC politicos tells me everything I need to know. I will simply tell you what I told others. You need to think in terms of goals.

What is the goal of Pres Trump wrt DOJ, FBI and FISA Courts? No need to guess, he told you.

https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1638237107310194717

We don't need Clarence Darrow running the DOJ and FBI, we need Neutron Matt.

[ducksalad]

No need to guess, he told you.

Even days: Believe what he says!
Odd days: Ignore what he says!

Gaetz won't reform anything. He'll fire, or maybe even indict, a few DoJ staff that Trump wants to get even with, under orders. Other than that he's nothing but a clueless pompadoured jackass.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Got a cite for that, White Mike?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Well. Confirmation of MSNBC narratives.

Mike and sarc have the same talking point.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Wouldn’t that mean, by Jeffy’s logic, that Mike is a sock of Sarc or vice versa?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Is jeffsarcmike capable of logic?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Read my handle here 😉

That’s the logic they have.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"...Even days: Believe what he says!
Odd days: Ignore what he says!..."

All days: Assume the TDS-addled steaming pile of shit is lying.
FOAD, asshole.

[Commenter_XY]

duck, if AG Gaetz does nothing but fire bureaucrats all day long by the hundreds, eat cheesy poofs, and comb his hair for 4 years....it is a good start.

He is certainly unpopular. He is brash. He is obnoxious. Some would even call him an asshole (gasp!). Others call him a Hammer of Justice. I call him Neutron Matt.

B/C that is all I want, just RIF a huge fucking number of DC-based bureaucrats. And if he can nail a few of the DOJ/FBI leadership cretins on contempt of Congress (or violation of rights under color of law) and send them to prison, so much the better.

[Marshal]

The best priority for the AGs office is cleansing itself of corruption.

The second best is launching an investigation into CRT driven violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits ethnic, racial, and gender discrimination in education and employment.

[ducksalad]

OK, there is a lot of rot at DoJ, the rot at the permanent staff level is Democratic leaning, and I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of them fired or laid off.

But if his re-staffing plan is to replace them with rot that leans MAGA, you're free to think that's better but I disagree.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Poor Mike.

You constantly defend the dem lawfare under Garland. Lol.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Maybe you don't need Clarence Darrow. But could you please describe for me Matt Gaetz's qualifications and experience in leading any bureaucracy of this size, so that you might have some assurance that he would actually accomplish the goals that have been laid out for him?

If this were a large corporation, do you think the CEO should hire an executive VP to lead a division of the corporation who had never demonstrated any sort of experience of that type?

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Here's a serious question x 2, and insult-free.

Why do you think it takes an experienced lawyer bureaucrat to get rid of the bloat and malfeasance? Is it not enough to recognize bloat and malfeasance, and write down names to fire?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

No, it is not enough. Because in any large organization, there are formal structures of power, and there are informal structures of power. The formal structures of power are things like organizational charts. The informal structures of power are, it sounds like, the things that you want the next AG to really fight against. How people use the system to get their way even if they don't have the formal authority to do so. If you want to get rid of this, then you have to know how it works. It's not as simple as just firing people. An experienced boss would have to make sure that the department's priorities still get achieved, that the fired people don't blow shit up (figuratively) on their way out the door, that the fired people don't use stalling tactics or use other weapons in the informal structures of power to try to sabotage the effort, etc. Moreover, an effective leader cannot lead by formal authority alone, he/she has to listen to subordinates and gain their trust, or at least they have to believe that the leader is worth listening to. If a leader tries to come in and say "I'm the boss and my word is final", then the boss will not get the best effort out of his/her subordinates, the boss will only get bare minimal compliance (if that). And in the case of a politicized organization, the boss might even get a mutiny.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Who would you name, that can do all this? Preferably someone who knows what paragraph breaks are.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

It's deliberate bafflegab to try and obscure the fact that he just gave a non-answer.

[Stupid Government Tricks]

Good grief. OK, here's your insult.

Any response that long and mind-numbingly convoluted is the answer of a bureaucrat. Bureaucrats always side with their fellow bureaucrats when threatened.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Jeffy loves to baffle and befuddle with bullshit. It’s a signal that he’s badly losing the arguments.

[Chumby]

You further broke jeff.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

An experienced boss would have to make sure that the department’s priorities still get achieved, that the fired people don’t blow shit up (figuratively) on their way out the door, that the fired people don’t use stalling tactics or use other weapons in the informal structures of power to try to sabotage the effort, etc.

Jeff, your Freudian slip is showing.

[Commenter_XY]

chemjeff, it isn't hard to be 'Neutron Matt'.

Qualification: Rep Gaetz can personally identify bureaucritters to RIF based on his own experience in dealing with aforementioned bureaucritters while in Congress.

DOJ and FBI bureaucrats are shitting their pants at the prospect of Neutron Matt. When they're done wiping, they should do their resumes.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

But could you please describe for me Matt Gaetz’s qualifications and experience in leading any bureaucracy of this size

When the fuck was running a Cabinet-size organization ever considered a qualification for a Cabinet position?

I'm seeing ex-military lefttards saying that they're just as qualified to run the DoD based on Hegseth's military experience. Ask them how many SecDefs actually had at least MAJCOM level command experience before taking the position, and their eyes glaze over.

[Commenter_XY]

Compared to Sam Brinton, a Biden appointee, Gaetz looks like a choirboy. 🙂

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

[Minadin]

I thought the idea was for it to be no longer a bureaucracy 'of this size', moving forward.

[R Mac]

Wow, Lying Jeffy just told on himself.

I wonder what he’ll say if someone brings up this post in the future?

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Charming. Recently elected Republican county commissioner sexually assaulted a woman during a drunken trip to Las Vegas.

The victim came forth as his own daughter.

https://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2024/11/19/jessups-daughter-steps-forward-as-the-woman-he-sexually-assaulted-in-las-vegas/

[sarcasmic]

Democrats did it first. That makes it ok.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Sarc did it first, or at least that's what the CPS said.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

sarcasmic 13 mins ago
Flag Comment Mute User
I had CPS called on me because I said sometimes dragged my kid’s feet off the bed to get her to get up. CPS said it was reported that I was “Laying hands on my child in a concerning way.”

[sarcasmic]

I would so love for you to say that to my face.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

He posted it for you above. Suck it, dudette.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Nobody is scared by your threats lol. Well maybe the daughter.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Okay Tiny Tim, being all big and tough 2,300 miles away.

And you know who my source was on that?

You.

Your drunken shitposting is the gift that keeps on giving.

[sarcasmic]

Big words from an internet coward who publicly accuses a father of sexually assaulting their daughter from the safety of a keyboard. I'd like to see you do that to someone's face. I can assure you that it would only happen once.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

They’re your own damn words, dipshit.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Where was the reference to a sexual assault? Are you admitting to something?

[R Mac]

Oopsie.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"who publicly accuses a father of sexually assaulting their daughter from the safety of a keyboard"

YOU DID IT TOO YOURSELF, YOU DRUNKEN DIPSHIT.

I didn't add commentary. That's a direct quote of YOU.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

It’s comments like these that prove the three of you really are worthless garbage.

But that is the whole point, to a certain extent. You think you all can win by acting like assholes.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Remember when you used to pretend to be above using dehumanizing language?

[sarcasmic]

Yup. As are those who defend him.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

And you’re no better, hypocrite.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Literally just copied and pasted Sarcasmic's own comment. But look at you two pretend I made it up.

[sarcasmic]

jeff:
Charming. Recently elected Republican county commissioner sexually assaulted a woman during a drunken trip to Las Vegas.

The victim came forth as his own daughter.

me:
Democrats did it first. That makes it ok.
Obviously referring to accusations against Biden leveled in these comments.

you:
Sarc did it first, or at least that’s what the CPS said.
Accusing me of sexually assaulting my child.

Here’s your opportunity to apologize if that’s not what you meant. Though I doubt you’re man enough. Or human enough. Maybe you can surprise me.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

You came up with a strawman after Jeffy’s original comment, dork. It deserved to be ridiculed.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

ML never said sexual assault. He said you put your hands on your daughter and CPS was called.

Are you accidentally admitting to something?

[Chumby]

Sarc is less credible than the guy accusing Gaetz so the lad could get off due to that.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

He already did. A father stripping off his teen daughter's bedding to grab her by the feet is concerning. Or are we supposed to give him the benefit of the doubt that she was lying on top of the bedding fully clothed when he went to get her up?

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

What I want to know is who called CPS if it happened in his daughter's bedroom.

I think the answer is probably obvious though.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"Here’s your opportunity to apologize if that’s not what you meant. Though I doubt you’re man enough. Or human enough. Maybe you can surprise me."

I'm not apologizing to you for the stupid shit you said, drunky. Just how moronic are you?

If you want an apology go ask Captain Morgan or Jim Beam.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Autistic.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

The Wisdom of Sarcrates.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"a Republican county commissioner!!!"

Wow! Congratulations on your win, Jeffy. You found one. A county commissioner in Hancock County, Indiana.

Kind of makes up for all the flack you took over Ashley Biden's diary. It wasn't easy defending Joe for perving out on his daughter, was it?

But you finally found yourself a county commish to level the playing field again.

[Super Scary]

The county dog catcher couldn't be reached for comment.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

I never defended Joe Biden over any diary. In fact I said very little if anything about it at all. But that is what you do, when your team is in trouble you try to deflect.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Yeah, you tried to avoid talking about that and redirected the conversation every chance you got.

Unfortunately for you, you did claim it was made up at the start, and I think I have a quote or two saved of that.

[damikesc]

Wow. Not too local, eh?

Local Republican pol is a scumbag who should be in jail for decades.

Your point...?

[R Mac]

He can be thrown in the pit right along side you.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Shades of 1935.

Tell me how a masked mob waving Palestinian flags and chanting “whose streets?” “our streets” through an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood is “freeing Palestine” rather than just open antisemitism.

[video]

These Orthodox Jews don’t live in Israel, they’re living in America. There’s no Israeli embassy in the neighborhood, and many Orthodox sects are against the idea of Zionism for religious reasons.

So it’s obvious that the Democrat brown shirts marching here are doing it for purely anti-Semitic reasons, that have nothing to do with their figleaf of Israel and Hamas.

[sarcasmic]

But if Trump defenders did the same thing, waving the stars and stripes while shouting “Whose streets? Our streets!”, in a neighborhood with a high population of illegals, there’s no doubt at all that you’d defend them.

[Commenter_XY]

Except...they (Trump supporters) did not march through Orthodox neighborhoods waving palestinian flags and chanting free palestine. Special K supporters did.

I take it that you object to the behavior, sarcasmic...marching through orthodox Jewish neighborhoods and calling for the death and destruction of Israel, and the Jewish people.

[sarcasmic]

Yes I object to the behavior. My point is that for Trump defenders the behavior isn't the problem, it's who is doing it. Because you also know with 100% certainty that Trump defenders like ML would just love it if their team did the same thing to illegals.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Because Americans marching through an American neighborhood waving American flags is same-same, right?
Fucking idiot.

[sarcasmic]

Thank you for confirming my point which was that you don't object to the behavior, you object to who is doing it.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

When did you stop beating your wife, Sarc?

[Chumby]

Iirc, she left him.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Huh?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

He doesn't object to the scenario sarc made up in his head to distract from the actual behaviors he wants to ignore.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"Thank you for confirming my point which was that you don’t object to the behavior, you object to who is doing it."

Lol, what the fuck???

[sarcasmic]

Because Americans marching through an American neighborhood waving American flags is same-same, right?

No problem whatsoever with hateful intimidation and threats as long as you like the people doing it. If Trump supporters did something like that you'd defend them. Vermin that support Palestine not so much.

[damikesc]

Where is the intimidation in carrying American flags in American cities?

[R Mac]

Lying Jeffy and sarc are spiraling so bad today they can’t stop telling on themselves.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

You're still not explaining how American flags in America is the same thing, retard.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Lol. So a strawman. An idiotic one.

Remind me again why Trump is guilty of classified docs and Biden isnt?

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Because Biden cooperated in every way is too old to prosecute.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Because Biden is too demented to prosecute.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

Sarc argued repeatedly that Joe cooperated, until the Hur report came out, then he quietly gave up that line of argument.

Those pesky facts, always changing on him.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

During the days of the USSR, people joked you could change the past, but not the future. That steaming pile of lefty shit seems to wish that was true.

[sarcasmic]

You still don’t know what I strawman is. I was pointing out how he has no principles and judges everything by who, not what. That’s not a strawman. That's simply an observation.
A strawman is one of your typical comments where you take something I said out of context and deliberately misinterpret it, then argue against that deliberate misinterpretation (the strawman) instead of what I said.
The key element of a strawman argument that you fail to understand is that it’s an argument. Against a strawman. You know, like the majority of your comments.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

No. You tried to equivalate pro-Palestinian Democratic protesters harassing Orthodox Jews for something some other country is doing, with Americans celebrating America in a neighborhood full of their fellow patriotic Americans (unless you're trying to advance the slur that American Jews aren't patriotic Americans).

This is why everyone thinks you're retarded, Sarckles.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

My point is that for Trump defenders the behavior isn’t the problem,

Except for all the people who condemned that exact behavior when it actually happened in England after little girls were murdered.

You lying shitweasel.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

“waving the stars and stripes while shouting “Whose streets? Our streets!””

They’re in America and the Orthodox Jews are as American as your theoretical MAGA marchers would be you fantastic idiot.

You really didn’t think your analogy through before you trolled, did you? You don't even recognize them as your fellow Americans either. Just Jews.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Got straw, Sarc?

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

But if Trump defenders did the same thing, waving the stars and stripes while shouting “Whose streets? Our streets!”, in a neighborhood with a high population of illegals

Didn’t this essentially happen in Martha’s vineyard, but with good white liberals instead of “trump defenders”?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Effectively, but only after serving them pizza. According to White Mike, serving them pizza makes it different and good.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Correction: (D)ifferent

[Super Scary]

True believers still think the response to Martha's Vineyard was a win for their side; they treated them humanely, shared space and food with them and then had the military bus them right the hell out of there.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

The kindness of the Elites.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Defend immigrant violations of the NAP because of your open borders idiocy by imagining what your enemies might do.

Yet in the same thread keep saying the democrats did it first shit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[chemjeff radical individualist]

Trump supporters are in fact will soon be going into the neighborhoods where the illegals are, and they will be waving the flag. But they will be government agents with guns, and they won't merely be shouting and marching.

[Bertram Guilfoyle]

If they provide pizza, will all be forgiven?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Got a citation for that word salad?

[Commenter_XY]

IOW, the INS is going to detain, and then deport illegal aliens, who broke our laws and don't belong here.

[Super Scary]

"and they will be waving the flag. But they will be government agents with guns"

There are color guard positions at ICE? If so, must be a cushy gig.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Next Jeff is going to protest that prisons have bars and lock criminals in.

[damikesc]

"Trump supporters are in fact will soon be going into the neighborhoods where the illegals are, and they will be waving the flag. But they will be government agents with guns, and they won’t merely be shouting and marching."

Is the sky blue in your version of reality?

[damikesc]

"But if Trump defenders did the same thing, waving the stars and stripes while shouting “Whose streets? Our streets!”, in a neighborhood with a high population of illegals, there’s no doubt at all that you’d defend them."

Wouldn't it be OK because Democrats did it first?

And why answer an actual event with a hypothetical that has literally never once happened?

[R Mac]

BUT TRUMP!

[Marshal]

But if Trump defenders did the same thing, waving the stars and stripes while shouting “Whose streets? Our streets!”, in a neighborhood with a high population of illegals, there’s no doubt at all that you’d defend them.

Sarc's biggest complaint across threads is that the right responds to their leaders doing something stupid by making the point that Dems do the same things. He thinks this is outrageous.

But here he is doing the exact same thing. There is literally no standard he judges his enemies by that he applies to himself or his allies. His arguments are made solely based on who he is addressing.

[mad.casual]

anti-Semitic reasons

Uh... admittedly, I'm no ethnologist but, presumably, as you indicated not being in Israel or Palestine, they are claiming the public streets from other parts of the public. I certainly agree that they're being anti-Semitic but, to your point, if they were also being Nationalist and/or racial supremacists, the outcome would be little different. And more than once in several contexts the standing regime has ruled that their actions need only be incidentally Nationalist/Supremacist to run afoul of simple speech or legal action.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

I'm pointing out that it is a deliberate act of anti-semitism. Not that they don't have the right to march. Just that they are no different than the Skokie, Illinois marchers or the Brownshirts in 35.

I think people have a right to be peacefully and non-violently antisemitic and everyone else has the right to hate them for it.

[mad.casual]

I think people have a right to be peacefully and non-violently antisemitic and everyone else has the right to hate them for it.

IDK, if a local community has a fairly reasonable and straightforward "Come get a permit for your public demonstration so that people don't get accidentally turned into speed bumps or worse." policy and your "mob" takes over the street with claims of ownership, you're hedging forcible occupation as peaceful assembly. If Daniel Perry gets spooked and shoots one of them in the face, IDK that we are clearly afield from his actions being protected. Enough people shouting enough euphemism pretty readily generates a reasonable fear.

[Commenter_XY]

1A protects speech, however odious = people have a right to be peacefully and non-violently antisemitic and everyone else has the right to hate them for it.

I loathe antisemites, but would fight to preserve their right to free speech.

[mad.casual]

Again, there is no clear speech protection for forming a mob, claiming public space, and obliquely threatening people who should have equal access to the space.

This isn’t even really a libertarian question. It’s an unequivocal show of aggression and claim of ownership of property that isn’t yours.

As previously demonstrated, if someone decides to right-size their ego or the police show up in unmarked cars and start disappearing protesters, no harm, no foul; stupid games, stupid prizes. You don’t get to unilaterally claim ownership of a public street any more than climate morons or soccer hooligans* in the UK do.

*And I say that as an American sports hooligan who's been a part of a mob forcibly removed from public spaces with teargas.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Those are the two main obstacles left, and they’re quite surmountable.

Radiation shielding? Maybe he's just talking cargo but Elon wants humans. And you need to figure out how, using the local environment, to sustain life. Relying on cargo from Earth for longer term habitats doesn't make a colony.

Just saying lots of hurdles still abound for Musk's goal of an independent human colony on Mars.

[DRM]

Maybe he’s just talking cargo

Yes, that would be why the sentence directly before the one you quoted included the words "cargo only".

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

To be fair, the way Starship is designed (or being designed as we speak), it's not going to be prohibitively expensive to send 1000 uncrewed freighter starships along for a one way trip.

They way they are currently envisioning it the first trip will be a fleet sailing together rather than a single ship. Right off the bat you could ship the material for an entire colony to Mars rather than just what you can pack in one or two starships.

[mad.casual]

They way they are currently envisioning it the first trip will be a fleet sailing together rather than a single ship. Right off the bat you could ship the material for an entire colony to Mars rather than just what you can pack in one or two starships.

This feels moot point or distinction without a difference. Unless by "fleet" and "together" you mean "4 ships potentially launched within several hours of each other." it's going to be "X number of them with everything it takes to make and keep a habitat sustainable, redundantly, for the 9-12 mos. it could take to ship any replacements over any arbitrarily long time span" before any humans leave the planet. And even then there's still going to be a fairly steady stream of ships on the way.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

By “fleet” and “together” they are talking about hundreds, maybe over a thousand ships landing over a period of a month. The current idea for the manned component of the mission will be a fleet sailing to Mars together of manned and cargo ships, with backup craft for emergencies.

Think the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria but on a larger scale.

[mad.casual]

By “fleet” and “together” they are talking about hundreds, maybe over a thousand ships landing over a period of a month.

Whomever is saying this is stupid.

They control four sights currently, right? And it takes them, nominally, something like several hours between an empty launch pad and a launch, correct? Either we’re talking about a future where SpaceX owns and/or accesses dozens, if not hundreds, of launchpads and the need to launch 1,000 ships “at once” is relatively moot because they’ve already been launching dozens “at once” for years or we’re talking about them, rather idiotically, trying to launch a ship an hour, some apparently manned, for 40 straight days from 4 pads in some sort of insanely stupid rocket equivalent of a mad minute.

Think the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria but on a larger scale.

Right. Half the crew of the Niña didn’t make it back to Spain. The Santa Maria crashed, and the majority of the remains of early settlers at La Isabela, believed to be the crew, showed signs of severe scurvy. There is going to be a years’ supply of antibiotics and Vitamin C and the refrigeration to keep it all preserved if it all needed to be reconstituted at once on the surface of Mars before the first human sees the surface. To send it all in the same cargo hold with the humans on top (or the next one over, right outside the passenger window) so that it can all arrive at the same time is just stupid, “I know! Let’s pull out of Kabul on 9/11/2021!” logistics.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Please, for the love of God, stop hiring Gen Zs and just deliver mail on time:

repeal this agency whose primary job is distributing garbage.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Seriously. Maybe a century ago, small isolated towns needed some official government outpost, but then we got these things called telephones, radios, and internets. We can even get passports online now.

Abolish the USPS!

[Medulla Oblongata]

But it's basically the only other agency other than the Navy that is truly authorized by the Constitution.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

True, but shall have the power to establish isn’t Congress must.

[lwt1960]

Just change the budget request on all DOE line items (and programs) to $0 and problem is solved without Congress.

Why isn't Kevin Hassett in the Sec'y of Treasury discussion? I thought that was a no-brainer.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Congress can and does largely ignore the executive budget request.

[ducksalad]

Already setting up your excuses for when Trump fails to keep his promise. Again.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Still posting complete bullshit, as if you'd ever stop.
FOAD, steaming pile of TDS-addled shit.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Admit it. The idea of Trump achieving what he promised terrifies you, doesn't it?

[ducksalad]

Some of what he promises would be good. Some of it would be bad.

Doesn’t matter because there’s not much correlation between his words and actions. What matters is that he has poor judgment, malign motivations, and zero honesty, so that he can’t be trusted to do anything properly.

Furthermore, while the majority of his voters were decent ordinary people just picking among the options available, his most loyal supporters – of which we get a sample here – are garbage who think lying is a test of loyalty, are proud of their ignorance, and just enjoy being assholes. All else being equal it’s bad policy to reward them with stuff they’ll perceive as victories.

If he does end the DoEd, good. But there’s a good chance he won’t do it, or use the money to do something even worse than what DoEd does, which is mainly just hand out tax dollars to preferred groups.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

"...Doesn’t matter because there’s not much correlation between his words and actions..."

This doesn't matter since there's near zero correlation between any of your posts and what someone not a TDS-addled pile of shit posts.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

"What matters is that he has poor judgment, malign motivations, and zero honesty, so that he can’t be trusted to do anything properly."

In my opinion from the evidence of your own posts, this is a description of you. Not Trump. You're projecting.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Thanks Mike Maddow. Truly an intelligent retort.

[R Mac]

.

[Chumby]

Sloshtradamus sees the future.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

I take it the Oracle of Delfat is just as capable?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Lol. Mike hates reality.

[Sandra (formerly OBL)]

"The New York Times has decided, for some reason, that Elon Musk is public enemy No. 1"

Progressives needed a new rightwing billionaire boogeyman. They've mellowed on Charles Koch since admitting he's been correct about immigration all along. 😉

[Quo Usque Tandem]

Don't know if it will be the first or the biggest, but a significant test of the Trump Administration [ v.2] will be the elimination of this worthless department.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Please, for the love of God, stop hiring Gen Zs and just deliver mail on time:

The mail was poorly delivered well before GenZ got on the scene. Somehow they manage to never read an address properly and deliver a letter over a mile away from its correct destination. They mix up unit numbers. And somehow they shred bills. To be fair, FedEx and UPS suck too, and Amazon has the laziest delivery drivers.

[Spiritus Mundi]

On the route we all fam

"English motherfucker, do you speak it"

[Dillinger]

is fam a verb or noun here?

[mad.casual]

On the route we all fam

Renting a P.O. Box from your fam is just like any other business transaction (large packages delivered in rear)!

[Chumby]

Wrap it tight and consider extra packing.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Wow, it's almost like Trump has disdain for the current establishment, and wants to disrupt it.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Stop it, you're scaring Jeff and Mike.

[Longtobefree]

True enough. But is there a down side?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Only if it doesn’t scare Sarc as well.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'Currently, McMahon serves as chair of the America First Policy Institute'

Point of grammar: since it is now a felony to use the terms "chairman" and "chairwoman", could we at least use "chairperson"? Serving as a chair is not the same as leading an institute.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Henceforth the presiding officer shall be addressed as Three Legged Stool.

[Moonrocks]

How about 'stool' for short?

[mad.casual]

“Trump KOs DOE With Folding Chair”

I swear, if you mess this up, my shadow coming off the top rung of the ladder is the last thing you’ll ever see.

[Dillinger]

Snuka. forever.

[Super Scary]

Saying "chair" may exclude people not in wheelchairs or in wheelchairs (not sure which, maybe both), so we need to get rid of that kind of language as well.

[Longtobefree]

‘Currently, McMahon serves as Devine Supreme Ruler and Eternal Controller of the America First Policy Institute’

Any better?

[Zeb]

I think that ship has sailed. Words mean what they are used to mean.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

Words mean what they are used to mean.

I get that you are being pragmatic, but that is an ignorant position and only true in the short run. To people trying to understand and learn form history (what has written/said in the past), or people trying to record current events accurately (what will be read/heard in the future), it is anathema.

Language deserves protection. Orwell clearly illustrated the power of degrading the meaning of words.

[Zeb]

I think I'm being realistic. Usages and meanings do change. I'm all for pushing back against changing definitions , especially when it is deliberate and motivated by a particular agenda, and trying to use language precisely. But you have to pick you battles. What meaning is lost by saying "chair" instead of "chairwoman" or "chairperson"? It's less awkward to say and people want a gender neutral word.
And even if the reason for a change is less innocuous, usage still defines what a word means and after a usage becomes common, that's what the word means whether you or I like it or not. That's just how language works.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

My specific opinion: because "chair" as a noun has a meaning (furniture, not a person or position).

My general opinion: because language used well communicates better than language used poorly.

Sure, word usage evolves. But not always for the better.

[Zeb]

And I generally agree. But change is inevitable and sometimes it will be stupid.

[mad.casual]

Orwell clearly illustrated the power of degrading the meaning of words.

If you read Orwell's stories as being about the distortion of language first and the expression of power second, you're reading it wrong. There is plenty of fiction, including Orwell, where "precision of language" norms are used and enforced in the obliteration of the individual/self every bit as much as degrading their meaning.

To wit, your issue isn't the issue. Their issue isn't the issue. Their issue is to distract you from their need for more power and control.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

If you read Orwell’s stories as being about the distortion of language first and the expression of power second

LOL! I definitely failed to communicate effectively if you can take away that from what I wrote.

Their issue is to distract you from their need for more power and control.

This is my issue. People who write for a living and even more specifically, the people who edit dictionaries have a duty to protect the language. They are clearly shirking their duty.

"Man" has historically meant "all people" and only ever meant "male" in context where sex is significant. "She is the chairman," is perfectly understandable even out of context and poses no issue for translation. It is a woke power play to claim it is in any way problematic. Whereas, "She is the chair," is nonsense without context and untranslatable.

Academia, and by proxy, journalism, has been compromised by people with an agenda. And they continue to win bigly when people fail to protest.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'as well as legitimately bad policies, like the Title IX-related changes that made way for the erosion of due process rights for men accused of rape and sexual assault on campus'

Not to mention the freakazoid application during Biden's snooze through the Presidency, when his minions extended Title IX female rights to all pseudo genders.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'Walter Marin, an architect who is working with developers bringing a series of adult obstacle courses to the city.'

Last time I saw adults in the NYC area, just a few stairs and a curb or two would make for a challenging obstacle course.

[mad.casual]

Adult obstacle course? Seems like they just got rid of all the bums, drunks, drug addicts, hookers, muggers, and porn theaters in Times Square!

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, whom Donald Trump has tapped to serve as attorney general, was purportedly seen having sex with an underage girl at a party years ago, though the girl has testified that Gaetz did not know her age at the time.'

Believe her! (Or not, since others have concluded the alleged Lolita and her roommate were not actually present.)

[Moonrocks]

Are we doing believe all women again?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Didn’t this kind of happen en masse in the 80s? I seem to recall a certain young lady who went into porn using a fake ID…

[mad.casual]

Didn’t this kind of happen en masse in the 80s?

En masse is a bit of a leap. Circumstantially is almost certain. The majority of Americans didn't have driver's licenses until the mid-late 70s and there was correspondingly, e.g., no ID requirement for pornography until 1984.

Which, of course, doesn't say that 16-18 yr. old girls were out bedding every politician and lawyer in sight, and vice versa while their mothers and fathers just said "Girls will be girls!" (age of consent and customs about reputation were still abundant and documentedly enforced both ways). Just that 'this kind of thing' is rather contemporary and retarded along several lines of thinking.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

I’m actually referring to the lady who made the ID a requirement for porn in 1984. She did fool a hell of a lot of people.

[Zeb]

Traci Lord?

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Bingo.

[mad.casual]

I’m actually referring to the lady who made the ID a requirement for porn in 1984.

Right. Traci Lords by name =/= en masse. Getting a fake ID to sign business contracts =/= honeypot or jailbait a Representative. Underage sex happened in the past. People were generally both more discreet and more respecting of self and others as to opportunistically make political hay while they can find someone to say the son is shining.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

This is why I've been saying this all stinks of a Blasey Ford-type of psyop. I'm not a fan of Gaetz because I think he's a spastic, but that doesn't mean I need to take these allegations seriously until they actually show some fucking receipts. "I heard it from someone who saw it happen somewhere" doesn't fly anymore.

[Minadin]

The View made Sonny Hostin read a legal disclaimer after she repeated these claims. She was not amused. I was. Funny as hell.

https://twitter.com/CatchUpFeed/status/1859177287746285628

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Just a shame she didn't have some tasty baked crow to go with her lies.

[Kungpowderfinger]

Any food doesn’t last long on that set

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

And that’s even on days without JB Pritzker or Rob Reiner as guests.

[shadydave]

Gaetz has been pissing these people off for several years now. It isn't quite like Cavanaugh. They've been trying to pin this thing on him for three years, and nothing has come even close to sticking.

This is "let's make the sonovabitch deny it" stuff. At the end of all of it, what people take away is something "shady" went on, even if it isn't clear whether the worst of the accusations were actually true.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'The New York Times has decided, for some reason, that Elon Musk is public enemy No. 1 and that there's no crime worse than ... gentrification'

Duh, Liberals who move into hipster neighborhoods, drive up rents, and drive out the poors, are cool enlightened elites. Anyone else who does this is a racist capitalist.

BTW, Liz, you need to give up the NYT. Sure, it's an old habit, supports the view that you live in the Center of the Universe, and it even has "New York" right there in the title. But it's not good for your mental health.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Yeah, not to mention the tech industry shitlibs who moved out to places like Denver, and helped drive the cost of housing into orbit with all the excess liquidity flowing through it.

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

'A new study is out: things that make you age faster, and slower, according to 16 epigenetic age clocks.'

Uh sure. Or maybe things that just make you feel time is going faster and slower, like things you like doing and things you don't.

Another way of putting it: would you like to live forever if every day was the most boring and annoying of your life?

[mad.casual]

Liz's interpretation is... off. Though, to be fair, the assertion and claims are extremely convoluted.

This isn't "These 16 things will slow down the aging process." It's more "This loose constellation of 51 epigentic factors (that we don't clearly know how to control or influence) accurately models non-chronological 'aging'."

Whether the "flabby tricep skin" gene trait means you'll live longer or not is construed across several layers of meta-, meta(no typo)data.

[Dillinger]

>>But we haven't always had it, and it's not implausible that we could do away with it in the future. It was only formed in 1979

Stephen King fan?

[Dillinger]

>>Large, commercial leases going to 'adults wanting to play' are 'one of the hot commodities'

giving a new name to pickleball?

[mad.casual]

My favorite documentary about adult obstacle courses in NYC is Taxi Driver.

[Dillinger]

we also would have accepted Ghostbusters.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

“Gozer the Gozerian? Good evening. As a duly-designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin, or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension.”

[Ajsloss]

Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Sloar that day, I can tell you!

[Dillinger]

I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Ray, when someone asks you if you’re a god, you say YES!

[Medulla Oblongata]

What did you do Ray?

[Chumby]

Jeff appeared in that film.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

I said, are you talkin’ to me?

[mad.casual]

All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain'll come and wash all this scum off the streets.

[Dillinger]

>>A new study is out: things that make you age faster, and slower

before the fentanyl invasion when herds of ecstasy roamed the earth one could age faster and slower at the same time.

[Dillinger]

>>Once they master orbital refueling and ship landings ... no reason why they can’t start taking shots at Mars. Low risk, cargo only, but still.

we can send the recycling there instead of China.

[Dillinger]

>>Speaker Mike Johnson says the House Ethics Committee's report no longer need be released, as Gaetz is no longer in office. (Odd logic.)

how about "where were the charges while he was in office?"

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Don't know why Liz finds this odd. Both houses of the legislature set their own rules under the constitution. The Senate doesn't have a right to the details of an internal House investigation anymore than the House has a right to publicize internal Senate investigations. An internal investigation of a former member that did not lead to expulsion, censure or any other action is not and should not be public information as it would obviously would be if used in a public Senate nominating hearing. The only purpose obviously would be to provide unsubstantiated talking points to hack journalists like Jacob Sullum and create cover for Senate Rhinos who fear exposure by AG Gaetz.

[Commenter_XY]

MTG said it best: If we are going to dance, let's dance in the sunlight.

Release ALL the ethics reports. Every last one.

[Jerry B.]

Would Elon Musk using his Starship to scatter your ashes over Mars be a profitable enterprise?

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

With a max payload in the current iteration of 35,000 cubic feet and 275 tons, you could pack a lot of ashes.

[Jerry B.]

So you could get your ashes hauled.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Haulin' Ash

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Or 2 jeffs.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

How many Jeffs equal a JB Pritzker or a Rob Reiner?

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

[Small w woodchippertarian]

Is a Ryan Holiday bookstore something like a Thomas Kinkaide store? (From Liz's full tweet.)

[Commenter_XY]

Planned obselescence....Comcast selling MSDNC and CNBC.

Bye Rachel. Bye Jim.

Sniff, sniff.

[InsaneTrollLogic (Factio Democratica delenda est 5/30/24)]

Wouldn’t it be damn funny if Elon Musk bought them as “XTV”, fired all the idiots there, and used it as an outlet for people like Lee Fang, Michael Shellenberger, Glenn Greenwald, and others?

[Chumby]

Alex Jones the weeknight anchor for XNBC.

[Commenter_XY]

Don't give him ideas, lol.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Actual liberals? In my MSDNC?

It might become more likely than you think.

[EscherEnigma]

The last time Musk bought a media company, he tanked the brand recognition to pump his own fetish, lost millions of viewers, scared off advertisers, and decreased the accuracy of information available on the platform.

So I grant it would be interesting, but I'm not sure "funny" is the right word.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Why would anyone care what lies a TDS-addled pile of shit posts?

[EscherEnigma]

What an odd response.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Entirely appropriate.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

decreased the accuracy of information available on the platform.

LOL! As if Twitter was citable as a source for college papers?

Funny is definitely the right word.

[Zeb]

Free speech is like that. People say all kinds of shit.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

If Musk buying the company resulted in the death of MSNBC, the news media itself would be a lot better off.

Maddow, Reid, and Mystal can get grifter slots over on CNN. These people always seem to fail upwards, anyway, so what's the problem?

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

“The last time Musk bought a media company, he tanked the brand recognition”

Quite the opposite. He made it iconic.

“to pump his own fetish”

Free speech is a fetish? Whew, lad.

“lost millions of viewers, scared off advertisers

No. A malevolent organized campaign by Media Matters and a Democrat controlled ad advisory group did that. Both who are currently being sued into being the next Gawker media.

“and decreased the accuracy of information available on the platform.”

You have to be a totalitarian psychopath if you think that the curation of acceptable topics by the CIA, FBI and Biden administration made the platform more trustworthy.

Maybe stop eating all that CNN and MSDNC received wisdom and do a little research for yourself.

[Eeyore]

Is your real name Rachel?

[Medulla Oblongata]

You really can't hate the media enough.

Washington Post columnist says media spun for Democrats 'under threat of blowback' from left

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/washington-post-columnist-says-media-spun-for-democrats-under-threat-of-blowback-from-left/ar-AA1uknJU

Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle called out mainstream media bias in a column on Monday and accused the liberal press of hurting Democrats this election cycle.

"During this election cycle, I watched in astonishment as left-wing critics complained that the mainstream media was botching this election by ‘sanewashing’ Trump, failing in our duty to cover ‘not the odds, but the stakes’ and trading in false equivalence. I was not astonished that progressives wanted us to spend more time criticizing Trump and less time pointing out the flaws of Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. I was amazed because they were talking as if this might affect the election’s outcome," McArdle wrote.

"This was damaging for the news media that had already spent down the very reputational capital that progressive critics were begging us to use. But it was also bad for Democrats. By letting them win so many news cycles, we handed them a series of pyrrhic victories," she continued.

McAardle wrote that Democrats were counting on the media to "downplay" President Biden's decline before he eventually dropped out of the race.

"The stories that mattered the most during this year’s campaign were the ones where we had given Democrats the most ‘help.’ In the 2020 election cycle, Democratic primary contenders counted on us to give them room to move well to the left, especially on social issues, which is how Harris created the fodder for this year’s negative ads against her. This cycle, Democrats counted on us to downplay Biden’s shocking and obvious decline. The issue was handled with kid gloves, under threat of blowback from campaign operatives, readers and even fellow journalists," McArdle wrote.

McArdle added, several mainstream outlets "repeated the Democratic spin that accurate videos of his concerning behavior were "cheapfakes."

[Marshal]

It's interesting she doesn't seem to be criticizing the media for lying to help Dems as much as telling them it didn't help. I've read her long enough to not suspect she means this but her framing leaves open the interpretation that they should be smarter about how they go about it rather than stopping it.

My preference is that the left media continue helping Dems as much as they can and we'll celebrate the continued loss of credibility those actions cause.

[Dillinger]

did anyone ask the Allmans before naming the product Blue Sky?

[Zeb]

They were already dead I think.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Dicky Betts wrote Goodbye Blue Sky. He's dead too.

[Dillinger]

the Estate of Forrest Richard Betts on line 2 …

edit: also Counsel for that nazi in Pink Floyd who wrote Goodbye Blue Sky on line 3

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Words are violence. Or at least copyright infringement.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

While Reason libertarians wring their hands over whether or not Matt Gaetz is deep statey enough to be be AG, their strategically supported adults in the room are doing everything in their power to start a nuclear world war two months before the seating of the opposition executive who is promising a negotiated settlement. This is the greatest threat to life and liberty since the Cuban Missile Crises. And Reason shrugs. The Biden regime is no longer hiding behind a proxy. We are at war with Russia. Food trucks, zoning laws, sex workers, seed oils, MJ, buttsex, tariffs and everything else that fills these pages will become completely irrelevant if the Koch/Reason/Cato/Biden neocons succeed. But so far barely a mention at the world's premiere libertarian website. It's time for Koch libertarians to purge the neocons in their ranks, admit their complicity and use their outlet in a unified full throated condemnation of the war mongering regime that they supported. Reason was wrong about Trump. Wrong about Covid. Wrong about open borders. Wrong about Soros prosecutors. Wrong about government censorship. Wrong about lawfare. This is their last shot at redemption as far as I'm concerned.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

Using 10K fucking Norks to justify deep missile strikes? I hope Putin does strike the embassy. The Democrat outrage and demand for escalation will be yet another slip of the mask that cannot be ignored. They are Marxists. This is what Marxists do. Foment war to further the revolution.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Hilariously, the fucking Houthis seem to be the only people on the planet who don't allow anyone to cross the red lines they set. Even the US Navy doesn't have the balls to go after them anymore.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/europe-braces-war-biden-shovels-more-fuel-fire

[Gaear Grimsrud]

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/violating-his-own-policy-biden-oks-antipersonnel-mines-ukraine
The land-mine approval is Biden's second intensification of US military support in just the last few days: Acting very much like a man whose life in politics and life on Earth are both rapidly nearing their ends, Biden over the weekend approved Ukraine's use of long-range, US-supplied, ATACMS missiles against targets deep inside Russia. Brushing aside concerns that such an escalation would nudge the world's foremost nuclear powers closer to World War III, Ukraine wasted no time flexing its new freedom, striking a Russian military facility near the city of Karachev in the Bryansk region -- about 71 miles from the Ukraine border.
In 2022, Biden restored an Obama-era policy that bars America's provision of antipersonnel mines anywhere other than the Korean Peninsula. Biden had condemned then-President Trump as being "reckless" in nixing Obama's policy, saying "It will put more civilians at risk of being injured by unexploded mines, and is unnecessary from a military perspective.”
Now, however, Biden has thrown that sentiment out the window. While the 164-nation Ottawa Convention bans both the use and transfer of anti-personnel mines, neither the United States nor Russia is a signatory. However, Ukraine is.

[Commenter_XY]

There fucking idiots (Sullivan, Austin, Blinken, etc) are going to get a lot of people killed.

[Dillinger]

>>Biden’s second intensification of US military support in just the last few days

where is Fist? WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS?!?!?

[Medulla Oblongata]

Climate alarmists demand $2.4T--per year--from rich countries to give to developing countries to reach climate goals.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-world-is-looking-for-a-financial-model-to-solve-climate-change-it-doesnt-have-to-look-too-far-5edc3dd4?mod=hp_minor_pos16

BAKU, Azerbaijan—At this year’s U.N. climate summit, known as COP29, negotiators are trying to determine how to pay for the steep cost of staving off climate change—a more than $6 trillion annual ask.

The solution proposed by the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance depends on the private sector, calling on banks, insurers and all those in between to invest in climate capital. It is a framework that has been likened to President Biden’s flagship economic policy, the Inflation Reduction Act.

Roughly $2.4 trillion a year will need to be directed from richer countries to developing and emerging ones if the planet is going to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the group.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

This is the same grift that was supposedly framed out in the Paris Accords--"pipeline a bunch of money from the First World to the Third World that won't actually accomplish shit, but will wet a lot of international commie NGO beaks through ESG programs."

[Medulla Oblongata]

Kids today...

No wonder youngsters are shirking education. They can self-diagnose their way out of anything

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/no-wonder-youngsters-are-shirking-education-they-can-self-diagnose-their-way-out-of-anything/ar-AA1rQrs0

“So your son didn’t go to school at all last year?” I ask the woman, aware this comes out “judgy”. We’ve only just met, and there must be more to it than the “he doesn’t like his teachers” this mother-of-an-absentee-teen proffered a few minutes ago. –

Gravely, she explains how after the first few months of her son refusing to go to school, the council got involved – and after that, the health professionals. “Anyway, we finally got a diagnosis.” Although I’m steeling myself for the bilge I smell coming, nothing prepares me for what she says next: “It turns out he’s suffering from Educational Avoidance.”

I’m so close to slapping her on the arm: “Ha! Oh, that’s good.” Because this has to be a joke? But already the smile is freezing on my face. Already, I know it’s not. And Google is po-faced as it explains the “curious rise” of this very real mental health condition – official name Emotionally Based School Avoidance – in both children and young people, and how symptoms of EBSA include “anxiety”, “low self-esteem”, “sleep disturbances” and… not wanting to go either to school, university, or indeed any space where there might be the threat of, you know, education.

I was reminded of this incident, which happened last summer, when I read the searing Sunday Times essay written by an anonymous UK-based academic at the weekend. “The Secret Lecturer” is desperately trying to teach – only to be thwarted at every turn by his students’ mental health diagnoses. By their generalised but all-consuming “Educational Avoidance”.

We may be only a month into the new university year, he writes, but already a third of undergraduates are absent from class, with “some too overwhelmed to take a bus to campus”, many so “socially anxious around other people” that they “avoid seminars” and others refusing to “come in because of panic attacks”.

In the emails this lecturer routinely gets explaining why they can’t possibly do any work, students will list their specific ailments, he says. “They’re suffering from ‘depression’, ‘extreme anxiety’ or ‘ADHD burnout’,” they assure him. Yet these statements are never backed up by medical fact, he writes.

Imagine, for a second, someone telling you that they had a blocked artery, a heart murmur or cancer, without ever having consulted a doctor. You wouldn’t waste another second on them. Yet every day, we accept that people have been given diagnoses from unqualified therapists (shockingly, there are no legal minimum qualifications to practise as a therapist or counsellor in the UK), from dangerously proactive teachers (if you’ve got no qualms telling a child they’ve been born in the wrong body, you’ll certainly feel comfortable pointing out their PTSD and OCD), from self-help books, from their friends – and from themselves.

[Zeb]

Isn't "educational avoidance" just a synonym for "skipping school"?

[Commenter_XY]

Or truancy.

[Dillinger]

I watched a shit ton of Quantum Leap instead of going to Logic lol.

[Chumby]

Count Bakula:

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/420426-count-bakula

[Dillinger]

fuck yeah.

[Medulla Oblongata]

[Some folks here will cheer...]

Why was a Congolese paedophile allowed to stay in the UK?

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/11/19/why-was-a-congolese-paedophile-allowed-to-stay-in-the-uk/

Yet another scandal has been sparked by the UK’s fealty to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Last week, the Telegraph revealed that a paedophile convicted of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter has been allowed to remain in the UK. Supposedly, deporting him would have breached his human rights.

As reported in the Telegraph, the child sex abuser in question – who is referred to in legal papers as ‘MD’ – is from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa and lives in the Glasgow area. In 2020, he was imprisoned for three years for ‘appalling’ offences such as sexual penetration and sexual assault against his stepdaughter, as well as two other young girls in the family.

The Home Office had initially ordered for MD to be deported to his home country, but he appealed. Despite the severity of these crimes, an immigration tribunal ruled that deporting him would breach his ‘right to family life’, which is enshrined in Article 8 of the ECHR. In a ruling published last month, the tribunal judge claimed that deportation would have a negative impact on the wellbeing of MD’s wife and their three biological children (who were not victims of the sexual offences). Remarkably, the tribunal made this decision while acknowledging that he ‘continues to pose a risk to the community, in particular children’.

Until we confront these facts, there will be many more similar cases. Just last month, it was revealed that a deported Albanian criminal had won the right to stay in the UK, despite returning to the country illegally. According to the ECHR, deporting him again would have breached Article 8, because he had fathered a child with his Lithuanian wife since returning.

[Mother's Lament (Salt farmer)]

Shrike will be torn because on one hand the guy was a pedophile, but on the other Shrike really, really hates black people.

[psmoot]

Wait a minute, pickleball VR escape room sounds pretty fun.

[Chumby]

Liz mentioned pickleball? That was on the bingo card for her actually reading our comments.

[Dillinger]

I misread "hot commodities, wanting to play"

[mad.casual]

I'm so old "pickleball VR escape room" sounds like a euphemism for having a life.

[Medulla Oblongata]

You really can't hate the media enough.

https://x.com/SonofHas/status/1859282503359479845

John Hasson
@SonofHas
.
@washingtonpost
,
@AP
, and
@nytimes
all refuse to describe Laken Riley’s murderer as an illegal immigrant

Instead he’s a

“Venezuelan national”
“Man”
“Venezuelan migrant”

Simply infuriating

[Moderation4ever]

For the record the Department of Education was formed in 1867 by President Andrew Johnson. It was in 1979 that it became a cabinet level position. I don't know and there may be a place for the Department but I agree that it doesn't need to be at a cabinet level. Removing the Department is a big lift but if Linda McMahon can demonstrate that popular and essential functions can be preserved in other agencies, she can make the case to Congress to remove the Department.

[Chumby]

She could let Tony Khan run it and that should kill it.

[tommhan]

Gaetz was investigated by the justice department for years with no charges filed. End of story so the left needs to shut up.