Monday Open Thread

What's on your mind?

Comments

[not guilty]

The New York Times reports that a group of so-called Promise Keepers is abandoning its former nonpartisan stance in order to embrace partisan politics from the pulpit. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/11/us/promise-keepers-evangelical-christians.html It is more than passing strange that their political hero is Donald Trump, who as another commenter on these threads cogently observed, regards the seven deadly sins as a to do list.

One of the speakers at the Promise Keepers conference was former Coach Joe Kennedy, who became famous by ignoring the teachings of Jesus:

Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. . . . And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:1, 5-6 (RSV)

I am reminded of the words of the Mahatma Gandhi: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians; they are so unlike your Christ."

[Dan Schiavetta]

Well said.

Trump is certainly not a Promise Keeper when it comes to marriage.

[Frank Drackman]

Neither is the "Second Gentleman" and don't tell me "He's not running for anythang" he certainly is.

Frank

[Riva]

Yeah, let’s play these stupid games and take a look at some Kamala supporters. “Gay trans ‘man’ to vote Kamala so ‘he’ can have more abortions.” Charming.

[Sarcastr0]

Guys, I think Riva is making it weird.

[Riva]

“Weird” doesn’t begin to describe the clownish menagerie of Fakala supporters. Also weird, or perhaps odd, is Fakala’s embracing President Trump’s no tax on tips proposal although her administration oversaw a new IRS initiative to crackdown on tips at point-of-sale and she supported requiring taxpayers to report their $600 phone app transactions. And, of course, there’s the 80 billion in friendly new IRS agents. Maybe though just lying is more appropriate than “weird” here.

[Sarcastr0]

Oh I take it all back, not weird at all. Your lame nickname and lack of paragraph breaks or citations has convinced me of your normalcy.

[Riva]

Some might consider whining about paragraph breaks to be somewhat on the lame side. And since it bothers you so much, I’ve decided to continue ignoring the paragraph break rule, and also ignoring, at random, the 2 spaces between sentences rule. And come to think of it, I’m also going to break the spell out numbers under between 0 and 10 rule. And if Fakala doesn’t like her nickname, maybe she should hold a press conference or an unscripted interview? She’s been in hiding since her coronation.

[Malika]

"And since it bothers you so much, I’ve decided to continue"

What a petty bot!

[Riva]

But I suspect the American public can see through this duplicitous Kamala klown Suffice it to say that she's now reduced to giving free concerts to attract attendees, using black drapes to mask empty seats, and using AI to augment crowd appearances. And even regurgitating the Charlottesville lie because I guess she's too stupid to manufacture a new one.

[Sarcastr0]

Crowd size doesn't really matter, except to Trump.

But you may want to check your sources. That obvious AI was a fake tweet, by a satire account.

[Riva]

Just one of many points punky, that you seem to want to focus on. And what pray tell are your unimpeachable sources?

[Sarcastr0]

I mean, you wank out talking points 4 at a time, so if I note one is utter BS you just say well nevertheless. Dude, you posted bullshit. That you sprayed a bunch of other brown stuff around doesn't change that. take away from that.

I could address the rest of your nonsense, but this is your biggest fail so this is what I'ma make fun of you over.

[Riva]

So, I call you out on your lying BS trying to cover up the Kamala campaign's sloppy AI garbage and you try to change the topic. You're outdoing yourself today you gaslighting clown.

[Sarcastr0]

She didn't use AI, you're just dumb.
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/photo-harris-walz-rally-michigan-was-not-ai-generated-2024-08-12/

The rally was also on CSPAN, so AI'ing the crowd would be impossible.

You're gullible and stubborn, which combo makes you amazingly stupid.

[Riva]

Uh huh. Reuters. I said unimpeachable. A media “fact checker” that uses so-called corroborating sources that show different images. So, verdict: False on that “fact checker.” Did they "fact check" the black curtains? How about the concerts with a political speech at the end that nobody waits around to listen to? And just curious, did they fact check the Charlottesville lie? The laptop lie?

[Riva]

But where would we be without Reuters fact checkers? Like when they diligently alerted the public that a joke video that added ice cream truck music to Joe wandering off was in fact digitally edited to include the music. https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-biden-icecream/fact-check-video-does-not-show-biden-being-distracted-by-music-from-an-ice-cream-truck-idUSL1N2ZC0CA/

And if anyone knows doctored photos, its Reuters. They know them so well they even disseminated staged propaganda photos from Gaza.

Thanks Reuters!

[Sarcastr0]

You’re galloping now. I’m not going to pick up any of those fresh (and sometimes old) turds.

Key is – you got hoaxed on the supposed AI pic. It wasn’t from Harris.

You don’t much care. Because truth is less important than posting for your guy.

But you're so ham-handed it's just hilarious.

[Riva]

Nope, you've been hoaxed, from Russia collusion, Charlottesville, the laptop, and all the rest. Either blindly relying on hacks like Reuters or worse, knowingly gaslighting. I'm going to assume the worst given its you.

[Sarcastr0]

Haha you're still doing it!

[Riva]

Get back to me when Reuters "fact checks" the Charlottesville lie, or the 51 intel pukes Biden's campaign engaged to lie to give him a talking point, or Hillary's Russian collusion and pee tape. Or Reuters own staged Gaza propaganda photos.

[NOVA Lawyer]

Riva, caught parroting a stupid parody as truth flails about straining for some whataboutism.

Just admit, you fucked up. There was no AI manipulation. Maybe you shouldn't be so gullible to excuse your heroes and find fault with those you perceive as villains. The fake was so obvious, it says a lot about you that you fell for it. And that Trump pushed the idea. Not a lot of intelligence in your lot to spread such an obviously stupid lie.

[AmosArch]

Usually when someone posts this quote from Gandhi it is an open invitation to list some of the super unwoke things Gandhi did. But I think its kind of funny when people freak out about the whole Hitler thing when that just barely scratches the surface of Hitler admirers Lefties put on a pedestal. Even the sleeping naked with girls bit I can buy was some genuine spiritual exercise that gets lost in translation for Modern westerners.

[Dan Schiavetta]

I don't know of anyone whose every utterance I agree with.

It seems to be beyond your imagination, that someone can be right about one thing, and wrong about another.

[Jerry B.]

"...that someone can be right about one thing, and wrong about another."

Oh, come on. if you're wrong about one thing, you must be wrong about everything. See, for example, MSM coverage of Republicans.

[Ilya Snowman]

Amos, I accept your invitation:

‘I also didn’t like the blacks (and thought it wrong that Indians/Coloureds should be treated like them), liked to test my chastity by sleeping next to naked children, and did what I could to fuck the chances of a more stable India and Pakistan’.

Mohandas

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

I didn't send you invitation. And please provide specific irrefutable proof, signed by the entire UN, that proves your quote.

Sincerely,

not guilty (also, not an autist)

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Whenever some dipshit lefty starts quoting scripture to criticize someone I always break out the eye grease so the eye rolls go nice and smooth.

[OtisAH]

Y’know how, in real life, no one you know gives a shit what you think? Same goes for the internet.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

You obviously do, dipshit.

[OtisAH]

Hey, if it makes you feel better you just go on thinking that. I won’t deny you any tiny pleasure you can squeeze out of your miserable existence even if it is just you kidding yourself.

[MoreCurious]

Be nice to him, Otis. He's going through a rough summer because he was held back in eighth grade again this year. But at least he picked up a few new vulgarities, so that's something to be proud of, right?

[Frank Drackman]

Hey! I'm the one taking up space rent free in your head, who's this "jesus" guy?

[Dr. Ed 2]

"regards the seven deadly sins as a to do list."

ONLY Catholics have "seven deadly sins" -- Protestants don't, and watch your anti-Protestant bigotry here. Protestants also don't have confession, it's a completely different concept of sin.

[Martinned2]

It's *many* different concepts of sin.

[OtisAH]

Protestants don’t have deadly sins, or confession, or, like Dred here, follow the teachings of Christ. So what makes them Christian?

[Dr. Ed 2]

That's like saying Catholics worship graven images so what makes them Christians?

[Martinned2]

Well, now that you mention it...

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them

[OtisAH]

You didn’t answer my question so I’ll give you an easier one:

Name one of Christ’s teachings you adhere to.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Honor thy father and thy mother.

[OtisAH]

Yeah that’s… Exodus. From the Old Testament. The New Testament is the book that contains the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

[Frank Drackman]

My made up Superstitious Religulous Beliefs are better than Your made up Superstitious Religulous Beliefs!

[Voize]

Lutherans and Anglicans "have confession" (private confession to a priest or pastor), it just isn't required for absolution like it is in the Catholic tradition.

[Reallynotbob]

Lutherans endorse private confession of sins to God, without intercession by the clergy or saints.

A Lutheran can choose to speak with their pastor about one's own sins, but that's not a matter of dogma.

[Voize]

Yes, that's what "not required for absolution" means.

[Frank Drackman]

I bet Gandhi really didn’t like the Moose-Lums who killed him

[theobromophile]

The entire point of Christianity is that none of can be Christ, because He is the sinless son of our Lord, whereas we are all fallen creatures.

If you like our Christ and think He is different, why is that? Is that because maybe He isn't subject to the same humans frailties as the rest of us? What does that imply about the truth of our faith (harkening back to the CS Lewis trilemma here)?

[santamonica811]

I see today, in the online comments by the dumbest of the dumb wing of humanity, that the Olympics' closing ceremony was apparently a well-hidden homage to Satan.
[sigh]

{Apparently, not that well hidden, as these clever blokes were perspicacious enough to see the truth. (Or, is it: The Truth!!!?) }

Every time I decide how stupid you humans are, you go out of your way to show me that: yup, you're even dumber than I imagined.
[deeper sigh]

[AmosArch]

You said it. Stupid hysterical people predicting half naked Pride leftoids parading around children and the Last Supper being mocked in as high level events like the Olympics. Obviously that never happened.

[Ilya Snowman]

Cut them some slack.

If France goes full Houellebecq over the next decade or so, the gays will either flee or go right back into the closet forever.

If, on the other hand, the French fight back and reclaim their society and state, then the gays will be treated as the traitors and totalitarian subversives that they are. They won't be persecuted for being evolutionary duds as such, but for being totalitarian schemers who, in their short-term greed and folly, tried to saw off the very branch they were sitting on.

Either way, they're fucked and their movement has zenithed.

Tick tock, tick tock...

[AmosArch]

I think its kind of funny that France has a reputation for being super left and literal card carrying communists and socialists and other far leftists control the government and institutions. Yet all the first hand on the ground accounts I hear about life there is that it is awash in racism and bigotry on a level that would make the Deepest South rube blush. And its especially prevalent in the urban metros.

[Ilya Snowman]

Perhaps you should go there and learn about things on the ground for yourself, and certainly not just to the standard American bourgeois tourist spots, rather than just rely on others’ on-the-ground accounts.

Spend some time in Marseilles, in Lille, in the banlieues rouges of Paris, etc.

You’d have to start the process, though, by first getting your head out of your ass first and learn that many Muslims in France are socialists.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

It's too dangerous.

[Ilya Snowman]

Don't spoil the surprise...

[Dr. Ed 2]

Communists can be racists -- the Russians were, and the Chinese are today. (Forget Israel, look at the way CHINA treats Muslims...)

[markm23]

Most leftists _are_ racists. It's not the conservatives that want to lower the standards for blacks to get into college and get hired.

[SRG2]

the Last Supper being mocked

Never happened, though some people, ever willing to be outraged, assumed that a parody of van Bijlert’s Feast of the Gods was actually copying the Leonardo painting.

[Michael P]

That silly claim only reflects on the people making it. In the best case, some amazingly ignorant idiot program designer didn't realize that the obscure "Feast of the Gods" was itself an allusion to the much more famous painting.

[SRG2]

In the best case, some amazingly ignorant idiot program designer didn’t realize that the obscure “Feast of the Gods” was itself an allusion to the much more famous painting.

Evidence?

[AmosArch]

Uh use your brain? When people stage a parody is it more likely to be that of perhaps the most famous most riffed painting in the world or some obscure copy of the the previous painting nobody has ever heard of?

Also they outright admitted it too. Everybody knows its the last supper except for 'msm' media outlets and some not very bright people who patronize them I guess.

[Malika]

Did "they" outright admit it? One participant posted something to that effect, but lots of people were involved in putting this on. Was that person the lead choreographer or something?

[Martinned2]

And so what if it had?

[Frank Drackman]

Great, try that with a float depicting Moe-hammed and see what happens

[AmosArch]

the participants literally said it was the last supper until the controversy arose and changed their tune. And of course as usual you guys trot out the lies and make it the official record. Do you think we're as dumb/gullible as the typical Kamala supporter? I'm insulted. lol

https://x.com/SarahisCensored/status/1817695062538461461

[SRG2]

You didn't read the replies, did you?

https://x.com/Kenny_J_Miller/status/1817732639987478610

[AmosArch]

Of course the olympics is going to deny it when they got backlash. I’m guessing they had this silly excuse preloaded just in case. and it is an embarrassingly bad excuse

The primary shot looks more like the ls than the feast of the gods although to be fair it doesn’t really resemble either in any aesthetically pleasing sense.
And as you did not address the participants themselves outright admitted it was the last supper.

it is 100% clear the intention was to conjure a parody referencing the last supper as part of a meme that has been done better countless other times. not some random parody painting nobody has ever heard of.

The real question is why are you continuing the push this obvious turd narrative? Are you this gullible that you truly believe it or do you just think others are that dumb?

[jb]

I'm kind of confused. Even if we accept the idea the intended inspiration was the Last Supper, where's the mockery? Just to use the Feast of the Gods as an example, which you say was inspired by the Last Supper, was Feast of the Gods also mocking Christianity since it replaced the apostles with pagan gods?

[Sarcastr0]

4:10 PM · Jul 26, 2024
The Olympic Games
@Olympics
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.

The opening ceremony took place on July 26.

AmosArch is enough of a political outrage addict he'll believe anything he reads if it'll make him mad at liberals.

Not that outrage about 'the last supper but with some gay stuff' would be anything but petty even if it were true.

[AmosArch]

Of course Gaslighto is here right on cue to deny the obvious. Don't believe your lying eyes and senses. Believe the bastion of integrity the IOC.

[Sarcastr0]

You said "the participants literally said it was the last supper until the controversy arose."

The Olympics twitter feed *at the time it happened* said it was Feast of the Gods, not The Last Supper.

Unless the controversy arose via some kind of time machine, this is evidence you're incorrect.

[AmosArch]

Like I said above the bureaucrats had this excuse preloaded and sent off a cya tweet just in case which actually makes it more offensive since they knew it was going to be controversial but they went ahead anyway intentionally lying to people.

Not all the stars got the memo apparently.

They also repeatedly said on multiple occasions it referenced the last supper.

Its kind of sad. At the very least you should just admit you don’t give a shit about mocking religious artwork rather than try to gaslight everyone with this silly lie that its not referencing the last supper. Have some respect for the intelligence of the people here.

[Sarcastr0]

Congrats on your unfalsifiable narrative.

You go have fun now.

[AmosArch]

Lets see:

Multiple participants repeatedly admitting it was referencing the last supper.

The primary photo clearly resembling the Last Supper far more than the Feast of the Gods.

A long standing extraordinarily well known meme of recreating the Last Supper which is the most popular painting in the world. A meme has existed for centuries (and includes the Feast of the Gods) vs some other painting nobody has ever even heard of.

Vs

IOC bastion of integrity official claiming it this other unknown painting barely anybody knows or cares about and makes absolutely no sense as a cultural touchstone to riff upon for an event. But makes sense as some poor attempt at misdirection.

I mean I thought the IOC were making themselves look pretty bad with their laughably desperate and continued gaslighting but you are giving them a run for their money.

[Malika]

I saw you post evidence of one participant so far.

[Martinned2]

you don’t give a shit about mocking religious artwork

I don't. Why do you? Suddenly not such a free speech fan?

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Not free from consequences, right?

[AmosArch]

Like when you are losing your mind over people not using proper gender pronouns you can disagree with someone being disrespectful while being for free speech.

Also if you had any reading comprehension you would see I’m mostly taking Sarky and SRG2 to task for their silly attempts to lie and gaslight people not their religious positions. Especially with such a silly narrative a first grader could see through. Or I guess honesty is another thing you don’t care about.

[Martinned2]

@AmosArch: There's a difference between me educating you when you pretend not to know what a transgender person is and you wanting me to kowtow to your (alleged) religious shibboleths.

When we're discussing trans issues, we're having a discussion about facts. When it comes to the Olympics opening ceremony, the only fact in dispute was whether any particular artwork was being parodied, and if so which one. And my position is that it doesn't matter, because parodying any artwork is fine.

[Sarcastr0]

Me: "Not that outrage about ‘the last supper but with some gay stuff’ would be anything but petty even if it were true."

Amos 20 minutes later, in reply: "At the very least you should just admit you don’t give a shit about mocking religious artwork."

Oversensitive and illiterate is no way to go through life.

[Ilya Snowman]

Tankie, look at the years you've spent drafting sophomoric, disingenuous arguments on this blog (and elsewhere).

Many rational people would consider that to be a life squandered.

Look even at your choice of battles in this latest installment.

Go back to Russia, then go into an oven where you belong.

[NOVA Lawyer]

"Like I said above the bureaucrats had this excuse preloaded"

You realize that entirely negates your initial foray into this thread, claiming they at first admitted it. So now you have the rather bizarre conspiracy theory that the IOC and/or its program director did intend a parody of the Last Supper (which, itself, was somewhat subversive of the Church at the time) but secretly put out a statement before the performance explaining the symbolism of using the Feast of the Gods, but then some of the people admitted it was about The Last Supper, and so IOC trotted out the "preloaded" (which is to say, description of the thing before it was viewed) excuse.

To quote Wesley responding to Vizzini: Truly, Amos, you have a dizzying intellect.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Woah the rare and powerful Sarcastr0 finger wag.

So powerful. We don't see these big guns often!

We better pay heed and self correct!

[Riva]

Stop gaslighting just once. Just for the novelty. This disgrace was mocking Christianity. There is a history of this repulsive conduct too long for this comments section. Remember the San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence? You repulsive clowns are beneath contempt.

[Sarcastr0]

I'm a Christian. My faith and my God are strong enough that they can take some mockery without melting down.

Of course, the facts also establish that that there was no mockery of Christianity here.

[Riva]

The issue is not whether this disgrace has impacted one's faith. It is whether it is appropriate, in this Olympic opening ceremony, to celebrate this repulsive derision and mockery of Christianity. The Dodgers' Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence disgrace writ large.

[Bwaaah]

From the NY Post:

A Paris 2024 Olympics spokesperson admitted the controversial drag show version of “The Last Supper” seen in Friday’s opening ceremony was indeed inspired by the iconic da Vinci mural — despite attempting to vehemently deny it following fierce backlash.

“Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” an Olympics spokesperson admitted to The Post in a statement on Saturday, referring to the opening ceremony creative director.

“He is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him,” the statement continued.

Of course, that’s from the NY Post, which I think is a disqualifying factor in your one-sided world. And they don’t disclose the name of the spokesperson. But in my own experience, the Post is a reliable reporter when they make particular statements of fact such as the one above, and I believe a Paris 2024 Olympics spokesperson did indeed issue that statement to the NY Post.

[Riva]

Facts are disqualifying factors in Sarcastr0’s world.

[Sarcastr0]

"“Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” an Olympics spokesperson admitted to The Post in a statement on Saturday, referring to the opening ceremony creative director.

“He is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him,” the statement continued.
...
The spokesperson reached out to The Post with an “updated statement” Monday, featuring “explanations” from Jolly himself — and which notably made no mention of “The Last Supper” or da Vinci.

The convenient, newly offered explanation is that the segment “depicts a great paean feast in which the gods of Olympus take part. In the foreground is the god of wine — father of Sequana, goddess of the Seine — portrayed in a comic way by the singer Philippe Katherine,” referring to the moment a nearly naked man painted blue from head to toe is “served” on an oversize platter on the table in front of the performers."

If the evidence changes, I'm willing to change what I think happened.

But so far this is self contradictory. The NYP is also not naming the spokesperson?? Seems questionable to me.

[Riva]

One doesn’t need a NY Post article, or any citation, to understand this disgraceful performance as a derisive mockery of Christianity. One just needed to view the event. Millions of Christians around the world got the message.

[Sarcastr0]

So your source was bunk, but you just want to believe.

[Riva]

As long as your repulsive leftist censors don't erase the evidence, people are welcome to view the images for themselves and choose either to believe their own eyes or the Sarcastr0 gaslighting clowns of the world.

[Ilya Snowman]

Isn't a prohibition on lying and regularly deceiving others (let alone regularly doing so for pleasure/entertainment) key to the faith?

You're evil, Tankie. No amount of posturing can mask that now.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Isn’t a prohibition on lying and regularly deceiving others (let alone regularly doing so for pleasure/entertainment) key to the faith?"

You think that Christians lie less than non-Christians? Perhaps you don't know many.

[Ilya Snowman]

The question was about Tankie's own purported commitments, given that he regularly lies here. It has nothing to do with what, sociologically, most practitioners do or don't do, let alone relative to other groups/communities.

How's your rabies coming along?

[Stella Link the dog]

"The question was about Tankie’s own purported commitments"

Can you not pay attention to what you yourself wrote quite recently?

You asked if not lying and deceiving is "key to the faith." The answer, which is clear to anyone with but a passing familiarity with either Christianity or with Christians is NO.

[Ilya Snowman]

Because you say so?

If it’s key to the religious norms/dogmas, but isn’t played out sociologically, does that negate the former’s being the case?

More importantly, since it was a question to Tankie about what he/it takes to be key to the faith (something’s that’s actually contested), it is personal. And it can help to show a disconnect between one’s espoused identity and actual practices, your belief about yourself and what you really are.

The rabies has clearly left your brain ruined, if it was any good beforehand…

Carry on, fuckwit.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Because you say so?"
No, because Christian's say so.

For example, some Catholics say:
"At the core of the Catholic faith is the belief in one God, who exists in three distinct yet inseparable persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. This triune God is the creator and sustainer of the universe and is characterised by infinite love, mercy, and justice."

If you are familiar with Christians and you ever discuss with them what is "key" to their faith you will find very few who will claim that truthfullness is "key." If you do find one, chances are you are being lied to.

[Ilya Snowman]

Do you think that you've offered an intelligent, credible response to what I wrote?

You're likely an American, and so likely don't/can't understand the irony of your having lied in response.

[Malika]

"Isn’t a prohibition on lying and regularly deceiving others (let alone regularly doing so for pleasure/entertainment) key to the faith?"

What country are you from/in?

[Ilya Snowman]

Why do you care?

Isn't it obvious?

[Frank Drackman]

Any Olympics where Moose-lum Terrorists don’t murder people’s is a good one

[Martinned2]

A decapitated angel, what else could that refer to than Satanism? https://x.com/roaming_rn/status/1822753037124792600

[markm23]

Calling the Nike of Samothrace a "decapitated angel" displays your ignorance, stupidity, and lack of culture.

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

the dumbest of the dumb wing of humanity

A Harris rally?

[AmosArch]

This message is in place of the missing delete function.

[Ilya Snowman]

Interesting recent news/opinion pieces:

1. The Beeb gives space for an American airhead to try to justify the American blue team's recent Orwellian, childish tactics (going high when others go low, of course). Perhaps the stupidest most debased, shameful piece the Beeb has every permitted---written by an American, of course.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyjl912z7po

2. The Beeb again, this time calling someone an autocrat. Funny, though, how it and most MSM largely omitted talking about that leader (AT ALL, really), let alone characterising the former leader in such terms. One wonders WHY the sudden change in tone and coverage... Who else might have been involved in effecting change there? 🙂

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz733dly2ero

3. American relatively-outsider press stating the obvious, what most people in the world already know and credibly believe.

https://thefederalist.com/2024/08/08/the-kamala-media-blackout-would-be-amazing-if-she-werent-running-for-president/

[Martinned2]

Translation, to save people the hassle of clicking on the links. (Since BBC URLs don't give you a clue of what the article is about.)

1. Ilya is getting all weird about being called weird.
2. Ilya is pretending to be surprised that suddenly the BBC is paying attention to Bangladesh again.
3. Ilya pretending not to know what a "media blackout is", or that that Trump literally has one campaign event scheduled all week: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/events

[Ilya Snowman]

1. Keeping going high when they go low, Martinned2! It doesn't expose you as being a petulant little shit at all (let alone show the world what a coordinated delegitimization tactic looks like, at all...).

2. I am not surprised. I have instead flagged their recent characterisation; anyone can go through the BBC's past reports to see how it is indeed novel. That, in itself, is noteworthy.

3. Martinned2 is trying to pretend that the media blackout vis-a-vis Biden, the holder of the (ostensibly) most powerful office in the world) I referenced wasn't a display of totalitarianism.

Martinned2 pretends to be liberal, civilised and educated. It nonetheless repeatedly demonstrates that it's not. Martinned2 is so shameless, so pseudo-guileful, and so evil, that it is even content to lie about what constitutes a 'translation'.

Fortunately, Martinned2's cult is dying, in Blighty and elsewhere, and so no one will be paying attention to it for much longer.

Martinned2, you know the world will be a better place once you're no longer in it, yeah?

[Stephen Lathrop]

Without additional mutes by me, the percentage of comments muted continues to increase. That means stupidities by right wing trolls talking to each other has become a growing percentage of this blog's content.

[Ilya Snowman]

Is that the sole, logical inference to be had here...?

Regardless, perhaps you should leave, then.

What about your leaving the United States, and Western civilisation, altogether? That may become an increasingly attractive proposition for you, as your superficial ideology continues to crash and burn.

[Dan Schiavetta]

*sigh* Another commenter, muted.

[Mr. Bumble]

Expanding your grayed-out wasteland?

[Frank Drackman]

I'm takin' the Sierra ya Mute!

[OtisAH]

“Somebody acknowledge my clever reference before I have to make it *again!*”

– piece of shit

[Bwaaah]

*bigger sigh* I still hear all y’alls.

No muting in my VC world.

[Commenter_XY]

I am the same way...I do not generally mute. Well, there was SQRLSY. That one, I muted.

[Bwaaah]

I too have limits. But I pride myself in being tolerant of even great differences. So far, no mutes here. I'm still listening.

And then there are those who are fed up with those with whom they disagree. A cruel fact is that so many of them see themselves as believing in pluralism. They simultaneously believe in it [in theory], and despise its manifestation [in reality]. Pluralism isn't pretty. Tolerance takes effort.

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

I disagree with almost everything you write here, but you aren't muted because you don't just throw out gratuitous and stupid insults at other commenters. Those are the people I mute.

By the way, a few years ago did you comment on a different legal blog as Bart something? Maybe it was Balkinization before they stopped accepting comments, I can't really remember. I think Brett was a regular commenter there also, wherever there was.

[Bwaaah]

I read posts on Balkinization from time to time, but I don't think I've ever commented there.

I appreciate your sentiment that I put out more than just gratuitous insults. Many of my remarks are more than that for me. But some of them are just that, gratuitous insults, and I don't enjoy posting those nor reading them back to myself. Too often, I get too lazy to write meaningfully. For every five insults that I compose, I only click "Submit" on one. So at least I hide some of my ugliness.

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

I wish more commenters here would do that.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Thanks for sharing! Hearing about your thin skin and limited emotional and intellectual resilience is so important!

[Dan Schiavetta]

Stephen,

I have noticed that also. We're in a dry season here. I'm at the point where the comment section looks like a grayed-out wasteland.

[Mr. Bumble]

Unless I misunderstand how muting works, if you are seeing a "grayedout wasteland" it is a direct result of your actions.

[Dan Schiavetta]

2 Tim. 2:16

[Kazinski]

Well, I'm not cutting short my vacation for you two.

[Bwaaah]

Are you staying with your wife's family over there? Is this a case of a few shared words of understanding (e.g. hello, good-bye, please, thank you) and a lot of smiling? People tend to be quite supportive when they can't understand what your saying (although not always).

Anyway, is the food an enthralling experience? I hope so. In such far away different places, it often is.

[Kazinski]

Everybody speaks good English except her mother, including my nephews who aren't even school age.

[Mr. Bumble]

Do they speak "English" or American?

[Bwaaah]

'da fuck you goin' on about? (Colour me an asshole American.)

[Commenter_XY]

A MIL who doesn't speak English. Not so bad, is it Kaz? 🙂

[Bwaaah]

Thank god my MIL spoke English. That allowed us to establish an early understanding with each other. I never had to teach her the meaning of the expression "bright red line" for her to know what it was and to not cross it. (OK. She did cross it twice in our forty years. But she also developed an increased appreciation for the word "consequences.")

I credit our mainly peaceful coexistence with our shared understanding. (The bitch got off easy.)

[Commenter_XY]

LOL

[hobie]

Yes, when the usual suspects form their little circle jerks which, as you point out, have become more frequent, I scroll on by

[Frank Drackman]

I’m taking the Sierra ya Mute!

[Stephen Lathrop]

Also, the comments software freezes up constantly, apparently at moments when ads change. Any others experiencing that?

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

You have ads? lol boomers, do you also use your modem to dial into AOL?

[Bwaaah]

Boomer here with ad-blocking...you sound like a young idiot progressive in this comment. (I'm also a Jew [by having been born to a Jewish mother] with few of the beliefs or education you ascribe to Jews.)

Sincerely,
Boomer Jew

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

You're a Talmud follower? Or the Marxist secular kind?

If neither, then I wasn't talking about you.

[Bwaaah]

I don’t know shit about the Talmud, have no regard for Marxism, and I’m not even comfortable with the term “secular” although my lack of any formal religious practice probably lands me in that bucket for many onlookers. But my mother is a Jew, I think that makes me a Jew, and as Meir Kahana said (persuasively), “Don’t worry. If they come for Jews, that’ll be enough to count you in.” So when you talk about Jews, I figure I’m included. I don’t recall you having included a disclaimer for the good ones, but I might have missed it.

That bugs me some because I agree with a lot of the things you say, and yet, it seems that in your parlance I come from bad blood. Not much I can do about that.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

What ads?

Lol.

[Ed Grinberg]

‘You’re a fool’: Trump ramps up attacks on Jewish Democrats

We had a discussion about this the other day.

The following interview (beginning at 31:28) is highly pertinent:
https://www.jns.org/elections-2024-what-elites-are-missing-about-the-working-clas/

[Commenter_XY]

This is what they are saying in Israel, in their 'moderate' publications (Jerusalem Post) about VP Harris.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-814286

"A great existential threat: A Harris presidency's impact on Israel - opinion" - This is the headline

[SRG2]

It's what one person is saying in the US as an op-ed in the JPost.

When an article describes Netanyahu as " one of the world’s elder statesmen" rather than as a venal crook who has hung onto power to avoid further prosecution, they are unlikely to be unbiased wrt US politicians.

[Joe_dallas]

https://jewishworldreview.com/0824/glick081224.php3

Additional info on Harris's attitude toward Israel

[Commenter_XY]

The editorial by chief editor Klein was eyebrow raising. Maybe you ought to read it.

[Commenter_XY]

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-813982

This is what the Chief Editor of the Jerusalem Post had to write.

"Editor's Notes: Harris as president could be a disaster for Israel and the Jewish people"

The Jerusalem Post is pretty moderate (left of Israel Hayom, somewhat right of ToI) - you know this. When publications like JPost are writing these ledes, it is serious.

[Joe_dallas]

leftists have to ensure that they help protect iranian assets such as hezbollah, hamas, houthi,

Their rhetoric defending Israel doesnt square with their behind the scene actions.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Like not shooting down all those missiles and drones, for example?

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

The Jerusalem Post should stop thinking they speak for "The Jewish People."

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

And by the way, I still remember when all the same things were said during the 2008 Presidential elections. A bunch of bullshit then and now.

[Joe_dallas]

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/biden-harris-anti-israel-sanctions-machine

More info on the anti Israel activities of the Biden administration.

[Joe_dallas]

Walz hosting muslim cleric -Harris Walz administration will likely be the most anti Israel administration since the creation of the Jewish state.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3114957/tim-walz-repeatedly-hosted-muslim-cleric-oct-7-pro-hitler-website-link/

[Sarcastr0]

“The imam, Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, joined other Muslim leaders in May 2023 for a meeting about mosque security with Walz’s gubernatorial office in Minnesota”

How anti-Israel! Plus, of course May traditionally comes before October.

Nonsense like this is why people might think you don’t actually give a shit about Israel.

[Joe_dallas]

That reply is stupid even by your standards

[myself]

Pot calling the bone china bowl black.

[Dr. Ed 2]

How about a conference about the security of ALL houses of worship. It would have been much more effective to have everyone there as this is a SHARED concern.

Or are some houses of worship more important than others?

[Joe_dallas]

Harris's foreign policy advisor is Phillip Gordon, pro Iran advisor
As previously stated, actions speak louder than words.

https://www.thefp.com/p/philip-gordon-kamala-harris-foreign-adviser

[Sarcastr0]

"Gordon wrote a string of 2020 opinion pieces with a Pentagon official, Ariane Tabatabai, who was tied last year to an Iranian government-backed influence operation, called the Iran Experts Initiative, tasked with selling the 2015 nuclear deal. "

That's what you got?

[Joe_dallas]

The evidence that Harris is anti-israel is substantial - you should open your eyes instead of believing the leftist talking points.

[Sarcastr0]

You just posted weak tea, and now you pivot to general foot stomping.

Lame. As always.

[Joe_dallas]

Lame - is ignoring evidence especially when provided to you.
You cant see what you refuse to look at.

Though it sop for sarcastro

[bernard11]

Can you read, XY?

The writer is chairman of the Religious Zionists of America, president of the Culture for Peace Institute, and a committee member of the Jewish Agency. He currently serves as a member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council, appointed by former US president Donald Trump. The views expressed here are his own.

First, it's an opinion piece, much of it a rant.

Second, he's an American, not an Israeli.

Third, he was appointed to the Holocaust Memorial Council by Trump, so it's safe to say his views of Harris are not going to unbiased.

[Commenter_XY]

Yes bernard11, I can read. These are the 'moderates' speaking, inside Israel.

O/T: Have an easy fast. Stay safe - you and yours.

[NOVA Lawyer]

You demonstrated no such thing. You regard the Washington Post as a leftist paper, no doubt, but they publish right wing opinion pieces with some regularity. At bottom, you are appealing to authority to gain credibility for someone who, as commenters above pointed out, deserves no such credibility given their obvious personal biases in elevating one and denigrating another.

You're not that dumb. Neither are we.

This isn't what "moderates" are saying inside Israel. It's what an American is telling Israeli moderates. An American with ties to the opponent of the person he is criticizing. You're less of a tool than this. If you want to make your own point, make it. But trotting out an opinion piece by someone who had an appointment from one of the major party candidates as some sort of authority is as dumb as the idiots in the 2010s who passed around Pravda articles comparing Obama unfavorably to Putin. Look, even the Russians understand!

It's propaganda and you look like an idiot parroting it as being anything other than propaganda.

[bernard11]

Let me repeat:

The writer is chairman of the Religious Zionists of America, president of the Culture for Peace Institute, and a committee member of the Jewish Agency. He currently serves as a member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council, appointed by former US president Donald Trump. The views expressed here are his own.

An American who is enough of a Trump supporter that Trump appointed him to the US Holocaust Memorial Council.

Not an Israeli, moderate or otherwise, plus, as the article shows, a big fan of Netanyahu.

And you are saying that he expresses the moderate Israeli's view of Harris.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Kamala stole Trump's no tax on tips policy after her and Biden sicc'ed the IRS on tips.

I get it that she's a shallow Lefty Democrat who mostly speaks to a bunch of brainless robots, but do you think normal people will fall for her transparent pandering and lies?

[Michael P]

That's just wrong.

The grammatically correct version is "after she and Biden sicc'ed the IRS on tips." A subject pronoun is appropriate here. It's usually more obvious if one mentally takes out any "and X" -- few people would write "after him/her/me sicc'ed the IRS on tips".

[hobie]

So you don't like a politician that panders and lies a lot?

[Frank Drackman]

We don’t like the ones who steal Valor, claiming you carried a particular type of weapon in a war qualifies

[Stella Link the dog]

"claiming you carried a particular type of weapon in a war qualifies"
Indeed -- a claim he should not have made and for which there is no excuse. Sort of like an infamous REMF claiming to be a fighter pilot war hero.

[Frank Drackman]

I suppose you be talkin’ bout “W” Willis? And people’s who never served in Wah should be the last to call somebody a REMF, so there’s that, and there’s a good argument that flying an F-102 out of Houston was more dangerous than whatever AlGore did in Vietnam(Vietnamese girls)

Frank

[ThePublius]

"Harris was for banning fracking before she was against it. She was for defunding the police before she was against it. She was for a federal gun buyback program before she was against it. She was for decriminalizing illegal immigration before she was against it. She was for eliminating private health insurance before she was against it.

Believe it or not, this “no tax on tips thing” is yet another flip-flop from Harris and perhaps her most egregious. While the positions listed above were rhetorical commitments, she was the deciding vote for the law on the expansion of the IRS that specifically targets people who don’t pay taxes on tips. Again, you can’t make this stuff up."

[Martinned2]

Harris was for banning fracking before she was against it

You mean like how Vance thought that Trump was America's Hitler before he agreed to be his running mate?

[Frank Drackman]

No, more like how Cums-alot called Sleepy Joe a Race-ist for opposing bussing his kids to a Jungle School (Like Lurch Kerry, Sleepy Joe was against bussing before he was for it), then had no trouble being his VP.
and Stolen Valor Waltz reminds me of every Creepy Pedio who showed up to Chris Hansen's living room with Malt Liquor and Condoms, something tells me there's a Balls-y Ford waiting in the wings that will make "Access Hollyweird" look like a friggin Mr. Roberts Neighborhood episode

Frank

[Krayt]

Why is cumming a lot a bad thing? Remember that in the larger evolutionary picture, all this fighting for dominance and wealth and power is just a fancy version of feathering one's nest to attract the best possible mate so you can...

[Frank Drackman]

Have a flock of Kids like Cums a lot doesnt? Funny that Pete Booty-Judge has more children

[Stella Link the dog]

"No, more like how Cums-alot called Sleepy Joe a Race-ist for opposing bussing"
Harris did not call Biden a racist.

[Frank Drackman]

It’s race-ist, and she did

[Stella Link the dog]

Look it up dingleberry.

[jb]

Yes, the "she flip-flopped" argument is going to be particularly hard to make stick in light of Vance's flip-flopping on Trump. In fact, it seems kind of stupid to try to use it since it just gives Democrats the opportunity to revisit Vance's positions on Trump.

Regardless, ThePublius is trying a neat trick: while Harris did vote for the IRA, which included more funding for the IRS, that funding absolutely did not "specifically target people who don't pay taxes on tips". The discussion might be slightly more interesting without the outright lies.

[Moderation4ever]

The idea of "no tax on tips" goes back to Ron Paul in 2012 so it's really in the public domain. It was a bad idea when Ron Paul suggested it and it is still a bad idea even if Trump and Harris throw it out now. It is pandering and not one of the serious issues that the candidates need to address.

[Frank Drackman]

Thanks Mr. Pink, I think you've had enough Coffee

[bernard11]

I agree with M4E.

There is no logical reason tips should be tax-exempt, and I am disappointed Harris is advocating it.

[Bwaaah]

"There is no logical reason tips should be tax-exempt"

The logical reason is that it leaves more money in the pockets of working people that are very unlikely to be wealthy people. (I believe wealthy people garner very little income from tips.)

The same can be said for the casual cash-based labor/goods markets on which so many poorer, non-permanently employed people depend for income. Just reporting those wages to the IRS triggers of a litany of burdens and requirements that get imposed upon employees and employers, and sucks money/time out of poor people and their cash benefactors.

That may not be "logical" to you. But it's helpful to lower-income working people.

[Josh R]

Why should service-sector workers get a tax break while other workers do not?

[Nelson]

Because Bwaaah doesn't like Harris. It makes sense if you don't have any principles.

[Bwaaah]

That Harris angle must be a you thing. It didn't even occur to me.

The Catholic Church issued some doctrinal guidance, I think in the 1980s, in which it expressed "a bias for the poor." I found myself sympathetic to that idea. I took it as more than a call for greater love. I don't see sitting at the step of government, waiting for deliverance, as a likely solution to the problem.

There's a homeless guy I know to whom I regularly give a twenty dollar bill. You want that taxed under what "principle"? And that has something to do with Kamala Harris how?

[Josh R]

It's a gift and hence you are the one who would be taxed (except it is far below the annual exemption).

[Bwaaah]

My homeless friend doesn't report his income. You can add that to the list of reasons he's a deadbeat...cheating us all of the revenue we use to care for him, I guess?

[Josh R]

I'm gonna guess he doesn't make enough to be taxed.

[Bwaaah]

My hope is that people with less money, particularly poor people, will have more money. Taking their money doesn't help them toward that end.

[Josh R]

While there are more poorer workers who get tips, the overwhelming majority don't.

[Bwaaah]

Yes. And that makes more people who I think would be better off if they weren't taxed. There's nothing special about servers in that regard. I tend not to like to discriminate on the basis of a class other than wealth. But since most people like to pick and choose which types of people get helpful treatment, I try not to begrudge the beneficiaries of that helpfulness. It's the pickers and choosers that disgust me...they purport to know which types deserve more and which types deserve less, by classes other than wealth.

[Josh R]

I don't begrudge service workers. It's just not fair and both Trump and Harris are pandering. Additionally, picking winners and losers goes against the market.

[Bwaaah]

Agreed.

[Malika]

“It’s the pickers and choosers that disgust me…they purport to know which types deserve more and which types deserve less, by classes other than wealth.”

Like thinking a tip tax exemption for some of the working poor is great but relief for other types of the working poor is not?

[Bwaaah]

Try reading my post as if what it says matters.

[markm23]

Why should...? Because if taxes on tips were rigorously enforced, enforcement would cost more than it would collect.

[bernard11]

If you want to help lower-income workers, through the tax code or otherwise, I'm with you.

But there are lots of low-income workers who don't get tips. Why pick those out?

Here's a clue: Nevada. All this is is both candidates trying to drum up support there.

[Ilya Snowman]

'but do you think normal people will fall for her transparent pandering and lies?'

Yes, particularly average liberal Americans. They revel in having the 'correct' emotional response to political stimuli (without questioning whether those are indeed 'the' correct emotional responses) and they confuse their feelings and intuitions with knowledge and rational deliberative capacity.

When challenged to rationally justify their own dogmas, they either collapse upon themselves or just focus on hating the challenger rather than what's stated. They're largely incapable of rational recalibration of their own beliefs and dogmas.

This is perhaps true of most people.

However, it's most obnoxiously manifested by liberal Americans BECAUSE they largely frame their dogmas and intuitions in epistemic terms.

[Aoidized]

Most liberal Americans are stupid. I don't know that it's because they can't recalibrate their beliefs, but that they don't have any basis for their beliefs in the first place.

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

yawn

[Dr. Ed 2]

I am not a fan of no tax on tips.

Depending on which figure you look at, Massachusetts has a median *individual* income of either $42,937 (one person household figure) and $48,617.

IF waitresses are actually getting $60,000 or more in tips, they ought to be paying taxes on that, much as people who earn less pay taxes on what they earn. Why should the guy on the back end of the trash truck pay taxes on what he earns when the waitress (earning more) doesn't?

[Dr. Ed 2]

Actually, the real unfairness involves the cooks -- the folks preparing the food. They don't get tips and hence often are making half (sometimes only a third) of what the servers are making. This is why some seriously sketchy characters are hired as cooks, and that impacts food quality and often food safety.

[Stella Link the dog]

As even a moron should be able to figure out, in our increasingly cash free economy, tips get added to credit card payments and are adminstered by the venue owner/operator/manager and are typically shared among the wait staff and and other staff -- sometimes to include management. So, the bus people and kitchen staff do share in the tips in many, probably most, cases.

[Commenter_XY]

Re: Darby Development Co. v. United States

I have to ask, how long before we see commercials by law firms huckstering for Takings lawsuits on a contingency basis? The Federal government has deep pockets; very tempting to trial litigators.

What I am not following. In Takings suits against the government, why is it so difficult to prevail? The CDC eviction moratorium (and maybe the student loan changes, too) seem a pretty 'open and shut' case.

What's the big hurdle to collect when the Feds overstep?

[Stephen Lathrop]

Who knows? Do you suppose that if a policy overstep by government imposes a private cost on someone, that makes it a taking? That could be your problem.

[Joe_dallas]

SL - you inane understanding of takings was destroyed in the prior thread.

[Noscitur a sociis]

Worrying about pocket depth is putting the cart before the horse: it's only relevant if you can actually win a judgment. As Prof. Somin's complaints probably suggest, prevailing on a novel type of takings claim isn't easy, much less the sort of thing you'd want to rely on a contingency payment for. And of course, the value of a takings claim is limited by the value of the property that was taken, which limits the appeal significantly.

[Commenter_XY]

So whats the big hurdle to winning? I am actually surprised (as a layman) that we do not see more Takings cases in the courts.

[Noscitur a sociis]

This is kind of just repeating what I already said, but you get outside the core takings claim (the government physically seizing or occupying property), it can be very difficult to predict whether a court is going to think that there is a taking involved at all. Take this Darby case: two of the four federal judges who have weighed in didn’t think there was a taking at all. That should suggest that there’s a good chance that the case could have come out the other way (as it still could, of course). Then, on top of that unpredictability, you have the fairly small potential recovery in most cases.

[Dr. Ed 2]

XY -- the big hurdle is getting a lawyer to bring the suit.
That's true in a lot of these cases.

[Michael P]

Kamala Harris has promised to bust inflation, specifically in the form of grocery prices, just as soon as she is inaugurated to the White House.

Who's doing to break her the news from 2021?

[Mr. Bumble]

You mean high prices that are a result of transitory inflation?

By the way, not withstanding government figures grocery prices are still rising based on my experience as a shopper.

[Martinned2]

Your personal experience as a shopper definitely sounds like a better source of evidence about inflation than government statistics!

[Mr. Bumble]

Well, for me it is since the money is coming out of my pocket.
How long is something "transitory"?

[Brett Bellmore]

While inflation is down from its peak during the first couple years of the Biden administration, it seems to have stabilized at about 50% higher than during the Trump administration, which in turn is a lot higher than the average for a long while before Trump took office.

So if you're young enough that you didn't go through that 1970-90's roller coaster, the last 4 years have you freaking out. If you did go through that, you're merely pissed off that they brought it back, but won't be terribly surprised; This IS the administration that bragged about kicking Milton Friedman to the curb, after all, and you grew up in a time when PBS aired his show.

Can you imagine PBS doing that these days?

[bernard11]

Moved

[bernard11]

Brett,

Here is annual CPI growth from 1969 through 1981. Not comparable to recent years.

1969 6.2
1970 5.6
1971 3.3
1972 3.4
1973 8.7
1974 12.3
1975 6.9
1976 4.9
1977 6.7
1978 9.0
1979 13.3
1980 12.5
1981 8.9

And no kind words for Obama?

2009 2.7
2010 1.5
2011 3.0
2012 1.7
2013 1.5
2014 0.8
2015 0.7
2016 2.1

[Sarcastr0]

Rewarming an old complaint like this is kinda silly, because inflation has come down and turns out to have been transitory.

CPI inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, two years later it is down by two-thirds, to 3%.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/07/11/inflation-cools-in-2024q2/

[Aoidized]

3% of the value of our labor and savings being stolen every year still means that the dollar loses half its value in 12 years.

[Sarcastr0]

Wages go up, and savings bear interest.

0% inflation is a bad goal to insist on.
The Fed likes 2%, fwiw.
https://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/econ_focus/2024/q1_q2_federal_reserve

[Aoidized]

No, 0% inflation is not a bad goal to insist on. The Fed likes 2% because it allows them to print to siphon money for government spending and their Wall Street bankster overlords.

The 2% target was literally made up in New Zealand 30 odd years ago. There was and is no science behind it.

https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2023/09/04/why-the-2-inflation-target/

[jb]

The "science" behind it is pretty simple: deflation is much worse than inflation, so it's better to target a low level of inflation than 0%, since if you miss a little you end up with 0% rather than -2%.

[Aoidized]

That's another unproven "axiom" of the left, that deflation is bad. Deflation is good, in that it encourages savings and capital investment. Why spend money today if it has more value tomorrow.

[Brett Bellmore]

Sustained deflation has bad effects, just like sustained inflation does, but there's nothing particularly scary about an occasional dip into negative inflation, unlike positive it's easy to pull out of.

Really, they just make excuses for aiming for higher than zero because inflation transfers private sector wealth to the government, and the government likes that.

[bernard11]

Deflation is not easier to pull out of than inflation. Bump those rates up and watch inflation shrink.

Don’t believe me? Ask Paul Volcker.

Oh, and sustained low-level inflation is fine.

there’s nothing particularly scary about an occasional dip into negative inflation,

There is when it happens, since don't know how deep the dip is, or how occasional. Deflation can get out of control pretty easily, especially when one of our parties doesn't believe in macroeconomics.

[Mr. Bumble]

“Inflation” what is it good for?; ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

[Sarcastr0]

It's good for borrowers.

[Aoidized]

Yes, of which the U.S. is the biggest ever, with $35 trillion of Democrat Party spending, like Social Security, Medicare, TANF, WIC, and so on.

[Brett Bellmore]

Higher than expected inflation is good for borrowers. Anticipated inflation just gets priced in to the interest rate, then borrowers get socked if it declines.

Meanwhile everybody in the private sector tends to lose on the income end of things because cost of living increases are usually annual, while inflation is continuous, so the triangle between the rising line and the stair step is a dead loss.

[Aoidized]

Not to mention that wages rarely keep up. There's a reason Americans are so sour on the economy, despite the leftist media screaming about defeating inflation.

[Martinned2]

I wonder why US wages don't keep up with inflation...

[Brett Bellmore]

Because employers can take advantage of the reluctance of people who already have jobs to quit them looking for better pay, wages are sticky on the upside. So employers can generally get away with inadequate wage adjustments for existing employees, it's the new hires where they have to be really competitive.

[Martinned2]

I think you're skipping over decades of government-sponsored union busting and crummy antitrust enforcement.

[Sarcastr0]

Brett, you're treating labor market policy choices like they're structural.

[bernard11]

Not to mention monopsonistic labor markets in some areas.

[CountmontyC]

One reason wages don't keep up with inflation, at least among blue collar jobs, is illegal immigration adding millions of illegal aliens to the workforce creating a labor surplus.

[Sarcastr0]

[citation needed]

[NOVA Lawyer]

What are you all on about? Wages in the U.S. historically do keep up with inflation. (Fed statistics.) There has been no ten-year period since 1990 in which real wages (wages adjusted for inflation) didn't increase. Sure, the mid-80s to the mid-90s is an example, but it's an exception which proves the rule.

Without facts, this is just a feels subthread.

[Absaroka]

"It’s good for borrowers."

It's good for current borrowers with fixed rate debt. Not so great for future borrowers (including, e.g., the USG, who has to roll over existing debt. Also can have downsides even for existing fixed rate debtors, e.g. someone sitting on a 2% mortgage who'd like to move.

[Sarcastr0]

I'm not saying inflation is good, but it's well known that inflation favors those who have a debt. Even flexible rate debt, depending on how often it updates.

Sure, you can make exceptions, but that's still a lot of people.

[Bwaaah]

Sarc: “[Inflation] is good for borrowers.”

Not for borrowers who borrowed using adjustable rate vehicles, like most credit card borrowers and the U.S. Government.

But let’s just savor another Sarcastr0 truth:

“INFLATION IS GOOD”

[Sarcastr0]

Why would you wank your way into such an obvious strawman?

[bernard11]

JFTR, it’s 30.6%

.97^12 = .694

Learn arithmetic.

[Michael P]

The Rule of 72 is a very simple approximation for cases that works pretty well for cases like this: the doubling time for 3% steps is (close to) 72/3=24 steps.

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Great finger wag. He better pay heed and self censor to earn your approval!

[ThePublius]

Well, the federal govt. fudges and fiddles with the metrics so often it's difficult to trust them.

Who you gonna believe, the govt. statistics or your own wallet?

[Sarcastr0]

The American statistical agencies are politically independent. To the point they have no political appointees.

They do not juke the numbers.

Do you have evidence otherwise?

[Brett Bellmore]

That's hilarious. Nothing in the government is ever genuinely politically independent. "Not directly driven by elections" is hardly the same thing as politically independent, and those agencies are important enough to be prime targets for political capture.

[Sarcastr0]

prime targets for political capture.

Here’s Brett with his awful political thriller again.

Most folks realize that making claims requires evidence. Then there’s Brett.
He'll insult the integrity of however many dedicated professionals he wants based on nothing more than his inborn paranoia.

[Mr. Hook]

So, let's pretend that you were working for a government agency. Would you knowingly push your political or ideological agenda in interpreting data?

[bernard11]

When Brett doesn't like the numbers it's because they've been fiddled with.

Of course, given Trump's plans, they will certainly be fiddled with if he is elected.

[Aoidized]

Must be nice living your life with your head up your ass.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Must be nice living your life with your head up your ass."

This from a Trump sucking moron.

[Ilya Snowman]

'The American statistical agencies are politically independent. To the point they have no political appointees'.

Tankie is trading on an equivocation in the usage of 'political', particularly in the second usage.

He's also a sophist, a cheap propagandist, and a totalitarian enemy and threat to the American Republic and the rule of law.

[Joe_dallas]

how many consecutive downward revisions have there been in the jobs numbers during the biden administration.

Why is there such a huge gap between the household job survey and employment survey that arose during the biden administration. (note that until the biden administration, the two surveys were very close)

[Sarcastr0]

I don't know how many consecutive downward revisions there have been, do you?
Seems to me that if you're going to put out fraudulent statistics, revising them seems a pretty bad plan.

as to the employment numbers, the you considered checking the agency that puts out both numbers (again, a bad plan if you're doing a fraud)
https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/ces_cps_trends.htm
The disparity does not seem particularly large by my eye.

But BLS posits 8 possible sources following in response to your very good faith inquiry about the disparity, as well as a bunch of studies from the early 2000's (since this is not some new thing).
I don't care enough to click further into the studies.

[Jmaie]

If you're looking for adjustments that are sometimes difficult to fathom, take a look at the page where they post adjusted and unadjusted employment numbers side by said. I recall a few years back whether the raw number showed a monthly increase in the 30,000 range whereas the adjusted increase was a bit shy of 200,000. This was IIRC in a January when lots of seasonal folks were laid off, and that happens every year so perhaps not unexpected. But it definitely adds fuel to the fire who want to believe that the gov't will cook the books for PR reasons...

[Aoidized]

Self-servicing government statistics created by the Biden criminal organization?

[Frank Drackman]

it is actually

[markm23]

An anecdote from an honest person is better than statistics from liars.

[ThePublius]

Yea, why doesn't she do something now? It sounds like blackmail.

[Riva]

She's been too busy fixing the border. The Czar gig is 24/7.

[Krayt]

She's going to wrench on interest rates?

She's going full command and control?

Introduce replicators?

I eagerly await!

[Martinned2]

Since you asked, consumer inflation expectations are basically back to where they were pre-Covid. (And, in case you weren't aware, pursuant to the Lucas critique it's inflation expectations that drive most of outturn inflation.)

https://x.com/JustinWolfers/status/1823024331707851024

[Dr. Ed 2]

Carroll O'Connon was a very good actor, far better in the '80s _The Heat of the Nite_ series than he had been as Archie Bunker. But a TV plot that I would like to toss out to real lawyers:

A woman from Boston has a miscarriage in NYC and kidnaps an infant there. 15 years later she is raising the now high school student in rural Mississippi when a private detective, knowing this, tries to extort money from her. The two women scuffle and the PI accidentally falls over a low bridge railing and to her death on the railroad tracks below. The other woman is identified by a shoe print that she left in the soft dirt on the bridge (right..).

The show ends with the woman going to prison in Mississippi and the 15 year old being given to her actual parents, whom she has never met. Nice and tidy, and meeting the 1980s hysteria of a kidnapper behind ever tree waiting to steal your child.

But assuming that the death on the railroad bridge was accidental, that wouldn't be more than manslaughter in a case where a rogue PI was attempting to extort from her. That wouldn't be life in prison.

NY would have jurisdiction of the kidnapping, but that was 15 years ago, the statute of limitations having expired I presume. Likewise any Federal offense of taking the then-infant across state lines.

So what, exactly, would she be charged with? Possession of stolen property (15 years after the fact)?

And then is it in the "best interest of the child" to take her from the only mother she has ever known and give her to complete strangers?

[Krayt]

If the death on the bridge were accidental, I would think her only jail time would be the kidnapping (which would be substantial.) And the kidnapping is ongoing, so I don't think it would expire as a crime, or shouldn't anyway.

[Dr. Ed 2]

And as she left the jurisdiction of NY, the statute didn't toll -- the same stunt they used with Trump, although in this case it is legitimate.

But that would be NY prosecuting, not MS, right?

[KenveeB]

She hadn't returned the child yet, so the kidnapping was an ongoing event for statute of limitations purposes. And even if you're correct that the woman would only get manslaughter for the PI's death, she would still go to prison. The child has to go somewhere, because she can't move into the prison. So who should she go to if not her actual biological parents?

[John F. Carr]

As I understand my state's law an older but still minor teen can consent to what would be kidnapping for one of "tender years". Take in a 16 year old runaway, you're fine. Take in a 12 year old runaway, you're a kidnapper. Our fictional 15 year old might be old enough that the statute of limitations has started to run.

[John F. Carr]

"But assuming that the death on the railroad bridge was accidental, that wouldn’t be more than manslaughter in a case where a rogue PI was attempting to extort from her."

Could they turn the death into felony murder?

[Dr. Ed 2]

By the victim of an extortion attempt?
I could see if the extorter lived, but the extortee?

[Magister]

By the perpetrator of a kidnapping? At least do some of your own homework, Dr. Ed 2.

[Martinned2]

Congratulations on the invention of electric trains! Only a century or so after the rest of the world...

https://x.com/TeamPelosi/status/1822651697182716273

[Krayt]

The trains have always been electric (General Electric makes them.) As Doc Brown says of the flux capacitor, “No, no! This sucker’s electric!” The diesel runs a generator.

It does require much more expensive infrastructure though, to get rid of the diesel part.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Steam was banned from the NY train tunnels after a tragic 1902 wreck caused by poor visibility -- https://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2010/03/05/fridays-from-the-historical-archive-1902-park-avenue-tunnel-wreck-paves-the-way-for-electric-service/

First electric train went through Grand Central in 1906, and within a few years all the trains under Manhattan were electric. Prior to the Depression, profitable railroads were converting their busier lines to electric because steam trains were woefully inefficient, using massive amounts of water that had to be frequently replenished, were slow to accelerate, and required a lot of both daily and shop maintenance.

In 1910, the 4.75 mile Hoosac Tunnel was electrified because the newer/bigger steam trains couldn't get enough oxygen to make it through the tunnel. They put electric engines on the trains and hauled the whole trains, engines and all, through the tunnel.

Diesel/electrics came a couple decades later.

[Magister]

Electric trains are a third rail of American politics.

[Martinned2]

It turns out that a nuclear power station isn't so practical during a heatwave (e.g. when you might need all the power you can get to run the aircon). No water = no nuclear power.

https://montelnews.com/news/69be0829-c914-4488-8697-474ca42b9699/edf-cuts-2-4-gw-of-nuclear-capacity-amid-french-heatwave

[Armchair]

Sigh.

It's not that there's no water. It's that the river water temperatures are high (due to the heat), and legally the power plant can't dump more heat into the already hot water (due to ecological reasons). But importantly, this is a legal, not practical restriction. If the French wanted to, they could simply overrule it, and the plant could keep operating.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/hot-river-water-curbs-output-french-nuclear-plant-2024-08-02/

[Martinned2]

Fair point, but it doesn't change the fact that heatwaves and nuclear power don't mix.

[Mr. Bumble]

Why do you hate green energy so much?

[Brett Bellmore]

Yes, Martinned, it's possible to design nuclear plants so that you might want to throttle them during a heat wave.

It's also possible to design them so that you wouldn't have to. It's a design choice.

France has 18 nuclear plants, with 56 actual reactors.

"All but three of EdF's nuclear power plants (12 reactors) are inland, and require fresh water for cooling. Eleven of the 15 inland plants (32 reactors) have cooling towers, using evaporative cooling, the others use simply river or lake water directly. With regulatory constraints on the temperature increase in receiving waters, this means that in very hot summers generation output may be limited."

So, out of a total of 56 reactors, 12+32=44 of them do not have this issue. Only a minority of the plants are subject to it.

So, let's not pretend that this is a problem inherent in nuclear power, eh?

For that matter, let's not pretend that it's not a problem for solar power, too.

[Martinned2]

Interesting.

[Armchair]

It actually does change the fact. There are three key elements that are intersecting.

1. The legal restrictions.
2. The engineering choices of direct cooling, as opposed to evaporative cooling
3. The heat in mid August, as opposed to June or July.

The first matters because, again, this is a legal restriction. Not a physical restriction. In an emergency, France could simply waive the restriction.

The second matters, because direct cooling was an engineering choice. Evaporative cooling (As Brett proposes) wouldn't have this issue, and the current heat would be fine.

The third matters because just any heat wave wouldn't do it. It would need to be after a long summer of the river heating up. Rivers don't heat up instantaneously.

So nuclear power works fine in a heatwave, as long as the appropriate engineering choices are made.

[Martinned2]

You're acting as if these "legal restrictions" were imposed just for shits & giggles. They reflect the real-world consequences of cooling in certain circumstances. You can't legally amend the laws of physics.

[Armchair]

It's not an amendment to the laws of physics. If you don't understand why the restrictions were made, perhaps you shouldn't make sweeping judgements.

[Brett Bellmore]

And my point is that the restrictions you're talking about aren't inherent in nuclear power, they're inherent in direct fresh water cooling of thermal plants. Fossil fuel plants are just as subject to it if they're cooled that way, as are solar thermal plants or geothermal.

Direct fresh water cooling is just a case of going cheap, and taking the risk of a hot summer. My preference would be siting the plants on the sea coast, where the waste heat could help run desalinization plants if desired.

[Martinned2]

I agree. But Armchair was taking matters a few steps too far by acting as if the "legal restrictions" aren't linked to actual real world facts about how physics works.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yeah, for obvious ecological reasons, you don't want to dump hot water into a river that's already running hot.

OK, for some people this might not be obvious: The hotter water gets, the less oxygen will be dissolved in it. The issue isn't the fish cooking, it's their suffocating. I would note that the river will seldom be running anywhere near O2 saturation, though, unless it has a lot of rapids, so you could probably ameliorate the problem with bubblers. If it weren't that you used direct fresh water cooling in the first place because you were a cheapskate...

I was merely objecting to your characterizing it as a particular problem with nuclear, when it's actually unrelated to the source of the heat used in the thermal plant, it's just a problem with a particularly cheap way of disposing of waste heat regardless of its origin. Nuclear's fine if you don't deliberately go cheap on the secondary systems.

[Armchair]

As many people have pointed out (including me) it's not a physical limitation, the issue is ecological. There's no physical reason the plant can't use the river water.

Again, It's a potential ecological consequence of having the river too hot, and a law that was passed to prevent those ecological consequences. It's like saying windmills have a physical limitation if a country passed a law saying they could only kill so many birds. And the windmills would need to shut down if that limit was hit. (It's actually much better than that, but you get the point).

If France wanted to increase the temperature the plant could put water into the river at, then it would be fine. The ecological consequences may be hazy....82-83 F isn't THAT hot (the Amazon is regularly 86 F). You're not going to "cook the fish". Brett's point about oxygen is well taken.

[Frank Drackman]

Fat Boy and Little Man seemed to work pretty well in August

[Dr. Ed 2]

Actually they didn't -- they were woefully inefficient with only a small amount of the uranium or plutonium involved actually splitting. Most of it was wasted.

[Frank Drackman]

They weren’t designed to produce more Ready Kilowatts, they were designed to turn Japs into Carbon Dioxide and Water, worked pretty well I’d say

[Dr. Ed 2]

Only 1.38% of the uranium fissiled, if more had, it'd been a much bigger bang. Not sure about carbon dioxide and water being the end products though.

[Frank Drackman]

Your lack of basic Science Ed-jew-ma-cation is showing, CO2 and Water are the end products of Combustion of Carbon compounds, which is what we are. See the "Hitokage no Ishi" at the Hiroshima Peace Museum (Fast Frankie Tip: Don't order the "Mushroom" Soup.)
Some poor Jap, I mean Sap, just minding his own business, sitting on the steps outside the Bank, when "Boom" leaving nothing but his shadow.

Frank

[BadLib]

The Man was Fat and the Boy was Little - not the other way around.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Two words: Poor Design. Same thing with the Japanese plant that had generators below the expected tidal wave surge level.

I'll add one more thing here -- as the river temperature warms, they are going to be able to dump less heat into it anyway as it is the differential between your hot water and the cold water that is your cooling effect. Their exiting cooling water is (hopefully) below boiling or they will have LOTS of problems, so if you start bringing in "cold" water that hot, all is lost.

This is why you have cooling towers, like the plant where the Russians lit a tire fire inside the cooling tower. You use evaporation to cool your water, provided you have enough to use for this purpose.

It's location, location, location as nuke plants are highly inefficient in transferring the heat produced into electricity. Probably for safety reasons. It doesn't mean that the technology is bad, just the judgement of the idiots who picked the site.

[Brett Bellmore]

"as nuke plants are highly inefficient in transferring the heat produced into electricity."

Actually, they're about as efficient as coal plants, about 33%, up to 45% for top of the line. Sure, a combined cycle gas turbine can get up to 60%, but that's really pushing things, and you really wouldn't want to use them for baseline power, as natural gas has better uses.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I argue that coal plants are more efficient when the exhausted steam is then used for heat (or air conditioning) which you theoretically could do with a nuke, but no one wants to.

But I fail to see how a dual heat cycle light water reactor, where water heated by the atomic pile is then run through a heat exchanger to heat secondary water that runs the turbines can possibly be as efficient as a single cycle plant where the coal heats water that directly turns the turbines. You are not going to have 100% efficiency on the heat exchanger.

[bernard11]

Amazing how much expertise in nuclear plant design armchair and Dr. Ed have.

[Bwaaah]

Was that:
1) An anti-Armchair/Ed remark?
2) An anti-Brett remark?
3) An anti-nuclear remark?
4) All of the above?

[bernard11]

#1.

Nothing against Brett.

[Bwaaah]

I don't endorse your position there, but prefer it to the others in this case. I was expecting #4, so it could've been much worse. (lol)

[Armchair]

I mean, as many have pointed out, it's not really nuclear plant design. It's simple cooling.

[John F. Carr]

Nuclear power plants may be limited by environmental impact rather than physics. If you dump too much hot water into a river the fish will die. In America such considerations provide employment for lawyers.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Ammonia gas is lethal, and the proper response is for the fire department to respond with a fog pattern -- water reacts with it to form ammonium hydroxide. Which then goes into rivers and kills all the fishes. More employment for lawyers.

[markm23]

Or they could have built an evaporative cooling tower for the nuclear plant, like many have in the USA. France has water to spare, as long as purity and temperature aren't a criteria.

[Kazinski]

i happen to live not far from the largest nuclear plant, actually laglrgest generating plant period, in the the US, which is in the desert and has no natural body of water anywhere close, only a manmade cooling pond.

it was only 107 there today although temperatures of 115-120 are normal.

So I would say that's bullshit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station

[Krayt]

I think the issue was adding too much heat to the local river or whatever, which can start killing wildlife. A custom pond suffers no such issue.

Anyway, the government can waive that. "Politicians X, Y, and Z would rather maybe save some trout and beavers than Grandma." goes quite a long way.

[Martinned2]

And for the avoidance of doubt, since lots of (English speaking) people on Twitter got this wrong over the weekend: Imane Khelif is not suing anybody. She's filing a criminal complaint with the Paris magistracy, for them to then investigate.

https://x.com/DZFOOTBALLDZ/status/1822329125970882929/photo/1

[apedad]

En anglais:

A press release shared by Khelif's lawyer reads as follows (as translated to English):

"After the sporting time, comes the legal time. Having just won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight: that of justice, dignity, and honor. Ms. Khelif contacted the firm which filed a complaint yesterday for acts of cyber harassment aggravated by the anti-online hatred center of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office."

The statement continues, "The criminal investigation will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign, but will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching. The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games."

[Mr. Bumble]

I think allowing men to beat up on women qualifies as one of the biggest stains of these Olympic Games.

[Sarcastr0]

I think you don't much care about the facts.

[ThePublius]

Oh, you don't think he's a man? Ha, ha.

[Ilya Snowman]

Tankie doesn't care. It's the concepts (of male, female, man, woman) that he wants to POLICE in order to shape political viewpoints and to control forms of consciousness.

To best understand Tankie and his lot, read this:
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/darkness-at-noon-9781473549388

[Sarcastr0]

I think there's been not much evidence either way.

But you and Mr. Bumble aren't here for evidence. Because neither of you care about the facts.

[ThePublius]

1. that's not true;
2. you haven't said what you beleive the "facts" are in this case. You've just countered by referring to facts which remain a mystery. Why don't you enlighten us?

[Sarcastr0]

While I usually try and believe the principal, there's enough swirl on this one I am reserving judgement.

Did you realize that's a thing you can do?

[Commenter_XY]

Fine, give her a blood test. Then we will know.

[jb]

FWIW, here's what I understand the facts to be:

1) Until 2023, everyone uncontroversially thought Khelif was a woman. She's listed as female on her birth certificate, she was bullied when she was young because boys didn't think a girl should play soccer, and her own father didn't like her participating in sports because he didn't think it was appropriate for girls. She's always competed in boxing as a woman, including at the Tokyo olympics where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
2) There is an organization called the International Boxing Association that conducts various boxing events and is also widely considered to be corrupt and in the tank for boxing. The IBA previously administered boxing in the Olympics, but in 2019 the IOC decided they were too corrupt and took over administration for Olympic boxing themselves, so boxing in both the Tokyo and Paris games have been administered by the IOC rather than the IBA.
3) One of the events the IBA does run is the IBA World Championships. In 2023, the IBA disqualified Khelif from the World Championships in the middle of the tournament, stating that she had failed a "gender test". Perhaps coincidentally, this was shortly after she won a bout against a Russian boxer.
4) I don't believe the details of this test have been made public, but there's been reporting that Khelif has XY chromosomes and/or high levels of testosterone.
5) Some sports, such as track and field, have published rules for eligibility to participate in women's events, usually based on testosterone levels. Women with naturally high testosterone levels may need to take drugs to suppress testosterone to be eligible to participate in those events. But there are clear eligibility rules and therefore people can understand who is eligible and who is not.
6) Neither the IBA nor the IOC have clear rules about gender eligibility for boxing. The IOC seems to be using the "whatever is written on your birth certificate" rule, but I don't believe they've made this clear. In any case, the IOC has repeatedly said that Khelif is qualified under whatever rules they have in place, just as she was in Tokyo.

Now, somewhat more speculatively:

The IBA seems to be annoyed that they got kicked out of the Olympics, and so they decided to make trouble for the IOC by calling attention to the fact that Khelif (and Yu-ting, from Taiwan) were participating at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the IBA World Championships. This in turn led to a bunch of anti-trans folks deciding that this was something they cared a lot about, falsely asserting that Khelif was trans, that the IOC was being "woke", making all kinds of extraordinarily cruel commentary about her (including calling someone who has lived her entire life as female a man, as you yourself do here).

There's echoes of interesting conversation about what eligibility standards for elite sports should look like, but the conversation about Khelif in particular has been gross and not interesting in any way, including all of the commentary above.

[Commenter_XY]

The question is answerable with a blood test; you cannot hide genetic identity.

[jb]

What question is that? I honestly have no idea how you read all of that and decided the only problem was that no one had done a blood test. And regardless of whether a blood test would be conclusive, is your theory that the IOC should have changed its eligibility requirements in the middle of the Olympics?

Hint: if you think the right blood test is for the presence of a Y chromosome, I'd suggest looking at Swyer Syndrome. Testing for high testosterone, like the IAAF does, has some plausible basis on competitive advantage, but there will be XX women that the IAAF would disallow whereas an XY woman with Swyer Syndrome would be allowed (and correctly so, in my opinion, since they do not experience male puberty).

[Commenter_XY]

The question is whether this lady is actually a dude. I don't know, you don't know, the IOC does not know. That IBA thing sounds like a lot of irrelevant inside baseball. The olympics are over, so who cares.

This is a question that can be answered with a blood test; is she a dude or not? It is not complicated.

If there is an genetic anomaly, that will be evident as well, jb.

[jb]

LOL. This conversation is obviously about a generic abnormality. The fact that you toss that in as an almost irrelevant possibility shows how unseriously you're engaging in the discussion.

[Brett Bellmore]

According to the IBA, they DID do a blood test, and the only reason they haven't released it is that Khelif hasn't authorized releasing it.

As I've said before, such tests are easy enough and cheap enough that the very fact that the Khelif hasn't voluntarily submitted to one and released the results demonstrates what the results almost certainly would be.

[jb]

The IBA is a corrupt organization that is pissed the IOC won't let them run boxing at the Olympics. "According to the IBA" isn't a good foundation for a discussion. Importantly, they haven't even described what kind of blood test they performed; AIUI, they actually disqualified Khelif and Yu-

But let's say, arguendo, that they did a blood test and it shows that Khelif has XY chromosomes and high testosterone. That still doesn't make the conversation simple since, once again, the eligibility criteria the IOC was using for Olympic boxing seems to be "what does it say on your original birth certificate".* Are you saying they should have hastily changed the eligibility rules midway through the competition and kicked Khelif and Lin out?

* And I'm going to note that anti-trans people advocate this as the correct eligibility requirement for sports *all the time*.

[Bwaaah]

jb: Just to be correct, I believe the IOC rule for gender determination in boxing is to use what's on a person's passport, not their birth certificate. I suspect that gender on a passport, in many cases, is much more fluid, and self-determinative, than gender on a birth certificate. I'd be interested in knowing how you came up with birth certificate.

[jb]

Bwaah: Thanks for the clarification.

You're probably right that in some countries, gender on passport is likely more fluid than birth certificate. In Khelif's case, the two match (and I don't think Algeria allows changing either) so it's not that important to this particular discussion.

Whether the IOC eligibility rule is the right one is a reasonable topic of discussion, I think. But that doesn't change what the rule is, and a blood test obviously wouldn't change her eligibility under the rule. Which is why I remain perplexed by Commenter_XY thinking that a blood test would resolve the discussion in any meaningful way.

[Bwaaah]

I think the IOC rule is a bad rule, as it allows biological males to compete against biological females, and especially in boxing, that undermines what I see as being the purpose of separating female competition from male competition: to give weaker females an opportunity to best in class.

[jb]

Says she's female on her original birth certificate. I thought that's all that was supposed to count?

[markm23]

Most birth certificates reflect what a doctor thought the newborn's genitals looked like, not genetic testing. Sometimes the doctor was wrong. Sometimes the newborn's genitals are poorly developed, and the doctor has to guess. The form ought to have a checkbox for "Can't be sure, check back later after it's grown a little", but it doesn't in any country I know of.

Worse, some doctors have done surgery to try to make their wrong guess true, or to correct a botched circumcision by turning the boy into a girl! In the best known case, the doctor published several papers about the case claiming that turning the boy into a girl was entirely successful, but he was lying or delusional. No matter how many people told him he was a girl, the child always knew he was supposed to be a boy. When he grew up and fully understood what that doctor had done to him, he suicided.

OTOH, in Swyer's syndrome, the chromosomes are XY, but the genitals are female - but will never complete their development. It's like the Y chromosome is totally inoperative, but one X chromosome is insufficient. Pregnancy is impossible. Siring a child is even more impossible. I don't know if Khelif has this condition, but I think I'd agree she's a woman if she does.

[OtisAH]

She’s a better man than you are and she’s a woman.

[Frank Drackman]

Of course you’d believe a guy with a Dick is a woman

[Sarcastr0]

"After the sporting time, comes the legal time."

This is fun.

[Aoidized]

Hopefully the "campaign" started in the United States, where we still have a 1st Amendment, at least until the Democrats succeed in reading it out of the Constitution, the way they have the 2nd and the 5th.

[Martinned2]

Are you suggesting that other countries don't have the sovereign right to make their own laws? That the US 1st Amendment trumps everyone else's constitutions and laws?

[Aoidized]

Yes, I am saying that freedom of speech is a human right, not an American one.

[Martinned2]

It sounds like you're also saying that you should get to decide for the whole world what "freedom of speech" entails.

[Aoidized]

I can make moral judgments for the entire world, just like everyone else can.

[Martinned2]

True, but since I started this bit of the sub-thread asking about "laws", I hope you're not suggesting that your moral judgements should trump other countries' laws.

[Aoidized]

In the end, might equals right. My moral judgments will only trump another nation's laws if a stronger nation is willing to fight to make it so.

[Martinned2]

Or if the hypothetical US-based person who might be prosecuted in France is interested in travelling abroad.

[Ilya Snowman]

'Are you suggesting that other countries don’t have the sovereign right to make their own laws?'.

Are you pretending to believe that they do???

The international legal order isn't an American product exclusively. Your lot has spent decades dictating to the the developing world what some of their key laws MUST be and what forms they must take.

[Aoidized]

For example, abortion and gay marriage. The left doesn't tolerate nations like those in Eastern Europe or in Africa that don't want to celebrate homosexuality.

[Ilya Snowman]

I wonder what they would do if a technique were to be discovered that could accurately tell if the fetus was going to turn out to be gay.

Would they defend the woman's right to terminate the pregnancy SOLELY ON THE GROUNDS that the kid was going to turn out to be a gay?

If such technology became regularly available, one also wonders if most gay-to-be fetuses would be aborted as a matter of course...

[Martinned2]

Another one in the category of "if you're publishing messages in a foreign jurisdiction, that jurisdiction's laws apply, even laws that I, Martin, may not agree with": https://x.com/ThierryBreton/status/1823033048109367549/photo/1

Thierry Breton, in his usual enthusiasm, has issued a warning to Elon Musk over his proposed Trump interview.

[Martinned2]

For your amusement, prof. Fiona Scott Morton, who was briefly hired last year to be the chief economist of the European Commission's directorate-general for competition, before being knifed in the back by a French mob led by Thierry Breton, has given an interview suggesting that Thierry Breton tweets too many dumb things to be suitable to be competition commissioner: https://www.politico.eu/article/thierry-breton-tweets-european-union-competition-commissioner-fiona-scott-morton/

[Martinned2]

Elon Musk, being a high-quality CEO, has now literally told Thierry Breton to go fuck himself: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1823076043017630114

No matter how right you are, you don't need a highly paid government affairs advisor like me to tell you that that's a bad idea.

[Kazinski]

No, I think he is exactly right.

And I think Congressional action is needed, including sanctions on EU officials.

If sanctions are in order against Russian election interference, then EU election interference should be punished just as harshly.

[Martinned2]

EU law doesn't apply to misinformation sent to US citizens/residents, it only cares about misinformation being sent across the ocean. So I'm not sure how that's election interference.

And no, CEOs have fiduciary duties to their shareholders, and can't tell important politicians to fuck off. For example, the CEO of Twitter also told Breton to go away, but did so in a much more reasonable-sounding way. (Though that statement could still have done with some redrafting. I guess it was a rush job, and of course Twitter fired all of their Brussels-based government affairs people, so they don't have anyone in-house who can help them with this.)

This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US. It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.

https://x.com/lindayaX/status/1823052643733823640

[Ilya Snowman]

'And no, CEOs have fiduciary duties to their shareholders, and can’t tell important politicians to fuck off'.

What do you mean by 'can't' here?

[Martinned2]

The leader of the Belgian French-speaking liberal party MR (NB Breton is a French liberal from Macron's party) has already tweeted saying that Breton should focus on more important things that trying to police US election coverage. I couldn't agree more.

https://x.com/glbouchez/status/1823093945749897220

[Martinned2]

The official spokesperson of the European Commission has now said that "The timing and the wording of the letter were neither coordinated [n]or agreed with the president nor with the college of the Commission", which is broadly taken to mean that Chairwoman Von der Leyen is not happy.

[Noscitur a sociis]

Are you suggesting that other countries don’t have the sovereign right to make their own laws?

Of course they do. And the U.S., in turn, has the sovereign right to make better laws that let us ignore them.

[Martinned2]

Good luck with that. So far you don't seem to be doing a very good job of either.

[Kazinski]

If the EU aants an all out trade war with the US this is the way to go about it.

[Sarcastr0]

You're the first I've heard to suggest that bit of nonsense.

[Martinned2]

The Biden administration has, on a number of occasions, taken the view that EU regulation of Big Tech companies is protectionism, but I think a trade war is something else. That doesn't seem very likely.

(A Trump administration, of course, would be a different matter entirely. He think trade is for losers anyway, unless the foreigners are doing all the buying and the US is doing all the selling. So Trump would take any excuse.)

[Frank Drackman]

Did somebody kick her in her Balls?

[John F. Carr]

Under local law, would a successful criminal prosecution entitle the complainant to money?

Under American law if somebody does you wrong you want police to charge the person with a crime, the prosecutor to get a conviction, and your lawyer to swing for the fences in the ensuing civil suit. A tort defendant convicted of a crime can't contest the facts underlying the conviction.

[markm23]

However, most convicted criminals have little or no money or assets. If you could win the civil case without any expenditure but the filing fees, you'd still lose money.

[Martinned2]

It's now official, if Jordan Peterson wants to be able to continue saying that he's a psychologist, he has to enter into a coaching program to reflect on his approach to public statements, which seems to be an aggressively polite/Canadian way of saying that he has to stop bullying and harassing people on social media.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10687928/jordan-peterson-supreme-court/

[Krayt]

Power of government silences people? Umm...hooray?

Also, "dangerous speech!" makes an appearance.

[Martinned2]

Power of the government regulates a profession that involves talking (psychology, lawyers, etc)... hooray?

[Brett Bellmore]

So, he unambiguously IS a psychologist, but he won't be permitted to say he's one unless he agrees to undergo reeducation.

[Mr. Bumble]

How many fingers?

[Martinned2]

He unambiguously would like to be able to hold himself out as a professional psychologist, and has been able to do so in the past, yes.

[Ilya Snowman]

Till the relevant government body made a partisan political decision and claimed it to be within its competency to regulate accordingly.

In Crit speech, it's a form of mystification. It's to claim it to be protecting a basic matter of decency, of basic respect, of something natural, of something unchallengeable, of patients' basic rights, when it's REALLY instead a contingent, political preference. In this case, it's a conscious effort to try to silence both genuine scientific inquiry and political dissent.

It's a decision that also threatens the integrity of the very group of people the board regulates. The group's capacity to undertake bona fide scientific research into these issues, matters of science free from political silencing and political straight jackets, eg to determine if they're really matters of (that are best classifiable as forms of) mental illness or not.

Good for you, Martinned2, for OPENLY CELEBRATING a naked abuse of regulatory power. Good for you for siding with the totalitarians.

The mask is off, Martinned2. Your lot cannot hide behind the labels of 'liberal' or 'libertarian' anymore. They're completely incredible. You are the ENEMY of free people, and free-thinking people, everywhere.

You're unqualifiedly EVIL and you shall be treated as such henceforth.

[Commenter_XY]

Don't get him started on the Jews....you'll find he is just a slightly more polished version of Misek.

[Krayt]

One should view such a thing with a jaundiced eye. This isn’t some rando psychologist. This is a guy shooting his mouth off publicly.

See also remote diagnosis of Trump, Biden, or, for that matter, Barry Goldwater, IIRC, who used it to shut up critics, too.

Also, a case covered here not that long ago, where government went after an engineer for opining on asinine short traffic lights, claiming he should shut up because he didn’t have a PE or something.

[Krayt]

t = 166

[Malika]

So, Trump followed a curiously light campaigning schedule with a meandering news conference in which he got crazily mixed up about a helicopter ride he took, wackily said his crowds outdrew MLK's March for Jobs, etc.

Looks like one party is sticking it out with an elderly, confused, senile candidate.

[Moderation4ever]

It does seem that Trump was a better candidate when he was running against another elderly candidate.

[OtisAH]

Convicted Felon Donald Trump has never been and can never be a better candidate.

[Frank Drackman]

Well Queenie, funny if he's such a weak Candidate your side tried to assassinate him.

[Stella Link the dog]

Had our side attempted to assassinate him, he'd be dead.

[Frank Drackman]

No, you’ve had your share of fuck-up would be assassins

[Stella Link the dog]

No, not really. These asshats, including people like Crooks, Hodgkinson and the crackpot who broke into the Pelosi house are pretty much stateless. That's not including, of course, all of your friends looking to take out Pence, Pelosi and others on Jan 6. Those were definitely your rads.

[Ilya Snowman]

Why the presumption of competency? After all your 'side' is largely seen, across the world, regardless of their political and religious affiliation, to be mindless, totalitarian fuckups.

The world will indisputably be a better place when you're gone---and your fellow Americans seem ever more likely to slaughter you each and every passing day. 🙂

[Malika]

A registered Republican?

[Zarniwoop]

DJT is definitely a low-energy candidate with memory problems and anger management issues.

Too old, too weird, too creepy for America.

[Ilya Snowman]

Another comment about 'weirdness' from an American! Weird!

Keep going high when they go low, Yankee Doodle!

And remember: most of the world now sees, clear as day, that you're totalitarians.

[Stella Link the dog]

"mixed up about a helicopter ride "

When it was discovered that Willie Brown had never been in a helicopter with Trump, speculation was that Trump was getting Jerry Brown and Willie Brown mixed up -- probably a common mistake among Republicans. But it turns out to be even funnier. The black guy on the helicopter ride was, in fact, a former CA state senator named Holden who suggested that Trump was mixing up a tall black man from Los Angeles and a short one from San Francisco. Turns out that not only can Trump not tell the difference between the woman he raped and one of hs ex-wives (how can someone be expected to keep them all straight?), he can't tell one black man from another.

[Zarniwoop]

“I wouldn’t want to conclude that (Donald Trump) can’t tell Black people apart, because I’d hate for him to think that I’m Beyoncé.” — Willie L. Brown, Jr., interviewed by the New YorkTimes, 8/10/24 (Willie then started laughing at Trump)

Not that more evidence is needed that DJT is having a senior moment with his memories … but the hard helicopter landing was reportedly in 1990, well before Willie Brown and Kamala Harris were dating.

DJT showing early symptoms of Alzheimer’s is plausible, though.

[Moderation4ever]

There is a family history and I wonder when Fred Trump began to show symptoms.

[Stella Link the dog]

"family history"

With Dotard Donnie it's hard to tell what is demented confusion or just his proclivity to lie about anything and everything all the time.

[Zarniwoop]

With Dotard Donnie it’s hard to tell what is demented confusion or just his proclivity to lie about anything and everything all the time.

“Both” is definitely an option at this point.

[Armchair]

Is there a massive flood of foreign money being laundered into Democratic Party coffers?

The evidence, and previous history, suggests yes. Foreign money buying elections for Democrats. Maybe some Russian money in there too.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/monkey-house-chairman-investigating-whether-foreign-money-flowing

[Malika]

Evidence=/=Just the News!

"A February 2020 internal review by The Hill concluded that there were multiple flaws in Solomon's 14 columns about Ukraine and the Bidens, including omitting important details and failing to disclose that the sources used by Solomon were his own attorneys Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova—both close associates of Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani...

An internal Fox News research briefing book warned that "John Solomon played an indispensable role in the collection and domestic publication" of parts of the Trump-Ukraine "disinformation campaign,"...Solomon was no longer associated with the network by late 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Solomon_(political_commentator)

[Armchair]

JTN links its sources well, and is far more reliable than the Washington Post, New York Times or other left wing sites, which report uncorroborated stories as truth, then engage in "corrections" long after the fact to fit whatever new narrative they need.

[Sarcastr0]

"By John Solomon."

Reliable?

Well, you want to believe it...

[Malika]

Yeah, no worries that Solomon will issue corrections!

[Martinned2]

It's almost as if selling politicians to the highest bidder isn't a great idea!

[Sarcastr0]

This entire thing is about GOP political types opening investigations.

Nothing about 'the evidence.'

You read a far right source, and STILL have to lie about what it says to get your partisan jollies? You got some terminal partisan brainworms, man.

[Armchair]

Sarcastr0 has another reading comprehension fail.

Evidence: "after multiple reports of people claiming they did not make contributions attributed to them."

[Sarcastr0]

Unattributed 'multiple people are claiming' is bad evidence.

But oh hey there's a helpful link to that sentence that contains the following:

"Rubio had written to the FEC demanding a probe of ActBlue after the James O'Keefe Media Group claimed to have spoken with some people on fixed incomes who were stunned to learn that their names and addresses were used to donate thousands of dollars through the site."

It's not even multiple people claiming, it's James O'Keefe saying multiple people claimed to him!

For fuck's sake, Armchair, you're just pathetic.

[Armchair]

First "nothing about the evidence"

Then when directly pointed out, suddenly there is evidence.? But it's "bad evidence"?

Perhaps you should not accuse me of lying? Perhaps you should make an apology to me for supposedly lying?

[Sarcastr0]

Your evidence is James O'Keefe making an unattributed claim.

You can say 'well that counts as more than zero' and be technically correct. But that pedantry is as far as that goes. You have no evidence.

You could wait until the investigations find something, but that's no fun and also these investigations often evaporate over time.

[Armchair]

So, no apology for calling me a liar and being wrong?

[Sarcastr0]

I'm not apologizing to you, you're a huge asshole who has accused me of blood libel. You get nothing, ever, and can fuck yourself.

"The evidence, and previous history, suggests yes" is still a lie. Though you appear to be stupid enough to believe it.

[Mr. Bumble]

Hey Armchair, it seems you've raise Il Douche's hackles.

[Armchair]

Well, seems Sarcastr0 can't apologize when he makes a mistake. Or perhaps it was on purpose. We'll add that to his many flaws.

[Sarcastr0]

Admissions are an act of accountability. As I said, maybe you weren’t lying and just really stupid and also lazy.

Apologies are an act of grace. I don’t know why in the world you would think you deserve any grace.

[Armchair]

Read what an apology is.

The basic elements of an apology communicate:
That the person apologizing was, in some way, responsible for the unjust actions taken;
That the person apologizing is aware of the injustices that resulted from those actions; and
That the person apologizing intends to behave differently in the future.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_(act)

You don't intend any of that. You intend to lie again, and again, even when caught, about everything and anyone you disagree with. You take no responsibility for your actions. Just like when you committed blood libel against the Jews. No responsibility, no remorse, no accountability, and an inability to apologize.

[Kazinski]

Its not O'keefe making an unattributed claim, he interviews the people, and reviews the FEC records of the contributions on video.

Its just Sarcastro's source minsing.
The MSM won't do investigative reporting against Democrats and the left, but outfits that do are "unreliable" and should be ignored.

He said basically the same thing about Miranda Devine's NY Post coverage of Hunter's laptop, and of course fell for the Russian disinformation lie.

[Sarcastr0]

O'Keef has a credibility issue. Especially when he releases videos.

I don't need a source to point out Armchair came in hot with vastly less than he promised.
Even if you take O'Keef at his word "Foreign money buying elections for Democrats" is nowhere near suggested.

But you're awful at critical thinking so of course you believe it. Or at least want to support it.

Comer is going for some Harris border investigation, so I expect that's where next you'll push.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yes, nothing kills somebody's credibility in your eyes like releasing evidence of something you don't like.

[Sarcastr0]

You don't recall O'Keef's history of edited videos and general lying?

Anyhow, if you read the rest of my comment 'Foreign money buying elections for Democrats' is unsupported even if you take O'Keefe as utterly credible.

[Malika]

Speaking of someone who fell for NY Post reporting, Kaz repeated their initial reports that Trump's would be assassin was Chinese.

[Ilya Snowman]

'Unattributed ‘multiple people are claiming’ is bad evidence'.

Tell that to the American corporate media...

[Stella Link the dog]

'Evidence: “after multiple reports of people claiming they did not make contributions attributed to them.”'

Is there such a thing as "evidence" that is so unreliable as to be no better than no evidence? For example, Trump falsely claims that he and Willie Brown were in a helicopter together. Is that evidence of the claimed fact or just stupid BS?

[Stella Link the dog]

"Is there a massive flood of foreign money being laundered into Democratic Party coffers?"

Is someone claiming that the $10 million from Egypt went to the Democrats rather than to Trump?

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

The zone won't flood itself, man...

[Malika]

"Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (R-OH) during a CNN interview Sunday slammed Democrats for “making fun of” and “bullying” Republicans.

CBS News congressional correspondent Scott Macfarlane reported via X: “On CNN, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) accuses Democrats of engaging in name-calling and schoolyard bullying in campaign.”

MSNBC contributor Brian Tyler Cohen replied: “Crooked Hillary, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Sleepy Joe, Coco Chow, Lyin Ted, Ron DeSanctimonious, Birdbrain Nikki Haley, Old Crow McConnell, Gavin Newscum, Pencil Neck Schiff, Pocahontas, Cryin Chuck, and Kamabla would all like a word.”

The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson added: “Has he met his boss? I mean…even once?”

University of Pittsburgh School of Health Policy and Management professor Miranda Yaver PhD wrote: “From ‘f—k your feelings’ to ‘hey, your name-calling hurts my feelings!'”

https://www.alternet.org/jd-vance-bullying-democrats/

[hobie]

Watch it! These hayseeds get awfully prickly when you point this shit out.

[Frank Drackman]

No, we get pissed when people claim they served in a Wah when they didn't. Or had no trouble sucking up Military Pay/Benefits for years and when it's time to actually go somewhere and fight does a Snaggle-Pus "Exit Stage Left" (Does Waltz look like he missed many meals?)
And this Hayseed will put his Ed-jew-ma-cation up against yours any day of the week, and pre-emptive Strike, H8ers, there's more to being smart than not dangling your Adverbs. As hard as it may be to believe, I've got a professional degree, what do you have besides a bad case of Prostatism?

Frank

[Stella Link the dog]

REMF says: "No, we get pissed when people claim they served in a Wah when they didn’t."

[hobie]

Real soldiers never crow about their service. Them that do probably never were soldiers. Lot of self aggrandizement up in this bitch

[Frank Drackman]

That’s one of the biggest pieces of Bullshit, along with “Real Soldiers hate war” maybe with the Homo AF or most of the Army, the Marine Corpse gets disappointed when they don’t get to fight, maybe save your comments for something you know about, like Felching

Frank

[Stella Link the dog]

Dear REMF:
"maybe save your comments for something you know about, like Felching"

[Frank Drackman]

I was the exact opposite of a REMF, went across the minefields into Kuwait with my Batallion,
OK with Bosnia I Did stay in the rear (Italy) with the gear (FA-18s) 1: because that’s where they told us to fly from and 2: I was smart, one war where 90% of the enemy gave up was bad enough

Frank

[hobie]

I learned a new term today: REMF. Fitting

[Frank Drackman]

It’s only been around since Roman holidays, if you’d served (or seen “Full Metal Jacket”) you’d have known, don’t tell me you haven’t heard of “Fubar”

Frank

[MoreCurious]

Pathetic. All evidence over the years to the contrary, Drackman is still trying to convince us that he is smart and that he even has a "professional degree." Nothing he has ever written supports his claim. He doesn't know how to spell, he doesn't know how to use proper punctuation or capitalization, and his words end up as nothing more than an accumulation of garbage. The thought of this moron actually being a doctor is terrifying.

[Frank Drackman]

Most Doctors didn’t get to be Doctors due to our rhetorical skills, and believe it or not, I’m more intelligible than the Jug-Dish, Raheem Abdulla, Xiao Ping Pang Pong, and the African guy who’s name is a series of buzzes and clicks you’ll find at your local ER

Frank

[Reallynotbob]

Debatable.

[MoreCurious]

Not only debatable, it's simply not believable. There's nothing that Drackman has ever written that he couldn't have pulled off of Wikipedia with assistance from Professor Google. Maybe one of these days Drackman will prove he's an intelligent adult by writing like an intelligent adult. But I doubt it.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know because the good "doctor" is just a grey box to me.

[Mr. Bumble]

10 years after in Ferguson, MO:
A Cop Gets His Head Bashed in at a 'Mostly Peaceful' Protest, Marking 10 Years Since Michael Brown Died
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2024/08/11/a-cop-gets-his-head-bashed-in-at-a-mostly-peaceful-protest-marking-10-years-since-michael-brown-died-n4931542

[Aoidized]

Why America tolerates these people is beyond me.

[Frank Drackman]

Michael Brown hasn’t robbed any Convenience Stores lately, same with Floyd George not beating up women, they should have given both those Cops medals

Frank

[Martinned2]

It turns out that JD Vance is a fan of Lina Khan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK1V2q05Zi8&t=1078s

Wants to break up Big Tech, etc. Shows the interesting way that Big Tech has friends and enemies in both major parties in the US today.

[Moderation4ever]

I noted reports that the Trump campaign was hacked. Hopefully they are better at securing embarrassing emails than was Hillary Clinton's campaign. The Trump hack reminded me of when the Hillary Clinton hack occurred and the reaction of Republican politician. It was mostly concern because politician like many people don't want people reading their private messages.

[OtisAH]

You seem confused. If there are any embarrassing emails from the phishing attack, the campaign did not secure them very well. But it’s not all bad because suddenly The Media has become very responsible when receiving stolen campaign-related emails. Politico and WaPo have been sitting on theirs for most of the past month. This is in contrast to how quickly they rushed to publish fascinating information such as John Podesta’s risotto efforts.

[Frank Drackman]

You should mute yourself ya Mute! Are we Square? I said, Are. We. Square? and I'm takin the Sierra!

[hobie]

Was talking to my niggas this weekend. Their tenuous support for Trump, it turns out, is not because he's gangster or that he ever did anything for them (some appreciate, as do I, the sentencing/prison reform he did). They are also well aware that Trump and conservatives are raging racists that hate them. But the REAL reason is that Trump both represents, and is responsible for, the ongoing self-destruction of white culture. They've been waiting for this for a long time.

[Aoidized]

I'll take "things that never happened" for $1,000, Alex.

[hobie]

Which part?

Trump DID do things for blacks?
Conservatives are NOT racists?
Whitey is NOT tearing themselves apart?

[Frank Drackman]

That there are Niggers who wouldn't beat you to a pulp within 10 seconds of meeting you.

[ThePublius]

Where do you get this conservatives are racists stuff? Are you really that deranged, that radical?

[Stella Link the dog]

"Where do you get this conservatives are racists stuff? "
Take a look at the comment just above yours for one of the many examples available in the comments on this blog.

[Brett Bellmore]

You actually conceded that Trump had done things for blacks, remember sentencing reform? You just denied that your pals cared about it.

In reality, it's not a President's job to do things specifically for blacks. It's his job to do things for Americans, some of whom simply happen to be black. If he's doing things specifically to benefit a racial minority, or majority for that matter, he's gone wrong, he's a bad President.

So, are some conservatives racists? No doubt. Some liberals are racists, too. Are conservatives systematically racist? No. It's just that the left identifies any deviation from their preferred race policies as "racism", even when the deviation is in the direction of NOT taking race into account. From a left perspective, simply ignoring race is somehow "racist".

You've created for yourselves a tendentious definition of "racism" that immunizes yourselves from the charge, while making its application to anybody who disagrees with you on policy basically automatic. Which is why a declining fraction of the population even care if you call somebody "racist".

A sad side effect of this is the crying wolf phenomenon; Even if you accurately call somebody a racist, nobody's listening to you anymore, because they know you just call everybody you don't like racists.

[bernard11]

it’s not a President’s job to do things specifically for blacks. It’s his job to do things for Americans, some of whom simply happen to be black.

This is only true in a silly formalistic way. (Hello, Brett). If there is a particular problem or injustice that disproportionately harms blacks, and the President does something about it, then it's fair to say he helped blacks.

[hobie]

‘Cause when the shit goes down, it’s gonna be Roddy McDowell in a chimp suit scrabbling through Century City all over again. But Hobie is gonna be spared. Count on it.

I think the Planet of the Apes franchise endures because it is the most distilled horror genre for the American redneck that could ever happen

[John F. Carr]

Reuters reports software on an airliner got its idea of the current time from a spoofed GPS signal, set its clocks forward a few years, and decided lots of digital certificates had expired. All the secure communications channels went down. "The plane was grounded for weeks while engineers manually reset its onboard systems".

Since we didn't read about a crash I assume some flight control computers kept working. And the plain old FM radios should have kept working.

The solution to this problem is well known and implemented in readily available software: a system is allowed one big time jump after a cold start (its inner clock blinking 12:00) and after that even the most trusted time source can only cause millisecond scale adjustments.

I live within radio range of a major airport. Could I cause a few billion dollars worth of damage with a cheap transmitter? (Not without violating an FCC regulation, I'm sure.)

What else does your ride trust that it shouldn't? Cars are probably even worse.

[ThePublius]

"And the plain old FM radios should have kept working."
Aviation comms are via VHF-AM.

[John F. Carr]

That is some weird, wild stuff. I did not know that.

AM in the VHF band? My world is upside-down.

[Voize]

It was deliberately kept AM because FM receivers exhibit a phenomenon called capture effect where a slightly stronger signal suppresses a weaker one. For safety it's better that a listener (e.g. an air traffic controller) be aware that a second transmitter was operating so they can ask for retransmission and get both messages instead of losing one.

[Armchair]

In other more worrying news, Euthanasia is now the 5th leading cause of death in Canada. With more than 15,000 people lethally injected in 2023.

Well, that's one way to keep health care expenses down...

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/euthanasia-fifth-leading-cause-of-death-in-canada/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=right-rail&utm_content=corner&utm_term=fourth

[Frank Drackman]

Remember that SNL Emily Litella bit (OK, dating myself, back when SNL was funny)
"Whats all the fuss about Youth in Asia?
what about Youth in America? or Europe? and what about
the Elderly in Asia? "
(Chevy Chase Interrupts) "Um Emily, the story was about "Euthanasia" the voluntarily ending of life in terminal medical conditions"
"Oh, thats very different. Never Mind"

Frank

[Brett Bellmore]

Semi-voluntary, anyway.

[Stella Link the dog]

How is it not voluntary? How is possible?

[Jmaie]

I can’t tell if this is a serious question…

[Stella Link the dog]

How is it possible for someone to involuntarily commit suicide?

Note the irony of many gun nuts claiming that gun death suicides shouldn't count while many of the same sort are whining because we're not doing enough to prevent other people choosing to end their lives with some sort of dignity intact. Not necessarily the same people, but they all wear the same shoes.

[Armchair]

Well Stella, here's the deal.

The medical "leaders" in Canada (wonderful nationalized health care an all), simply say "Well, we could treat you for diabetes. But...it's a long waiting list. That's a long time in pain" OR Here's a wonderful injection. You can just end it now.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13616131/Canada-record-breaking-jump-euthanasia-death-suicide.html

[Armchair]

Here's more.

"In August, The Associated Press reported the story of Alan Nichols, a 61-year-old man with a history of depression who in 2019 was briefly hospitalized because it was thought he might be suicidal. Within a month of his hospital stay, he requested euthanasia and was killed despite protests from family members, who said he was not taking his medications and did not have the capacity to make the decision to die. “His application for euthanasia listed only one health condition as the reason for his request to die,” The A.P. reported: “hearing loss.”"

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2022/12/15/canda-euthanasia-human-dignity-medicalized-killing-regime-244350

[Armchair]

And more

"In 2021 the requirement that death be reasonably foreseeable was dropped. Today, anyone over the age of 18 with a serious illness, disease or disability, even if they are otherwise healthy, can be euthanized. (Whether “mature minors” can consent to be killed is currently under consideration.)"

"Already, doctors report hearing from low-income disabled or chronically ill patients who are seeking euthanasia because they cannot afford housing or adequate treatment with the social assistance they receive from the government. Patients with disabilities say that doctors have presented euthanasia as an option unprompted and in what can feel like a coercive manner, especially in the context of conversations about the cost of care."

[Stella Link the dog]

"“In 2021 the requirement that death be reasonably foreseeable was dropped. Today, anyone over the age of 18 with a serious illness, disease or disability, even if they are otherwise healthy, can be euthanized."

The US solution to someone wanting to commit suicide is so much better. Just give the person a gun.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Here’s more. "
“His application for euthanasia listed only one health condition as the reason for his request to die,”

where is the encouragement? Where is there even a suggestion that his guy's choice was other than completely voluntary?

[Stella Link the dog]

"Well Stella, here’s the deal."
The article you cite does not support your characterization.

[Martinned2]

Everybody has to die of something. It's like how more people die of cardiovascular problems these days, because we've gotten better at curing cancer.

[tylertusta]

Canada's death rate has been increasing, not decreasing.

[Martinned2]

Yes, that happens when the boomers get older.

[tylertusta]

It certainly helps to increase in your death rate when you start euthanizing your population.

[Martinned2]

I'm always confused by the fact that none of these shouting voices in the VC comments section who claim to be libertarians accept that euthanasia is a libertarian issue. What right does the state have to force you to live if you're suffering and want to die?

[tylertusta]

I'm always confused that ninnies in the VC comment sections make bold assumptions about others that are just flatly wrong.

I never claimed to be libertarian. I'm a conservative.

To answer your question of 'What right does the state have?'

The state doesn't have rights. The state has powers derived from the consent of the governed. I do not consent to euthanasia as policy, and I think the state should ban it just like the state bans murder, rape, or kidnapping.

[Martinned2]

You do you. I prefer to live in a free country.

[tylertusta]

Yeah, you can have that “freedom.”

I prefer to live in a country where the government isn't trying to convince its citizens to kill themselves, you ghoul.

[Stella Link the dog]

Recognizing an individual's inherent right to not live a life not worth living is not equivalent to "trying to convince [people] to kill themselves," you fucking moron.

[tylertusta]

Stella Link the dog: Maybe Canada should stop telling their citizens to kill themselves then, you stupid piece of shit.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Maybe Canada should stop telling their citizens to kill themselves then"

Is there any evidence that Canada is doing any such thing or is this just some more bullshit? That question doesn't require an answer, you demented moon calf.

[tylertusta]

Is there any evidence that Canada is doing any such thing or is this just some more bullshit?

Yes, there is evidence. Google it.

That question doesn’t require an answer, you demented moon calf.

Your replies amuse me, dog.

[BadLib]

I do not consent to euthanasia as policy, and I think the state should ban it just like the state bans murder, rape, or kidnapping.

And you see no difference between these things? Like maybe most involve an involuntary participant but one does not.

Do you think that consensual sex should be banned also? Euthanasia involves only willing participants and murder does not – just as consensual sex involves only willing participants and rape does not.

[Mr. Bumble]

Who claims to be a libertarian?

[tylertusta]

Apparently we're all libertarians now or something.

[Frank Drackman]

Happens when anyone gets older

[Mr. Bumble]

Leading Causes of Death
Print

Data are for the U.S.
Number of deaths for leading causes of death

Heart disease: 702,880
Cancer: 608,371
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 227,039
COVID-19: 186,552
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 165,393
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 147,382
Alzheimer’s disease: 120,122
Diabetes: 101,209
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 57,937
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 54,803

Source: Mortality in the United States, 2022, data table for figure 4

[Frank Drackman]

Actually it’s the opposite, why not leave medicine up to the Doctors? Do I tell you how to write a Man-damn-us?

Frank

[Armchair]

You don't think there's a problem if euthanasia is the 5th leading cause of death in a country?

[tylertusta]

The ghouls are winning.

[jb]

I'm sure the same people who were poo-pooing Covid* because it only killed old people who were going to die anyway, are very concerned about this information. (You amongst them.)

But that does seem like a pretty rapid increase and the fact that only 3.5% of requests are rejected may be concerning, as is the fact that there's not really a waiting period between making the request and having it acted upon. If I were King of Canada, I'd probably add some more controls in, but there does seem to be pretty good reporting and study on the topic so hopefully there will be ongoing refinement in the policies.

*which, notably, still shows up ahead of euthanasia as a cause of death in Canada.

[Frank Drackman]

There actually is a “King of Canada” the Elephant Eared chucklehead with the Ass Cancer, funny how Dr Death himself, Jack Kevorkian died Insane and Penniless lying in his own piss and shit instead of using his own machine(who needed a machine? Want to leave this moral coral? We have these things called guns, rope, and if you’re really a minimalist, “Gravity”
Frank

[Armchair]

"I’m sure the same people who were poo-pooing Covid* because it only killed old people who were going to die anyway, are very concerned about this information. (You amongst them.)"

Do you have any evidence I "poo-pooed" Covid because it "only killed old people?"

For the record, I categorically deny I ever disparaged COVID on the grounds that it only killed old people. Such a concept is horrendous.

If you can't provide any such evidence for your libel, I expect an apology.

[jb]

Fair enough, I'll accept that you weren't one of the people making that argument and apologize for lumping you in with them.

[Bwaaah]

I'd be interested in knowing how you arrived at the belief that Armchair said (or believed) that. I'm skeptical of your methodology. I suspect bigotry.

[jb]

It was a common talking point from the right wing crowd during Covid, and lately Armchair has been a pretty good mouthpiece for right wing talking points so I made an incorrect assumption about past behavior.

Having said that, I did subsequently go back and look at some of the Covid discussions and thought Armchair’s views were pretty reasonable even if not always points I would have agreed with.

[Bwaaah]

I hope you'll focus more on responding to what a person says, and not what they say. You might in the least think of it as speaking to many different idiots, and not just one type of idiot. And it elevates the conversation to be about particulars rather than just same old same-old.

[OtisAH]

An important message from Convicted Felon MENSA Trump:

Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she “A.I.’d” it, and showed a massive “crowd” of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST! She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane. She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the “crowd” looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake “crowds” at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING – And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!

Fascinating stuff. It’s all policy all the time over at the Convicted Felon Trump/Drag Lady Vance campaign. Harris had better produce some position papers soon before CFT runs away with this thing.

[Zarniwoop]

So what’s low-energy Don’s current election strategy, anyways?

Dementia-tinged memories of a helicopter hard landing to support a claim he knows a 90yr old black politician, who has never been in a helo with him?

Rage-tweeting his child-like insecurities about his crowd size?

Hiding at Mar-a-Lago when he’s not making comfort-zone appearances in safe states, one a week or so?

Old, angry, creepy, weird.

[Martinned2]

Are you suggesting that Montana isn't a swing state?

https://www.ktvq.com/news/montana-news/fact-checking-donald-trumps-rally-in-bozeman-montana

[Martinned2]

Meanwhile, Trump Media has reported a $16.4 million quarterly loss
on a $837,000 in quarterly revenue.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/08/09/trump-media-loss-quarter/

(But it's fine. DTJ did a deal recently that allows it to do at-the-market offerings even though it's been less than 1 year since its SPAC deal went into effect. So it will presumably issue tons of its overpriced stock and put that money in the bank, thus generating enough interest income to break even. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-07-17/trump-media-has-some-stock-to-sell)

[bernard11]

Wonder what all the folks who were talking about Biden's deficiencies think about that.

Trump is undeniably demented.

[Josh R]

Don't confuse narcissistic personality disorder with dementia.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Are they mutually exclusive?

[Josh R]

They almost awalys are when you are young. Trump is acting no different than he has for the past 50 years.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

The slurring is new. (But not the slurs--that's old!)

[dwb68]

I hear you, Harris is a flip flopper and/or super liberal. She's busy hiring ex Obama people and billing herself as a moderate, unapologetically stealing the tough on crime and illegal immigration mantle. GOP response: whining.

In 8 years, Trump has not demonstrated the discipline to run a campaign. He's too busy rage baiting Georgia Republicans by attacking Kemp's wife, airing old grievances, and rambling in press conferences. He's not doing many appearances either (maybe the campaign is keeping him hidden, not a bad idea).

Nobody wants to go back to the 90-minute rage inducing covid briefings. Trump anger mood was 2016. Its now 2024.

Sure, Trump could change and run a disciplined policy-focused campaign and hammer home she's a flip flopping liar. He could be more upbeat and Presidential. There is a first for everything.

Its time to focus on down ballot races. GOP Senate/House and Harris as President wont be the worst. Maybe we will return to disciplined spending (well I can dream). Markets & economy often does well under split government.

Also: No there is not a lot of time left. early voting starts the week after the 1st (maybe only) debate, Sept 10th. <50 days. At this point its Harris' race to lose.

[Aoidized]

It has nothing to do with campaigning, and everything to do with the fact that the media is doing Harris' campaigning for her!

Look at the front page of CNN for God's sake. "Trump flails while Harris gains momentum." That's an opinion, not news, but they present it as news.

[Bored Lawyer]

Sorry. The media has been in the tank for Democrats since before I was born, and it has only gotten worse. Whining about that is a sign of weakness. It's like whining that it rained on your political rally. That's life. REpublicans have been dealing with that for decades, and winning more often than losing.

Trump is a whiner, and now looks like, again, he is going to be a loser. He could run a disciplined, focused campaign and clean Kamala Harris' clock. Ron De Santis could do that easily. Trump, OTOH, seems incapable.

We warned the Trump supporters, but they insisted on nominating their idol.

[Aoidized]

No, he couldn’t. DeSantis would be accused of being “weird” or “mean spirited” by the media. They have gotten much worse in the past 10 years, and pretending otherwise is foolish.

For what it's worth, I did not want Trump. I wanted either Cruz or DeSantis. But it's idiotic to pretend that the media wouldn't be covering for Harris just as much.

[Bored Lawyer]

Of course they would cover for Harris. But a sharp Republican candidate knows how to cut through that and reach the voters anyway.
Republican candidates, especially for national office, have to play with a handicap: most of the press is against them. The successful ones play with a handicap and win.

[Nelson]

Yes, everything is a conspiracy against conservatives. How whiney can you get?

The problem conservatives have is that conservative positions aren't popular.

If it weren't for the Electoral College giving a massive boost to a bunch of red states, there wouldn't be another R President until they started adopting better social policies. And they're absolutely convinced of their own moral superiority, so that wouldn't happen until they lost multiple cycles in a row.

[Estragon]

Trump is going to go into the history books as an influential and consequential politician. I imagine the fact that in his time in politics, he has not ever— and will never— get more votes than his various opponents will be a source of some puzzlement to future historians.

In 20 years, 60% of senators will represent 30% of Americans, and vice versa. If conservatives think that state of affairs will continue indefinitely— especially as they continue to push policies that are broadly unpopular— they are going to be disappointed.

[SimonP]

You know that DeSantis and Cruz would be smeared as "weird" and "mean-spirited" because... oh, because they are, and that's why you like them.

[Bored Lawyer]

Yawn.

[SimonP]

You think your echo-chamber discourse is interesting to scroll past?

[Aoidized]

LOL, you're proving my point.

[SimonP]

I'm not "the media." I'm just a person who is familiar with Cruz and DeSantis's public personae.

There are a number of prominent Republicans I wouldn't describe as "weird" or "mean-spirited." The fact that they have difficulty gaining traction in the modern MAGA party is just a testament to the sorts of people you want representing you. McConnell, Johnson, many other Senators and probably a good number of House representatives. The Republican governors who are just keeping their heads down and focusing on running their states probably wouldn't come off as "weird," either. For every dog-killer like Noem or cross-eyed nepobaby like Huckabee, there's a normie like Youngkin, Sununu, DeWine. Hell, I don't even think Abbott is that bad; most of the weirdness and mean-spiritedness coming out of Texas is being driven by that toad Paxton.

The fact that you and the rest of MAGA would probably dismiss any Republican who's not "weird" and "mean-spirited" as just a "RINO" helps to prove my point.

[Aoidized]

The fact is, the only way to counter the left is to attack them, given that the media and big tech is in their pockets. You're always going to say their attacks are "mean spirited."

You want plain vanilla Republicans who don't actually fight the left.

[SimonP]

No, I want Republicans who are committed to the republic and our constitutional ideals, who are able to offer concrete policy proposals and defend them. I don't want to vote for Democrats every election just because they're the only ones who seem to have brains. I actually would prefer for Republicans and Democrats to compete for my vote.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Which MAGA people still dutifully consume mainstream media?

[Mr. Bumble]

Name one Republican nominee that the MSM didn't dump on once he was the candidate?

[Aoidized]

Exactly. Even McCain, whom in death was lauded as a "moderate who reached across the aisle" was attacked as "cruel" and "negative" when he was campaigning against Obama.

[jb]

That's Bored Lawyer's whole point. W managed to win despite this supposed structural impediment because he wasn't a spastic egomaniac.

Trump's always been an incredibly weak candidate. He managed to beat another historically weak candidate in the form of Hilary and was likely to beat an incredibly unpopular President who was also very old. Now that he has to run a campaign against a kind of medoicre normal candidate his own problems are becoming very apparent.

[Mr. Bumble]

I thought W won because the SC selected him.

[jb]

Well, there you go. One supposed structural advantage for the Democrats; another for the Republicans. And both candidates have to try to win the Presidency in whatever environment the election is actually being held in, not the fairytale land where there's no electoral college, the Supreme Court is apolitical, and the media isn't based in large cities where people tend to be more liberal.

[Brett Bellmore]

Technically, he won because the SC told the Florida SC to stop trying to select Gore.

[Aoidized]

W managed to win with a much different electorate. In 2000 and 2004, the voting electorate was much whiter.

Back in the day, Republicans had to win some of their potential voting constituents. Today, they have to win all of them, given that non-whites basically bloc vote for the Democrat, every time.

[jb]

Hey, I'll be the first to acknowledge that Trump's racism is one of his problems as a candidate.

[Aoidized]

No, his problem is not racism. His problem is that conservatism, which is based around small government and individual responsibility doesn't appeal to people who are genetically predisposed to collectivism or who need government support to live.

[Nelson]

"who need government support to live."

You mean like the red states? Because they are the ones sucking at the federal teat (which is funded by blue states).

Red states are net takers of federal government support because they are less economically successful and less educated, resulting in less employable, and less competitive workers than their blue-state peers.

Even screw-your-worker ... oops, right-to-work ... states can't depress labor costs enough to tempt businesses because of the structural failures of red states.

If red states started focusing on fundamental issues, rather than culture war politics, they would be much better at governing.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"You mean like the red states? Because they are the ones sucking at the federal teat (which is funded by blue states)."

What are you talking about? States don't fund anything, taxpayers do. Perhaps lower income taxpayers suck at the teat of higher income taxpayers, but that's a policy the left supports.

[Malika]

"His problem is that conservatism, which is based around small government and individual responsibility doesn’t appeal to people who are genetically predisposed to collectivism or who need government support to live."

Thoughts on this 12" (since you jumped in on his side here)?

[jb]

States elect Congresspeople, who write tax codes and budgets.

[Josh R]

We warned the Trump supporters, but they insisted on nominating their idol.

Trump supporters are an overwhleming majority of the GOP. Why is that given his toxic narcissism makes him a weak candidate?

[SimonP]

Now you know how I've felt, since Trump first announced his campaign in 2015, as he has received almost ceaseless coverage since then.

"Yeah, but it's always critical!" Maybe much of it has been, in mainstream outlets, but what those Trump-opposing journalists have never really understood - and this is why it hasn't actually hurt Trump - is that a lot of the critical coverage plays to Trump's strengths, for his own supporters.

Like, you chucklefucks love "liberal tears." Every story about how Trump was upending international institutions, saber-rattling over North Korea or Iran, issuing unconstitutional executive orders, saying nasty things about his political opponents, promising to be a "dictator" on day one, etc., etc. - that's catnip for MAGA. The national papers thought they were doing us a national service, but in fact they were just hyping you guys up.

[dwb68]

Even GOP strategists are noting how bad the Trump campaign is, and not blaming the media. Always amuses me that the party of personal responsibility blames everyone but the candidate for the candidates own problems.

Its not the media, its Trump. period. The media was in the tank for Biden too, hiding his senility, but Trump was winning before the debate. The debate was simply the final nail.

[Aoidized]

I don't deny he's not doing a particularly good job campaigning right now. But the media is adding a huge advantage to the feminazi piece of crap.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Which part of the First Amendment would you like to terminate?

[Zarniwoop]

Harris and Walz have been on the campaign trail almost continuously, hitting key states and speaking to large crowds. Donations are pouring in at a record pace.

DJT has been hiding & fuming in Mar-a-Lago, while making rare forays to safe spaces. He recently invented a helicopter crash with Willie Brown and rage-tweeted about trivially-falsifiable AI crowd theories. It’s almost like he’s an old, angry, and tired 5 year old.

Aoidized: “it has nothing to do with campaigning!”

[Aoidized]

Have you seen the large crowds? They’re nearly all young women and non-whites.

And the donations are nearly all from blue political action committees and from tech billionaires and other leftists.

[Zarniwoop]

Hey, you admit that there *are* large crowds, unlike the insecure and jealous old guy hiding in Mar-a-Lago. You sound like some sort of RINO!

[Aoidized]

They are large crowds, but they look more like a Gen-Z Taylor Swift, concert, not a meeting of serious adults.

[Zarniwoop]

Hitting the campaign trail and getting younger people to vote is a positive strategic move.

Hiding in Mar-a-Lago and pumping out rage tweets is for tired old losers.

Anything further you’d like to add to the conversation? Another racist comment, perhaps?

[Mr. Bumble]

Hiding in Mar-a-Lago?

[Martinned2]

True, he is going to North Carolina on Wednesday and to Pennsylvania on Saturday. That's going to cut into his golf game.

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/events

[Zarniwoop]

Sealion sealions!

[SimonP]

TIL that only older, fat white men with heart problems and impotence issues count as "serious adults."

[Frank Drackman]

You just described Cums-a-lots running mate to a T

[SimonP]

Another "serious adult" here.

[Frank Drackman]

The only condition of those mentioned we don’t know that Waltz has is Heart Disease, he looks like a fatter more obnoxious Dick Chaney(also a fucking coward)

Frank

[Moderation4ever]

Those interested in more restrained government spending should note that a government spend the least when the President is a Democrat and at least one branch of the legislature is controlled by Republicans.

[Frank Drackman]

And were’nt fighting fucked up wars, so why the fuck are Soldiers still in Ear-Rock? Jordan? Syria? I thought I was supposed to be the War Manger?

Frank

[Stella Link the dog]

"War Manger"
!

[Zarniwoop]

Sure, Trump could change and run a disciplined policy-focused campaign and hammer home she’s a flip flopping liar. He could be more upbeat and Presidential. There is a first for everything.

“I’ll really let you kick the football this time, Charlie Brown!”

[hobie]

Good luck getting the House and Senate. The Roe reckoning is coming in November and you boys cannot disown it. Might even flip Texas this year

[dwb68]

lol, no. Mostly likely Senate will be 50-50 GOP or 51-49 GOP

[jb]

50-50 Senate with Walz as VP is still a Democratic Senate.

[Frank Drackman]

It’s Waltz, and maybe he’ll do as well as the last “Tim” who ran

Frank

[jb]

Seems pretty likely that if Harris wins, the Dems will retake the House.

At the same time, it seems more likely than not that the Republicans will take the Senate. West Virginia is basically unwinnable, Texas is extremely unlikely to flip, so Republicans only have to win one of Montana or Ohio. Neither of those are a given, but Montana in particular feels like a bit of a stretch in our nationalized political environment.

[Aoidized]

I hope that if Harris wins, the Democrats do take the senate and house too. They can't control themselves in passing anti-American laws, so this might be just what we need to actually have the dissolution of the union.

Personally, I'm hoping for guerilla terror. Not stupid riots like on 1/6, but more like Northern Ireland Troubles.

[hobie]

Make America Gone Again. Good old MAGA. The party of America First

[Aoidized]

If we don't like what America has become, it stands to reason we won't put America, in it current form, first.

[Nelson]

If you don't like what America is, you are free to live somewhere else. Most Americans like America.

Maybe you could move to Russia? That seems like your crowd.

[Aoidized]

You people say this, but you don't mean it. Look at the reaction from Democrats like Schumer when Eduardo Saverin renounced his citizenship.

[Martinned2]

If you don’t like what America is, you are free to live somewhere else.

Or, you know, vote to change it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit,_Voice,_and_Loyalty

[Frank Drackman]

I’m more for Charles Mansons plan (yes, I said that) put the N-words in charge like in Chicago, Atlanta, the District of Colored People, things will work themselves out

Frank

[Jason Cavanaugh]

"Personally, I’m hoping for guerilla terror."

Then let us all hope you're the first to die.

[Aoidized]

The fact that that may be true is just proof positive that women should not be voting.

[dwb68]

See also: https://x.com/CliffordAsness/status/1822953374704164949

"Is there a memo in the Trump campaign (do they do memos? are they that organized?) that says “Instead of focusing clearly on the issues where across the board Harris/Walz are far to the left of the country we should continue our laser-like focus on 1) continued claims the 2020 was “stolen”, 2) the precise racial makeup of Harris, 3) the dems internal process for switching candidates because we’re annoyed we don’t get to run against the really old guy, 4) press bias as, however true this may be, America loves a whiner, 5) personal attacks on politicians Trump doesn’t like who are popular swing state governors, and, and I can’t stress this enough, 6) the vital issue of relative crowd sizes.”

LMAO. Trump is a whiny bitch and his "derp media" whiners are worse.

He needs to decide whether he wants to win or whine.

[Aoidized]

A CNN Article today reads "These people weren't voting for Biden, but are supporting Harris. Hear why."

It's pathetic and shameless. They're trying to portray her as a leader in order to get undecideds on board, as most people are bandwagoners.

[Stella Link the dog]

Whine, whine,whine. Dotard Donnie is doomed. Get over it.

[Aoidized]

Whether or not he’s doomed, Americans should have a right to an unbiased media.

Americans are doomed with another 4 years of uncontrolled immigration and spending.

[Jerry B.]

You and I probably think that the Washington Post is all in for the DNC, but any slight criticism of the Harris campaign brings out cries of "MAGA" from the (uh. what's to the left of ultra liberal?) commentariat.

[Longtobefree]

"(uh. what’s to the left of ultra liberal?)"

Walz?

[SimonP]

On the WaPo, I think it depends on what you mean by "all in for the DNC."

I think it's probably right to say that the ed board is pro-Harris, and that while they may have preferred Shapiro, they'll roll with Walz. But they also give a ton of air time for Trump/Vance talking points and are happy to lead with headlines reiterating those talking points (even if the stories themselves offer more nuanced or critical views). The amount of earned media they hand to Trump/Vance is really in line with what a lot of the media did in 2016 and 2020.

[Jason Cavanaugh]

"...Americans should have a right to an unbiased media."

There is no such thing anywhere on the planet, you dumb, cowardly, racist fuck.

[Aoidized]

Do you wear protection when you bust in your husband?

[Stella Link the dog]

Has your mother figured out where her disappearing dirty underwear is going?

[Zarniwoop]

I was already wondering if you’re the reincarnation of the rotation names of male-anal-sex obsessed posters … signs are pointing to yes!

Try pr0nhub for your gay fantasy life and self pleasuring; this is a law blog.

[BrotherMovesOn]

“this is a law blog.”

Have you just returned from an 8 year Safari? Welcome back!

[Jason Cavanaugh]

It's amusing that you believe a homophobic insult is somehow supposed to reflect poorly on me rather than you.

Statistically, gay men have fewer opportunities to find love than straight men. Your homophobia clearly comes from the jealous rage you feel as an incel, that even gay men can find partners and nobody will touch you without a latex glove, a medical degree, and a large amount of regret.

[jb]

Or (and just hear me out on this one): maybe some people who weren't going to vote for Biden are now backing Harris and someone at CNN thought that was newsworthy.

Just like when some people who didn't like Trump before changed their minds and decided he was better than Biden, someone at the NYT thought that was newsworthy:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/us/politics/poll-trump-views.html

Your life might be less stressful if you didn't spend all of your time trying to figure out how people were out to get you.

[Moderation4ever]

If what you what is news more slanted to Trump just watch Fox. It is as simple as that. We live in a time when you and other can just pick the news they want.

[dwb68]

boo-hoo. Anyone can tune into Trump’s campaign speeches live and see they are a rambling mess lately. He attacked Kemp’s wife in a speech! LMAO. Trump lost Georgia.

There are other GOP candidates that are tough on immigration. In fact, Harris is re-branding herself as tough on immigration. Trump has largely won the issue. But he's not winning the race, because he's undisciplined.

[Aoidized]

And she doesn't give speeches at all! The media makes it so she doesn't have to.

Probably for the best, as it's hard to make speeches when you have cocks in your mouth.

[dwb68]

shes given speeches. 4x as many as Trump.

[Mr. Bumble]

Hahahahahaha!!!

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

What do you mean, "lately"?

[Longtobefree]

"These people weren’t voting for Biden, but are supporting Harris . . . "

. . . because they are racist sexists who vote skin color and (presumed) genitilia.

[bernard11]

Wait.

Does it occur to you that there were those who generally supported Democratic policies, but were concerned about Biden's capabilities? Maybe some moderates who leaned D but were voting R because of that?

And now that Harris is the candidate that worry is gone, so they've switched back?

Of course not. It must be that they are nasty racists.

[Aoidized]

When you say "support Democratic policies," you mean:

- Reasonable and common sense gun laws, meaning full bans
- Abortion up until 40 weeks should be between a woman and her doctor, but if she needs support after birth, the father should pay, and the state should make that happen
- Allow tens of millions to flood across the border and claim they're "asylum seekers"
- If a man wants to "marry" another man, then every place of public accommodation should be forced to participate, and when they go home to celebrate their love, one should ejaculate into the anus of another and take taxpayer funded PrEP drugs to mitigate HIV risk.
- If a male wants to claim he's a woman and box against women, that's great!

[Bored Lawyer]

In case anyone has been paying attention to anything apart from the presidential campaign, Britain has been engaged in speech suppression through arrest of on-line posters it finds offensive.
And, given the global reach of the internet, they have threatened to extradite American citizens for online posts they find problematic.

London’s Metropolitan Police chief warned that officials will not only be cracking down on British citizens for commentary on the riots in the UK, but on American citizens as well.
“We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News.

https://nypost.com/2024/08/10/media/uk-police-commissioner-threatens-to-extradite-jail-us-citizens-over-online-posts-well-come-after-you/

To put it mildly, this is a direct affront to US sovereignty and the First Amendment. So what to do? Here is a proposal.

New York has an interesting legal provision. It generally recognizes foreign judgments, which can be turned in to NY state judgments on an appropriate showing. CPLR 5303. (I use the term “foreign” here to mean foreign countries. Judgments of other states are due Full Faith and Credit under the US Constitution, and a separate section of the CPLR deals with that.)

However, there are a number of exceptions to this recognition, most of which are pretty standard, like the judgment was obtained by fraud, or the issuing court lacked jurisdiction. CPLR 5304.

However, one exception is unique to NY, as far as I know:

the cause of action resulted in a defamation judgment obtained in a jurisdiction outside the United States, unless the court before which the matter is brought sitting in this state first determines that the defamation law applied in the foreign court's adjudication provided at least as much protection for freedom of speech and press in that case as would be provided by both the United States and New York constitutions.

Congress should adopt a law forbidding extradition of US citizens or residents on criminal charges which in the US would violate the First Amendment. Unlike the NY statute, I would apply it to specific activities charged in the foreign country, rather than look at the whole court system or the specific criminal charge, although I am open to being persuaded otherwise.

Such an approach is not without precedent. A number of European countries refuse to extradite individuals to the US if they would face the death penalty, for example. So extradition is refused where they extraditing country believes that the other country’s penal system violates its public policy.

[Mr. Bumble]

...and in Germany:
"AMERICAN EX-PAT CHARGED IN GERMAN COURT FOR CRITICIZING MASK MANDATE: Playwright & novelist C. J. Hopkins was charged with “promoting the tenets of National Socialism” simply for referencing the cover of his book (which depicts a swastika-branded medical mask) in a tweet calling masks “ideological conformity symbols.”
https://instapundit.com/

[jb]

He actually lives in Germany, so not really the same scenario that Bored Lawyer is talking about.

Germany seems pretty zero-tolerance generally about using swastikas in basically any context. I like the American form of freedom of speech more, but it's hardly like they're singling this guy out because of he doesn't like masks.

[Ed Grinberg]

Hmmm, I wonder whether a Trump or a Harris administration would be likelier to so extradite people...

[Martinned2]

Congress should adopt a law forbidding extradition of US citizens or residents on criminal charges which in the US would violate the First Amendment.

Why do you need a law for that? Over here the courts do that without any statutory basis, simply because extraditing someone is state action that is subject to human rights protections. That is why we don't extradite people to the US if they're going to be executed, for example.

[Bored Lawyer]

Because the US Constitution does not apply abroad. It is not at all clear that a US court would be forbidden by the First Amendment to extradite someone in these circumstances. One could make an argument that it does, but I would not want to have to litigate that issue.

[Martinned2]

It doesn't. But a US government extradition decision isn't something that happens abroad.

[Zarniwoop]

Moved

[Martinned2]

Anyway, there was a useful thread about this on Bluesky over the weekend. Because presumably most people here haven't abandoned Twitter yet, here's the Threadreader: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1822265193218322643.html

The English legal definition, in this context, of “encouraging” will likely worry you even more. /4.
In particular, to be criminal the “encouragement” (effectively incitement by another name) to commit a crime doesn’t need to be aimed at a specific person: addressing it to the world at large can still be a crime under the Act. /5.
On the other hand, typically the state of mind of the defendant in such cases has to involve sufficient certainty that (in their view at the time) the crime they’re “encouraging” will be committed & their intervention will encourage it. /6.
So, if you’re inclined to think “incitement” is being used in some unjust way in England, by prosecuting authorities & courts, you need to look at the law, the case law, the validity of the processes used in each case, the charges, & the full judgements. /7.
Vague assertions about “Orwellian” circumstances or “fascism” just look ill-informed & naive. And, ultimately, no one’s going to pay much attention. Even if you’re an all-purpose global genius. (Allegedly). /8.
Of course, a deeper, informed discussion about English law is always welcome. A shallow, uninformed one isn’t. We all have more important things to do. (A Twitter is bound to be somewhat “shallow”, naturally. But we can improve on the puddle some have been producing). /9.
That brings us to the crimes which, if “assisted” or “encouraged”, in the meaning of the Act, give rise to a crime under the Act. Essentially, it’s any crime in England. (I’ll take this opportunity to specify: England & Wales, some differences in Scotland/ Northern Ireland). /10.
In the context of the widespread violence, mainly in England, over the last 10 days or so, some of the potentially most relevant crimes relate to terrorism, violence, disorder, & hate. That isn’t comprehensive, & I won’t go through all the statutory bases for these crimes. /11.
I’ll assume we all agree directly participating in terrorism, violence or disorder is criminal & rightly carries significant penalties. I’ll also assume we agree assisting those crimes is, similarly, criminal. No “Orwell” here. If you think otherwise, sorry: discussion over. /12.
That brings us to (a) encouraging crimes such as terrorism, violence & disorder, (b) directly participating in, assisting in or encouraging crimes of hate.

Concerning (a), see tweets 5, 6 & 7 above. /13.
You don’t want to be criminally liable for encouraging terrorism, violence or disorder? Don’t shout out to the world, or say directly to individuals, that acts of terror, violence or disorder should be committed.

You might get away with claiming you were joking. Or not. /14.
It’s also a bad idea to give instructions on how to commit those acts, or how to avoid detection.

All of this is particularly true - takes on a heightened quality of imminent threat - if your encouragement/incitement occurs while rioting, terror attacks etc. are underway. /15.
Careful judgements are required, yes. But this isn’t rocket science. The AG, the DPP, his CPS team, the judges & where it comes to it (e.g. not guilty pleas to serious crimes) juries, aren’t stupid. Even if many armchair commentators on social media appear far from clued up. /16.

It also includes an overview of the US law, but I'm sure there is no need to explain to people on this blog what kinds of threats, incitement, etc. are unprotected under the 1st Amendment, is there?

[Mr. Bumble]

Posted FWIW:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/08/the-european-union-threatens-musk.php
Didn't want to clog the threads by posting the letter, but it's short.

[Martinned2]

I already posted it above. I'm not a fan of the DSA (which isn't a criminal statute, FWIW), but Musk's response is pretty unhinged for someone who is the CEO of a handful of major corporations.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1823076043017630114

[Mr. Bumble]

He has enough fuck you money to be pretty unhinged.

[Sarcastr0]

CEOs have responsibilities to their employees and potentially stockholders not to be unhinged.

[Frank Drackman]

Awwww... are you one of the peoples Elon told to go fuck yourself?

[Martinned2]

As Sarcastro says, fiduciary duties are a thing.

[Zarniwoop]

Congress should adopt a law forbidding extradition of US citizens or residents on criminal charges which in the US would violate the First Amendment.

Point of clarification: are you talking about charges for conduct that occurred in the foreign country, after which the person fled to the US? Or conduct that occurred in the US to which the foreign country objects? For ex:

1) person publishes pro-nazi literature festooned with swastikas in Germany, clearly violating German law while in Germany, then flees to the US to run from prosecution, and Germany asks for them back

Versus

2) that same person person publishes pro-nazi literature festooned with swastikas in the United States, and Germany wants to prosecute them for the in-US conduct

I can see a good argument that the 1st Amd should apply in scenario 2 but not scenario 1.

[Bored Lawyer]

More (2) than (1). I was thinking of on-line posting, which can happen anywhere in the world. If someone in the US posts online "Ken Starmer is a jackbooted thug," he should not be extradited to Britain.

[Zarniwoop]

I am pretty sure that a person in scenario 2 is already not extraditable, but if you have contrary examples I’d love to hear about them.

[Bored Lawyer]

But I am not talking about that. I am talking about someone in the US posting something to social media that discusses a person or events in a foreign country. That's arguably directed at the foreign country, not simply promoting an ideology in the US.

Someone tweets "The Russian people should rise up and overthrow Putin." That's a crime in Russia. It's protected by the First Amendment in the US. Such a person should not be extradited.

[Zarniwoop]

To repeat, I am quite confident that such a publication - paper, web, tweets, whatever - from within the US is not extraditable, and such a person is already well-protected by the 1st Amd.

If you have reason to believe the US has ever honored such a request, I’m all ears. I’m also extremely skeptical.

[Stella Link the dog]

I believe that you are right and BL is wrong. As for NY being unique in not honoring defamation awards from the UK, BL is wrong about that as well. Indeed, Volokh has discussed one or more of thse cases over the years. At least one involved a failed attempt to enforce a defamation judgement in CA.

[jb]

Yes, it may be the case that New York has specifically carved it out in law, but that doesn't mean the first amendment stops working in other places.

[Stella Link the dog]

There is a wikipedia article on libel tourism that points out that the sort of legislation that BL desires already exists--signed into law by Obama. Also, NY is not unique.

[Zarniwoop]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPEECH_Act

The Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage (SPEECH) Act is a 2010 federal statutory law in the United States that makes foreign libel judgments unenforceable in U.S. courts, unless either the foreign legislation applied offers at least as much protection as the U.S. First Amendment (concerning freedom of speech), or the defendant would have been found liable even if the case had been heard under U.S. law.

That it’s protective legislation signed by Obama is *chef’s kiss*.

Technically, though, this doesn’t quite address BL’s concern about extradition for 1st Amd protected speech made in the US of A.

Not that I’m worried about it, any more than I’m worried Saudi Arabia will be successful extraditing someone for apostasy if they renounce Islam while in the US of A.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Based on several controversial UK-US extraditions over the last 25 years or so, I believe there's a "bilateral" extradition treaty between the US and the UK. (But it only seems to work in one direction...)

[Martinned2]

If you meant to criticise the UK government, I encourage you to think about how much money UK taxpayers like me spent over the last decade detaining Julian Assange and arguing in court that he should be extradited to the US. His time in the Ecuadorian embassy alone is estimated to have cost us $21m, although arguably that should be split between the US and the Swedes.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Not sure why you would think that was a criticism of the UK government? Assange wasn't being "detained" by the UK when he was confining himself in Ecuador's embassy, so I think you'll have to lay that particular bill at St. Julian's feet.

[Voize]

Congress should adopt a law forbidding extradition of US citizens or residents on criminal charges which in the US would violate the First Amendment.

As if by your command, the US/UK extradition treaty of 2003 provides:

An offense shall be an extraditable offense if the conduct on which the offense is based is punishable under the laws in both States by deprivation of liberty for a period of one year or more or by a more severe penalty.

It’s called dual criminality and is a common condition of most extradition agreements.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

C-SPAN aired oral arguments (audio with pictures of the speakers) over the week of U.S. v. Nixon, which at least one contributor seems to believe should be tossed on the trash heap.

One notable thing I caught in passing was a reference to an upcoming trial in September. The oral argument was held on July 8, 1974. Opinion handed down on the 24th.

The subpoena involved in the case was issued on April 18th. The speed wasn't quite as quick as in the Pentagon Papers Cases but the whole thing was handled in about three months.

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/418/683/#tab-opinion-1950929

Compare the slow walk in the Trump immunity case, including a request for SCOTUS to take the case back in December and ruling in early July. In the process, a trial that could have been held as early as March is now held in abeyance until after the election.

[Commenter_XY]

In about 4 hours, Tisha B'Av begins in Israel. Sometime after that, I expect multiple incidents and attacks throughout Israel (and a few here in America as well) spanning the next several days. More USN forces were moved to the area, and I expect that they will be busy.

Biden/Harris Mideast policy is a train wreck. Nice going. Americans are dying because of Biden/Harris foreign policy incompetence.

It would be great to hear directly from VP Harris what her policy is, vis a vis Iran, since her boss (POTUS Biden) has been executing President Obama's Iran Policy (with predictable train wreck results). It has only been three weeks or so since she was installed as Team D candidate; I know, a lot to take on.

[Jerry B.]

There's a reason for the delay.

https://babylonbee.com/news/kamala-announces-she-will-reveal-policy-positions-just-as-soon-as-polls-tell-her-what-they-are

[Mr. Bumble]

When satire becomes the truth, print the satire.

[SimonP]

The objection seems to be, "No fair! You're using our own tricks against us!"

What's Trump's take on abortion rights, again?

[Mr. Bumble]

Don't worry, you can't get pregnant sucking cock.

[SimonP]

What's Trump's take on cock-sucking, again?

[Mr. Bumble]

He doesn't do it. Now as far as Kameltoe you'll have to ask Willie Brown.

[grb]

(nah)

[Stella Link the dog]

"He doesn’t do it. "

Then where did he get that round mouth?

[Frank Drackman]

Not the same way you got your loose anal sphincter

[SimonP]

He doesn’t do it.

Now how in the world would you know that? Did you ask him to? Did he only oblige in permitting you to go down on him?

[Commenter_XY]

That was hilarious.

[Joe_dallas]

Harris has pretty much told us what her policy positions will be with respect to Israel / hamas / Iran. Its not pro - Israel.

Her foreign policy advisor is Phillip Gordon.

Walz repeatedly hosted Muslim cleric . , he got the endorsement of the Muslim American Society, an organization designated as a terrorist group by UAE.

[SimonP]

Talking points, talking points! Get your fresh talking points here, fresh off the goober media!

What's wrong, Joey-D, did the tampon schtick not work out like DJT Jr. hoped?

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

That designation by the UAE from 10 years ago is complete and total bullshit. It was repeatedly debunked. No other country or organization on the planet has endorsed that view. But that's what you are using to try to make the case that Walz is anti-Israel? Awfully thin.

[Joe_dallas]

Only debunked in the minds of pro-iranian apologists

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

I'll tell you what, for a pro-Iranian apologist I have an open mind. Show me any other reputable source that claims or has any evidence that the Muslim American Society has ties to terrorism.

[Joe_dallas]

Alpheus W Drinkwater 12 hours ago
Flag Comment
Mute User
“But that’s what you are using to try to make the case that Walz is anti-Israel? Awfully thin.”

Just look at the Biden administration’s behind the scenes actions, their policy advisors, etc. , Look at Walz’s embracement of people and organizations who have pro hamas, pro iranian, anti-israel policies. behind the scenes efforts to prevent Israel from destroying the hamas terror organization. Walz’s/ harris’s / Biden’s public statements dont match their actions.

[Sarcastr0]

This here is a conspiracy theory. One clue is that it's unfalsifiable - anything that goes against the narrative is just more effort on the coverup.

Joe is also posting plenty of speculation and opinion pieces as factual evidence.

He's really in deep on this one!

[Alpheus W Drinkwater]

I'm willing to do all that. But citing Walz' meeting with someone from the Muslim American Society as evidence that he is anti-Israel is pretty silly. If you had better evidence than that, you should've cited some of that stuff.

[Hitler6MWE]

kameltoe harris is half jamaican and that means that her kike husband is a nigger lover lulz. 6mwe

[MoreCurious]

Oh great: one more illiterate, inarticulate racist to contribute to the downward spiral of the VC. Anyone remember the good old days when relatively intelligent readers actually commented on legal matters?

[BrotherMovesOn]

Who wouldn't want to trade legal analysis regarding interesting jurisdictional questions, the limits of the fourth amendment, corporate liability, the best interest of the child, riparian rights, animal rights, the business judgment rule, derivative lawsuits, conversion, trespass, copyright law, poisoning your neighbor's trees to improve your ocean view, for a blog clogged with the legal stylings of Dr. Ed, Bumble, Bluehaired Jesus and Hitler6WME?

[M L]

Nice statement by Mr. Bean (excuse me calling him that).

Includes reference to UK free speech issues such as a cafe owner being arrested for displaying bible verses.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1822355008559489216

[Ed Grinberg]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1nwwF2mw5E

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Yesterday's post on Vice President Harris and the path to upholding conservativism reminded me of "Utah Supreme Court Upholds Preliminary Injunction Against Law Banning Most Abortions"

https://religionclause.blogspot.com/2024/08/utah-supreme-court-upholds-preliminary.html

The opinion appeals to originalism if not of the variety here might like. This translates for some into "it's not really originalism," which is akin to debating Christian sects as not truly being Christianity.

I'm not personally an originalist but do support minimizing harm of bad ideas.

[OtisAH]

Bit of a mixed bag today. I of course love all the local losers pretending they give any fucks about policy. But I’m also disappointed that none of them have yet brought their phony tears over Ukraine’s incursion into Russia. However I do expect that change by this afternoon at the latest.

On the incursion, we so far have a very weepy Putin playing the aggrieved party. And we allegedly have a drone attack on cooling towers at Zaporizhizha. If true we should expect the VC’s cunt collective to seize Putin’s crocodile tear-soaked mantle and insist Ukraine attacked their own nuke plant for incoherent reasons, as opposed to the greater likelihood of Putin lashing out in a thoughtless display of pique and a stunning lack of awareness of wind directions.

[Frank Drackman]

My moneys on the side with the bigger Army. And Nuke-ular Weapons

[OtisAH]

Your money *and* your loyalty, piece of shit. You forgot to mention your loyalty.

[Frank Drackman]

To You-Crane? if Roosh-a's really as big a threat as your side says (they aren't) we should make sure the You-Crane/Roosh-a war lasts forever, like we should have done with Ear-Ron/Ear-Rack in the 1980's. The US has invaded way more Countries than Roosh-a, lets see, in my lifetime, Cambodia, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq (twice), Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti, how did most of those turn out?

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Russia has been exposed as a paper bear…we’ve achieved our goal and can eventually pivot to China.

[Commenter_XY]

This is getting worse and worse. I think you would agree with that statement.

There is still time to make a peace deal, before America is sucked into geopolitical quicksand. IDK if the UKR offensive will change the facts on the ground; highly doubtful. The typical Russian doesn't look to be feeling a lot of pain yet. If enough Russians are evac'ed out and displaced within their own country, that could change things.

What's the face saving formula for peace, where Russia and UKR declare victory and stop the killing?

[Nelson]

As long as Russia is occupying Ukrainian territory, there isn't one. And allowing Russia to once again steal territory from other countries with impunity will only assure another invasion in the future. Acquiescence to a bully always assures more bullying. And Russia is a bully.

[Frank Drackman]

If I lived next door to a "Bully" (do you say it in that mincing voice the kids today use?) with a bunch of Nuke-ular Weapons, I'd make sure I had a few myself. You-crane gave the "Bully" their Nukes, fuck em!

Frank

[Malika]

It's interesting how many conservatives will say "you can't give a weak response to student protestors/BLM protestors/criminals/other bad actors or they will keep taking a mile" but when it comes to Russia many are suddenly "hey, let them have what they've taken, we don't want to push this!"

[Commenter_XY]

Russians have nukes; BLM looters & rioters do not.

One thing did make me sit back and wonder. UKR has moved 25 miles into Russia proper now. Russian doctrine would have called for a non-conventional response to an armed invasion. That did not happen. Will it?

It could also be the case that non-conventional response is reserved for an entity like NATO that could in fact defeat Russia on the battlefield with conventional arms.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Russia could end the war in 24 hours, if it wanted to.

All it has to do is leave Ukraine.

[Malika]

This is exactly how many conservatives talk about Hamas.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Now that you mention it, Hamas did leave Israel within 24 hours.

[David Nieporent]

What’s the face saving formula for peace, where Russia and UKR declare victory and stop the killing?

What's the face saving formula for peace in Gaza, where Hamas and Israel declare victory and stop the killing?

[Joe_dallas]

kamala explaing "the Cloud"

https://www.google.com/search?q=kamala+cloud+twi&oq=kamala+cloud+twi&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigAdIBCDk1NTFqMGo3qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:cdf10e34,vid:0FjjJme1aVQ,st:0

[Joe_dallas]

https://x.com/TimRunsHisMouth/status/1821664504872059333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1821664504872059333%7Ctwgr%5E11a8a8f31deea576f9d034b63fab412ff6eee4f9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flegalinsurrection.com%2F2024%2F08%2Fnew-issue-for-ev-owners-charger-hogs%2F

kamala pumping electricity into an EV

[Sarcastr0]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/12/trump-overturn-result-presidential-election-vote

[Sarcastr0]

In some ways, Trump’s attempt to challenge the election result in 2024 could look a lot like his effort in 2020. It has begun months before election day with the seeding of doubt about the integrity of the election and could continue after.

There are two key differences.

First, Trump may be better prepared. Mitchell, a close Trump ally, has spent the last few years building up a network of activists focused on local boards of elections. And the Republican National Committee’s election litigation team is now being led by Christina Bobb, an election denier who is now facing criminal charges for her efforts to overturn the 2020 race. The RNC claims it is recruiting an army of 100,000 poll observers who could provide significant disruption during voting and counting.

“I think we saw efforts by Republicans in 2020 that were pretty ham-handed,” said Marc Elias, a top Democratic voting rights lawyer. “I worry that there will be both legal and extralegal efforts by Republicans to keep ballots from being counted.”

But more significantly, the idea that the 2020 election was stolen has moved from the fringes to being a pillar of the Republican party. A January poll from PRRI found that 66% of Republicans believe the 2020 election was stolen. “The most important thing we have to do is protect the vote. You have to keep your eyes open because these people want to cheat and they do cheat, and, frankly, it’s the only thing they do well,” Trump said in a prerecorded video that played all four nights during the Republican national convention in July.

The belief in stolen elections, Elias said, was “no longer the provenance of crazy people like Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell. This is no longer the province of people who thought that there were bamboo filaments in paper or mythical sea creatures involved in the election with Venezuelan dictators.

“It has become now the standard position of the Republican party.”

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

If they really thought the 2020 election had been "stolen", they'd have taken up arms, or at least engaged in civil disobedience until justice was done. But, no. They did nothing at all, but stare at their Faux News telecreens, perhaps abuse some minorities and/or children and send $20 to a broke billionaire.

[Bwaaah]

Indeed, the word "stolen" doesn't helpfully describe the range of views that dominate right-leaning misgivings about the 2020 election. For example, many (most?) state governors unilaterally enacted "emergency" changes in voting rules, due to COVID-19, that made voting much easier. Such rules were typically neither created nor approved by state legislatures, and were enacted late in the contest.

Another example is the operations of the "Center for Tech and Civic Life," an organization funded with hundreds of millions of dollars from Mark Zuckerberg, which provided various types of "logistical support" and direct dollar grants to local election administrations around the country in 2020. As we discovered, many states have no applicable regulations that preclude local election boards from accepting money from private sources, nor do they have significant reporting requirements if they do accept such money. I'd ask people on the left to consider how they'd feel if Elon Musk created a similarly named organization, with a similar magnitude of funds to engage in similar activities around the country (the details of which cannot be significantly accounted for other than how much money was spent where).

"Steal," "stole," "stolen" became standard terms used to describe the range of significant, material irregularities, such as the ones described above, that occurred during the 2020 elections. PRRI also used the term "stolen" in their survey of election sentiments that Sarc cites above.

If the only way you'll let a person, by way of a survey, express their concerns about irregularities of the 2020 election is to use the word "stolen," then so be it, the concern is described as being about a "stolen election." But I think the real sentiment is not that the 2020 election was stolen, but that the irregularities of that election were so significant and so concerning that most Republicans, to name a population, have serious doubts about the legitimacy of the process of the 2020 elections.

Like Donald Trump, Democrats overstate the alleged problem of the 2020 election, attempting to sweep under the rug the real problem *not* that the 2020 election was "stolen," but that it was administered in a highly irregular manner that would easily raise great suspicions in supporters of any losing candidate.

Counter to those concerns, and true to your point, I don't believe that most Republicans considered the 2020 election to have been stolen. Their obviously widespread, peaceful acceptance of its results are sound, substantive evidence of their feelings that suggest otherwise. Semantics, i.e. real meanings of words and feelings, is important here. "Stolen" doesn't capture that.

[Sarcastr0]

You want to come up with election misgivings, you need to point to facts or laws.
If you just yell and tantrum, yeah, you’re going to get dragged. And maybe in trouble if you’ve got ethical requirements to deal with.

You can calmly say that how we managed to deal with a deadly virus, and we made voting easier renders the legitimacy of the election questionable.
But that’s still right wing MAGA tin foil, just calmly presented. The facts and law have been tested on this multiple times, and don’t work like that.

But, most importantly, this is about *Republican plans to in bad faith overturn the actual vote*.

You're defending some truly anti-democratic plans the GOP is pushing because they've become insane.

Don't do that.

[Bwaaah]

You must be responding to what you wish I said.

Don't do that.

[Sarcastr0]

OK then.
You keep going on about 'concerns' and we'll all know what you mean, and what you're defending.

Should Trump folks challenge the 2024 result, I think I already know where you'll land, no matter what their arguments are.

[Bwaaah]

"I think I already know where you’ll land, no matter what their arguments are."

Do tell. But...hint...try to take into account the things I've told you about myself. (That's a giveaway. Still, I'm not sure you can tell your story that way.)

[Sarcastr0]

There are no legitimate concerns about 2020. You are running interference for the anti-democratic wing of the GOP.

That says a lot about what you'll do in 2024 should Trump once again attack our Republic.

I hope you surprise me should that occur, but I don't expect it.

[Bwaaah]

Despite the obvious, serious irregularities of the 2020 election that I believe were justified in response the pandemic, I saw no evidence of significant voter fraud or miscounting. At no time did I have significant doubts about the integrity of the election process. At no time did I suggest the election was "stolen," nor did I repeat or amplify any of the assertions that it was.

I respectfully left it to the courts to sort through the election process challenges. The courts seemed to handle those challenges promptly, reasonably and judiciously. (I believe that it is not inherently unethical to challenge the results of an election, and such appeals are well within the reasonable bounds of our laws and our political systems.)

Despite Democrat attempts to mischaracterize our voting system as teetering on the edge of reliability (as evidenced, for example, by their attempt to create a federalized voting law) all evidence suggests that our voting systems are quite sound, quite robust, and in good hands with the state run administrations that have handled them since our founding. (I have studied U.S. election laws and election administration in detail.) That was true in 2020. I expect that to be true in 2024. And without a pandemic, I expect 2024 to be without those many changes in contest rules that looked suspicious to so many Republicans. (Remember that I am not a Republican, and I voted for Joe Biden in 2020.)

That's my perspective. You, on the other hand, easily dismiss the concerns of tens of millions of American voters, people who in 2020 peacefully accepted the decisions of the courts and the outcome of the election, as dangerous interlopers who shouldn't be trusted. You sow doubt and fear about our electoral system despite its robust mechanisms and successful history of integrity. You dismiss and misconstrue real concerns of those people, (those disgusting people), and denigrate me with your baseless misconstructions (as you did above) for merely having described those concerns in a manner that you don't really dispute.

You are a D-type asshole screaming at R-type assholes. Reasonable people such as myself have to put up with your motivated trashing of half of our voters and any institutions that they preside over. I don't live in your sewer, and you can't teach me squat about U.S. elections. You waste your breath trying to talk to me. You have already proven your deafness to reason, as you do every day in VC discussions.

I would "surprise" you if I respect the results of the 2024 elections? Seriously...you are a stunted, half-deaf thinker.

[Sarcastr0]

A constellation of groups – including the RNC, the Public Interest Legal Foundation and United Sovereign Americans – has also filed several lawsuits in various states to create the false impression that voter rolls are not properly being cleaned in several swing states. These lawsuits use misleading methodology and legal claims to suggest that there are a suspiciously large number of people registered in certain jurisdictions. Among other issues, they compare up-to-date voter registration information and outdated data from the American Community Survey.

“They’re hanging the hooks to later hang their hat on,” said Sean Morales-Doyle, the top voting rights expert at the Brennan Center.

“It’s all part of creating sort of a pretext to say, ‘Oh, we need to throw out this set of ballots’ or ‘We can’t really know who the real winner is,’” said Ben Berwick, a lawyer at the non-profit Protect Democracy who works on voting rights issues. “I think much of it won’t stick, but I think the point is to have enough of it stick to create enough uncertainty for that critical post-election period.”
‘Tricky legal questions and room for shenanigans’

Just as there was in 2020, there’s likely to be a period of uncertainty after election day when votes are still being counted in key swing states. Two of those, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, still do not allow election officials to begin to process mail-in ballots until election day.

“I’m definitely concerned that you’re gonna have a lot of efforts to disturb the process of counting those votes, if we go into the late evening, early hours of the next day and all of that,” said Richard Pildes, a professor at New York University who specializes in election law.

[Sarcastr0]

A new law, the Electoral Count Reform Act, should provide a significant new layer of protection against election subversion. The bipartisan bill passed Congress at the end of 2022.

The law makes it so that Trump and his allies cannot repeat what they did in 2020 and submit false slates of electors from key swing states. Significantly, it says that the slate of electors submitted by a state’s executive is the legitimate slate and raises the threshold in both houses of Congress to object to the electoral result.

While the law controls what Congress must do once it receives certificates from electors, it doesn’t have much to say about what must happen in the lead-up to the electoral college vote. That could leave a lot of wriggle room for Trump and allies to try to slow down certification and go to court to try to force states to miss their certification deadline.

[Martinned2]

Since there were few takers for a libertarian euthanasia law earlier, how is this for a libertarian cause we can all get behind? “IJ is taking on one of the most predatory civil forfeiture schemes we have ever seen.”

Indiana’s state motto is “The Crossroads of America,” and for years police have exploited one of the nation’s biggest shipping centers to profit from that status. Indianapolis is home to the second-largest FedEx Express hub, where 99,000 packages from all over the country can be processed in a single hour. There, law enforcement officials pluck packages from conveyor belts, run them past K-9s, and, if a dog alerts and the officers find cash, the county prosecutor’s office begins civil-forfeiture proceedings in Indiana state court to keep the money.

The prosecutor’s office does not tell the owners what crime was allegedly committed to justify forfeiture or what facts support its allegations that the cash is linked to a crime. To make matters worse, the parcels and their owners usually have no connection to Indiana other than the happenstance that FedEx routed the parcel through its Indianapolis hub.

Henry and Minh Cheng fell victim to this profiteering scheme in early 2024. The husband and wife own a small wholesale jewelry business in California. They’ve been running their business for three decades. They made a bulk sale of jewelry merchandise to one of their retail-jeweler customers, in Virginia, who eventually paid for the order by placing cash in a parcel and mailing it through FedEx to Henry and Minh in California.

The parcel was seized by an Indianapolis police officer at the FedEx hub, and the prosecutor in Indianapolis began forfeiture proceedings to keep the cash. But the prosecutor’s office has not identified (and cannot identify) an Indiana crime that serves as the basis for forfeiture.

Now, Henry and Minh are teaming up with the Institute for Justice to get their money back and to end Indiana’s profiteering. Americans should never have to prove their innocence to keep their property. Yet, civil forfeiture turns justice on its head, making cops into robbers rather than crime fighters.

https://ij.org/case/indiana-parcel-forfeiture/

[apedad]

I couldn't find a more recent source but years ago, there were reports that 80% of bills contacted traces of cocaine.

https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/26/health/atm-dirty-cash-partner/index.html

[Brett Bellmore]

Once we could detect things at parts per trillion levels, finding cocaine on a bill proves nothing but that it shares the same planet with us.

[NOVA Lawyer]

Yeah, civil forfeiture may have had good purposes when conceived, but, not unlike communism, it is impossible to implement in a way that isn't evil.

Either convict someone of a crime or leave them alone. Taking the fruits of a crime that you can't prove happened is utter BS.

[Martinned2]

In this case it isn't even that they can't prove the crime, they can't even name it. There isn't even an accusation of a specific crime.

[NOVA Lawyer]

Which is worse. But civil forfeiture is a terrible idea. It creates truly perverse incentives for law enforcement.

[Brett Bellmore]

Civil forfeiture was originally about smuggled goods where the owner would not identify themselves. It's application to goods where the owner was identifiable was never legitimate, and never had good intent. It was from the very beginning a way to violate the owners' rights.

[NOVA Lawyer]

That makes sense. Thanks. I hadn't really looked into or ran across it's beginnings. Example 1,538,267 of how any good idea can be corrupted by the powerful to oppress the powerless.

[Voize]

That was actually the origin story of actions in rem, which today are often forfeitures of vaguely intimated instruments of crime, but historically also claims for contraband or duty payable on imported goods or just disputes over ownership. In the early 1800s the federal courts dealt with a lot of admiralty cases over prizes taken at sea styled by the ship’s name. My recollection is it wasn’t so much an issue of whether the owner could be identified – John Doe has been sued more than a few times – but that establishing jurisdiction over an item in the possession of the plaintiff was often much simpler than over a person overseas.

[Bwaaah]

Not just unintended consequences, but a scant legal structure that obfuscates attempts at appeal or recourse. Possessions get separated from owners by a theory that seems to substantially deny owners standing as claimants. It’s like seizure of evidence pursuant to a crime, but somehow without any Fourth Amendment implications or the custodial rules for handling of evidence.

They even say the state's action isn't against you; it's against your stuff.

“Those aren’t your possessions…they are the fruits of our suspicions.”

Perverse, indeed.

[NOVA Lawyer]

Yes, it has gone from whatever good intentions there were initially to bald-faced profiteering. As you say, governments too often intentionally design the system to be as byzantine as possible to flummox even reasonably sophisticated people whose stuff has been taken and, not infrequently, making it more expensive to get your stuff back than it was in the first place. Unconscionable.

[Bwaaah]

This is a topic that Reason and IJ both have covered consistently, in detail, for many years. Their stories have seared a troubling place in my head for civil forfeiture, filled with a cynicism that is not consistent with my generally not-negative view of our government institutions.

In your descriptions, you do a good job of tweaking my sensitivities there. I'm not a lawyer, so all I've got is raw emotional revulsion for this practice.

"Unconscionable" is right, and not excessive. I'd like to think civil forfeiture is a legacy archaic form that will be foreclosed in my lifetime. It mocks the notion of due process, for, so regrettably, "bald-faced profiteering." (It's insidious insofar as it tempts police with such an imprudent, unaccountable view of state authority.)

Unconscionable.

[bernard11]

Does anyone else find that the comment section jumps around a lot, causing you to lose your place?

The jumps tend to go toward the start, often to the top of the section.

Needless to say, this is annoying as hell.

[Mr. Bumble]

Poor you.

[tylertusta]

I've noticed similar problems on longer comment threads. The website needs to overhaul its commenting system. Even if all it did was turn this into a clone of reddit, it would be immensely superior to what we have now.

[Mr. Bumble]

The has been brought up several times and like Ilya Somin using "Read More" or responding to comments it has gone nowhere.

[Malika]

Mr. Bumble 13 hours ago
Flag Comment
Mute User
Poor you.

This guy doesn't know when to curmudgeon and when not to!

[Martinned2]

As someone in my socials put it: "One lie is a scandal, 162 lies is a statistic."

162 lies and distortions in a news conference. NPR fact-checks former President Trump

[tylertusta]

NPR is one of those organizations that should lose Federal funding, and this comment only reinforces my view.

[Martinned2]

You think they miscounted the lies?

[tylertusta]

NPR doesn't fact-check Democrats like they do Republicans, so yes, they are miscounting.

[Sarcastr0]

Lefties say the same thing, in the reverse. That in an effort to appear even-handed they refuse to push back on Republicans who come on their program.

But you're doing an ad hominem, which is at core fallacious.

[tylertusta]

You might want to look up what "ad hominem" is.

[Sarcastr0]

Your evidence for NPR miscounting is that they’re NPR.

How is that not an ad hominem argument?

[tylertusta]

Huh? You've lost me, Peanut. Please explain what you mean.

[Stella Link the dog]

"Huh? You’ve lost me"
Not his fault.

[Sarcastr0]

I presume he's just fucking with me at this point.

[Stella Link the dog]

"I presume he’s just fucking with me at this point."
With a limp dick it seems.

[tylertusta]

Stella: You're just so well-used that it's like throwing a hot dog down a hall way.

[Frank Drackman]

National Pubic Radio, just listening any random story about the Gaza Sitch-u-Asian you'd think Israel just invaded for no reason at all, talk about you October 7 neglect syndrome. I think they could do better on their own, I'll listen at times just for the Comedy value, like I do with Morning Schmoe, some of the knee slapper actual NPR features over the years
"Bungie Jumping can be dangerous"
"A long feature on how the ending of "Soviet"(Only NPR still says "Soviet")support for Cuban Agriculture was actually good because without Roosh-un I mean "Soviet" fertilizer, the Cubans were going to "Organic Gardening" of course the food production was way down, buy hey, it was "Organic"!!
(This was from the 80's) Story about how after "Platoon", Boomers who avoided the Draft/Vietnam were envious (not guilty, envious) of the (finally) favorable attention the Vets who did serve were getting
I'll listen to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me" which is supposed to be a "Current Affairs Quiz Program" funny how after the Al Franken resignation, not a single story about Al Franken (Or Cuomo, or Spitzer, or Weiner, but Wait, Wait, Larry Craig? (of "Wide Stance" fame, they're still joking about that)

Frank

[Josh R]

I miss Car Talk, and I would be in the dark trapped in may car in the middle of the day if not for Lakshmi Singh.

[Frank Drackman]

OK, I admit, I love me some Lakshmi Singh, (Wonder if she's related to Khan Noonien Singh? even knows who he was (is? did he really die in "Wrath of Khan"?)
Such a soothing voice as she reads the Al Jazeera daily news summary, I'd listen to her read the dictionary (especially the dirty words)
I'm afraid to see what she looks like, tried that with Terri Gross (big mistake)
Frank

[Bwaaah]

Regarding Car Talk...who the hell likes incessant laughter? I DO!!!

[Bwaaah]

Henny Youngman: “My wife told me she wanted to go some place she’s never been before. I told her, ‘Try the kitchen.’”

Terry Gross interviewing 84-year-old Henny Youngman (here): “How did you start doing jokes that, you know, basically, insult women?”

My question for Terry: “How’d you get to be such a dried up humorless bitch?”

I was an avid NPR listener for almost 40 years. Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Car Talk, This American Life, A Prairie Home Companion, Science Friday, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and others. Then they started injecting incessant useless social justice incantations from which I could only infer that I’m an uncaring moron. By 2020, it was “race,” “race,” “race,” “race,” “race.” (In depth, of course.) I stopped listening years ago. No more NPR for me. I still overhear it from time to time, and count how many seconds it takes to hear the first social justice incantation. It’s typically under 90 seconds. (Maybe not? I haven’t check for a while.) If it ever goes over 15 minutes, I might start listening again. I enjoyed so much of their content.

[Martinned2]

Your objection is that NPR reports the news, but not enough of the news? That seems to suggest they should get more money, not less.

[tylertusta]

I could give them a blank check and they would still operate as they do now.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Even if your silly allegation is true, that just means Democrats are "getting away with" telling 162 lies, not that Trump didn't just tell 162 lies.

You know that, right?

[Noscitur a sociis]

I mean, did you even read the article? You have to go down to 14 before you even get to a statement that's making a factual claim at all, and the claim—that Kamala Harris was the administration's "border czar"—is true. As is the second part of that claim (that the media is trying to act like she wasn't), as illustrated by the very article itself! Then they say his describing the drop in the stock market as a "crash" is lie, then a series of "lies" related to polling: describing ones where he's leading as "very good", calling his 5 point lead in the Rasmussen poll "substantial" because "Rasmussen is viewed as one of the least credible pollsters in the country", and saying that he is leading in an MSNBC poll that has him up by 2 points because he was also up by 2 points in July.

I don't know why anyone has to resort to dishonesty to portray Trump as dishonest (I mean, it's Trump!), but yeah, that seems to be what's going on here.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Yes, the watchmen also need watching. That's why I'm a libertarian.

But I don't need NPR to tell me about Trump's (lack of) relationship with the truth (or reality).

[Sarcastr0]

NPR losing federal funding would change little for most NPR stations.
It would hurt the more rural ones, including stations that keep folks way out there connected to weather reports and crop prices.

It's just a dick move to own the libs.

[tylertusta]

So, not only can I own the libs, but I can let the markets be free?

Why, when you put it that way, then I'm doubly onboard!

[Sarcastr0]

Markets don’t solve every issue.

For instance, rural farmers too spread out to form a viable radio market, who still need a real-time connection to the world at large.

This isn’t really a left-right issue. There's enough rich libs to pay for all the NPR they want in their markets. The big urban ones.

[tylertusta]

While I appreciate your concern for us poor rural folks, we have more available to us than one radio station.

Radio's time has come and gone. Satellite internet is the future.

[apedad]

Well not under Republicans - unless you're fine with slower speeds.

During the Trump era, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's Republican majority ruled that 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds should still count as "advanced telecommunications capability," and concluded that the telecom industry was doing enough to extend advanced telecom service to all Americans.

(Biden's FCC) "Based on our evaluation of available data, we can no longer conclude that broadband at speeds of 25/3Mbps—the fixed benchmark established in 2015 and relied on in the last seven reports—supports 'advanced' functions," the report said. "We find that having 'advanced telecommunications capability' for fixed broadband service requires access to download speeds of at least 100Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20Mbps. The record overwhelmingly supports increasing the fixed speed benchmark in this manner."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/fcc-scraps-old-speed-benchmark-says-broadband-should-be-at-least-100mbps/

[tylertusta]

None of your comment has anything to do with what we are talking about.

[Sarcastr0]

You're not the Speaker for Rural Farmers.
"Satellite internet" may not be available to everyone at the current juncture.

Maybe that'll change - maybe it has changed, my info is pre-Covid. But I'd like to see evidence of that change in demand signal, not just partisan spite and ignorant paeans to 'the free market.'

[tylertusta]

And you don't speak for rich libs in cities, Peanut.

[Sarcastr0]

Never claimed to be, unlike you, Mr. “us poor rural folks“

[tylertusta]

Only a leftist would insist that you can only speak for someone if you are one of a group.

[Sarcastr0]

What is this pedantry and weak topic shifting shit? Are you paid per post or something?

[tylertusta]

What is this pedantry and weak topic shifting shit? Are you paid per post or something?

You actually called it in a previous comment: I am just messing with you.

[Malika]

tylertusta 8 hours ago
Flag Comment
Mute User
Only a leftist would insist that you can only speak for someone if you are one of a group.

tylertusta 11 hours ago
Flag Comment
Mute User
While I appreciate your concern for us poor rural folks, we have more available to us than one radio station.

[Frank Drackman]

Umm, you are aware there is this invention called the Internets(HT AlGore), and on this invention you can get weather reports and crop prices? Even in the "Rural" areas,
are you the one who told Parkinsonian Joe (Funny how nobody questions that anymore) to tell parents to "Play the Record Player!!!!"
for their kids?

Frank

[Malika]

Is it a Sign of Parkinsons
for a person to have Weird sub-third grade Writing Styles?

[Frank Drackman]

National Pubic Radio? When do they have time for fact checking with all of their bullshit “Fresh Air” (about as “fresh” as a Pussy Fart) only shows that had a modicum of “freshness” were “Car Talk” and Garrison Kellers show, “Live from Here” wasn’t all bad and they even cancelled it

Frank

[OtisAH]

piece of shit still coming with ‘80s and ‘90s references. He’s a regular K-TEL album but one that is full of shit rather than all the hits we loved.

[Frank Drackman]

You hollerin’ bout da front rent, you be lucky to get any back rent, you ain’t gonna get none of it!
but thanks for letting me crash in your Cranium (lot of Space, you should really do something with it) rent free.
K-Tel? thats a 70’s reference, now I can go 70’s if you want, aint gonna be pretty, we didn’t get cable until 78′ so most of my bits are gonna be those annoying “Jerry’s Kids” retards (Every Friggin Labor Day, bad enough School was right around the corner (Remember when School started AFTER Labor day?) that whole stupid Telethon, we’d call the local number and see if we could get our fake names on the air “And from Minot Air Force Base, Frank Deez Nutz pledges $5,000!!!” Mike Hunt pledges $5,100!!! and Seymour Gash $5,200!!!"

Frank

[Malika]

HaHa, Your laughing at Me fucking this Goat because I Live in
Your Mind!

[apedad]

Biden on track to surpass federal judges confirmed under Trump

As of August, the Senate has approved 205 Article III judgeships appointed by the Biden administration, compared with the Trump administration’s 203 confirmations at the same point in 2020. Biden’s nominees include 159 district court judges, 43 appellate judges, two nominees for the Court of International Trade and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Those appointments also include some historic firsts for the federal bench. According to statistics provided by an aide to a senior Senate Democrat, White House nominees confirmed by Congress include the first Muslim man and woman to serve on the federal bench, the first openly lesbian woman to sit on a federal circuit court and the first Navajo federal judge. President Biden’s nominees also include half of all Indigenous judges confirmed to the bench in U.S. history.

And, Democrats say, there is a clear path for the White House to surpass the 234 federal judges confirmed under the Trump administration.

https://www.courthousenews.com/biden-on-track-to-surpass-federal-judges-confirmed-under-trump/

Good to see our federal judges mirror the look of our nation.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Appreciated though all judges are not equal.

Biden did not pick as many appellate judges, especially justices.

Major deficiency.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Deficiency? What are you suggesting about Trump's involvement in the untimely deaths of two US Supreme Court justices?

[Estragon]

Time to break out the butterfly nets. The guy is losing it:

"There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.‘d’ it."

[Estragon]

JD Vance going on TV to whine about bullying and schoolyard taunts is so perfect I can barely stand it. Diet Mt. Couch is going down in history as the worst VP pick of all time. This is what you get for turning to Uday and Qusay, sorry— Don Jr and Eric— for political advice. Sad!

[Zarniwoop]

I thought the anti-elitist, drain the swamp MAGA types really, really wanted a smarmy Yale couchfucking protege of a hedge fund billionaire! JDV is so perfect! What could possibly have gone wrong?

[Frank Drackman]

Worst except for the fatty Liberal Dick Chaney (lets see, Hunts, (when is he gonna shoot someone in the Heart?) avoided Combat, got a DUI, has heart disease (Tim Waltz’s future, I see, a STEMI)
and what are the odds the only 2 XX’s to get a major party nomination for POTUS both pick running mates named “Tim”??? gonna give that name, a umm, “Bad Name” (can you give a name a “Bad Name”?)
Hey good on ya, Cums-a-lot certainly better than Cadaverous Joe, “45” should just go ahead and quit, She’s a “Lock”
just like Hillary Rodman was a “Lock” in 0-16
Frank

[not guilty]

Is it mere happenstance that seven separate Republican National Conventions have nominated a Dick?

[Frank Drackman]

Well the DemoKKKrats had a Peter make a pretty deep run in 2020, and there's "Danang" Dick Bloomin-Idiot-Thal, would love to see Dick and Waltz get together and tell War Stories about the Wars they didn't fight in, at least Booty-Judge went (what he did, I'm not really sure)

Frank

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Not Sarah Palin?

[John F. Carr]

It was 40 years ago yesterday that Reagan did his most famous sound check: "we begin bombing in five minutes". It was leaked. Supporters and detractors alike took the comment as confirmation that their opinions of Reagan were correct.

[Frank Drackman]

and now its the DemoKKKrats who want to actually bomb Roosha, at least with Ronaldus it was a joke

[Michael P]

In a speech on September 11, 2021, Tim Walsh was supposed to say this:

I stood one night in the dark of night on the tarmac at Bagram and watched a military ramp ceremony.

It’s not clear when or exactly where he thinks this happened — except that it must have been after he retired from the National Guard — but it is clear that he didn’t realize that Bagram is in Afghanistan, not Iraq.

[OtisAH]

Too stupid to even get the man’s four letter surname correct.

[Michael P]

Yes, Google is. Android persistently miscorrects things I write.

[OtisAH]

Uh huh.

[Frank Drackman]

Waltz, it's Waltz, it's the new dance sensation, "Ladies and Germs, tonight in the Conga Room, Frankie and his Clit's Notes will play a selection of Popular Swing Music, let's start with the Timmy shuffllin' off to Afghanistan Waltz"
man I crack myself up,

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

Lying liars lie.
For more on this:
"In a book published last year by the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, Minnesota in the Global War on Terrorism, Post-9/11 Profiles, remarks Gov. Walz made on September 11, 2021 are included on page 374. Here’s a key paragraph:

I had the privilege of serving in this state’s national guard. I stood one night in the dark of night on the tarmac at Bagram Air Base in Iraq and watched a military ramp ceremony–a soldier’s body being loaded onto a plane to be returned home. And if you’ve seen it, you don’t leave the same. It makes you wonder, what are we doing? What are we trying to get to? And then watching as all of you have been, the confusing last few weeks with the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. [Emphasis added.]"

"First, Bagram Air Base was in Afghanistan, not Iraq. Second, did Walz ever visit either Iraq or Afghanistan? If he did, it wasn’t on an official guard deployment—that much has been nailed down. It is exceedingly unlikely that he was ever present for a military ramp ceremony of a fallen soldier in either nation. He made this up out of whole cloth. Full stop. (Stay tuned: He’ll claim again that he “misspoke,” and was present when a plane from Bagram landed in Minnesota, if he hasn’t claimed this already.)"

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/08/the-typical-leftist-fantasy-life-of-tim-walz.php

[jb]

It's helpful when people trying to make shit up include the original source material in their tweets. Try watching the video:

https://x.com/NoVA_Campaigns/status/1822821614490185970/video/1

Notably:

1) Walz does mention being in the National Guard and he does talk about the ramp ceremony, but they're not consecutive sentences. Instead he talks about his National Guard service in terms of missing some of the time while his daughter was growing up.

2) He doesn't say Bagram was in Iraq. That portion of the "quote" is just entirely invented by the person trying to smear him.

(Not in the video but separately substantiated)
3) He did in fact travel to Bagram while in Congress.

Maybe stop mindlessly regurgitating stuff you read on right wing propaganda blogs and do a little fact checking before making yourself look dumb?

[Mr. Bumble]

Ambiguous at best.
When was he in Afghanistan as a Congressman (original source please)?

[Sarcastr0]

Burden shifting.

[jb]

LOL, which part is ambiguous? The part where he's quoted as saying something he did not, or the part where all of the sentences between him mentioning his national guard service and saying he was at the ramp ceremony were dropped from the "quote"? *At best*, you're relying on some ambiguity to claim he lied about serving in Afghanistan.

He was in Afghanistan in 2008 since apparently you don't know how to use Google (which explains why you're apparently incapable of fact checking anything you post):

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2008/01/11/walzvisit

[Estragon]

Just once I would like a huckleberry to admit they were misled by one of their “sources” and reevaluate relying on it going forward. Alas, introspection doesn’t seem like a strong suit around here. Bumble, you may insert your dumb one-liner in response below:

[Frank Drackman]

Word around the Campfire is Waltz was the one taking the photos of Al Franken fondling that Chick's tits, who thinks there aren't some negatives of the even more odious (more odious than Al Franken, that's saying something) Waltz doing the same thing?
I sort of wouldn't believe it because I don't think he's into women, that whole "Infertility" thing, and seen his wife? man, she could be the female "Mr. Yuk"

[Sarcastr0]

When he was in Congress he had occasions to go to Afghanistan.

You're just desperate. And have no dignity.

[Frank Drackman]

Did he carry a weapon? land taking Enema Fire?? (been in the line of Enema fire, you don't want to be there) Get a decoration for Bravery for showering next to Pete Booty-Judge??

Frank

[Commenter_XY]

His commanding officers have nothing good to say about him. Neither do those who served with him. Says a lot.

[Sarcastr0]

You're reading right-wing attempts to swiftboat with like assholes they found and assuming that's all there is to say on the matter.

Plenty of people served under Walz; if he was as bad as you're intimating, we'd have heard a lot more than we have.

Tim Walz achieved one of the highest enlisted ranks in the Army. His commanding officers must have liked him a lot.

You don't need to be this kind of jump to conclusions politics of personal destruction asshole.

[Frank Drackman]

Man, you claim I get all my shit from Wikipedia, maybe you should try it, you wouldn't look so stupid.
Waltz was in the National Guard, not the Army, you comparing the National Guard to the Army is like comparing a Foot Massage to Eating a Girl's Pussy, it's not the same game, the same ballpark, it's not even the same fucking sport,
OK, the Army is the least fit of the services (Everyone busts on the Air Farce, but most of their Officers are in shape, they should be, they have all day to go to the Gym) Yeah, you have your Rangers, Your Special Forces, but your typical Army guy is a fat Schlub, like Waltz,
Navy's got it's share of Fatties, joke used to be you had to have a potbelly to be a Chief, I wouldn't know, I served on the "Green" Side, but my few times onboard ship, don't know how anyone got fat on that shit.
Waltz retired as a Master Sergeant, that's an E8, highest is E9, which is what he was before he decided to abandon his men (there is an E10, but there's only one of them)
and like most of life, 90% of success in the military is just showing up, and in the end, he didn't even do that.
Look at his fucking enlistment photo, he was a fat fuck when he was 19

Frank

[grb]

When asked who she's voting for, Ann Coulter gave this ringing endorsement:

“Donald Trump, because if he loses he will be running again in four years, and then he will have lost four successive elections for us,”

[Mr. Bumble]

...and of course you put great stock in anything Ann Coulter says.

[Bwaaah]

The irony of using the pronouncement of a person he thinks is an idiot as a "call to authority." You're not so stupid as to find that compelling?

Corollary: grb is smart, and everybody else is stupid.

[Frank Drackman]

Ann Coulter, she's where the term "Skull Fuck" originated,
seriously, she looks like a Skeleton with a blond wig.
Hmm, actually I might be able to get into that, belay my last! (that's authentic Navy gibberish!)

Frank

[Bwaaah]

I always felt there was something there in her, something useful to me, but could never see deep enough into myself to identify that something. But Jesus Christ, Frank, that's what it was, and I don't appreciate you having identified it. I fancy myself as a decent human being, not Frank Drackman, and you're not helping me with remarks like that.

[OtisAH]

Expect much sputtering, denial, and general idiocy from the local dullards and mouth-breathers over *this* news…

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4798299-biden-admin-refills-strategic-petroleum-reserve/

The Biden administration says it has replenished the 180 million barrels of oil it withdrew from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve in response to high prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Energy Department on Friday announced a 4.65 million barrel purchase, bringing the total purchased since the 2022 drawdown up to more than 40 million barrels.

In addition, the administration has worked with Congress to cancel 140 million barrels in planned sales — accounting for the rest of the 180 million.

“This milestone is a proof point that when the Biden-Harris Administration makes and implements a plan, we deliver for the American people,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a written statement.

“As promised, we have secured the 180 million barrels back to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve released in response to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine – and we accomplished this while getting a good deal for taxpayers and maintaining the readiness of the world’s largest Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” she added.

The department said that the 43.25 million barrels it purchased were procured at an average price of $77 per barrel, while the oil it sold in 2022 averaged $95 per barrel.

The other 140 million barrels were essentially bought at $74 per barrel, a senior Energy Department official said.

[Mr. Bumble]

Like you The Hill has trouble with both math and English.

"The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), as the stockpile is called, contained over 630 million barrels of crude oil when President Biden took office in January 2021. Last week, it had less than 376 million barrels. How did the DOE refill the SPR with only 40 million barrels?

“I think it's a very purposely worded, misleading press release to make it seem like it replenished the SPR. And that's not true at all,” Robert Rapier, a chemical engineer and editor in chief of Shale Magazine, told Just the News.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/energy-departments-claim-it-replenished-strategic-petroleum-reserve

[Michael P]

I cancelled the planned sale of OtisAH, which according to his logic means I liberated him from chattel slavery.

[jb]

I don't have any idea how the SPR is managed, but if there's an ongoing set of planned purchases and sales and you decide to cancel the sales and not the purchases, that sounds like it would be a replenishment. Seems like the kind of thing where you need a bit more context on what usually happens to be able to have a useful opinion about the changes.

Having said that, Mr. Bumble's math is more compelling: if there's less now than there used to be, the SPR certainly hasn't been fully replenished.

[Mr. Bumble]

The article is not that long so you might give it a read.
Also, at the end of the piece it talks about how in 2020 Trump wanted to "top off" the reserve when oil was selling for $30/barrel
(cost about $3 billion) and Shumer shot it down as a "gift" to big oil.

[jb]

I read it. It doesn't help figure out what the Congressionally mandated sales are all about or how the SPR is routinely managed.

I'm trying to learn about things rather than just look at excuses to get mad at people on the other political team, so think it's helpful to ask a few questions about what I read, especially when it's obviously politically slanted.

[Mr. Bumble]

First, I'm not mad at anyone, only mis-information.
As for the Congressionally mandated sales, they are irrelevant to the claim that the SPR has been replenished by the Biden Administration. It is still 40% lower than when he took office.

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Fracking has made the SPR obsolete.

[Brett Bellmore]

"but if there’s an ongoing set of planned purchases and sales and you decide to cancel the sales and not the purchases, that sounds like it would be a replenishment. "

It's somewhat similar to the way stores raise their prices right before putting things on sale; If you planned the sales, then canceled them, the cancelation of the sales is just slight of hand to make it look like you increased the reserves.

[OtisAH]

Seriously, dude, there isn’t one aspect of either that article or the entire situation that you are even remotely capable of understanding or commenting coherently on. Furrow your brow and slap the keyboard all you want but your time is better spent elsewhere, like remedial pottery class.

[Mr. Bumble]

The "situation" is that the oil removed from the SPR has not been completely replenished and it is not at the level it was when Biden took office.
(and by the way neither are gas prices)

[Bwaaah]

Here's a nice graph of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

I guess "mouth-breathers" understand the meaning of the word "replenish," and you, not so much.

[Frank Drackman]

Parkinsonian Joe had his mouth open during the whole debate, that killed him more than his "We finally beat Medicare!" bit. And I'm confused, I thought we were supposed to be moving away from burning Oil? where do you think it went? Up Jizz and Pete Booty-Judges Assholes?

Frank

[tylertusta]

"Biden administration says it has replenished strategic oil reserve after Russia war drawdown"

Yes, they're certainly saying that.

[not guilty]

Donald Trump has filed a claim against the Department of Justice as a precursor to filing suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act. He seeks $100,000,000 in damages based on Florida tort law arising out of the execution of a search warrant issued by a United States Magistrate Judge at Mar-a-Lago. https://www.scribd.com/document/758312804/FILE-5305#fullscreen&from_embed

[Jason Cavanaugh]

Vexatious litigant files frivolous lawsuit to fund-raise off of!

Anyway, back to actual news:....

[Commenter_XY]

How does one go about proving tortious conduct?

[JoeFromtheBronx]

meritless and vexatious

[not guilty]

One of Trump's purported tort theories is malicious prosecution of the federal criminal prosecution based upon evidence seized under the Mar-a-Lago search warrant. Under Florida law, in order to prevail in a malicious prosecution action, a plaintiff must establish that:

(1) an original criminal or civil judicial proceeding against the present plaintiff was commenced or continued;
(2) the present defendant was the legal cause of the original proceeding against the present plaintiff as the defendant in the original proceeding;
(3) the termination of the original proceeding constituted a bona fide termination of that proceeding in favor of the present plaintiff;
(4) there was an absence of probable cause for the original proceeding;
(5) there was malice on the part of the present defendant; and
(6) the plaintiff suffered damage as a result of the original proceeding.

Alamo Rent-A-Car, Inc. v. Mancusi, 632 So. 2d 1352, 1355 (Fla. 1994). A "bona fide termination" of the antecedent proceedings has been described as:

a fancy phrase which means that the first suit, on which the malicious prosecution suit is based, ended in a manner indicating the original defendant's (and current plaintiff's) innocence of the charges or allegations contained in the first suit, so that a court handling the malicious prosecution suit, can conclude with confidence, that the termination of the first suit was not only favorable to the defendant in that suit, but also that it demonstrated the first suit's lack of merit.

Cohen v. Corwin, 980 So.2d 1153, 1155 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2008), quoting Doss v. Bank of America, N.A., 857 So.2d 991, 994 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003).

Where dismissal is on technical grounds, for procedural reasons, or any other reason not inconsistent with the guilt of the accused, it does not constitute a favorable termination. The converse of that rule is that a favorable termination exists where a dismissal is of such a nature as to indicate the innocence of the accused. In order to determine whether the termination of an action prior to a determination on the merits tends to indicate innocence on the part of the defendant one must look to whether the manner of termination reflects on the merits of the case. Cohen, at 1156; Union Oil of Cal. Amsco Div. v. Watson, 468 So.2d 349, 353-55 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985).

Trump's claim on its face fails to show a bona fide termination of the criminal proceeding. The District Court's dismissal of the indictment was based on the invalidity of the appointment of the Special Counsel and not based upon the merits of the prosecution. There certainly has been no determination of Trump's innocence.

Trump's FTCA claim does not aver that there was no probable cause for the grand jury to indict, nor does it allege that the Magistrate Judge lacked probable cause for issuance of the search warrant.

[Commenter_XY]

Appreciate the response....fascinating how this works.

[not guilty]

Donald Trump's claim includes a purported demand for punitive damages of $100 million. Unfortunately for Team Trump, 28 U.S.C. § 2674 states unequivocally:

The United States shall be liable, respecting the provisions of this title relating to tort claims, in the same manner and to the same extent as a private individual under like circumstances, but shall not be liable for interest prior to judgment or for punitive damages.

Where does Trump find such incompetent legal representatives?

[not guilty]

Donald Trump, through counsel in the District of Columbia, submitted his FTCA claim to the FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge in D.C.

18 U.S.C. § 287 states:

Whoever makes or presents to any person or officer in the civil, military, or naval service of the United States, or to any department or agency thereof, any claim upon or against the United States, or any department or agency thereof, knowing such claim to be false, fictitious, or fraudulent, shall be imprisoned not more than five years and shall be subject to a fine in the amount provided in this title.

Perhaps the Special Counsel should ask the grand jury for the District of Columbia to consider whether to indict Trump for violating 18 U.S.C. §§ 287 and/or 1001.

[John F. Carr]

Trump's lawyer would be the responsible party. You can't expect Trump to understand tort claims law.

Does 18 USC 287 criminalize claims where the false nature is apparent on the face of the document? I am thinking about United States v. Snider. Snider claimed 3 billion dependents, then the population of Earth, on his W-4 to protest war. The Fourth Circuit overturned his 26 U.S.C. § 7205 conviction on the grounds that the claim, in context, was not "false or fraudulent" as required by statute.

[not guilty]

The lawyer would be more culpable, but Trump may have exposure under 18 U.S.C. § 2(a): "Whoever commits an offense against the United States or aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal."

[Mr. Bumble]

…and what is the “offense”?
Now that I think about it; never mind.

[not guilty]

Duh, I quoted the full text of 18 U.S.C. § 287 above.

And in light of 28 U.S.C. § 2674, Trump's claim of entitlement to punitive damages of $100 million is false and fraudulent for purposes of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) and (a)(3).

[Mr. Bumble]

OK, thanks, but I did say "never mind".
As with everything Trump and with your comments:
...to be continued.

[not guilty]

Trump's FTCA claim makes a fleeting reference to "abuse of process resulting from the August 8, 2022, raid of his and his family’s home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida." All of the actions complained of, however, would appear to be privileged under Florida tort law.

The elements of a cause of action for abuse of process under Florida law are: (1) an illegal, improper, or perverted use of process by the defendant; (2) an ulterior motive or purpose in exercising the illegal, improper, or perverted process; and (3) damages to the plaintiff as a result. Wolfe v. Foreman, 128 So.3d 67, 69 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2013). Trump's claim shows no "illegal, improper, or perverted use of process" by federal officials in obtaining and executing a search warrant issued by a United States Magistrate Judge.

Even if the complaint did allege misuse of the search warrant, there would be immunity from suit for damages under Florida law for actions that occur in judicial proceedings. Myers v. Hodges, 53 Fla. 197, 209, 44 So. 357 (1907). This immunity extends to statements made to the authorities prior to the initiation of criminal proceedings -- such statements are absolutely privileged as being within the course of judicial proceedings. Fridovich v. Fridovich, 598 So. 2d 65, 66 (Fla. 1992):

This rule of privilege as applied to statements made in the course of judicial proceedings is not restricted to trials of actions, but includes proceedings before a competent court or magistrate in the due course of law or the administration of justice which is to result in any determination or action by such court or officer. This privilege extends to the protection of the judge, parties, counsel and witnesses, and arises immediately upon the doing of any act required or permitted by law in the due course of the judicial proceedings or as necessarily preliminary thereto.

Ibid., quoting Ange v. State, 98 Fla. 538, 540-41, 123 So. 916, 917 (1929) (emphasis supplied in Fridovich). "Indeed, in Ange the Court found that an absolute privilege barred an action for defamation based on statements made in the office of the county judge to whom the defendant had gone to obtain a warrant. 98 Fla. 538, 540, 123 So. 916, 917." Fridovich, at 67.

In Levin, Middlebrooks, Mabie, Thomas, Mayes & Mitchell, P.A. v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 639 So.2d 606, 608 (Fla.1994), the Florida Supreme Court extended the litigation privilege, already applicable to defamatory statements (slander and libel) and perjury, to all other torts so long as the act complained of occurs during and has some relation to the proceedings. ""Absolute immunity must be afforded to any act occurring during the course of a judicial proceeding . . . so long as the act has some relation to the proceeding." Echevarria, McCalla, Raymer, Barrett & Frappier v. Cole, 950 So.2d 380, 384 (Fla.2007).

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

He forgot to mention the FBI's unsuccessful "attempted assassination" based on the rules of engagement...

[Martinned2]

If he wins the election, he can just tell the DOJ to settle. Think of how much fun that would be!

[John F. Carr]

It's even more fun if a Democratic majority in Congress blocks funding for any such settlement.

When Trump became president the Onion had an opinion piece in the name of Jimmy Carter about how our attitude towards conflicts of interest has changed. Title: "You People Made Me Give Up My Peanut Farm Before I Got To Be President".

[Estragon]

Trump ridin the Lolita express in Montana! I wonder if it brought back fond memories for him, or if he thought Willie Brown was there…?

[Frank Drackman]

well those Spooks do all look alike

[NvEric]

So, we're going to have a second stolen presidential election this year ?
It would be a shame if we do, yes a shame. Another stolen presidential election would destabilize our nation even more.

[Estragon]

It’s past your bedtime

[Bwaaah]

I could mistake this as you having said something with which I agree. I’m skeptical, but it feels a little pleasant anyway. You might want to consider Frank Drackman’s take below. I think you’re not concerned about a stolen election, except if it’s the wrong kind of stolen election. So even though I don’t disagree with you here, we probably don’t agree about it either.

[Malika]

Talk about word salad.

[Bwaaah]

Yes, it is. And yes, you do. There must be something you see in me that's probably not here. Or is it my uselessness that intrigues you? Anyway, nothing about nothing about nothing.

[grb]

A rambling word salad response to an accusation of word salad. Are we looking at a medical condition here?

[Bwaaah]

Nope. Just drivel. Garden variety drivel.

[Frank Drackman]

The twist ending is which side will say it was “Stolen”
How did Cums-a-lot lose Minn-a-Soda?!!!!!? Rasmussen had her 5 points ahead????!!!!
Nate Silverstein gave her a %99.9999 chance of winning!!
but don’t ask me, ask former President AlGore

Frank

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Oh, so you're really gonna do something about it, THIS TIME!

[JesusHadBlondeHairBlueEyes]

Did yall hear Walz was withdrawing... he heard they were gonna send him to battleground states.

[Frank Drackman]

Well done Hey-Zeus, hey what do you expect from the Surpreme Beings only begotten Son? Remember that “Far Side” cartoon with God playing against some Mortal on Jeopardy, of course He was ahead $10Billion to nothing

Frank

[Martinned2]

Today in "stuff that happens in Europe is governed by European law":

Twitter has been ordered to pay over €550,000 compensation to a former senior executive in its Irish-based operations in what is a record award by the Workplace Relations Commission for an unfair dismissal case.
(...)
At 2.19am the day after Mr Musk sent the Fork in the Road e-mail, Mr Rooney received another communication which stated: "If you do not confirm that you wish to stay at Twitter, you are resigning. You will not be entitled to statutory redundancy or other termination payments, unless otherwise required by local law."
(...)
In a 73-page ruling, WRC adjudication officer Michael MacNamee, concluded Mr Rooney’s employment [did not come] to an end solely because he did not click "yes" to the e-mail.

The decision not to click "yes", Mr MacNamee said, was not capable of constituting an act of resignation.

The WRC official said Mr Rooney was available for work but was prevented from accessing his work by Twitter.

He ruled the purported acceptance by Twitter of what was wrongly characterised as the complainant’s resignation constituted a dismissal "in fact and in law".

Mr MacNamee said the dismissal was unfair due to the absence of any substantial grounds to justify termination of Mr Rooney’s employment.

He also found that Mr Rooney had not caused or contributed to his dismissal by failing to click "yes" and that such a failure also did not represent insubordination or a breach of his contract.

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/0813/1464761-record-award-of-550k-to-former-twitter-senior-executive/

[John F. Carr]

In the USA, at least Puerto Rico and Montana do not like termination without cause.

One of my former employers ordered all employees to click "I accept" on a page where the scope of what was being accepted was unclear. I refused to click. The final result was an email to my boss and a notation in my employment file. I have no intention of going back to that company.

The purpose of that requirement was to provide HR with more legal excuses to claim that a termination was for cause.

[OtisAH]

MAGAGOP to Elon Musk: “Please stop helping.”

[Martinned2]

Yeah. Apparently nuking people is NBD now.

Musk: "Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed but now they're full cities again."
Trump: "That's great. That's great."
Musk: "Yeah so it's not as scary as people think."

[Sarcastr0]

Eh, it was just his stump speech. I don't think this'll make a ripple; Trump rambling from crazy suggestion to horrifying suggestion is

That being said, lefty spaces I see are all atwitter about 'swindler's lisp.'

[OtisAH]

I dunno, Convicted Felon Trump did admit that Harris is his type. So if nothing else comes from it she is now on notice to carry bear spray and a rape whistle on her at all times:

“I saw a picture of her on Time Magazine today. She looks like the most beautiful actress ever to live,” Trump said of Harris, referring to the latest edition of Time Magazine, which brands Harris’s campaign as “the swiftest vibe shift in modern political history.”

“She looked very much like our great first lady, Melania,” Trump gushed as Musk met his comment with an awkward chuckle and a reserved, “yeah…”

“She didn’t look like Camilla,” Trump said, purposely butchering Harris’ name. “Of course, she’s a beautiful woman and we’ll leave it at that.”

[“For now,” he apparently did not ominously add.]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-elon-musk-melania-harris-beautiful-b2595502.html

ETA: Swindler’s Lisp is amusing but I haven’t seen that. Most descriptions I’ve heard were of him “slurring.”

[Sarcastr0]

I think it's no higher than the baseline crazy. Should be immediately disqualifying, but won't be.

Though maybe it'll be spread to folks who aren't as terminally online as you and I and they'll get reintroduced to the evident mental unfitness.

The slurring and agedness could also be a story.

[M L]

Google censorship of its search platform is ramping up to new, unbelievable levels.

[jb]

It is pretty unbelievable when there's not even a little evidence to support your claim.

[M L]

You're kidding, right?

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Well, I did a Google search, and nothing came up.

But seriously, how do you know it is "ramping up to new, unbelievable levels"?

[David Nieporent]

Hey, you said it was unbelievable, and you were right: nobody believes you.

[M L]

Monday meme
https://i.imgur.com/AJOpXG9.jpeg

[Martinned2]

First Amendment FTW! (I'm assuming that the UAW wouldn't file a suit or complaint unless it had at least some legal merit.)

The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday filed federal labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board against former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for publicly applauding the practice of firing employees who threaten to strike.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/13/musk-trump-uaw-labor-union-x-interview.html

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Not necessarily. They may just be trying to drive a wedge between Trump and the Teamsters union.

But Twitter workers didn't get fired because they went on strike...did they?