Wednesday Open Thread

What's on your mind?

Comments

[Kazinski]

The Trump ceasefire in the 12 day war seems to be holding.

I can't imagine anyone being upset about that, except possibly the 79 Democrats that voted to impeach Trump.*

*It appears I was wrong again when I predicted virtually all Democrats would vote to impeach Trump on an impeachment resolution if he did bomb iran, or if he didn't. I guess bombing Iran was more popular than I thought.

[Mr. Bumble]

WWIII has been canceled (or at least postponed until China invades Taiwan).
In other news, markets have all been positive for the most part and oil is down to $65.50 (WTI) from about $75.00 last week.

[Martinned]

Wait, I thought we were supposed to be in favour of shooting at Iran and/or regime change? You guys really do change your talking points every day.

[Mr. Bumble]

You "thought" wrong.

[Martinned]

Did I, though?

We kept the receipts...

https://reason.com/volokh/2025/06/23/monday-open-thread-111/?comments=true#comments

[Commenter_XY]

What receipt, eurotrash? The link highlights St Abrego, doofus.

[Martinned]

The link doesn't highlight any specific comment, doofus.

[Mr. Bumble]

That makes it useless to support your "point".

[Martinned]

No it doesn't. Literally half the comments on Monday were about how great it is that the US and Israel are finally shooting at Iran. The only debate was about the why.

That's what I meant by "receipts", plural. There's loads of them. And you can read them at your leisure if your memory isn't what it used to be.

[Mr. Bumble]

Yes your honor. As evidence of our claim we offer 598 comments and urge the court to read through them to find those that support our position.

[Martinned]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHxGUe1cjzM

Go gaslight someone else.

[Mr. Bumble]

Thanks for the clip of Groucho.
As for gaslighting, that would be you.

[Michael P]

"Literally half"? You count as badly as you do everything else.

[Kazinski]

Well I was very clear, i liked Isreal's decapitation strategy, and didn't favor boots on the ground.

You need to develop a sense of nuance. Not that a Tomahawk missle in the Revolutionary Guard barracks has a lot of nuance.

[Riva]

Would it have been greater for Iran to have nuclear weapons?

[Kazinski]

I am still in favor of regime change, i didn't express my preference above.

[Don Nico]

Top down regime change as a nation's strategy is a bad idea absent occupation. How well did that work out in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya?
If you mean bottom-up regime change, there could be a hope for change to a stable country.

[NvEric]

War is usually about regime change. But, the US is not involved in war against Iran. It's a police action on our part.

Nuclear weapons are a curse and a test of intelligence, not a weapon to use ever again. Two were enough to place them as pointless, an expression of idiocy if used.

Biological weapons are worse as they are very unpredictable even if designed specifically.

[shawn_dude]

Agreed. But at the moment, we aren't in a position to do that as we're in the middle of an attempted "regime change" ourselves.

[Riva]

That's the problem. You don't think. Democrats and their allies simply reflexively oppose everything the President does, even when it's successful and has broad public support That's why you lost the election and why I'm optimistic there'll be no big mid-term gains for the "opposition."

[Malika the Maiz]

Trump changed his line so they’re falling into line. He’s their King and they serve him gladly.

[Don Nico]

"their King"
spoken like a true ideological slave.

[Malika the Maiz]

Spoken like someone in denial. He refers to himself that way (when it’s not the Pope).

[TwelveInchPianist]

Yeah, it seems like there's bipartisan support for the interpretation that the President has the authority to conduct strikes like this.

[Longtobefree]

Well, the infallible Emperor Hussein thinks so - - - -
https://notthebee.com/article/please-enjoy-this-montage-of-president-obama-authorizing-air-strikes-in-the-middle-east

[Sarcastr0]

HUSSEIN!

Goddamn racism is persistent.

[Frank Drackman]

It sure is, apparently you have a problem with Barry's middle name

[TwelveInchPianist]

Yup. This sort of thing is racist when people (like Malika) do it to Nikki Haley, and it’s racist when people on the right do it to Barak Obama.

Although I haven’t seen Sarcastro react when people do it to Nikki Haley.

[Commenter_XY]

Kaz, you better be careful. Your prognostication powers might descend to Arthur Kirkland's level. Or a few others here.

Nobody is crying at the prospect of a defeated Iran, sans nuke enrichment capability.

You got the basics right. 😉

[Kazinski]

It just shows the other 100+ members of the Democratic caucus still don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.

[Sarcastr0]

Because they didn’t impeach Trump?

That is not the same as a vote of support.

[Kazinski]

Any other bogus issue would have been far higher, but this issue was too popular, and too successful. But there will be more votes when the next outrage bait comes around.

[Sarcastr0]

This isn’t analysis; it’s cheerleading.

[Don Nico]

Good morning.
That is not a thoughtful response, it's just a snark.

[Sarcastr0]

Don, as you know since you said I hate Jews and the idea of them dying makes me smile I have you blocked.

[Joe_dallas]

why not block everyone who doesnt live in your delusional echo chamber

[Mr. Bumble]

He's working on it. That's why he's Il Douche.

[Estragon]

“sans nuke enrichment capability.”

Speaking of being careful, I might be cautious with this claim.

[Martinned]

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods, Donald Trump had a big day. Not only did the King grant him an audience, he even got to spend the night in the King's palace. (Trump was originally supposed to stay in Hotel Huis ter Duin in Noordwijk, which is really nice but much further away.)

https://prod-img.telegraaf.nl/public/incoming/i1eqwt-anp-530454993.jpg/alternates/WIDTH_1440/ANP-530454993.jpg

An additional benefit of staying in the royal palace is that it is south from the site of the summit, meaning that there is no risk that the President's motorcade might accedentally pass by the ICC in Scheveningen.

[Riva]

Ah a country with such respect for individual freedoms. Will there always be an England? Well, yes and at the same time, a resounding no. The little island will still exist. British culture and spirit? Not so much.

[Paladin_44]

Noordwijk is in the Netherlands, not the UK. Differnt king.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Well, that proves it! Crimea Riva is a real person.

No bot could be that clueless.

[Riva]

Well, here's the thing, I actually acknowledged my mistake, Has any anti-trump commenter here, and that's the majority, ever acknowledged any of President Trump's accomplishments or that they were mistaken on any legal issue involving the administration. Can't recall any.

And, as I've noted before, Buffalo Bill, the psychotic serial killer in Silence of the lambs often de-humanized his victims by referring to them as "its." Not really rhetoric that should be imitated. Just something to think about if you decide to start thinking.

[Malika the Maiz]

You have to love a bot that can go straight from tone policing to insult in a sentence!

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Obviously, I was cracking a joke at your expense regarding someone's (David's? SarcastrO's) oft-repeated jab in these pages that you were just a bot ("Rivabot") and not a real person.

Turing to your next deflection (see what I did there?), I have repeatedly mentioned that I would have voted for any decent Republican over Biden or Harris--and I hold people like you who constitute the Trumperverse wholly responsible for eliminating that option. In my view, Trump has (inadvertently, and generally for the wrong reasons) taken steps in the 2A and transism areas with which I agree. It would also be impossible to deny that his first term SCOTUS appointments have had a profound effect upon the Court's and the Constitution's role in American society--an effect with which I have mostly agreed. But these few sprinkles of positivity have been utterly overwhelmed by the deluge of destructive, narcissistic nonsense Trump spews on an hourly basis.

Moreover, my assessment was not a "mistake". A stopped clock is right twice each day, but Trump's motivations have been consistent no doubt since daddy Trump first abused him as a child.

[Riva]

Obviously i was pointing how perverse it is to imitate and find humor in Buffalo Bill’s deranged rhetorical style. But many here seem to enjoy it. Says a lot.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

It's not me you need to convince...

[Malika the Maiz]

Bot feels dehumanized!

[bye]

18 Like a maniac shooting
flaming arrows of death
19 is one who deceives their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”

[shawn_dude]

Oooohhhhh! Great drag name!

[Riva]

Ok, my error, in my haste I didn't fully read the post and mistakenly equated him with another commenter I believe is from the UK. So many here ranting daily against the president that I'm losing track. And frankly don't care so much.

[Krayt]

And I may point out their royal family is the House of Orange.

[Martinned]

It is... Which adds a layer to the meme advertising I've already seen about getting orange stains out of royal linnens.

[Kazinski]

A somewhat fake royal family. The House of Orange were Princes of Orange, which is in France.

Netherlands never had a king until Napoleon made his Brother the King of Holland after he invaded.

The House of Orange, who were Princes without a principality, didn't become Kings in the Netherlands until 1815.

Seems a little late to be establishing a dynasty.

[Swede425]

Do you guys have golf courses there, or are there too many water hazards?

[Martinned]

Yes, that's the downside of staying at the palace. As the name suggests, Hotel Huis ter Duin is in the dunes next to the sea, and the hour or so trip between there and the site of the summit takes you past lots of gorgeous golf courses. So if he'd stayed in Noordwijk it would have been easier to squeeze some golf in.

Now, instead, he had to pass the time by interfering in the upcoming Dutch parliamentary elections. Surprisingly, it turns out Trump is a big fan of Geert Wilders, the leader of the radical right. (The interesting question is who asked for that meeting. The NOS is reporting that Trump did. That makes sense, because even among the rightwing electorate in the Netherlands Trump is about as popular as muslims.)

[Bob from Ohio]

"As the name suggests"

Nobody speaks your gibberish here.

[Swede425]

Wow. That's a lot of words when "yes" or "jah" or whatever you guys say would have sufficed.

[Paladin_44]

Quite a few courses. In fact, its said that it, not Scotland, is the birthplace of golf. The R & A would disagree, I'm sure.
https://www.amsterdamoldcourse.nl/lid-worden/golf-in-the-netherlands/

[Frank Drackman]

I hope the King thanked him for keeping you (and him) from being a Province (and a rather unimportant one) of the Greater German Reich

[Bob from Ohio]

"pass by the ICC in Scheveningen"

Keep hope alive!

He could walk in and shoot Khan and nothing would happen to him.

[Commenter_XY]

Good Luck, NYC = Zohran Mamdani
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/06/zohran-mamdani-leads-nyc-mayor-democratic-primary/

The man is a Marxist. He makes DeBlasio look like a member of the Carlist Party.

You truly deserve the representation you elect.

[hobie]

Marxist! (you forgot 'pedophile as well)

Drink!

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

If the usual suspects getting close to making a rational observation is the new standard, you're going to be three sheets to the wind in very short order...

[Michael P]

hobie is just preemptively adopting the traditional Russian method for coping with Marxists being in charge.

[Sarcastr0]

This comentariat has made it abundantly clear they do not know what Marxist means so no worries there.

I’m going to wait and see, upon a general election victory, what policies actually get pushed.

[Don Nico]

Could be. One never knows.

[hobie]

That's the spirit. Accuse first, ask questions later

[RedheadedPharoh]

He's the only candidate to say fuck the Jews and fuck Israel.

Good.

[Riva]

Kinda torn here. Since I loathe everything NY, especially the Mets, I would be amused to see them F themselves with this Marxist clown. But then there are people will truly suffer. So I guess I hope he loses.

[Malika the Maiz]

Hating the Mets is like hating the Browns. What a waste of time!

[Frank Drackman]

Beat the Mets! Beat the Mets!, step right up and Beat the Mets!
Braves 5-0 against them in an otherwise horrible year, (take out their 2 7 game losing streaks and they’re not that bad)
Mrs Drackman (I know, imaginary) grew up a Mets fan, but we met in 1991 and she converted, been a confirmed Chopper ever since

Frank

[Don Nico]

Finally a sane comment today. (even though my kids were browns fans for some reason when they were in their teens)

[bernard11]

Hate the Browns?

What about Otto Graham, Jim Brown, not to mention Eddie Gaedel, the only player in MLB history with as 1.000 OBP. (Just in case I got the sport wrong.)

[hobie]

Here in Cleveland I've had to tell my Browns fan neighbors that as a lifelong Saints fan, I already have enough to deal with and cannot adopt their loser team as well. Though I wish them well

[John 4]

I mean maybe the guy, who doesn’t know .nl is the country code for the Netherlands and generally has not expressed much knowledge about anything at all, shouldn’t be calling people clowns. Especially Marxists ones: no one is under any assumption that you understand the meaning of that word.

[Bob from Ohio]

"who doesn’t know .nl is the country code for the Netherlands"

LOL How many Americans know that? 10?

[Riva]

More to the point, who cares?

[Riva]

You were probably stupid enough to vote for him.

[Frank Drackman]

Say hello to the next “Hizonner” Curtis Sliwa!!!

[LexAquilia]

I appreciate him because he stands strong against the demands to travel to Israel and prostate himself before the Jew like every other American politician.

[Frank Drackman]

How does one "Prostate" one's self? (is it like "Ruh-cusing"?? like when Jeffy Sessions said "Ahh Ruh-cuse Mah-suff!"), and who's demanding you travel to Israel to umm, "Prostate" yourself?? You weren't chosen for a reason (just like in Academics, Sports, hooking up with women (I'll give you the men, you're great with the men)

Frank

[LexAquilia]

I'm sorry for making a typo and hurting your feelings and getting you all aroused. I would suggest some box breathing to calm yourself down. It's a technique learned in the Special Forces, which as I understand it, you probably have already been trained on with all your military background (lol).

[Frank Drackman]

Special Forces? is that anything like the "Special" Screw-els you went to? As Foghorn Leghorn used to say to that little annoying Chicken Hawk,
"Ah say Boy! go away, y'all botherin' me!"

[shawn_dude]

Oh. Thanks for the heads up that you can be safely blocked.

[LexAquilia]

Can someone please come and and shower shawn with accolades for all his virtue and purity? I'm sure with hard work and dedication you can filter enough of the world around you for you to be perfectly emotionally safe.

After all, that's the best way to live. Emotionally safe.

[Martinned]

I don't think he's trying to win your vote...

[shawn_dude]

I don't think you know what Marxist means.

[Commenter_XY]

Fire up those deportation planes....
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/06/supreme-court-pauses-order-to-give-illegal-aliens-deportation-notice-to-third-party-countries/

What are the odds that the US can deport more than 7,500 illegal aliens daily? I'd say they increased measurably.

South Sudan and Libya await the deportable illegal alien. Better pack light, loose fitting clothing....

[Mr. Bumble]

not guilty and David Notimportant will be along shortly to correct you.

[hobie]

IIRC, Trump criticized Israel for breaking the ceasefire which, as we all now know, is antisemitic terrorism. Off to Salvador he too goes.

[Riva]

President Trump's latest historic triumph seems to have caused you to lose what little sanity you had left.

[Martinned]

Clearly. After all, as an anchor baby himself he doesn't really belong in the US in the first place.

[shawn_dude]

According to the Guardian, Trump has temporarily reassigned hundreds of federal police officers from various three-letter organizations to ICE in order to deport more immigrants (legal or no.) Ironically, a good number of those come from organizations like the FBI and ATF who would, in their normal duties, be going after actual, violent criminals and not just a 50+ year old army veteran on a green card who got busted for drugs once 15 years prior.

But, you know "Thanks for your service" has the same ring as "Thoughts and Prayers," amirite?

[Bob from Ohio]

Complain when ICE goes after non-criminals, complain when they go after criminals.

Make up your mind.

BTW, what was the "drug offense"? Might be useful to know.

[shawn_dude]

That's a lazy strawman, Bob.

We were told Trump was only going after violent criminals. Then it was just "criminals" where that was defined down to even basic traffic violations and people charged but not found guilty years in their past. Then people with legal visas expressing opinions the government doesn't like. Now it's just that they're here at all.

ICE should deport violent criminals using legal means, including due process, and do so transparently so the public can trust that they're working to our benefit.

AFAIK, he was busted for possession as he was suffering from post-war PTSD and had a substance abuse problem. Not uncommon for US war veterans.

[Commenter_XY]

Alligator Alcatraz....an illegal alien detention facility.

Suppose Kwan, an illegal alien, escapes the confines of the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in an escape attempt. And is subsequently mauled and eaten by Nicodemus, the alligator from hell.

Is the gov't liable for Kwan making himself alligator shit? IOW, is there liability to the gov't?

[Brett Bellmore]

Nope, because Kwan was safely in the detention center, and the government made efforts to keep him there. The government is no more on the hook than if he escaped and got run over crossing a highway.

[Krayt]

[Frank Drackman]

I'd feel more sorry for the Alligator, having to stomach that piece of human detritus.

[Estragon]

Turns out the hucklers were right to be worried back in the Obama administration about FEMA camps. Just off on the timing.

[shawn_dude]

Here's an artist's rendering of what the camps are supposed to look like.

[Stephen Lathrop]

I expect shortly to get confirmation from sources too secret to name that Iran's nuclear weapons capability has been obliterated permanently. A result only Trump could have achieved.

[Mr. Bumble]

The voices in your head?

[hobie]

Well, Trump said it was totally obliterated; so one would assume it is since that was the reason for all this trouble.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Perhaps he had meant to say "decimated"?

At least, he may have been correct...

[Don Nico]

What he said was that the targets struck were totally obliterated.
Set-back only a few months is CNN's enhancement of a politically motivated "conclusion." I saw many such IC document titles and executive summaries when I was in that business.

[Martinned]

What he said was that the targets struck were totally obliterated.

Well, sort of. I think the better way to put it is to say that the US definitely hit the things they hit.

[hobie]

Mission accomplished.

[Riva]

Hmm...maybe 51 intel agents could come out with a letter in support of Iran? If that doesn't make you happy, I'm sure the intel establishment could come up with some more lies to sabotage the administration.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

...and it turns out, the "Deep State" is now anybody who fails to compliment the King on his resplendent finery.

[Joe_dallas]

The deep state has become every democrat supporting Iran becoming a regional power and in favor of iran developing their nuclear program - ie obama with the jcpoa.

[Sarcastr0]

That’s not the deep state. It is also a conspiracy theory you made up - Dems do not secretly support Iran getting nukes.

[Joe_dallas]

If dems dont support Iran getting nukes, then why all the defense of the pallets of cash to iran, and the weak jcpoa, and the comdemnation of the surgical strikes.

[Malika the Maiz]

The pallets of cash was unfrozen Iranian money meant to buy their postponing of nuclear weapon development, some Democrats criticized the surgical strike as getting us embroiled in war without Congressional approval.

So, asked and answered.

[Bob from Ohio]

Still pallets of cash, no matter was the Shah's money or not.

Payment in cash because Iran wanted to fund Hams and Hezbollah. Congrats, you got some Jews killed.

[Joe_dallas]

yes - still pallets of cash that did not belong to the mullahs.
They still cant admit it was the wrong thing to do - funding hamas hezbolah, facilitating making iran a regional power.

[Malika the Maiz]

“ The initial payment was — kind of the principal was $400 million, and just paying an additional $1.3 billion in interest wasn't a bad deal for the United States. But there was a concern about the optics and how the Iranian side would spin it, that they were going to basically take the timing of and the arrival of cash as a sign that this was ransom or quid pro quo and that they would use this possibly in future cases.

And I think what a lot of people in the U.S. government are concerned of, in the last six months, there have been — last year, there have been three more Iranian-Americans taken prisoner. There are another three European and Canadian Iranian nationals who have been taken prisoner in the last, I think, three months.

So it's a cycle. And when you look back on the history of the United States-Iranian relations going back to the revolution, you see this cycle, you know, that the American diplomats who were taken hostage, the resolution for that was partly the unfreezing of assets in the United States that were the shah's money.

The three hikers who were taken prisoner in 2009, their release was also tied to both a prisoner exchange and cash being paid.. So it's not like this is a one-off. If you take a step back, it's a longer cycle.”
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/investigating-obama-administrations-400-million-payment-iran

[David Nieporent]

The Shah's money? What, like it was salary for his service as dictator?

However bad the Islamic Republic is, it is the internationally recognized government of Iran, and it was Iran's money, not the Shah's.

[Joe_dallas]

Give us a coherent sane reason to be giving the mullahs money -
being that the mullahs were actively funding hamas, hezbolah, houthis.

Most people would have a better grasp of the consequences - apparantly not obama or the aplologists that supported the transfer because "it was irans' money"

[Bob from Ohio]

" internationally recognized government of Iran"

Not by us.

The Supreme Fuhrer is more of of a dictator than the Shah ever was.

[Don Nico]

"the King"
Grow up.
Get solid political agenda that might actually win the next election.

[Malika the Maiz]

I do wish the President would grow up and stop referring to himself as a king. Better yet maybe his supporters could actually call him out when he does it.

[Bob from Ohio]

He likes to see the cats dance after the pointer.

[Malika the Maiz]

That’s a pretty messed up person, especially in his current job.

[Bob from Ohio]

Stop falling for it, then he will stop.

[LawTalkingGuy]

Setting aside that it’s somehow everyone else’s responsibility to cater to a 79 year old’s anti-social habits, it’s interesting that “stop falling for it” is also the advice given to parents who continually give in to their children’s tantrums over not getting their way. What a damning indictment of the man and the movement.

[Malika the Maiz]

The party of personal responsibility!

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Too late. The American people have gone 'round the bend, and they're not coming back during my lifetime. There's no way to "win the next election" when the only way one party can now lose an election is for the contest to have been "rigged".

[Frank Drackman]

In a Sane world, "45/47("48"? maybe) would get the Nobel Peace Prize (would be the 5th POTUS to get one) and can anyone tell me what Barry Osama did to win his in 2009???

[Mr. Bumble]

Given some of the previous winners it's not much to be proud of.
Of the US Presidents only TR seems to have earned it.

[Frank Drackman]

Wow, you're right, Kissinger, Sadat, Arafat, Gorbachev, and the worst of all, AlGore, it's a literal "Murder's Row" (OK, AlGore is more of a Diddler)

[jimc5499]

Got elected.

[bye]

Just look around on here 🙂

"Nine in 10 conservatives self-report their mental health to be excellent (51%) or very good (39%). Those who consider themselves liberals are struggling, with only 20% saying their mental health is excellent and 26% believing it is very good.

Only 19% of conservatives say their mental health is poor, while 45% of liberals say they have poor mental health.

This is not a new development related to Trump returning to the White House. A decade ago, University of Toronto researchers looked at a history of academic literature suggesting “that conservatives in the United States are happier than liberals” through the lens of neuroticism. They found that conservatives are more emotionally stable than liberals."

[Armchair]

Very interesting study. Conservatives just have better mental health than liberals.

[Malika the Maiz]

Someone might want a intro research methods course section review on self report surveys…

[bye]

You need a Statistics course. 🙂
It's like placebos, your lot always says "Well that is nothing you aren't better it's all in your head" But that is what proves you wrong. The question is ONLY 'Are you better"
Analogously, If I say " I feel better " and then crazy ass you says "Well you can't feel better , that's self-reporting" people laugh at you. Well conservatives laugh at you. The self-reporting liberals are just further saddened by your lack of math training.

[Malika the Maiz]

Statistics has nothing to do with my point, of course.

Take for instance if we ask people if they are dumb or not. Now, you would say you are not when you clearly are but you’re so dumb you have no clue how dumb you are. In your case your delusion would be placed in the “person says he’s not dumb” box, but one would be wrong to count you as not dumb, rather all we should conclude is that you are a person who doesn’t think they are or rather would not say on a survey that they are dumb. That kind of thing makes the conclusion of self report surveys answers on their face dubious. All one can safely conclude from such a study as the one here is that those who identified as liberal were more likely to say to a survey that they were struggling with mental health issues.

[Brett Bellmore]

There are topics where self-reporting is perfectly reasonable. "Are you happy?" would seem to be one of them, unless maybe you plan to sample people's cerebro-spinal fluid and chart dopamine levels.

[Sarcastr0]

I am not going to read the study so these are more general remarks.

Self reporting is good to measure change; it is terrible as an absolute value for reasons you can probably figure.

Amazing how often conservatives opine about social science when they don’t like it or have any appetite to learn about it.

As for mental health there are obvious cultural conflating variables between liberals and conservatives.

[Malika the Maiz]

If you asked people to report whether they were currently experiencing struggles with sin many religious people will say yes and many nonbelievers will say no, but you’d be a fool to control this that the religious people were more sinful.

[Malika the Maiz]

to conclude from this

[David Nieporent]

There are topics where self-reporting is perfectly reasonable. "Are you happy?" would seem to be one of them,

If the issue is, "How is this person feeling," then sure. If the issue is comparison to others, then no.

[bye]

NO, you compounded your error. Being dumb is what has an ordinal meaning but "are you happy" needs in science an operational definition, there is no ordinal meaning to that word.
Again you are saying "No, you aren't really happy you just think you are"
Too silly to go past this point. Scientists will know exactly what I am referring to. And BTW you are even wrong about dumb because ordinally the IQ of 100 changes by generation. Dumb of today is not the dumb of yesteryear as far as IQ goes.
SATIS

[Malika the Maiz]

“Again you are saying "No, you aren't really happy you just think you are"”

No, I’m not saying that, you’re just too dumb to see that. See my comment to Brett and maybe you’ll get it.

I see that you’ve backed off your ridiculous “statistics” charge, though, so you’re at least a little less dumb than you were earlier today!

[Kazinski]

Nate Silver took a stab at analyzing the study, and the reasons for the gap:

"One thing I think we can say is that the correlation isn't spurious. Age and religiosity matter a lot — religious people are happier, younger people are sadder — but the liberal/conservative gap outweighs almost all other characteristics except age."

https://x.com/NateSilver538/status/1935444439650205805?t=NBae21vhErleE7kwCR63cQ&s=19

[Brett Bellmore]

I'd guess older people are happier than younger people, because we've had time to get secure, and have largely given up any unrealistic expectations we had for the trajectory of our lives. We're happy to just settle for some comfort, and comfort is easy to come by.

And, frankly, conservatives' usual lifestyle choices are more in alignment with human psychology, rather than at war with it.

If you look at Silver's graphic, the biggest differences besides politics are religion, marriage, children, and sexuality.

Conservative atheists are about as unhappy as religious liberals.

Conservative homo/bisexuals are about as unhappy as heterosexual liberals.

Having children makes you happy, having raised them to leave your home happier, but liberals who have never had children are REALLY unhappy. Realized too late what would have made them happy?

I'll admit to being surprised that political activity and social media posting are associated with being happy. Maybe depression just stops you from doing those things?

[jb]

"I'll admit to being surprised that political activity and social media posting are associated with being happy"

That is surprising since I've seen several studies showing social media makes people unhappy. (See https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-social-media-makes-people-unhappy-and-simple-ways-to-fix-it/) I wonder if there's a difference between scrolling vs. posting, or if the methodologies are sufficiently different to reach opposite conclusions.

[Swede425]

I've been involved in health care (military and civilian) for most of my adult life. I've made a lot of friends in the field as well. Three of my most liberal provider friends (MD and DO) have trans kids within the last 6 years. Their lives are a hot mess. Things are not alright in Liberal Land.

[Malika the Maiz]

“I've been involved in health care (military and civilian) for most of my adult life.”

Your asylum experience?

[Frank Drackman]

Good one Queenie,
reminds me of Mad Magazines "Snappy Answers to Stew-pid Questions"
Surgeon "I've performed thousands of these operations!"
Patient "any successfully??"

[Swede425]

Mostly battlefield integration of medical assets in support of combat operations.
So, yes, asylum experience.

[Malika the Maiz]

He dug the latrines.

[Martinned]

It's almost as if being bullied by half the country isn't fun...

[Martinned]

Given how much everyone on this blog enjoys shooting at bad guys (at least when other people do the shooting, preferably far away from whatever desk you guys sit behind), let me put this one to you:

The independent judicial inquiry into allegations of extra-judicial killings by British special forces in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013 is expected to hear oral evidence about an occasion “when an individual was shot in the head whilst they slept”.

I can't read the rest of Joshua Rozenberg's blog post, because it's paywalled, but based on this description I'm not sure what to think.

On the one hand, I can see why one might be troubled by the killing of an enemy (soldier) while they're asleep. There is no exact provision in the Rome Statute that mentions sleeping soldiers, but there is this:

(ix) Killing or wounding treacherously a combatant adversary;
(x) Declaring that no quarter will be given;

And for international armed conflicts we also have:

(vi) Killing or wounding a combatant who, having laid down his arms or having no longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;

On the other hand, all of this presumes that it is possible to take the enemy captive. And it seems inherent in the work of the special forces that they often operate in circumstances where that it not possible. And if you can't take an enemy captive, killing them while they're asleep seems more sensible than waking them up first.

[Mr. Bumble]

Wakey, wakey meet your maker.

[Frank Drackman]

You're right, it's a breach of combat etiquette to shoot someone in the head while they're sleeping.
Wake them up first

[bye]

NOt really

Judges 4:21 ERV
Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. She put the tent peg to the side of Sisera's head and hit it with a hammer. The tent peg went through the side of his head and into the ground. Sisera died.

[SRG2]

Sisera was tired because he'd just fucked Jael.

[bye]

I love personal testimony about one's degraded condition.
Yes, to you that is funny , which is why people do not like you.

[SRG2]

I didn't take it as funny - odd that you did. I am merely familiar with traditional Jewish commentary. Note that Yael was a prostitute. FWIW the Tanakh has euphemisms a-plenty, from "knowing" to Ruth "lying down at the feet' of Boaz, i.e., fellating him.

I am sure that those people here who don't like me do so for reasons unrelated to this. Yet again you seem very confident about what others think without any evidence.

[Riva]

Remind me again, how upset were you by the Oct. 7 atrocities committed by Hamas?

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Every single person responsible for the Oct. 7 atrocities committed by Hamas should be lined up and shot.

(After a fair trial, obviously.)

What do you think should happen to everyone else convicted of war crimes?

[Bob from Ohio]

"should be lined up and shot."

Good news! The IDF did that already.

[tylertusta]

Sleeping does not qualify as hors de combat since it was not caused by wounds or sickness.

There is no obligation go out of your way to make an enemy combatant into a prisoner without their consent provided they are not hors de combat.

[TwelveInchPianist]

Not sure what's questionable here. A sleeping enemy isn't wounded or otherwise hors de combat, nor have they surrendered.

There's no obligation to take the enemy captive absent circumstances like that.

[Swede425]

That's not exactly true.
If you shout "GAME OFF" before you lay down to sleep, technically you can't be targeted. However, if you're fighting against people who don't play by the rules, you get a free life and an easy respawn when they shoot your sleeping ass.

[John F. Carr]

What is the consequence if the independent judicial inquiry decides British special forces exceeded their authority? A disapproving memo? Turn the soldiers over to the Taliban?

[Kazinski]

According to that killing Osama Bin Laden was a war crime, as he was unarmed and hiding behind a couple of his wives.

Nobody is getting charged.

[RedheadedPharoh]

Chicago Teachers Union says they own your children.
https://x.com/DeAngelisCorey/status/1937316711159443658?t=fWIgZ6ie0SWpOuykENr0hA&s=19

[tylertusta]

I'm very happy I moved out of that state.

[Malika the Maiz]

That’s a pretty uncharitable take on that clip, but expected.

[LexAquilia]

How so?
"The children are always ours. Every single one of them. All over the globe."

"Yes, we do [think your children are our children]."

[Malika the Maiz]

It’s clear that what she’s getting at is that teachers love the students they teach and feel a responsibility toward them like a parent would. It’s a quote of James Baldwin “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”

James Baldwin

[jimc5499]

Pull the other one.

[Malika the Maiz]

I didn’t pull the first one. That’s clearly what the Baldwin quote and that lady quoting it are saying.

[LexAquilia]

Continue her conversation until you get to the next quote.

[Malika the Maiz]

You misunderstood the part you quoted so I’m not going to be surprised if you do the same for the rest.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"It’s clear that what she’s getting at is that teachers love the students they teach and feel a responsibility toward them like a parent would. "

1. But they don't.
2. The why not say something indicating that they understand the boundaries between the role of the teachers and the role of the parents. It sounds like they are claiming that there are no such boundaries.

[Sarcastr0]

It’s a pretty noble sentiment.

It’s weird of you to take vociferous issue with it.

Hot take - teachers are by and large pretty responsible, and nurturing people.

[LexAquilia]

It's not a noble sentiment to insert yourself and your values in between a parent and a child.

[Malika the Maiz]

She and he weren’t inserting their values between any parents and children they were reassuring parents and children that they feel a moral obligation to all children as if they were their own.

[Malika the Maiz]

They are claiming they love and feel responsible for all children as if they were their own. As Sarc said it’s a noble (if a bit kumbaya for my taste) inclination.

[Martinned]

Well, you can't expect these reactionaries to have heard of James Baldwin. After all, no proper library in the US carries his books anymore!

[Bob from Ohio]

Chances of the union president being able to spell Baldwin is less than 50%, let alone read him.

[bye]

I am a teacher. NO teacher loses self-awareness to that point. You KNOW what you sound like This is not Joe Biden saying 'Two words, Made-in-America" If she didn't know what that sounds like to a parent , she be dumb as shite

[Malika the Maiz]

She’s quoting the award winning author James Baldwin, you couldn’t shine that guys shoes in terms of intellectual accomplishment.

[David Nieporent]

If she didn't know what that sounds like to a parent ,

I'm betting a bunch of the people defending her here are in fact parents.

When I tell my clients, "I treat your money as if it's my own," I do not mean, "I spend it on whatever I feel like for my amusement." I mean, "I jealously guard it." Any rational person understands that.

[Bob from Ohio]

clear!

[Frank Drackman]

US Combat Deaths under Barry Hussein 2009-2017: 5,245
US Combat Deaths under "45/47/(48?)" 52
and which one won a Nobel Peace Prize???

[Moderation4ever]

Speaks volumes as to the world's opinion of Trump, doesn't it.

[Frank Drackman]

Explains why I don’t give a Rat’s Patootie(keeping it clean EV!) about the Worlds Opinion

[Moderation4ever]

During the Trump supporters like VP Vance told us the deportation focus would be on criminals. Now we learn that the the administration is using quota's for deportations and ICE is going after low hanging fruit. The immigrants that bother no one. The spouses and families of American service personnel. What a farce.

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

The first mistake was to believe them, but many people made that mistake. This far down the road, only the most devoted members of the cult still believe the MAGARINOs when they speak.

That's progress!

[hobie]

If all the immigrant terrorists would just move to farming country, they'd no longer be immigrant terrorists. They'd be untouchable.

It's no longer a national emergency if they'd just get to picking radishes. What's farcical about that?

[Frank Drackman]

And the crime problem would be solved if the Darkies would just go back to liftin’ dat Barge, Totin’ dat Bale, jeez and people call ME a Race-ist

[bye]

Not true at all.

• 79% of deportations from FY 2021–2024 involved noncitizens with criminal records, including DUIs, theft, drug possession, and domestic violence.

[Malika the Maiz]

Apart from your inability to link, do you not get that Trump wasn’t President for that period?

[Frank Drackman]

Well he was for 19.5 days, who was President after that? It sure wasn’t Sleepy Joe

[bye]

So has there been a sea change in immigrants 🙂

[Malika the Maiz]

The conversation is about Trump’s current immigration policy and you applied statistics from the years when he wasn’t President, ya goof.

[jimc5499]

Illegal aliens ARE criminals.

[shawn_dude]

How do you know? There are a number of legal means for people to arrive in the US "illegally" and then convert to legal status. Without due process, you cannot know if they're even citizens or not.

[LawTalkingGuy]

Also the inverse is true. Many people have had their legal status changed by the government.

[shawn_dude]

And they aren't notified until masked agents grab them off the street and shove them into unmarked vans.

[Bob from Ohio]

You should have asked Miller, not Vance.

[Kazinski]

What they said was, the first wave would prioritize criminal illegals, and those that already had deportation orders.

But nobody said that anyone was getting a pass.

If Biden hadn't intentionally thrown the gates open letting anyone and everyone who could get to the border and tell a few lies straight faced, in and provide them with cash, work permits and housing, then perhaps Trump would not be putting so much effort and energy into deportations.

In his first term he focused on just not letting any more in, then Biden at least doubled the number of illegals, intentionally.

[Sarcastr0]

Just pure fan fiction from the nativists these days.

[Armchair]

One of the advantages of the United States is that the separate states can offer case lessons in different styles of political management. One such example is the State of New York versus the State of Florida.

Florida has a higher population, by nearly 4 million. Yet its state budget is just 45% of New York's state budget (115 versus 252 billion). Florida spends just $4200 per person, while New York is spending over $12,000 per citizen.

Yet, the difference in services is...not that readily apparent. New York spends ~50% more per student. Yet the testing for the students is around the same. (In 4th grade math, Florida gets a 243 to New York’s 234. In 8th grade reading, New York gets 257 to Florida’s 253. )

The big difference is in Medicaid. The state of New York spends $123.8 Billion in Medicaid (and essential plan spending). That's larger than Florida's entire budget. New York has a slightly higher enrollment in Medicaid (7 million versus 5.4 million)...but that doesn't account for Medicaid costs for New York being three times higher than Florida (Florida spends 34.7 Billion).

You've got to wonder...what's going on with New York?

https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2025-6-21-new-yorkflorida-comparison-the-contrast-becomes-more-and-more-dramatic

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Are you really trying to compare apples with oranges?

[Armchair]

You mean compare two states of similar size in population and land area?

Yes.

[Malika the Maiz]

There’s a lot of difference between two states other than land area and population dude.

[Mr. Bumble]

Such as?

[Armchair]

How much more New York spends in their state budget.

[Malika the Maiz]

I mean, Georgia and Illinois are similar in area and population but we’re talking very different states, demographically, culturally, politically, climate, etc.

[bye]

But we aren't talking demographically....climate etc. are we !!

[Armchair]

I mean...pointing out the "political" differences versus the fiscal outcome in similar states was kinda the point.

[Sarcastr0]

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

My personal thoughts would be urbanity and property prices.

[Don Nico]

I'd agree about that as long as one means eastern NY

[Malika the Maiz]

Of course I pointed to many more types of differences.

[Frank Drackman]

As someone who goes to Gotham 4-5 times a year, I love New York.
The State anyway, 50 miles from Ground Zero it transitions from needing a Snake Plissken-ish Security Guard to Barbershop Quartets singing in the Town Square, Dairy Farms, Amish,
and for all you Jew-haters (I'm talkin' bout you, Lexus Aquilla) there would never have been a "Woodstock" without a Jewish Farmer (sound familiar?) letting the hippies use his farm.
And Ironically, just a hop, skip, and a jump, is West Hurley, where Thompson Submachine guns were manufactured.

Frank

[bye]

IF you compare two things that are the same, what are you comparing 🙂
You can compare apples to oranges on

weight
taste
difficulty of growing
geographical diversity
--- a million things

[Krayt]

I acknowledge your joke, even if no one else realized it.

[Longtobefree]

Florida man got it.
And the subtext of Trump - - - -

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

I knew I didn't need that day job!

[shawn_dude]

Well done!

[hobie]

So New York takes better care of its citizen's medical needs. Begging the question: What's wrong with Florida?

[Armchair]

Are health care outcomes better in New York? Not that I've been able to find.

[hobie]

"Are health care outcomes better in New York?"

That would be the question to ask. According to two sources I read ranking healthcare 'outcomes' by state:

New York: 8, 9,
Florida: 21, 36,

[Armchair]

Which are conveniently...unlinked.

[Frank Drackman]

Well it’s from up Hobies Keester(keeping it clean EV!) so you really don’t want to go there

[hobie]

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/scorecard/2023/jun/2023-scorecard-state-health-system-performance

[Frank Drackman]

Don't Click it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Joe_dallas]

You might want to look at the methodology used in those reports and the data used for the rankings. The analysis is not very robust.

[Sarcastr0]

You could have asked for the source.

You accused him of lying instead.

That is a needless choice to be an asshole.

[apedad]

Gee if only NY had a system of voting that allowed its citizens to vote in (or out) politicians who made decisions that the voters wanted.

[SRG2]

And now let's look at state GDP:

Florida: $74k
New York: $117k
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_GDP

Now NY's GDP isn't double Florida's, but it is nonetheless significantly greater. What is Florida doing wrong? Economically inefficient? Stupider people? Incompetent politicians?

After all, it's an apples to apples comparison...

[Bob from Ohio]

" What is Florida doing wrong?"

No Wall Street.

You think you are making a gotcha but its only NYC's financial importance that makes the difference.

[SRG2]

i.e. New York only has a higher state GDP per capita because it generates more wealth per capita. LOL

Or you're conceding that it's not after all an apples to apples comparison.

[bernard11]

Ok. Now take tourism out of FL's GDP.

You can't simply say you're not going to count NY's most important industry in the comparison.

It's like saying the Democrats do very poorly in the popular vote if you don't count California. The financial industry is important to NY, just like tourism is important to FL, and just like people in CA are Americans.

[Malika the Maiz]

Why do birds sing in the morning?

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/20/nx-s1-5436078/why-birds-sing-dawn-chorus-research-study

[hobie]

It's marxist, antisemitic terrorist pieces like this one that necessitate the removal of funding for NPR

[bye]

Tell us why it was necesary, like the embarrassment to you when you explain things stupidly

[Armchair]

Zohran Mamdani has won the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York. His platform includes...
1. Rent Freezes
2. Free City Buses
3. Government run Grocery Stores
4. Universal Childcare
5. More rent-stabilized, union built housing

Oh.. .and

6. A bill to end the tax-exempt status of charities with ties to Israeli settlements.

Might be time to leave NYC. Make that double if you happen to be Jewish.

[Malika the Maiz]

He sounds a bit of a goof to me, but I’m not sure free buses is a bad idea. There was a Freakonomics episode about that, apparently the hassle it takes to get the fare from bus users is a big deal and n their inefficiency.

[Armchair]

Except you get it isn't really "Free"...right?

[Malika the Maiz]

Well, yeah, better to just pay for it with taxes, in a city like NYC it’s a pretty necessary part of the economy.

[Mr. Bumble]

What else should be "free"?

[Malika the Maiz]

Libraries, schools, your mom (no one’s going to pay for that).

[Mr. Bumble]

Can't help yourself, can you Queenie?
By your standard, schools and libraries are already free (paid for by taxes).
What else should be "free"?

[Frank Drackman]

Malikas Mom’s (Redacted, keeping it clean EV!) is so wide, Airliners on final approach to JFK land there by mistake!

[Armchair]

Why is it a necessary part of the economy in NYC? I mean, they do have a rather good subway and rail system.

I imagine by making it "Free", you'll see a drop in the service (it's not making any money, after all), while simultaneously costing more in taxes (along with most of the proposal).

[Malika the Maiz]

Because it’s much more difficult to have personal vehicles in NYC but all those service workers have to get to their jobs.

[Malika the Maiz]

For those seriously interested:

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/should-public-transit-be-free/

[bye]

My traditional 3 logical fallacies (there are more)
Free rides mean sleeping smelly homeless, psychos who at some point won't know where they are , and MS-13 and Tren de Aragua looking for a captive audience (think : Subway)

Secondly, There will be no route of complaint or improvement. The bus ride will be terrible but will be used only by those with no real politlcal power -- and as Dr Drucker would say 'YOu can't complain about what is free !!"

Thirdly, It will become another Amtrak costing MUCH MORE than if you charged fares.
" it has never earned a profit and it consumed more than $50 billion in federal subsidies over five decades to 2020. In fiscal year 2021, Amtrak had revenues of $2.1 billion, expenses of $4.1 billion, and a loss of $2.0 billion"

Okay , are we done with 'free busses " {that's a double 's' by the way]

[Malika the Maiz]

You know the Subway isn’t currently free, right?

[Frank Drackman]

but sometimes they have 1/2 price on their Philly Cheesesteaks

[bye]

Which is my POINT !!! Do you expect being free to draw a better clientele 🙂

“That flip is everything,” Ms. Glazer said, and it can only partly be explained by the growing homelessness and mental health crises in the city, she said.

[Malika the Maiz]

You claimed free rides would draw homeless and criminals pointing to the Subway, which is, you know, not free, ya goof.

[David Nieporent]

and MS-13 and Tren de Aragua looking for a captive audience (think : Subway)

I assumed they were just there for the $5 Footlong.

[bye]

It would make subways into murder sites.
Free buses in a city with crack police force would work. but there you go

[Bwaaah]

MO' MONEY! MO' MONEY! MO' MONEY!

Rent freeze. Destroys housing supply.

Free buses. Lessens transportation revenue, increases riders.

Free childcare. Makes it more sustainable to live without a dad.

Fuckin' brilliant vision of life, from people who seem incapable of learning from past mistakes.

[Malika the Maiz]

Lots of cities have free bus systems.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/03/02/free-public-transportation-is-a-reality-in-100-citiesheres-why.html

[ikaritenshi]

NY MTA is already 33 billion in the hole. Like most of what he says, this proposal is economic suicide and a nonstarter in the state (I'm a new yorker, Brooklyn). He might as well be running for student body president of a high school.

Basic reason why I have never voted and never will.

[Sarcastr0]

Public transportation isn’t going to be a profit center for local government.

[Mr. Bumble]

"Lots of cities have free bus systems."
"The New York Times estimates that 100 cities around the world offer free public transit, with many of them in Europe. But recently, cities across the United States have begun to consider it as well.
The article (from 2020) then goes on to two in the US.

[Don Nico]

nothing is free. The only question is who is paying.

[Mr. Bumble]

Why the rich, of course.

[Bwaaah]

No. First, they come for the super rich. That whets the teet by tossing in fat mama for the first round of feeding.

Then, they come for the "rich," i.e. people with substantial retirement savings..."wealthier people" who don't depend on social security.

Look at them attacking "greedy landlords," meaning people who eek out just the profit that the extremely competitive real estate market permits. A huge number of those landlords are individual homeowners who offset some of their housing costs by offering a sublet. So they'll start with "big" landlords who own more that 10 dwellings, and again, they'll throw in that fat mama to whetten the teet.

Then the socialists' designs will eat those landlord gains while telling tales about a road to more affordable housing. (Reduction of housing stock, and resulting economic decline, are the inevitable results of such already-tried policies.)

SOAK THE RICH! And listen to the timid rationalizations of the left now as the void created by their lack of full-throated defense of U.S. values gets filled with a principle-less take-from-your-neighbors free-for-all.

[Malika the Maiz]

There’s plenty of class warfare to go around, a big chunk of MAGA is about how Trump will settle those “elites” who “stole your honor” but good.

[Bwaaah]

I note your lack of disagreement, Queenie. There is at least the dignity of not having to stand for what you believe. Maybe you and "MAGA" aren't so different?

[LawTalkingGuy]

“Free childcare. Makes it more sustainable to live without a dad.”

Are you saying kids without dads shouldn’t have sustainable lives?

[FivebySixThree]

the government run grocery stores is going to trash bodegas and such as he stated he intends to have these stores not pay any rent or taxes. given that advantage maybe they should not charge taxes on purchases either.

it will certainly put a lot of businesses out of business which can include pharmacies and such which rely on food and beverages as secondary income streams. then what, government provide pharmacies?

[tylertusta]

If he gets to enact his policies, in a few years we're going to be hearing about how Mamdani wasn't a real socialist.

[Bwaaah]

Sarcastr0 already started making that case. He doesn't want to call it what it is, because nobody but an idiot can defend it. Sarc doesn't defend it; he just opposes all who oppose it.

[Sarcastr0]

A brief Google and it does not appear he ran on the bill you are highlighting. He supported it in 2024.

Your demand that Jews leave, and implication that he hates Jews is belied by his large win in NYC. Plenty of Jews voted for him.

Seems more like antisemetic scaremongering wasn’t an issue this election turned on.

[Armchair]

Oh, he didn't just "support" the bill. He introduced it.

And I'm not "demanding" Jews leave. I'm just saying when the avowed antisemite wins as mayor (sorry, primary)....might be time to read the tea leaves.

Not sure about your claim that "many" Jews voted for him.

[Sarcastr0]

So you listed things in his platform and then something that wasn’t but you wanted to talk about.

And lol at your idea that you can win NYC without pretty substantial Jewish support.

Anyhow, Jews aren’t buying MAGA bullshit about antisemitism it seems.

Nut the whole profligate accusations of antisemitism song and dance was never actually for the Jewish population. It is for MAGA to justify themselves.

[LexAquilia]

All the resident MAGAn's in NYC...

You really are a caricature of a clown. A clown's clown, so to speak.

[Malika the Maiz]

Sarc is clearly saying he got lots of Jewish, not MAGA, support in winning NYC, ya goof.

[LexAquilia]

His premise requires "MAGA" in NYC to pushing the anti-semitic criticisms of Zohran.

[Malika the Maiz]

No, he’s saying in winning NYC he likely had a lot of Jewish voters who did buy into the charges by MAGAns that the guy was anti-Semitic, ya goof.

[Don Nico]

"accusations of antisemitism song and dance was never actually for the Jewish population. It is for MAGA to justify themselves."
You sound like you are from another planet with a statement like that.

[Malika the Maiz]

He’s questioning the motivation of MAGA’s anti-antisemitism, how’s that from another planet?

[LawTalkingGuy]

You know, I’m going to guess Jews in NYC know their city and the likely impact of their politicians better than you do.

[FivebySixThree]

Jews in the US vote against themselves with regularity and never learn

[shawn_dude]

.mute.

[Bob from Ohio]

"He supported it in 2024."

That long ago, huh.

[hobie]

So this marxist isn't an anti-settlement terrorist, rather an antisemitic terrorist? I'm sure a lot of Jews work at Bud Light, Harvard, Columbia, Law Firms, US Aid, Voice of America etc. So, ipso facto, you hayseeds' defunding and cancelling them would make you... need I say it?

[hobie]

Ah, antisemitism: MAGA's very own race card. And brother are they a'pullin' it! I thought you rubes didn't like race cards.

But due to childish overuse, it's veracity is going into the toilet [checks watch] in three, two, one...

[LexAquilia]

If I was stupid enough to live in NYC, I would've voted for him. For #6 alone.

[Sarcastr0]

These false flags to make MAGA look antisemetic sure are getting numerous!

[LexAquilia]

Woah, I didn't realize how falsey flagy my MAGA comment looked! I'll be sure to self-censor next time as I want to make sure the MAGA reputation is still good as seen by liberals. After all, the reputation of the ambiguous and ephemeral "MAGA" organization as seen by the Left is of the utmost importance! How else can "MAGA" be successful without the reputational respect of the the Left? I wish "MAGA" were more like Antifa, which apparently doesn't exist because they haven't filed for a charter from the government. Unlike MAGA. They're a registered, chartered organization.

Thank you for the rebuke. I will be much better behaved going forward. I also promise that I will worship the Jews and Israel like the Modern Left and the Right does.

[Frank Drackman]

He left out Kramers Rickshaw idea

[Martinned]

It's almost as if he is trying to win the votes of lots of voters who aren't you!

New York has had Republican mayors before. If Mamdani's ideas are so crazy, it should be easy enough for Curtis Sliwa to defeat him in November.

[Martinned]

For the record, there will also be a sensible (at first glance) independent candidate on the ballot in November. He explored running as a Republican, but decided he didn't want to touch that party with a 10 ft pole after the Eric Adams prosecution saga.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Walden_(lawyer)

[shawn_dude]

It's ironic that MAGAts support illegal Israeli immigration to the Palestinian territories but are absolutely foaming at the mouth regarding even legal immigrants to the US as "illegal aliens."

[ObviouslyNotSpam]

Only if logic is a thing...

[Bob from Ohio]

Jews returning to Judea and Samaria is not "illegal".

[shawn_dude]

And Mexicans returning to Alta Mexico isn't "illegal" either, right?!

[Armchair]

Just some fun quotes I found.

"activists are exploiting the current makeup of the judicial system to circumvent the legislation process and overturn the will of the American people. … We can’t let unelected judges thrash our democracy,”

"“This weekend, a single federal judge in Texas issued a decision that seeks to deny..."

"“Appellate courts can make sweeping decisions endangering the American principle that policy-making belongs in elected branches and not with judges,”"

"The Constitution’s ‘case or controversy’ requirement protects against free-range judicial policy-making …" the Constitution limits courts to deciding individual cases or controversies, not writing ‘decisions for the ages,’ to keep unaccountable judicial power in check

"activist plaintiffs should not be able to hand-pick individual judges to set nationwide policy"

"It just can’t be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years that it takes to go through the normal process."

[Sarcastr0]

Your discovery of political hypocrisy has truly owned the libs once and for all.

I note your second quote highlights what continues to be a live problem that has no partisan mirror.
Blackman is a big fan, but as usual his arguments are largely whining about liberals more than any actual prudential defense.

[John F. Carr]

German reporters visit the scene of the "ecocide" in Ukraine where the dam blew up. They find lush riparian habitat with happy birds.

https://www.dw.com/en/nature-returns-to-ukraines-ravaged-kakhovka-dam-landscape/a-72850774

The Dniepr floodplain is doing better than the newly undammed Klamath basin, where ecological engineers went in to restore vegetation by hand.

[Malika the Maiz]

Didn’t something similar happen with the area around Chernobyl? Nature can be pretty resilient despite how bad we treat her sometimes…

[Mr. Bumble]

Sure. See Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

[Frank Drackman]

More Cancer, but on the other hand they didn't get colds very often

[hobie]

Well there you have it. The invasion was completely justified. Lordy, is there anything the MAGA don't hate? [asking for a friend]

[tylertusta]

Here's one I didn't think I'd see.

Remember how in Maryland there was a standing order to automatically grant a 2-day injunction in any habeas case for removing any illegal alien?

Well, the government is now suing the Maryland district courts over it. Every district court judge is a named defendant.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.584990/gov.uscourts.mdd.584990.1.0.pdf

[John F. Carr]

In Massachusetts I think the state Supreme Court's supervisory authority could be invoked in such a case. The U.S. Supreme Court might not have a process to go straight to the top.

[tylertusta]

I think that in a situation like this is makes sense for Congress to make a rule to bypass the offending court and go directly to the court of appeals or even SCOTUS.

[Malika the Maiz]

So, if you want to know in a nutshell why some people dislike Trump, take this:
“U.S. wine exports to Canada fell 93% in April, the steepest year-on-year drop in more than two decades, as Canadian provinces pulled American alcohol from store shelves in response to U.S. tariffs.”

https://vino-joy.com/2025/06/18/u-s-wine-exports-to-canada-plunge-93/amp/

The people in this industry are hurting due to his weird need to badger one of our longstanding allies and trading partners for little to no discernible upside.

[bye]

NO, you missed the irony.
"the governor of California after Gavin Newsom was seen attending a charity wine event while LA riots raged over immigration this month."

The big guys are not in the least affected.

[SRG2]

Not actually addressing the point, of course

[Mr. Bumble]

"... for little to no discernible upside."
Fewer Canadian DUIs.

[LexAquilia]

And fairer trade for US businesses.

[David Nieporent]

All voluntary trade is fair. Taxes of course cannot make it more fair.

[hobie]

Interestingly, the test case against the tariffs working its way thru the courts has as plaintiff a New York state wine importer who is Jewish...I think you know where I'm going with this...

[Krayt]

“U.S. wine exports to Canada fell 93% in April, the steepest year-on-year drop in more than two decades"

Wth happened 20 years ago?

I'll bet it also had to do with governments mucking about, when free people just wanna trade.

[shawn_dude]

If you're looking for outrage from the "free market" conservatives, they've turned in those membership cards and replaced them with "America First" memberships.

The wine that is shipped to Canada is most likely from three states: California, Oregon, and Washington. (If not 100% of it, certainly a supermajority of it.) MAGA has shown great creativity in the ways they intentionally target blue states for retribution. I don't think you're going to illicit any concern from them over Canada not buying blue-state wine.

[John F. Carr]

There are much better reasons to dislike Trump than a reduction in wine exports to Canada.

[Malika the Maiz]

Sure, but it’s not a bad one because of that. These are people’s livelihoods being messed up because he had this stupid thing about making Canada a state he needed to keep doubling down on.

[shawn_dude]

There are better reasons, yes, but "much better" is debatable. Trashing our economy and hurting entire sectors is going to have other knock-on effects like increased unemployment and bankruptcies.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Yesterday was primary day in New York. The mayoral race was of special concern in New York City.

Andrew Cuomo was the frontrunner but, in the end, conceded. The final result of the ranked choice voting (only done in local races during primaries) will come in July. Cuomo might (along with Eric Adams, though not sure about that) still run an independent.

Elections provide a chance for us to practice our rights and responsibilities as citizens. It was nice to see a range of people come out to vote. I guess it is for the stickers and those pens with the rubber tips (for signing the voting tablet)!

A special nod to Brad Lander. Also, even though he received also ran status, Zellnor Myrie hopefully has a promising future. This Cuomo blog post talks about him at the end.

https://www.dorfonlaw.org/2024/09/eric-adams-goes-full-trump-and-coveted.html

[Don Nico]

Not that I am personally concern, but I do hope that Cuomo runs as an independent.

[John F. Carr]

In Massachusetts we have nonpartisan local elections. I think that is a better system.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

I open to the idea though for many races that won't matter much in New York City. Ranked choice or some other approach (such as approval voting) also can be mixed in there.

[Bob from Ohio]

"mayoral race was of special concern"

“The people have spoken … and they must be punished.” lastdecent Dem NYC mayor

[bye]

I wouldn't expect REASON to see this but according to Austrian economics, free busses would probably usher in true not-free busses.

[Krayt]

At Detroit Metro, way out in Romulus and not near Detroit, they have private car parks up to a mile or more away, and giant ones on site, run by government.

Government is so grotesquely inefficient, they had to slap a 30% surcharge on the car parks because people would rather pay wayyyyy less and have to get on a shuttle than just park and walk from nearby.

Like any airport, there are loads of hotels nearby. Many people from outstate flying out come down the night before and stay in the hotels. The hotels let them park for free during their trip.

Outlawed that competition, too.

[Brett Bellmore]

I've used that airport enough times, (And used the off site car parks every time I could.) to be able to tell you: Even if you park at the airport, it's not a walk "from nearby", you're going to take a shuttle anyway.

[ikaritenshi]

The DOJ woke up and choose violence yesterday. Suing the entire federal district of Maryland. I think they are probably correct on the merits. I don't think they will get the full remedy, but I think it's an excellent legal way to express frustration to SCOTUS with the "lawlessness" district court Judges have been imposing on the executive.

[hobie]

That pesky judiciary sure can get in the way sometimes

[ikaritenshi]

Perhaps, but a standing order for an automatic 2 day stay seems a bit tyrannical, regardless of whether or not you agree with it.

[David Nieporent]

I do not think "tyrannical" means what you think it means. In fact, I cannot fathom what you think it means from this context.

[Brett Bellmore]

MOTION FOR RECUSAL AND TO DESIGNATE VISITING JUDGE ANDMEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT

"Plaintiffs, the United States of America and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (together, Plaintiffs), respectfully request that each judge of this Court recuse himself or herself from this matter. Plaintiffs also request that this matter be referred to the Fourth Circuit Clerk’s Office for assignment of a randomly selected district judge from another District or transfer to another District."

Wow, they really did.

I don't know that I'd characterize that as "choosing violence", though.

[Martinned]

I noticed the other day that Trump's lawsuit against that Brazilian supreme court judge is also still pending somehow. I couldn't be bothered to check whether the defendant had even sent counsel, so I'm afraid there's little actual information I can contribute.

[John F. Carr]

The defendant has not yet been served and has not made an appearance.

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69650977/trump-media-technology-group-corp-v-de-moraes/

[Brett Bellmore]

Somewhat related to the judicial resistance to Bruen, I suppose:

A Phenomenon in Search of a Theory / Recent Citations to Michael Bellesiles' Publications

"SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Between 2003 and 2021, inclusive, Bellesiles was not cited in any federal appellate opinions (that is, those available on Westlaw or LexisNexis). But since 2021, Bellesiles has been cited in seven opinions (including concurrences and dissents).

Between 2000 and 2020, inclusive, Bellesiles was not cited in any federal district court opinions (that is, those available on Westlaw or LexisNexis). But since 2020, Bellesiles has been cited in twenty-two opinions.

Between 2002 and 2022, inclusive, Bellesiles was not cited in any state (appellate or trial court) opinions (that is, those available on Westlaw or LexisNexis). But since 2022, Bellesiles has been cited in five opinions.

With the exception of a single federal appellate brief from 2016, between 2011 and 2018, inclusive, Bellesiles was not cited in any (state or federal) appellate briefs (that is, those available on Westlaw). But since 2018, Bellesiles has been cited in twenty-
eight briefs.

Between 2013 and 2023, inclusive, Bellesiles was not cited in any (state or federal) trial court briefs (that is, those available on Westlaw). But since 2023, Bellesiles has been cited two briefs."

There was a 1-2 decade long period after his exposure as a fraud, where the courts stopped citing him. Then suddenly in the early '20s that abruptly changed. So, what changed? How did he end up rehabilitated?

I wonder if it's something going on in the law schools those judges attended?

[Brett Bellmore]

For context, Arming America was published in book form in 2000, (A shorter essay form had been published in '96, and had similar problems exposed.) exposed as a fraud almost immediately, and by 2002 had been officially accepted to be fraudulent.

[Frank Drackman]

War is not healthy for Children........
and Iranian Nuke-ular Scientists, Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, IRGC Aerospace Forces, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran's Expediency Discernment Council of the System, Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization; Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran and a major figure in Iran's nuclear weapons program; Abdulhamid Minouchehr, head of nuclear engineering at Shahid Beheshti University; Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University; Amirhossein Feqhi, a nuclear professor at the university; and a nuclear scientist who was identified only as Motallebzadeh, who was allegedly killed along with his wife.

Wow!, that'll never fit on a T-shirt

[NvEric]

Fine print or 6XL size ?

[LexAquilia]

Are these just curious coincidences?

1.) Genetically, modern Jews are more Canaanite than Semitic.
2.) Canaanites worshipped Baal.
3.) The Star of Remphan is mentioned in Acts as the symbol of Moloch/Baal
4.) The Star of Remphan is a six pointed star and a carving of which has been found in Baalbek, about 150 miles from Jerusalem.
5.) The Star of David is not mentioned in the Bible and the term came about sometime in the Middle Ages.

Things that make you go, "hmmmm".

[Krayt]

Genertically, all humans are idiots who bark at the moon.

[LexAquilia]

I can understand how new-to-you facts can be upsetting, but sometimes it's useful to have an open mind.

[Bunny495]

As someone who has spent way more time in the time sink of the history of my DNA what I have learned along the way is to take a lot of classifications with a grain of salt. I have subscriptions to three DNA sites and all of them are constantly updating their definitions of what various classifications are. While my DNA is classified fairly consistently as Northen European over all three services in the 89%+ range the actual numbers vary. Maybe more to the point only one indicates any American Indian DNA with the explanation that early Viking visited North America and brought back women who they mated with. Even so the amount of Indian DNA was barely above the noise level. I have to wonder just how Semitic DNA is defined (same for Canaanite). Both are related geographically to the Middle East, and to some extent defined by the DNA found in bodies that died thousands of years ago. No question sampling bodies that old raises real questions about how the samples were obtained and just how those samples were obtained. Bottom line is don't put too much stock in these findings.

[bye]

Math explains that. Think of the one drop rule : if even one in 8 great-grandparents is Black then you are Black....but that one is taken to be "Black" with no consideration of their lineage. Take it back far enough and everybody is whatever Adam and Eve were.

In other words genetics has to posit PURE nationalities somewhere in order to call you anything.

anyway, nobody has pure descent with no lateral inputs and those inputs are all of them so mixed you can't do anything with them except decide that if they appear more this than that you call them this.

[John F. Carr]

Ron Lieber reports on Syracuse University's "game of chicken" with potential students. Syracuse accepted a lot of students without offering financial aid. A lot of them chose other schools with lower net cost. After the traditional May 1 deadline for committing to a school Syracuse started offering competitive financial aid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/your-money/syracuse-merit-aid.html

This is the kind of game that gets played when the sticker price is a lie. Is it better than the old system of secret agreements that the federal government ordered shut down? Or is it the same in the end? The one student I know who was toyed with by Syracuse ended up with an offer that added up about the same as other schools, only later. The federal financial aid program encourages price fixing.

[Sarcastr0]

Secret agreements?

[Bwaaah]

I never saw a school openly share its financial aid determination methods. (Maybe it has been done, but it's certainly rare if existent.)

I know you're trying to cast a conspiracy theory vibe upon J.F. Carr's post. But you should prefer "secret agreements" over, for example, "carefully hidden-from-disclosure unconstitutional race-based calculations."

[shawn_dude]

The "sticker price" of a college degree varies depending on a lot of real factors. For example, some programs are more expensive to run than others. Other programs come with grants that defray costs but those grants may not be permanent. Graduate student programs usually cost more but often grants can defray all of that cost. Tenure/tenure track faculty cost more than adjunct. etc. So universities charge per credit/unit in most cases which makes it seem like a fair consumption-based cost but it's more of an average. If you want to get a better idea for the actual cost at any given time, look at the university's "discount rate." These days, they tend to be quite high, around 48%. This is mostly because they charge foreign students full price--not to dissimilar to the way hotels in Vegas price rooms.

With the precipitous drop in births roughly 18 years ago, schools are having to compete for a smaller group of available high school graduates and they need their scholarship (in this case merit aid) dollars to extend further. Scholarship monies comes from multiple sources but one source is the difference in price paid by other students (like Chinese students.) Schools pay for big-named companies to use AI or other wizardry to help them set aid amounts such that they can spend the least to attract good students. This school appears to have abandoned the hard road and gone for the "Monday night quarterbacking" approach. They're desperate, apparently, and willing to enter into a sort of bidding process for students.

Just remember, "merit aid" is just a discount price for students with good grades or other attractive qualities. Offering someone a discount after May 1 is not heresy but it is unseemly.

[John F. Carr]

France has ordered some cars with Takata airbags not to be driven until recall service is done. A "stop drive" order. That's what they call it in French too. One of the FAQs from the Transport ministry is "Qu’est-ce qu’un 'Stop drive'?".

https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2025/06/24/airbags-takata-le-gouvernement-ordonne-un-rappel-de-tous-les-vehicules-a-risque-quels-que-soient-leur-age-et-leur-marque-et-l-immobilisation-de-800-000-nouvelles-voitures_6615660_3234.html
https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/rappel-airbag-takata

America is not capable of devising a good process for recalls. While a few recalls are immediate safety threats, others are trivial. We have moved towards a compromise where recalls, major or minor, need to be officially recorded as resolved before a car can be sold or rented. I had a car with two recalls. One was for a brake line that corroded faster than normal. I had already had mine replaced before the recall notice was sent out. In other words, I had not had the recall officially done. The other was for a hole in the key fob from which women were prone to hang purses, bowling balls, or other heavy objects that could mess with the ignition lock. The fix was to plug the hole. (This was back when cars had mechanical keys to be inserted in the ignition.)

Under the American rules I have seen, a recall is a top priority unless the part is out of stock in which case you can let it slide. So is it important or not?

We could use a system more like the FAA has. Lowest level could be, "hey, car owners, you might want to have this looked at." Mid level is "have this looked at within 60 days." Top level is "if you drive this car you may be shot dead by overeager traffic cops."

In the case of airbags, I say let them drive. The risk is to the driver.

[apedad]

The risk is to the driver . . . but the cost is to society.

[apedad]

2 million student loan borrowers at risk of garnished wages: Analysis

Nearly two million student loan borrowers are at risk of having their wages garnished this summer, according to a new estimate from TransUnion.

The Trump administration ultimately paused a plan to garnish Social Security benefits, potentially sparing hundreds of thousands of older Americans from reduced retirement checks, at least for now.

Overall, nearly 43 million borrowers owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt, the Education Department said in April.

Borrowers who have fallen behind can come up with a repayment strategy using the government’s Loan Simulator tool here.

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5367689-student-loan-borrowers-risk-garnished-wages-analysis/

That's a little over $37K per the 43 million students.

They had a 5+ years pause because of COVID but even still, that didn't mean they had to stop paying.

$1.6 (BIG) T is a lot.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yes, just because Biden illegally let them not make payments doesn't mean they didn't continue to owe them.

And they need to pay them, because the alternative is transferring all that debt to the people who weren't stupid enough to take it on.

[shawn_dude]

There's a good article in the Guardian regarding the new trend of federal police wearing plain clothes, masks, unmarked cars, and refusing to identify. It's an interview with a former FBI undercover agent discussing the consequences of letting ICE wear masks.

Mike German, a former FBI agent, said officers’ widespread use of masks was unprecedented in US law enforcement and a sign of a rapidly eroding democracy. “Masking symbolizes the drift of law enforcement away from democratic controls,” he said.

and...

I have not had conversations with current officers, but I imagine some are masking because they don’t normally work for Ice or do immigration enforcement, but are now being sent to do these jobs. [...] When these officers go home at night, they may not want people in their communities to know it was them. Maybe they have upstanding reputations because of the work they do for the FBI or ATF, and they don’t necessarily want to be identified with this kind of indiscriminate targeting of immigrants. And that reluctance to be identified as engaging in those activities really highlights the illegitimacy of those actions.

[Brett Bellmore]

Or maybe it's just because the left is increasingly willing to dox and destroy people it doesn't like, regardless of whether they're acting lawfully.

See, that's the problem with civil war in the US today: In the 1860's, the battle lines ran between states. Today, they run within states, so to the extent there's a civil war, everywhere is the battlefield.

But, how about mutual unmasking: Cops can't wear masks, but neither can anybody else. Work for you?

[shawn_dude]

If police feel that doing their job in the public eye with public scrutiny is too dangerous, they can get other jobs. Secret police forces have historically masked up because they were afraid of the public they were violently policing; they didn't want their neighbors to know they were agents of the authoritarian government for fear of being shunned. What you call "dox and destroy" is just standard, non-violent, shunning--or, in today's terms being "cancelled."

Why, exactly, are you endorsing a secret police force in the US and where do you think this is going to end?

[Brett Bellmore]

So, even though you lose elections, you lose votes in legislatures, you get a veto over what laws can be enforced by threatening anybody who enforces them with informal personal ruin?

I doubt very much it's their neighbors that they're worried about.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

I enjoyed Mississippi Masala.

The director's son has received some attention recently.