Monday Open Thread

What's on your mind?

Comments

[Kazinski]

President Trump is cementing his global reputation as a peacemaker.

Reuters is reporting about a peace march of 2500 Theraveda Buddhist monks* in Phnom Penh demonstrating for a permanent cease fire between Cambodia and Thailand.

As the monnks passed by the US embassy, they held up hundreds of signs with Trump's picture saying "Thank you Mr. President", at :24 of the embedded video. Surprisingly Reuters did not fact check the monks.

https://x.com/Reuters/status/1954633855660368227?t=4sP37qWU4c7cvUjGupOyKQ&s=19

* Both Thailand and Cambodia are Theravedist, the Thai adopted Therevada Buddhism from the Khmer when they migrated down from China to the then Khmer Empire 800-1000 years ago, Modern day Cambodia is the existing remnant of the Khmer Empire.

[AmosArch]

Heres the AP crying about how we're no longer spending (as much) taxpayer money attempting to force butt sex into Nepal. Talk about cultural imperialism.

https://archive.ph/s2NgV

They have a companion video which conveniently omits the USAID angle and makes it look like some feel good grassroots celebration. Which it was apparently until US tax dollars were spend to make it about buttsex.

[not guilty]

"Heres the AP crying about how we're no longer spending (as much) taxpayer money attempting to force butt sex into Nepal. Talk about cultural imperialism."

The linked article says nothing of the sort. Why am I unsurprised?

This is yet another flagrant misuse of the word "force." If AmosArch wants to know about forcible butt sex, perhaps he can hire a sex worker to tie him up where he can't escape and peg him.

[Brett Bellmore]

So, your dispute is that it actually says we're no longer spending as much taxpayer money attempting to strongly encourage butt sex in Nepal?

[not guilty]

The article linked by AmosArch posits no nexus whatsoever between USAID and sexual activity of any kind, Brett. That was the gravamen of my comment.

The misuse of "force" is merely a collateral pet peeve.

Speaking of which, the late William Safire, who wrote speeches for Prick Nixon and later wrote the New York Times "On Language" column, once wrote that he was thinking of getting a dog and naming it Peeve, so that he could introduce it as "This is my pet, Peeve."

[Brett Bellmore]

"The article linked by AmosArch posits no nexus whatsoever between USAID and sexual activity of any kind,"

Positing a complete disconnect between "LGBTQ+" and sexual activity of any kind seems a bridge too far...

[Frank Drackman]

Navin Johnson did something similar, naming his Dog “Shithead”

[AmosArch]

Obviously they don't use my exact words but....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nepal’s LGBTQ+ campaign has been hit after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began dismantling the U.S.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Martinned]

That sounds like Nepalis talking to other Nepalis about gay rights, which is in no way similar to what you were saying.

[NvEric]

Do you have statistics on how many gay couples do not use anal intercourse ? A world-wide average may suffice.

[AmosArch]

If they want to talk to each other about gay rights they can open their own mouths and do it themselves without a boatload of US taxpayer money and an army of 'specialists', blue ribbon committees, think tanks, academics, and the tidal wave of associated salaries, facilities, business class flights, dinner parties, gifts, vacations, and discretionary expenses, kickbacks and bribes to tell them the 'right' way to do it.

[hobie]

Apart from guns, all these guys seem to think about is gay sex.

Guns and gay sex
Guns and gay sex

What's the nexus here?

[Commenter_XY]

POTUS Trump has proved adept at finding solutions to long running conflicts. I believe it is 5 conflicts this year, where POTUS Trump has helped to facilitate an end to fighting, and peace.

May: India, Pakistan
June: Rwanda/Congo, Israel/Iran
July: Thailand, Cambodia
August: Armenia, Azerbaijan

A pity the UN can't do this.

[John F. Carr]

He got cease fire agreements in the India-Pakistan and Israel-Iran confilicts. That's far short of peace. Quite possibly the Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement will lead to peace. Once Armenia releases claims to Artsakh they will have nothing serious to fight over.

[Mr. Bumble]

Picky, picky, picky.
The end of Korean war fighting is only the result of an armistice.

[Commenter_XY]

He (POTUS Trump) achieved what others were unable to, John F Carr.

[AmosArch]

Its been over half a year on a second term now and the 'dictatorship' with SS legions goosestepping beneath UFOs, Dems have been promising us has failed to emerge. When the rightful authorities have chosen to rein in the Trump Admin and they have no more legal options they have obeyed, as Progs have gleefully pointed out slow progress on his agenda in between crying about its rapid progress. They even let back in that illegal gangbanger Abrego. A king we have not it appears.

[Mr. Bumble]

Hot enough for you?
By some reckoning today marks the end of the dog days of summer.

[Mr. Bumble]

Is it time to end "home rule" for Washington, DC?

[Martinned]

If that's what it takes to get them to stop electing Democrats, I guess that's fair. /s

[Sarcastr0]

No one cares about the FBI crime stats, of course.

Not even on the table.

Just will to power.

[Kazinski]

No its not.

It's time to devolve the DC back to Maryland, other than Capitol Hill, the Whitehouse, Supreme Court and the Capitol Mall, which has zero inhabitants, other than the president, and maybe a few homeless, which would include a few representatives sleeping in their offices.

[Martinned]

That wouldn't work, because Maryland votes Democratic too.

[Mr. Bumble]

It would work perfectly fine. The only drawback is that MD might get an extra congressional seat.

[Martinned]

Yes, and hence it would defeat the purpose.

[Kazinski]

Would work fine, Virginia reclaimed its territory that was part of DC back in the 1840's.

DC was actually originally created in order to keep the Capitol out of any state, so making DC a State while not actually unconstitutional would be counter to what the founding fathers envisioned. Devolving the residential parts to Maryland would give Maryland one more congressional seat.

[Dr. Ed 2]

It would also make sense -- there are parts of DC where the other side of the street is MD.

They never planned to have people living in DC.

[Brett Bellmore]

The catch is that we actually have a constitutional amendment giving DC electoral college votes equal to the least populous state. Devolving most of DC to Maryland wouldn't get rid of that amendment, it would just radically reduce the number of people voting on who got the EC votes.

So you could get a few homeless people living on the Mall determining the outcome of a Presidential election.

[Commenter_XY]

Let them (DC) stew in their own marinade.

[Martinned]

Only the President and the First Lady. Sounds fine to me. /s

[not guilty]

"It's time to devolve the DC back to Maryland, other than Capitol Hill, the Whitehouse, Supreme Court and the Capitol Mall, which has zero inhabitants, other than the president, and maybe a few homeless, which would include a few representatives sleeping in their offices."

So that those few inhabitants would have the ability to determine three electoral votes, per the 23rd Amendment?

[A Japanese Student]

We could technically abolish the District altogether. We don't need a district to exercise exclusive jurisdiction - there are thousands of such places already within the US, in the form of military bases and federal prisons.

[Frank Drackman]

Great idea JS! “USP D.C.”

Frank

[John F. Carr]

So the White House would be in Maryland but not subject to Maryland law.

[Martinned]

Why is it bad if the White House is subject to Maryland law?

[NvEric]

It's time to disburse the federal government into the other states and also create a dozen regional entities containing their own capitals.

[Sarcastr0]

So the idea is to do that over the objections of Maryland and DC?

[Martinned]

Stop me if you've heard this one before:

Anas al-Sharif, who was one of Al Jazeera’s most recognisable faces in Gaza, was killed while inside a tent for journalists [!] outside al-Shifa hospital [!] in Gaza City on Sunday night.

Seven people in total were killed in the attack, including al-Sharif, Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster.

The Israel Defense Force admitted the strike, claiming the reporter had “served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organisation and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/10/prominent-al-jazeera-journalist-killed-in-israeli-airstrike-on-gaza

Such a coincidence, that every civilian who is killed by the IDF turns out to have been a prominent member of Hamas.

[Kazinski]

Based on their coverage I'm not surprised.

There was a freelance "journalists" working for the AP that was an active participant in the October 7 massacre, so a few more journalists being active members of Hamas is not surprising.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Seeing as Hamas hadn't killed him....

[Sarcastr0]

Based on their coverage, eh?

[Commenter_XY]

Yes, I have seen this before. The net result is there are seven fewer hamas sympathizers to terminally address later this month.

[Frank Drackman]

Maybe if Ham-Ass would release the Hostages they’re holding since Oct 7, 2023

[CountmontyC]

Quick question, if he was Hamas would you say the attack was justified? If not why not?

[Martinned]

That depends. Historically Hamas had a civilian wing and a military wing, because they spent the last 20-odd years being the government of Gaza, providing social welfare, etc. I have no idea what the situation is now, but it is certainly not OK to kill a civilian member of Hamas, just like it's not OK for Hamas to kill Israeli civilians, like it did on October 7.

[CountmontyC]

Hamas is the government of Gaza. Under international law being part of Hamas/ Gazan government makes that person a legitimate target during a time of war.

[Riva]

Stop me if you’ve heard this before but were you one of the execrable trolls spreading lies that Israel was starving the Gazan population? A lot of vile Hamas supporters were a tad upset that the NY Times begrudgingly admitted they promoted the lie using a photo of a baby with a neurological disorder as a victim. But you just get right back on the vile Hamas propaganda horse. That’s the spirit of a true antisemite.

[CountmontyC]

Personally I believe if you start a war that famine is a potential consequence and the people starting the war ( in this case Hamas) are the ones to blame.

[Martinned]

This is apparently how the US does business in 2025:

Nvidia and AMD have reportedly agreed to share a portion of their revenue from China sales of certain chips as part of an unusual arrangement with the US administration to obtain export licenses to the Chinese market, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Monday.

I don't have access to the FT article, but I understand the number is 15%.

[Commenter_XY]

They are payments for export licenses for specific chips to CHN, eurotrash.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/10/nvidia-amd-15percent-of-china-chip-sales-revenues-to-us-ft-reports.html

[Martinned]

Sure. Trump takes his cut. Extorting business, I'm sure that won't do harm to the US economy at all. /s

[Krayt]

One man's extorting business is another man's making them pay their fair share. We need to see which side we are on before we reach into our wonderful bag of rhetoric.

[Martinned]

Speaking of the US government robbing society blind:

The Trump administration is warning Harvard University that it could take over its patents, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if a review finds the university hasn’t complied with federal law, an escalation of the continuing negotiations between the White House and America’s oldest university.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/harvard-patents-trump-d4297409

[Mr. Bumble]

"Speaking of the US government robbing society blind:"

...and just how is that so? Can Harvard continue to ignore the law in support of its racist policies?

[Martinned]

Sure, go ahead, make stuff up to justify blatant criminality on the part of your beloved Donald.

[Mr. Bumble]

Who is making stuff up? If the allegations prove true then Harvard's racist action should be punished as allowed by law.
I have no sympathy for them.

[Michael P]

Harvard was already proven to have racist policies (in SFFA v. Harvard). The only question is whether they fully expunged them or maintained them.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Martined, it's how we got rid of the Klan, and....

[Frank Drackman]

You can say it Godwin, the Nazis, I’ll bring the Rope

[Kazinski]

The Federal government confiscates assets all the time from law breakers.

The Obama administration confiscated what was ultimately 5 billion dollars of bitcoin from a single individual, Ross Ulbrict, so I don't think it will be a record.

[Martinned]

Is Harvard getting a criminal conviction for something? That's news to me.

[Kazinski]

It would take a legal process to take over the patents, unless Harvard wants to settle, which would also be an implicit admission of guilt.

Criminal or civil, its not unusual for people.breaking the law to dislodge illicit gains.

[Sarcastr0]

How is anything illicit here?

[Kazinski]

You don't even have to go past the paywall to see that:

"The Trump administration is warning Harvard University that it could take over its patents, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if a review finds the university hasn’t complied with federal law, an escalation of the continuing negotiations between the White House and America’s oldest university. "

[Commenter_XY]

If you break civil rights laws, which HU appears to have done, you face disgorgement. Not to worry, HU has 50B+ to pay up, they'll still have tea and crumpets in the faculty dining room.

The longer this drags out for HU, the worse it gets (the price tag goes up).

[John F. Carr]

If it drags out until a Democrat is president, Harvard wins and probably gets reimbursed for lost funding during the Trump years.

[Commenter_XY]

It won't drag on past next year, John F Carr. HU will see their position is completely untenable, and that Judge Burroughs cannot save them. They'll settle, or become significantly smaller.

[Sarcastr0]

So no illicit gains.

The patents were gained legally.

[Frank Drackman]

Trump's playing Alec Baldwin's character, sent from Mitch & Murray, telling those Hah-vahd (Redacteds) to get off their (Redacteds) and do their (Redacted) Job, which last time I checked, isn't being the US branch of Ham-Ass.
I'd give them 1 week, winner gets a new Cadillac, second place gets a set of steakknives, third place hit the bricks, I hear Chattahoochee Community College in Phenix City AL has openings (Janitorial)

Frank

[John F. Carr]

The federal and state governments confiscate assets all the time from people who have not been convicted of crimes. In my state once reasonable suspicion is established the burden shifts to the former owner of the property to prove a right to keep it. Federal law is a little more generous since the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000.

[Martinned]

That's a separate conversation. I don't think they should be doing that. The problem is that Trumpists think Obama shouldn't have been doing that, but are fine with Trump doing it regardless of the merit of the underlying case, as far as I can tell.

[Brett Bellmore]

My understanding of the Harvard situation, is that Harvard has been violating civil rights laws in a gross and notorious manner, relying on the prosecutorial discretion of prior administrations to get away with it. And that they're probably continuing the violations even now, in a more covert manner. The Trump administration has no interest in continuing that discretion, and is telling them the terms on which they'll forgo prosecution.

I admit this looks very like a shakedown, and I don't like it. They should just go ahead and prosecute, no quarter offered. But it's not an unprecedented shakedown.

[Sarcastr0]

What is the precedent?

[Frank Drackman]

You left out "Kenneth"
Lets see, Little Rock 1957, Ole Miss 1962, University of Alabama 1963, and it worked, Minorities are way safer on any of those Campi today than at Columbia or Hah-vahd.

Frank

[John F. Carr]

I think the Bayh-Dole Act is too generous. I also think Trump shouldn't unilaterally change the bargain.

[Mr. Bumble]

Hey Martin, how is it going for Herr Starmtrooper in the UK?
Minimal reporting here but it seems like the anti gang rape protests are heating up.

[Martinned]

I don't know what you're talking about. Can you make this comment again in something other than 4Chan language?

[Mr. Bumble]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO4xjkoS-7Y&t=833s
"Yesterday (August 2), there were massive protests across the United Kingdom against the Uniparty’s immigration policies. This march took place in Manchester:"
"The marchers are waving the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom, and St. George’s Cross, the flag of England. It is generally considered “far right” to display the English flag in England. "
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/08/anti-migrant-protests-roil-the-u-k.php

[Martinned]

Ah, I couldn't tell whether you were complaing about the arrests of people supporting Palestine Action, where you would have had a legitimate grievance. Those arrests are inexcusable.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/09/europe/protest-arrests-london-palestine-action-latam-intl

But no, of course you weren't worried about critics of Israel being arrested. Instead you're concerned about the "massive protests" (= three men and a donkey) of far right action groups.

[Mr. Bumble]

Can AI survive if it has to pay for copyrighted material it scrapes to "teach" itself?
"AI industry groups are urging an appeals court to block what they say is the largest copyright class action ever certified. They've warned that a single lawsuit raised by three authors over Anthropic's AI training now threatens to "financially ruin" the entire AI industry if up to 7 million claimants end up joining the litigation and forcing a settlement."

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ai-industry-horrified-to-face-largest-copyright-class-action-ever-certified/

[A Japanese Student]

Most likely outcome is Congress establishing a statutory licensing scheme. Though given the scale of copyright owners, both domestic and international, distributing the royalties would be a nightmare.

[Brett Bellmore]

Since copyright is statutory, (The Constitution merely permits it.) Congress COULD legislate in that way. However, if the result were to excuse previous copyright violations, mightn't there be something of a takings issue?

[John F. Carr]

If Congress can remove works from the public domain Congress can also excuse past violations.

[Brett Bellmore]

As I said, they can do it, but it could be found to be a taking, constitutionally.

[John F. Carr]

Cory Doctorow says that the effect of the music licensing rules is to allow Spotify to keep most of the money that should be going to artists. Too many copyright owners to pay them all.

[Dr. Ed 2]

And then there is the electric bill...

[John F. Carr]

The AI industry has an immense amount of money. It can afford to license copyrighted works. It can't afford statutory damages for each copyrighted work that it scrapes.

[Mr. Bumble]

Another one joins the heavenly choir:
Bobby Whitlock, the musician who co-founded Derek and the Dominos with Eric Clapton, has died, according to his manager. He was 77.

Whitlock died Sunday morning of cancer, manager Carol Kaye confirmed to CBS News. He was surrounded by his family in Texas, Kaye said.

The singer-songwriter was a keyboard player and vocalist for Derek and the Domino, the rock band best known for its 1971 album, “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.”

[Commenter_XY]

Deprivation of civil rights under color of law...Shortly, we will see several prosecutions citing this.

How hard is it to obtain a conviction, and what prison time, if any, goes with that?
How does one even go about prosecuting that; what do you actually have to prove?

[Dr. Ed 2]

I like to remind people that it is what the cops who beat Rodney King actually were convicted of.

[Frank Drackman]

I like to remind people that Rodney King drowned (not asphyxiated, there’s a difference)

[Dr. Ed 2]

I like to remind people that was years later -- while the LAPD tried to kill him, they were unsuccessful.

[Frank Drackman]

If they were trying to kill him they'd have shot him, or even better, just let him keep driving.

[A Japanese Student]

Prosecution under that section is not rare, though I've only seen it used in excessive-force contexts.

"How hard is it to obtain a conviction?"
In 2023, there were 8 guilty verdicts, 34 guilty pleas, 8 jury acquittals, 1 mistrial, and 2 dismissals, per FCCPS.
The trend seems to be the same: both higher than average jury rate and acquittal rate.

"what prison time, if any, goes with that?"
Misdemeanor if no bodily injury occurs. Up to 10 years for bodily injury or use of dangerous weapon. Up to life for sexual act, kidnapping, or attempt to kill. Also authorizes death penalty.

"How does one even go about prosecuting that; what do you actually have to prove?"
that:
1) A person acting under color of law
e.g. a police officer, prison guard
2) subjected any person
3) to the deprivation
4) of any rights secured by the Constitution
e.g. right to be free from excessive force during an arrest (4A), right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment during imprisonment (8A) or pretrial custody (14A)

[Commenter_XY]

AJS....Looks like an open door to me =

1) A person acting under color of law
e.g. a police officer, prison guard
2) subjected any person
3) to the deprivation
4) of any rights secured by the Constitution

Why don't we see more of these prosecutions?

[Kazinski]

It's very rare for prosecutors to prosecute.

But it isn't a rare crime, usually people sue, and then the peep gets QI.

When it makes headlines then there is sometimes a prosecution.

[Mr. Bumble]

QI is what happens when the courts make laws.

[John F. Carr]

If I recall correctly that law requires proof of criminal intent, essentially providing a qualified immunity defense to criminal liability.

If it were enforced we would need more prisons. I posted recently about a case where a police officer pulled over a motorist for no reason and lied about the reason. The customary remedy is to suppress the evidence, not to jail the police officer for an unconstitutional seizure.

[not guilty]

"Deprivation of civil rights under color of law...Shortly, we will see several prosecutions citing this."

Think so? The relevant statute is 18 U.S.C. § 242, which states in full:

Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

The essential elements include:

Action under color of law;

"Willful" deprivation -- that is, "a specific intent to deprive a person of a federal right made definite by decision or other rule of law". Screws v. United States, 325 U.S. 91, 103 (1945) (plurality opinion). In this regard, "the presence of a bad purpose or evil intent alone may not be sufficient." Ibid.;

Subjecting a person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District (no extraterritorial operation);

To the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States;

or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens;

And resulting injury, with enhanced penalties for the occurrence of bodily injury or the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire. If death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

An important caveat is that § 242 criminal liability may be imposed only if prior decisions gave reasonable warning that the conduct at issue violated constitutional rights. criminal liability under § 242 is that it may be imposed for deprivation of a constitutional right if, but only if, in the light of pre-existing law the unlawfulness under the Constitution is apparent. Where it is, the constitutional requirement of fair warning is satisfied. United States v. Lanier, 520 U.S. 259, 271-272 (1997).

[Brett Bellmore]

This is why I've said that, if the Supreme court really wanted the 2nd amendment respected, they'd simply announce that in a variety of contexts they have made the right sufficiently clear that UQI isn't applicable, state actors ARE on notice.

[Riva]

I think it’s fairly obvious that the repugnant trash weaponizing intelligence and prosecutorial powers against their main political opponent knew exactly what they were doing regardless of the status of any potential criminal charges, But that being said, the Obama national security team and the One himself would be wise to lawyer up.

[not guilty]

Riva, have you read Lanier? Yes or no?

Who do you propose should be prosecuted under § 242, and for what conduct?

It's time for you to break out your track shoes and run away.

[Commenter_XY]

NG, thx for the excellent explainer.

So you really need to establish a clear pattern of behavior, a documented animus, knowledge that the perp knowingly took actions to deprive the victim of rights, and an actual injury.

That is a very high hurdle. And then there is QI, everyone's favorite.

A year in the slammer, plus a fine. Sounds about right.

[Martinned]

How hard is it to obtain a conviction, and what prison time, if any, goes with that?

That depends. Is the accusation against a Trumpist or against someone else?

[John F. Carr]

A lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court seeks an injunction requiring Microsoft to continue free support for Windows 10. The imminent termination of free support is said to violate California's Unfair Competition and False Advertising laws and the Consumers Legal Remedies Act.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/08/10/microsoft-sued-for-killing-windows-10-all-users-must-act-now/

As a matter of policy there should be stricter rules for support of computers used as consumer goods. Some number of years of free no strings attached security fixes. No "click to agree to terms of service to get this emergency security fix for our broken software." If you have to click to agree then it's not bundled with the original purchase.

[A Japanese Student]

Sounds like a classic case of laches. When was this filed?

[John F. Carr]

The complaint is dated August 7, 2025.

[Krayt]

October is the end date IIRC. What makes this particular end of product life different is that Microsoft does not allow Windows 11 upgrades on many computers as they don't have some chipping of the latest and greatest anti-hackery hardware.

Your computer doesn't die with only Windows 10, you just risk getting hacked as the months and years go by as Microsoft has abandoned it.

So you have to buy a new computer.

[Dr. Ed 2]

When Saint George Floyd overdosed, we were told that we DESERVED to be terrorized, to have our cities burnt flat and to have cops killed.

Well, now it is Saint Patrick Joseph White and what, EXACTLY, is the difference????????????????????

The CDC was far more fascist than the Minneapolis Police ever dreamed of being, and if we encouraged this by saying the CDC should be abolished (and it deserves to be) then the Never Trumpers have actual blood on their hands. Innocent third parties died in Butler, PA, and how many cops did BLM kill?

All I want is a level playing field.

And as to Saint Patrick Joseph White, notice how we haven't seen all the sympathetic coverage like we did for Saint George Floyd? We haven't even seen his picture.

Why do I suspect he was Black?

[Martinned]

Wow, American white people have it tough...

[Mr. Bumble]

But not tougher than in the UK.

[Frank Drackman]

We do, at least in getting killed by Blacks.
and they keep this info more hidden than Barry Hussein's Law School Grades, but.....
What's this simple Ratio? Whites murdered by Blacks/Blacks murdered by Whites
and I'll even accept that Floyd George was murdered by a Cop (he wasn't)
Oh, the answer? like all good Shysters, I never ask questions I don't already know the answer to, and also, as a MOTT, I've got Hollywood in my Genes (get it?) and that's what is known as a
"Cliffhanger"

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

Psych drugs are dangerous. Why don't people realize this?

[Frank Drackman]

People do, it's why there's a "Black Box" warning on most of them.
For Prozac (No, A-holes, it's not mine) it's

"WARNING: SUICIDALITY AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS
See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.
Increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents,
and young adults taking antidepressants for Major Depressive
Disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders.
When using PROZAC and olanzapine in combination, also refer to Boxed
Warning section of the package insert for Symbyax."

and it's not unusual for Psychiatrists and even FP's and Nurse Practitioners to prescribe multiple of these medications, (I get it with the Shrinks, because they're Idiots, but FP's and NP's are supposed to be more holistic)

Frank

[Frank Drackman]

Jen Pawol made history as the first XX to Umpire a MLB Regular Season game (Yes, hard as it is to believe, the Braves are still in the National League)
And while I didn't check under the hood, it appears she's an actual XX and not Dr. Richard Levine looking for a new Gig.
I kid Jen, former Hofstra Softball Star, she's in better shape than 90% of the XY Umpires and unlike CB Bucknor, isn't legally blind (like with "Bingo" you just say "legally blind", NOT "legally blind without their glasses" the definition of legally blind is best CORRECTED Vision < 20/400, so saying "legally blind without glasses" marks one as an Idiot, like saying "Basicially"

Frank

[Krayt]

XX?; OH! As opposed to XY.

I thought it was the first XXL umpire. I thought, that can't possibly be right!

[John F. Carr]

Governor Newsom proposes to make California's Congressional districts explicitly depend on Texas' Congressional districts. "We’re working with the legislature on a trigger that if they do move forward, California will not sit by idly." A few years ago he backed a law that made California gun law depend on Texas abortion law. A federal judge shot that down.

Newsom should move to Texas and run for governor there. Here's a wacky sitcom premise: Abbott and Newsom trade places. "Governor Abbott, you forgot your Secretary of Equity's pronouns are they/them." "Governor Newsom, you forgot to wear your gun to the ribbon cutting ceremony."

[Frank Drackman]

Never underestimate the ability of Governor New-Scum to (redacted) something up, and don't forget inviting Parkinsonian Joe so he can yell "Let's hear it for Governor Abbott, Stand up Greg!!!

[Brett Bellmore]

They do have a bit of a problem, in that California's constitution expressly prohibits midterm redistricting. So they're constitutionally required to just sit by idly, at least until 2030.

[Martinned]

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

The correct response would have been to advocate for a constitutional amendment outlawing gerrymandering.

[Frank Drackman]

Gerrymandering has it's good points, it's why all of the "Yellow Dog" DemoKKKrats have been replaced with Jasmine Crockets and Hank Johnsons (the Genius who was concerned Guam would capsize)

Frank

[Brett Bellmore]

Democrats have had a bit of a problem.

1) They're just as guilty of gerrymandering as Republicans, maybe more so, so they have a lot to lose if it's flatly prohibited.
2) Real world distribution of voters tends to disadvantage Democrats in most states even without gerrymandering. Getting 90%+ of the vote in urban areas isn't terribly efficient!
3) They really like their minority-majority districts, which are themselves gerrymandering.

Their answer to that was to come up with a 'definition' of gerrymandering that was designed to favor them, by identifying as "gerrymandering" any failure to reproduce the results of proportional representation: "Vote efficiency". That would mandate an outcome much more favorable to Democrats than simply banning gerrymandering as it is conventionally defined.

While I think you could have gotten bipartisan agreement to ban gerrymandering altogether, obviously Republicans weren't going to support any measure that only prohibited Republican gerrymandering.

[Commenter_XY]

The correct answer is to live with it = gerrymandering

It is not going away, ever.

[apedad]

Good news!

It took a while but (part of) Mississippi has finally been recognized as having joined the 21st century.

"The Copiah County School District, (the “District”), submits this memorandum in support of its joint motion for a declaration of unitary status. The District has complied in good faith with this Court’s desegregation orders and has eliminated, to the extent practicable, all vestiges of discrimination resulting from the former racially dual system.

The District has worked diligently to ensure faculty and staff who work directly with children are distributed throughout the District’s schools so that the racial makeup of faculty at each school substantially approximates the racial makeup of the faculty in the District and in no way indicates that a school is intended for black students or white students."

https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1410656/dl?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Not sure about this statement though, "racial makeup of faculty at each school substantially approximates the racial makeup of the faculty in the District . . . . "

Maybe instead say staff are hired based on qualifications and not race-blind criteria.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yeah, the problem is that there's a longstanding tendency to treat any failure to meet the quota as itself being evidence of discrimination, which even if not dispositive, requires you to go to great trouble to rebut.

While if you have a quota and achieve it, the burden falls on others to prove you're discriminating.

So, while civil rights law doesn't technically mandate quotas, the way it has typically been enforced has really strongly encouraged them.

[Martinned]

Isn't that what you're claiming Harvard did?

[Brett Bellmore]

That Harvard was maintaining an illegal quota system has already been established, in Students for Fair Admissions. That they are still maintaining an illegal quota system seems a pretty safe bet based on various whistleblower accounts and exposed documents.

I'll grant you that they were in somewhat of a hard place, given that for years the only reliable way to avoid civil rights charges was to actually violate civil rights laws. But it's not like they did it only to the degree necessary to be safe, they were and are really leaning into the discrimination, seemingly with the intent to drive the percentage of white males as low as possible, rather than just reproducing population statistics.

[Frank Drackman]

So you want the Faculty to be 95% Black like the Students?
The one High School in the Copiah County District, "Crystal Springs" has a 92% Grad-jew-ma-cation rate, which sounds great, until you see on the next line they have a 27% "Reading Proficiency" rate and 37% "Mathematics Proficiency" (In Mississippi it means you can count to 21 without taking off your pants)
Good thing they have that one Asian Student or their numbers would really suck.
OK, it's Mississippi, I get it, there's even an old Alabama saying
"Thank God for Mississippi" (See, they're behind Alabama in everything, Income, Football, wearing Shoes, only thing they beat us in was joining the Confederacy, beat us by a whole 2 days)
Funny, the County's only 50% Black, almost like there's another Screw-el kids might be going to.

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

...and in news from Sgt. Preston (and his dog Yukon King) country, it is now illegal in several provinces to take a "walk in the woods".

[Brett Bellmore]

Apparently it's a fire safety rule, and only applicable during periods of high fire risk. Here in the US, of course, we seem to get by just prohibiting lighting fires.

The subtext is that it's not really aimed at campers and hikers, but instead homeless people, who are less inclined to observe such prohibitions. (Since they're already breaking the law to begin with.)

[Martinned]

Here in the US, of course, we seem to get by just prohibiting lighting fires.

Are you?

https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn

[Brett Bellmore]

I'm not saying it's a perfect solution, I'm saying that we don't go to the extremes Canada is starting to. Sure, we have an arson problem, but we're not responding to it by making large swaths of the country no-go zones.

But, like I said, the reason for that is that Alberta isn't responding the hikers and campers lighting fires, which usually can be adequately discouraged by just telling them not to. They're actually responding to homeless people who don't care what the law says about lighting fires.

So making just being present a crime is their answer.

[Mr. Bumble]

"So making just being present a crime is their answer."
See below.

[Mr. Bumble]

"It’s come to this: from the Toronto Sun,

Veteran ignites debate by challenging Nova Scotia’s $25G fine for woods walk.
The retired warrant officer and combat veteran, Jeff Evely, is challenging a law in Nova Scotia prohibiting people from walking amidst trees. I’m not kidding. For his challenge, he faces a total fine approaching C$29,000.

The law purports to be a measure to prevent forest fires. But it comes across as something medieval, where commoners are prevented from entering the King’s forest."

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/08/a-walk-in-the-woods.php

[Mr. Bumble]

"Apparently it's a fire safety rule, and only applicable during periods of high fire risk."
Of course it is, just like gun control laws are about "safety".

[Frank Drackman]

Not to get morbid here, but who's going to die first, Sleepy Joe or Hunter?
OK, maybe a little morbid, the obvious answer is Joe, but after seeing Hunter's interview (did anyone ever do a better commercial for Cocaine?) I changed my mind,
Hunter's got a positive "Frank's Sign" (No Joke, it's an actual Physical Finding) a diagonal earlobe crease that's a reliable marker for Coronary Artery Disease, you mix with some Colombian Nose Candy and you get Chris Farley's Syndrome

Frank

[Brett Bellmore]

I'm still betting Joe, with Hunter following shortly afterwards.

Based on that interview, I'd guess that Hunter is hitting the drugs again, and losing your father is pretty traumatic.

[Mr. Bumble]

When will Joe be joining Robert Mueller in a "memory care" facility?

[Brett Bellmore]

Since Jill can afford live in private care, not at all would be my expectation.

[apedad]

White supremacist leader to plead guilty to soliciting hate crimes

A California leader of the far-right white supremacist Terrorgram Collective on Friday agreed to plead guilty to soliciting hate crimes and soliciting the murders of federal officials, among other charges.

Dallas Humber, 35, of Elk Grove faces 25–30 years in prison under her plea agreement, the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento said in a statement.

The group is linked to an October 2022 shooting outside of an LGBTQ bar in Slovakia in which two people were killed, a planned attack on energy facilities in New Jersey in July of last year, and the stabbing of five people near a mosque in Turkey in August of last year.

The Terrorgram belief system recalls that of Islamic jihadists. Its members celebrate "saints" — white supremacists who died while carrying out attacks against people of color and LGBTQ people, an ethos used to inspire future attacks.

https://www.courthousenews.com/white-supremacist-leader-to-plead-guilty-to-soliciting-hate-crimes/

Celebrate "saints" — white supremacists who died while carrying out attacks?

That's an odd twist.

I like to celebrate things like rabbits with eggs and a jolly guy delivering presents.

[restasystemrsc]

Efficient oversight of operations and finances is possible using cafe management accounting, which reduces manual work and errors. Automation facilitates data collection and accuracy. Cafe managers optimize business performance.
https://restasystem.com/accountingsoftware/

[Martinned]

While Donald Trump is busy giving away parts of other people's countries, I'm glad to see his envoy is on top of things.

Trump’s envoy ‘misunderstood’ Putin’s territorial demands as concessions, media report
(...)
What is more, Witkoff appears to have misinterpreted some statements made by Putin as concessions. One example cited by BILD was the Russian leader’s demand for a “peaceful withdrawal” of Ukrainian forces from Russian-claimed territory. Witkoff reportedly understood this as an offer of a “peaceful withdrawal” of Russian forces.

https://tvpworld.com/88256509/trumps-envoy-witkoff-misunderstood-putins-territorial-demands-as-concessions-media-report