Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[Dr. Ed 2]

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/abc-doj-investigating-walz-frey-for-obstructing-federal-law-enforcement-activities/

FINALLY the DOJ is investigating Walz & Frey for obstructing federal Law enforcement. It’s pretty clear to this non-lawyer that they have done that. Tampon Tim can claim weaponized prosecution to his hearts content, what does he think? Janet Reno would’ve done? Or even Meritless Garland.

[bloocow2]

Cool! Also looking forward to an investigation of that law enforcement agent who shot a middle aged woman three times and called her a "f***ing bitch" after she was dead.

That investigation is going to happen, right? It's the sort of thing that should probably be investigated, right?

[Dr. Ed 2]

It’s a middle-aged woman WHO WAS ATTACKING HIM WITH A 4500 POUND GUIDED KINETIC PROJECTILE and not some random woman standing on a street corner and minding her own business.

But it is being investigated, as it should be, as any officer involved shooting should be. Remember that vehicle has an EDR, it’s not what people think the vehicle was doing, there’san actual computer record of it.

As to the officer’s obscenities, there’s other side to that. Officers don’t want to have to shoot someone and a very natural human reaction is for an officer to be mad at someone for forcing the officer to have to shoot the person.

[rswallen]

Or, you know, just be mad at someone clipping them with a car.

[Dr. Ed 2]

You are too clueless to deal with.

|/dev/null

[rswallen]

How is that clueless? I'd be pretty pissed at someone if they clipped me with a car.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I was replying to David’s comment below where he denies reality.

Not sure why it is here.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I think that the EDR data will indicate that a rational person would perceive it as more than just a clip — my gut feeling is that she want to make it look like he was gonna get run over, to scare him, and never thought that he might actually fire.

She reportedly had four GSWs, if he fired three rounds at a moving target while jumping out of the way, that’s damn good marksmanship. And he shot not out of anger, but to prevent her from steering towards where he was jumping to.

[David Nieporent]

WHO WAS ATTACKING HIM WITH A 4500 POUND GUIDED KINETIC PROJECTILE

You know this never happened. I know this never happened. Ross knows it never happened. Good would know it never happened if she were alive.

Officers don’t want to have to shoot someone

Only sociopaths would join ICE — or at least remain at ICE after Trump took office — so yes, he wanted to shoot her.

[bloocow2]

Hey, if she really did want to run him over, I'm sure an investigation will clear that right up.

That investigation that's totally, definitely going to happen. I'm sure we can trust your federal government to be fair and impartial about it! It's not as if their leaders called her a terrorist within an hour of the shooting or anything.

[wvattorney13]

Sounds like JFK conspiracy people. Do a complete investigation but it doesn't count if the government does it.

[Sarcastr0]

The FBI broke protocol and shut out the locals.

This Admin sure isn’t the Warren Comission.

Come on dude.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Gaslight0, seriously, you consider Lyndon Johnson to be an example of virtue and ethical behavior?!?

Do you have any idea of the things that Lyndon Johnson did?

[Magister]

Civil rights legislation, Great Society programs that significantly reduced poverty, Medicaid and Medicare, environmental protection, keeping Barry Goldwater away from the presidency. (Yes, on the huge downside, the Vietnam War, but doesn't bear the only blame for that.)

[bernard11]

An investigation of the Mafia doesn't count if Tony Soprano does it.

[Armchair]

"I know this never happened"

How do you know this never happened? Were you there?

[Sarcastr0]

In the delivery room?

Epistemological dodges don’t work well when there’s video.

[Bwaaah]

Yes. Videos. Mainly Peaceful Protests.

Abolish ICE.

[Armchair]

Well, there is video. David just denies it.

[Josh R]

The video clearly shows she did not attack him. Claiming otherwise is as nuts as claiming the 2020 election was stolen by the same Biden ballots being counted multiple times. Note, Trump pushes both lies (but those are just two among his many).

[David Nieporent]

The video clearly shows she did not attack him.

Exactly. There is a chance he and her car contacted each other, and a smaller chance her car hit him rather than the reverse — though as even Brett was forced to admit, the videos don't actually show that — but there is no version of Earth in any part of the multiverse where she "attacked" him.

[Josh R]

You should let the "she didn't hit him" line go (she clipped him). It sounds like partisan denial just like she assaulted him does from the other side.

[ThePublius]

She was told to exit the car and refused. When the agents attempted to apprehend her, she stepped on the gas, with an agent in front of the car. So, there. Shit happens when you fuck with armed agents.

I think it's tragic that she was shot and died. I am not sure the agent should have fired, especially the second and third shots. But if you've ever been in a life-threatening situation, as I have, and have taken that huge hit of adrenalin, you can relate. I feel sorry for everyone involved.

[ThePublius]

"There is a chance he and her car contacted each other, and a smaller chance her car hit him rather than the reverse —"

That's as silly as the assailant who says 'he slammed his face into my fist.' Get real, DN, stop the stupid denial.

You know that in any car accident he who does the hitting bears most, if not all of the responsibility. She stepped on the gas, looking out the windshield where the officer was standing. Case closed.

[Joe_dallas]

This video shows she did hit him

https://www.facebook.com/reel/24976902418650426

lets hope facebook gets the link alive

[David Nieporent]

You know that in any car accident he who does the hitting bears most, if not all of the responsibility. She stepped on the gas, looking out the windshield where the officer was standing. Case closed.

And I am suggesting that the best interpretation of the videos I've seen is that he's the one who did the hitting. She turned the car. He was already on the side of the car by the time it got to him, but he leaned in, so he could shoot.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"And I am suggesting that the best interpretation of the videos I've seen is that he's the one who did the hitting. She turned the car. He was already on the side of the car by the time it got to him, but he leaned in, so he could shoot."

Talk about a vivid imagination. You get that you don't have to be leaning to shoot, right?

[David Nieporent]

This video shows she did hit him

https://www.facebook.com/reel/24976902418650426

I have no idea where you think the video shows that. It's a collection of several videos; which timestamp are you claiming shows what you say?

[Joe_dallas]

The one from an upstairs surveillance camera one or two houses down from the event shows the car hitting the agent.
the video also shows the vehicle initially going at the agent.

[Armchair]

"attack"
-Assault someone physically

"Assault" an intentional act that causes another person to reasonably fear immediate harmful or offensive physical contact.

She intentionally put the car into forward, accellerating into the individual, causing offensive physical contact (and reasonable fear).

[Josh R]

... and the 2020 election was stolen by the same Biden ballots being counted multiple times. It's 100% Bullshit that only hopeless partisans tout (she was fleeing, not assaulting).

[Joe_dallas]

yes - there is a video - Several video's
The one from an upstairs surveillance camera one or two houses down from the event shows the car hitting the agent.
the video also shows the vehicle initially going at the agent.

The facebook link goes to a CNN report.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/24976902418650426

[Josh R]

She had to initially move towards the agent to go from the front wheels pointing left to the right.

[Joe_dallas]

Josh R 10 minutes ago
"She had to initially move towards the agent to go from the front wheels pointing left to the right."
Correct

Which is why she was driving directly at the agent and
Which is why the agent likely thought she was trying to hit him with the car.

[Josh R]

I did not say anything about what the agent thought. I said she did not try to run him over.

[ThePublius]

"I said she did not try to run him over."

How do you know? You can read dead people's past thoughts?

[Joe_dallas]

Josh R 31 minutes ago
"I did not say anything about what the agent thought. I said she did not try to run him over."

Based on hindsight and the video's that is likely correct. However, what she was trying to do is not the standard for self defense. Its the perception from the officers point of view that is the standard. From the officers point of view, a strong inference was that she was in fact trying to hit him with the car. In hindsight, A bad perception, but none the less, a reasonable perception is those fractions of a second.

[Josh R]

I know because it is 100% obvious from the video. Had Scott Rittenhouse been the driver you nutjobs would be saying he was just trying to get away (*) because you are hopeless partisans.

(*) I would too based on the obvious video.

[not guilty]

The driver moved her wheels from the left to the right -- while the agent was moving his ass from the right to the left. That indicates that she was trying to maneuver away from him.

In any event, it was a damn fool move for Mr. Ross to cross in front of a driver occupied vehicle with the engine running. He was as heedless of his own safety as he was of hers.

I have heard (from a Glenn Kirschner YouTube video) that Mr. Ross was taken to a federal building immediately after the shooting. That he was taken there rather than to an emergency room suggests that he was not seriously injured. I suspect that the various agents were conferring in order to get their stories straight.

[Joe_dallas]

not guilty 17 minutes ago
"The driver moved her wheels from the left to the right -

"- while the agent was moving his ass from the right to the left."

The second part of your statement is wrong - its as if neither you or DN have made even a rudimentary effort to tell the truth. neither of you have earned a merit badge for honesty.

The video show he was moving in a counter clockwise rotation around the car, not a clockwise rotation.

[Commenter_XY]

NG, the damned fool is Renee Good, who disobeyed the very clear instructions from federal LEOs to get out of the car. And then accelerated forward. BAD decision; fatal consequence.

Who were the lawyers who trained them? Will they care for Renee's 6-year old orphan? I think not.

[Josh R]

She might be fool. But the ICE officers a jack-booted thugs. Those clear instructions were at best a lawful but unwarranted escalation to DEFCON1 and at worst unlawful with reckless intent.

[David Nieporent]

"- while the agent was moving his ass from the right to the left."

The second part of your statement is wrong - its as if neither you or DN have made even a rudimentary effort to tell the truth. neither of you have earned a merit badge for honesty.

The video show he was moving in a counter clockwise rotation around the car, not a clockwise rotation.

I've read this three times, and I still can't figure out how bookkeeper_joe doesn't know that from right to left is counterclockwise.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Officers might make an exception about shooting David NoGood…

[Riva]

Of course crazy Dave. Everyone knows that attempting vehicular homicide is a classic and perfectly legal way to impede federal law enforcement. What the fuck are these MAGA animals thinking?

[David Nieporent]

Bot programmed to repeat talking points, not to know facts. There is only one person who attempted homicide, and he succeeded.

[Riva]

Spare me your bullshit projection. The only ones engaged in talking points are the POS that instigated this interference with law enforcement and are now seeking to exploit the death they hoped for, and of course the POS cheerleading rent-a-trolls like you. You are truly an outstanding piece of worthless crap crazy Dave.

[Commenter_XY]

AussieTrash....Remind us: How are the Bondi Beach, and Melbourne arson investigations coming along?

ICE operations to detain and deport illegal aliens will not stop.

It is a decidedly BAD decision to impede, obstruct or threaten an LEO performing their job duties. Renee Gold found that out. Hopefully that will not be repeated.

[Dr. Ed 2]

No, she ATTACKED an officer. Attacked him with a deadly weapon.

[Drewski]

"ICE operations to detain and deport illegal aliens will not stop."

Is this your latest version of "Kilmar will never be in the US again," to be repeated seventy-five times a day? Do you get paid for each, or is it straight word count?

[Brett Bellmore]

True, they'll stop the moment a Democrat is in the Oval office.

[Darwinnie]

In your world, nothing this Admin does can ever be as bad as what a hypothetical Dem administration or lawmaker might do.

[Mr. Bumble]

"... hypothetical Dem administration or lawmaker might do."
No hypothetical required unless you were asleep from Jan.20,2021 to Jan.20 2025.

[Commenter_XY]

D....just remember, dear sweet Rebecca Good is not out of the woods yet. She could be charged under 18 U.S.C. 2384, "by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law.”

Rebecca Good did everything possible to escalate the situation. She is not immune.

[Josh R]

Seditious conspiracy? I'd be happy to wager any amount you want against that.

[Commenter_XY]

It is not out of the realm of legal possibilities, Josh R. NGOs participate in training the Renee Goods of the world; they are known. So are their donors and funders. The DOJ will have more to say on this, shortly.

[Josh R]

How much money do you want to bet?

[not guilty]

XY, the critical language there is "by force". Rebecca Good exerted no force whatsoever.

Moreover, 18 U.S.C. § 2384 is a conspiracy statute. The gravamen of the violation is not the use of force itself, but instead is an agreement "to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof". That requires both an intent to agree and an intent to see the conspiratorial objective accomplished.

If you were an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Minnesota, what evidence would you adduce to show an intentional, pre-existing agreement between Rebecca Good and any other person to accomplish any such objective? Nicole Good is unavailable as a witness. Rebecca Good cannot be called to the stand by the prosecution. Communications between the two are subject to the marital privilege.

[Dr. Ed 2]

The video of what she said is admissible.

[not guilty]

Which does not evince any agreement with anyone to use force.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"Communications between the two are subject to the marital privilege."

Except that it turns out they weren't married.

[Frank Drackman]

You're right, US Capitol Police Lt Michael Byrd should be prosecuted.

[DDHarriman]

In first world countries, every incident like this is investigated.

Not in your 3rd world shit hole though.

[Malika la Maize]

“In first world countries, every incident like this is investigated.”

Lethal LEO shootings? Usually….

[Michael P]

Maybe 37 counts as "middle age" in former penal colonies, but in the US "middle age" usually doesn't start until 40.

And I thought the leftist theory was that she was still alive after being shot, such that ICE was evil for not letting some rando interfere just because of a claim to be a doctor. Now she was dead within seconds?

[Malika la Maize]

He’s six years off, what a libtard!

What pedantic ankle-biting.

[David Nieporent]

And I thought the leftist theory was that she was still alive after being shot, such that ICE was evil for not letting some rando interfere just because of a claim to be a doctor. Now she was dead within seconds?

Setting aside the weird notion that there's a "the leftist theory," those aren't even incompatible, so what's weird is your attempt to find some sort of contradiction. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, whether she was dead would not have been known, and thus ICE should have facilitated — not interfered with — immediate medical treatment. Whether ICE is evil does not turn on whether that treatment would've been successful.

[Kazinski]

At least Jack Smith is smiling.

Immigration enforcement is an "important government function".

[Dr. Ed 2]

EXACTLY…..

[Sarcastr0]

I didn't think Kaz would be in the 'bitch deserved it' camp.

But here we are. I don't think any of the MAGA posters around here seem shaken by this shooting, at all.

What was being obstructed? The road was not blocked. Speech is not obstruction.
And now ICE in MN is just going wild and has become a pure goon squad with no immigration purpose at all.

The usuals around here do not care.

That's how low MAGA has become.

[Malika la Maize]

She was very disrespectful.

[Brett Bellmore]

I don't care that she was disrespectful. I care that she put her car in drive with somebody standing in front of it.

[Bwaaah]

And drove forward with him in the way, but only because she was trying to evade LEOs and time was of the essence.

My caring heart bleeds for such innocense. Is anybody in the U.S. safe anymore?

[Malika la Maize]

Does our recently disaffected liberal think that all LEO use of lethal force should be investigated and not pre-judged off the bat by executive officials or would he rather change the subject to what some Democrat somewhere is doing?

[Bwaaah]

Is anybody in the U.S. safe anymore?

[Malika la Maize]

lol, pathetic.

[Bwaaah]

It's like Iran around here.

[Magister]

Minnesota threatened by the president of the United States both economically and militarily, while its national government is arresting and killing protesters as popular sentiment throughout the country turns against it. Yes, similar to Iran, even if Trump is taking different sides in each case.

[bernard11]

He wasn't standing in front of it.

[Brett Bellmore]

"What was being obstructed? The road was not blocked."

She was parked sideways across the road. When do people do that for any purpose except obstructing traffic?

" Speech is not obstruction."

Parking sideways across a road is not speech.

"And now ICE in MN is just going wild and has become a pure goon squad with no immigration purpose at all."

I'll say it again: If you can prove that ICE have stopped arresting illegals, you'll be able to drive a huge wedge between Trump and his base. But you won't be able to, because you're just lying about that.

[Malika la Maize]

Was it attempted obstruction? Because cars were going around her.

[David Nieporent]

She was parked sideways across the road. When do people do that for any purpose except obstructing traffic?

Wait, she was obstructing traffic? Well, that's obvious a capital crime that's well within the jurisdiction of ICE.

If you can prove that ICE have stopped arresting illegals, you'll be able to drive a huge wedge between Trump and his base.

Nonsense. As can be seen from the glee here, the point is thuggery. Sure, his base ultimately wants to kick out 100 million people who aren't "heritage Americans," but as long as liberals and libertarians are unhappy, his base is happy.

[Dr. Ed 2]

So Gaslight0 now approves of murdering government officials that he disagrees with. Oh wait, isn’t he a government official himself?

That would mean that he is advocating himself being crushed to death with a 4500 pound vehicle.

[Malika la Maize]

That car gets larger every day. It’ll be a monster truck soon.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Curb weight Honda Pilot, 4,200 - 4,600 lbs depending on year and trim — give me the VIN and I can give you a specific curb weight. You do know that you can look these things up, don’t you?

Then add 19.5 gallons of gasoline at 6.5 pounds a gallon because it’s cold and gasoline shrinks considerably relative to temperature, which is up to 127 pounds of fuel. Then add 160 pounds of rotund lesbian driver and your minimum GVW is 4,487 lbs.

Add 14 pounds of stuff, e.g. blankets, tools, snow shovels, whatever and you’re over the figure I have been using from the start, 4,500 pounds. Bear in mind this is a minimum because the curb weight and thus the gross weight can increase by up to 400 pounds depending on trim and year of the vehicle, which I don’t know.

[Darwinnie]

They like a police state if they feel like they’re in control. Same as they like democracy so long as they feel like they’re in control of it. Soon as they start to feel they’re losing control of the votes, they are A-OK with a police state controlled by their people.

[Josh R]

At least you got this one correct on what is a government function. I will bet (you name the sum) that neither Walz nor Frey will be convicted of any of the crimes Trump was indicted for by Smith. Heck, I'll go further than that. They won't be indicted for those crimes either.

[Martinned]

Yes, we definitely can’t have elected officials obstructing the Federal Government by [checks notes] criticising the Regime.

I’m old enough to remember when the US Constitution used to protect the people’s right to criticise as they pleased, but I guess that’s ancient history by now.

[Bwaaah]

"I’m old enough to remember when the US Constitution used to protect the people’s right to criticise as they pleased, but I guess that’s ancient history by now."

I'd like you to stand in front of my car for a moment so I can criticize you.

[Longtobefree]

Just be sure to do that in Florida - - - - -

[Dr. Ed 2]

And I’m old enough to remember when the word criticize did not include attempted murder…

[jb]

I'm really confused. Who did Tim Walz try to murder?

[hobie]

So you don't like rampaging protesters obstructing the government, eh?

[Sarcastr0]

Yeah, the 180 flip from their defense of J6 is another way these posters are showing their asses. In addition to defending police killing a libby lib.

By their logic, it should have been a bloodbath, if there's any justice in this world.

[Darwinnie]

They have no principles beyond “white people good, all others bad. Must control so that white people who sympathize with us are in control of everything.

[gVOR08]

“Having to stomach a standing army in their midst, observe the redcoats daily, pass by troops stationed on Boston Neck who occupied a guardhouse on land illegally taken it was said from the town, and having to receive challenges by sentries on the streets, their own streets, affronted a people accustomed to personal liberty, fired their tempers, and gnawed away at their honor,” writes the historian Robert Middlekauff in “The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763 to 1789.”

Quoted by Jamelle Bouie in NYT this morning.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/opinion/ice-minneapolis-occupation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FFA.kMdB.05aXHpX7SBE3&smid=url-share

The British Troops were only there to enforce the Stamp Act. If the citizens got shot they should have known better than to throw snow balls at a Redcoat.

[not guilty]

"FINALLY the DOJ is investigating Walz & Frey for obstructing federal Law enforcement. It’s pretty clear to this non-lawyer that they have done that."

What federal criminal statute(s) have Governor Walz and Mayor Frey arguably violated? (Please cite by number.) In order to maintain a federal criminal prosecution, " The legislative authority of the Union must first make an act a crime, affix a punishment to it, and declare the court that shall have jurisdiction of the offense." United States v. Hudson, 11 U.S. 32, 34 (1812).

[Dr. Ed 2]

The head of the Israeli Mossad was in Florida yesterday to meet with Team Trump. With the extent of secure video conferencing today, the really isn’t the need to meet in person that there once was — and most of what the Mossad does his in secret.

So why was this meeting announced?

Home with a trying to send a signal to?

The Iranians come to immediate mind, but I’m wondering if it’s more than just them. And I’m wondering, who else may have been there. And remember that in both the Muslim and Jewish cultures, Friday is our Saturday.

https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/iran-israel-meeting-witkoff-barnea

[rswallen]

Pretty sure Friday is to Muslims what Sunday is to Christians and what Saturday is to Jews.

[Frank Drackman]

The day they chop off bad guys heads??

[Dr. Ed 2]

Good guys heads….

[Armchair]

Convicted of: Escape of a prisoner, Aid and abet second degree unintentional murder
Arrested: Chisago County, Minnesota
Name: Geilond Vido-Romero

Convicted of: Second-degree murder, Third-degree felony assault
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz

Convicted of: Homicide, Assault
Arrested: Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Name: ALDRIN GUERRERO-MUNOZ

Convicted of: Homicide, Larceny
Arrested: Bayport, Minnesota
Name: ZAKARIYA ABDI

Convicted of: Homicide-Negligent Manslaughter-Weapon
Arrested: Shakopee, Minnesota
Name: SHWE HTOO

Convicted of: Homicide-Negligent Manslaughter-Vehicle, Illegal Re-Entry
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: PEDRO CORTEZ-SORIANO

[Drewski]

Convicted of: Felony falsification of business records
Arrested: Atlanta, Georgia
Name: DONALD J TRUMP

[Armchair]

The one reason liberals support using overwhelmingly unnecessary police force.... against their political enemies.

[Bwaaah]

They call that "punching up." But letting the no-name [non-white-male] violent people walk free...they call that "racial justice."

[Malika la Maize]

Recently disaffected!

[Sarcastr0]

Bwaah, try and sound less like VDARE.

[Bwaaah]

You are so far from understanding me and where I'm coming from. You don't even try. What's that all about? Why so little interest?

It's like you don't really want to get into the game, a game, any game, except your little stick figure village. What's the point?

[Sarcastr0]

You made a shitpost that was an empty accusation that liberals are letting black criminals out on the street for unspecified pro-black reasons.

It's straight out of Stormfront, and if you don't realize that it's your problem, not mine.

[TwelveInchPianist]

VDARE, Stormfront criticism from a guy that linked to a blog that condones advocating the murder of Trump supporters in this very thread?

[Frank Drackman]

How much jail time did he get?

[Frank Drackman]

Left a Young Woman (Mary Jo Kopechne) to Asphyxiate (not Drowned, there's a difference)
Leaving Scene of an Accident
Not Arrested
Name: EDWARD M KENNEDY

[Mr. Bumble]

AKA, along with Chris Dodd, as the sandwich king (waitress variety).

[Dr. Ed 2]

Don’t forget, Brandon, with a very least would be confused for a child, even if he wasn’t one, and Clinton, against whom there were numerous, credible, accusations of rape.

[David Nieporent]

How did you determine that any of these accusations were credible? (I hope you're not including Juanita Broaddrick, who swore under oath that it never happened, before claiming — not under oath — that it did.)

[not guilty]

Senator Kennedy (whose reprehensible conduct I offer no excuse for) was not arrested, but he did plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. IMO he should have been charged with involuntary manslaughter at least, and if Massachusetts then recognized reckless homicide as a crime, his conduct would have fit that as well.

He should have gone to prison.

[Brett Bellmore]

Falsified by having an employee of his label payments to a lawyer "legal expenses". I forget, did they even produce any evidence that he'd known the employee did that?

[Magister]

Yes, Michael Cohen's testimony, backed up by documents and recordings.

[Mr. Bumble]

FWIW:
https://nypost.com/2026/01/16/us-news/michael-cohen-claims-he-was-coerced-by-letitia-james-to-turn-on-trump/

[David Nieporent]

The careful reader will note that — despite the NYPost's NY Posting — nothing in that article says that anything he said about Trump was untrue.

[jay.tee]

Hahaha! So now you’ve hitched your cart to the chronic liar Michael Cohen! Please share with us, which version of Cohen’s lies are the truth?

That was a rhetorical question: to you, we know anything that supports the left-wing narrative is “true.” Slob-knobbing Michael Cohen has to be a new low, though.

[David Nieporent]

So now you’ve hitched your cart to the chronic liar Michael Cohen!

Reading is fundamental. Someone posted a link which I inferred was an attempt to insinuate that Cohen had retracted his testimony. And I pointed out that this link doesn't say that.

which version of Cohen’s lies are the truth?

That would be a question for the jury who got the chance to observe him testifying.

[jay.tee]

He stated the prosecution coerced him to frame his testimony to inculpate Trump.

which version of Cohen’s lies are the truth?

That would be a question for the jury who got the chance to observe him testifying.

Wrong. Even a gullible jury does not transform his lies to the truth. Here’s a refresher on Cohen’s less-than-stellar history:

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/17/michael-cohen-turns-against-letitia-james-and-alvin-bragg/

[Riva]

So, homicidal illegals should be allowed to remain at large because of democrat political lawfare abuses ?

A strange way to engage in the “whataboutism” various rent-a-trolls incessantly whine about when challenged with the facts.

[David Nieporent]

I do not think homicidal people — like perhaps these people (if the claims that they were convicted of those crimes is true), and like Jonathan Ross — should be allowed to remain at large.

If only Trump were actually focusing on people like them, rather than wasting all ICE resources on people making all their immigration appointments or graduate students writing op/eds.

[Riva]

Predictable. It would be shocking if an unprincipled POS like yourself didn't incessantly parrot talking points on behalf of the garbage instigating the obstruction of law enforcement and exploiting the results.

Of course, being an unprincipled POS, it's also possible you're just acting as a rent-a-troll like the rent-a-mobs making asses of themselves in Minnesota. If so, have your sick fun and profit while you can, I suspect someone is already following the money.

[Sarcastr0]

The DHS stenographer has logged on.

[DDHarriman]

Why do you think the Biden DHS/FBI labeled all these people as White?

[David Nieporent]

Because they are?

[SRG2]

Because according to Armchair, only illegals commit murder.

[Armchair]

Naw. But...if they commit murder and are illegal, seems prudent to deport them, rather than release them back into the US.

Don't you agree?

[Mr. Bumble]

[if they] "are illegal, seems prudent to deport them,..." as provided by current law.

[Sarcastr0]

Of course, you don't have the counterfactual.

You assume that these people would have been deported regardless of Trump and ICE using terror tactics, targeting non-illegals and sometimes citizens, shooting a lady dead, and putting Minneapolis under siege.

That's because the really gullible MAGA tools think Biden wasn't deporting anyone, including criminals.

Which isn't true, but hey DHS is here to imply it so the real thickheaded bigots can pick it up.

[David Nieporent]

You assume that these people would have been deported

I think you omitted a "not."

[Sarcastr0]

ayep

[jb]

Wow, so team ICE is up to having found 11 actual criminals out of the 2000 people they've arrested. Really prioritizing getting the bad guys.

[Armchair]

Sorry, did you want more?

Criminal sexual conduct fourth degree of a victim 13 to 15 years old
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Sahal Osman Shidane

Domestic Violence
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Oscar David Ayala-Ocampo

Arrested for: Aggravated Assault - Weapon
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Alvaro Davila Alani

Convicted of: Assault, Fraud, Larceny, Robbery
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Mukthar Mohamed Ali

Convicted of: Sexual abuse of a minor
Arrested: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Name: Abdi Gelle Mohamed

Convicted of: Sex conduct third degree force or coercion
Arrested: Ramsey County, Minnesota
Name: Ge Her

Convicted of: Aggravated Assault - Non-family-Gun, Cocaine - Smuggle
Arrested: Rochester, Minnesota
Name: CARLOS OLIVIER CRUZ

Shall I keep going?

[Armchair]

Sure, let's keep going.

Convicted of: Sex Assault, Sex Offense Against Child-Fondling
Arrested: Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Name: HECTOR AVILA VARGAS

Convicted of: Robbery, Burglary
Arrested: Lino Lakes, Minnesota
Name: ANDREW JACKSON

Convicted of: Sex Assault - Carnal Abuse, Driving Under Influence Liquor, Sex Offense Against Child-Fondling
Arrested: Lino Lakes, Minnesota
Name: HERNAN CORTES-VALENCIA

Convicted of: Sex Assault
Arrested: Anoka, Minnesota
Name: CARLOS RODRIGUEZ-GONZALEZ

Convicted of: Possession Of Weapon, Forgery, Drug Possession, Identity Theft (70AA), Vehicle Theft
Arrested: Moose Lake, Minnesota
Name: SOMPRACHANH SANNIKONE

Convicted of: Sex Assault, Burglary
Arrested: Elk River, Minnesota
Name: BOUNTHAM SAYGNAPHAY

Convicted of: Molestation of Minor
Arrested: Morris, Minnesota
Name: EDGAR REYES-SOLANO

Convicted of: Sex Assault, False Imprisonment, Burglary, Aggravated Assault - Non-family-Weapon
Arrested: Lino Lakes, Minnesota
Name: YAHYE ABDISALAN

What's your next objection? It's only 20 people out of 2000. It's only 500 people out of 2000. It's only 1000 people out of 2000.....

[jb]

When you get to 1000, that would be great because that would give some sense that ICE was actually prioritizing finding criminals instead of stumbling across them.

[Armchair]

"When you get to 1000, "

Here you go. https://www.dhs.gov/wow

12 criminals per page. 1667 pages. 20,000 or so.

20 times what you wanted.

[David Nieporent]

Um, I clicked to the last page, and I see one name:

Convicted of:
Possession Of Weapon, Identity Theft (70AA), Fraud - Illegal Use Credit Cards, Property Crimes
Arrested:
Miami, Florida
Name:
YOANSY BRAVO PEREZ

Doesn't sound like a great guy, but hardly the "Worst of the Worst," as DHS would have it.

Go back a page:

Convicted of:
Failure To Appear
Arrested:
Reno, Nevada
Name:
VICTOR DIAZ-ESCOBAR

Oh, the dreaded "failure to appear"! That's basically like nuclear terrorism.
And the previous page?

Convicted of:
Illegal Re-Entry (INA SEC.101(a)(43)(O), 8USC1326 only)
Arrested:
RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas
Name:
URIEL PARRA-ROCHA

Illegal re-entry! That's why police invented SWAT teams!

To be sure, I am cherry-picking; most of the people on those pages seem to have been convicted of violent crimes, or at least property crimes. But it's telling that the administration has to inflate its numbers by including the others, who are obviously not the worst of the worst.

But let's pretend that every one of those 20,000 people were cannibal terrorist serial killers. What percentage do they represent of the people that ICE has rounded up since Trump took office? According to the administration itself, over 600,000 people have been deported. So — math here — those people represent about 3% of the total.

If Trump had come in and focused on those 20,000, none of this would be happening.

[Armchair]

"To be sure, I am cherry-picking;"

[jb]

Now filter on Minnesota. 18 pages, last page only has 8 so a total of 212. And of course this "worst of the worst" list includes people convincted of things like fraud and possession of marijuana. Not exactly the scariest criminals in the US.

[Armchair]

Look at those goals shift all over the place.... First you want criminals. Then thousands. Then I give them to you. Then the goals shift again!

[Sarcastr0]

It’s like people want more of a reason for this shit than you are capable of giving!

[Armchair]

Maybe they just like having 20,000 criminals around.

[Sarcastr0]

20,000 criminals....you got a lot more names to put in the chat, then!

Where'd that number come from? And what in the world makes you think you're providing anything probative to that thesis?

[jb]

The 2000 total arrests we were comparing to is in Minnesota so I'm not sure why you think it's moving the goalposts to expect the criminals to be arrested in Minnesota.

If you want to look at total deportations, though... There were 600k in 2025, and apparently 20k were criminals of some form. So, about 1 in 30. Once again, doesn't seem like ICE is prioritizing finding and deporting dangerous criminals.

[Stephen Lathrop]

ICE has identified the worst of the worst.
And hired them.

[Josh R]

So what? Deporting the worst of the worst is an 80-20 issue.

What you keep missing is the overreach by ICE in who they detain and their tactics, and the widespread deportations that are the Miller Doctrine. The pictures coming out of Minnesota are hurting Trump's approval ratings and the Miller Doctrine is not helping.

[Armchair]

What you miss is that these tactics are the result of "Blue" policies.

Yes. Deporting the worst of the worst is an 80-20 issue. What would make sense is that when these criminals were being released, a simple phone call to ICE. "We're releasing the illegal immigrant child molester next Saturday. Can you come, pick him up, and deport him? Thanks!"

ICE comes, nice safe confines, no need for any raids, easy peasy.

But instead, the blue state sanctuary laws ban the prison or jail from informing ICE. So, illegal immigrant child molester is instead released into the community, requiring ICE to search and do raids to find him.

Makes no sense by the blue states. But that's what they choose.

[Josh R]

Blue states have these policies because Miller Doctrine does not stop with the worst of the worst. Miller wants all the unauthorized kicked out of the country (see for example, ICE chases farm workers or detaining day workers at Home Depot).

[ducksalad]

Miller wants all the unauthorized kicked out of the country

I think Miller's ambitions go beyond that. At a minimum, he'd like to greatly reduce the number and types of people authorized to enter, and revoke the authorizations of many already here.

[Josh R]

True dat. He wants to revoke green cards and citizenship and limit immigration to the good white countries of Northern and Western Europe (and maybe we will let some Italians in too).

[Commenter_XY]

You mean, Miller wants all criminal illegal aliens deported to their home country.

That happens to be the law.

[Josh R]

Miller wants all the unauthorized deported, including those who have committed no crimes (overstayed a visa). You love it, but the majority do not. But please keep up the thug tactics to weed out the farm workers and the day laborers. Each picture adds to the Dems chances in November.

[not guilty]

When prices for groceries, overnight lodging, dining out and new construction/remodeling of houses and other buildings increase because of the absence of immigrant labor (both legal and illegal), voters will not be inclined to reward the party in control of the White House.

As Aesop's Fables teach, be careful what you wish for, lest you get it.

[jay.tee]

Just to clarify then: you’re advocating to maintain a permanent underclass of illegal aliens to keep prices artificially depressed?

[not guilty]

I'm not "advocating" anything here. I am simply predicting that President Bone Spurs Chickenhawk's crackdown on aliens (both legal and illegal) may have consequences that he doesn't want.

[Josh R]

That would be bad. We should be granting amnesty for most of the unauthorized (kick the murderers and rapists out), build the wall or whatever it takes to secure the border going forward, and let the open market (as opposed to the underground market of the unauthorized) do the rest.

[Sarcastr0]

Miller is a white nationalist, Commenter.
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/26/783047584/leaked-emails-fuel-calls-for-stephen-miller-to-leave-white-house

And it's not just criminals. It's not even just illegals:
“The State Department has revoked tens of thousands of visas, and they're just getting started on tens of thousands more...we have a new focus on denaturalization," Miller told Fox News.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-revoking-tens-of-thousands-of-visas-stephen-miller-11063811

Bigoted populist go after Jews right after they finish with whatever outgroup they start with; don't pretend this man is other than what he is.

[Armchair]

But...get this.

The "good" illegal immigrants don't get arrested and convicted of crimes by the local police. Just the "bad" ones. So the "good" ones can't be picked up from the local prison, because they're never there.

The blue state policy ensures the "worst of the worst" are let go onto the streets.

[Josh R]

Why did you put good in quotes?

If the policy were only the worst of the worst, the Blue states would cooperate.

[Sarcastr0]

these tactics are the result of "Blue" policies.

Comply and inform or else, eh?

Like, you're not even hiding it very well at this point.

[David Nieporent]

Name: Geilond Vido-Romero
Name: Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz
Name: ALDRIN GUERRERO-MUNOZ
Name: ZAKARIYA ABDI
Name: SHWE HTOO
Name: PEDRO CORTEZ-SORIANO

Okay, so — assuming that any of what you reposted is true — that's six people who it's reasonable to deport. Assuming they were all arrested simultaneously, such that a different team was needed for each, that represented, what, about 30 ICE agents needed, at most? What are the other ~2,970 thugs doing in Minnesota?

[Armchair]

"assuming that any of what you reposted is true"

Please. These are police records. Look them up. Unless you think all the governments are faking all the records.

You've gone full paranoid.

[Sarcastr0]

You've gone full paranoid.

It's a common thing bigots do to take some anecdotes and massively generalize about the population they hate.

Guess what you're doing, Armchair.

[Malika la Maize]

In 2021, a convicted fraudster named Adriana Camberos was freed from prison when President Trump commuted her sentence.

Rather than taking advantage of that second chance, prosecutors said, Ms. Camberos returned to crime. She and her brother were convicted in 2024 in an unrelated fraud.

This week, Mr. Trump pardoned both siblings, marking the second time Mr. Trump had opened the prison gates for Ms. Camberos.

Among the other lucky recipients: a man whose daughter had given millions to a Trump-backed super PAC, a former governor of Puerto Rico and a former F.B.I. agent — all of whom had pleaded guilty in a political corruption case.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/politics/trump-fraudster-pardon.html

[Kazinski]

What was her crime?

"SAN DIEGO – Adriana Camberos (formerly Adriana Shayota) and Andres Camberos, sister and brother, were convicted by a federal jury of multiple fraud charges on October 25, 2024.

Their illegal scheme involved lying to manufacturers to sell wholesale groceries and other goods at steep discounts by promising the goods would be sold in Mexico, or to prisons or rehabilitation facilities. Instead, the defendants sold the products at higher prices to U.S. distributors, for the U.S. market. Wire fraud charges arose from the numerous wire transfers, as well as other interstate communications, the defendants made as they bought products from the manufacturers, transferred money among their own companies to facilitate the scheme, and then re-sold the products at higher prices to U.S. customers."

Just who was cheated in that scheme? Maybe someone should have gone to jail, but I am not sure it was Adriana Camberos.

Honestly it seems like the DOJ was acting as an enforcer for price gougers. It they felt cheated by someone buying something at a negotiated price they should have sued.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/federal-jury-convicts-siblings-fraud-defendants-made-tens-millions-dollars-lying-0

[John 4]

“What was her crime?”

*posts straightforward description of her scheme to defraud the United States*

“It’s just really unclear.”

[Mr. Bumble]

Just how did they "defraud the United States"?

[Malika la Maize]

Just people in the United States.

[Mr. Bumble]

Not what John 4 said.

[Malika la Maize]

No moral difference was my point, hence the “just.”

[Mr. Bumble]

Maybe, but certainly a legal difference.

[Malika la Maize]

Both are federal crimes, so what’s your point?

[Kazinski]

Which people were defrauded?

The people that got cheaper groceries?

I guess it was the corporations that got more competition, to their inflated prices.

Who's side are you on?

[Malika la Maize]

Corporations are people. They’re stockholders, employees, etc. Do you really think crimes are ok as long as they are committed against businesses in a corporate form?

[John 4]

We’re tough on crime (unless it’s Trump).

[bernard11]

So laws don't matter if you don't like them. Is that your position?

Seems to be the common view of the MAGAt's here.

[Frank Drackman]

So she was convicted of practicing Capitalism.
Would love to see the APB
"Be on the lookout for a Hispanic Female, 5'4" Black/Brown, may be armed with Profits"

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

Material misrepresentations in transactions is fraud, not capitalism.

[Frank Drackman]

When I sold my Mom's 91 CRX I told the buyer it'd only been driven by a little old Jewish Lady to Sin O' Gogue. I left out the 5 years it was driven by her Grandson, was that "Fraud"???

Frank "the 1100W Boss? Mom loves her Barry Manilow loud"

[Malika la Maize]

If it was material, yes.

[Bwaaah]

Frank "the 1100W Boss? Mom loves her Barry Manilow loud"

LOL. That's gold, Frank. Gold.

[Malika la Maize]

From your source:

But the defendants lied. In a years-long scheme, they used their three companies to get those lower prices from manufacturers and resell the products at higher prices to U.S. customers—often the same distributors the victim companies were already selling their products to. Between 2019 and September 2023 alone, Baja Exporting and Specialty Foods International sold hundreds of millions of dollars of products to U.S. distributors; less than a tenth of one percent of their sales were to any Mexican retailer or distributor, and they did no business with prisons or rehab centers.

The defendants took other numerous steps to conceal and perpetuate their fraud. For example, the defendants removed GPS tracking devices from manufacturers’ shipments; removed Spanish-language labels or packaging intended for the Mexican market; obtained Mexican customs documents to try to prove to manufacturers that products were being exported; arranged “market visits” in Tijuana, taking manufacturers’ representatives to various stores in Baja California where they placed the manufacturers’ products—often alongside models who were hired by the defendants’ companies and associates—to create the appearance the products were being sold as promised; had a fake “office” in Mexico City to meet with manufacturers, in an effort to make the companies think the defendants did substantial business in Mexico; and otherwise doubled down on their lies when the victim companies suspected the defendants were diverting their products and defrauding them.

[Malika la Maize]

And remember she was a repeat offender, her first commutation was for:

“ Camberos originally was convicted in 2016 of conspiring to sell counterfeit 5-Hour Energy drinks — a scheme involving millions of bottles mixed under unsanitary conditions.”

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-17/trump-pardons-convicted-california-fraudster

[Frank Drackman]

Counterfeit Energy Drinks??
mixed under "Unsanitary conditions"???
OMG call the SWAT, Delta Force, and Seal Team 6 STAT!!!!
Well let me call the FBI "Tip-line"
You know how they put that paper on the Hotel toilet, "Sanitized for your Protection"
They really aren't

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

Of course Frank doesn’t get lying for financial gain is wrong. He doesn’t get English, either.

[Frank Drackman]

Queenie was so disappointed when she visited London.
She found out "Big Ben" was a Clock!

[Malika la Maize]

Wrong, he’s a former quarterback. You, know, the one your mom keeps hoping will run into her in a bathroom.

[Frank Drackman]

In High School, other kids were dissecting Frogs, Queenie was opening Flies.

[Malika la Maize]

Your mom didn’t hang out in my high school bathroom (well, when she was cleaning them)…

[Dr. Ed 2]

Assuming the accuracy of those facts and at first glance they do appear to be accurate, adjusted department ought to instead of pursued, and he trust complaint against the distributors.

How is this different from big Pharma selling drugs overseas cheaper than they sell them here? So a federal court is enforcing what is a price-fixing cartel? whatever happened to the Sherman act?

[Malika la Maize]

The fraud is the crime.

I don’t think MAGAns think material misrepresentations are wrong. Might explain their POTUS choice.

[David Nieporent]

Assuming the accuracy of those facts and at first glance they do appear to be accurate, adjusted department ought to instead of pursued, and he trust complaint against the distributors.

Did you have a stroke while typing this?

So a federal court is enforcing what is a price-fixing cartel?

Did you have a stroke while typing this? What cartel? What price-fixing?

[Sarcastr0]

I mean, everyone can see what's going on with these pardons. Open lawlessness for those who can get Trump's personal favor.

And yet some reflexively defend these like they're not really crimes, or miscarriages of justice.

There's no way they don't see what these are. Just zombie-like.

[Malika la Maize]

But whaddabout Marc Rich, huh?

[Riva]

If you are so bothered about fraud, you should be apoplectic about the industrial level fraud being exposed in Minnesota and other democratic bastions. Almost like you actually don’t give a shit about real fraud and are just a pathetic rent-a-troll parrot.

[Malika la Maize]

Poor bot doesn’t get that that’s the charge *I’m* making. But bots have trouble with context (and identifying the traffic lights in various pictures).

[Riva]

Well, as it turns out, no "almost" about it. Just a third-string parrot rent-a-troll.

And, as an aside, I point out in new and entertaining ways just how much of an asshole this particular third string parrot rent-a-troll is and all get is more parroting of the same pathetic insults? He'll never advance in the troll rankings unless he ups his game a little.

[Malika la Maize]

See, it just reposts with no substantive response. Bot.

[Riva]

Someone should define “substantive” for the third string parrot rent-a-troll nipping at my heals like some pathetic troll puppy.

[Armchair]

Convicted of: Sex Offense Against Child-Fondling, Burglary, Larceny, Rape
Arrested: Faribault, Minnesota
Name: PAO XIONG

Convicted of: Rape
Arrested: Faribault, Minnesota
Name: HYOBIN LEE

Convicted of: Rape - Strongarm
Arrested: Lino Lakes, Minnesota
Name: CLARENCE COOPER

Convicted of: Rape
Arrested: Willmar, Minnesota
Name: JAIME HERRERA SANCHEZ

Convicted of: Rape
Arrested: Fort Snelling, Minnesota
Name: MACARIO CRUZ HERNANDEZ

Convicted of: Rape - Strongarm, Illegal Re-Entry
Arrested: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Name: ABNER SARAVIA AREVALO

Convicted of: Sex Assault, Illegal Re-Entry, Sex Assault - Sodomy-Girl-Strongarm, Rape - Strongarm
Arrested: Sandstone, Minnesota
Name: LUIS VARGAS ALVAREZ

[Frank Drackman]

Do they do Drywall???
Asking for a "Friend"

[SRG2]

Because according to Armchair, only illegals commit sex offences

[Bwaaah]

What makes you think those are "illegals?"

[ducksalad]

They were certainly illegal after their legal status was revoked, which IIRC is one of the steps in deportation.

[SRG2]

Because Armchair wouldn't have posted that list if they weren't.

[SRG2]

I have a great idea - any American citizen who commits felony sexual assault where the sentence exceeds a certain value TBD should automatically upon conviction be stripped of their citizenship and deported to another country.

There would be opposition from church leaders, high school coaches and some Republicans, but so what,

[Mr. Bumble]

Like I keep saying "the show that never ends"....

[Frank Drackman]

Sadly "Real Coffee with Scott Adams" has ended, early during every Show he would do the "Simultaneous Sip" where he would invite his listeners to join him ,
In an effort to bring some Comity to this Motley collection of Eurotrash (Martinned), Gay White Surpremercists (DD Hairy-man), and your Garden-Variety Idiots (Dr Ed) please join me,
"All you need to join is a Mug or a Cup or a Glass, a Tank or Chalice or Stein, a Canteen a Jug or Flask, a Vessel of any kind.
Fill it with your favorite Liquid, I like Bourbon, and join me now for the unparallelled pleasure, the first Dopamine hit of the day, the thing that makes everything better, we call it the "Simultaneous Sip", happens now."
OK Idiots, this is where you sip your Beverage of Choice, whether it be Coffee, Juice, or (Redacted)(DD Hairyman)
And I'm not an Alcoholic taking a shot of Makers at 5:30am, I've got an early Flight, and I never fly without some Chemical Enhancement.
When the Engine falls off do YOU want to be Sober?

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

On a serious note, Frank, whom do you blame for that crash?

Boeing, which 14 years earlier had identified a failure in that bushing, redesigned it, and recommended owners to change it — but didn’t mandate it.

UPS, who apparently got this bulletin and chose not to replace those bushings.

Or the FAA, which didn’t mandate to be replaced.

As I understand it, Boeing’s 2011 memo reported on four failed bushings found on three planes, which is a 2/3 failure rate on those three planes, clear identified the problem. Clearly identified the solution to it. but didn’t agree to pay for it.

Compare this to automobile recalls with a manufacturer has to pay for it. Chevy is still replacing ignition switches in what are now 20+ year old vehicles. Auto makers are required to do recalls and repair safety related stuff, while airplane makers aren’t. Why?

[Frank Drackman]

Watch "Fight Club" the scene where "The Narrator" (Edward Norton) explains to the passenger next to him the Formula Corporations use to decide to recall a product or not.
Well, since I love quoting "Fight Club" I'll explain for the Benefit of the Rubes among us.
"It breaks down like this, you take the Total Number of Cars, multiplied by the % of Cars with the Defect, multiplied by the average of Court/Out of Court Settlements related to Defect, if that number is less than the Cost of repairing the Defect, it doesn't get repaired"
Sort of like how every Military Aircraft was made by the low bidder.

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

That’s out of the Ford Pinto case of the 1970s, and when the plaintiffs somehow got a hold of that memo, it wound up costing Ford an awful lot of money.

As I understand it, there is some federal agency that orders auto makers to recall things, and are free to do it on their own as well. My question is why this is not a similar federal mandate for the manufacturer to repair safety related defects in airplanes?

[Michael Molovinsky]

Now Trump is telling countries that do not support his Greenland conquest scheme that they will be penalized with tariffs. He is deteriorating quickly. First the political sycophants will abandon ship. The last to go, but they will go, will be the MAGA zombies.

[Frank Drackman]

Do you like that America expanded west of the Mississippi? (Sometimes I'm not sure I am)
That was Jefferson's Idea, "Louisiana" being the "Greenland" of his time, I mean who would want to live in Wyoming???(or North/South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Montana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minn-a-Sod-a???......)
and borrowing from one of my favorite Joes,
"How many Divisions does the Greenland Army have???"
I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you.
Oh, so Louisiana was OK because France voluntarily sold it to us???
Did the Sioux? the Cherokee? the Cheyennes? the Lakotas?? (Not only did the Indians give us Corn (they call it "Maiz") but also the Pickup Truck)

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

...and of course if it weren't for Andrew Johnson and William Seward, Sarah Palin's front porch would be in Russia.

[Michael Molovinsky]

6th graders study Manifest Destiny and the past in history, but presidents are supposed to be part of the current world. One would think that in 2026 our president would understand that Greenlanders and Denmark control their destiny. Of course this is a man who pushed other world leaders aside for a photo op.

[Mr. Bumble]

"...Greenlanders and Denmark control their destiny."
Fact not in evidence, see linked story.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/16/world-news/greenlanders-speak-out-against-danish-rule-they-stole-our-future/

[Malika la Maize]

You can find Puerto Ricans who want independence, that doesn’t mean someone should take it from us or that most can’t to leave.

[ThePublius]

"or that most can’t to leave."

What does that mean?

In any event, the vast majority of Puerto Ricans like things just the way they are, enjoying protection and support of the U.S. and enjoying special tax status, i.e., no Federal income tax on income earned in PR. All of that would change if they either became a state or became independent.

[Malika la Maize]

Most want to leave, typo.

And you don’t get that your comment makes mine about Greenland?

[ThePublius]

"And you don’t get that your comment makes mine about Greenland?"

I don't understand that question! Can you rephrase it?

[Malika la Maize]

In both Greenland and Puerto Rico you can find people who want independence but most are fine with their current situation (or in Greenland when and how to approach independence from Denmark, the vast majority don’t want to be part of the US).

[Frank Drackman]

My Travel Agent (remember Travel Agents??)'s a Wiseguy,
He told me I could spend 5 Nights in Puerto Rico for only $199.
No Days, just Nights.
I said to him, "What do I do during the day??"
He said, "Do whatever you want, just keep out of Puerto Rico!!!!!"

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

@Qualiks:
"The Independence movement has received the least support in all referendums held on the political status of Puerto Rico since 1967. In the first three plebiscites, it amassed less than 4.5% of the vote, receiving 0.60% in 1967, 4.47% in 1993, 2.6% in 1998. A fourth referendum took place in 2012, with 61.16% voting for statehood against 33.34% for free association and 5.49% for independence.[3][4] The fifth plebiscite was held in 2017, with a voter turnout of 23%, the lowest turnout of any referendum held, 97.13% of voters chose statehood, while 1.50% favored independence, which was linked to free association. A sixth referendum took place in 2020, with 52.52% voting in favor of statehood and 47.48% voting against. In 2024, a seventh referendum was held with a voter turnout of 63.58%. With 83.83% valid votes, 14.34% blank votes, and 1.23% invalid votes, 58.61% favored statehood, 29.57% free association, and 11.81% independence."

[Malika la Maize]

What point do you think you made with this post?

[Brett Bellmore]

When you get into the details of these referenda, they're usually rigged in some way and/or boycotted.

[Michael Molovinsky]

The New York Post, that's MAGA's the print version of Fox News....but I do appreciate the link. I'm sure many Greenlanders do have an issue with Denmark.

[ThePublius]

"The New York Post, that's MAGA's the print version of Fox News...."

Of course that's not literally so, but figuratively, I disagree with you. They are not at all in lock step.

[Bwaaah]

You obviously don't subscribe to the theory that the world has only two colors: Red, and Blue.

[Malika la Maize]

I mean, for Bwaaari there’s also Burgundy, Garnet, Scarlet, Crimson….

[Frank Drackman]

This World is the Will to Power, and Nothing Besides!

I just came up with that myself.
OK, with a little help from that Great Philosopher, Ray Nitschke.

[DDHarriman]

Greenland is not Europe.

It's the Americas. Fuck those colonizing Whites.

[Dr. Ed 2]

With a left leaning Canada causing up to China, we do need Greenland. We need it to the point of possibly invading it maybe even fighting a third world war over it, although I doubt the Eurotrash would put up a much of a fight.

[Malika la Maize]

Hmm, wonder why Canada is elbows up with us?

[Malika la Maize]

Oh, so Louisiana was OK because France voluntarily sold it to us???

I like how he knew his mistake but went ahead with the post. The pivot to our treatment of the Native Americans (surely something we should emulate today!), was the cherry on top of the whole dumb sundae.

[Dr. Ed 2]

The savages lost the war. Sucks to be them.

[Malika la Maize]

I can’t see you ever fighting a war, so no wonder you lost.

[Frank Drackman]

Dr Ed served best by not serving.

[Josh R]

Do you like that America expanded west of the Mississippi?

This World is the Will to Power, and Nothing Besides!

Thanks for reminding us of what life was like prior to WWII: endless wars in the quest for power. We decided on another course after WWII: collective security and (more-)open commerce to the benefit of all who bought in. No doubt, Trump-Miller wants to roll the clock back to the good old days. So do Putin and Xi.

[bernard11]

The only slight, almost inconsequential problem with your analogy, Frank, is that Napoleon wanted to sell Louisiana to the US. His hopes of an American extension of his empire were fading, and he did not want the British to have control of Louisiana.

Not quite what's going on with Greenland.

[Bunny495]

Rumor has it that Trump will offer the entire population of Greenland one million dollars apiece to vote to join the US. Cheaper than military action and fucks all the Eurotrash in the ass with no lube. Liberal heads explode.

[ducksalad]

Leaving aside all the ethical and practical issues, this deal would cost about $165 for every man, woman, and child in the US. And after we spend the money, the very next Dem administration might grant Greenland independence.

So here's a compromise proposal for you to ensure your triumphant acquisition is eternal, and to silence your opponents. Donald Trump, not as president but as a private person, establishes a GoFundMe to buy Greenland and make it a monarchy with himself as King, run according to MAGA/MGGA best practices with no interference from Democrats or activist judges.

Since you MAGAs claim to be about 60% of the population, doing the math that's only $275 apiece. Send the money to Trump's GoFundMe.

If the fundraising goal falls short, or the Greenlanders don't take the deal, I'm sure a good alternate use will be found for the money.

[Krayt]

It will be heaved onto the debt. Like covid. Like proposed reparations. Like the banking crisis 30 years ago. Like all the non-wars we've had since 1990.

Asses make proposals to citizens, nobody pays for a damned thing except to rent someone else's money.

I had heard $5 million per Greenlander. That's about $280 billion. That's about a quarter of our annual borrowing the last decade.

I have good reasons not to do it. No need. It's expensive and pointless. Pay back the old debt first and then we get an extra $650 billion a year to spend free and clear. Did we get our money's worth the past 50 years from these sophists, who all have since retired and died and passed on their servants-of-the-people mansions to their kids?

Most of you are stinking, rotting bags of platypus shit and heave much larger amounts onto the deficit without thinking, indeed, you've an entire intellectual infrastructure to make people feel bad not doing it.

Then you go home to your gated communities or compounds and have Chef make you dinner and tell him to lie about how much salt he uses in the burgundy sauce.

[ducksalad]

Wow. JFTR, my subdivision and "compound" are not gated, my live-in chef is neither male nor a liar, and if anything my complaint is she doesn't use enough salt. Whether I'm platypus shit is a matter of opinion but we're a long way from Australia. But thank you for acknowledging that I have "intellectual infrastructure", sounds like a compliment.

On the deficit, I acknowledge that I voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984 and that he raised it significantly. All other elections I voted for someone who didn't win so leave me out of it.

[OpinionsVary]

Unless he's changed in the last few days, the rumour is he'll offer something between $10,000 and $100,000 each, not $1 million.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/

[ducksalad]

The usual practice in gray market transactions is to for the recipient to ask for half the money up front.

[SRG2]

If the US seize Greenland, it's generally agreed that this is the end of NATO. And the US could be forced to leave all its European bases - indeed, should lose them all.

[Josh R]

This is three-for-one deal: increase tariffs, bully Greenland, and piss of our allies. Three unpopular positions heading into the midterm (especially the first one, nothing like Trump keeping his eye on the affordability ball).

[ducksalad]

His threat is to tax Americans harder and harder until the rest of NATO complies with his order.

Meanwhile, the EU just signed a free trade agreement with most of South America.

[Mr. Bumble]

Does Hunter Biden's pardon include failure to pay child support?
Guess he hasn't sold any paintings recently.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Question, can a pardon, from a president or governor, respectively, cover, civil judgment, such as child support?

How about civil convictions for things like traffic offenses?

Or, and this is where be interesting, civil drug offenses?

[not guilty]

Failure to pay child support may be a criminal offense. See, e.g., Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-15-101. It appears that failure to pay child support may be a criminal offense in Arkansas, where the mother of one of Hunter Biden's children lives. https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-5-criminal-offenses/ar-code-sect-5-26-401/ Orders of child support may also give rise to criminal contempt proceedings.

But a federal pardon does not cover state offenses.

[David Nieporent]

I have no idea what you think a "civil drug offense" even is. But pardons only cover crimes, not civil judgments.

[CountmontyC]

Even if a presidential pardon covered civil judgements it would only cover civil judgements from federal courts. Hunter's child support judgements are from state courts. The scumbag still has to make the payments.

[DDHarriman]

Kazinski hit a homerun up further that I would like to call out:

How do Jack Smith's theories of targeting a legitimate government function not apply to Walz, Frey, and these other elected obstructionists, or even the Seditious Six?

[Malika la Maize]

Well, for one thing it’s not obstruction of a government function to tell soldiers not to do illegal things, lil’ anti-Semitic incel.

[DDHarriman]

Fuck, why does the US allow stinky pajeets to shit up our 1st world country?

They are such a garbage, filthy, shitty culture with no morals or ethics.

[Frank Drackman]

To be fair Dingle Dick, Queenies Ancestors were probably here before yours.

[DDHarriman]

He is a pajeet, which makes him questionably even human, and my lineage includes being a Son of the American Revolution.

Unlike yours, which includes only murdering Jesus and a long line of cultural betrayal, appropriation, and subversion.

You're a Canannite. Not related to ancient Hebrews.

[Frank Drackman]

Oh, you're a Son of something all right, Murdering Jesus??? was he sentenced by Pontius Epstein??? How about the Soldier who poked him with the Spear? another Hebrew?
and I've got an Alibi, I wasn't born yet what's your excuse??

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

“They are such a garbage, filthy, shitty culture with no morals or ethics.”

Enough about your family, your mom lets you live in her basement so you should be grateful.

[Josh R]

For that charge (18 U.S.C. § 371) to stick, Walz and Frey would have to be part of conspiracy that knowingly lied in order to block immigration enforcement. Now perhaps they have blocked immigration enforcement and be charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1597(c), but where is the knowing lie?

[not guilty]

I don't think 18 U.S.C. § 1597(c) will fly here. Who do you surmise has knowingly destroyed, concealed, removed, confiscated, or possessed, an actual or purported passport or other immigration document of another individual, as required by § 1597(a)?

Verbs matter, especially verbs contained in statutes.

[Josh R]

That wouldn't work. Perhaps 18 U.S. Code § 111.

[not guilty]

"How do Jack Smith's theories of targeting a legitimate government function not apply to Walz, Frey, and these other elected obstructionists, or even the Seditious Six?"

The charges in Donald Trump's prosecution in the District of Columbia included violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 371, 1512(c)(2) and 1512(k). Why don't you parse these statutes and explain to us how any of them may arguably applied to Governor Walz and/or Mayor Frey, DDH? How do they arguably apply to Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Representatives Jason Crow, Christopher Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan?

Hint: first take your head out from up your ass.

[Sarcastr0]

When the right talks about ideological balance in academia, they mean turning it into something like Praeger U.

They insist with scanty evidence [and often never going on campus] that public schools and universities are all lockstep propaganda-over-truth ideology-mills.
Turns out given half a chance, that's their plan.
https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/01/cancel-culture-at-bari-weiss-u

This is an article quoting another article, but I like them both so I'm posting the meta-one.

Universities had become tyrannical agents of “the Left” and forgotten that they and the state were “bound together by compact.” The signatories included Ferguson, Ali, Boghossian, now a faculty advisor at UATX, and UATX professor Alex Priou.
...
“Let’s get right into it,” he said. Then, with heightened affect, Lonsdale explained his vision for UATX — a jingoistic vision with shades of America First rhetoric that contrasted rather sharply with the image UATX had cultivated as a bastion of free speech and open inquiry.
...
president had ultimate authority to appoint investigators and impose sanctions. There would be no more public hearings or impartial juries.
...
The Tuesday night speaker series, at which attendance is mandatory, leaned unmistakably rightward — guests included Patrick Deneen, originalist judge Amul Thapar and Catherine Pakaluk, a Catholic University business school professor who’d written Hannah’s Children, about the 5 percent of American women who have five or more children.

Finally on Oct. 1, UATX delivered the coup de grace and announced Kanelos’ resignation. We can’t be entirely certain of his side of the story, but one thing was abundantly clear.

The pluralists had lost.

Shades of the free speech warriors who are down to cancel every liberal but very very worried on behalf of every white nationalist.

[Malika la Maize]

They didn’t ever mean it, of course.

[Dr. Ed 2]

So it’s a right wing version of Hampshire College, which also has a tumultuous history.

And?????

[ducksalad]

Whether there's anything wrong with hinges on whether they intentionally defrauded the donors who were told their money would go toward a new university dedicated to free inquiry and intellectual diversity.

If it's genuine case of an academic hostile takeover, then the people who solicited those donations aren't on the hook.

I think any donors who made an annual commitment or made an arrangement with UATX to include them in their will would be justified in cancelling their commitment even if this was not an intentional bait-and-switch. If it was intentional, they could sue to get back what they'd already given.

[gVOR08]

I wouldn't worry too much about the donors. I expect they knew they were funding a RWNJ propaganda operation.

[TwelveInchPianist]

Sarcastro: "They insist with scanty evidence [and often never going on campus] that public schools and universities are all lockstep propaganda-over-truth ideology-mills."

[Links to academic blog where one of the main contributors has said that it's OK to murder Trump supporters].

[Commenter_XY]

The Man of Science is an ass.

[Malika la Maize]

Since September, 16 major drug companies have inked deals with the Trump administration to lower prices. But in January — the time of year when pharmaceutical companies typically roll out price hikes — all 16 companies released higher list prices for some of their drugs.

The agreements, nicknamed "most favored nation" deals, were aimed at getting lower prices for American consumers and pushing other wealthy countries to pay higher prices for new drugs.

But drug companies, including the 16 that made deals, raised the prices of 872 brand-name drugs in the first two weeks of 2026, according to a new analysis by 46brooklyn, a drug price research firm.

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5678915/trumprx-pharma-drug-price-deals-list-prices

[Brett Bellmore]

"The price increases came in at a median of 4%"

Oh, dear, how horrible, they adjusted the prices to account for inflation!

[Malika la Maize]

Weren’t they supposed to go down by %1,000?

[Brett Bellmore]

The NPR article actually goes over that, if you keep reading past the line I quoted. (It's actually a pretty balanced article.) For instance,

"In an email to NPR, the company also pointed out that while list prices have gone up, the prices that insurance companies actually wind up paying Pfizer, after various discounts and rebates paid to middlemen and other programs, have gone down."

I'm not a big fan of drug companies announcing fake prices that nobody who knows how to game the system actually pays. I'm sure they have some reason for doing it, but it distorts the market.

I'm actually a bit worried about Trump mucking around with drug prices, but if the goal is to force other countries to pay prices that reflect the amortized cost of development, rather than just the marginal cost of production, so that we can do the same, that's reasonable. Prices US drug companies charge in the US being no higher than what they're sold for elsewhere is a reasonable policy goal.

[Malika la Maize]

How is that “explained?” Prices insurance companies paying Pfizer (according to Pfizer) went down but list prices went up.

I thought they were going down. About %1,000.

[Dr. Ed 2]

You take your car into the garage because you need a new alternator. Your mechanic installed one and gives you a bill for the alternator and the labor and involved installing it.

You don’t honestly believe the price of being charged for that alternator is what the mechanic actually paid for it, do you?

Or you do it yourself, and go to NAPA to get one. You don’t think the guy from the local garage staying next to you would pay the same price that you’re being charged, do you? Or do you?

[jb]

"I'm actually a bit worried about Trump mucking around with drug prices, but if the goal is to force other countries to pay prices that reflect the amortized cost of development, rather than just the marginal cost of production, so that we can do the same, that's reasonable. Prices US drug companies charge in the US being no higher than what they're sold for elsewhere is a reasonable policy goal."

That is a reasonable goal. In fact, every other civilized country regulated the price of drugs and most other necessary medical care. If Trump can bring this feature to the US health care system, more power to him.

[Brett Bellmore]

The problem is, they've regulated them at the marginal cost of production, NOT including amortized cost of development. If everybody does that, new drug development stalls.

US drug prices have been extra high because we were footing development costs they refused to pay.

[jb]

This varies by county, but your statement isn't generally correct. For drug prices, many countries focus on the utility of the drug in determining the price they're willing to pay.

It is true that the US has been effectively subsidizing the rest of the world, at a minimum with respect to pharmaceutical companies' profits, but likely with regard to some R&D costs as well.

[EllaWilson]

They announced yesterday that the reductions average 1,300%.

[Sarcastr0]

https://theonion.com/trump-announces-5000-increase-in-all-numbers/

WASHINGTON—Touting his latest executive order as a historic win for the U.S. economy, President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was mandating a 5,000% increase in all numbers nationwide. “Effective immediately, 100 will now be 5,100 and—I’m reading off the official statistics from my people—500 will be 25,500,” said Trump, speaking from the Oval Office as he told reporters the move would shift decimals “many places” to the right for wages, stock prices, job numbers, gross domestic product, and other vital economic indicators. “Say your net worth is about $20,000. In that case, you’re now a millionaire. And we don’t have to worry about fertility anymore, because this country now has about 17 billion people. These are really tremendous increases that should have gone into effect years ago.” Trump added that if the executive order was as successful as he expected it to be, he might soon shift to increasing some letters.

[Dr. Ed 2]

By contrast, I calculate my age in hexidecimals.

[ThePublius]

Germany Finally Admits Trump Was Right About Energy

Angela Merkel's knee-jerk reaction to the Fukushima nuclear accident by closing down all German nuclear plants (by 2022) has got to be the stupidest thing a country's leader has ever done. Fukushima was something that could never happen in Germany - it was due to a tsunami - and it wasn't a nuclear problem, it was that the backup generators for the cooling water pumps were positioned so low that the flood killed them. Germany are finally, now, apparently coming to their senses: "Now German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regrets that, calling it a "serious strategic mistake."" Note it took all of the government to go along with Merkel's asinine idea, kind of a collective, group-think idiocy.

Note that Germany doesn't have the highest electricity prices in the world, they are tied for fourth with Belgium and the U.K., all at 40¢/kWh, with Bermuda, Ireland and Italy higher at 47, 44, and 42¢/kWh, respectively. The U.S. is in 17th place at 18¢.

I think this blunder is serious enough to warrant some kind of prosecution and punishment, due to the hardship to people and crippling of industry, for a long time. Decades.

[DDHarriman]

People have the right to suffer on the government that was stolen and put over them.

[Brett Bellmore]

Certainly the bit where they actually went and spent a substantial amount of money to implode cooling towers, just to make sure that a subsequent administration couldn't easily reverse the decision, seems like the sort of thing that should be sanctioned in a democracy.

Similar to Biden being in a hurry to sell border wall materials at pennies on a dollar just so Trump could not easily resume construction when he returned to office, only worse.

[Malika la Maize]

It was dumb but in fairness to Merkel she just gave up to dumb public opinion there, her administration tried to counter it.

[Dr. Ed 2]

You can take the girl out of the DDR, but you can’t take the DDR out of the girl. She was East German born and bred.

[Malika la Maize]

What a ridiculous statement, lots of people loathed and gladly left oppressive regimes they were born into.

[David Nieporent]

What a ridiculous statement, lots of people loathed and gladly left oppressive regimes they were born into.

Also, East Germany favored nuclear power.

[Frank Drackman]

So was my Mom, and you think I'm "Right Wing"????.....I'm friggin Jerry Garcia compared to her.

[Dr. Ed 2]

The DGR imploded, I never heard anything about her, leaving it.

[jb]

Interesting how you're all for prosecuting former elected officials, as long as they're in other countries.

Also, you've got to love the cultist spin of the headline, as if Trump had some unique point of view here. Next we'll be hearing that Trump was right--pizza is actually delicious.

[SRG2]

It is after all possible for Trump to be right about something, even if it's accidental.

[DDHarriman]

Wanna know why our National Debt exploded since Obama?

US NGO's now control $14T in assets. Much of that came from our treasury. It certainly didn't come from Gates or Soros or that revolutionary foreign billionaire that pays hobie.

That's $14T in the hands of Democratics/Marxists/Globalists that hate Whites, and hate what America is because they believe they have a right to kill you to protect themselves. Never again they scream as they slaughter your children.

[jb]

"US NGO's now control $14T in assets"

True

"Much of that came from our treasury."

False

Meanwhile, DDHarriman thinks that nonprofit hospitals, investors with Donor Advised Funds and mega churches hate white people, apparently.

[DDHarriman]

Did you go through the past two decades with your eyes and ears closed or something?

[Josh R]

I'm stumped. Do the NGO's hold $14T worth of treasuries?

But even if they did, we would still have the same debt without them because someone lese would have bought the treasuries, perhaps requiring higher interest rates (resulting in even higher debt).

[Brett Bellmore]

Depends on how they got the $14T in the first place. If federal grants, and the money hadn't been granted, the borrowing might not have taken place.

The obvious suggestion is that part of our debt was assumed as a result of transferring money to the NGOs.

[jb]

Federal grants are a tiny portion of the total. Think about it. That $14T includes all the college endowments in the county, all the property that the Catholic church and all other churches in the US own, all the money that every rich person has put into a foundation, every nonprofit hospital in America, etc. It's a sum that has been accumulated over centuries, and very little of the federal budget moves through NGOs. DDHarriman just saw a big number, associated the term NGO with things he doesn't like, and spun us a yarn with only the slightest possible toehold in reality.

[DDHarriman]

https://x.com/amuse/status/2012340466419642630

Keeping Democrats out of office has become an existential necessity.

Democrat activists Jennifer Welch and Jim Acosta say mass prosecutions of Trump and Republicans would be necessary for national reconciliation when Democrats regain power, arguing that expanding the SCOTUS would be required to jail Trump.

Mass prosecutions of Democrats are needed to protect human life, liberty, and freedom.

[Malika la Maize]

I like how he cites two Democrats not in any office.

Why are white supremacists so inferior?

[DDHarriman]

Haha yeah haha so true, great insight pajeet did you type that with your doodoo wiping hand? Is that why it's such a stinky and gross comment?

[SRG2]

If keeping Democrats out of office is the existential threat you claim, how far would you go? Remove Democrats from rolls? Commit election fraud? Suspend elections? Well?

[DDHarriman]

The same things people did when they were saying Trump was an existential threat to democracy.

[SRG2]

"Whatabout" is not an answer to my question, of course.

[David Nieporent]

1. Amuse is one of those Russian bot accounts that only posts lies. It's not surprising that Voltage! gets all his news from it.
2. There is no such thing as a "Democrat activist."
3. Neither Jennifer Welch nor Jim Acosta are Democratic activists.

[dwb68]

Kristi Noem: Americans should be prepared to show their papers.

Americans: We prepared to show you our ass cheeks and middle fingers. Also our cute, pink 9mm guns.

Bidens open border policy made immigration enforcement popular again.

Trumps will lead to the abolishion of ICE.

Cmon, eating at a Mexican reastaurant and then arresting the staff?

If i ran the restaurant I'd ban ICE from the building too.

[DDHarriman]

>Cmon, eating at a Mexican reastaurant and then arresting the staff?

Don't be an illegal worker then you won't get arrested. I don't understand why you people want illegals illegally working in America. Wtf is wrong with you.

[dwb68]

After this, I wouldn't serve ICEhats in my restaurant even if I had 100% midwestern cuties running the place and Jesus as chef. (and i did run a restaurant for years)

I am pro immigration enforcement but anti gestapo tactics. If this keeps up Id let ICE be abolished as punishment (ICE would return under a different name)

[Frank Drackman]

What Restaurant did you run?
"Joe Shit the Ragman's Shit House"???
I'd run that by a Focus Group next time.
Let me explain it to you, like the Simpleton that you are.
Try your stupid statement, but with a Twist,
"After this, I wouldn't serve Niggers, Spicks, Towelheads, or Chinks in my restaurant even if I had 100% Niggers, Spicks, Towelheads, and Chinks running the place and Moe-hammed as Chef."
You don't like ICE? Great, alot of people don't like Niggers, Spicks, Towelheads, or Chinks either.

Frank

[dwb68]

lol what? ICE is not a race, unless Kristi Noem and Nick Fuentes have cozied up.

I don't serve the gestapo without a warrant. Simple as that.

Also, blocked.

[Frank Drackman]

Pretty sure you wash whatever dishes they give you, but hey, maybe you’ll get that job saving the Pubic Hair off Corpses at the Funeral Home(it does grow for a while after death)
BLOCKED?!?!?!?!(!(!,!!!!!!!
NO! NOT BLOCKED!!!!!! ANYTHING EXCEPT the BLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you Pompous Pricks, like anyone gives a Fuck.
Oh, and if I ever get to put you to sleep, you’re getting Saline.

Frank

[John 4]

Impotent lil' Frankie sure has a lot of homicidal fantasies.

[Dr. Ed 2]

You could have answered his issue on the merits. Of course he could’ve put it a little bit more diplomatically as well.

Do you or do you not believe in the concept of non discrimination? I say concept because discrimination today is not what the word means today is a specific categories with everyone making that category one of the protected ones what is supposed to be is discrimination against anyone, in any category, for any non-business reason

And the principle behind it is that the common carrier and the common merchant has somewhat of a monopoly and as such the state has the authority to say you must serve everyone. Because you’re the only one in town.

If you disagree, please do, but show your work.

[dwb68]

I could not even detect a proposition, let alone an argument with merit.

A private restaurant can eject law enforcement (without a warrant). ICE is not a protected class. A private restaurant can even pick and choose which law enforcement departments to let in the door (allow the sheriff, eject ICE).

[Frank Drackman]

I don't look down on Niggers, Kikes, Wops, or Greasers, to me, they are all equally worthless.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Entirely missed my point.

If you are a public establishment, you have to accept any member of the public who has the ability to pay and who isn’t causing you problems. The concept of protected groups is bullshite, you should not be discriminating against individuals.

[dwb68]

Maybe you dont agree with it, but the law says a business can eject people as long as those people are not a specifically protected class. Law enforcement is not a protected class.

"No shirt, no shoes, no warrant, no service"... is legal.

[ducksalad]

Law enforcement is not a protected class.

You are correct, both descriptively and normatively.

However, if incidents like this get publicity I could see certain state legislatures passing laws adding LEOs, and unfortunately the extensive public accommodation precedents from the past would almost certainly lead to courts upholding them.

--
Went to a nearby pulga Sunday before last. Used to be there were gates everywhere and you could walk in for free. Now they have a single entrance and a $1 entry fee. The sign next to the booth says "Everyone is welcome to enter, but if you are an ICE employee you will need to show a warrant signed by a judge."

[dwb68]

"However, if incidents like this get publicity I could see some state legislatures passing laws."

There are Fourth Amendment implications, with plain view exceptions, so businesses are right to be cautious. Hard for me to see how a business could be forced to allow law enforcement on their property without a warrant even if it's only to be served coffee.

[not guilty]

"If you are a public establishment, you have to accept any member of the public who has the ability to pay and who isn’t causing you problems. The concept of protected groups is bullshite, you should not be discriminating against individuals."

No, that is not true. Per 42 U.S.C. §2000a "(a) All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin."

Minnesota's Public Accommodations statute is more comprehensive:

Subdivision 1.Full and equal enjoyment of public accommodations. (a) It is an unfair discriminatory practice:

(1) to deny any person the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodation because of race, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, sex, or gender identity, or for a taxicab company to discriminate in the access to, full utilization of, or benefit from service because of a person's disability

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/363A.11

I don't know if an ICE agent being a moron qualifies as a disability or not.

[David Nieporent]

If you are a public establishment, you have to accept any member of the public who has the ability to pay and who isn’t causing you problems.

That is not, of course, true.

[Malika la Maize]

Any excuse for the slurs. Tomorrow though he’ll be crying over Black Baby Holocaust and the DemoKKRats.

We deserve better wannabe edgelords.

[Frank Drackman]

Nah, still working on my Martin Lucifer K Set,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I love the Lorraine, but can somebody get that Cadillac out of my parking spot? it's been there since 1968....
and can we have a hand for Coretta???? almost 58 years later and she's still grieving......
Umm, Reverend Jackson, could you move to the side??, we can't see Coretta...."
Great Buffet here at the Lorraine, they asked Reverend Sharpton if he wanted Surf or Turf, and he said "Yes", I kid the Reverend, it's not his fault, he's eating for 50 million Somalians.
After Selma Coretta told Martin she wanted to go somewhere she'd never been before, Martin said "Try the Bedroom!"
And that J Edgar Hoover, what was he thinking? He told Martin he'd tell the Press about the Hookers, Martin told J Edgar he'd tell them about J Edgar and Jaquim the Pool Boy
But some good did come out of Memphis, an extra Federal Holiday!!!

Frank

[SRG2]

Don't be an illegal worker then you won't get arrested.

The Brownshirts are arresting citizens as well.

[ThePublius]

"Cmon, eating at a Mexican reastaurant and then arresting the staff?"

Did this really happen?

[dwb68]

yes, it did. ridiculous.

They have quotas they gotta meet. this kind of nonsense is the predictable result of quotas.

[ThePublius]

Do you have a citation, a link or something?

[Mr. Bumble]

Be careful or you to will be blocked by dweeb 68.

[ThePublius]

I found the story. He didn't eat and then "arrest the staff." He went back later in the day and arrested one guy outside at a storage unit.

[Malika la Maize]

One guy on the staff?

[ThePublius]

I imagine so, 'though I don't recall the article saying so.

[Malika la Maize]

So your retort to the charge that they ate and then arrested the staff is they ate but went away and came back and arrested one of the staff?

[ThePublius]

I'm not arguing, I'm just clarifying, trying to get to what exactly happened. "The staff" is plural, and in context implied the entire staff. The phrasing was as if he had eaten and then immediately arrested the staff. Neither are so. That's all.

[John 4]

Any chance to lick a boot!

[ThePublius]

Get lost.

[Frank Drackman]

Some of the Mexican Restaurants I've eaten at should have the staff arrested. "Assault with a Deadly Coliform" for starters

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

Didn’t we go over this yesterday?

[Sarcastr0]

Can't wait for people to call dwb68 a leftist.

[Malika la Maize]

The sad thing about this is that like a lot of people I agree something more needed to be done to curb illegal immigration. But like a lot of people it seems to me Trump is, to use Brett’s phrase, doing something that’s right but in the worst possible way. Since Biden had done so little he could have been half as aggressive and still scored a win.

[Frank Drackman]

Sleepy Joe (almost typed “Sleepy Hoe”, could that be a new name for Dr. Jill???) couldn’t even get Laken Riley’s name correct (“Lincoln Riley” Jeez-us) and then said it was OK because “Legals” Rape and Murder too. You really want to defend that Fuck?

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

I wonder if he could get the capitalizations right that you can’t. You sleepy?

[Frank Drackman]

Didn't realize our Posts get graded for Grammar, are you one of the Idiots who says "Gender" when it should be "Sex"??, let Him who is without dangling a Participle throw the first Split Infinitive.

Frank

[SRG2]

Frank can't get capitalisation right because he's at the very early stages of dementia, of which erratic capitalisation is a symptom

[Brett Bellmore]

Joe WAS scoring a win. He was advancing Democratic party priorities by maximising the number of illegal aliens entering the country.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"Cmon, eating at a Mexican reastaurant and then arresting the staff?"

It's called investigating. If you're looking for someone that might be working at a place of business, one way to check it out is to patronize the place of business.

Wait until you find out what some undercover cops do to prostitutes.

[ThePublius]

Holy cow, no more letter or postcard service in Denmark!

"PostNord, Denmark's state-run postal service, officially ended all letter deliveries at the start of the new year, citing a more than 90% decline in volume from 2000 to 2024."

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/one-country-just-shut-down-service-people-depended-generations

[jb]

Probably some conservatives there were demanding to know why the postal service lost money every year so they fixed the problem.

[ThePublius]

You can spin any negative into a conservative thing, even without knowledge of what actually happened.

I am a conservative, and I think first class mail is a public service and should be continued even with government subsidies.

[SRG2]

I am a conservative, and I think first class mail is a public service and should be continued even with government subsidies.

That is both the correct conservative and correct constitutional position.

[Commenter_XY]

I agree. It is a public service.

[jb]

I'm drawing an analogy to the common conservative criticism of the USPS, e.g.:

https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/do-we-still-need-the-post-office

You're right that MAGAs should support USPS subsidies, though, because they overwhelmingly benefit rural communities.

[Absaroka]

"first class mail is a public service and should be continued even with government subsidies"

I wonder. Just going through our local services:
-water, sewer: govt
-garbage: govt
-gas, electricity: private
-communications:
-internet: private
-radio, tv: private
-package delivery: both
-police, fire: govt
-ambulance: mix

etc, etc. But I don't think that division of labor is required; other places do it differently, e.g. private garbage pickup. Other than policing, I think either private or public can be made to work.

The USPS was created when there weren't any particularly viable mostly-universal alternatives. That's not true today. We're geezers who still pay many of our bills via mail, but even I can see the online bill-pay horizon coming. The last time we bought property, it was all wires and docusign; no snail mail involved.

I don't think it's time to end the USPS, but I think we should be open to the possibility, and think about ways to control the costs - odd-n-even day delivery, perhaps. And work on service standards. I know for us what will probably end paying bills, which is 90% of our first class mail, is the first late fee when we mailed payment the day after getting the bill and the PO delays delivery for a month. We've had e.g. birthday cards delayed that long already.

As far as rural service, it can be over done. UPS and Fedex do daily deliveries to our cabin 'mailbox' just like USPS does (they don't snowshoe in; the 'mailbox' that all three use is miles away where the pavement stops).

[Longtobefree]

Three day workweeks; no overtime at all.
Deliver first class mail Monday, packages Tuesday, everything else Wednesday.
Raise "commercial" rates enough to cover all actual costs.

[Malika la Maize]

A federal judge on Friday asked the Trump administration to consider issuing a visa to a freshman at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., who was deported to Honduras in November in what the judge called “a tragic (and preventable) mistake.”

The judge, Richard G. Stearns, made the recommendation after a federal prosecutor acknowledged this week that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer made a mistake when the government deported the student, Any Lucia López Belloza, 19.

It was a rare admission of error as the Trump administration seeks to quickly ramp up deportations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/politics/trump-immigration-student-deported-thanksgiving.html

[Mr. Bumble]

NYT so of course paywalled. What was the mistake?

[Malika la Maize]

Immigration authorities detained Ms. López on Nov. 20 at Boston Logan International Airport as she prepared to fly home to Texas for Thanksgiving. She was flown to Honduras two days later, despite a court order signed on Nov. 21, barring her from being removed from the United States while her case was pending.

The government later acknowledged that after Ms. López was moved out of Massachusetts, an ICE employee failed to activate a system that alerts other officers to deportation cases that are subject to judicial review and should be stopped, The Associated Press reported.

“On behalf of the government, we want to sincerely apologize,” the federal prosecutor, Mark Sauter, said in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, adding that the ICE employee understands “he made a mistake,” The A.P. reported.

[Mr. Bumble]

Thanks. Is there any indication she won't be granted a visa?

[ducksalad]

Do you see an indication that she will be granted a visa?

[Mr. Bumble]

Take a warm bath and have Mrs. ducksald remove the wild hair from your ass. You'll feel better.

[ducksalad]

Thanks for the kindly intended if misguided advice. I have nothing against Mrs. Bumble (unless she's posting here as "Riva") so I won't suggest she do any work on your rear.

Your failure to answer my question is excusable given that I didn't answer yours. Here is my answer to your question: in previous cases, the government has rectified mistaken or "mistaken" deportations only reluctantly, and by bringing the person back under detention, instead of issuing them a visa. In this case even the deportee's lawyer says a visa would be difficult because her case was in removal proceedings.

So I think the government's proposed solution will be to first burn some time off the clock and then fly her back into the USA without granting a visa, and either put her in detention or leave her outside the airport without papers.

[Mr. Bumble]

First, let me apologize for the snark and assure you Mrs. Bumble is not Riva.
My question was directed to Qualika who was somewhat familiar with the story so your response seemed like ball busting.
I would think that she will be readmitted since the government admitted her deportation was a mistake.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"I have nothing against Mrs. Bumble..."

Really? She was a horrible woman who treated the orphans terribly.

[ducksalad]

She did that over 180 years ago. Is there no forgiveness?

[TwelveInchPianist]

I guess you're right. Plus she was acting at Mr. Bumble's direction.

[ducksalad]

Have they issued the visa or brought her back?

Until they do, it's like a store overcharging your credit card, and apologizing profusely instead of refunding the money.

[Krayt]

She was flown to Honduras two days later, despite a court order signed on Nov. 21, barring her from being removed from the United States while her case was pending.

Certainly this violates a law. Why aren't the relevant officials being prosecuted? And later, sued by the victim?

[ducksalad]

Well, the claim is that it was an honest mistake. In a high-trust society, honest mistakes aren't usually criminally prosecuted if the responsible person's subsequent actions show they did everything feasible to rectify the error and fully take responsibility.

As you've made it your personal mission to point out recently, there are many consequences to squandering mutual trust and there's plenty of blame to go around. Although right now most of the squandering is coming straight from the top levels of the current administration.

[Longtobefree]

It does not violate a law, it violates a court order.
Which may be overturned.

[not guilty]

It does not violate a law, it violates a court order.
Which may be overturned."

Violation of a court order can be violation of a law. See, 18 U.S.C. § 401(3). That the order may be later overturned is of no consequence, as SCOTUS has opined:

"An injunction duly issuing out of a court of general jurisdiction with equity powers upon pleadings properly invoking its action, and served upon persons made parties therein and within the jurisdiction, must be obeyed by them however erroneous the action of the court may be, even if the error be in the assumption of the validity of a seeming but void law going to the merits of the case. It is for the court of first instance to determine the question of the validity of the law, and until its decision is reversed for error by orderly review, either by itself or by a higher court, its orders based on its decision are to be respected, and disobedience of them is contempt of its lawful authority, to be punished."

Walker v. City of Birmingham, 388 U.S. 307, 314 (1967), quoting Howat v. Kansas, 258 U.S. 181, 189-190 (1922).

[ducksalad]

Did any of this come to light because she was supposed to shpw up for a hearing and she'd been deported? Just throwing this one out there. IANAL.

(2)Whoever uses physical force or the threat of physical force against any person, or attempts to do so, with intent to—
...
(B)cause or induce any person to—
...
(iv)be absent from an official proceeding to which that person has been summoned by legal process;
...
shall be punished as provided in paragraph (3).
...
(3)(c) in the case of the threat of use of physical force against any person, imprisonment for not more than 20 years.

If you say it wasn't threat of force, she got the plane "voluntarily" by being falsely told she was being legally deported then we could try this one:

(b)Whoever...engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to—
...
(2) cause or induce any person to—
...
(D)be absent from an official proceeding to which such person has been summoned by legal process;
...
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

Of course if it was really a mistake none of this applies.

[Commenter_XY]

Oooopsie.

[David Nieporent]

after a federal prosecutor acknowledged this week that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer made a mistake

Expect that prosecutor to be fired any minute.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Someone who wasn't a fan of the concept argued that gun rights advocates should use substantive due process arguments since they are, after all, widely accepted law. Including by liberals.

The term "substantive due process" is one of those terms that often has more confusion than clarity. To summarize:

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause guarantees procedural due process, meaning that government actors must follow certain procedures before they may deprive a person of a protected life, liberty, or property interest. The Court has also construed the Clause to protect substantive due process, holding that there are certain fundamental rights that the government may not infringe even if it provides procedural protections.

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-3/ALDE_00013743/

Substantive due process protects fundamental rights both explicitly (such as those listed in the Bill of Rights) and implicitly (such as a right to travel explained in various ways, including via the Privileges and Immunities Clause) expressed in the Constitution. McDonald v. Chicago used substantive due process to apply the Second Amendment to the states.

The term, however, is sometimes not used to talk about free speech or the right to own firearms. It is understood as a more open-ended, perhaps dangerously wrong, way for courts to strike down legislation. Not tied to specific constitutional text.

Judges are accused of merely using their personal whims to determine that the legislation is unwise.

Justice William Douglas argued he was not using substantive due process when he cited a right to privacy. See, e.g., his concurrence in Doe v. Bolton (an abortion case).

Privacy rights, in his view, were necessary to protect multiple constitutional provisions. See also his infamous "penumbra" language. Douglas was of an era that saw "substantive due process" particularly wrong since it was used to strike down economic regulation.

Substantive due process has a long history that goes back to antebellum times. Some conservative and libertarian legal analyses have referenced such things.

One VC contributor, for instance, wrote a book defending Lochner v. NY as recognizing that there are fundamental liberty rights.

See also:

https://volokh.com/2010/10/13/myths-about-substantive-due-process/

[jay.tee]

Thank you for posting this. Provides good background on the concept.

[SRG2]

Thomas is, IIRC, aggressively opposed to substantive due process.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Yes, he alone in McDonald v. Chicago used the Privileges or Immunities Clause. He repeated his distaste in later opinions.

He did suggest he would be open to an open-ended understanding of P&I, including parental rights to raise children.

[Brett Bellmore]

An open ended understanding of P&I is perfectly in keeping with Congressional testimony concerning it, which underscored that the term already had an established, and open ended meaning.

CORFIELD V. CORYELL

[not guilty]

"Thomas is, IIRC, aggressively opposed to substantive due process."

With the exception that he loves him some Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).

I surmise that like affirmative action, he regards substantive due process as a really crappy idea for anyone whose first name is not Clarence or whose last name is not Thomas.

[Brett Bellmore]

You're really trying hard to ignore that he'd arrive at most of oxymoronic "substantiative due process" via the P&I clause. It's not that he doesn't want the rights upheld, he doesn't want them upheld by a bullshit constitutional doctrine created to avoid having to explicitly overturn Slaughterhouse.

[TwelveInchPianist]

He's also ignoring that Loving is primarily based on the EP clause, but recognizing that would deprive NG of the chance to snipe at Thomas for being a black man married to a white woman.

[not guilty]

I don't care who Clarence Toady is married to, nor her race. Being married to him is punishment enough for her.

I'm taking exception to Justice Toady's hypocrisy. Loving is based on both the Equal Protection and Due Process guaranties of the Fourteenth Amendment. the question presented was: "whether a statutory scheme adopted by the State of Virginia to prevent marriages between persons solely on the basis of racial classifications violates the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment." 388 U.S. 1, 2 (1967).

Part II of the opinion states:

These statutes also deprive the Lovings of liberty without due process of law in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men.

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival. Skinner v. Oklahoma, 316 U.S. 535, 316 U.S. 541 (1942). See also Maynard v. Hill, 125 U.S. 190 (1888). To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.

Id., at 12.

Clarence Toady denouncing affirmative action and/or substantive due process, when he has benefited prominently from both, is as hypocritical as Strom Thurmond denouncing miscegenation or Ted Haggard denouncing buttsex.

[TwelveInchPianist]

So black people who take the position that a right to marry someone of a different race finds support in the EP clause but not SDP shouldn't marry white people, lest they be hypocrites?

And white people who have benefited from anti-black policies shouldn't denounce those policies?

[JoeFromtheBronx]

The bottom line still is tied to equal protection.

Part II is a brief section that someone can reject without rejecting Loving. It provides a second ("also") ground. And, it still focuses on racial discrimination ("so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications").

If it were somehow a strong defense of substantive due process, it is strange that Justice Black, who hated SDP, went along with it. Compare his dissent in Boddie v. Connecticut.

("Absent some specific federal constitutional or statutory provision, marriage in this country is completely under state control, and so is divorce." In Loving, the federal constitutional provision was equal protection.)

Thomas noted that the opinion in his view turned on racial discrimination in his dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Thomas's dissent (which I don't agree with overall) assumes, for the sake of argument, that there is a natural right to marry. He would not have that include governmental benefits.

It was easy for him to say that because the Supreme Court, in opinions he rejects, protects various things that traditionally were only allowed when people were married. So, e.g., Lawrence v. Texas protected sexual relationships.

(But what about spousal immunity, which was traditionally understood to be essential for married couples?)

Thomas, separately, in Troxel v. Granville (parental rights), left open the breadth of the Privileges or Immunities Clause. If forced to do so, though I doubt he would, I would imagine he would say the marriage was one of the "fundamental rights" that were originally understood to be included in that provision.

Again, I don't agree with him in many respects, but his overall argument could be used by others who did not have a wife of a different race.

[Brett Bellmore]

As I've related before, in the interval between ratification of the 14th amendment and Pace, lower courts were overturning antimisegenation laws, legislatures were repealing them. Because the 14th amendment was widely, if not universally, understood to invalidate them.

And this was before anyone had invented 'substantive' due process, this was pure P&I and EPC reasoning.

[not guilty]

I wonder how long it will be before firearms fetishists resort to the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and its state counterparts, claiming that their precious popguns are religious icons which their faith requires them to possess at all times, so that when the urge to worship Moloch* strikes, they will never be without a talisman handy to sacrifice a child.
__________________________
* As Garry Wills observed in the wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre:

"Few crimes are more harshly forbidden in the Old Testament than sacrifice to the god Moloch (for which see Leviticus 18.21, 20.1-5). The sacrifice referred to was of living children consumed in the fires of offering to Moloch. Ever since then, worship of Moloch has been the sign of a deeply degraded culture. Ancient Romans justified the destruction of Carthage by noting that children were sacrificed to Moloch there. Milton represented Moloch as the first pagan god who joined Satan’s war on humankind[.]"
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2012/12/15/our-moloch/

[JoeFromtheBronx]

I believe religious liberty claims were raised in one case involving the regulation of guns in churches.

One religion believes possession of a small sword is part of its faith.

RFRA claims are open-ended enough that I can imagine other scenarios, including the need to defend a minister of the faith.

See also, Luke 22:38.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

Today’s birthdays:

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is 72.
Singer-songwriter Steve Earle is 71.
TV host-comedian Steve Harvey is 69.
Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 67.
Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 64.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is 62.
Musician Kid Rock is 55.
Actor-singer Zooey Deschanel is 46.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade is 44.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[Frank Drackman]

Want a good laugh? Check out the Steve Harvey/Gronkowski Video on the Youtubes. New Years Eve 2020 Times Square (just 2 months before the Vid') Steve is presented with a lifesize Bust of himself made with Legos, which Gronk (dressed in a 1920's Foo-bawl Uniform) Destroys, it's like the Hindenburg, except with Legos.
Harvey looks PISSED*, still not sure if it was staged or not.
Of course Harvey has to make it about himself, claiming that they didn't have Brown Legos when he was a kid.

* "I don't want to work wit him No Mo'"

Frank

[gVOR08]

I wish Volokh would institute upvoting on comments. At other sites one can tell at a glance whether a comment represents the readership or is an outlier. And some of the regular (seems like every fourth comment) commenters might go away if they saw they weren't really impressing anyone.

[Frank Drackman]

Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to.

[Krayt]

Yes but then it becomes a system to game. Many sites got rid of downvotes because of this, or voting comments altogether.

[Bunny495]

Have not seen much about the two guys in California who seem to have been blinded in one eye when a DHS agent shot them with a non-lethal weapon. Wondering how this will shake out

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-13/socal-protester-permanently-blinded-by-dhs-agent-family-says

[Frank Drackman]

2 Guys share an Eye?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Must be a California Thang.

Frank

[JoeFromtheBronx]

The new AG, lieutenant governor, and governor of Virginia (in that order) were sworn in. It was broadcast live on C-SPAN.

This is the first time there has been a woman governor of that state. That was likely given that the two major candidates were women.

The lieutenant governor swore her oath with her hand on the Koran.

[Krayt]

Just use The Hobbit and get it over with. At least it doesn't approve of slaves and dicatators placed over you, murdering men who lie with men as with women, unlike the usual suspects.

[JoeFromtheBronx]

I'm fine with the usage of The Hobbit, including to show your love of Stephen Colbert.

The general idea is to use a book that has a special religious or moral importance to you to emphasize that you are taking the oath or affirmation seriously. Various works advance that function, including great works of literature.

[SRG2]

AFAIC, whether it's a life or merely an eye, the cultists really don't care about if the shooting was justified. It was justified simply because the Federal agents represent the forces of law and order and the victims represent opposition to those forces. If legally there might not be a justification, that is pre-empted by the greater law-and-order justification.

[Sarcastr0]

Protect the ingroup, bind the outgroup.

If protecting means payoffs and sweetheart deals, MAGA is fine with that.
And if binding means terror tactics and killings, they're super down with that.

[TwelveInchPianist]

OTOH, Sarcastro's takes on shootings like Ashli Babbit and Ma'khia Bryant are based on nothing but a cold assessment of the facts.

[Michael Molovinsky]

CAME HERE FOR A BETTER TROLL
I'm new to Reason and Volokh. I was commenting on another site, and encountered and observed rather mindless trolls, who found insults amusing. On that site they allow anonymous comments...here I appreciate that at the least commenters must have a pseudonym. Although some may be rude here, there is much more accountability and ownership of comments.

[ducksalad]

Welcome. I'm glad you're enough of a connoisseur to appreciate the difference between anonymous trolls and pseudonymous trolls.

Also, it's great that you're willing to use your own name. I'm going to wait until I'm retired and no longer teaching. Don't want my employer to be associated with my opinions, and don't want my interactions with students to be diverted into political discussions.

[Sarcastr0]

Welcome!

The better sites have found it too much trouble to moderate the comments, and the smarter ones stopped allowing them entirely.

This is the best of the rest.

[SRG2]

Welcome, but there have to be hundreds of Michael Molovinskys out there. How do we know you're not one of the other ones? 🙂

[Commenter_XY]

Happy hunting, for trolls. 😉

[ThePublius]

Welcome, and thanks for introducing yourself.

May I ask, what's your profession or avocation? I'm a retired electrical engineer, living in New Bedford, MA.

[Michael Molovinsky]

Wow, welcomes...you don't get those on the sites that have unmoderated anonymous's. Thank you Ducksalad, SarcastO,SRG2, Commenter-XY(I'm not looking for trolls)
ThePublius, my avocation is blogging.
https://molovinskyonallentown.blogspot.com
My name links to a second blog, which is less regional, and orientated towards independent conservatives.

[Mr. Bumble]

For Martinned:
"Major scandal in the Netherlands after it’s revealed that 125 students were made to live with 125 asylum seekers in an experiment to “foster integration” and that it ended in students falling victim to gang rape, several sexual assaults and knife crime."
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/2012470905931227493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2012470905931227493%7Ctwgr%5Ea3258cf98edaa5bf6786f007c580751824c2e525%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstapundit.com%2F769815%2F

[ThePublius]

I read that. It's horrifying, and it's still going on, until 2028, as I recall.

[DDHarriman]

The Warmth of Multiculturalism

Thanks Israel for your leadership on mass migration into non-Israeli, White countries.

[David Nieporent]

This cites the Daily Mail, so somehow I doubt the claim that students — by which I assume they mean college students — were "made to live" anywhere is true.

[Mr. Bumble]

Here is the link to the Daily Mail article.
Make of it what you will.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15469725/Students-raped-forced-live-complex-alongside-125-refugees-aid-integration-Terrified-Dutch-youngsters-subjected-years-sex-assaults-violence.html

[DDHarriman]

In Seattle, you can be a criminal illegal alien and ram ICE vehicles and the Democrat filled jury will acquit you.

The people in Seattle get what they deserve. Drugs, crime, rape, homelessness and normal Whites fleeing to 1776 Heritage America.

[not guilty]

"In Seattle, you can be a criminal illegal alien and ram ICE vehicles and the Democrat filled jury will acquit you."

Has that actually happened, DDH, or are you merely speculating?

[Michael Resanovic]

Paging TwelveInchPianist

[TwelveInchPianist]

Uh, yes?

[Bwaaah]

I think he's got a threading problem. And poor follow-up too.

But I don't imagine it was for some other TwelveInchPianist.

[TwelveInchPianist]

And it's in writing, so we couldn't have misheard. Which happens sometimes, as I well know. But I suppose it could have been a typo.

[Bwaaah]

I'm thinking on it. He probably saw some thread whose topic he thinks is certain to draw you. I don't have you so pegged like that. But maybe you have a guess? Which topic would somebody think is a hot button topic for you?

(I think of you as swinging pretty energetically at a wide range of topics.)

[TwelveInchPianist]

I'm thinking it's a typo. I'm sure he'll chime in shortly with a comment that says, "Do you really think I paged a twelve-inch pianist?"

[not guilty]

Federal Judge Katherine Menendez of the District of Minnesota has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting federal officers involved in Operation Metro Surge from:

a. Retaliating against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity, including observing the activities of Operation Metro Surge.

b. Arresting or detaining persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity, including observing the activities of Operation Metro Surge, in retaliation for their protected conduct and absent a showing of probable cause or reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime or is obstructing or interfering with the activities of Covered Federal Officers.

c. Using pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools
against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity, including observing the activities of Operation Metro Surge, in retaliation for their protected conduct.

d. Stopping or detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles where there is no reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with Covered Federal Agents, or otherwise violating 18 U.S.C. § 111. The act of safely following Covered Federal Agents at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.229758/gov.uscourts.mnd.229758.85.0_1.pdf

Seems reasonable to me.

[Josh R]

Yes, but who gets to decide, using what standard of proof, whether an agent in a particular future occurrence is acting because of an obstruction (not violating the injunction) or a protest (violating the injunction). And assuming the agent acted unlawfully, what is the remedy?

[not guilty]

The remedy would be criminal contempt proceedings, which can result in a fine or imprisonment, or both, at the Court's discretion. 18 U.S.C. § 401. The aggrieved part(ies) could move the Court to appoint a prosecutor who is not beholden to the Department of Justice. Young v. United States ex rel. Vuitton et Fils, 481 U.S. 787 (1987).

The accused contemnor is presumed to be innocent, the prosecution would have the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the accused cannot be compelled to testify against himself. Gompers v. Bucks Stove & Range Co., 221 U.S. 418, 444 (1911). If the sentence actually imposed exceeds six months confinement, a jury trial or the defendant's waiver thereof would be required. The Court could impose a sentence of up to six months in a bench trial.

[ducksalad]

President Trump will ask countries that want to join his “Board of Peace” to oversee Gaza to pay $1 billion for membership, according to reporting from Bloomberg and The Atlantic on Saturday.

A draft charter seen by both outlets showed that Trump will serve as the executive board’s inaugural chairman, who will approve which member states can join on the board. The board will become official after three member states agree to the charter.
...
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” the draft reads, according to Bloomberg. “The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”

Member states will be able to vote on board decisions, but Trump will have sole authority to approve them, the outlets reported.

What the $1 billion for membership will fund remains unclear. The Atlantic reported that the draft charter does not address where membership fees go, only that funding for board expenses will be “through voluntary funding from Member States, other States, organizations, or other sources.”
...
The draft charter also makes no mention of the Gaza Strip, The Atlantic wrote.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5694508-trump-board-peace-gaza-membership-fee/

[TwelveInchPianist]

Speaker Johnson, talking about Greenland: "Trump is playing chess..."

Who knew that he learned how to play chess by watching Star Wars?

[SRG2]

Nah, Though I'm surprised Johnson has anything to say - his normal reaction is that he's not read it, he doesn't know about it, he'll look at it later. Of course, Trump isn't playing chess - he's merely being a mobster.