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Thursday Night Open Thread

It's official. Elon Musk has closed his $44 billion purchase of Twitter. He started by firing some of the company's chief honchos. I don't think it's a good investment. Technology will leave Twitter in the dust someday, to be buried with blackberries, palm pilots, and VCRs.

I read fewer and fewer Twitter accounts, especially those written in this country. I don't like seeing other people's "likes" show up on my page, or most retweets, not to mention the increasing number of ads. On the other hand, it's still pretty good for some international things like the Middle East. I actually like Turkish President Erdogan's feed, he's always talking about accomplishments rather than problems (after all, he's running for re-election.) I also like that he's doing the exact opposite of the rest of the world to fight inflation and stop the hemorraging of the Lira --He's lowering interest rates instead of raising them. Other countries thinks he's nuts, but I don't. (Then again, I know nothing about the economy. I only know about crime and the hype over it is too depressing to write about right now). [More...]

IIn some ways it reminded me of Shanghai -- the way it builds things that won't be used for years in the future. I think Turkey spends an enormous amount on infrastructure and preserving its amazing architecture. At least where I was in Turkey last month (mostly the Asian side of Istanbul), the streets were so clean and well kept and the streets didn't even have potholes. There were so many big and modern manufacturing facilities -- from cars to tech stuff. They take great care of the elderly. The airport is now the biggest in the world, and it is so modern and passenger-oriented. There are even areas with chaise lounges to lie down on. The assortment of home-grown fresh fruit and vegetables available at markets which are everywhere is incredible. It's that Mediterranean eating --I don't think I saw a single obese person anywhere I went. I think people seriously underestimate Turkey. The same way Saudi Arabia is now trying to become the biggest name in tourism with its Noon project, Turkey will not stop until it becomes a major world player in global exports. But medical tourism is also huge in Turkey and growing all the time. Dental implants, cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery, and on and on. The doctors get good reviews, most speak English and many attended schools in the U.S. and Europe. Where else can you get a tooth implant that costs $5,000. here for $500? Pretty soon everyone will carry a hand-held translator you speak into and it comes out in the other person's language, and then they reply and it comes out in English on your device. Apple says they are going heavy into translation soon.

Which reminds me. Why doesn't Kindle have a translator built in for its books? Would it be too expensive, is the tech not here, or is Amazon just lazy or unable to spot a huge income producer?

And Telemundo is going down the tubes. La Reina del Sur 3 just started a few weeks ago and there are no English captions except if you watch on antenna, and the Denver Telemundo station's transmitter is so weak (800 kw) I can't even get it from 23 miles away when I pick up 73 other stations. Streaming services don't show English subtitles either. There's a Telemundo English channel on You Tube but it only airs an edited 25 minute version of each episode days after it aired. Telemundo is owned by NBC. They should be able to afford some English subtitles on shows they are running on American channels. Unless it's deliberate because NBC will make more money when the series finishes airing in real-time and goes to Netflix where English only speakers will be able to watch with subtitles. They better fix this before Senor de los Cielos 8 begins in a few months, or I'll really ramp up my writing about subtitle woes.

In other news, it looks like Kanye West is sinking faster than the Titanic due to his antisemitic remarks on Twitter and elsewhere that he has refused to apologize for. He's now lost his accounts with Adidas, Gap, Footlocker, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Vogue Magazine, TJ Maxx, JPMorgan Chase bank and the talent company that manages him. Forbes says he's no longer a billionaire, and West himself says he has lost $2 billion in one day. But he's still not apologizing. It's just money, right?

Last topic of the night: That Wall St Journal article about the three NY young professionals who died from a drug overdose after ordering a few hits of cocaine from a local drug delivery service -- turned out the coke was laced with fentanyl. Why doesn't anyone state the obvious? The dealers should include test strips with every sale. That way the customers can test before using and toss the stuff if it tests for fentanyl. These Wall St young professional buyers won't miss the few hundred dollars. Wouldn't they rather live? We all know prohibition and tougher penalties won't do anything but make us poorer. Just legalize already.

So now you all know why I've been silent the past few weeks. I seem to have picked up new interests that have nothing to do with politics or crime, so I never think anyone will be interested in reading about them.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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  • Display: Sort:
    RIP (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by BGinCA on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 12:40:25 PM EST
    Jerry Lee Lewis - 87 (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by desertswine on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 01:08:55 PM EST
    "I am a rock and rollin', country-and-western, rhythm and blues-singin' motherf-----."

    Jerry Lee Lewis

    Oops (none / 0) (#26)
    by desertswine on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 06:26:39 PM EST
    Just a gentle reminder. Remember when Erdogan's (5.00 / 3) (#25)
    by oculus on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 06:04:06 PM EST
    security beat up the protestors in D.C.?  

    Right (none / 0) (#28)
    by FlJoe on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 07:39:36 PM EST
    wing thuggery, it's not just for foreigners anymore.

    Parent
    Thuggery (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 08:23:51 PM EST
    is a fundamental, and necessary, component of fascism.

    Parent
    That sink is connected to the sewerage line. (5.00 / 3) (#38)
    by KeysDan on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 12:43:07 PM EST
    Secretary Clinton hit out at Republicans  after it emerged that Mr. Pelosi's attacker  was  spewing standard MAGA excrement.  

    "The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result."  "As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and actions that follow," stated Secretary Clinton.

    Elon Musk responded to Secretary Clinton on Sunday by pushing a conspiracy theory to his 112m followers that the attack was not what it seemed . "There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story than meets the eye."  No explanation given, just a link to a right wing article that claimed Mr. Pelosi was drunk and picked up the attacker in a gay bar--- one of several fascist conspiracies that circulated while the severely injured victim was still in surgery.

    Musk not only.attempts to defame, but also, trivialize the crime, fan homophobia and blame the victim.  After all, he (and his wife) had it coming.  I hope every Democrat on Twitter, drops it leaving just like-minded fascists to play with each other.. The Republican fascists do not particularly like to just talk to each other, they seem to relish nabbing a "lib" to engage with-- to show them a thing or two. Twitter is an idea whose time has passed, Musk will help it circle the drain of that sink.

    The gay thing was inevitable (5.00 / 2) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 02:11:09 PM EST
    I expected $&M gone wrong.  

    headline

    Parent

    Don't forget (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 02:41:52 PM EST
    that the same conspiracy site Musk tweeted said that Hillary had died in 2016. Advertisers have already suspended supporting twitter with their advertising dollars waiting to see. I would say that tweet would have me saying never and finding somewhere else.

    Jack Dorsey is supposed to starting a new platform called Blue Sky.

    I am planning to stay until the day after the election to help spread the blue message on twitter but after that I'm more than likely out.

    Parent

    Yes, (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by KeysDan on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 03:40:21 PM EST
    It reported that Hillary died and the woman now seen is a body double.  Sounds reasonable, can be lapped up by Republicans with ease.  By the way, did you hear that Trump died and the man you see is not a body double.  Tell musk.

    Parent
    Good news (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:23:28 PM EST
    Every news outlet is reporting the win (none / 0) (#52)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 07:25:46 PM EST
    If Brazil (none / 0) (#55)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 08:09:12 AM EST
    can defeat fascism so can we.

    So far I think Bolsonaro is not accepting the results.

    Parent

    He (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 09:42:53 AM EST
    GA GOP (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 10:44:04 AM EST
    is worried

    Supreme Court has now unanimously rejected (5.00 / 3) (#64)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 01, 2022 at 02:13:48 PM EST
    Lindsay Graham's "emergency" application to prevent his testimony in the Georgia election-obstruction investigation. After a temporary stay of less than a week.

    Go, Phillies! (5.00 / 2) (#65)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 10:07:02 AM EST
    Further deponent sayeth naught.

    Regarding Turkey (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 01:53:12 PM EST
    I'm no economist, but so far anyway, I don't see much good for your standard Turkish citizen as a result of Erdogan's radical interest rate play:

    Inflation in Turkey rose for the 17th consecutive month in October, hitting 85.5% year-on-year as food and energy prices continued to climb, according to official figures.

    Food prices were 99% higher than the same period last year, housing rose by 85% and transport was up 117%, the Turkish Statistical Institute reported Thursday.

    The domestic producer price index shows a 157.69% increase annually and was up 7.83% on a monthly basis. The monthly rise in consumer prices was 3.54%.

    The dramatic rise in living costs for the country of 85 million has continued unabated for nearly two years, in tandem with significant devaluation of Turkey's currency, the lira
    .



    It's (none / 0) (#78)
    by FlJoe on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 02:54:29 PM EST
    all Biden's fault.

    Parent
    President Biden (5.00 / 1) (#85)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 06:54:48 PM EST
    gave an excellent speech last night warning that democracy itself is on the ballot.  The media is not having it.

    Parent
    So no Turkish votes for Biden on Tuesday. (none / 0) (#79)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 02:58:44 PM EST
    That explains it.

    Parent
    Mehmet Oz, Turkish citizen, will not even get (5.00 / 2) (#86)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 07:15:41 PM EST
    most of the Turkish-American vote in Pennsylvania, which is home to the Erdogan opposition in exile.

    Parent
    I think the next big thing on the right (5.00 / 2) (#88)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 03:44:47 PM EST
    might be antisemitism.  A lot has been written lately about this.  NYTimes paywall
    With that as a backdrop I think Josh Shapiro might be a very good choice for a presidential candidate.

    He has been great at campaigning.  I think it might be effective to respond to a wave of antisemitism with a guy like him.

    A part of the Christofascist (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:07:56 PM EST
    movement.  DeSantis, in his closing political video, appears to be claiming that he is the Messiah. Transcript:  "And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, I need a protector.  So God made him a fighter.  God said, I need somebody willing to get up before dawn and kiss his family goodbye, travel thousands of miles for no other reason than to serve the people, to save their jobs, their livelihoods, their liberty, their happiness.  So God made a fighter. (on and on)....So God made a fighter."   In a tweet, his wife said "on behalf of millions of people, never stop fighting for freedom."

    Looks like you can make a creepy "fighter" out of hate, air and sawdust.

    Parent

    The Florida Boards (none / 0) (#90)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:18:38 PM EST
    of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

    These Boards, whose members were all appointed by DeSantis, banned minors under the age of 18 who suffer gender dysphoria (a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity) to access medicare care including hormones and gender-affirming surgery.

    Parent

    Disturbing (none / 0) (#91)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:20:10 PM EST
    I have a hard time seeing Ron as the new Don.  I know he's supposed to be heir apparent but I'm not sure that will work.  We have seen Trumpism is not easily transferable.  And Ron is just a creepy guy.  He looks creepy.  Sounds creepy.  Nothing entertaining about him on his best day.

    I would be more afraid of the boys from Arkansas.  Cotten and Asa have both made clear they are in.  Either is worth worrying about.  

    IMO.

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#94)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:32:13 PM EST
    have been saying that for quite awhile, however his fascist credentials are impeccable so he still has a path to the Fascist (formerly known as Republican) party nomination, should tRump falter and no other more "entertaining" authoritarian gains traction.

    He is not to good at owning the libs with words but his actions are draconian.
     

    Parent

    I really think he has gotten the press (none / 0) (#95)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 05:21:27 PM EST
    because no one else has said they were running.  Tho he has backpedaled that a little.
    When there are others to talk about I think he will be seen and heard less.

    Parent
    I (none / 0) (#97)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 05:57:49 PM EST
    am quite sure he will ramp up his acts of performative cruelty to say in the spotlight.

    Parent
    The republican primary in 24 (none / 0) (#98)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 06:54:39 PM EST
    will be as crowded and wacky as it was in 16.  I still don't think Trump will be a candidate.  Very much a factor but not a candidate.

    This is operatic stuff.

    Parent

    On the other hand if he is a candidate (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 07:06:48 PM EST
    which is not impossible, pass the F"ing popcorn.

    Parent
    If they will just pass the debt ceiling increase (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 07:13:14 PM EST
    in the lame duck so they can't shutdown the country, which is enough of a thing Trump is screaming about it. I think having a republican House freak show for the next 2 years might not be the worst thing.

    Parent
    Crazy republican primary (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 05:51:24 PM EST
    Tom thinks so too.


    Tom Cotton Passes on Presidential Run in 2024
    November 6, 2022 at 5:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 189 Comments

    Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) "has decided that he won't run for president in 2024 -- making him the first big-name Republican to step aside as former President Donald Trump and others make moves toward running," Politico reports.

    "Cotton has attributed his decision to family concerns, saying that a national campaign would take him away from his two young sons, who are seven and five years old."

    If Trump hangs around others will pass.  Not Ron.

    Parent

    The last (none / 0) (#106)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 09:47:41 AM EST
    poll I saw had Trump over 50% and DeSantis at around 26% IIRC. So if Trump runs he will win and Paul Ryan will just have to get a diaper.

    Parent
    Presumably (none / 0) (#93)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:24:08 PM EST
    God made tRump on the seventh day when he was resting and just fooling around.

    Isn't this some kind of blasphemy anyway?

    If I heard someone saying this in public, I would check the crazy box and quickly move on.

    Parent

    The (none / 0) (#96)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 05:36:55 PM EST
    Anti-Christ, maybe.

    Parent
    When Josh left the state legislature to run (5.00 / 2) (#92)
    by Peter G on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 04:22:22 PM EST
    for County Commissioner in my county, and then was selected chair of the commissioners, he spoke at a Democratic Party annual dinner in our Township. We were there because my wife was an elected Township Commissioner. I had never met or heard him before. I was blown away with his poise, charm, intellect and articulateness. Head and shoulders above any other local politician I had encountered (of whom there were many). Most of them are good looking, superficially charming, smooth, but not at the same time bright, well-informed and/or articulate. Shapiro is the real deal. A solid liberal (not a progressive, to be clear), but well beyond "good enough."

    Parent
    Special Counsel (5.00 / 3) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 07:41:11 PM EST
    yes. (5.00 / 2) (#102)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 08:00:01 PM EST
    someone is deluded if they believe a special  counsel will shield the DOJ from what is coming from the fascists.  If the DOJ determines they have a case, they need to get on with it.   Don't believe this trial balloon will prevail---Garland is following the law and is determined.--a feeling bolstered by the immunity given to Patel.

    Parent
    Passing (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 08:21:53 PM EST
    the fkng buck again, it will certainly delay things by months and they will probably appoint some well respected doddering old fool, Republican of course.

    Meanwhile the fascists take over the house and start gumming up the works anyway they can.

    Parent

    I think I agree with Dan (5.00 / 1) (#104)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 08:34:45 PM EST
    I think this is PR.  The public consideration I mean.

    I hope.  Cause you are correct.

    Parent

    It's clear now this is part of an organized plan (5.00 / 2) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 09:02:42 AM EST
    A lot has been written lately about how right wing polling organizations have "flooded the zone" with skewed polls saying Republicans are up.

    I have no doubt it is to bolster the lies about stolen elections that have already started but will swing into overdrive on Wednesday

    This bit from the New Yorker is a great example of the lefty media lapping it up.

    I think every single republican mentioned here will lose

    GOP Insiders Predict a Blowout
    November 5, 2022 at 9:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 51 Comments

    Benjamin Wallace-Wells: "The consensus among a number of G.O.P. pollsters and operatives I spoke to this week is that in the Senate races that are thought to be competitive, Republican candidates are heading for a clean sweep: Mehmet Oz will beat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, and not just by a point or two; Adam Laxalt looks pretty certain to defeat the incumbent Democratic senator Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada; even less regarded candidates such as Blake Masters in Arizona will be carried into office by a predicted wave."

    "To these Republican insiders, certain high-profile races in which G.O.P. candidates were already favored now look like potential blowouts--Kari Lake's campaign for governor in Arizona, J. D. Vance's for Senate in Ohio. And some races that seemed out of reach, such as the Senate campaign, in New Hampshire, of the election denier Don Bolduc, now look like possible wins. The word that kept coming up in these conversations was `bloodbath



    Part of it (5.00 / 1) (#107)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 09:52:34 AM EST
    is to bolster lies about stolen elections but another part is to depress D voters IMO.

    We have had high turnout here in
    GA and they are saying it is because of conservative voters showing up but history says lower turnout helps the GOP.

    Parent

    Ralston (5.00 / 1) (#120)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 11:38:01 AM EST
    has called NV for Cortez Masto. Yay!!!!!

    Captain Howdy (5.00 / 2) (#128)
    by jmacWA on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 06:04:58 AM EST
    Have a great day.  I am 3 days in to 71 with no problems yet ;-0).

    Thank you thank you (none / 0) (#129)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 08:26:37 AM EST
    Same to you.

    Last time the election was on my birthday I got Trump.

    😐

    Parent

    That said (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 08:51:06 AM EST
    I have a feeling this will not be a 2016 redux.

    It dems hang on it will be a different kind of hell with election deniers but I'll take it.

    That's the House.  I say we pick up seats in the Senate.

    Parent

    3 House seats in VA (none / 0) (#131)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 09:06:43 AM EST
    Could give an early clue to how things are going.  Dems won all three last time and need to again if there is to be a happy Wednesday.

    Parent
    Luria (none / 0) (#133)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 09:26:57 AM EST
    nd Spanberger have run awesome campaigns. Spanberger fortunately has a horrible opponent. I   don't know about Luria's opponent.

    Parent
    2016 (none / 0) (#132)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 09:25:22 AM EST
    shook us all to the core and we no longer have confidence in pundits or polling but we also seem to finally believe that we also need to show up and vote. I don't know about millennials but Gen Z is showing up and showing out this election.

    I am interested to see if women are going to allow the GOP to make decisions about their bodies. For years they have been yelping about "big gubmint" but there's no bigger "gubmint" than these heartbeat bills that are making women go home in midst of a miscarriage to bleed out.

    Parent

    Harshes my mellow (none / 0) (#142)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 01:38:50 PM EST
    for the country to be collectively holding it's breath on my birthday.

    Parent
    yeah, but (5.00 / 2) (#143)
    by leap2 on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 01:54:31 PM EST
    think of all the candles we can blow out on your huge cake when we can finally exhale!

    Parent
    If you and your followers (5.00 / 2) (#134)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 10:37:01 AM EST
    claim you are ordained by god to be the governor of PA and you lose, then what? what does that say about  your god? Do you still believe? do you become an atheist?

    You say it was stolen (5.00 / 1) (#135)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 10:43:06 AM EST
    from God

    Parent
    I cling to hope (none / 0) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 10:44:17 AM EST
    but this election is almost certainly going to be a trainwreck no matter who wins

    Parent
    I guess god (none / 0) (#200)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 05:02:52 PM EST
    Forgot to date his/her mail in ballot.

    Parent
    A pause from election worries. (5.00 / 5) (#147)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 09, 2022 at 03:17:21 PM EST
    Spouse has arranged a Birthday Weekend Celebration for me (Nov 12) in NYC. Some fine dining, a couple of Broadway shows (1776 and Leopoldstadt), and museum visits.

    Heading off tomorrow morning. Have not been to NYC since before the pandemic and we are looking forward to this get-a-way. Will need to be a little frugal so as to be able to send some money off to Senator Warnock's run-off campaign.

    Sounds great (5.00 / 3) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 09, 2022 at 04:05:34 PM EST
    Another year here we come!

    Parent
    Happy belated b'day, Capt! (5.00 / 2) (#149)
    by vml68 on Wed Nov 09, 2022 at 10:39:55 PM EST
    Thought of you yesterday but didn't get a chance to sign on and wish you.
    Early birthday wishes for you, Keysdan. Hope you have a fantastic time in NYC.

    Parent
    Thank you (5.00 / 1) (#151)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 10, 2022 at 07:15:12 AM EST
    for the good wishes.  Good to hear from you, you have been missed.

    Parent
    Happy Birthday (5.00 / 2) (#152)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 10, 2022 at 08:05:02 AM EST
    Looks like you have scheduled many excellent ways to celebrate your birth. Have fun.

    Parent
    Go Ducks and (5.00 / 1) (#159)
    by fishcamp on Sat Nov 12, 2022 at 10:27:08 AM EST
    Beat those Huskies...

    AP is reporting that 2 Russian missiles... (5.00 / 2) (#173)
    by desertswine on Tue Nov 15, 2022 at 01:13:06 PM EST
    crossed into Poland and killed at least 2 people.

    Putin needs to fall out of a building.

    Stairs seem particularly lethal (none / 0) (#178)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 16, 2022 at 11:56:45 AM EST
    in Russia.

    Parent
    Russian navy colonel commits.. (5.00 / 1) (#192)
    by desertswine on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 01:42:13 AM EST
    Glad I don't care (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 07:32:17 AM EST
    about Twitter.   If Trump returns to Facebook I will be gone from that too.

    If Trump (none / 0) (#2)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 08:10:55 AM EST
    returns to twitter his complete Truth Social will immediately collapse since he's the only reason his cult is on there. However it might be that it's on its way to collapse anyway reading about the financial problems.

    I am not leaving twitter until after the election to keep the right wing in check. Supposedly advertisers are lined up to cancel if Musk lets Trump back on.

    Parent

    Staying on twitter (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 08:48:34 AM EST
    to keep the right wing in check.

    That's pretty funny.

    Parent

    La reina del sur (none / 0) (#4)
    by Coral on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 10:14:21 AM EST
    We had trouble getting English subtitles, but with Comcast I have been able to activate Closed Caption, Digital Service 3 (CC3) and the subtitles show up. (regular Closed caption, CC! comes out with Spanish captions.

     We've dvr'd the shows and it is watchable. It is also available on Fubo,and TBS if you have either of them.


    Comcast does have them but (none / 0) (#30)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 01:37:53 AM EST
    I haven't had cable for years.

    I have Direct Stream with 130 channels including Telemundo but only if I watch by antenna vs. streaming will the "CC3" English come up. Sony TVs only have live subtitles if you watch live. Otherwise, you get whatever language your streaming device has. I have Roku (my favorite), Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV, an amplified indoor antenna with 76 (as of today) live free channels --the tv would get English captions if I could tune in the weak Telemundo station.

    NBC Universo (parent of Telemundo) and all streaming devices do not show English captions. I even have the apps on my iphone and iPad and can airplaythe show live to my Android Sony TV but no English subtitles.

    I've also tried through all the other NBC networks (Bravo, Peacock) and Hulu

    I can't find it on TBS

    I just saw another customer of AT&T Direct Stream having the same problem 3 years ago:

    Trying to watch telemundo tv novela using the CC3 option which translates the closed caption to English, however it's still in Spanish. Doesn't matter if it's standard or digital. Shows the option for English is available but when chosen it's only in Spanish. I've used the CC3 option to watch many novelas with English subtitles, but as of August 2019 it doesn't seem to be working. Also doesn't work when streaming directvnow. It does work if you view itliicw  on your local Telemundo station using antenna tv or watchingthe show the day after it aired from the Telemundo website.

    I will figure this out if I have to write about it every day . (I will probably use Popleft rather than Talkleft so as not clutter your inboxes with the back and forth.

    Can ou imagine if they did this to the Kardashians live premier? Heads would be rolling. So whatever Hulu and Disney did to make Spanish speakers be able to see Spanish webcaptioning on a hhow from the U.S. I hope they start trying to fix it now, or otherwise they may be facing a boycott the month before ESdLC airs.

    Parent

    I guess I will have to find (none / 0) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 11:08:20 AM EST
    another image sharing platform

    That's all I ever really used it for

    Speakers husband (none / 0) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 11:32:34 AM EST

    Attacked in their home

    with a hammer

    by a person trying to attack the Speaker.

    It's going to get worse

    They don't say how he is.

    Where is (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 11:36:08 AM EST
    Sounds familiar, (none / 0) (#15)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:21:51 PM EST
    the chant of some of the J6 insurrectionists.

    Parent
    The WaPo (none / 0) (#8)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 11:50:25 AM EST
    Reporting of this crime devoted about one-third to Paul Pelosi's previous DUI including the penalties and fines.  Apparently, the raking up his past was to show that the victim had it coming.  Or, the victim's spouse.

    Parent
    "moderate Republican", (none / 0) (#18)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:42:23 PM EST
    vest-wearing Virginia Governor, Glenn Youngkin, sends his sympathy: "There is no room for violence anywhere, but we're going to send her (Speaker Pelosi) back to be with him in California.)

    Parent
    It will be bad (none / 0) (#19)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 03:01:48 PM EST
    You know they are already saying false flag. Somewhere.

    Like I said, I think this stuff is going to increase in the next 11 days.

    Parent

    I'm sure Large Marge (none / 0) (#22)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 03:27:13 PM EST
    is on it right now. However living adjacent to her district and hearing too much from her on a regular basis I'm not going to go looking.

    Parent
    Fk (none / 0) (#23)
    by FlJoe on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 03:55:57 PM EST
    them, there is no such thing as a moderate Republican anymore, with a few notable exceptions if you have a R after your name you are a supporter of sponsoring domestic terrorism.

    Republicans from top to bottom have demonized Pelosi for years, for years they have courted the crazy until it consumed them.

    Sorry about your luck Nancy BUT..... the stochastic terrorism continues.  

    Parent

    Protection (none / 0) (#9)
    by BGinCA on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 12:33:50 PM EST
    I don't understand how there is no security around the Pelosi residence. I live near a former T**p official and he has 24/7 security. Both gov't provided and private. Not to blame the victim, but I'm sure Pelosi's can afford it if they need to pay themselves. BTW, I would not be quick to blame MAGA's. We still don't know the motivation of the perp.

    Parent
    I was also wondering (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 12:48:07 PM EST
    how does someone just walk in through the back door of the Speakers home.

    Parent
    Some details (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:16:07 PM EST

    hospital source tells NBC Bay Area that Paul Pelosi is undergoing brain surgery after he was attacked with a hammer at the San Francisco home he shares with his wife, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

    Wall Street Journal: "The intruder broke in through a sliding-glass door and beat Mr. Pelosi with a hammer, one of the officials said, leaving him badly injured with wounds to the head and body. The alleged assailant was arrested."



    Parent
    The SFPD (none / 0) (#14)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:19:16 PM EST
    Identified the attacker as 42-year old David De Pape. DePape espouses anti-vax, anti-Semitic and other conspiracies of the right wing.  

    Mr. Pelosi is reported to be undergoing brain surgery.  Security issues and how the assailant was apprehended are not clear, other than reports of entry by breaking a patio window.

    Parent

    A sliding door (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:37:06 PM EST
    If all that has been between them and the crazies is a sliding glass patio door that honestly seems like a shocking lack of security

    And it's not just the crazy wave sweeping the nation currently. She is third line of succession.

    Seriously.

    Parent

    And I don't even mean (none / 0) (#17)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 02:40:47 PM EST
    taxpayer funded security.  Necessarily.  She is pretty wealthy.  Seems like she could personally afford better security.

    I expect increased secutiy is being discussed a lot of places today.

    Parent

    Agreed (none / 0) (#20)
    by KeysDan on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 03:02:00 PM EST
    The Pelosi's may have an elaborate security system as well as live-in staff.  However, it seems they need to beef it up, including around-the-clock security guards.  They are of great wealth and can handle the expense, but, like SC justices, the Speaker as well as immediate  family, should have security protection by the government.

    Parent
    Speaking of which (none / 0) (#21)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 03:25:06 PM EST
    the supreme court judges were whining about peaceful protests in front of their houses along with having to leave out the back door of a restaurant. They really look like spoiled children now.

    Parent
    Nancy is (or was) in DC. (none / 0) (#27)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 07:38:31 PM EST
    I agree on the security. However, I believe part of the problem is that the all those old school Democrats still think it's everything is normal and/or everything will work out. Democracy will save the day and the ballot box will rule.

    These are not normal times. Nothing is the same. The right is vicious and this kind of thing will continue and get worse. Democrats better come to this realization and stop treating the other side of the aisle like times of old.

    January 6, 2021 was a turning point. I would've thought the Democrats would have seen this as the alarm bell. Liz Cheney certainly has. (I cannot believe I am touting Liz Cheney). But alas, these are them times.

    I was pleased with a recent post by Donald From Hawaii, where he said he was done being nice. Here, here.

    Parent

    Entergy finally came and saved (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Oct 28, 2022 at 05:06:44 PM EST
    Yakima S-245 (none / 0) (#31)
    by MKS on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 01:55:18 AM EST
    is a Netflix apocalypse sci-fi series--from Turkey.  It is pretty good.  Dubbed as most of the non-U.S. Netflix series are, it has me watching. Turkey?

    We returned our "mail-in" ballots today (none / 0) (#32)
    by Peter G on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 03:12:55 PM EST
    at the drop-box by the library. There were four County Voter Services employees standing by the box, unlocking it for each user, and locking it after. And making sure the ballot's outer envelope was properly signed and dated. These precautions did not exist last year or the year before. There was no line, but a fairly steady flow of voters (mostly older, like us) making use of it.

    Yup, email received this morning, confirming (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 01, 2022 at 09:09:22 AM EST
    receipt of my Saturday morning drop-box ballot.

    Parent
    The ballot box is inside my library branch (none / 0) (#33)
    by oculus on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 03:36:48 PM EST
    this year, in view of the front desk. But I did not see thusual monitor, one Dem and one GOP.

    Parent
    Missouri, a deep red state (none / 0) (#34)
    by MO Blue on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 06:17:52 PM EST
    Missouri has banned the use of drop boxes to collect absentee ballots.

    You can mail them or drop them off in person at the local election authority office.

    You can also cast an early or  absentee ballot in person at the local election authority office.

    I will be out of town on Election Day so I voted in person last week. Other than drive time, it is a very quick process when you vote this early.

    Parent

    We have (none / 0) (#35)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Oct 29, 2022 at 06:38:09 PM EST
    them in GA but the new "election law" limits them to 1 box per 100K. So a county of 5K gets a drop box and Gwinnett with a population of close to a million gets 10.

    I think a lot of people would be mailing their ballots if not for DeJoy. There are times when I have wondered how many never made it to the election offices in 2020.

    Parent

    I mailed my ballot. (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by Chuck0 on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 04:22:12 PM EST
    And got an email 2 days later informing me it had been received

    Parent
    Same with us (none / 0) (#58)
    by Zorba on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 11:33:00 AM EST
    We got emails two days later, as well.

    Parent
    I was pleased with myself (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 10:26:56 AM EST
    that I was planning to recycle the wood from the old deck to help keep us warm this winter.  Turns out that's a very bad idea.

    Who knew.

    Never burn pressure treated wood

    Off to the land fill (none / 0) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 10:30:12 AM EST
    Am I the only one (none / 0) (#42)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 04:07:35 PM EST
    who did not know this?

    Parent
    TBH, this is one of the few things (none / 0) (#45)
    by Peter G on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:25:40 PM EST
    in the broad category of maintenance of our home that I did know.

    Parent
    We're you a boy scout (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:44:05 PM EST
    apparently it's one of the things they teach boy scouts.

    I've heard today.

    Parent

    I was a Cub Scout for years, but only a Boy Scout (none / 0) (#53)
    by Peter G on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 08:15:46 PM EST
    for about ten days. I hated the out-doorsy part, not to mention the "reverent" and paramilitary aspects. I quit, with my parents' support, after less than two weeks of summer camp as Tenderfoot.

    Parent
    My experience of the Boy Scouts (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by jondee on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 01:59:30 PM EST
    was like a barely contained Lord of the Flies experience. And the more into 'the wilderness' we ventured, the more Lord of the Flies it seemed to get.

    Heard a recent interview with Keith Richards in which he talked about winning the Silver Beaver Award in the Boy Scouts - and then started cracking-up in that patented wicked, vodka-and-cigarettes inflected guffaw of his.

    Parent

    I was in the Schwantz Athletic Club... (none / 0) (#60)
    by desertswine on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 05:14:54 PM EST
    Make of that what you will (none / 0) (#61)
    by jondee on Mon Oct 31, 2022 at 05:33:19 PM EST
    no doubt the training regimen they subjected you to was long and...arduous.

    Parent
    I was an Eagle Scout and (none / 0) (#62)
    by fishcamp on Tue Nov 01, 2022 at 07:35:17 AM EST
    loved the outdoors camping and other activities.  Didn't like horseback riding though.

    Parent
    I was surprised to see (none / 0) (#46)
    by RickyJim on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:42:22 PM EST
    Card board like in boxes (none / 0) (#48)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:45:38 PM EST
    is apparently pretty bad

    Parent
    Also (none / 0) (#49)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 05:49:13 PM EST
    When you see links like the one you have it lists treated wood mostly in passing.  Just one thing on the list.

    But if you actually google it, which I did after seeing a similar list, it's really really bad.

    It concentrates the toxins in the ash so that a tiny amount can be fatal for a human.  Not to mention animals.

    Parent

    I (none / 0) (#50)
    by FlJoe on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 06:20:11 PM EST
    have long known it was toxic, not that toxic though. I am not buying that tablespoon of ash will kill you though. I have seen plenty of idiots burn that stuff on construction sites and fire pits or even fire places and saw no short term effects.

    Parent
    I think that might be (none / 0) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 06:53:08 PM EST
    about the kind of wood used for aquatic construction.  Docks and such.

    But if you do the Google there is unanimous agreement.  It's a bad idea to burn it.  Especially inside.

    Parent

    Landscaper asked if I planned to plant (none / 0) (#54)
    by oculus on Sun Oct 30, 2022 at 11:18:25 PM EST
    Vegetables in new above ground planter box. I sd no.  If I sd yes, she would nor use pressurized wood.

    Parent
    So, I started listening to ... (none / 0) (#66)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 03:34:54 PM EST
    ... Rachel Maddow's podcast "Ultra" and I must say, she's very good at weaving together the historical narrative about the domestic threat to our national security posed by America's homegrown fascist movement in 1940, which was encouraged and bankrolled by Nazi Germany.

    Part 3 is set in new Jersey and Southern California, and without giving away the plot, one of the events mentioned was something I remember my maternal grandmother telling me about, a large U.S. Nazi Party rally held in La Crescenta, CA (right next to Pasadena) in honor of Hitler's birthday in April 1940, which attracted thousands of attendees.

    If any of you were watching the last broadcasted season of "Penny Dreadful" (before it was canceled during the pandemic), which is set in late 1930s-era Los Angeles, then you might be interested in Part 3 of "Ultra", provides the historical context of the "City of Angels" storyline. L.A. had fairly good-sized Jewish and ethnic German populations, and its municipal institutions were wracked by white nationalism and anti-Semitism.

    Southern California was fertile ground for the Nazis prior to the Second World War, and their active presence was a lot more widespread and embedded in that region than people would have ever liked to admit. That would have devastating consequences for the U.S. munitions industries in the fall of 1940.

    Anyway, take a listen to "ultra" when you have time. Not only will you not be disappointed, you'll no doubt recognize the striking parallels to our current situation, which was obviously Ms. Maddow's intent.

    I'm flying back to San Diego tomorrow for another 10 days on matters related to my uncle's estate. I'll check in when I can.

    Aloha.

    I just saw (none / 0) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 03:51:10 PM EST
    the 2022 movie All Quiet On the Western Front on Netflix.  If you have seen it I wonder what you thought.

    I'm not a big war movie fan.  Even the really good ones.  But this was gripping.  It's very brutal.  As I expect the end of WWI was.

    I watched the dubbed version.

    Parent

    "All Quiet" is a German tale. (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 06:26:06 PM EST
    "Wir haben so viel zu sagen, und wir werden es nie sagen." (We have so much to say, and we shall never say it.)
    - Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (1929)

    As good and / or earnest as both previous screen versions (1930 and 1979) of Erich Maria Remarque's epic anti-war novel were, they were also distinctly American undertakings. Not unlike Kevin Costner's performance as the title English character in "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves," hearing American accents in German uniforms has never quite worked for me. While I haven't seen "All Quiet" yet, I plan to do so this weekend.

    This is one particular story that's likely much better told in its original German, and I applaud director Edward Berger for sticking to his guns (so to speak), ignoring the studio's advisers and producing a screenplay that reflects the book's actual origins. The mostly favorable reviews from critics speak for themselves.

    Speaking as a student of history, there is no war story that's bleaker than the one which empathetically conveys the perspective and humanity of someone on the losing side, who is under no further illusions regarding the conflict's likely and inevitable outcome.

    All too often in the past, Hollywood has caricatured the German soldier as an unfeeling, almost robotic human machine, admittedly not without reason given that Germany was twice our archenemy in two incredibly vicious conflicts, and the Nazi regime of 1933-45 proved itself to be a singularly unique horror show on the world stage.

    But it's when we almost gleefully dehumanize our opponents that our capacity to commit otherwise unspeakable atrocities heightens. The senseless destruction of Dresden in 1945 is but one example. "Yeah, it was awful - but hey, the Nazis asked for it," we like to tell ourselves. Okay, so maybe they did. I'm certainly not going to defend Nazi Germany.

    But that still doesn't make me feel any better about the 25,000+ noncombatant deaths and widespread horror that 2,000+ American and British aircraft inflicted on a defenseless German populace in Dresden over the course of three days and two nights.

    Germany by mid-February 1945 had clearly lost the war, and Dresden held little strategic value to the Allies. But we destroyed Saxony's medieval capital city anyway, out of blind rage at our adversaries and because Anglo-American air forces were basically running out of actual military targets elsewhere.

    For similar reasons, I found Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" to be a much more compelling story than the American one told in his contemporary bookend "Flags of Our Fathers," which was released the very same year and told the story from an American perspective.

    As was the film's audience, the Japanese soldiers in "Letters" were fully aware that they had been consigned to their doom by their superiors in Tokyo, and that's what really drives home the grotesque senselessness of war as a bludgeoning instrument of our national policy. We could've easily bypassed them. We didn't.

    Like Dresden half a world away, Iwo Jima in February 1945 was of dubious strategic value to the overall Allied war effort. But our blind combativeness led us to sacrifice 7,000 American lives and kill over 18,000 Japanese to conquer a volcanic rock the size of our own island of Lanai.

    Okay, that's enough anti-war screed for today. Aloha.

    Parent

    I was curious because (none / 0) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 07:22:06 PM EST
    some reviews picked at the idea of showing German soldiers in a sympathetic way.

    Which seems silly if you actually watch the movie.  It's an anti war movie.  Everyone is presented somewhat sympathetically.  

    All too often in the past, Hollywood has caricatured the German soldier as an unfeeling, almost robotic human machine, admittedly not without reason given that Germany was twice our archenemy in two incredibly vicious conflicts, and the Nazi regime of 1933-45 proved itself to be a singularly unique horror show on the world stage.

    The final shot of the movie, an extended closeup, will stick with you.

    Parent

    In Nazi Germany, Remarque's writing (5.00 / 2) (#71)
    by desertswine on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 10:26:40 PM EST
    was determined to be "unpatriotic" and was banned. Remarque was forced to leave Germany.

    According to Wiki...

    In 1943, the Nazis arrested his youngest sister, German: Elfriede Scholz, who had stayed behind in Germany with her husband and two children. After a trial at the notorious Volksgerichtshof (Hitler's extra-constitutional "People's Court"), she was found guilty of "undermining morale" for stating that she considered the war lost. Court President Roland Freisler declared, "Ihr Bruder ist uns leider entwischt--Sie aber werden uns nicht entwischen" ("Your brother is unfortunately beyond our reach - you, however, will not escape us.") Scholz was beheaded on 16 December 1943.[

    Parent

    Berlin (none / 0) (#74)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 01:15:40 PM EST
    wasn't "beyond the reach" of the Allies.

    Those endlessly delusional Nazi schmucks should've seen the writing on the wall and embraced being decent human beings, but it was utterly beyond their capability.

    Parent

    Erich Remarque was ... (none / 0) (#126)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 11:28:48 PM EST
    ... essentially stateless for nine years, with the Nazis having stripped him of his German citizenship in 1938. He fled to the United States and subsequently became an American citizen in 1947, but then returned to Europe shortly thereafter to live out the rest of his life in Switzerland. Both he and his wife, actress Paulette Goddard, are interred in a stunningly picturesque town cemetery at Ronco sopra Ascona in the southern, Italian-speaking region of that country, overlooking Lake Maggiore. (See YouTube's Hollywood Graveyard, "Switzerland", at 2:47.)

    Parent
    Brando portrayed (none / 0) (#76)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 01:55:20 PM EST
    a German WW2 officer somewhat sensitively and sympathetically in The Young Lions, in the what? the fifties? In a film that didn't downplay what the Nazis had done..

    And people really have a problem with WW1 soldiers being portrayed sympathetically?

    Parent

    RT (none / 0) (#80)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 03:08:00 PM EST

    Fully understanding the war -- who does? -- may not be necessary in appreciating the disturbing, moving and sometimes too-beautiful production. But that production certainly puts a Teutonic tweak on history, sometimes to outrageous effect.



    Parent
    RT.. (none / 0) (#81)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 03:20:41 PM EST
    A Teutonic tweak..

    Some Russians still have a bug up their butts about the Germans. Quite understandable to some extent.

    Parent

    Um (none / 0) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 03:25:05 PM EST
    RT is Rotten Tomatoes

    Parent
    Ok then (5.00 / 1) (#83)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 05:46:16 PM EST
    There's a Russian one (none / 0) (#84)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 06:24:32 PM EST
    Rotten Turnips, so it gets even more confusing.

    Parent
    Have you read the book? (5.00 / 3) (#70)
    by leap2 on Wed Nov 02, 2022 at 08:57:41 PM EST
    It's one of the best anti-war books. And is extremely moving. It brought me to tears and anger.

    Parent
    I read it for the first time (none / 0) (#73)
    by jondee on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 01:01:55 PM EST
    just a couple of years ago.

    That stark passage about the maimed horses screaming in the night and the young farm boy in the main protagonist's unit who had to be forcibly restrained from venturing out into no man's land to put them out of their misery, really brought home for me  the obscene madness and brutality.

    Parent

    And yet, (none / 0) (#72)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 12:08:38 PM EST
    the U.S. opted to imprison US citizens of Japanese descent, because, well, they looked different. Achtung baby!

    Parent
    A couple decades ago (none / 0) (#77)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Nov 03, 2022 at 02:00:09 PM EST
    I used to fish occasionally with a couple guys who were imprisoned as kids. A stain on our nation for sure.

    Parent
    Don't forget to pay (none / 0) (#87)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 04, 2022 at 02:46:40 PM EST
    your tax on stupid.

    Powerball jackpot 1.6 billion

    From the anals (none / 0) (#108)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 01:26:54 PM EST
    of you can't make this up. DeSantis chased underage girls at the boarding school here in GA. Reported in the NY times but for some reason I cannot link.

    Where in Georgia? (none / 0) (#109)
    by leap2 on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 05:43:48 PM EST
    And why did DeSantis chase girls? This makes no sense.

    Parent
    NYTimes (none / 0) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 06:00:09 PM EST

    Pranks, Parties and Politics: Ron DeSantis's Year as a Schoolteacher
    At a private school 20 years ago, the future Florida governor was a popular history teacher and coach. But some students were taken aback by his comments on the Civil War and abortion.

    Twenty years ago in the foothills of northwest Georgia, a new history teacher joined the faculty of one of the state's oldest and largest boarding schools.

    He was a brash young Ivy League graduate, an athlete who made it clear to anyone who was listening that this sojourn at Darlington School was a pit stop on his way to bigger things; maybe he would even be president some day, he told his students.

    Amid the revolving door of recent college graduates who taught at one time or another at the independent private school, the teacher, just 23 at the time, was the talk of the 20-year class reunion last month at Darlington for one important reason: he is now governor of Florida.

    The episodes that former students describe about Gov. Ron DeSantis's year at Darlington offer a window into the formative years of one of the most polarizing figures in American politics, a rising Republican politician who is expected to easily win re-election next week, and then possibly set his sights on the White House.



    Parent
    On the trail. (none / 0) (#112)
    by KeysDan on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 09:05:39 AM EST
    Trump gave the Creepy Florida. Governor a nickname: Ron DeSanctimonious.  

    Oz urged voters in PA to bring out 10 voters before they attended the Steelers game this weekend.  Only problem, Steelers not playing in PA.

    Parent

    To TLers in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, et al. (none / 0) (#111)
    by Towanda on Sat Nov 05, 2022 at 07:57:36 PM EST
    I am almost as nervous about your races as I am about ours in Wisconsin, where ours could not be closer for governor and Senator.

    Our Dem governor has had to veto more than 150 insane bills from our Republican legislature -- which also has refused to tive his appointees  any hearings, so the Scott Walker appointees remain in place overseeing many agencies.

    We already suffer under the oldest anti-abortion law, circa 1849, to the point that our once-great med schools are making arrangements to train OBGYN students in Illinois -- and, of coirse, seeing applications drop in a state already with shortages of doctors and nurses.

    If our Dem governor loses, bills for even worse retribution for women and doctors will go through, as will insane voter suppression laws. The Republican candidate has promised that, if elected and with the expected Republican supermajority in the legislature, we never again will elect a Democrat.

    And our Dem lieutenant governor running to unseat Ron Johnson in Senate is a nice guy who has faced Willie Horton-style complete with darkening of skin to make him look frightening. And his outside advisors have held him to the nice-guy image, not fighting back against massive funding of Republicans, the most massive funding in any state, according to some analyses.

    This all is so horrifying that I don't know if I'll sleep for days to come, as such close races mean we may not know results on Tuesday . . . and withe our Republican law not allowing absentee ballots to be counted until election day -- effectively, because poll workers are busy, not until polls close -- we already face lies about fraud in our big, blue cities.

    Be ready for bad reportage on Wisconsin.

    But while we endure that . . . cheer me up, Georgia and Pennsylvania, please.

    I am glad (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 01:42:41 PM EST
    you checked in from WI. I have been concerned especially when Barnes touted an endorsement from Bernie. All I could see is Andrew Gillum redux. However I have heard that early voting has been going well with voting from key groups up.

    From what I have read with the early voting in PA it would take a mountain for Oz to win. The EV is D by like 60 points I think.

    Here in GA I'm nervous too. If Kemp wins reelection even though he says he has no plans to "revisit" the abortion issue if the legislature comes after women more he will go along with it. A friend of mine's daughter is an OB/GYN in Marietta and she says it is rough. She said that she is staying for her patients but many she cannot treat as the hospital lawyers are determining treatment. Doctors certainly are not going to come here unless they are the bottom of the barrel and even then with the risk of going to prison even they may not want to come here. One of the docs took a job in NY to get away. The incentive here is to kill the woman. With so many conservative women who want to be told what to do and have decisions made for them you just can't be sure that they will vote for bodily autonomy. Warnock is lucky that Walker is such a hideous person the GOP is trying to devise lies to trick their voters saying that if Walker wins he will resign and Kemp will replace him. The early vote has been phenomenal. I just hope it is enough.

    Parent

    Kemp,said (none / 0) (#115)
    by KeysDan on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 02:16:03 PM EST
    He was open to a ban on contraceptives.  So there is that, too.

    Parent
    There is just (none / 0) (#118)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 05:15:26 PM EST
    no limit these days it seems for them to go after women. I don't think losing will make them stop other than they won't have to power to go forward with their plans. It is going to take women repeatedly kicking their butts at the polls for them to get the message.

    Parent
    It it All Because of Gerrymandering? (none / 0) (#113)
    by RickyJim on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 10:17:23 AM EST
    In an historically progressive state, currently with a Democrat as governor, how did it morph into a situation, that after Tuesday, you face the prospect of a Republican governor and supermajority in the legislature?

    Parent
    Cf. Walker. (none / 0) (#116)
    by KeysDan on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 02:20:59 PM EST
    Scott (not Herschel).

    Parent
    Yes, that's my understanding in PA (none / 0) (#117)
    by Peter G on Sun Nov 06, 2022 at 03:44:27 PM EST
    Despite a solid (but not overwhelming) Dem majority (hence, in a state-wide election, our nearly unbroken succession of liberal Democratic governors), gerrymandering has produced an entrenched conservative Republican Legislature. The result, as Towanda described, is governance by veto. Nevertheless, when the Dem Party nominates a weak candidate or conducts a stupid campaign (which is does about half the time) we can wind up with one D and one R in the U.S. Senate. Hopefully, Fetterman versus Oz will not be another example of that.

    Parent
    Red state governments (none / 0) (#121)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 03:52:07 PM EST
    are working on maintaining minority control in other ways.  In my state there is Issue 2.  It is a direct response from the right to getting Issue 4, marijuana legalization, on the ballot.

    Even after many more signatures than required were produced they tried to keep it off the ballot.  The court said they can't.  So Issue 2 would make it much harder to do again.  Every republican politician and organization in the state oppose Issue 4 and support issue 2.

    link

    Issue 2 on this year's ballot proposes a "super majority" to be required in order for constitutional amendments and initiatives to go into effect. It would amend the three sections of the Arkansas Constitution governing ballot issues.

    My gut says 4 will pass.  Really no idea about 2.

    Parent

    This was in the Bullwark (none / 0) (#122)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 03:57:24 PM EST

    In the case of the Arkansas initiative which would legalize marijuana, polling had it running at about 60 percent to 40 percent in favor of legalization a month ago, though a poll this week had it lowered to 51 to 43 percent in favor, with 6 percent undecided.

    Part of that decline is because Arkansas Republicans are against it and have pushed their legalized marijuana danger message.

    And Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is likely to win her race, said recently, "I don't think that with the drug epidemic that we have across this state, frankly across the country, that adding and giving more access to [marijuana] does anything to benefit Arkansas, so I certainly wouldn't be supportive of that."

    Retiring (because of term limits) Arkansas Republican governor Asa Hutchinson added"The science is clear. Recreational marijuana leads to increased drug use among minors & more dangerous roadways,"

    A total of 19 states have legalized marijuana and Arkansas will likely be the first of the very red southern states to do so. And if it does, it will happen against the express opposition of the state's dominant political party.

    We really can't have this democracy crap.

    Parent

    It is tiresome (5.00 / 1) (#123)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 05:35:39 PM EST
    In NC and WI they strip the powers from the D gov. because they can.

    We are in a situation like the 1960's and civil rights where the Feds are just going to have to come to states and start charging people. Conservatives have shown they will do anything to cling to power.

    Parent

    Not all. But a lot of the problem. (none / 0) (#124)
    by Towanda on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 06:11:35 PM EST
    Gubernatorial and Senate races being statewide, gerrymandering cannot explain it. This is the state where the Republican Party was founded, and it did elect Joe McCarthy and Scott Walker. . . .

    But yes, gerrymandering is about to give Republicans a supermajority in the legislature in the state where more than 60 percent of votes last time when to Democrats, yet the Republicans held both houses.

    I blame the gerrymandering mess on the state and national  Democratic parties. The state party now has better leadership, but it was in the hands of Madison types for too long, and they do not understand Milwaukee or much of the state. As for the national party, some of us knew how crucial were the 2008 and 2010 legislative elections -- as redistricting always follows the zero years -- but could not get help. Heck, the national Democrats didn't even help Russ Feingold, when national Republicans were continuing to pour in millions here, so we -- and you -- got Ron Johnson. Instead, Wasserman Schultz came here only to solicit funds for other states.

    Parent

    MAGA Maggie (none / 0) (#125)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 07, 2022 at 07:00:22 PM EST
    is saying Trump is going ot announce that he is running for president again tonight. It has been so nice not having him in the white house nor having him as a candidate. If MAGA Maggie is right all of that is about to end. Sigh.

    Fkng (none / 0) (#127)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 04:52:01 AM EST
    pushing Thanksgiving and we get a hurricane, I didn't think this timeline could suck any worse.

    JD Vance's new job. (none / 0) (#137)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 10:44:29 AM EST
    At an Ohio closing rally, Trump called for the execution of drug dealers and sex traffickers, modeling his policy after the Chinese. A "quick trial" of about two hours (no dragging it out with appeals and such, since he abhors that), and a firing squad.  The bullet is recovered from the corpse and sent to the families.  

    This, he claimed, will reduce crime by 75 per cent on the very first day. TFG said he would ask JD to head-up this new effort. The crowd cheered!  

    See, who said the Republicans do not have policies.

    DeSanctimonious is blocking (5.00 / 1) (#138)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 11:09:47 AM EST
    election monitors

    The DeSantis administration is attempting to block Department of Justice election monitors from gaining access to polling places in South Florida, saying in a letter that the federal government's involvement would be `counterproductive' and in violation of state law," the Washington Post reports.

    "On Monday, the Justice Department announced that it would send federal monitors to 64 jurisdictions nationwide to monitor how elections are being conducted. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties were all slated to receive federal monitors from the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division."



    Parent
    Again, he appears to forget who won (5.00 / 4) (#144)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 02:05:04 PM EST
    the Civil War. If the US DoJ decides that enforcement of federal voting rights law requires the feds to take action within the Great State of Floriduh, the governor's assertion that doing so would violate state law carries no weight. Sorry, John C. Calhoun, Orville Faubus and George Wallace, but interposition and "State's Rights" do not carry the day in our America.

    Parent
    These fascists (none / 0) (#140)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 11:39:26 AM EST
    can't do anything without confrontation. But, don't think they will prevail on this one.

    Parent
    Voting (none / 0) (#139)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 11:30:14 AM EST
    has been heavy everywhere it seems. I hope that bodes well for team blue since it's usually good for D's if turnout is high.

    They are laughing at him (none / 0) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 12:46:25 PM EST

    Bonus Quote of the Day
    November 8, 2022 at 1:50 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

    "I don't think anyone really cares, and he does not clear the field... Anyone who thinks it's a smart idea to announce a potential presidential bid after the election but before Christmas, it's just the worst time you could possibly do it. My sense is the former president needs better advisers if that's really what his strategy is going to be."

    -- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), quoted by Fox News, on Donald Trump announcing a 2024 presidential bid this month.



    I know things (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 03:28:38 PM EST

    Trump Warns Against Ron DeSantis Presidential Bid
    November 8, 2022 at 4:26 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 2 Comments

    Donald Trump warned that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) would "hurt himself" if he tried to run for president in 2024, the Wall Street Journal reports.

    Said Trump: "I don't know that he's running. I think if he runs he could hurt himself very badly."

    He added: "I think he would be making a mistake. I think the base would not like it."

    More: "If he runs, he runs. If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won't be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign."



    The DeSantis Dossier. (none / 0) (#146)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 08, 2022 at 04:12:44 PM EST
    Among the stolen documents?

    Parent
    Nicole (none / 0) (#150)
    by FlJoe on Thu Nov 10, 2022 at 02:09:04 AM EST
    made landfall about 40 miles South, the eyewall just passed me, wind gusts 60+


    Stay Safe!! (5.00 / 1) (#153)
    by coast on Thu Nov 10, 2022 at 11:37:08 AM EST
    Greater Idaho (none / 0) (#154)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 11, 2022 at 12:15:18 PM EST

    Oregon counties vote `yes' on secession from state: report

    I think we will see more of this kind of thing with personal rights and freedoms varying wildly from state to state.

    I really don't see a problem (5.00 / 1) (#155)
    by jmacWA on Fri Nov 11, 2022 at 03:25:45 PM EST
    with this.  Seems to me you move the red to the already red state, and they get their 2 red Senators, but OR gets 2 blue.  Same with the eastern counties of WA... let em go and make WA more blue.

    Parent
    That's easy for you to say (5.00 / 1) (#158)
    by leap2 on Fri Nov 11, 2022 at 08:00:29 PM EST
    if you don't live in eastern Washington.

    Parent
    Agreed (none / 0) (#156)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 11, 2022 at 03:41:07 PM EST
    Idaho is how close to getting another House seat? (none / 0) (#172)
    by Jack E Lope on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 02:21:29 PM EST
    I thought of the Senate - which is currently 2 D from Oregon and 2 R from Idaho, and would remain the same if Idaho annexed those counties.  

    But then, there is the US House - and I think that Idaho is already fairly close to getting a 3rd US House seat.  (I may be wrong, since I do not find clear info about this.)

    It's estimated that 10% of Oregon's population would be included...which would increase Idaho's population by about 24%.

    They're trying to get some California counties to join, too....

    Parent

    Avoid the front row (none / 0) (#157)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 11, 2022 at 03:55:03 PM EST
    Traffic here seems down and I'm wondering (none / 0) (#160)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 07:36:53 AM EST
    if others are having the same problem as me.?

    About half the time.  I can't reach this site.  No others.  Just this one.  It just sits there with the little wheel spinning.  Forever.  Or times out.

    Like I said.  About half the time. The other times it pops right up.   I've tried to see if it's a specific time of day or days if the week but it doesn't seem to be.

    I wonder if traffic is down here because others are having this problem?

    The site was unreachable for me (5.00 / 1) (#161)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 08:50:08 AM EST
    Since minutes after that comment

    ??

    Just popped up now

    Parent

    I have seen this (5.00 / 2) (#162)
    by jmacWA on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 10:49:44 AM EST
    Intermittently.  Not today though

    Parent
    Thanks (none / 0) (#163)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 01:07:25 PM EST
    I thought it was maybe old equipment but I just got a new tablet and same thing.

    Parent
    It loads very, very slowly (5.00 / 1) (#164)
    by MO Blue on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 04:44:09 PM EST
    at times. Sometimes, it doesn't load .. just spins. This occurs no matter if I use a rather new IPad or my phone. Have given up on occasion.

     Frustrating.

    Parent

    It loaded very quickly (none / 0) (#168)
    by MO Blue on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 09:15:32 AM EST
    just now. Not sure what is going on.

    Parent
    For me it comes and goes (none / 0) (#169)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 09:30:55 AM EST
    Occasionally it loads slowly but mostly it either pops up or doesn't load at all.

    Today it's been fine so far.

    Parent

    The Republican Base is Really Changing (none / 0) (#165)
    by RickyJim on Sun Nov 13, 2022 at 07:49:11 PM EST
    The new poll, conducted in the days after the midterms, shows a reversal of another Yahoo News/YouGov poll last month which showed that more voters preferred Trump over DeSantis to be the GOP nominee in 2024.
    Among Republican voters, 41% said they preferred DeSantis compared to 39% who preferred Trump, while 8% said they preferred neither.
    Link

    The GOP (none / 0) (#167)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 09:03:14 AM EST
    elite may need a lot of heartburn medicine then because that is essentially tied. Trump will burn the GOP to the ground if they don't nominate him. So DeSantis can win the primary and carry a pile of ashes to the general or he will be incinerated with everybody else and go slinking back to FL with a ruined political career.

    Parent
    I'm not sure he can burn it down (none / 0) (#170)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 09:34:25 AM EST
    He will try.  And he can definitely hurt them in the next election but I think he looks and sounds more irrelevant by the day.

    It feels like everyone, red and blue, is waiting for Merrick.

    Parent

    You don't (none / 0) (#171)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 10:06:19 AM EST
    think he spent his time in the WH gathering intel on all possible opponents? Ex-Republicans seem to think he has blackmail material on everybody. I would not be surprised. It is his MO. He's the one that put the NYT on the DeSantis groomer story most people think.

    Parent
    Eight Billion people. Tomorrow. (none / 0) (#166)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 14, 2022 at 08:56:13 AM EST
    I wonder if the parade of high profile witnesses (none / 0) (#174)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 15, 2022 at 05:49:57 PM EST
    means they are coming to the end in the GA investigation.  Kemp and Lindsey this week Flynn next week.

    I take back some of the things I said (none / 0) (#175)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 15, 2022 at 08:05:35 PM EST

    Mormon Church Backs Same-Sex Marriage
    November 15, 2022 at 7:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 57 Comments

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Tuesday it will support a bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage, Axios reports



    You don't (5.00 / 2) (#176)
    by leap2 on Tue Nov 15, 2022 at 10:43:59 PM EST
    need to take back anything you have said previously, because the Mormon church was extremely homophobic. They paid
    BIG bucks to instill Prop 8 into the California constitution back in 2008. I don't believe they have had a "come to jesus" moment, either. Screw that corporation/organization.

    Parent
    The Respect for Marriage Act (5.00 / 1) (#177)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 16, 2022 at 11:27:31 AM EST
    does not codify Obergefell v Hodges.  It does not go as far as Obergefell where every state is required to issue marriage certificates to same sex couples, but it (1) repeals the 1996 law (DOMA) that bars the federal government from recognizing same sex marriages and replaces it with a requirement that the federal government recognize any marriage that was "valid in the place where entered into." (DOMA was held unconstitutional by the SC, but it may be on the chopping block).

    The Act creates a backstop for marriage equality in the states if the SC overturns Obergefell, and brings benefits if, and only if, Obergefell is overturned.

    (2)The Act directs every state to recognize same sex marriage that "is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into."

    So the Act does not require a state to issue a marriage license, but it does force that state to recognize a license issued in another state. For example, A red state like Texas, would not be required to issue a marriage license to a same sex couple, but if a Texas couple went to a blue state like New Mexico to get married, Texas would be required to recognize that same sex marriage.

    Some progressives are upset with the latter part, and clearly, the proposed law is not perfect, but it does provide protection if Obergefell is overturned by the SC.  And, some claim that the Act will make it easier for the SC to overturn Obergefell.  In my view, this is a major step forward, in light of the political realities.

    Parent

    thank (none / 0) (#179)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 16, 2022 at 01:25:05 PM EST
    you for your take on the bill. Franklin Graham was having a meltdown over this bill on twitter and also some activists were unhappy.

    I have to say though going to another state to get married is a time-honored tradition. Growing up in the corner of SC where it was 16 to get married, every week the paper would publish marriage licenses and it was full of names of 16 and 17 year olds from GA and NC.

    Parent

    I would like to see a knowledgeable take (none / 0) (#180)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 17, 2022 at 09:30:39 AM EST
    on the "religious liberty" exceptions in this bill. The coverage I've seen alludes to this aspect, but I have not seen an article that actually explains what it does and does not do. A link to the full text of the bill would be good also.

    Parent
    From a PDF, Senate Amendment to HR8404 (5.00 / 1) (#181)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 17, 2022 at 12:29:02 PM EST
    Sec.6. NO IMPACT ON RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND CONSCIENCE
    (a) In General.---Nothing in this Act, or any amendment by this Act, shall be construed to diminish or abrogate a religious liberty or conscience protection otherwise available to an individual or organization under the Constitution of the United States or Federal Law.

    (b) GOODS OR SERVICES.--_Consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution, nonprofit religious organizations, including churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, nondenominational ministries, interdenominational and ecumenical organizations, mission organizations, faith-based social agencies, religious educational institutions, and nonprofit entities whose principal purpose is the study, practice, or advancement of religion, and any employee of such an organization, shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities,goods, or privileges for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage. Any refusal under this subsection to provide such services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges shall not create any civil claim or cause of action.

    Sec.7 (b) NO FEDERAL RECOGNITION OF POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES.

    ########
    Hopefully, status quo provisions to satisfy beliefs that Jesus hates gays and laws should reflect that.  Does not seem to preempt state civil rights laws that might bar a commercial nonprofit from discrimination.

    Parent

    It is my understanding that it (5.00 / 1) (#182)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 17, 2022 at 08:41:03 PM EST
    Requires all states recognize and honor marriages that were performed legally in another state. IOW, if Texas decides to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex partners, they must recognize the marriage if it is performed in New York.

    While definitely not great, if this is true, it might be better than nothing.

    Parent

    Garland did it (none / 0) (#183)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 03:00:30 PM EST
    Appoints a Special Counsel

    CNN - Who is Jack Smith

    Rethinking what I originally said.... (none / 0) (#184)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 03:16:52 PM EST
    I think it's probably the best way to go.

    Parent
    I usually agree with most of what (none / 0) (#185)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 04:21:51 PM EST
    Neal Katyal says but not here
    I think you only have to look at the response of Trump and his minions to see they are very unhappy with this decision

    If they are unhappy that's good

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#186)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 05:15:10 PM EST
    originally I was like now Trump is never going to be held accountable but then I started reading more and thinking about it. The main problem with a SC IMO is that it is going to take longer but I think DOJ indicting Trump would be worse.

    Parent
    They are saying (none / 0) (#187)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 05:18:56 PM EST
    any delay would be weeks not months

    And it after that it could even accelerate the end game

    I think Garland should call the republicans bluff and appoint an SC for Hunter

    Parent

    DKos (none / 0) (#188)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 05:59:06 PM EST

    Smith also appears to be a veteran of navigating highly charged situations. He has overseen war crimes investigations at the International Criminal Court, led the Justice Department's public integrity unit, been appointed the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, and, most recently, served as a war crimes prosecutor at The Hague. In fact, Garland said Smith was flying back from that post to accept his appointment as special counsel.

    McQuade took his appointment as a sign the department's investigations into Trump have taken a serious turn.

    "The one thing I find most significant," she said, "is you don't need to appoint a special counsel just to decline a case. You don't call in a Jack Smith, someone with incredible credentials, incredible reputation, pull him out of The Hague to do this work, unless you think there is a very high likelihood that one of these cases is going to result in charges. So that's my read."

    McQuade's take was shared by some other legal observers. Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Renato Mariotti tweeted, "If Merrick Garland didn't think there was a serious possibility that Trump would be indicted, he wouldn't have appointed a special counsel."

    Mariotti added that Garland "didn't appoint Jack Smith to wind down these investigations."

    While some legal observers wished Garland had simply made the call himself, Smith was generally embraced as a good choice for the job. Notably, he has not been charged with recreating the work already undertaken by Justice Department prosecutors.

    "Jack Smith is a solid pick," tweeted Joyce Vance White, a law school professor and MSNBC legal analyst. "His experience as specialist prosecutor for Kosovo suggests he can move into a serious, difficult ongoing investigation, run with it, & indict cases that should be indicted."

    Highly regarded constitutional law scholar Laurence Tribe said he could think of "no one better suited" for the job, and former member of the Mueller team Andrew Weissmann added that Smith is a "very aggressive prosecutor who represents the best of the Department."

    link


    Parent

    (1) The (5.00 / 1) (#190)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 07:01:45 PM EST
    credentials of Mr. Smith, as good as they may be, is not a factor (cf. Starr, Mueller, and Durham), (2) the DOJ will not be shielded from rabid  MAGAts and their guru's criticism--( Mr Smithhsd better be given security) , after all the AG makes the final decision on indictment or not, BUT, it seems to be the right thing to do given the unique circumstances.  Trump is a forme4 president and a candidate for president in 2024.  And, is very likely to be the Republican nominee.  Also, with the House in control by fascists, the SCgives a buffer to the investigation.

    The SC is the best way to proceed if either to be indicted or not.  It should not cause much delay, if any.

    Parent

    I will be pleasantly surprised (5.00 / 3) (#191)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 11:33:51 PM EST
    If Trump or any of his family members are indicted for anything. IMO this is a way of appearing to do something in place of actually doing something. I hope the optimists are right and I am proven wrong.

    Parent
    I don't think the AG had a choice (none / 0) (#193)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 08:24:43 AM EST
    It is an extraordinary enough thing to charge a former president with a federal crime.  Never happened.
    For him to be charged by an appointee of the man who defeated him and who apparently will be running against him again (I don't think either of them running is a given but here we are) is actually nuts.  Not an acceptable situation.

    Jack Smith looks like he was born for this.  From what I have read about him so far I am more comfortable with him in charge that with Garland in charge.

    Garland seems like an honest man but he is not a bulldog.

    I say January charges for the documents case.

    Parent

    Sorry running out of comments here (5.00 / 1) (#194)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 08:40:41 AM EST
    But one more thing

    Smith seems like the guy who will take all the lessons learned from the disastrous waste of time and money that was the Mueller thing to heart.

    Parent

    I agree somewhat (none / 0) (#195)
    by MO Blue on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 09:04:37 AM EST
    I don't think Garland had a choice of just sitting back and not doing something. IMO, this is his something.

    Keep in mind that Garland has the last word in all of this. IMO, there will never be enough evidence for Garland to charge Trump. Not a bulldog...more like a piece of milk toast.

    Parent

    The cynicism (5.00 / 1) (#196)
    by KeysDan on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 10:28:03 AM EST
    in me thinks Garland is like the feckless corporate CEO who knows he needs to lay off employees, so he calls in a consultant to tell him he needs to lay off employees.  

    Parent
    Only difference (none / 0) (#197)
    by MO Blue on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 11:34:27 AM EST
    is that the employees eventually get fired. The last 2 special counsel investigations wasted years and resulted in little significant results.

    Parent
    I have this stinking, nagging (none / 0) (#199)
    by desertswine on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 12:43:28 PM EST
    feeling that by the time anything happens on this front, DeSantis will be president.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#189)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 18, 2022 at 06:21:34 PM EST
    the gathering consensus is that picking Smith for SC is that an indictment is definitely coming. And not just for Trump, also for his coterie of sycophants.

    Parent
    November 19th... (none / 0) (#198)
    by desertswine on Sat Nov 19, 2022 at 12:37:57 PM EST
    159th anniversary of the Gettysburg address, 1863.

    ...we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

    Sounds so quaint..  like something that we lost somewhere in time.