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Monday Open Thread: Heading to the Fediverse and Mastodon

I'm trying to figure out Mastodon, the "fediverse" alternative to Twitter that journalists, media sites big and little, analysts and bloggers are joining en masse while abandoning Twitter. TalkLeft's account is here. Hopefully over Thanksgiving I can figure out how to properly use the place. It's very enticing, and friendly, and free. But not particularly intuitive to me. It's like switching to MAC when you've always been a Windows person, it takes some getting used to. [More...]

I have had Twitter accounts for more than a decade, and I see no need to delete them. First, I haven't written a tweet in years. I just read other people. But I'm fed up with Twitter's ads and the insertion of other people's likes (which you can't turn off) into my feed and Twitter constant irrelevant suggestions as to who I should read or follow. I know who I want to read, I don't want Twitters's help. Plust I'm not really interested in other's opinions, I just want the news. Also, whatever anyone writes on Twitter will show up in some search engine which just gives me the creeps.

So while Mastodon may not afford more privacy (it's not encrypted), it does seem smaller and free of radical righty types and ultra-conservatives and Donald Trump supporters. And people so far have been posting things I''m interested in reading. It feels more like a living room, which of course, is why I started TalkLeft to begin with.

So head on over to Mastodon and give it a try. Let us know in comments how to find you there!

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

< Boebert v Frisch - Colorado's 3rd District | Happy Thanksgiving and Open Thread >
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  • Display: Sort:
    I signed up (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 02:02:24 PM EST
    And followed TalkLeft

    I agree.  Not particularly intuitive

    Ha (none / 0) (#3)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 02:04:34 PM EST
    Lyle Denniston Part one (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by jmacWA on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 06:55:34 AM EST
    of a three part series on Moore v Harper which he characterizes as a direct assault on Democracy ran today.

    Thanks to Peter G for pointing us to Denniston, he most certainly does make things understandable.

    Series concluded today (none / 0) (#61)
    by jmacWA on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 06:14:55 AM EST
    I can see why this is characterized as a direct assault on democracy.  Sadly, I am not sure we can trust the Federalist Society judges to rule impartially.  It seems pretty clear to me that the current thinking in conservative circles would want to push the 'independent state legislature' theory since they control more states.  I really hope I am wrong about this, but I don't trust the conservative majority on the court to care about anything other than what their benefactors want.  

    The court has only itself to blame for my cynicism.


    Parent

    The Georgia Court of Appeals (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 03:02:28 PM EST
    Has denied Secretary of State Raffensperger's attempt to halt Counties from providing early voting on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the senate run- off between Senator Warnock and Walker.

    The appeals court upheld the lower court's opinion. Raffensperger argued that Georgia law did not permit early voting immediately after a holiday.

    Supreme Court (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 03:37:52 PM EST
    clears way for House to get Trump's tax returns.

    Parent
    The House can't do much but get them (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 07:29:30 PM EST
    and give them to the democratic Senate for oversight 🙂

    Parent
    Which makes the GA race critical (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 07:50:56 PM EST
    51 senators would mean majorities on all committees.  Which means a lot for setting agendas and issuing subpoenas and all kinds of stuff.

    Parent
    On Wednesday, Nov 23 (none / 0) (#57)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 01:26:21 PM EST
    the Georgia Supreme Court denied the request of the SOS and Republican National Committee to overturn the rulings of the two lower courts that permitted early, in-person voting on the Saturday  after Thanksgiving.  

    Parent
    This is really something (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 04:51:15 PM EST

    Link

     I get asked `Who's the most dangerous person in the world? Is it Chairman Kim, is it Xi Jinping?' The most dangerous person in the world is Randi Weingarten," Pompeo said.

    "It's not a close call. If you ask, `Who's the most likely to take this republic down?' It would be the teacher's unions, and the filth that they're teaching our kids

    In a twisted way I get demonizing drag queens. But teachers?


    These (5.00 / 2) (#26)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:03:59 PM EST
    people are twisted, it sounds like the manifesto of a school shooter. I thought Pompeo was one of the quasi-sane ones.

    Parent
    Pompeo (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by jondee on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:41:44 PM EST
    another one who, if you gave him an enema, could be buried in a shoe box..

    He's also an Evangelical who's been quoted as saying "politics is a constant struggle until the Rapture."

    What more of a tip-off do you need as to what we're dealing with?

    Parent

    Pompeo came (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:43:29 PM EST
    to Congress as part of the tea party brigade and is a Dominionist and as wacky as they come.  I note, too, that Pompeo skipped over. Putin as less dangerous than Randi Weingarten (also a dog whistle).

    Parent
    "...and the (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:34:18 PM EST
    filth they are reaching our kids".   And what filth would that be?  A question the interviewer needed to ask.

    "...and they don't know math and reading and writing..".  Maybe, the schools are teaching ... math and how to read and write.  

    Pompeo was fortunate that Trump's bombast and criminal activity eclipsed his and his wife's corruption during his tenure as Secretary of State. It did not get the attention it merited.  

    Parent

    He just put a target button n the back of (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:52:02 PM EST
    Randi Weingarten    And I guess any teacher.  What's wrong with these people

    Parent
    Republicans are intent on killing our democracy (5.00 / 1) (#38)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 07:03:38 PM EST
    July, 2022...ST. LOUIS--The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today that St. Louis County Library of St. Louis, MO is one of six recipients of the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.

    Now the Republican legislator are trying to ban books at our library.  They build nothing that benefits everyday people. They just destroy every good thing that we have.

    Parent

    Trials take place (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by Peter G on Fri Nov 25, 2022 at 09:43:14 PM EST
    in *court*rooms, I assume you meant to write, not "living rooms." But otherwise, I totally agree. Young adults who do terrible things often are survivors of extreme trauma, particularly in childhood. That sort of information is not going to come out in the news, but rather only during a trial or sentencing, at the earliest.

    Your right Peter (none / 0) (#74)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Dec 07, 2022 at 06:49:53 PM EST
    I just deleted the comment and will retype it here, swapping out living rooms and inserting courtrooms.

    Very well said, Peter

    Trials take place in courtrooms. Investigations take place in private. Grand Jury investigations are secret -- and remain so after the case is over. One reason is to protect the privacy and reputational rights of those not accused. Another is to protect the accused's right to a fair jury. If the entire jury pool is polluted by too many leaks or too much massive negative publicity, such that it is unreasonable to expect any juror would be able to put aside what s/he's heard, the trial may have to be moved. McVeigh was moved from Oklahoma to Colorado. Tsarnev (convicted of the Marathon bombing) should have been moved out of Mass (in my view).

    The reason the media pumps the unofficial stuff so much is very simple: Guilt sells in America, innocence does not. Kind of ridiculous for a nation for which the foundational building block  of its criminal justice system is the presumption of innocence.


    Parent

    The only thing that can stop a bad guy (none / 0) (#1)
    by Peter G on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 01:31:03 PM EST
    with a loaded gun, apparently, is an angry, somewhat inebriated gay guy grabbing that gun and beating the bad guy with it.

    He's straight. (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 01:31:10 AM EST
    He was at Club Q with his wife, daughter and daughter's boyfriend to see a friend of the daughter perform there. Sadly, the daughter's boyfriend was shot and killed. Two of the five fatalities were straight.

    This is entirely the fault of Republicans and their hatemongering. WTF is wrong with them? If the only way they can win elections is to demonize others, mischaracterize them as an anti-American enemy, and gin up irrational outrage by pandering to people's worst fears and instincts, then that's a party which is beyond salvage and needs to be bludgeoned to political extinction before they destroy the country. It's either them or us, because they've made it perfectly clear that there is no us in them.

    There was another mass shooting tonight in Chesapeake, VA. It's demoralizing.

    :-(

    Parent

    At least VA (none / 0) (#43)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 07:35:06 AM EST
    was not LGBT targeted.  Walmart is not the place for that.

    Parent
    Legacy (none / 0) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 03:19:38 PM EST

    The 22-year-old man arrested early Sunday as the suspected gunman in a deadly mass shooting at a LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado is the grandson of California state Assemblyman Randy Voepel (R), the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

    Last year, Voepel faced criticism after he compared the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to the American Revolutionary War.



    Parent
    The grandson (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 05:15:26 PM EST
    threatened to blow up and kill his mother (The congressman's daughter). Big stand-off at the house, the DA decides not to charge him. What happens? He goes out gets a bigger boy toy.

    Another case for providing more mental health care. When behavior falls so far outside the norm, something that is not normal is going on inside the person.

    bq..  Anderson Aldrich is facing five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to an online docket in El Paso County courts.

    Court records show Aldrich is being held without bail. The docket does not reflect if Aldrich has retained an attorney.

    p. A 22 year old with his malformed brain sitting backwards on his head will now spend his life in jail because he was unhappy and some trigger went off in his head.

    Like the King Soopers killer, and the other young males who fall susceptible to crazy ideas, they leave such a trail of broken glass behind them and we all have to walk over it. The familiesand friends of the victims get cut the hardest.

    R.I.P to the unfortunate souls who lost their lives. And to all the parents and siblings out there: If your loved one clearly needs help as this kid did a year ago, get it for them. Don't just watch them disintegrate and think they will get better.

    Parent

    No doubt (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 05:47:57 PM EST
    many are the fruit of a family tree grown of hate and ignorance.

    IMO they are too often not stopped or noticed because they live in a culture where "crazy ideas" are simply the norm.

    They are only acting out the locker room talk they hear every day of their lives.

    Parent

    Also this (none / 0) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 06:03:39 PM EST

    And to all the parents and siblings out there: If your loved one clearly needs help as this kid did a year ago, get it for them. Don't just watch them disintegrate and think they will get better.

    This is sometimes not a simple thing.  For example, I have a family member I have been concerned about, yeah - that kind of concerned, for a long time.  He is a person life has delt a really sh!tty hand.  Over the years he has grown increasingly more detached and angry.  His FB feed is a dark stream of consciousness.  

    I've tried to bring this up with his parents and grandparents.  A. They don't want to hear it and B. They don't really think it's a problem because they largely agree.

    I've considered "other approaches" but the problem is he has multiple law enforcement in his immediate family.

    I am invariably dismissed as the fussy old gay uncle.  All I can say is if his name ends up in a headline it won't be because I was silent.  And I dnt think it will get better.

    Parent

    One other thing (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 06:55:19 PM EST
    In case others are thinking I might be a fussy gay uncle
    You mentioned a history for Aldrich.  This person also has a history.   Some stuff to weird and scary for a public forum.

    I don't know what could or should be done. The thing is I know they are right about one thing  he is not anything that unusual.

    There is an army of angry entitled white losers with short fuses.  

    Parent

    I think that's a very southern thing. (none / 0) (#13)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 11:48:33 AM EST
    (though I could be wrong). I related to Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides and The Great Santini because of this (I'm a military brat). My parents were from Mississippi. Southerners like to put their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge problems within the family.

    I had some difficulties growing up. In Jr. High I had a good relationship with my guidance counselor. Went to him about problems at home. He asked my father to come in. My father flat out refused to go and/or acknowledge anything was ever wrong.

    I eventually figured out my own path and realized I didn't need approval from my parents for my choices.  I reached a point where I didn't care what they thought about me. It was refreshing. LSD freed my mind as well. I learned a lot about who I was taking LSD in high school. It made me more of who I am today.

    Parent

    I completely agree about LSD (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 11:53:07 AM EST
    it absolutely changed my life.  If not save it.

    Most people would not understand that I guess.

    I was (using the term generically) blessed to have my mother.  Without her I can't imagine what my life would have looked like.

    But I also had great teachers.  And a good guidance counselor.  

    Yeah standard southern stuff.  

    Parent

    Ignoring uncomfortable family matters ... (none / 0) (#55)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 01:08:57 PM EST
    ChuckO: "Southerners like to put their heads in the sand and refuse to acknowledge problems within the family."

    ... isn't just a "Southern thing." My elder sister, the one who lives in France, long suffered from bipolar anxiety issues which led to occasionally severe manic-depressive episodes. When she was a teenager, she was simply identified as flighty and was told time and again - including by her own physician - to pull herself together and grow up.

    It was only after the birth of her youngest son at age 40, when she sank into a serious post-partum depression, that French physicians finally diagnosed her correctly. Her mental disorder actually had a physical cause, a chemical imbalance that precluded her brain from stabilizing properly. Today, she's on medication and lives a happy and emotionally balanced life.

    Mental illness has long carried a serious stigma because in general, our ignorant society's answer to its manifestation was simply to blame the individual suffering from it and shame the family for somehow indulging the victim. What we're still seeing play out in families in all regions of the country is the residual effect from many generations of such stigmatization and marginalization.

    The medical sciences have been relatively late in recognizing the causal links and triggers between mental health and physical health. After all, we're really only one generation removed from the then-acceptable and relatively common use of electroshock therapy as a treatment for serious depression.

    (In Robert Redford's 1980 Oscar-winning film "Ordinary People," there is a specific and somewhat caustic reference by a high school swimming coach to the electroshock treatments young Conrad endured during his institutionalization following a suicide attempt. Later, at a Christmas gathering, it's very clear that the boy's own grandmother harbors serious misconceptions about the nature of his clinical depression when she advises her daughter to continue being "firm" and unyielding with him, a counterproductive stance which was actually hindering his recovery.)

    So much of what we thought we knew about mental illness has been rooted in ignorance and wishful thinking. We're getting better at understanding it, but there's still a long way to go.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Army vet with tours of ME duty (none / 0) (#11)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 09:15:41 AM EST
    He was there with his wife, daughter, her boyfriend and another couple.

    He was aided by another patron and a drag queen. All were considerably braver than the multiple law enforcement officers in Uvalde, Texas.

    Unfortunately, his daughter's boyfriend was killed and the couple with him were injured.

    Parent

    I hope the drag queen (none / 0) (#12)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 11:46:30 AM EST
    gave him a serious injury with her stiletto

    Parent
    President Biden (none / 0) (#17)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 02:16:10 PM EST
    called him to laud his bravery and express sympathies.  

    Parent
    The gunman was stopped by a 15-year US Army veteran who was attending a drag performance at the club with his wife and daughter.


    Parent
    Back in the days when I did stuff (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 04:13:40 PM EST
    like hang out in bars, even then, drag shows were very popular with straight people.  Drag queens have always been a huge cross over thing for the gay community.

    See Paul, Ru.

    It's one of the things I find so disturbing about this new push by the right demonize drag shows.

    I'm afraid I seriously went off on someone on Facebook yesterday for spreading the lies about grooming and Catboxes.  Just went off like I have not done in a long time.

    He so far has not responded.  He's probably shopping for a hit man.

    Parent

    On the subject (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 04:37:36 PM EST
    if there is not yet a Rhonda Santis there needs to be one.

    Parent
    and I'm semi afraid to google them, lol.

    But imo funny is funny, entertaining is entertaining. If you enjoy the show, then enjoy the show.

    Parent

    If you are unfamiliar (none / 0) (#30)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:38:53 PM EST
    read this.  

    Cat litter box myths are suddenly a culture war flashpoint. Here's how that happened.

    Rhonda Santis is a drag Queen name like Patty O'Furniture or Hedda Lettuce

    Parent

    The litter box thing is pervasive (none / 0) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:43:22 PM EST
    I just got my teeth cleaned and listened, the whole time, to the hygienist go on and on.  I was interested in how she personalized it. Placing it in a school in a larger community just far enough away to be not easily checkable

    Parent
    At least not that I'm aware of.

    Parent
    Actually I think it is (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 06:15:41 PM EST
    I was talking about this with some friends still there.  The CA republican party takes a back seat to no one on the crazy train.

    here's a better link to the actual story and how it got started

    It's a fascinating read.

    As far as the hygienist, I could really only listen but I was not interested in arguing with her.  Pointless.  And as I said it was interesting the way she told it.

    I suspect she heard it that way, local I mean, she did not seem bright enough to have customized it herself.

     

    Parent

    via the google, thankfully.

    Parent
    No (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 07:08:48 PM EST
    No Catboxes in CA as far as I know.  My friend was just talking about a CA politician, dont know which one, referring to the "nation wide scandal" of the Furries.

    Which was born in a Joe Rogan segment.  It was a melding of two entirely different things.  Furries which are a thing apparently have nothing to do with gender identity.  And have never requested or received Catboxes

    It's in that link.  Which is long.

    Parent

    Not gay, it seems, but the best sort (none / 0) (#23)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 04:31:01 PM EST
    of "ally."  He and his wife, who own a brewery that features diversity as its theme, were there to celebrate with and support their daughter and her trans boyfriend. The boyfriend was one of those killed.

    Parent
    Yes, heartwarming and heartbreaking. (none / 0) (#27)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 05:27:40 PM EST
    From the interview I read with the ex-Army guy (none / 0) (#52)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 12:05:18 PM EST
    there were three heroes who together disarmed and subdued the gunman: himself, the drag performer, and another customer. The focus on the vet by the media is just their choice of story, or perhaps a result of which of the three is talking publicly. And of course, a 15-year Army vet with a wife and daughter might nevertheless be gay.

    Parent
    I mean, from what I read (none / 0) (#54)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 12:32:21 PM EST
    the ex-Army guy tackled the shooter by himself, and the two other guys helped after he had the shooter on the floor. Taking nothing away from the two other guys, the first guy is the main guy imo.

    And sure, the married father Army vet could possibly be gay too. Weirder things have happened.

    Parent

    Here's a 10 minute CNN interview (none / 0) (#56)
    by leap2 on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 01:09:13 PM EST
    Mastodon (none / 0) (#5)
    by Coral on Mon Nov 21, 2022 at 03:57:58 PM EST
    I got a Mastodon account.I have figured out how to find and follow people. As more of those I follow get on and start posting,the more useful it will be. The advice is to keep your twitter account even if you don't use it, so no one else can assume your handle.

    My guess is that either 1-Twitter will get sold to someone else and return to some semblance of sanity or 2--something else will rise to take its place.

    Mastodon's federated status--and fragmentation of technicians/servers/groups--will probably keep it from being a viable replacement for Twitter.  

    As if Thiel was not creepy enough (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 11:54:48 AM EST

    Peter Thiel Is Interested in Young People's Blood
    November 22, 2022 at 10:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard 357 Comments

    GOP megadonor Peter Thiel told Inc. Magazine that he's interested in parabiosis, which includes the practice of getting transfusions of blood from a younger person, as a means of improving health and potentially reversing aging.

    Said Thiel: "I'm looking into parabiosis stuff, which I think is really interesting. This is where they did the young blood into older mice and they found that had a massive rejuvenating effect."



    Hematology Elegy (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 02:52:08 PM EST
    Quid pro quo?  The 55-year old Thiel finances  the 38-year old JD Vance's senate campaign and Vance gives his blood.

    Parent
    Pathetic (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 22, 2022 at 12:36:20 PM EST
    This is pathetic.  No. I don't want to be centrist.  THAT would mean taking reasonable positions in attempt to foster cooperation.

    We have to be BOTHSIDERS.  We must act like every BS idea some nutcase pulls out of their butt is worth being treated like it's offered in good faith.

    This is not surprising but it's really depressing.  And why I can't do CNN.

    CNN chief Chris Licht told the Financial Times that it's "bullsh!t" that he wants the cable network to be more "centrist."

    Said Licht: "One of the biggest misconceptions about my vision is that I want to be vanilla, that I want to be centrist. That is bullshit."

    He added: "You have to be compelling. You have to have edge. In many cases you take a side. Sometimes you just point out uncomfortable questions. But either way you don't see it through a lens of left or right."



    Hmmmm (none / 0) (#44)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 07:56:05 AM EST

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The alleged shooter facing possible hate crime charges in the fatal shooting of five people at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is nonbinary, the suspect's defense team says in court filings.

    In several standard motions filed on behalf of Anderson Lee Aldrich on Tuesday, public defenders refer to the suspect as "Mx. Aldrich," noting in footnotes that Aldrich, 22, is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. The motions deal with issues like unsealing documents and evidence gathering, not Aldrich's identity and there was no elaboration about it.



    Isn't a lot of homophobia and transphobia (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 09:26:16 AM EST
    rooted in self-hatred and fear of the individual's own feelings and impulses?

    Parent
    It is (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 11:49:27 AM EST
    I think the usual number of those people who identify as nonbinary is not large.

    Parent
    It would be helpful (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 12:07:17 PM EST
    to know how long he has identified as nonbinary.

    For example was it after the shooting and he spoke to a lawyer.

    I don't know and don't care enough to Google.
    I guess we might learn this eventually

    Parent

    TMZ (none / 0) (#58)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 01:32:54 PM EST

    In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Aldrich's public defender says their client uses they/them pronouns and will be referred to as Mx. Aldrich in future proceedings. It's the first time Aldrich has claimed to be part of the LGBT community on paper or even publicly.



    Parent
    Predictable as night following day. (none / 0) (#63)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 11:14:21 AM EST
    Tucker Carlson attacked Secretary Buttigieg for his comments about the Club shooting and that the shooter is "trans" and that apparently makes all the difference--just trans on trans dispute.  Of course, he probably knows the difference between trans and non-binary, but he knows his audience doesn't and, besides, trans sounds so diabolical to them. And, of course, no mention of the shooter's possible new-found non-binary claim.   Tucker also claimed Secretary Pete was a liar for being closeted during a period of his life.

    All this heroism also needs to be discounted.  The fascists are now calling the army vet a "groomer" on platforms and questioning the veracity of the story according to internet trackers. Comments such as "hero's don't take their kids to a drag show."  Or, so a married man , his wife, daughter, and her boyfriend all go together ?  I'm going to call BS.  If not BS, as stated on the Christian platform, Gab, he's helping to molest children."

    Parent

    Please Enlighten Me (none / 0) (#46)
    by RickyJim on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 10:10:23 AM EST
    In the reporting I've seen, no evidence for this being a "hate crime" is mentioned.  For all I know, the accused could have been a former disgruntled employee or patron of the club.

    Parent
    Here's your enlightenment (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 11:58:02 AM EST
    The shooting occurred just days ago. The affidavit in support of the arrest warrant is under seal. An investigation is underway. There is no reason to suppose you or anyone else (outside the DA's office, the police and the suspect's public defender) would know what the "evidence" was at this point. The culture of instant news has created an unrealistic and unhealthy expectation to know all about and to fully understand something the minute we first hear of it.

    Parent
    legally changed his name and purposely chose "Lee," mom has substance abuse issues, and his dad was a porn actor.

    What could go wrong?

    Parent

    legally changed his name and purposely chose "Lee," mom has substance abuse issues, and his dad was a porn actor.

    What could go wrong?

    Parent

    my home internet is the worst (none / 0) (#49)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 10:36:05 AM EST
    Thursday (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 06:58:44 PM EST
    Probably a lot of people will be binging Wenesday

    I will be one.

    I thought it appropriate (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 11:30:53 AM EST
    to binge watch Wednesday on Wednesday.  Which I did yesterday and I enjoyed it.

    Parent
    Also, now on Netflix (none / 0) (#66)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 03:22:14 PM EST
    Where the Crawdads Sing.

    Good movie if you haven't seen it.

    Parent

    Agreed, a (5.00 / 1) (#70)
    by KeysDan on Mon Nov 28, 2022 at 10:50:25 AM EST
    very good movie.   Curiously, there is a wide chasm between the audience reviews of "Crawdad" (4.6 out of 5) and Rotten Tomatoes reviewers (34%).  It was difficult to grasp the basis for those negative reviews, the most savage focused on that of reality, such as Marsh Girl having such good teeth and hygiene.  

    For a movie reviewer he needs to keep in mind that this is a movie.

    Parent

    I just discovered (none / 0) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 26, 2022 at 07:05:28 PM EST
    The Serpent Queen

    Very good stuff.  I had not had Starz for a while.  

    Parent

    Happy Turkey day (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 23, 2022 at 07:23:52 PM EST
    I'm watching pundits chirp about Pence leaking he will voluntarily talk to the DOJ about J6.

    He just wrote this book portraying himself as the saviour of the republic.  And let's face it, he kind of is.  

    So he turns star witness in Trump's seditious conspiracy trial.  Thinking this will make him president.

    It might.  But it could also blow up in his face so he is just hated by everyone.

    Justice department asks Pence to testify in Trump investigation
    Ex-vice-president considering the request, according to sources, but said last week he would not testify to the January 6 panel

    The other part is it's said even if Trump tries to call executive privilege to tie it up in court, which he definitely will, he cal still testify if he chooses to.

    Not sure (none / 0) (#62)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 10:02:34 AM EST
    he merits canonization as Saint Pence for following the law. Yes, he did not buckle under the maximum pressure from his criminal boss, so there is that.  Perhaps, a cookie.   And, just a piece of the cookie after refusing to appear before the J6 Committee stating it "has no right to his testimony"---while promoting his book about J6.  

    Apparently, craven political and financial interests come before providing his unique testimony and that difference of opinion as to whether, or not, he and Mother should have been hanged by the Republican insurrectionists.

    Now, he is "volunteering" to give key testimony to the DOJ, probably a step ahead of a subpoena.  I would be more inclined to give Quayle a golden golf club.


    Parent

    I think refusing the House investigation (none / 0) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 24, 2022 at 12:13:24 PM EST
    might have been the opening act of his star witness thing.

    See, I refused to talk to those awful mean democrats but as a solid citizen I must respond to the Department of Justice.

    Parent

    Mike and Mother (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 28, 2022 at 06:21:49 PM EST
    He is (none / 0) (#72)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 28, 2022 at 06:56:41 PM EST
    never going to be president but he just can't seem to grasp that fact.

    Another prominent Republican said something similar but I mean it's only been like what? 5 or 6 days since this happened. I guess it took them that long to figure out what to say.

    Parent

    If you've ever read the book ... (none / 0) (#73)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Nov 30, 2022 at 02:56:08 AM EST
    ... or saw the TV miniseries "And the Sea Will Tell," it recounts the story of a sensational murder case in which the victims were Malcolm and Eleanor Graham, a well-known San Diego couple who were killed on Palmyra Atoll 1,200 miles to the south of Honolulu, and the alleged perpetrators stole their yacht Sea Wind and foolishly sailed it back to Honolulu, where the boat was quickly recognized and they were subsequently arrested.

    (For administrative purposes, Palmyra is recognized as part of the State of Hawaii, but the atoll itself is uninhabited.)

    Apparently, there was so much negative publicity locally that the federal murder trial of defendant Stephanie Stearns - the defendants were tried separately - was moved from Honolulu to San Francisco. The book was written by the late Vincent Bugliosi, who was defense counsel for Stearns. She was acquitted. However, the trial of her boyfriend Duane "Buck" Walker was not moved and was conducted in Honolulu, where he was found guilty of murder.

    I always thought it strange that they moved Stearns' trial to San Francisco, while Walker's trial remained in Honolulu.

    Aloha.