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Thursday Open Thread

I haven't seen any news yet today, so here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    I have to say (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 05:05:06 PM EST
    today has been a crazy day. Trump getting sued by NY AG and also whatever she has being sent over to over entities to review for penalties and crimes. Now the AG report that shows that Trump has been lying to his voters for over two years now about Hillary and emails.


    So excited about the new Acting AG of NY State (5.00 / 5) (#3)
    by Peter G on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 05:36:30 PM EST
    Barbara Underwood. She was one of my teachers in law school, when she was quite young and recently done clerking for Thurgood Marshall. She didn't love being a professor and went back to NYC to work with District Atty Elizabeth Holtzmann.  She is just the sort of prosecutor you would wish for. Super smart, liberal on social issues, not cut-throat, serious about the work. And I say that as a defense lawyer.

    Parent
    Thank you Peter (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:05:17 PM EST
    For sharing this good news, as I am practically choking on tears of rage tonight.

    Parent
    Tears of rage? (none / 0) (#17)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:41:10 PM EST
    So angry you are crying?

    Parent
    Tears of rage, (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by Peter G on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 08:05:39 PM EST
    tears of grief. Why must I always be the thief? "Oh, what dear daughter 'neath the sun, could treat a father so? To wait upon him hand and foot, yet always tell him No?"  "Come to me now, we're so alone. And life is brief."

    Parent
    I was thinking some ACDC :) (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 12:14:29 AM EST
    Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

    Parent
    That's because you're so much younger (5.00 / 4) (#36)
    by Peter G on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 08:26:00 AM EST
    than I am! My mind goes to Dylan.

    Parent
    Richard Manuel was one of the great singers (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by jondee on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 12:04:37 PM EST
    of that era..

    Sometimes I think Bob should've just written songs for The Band.

    Parent

    Just listening (none / 0) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:12:32 PM EST
    To a conversation with Jay Goldberg.  Trumps long time attorney.

    He says Trump and Cohen are up to their gills in the mob.

    This is going to be good.  The case apparently is about as solid as it gets.

    Parent

    Huh? I don't understand (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Peter G on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:56:32 PM EST
    How someone's "longtime attorney" can speak out against a former client based on non-public information.

    Parent
    Beats me (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:03:36 PM EST
    But he's been doing it quite a lot

    Parent
    Here (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:05:28 PM EST
    More (none / 0) (#14)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:12:21 PM EST
    Ok, so I watched those videos (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Peter G on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 08:10:01 PM EST
    What a waste of time. This guy Goldberg is a crank. I see and hear nothing of value here. And he doesn't make the allegation against Tr*mp in any clip you linked, only against Cohen.

    Parent
    He is an informed and educated crank (none / 0) (#21)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 08:26:09 PM EST
    Who was Trumps lawyer for years.  As far as not implicating Trump, it's hard to see how linking Trumps full time fixer with the mob doesn't "implicate" Trump.

    Jay Goldberg is an American lawyer and author based in New York City. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a scholar of United States constitutional law and criminal law. He is best known for his representation of high-profile clients and cases, including President Donald Trump throughout his divorces and several real estate transactions. After Goldberg began his career in New York working for legendary District Attorney Frank S Hogan and was appointed acting United States Attorney for the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana|Northwestern District of Indiana], by appointment of then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.


    Parent
    Actually I did not really expect you (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 08:30:59 PM EST
    To "watch" the videos.  I admit I did not.  My only point was he has been blabbing non stop.  

    I could have listed 20 more links.  Fortunately (for you I guess) I did not.

    Parent

    Call (none / 0) (#33)
    by FlJoe on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 05:07:15 AM EST
    it the tRump effect, anybody who hooks up with him gets their ethics and competence sucked out.

    Parent
    Today (none / 0) (#8)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:47:20 PM EST
    a conservative told me that Obama was going to jail. I guess they've finally figured out Hillary is not going to jail. This is how they are reading things these days.

    Parent
    Did your conservative friend (none / 0) (#10)
    by Peter G on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:58:57 PM EST
    happen to know what crime Obama supposedly committed?

    Parent
    Governing while black. (5.00 / 6) (#26)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 09:30:50 PM EST
    ;-D

    Parent
    LOL Peter (none / 0) (#16)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:38:30 PM EST
    I think they are trying to figure one to make up. It probably has to do with "illegal spying" or something on Trump.

    Parent
    I'm kind of (none / 0) (#15)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:36:56 PM EST
    shocked to hear he admitted that because I saw an interview and he was all about how Cohen will flip but basically Cohen will just tell the prosecutors what they want to hear whether it's truthful or not.

    Parent
    Rosenstein to Nunes - STFU (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:25:29 PM EST
    And about freakin time

    Rosenstein did respond to Fox News this way.

    A DOJ official told Fox News that Rosenstein "never threatened anyone in the room with a criminal investigation." The official said the department and bureau officials in the room "are all quite clear that the characterization of events laid out here is false," adding that Rosenstein was responding to a threat of contempt.

    The Deputy Attorney General was making the point--after being threatened with contempt -- that as an American citizen charged with the offense of contempt of Congress, he would have the right to defend himself, including requesting production of relevant emails and text messages and calling them as witnesses to demonstrate that their allegations are false," the official said. "That is why he put them on notice to retain relevant emails and text messages, and he hopes they did so. (We have no process to obtain such records without congressional approval.)"

    Further, the official said that when Rosenstein returns to the United States from a work trip, "he will request that the House General counsel conduct an internal investigation of these Congressional staffers' conduct."



    If it's June, it must be ... (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by desertswine on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 01:14:37 AM EST
    Festival Flamenco Internacional.  Tonite we had the pleasure of experiencing La Familia do los Reyes.  They were fabuloso.  The festival organizers do a great job getting the best dancers from Spain every year.

    LOCK (5.00 / 8) (#37)
    by FlJoe on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 10:30:08 AM EST
    HIM UP !!!!
    Paul Manafort was jailed Friday on new charges of witness tampering filed against him last week by special counsel Robert Mueller.


    The Manafort Blues (5.00 / 1) (#84)
    by Repack Rider on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 06:12:40 PM EST
    How does it FEEEL?

    Well, how does it feel?

    When the boss sits on a golden toilet

    And yours is stainless steel.

    Parent

    I'm not sure (1.00 / 1) (#56)
    by linea on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 09:19:30 PM EST
    I'm not a fan of Paul Manafort as he assisted Victor Yanukovych who I'm not a fan of.

    However, I feel we should consider the fact that Manafort isn't a threat to the community, hasn't been declared a flight risk, and is simply charged with money laundering and tax fraud based on financial transactions in 2006 and 2009 which were previously investigated and not pursued. Incarceration pre-trial seems extreme.

    On the other hand, I read the Magistrate's order and it's pretty obvious from the use of encryption software and the messages themselves that Manafort attempted to contact potential witnesses to coordinate a defence story.

    Still, perhaps some intermediary restrictive step would have sufficed rather than imprisonment before trial.

    Parent

    He was on house arrest (5.00 / 5) (#57)
    by Peter G on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 09:49:13 PM EST
    with monitored computer use. Yet he tried to evade those restrictions and tamper with witnesses, it seems. What do you expect the judge to do? Not a flight risk? No other defendant I know of with passports from more than one country and rich friends all over the globe, including in countries that do not extradite to the US, would have been on bail rather than detained in the first place. Practically the definition of a flight risk.

    Parent
    We're he not wealthy and Caucasian, (5.00 / 3) (#58)
    by oculus on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:01:09 PM EST
    he wouldn't have gotten house arrest to begin with.  Really foolish to abuse that concession.

    Parent
    Just making it up - again (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by Yman on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 07:44:31 AM EST
    Curious - where do you come up with the "facts" that you use to justify your preconceived notions of "justice"?

    I'm not a fan of Paul Manafort as he assisted Victor Yanukovych who I'm not a fan of.

    Yanukovich gets him negative points with you but not the orange buffoon currently ruining our own country?  Maybe if Yanukovich had a posh, rich daughter and much younger, third wife trying to escape the clutches of a cruel existence in Slovenia?

    However, I feel we should consider the fact that Manafort isn't a threat to the community, hasn't been declared a flight risk
    ,

    Uhhhhmmm ... false.  That is precisely the opposite of the specific finding by Judge Ellis - "U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III ... said the veteran lobbyist and political consultant posed "a substantial risk of flight" because of his assets and the gravity of his legal predicament.

    "The defendant is a person of great wealth who has the financial means and international connections to flee and remain at large, as well as every incentive to do so,"

    ... and is simply charged with money laundering and tax fraud based on financial transactions in 2006 and 2009 which were previously investigated and not pursued. Incarceration pre-trial seems extreme.

    "Simply"?  First, those are serious felonies.  Secondly, while 2009 is apparently ancient history from your perspective, those charges include conduct all the way through 2015 (and perhaps later).  Third, those charges were never "investigated and not pursued" - the investigation was (and is) ongoing.  It never stopped.  Finally, he's facing more than money laundering and tax fraud - and the investigation against him is continuing.  He's also charged with failing to register as a foreign agent, making false statements, conspiracy against the U.S. and obstruction of justice.  Those are just the charges that Mueller has chosen to file to date.

    Parent

    I have neither affection nor sympathy (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by Peter G on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 03:02:59 PM EST
    for Comrade Manafort, but "money laundering and tax fraud" are typically second-order crimes charged by prosecutors to up the ante in cases where the underlying misconduct is harder to prove. Yes, there are professional money launderers who commit that crime for its own sake (hired to aid drug dealers, etc.) and there are those who commit tax fraud with legally earned, above-board income. But I don't think that's the nature of either of those counts in the Manafort indictment.

    Parent
    They're serious felonies (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by Yman on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 07:15:04 PM EST
    Yes - they're often accompanied by other charges/crimes (and they may be in Manafort's case), but that has nothing to do with Linea's (repeated) attempts to minimize the charges against Manafort and the other defendants in the Mueller investigation - or her outright false claims about Manafort.

    Parent
    Good point. (none / 0) (#70)
    by oculus on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 03:09:38 PM EST
    Ooh! Ooh! I know! (none / 0) (#59)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 03:33:59 AM EST
    linea: "Still, perhaps some intermediary restrictive step would have sufficed rather than imprisonment before trial."

    How about manacled and chained to a tree in the back yard? Or perhaps locked up in Grandma's attic?

    Parent

    Maybe (5.00 / 1) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 06:54:02 AM EST
    A kiddie detention center

    Parent
    A tent in the summer in El Paso. (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by oculus on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 11:25:11 AM EST
    Make it Blythe or Needles and we have a deal. (none / 0) (#91)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 12:23:00 AM EST
    I'll even throw in the pink underwear.

    ;-D

    Parent

    Heh, not nice (none / 0) (#95)
    by MKS on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:59:13 AM EST
    I should sic Beto on you.  

    I used to live in El Paso.  As they say,  it is God's country because no one else would have it.

    A wonderful middle class city with very little violence.   Mountains and desert and Mexico.  Beautiful in its own way.

    Parent

    El Paso is a very nice city. (none / 0) (#111)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 04:02:51 PM EST
    I once spent four days there back in high school, when we played in a spring baseball tournament. It's a rather inviting Democratic oasis in the middle of a harsh GOP desert, not unlike Tucson, AZ in that respect.

    Anyway, El Paso deserves better than to house the sorry likes of Paul Manafort in its midst. The dreary Colorado River towns of Blythe and Needles do not.

    That reminds me of an amusing story my grandfather used to tell of his time at the U.S. Army Air Corps' Gardner Field, which was a major fighter pilot training facility located just outside of the equally dreary town of Taft, CA, where he served as the commandant of cadets in 1941-42, during the early days of U.S. involvement in the Second World War.

    One extremely hot and very miserable day in the summer of '42, my grandfather had to discipline two young cadets who had overstayed their leave in Bakersfield, which was 20 miles northeast of Gardner Field. He made them stand at attention in the hot sun outside of the base HQ, where he asked them why they had joined the Air Corps in the first place.

    "I want to fight Nazis, sir," said one of them earnestly. "Because if we don't stop them in Africa and Europe, they could end up over here."

    His fellow AWOL cadet looked around at the miserable setting of his present locale and quipped, "Well, they're certainly more than welcome to THIS place."

    My grandfather laughed out loud and replied, "You'll get no argument from me there, son." Then he put them both on two weeks' KP and restricted them to base for 30 days.

    ;-D

    Parent

    Former Trump (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 10:33:22 AM EST
    Campaign chair. Paul Manafort. Gets locked up.

    Thank you (both) (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 10:42:26 AM EST
    For paying attention so I don't have to.

    Ancient Aliens

    Parent

    I (5.00 / 5) (#40)
    by FlJoe on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 10:47:44 AM EST
    do believe the short fingered vulgarian is a wee bit jealous of his new BFF.
    President Donald Trump on Friday told Fox News that he wants American citizens to show him the same reverence that North Koreans show leader Kim Jong-un.

    During a surprise interview with "Fox & Friends" on Friday, Trump said he was impressed by the respect that Kim commanded from his people.

    "He's the head of the country -- and he's the strong head, don't let anyone think anything different," Trump said during the interview. "He speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same."

    Dictator dreaming, on such a summers day.

    In every home (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 10:54:25 AM EST
    A photo of Trump, Ivanka, DJTJ and Eric.

    Take me to reorientation camp right fc@king now.

    Parent

    Well, if they drag you away, (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by Zorba on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 04:55:44 PM EST
    Howdy, we will bust you out and bring you to our farm.  Which I am hereby declaring The Republic of Zorba.

    Parent
    Trump (none / 0) (#43)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:03:45 AM EST
    Admires strong leaders, Kim is a new favorite. Strong includes cruel and murderous. Whatever it requires.


    Parent
    Good article on the Dassey case (none / 0) (#1)
    by McBain on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 03:33:16 PM EST
    and false confessions.
    I was released almost eighteen long and terrible years later, after new evidence and witnesses established others were responsible for the crime and disproved the story that had been fed to me during my interrogation...

    ...As I did, Dassey is fighting his conviction now, while the world watches...

    ...His case should lead the Supreme Court to reinvigorate the "special care" doctrine it adopted long ago to protect kids like him, and me, from an unwinnable game of "gotcha" in the interrogation room -- and the unjust consequences that can so easily destroy those same children's lives.  

    The Supreme Court was supposed to discuss Brendan Dassey's case today but decided to postpone.


    It can only happen in Floriduh! (none / 0) (#4)
    by vml68 on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:03:45 PM EST
    Amazing (none / 0) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 06:09:43 PM EST
    Officers used this incident to let others know on that they are always here to help test any illegal drugs.
    "If you believe you were sold bad drugs, we are offering a free service to test them for you," the Facebook post says. "Remember, our detectives are always ready to assist anyone who believes they were misled in their illegal drug purchase."

    Darwin in real time

    Parent

    I'm reading (none / 0) (#18)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 07:48:45 PM EST
    a story on the charity tax forms. Apparently Trump lied on them and filed false returns. There was a reason why he wouldn't release his tax returns and I'm sure lying on them was one of them.

    It pretty stunning (none / 0) (#23)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 08:43:33 PM EST
    She want the org shut down and all the assets frozen and given to "actual" charities and all those involved permanently banned from being involved in similar work.

    Along with criminal referrals to the IRS and FEC

    Parent

    Yeah, (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 10:58:19 PM EST
    I mean people have been on TV looking at what the amazing NY AG has written and they are saying his charity breaks every rule there is for a charity. Even the same thing Hillary brought up during the debates about him using his charity to buy a picture of himself is being talked about.

    I have to say though if most of the media had done their job in 2016 we wouldnt be having this discussion. Farenhold did the work but it largely went unnoticed.

    Parent

    I just heard something (5.00 / 5) (#28)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 11:38:17 PM EST
    Very depressing

    The topic was separating children from their parents  

    Some one said "this is not who we are"

    Which is soothing thought.

    And some else said (paraphrase) well, it's happening.  No one is stopping it.  The presidents approval rating is the highest it's ever been.
    When do we look in the mirror and admit, you know what, this is who we are.

    I think we have one more chance to prove its not who we are.  In November.  God help us if we fail.

    Parent

    We are in the hands of Nazis... (5.00 / 2) (#29)
    by desertswine on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 12:09:28 AM EST
    My God this cannot go on.  They're going to start housing the kids in tent camps.  We're back in the 1930's and not in a good way.

    Parent
    It took the US 4 yrs (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Militarytracy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 12:17:57 AM EST
    To admit to itself what it had done getting into bed with Dubya and Cheney and that insanity crew. By the time we were ready to deal with reality Dubya had been re-elected.

    Parent
    That's true (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 06:18:00 AM EST
    and you could argue that where we are now has been a long time coming.

    Cold Civil War is what we are in. You can be an American or you can be a Neo-Confederate/Neo-Nazi/Putin supporter. Ironically having a foreign power involved in these things historically has been pretty typical.

    Parent

    This time I'm not sure (none / 0) (#137)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 04:03:47 PM EST
    They get Virginia

    Parent
    For many people across the country, ... (none / 0) (#51)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 04:32:17 PM EST
    ... reality slapped them harshly upside the head in Sept. 2005 when over 1,800 people drowned in New Orleans after the levees gave way in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and they watched with growing frustration as the Bush administration officials did little or nothing to assist the hundreds of thousands of stranded survivors, until they were finally prodded to do so by a very sharp and angry public backlash.

    Dubya squandered whatever credibility and political capital he had on a site visit with only a mere handful of words: "Brownie, you're doin' a heck of a job." Cheney did himself no favors while on his own site visit along Mississippi's Gulf coast, when he had Secret Service agents detain a distraught survivor who had told the vice president to "go f*ck yourself" on live TV.

    But the defining moment for many conservatives came when Fox News' Shepard Smith -- reporting live on the scene in New Orleans -- finally exploded in a long-overdue rage at his oblivious colleagues back at the network's New York studios, who were still dutifully adhering to a suddenly obsolescent and heartless GOP party line. His epic rant clarified the crisis for much of Fox's audience, who were trying to reconcile the horrible images they were seeing onscreen with the partisan nonsense they were hearing from Rupert Murdoch's talking heads.

    Dubya's and Cheney's approval ratings -- which weren't all that great in the first place -- tanked and never recovered thanks to their administration's self-inflicted Katrina fiasco, and they became the lamest of political lame ducks only ten months into their second term.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Donald, I just wish (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by Zorba on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 04:46:29 PM EST
    that the current crop of conservatives and Trumpistas would have a similar reaction to the Trump administration's inability to help Puerto Rico.

    Parent
    I do, too. (5.00 / 2) (#60)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 03:39:42 AM EST
    What's happened there is heartbreaking. But when 23% of self-identified Republicans fail to realize that Hawaii is one of the 50 states, I shudder to think what they believe about Puerto Rico, which is a Spanish-speaking U.S. commonwealth. These people give a new meaning to stupid every day.

    Parent
    I agree (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 06:16:05 AM EST
    The hope I have is that all this spurs some serious reforms in the future.

    Parent
    This is who we have been (5.00 / 4) (#45)
    by Towanda on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:14:45 AM EST
    for most of our history, taking children from African American parents, Native American parents, Irish American widows, and others.

    At least when we incarcerated Asian Americans in camps, we kept their families together. That was progess in our history.

    Parent

    True (none / 0) (#46)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:19:57 AM EST
    Without doubt.

    Still

    It's not who we see when we look in the mirror.

    Question, will it now penetrate to the stupid fu@king voters?

    It might.  It might

    Parent

    Nobody can say they weren't warned, Cap'n. (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 04:22:02 PM EST
    This particular clip from the 2016 presidential debates makes me want to cry. Hillary Clinton told us exactly what was going to happen, and everything she said at the time in Las Vegas has since come to pass.

    Now I just get very angry, whenever I think of the 62.9 million dipsticks and dumbclucks who in November 2016 somehow rationalized to themselves that yeah, this guy is presidential timber.

    What in the hell were they thinking?

    Parent

    Towanda: "At least when we incarcerated Asian Americans in camps, we kept their families together. That was progess in our history."

    ... the landmark case Korematsu v. U.S., was arrested for violating Executive Order No. 9066 and sent to the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah, his wife Kathryn Pearson was forcibly separated from him because she was white and therefore not allowed to go, even though she had volunteered to accompany him and her in-laws to their exile in Topaz.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I did not know that part of the story (none / 0) (#114)
    by Peter G on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 04:56:05 PM EST
    Fred and Kathryn's daughter is now a civil rights crusader against racism, for criminal justice reform, and for a non-discriminatory immigration policy. I saw and heard her speak last week at the national ACLU membership conference in Washington DC.

    Parent
    In 2004, I took my eldest daughter to ... (5.00 / 1) (#132)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 08:40:39 PM EST
    ... a tribute honoring my former boss Congresswoman Patsy Mink, who had passed away 18 months earlier, at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law.

    Fred and Kathryn Korematsu -- who were then both in their 80s -- were also in attendance, accompanied by their daughter Karen (whom you heard speak last week), because Fred was being honored with the law school's inaugural Patsy Mink Award for Social Justice. Both Fred and Kathryn made brief remarks recounting their wartime experiences and after Karen thanked everyone, there was a reception in the law school's central courtyard.

    My daughter, who was all of 13 at the time, boldly walked up to Kathryn at the reception, introduced herself and then engaged her about her earlier remarks, in which Kathryn had publicly decried the then-growing number of instances of discrimination and bigotry being committed against Muslim Americans. Kathryn patiently heard my daughter out, thanked her for her interest and then replied to her, as well as I can recall:

    "Whenever you see someone being wronged for reasons of their race or ethnicity or religion, it's important to always speak up and say something. Otherwise, your silence is your acquiescence even if you don't agree with it, and your acquiescence can render you complicit in that wrongdoing by default. Remember, you're never wrong to stand for the principles of equality, fairness and justice, even if it's not currently popular. And your example might also inspire others to see the light and do the same."

    Suffice to say that Kathryn Korematsu made quite the powerful impression on a 13-year-old girl that night.

    Aloha.  

    Parent

    Oops (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 09:16:36 PM EST
    Not permanently banned

    Parent
    Film reviews (none / 0) (#25)
    by linea on Thu Jun 14, 2018 at 09:20:23 PM EST
    Ocean's 8 Film Review
    The cast includes Awkwafina (I like her from MTV's Girl Code) and a number of older actresses with recognizable names. It's a heist film but there is none of the excitement or drama of a heist film and there are no tense moments. Nothing is interesting and nothing goes wrong. It's boring, predictable, and formulaic.

    Solo Film Review
    This film provides the backstory of Hans Solo, his lucky dice, how he met the wooky, his lucky dice, how he got the millennium falcon, and his lucky dice. Hans makes several attempts to steal a rare and precious MacGuffin. The characters are not well-developed so you really don't care when a character is killed off, the story lines are shoddy, and the theft scenes are boring.

    Instead
    You can watch Deadpool 2 at the theatre, Thor Ragnarok on Netflix, or Lady Bird on Amazon Prime.

    The current (none / 0) (#42)
    by CST on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:02:05 AM EST
    Local Real Estate Market, in a nutshell:

    Link

    "An uninhabitable, fire-ravaged home on a quarter-acre lot in Melrose was recently listed for sale at $600,000. But now, after receiving multiple offers in just two weeks, the seller is raising the price by another $50,000."

    Melrose isn't even a "fancy" suburb, although it is a close suburb with T access, which seems to count for a lot more these days.

    And here's the real kicker:

    "The house was last sold in 1982 for $65,000"

    It's widespread (none / 0) (#44)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 11:14:01 AM EST
    My friend who wants to move here just learned the house he bought for 35,000 6 years ago is worth well over 100,000

    He is pleased

    Parent

    How does this (none / 0) (#48)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 01:35:24 PM EST
    NYTimes reporting in 2016 hold up?   Russian investigation over, perhaps just an unsuccessful attempt at Russian intervention, generally, in the election.  Nothing to do with Trump.  On the other hand, what about those emails...a cloud over her campaign.  

    History (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by FlJoe on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 01:53:54 PM EST
     IMO, should judge that story as one of the worst ever. NYT and or the IG should name those LE sources.

    Parent
    The authors of the NYTimes article: (none / 0) (#50)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 02:35:21 PM EST
    Steven Lee Myers, now Beijing bureau chief; Eric Lichtblau left the NYTimes for CNN, shortly thereafter "resigned" suddenly over a CNN story's "integrity."    

    Parent
    Speaking (none / 0) (#52)
    by FlJoe on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 04:42:36 PM EST
    of leakers, Nunes of all people just confirmed what anti-Clinton FBI agents were up to.
    In light of the fact that the Inspector General's report ignored the questions about anti-Clinton bias in the FBI's New York field office and questions about whether Comey's actions were driven by fears of leaks from that same office, this seems highly relevant. Last night on Fox News, Rep. Devin Nunes explained that in late September 2016, "good FBI agents" came to him and told him they'd found the Weiner laptop with Huma Abedin's emails with Secretary Clinton.


    Parent
    Josh (none / 0) (#63)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 07:52:43 AM EST
    Marshal dives deeper into the IG report.
    Comey claimed that fears of leaks did not play a role in his decision. Basically all his advisors said the opposite. One of the big mysteries of the IG Report is what happened to the investigation into reports of anti-Clinton bias in the FBI Field Office in New York and claims that anti-Clinton agents had leaked the news of the laptop to Rudy Giuliani in order to restart the Clinton probe. (Reps. Elijah Cummings and John Conyers requested Inspector General Horowitz review this matter all the way back on November 4th, 2016.) I have heard suggestions that this part of the investigation will be addressed in a subsequent IG Report. But I've been able to find no concrete evidence of that. Even if that is the case, since the Inspector General looked so hard for anti-Trump bias in the FBI leadership in Washington, it seems odd to deal separately with possible anti-Clinton biases of those whose potential leaking that leadership team was apparently reacting to.
     

    Parent
    I'm guessing it's because ... (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by Yman on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 08:27:48 AM EST
    ... they have reason to continue the investigation of Giuliani/NY office and didn't want to hold up the IG report.  Plus, it sounds like some of these people were actually receiving "gifts" from the people they were leaking to.More from Mother Jones:

    The 500-page report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz suggests anti-Clinton leaking from the bureau's New York office likely influenced Comey's decision to announce the resumption of the email probe less than two weeks before the presidential election--a step that may have thrown the race to Trump. The FBI could be in for a bloodbath over these leaks: Horowitz says his office plans to report on multiple investigations into extensive "unauthorized media contact by FBI personnel."
    "We have profound concerns about the volume and extent of unauthorized media contacts by FBI personnel that we have uncovered."

    "We have profound concerns about the volume and extent of unauthorized media contacts by FBI personnel that we have uncovered during our review," the report says. Horowitz also writes that his office "identified instances where FBI employees improperly received benefits from reporters, including tickets to sporting events, golfing outings, drinks and meals, and admittance to nonpublic social events."

    The report doesn't say which agents allegedly accepted such benefits. But elsewhere it notes that senior FBI and DOJ officials were especially concerned about leaks from the bureau's New York field office, many of which were damaging to Clinton. Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe--who himself was fired earlier this year in part for a lack of candor regarding disclosures to the press that he authorized--told the IG's office that he was concerned about leaks from the New York office. The report also notes that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch repeatedly raised concerns about leaks from New York.



    Parent
    Perhaps (5.00 / 2) (#72)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:11:57 PM EST
    the investigation continues, but at what pace and with what fanfare?

    IMO the damage is done, the current narrative is that despite all the damage done to Clinton the only bias "discovered" was the personal anti tRump politics of a handful of FBI brass, while the motives of the rouge NY agents are yet to be determined(at best).

    I suppose the hammer will eventually come down on the NY office but it will likely be as a more general condemnation of the "culture" of leaking and the headlines will almost certainly revolve the wining and dining by the press. I'm afraid that the blatant anti-Hillary actions committed will be lost in the mix, when they should be standing front and center with at least the prominence of those silly personal text messages between Page and Strzok.

    Parent

    It seems to me (5.00 / 1) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:24:32 PM EST
    Democrats, as in democratic leadership, could be doing a better job of responding to the non stop fire hose of lies and misdirection.

    Trump is a pro.  It's working.  

    IMO this was one of Obama's failings.  He gave people way to much credit for seeing thru lies and distraction.

    I'm not sure who in leadership might do this.  Perhaps we need new leadership.  That can, you know, lead.

    Parent

    Completely (none / 0) (#75)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:29:00 PM EST
    agree. However we also have to realize that the newspapers are not our friend and cannot expect them to tell our side of the story. So i'm kind of at a loss as to how to get the message out other than buying ads on TV and social media. It would help if the shows had people like Adam Schiff on more and less Bernie who is not helpful.

    Parent
    That's sort of my point (none / 0) (#76)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:37:54 PM EST
    It's only Adam Schiff.  Maybe Two or three others who are practically on the MSNBC staff.

    It's seems to me a leader with some sense of media, like Clinton and his war room, could get plenty of press coverage.

    I don't see the so called democratic leadership doing squat.  

    Sure when Trump say he can pardon himself Schumer slinks to a podium and expresses outrage.  In his stupid nose glasses.  And honestly it's probably just as well Pelosi keeps quiet and raises money.

    I just the there is a big freakin niche to fill if some young blood would step up.

    And as much as I like Adam Schiff, it's not him.

    Parent

    How about (none / 0) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:47:07 PM EST
    A daily 5 pm press conference, in time for the evening news, outlining and refuting all the lies and horrible unbelievable sh!t Trump and his minions have done TODAY.

    There is damn sure no shortage of material.  In fact the only way to deal with is on a daily basis.

    Would you watch?  I would


    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#78)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:01:42 PM EST
    the political equivalent of Michael Avenatti, he gets tons of airtime as an unrelenting attack dog, if only in the narrow context of the Stormy, Cohen and tRump soap opera.

    Some young telegenic Rep from an extremely safe district should be able to do the same and draw the same eyeballs that Avenatti does(the bottom line and all that).

    Parent

    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#79)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:08:47 PM EST
    Absolutely

    Public funding.  If a "foundation for truth" was started for this purpose and requested it they would get more money than they could spend

    A full time staff who's only job was to document and provide facts about every Trump lie.  Along with every horrible thing they do that's being ignored because of Trump dominance of the news cycle

    A smart politician could be the face but now you mention it MA might not be bad.  Definitely a role model.

    Otherwise we are unsettling him lie his a$$ off every day all day long with zero consequences.


    Parent

    This is a great idea. (none / 0) (#109)
    by KeysDan on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 01:03:53 PM EST
    It is infuriating to read articles about Trump or his Administration without including comments/responses of Democratic leadership.  Indeed, much has been done to discredit Pelosi so that her criticisms are ignored.  The media attention she gets is when some Democrat says he/she will not support her. Schumer is very smart and can be effective, but he seems too quiet of late.

     The Trump Foundation fraud, including Ivanka, Jr. and Eric, is an easy one to understand ...good fertilizer for understanding the Trump family confluence of interests....the White House is just an opportunity to make money. It is clear that they plan to take advantage of this White House gig, while they can.

    The Mueller report will be complicated, and, surely,  to be like reading a Russian novel, except not fiction, and Trump as protagonist.   That is why indictments are needed so that any/all crimes are fairly adjudicated and national security is insured.

    Parent

    Oh, yeah (none / 0) (#82)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:40:53 PM EST
    I definitely like the war room idea. What the heck happened during Obama? I mean did everybody get the same kumbaya disease or something? Schumer used to be a lot better than he is now. I like the idea of an Avenatti type congressman going from show to show to show. I am trying to think of one right now but I cannot. There has to be one.

    I would watch a press conference but would it get past just the base?

    Parent

    I don't even think the most important (5.00 / 2) (#83)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:57:58 PM EST
    Point is, would it get past the base.  Although I think it would.

    In my opinion we have a responsibility.  To the country, to the world, to history.

    Trump just lies and lies and lies.  A mealy mouthed reporter or politician saying he is "hyperbolic" ain't good enough.

    He should be called on every vile lie.  Every one. And they should be called lies and actual documented facts should be provided.  Just because.

    Parent

    Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#85)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 06:22:59 PM EST
    I agree with you. We cannot certainly depend on the press to what they are supposed to do. They are either unable or unwilling to do the job they were called to do.

    Beto O'Rourke is marching to the border tomorrow to inspect the tent cities. I wonder if that will even break through the fog. Maybe if he gets enough people pushing it on social media it will bubble up to the press. You'll have to watch the morning shows tomorrow and report back on what they are saying.

    Parent

    Good for him (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 06:30:16 PM EST
    At least he's trying.

    Parent
    Ted Lieu. (none / 0) (#88)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 07:44:27 PM EST
    You know (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 04:26:33 PM EST
    I have to have faith that the truth is going to come out. Yeah, the whole Trump spewing lies about the IG report took up some oxygen at first but the rest of the story is starting to peek out especially since Barbara Underwood send that deadly lawsuit against Trump. Bloomberg did an article breaking it down and it makes Trump look like a crook but not only a crook but a stupid one too. He cheated to the point of using his charity to pay a $7 registration fee for his son to join the boy scouts.

    Also there is no way Trump is going to attempt to blame anyone else though I'm sure he'll try. He had the sole authority to sign all the checks and the board has not met since 1999 so there was no other authority than Trump.

    Thank you Barbara!!!

    Parent

    No (5.00 / 2) (#80)
    by FlJoe on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:13:36 PM EST
    thank you David Fahrenthold for blowing this open story wide open 2 years ago, for which he won a highly deserved Pulitzer.

    I don't share your optimism on it hurting tRump any more this time than it did then.

    Parent

    I'm afraid that he'll wind up... (none / 0) (#90)
    by desertswine on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 11:02:49 PM EST
    paying a big fine and then everyone will forget about it.  Just like Trump University.

    Parent
    Trump U (none / 0) (#93)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:12:22 AM EST
    case was not referred to the IRS and the FEC for criminal fraud. However the FEC is basically toothless so I would think he'll probably get a fine. Even if nothing criminal comes out of this which I doubt the money he is going to owe is going to be astronomical and he's going to have to sell off properties or something to pay the bills.

    Parent
    Yeah (none / 0) (#92)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:09:40 AM EST
    but the WaPo got no national attention for their coverage of what a fraudster Trump is and the idiots in the press only seem to understand something if it comes out of a legal proceeding.

    Parent
    Marshall (none / 0) (#97)
    by FlJoe on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 07:45:40 AM EST
    keeps expounding finding this bit of chilling testimony from former AG Lynch
    he said it's clear to me that there is a cadre of senior people in New York who have a deep and visceral hatred of Secretary Clinton. And he said it is, it is deep...But he was saying it did exist, and it was hard to manage because these were agents that were very, very senior, or had even had timed out and were staying on, and therefore did not really feel under pressure from headquarters or anything to that effect.
     Why is the IG and the MSM ignoring this, and how in the holly hell can the IG conclude that there was no political bias in the Hillary investigation without directly addressing this issue?

    Parent
    Supposedly (none / 0) (#98)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 07:56:29 AM EST
    the whole NY field office is going to be addressed in a separate report.

    But again, we would never be in this mess if it wasn't for a lazy and complicit press.

    Parent

    Sorry (none / 0) (#99)
    by FlJoe on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 08:37:33 AM EST
    "supposedly" does not inspire confidence in me.  

    Parent
    The New York FBI matter could still be ... (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 08:53:42 PM EST
    ... under active investigation, which is why it wasn't included in this particular IG report.

    Parent
    and (5.00 / 1) (#135)
    by FlJoe on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 05:46:16 AM EST
    if it isn't, god help us.

    Parent
    Josh (none / 0) (#138)
    by FlJoe on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 04:10:19 PM EST
    Marshall remains skeptical
    So, for instance, maybe there's an agent in New York who fed information to Rudy Giuliani and perhaps he or she will be called out a future report. But this is not simply leaks. Leaks appear to have been part of a pattern of conduct aimed at forcing forward the Clinton probe, restarting it and forcing the announcement of that restarting of the probe in the weeks just before the election. It was a pattern of bias and biased behavior leading to a number of inappropriate actions which shaped the course of the investigation and the election. This is the overarching look at the situation that was wholly absent in last week's IG Report. I do not expect any follow up report to do anything like that.

    Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's some big criminal investigation going on we don't know about. I doubt it. I think these questions are inconvenient and not being asked.

     I agree that any future findings, no matter how damming will be disconnected from the true narrative of what the FBI did during the campaign.

    The whole IG report still rings hollow to me, the FBI's actions always hurt Clinton and never hurt tRump it seemed strange that the focus would be on the anti-tRump bias. Meanwhile  "a cadre of senior people in New York who have a deep and visceral hatred of Secretary Clinton"  runs free and barely remarked upon.

    I have watched every news cycle(CNN) since the report came out and I have not heard that cadre, mentioned at all. I have heard "we will stop him" dozens of time. History is being whitewashed before our very eyes.

    Bonus Track:

    This is notable. According to testimony in the IG Report, one reason for the harsh criticism of Secretary Clinton in James Comey's June 2016 statement was to assuage the concerns of FBI employees who said "You guys are finally going to get that bitch. We're rooting for you."
    At least they didn't chant lock her up.


    Parent
    ... I will note Rudy Giuliani's belated admission today that he was indeed questioned by the IG's investigators about purported leaks from the FBI's New York field office during the 2016 campaign. So, we can't necessarily discount the possibility that this is still an ongoing DOJ probe.

    Parent
    I guess (none / 0) (#100)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 08:45:57 AM EST
    we shall see what happens.

    Parent
    I am sick to death (5.00 / 2) (#101)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:26:45 AM EST
    of Susan Collins, Corker, Flake and McCain being lauded for their impotent pathetic hand wringing.

    It takes two republican senators

    There is a discharge in the house.

    Either STFU or do something.

    Parent

    Me too (none / 0) (#102)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:30:29 AM EST
    Corker and Flake aren't even running for reelection and they can't seem to do anything but wring their hands.

    As I've said before this is the most cowardly and craven bunch of politicians I have ever seen in my life.

    Parent

    Collins (none / 0) (#103)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:32:48 AM EST
    Don't leave her out.

    She is the worst

    She needs to be challenged and beaten.

    Parent

    Not leaving (none / 0) (#104)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:42:23 AM EST
    her out just stating that the ones that don't even have to face the voters won't do anything. I think with this latest round Collins is probably done. Unfortunately it is going to take until 2020 to get rid of her along with a lot of other jokers like David Perdue.

    Parent
    Collins (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:46:07 AM EST
    watch your language please (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 10:00:50 AM EST
    I've already deleted two comments in this thread for namecalling

    Parent
    Sorry (none / 0) (#107)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 10:06:11 AM EST
    It's been a very depressing Sunday morning

    Parent
    NY Times (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by Zorba on Fri Jun 15, 2018 at 04:42:47 PM EST
    Has circled the drain and is on its way down to the sewer.
    Too bad, really, because it used to be a good paper.

    Parent
    Do you have inflormation as to (none / 0) (#66)
    by oculus on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 11:30:29 AM EST
    efforts to advise undocumented people aiming to enter the U.S. w/children that the U.S. will forcibly separate the children from their parents and detain the children.

    I expect it is widely reported (none / 0) (#67)
    by linea on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 02:10:39 PM EST
    I expect the Mexican, Guatemalan, Colombian, et alia, media are advising their respective citizenry that the US is arresting and jailing all foreign nationals who illegally enter the US including those with minor children and that children are not housed with parents in US jails.

    Re: `undocumented people aiming to enter the U.S.'

    They would not be `undocumented persons' prior to entering the US; they would be `foreign nationals.' The term `undocumented' refers to one's status inside the United States.


    Parent

    I abhor the phrase "illegal aliens" (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by oculus on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 02:29:38 PM EST
    I'm confident you understood my comment.

    Parent
    I did understand your comment (none / 0) (#81)
    by linea on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 05:16:31 PM EST
    I agree that `illegal alien' is a wildly inaccurate term. It is not criminally illegal to be present in the US without authorization.

    Parent
    utilizing that phrase will (5.00 / 1) (#108)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 12:54:56 PM EST
    result in a comment being deleted. No human being is illegal.

    As to your other point, it is a criminal offense to be present in the U.S. if you have previously been ordered removed or deported. It is a civil violation to merely be present if you have not been subjected to a prior removal.

    Entering the United States without being inspected and admitted, i.e., illegal entry, is a misdemeanor or can be a felony, depending on the circumstances. 8 U.S.C. § 1325. But many undocumented immigrants do not enter the United States illegally. They enter legally but overstay, work without authorization, drop out of school or violate the conditions of their visas in some other way. Current estimates are that approximately 45% of undocumented immigrants did not enter illegally. See Pew Hispanic Center, Modes of Entry for the Unauthorized Migrant Population [May 22, 2006].

    Undocumented presence in the United States is only criminally punishable if it occurs after an individual was previously formally removed from the United States and then returned without permission. 8 U.S.C. § 1326 (any individual previously "deported or removed" who "enters, attempts to enter, or is at any time found in" the United States without authorization may be punished by imprisonment up to two years). Mere undocumented presence in the United States alone, however, in the absence of a previous removal order and unauthorized  reentry, is not a crime under federal law


    Parent
    News sources are reporting people are (none / 0) (#128)
    by oculus on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:54:00 PM EST
    being detained on misdemeanor charges just for coming into U.S. w/o documentation.  Is this incorrect?

    Parent
    It is correct. (none / 0) (#131)
    by caseyOR on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 07:32:32 PM EST
    Isn't the document you need (5.00 / 4) (#71)
    by Peter G on Sat Jun 16, 2018 at 03:11:35 PM EST
    to enter the U.S. legally, in nearly all cases, a visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad? Someone arriving at the border and seeking to enter without a visa would then be "undocumented," even before entering. That seems to me a neutral description, not a pejorative. I would add that under international law, someone who seeks to enter without a visa but with a prima facie legitimate claim to be a refugee or asylum seeker is not acting illegally.

    Parent
    Sen. Susan Collins Supports (none / 0) (#96)
    by MKS on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 07:05:35 AM EST
    separating children from their parents at the Border.

    Says so in private letters to supporters.

    Can we now call this evil?

    Guess Susan Collins is no Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

    Washington Post (none / 0) (#110)
    by linea on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 01:46:28 PM EST
    Can the President Be Indicted? (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 05:26:51 PM EST
    Arguments originating in an office working for the president are not objective--nor are they final.

    The plain fact is that OLC, responsive to its own institutional incentives, sometimes gets things wrong. Its opinions legitimizing the CIA's torture program were later withdrawn because of errors. Its opinion that federal courts could not hear appeals from prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay was later rejected by a 2008 Supreme Court decision. Its opinion allowing government agencies to ignore requests for information from individual members of Congress was disavowed by the Trump administration at the urging of Sen. Chuck Grassley. Its opinion supporting warrantless mass surveillance absent any congressional or judicial approval was refuted by a later OLC opinion. And its opinion saying Congress cannot give federal employees whistleblower rights to provide the legislative branch with classified information was found unpersuasive by Congress.



    WESTWORLD season finale (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:15:05 PM EST
    Next week The Passenger, 90 minutes, oh boy oh boy oh boy

    You can find plenty of speculation about Ford and his plan for William and "the Door," whatever that is, I want to focus on one of my favorite fan theories that has cropped up in the wake of the revelation that Ford's consciousness was still ticking away inside the Cradle. Now that the Cradle has been destroyed, blown up by a self-sacrificing Angela in order to break the shackles of immortality, Ford seemingly exists only inside Bernard's artificial brain. Surely the mastermind behind all this chaos has bigger plans for himself than that.

    Where will this "passenger" have Bernard take him? The answer might have something to do with that Delos satellite Charlotte keeps referencing, the one intended to receive the data from Peter Abernathy's head. Perhaps Ford plans on hijacking that satellite and beaming up a very different sort of package. As Redditor Pabswikk writes, "Ford is planning to have himself uploaded to the satellite where Delos is waiting for the Abernathy upload. This will give him access to the outside world, as opposed to the closed system of the cradle. He will then use it to wreak havoc on the outside world, allowing the hosts to leave the park."

    When Charlotte asked Bernard where Abernathy's control unit was located, he told her Sector 16, and that's where the Delos team is now heading. But what if that was Ford speaking through Bernard, giving her the coordinates of where he wanted to go... so that Charlotte will unwittingly deliver Ford -- inside Bernard, like a Trojan horse -- straight to the satellite uplink, which is exactly where he wants to be? If so, Season 3 of Westworld could play out on a much larger scale than anything before, as Ford and the hosts break out of the park and take their rebellion to the outside world.

    Tonight's penultimate seems all about backstories


    PS (none / 0) (#117)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:21:19 PM EST
    I thoughtlessly weeks Native American episode was about as perfect as it gets.  Once more we get new perspective from those seen as more or less a soleless menace until they are not.

    Parent
    PS 2 - alternate passenger theory (none / 0) (#118)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 06:43:00 PM EST
    Or possibly an additional one.

    Consider the season 2 title sequence.

    The last shot. The baby.  Why? Why put that so prominently when there has been no baby so far?  Sure, Maeves daughter.  But she is not a baby.

    What if, as a result of their one night of passion before she turned him into the Terminator, Dolores is pregnant?

    Parent

    Hope there is a Season 3 (none / 0) (#119)
    by MKS on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:23:25 PM EST
    Already announced (none / 0) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Jun 17, 2018 at 09:25:19 PM EST
    Yes, here it is.. the long-awaited (none / 0) (#121)
    by desertswine on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 01:07:59 PM EST
    "Space Force."   I will personally pay for a one-way ticket for President Idiot to fly to where ever he wants to go in Space.   Maybe the Mexicans will pay for this one.  

    I prefer Space Patrol (5.00 / 1) (#129)
    by McBain on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 06:58:53 PM EST
    or Space Fleet (Black Mirror episode) but Space Force works too.  

    Parent
    Fighting (none / 0) (#134)
    by linea on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 11:17:51 PM EST
    Space Pirates. Drinking space champagne in space restaurants.

    Parent
    Anyone who supports this nonsense ... (none / 0) (#136)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 03:31:48 PM EST
    ... is a Space Cadet. Some people have apparently been binge-watching "Starship Troopers" on endless loop while doing Cuervo shooters, because they're taking away the wrong lessons of that story, which is an allegory about the perils of fascism. The last thing we need is to weaponize space.

    Parent
    If that was an allegory (5.00 / 1) (#143)
    by jondee on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 03:48:44 PM EST
    about the perils of fascism, I doubt Robert Heinlein meant it that way.

    Heinlein always struck me as having a fascist streak a mile wide.

    Jim used to quote him here all the time.

    Parent

    It was (none / 0) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 04:38:40 PM EST
    That is to say (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 05:17:44 PM EST
    It WAS even if he did not intend it to be.  Which is the subject of some disagreement.

    I believe it was intended to be.  

    But even if it was not, it was.

    Parent

    Thank you!! (none / 0) (#147)
    by linea on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 08:30:34 PM EST
    His other major work, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, is widely considered libertarian utopianist.

    Most certainly Starship Troopers was intended a pro-masculine pro-militaristic vision by the author.

    Parent

    You have no idea what you are talking about (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 08:44:56 PM EST
    As usual.

    Even as far as the book.  But Donald was talking about the film which was originally call Bug Hunt or something and only licensed the name from the novel.  

    And the film was absolutely an satiric story intended to make militarism look foolish and dangerous and was marketed that way.

    This movie came out in my time in LA and I know lots of people who worked on it in many areas including marketing.

    In fact it was a bit if a joke at Disney, where I was, that the movie we were doing was originally going to be done the team of Verhoeven and Tippit who did troopers.  Many of us wished it had stayed that way.  It would have been a very different movie.

    Parent

    In fact (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 08:55:32 PM EST
    The day Troopers came out the entire cast of Dinosaur went to see it as a group paid for by our department heads and Disney.  During work time.

    We, the lighting and effects department, had t-shirts made

    EVERYONE LIGHTS
    NO ONE QUITS

    I still have it.

    Parent

    Which, by the way (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 10:20:11 PM EST
    Was not just a pun using a famous line from the movie but was directed at Disney management.

    This was right in the middle of an episode I have talked about here before when many of us had realized the movie was going to suck and wanted to quit.

    They assembled us and said anyone who wanted to leave was free to do so but do not expect to be allowed to work any where else in the industry for the three years of our contracts.

    So

    EVERYONE LIGHTS
    NO ONE QUITS

    Parent

    That's so funny! (none / 0) (#141)
    by linea on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 10:25:50 PM EST
    Re: `binge-watching "Starship Troopers" on endless loop while doing Cuervo shooters.'

    LOL!!!

    But I thought the film depicted a fantasy of an idealized masculine militaristic libertarianism.

    Parent

    If course you did (none / 0) (#142)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 05:57:36 AM EST
    Ill bet you thought Fahrenheit 451 was about going paperless

    Parent
    I could (none / 0) (#122)
    by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 01:22:34 PM EST
    go for a real life "Lost in Space" starring the tRump clan.

    Parent
    Don't (none / 0) (#123)
    by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 02:37:55 PM EST
    be silly, he will demand that the Martians will pay for it.

    Parent
    How does this differ (none / 0) (#124)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:12:39 PM EST
    from NASA; probably a weaponized NASA.

    Parent
    The (none / 0) (#125)
    by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:57:12 PM EST
    45th Space Wing of the USAF Space Command is headquartered just a few miles up the road from me. They probably have already some weapons in orbit and more then few ready to go on relatively short notice. We probably have conventional aircraft to low orbit capability. tRump is just talking his usual nonsense.

    Parent
    Probably a quaint idea (none / 0) (#126)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:27:50 PM EST
    that Trump would adhere to the ratified (unanimous by Senate) Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Signed by 107 countries, including the US, Soviet Union, China, France, UK, and Germany.   The Treaty limits space to peaceful purposes and prohibits its militarization. And, it prohibits use of space for nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

    While it takes 2/3 of the Senate to ratify a treaty, it,apparently, is not clear (i.e, SC ruling) if the president can break a  treaty. And, we know how Trump destroys norms with the ease of a tweet from the WH golden throne.

    Parent

    It seems to me this whole idea (none / 0) (#130)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 07:20:13 PM EST
    is to break that Treaty. This "space force" is to be a part of the DoD. A 'military' force. If that is not militarization, I don't know what is.

    He also said this: "It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space,"

    Again, that wreaks of militarization. There is no treaty, no agreement, nothing that this country has signed on to that this complete POS won't break or renege on.

    The word of the United States means nothing in today's world. The term "full faith and credit" are meaningless. This country is slowly becoming a pariah on the world stage. The next "hermit kingdom."

    Parent

    Probably a quaint idea (none / 0) (#127)
    by KeysDan on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:39:12 PM EST
    that Trump would adhere to the ratified (unanimous by Senate) Outer Space Treaty of 1967. Signed by 107 countries, including the US, Soviet Union, China, France, UK, and Germany.   The Treaty limits space to peaceful purposes and prohibits its militarization. And, it prohibits use of space for nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

    While it takes 2/3 of the Senate to ratify a treaty, it,apparently, is not clear (i.e, SC ruling) if the president can break a  treaty unilaterally. And, we know how Trump destroys norms with the ease of a tweet from the WH golden throne.

    Parent

    Ha! For the nay-sayers. (none / 0) (#140)
    by linea on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 10:14:39 PM EST
    Yes, in English.

    Swedes endure hottest May on record [MAY 31, 2018]

    Congratulations. If you're reading this then you survived the heatwave in Sweden. And while the temperatures might not be high enough to make an Australian break a sweat, they were particularly unusual for the month of May in Sweden.  In fact, they were so unusual that they broke several records.... Wednesday was so hot that several cities and towns saw their warmest May day since records began 150 years ago. These included Gothenburg with 31.1C, Vinga with 26.7C, and Karlshamn with 29C. Elsewhere in Sweden, Karlstad saw its hottest day since 1903, Malmö and Borås had their warmest since 1946, and Ulricehamn was the hottest since 1931. And overnight temperatures were so warm they were almost classed as tropical.  In Bohuslän, for example, the lowest overnight temperature was 19.5C over Wednesday night.

    Also:
    Stockholm May heatwave only happens 'three times in a million years'

    Happy Soltsice... (none / 0) (#146)
    by desertswine on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 12:39:37 PM EST