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Monday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Mon May 04, 2020 at 08:27:53 PM EST
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Everybody knows the boat is leaking
Everybody knows the captain lied
Everybody's got this broken feeling
like their father or their dog just died

I'm sorry for my absence last week. I just got tired of thinking about coronavirus. It seems pretty clear it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Also, I am not interested in the allegations against Joe Biden. Until there are investigations into the multiple allegations involving force or unwanted touching against Donald Trump, it's not right to investigate Joe Biden. His denial should be worth as much as Donald Trump's denial. If a denial is all it took for Trump to continue with his election campaign in 2016, it should be good enough for Biden now. He denied it, let's move on.
[More...]

Back to not blogging: Working from home is hard. Very hard. I feel like I'm married to my work email account. When everyone knows you are working from home, they figure you are online looking at email all day and they expect answers to their mail in 5 minutes. I can't do that, I have too much other work to do.

I just added a second desktop computer with a 28 inch monitor to my small home office. It sits on its own desk at a right angle to the desk and computer I work on. I keep the second desktop opened to my work email. I'm not sure it will help much because email is too much of a mental disruption, forcing you to clear your brain of what you were thinking about to focus on something entirely different.

The Supreme Court today began hearing cases by telephone conference, open to the public. And the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has set up one of the best designed and most intuitive You Tube pages I've seen for live-streaming oral arguments. (At the end of the live-stream the recordings will be moved to the regular Tenth Circuit website.)

So that's why I haven't been blogging. But I'm going to try and do better.

As for the song, it was written by Leonard Cohen, and it's one of my favorites. Henley's voice is still great. And it seems apt for a night when the news is about how much worse the pandemic might get. I think we could all use "a box of chocolates and a long- stem rose" (listen to the song). A bottle of Patron would be nice too.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Monday Night Open Thread | 204 comments (204 topical)
    I just think the best Cohen (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 04, 2020 at 08:40:35 PM EST
    Versions are the original.

    Nick Cage is Joe Exotic

    Are you feeling terrified tonight? (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 04, 2020 at 08:52:56 PM EST
    Because I'm mostly terrified.

    Parent
    First sentence of that link: (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 05, 2020 at 06:00:40 AM EST
    Go Home 2020 you're drunk. Unfortunately too true.

    Parent
    Howdy (none / 0) (#20)
    by MKS on Tue May 05, 2020 at 07:38:14 PM EST
    I just binge watched the Ozarks.  Since it is set in your neck of the woods, literally I believe, what do you think?

    Parent
    Keep meaning to do that (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:18:48 PM EST
    Soon probably.

    I watched the first episode a while back.  I'm sure it's good,

    Parent

    Ozarks is good (5.00 / 1) (#140)
    by MKS on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:01:46 PM EST
    Ruth is a classic.....

    Great actors all around....

    Parent

    On binging (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed May 06, 2020 at 09:20:14 AM EST
    There is a streaming service that's sort of a startup (I hope)
    They are starting some original programming.  It's cheap.  I like it.

    SHUDDER

    Not for everyone.  Perfect for some.

    Parent

    Just hard to believe (5.00 / 4) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed May 06, 2020 at 09:16:07 AM EST
    Even now.  Seriously.

    Trump's New Message?

    May 6, 2020 at 9:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 41 Comments

    As President Trump toured an Arizona face mask manufacturing plant, the song "Live and Let Die," as performed by Guns `N Roses, blared in the background.
    More (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by FlJoe on Wed May 06, 2020 at 10:25:06 AM EST
    playlist suggestions:
    Another one bites the dust-Queen
    Don't fear the reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
    Down with the sickness- Disturbed
    Let the bodies hit the floor- Drowning pool

    Parent
    Playlist suggestion (none / 0) (#124)
    by john horse on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:52:37 AM EST
    Keep Your Distance - Richard Thompson

    Parent
    Adding to the List (none / 0) (#148)
    by john horse on Sat May 09, 2020 at 09:46:27 AM EST
    I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
    The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

    Parent
    Don't Fear the Reaper (none / 0) (#149)
    by MKS on Sat May 09, 2020 at 10:00:25 AM EST
    was the song that played during the fist scene of the original t.v. series The Stand....

    Great song.  It worked great for Stephen King's horror series.  

    Parent

    While conventional wisdom says ... (none / 0) (#42)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed May 06, 2020 at 09:35:19 AM EST
    ... someone in the campaign probably thought a hard rock soundtrack would play well with Trump's white wingbat base, it would not surprise me at all if we later learn that an employee in the manufacturing plant itself deliberately put that particular song on loudspeaker to highlight what a colossal f*cking prick our nation's commander-in-chief really is.

    LINK.

    Parent

    As I recall (none / 0) (#43)
    by Repack Rider on Wed May 06, 2020 at 09:36:29 AM EST
    The British Army Band struck up Darth Vader's theme during a visit by a Saudi monarch.

    Parent
    The emergence of cell phone video footage ... (5.00 / 2) (#41)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed May 06, 2020 at 09:23:11 AM EST
    ... showing the final moments of Ahmaud Arbery's life, and the unarmed 25-year-old black man's subsequent death by shotgun blast at the hands of two white men in Brunswick, GA two months ago, now casts very serious doubt on the initial report filed by the Glynn County Police Dept.

    GCPD had declined to charge Greg McMichael and his son Travis in the killing of Arbery, having officially concluded that they had acted in lawful self-defense after confronting the deceased on the road while the latter was jogging. It should also be noted that Greg McMichael is a former Glynn County police officer himself, as well as an investigator for the Brunswick District Attorney's office.

    It's a shame that in the year 2020, the mere affront of being an African American in the U.S. South somehow remains sufficient grounds for suspicion and killing in the minds of far too many white Southerners.

    Aloha.

    More white guys with guns (5.00 / 3) (#62)
    by Yman on Thu May 07, 2020 at 10:29:51 AM EST
    ... and hero complexes trying to play cop.

    Thank God there's video, or it would be just another case of the white guys telling a story while the dead victim is unable to contradict them.  The DOJ needs to investigate the local police /prosecutor's response in this case, but given the current DOJ leadership, I'm not holding my breath.

    Parent

    White armed vigilantes (none / 0) (#150)
    by MKS on Sat May 09, 2020 at 10:02:34 AM EST
    somehow end up shooting unarmed black men...

    And it is all okay....

    Parent

    As I understand (none / 0) (#45)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed May 06, 2020 at 11:22:15 AM EST
    it fortunately there is a new DA who is taking the evidence before the grand jury. Maybe there will be some justice after all.

    Parent
    I hope so. (none / 0) (#46)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed May 06, 2020 at 11:35:30 AM EST
    But I'm not going to hold my breath and bet the farm, if you know what I mean.

    Parent
    I share your assignment of blame and cynicism. (none / 0) (#50)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed May 06, 2020 at 02:29:35 PM EST
    From watching the video, the father/son team was clearly and obviously armed and they clearly and obviously instigated the confrontation with the victim.

    However a quick google shows that GA has some open carry and self defense laws that imo might well "win" the day for the father/son.

    Parent

    The video was made by one of the friends (none / 0) (#168)
    by ruffian on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:14:01 PM EST
    of the father and son. Did they take it and make sure it got released because they thought it showed exoneration of some kind? It's all so disgusting and crazy.

    Parent
    There's also the issue of an (none / 0) (#199)
    by McBain on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:10:37 PM EST
    attempted citizen's arrest...
    A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge. If the offense is a felony and the offender is escaping or attempting to escape, a private person may arrest him upon reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion.

    My opinion is a citizen's arrest is usually a bad idea but the alleged attempt in this case might have been legal.  There are videos that appear to show Arbery inside a home under construction...

    Parent

    Couple things. (none / 0) (#201)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:37:40 PM EST
    1) From your link, citizen's arrest is legal when the arrester is aware of a crime that was committed by the arrestee. The security video of someone (yes, almost assuredly Arbery) wandering around inside the home under construction, was shot the same day that Arbery was killed.

    How do the arresters (the McMichaels) have access to some other random person's security video?

    2) From your link, citizen's arrest is legal - if the arrestee committed a felony. The owner of the unfinished home said nothing was stolen, so no felony there. And trespassing is not a felony in GA.

    I'm not seeing any way the McMichaels can legally claim citizens arrest.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#202)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:37:41 PM EST
    he was looking at home under construction like tons of people do all the time.

    Parent
    Glynn County, Georgia (CNN) (none / 0) (#198)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 12:58:00 PM EST
    Glynn County, Georgia (CNN)Two men involved in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery near Brunswick, Georgia, have been arrested and face murder and aggravated assault charges, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

    [...]

    [Defense attorney] Merritt told CNN that Georgia's stand your ground law does not allow people to be "lying in wait."

    "We don't believe that this was even arguably self-defense or a citizen's arrest, but even under their sort of peculiar theory, they can't set a trap," he said.

    "They can't stop someone in the middle of the road, hop out with (guns), create a dangerous situation and avail themselves of stand your ground or self-defense. That's just not how the law's designed to work."



    Parent
    No film (none / 0) (#200)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:36:39 PM EST
    and stand your ground would apply and no charges. After all, all they have to do is claim stand your ground and no charges. Stand your ground laws have legalized lynching.

    Parent
    Well, I guess we'll find out. (none / 0) (#203)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:39:29 PM EST


    Parent
    The jokes write themselves (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 08:22:05 AM EST
    Trump, who is known to be especially cognizant of his appearance on television, has also told confidants that he fears he would look ridiculous in a mask



    Wonder what * perceives (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by leap on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:39:47 AM EST
    when he looks at his reflection? He thinks that visage looks just swell? That defines cognitive dissonance.

    Joke, indeed!

    Parent

    Yeah (5.00 / 5) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:53:10 AM EST
    If you are a 74 year old with what passes for your hair dyed hooker yellow and piled on your head in swoops and curves that require more hairspray than Divine ever used, with orange bronzer slathered on like spackle except around eyes so you look like an evil negative Bandit from Johnny Quest In a baggie clown suit and a tie long enough to trip over

    It would be such a waste of all the effort that went into the look by covering up his mouth.  Which is the focal point of any picture and the source of all knowledge.

    How could we see the dental caps?

    Also it would probably be impossible to add and remove without disturbing the hair helmet.  If you were to pull on the wrong wisp the whole thing could come down.

    Parent

    Someone should suggest ... (none / 0) (#144)
    by Erehwon on Sat May 09, 2020 at 05:44:18 AM EST
    that he would look nice with his whole head covered ... side-benefit ... we wouldn't need to look at him either! ;-)

    Parent
    Barr is the worst of them (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 08:13:38 PM EST

    "History is written by the winners, so it largely depends on who is writing the history."

    -- Attorney General Bill Barr, in an interview with CBS News, when asked how history would view his dropping of criminal charges against Michael Flynn.
    "History is written by the winners" is (5.00 / 2) (#107)
    by Peter G on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:06:42 AM EST
    very cynical, and contemptuous of truth. Apparently a thought that goes back at least 150 years, and most often voiced by history's biggest losers, to make themselves feel better. One of our best hopes for civilization is that history will be written by real historians (looking at you with appreciation, Towanda and Donald).

    Parent
    Historians will have (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by KeysDan on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:29:58 AM EST
    something other than a "one dog study" to assess Barr as Trump's fixer. There is a pattern. Starting with his odd, public audition, his vigor in providing cover for the president's corruption, including a disingenuous summary of the Special Counsel's years-long investigation and findings, his interference in the criminal case of Trump's dirty-trickster, Roger Stone, and his gallivanting around the globe as a line investigator on behalf of his client and at the expense of the country's intelligence and justice systems.

    Barr is a hack, but unlike most of the Trump family and cronies, is smart and exponentially more dangerous to the rule of law and democratic government.  The see-saw in now down on the side of shielding friends, soon to give equal weight to pursuing enemies.

    Parent

    Putin--- Attaboy. (5.00 / 1) (#129)
    by KeysDan on Fri May 08, 2020 at 01:01:38 PM EST
    Two happy presidents. According to Bloomberg News, Trump called Putin yesterday to let him know that Barr dropped charges against Flynn.  A hoax, you know.

     What was that, again, about no materiality?

    Awopbopaloobop-alopbamboom! (5.00 / 1) (#152)
    by desertswine on Sat May 09, 2020 at 03:45:14 PM EST
    Thanks for the music Richard.

    As (none / 0) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat May 09, 2020 at 04:38:01 PM EST
    you say

    Parent
    According to the DJ on the doo-wop show (5.00 / 2) (#155)
    by Peter G on Sat May 09, 2020 at 05:54:50 PM EST
    I was listening to this afternoon on WRDV (one of my favorite stations), Little Richard's original lyrics were, "Tutti Frutti, great booty" but the record company made him change it to "..., hey Rudy." (Cf. "and ball tonight" (as he sang it) vs. "have a ball tonight" (as his white imitators sang).) Howdy, you will find the lengthy section of the Rolling Stone obituary/tribute addressing the question of Richard's sexuality very interesting.

    Parent
    And not only did Miss Molly sure love to ball (none / 0) (#173)
    by Peter G on Sun May 10, 2020 at 10:46:28 PM EST
    The Itsy Bitsy Spider Went Up the Waterspout like never before. Rip it up!

    Parent
    Lemmy Kilmister (none / 0) (#154)
    by McBain on Sat May 09, 2020 at 05:31:30 PM EST
    the Motorhead founder who passed away in 2015, said Little Richard was the greatest rock and roll singer of all time.  

    Parent
    Festivus for the rest of us. (5.00 / 1) (#187)
    by Chuck0 on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:14:39 AM EST
    RIP Jerry Stiller.


    He will probably be remembered (none / 0) (#191)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:30:25 AM EST
    For Seinfeld of which I was never a fan.  I know.  It's like beer.    But I was a huge fan of Stiller and Meara

    They were very funny.

    Parent

    I actually know him better as (none / 0) (#192)
    by Chuck0 on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:36:07 AM EST
    Arthur on King of Queens. It's on re-runs everyday. I'm with you. Never was a big fan of Seinfeld. Though I always like the Festivus episode.

    Parent
    It is not about Biden (2.00 / 1) (#5)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 10:40:09 AM EST
    saying nothing happened.

    It is about Biden and the SJWs saying women should be believed period and then changing their tune when it is a dem that is accused.

    Already there are women like Rose who are bashing Biden for his changing his spots.  No one would suggest she is flacking for Trump; rather she is bashing Biden for what she sees as Biden being a turncoat.  

    Lots of #metoo peeps are upset as well.

    Whatever (5.00 / 6) (#6)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 12:05:51 PM EST


    Parent
    Women being believeed (5.00 / 8) (#7)
    by KeysDan on Tue May 05, 2020 at 12:28:55 PM EST
    is the start, not the conclusion. While all such cases need to be taken seriously, cases differ.  It is not hypocrisy to come to different conclusions based on where the investigation leads.

    Parent
    This is going to be one of several (5.00 / 6) (#8)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 12:40:21 PM EST
    GOP attempts to hijack the press before the election. They will continue to attempt to debate fine wrinkles they attempt to tease us out with.

    Americans are going to die by the hundred thousands. We all know what we mean in the #metoo movement. Women are to be believed enough to have their story investigated. No more wave of the hand...women are deceitful and hysterical bull$h*t thrown at us before any investigation.


    Parent

    Like (5.00 / 2) (#68)
    by FlJoe on Thu May 07, 2020 at 01:29:15 PM EST
    this
    A woman who had accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of sexual assault now claims she was paid to lie about the public health expert by a pair of President Donald Trump's supporters.


    Parent
    But Hillary's emails! (none / 0) (#19)
    by MKS on Tue May 05, 2020 at 07:34:08 PM EST


    Parent
    Maybe you could explain the conclusion of (none / 0) (#12)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 03:36:53 PM EST
    the Ford case.

    Parent
    Define what the Ford case is (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 04:28:08 PM EST


    Parent
    Christine Blasey Ford's case ... (5.00 / 5) (#21)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 05, 2020 at 07:57:56 PM EST
    ... was truncated by the Trump administration, which clearly prohibited the FBI from conducting a thorough and objective investigation into the nominee's alleged abusive behavior not just with Dr. Blasey Ford while in high school, but also with other women while he was in college. Senate leadership then further obliged the charade by not calling other witnesses themselves.

    Of course, we'd all probably do the same as well, were we to have likewise predicated our entire professional raison d'être upon our own perpetual denial of an objective reality.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    For starters. (2.00 / 2) (#64)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Thu May 07, 2020 at 12:09:55 PM EST
    There is no evidence other than Ford's assertion that she and Kavanagh so much even met. Her witnesses offered no corroboration. Her best friend and supposed witness did not believe her.  

    Do really want an FBI investigation into Ford's untruthful testimony?

    Parent

    Without an FBI investigation (5.00 / 2) (#69)
    by Repack Rider on Thu May 07, 2020 at 02:06:58 PM EST
    ...how do YOU know that her testimony is untruthful?

    Why not let the FBI investigate and THEN make that decision?


    Parent

    donald it was all vetted (none / 0) (#94)
    by Jeralyn on Thu May 07, 2020 at 11:11:17 PM EST
    some of the stories of the college women did not add up at all. Some were false. A lot of people want their 15 minutes of fame. Even the concept of labeling untested claims of criminal conduct by one gender credible and true is offensive to our system of justice.

    Parent
    That not the point, Jeralyn. (5.00 / 1) (#157)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun May 10, 2020 at 03:26:30 AM EST
    And no, it was not "all vetted." The other claims were NEVER fully investigated by the FBI during Justice Kavanaugh's background checks, because agents were specifically precluded from doing so by directive of the Trump White House. If the nominee truly had nothing to hide, then why the kibosh?

    Contrary to conventional popular wisdom, it wasn't only about Kavanaugh's drinking and allegations of abusive behavior toward women. Republicans were heavily vested in Judge Kavanaugh. They feared he had likely perjured himself during his 2006 D.C. Circuit Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, when he denied categorically while under oath that he had any involvement in formulating the George W. Bush administration's controversial terrorism detainee policy while he was working in the White House.

    I'm sorry, but this is NOT the way we should be picking our federal judges, at least by any reasonable standard of which I'm aware in government work. Further and most particularly, the vetting of nominees for lifetime appointments to the federal bench, especially the U.S. Supreme Court, should definitely NOT be left solely to journalists who may or may not have an axe to grind.

    This country is going to pay a steep price over the next few decades, for the conscious failure by the Trump White House and the GOP-controlled Senate to perform their oversight duties on Brett Kavanaugh with any real sense of due diligence, as well as on many other federal judicial nominees.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    "Believe women" as a slogan was never (5.00 / 7) (#10)
    by Peter G on Tue May 05, 2020 at 01:25:40 PM EST
    seriously intended to mean, "Always believe women, because no woman ever made a serious accusation that was untrue." It mans, "Don't start with a presumption of disbelief when a woman makes an accusation of sexual misconduct." It's a powerful slogan like "Black Lives Matter," but like the latter slogan (which always actually means "Black Lives Also Matter," that is, "Black Lives Matter as Much as Any Others") can readily be twisted by adversaries to foster confusion and defeat its true humanitarian objective.

    Parent
    You guys still don't get it (2.33 / 3) (#11)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 03:34:51 PM EST
    When Ford claimed a SC nominee abused her she could not even provide proof they knew each other.  She could not name a date or place where it happened, how she got there (it was too far for a teenager to walk so someone drove her but no one remembered it).  Her story was full of holes and there was no one who she mentioned it to at the time; only much later.  Thing is this behavior by a vic is not unheard of.  Almost every dem jumped on the band wagon saying there needed to be an investigation even after Kavanaugh said the incident never happened and denied knowing Ford.

    There is no question Reade has provided many details about time and place that puts her and Biden together and at times working alone.  She also has others who back up her claim that something happened.  While none of this makes a solid case it is silly to claim Reade's claim against Biden is much better than Ford's case against Kavanaugh.  There is no doubt there is a double standard by many high profile dems when comparing the two cases.

    Truth be told I think both cases are very weak in terms of acceptable legal proof; but the Ford claims seem paper thin compared to the Reade claims.  Not accepting there is an obvious double standard by dems is what the real issue is; not what happened between Reade and Biden.

    Parent

    No - YOU don't get it (5.00 / 6) (#14)
    by Yman on Tue May 05, 2020 at 04:45:32 PM EST
    Conservatives want to make this about imaginary hypocrisy so they can avoid defending the orange elephant in the room.

    But if you want to believe that Reade's claim against Biden is more credible than Ford's, knock yourself out.  Sure, it's moronic - but it probably won't even crack your top 10.

    Parent

    As a matter of fact, Ms. Reade's allegations (5.00 / 5) (#16)
    by Peter G on Tue May 05, 2020 at 06:17:56 PM EST
    of "time and place" are precisely as specific as Dr. Blasey Ford's. But as Yman points out, Kavanaugh is not the apt comparison. The direct equivalency is Biden vs. Tr*mp.  As for Kavanaugh, what raised substantial questions about his fitness for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court was principally a combination of his lack of appropriate temperament when responding to questions at his confirmation hearing, his refusal to disclose work product from his pre-judicial legal/political life, and his inability to acknowledge that he had a serious and well documented behavior-when-drinking problem lasting at least from high school through law school and to address what (if anything) he had done about it.

    Parent
    Have to call you out on that Perer (2.00 / 1) (#28)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 11:28:09 PM EST
    There is no proof that would be acceptable in a court of law that Ford and Kavanaugh ever met face to face.  There is no question Reade and Biden had personal contact over months at a time.

    Ford could not say where the alleged assault occurred while Reade was clear in her allegations where the assault occurred.

    You know as well as I do if a vic went to LEOs and said I can't remember when or where it happened or even how I got to a place miles from my home when I had no car the LEOs would put it on the back burner.

    You know as well as I do if a vic went to LEOs and said my boss assaulted me in the office the LEOs would take it more seriously.

    Parent

    You really (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed May 06, 2020 at 05:00:27 AM EST
    should stop reading wingnut welfare and look up the facts. There were people present with Ford who said she was there and Kavanaugh was there. Aside from that Kavanaugh has a history of lying under oath and he certainly did about his well documented history of drinking too much. Numerous witnesses came forward regarding his drunkenness. Do you really think it's becoming of a supreme court nominee to act like a entitled toddler in hearings? Oh, let me answer that. The answer would be yes because like most conservatives you are perfectly okay with Trump's infantile behavior and whining.

    Parent
    More wingnut lies (5.00 / 2) (#37)
    by Yman on Wed May 06, 2020 at 08:06:22 AM EST
    Reade never said where or when her alleged assault happened, and she certainly never said it happened "in the office."

    But you already know that.

    Parent

    I can't say how "well" you think (5.00 / 7) (#38)
    by Peter G on Wed May 06, 2020 at 08:38:24 AM EST
    you "know" those things, or on what basis, but having been a criminal defense lawyer for 40 years (and a professor of criminal law for six of those) I don't "know" either of the things to be true that you insist I "know ... well"; experience actually teaches otherwise. And since neither the Kavanaugh nomination nor the Biden candidacy was or is before any "court of law" for a decision (and certainly not in a criminal case) the rules of evidence and burden of proof that apply in that very different setting (for good reason) are irrelevant.  

    Parent
    Thank you, Peter (5.00 / 3) (#47)
    by Zorba on Wed May 06, 2020 at 12:01:37 PM EST
    For being your usual voice of reason and legal expertise.
    You must have the patience of a saint, because I will not respond to that commenter any longer.  

    Parent
    As my Mama would say, (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by MKS on Wed May 06, 2020 at 02:22:21 PM EST
    you have the patience of a saint.

    Parent
    Give me an actual FBI investigation. (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 07:16:35 PM EST


    Parent
    Why do Orange Cultists (5.00 / 4) (#18)
    by MKS on Tue May 05, 2020 at 07:28:31 PM EST
    compare Biden to Kavanaugh.  What about all those accusations against Trump?  Is that not the true comparison?

    This is a telltale sign the poster is taking direction from conservative websites.

    Parent

    Au (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by FlJoe on Wed May 06, 2020 at 07:51:36 AM EST
    contraire
    Truth be told I think both cases are very weak in terms of acceptable legal proof
    Ford testified under oath, Reade has not, huge difference.

    Ford never wavered in her story, Reade has changed hers several times, always very important in judging credibility.

    The lack of details in Ford's is not surprising as she was a teenager in "party" mode, Reade was an adult in work mode, again a huge difference.

    According to Reade she was tasked to deliver a gym bag, presumably she must have had clear instructions on when and where, a far cry from a teenager cruising on a summer afternoon.

    Parent

    Rose McGowan is hardly an objective source. (none / 0) (#26)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:26:01 PM EST
    She is a perpetually angry woman, and understandably so. She was (allegedly) sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein and was, I believe, among the very first women to publicly call him out for his behavior. He responded to her challenge by using and abusing his position as a prominent and powerful Hollywood mogul to obliterate her once-promising career as an actor, merely because he could.

    That said and on that basis, Ms. McGowan is not someone I'd seek out if I was really interested in understanding what happened to Tara Reade. She has obvious personal issues and agendas that rightly ought to preclude her from passing judgment upon someone like Joe Biden, a man whom she otherwise does not know personally. I truly hope that she one day finally attains some sense of peace in her life, because she can't change the past and undo what happened to her, regardless of however unfair that wrong was.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    He denied it, let's move on. (1.00 / 3) (#56)
    by Airlane1979 on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:31:31 AM EST
    Really? What's good enough for Republicans is good enough for anyone? That means if Biden is, in fact, guilty of sexual assault - and his record around women and children is supportive of the claim by Ms Reade - then you're happy for such a man to be in the highest office of your nation. He's also a proven liar and plagiarist throughout his long and egregious career. Perhaps that tells readers of your blog something about you.

    So... (5.00 / 3) (#57)
    by Repack Rider on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:39:15 AM EST
    ...If Mr. Biden had BRAGGED about committing a sexual assault, using words to the effect, "I moved on her like a dog in heat," would that be a deal breaker for your vote?

    Parent
    At least it appears (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:40:19 AM EST
    English is the first language

    Parent
    Maybe, maybe not (none / 0) (#83)
    by Zorba on Thu May 07, 2020 at 05:44:47 PM EST
    A whole lot of Europeans speak better English than a lot of Americans.
    At any rate, he/she only has two comments.

    Parent
    The Russians are here (5.00 / 5) (#58)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:39:17 AM EST
    I guess

    Parent
    I wonder if it knows (5.00 / 2) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 12:33:27 PM EST
    that it misspelled Airplane1979 or just settled for a pathetic second choice of a lame name

    Parent
    This has been (1.00 / 2) (#70)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 02:53:38 PM EST
    coming for some time.

    DOJ is dropping it's case against Flynn.

    Have to say I always wondered about why the FBI and DOJ pressed this so hard.  Also have to wonder if there will be civil suits against some of those who faked intel to proceed.

    He (5.00 / 3) (#71)
    by FlJoe on Thu May 07, 2020 at 03:36:05 PM EST
    lied, he freely confessed illegally lying , tRump and Pence said he lied. Maybe he should sue tRump and Pence.

    You are such a tool, there is no faked intel.

    Parent

    He's not a tool. (5.00 / 4) (#73)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:20:56 PM EST
    What he is is what most conservatives are is useful idiots who carry Russian propaganda around the internet.

    Parent
    Flynn's lawyer (1.00 / 2) (#77)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:29:35 PM EST
    forced this by getting documents released that showed how crooked the FBI was.  You really need to get up to speed on what the released documents contain.  At least the part of the documents that are not redacted.

    Have to ask what you think about those documents still having redacted portions.

    Parent

    Do you not (5.00 / 3) (#78)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:42:25 PM EST
    realize that Flynn's lawyer did not release all the documents? Do you not realize that this is the same lie that the GOP has told over and over regardless of the situation. Remember how Daryl Issa faked a letter regarding Benghazi? You may continue to be a useful idiot for Putin but I'll wait for the evidence. Thanks.

    Parent
    Flynn's lawyer (1.00 / 3) (#74)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:21:38 PM EST
    forced DOJ's hand by getting documents released that painted a sorry picture of the FBI setting a perjury trap for Flynn even after line FBI agents said Flynn was not lying.  Comey's interview where he boasted he could not get away with what he did in normal times, not to mention him smirking about it, shows how much the top FBI officials were pushing this perjury trap.

    Not to mention the FBI/DOJ threatening to charge Flynn's son unless Flynn pleaded.  If Trump is reelected there will be jail time for those involved in going after Flynn.

    Parent

    There was (5.00 / 4) (#76)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:29:12 PM EST
    no perjury trap. Flynn called the Russians after the election. Why did he call the Russians? He's a Russian asset. Why did he lie about calling the Russians? Because he's a Russian asset.

    All the evidence is going to be released and you will I'm sure not quit carrying water for the Kremlin but it will be out there for everybody else to read.

    Parent

    If (5.00 / 4) (#80)
    by FlJoe on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:59:11 PM EST
    you don't lie there can be no perjury trap. The FBI documents were strategy sessions on whether they should call him out on his lies immediately or give him more rope, the fact that they gave him more rope does not exonerate  him.

    Can't you ever come up with any original thoughts instead of parroting tRump's?

    Parent

    Did you actually read Sidney Powell's briefs? (5.00 / 2) (#85)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu May 07, 2020 at 07:12:56 PM EST
    ragebot: "Flynn's lawyer forced DOJ's hand by getting documents released that painted a sorry picture of the FBI setting a perjury trap for Flynn even after line FBI agents said Flynn was not lying."

    I'd offer odds of better than even that you have not because if you had, you'd have likely noticed that the FBI agents who interviewed Gen. Mike Flynn never said that he wasn't lying. Rather, they noted that "he did not give any indicators of deception." That's not the same thing, guy.

    Facts do not cease to exist because you deliberately choose to ignore them, nor do they evolve into a permanently altered state of being because you otherwise decide to misrepresent them.

    Read the material first, and then we'll talk.

    Parent

    Flynn's son was (1.00 / 2) (#88)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 07:22:24 PM EST
    gonna be charged unless Flynn entered a plea.


    Parent
    Flynn's goofy sh*theel son (5.00 / 3) (#90)
    by jondee on Thu May 07, 2020 at 08:50:46 PM EST
    and his ilk came close to getting people murdered by promulgating that crack-brained Pizzagate conspiracy nonsense..

    I take it these are people you look up to, ragebot?

    Another true believer perhaps - receiving secret coded messages from Q to decipher on your special decoder ring?

    Parent

    So the eff what? (5.00 / 4) (#91)
    by Repack Rider on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:16:55 PM EST
    Flynn's son was gonna be charged unless Flynn entered a plea.

    Poor baby? Is he of the age of consent?

    He got lucky then that his dad was a bigger fish. It's not like he was innocent.

    If you can't do the time
    DON'T PLEAD GUILTY TO THE CRIME.

    Parent

    I am looking forward to the DOJ's voluntary (5.00 / 3) (#93)
    by Peter G on Thu May 07, 2020 at 10:37:45 PM EST
    dismissal of half of all federal cases in the system, since FBI "interviews" of people they already have the goods on, in hopes of catching them lying (which is not what is known as a "perjury trap"), are totally de rigeur, SOP. So is threatening to charge a technically guilty family member, whom they are otherwise willing to let go -- usually the wife, but sometimes the son or daughter or a parent -- unless the "target" pleads guilty, often to potentially defensible charges. All in a day's work. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING that happened in the Flynn case (until today) is the least bit out of the ordinary or indicative of what any federal judge (or federal prosecutor) would call misconduct. I read his lawyer (Sidney Powell)'s brief; it was loud and angry, but empty of substance. That said, a judge's discretion to potentially deny a prosecutor's motion for voluntary dismissal of a criminal case is very limited, as it should be. The judge is not and must not become a super-prosecutor.

    Parent
    AG Barr can file for a writ of mandamus ... (5.00 / 3) (#161)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun May 10, 2020 at 10:05:38 AM EST
    ... with the D.C. Court of Appeals if Judge Sullivan dismisses the DOJ motion.

    Sullivan should hold a hearing to question DOJ attorneys (if not Barr Himself) regarding whatever the hell they're thinking, and compel them to explain themselves in open court why they are now effectively acting as Ms. Powell's co-counsel.

    Then, he should deny their motion and blow up Barr's current strategy, compelling Barr's DOJ minions to file for that writ of mandamus, and daring the D.C. Circuit Court to rubber-stamp this painfully obvious legal travesty.

    I swear, for all these attorneys and judges who continue to be so concerned about strict adherence to the rule of law, even while the opposition is gleefully making a total mockery of it, somebody needs to stand up here and show some friggin' backbone in the face of this most serious threat to our democracy in our lifetimes.

    These are not normal times, counselors. Stop acquiescing to these fascist thugs in tailored suits, simply because that's what you were trained to do when checkmated in court. Stand up instead in that courtroom and yell, "Bullschitt!"

    Or should the rest of us now have to plan on taking to the streets to defend our country? Because as democracy's firewalls start to buckle and fail under this sustained right-wing assault, that's exactly where we're now headed.

    Onipa'a. Aloha a mālama pono.

    Parent

    Agreed. (none / 0) (#162)
    by KeysDan on Sun May 10, 2020 at 01:56:51 PM EST
    There should be a much greater reaction to Barr's egregious abandonment of the role of Attorney General as the citizen's lawyer so as to serve as Trump's consigliere   Barr's springing of Flynn contradicts the findings of Special Counsel Mueller and that of the DOJ Office of Inspector General that concluded, upon investigation, that there was sufficient evidence to open the Russia inquiry.

    Barr's odoriferous contamination of the Department of Justice and his mocking of the rule of law warrants Saturday Night Massacre action not just a Saturday Night Live skit.  Mueller should be among the first to speak out, along with leaders in government and the legal profession. A hundred or so attorneys in the DOJ should walk out.  Barr may be in the good graces of Opus Dei, but he disgraces the law.

    Parent

    I think that's correct (5.00 / 2) (#95)
    by Jeralyn on Thu May 07, 2020 at 11:29:49 PM EST
    Flynn's son was a partner in the Flynn Intel Group and had a lot of participation in the plot to help Turkey by kidnapping the religious guy in Pennsylvania and handing him over to Turkey. He also was under investigation for his security clearance, false statements and not declaring gifts (mostly travel I think) from Russia.

    Here's one letter the Elijah Cummings wrote of many about him.

    From Lawfare:

    Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating allegations that both Flynn and his son, Michael Flynn Jr., plotted to either kidnap and render Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey or to use Flynn's influence as national security adviser to effectuate his extradition--all in exchange for up to $15 million.

    I think saving his son was a big part of his decision to plead, but I also think he did everything he pleaded guilty to.

    Parent

    If in discovery you found a note that said (none / 0) (#109)
    by ragebot on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:18:31 AM EST
    'What is our goal?' one of the notes dated January 24 2017 - the day of the interview - read. 'Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?'

    written by a high level FBI agent what would be your assessment of the purpose of the interview.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8271953/Unsealed-memos-FBI-planned-Michael-Flynn-lie-prosec ute-fired.html

    Parent

    Like (5.00 / 4) (#112)
    by FlJoe on Fri May 08, 2020 at 10:05:02 AM EST
    any suspect interview ever, they are looking for a way to nail you. Why do you find this so shocking?

    You continually question the motives of the FBI, as we all should of all law enforcement actions. However you never question the actions or motives of Flynn.

    The facts are clear and undisputed, Flynn had clandestine discussions with the Russians and he lied about it, making him a huge security risk.  

    Of course the FBI wanted to get rid of him, thus the "or fired" goal. Flynn chose to lie, the fact that the FBI suspected he would and allowed him to do so means nothing.

    Parent

    Yes, it is typical (5.00 / 3) (#123)
    by KeysDan on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:51:32 AM EST
    for the FBI to organize their interview tactics in advance. This would seem to make especial sense, given the position Flynn held. The notes of FBI Counter-intelligence officer, Bill Priestap conclude (and not a part of Ragebot's abridged version) with: "If we're seen as playing games, the WH will be furious, protect our institution by not playing games."

    The FBI interview memo     submitted to the Court shows that the questions were careful and specific. If necessary, the agents were prepared to jog Flynn's memory using exact words they knew he used in his conversation with Kislyak.  And, as Flynn admitted (twice) in open Court, under oath, he did not tell the truth.  The interview gave Flynn every opportunity to tell the truth.  He could have taken the Fifth, but he chose to answer--untruthfully.

    Parent
    Here's how you deal with a perjury trap (5.00 / 6) (#92)
    by Repack Rider on Thu May 07, 2020 at 09:20:29 PM EST
    Hillary Clinton showed us how.

    You kick the door open, you walk right in, and you DEMAND that the public be permitted to watch the proceedings on live TV. Then you sit there under oath for 11 hours until you are the last person in the room, and you leave.

    Wouldn't that work for anyone?

    Parent

    Can you please explain (5.00 / 2) (#128)
    by Repack Rider on Fri May 08, 2020 at 12:32:33 PM EST
    ...what a "perjury trap" is, and why just telling the truth won't protect you?

    Parent
    Nobody (5.00 / 5) (#72)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:18:11 PM EST
    faked the intel. Flynn lied about talking to the Russians to the feds. Flynn also is likely a Russian asset because Putin doesn't sit just anybody at the table beside him. I'm also sure that this came down the pike directly from Putin himself and we all know Trump does whatever Putin orders him to do.

    Parent
    It gets (5.00 / 2) (#75)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:27:38 PM EST
    better. All the evidence is going to be released from the house intelligence committee that they gathered regarding Russia. Trump is probably going to look like an idiot and short order and had the DOJ do this because he knew the evidence was coming out.

    Parent
    As I asked Donald (none / 0) (#87)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 07:21:21 PM EST
    tell me what Clapper had to say

    Parent
    What does James Clapper have to do with this? (5.00 / 1) (#158)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun May 10, 2020 at 04:24:52 AM EST
    He was President Obama's DNI, not the head of the FBI. Further, the Flynn case can't be "dropped" by DOJ, because it's now in the sentencing phase and out of federal prosecutors' hands. And that's because the verdict was already rendered 29 months ago in Dec. 2017, when Judge Rudolph Contreras accepted General Flynn's guilty plea.

    Flynn now awaits sentencing by Judge Emmet Sullivan, who took over the case after Contreras recused himself. Sullivan has shown infinite patience in tolerating defense counsel Sidney Powell's nonsensical arguments at sentencing, which appear to be rooted far more in fevered right-wing conspiracy theory than in actual fact.

    Personally, I believe that Sullivan's patience will now be sorely tested by Bill Barr's sloppy attempt to gain a judicial dismissal, the core argument of which which is a bald affront to Sullivan's earlier finding of materiality. It's probably not wise to insult a judge's intelligence like that, especially one as ornery as Sullivan.

    And if Judge Sullivan rejects DOJ's motion to dismiss the case then legally, defendant Mike Flynn is dead in the water and he'll require an active intervention from the Blond Creamsicle in the form of a presidential pardon to extricate him from his present fix.

    Look, General Flynn is guilty as charged. There is no exculpatory evidence denoting otherwise. He is no hero. He is most certainly not the GOP's Nelson Mandela. He is, at heart, a professional crackpot and flim-flam artist, a poor man's Paul Manafort if you will, who betrayed his own country to the Russians as well as the Turks. For money.

    So, f*ck General Michael Flynn. F*ck President Donald Trump. F*ck Attorney General Bill Barr. F*ck defense counsel Sidney Powell. F*ck Fox News. F*ck Russian President Vladimir Putin. F*ck Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. F*ck. Them. All.

    Ciao for now.

    Parent

    I think it's more in the nature (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 05:15:02 PM EST
    Of a request.  I think the judge gets to decide.  

    Parent
    I guess we will see (none / 0) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 05:30:34 PM EST
    MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace reported Thursday that three former Justice Department officials, all Republicans, doubted that Judge Emmet Sullivan would be quick to dismiss the case against former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn even if the DOJ has decided not to prosecute.



    Parent
    Bull$hit (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by Yman on Fri May 08, 2020 at 06:55:17 AM EST
    Intel was not "faked" against Flynn.  The only lawsuits should be against a thoroughly corrupt administration and this DOJ for replacing the rule of law with cronyism.

    Parent
    If he did nothing wrong (none / 0) (#97)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:24:35 AM EST
    Why did he lie about it?

    I hope someone asks..

    Parent

    Yep (none / 0) (#98)
    by Yman on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:39:00 AM EST
    I'm also curious as to whether a new administration with a real DOJ would look at charging Flynn with any of the many other charges he was facing.  He didn't register as a foreign agent.  When he belatedly registered, he lied on his registration.  Not to mention his failure to reveal his contacts with Russian agents.  His plea deal only immunizes the conduct in the agreement, and I believe the SOL for these offenses is 5 years (late 2021/early 2022).

    Parent
    Just saw this from Dec 1917 (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:03:47 AM EST
    From the Orange Monkey

    I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI.  He pled (sic) guilty to those lies.  

    As far as the next administration, boy.  

    The thing is every one of them starting with Trump and Barr know better than anyone what's waiting for them Jan 2021.

    Which is what really scares the shi+ out of me.

    Look at Barr's fat smirking face when he said "history is written by the winners".  They are not planning to lose.  

    Similar to something once said of Cersei Lannister, they know the consequences of what they are doing.

    And they are doing it anyway.

    Parent

    Dec 2017 that is (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:04:21 AM EST


    Parent
    Or it could (none / 0) (#101)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:44:40 AM EST
    be that they are stealing everything that is not nailed down on their way out the door.

    If Parscale is giving them fake numbers who knows what they are thinking.

    Parent

    Might be true of Trump (5.00 / 2) (#102)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:54:58 AM EST
    It is not true of Barr.  And many of the others.  Barr knows as well as anyone in the country what the DOJ is capable of.  Both while he is AG and after he is not.

    I think he plans to unleash every power he has to challenge election results, suppress voting, I would not be surprised by a phony investigation of Biden or whoever is VP or both.

    It is dangerously misguided to think these people are stupid.

    Parent

    Not even trying anymore (none / 0) (#108)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:07:42 AM EST
    "I learned a lot from Richard Nixon -- don't fire people. I learned a lot. I study history ... of course there was one big difference: Number one he may have been guilty and number two he had tapes all over the place."

    --  Trump - to Fox and Friends



    Parent
    And number three, Nixon was smart enough (5.00 / 1) (#113)
    by Peter G on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:05:16 AM EST
    to be able to count to One.

    Parent
    True (5.00 / 1) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:24:53 AM EST
    But I think Barr is smarter and more dangerous and probably more committed any of Nixon's men.  And he learned from that time as well.

    It's Barr we should be worried about IMO.  


    Parent

    Also (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by FlJoe on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:45:47 AM EST
    back in the day there were at least a few Republicans that had some integrity and honor, now they are nothing more than cultists.

    You are correct, Barr is the most dangerous man in America, the DOJ is now totally a political arm of the tRump administration and nobody but the orange moron is above him.

    Parent

    Speaking for myself only, I believe AG Barr ... (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:09:41 AM EST
    ... is likely seeking to pre-empt Judge Sullivan's pending public review of General Flynn's prior representation by the firm Covington & Burling. Current defense counsel Sidney Powell has repeatedly -- and rather recklessly, IMHO -- disparaged that firm's work in public, and Covington in its defense has turned over to the government over 1,100 pages of material in two installments, of which some will likely show just how often Flynn lied to and / or misled his own attorneys over the course of their representation.

    This past Friday, prosecutors were to have submitted to Judge Sullivan a filing which would have outlined what they planned to do with the first 600 pages of material they had received from Covington & Burling, further elaborating on documents already made public during Ms. Powell's right-wing conspiracy theory-based defense which demonstrate that Flynn repeatedly did not fully and accurately disclose matters and facts he subsequently admitted under oath at later dates.

    Given that Flynn's sworn declaration -- which was filed in January of this year -- very likely mischaracterized Covington's prior representation of him, any public disclosure of that firm's voluminous documentation of their efforts to save their client from himself would probably both expose Flynn to perjury charges, and be incredibly damning to Powell's own often irresponsible representation of him.

    Thus, AG Barr's move last week to seek the Flynn case's dismissal is an attempt to at least forestall such an incredibly embarrassing public review and disclosure, if not preclude it altogether.

    Also, there's one other thing that concerns me about this case. General Flynn apparently never paid his former attorneys a dime personally during their entire period of representation. So, unless Covington and Burling deliberately chose to take this high-profile case pro bono, which I admit is possible but still find to be rather far-fetched, I'm assuming either one of two possibilities:

    • Covington got royally stiffed by their own difficult and problematic client; or

    • If Covington was also advising Flynn how to dodge accountability for his own work on behalf of the Turkish government as its unregistered U.S. agent, a third party was perhaps graciously picking up their client's legal tab.

    And if it's the latter, wouldn't it be important -- not to mention really interesting -- to find out exactly who that was?

    ;-D

    Parent

    I wish you would cite your sources, Donald (none / 0) (#165)
    by Peter G on Sun May 10, 2020 at 02:26:34 PM EST
    when you speak outside your areas of expertise. I greatly respect your political experience and your academic training as a historian, but as far as I know you are not a federal criminal procedure expert or personally involved in the Flynn case (on either side). So, all that you write may be true but I do wish you would link either to the court records (as Jeralyn would do) or to whatever articles you are reading about them. A lot of what you have here is stuff I haven't encountered before and which I am having some trouble interpreting.

    Parent
    I read Lawfareblog.com, Peter. (none / 0) (#166)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:07:47 PM EST
    I apologize for assuming that you would be on top of this, because you obviously have your own practice and you don't necessarily have the time to get into the weeds here. That's my bad and I promise henceforth, I'll try to do better.

    I may not be an attorney, but speaking as a longtime public policy analyst which includes several years as the chief clerk for the State Senate Judiciary Committee, while I'm admittedly not an expert in criminal law, I think I can grasp and understand what attorneys are doing and where they're going with arguments:

    Lawfareblog.com | May 8, 2020
    An Ugly Day for the Justice Department - "It is exceptionally rare for the U.S. Department of Justice to move in court to dismiss a case in which a defendant has -- ably assisted by first-class lawyers -- entered into a plea agreement to spare himself prosecution on more serious felony charges. It is rarer still for the government to do so without acknowledging that it violated any law or that the defendant's rights were somehow infringed. And it is still rarer yet for the government to take such a move without a single career prosecutor being willing to sign onto the brief seeking dismissal."

    Marcy Wheeler at the blog Emptywheel has also been on top of the Flynn story. LINK.

    In my present capacity as senior public policy analyst in county government (and formerly in state government), I have attorneys who work for me. For me to be effective in what I do, which is the researching and drafting of proposed legislation, ordinances and statutes for lawmakers to consider, it is imperative that I be able to understand what they do in the practice of law. Were I to do my job poorly, I'd basically become a full employment act for litigators. So I do my best to avoid that.

    Some attorneys have said, not unfairly and sometimes with tongue in cheek, that I know just enough about the law to be dangerous and I take some pride in that. That's because I'm a curious person and a voracious reader who pays attention. And as such, I know when someone's trying to blow smoke up the public's a$$, as AG Bill Barr is clearly doing here.

    Now, as to whether or not Barr will ultimately be successful in his quest to spring General Flynn and rewrite history, as he recently admitted is his goal here, I honestly don't know. That's the job of those criminal law attorneys who haven't been co-opted by the Dark Side, such as yourself and Jeralyn, to see to it that he's not.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Thanks for that review (none / 0) (#172)
    by Peter G on Sun May 10, 2020 at 10:43:59 PM EST
    Very helpful.

    Parent
    Barr believes (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:28:34 AM EST
    He is doing God's work.

    I don't think you could really say that about those others.

    Parent

    They certainly (none / 0) (#117)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:38:31 AM EST
    have done all this before so Trump repeating it is not out of the realm of possibility. Here's where the press needs to learn to stand up for democracy if that happens. I am not hopeful that they will. We might need to be that country that has people in the streets 24/7 demanding that Trump leave.

    Frankly I'm more worried about his followers and what he incites them to do. I would not be surprised to see mass murders by Trump supporters. More gunning down and murdering African Americans in churches and mass murdering Hispanics at the border. Probably some murders at Jewish temples and universities too. The worst time is going to be after Trump loses and before Biden takes office.

    And as far as voting, I'm sure they will try stuff. They always will. I'm sure Perdue thinks that Kemp has his back and it's one of the reasons why he never responds to constituents and literally refuses to do any type of townhall. Well, at least now with covid there is a legitimate reason when before there was not.

    Parent

    Followers are a concern (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:43:52 AM EST
    They would be far less concern if there was a real AG.

    Parent
    I don't agree with that, Howdy (none / 0) (#104)
    by Peter G on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:57:26 AM EST
    Lots of people lie in criminal investigations who are not guilty, for a wide variety of reasons. Embarrassment, fear, getting caught offguard, to curry favor in some other investigation, to protect or to falsely implicate others, misunderstanding of what is legal and what is not, all sorts of stuff. And very often it gets them into more trouble than if they had told the truth, or even better had exercised their constitutional right to remain silent and decline to answer at all. Not saying this is true of Flynn; just disputing the premise of your rhetorical question.

    Parent
    What I said was (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:00:43 AM EST
    I hope someone asks.  I do.

    Parent
    Hey Peter (none / 0) (#146)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat May 09, 2020 at 09:20:22 AM EST
    The SC is supposed to hear arguments on Trumps taxes May 12.

    Any idea when we might know what they decide.  As in, before the election?

    Parent

    By longstanding tradition (but not by law) (5.00 / 1) (#151)
    by Peter G on Sat May 09, 2020 at 10:30:36 AM EST
    the Supreme Court issues its opinions not later than July 1 each year for all of the cases argued between October and May.

    Parent
    Where's the evidence intel was faked? (none / 0) (#84)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu May 07, 2020 at 06:53:25 PM EST
    As far as your question about why the FBI and DOJ pressed so hard, it was because they feared that Gen. Flynn presented a national security threat. And given what we've since learned about his activities with Russia and Turkey, I'd say their fears were well founded.

    Further, I suggest that you read the Senate Intelligence Committee's report, which confirmed that Bill Barr's magical thinking aside, yes, the Russians interfered extensively in the 2016 election and yes, they did so with the intent of helping elect Donald Trump.

    Maybe you don't have a problem with that. But I sure do.

    Parent

    What did Clapper say in the report (2.00 / 1) (#86)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 07:20:25 PM EST
    read it and weep

    Parent
    "Weep"? (5.00 / 2) (#132)
    by Yman on Fri May 08, 2020 at 02:37:06 PM EST
    The only "weeping" will be at the sheer idiocy of people who think that investigations have to be predicated on a single person seeing direct, empirical evidence.

    Well, ... maybe some weeping caused by laughing at them.

    Parent

    Does it really matter? (none / 0) (#188)
    by Chuck0 on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:16:44 AM EST
    It's more than obvious than the orange clown was going to pardon him anyway.

    Parent
    News about news (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 04, 2020 at 08:49:37 PM EST
    From the right

    "TRUMP IS REALLY AIMING TO TAKE DOWN FOX": A GROUP ASSOCIATED WITH DONALD TRUMP JR. IS BUYING A MAJOR STAKE IN OANN

    And from the left

    On Monday, NBC News and MSNBC announced that Chairman Andy Lack would be "stepping down" from his role guiding the company's news divisions.

    Lack's tenure was defined by the hiring of right-wing personalities like Hugh Hewitt, Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren and was highly criticized for the scandals involving Matt Lauer and Harvey Weinstein.

    The news of his departure from the network was greeted with a great deal of celebration online.
    The Outer Limits (none / 0) (#9)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    If you need a good stream and really who doesn't try this.

    the 60s series

    The Twilight Zone gets more attention but this is the tv show that defined my life.  Hour long episodes.  You will be amazed how many great and very famous actors you see.  

    I had sort of forgotten it and just got hooked trying to get the last bits from Prime before I'm cancelled.

    Yes, our house was much more (none / 0) (#170)
    by ruffian on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:17:36 PM EST
    an Outer Limits house than a Twilight Zone house.Never missed it. I'll watch some of these!

    Parent
    Michael Moore (none / 0) (#15)
    by Yman on Tue May 05, 2020 at 04:47:39 PM EST
    Never could stand the guy, but now he's gone full useful idiot.

    Meet the New Flack for Oil and Gas: Michael Moore

    Michael Moore's shelf life ... (none / 0) (#22)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:04:14 PM EST
    ... expired a while ago. He's apparently content to be our generation's Ralph Nader, resting comfortably upon the laurels of past accomplishments from days of yore.

    Parent
    Ginsberg in hospital (none / 0) (#23)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:05:54 PM EST
    SC says not too serious and she will join in phone cases.

    Justice Ginsburg (none / 0) (#27)
    by KeysDan on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:37:48 PM EST
    is a fighter and will bounce back.  But, should she ever decide to retire, she could not be replaced this year in keeping with Senator McConnell's rule that a president's nomination can't be considered in a presidential election year (cf. Judge Merrick  Garland).  

    Parent
    I would not bet the farm (none / 0) (#29)
    by ragebot on Tue May 05, 2020 at 11:29:44 PM EST
    the pubs would call a special session to replace Ginsberg even if it happened the day before the election.

    Parent
    Yes (none / 0) (#79)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu May 07, 2020 at 04:46:39 PM EST
    thanks for admitting what cretins the GOP is composed of. It would be too late the day before the election though.

    Parent
    As our colleague, Fishcamp, (5.00 / 2) (#125)
    by KeysDan on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:56:16 AM EST
    might attest, chum can land a big one.

    Parent
    Job opportunity (none / 0) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 05, 2020 at 08:25:21 PM EST
    body double for Kim Jong Un

    Pros

    All you can eat while those around you die of starvation

    Cons

    You are entirely and almost inevitably disposable

    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#35)
    by jmacWA on Wed May 06, 2020 at 05:17:44 AM EST


    Meanwhile... (none / 0) (#48)
    by desertswine on Wed May 06, 2020 at 01:55:52 PM EST
    along the California coast, bioluminescent waves dazzle surfers.

    I would like to see that one day.

    Many (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by FlJoe on Wed May 06, 2020 at 03:20:34 PM EST
    moons ago I as lucky enough that my daily commute included a six mile stretch directly along the the Indian River lagoon, always a spectacular view especially at sunrise. One winter morning there was a cold west wind blowing and once it passed the barrier island it created a roiled fog that was backlit by the rising sun.

    Picture a huge forest fire with flames shooting hundreds of feet high except the flames were a dazzling array of fluorescent blue. Beautiful, mesmerizing and completely unforgettable.

    Parent

    If you're ever in Puerto Rico (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by Yman on Thu May 07, 2020 at 06:58:11 AM EST
    ... there are a couple of bays where the bioluminescent dinoflagellates always exist in high concentrations, making them brighter than usual.  We went to "Bio Bay" (properly known as Mosquito Bahia) on the island of Vieques, where you can take a night time tour of the bay in kayaks with clear/plexiglass bottoms.  With relatively little light pollution, the view of the stars alone is amazing.  Our kids still talk about it.

    Parent
    Luminescence (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by BGinCA on Thu May 07, 2020 at 12:12:44 PM EST
    Also in Jamaica. Where you can get out of the boat which sails on a lake of dinoflagelettes and swim. Your whole body glows. Really remarkable.
    https:/www.visitjamaica.com/listing/luminous-lagoon/457

    Parent
    Shows as red tide (none / 0) (#51)
    by MKS on Wed May 06, 2020 at 02:31:55 PM EST
    during the day.  Algae bloom.

    Parent
    I wonder (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 08:23:57 AM EST
    If this might be the beginning of rethinking public education.

    You can't bring an AR15 to a virtual classroom.

    A bigger issue (none / 0) (#66)
    by ragebot on Thu May 07, 2020 at 12:27:26 PM EST
    is how colleges will deal with the fallout.

    Already there is a slew of suits due to the claim that online classes are inferior to in person classes.  Not to mention several schools have been sued for not refunding housing and food costs of students forced to leave campus.

    Current travel restrictions will probably limit foreign students attending US schools.  It is not even clear that schools will open up in the fall; something that will reduce income for schools.  All in all I can't see higher education continuing the way it existed before the virus.

    Parent

    Tomorrow (none / 0) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu May 07, 2020 at 11:04:05 AM EST

    How Bad Will the April Jobs Report Be?

    May 7, 2020 at 12:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

    Neil Irwin: "When released Friday morning, the April numbers will show exactly how stunning the American economy's plunge has been. It will be hard to find words to capture what those tables of figures will show."

    "The last time the economy was in free fall, I wrote this: "The economy is unraveling so fast as to defy analysis through the usual statistical models. Among the phrases found in normally sober reports from the nation's top economic forecasters yesterday: `god-awful,' `wholesale capitulation,' `shockingly weak' and `indescribably terrible.'"

    "That jobs report, from November 2008, indicated that employers had cut 533,000 jobs. Analysts expect the April 2020 job losses to be 41 times worse."
    14.7% unemployment rate (none / 0) (#103)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 08:56:50 AM EST
    20.5 million jobs lost in April

    Parent
    Anyone can get a test (none / 0) (#106)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:04:13 AM EST
    If I want them to.

    Trump Offers to Give Biden Rapid Testing

    May 8, 2020 at 9:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

    President Trump said that he would help Joe Biden gain access to rapid tests for the novel coronavirus if his campaign asked for it, The Hill reports.

    Said Trump: "Yes, 100 percent. I would love to see him get out of the basement so he can speak. Every time he talks it's like a good thing."

    He added: "They don't want him to come out. I'll give them the test immediately. We would have it to them today."

    The spectacle of him telling the country testing is over rated and not needed while they jump from weekly to daily testing after the guy who brings his diet cokes came down with it is something to see.

    Seems like no one here (none / 0) (#110)
    by ragebot on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:19:31 AM EST
    has read what Clapper has to say in the just released stuff.

    Or maybe they just don't wanna deal with it.

    I give up (5.00 / 1) (#127)
    by Repack Rider on Fri May 08, 2020 at 12:29:17 PM EST
    What did he say?

    Parent
    Clapper, as well as every other Obama underling (none / 0) (#137)
    by ragebot on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:19:24 PM EST
    said under oath in the released transcripts that they had no direct evidence of collusion between Trump (or his campaign employees) and Russia; just the opposite of what they were saying on TV.  The worst offender was Adam Shift who endlessly said on TV there was evidence of collusion but never produced any of it.  Shift could not produce it because there was no one questioned under oath that would say it existed.

    Just for the record while there was a huge document dump it was not complete.  According to sources the stuff that really puts the dems in a bad light will be dumped next week.  So stay tuned.

    Parent

    Lord love a duck (5.00 / 2) (#138)
    by MKS on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:32:27 PM EST
    Evidence:

    Trump Tower Meeting

    Trump campaign sharing detailed, private and expensive micro polling data with GRU.

    "Russia if you are listening".....then that day GRU hacks....

    Stone announcing in advance wikileaks dump...wikileaks being the Russian conduit.

    Stone and Manafort refusing to cooperate....

    Just off the top of my head....

    Parent

    ragebot (5.00 / 3) (#139)
    by MKS on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:34:15 PM EST
    Are you going to do a lot of this until the election: dumping warmed-over GOP propaganda on us?

    Parent
    Can you write a single post ... (5.00 / 1) (#141)
    by Yman on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:45:32 PM EST
    ... that isn't made up of laughable, wingnut lies?

    Seriously ... just one.

    Clapper, as well as every other Obama underling said under oath in the released transcripts that they had no direct evidence of collusion between Trump (or his campaign employees) and Russia; just the opposite of what they were saying on TV.

    They never said they had direct, empirical evidence of a conspiracy with Russia and the Trump campaign.  Never.  Not once.

    But you already knew that ... and yet you persist in lying.

    Parent

    Cultists (none / 0) (#145)
    by FlJoe on Sat May 09, 2020 at 07:31:42 AM EST
    do as cultists will.

    Parent
    I saw Schiff onTV (5.00 / 1) (#142)
    by Repack Rider on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:01:09 PM EST
    ...producing hours of evidence.

    It is clear that you do not live in the United States, where anyone can see this stuff, but you seem to have Internet, and Youtube has it also.

    There is no excuse for you not to know the stuff you claim not to know.

    The future "document dump" is something we have been hearing about for four years.  When is Hillary going to be locked up? Is Durham going to have any results...EVER?

    Despite three years of rhetoric about "crooked" democrats, so far the convictions have gone to a GOP all-star team: Flynn, Gates, Page, Papadopoulos, Manafort, Cohen and Stone.

    Parent

    Accuse (none / 0) (#143)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat May 09, 2020 at 05:39:07 AM EST
    others of what you yourself are doing~paraphrased Joseph Goebbels.

    Parent
    Trolling (none / 0) (#131)
    by Yman on Fri May 08, 2020 at 02:32:34 PM EST
    Not even particularly well.

    But it's funny watching the wingnuts get excited about the "never saw any direct, empirical evidence" of conspiracy, when Clapper was out of office in the early stages of the investigation.

    Heh.

    Parent

    Covid and gender (none / 0) (#111)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 09:52:30 AM EST
    I read more men are dying.  They offer all kinds of possible reasons like differences in immune reactions.

    I was just out.

    I have a reason.  Because they are more stupid.  Because they won't take precautions because it's not "manly".  I'm not kidding.  Google that.  It's a thing.

    Almost everyone in mask and gloves were women.  Only rarely - and usually very old ones - do you see a man with a mask unless he is with a woman.

    I think it's not rocket science.

    Haven't you (none / 0) (#118)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:41:24 AM EST
    ever seen those memes about why this is men don't live as long as women? That pretty much explains it all. Men continually do stupid stuff. As the mother of 2 boys some of the stuff they do just makes me shake my head and I told my husband it is amazing that he actually lived considering all the stupid crap he has done in his life. I told him that at one point he must have had a death wish or something.

    Parent
    Not going to the doctor when sick (none / 0) (#122)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:48:22 AM EST
    This is like an eternal mystery to me.

    I literally can get my mind around it.  No where in my universe do I act like I'm healthy if I am not.  I go to the doctor with ingrown hairs.  I really really don't and have never been able to understand this.

    But it clearly part of the "masculine thing" I recognized and decided NOT to absorb at about age 10.

    I have never regretted it less than right now.

    Parent

    Right on. Anecdotally. But I saw it first hand. (none / 0) (#120)
    by leap on Fri May 08, 2020 at 11:45:19 AM EST
    Late last week, I garnered up courage to take my car to the auto-shop that stores and changes my summer-to-winter/winter-to-summer tires; to finally have them change out my winter to summer tires. I was assured they take all sanitizing of surfaces seriously, cleaning handles, steering wheel, shifter knob, key fob, etc. Plastic on the seat and steering wheel. OK. I sat on a bench outside and waited. And watched other customers pull in. In all, I saw three people wearing masks, two of them women. One was a parts delivery man who was wearing a mask. And oh, a fourth: the mailwoman who pulled up in a USPS trucklet. She had on a mask and gloves. One couple showed up in two vehicles (they were leaving one for servicing). The woman had on a mask. Her husband got out of his pickup, pulled a mask out of his pocket, stretched it over his face, the whole of it being on his neck, BELOW HIS CHIN! I guess he just couldn't let himself look unmanly. As he sauntered up to talk with the shop owner, who was talking with another man (neither wearing masks and standing two to three feet apart), he grabbed his mask and yanked it off over his head, and then, looking for a place to put it, dragged it up his arm! And there it remained, on his upper right arm, above his elbow. Maybe that's where he does his best thinking.

    Note: NONE of the fellows working at the shop wore masks, or practiced physical distancing. When I asked the shop owner about this, he said it was up to his employees whether or not to wear masks.

    Parent

    Men sure seem stupid but (none / 0) (#180)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:24:27 AM EST
    this may be a more important factor in why men are more at risk.

    It is genetic.  

    Parent

    So (5.00 / 1) (#182)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:34:15 AM EST
    Taking fewer precautions than women because of some macho bullshi+ make them even more stupid.

    IMO

    Parent

    Key blurb from the link (none / 0) (#183)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:53:10 AM EST
    It is not about men acting stupid.

    A simplified way of thinking about that is this: A specific gene on the X chromosome, TLR-7, is often used to recognize single-stranded RNA viruses like the novel coronavirus. Having two versions gives them an advantage in recognizing the virus.
    Additionally, we think that COVID-19 uses its spike protein to enter cells in the body. They do that by unlocking the ACE2 protein on the surface of the cell. And, as it turns out, the ACE2 gene is on the X chromosome. Which means all of men's cells are using that same [version of the] ACE2 gene. So if they unfortunately encounter a strain of COVID-19 that has a spike protein that can perfectly unlock their ACE2 and enter their cells, men are in big trouble quickly.


    Parent
    A second link (none / 0) (#186)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:01:29 AM EST
    about the issue.

    And the key blurb.

    Men's blood has higher levels than women's of a key enzyme used by the new coronavirus to infect cells, the results of a big European study showed on Monday -- a finding which may help explain why men are more vulnerable to infection with COVID-19.


    Parent
    Barr has set the table (none / 0) (#126)
    by KeysDan on Fri May 08, 2020 at 12:28:18 PM EST
    for Trump to pardon Flynn. Will keep him safe from potentially, future charges.  The curious part of this corruption and malfeasance is the why?  Why did Flynn lie?  Surely, with his military background he must have known Counter-intelligence agents were aware of his underhanded behavior.

    And, even more curious, why is Trump (via Barr) protecting Flynn?  Trump never looks out for anyone but himself. His beautiful bus is always idling and ready to roll.

    The reasons for the DOJ action are specious.  Not even close.  Barr says he cannot prove charges to which Flynn has twice pleaded guilty. Flynn offered to be cooperative, and there was plenty of evidence besides his guilty plea. Sally Yates Acting Attorney General, warned Trump that Flynn was a security risk (open to Russian blackmail) and was fired by Trump for her patriotic efforts.

     And, the stretch that legitimacy and materiality are absent snaps the credulity band. There was, in progress, a months-long counter-intelligence investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Putin et al.  Flynn was a critical national securtiy member of the Trump campaign.  He lied about his conversation with the Russian Ambassador so as to undermine the Obama Administration (still in office) efforts to sanction Russia for its attack on our election.

    Interesting times (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 01:35:35 PM EST
    "Trump aides and operatives have spent weeks exploring alternatives to the standard Trump 2020 rally that could allow for social distancing while still allowing for a modest number of attendees. Much of the focus has been on sprawling outdoor venues, such as large fields. And one of the top ideas for this coronavirus-era workaround that is currently being floated would rely on repurposing drive-ins for a political gathering."
    Why bother? (none / 0) (#133)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri May 08, 2020 at 04:08:07 PM EST
    Just pack them all in and let them get sick since it's a "hoax" anyway and no worse than a cold or flu to the Trumpers.

    Do drive in theaters even exist anymore outside of a few rural towns?

    Parent

    There is one in Champaign (none / 0) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 04:27:46 PM EST
    I went there often when I lived there.  I would bring the dogs and smoke in the car.  I believe they are having a bit of a renaissance even before this.

    But it was no where near big enough for a Trump rally.  Even tho it was pretty big.  I would think they will have to create something bigger in a big field or parking lot or something.

    Parent

    Big difference in real estate (none / 0) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri May 08, 2020 at 07:11:55 PM EST
    Between a couple thousand people and a couple thousand cars.

    I guess they could encourage car pooling but that would defeat the purpose maybe.

    Parent

    New reports of possible (none / 0) (#135)
    by MKS on Fri May 08, 2020 at 06:51:23 PM EST
    long term kidney damage to go along with prior reports of long term heart and lung damage.

    Idiots.

    Parent

    My step sister is dealing with this (none / 0) (#167)
    by Militarytracy on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:12:26 PM EST
    She has been ill for 6 weeks now. Terrible heart palpitations, they are becoming less frequent thank God. Her pneumonia was mild, but it really went after her heart. She seems to have some neurological damage also.

    Parent
    This virus (5.00 / 1) (#171)
    by KeysDan on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:42:40 PM EST
    attacks all cells.

    Parent
    We have been looking everywhere for (none / 0) (#175)
    by Militarytracy on Sun May 10, 2020 at 11:22:01 PM EST
    More information, and it is beginning to trickle in. There is a group of folks dealing with what looks like a very long recovery from the assault on their body. She says the most frightening thing for her is the possibility that she does not really "get better".

    After witnessing everything she has gone through, seeing people not take protective measures is terrifying to me. Like playing Russian roulette, who gets the bullet?

    Parent

    does she have any idea (none / 0) (#176)
    by leap on Sun May 10, 2020 at 11:54:04 PM EST
    where or how she got it? That is so horrible, I'm so sorry for her.

    Parent
    She works in Aurora (none / 0) (#177)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 01:36:22 AM EST
    Unfortunately Aurora got hit pretty hard.

    Parent
    Sorry to hear this (none / 0) (#190)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:24:07 AM EST
    I expect it to get closer in the next month or two.

    Just reading yesterday they think May might actually be a bit better but it could explode in June.

    I kind of expect this from personal observation.

    Parent

    A couple of articles this morning (none / 0) (#194)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 10:34:36 AM EST
    Reporting on these long suffering non-recoveries. Thank Goodness. The people experiencing it need support. We found a Facebook group she joined, but just last night she lamented that people need to know what has happened to her can happen to them.

    As for the great opening up, our little locked down family emotionally prepared for June to be a horrific month in United States. Full of death and loss.

    Parent

    The last few days (5.00 / 1) (#197)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 11:34:56 AM EST
    I have been rewatching the final season of Game of Thrones.

    I just watched The Long Night.  Just gotta say I absolutely think it might be the best hour and 22 minutes ever made for the small screen.

    After lunch I will watch The Bells and the finale episode.

    Screw the whiners.

    Parent

    Wandering Earth (none / 0) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat May 09, 2020 at 09:32:19 AM EST
    This is great.  If you have some time to kill.  (Strange expression I always thought till now).  I had forgotten about this.

    China's blockbuster The Wandering Earth is gorgeous, goofy, and on Netflix now

    The country's first big-budget science fiction epic is often familiar, but it does spectacle on an impressive scale

    It really is.  If you want some great effects in a really goofy plot with really goofy Amine dubbing do it.

    While I will probably watch this (none / 0) (#184)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:57:43 AM EST
    I found an interesting line in the link.  It was about how films from China try and advance the idea of international cooperation, and to some extent a one world view; in contrast the American view tends to be one of individualism.

    If you look at my post below about how meat producers have been decreasing shipments to domestic markets while increasing shipments to China it seems like there will be an inevitable conflict between the two philosophies.  

    Parent

    There is a rather obvious (none / 0) (#189)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:21:15 AM EST
    Example of this near the end.  There is this (really big) thing they have to push.  I was never really clear why they had to push it but clearly they did.  First one or two try.  Then ultimately there is a flood of comrades who decide not to run for their lives and come back and push.  Of course the thousands of them manage to push it.

    The movie is hilarious from beginning to end.  And yes, it makes as much sense as sending our meat supply to China.

    Parent

    Can you imagine (none / 0) (#156)
    by MKS on Sat May 09, 2020 at 06:02:29 PM EST
    if Trump is a super spreader?

     Well, he is already in many respects.  I meant with respect to the virus.

    the only (5.00 / 1) (#159)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun May 10, 2020 at 08:06:34 AM EST
    thing I know for sure is even if Trump tested positive he would lie and say he was negative. Same for Pence. The only way you would ever know that Trump had it would be if he was coughing so hard he couldn't breathe or died from the virus.

    Parent
    Tests, shmests. (none / 0) (#163)
    by KeysDan on Sun May 10, 2020 at 02:05:06 PM EST
    Trump on Mrs. Stephen Miller:  " Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of a sudden she tested positive.....this is why the whole concept of tests aren't necessarily great...Today, I guess, for some reason, she tested   positive."

    Parent
    Yeah, for some reason. (none / 0) (#164)
    by desertswine on Sun May 10, 2020 at 02:15:48 PM EST


    Parent
    It's almost like you don't have the virus (none / 0) (#169)
    by ruffian on Sun May 10, 2020 at 09:15:11 PM EST
    until you do have the virus.

    Parent
    A few observations (5.00 / 1) (#174)
    by Repack Rider on Sun May 10, 2020 at 10:50:21 PM EST
    Who enjoys "social distancing" the most?

    Melania.

    "Nobody on earth could have anticipated a pandemic, which is why I disbanded the Pandemic Response Team."

    "If it turned out that threats, insults and public relations DID cure CV, you would be calling me a genius by now and firing the doctors.  How would we have known it wouldn't work unless we tried it?"

    "Have patience.  It takes time for the virus to respond to threats."

    Parent

    One of our senatorial (none / 0) (#178)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon May 11, 2020 at 04:53:54 AM EST
    candidates turns that nobody could have ever known thing into you don't build a firehouse until the whole neighborhood burns down.

    Bush disbanded the terrorism task force and we had a terrorist attack. Trump disbanded the pandemic task force and now we have a pandemic.

    That's Republicans for you.

    Parent

    Funny things we learn by googling (none / 0) (#179)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:22:35 AM EST
    Every so often a name will pop into my head and I will think, oh, yeah, what's his/her name.  I wonder what they are up to.

    Just happened with someone I worked with in about 1990.  It was my last job in broadcast graphics in NY.  We were coworkers in broadcast graphics.  We did some really good stuff.  Including, if you happen to live in the market area, the big ID/promo package for WPIX 11 with the spinning orb over various landmarks.

    I think, that guy was a real d!ck.  Wonder where he is now.

    I telling you all this because I think it's interesting that he is Director is Animation for FOX news.

    I have friends in low places.

    Meat shortages may not be as real as advertised. (none / 0) (#181)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:33:09 AM EST
    While shopping at Walmart I was speaking to a worker who puts out meat.  I commented while there was meat on the shelves there was not as much as usual.  He replied after the initial surge in buying meat purchases had slowed down, in his opinion, because with so many folks out of work buying Ramen made more sense than buying filet minion.

    Then I read this article which indicated while domestic shipments of meat were decreasing the amount of meat exported to China had increased four fold.  This was a real eye opener

    Your (none / 0) (#185)
    by FlJoe on Mon May 11, 2020 at 08:59:55 AM EST
    point being that once again our corporate overlords and the tRump administration are screwing us over once again?

    Parent
    Reading (1.00 / 1) (#193)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 09:49:58 AM EST
    comprehension is your friend.  Trump kinda made it clear he would invoke his powers to force the meat producers to ship to the US first and only ship to China after the US needs were met.

    I get it that TDS exists but in this case you are taking it too far.

    Parent

    Sorry (5.00 / 1) (#196)
    by FlJoe on Mon May 11, 2020 at 11:08:43 AM EST
    it was you who pointed out that the shortage was some sort of fake news (even though it was the meat packing executives who were pushing it).

    It was you who pointed out that any real shortages were probably exacerbated by much of the supply going to China.

    If tRump was "kinda" interested in ensuring our food supplies he could have curtailed exports to China before forcing American workers into dangerous working conditions.

    You got your own TDS (tRump defense syndrome). He apparently can do no wrong in your eyes.

    Parent

    There's a whole lot of shaking going on (none / 0) (#195)
    by ragebot on Mon May 11, 2020 at 10:35:13 AM EST
    1,227 earthquakes in CA in the last seven days.

    To Sarcastic Unnamed One (none / 0) (#204)
    by McBain on Mon May 11, 2020 at 02:30:34 PM EST
    It's unclear to me what the McMichael's knew or what their intention was before deciding to pursue Arbery.

    From the link I provided earlier...

    A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge. If the offense is a felony and the offender is escaping or attempting to escape, a private person may arrest him upon reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion.

    I'd like to know more about what "probably grounds of suspicion" means and how it might relate to this case.

    As for the shooting itself, I've watched that video several times and I can't tell which, if any shots, were justified.

    Fair enough (none / 0) (#205)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 06:04:15 PM EST
    It does not seem that the McMs were chasing Arbery due to the home under construction video.

    McMichael told police they saw Arbery "the other night" and that he reached in his pants, as if readying to draw a gun, the report said
    Actually, I read too quickly. (none / 0) (#206)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 06:07:35 PM EST
    The senior McMichael told police the surveillance video in the neighborhood had earlier captured Arbery in suspicious circumstances.
    Is that not the video from inside the unfinished house?

    linkage (none / 0) (#207)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon May 11, 2020 at 06:08:26 PM EST
    here although there are many reports on many websites with tons of similar info

    I've seen two different (none / 0) (#208)
    by McBain on Mon May 11, 2020 at 07:29:42 PM EST
    angles of surveillance video.  One that allegedly shows Arbery walking into the home under construction and one from inside. Again, I don't know what the McMichaels knew and if it legally justified their pursuit. Perhaps Peter or Jeralyn will comment at some point.

     

    Monday Night Open Thread | 204 comments (204 topical)