This is good.  And a little surprising.

Biden to announce withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11

A new report by the Capitol Police's internal watchdog found that department leaders overlooked key intelligence in the run-up to the riot on Jan. 6, including a warning that "Congress itself is the target," and barred the force's riot response unit from using its most powerful crowd-control measures.

The 104-page document, entitled "Review of the Events Surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol," is the most searing portrait yet of the lapses and miscalculations around the most violent attack on the Capitol in two centuries. It adds significant new detail not unearthed in congressional hearings and is likely to inform a coming overhaul of the agency promised by lawmakers.

Michael A. Bolton, the Capitol Police's inspector general, classified the report as "law enforcement sensitive" and has not released it to the public. But The New York Times reviewed a copy before his testimony to the House Administration Committee, scheduled for Thursday.

Here are the highlights.

I am happy to report that I am classified "Covid recovered". No longer contagious. I  am over the first hump and improving. I am down to 4 litres of oxygen. From 13.

I have been moved to a specialty hospital for respiratory rehab. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

It seems rage is a powerful motivator for healing. Embracing my anger has kept me alive.

Some of those storming Capitol swore allegiance

The military and the police are the people we pay to protect our freedom. My first act on entering the Army was to swear allegiance to the Constitution.

For this reason it is disturbing to see that military veterans and law enforcement groups were so well represented among the criminals who stormed the Capitol. Police officers' unions should provide explanations as to why this was the case.

Anyway, over the past couple years a local SLO guy got obsessed with the case and did a podcast with interviews of anyone he could find who was connected to the girl or the case.

He then published the podcast, "Your Own Backyard," and a couple days ago the SLO County sheriffs arrested a guy for the murder and his dad as accessory, and

credited [the pocaster, Chris] Lambert with helping draw worldwide attention to the case and bringing forward several key witnesses.

I checked around to take the temp.  I found an interesting thing.  I lost my connection right after the election and the mood has taken a very different turn since then.  There are certainly still nuts being censored by FB.  lots.  But most is more carefully worded to avoid the dreaded grey mask.  Which means they are really reduced to whining.

I found many versions of meme like (meaning they were probably started by Russian intelligence) posts that say the say thing that goes something like this

WHY DO THEY ALL KEEP CRUCIFYING SUCH A GREAT GUY  AND GREAT PRESIDENT AND GLORIFYING A GUY THAT SHOULD NOT BE PRESIDENT???!!!

The wording varies but that is the gist.  I saw dozens of these.

A couple of things I would have pointed out if I posted on FB:

If he is  being "crucified" (he is) you are losing

If Biden is being "glorified" (he is) you are also losing.

And lastly, thank you for acknowledging Biden IS the president even if you would rather he is not.

This is a very different, defensive, desperate tone than a couple of months ago.

However, Speaker Pelosi is apparently running into a brick wall trying to get cooperation from Republicans for a bipartisan effort, which is unsurprising because Republicans.  It will.be necessary, it seems clear, that Democrats move ahead on their own and impanel a blue ribbon commission of security, intelligence,  and other appropriate experts.  A special counsel would be another approach.

Francis Wilkinson: "In a small, carpeted classroom in Delta, British Columbia, a dozen of us filed in for the first of two days of classes -- 15 hours in all -- required to obtain a firearm license. Canadian law recognizes three basic types of guns: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. Firearms become more difficult to possess as the government's assessment of their danger increases. Handguns, for example, are restricted. Despite their designations, even restricted and prohibited firearms can be legally possessed and acquired."

"Licensing is extensive and mandatory. Without a license issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, you can't legally possess or purchase a firearm in Canada. And without completing an authorized training course in firearm safety like this one, and then waiting a minimum of 28 business days for your application to be processed, you won't get a license."

"A Pentagon panel is recommending that decisions to prosecute service members for sexual assault be made by independent authorities, not commanders, in what would be a major reversal of military practice and a change long sought by Congress members," the Associated Press reports.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who is a physician, told the HuffPost that he wore a white lab coat in a public service announcement urging people to get vaccinated after being advised by GOP pollster Frank Luntz.

Said Marshall: "What we've found is if we put on our white coat, it literally moves the needle."

That judge has since recused himself from the case and Martin did not rule on the argument Tuesday. He set another hearing for Wednesday to hear more on the issue.

"The Arizona Senate has the constitutional authority to conduct the audit as part of its legislative function. However, the manner in which that audit is conducted must be balanced against the constitutional rights of the voters in Maricopa County, including the rights to secrecy and confidentiality of information," he said.

Before the hearing ended, Martin added: "I am not yet persuaded that there has been a showing that the rights of the voters in Maricopa County are being protected."

Said Lindell: "You're not going to be able to swear. There will be four words for sure you can't say: You can't say the C-word, the N-word, the F-word, and you can't use God's name in vain."

"The Defense Department has confirmed that leaked photos and video of "unidentified aerial phenomena" taken in 2019 are indeed legitimate images of unexplained objects, CNN reports.

Photos and videos of triangle-shaped objects blinking and moving through the clouds were taken by Navy personnel.

No, really.

`Passion of the Christ' Star Hawks Unhinged QAnon Adrenochrome Conspiracy Theory

Capitol Police Officer Died from Strokes

April 19, 2021 at 4:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

"Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District's chief medical examiner has ruled," the Washington Post reports.

"The ruling, released Monday, likely will make it difficult for prosecutors to pursue homicide charges in the officer's death."

"The Biden administration is considering requiring tobacco companies to reduce the nicotine levels in all cigarettes sold in the U.S. to levels at which they are no longer addictive," the Wall Street Journal reports.

I've been celebrating all day.  They are having a big sale and out door party at our new dispensary.  The parking lot was full when I got there at 9:15 and I had to park on the side of the highway.  It's a BIG parking lot.

Also I got to meet and chat for a bit with the owner.  The person almost singularly responsible for medical pot in this state.  She paid for the ballot initiative and many other things.  Now she is getting ever more rich.  

She is Rene Clay-Circle.  Our local superhero.  She lives in a Wayne Manor like house on a cliff over Spring River.  You can find her on social media. She is a very colorful and interesting character.

She has a very active twitter and Facebook presence.  I can't figure out much about her politics.  She is currently (also) the County Coroner.  And elected office. She ran as a Democrat but it's a more complicated story than that.  And a good one.

I told her today she should run against Huckabee-Sanders.  She laughed but not in a that's ridiculous way.  She is probably the second richest family (Town and Country Supermarkets) in the state after the Waltons.

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers named best midsize metro to move to after college

The Best Places To Move After College

Crazy, Not Insane review: Why do people become murderers?
True-crime shows focusing on the act of murder are booming. Alex Gibney's new documentary Crazy, Not Insane instead looks at what might spawn a killer

Endangered polar bears are breeding with grizzly bears, creating hybrid "pizzly" bears, and it's being driven by climate change, scientists say.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the injecting bleach and "inserting" lights speech.

Former President Donald Trump said that Twitter has become "very boring" since he was banned from the social media platform, Insider reports.

Said Trump: "I'm really getting a big word out because we're doing releases. And every time I do a release it's all over the place. It's better than Twitter, much more elegant than Twitter. And Twitter now is very boring, a lot of people are leaving Twitter."

Associated Press: "For any new leader, a lingering pandemic that has killed more than a half-million citizens would be plenty for a first 100 days. But it has been far from the sole preoccupation for the now 78-year-old Biden."

"The oldest person ever elected president is tugging the United States in many new directions at once, right down to its literal foundations -- the concrete of its neglected bridges -- as well as the racial inequities and partisan poisons tearing at the civil society. Add to that list: a call for dramatic action to combat climate change."

"He's doing it without the abrasive noise of the last president or the charisma of the last two. Biden's spontaneity, once a hallmark and sometimes a headache, is rarely seen. Some say he is a leader for this time: more action, less talk and something for the history books."

link

"The White House is preparing to unveil a roughly $1.8 trillion spending and tax plan this coming week that includes many of President Biden's campaign promises but also reflects the daunting challenges facing the administration as it tries to transform the U.S. economy," the Washington Post reports.

"The American Families Plan, set to be released ahead of the president's joint address to Congress on Wednesday, calls for devoting hundreds of billions of dollars to national child care, prekindergarten, paid family leave and tuition-free community college, among other domestic priorities. It will be at least partially funded by about a half-dozen tax hikes on high-income Americans and investors, proposed changes that are already provoking fierce opposition in Congress and on Wall Street."

"The presidency is the most powerful position in the country, but it could accidentally wind up with a new perk: the ability to cast electoral votes. That's because, as a result of a constitutional quirk, the current push for D.C. statehood would leave a remnant federal district in which the White House might be the only permanent residence. It's one of the more bizarre features of the long-running fight to grant congressional representation to the 700,000 taxpaying residents of the District of Columbia..."

"There's no easy fix for such a scenario, because it would take a new constitutional amendment to undo the 23rd Amendment, which is far more difficult to pass than simple legislation."

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) hid on a toilet with a sword during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January, the New York Times reports.

After being evacuated, Westerman and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly hid in McCarthy's office. But when rioters began breaking into the building, McCarthy's security detail had him leave Westerman behind.

For protection, Westerman said he "commandeered a Civil War sword from an office display, barricaded himself in Mr. McCarthy's private bathroom and waited out the siege while crouched on the toilet."

 Kudlow worries about celebrations, "throw back a plant-based beer with your grilled Brussels sprouts on July 4"

Investigators Already Working with Giuliani's Associates

April 29, 2021 at 5:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 19 Comments

"By the time federal investigators searched the Manhattan home of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday, they had amassed a trove of evidence from his associates in Ukraine, focusing most intently on Giuliani's ties to Ukrainian oligarchs," Time reports.

"The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described lengthy interviews with investigators in Europe, Manhattan and Washington, starting in the fall of 2019 and continuing through February. The calls and meetings with investigators grew more frequent and `intense' after Joe Biden's victory in last fall's presidential election."

"Two of the witnesses say they were working with Giuliani while cooperating with federal investigators."

And beyond that, if Democrats want power, they have to win in a country where 18 percent of the population controls 52 percent of the Senate seats.