February 20, 2024
Mid-Morning Art Thread
Bartolome Esteban Murillo It was either this, or a Georges Braque that is guaranteed to irritate some of you. Shockingly, I chose this one! Most of Murillo's works are busier and more complex than this one, but I saw a sense of movement in it that intrigued me...almost as if the painting is flowing.
Bartolome Esteban Murillo It was either this, or a Georges Braque that is guaranteed to irritate some of you. Shockingly, I chose this one! Most of Murillo's works are busier and more complex than this one, but I saw a sense of movement in it that intrigued me...almost as if the painting is flowing.
Posted by: CBD at 09:40 AM | Comments (314) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Morning Report — 2/20/24
When Soros first came after Radio Mambi, some Republican legislators, including Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Marco Rubio, and others turned to the FCC, warning that, “far-left ideologues are attempting to consolidate and expand their control over the media, so they can flood the airwaves with propaganda” and asking the federal agency to step in and take action. That did not happen and nor should anyone expect the FCC to stop Soros now, but the company filed for Chapter 11 in the Southern District of Texas. And while the NRA and Trump already discovered the dangerous powers that state prosecutors have over organizations doing business or even registered in a blue state, there’s no reason the reverse can’t be true. Audacy’s rapid bankruptcy deal that will make Soros into the company’s biggest shareholder can be examined by state officials including regulators and prosecutors like Attorney General Ken Paxton. Audacy’s reach includes Texas where it has at least one conservative talk radio station, KJCE which, along with local talent, broadcasts Sean Hannity, Dana Loesch and Frontlines of Freedom, and local officials can determine whether the bankruptcy deal and the subsequent Soros takeover will impact the Texas market and viewpoint diversity. Instead of a rapid bankruptcy followed by a fast takeover, Texas state officials have a duty to thoroughly scrutinize the parameters of the agreement, its local impact and any issues that may arise from the new role of the Soros organization and what its management role may be. Part of the agreement involves the appointment of a new board of directors. At Radio Mambi, the Soros people brought in Democratic Party operatives in a leadership role. Does Soros have similar plans for Audacy? Who will be on the proposed board of directors? Did George Soros personally play any role in the move by the Soros Management Fund? The company has signaled that major cuts will be as part of its reorganization. Will those cuts be politically neutral or will they single out conservative employees and the conservative side of the business? Will this reorganization which is officially meant to deal with the debt load really be used as cover for a purge of the political opposition by a major funder of the ruling party. These are worrisome questions. When NPR radio stations began turning into conservative talk radio, the media and Democrat legislators quickly mobilized to fight against the transformation. The question is whether Republicans intend to allow George Soros to crush conservative radio without a fight.One of the shocking truths that Rush Limbaugh, PBUH, made us realize is that Republican does not ipso facto mean conservative. Remember, the GOPe hates us, Trump and the MAGA movement every bit as the Left because in point of fact they are part and parcel of the hypocrisy we were awakened to starting all those years ago.
- ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
- "The successful missile strikes represent a new escalation in the region by the Houthis, as this marks the first time that a crew has been forced to abandon ship because of the level of damage sustained from one of the group’s terrorist attacks."
Biden Failing On World Stage: Cargo Ship Could Sink After Houthi Attack; U.S. Drone Downed; U.S. Cargo Ship Hit
- Daniel Greenfield: "220 radio stations, 200 million listeners, one radical billionaire." (And yesterday was the anniversary of Rush's Golden EIB mic going silent - jjs)
Can Texas Stop Soros From Taking Over Conservative Radio?
Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 08:11 AM | Comments (348) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 20 February 2024
Top Story
- Global Foundries is set to receive $1.5 billion in government funds under the CHIPS Act, and another $600 million from New York state in one form or another. (Tom's Hardware)
Global Foundries was originally the manufacturing arm of AMD, and was then spun off as a separate company, acquired the semiconductor operations of AMD, and was bought by the UAE, not necessarily in that order.
The company is planning to invest $12 billion over the next decade, mostly on specialised production like gallium nitride and expanding bulk processes on 12nm.
a
Is this money well spent? Probably not; if it were, Global Foundries wouldn't need the money. Is it money better spent than almost anything the US federal government does? Maybe.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (273) | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 19, 2024
Monday Overnight Open Thread (2/19/24)
***
The Quotes of The Day
Quote I I think that this is really an extraordinary, unusual circumstance that the law-abiding and rule-following New Yorkers who are business people have nothing to worry about because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior, New York Governor "Karen" Hochul
Quote II "Minnesota has a reputation and long history of protecting LGBTQ people. That reputation is the crux of this." Aaron Zimmerman, executive director of the LGBTQ nonprofit PFund Foundation
Quote III “So how can you take — as leader — how do you take an issue where the American people support us and lead us into a box, where now, when a bill is produced, it is worse than doing nothing. When that’s rejected, we get blamed. I mean, you got to work overtime to screw that up.” US Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI)
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Presidential Cafe
Wyoming
@rob.Phillips.photography
Wyoming
@rob.Phillips.photography
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:10 PM | Comments (430) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Conservative Senators Talk About Possible Ouster of Democrat Rat Mitch McConnell
The spirit is willing, but the GOP is weak.
Henry Rodgers for the Daily Caller:
More at the link. There are Senators who genuinely want to oust McConnell, but there are many liberal fake Republicans who want to keep him because McConnell is great at scheming at how to advance the Democrat Party's agenda while pretending to be Republicans, and then there are a bunch of cowards and grifters who are afraid to do anything and just want to know that Mitch McConnell's corporate money will keep flowing to them.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's days leading the Republican minority could be numbered following the collapse of Senate leadership's bipartisan national security supplemental aid bill this week. Several prominent Republican senators expressed that the border bill debacle could push the GOP conference over the edge to remove McConnell from leadership, they told the Daily Caller in exclusive conversations Wednesday. "Mitch McConnell, in effect, gave the largest in-kind campaign contribution to the Democrats' Senate campaign committee in history," Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told the Caller. Conservatives both inside the official Republican Party apparatus and out have long criticized McConnell, an institution in the Senate with a reputation for shrewd negotiation and savvy maneuvering, for not taking sufficiently hardline stances on key issues to the party's base. McConnell has continued to keep a stranglehold on power in the Republican conference for nearly two decades, but momentum to remove him has reached a fevered pitch after a tidal wave of backlash to the border policy proposal unveiled this week. "I think this is our opportunity to take him out, and we're sort of working to figure out if that's possible. I think that there's a bit of a chicken and egg problem where I think you probably have the votes, but you need somebody to step forward and that person's that unwilling to step forward unless you have the votes, it can't just be a Mike and Ted and a sort of everybody who hates Mitch thing," one Republican senator, who was granted anonymity to speak freely without worry of retaliation from leadership, told the Caller. "You obviously have to get kind of the middle of the conference. So that's all being worked on behind the scenes. And I think, frankly, how this vote works out will help determine whether the conference, broadly speaking, is willing to go in that direction."
McConnell put Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford in charge of border deal negotiations with Democrats and the Biden administration. Every Senate Republican the Caller spoke with laid the blame on McConnell, however, saying he was the one truly crafting the deal behind the scenes and used Lankford, who is not running for reelection, as a pawn to take the fall for what the lawmakers said is a gift to their opponents. "Every single Democrat candidate in the country running for Senate, running for House will use the identical talking points -- they will all say: We wanted to secure the border. We tried to secure the border, but the Republicans wouldn't let us," Cruz continued. "Now, that is a wild-eyed lie. It is completely false. This bill would have made the border crisis worse." "As long as I've been serving in the Senate, there's never been an issue where the American public is so overwhelmingly in support of our position, which is to secure the border. So how can you take as leader, how do you take an issue where the American people support us and lead us into a box, where now, when a bill is produced, it is worse than doing nothing," Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said. "When that's rejected, we get blamed. I mean, you got to work overtime to screw that up." "I've even heard privately, Democratic colleagues, tell me 'your leadership was desperate to make a deal, that it made us less willing to negotiate'. So this is an open secret that these guys were not driving a hard bargain and you see the results in the border package that came out," Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance told the Daily Caller. "And now we're seeing the second step of the process, which is kill the border package. Jam through the Ukraine package. It doesn't make any sense." The Senate deal, which included $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, was shut down Wednesday afternoon after a motion to proceed failed 49-50. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney and Lankford were the only GOP Senators who voted to pass the legislation. Meanwhile, several Democrats also opposed the deal, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer then put a package on the floor to ship aid to Ukraine and Israel, with no provisions for border security. Meanwhile, the predictions of Cruz and others came true before the body of the deal was even cold Wednesday. This week, President Joe Biden blamed Republicans for the crisis at the southern border, stating that their inability to pass legislation to solve the problem was going to be used against them every day on the campaign trail between now and November. Other Democrats have begun deploying the same line. Republican hopes of using Ukraine aid to secure a big win on perhaps 2024's biggest issue, the border, went up in flames.
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:10 PM | Comments (150) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Newest Wave of Invaders Over Our Open Southern Border? Chinese Nationals
We're giving away our country and our birthright to a hostile communist foreign power.
The uptick in Chinese nationals illegally crossing the southern border proves the record-breaking number of foreigners walking into our nation and being shipped by border agents to American cities with little to no vetting is no longer a crisis but a full-fledged invasion. The Biden administration's long-held talking point is that the current border crisis is fueled by a surge of struggling migrants from unstable Latin American countries. Chinese migrants, however, not natural disaster victims in Central America, have become the fastest-growing people group to take advantage of the lapsed southern U.S. border. Border Patrol agents in San Diego alone recorded encounters with 269 Chinese nationals on Monday, Fox News's Bill Melugin reports. Since the 2024 fiscal year began, Customs and Border Protection clocked more than 20,000 Chinese nationals illegally crossing into the U.S. via the southern border. Some of them crossed with the help of the Chinese Communist Party-linked app TikTok. The 2024 number is already dangerously close to the 24,000 Chinese border crossers who were apprehended in the 2023 fiscal year and up significantly from the 450 Chinese arrests border agents made during President Joe Biden's first year in office.And the CBP is letting them in, putting them on buses, and shipping them into the American heartland.
"My Committee has been informed that some of these Chinese nationals have even been found to be affiliated with the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)--and those are just the ones we've been able to vet," Chairman Mark Green noted. "As the CCP works to undermine and infiltrate our institutions and even military installations, Secretary Mayorkas has made it clear to the entire world that our borders are open. This is simply unsustainable, and the national security risks are massive."
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 04:50 PM | Comments (268) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The New Yorker: Is The Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?
, INS, I think, was paying stringers to copy stories off the walls at AP's offices. Then INS would write them up.
AP couldn't sue for copyright infringement because the stories were rewritten completely. But the Supreme Court held that there was a property right in the story, and that there was some protection from unfair poaching.
That will be the new case. But it won't be quite the same, because INS' stories were competing in time with AP's. That is, the INS stories were being delivered at about the same time, taking AP's advantage-of-publishing-first away. In the new situation, these stories will have all gone out into the world before AI begins very rapidly rewriting them.
Note that this is a different article from the similarly titled "Is the Media Heading Towards an Extinction-Level Event?" that appeared in The Atlantic February 2nd.
The media basically just copies from each other and writes the same ten pieces over and over again.Is the Media Prepared for an Extinction-Level Event?It would be nice if you stopped lying to that audience all the time. And as far as an audience being "burned out:" maybe you could stop the endless Cycles of Crisis where one Outrage is only displaced by the next Cause for Alarm and then that is replaced by the next Moral Panic. Maybe your liberal readers -- who are highly neurotic, as every survey shows -- wouldn't be so burned out if you weren't constantly lighting their nervous systems on fire with your panic pornography.
Ads are scarce, search and social traffic is dying, and readers are burned out. The future will require fundamentally rethinking the press's relationship to its audience.
... A report that tracked layoffs in the industry in 2023 recorded twenty-six hundred and eighty-one in broadcast, print, and digital news media. NBC News, Vox Media, Vice News, Business Insider, Spotify, theSkimm, FiveThirtyEight, The Athletic, and Condé Nast--the publisher of The New Yorker--all made significant layoffs. BuzzFeed News closed, as did Gawker. The Washington Post, which lost about a hundred million dollars last year, offered buyouts to two hundred and forty employees. In just the first month of 2024, Condé Nast laid off a significant number of Pitchfork's staff and folded the outlet into GQ; the Los Angeles Times laid off at least a hundred and fifteen workers (their union called it "the big one"); Time cut fifteen per cent of its union-represented editorial staff; the Wall Street Journal slashed positions at its D.C. bureau; and Sports Illustrated, which had been weathering a scandal for publishing A.I.-generated stories, laid off much of its staff as well. One journalist recently cancelled a networking phone call with me, writing, "I've decided to officially take my career in a different direction." There wasn't much I could say to counter that conclusion; it was perfectly logical.Keep talking that hot, sweaty sexytalk.
I know sites that are moving to this model. The media is going to be linked less and less. People are just going to use AI to digest their stories. I expect the media will, in its death throes, sue. They can't claim copyright because the stories will be rewritten. But they'll claim unfair trade practices. It's worked before. In International News Service vs. AP (191
"Publishers, brace yourselves--it's going to be a wild ride," Matthew Goldstein, a media consultant, wrote in a January newsletter. "I see a potential extinction-level event in the future." Some of the forces cited by Goldstein were already well known: consumers are burned out by the news, and social-media sites have moved away from promoting news articles. But Goldstein also pointed to Google's rollout of A.I.-integrated search, which answers user queries within the Google interface, rather than referring them to outside Web sites, as a major factor in this coming extinction.
, INS, I think, was paying stringers to copy stories off the walls at AP's offices. Then INS would write them up.
AP couldn't sue for copyright infringement because the stories were rewritten completely. But the Supreme Court held that there was a property right in the story, and that there was some protection from unfair poaching.
That will be the new case. But it won't be quite the same, because INS' stories were competing in time with AP's. That is, the INS stories were being delivered at about the same time, taking AP's advantage-of-publishing-first away. In the new situation, these stories will have all gone out into the world before AI begins very rapidly rewriting them.
They already do this. They're all front companies for George Soros' vicious transnational socialism and of course the Democrat Party. And Pfizer. Etc.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal analysis, Google generates close to forty per cent of traffic across digital media. Brands with strong home-page traffic will likely be less affected, Goldstein wrote--places like Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Daily Mail, CNN, the Washington Post, and Fox News. But Web sites that aren't as frequently typed into browsers need to "contemplate drastic measures, possibly halving their brand portfolios." What will emerge in the wake of mass extinction, Brian Morrissey, another media analyst, recently wrote in his newsletter, "The Rebooting," is "a different industry, leaner and diminished, often serving as a front operation to other businesses," such as events, e-commerce, and sponsored content.
In fact, he told me, what we are witnessing is nothing less than the end of the mass-media era. "This is a delayed reaction to the commercial Internet itself," he said. "I don't know if anything could have been done differently."People like Glenn Greenwald and Megyn Kelly keep repeating the idea that the media will transform from one made up of trusted institutions to trusted individuals. Sites with strong, independent, unique voices. Hey! We've got some strong, independent unique voices right here! Maybe we'll be fine! I know one thing: AI might be able to quickly rewrite boring AP headlines but they'll never be able to crank out gems like: Cash App Cougar Fani Willis: Yes, I Paid Taxpayer Funds to Hire a Human Meat-Mallet to Pound My Snizz Into Thin Tender Strips Like Veal Scallopini Well, maybe AI will be able to do that. But not for four or five years. We've got time, still.
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:40 PM | Comments (356) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Is America's Greatest Global Foe Actually "America's" National Security Faction?
John Daniel Davidson for the Federalist:
It was a busy day in Washington on Wednesday as the intelligence bureaucracy tried to foment a national security panic over Russian nukes in space in hopes of ramming through the Ukraine aid package and killing reforms designed to curb its power to spy on Americans. Lest you think that sounds crazy, consider the timing of the panic provocations, which came almost immediately after House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and other Republicans weren't going to be "rushed" into approving the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. It also came at the precise moment -- just coincidentally! -- that the House was debating reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, set to expire in April, that would end warrantless surveillance of Americans, which of course the White House and intelligence agencies oppose. All of it just goes to show that the most serious threat facing America isn't Russian nukes in space or overseas terrorist plots, it's the political class in Washington and our intelligence agencies that think they're above the law. ... Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a helpful statement clarifying what all this was really about: "The most urgent national security threat facing the American people right now is the possibility that Congress abandons Ukraine and allows Vladimir Putin's Russia to win." ... It doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to figure out what happened here. Our intelligence agencies don't want lawmakers getting in the way of their plans. They don't want any interruption in the flow of U.S. tax dollars to Ukraine, and they don't want any curbs on their ability to spy on Americans.He also discusses John Brennan's treasonous mobilization of foreign intelligence agencies to spy on the duly-elected president of the United States, in order to justify a coup against him and the electoral decision of the people of the United States.
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 02:30 PM | Comments (333) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Magnificent Meatball: Nikki Haley Is Courting "McCain, Romney" Establishment Republicans and "Very Liberal Democrats"
DeSantis is not exactly breaking news here, but I do like his linking of "Romney Republicans" to "very liberal Democrats."
During his appearance on "One Nation with Brian Kilmeade", DeSantis shared his observations from the Iowa caucus sites. He noted that there were 7,000 Democrats who switched to Republican on the night of the caucus. These voters, according to DeSantis, were "very liberal Democrats" who wore N-95 masks and shirts with liberal slogans. He believes that Haley's strategy was to appeal to these voters, a move he deems ineffective in a Republican primary, especially against a well-known figure like Donald Trump. DeSantis, who suspended his campaign after coming in second behind Trump in Iowa, is adamant that Haley's influence does not extend to the current Republican Party's majority of "conservative populist voters". Instead, he suggests that she connects with a minor faction more closely aligned with the Republican establishment. "She's really playing to the 20% who were more of McCain, Romney, Republicans," he told Kilmeade. "And look, we need a big tent. We need everyone in, but once you go in that direction, you really poisoned the well with the vast majority of Republican primary voters."Despite having signed the GOP's loyalty pledge affirming that she would support the eventual GOP nominee, Nikki Haley now refuses to say she'll back Trump, should he prevail. Which is just another way of appealing to "very liberal Democrats" -- no very liberal Democrat is going to vote for her if she says she would support Donnie "Two Scoops" Satan.
Joining Jon Karl on ABC's "This Week," Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations refused to confirm whether she would support Donald Trump if he wins the GOP nomination. This comes as a surprise to many, as Haley had previously pledged to back the eventual Republican nominee, a pledge she made in order to participate in the GOP debates. However, Haley's recent comments suggest a shift in her stance towards Trump, with the presidential hopeful stating, "I'm running against him because I don't think he should be president."Indian Tracy Flick is following the example of the cinematic Tracy Flick, lying and cheating in elections.
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 01:20 PM | Comments (377) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Politico: James Biden Used Joe Biden's Name to Promote a Bankrupt Company Paying Him for Influence
MXM digests Politico's story so that you don't have to dirty yourself.
Joe Biden was "the brand" that all of his relatives were selling. Note: I'm taking most of the day off. Posts are going to be thin, like this one, and 70 minutes apart instead of 60.
James Biden used brother Joe Biden's name to promote failing company, Americore
Quick Hit: James Biden exploited his familial connection to then-Vice President Joe Biden to promote failing healthcare company, Americore, according to a recent POLITICO investigation. Using his brother's influence, James aimed to secure deals in drug rehab, lab testing, and cancer treatment, ultimately culminating in Americore's bankruptcy and legal turmoil. Key Details: In 2017, James Biden, with no prior hospital management background, capitalized on his brother Joe Biden's status within the federal government to pursue ventures with Americore. Financial woes caused the company's collapse, leaving behind unpaid bills and compromised patient care. Federal investigations continue into Americore's alleged fraudulent activities, including Medicare billing schemes and kickback arrangements.
Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 12:10 PM | Comments (326) | Trackbacks (Suck)
THE MORNING RANT: More Winning in the Culture Wars at the State & Local Level
*****
Last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton banned Citigroup from underwriting bond issues in Texas because of its discriminatory policies against gun owners and manufacturers. He has not let up, and he remains on offense against woke capital.
“Texas Bans Barclays from Participating in Bond Market Due to ESG Commitments” [WSJ – 01/26/2024]
*****
Over in Arizona, “green energy” was just dealt a serious setback by a somewhat obscure regulatory agency, the Arizona Corporation Commission, which governs and regulates utilities in the state.
“Arizona regulators vote to repeal state renewable energy target, efficiency rules” [S&P Global – 02/08/2024]
*****
We may not be able to defeat BlackRock and the woke financial oligarchy in Washington DC, but we can beat them state by state. There was more good news in the battle against woke capital last week, this time in South Carolina.
Barclays was previously identified as a potential “fossil fuel boycotter” under Texas law. The bank subsequently opted not to respond to questions about its ESG commitments, Paxton’s office said. The Attorney General’s Public Finance Division ruled that “we will not approve any public security issued on or after today’s date in which Barclays purchases or underwrites the public security or is otherwise a party to a covered contract relating to the public security.”One state Attorney General like Ken Paxton can do so much more in the fight against the woke agenda than any elected official in Washington, which is also why the RINO-Democrat alliance in Texas fought so hard to remove Paxton from office via impeachment. There were plenty of squish Republicans in Texas who would have played along with the failed impeachment too, but their constituents made it clear that if they terminated Paxton’s career, they would also be terminating their own political careers.
In a highly unusual move, Arizona utility regulators ordered their staff to new rules that would repeal the state's existing mandates for renewable energy and energy efficiency.Perhaps this is being reported as a ”highly unusual move” because the left isn’t used to receiving pushback to its eco-communist agenda. The reason this could happen at all is that conservative Republicans hold 4 of the 5 seats on the commission, and they are responsive to rate payers who cannot afford higher rates for unicorn-based electricity. These regulatory officers were voted into office in statewide elections. While these Corporate Commission seats are not as prestigious as the US Senate seats that Martha McSally keeps losing, they are much more important to the everyday life of Arizonans, and these four Republican commissioners have done more to defeat the anti-carbon agenda than all the Senators in Washington combined. State and local elections matter.
Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM | Comments (324) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Mid-Morning Art Thread
George Caleb Bingham
George Caleb Bingham
Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (262) | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Morning Report — 2/19/24
* * * * *
Well, it looks as if this hack in black Enorgon/Gorgon/Erdogon/Enron creep has, surprise surprise, found Donald Trump and his business guilty of somehow defrauding the public by the overvaluing of the properties under his aegis.
When a clearly partisan judge can order Trump to pay $350 million in damages despite there being literally no victim in the financial crime he's alleged to have committed, that's a problem. While many on the left will celebrate any ruling against Trump because they hate him, some are seeing these stories for what they really are. For example, MSNBC host Katy Tur questioned the legitimacy of Judge Arthur Engoron's ruling banning Trump from running his businesses in New York for three years. “[The rule] doesn't have to show the harm done. It's not the burden. You don't have to show that anybody was hurt by your practices. There's nobody you defrauded specifically,” [Katy] Tur said. “They looked at 150 cases over 70 years and found there was no case where there was a ban on doing business where there wasn't harm shown. So even though the threshold is harm shown, in the past, it has only been used to ban someone doing business when it's been shown that somebody was hurt. Say you're selling cosmetics that are poisoning you. Is it fair to go after Donald Trump like this in this environment, is my question?” Even Tur could see that the judge was just using the opportunity to punish Trump. . . The bank Trump was alleged to have defrauded even testified in Trump's defense. So, there was no victim and no actual crime. At least one person at MSNBC could see what's really going on.And yet. With that as well as the sturm und drang over Fani "Gotta Be Da Butt Bob" Willis clear corruption, misappropriation of funds and other abject criminality in her prosecution of Trump over supposed attempts to overturn/interfere with the 2020 election results in GA, which to my mind were all completely above board and well within his right to do but let's not bother about legal niceties, the law fare being hurled against him from Soros DA Alvin Bragg in NY almost gets lost in the sauce:
Special counsel Jack Smith and prosecutor Fanni Willis claim Trump "unlawfully interfered with the 2020 presidential election by trying to enlist state and federal officials in his efforts to stop Biden from taking office," according to Reason.com's Jacob Sullum. But Trump's claim of immunity isn't quite as "wild" as some on the left suggest. Presidential immunity was designed to prevent "frivolous, politically motivated criminal charges against former presidents," as Sullum points out. That might not be the case entirely with the Smith and Willis cases. After all, there are statutes that may have been violated. The three-judge appeals court hearing Trump's immunity claim found the argument unconvincing. The court ruled that "the danger" Trump perceived "appears slight" given prosecutors' "ethical obligations" and "additional safeguards," such as "the right to be charged by a grand jury upon a finding of probable cause." So, trust Jack Smith. Trust Fanni Willis because they're prosecutors and wouldn't dream of putting their thumbs on the scale of justice, right? In the hush money case, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is taking Trump to trial not for committing a crime but for interfering with the 2016 election by lying about his affair with Daniels and paying to cover it up.Well, in a sane world, perhaps this all would be a house of cards that will come crashing down on the Dems. But in a sane and just world, none of these charges ever would have been brought and the 2020 election never would have been stolen. And not being in a sane world means beyond the prosecution it's the judges and juries that are as equally corrupted as those who weaponized the law against an innocent man, and by extension those who support him. As of right now, 2024 will be a rematch of 2020. Except this time, the nation has been dragged so far down on every level that even some hardcore Democrat loyalists are shrieking ¡no mas!, at a minimum only focusing on the vegetable-in-chief but perhaps more broadly on the Democrats in general. That remains to be seen and of course it will take a political party and movement that is smart enough and really willing enough to point out the differences 24/7/365 from now until the end of time. Love Trump, hate Trump, wish it was someone other than Trump, forget it. It's Trump. Warts and all, he is the rallying point. Get behind him and make the case for what he represents, which is us. America. And our last chance before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.Falsifying business records becomes a felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, when the defendant's "intent to defraud" includes "an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof." What was the other crime? Bragg claims Trump "violated election laws" when he instructed Cohen to pay Daniels. Which election laws? Bragg so far has refused to say. "The indictment doesn't specify them because the law does not so require," he told reporters last year. . .. . . Bragg came up with 32 meaningless charges just to pile on the potential felonies. His reasoning is that one of them ought to stick and give him a big notch on his tomahawk. Bragg may actually have done Trump a favor. The Stormy Daniels hush money trial begins March 25. It's possible that Trump could be found not guilty on all charges, immediately leading to the perception that the other cases against Trump are equally as frivolous and accept Trump's view that these are all political prosecutions.
There is a clear choice looming in the presidential election of 2024 and the clarity of that decision becomes more obvious every day as the United States government self-destructs, RINOs continue to accelerate the growth of the Uniparty, the border remains open, billions are funneled into the black hole of Kyiv and a third world war has never looked more palatable to the madmen who run defense policy. Trump looks like the only rational choice to make. What passes for government in America must be taken off life support. President Joe Biden appears to be only vaguely aware of his circumstances and only partly conscious at times. While Biden attempted to welcome King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House, the president seemed only barely there. His brief monologue was reminiscent of a Foster Brooks routine from a Dean Martin Roast as he rambled on and actually thought he saw his former boss, President Barack Obama, in the audience. It was too much even for uber-liberal Jon Stewart who tore into Biden’s obvious dementia. If you’ve never laughed at Stewart in your life – and I hadn’t – this bit might provoke at least some mild hilarity. But the Senate is demented too. Last Sunday, Democrats and RINOs teamed-up to create an aid bill that was so monstrous in its proportions that it beggars belief that there are this many idiots sitting in the upper chamber collecting their salaries and watching the country descend into bankruptcy while they fund foreign wars that the United States cannot even afford to watch as an interested bystander. But there was Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his bosom pal Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declaring some kind of victory as the Senate passed this laughably corrupt "legislation" 67-27. There were 18 RINOs who joined their Democratic partners in passing this aid bill on a Super Bowl Sunday of all days. . . . . . [J.D.] Vance also noted that the bill contains a “kill switch” that would force a Trump presidency to continue to send money to Ukraine. But if you think this is crazy, consider that this odious bill has been sewn to another legislative cadaver to create a Frankenstein monster of legislative decay. The “border security” bill is attached to the “aid” package and the entire monstrosity is headed back to the House of Representatives. The border bill that will do nothing to seal America’s southern border only served to remind Americans that the craven and venal politicians taking their orders not from Americans but from lobbyists are not concerned about an invasion of illegals but about seeing Ukrainians and Russians killed as the NATO syndicate continues to expand. Fortunately, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), whether for fear of losing his job or not, is saying this $118 billion gift from the Senate is “dead on arrival.” Is this any way to run a government – democratic or otherwise? The Democrats have tried to eliminate Trump by whatever means necessary. The FBI and the Department of Justice continue to persecute him. The federal bureaucracy is actively planning to undermine and potentially defeat his presidency on their expectation – get this – that he will use his office to persecute his political enemies. Of course this has been reported by the legacy media as another example of how the Deep State is going to save us from another Trump presidency.
- ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
- Clarice Feldman: "There are several cases now pending in the Supreme Court questioning whether the government can censor internet communications through proxies what it cannot do directly."
Has Our Government Erased the First Amendment?
- "This is a powder keg and Islamists are holding the matches. Any dedicated terrorist who recently arrived via the Darien Gap or that was created in the New York City educational complex can light the match that blows up the powder keg."
Are Pro-Hamas Terrorists Preparing to Lay Siege to New York City?
- Victor Davis Hanson: "The Biden apparat has tried to present the construct of a dynamic president promoting a traditional Democrat agenda, which has succeeded brilliantly. Sustaining that lie requires constant deception."
Delusions, Alternate Realities, and the Biden Consortium
Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:45 AM | Comments (397) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Daily Tech News 19 February 2024
Top Story
- The text file that runs the internet: Can robots.txt continue to function in an age of unscrupulous AI companies desperate for free content? (The Verge)
Sure. Just rig an AI to provide infinite garbage to AI web crawlers.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (182) | Trackbacks (Suck)
February 18, 2024
Sunday Overnight Open Thread (2/18/24)
***
The Quotes of The Day
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The Comments of The Week
Picking out the following pithy comments and inquisitive questions every Sunday is a tough job. Our commenters are the best.
Quote I “Mr. Bradley previously testified that the reason he left the firm was totally and completely covered by privilege. When asked by the state, he went into a factual scenario, that, to my mind, I don’t see how it related to privilege at all. And, so, now I’m left wondering if Mr. Bradley has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time.” Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee
Quote II “We expect to close roughly 15-20 stores per year in the near term," Best Buy Chief executive office Corie Barry
Quote III “When something this big happens, people act certain ways and if there’s issues with somebody to begin with, this can cause it to be even worse.And then it all just kind of blows up.” Co-owner Jayme Cousins
Quote IV "Every time I look at the news, there's another commitment to help foreign countries. We probably helped Ukraine, probably $100 billion or so, and we can't get debt relief for American citizens in this country," John Boyd, Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association
Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:00 PM | Comments (310) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gun Thread: Content Lite Edition!
A: No, just an observation. I have been wrestling with a big project at work since about June and it wraps up this coming week. After that, my schedule should hopefully return to something approaching normal, and I will be able to spend more time on the Gun Thread and maybe even see if I remember where WeaselAcres is located to do some shooting. I promise I will go through the neglected email inbox and get caught up soon. As always, thanks for your patience! With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
A: No, just an observation. I have been wrestling with a big project at work since about June and it wraps up this coming week. After that, my schedule should hopefully return to something approaching normal, and I will be able to spend more time on the Gun Thread and maybe even see if I remember where WeaselAcres is located to do some shooting. I promise I will go through the neglected email inbox and get caught up soon. As always, thanks for your patience! With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (324) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Food Thread: Meatballs And Gin...A Match Made In Heaven (Not Really)
Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (279) | Trackbacks (Suck)
First-World Problems...
Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (248) | Trackbacks (Suck)
Tucker Carlson: America's 21st Century "America First Committee"
Tucker Carlson stuck his thumb in the mainstream media's eye, and we loved it! He is unafraid to say uncomfortable things, and he is certainly not a fan of the regulatory state or its cousin, the heavy-handed authoritarian state that we are rapidly approaching.
Except...his credulousness about Russia after experiencing a no-doubt carefully curated slice of Moscow life is simply embarrassing. 20% of Russians don't have indoor plumbing, but Carlson is gushing like a schoolgirl about the superiority of Russian grocery stores, and by extension their standard of living. He is "radicalized" now!Hey Tucker! Those groceries were 25% what they cost in America? Okay, but Russians make less than 20% of what Americans make, so if you had done your elementary homework you would have suggested something quite different...that it is MORE expensive! But good old Tucker is on a "America Is Sh*t" kick, and relishes beating us about the head with that message. America is evil for supporting Israel (however tepidly) and not demanding a cease fire? Yes, America has lost its way with respect to our foreign policy. The quagmire of Ukraine is a perfect example. And our involvement in every dirty little war on the planet is extraordinarily expensive...in both treasure and blood...and we get very little in return. Well, the elites get their graft, but that's about it. But supporting Israel is a good thing. They are the tip of the spear against militant Islam, and they are doing the work and spilling the blood that the West is unwilling to spend. Tarring every foreign involvement with the same brush is reflexive isolationism that is not productive in any way. America cannot withdraw completely from the world, lest we cede our trade routes to the Russians and the Chinese and the Indians. Is that in our long-term best interest? A wiser analysis of our government's follies would find that we do have legitimate global interests that must be nurtured and protected. That does not mean having boots on the ground in 150 countries, many of which are our enemies who simply love our financial largesse. It does mean evaluating everything on its merits, rather than simply declaring that "America is evil! Emerson was correct when he said that "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." But Tucker seems to have lost sight of our global interests, having been subsumed in his increasingly paranoid view of America as the ultimate evil. Perhaps he should cast his gaze at the perpetrators of our mistakes, rather than praising Russia for its imaginary superiority. What's next...a visit to China where he waxes poetic about how organ transplants are readily available?Tucker Carlson goes shopping at a Russian grocery store. pic.twitter.com/TJR3JnUElH
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) February 15, 2024
Posted by: CBD at 11:50 AM | Comments (351) | Trackbacks (Suck)
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