Author: condor

Hinderaker: “I’m Just Makin’ Sh!t Up, Here — I’m Lyin’ Straight Out My A$$”… Damn.

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So… now the fabulist Hinderaker claims it was “Democrats” who gave Mr. Zelenskyy “bad advice”?!

We all saw it with our own eyes, John — you moron. Vance attacked him, berated him and then Trump jumped in.

He was unafraid to push back against these two malign cretins — who threaten the very survival of his people. And nation.

But now cooler heads have prevailed (that is, Mr. Zelenskyy’s statesmanship is at work in the EU) — and Trump knows he needs a deal, so he might soon appease his handler — one Vladimir Putin.

So the talks will be back on — but mostly because the EU and Britain are unafraid to aid Ukraine — with or without Trump. [Ukraine is clearly in a better posture, with US military backing it, but whatever.]

Trump knows (or at least has been told, by his betters — which is just about everyone) he’s risking… irrelevancy, in this stupid pissing contest.

That’s all John — he’s not even a competent checkers player, let alone any kind of a chess master.

And… me thinks you’ve licked Trump’s boots enough, for tonight, boy.

Do take a seat, son.

[If it is not clear by now, I won’t watch a single word salad ramble, of Tangerine 2.0’s “remarks” tonight. He’s… meaningless. Congress is all that matters, now. Congress — and the federal courts.]

Out.

Musk / Trump / Shapiro Depravity: But It Would Still Mean Chauvin Has Decades In Prison… DAMN.

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Lookit here.

No matter what Hinderaker, Mirengoff or Johnson might say about this in the coming days… it has only one purpose — at its base: to return to the KKK / law enforcement alliance that existed in many small towns in the 1930s and earlier.

There is no argument that Derek Chauvin did anything other than murder George Floyd, in cold blood, while helpless on the pavement, face down.

And still — it will be an impotent act (except for creating the bonfire to start a race war, of course) since as the Minneapolis papers note, Chauvin was also convicted on state murder charges — ones Trump is impotent to commute or pardon.

But goddammit. Just… dammit:

… If President Donald Trump did pardon Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer would still spend over two decades in prison for his state conviction that includes two counts of murder….

So… f#ck these guys. Just f#ck them.

O U T.

Busy Thursday! As Athena — The Intuitive Machines’ South Pole Lunar Lander — Should ALSO Touch Down Around Noon On Thursday…

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This is also the mission that may be able to establish a Nokia cell net, for a bit — on the lunar surface, as a demonstration / proof of concept.

We wish the fine private-industry lunar space teams… all the success in the world! Here’s the latest, from NASA’s blogs:

…Carrying NASA technology demonstrations and science investigations, Intuitive Machines is targeting their Moon landing no earlier than 12:32 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 6. The company’s Nova-C lunar lander is slated to land in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon’s South Pole, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence.

Watch live landing coverage of the Intuitive Machines 2 (IM-2) landing, hosted by NASA and Intuitive Machines, on NASA+ starting no earlier than 11:30 a.m., approximately 60 minutes before touchdown. Beginning at 11 a.m. the agency will share blog updates as landing milestones occur.

Following the Moon landing, NASA and Intuitive Machines will host a news conference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss the mission, technology demonstrations, and science opportunities that lie ahead as lunar surface operations begin….

In truth, we are following these closely primarily to blot out intrusive thoughts about the damage being done in DC, day in and day out. Onward.

नमस्ते

A Case Hinderaker Crowed About For Years — Making Flase Claims… Is At An End, Tonight. YAWN.

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For those who may not have followed this one — here is my March 2024 backgrounder, on it all.

The court ruled today as follows:

…According to Mr. [Simberg’s own admissions, and the guy who is Hinderaker’s hero, here!], a reasonable jury could find that the gist of Mr. Simberg’s article was that Dr. Mann committed deceit and misconduct to such a degree that it rose to a level of criminality on par with that committed by Jerry Sandusky. To be sure, the Court of Appeals noted, a jury could find that by calling Dr. Mann “the [Jerry] Sandusky of climate science,” the article implied that Dr. Mann’s manipulation of data was seriously deviant for a scientist. These noxious comparisons, a jury could find, would demean Dr. Mann’s scientific reputation and lower his standing in the community by making him appear similarly “odious, infamous, or ridiculous.” CEI, 150 A.3d. at 1243-44 (quoting Rosen v. Am Isr. Pub. Affairs Comm., Inc., 41 A.3d 1250, 1256 (D.C. 2012)). It appears the jury made such a finding, here. As such, the Court is constrained to uphold the decision of the jury….

And the above leads John Hinderaker to write:

…The jury awarded $1 in compensatory damages against both Steyn and Simberg, and punitive damages in the amount of $1,000 against Simberg and $1,000,000 against Steyn. Most observers expected the punitive damages award against Mark Steyn to be reversed or reduced. [They were.]….

Hinderaker even travelled to DC to watch most of the trial, so convinced that these frothy right wing nuts would eviscerate the real science — and the scientist publishing it… but it came out the other way. And yet, clearly, even today — Hinderaker thinks it acceptable — to refer to a climate scientist with whom one disagrees… as “morally equivalent to” a child molester. DAMN.

Yep that’s what John’s been advocating for — for about ten years. He even tries to make the case that the parties committing this libel were the winners here, by forcing those they libeled to spend perhaps north of $1 million — in bringing the defamation case.

What a reprobate Hinderaker is. This was about principles, it seems to me. [Calling a completely moral family man (with growing children — and one who is a fine academic researcher) “a child molester” in a widely published set of online news outlets and papers… is something to stand up, and take action about, where I come from.] Again, here is my March 2024 backgrounder, on it all.

Disgusting, John. Typical Hinderaker, though. But that is all over — today. Good riddance.

Onward.

[U X2] SPHEREx Launch Now Pushed — To Friday Night At Vandenberg AFB…

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Updated: Second delay; now from Thursday, to Friday. To be certain — the teams should take all the time they need, to complete the pre-launch checklists to their satisfaction. Afterall, we only get one shot at this. Every single bit must perform flawlessly, to get the job done, right. So — we may certainly wait two more days (SPHEREx was scheduled for tonight, originally).

In any event, we will keep you updated — and here’s the latest, from NASA:

…NASA and SpaceX now are targeting no earlier than Friday, March 7, for the launch of the agency’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions due to the availability of a launch opportunity on the Western range.

The launch window opens at 10:09 p.m. EST (7:09 p.m. PST) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California….

We can fly — even as a de-evolved dotard (at right — with thanks, to Banksy!) tries to drag all of us backward, into the wretched, slimy muds — of pre-history. Pre-civilized thought. Onward.

नमस्ते

New “Insider” Report: If You Log In At OPM, You May See A “Voluntary Early Retirement Offer”. Yikes. Just… Don’t.

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Again, we are hearing that Musk has renewed his “severance/early retirement” offers, to federal workers inside HHS.

Of course, as we previously noted, several USDC Judges have ruled that OPM / DOGE / Musk lacks any lawful authority to make these early retirement offers, as they must come from one’s own employing agency itself, in order to be “iron-clad” / fully-enforceable.

And rather practically, since it is not an offer from one’s own agency, why would anyone (given his track record!) just “trust” that Musk and/or Trump would not gin up a reason (including saying that Congress stopped them!) to welsh — on any previously-made early retirement offer?

No sensible person would. But — for a complete record, here is what we’ve learned, overnight, from very reliable Anon. sourcing:

…Meanwhile last night at 7ish pm, we got email for voluntary early retirement authority.

Effective for 10 days.

Need to go to OPM website for more info [Ed. Note: I’d avoid that site like a plague]….

As I say, unless there were very special circumstances (like you were merely a few weeks away from fully vested and maxed retirement anyway!), I’d never trust these jamokes to actually pay out, on the offer. Sure, you’d have a good lawsuit — and win out, completely, in about two years… but really, why… bother?

Make them terminate you. Which, again — they will undoubtedly do in an unlawful fashion — then you may collect unemployment while you sue them. By way of contrast, if you leave completely voluntarily (i.e., “early retirement”), there is at least a reasonably good argument that you cannot collect unemployment under most states’ laws.

Again our deepest appreciation — for all our excellent, and unflinchingly honest commenters do to improve the quality here! Thank you all!

Onward.

नमस्ते

Like Clockwork — Viral Agents Find Hosts, Then… Mutate — So Too, With Mpox Clade 1a In DRC: Now Showing An “APOBEC3” (More Contagious) Variant.

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True enough, this is not (yet) a mutation of the more lethal Clade 1b, directly — but what we are seeing here, is age-old insistent biological FACT — the FACT of viral mutation — in real time. As we’ve repeatedly said, the news comes at a tough time — with the US, by fits and starts, withdrawing aid to combat Mpox (of all stripes) and Ebola, and Marburg and Lassa and malaria… and even HIV, across the globe.

Indeed, this is cause for much concern, because it is — in fact (as science history teaches us), only a matter of time before Clade 1b (i.e., the more lethal version) starts showing a similar — or completely novel — mutation, one that better adapts it to human to human transmission. Harrowing.

This is what countless prior biological outbreaks have taught us, for well-over a century now. Ever since we understood it well enough to follow it: this is how bio-science works. As it has, for billions of years, on Earth. And no amount of ignorant Bible thumping. . . will ever stop it — or even insulate it, from our shores. So, Tangerine and RFK, Jr. need to wake up — we need to get back in the game. Our children’s very lives will depend on it, right here in the US — eventually. Here’s the latest, from the UK’s Telegraph:

…A new variant of mpox that may be better adapted to spread between people has been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The new strain is a mutation of Clade 1a mpox – an older variant that has been known to cause more severe disease than Clade 2, which caused a global outbreak in 2022, or Clade 1b, which has been spreading rapidly in Africa since 2023.

Dr Ngashi Ngongo, who heads the mpox incident management team at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said the new strain raises significant public health concerns….

This is because it carries a mutation known as APOBEC3, which indicates that it may be more transmissible, he explained. The same mutation had already been seen in Clade 1b mpox and has helped it spread beyond the DRC to several neighbouring countries as well as Europe and Asia….

We (as a species) are more in need now — than at almost any time in the last century — of real, courageous hard science minds to stand as one — and combat this backward thinking, Luddite-team’s views. Or we will… surely ride the whirlwind of an inexorably-ensuing viral agent, in the coming five to ten years — right here at home. Onward.

नमस्ते

In Brighter News, NASA Will Likely Launch SPHEREx, A New Space ‘Scope Tomorrow Night… To Study Solar Winds…

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The launch time has been in a bit of flux, likely due to variable weather conditions at the Cape, but we expect a launch before midnight tomorrow night, goddesses willing. Smile.

Here is the latest updated time line, and sequence of events — as real space/solar science takes certer stage at Canaveral:

…Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the agency’s website. Coverage will include links to live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:15 p.m., March 2, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the SPHEREx blog.

Tuesday, March 4

12 p.m. – SPHEREx and PUNCH Launch Preview will stream live on NASA+.

9:15 p.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+.

10:09 p.m. – Launch window opens….

Now you know. There are thousands and thousands of great scientists — just going forward, and doing their jobs — despite the lunacy in DC of late.

Do remember that they are the ones… ACTUALLY making America great. They are why we have a lead in almost all hard science matters. Not due to some reality TV chuckleheads’ belchings — all, with barely a middle school understanding of the nation’s principles.

नमस्ते

Damn: “Assume Your Dot Points Will Be Seen By Malign Foreign Actors”?!?

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We have this update on the Muskian “dot points demand” debacle — from non-political supervisors — inside HHS.

It would be hard to dream up a more… preposterous sci-fi premise, for a book positing the decline of Western Civilization.

But I can assure you, gentle reader, this is in fact happening in the US — in real time. At least three capable non-partisan federal courts have ruled there is no lawful basis at all for mandatory “dot point reports” from other agencies’ rank and file — to be shared with Musk’s OPM.

None — yet to be cautious, our anon. insider advises the latest “up the chain” instructions read thus:

…Update on OPM memo:

Email this am from HHS.

All are expected to reply coordinate with supervisor. Only high level response.

And assume your response will be read by malign foreign actors….

Welp… it is no longer hyperbole to sensibly suggest that perhaps this part of the “Chaos Tour 2.0” end-goal of Elon Musk is the weakening of the United States on the world stage, via hundreds of thousands of paper cuts. It will reduce his companies’ regulatory burden, increase his fortune — and likely will help pay off the debt the Tangerine 2.0 team clearly must owe — to Vlad Putin.

And — in any event, it certainly evinces the old adage “elect a clown; expect a circus.” Damn.

नमस्ते

Hinderaker Tells Us To Disbelieve Our “Lyin’ Eyes” — But We See… Russia Is Making Trump “A Vassal”

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Tonight, Hinderaker refuses to see what is plain to all of us who are NOT suffering from advanced dementia and/or Trump Boot-Licking Syndrome: Trump is making the US vassal state of Russia.

In fact, this may all end up… with the US as the (new) Sixteenth Soviet Republic — if Putin is able (as he has said is his long term dream) to reconstitute the old Soviet Union.

The headline above the fold tonight on the Wa Po credits Russian papers as reporting that the Russian state is now saying that “Washington is now closely aligned with Moscow’s vision of the world.” That is Putin confirming what we all see — and what Hinderaker traitorously refuses to call out.

D A M N.

Hinderaker — please explain, directly: what debts is your boy Tangerine 2.0 paying off, here?

The only relevant question — as he instructs Hegseth to cease DoD cyber-operations against the Russian state — and Hegseth complies… is how can it NOT be that Trump is clearly ‘for sale’ — and cheap, to Putin?

Moreover, in Hinderaker’s dumb piece, he opines that Russia is a weakened minor player on the world stage. If that’s so, but we know Russia is running cyber-warfare (think “Not-Petya” malware here!) against US infrastructure… why on Earth would Pete Hegseth stand down from cyber operations against Russia? Please answer that question clearly, John.

I may agree that China is a bigger threat, in the current world order… but it is truly foolish for John to suggest that the US should “completely stand down”, against Russia — based on the fact that China is the bigger threat. That’s just illogical. And dangerously so. [Cyber-warfare is a very economical form of keeping an enemy in check, compared to jets and aircraft carriers and tanks and nukes.]

The evidence is overwhelming that Putin has something on Trump — so shut your silly pie hole, John.

Just shut it.

O U T.