Category: Uncategorized

In Which Hinderaker Assures Us That The German “AfD” Isn’t Hard Right/Neo-Nazi

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Well… I am not sure that he’s — in any sense — an objective observer.

More importantly, though — he ignores the central story, here out of Germany tonight: of the outrage — from the moderate conservatives in Germany, to the middle of the spectrum, to the far left there, at the prospect of even a hint of a return of National Socialism.

He ignores it… because he knows only too well, that is the same opprobrium he hears day in and day out — from his fellow Republicans here at home, especially the moderate end of the scale (relatively speaking).

He’s pretty much the closest thing to a neo-nazi still writing to an audience of over 50,000, left in the USA.

So… of course, in my opinion, he’s going to be super sensitive to patriotic Germans calling the AfD “neo-nazis”.

Hilarious.

While This Is Russian Science — That Might Have A Certain “Political” Usefulness — I Think It Worthy Of Serious Coverage / Reporting, And Analysis.

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Mr. Musk’s explosion may have punched a temporary hole, in the extreme reaches of our upper atmosphere, called the ionosphere — back in November 2023.

That is the conclusion offered by Russian scientists. The unexpected detonation of SpaceX’s Starship rocket during a test flight in November 2023 tore an “ionospheric hole” in the upper atmosphere. It is the first time this type of hole has been created by a human-caused explosion, according to the paper. Here’s a very cogent, balanced summary from LiveScience reporting:

…The high-altitude explosion of one of SpaceX’s supersized Starship rockets last year temporarily ripped a hole in the upper atmosphere, a new study from Russian scientists shows. It is the first time this type of atmospheric disturbance has been created by a human-caused explosion, the researchers say.

On Nov. 18, 2023, SpaceX launched its superheavy Starship rocket — the largest and most powerful rocket ever built — for the second time ever from SpaceX’s Starbase test and manufacturing facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Around 4 minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage — the large, lower part that contains the main engines — detached from the upper part of the rocket as planned but unexpectedly exploded shortly afterward, before it could land back on Earth. Then, another 4 minutes later, the rest of the rocket blew up in a larger “rapid unscheduled disassembly” around 93 miles (150 kilometers) above the ground, when a fire started as the rocket vented liquid oxygen. The company’s founder and CEO Elon Musk later said that the rocket would have made it to orbit if it had been carrying a proper payload….

Now you know… and obviously, as that hole rotated around the Earth for the next few days, until closing — whatever it was over (think France, Germany or even… China!) was bathed in excess interstellar radiation, without the “sheathing” of the ionosphere. I am grinning just the same, in part because the hole closed, and because… Mr. Musk may see new international, or even UN level attempts to slow his occasionally reckless pursuits — in space, as a private commercial enterprise — on the back of studies like this one.

नमस्ते

2024: A Space “Oddity” — Butch Reported Hearing Some “Sonar-Like Pulsings” Being Emitted From The Boeing Starliner Capsule, On Saturday…

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So… the strange journey of Starliner continues. There seems to be an electronically-generated chirping emanating from the capsule’s speakers from time to time — and Mission Control has confirmed that it too can hear it, through Butch’s microphone / headset. Just one more good reason to get the craft to ground, safely, and disassemble it for inspection — and ultimately… design improvements.

Here’s the latest from the very reliable British news outlet The Guardian, on it all:

…The source of the pulsing noise coming from Boeing spacecraft has not yet been traced. Wilmore asked Houston flight controllers to see if they could listen but ultimately Wilmore, apparently floating in Starliner, had to put his microphone up to the speaker.

“Alright Butch, that one came through,” Mission control radioed Wilmore. “It was kind of like a pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping.” Wilmore radioed back: “I’ll let y’all scratch your heads and see if you can figure out what’s going on … Call us if you figure it out.”

The strange ping was captured and shared by a Michigan-based meteorologist named Rob Dale and was first reported by Ars Technica. According to the outlet, audio oddities in spacecraft are not unusual. In 2003, Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said he heard what sounded like an iron bucket being struck by a wooden hammer….

Now you know — speaking of space — perhaps a “Romulus” viewing this evening, on a quiet Labor Day ’24. And… get ready, you Buff fans, for Saturday’s national TV games. Smile… the Huskers will play tough, end to end, in Lincoln.

नमस्ते

[U] Hinderaker (And Johnson And Cotton!) Double Down: Trump’s “Assault” On Arlington!

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Charming.

Hinderaker (and as of Monday morning, Scott Johnson) revisit the theory that Sen. Cotton believes the prohibitions contemplated by long-standing federal laws around fallen war hero cemeteries apply only to the “little people”.

Not Cotton, Tangerine, Johnson or Hinderaker. Trump and his people willfully violated 32 CFR Part § 553.32(c).

They assaulted federal employees.

These people are narcissist pigs — who gleefully disrespect every fallen Marine or Army vet who died to protect Democratic ideals — ones who each of them sh!t upon, nearly daily now.

I think they know this election is… already gone, as to Trumpist “assault” tactics. He’s going to jail, boys. [Why don’t you join him?]

Damnation.

The family of USMC Maj. Moises Abraham Navas, who gave the full measure of his devotion to this country, when killed in action in Iraq, objects to your campaign video depicting his name, and tombstone — plain as day, in classic “false light” of publicity.

You MAGAts have no honor. No code. No corps.

Major Navas was killed in action on March 8, 2020 while accompanying Iraqi Security Forces in North Central Iraq.

Major Navas’ decorations include a Purple Heart, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, two Good Conduct Medals, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

Captain Navas was promoted to the rank of Major posthumously.

You’ve been warned. His sacrifice is no campaign prop — you malign idiots.

Out.

Mirengoff (Speciously!) Accuses US Universities Of “Violating The Law”. Yawn.

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Well… Paul’s KKK card has been… renewed for the ‘24 – ‘25 academic year.

Even though he acknowledges that current Supreme Court rulings absolutely allow all US public and private universities to consider factors beyond just numerical scores on tests and GPA, when composing their entering freshman classes… he inexplicably immediately accuses at least three excellent universities of violating the law.

Yet in a subsequent paragraph, he openly acknowledges that factors such as essays that explain “barriers” any given applicant might overcome in order to reach admission at a given university… are perfectly lawful considerations when admitting freshman classes. And it is absolutely true that people of color may be identified and then admitted at least in part on the basis of such essays… along with the host of other factors, including GPA and test results.

But he needs to stoke the racists’ fires, so he simply labels it as unlawful. What a putz:

…It’s clear to me that Emory is not complying with the Supreme Court’s decisions in the Harvard and UNC cases. But proving this might be difficult because Emory, no doubt, will claim that it’s basing the decisions that enable it to keep black representation high on factors other than race, including barriers that black applicants claim to have overcome.

It’s doubtful that the University of Virginia is complying, either…

Why on Earth would he write that?

I think — like Hinderaker — the thing speaks for itself.

I hope one or more of these universities will seek his apology and retraction, lest they sue him for defamation.

He falsely accuses the universities violating the law. That’s libel per se.

Out.

[U] Hinderaker “Doesn’t Care” That Trump Violated Federal Law At Arlington… Charming.

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Update: Hinderaker added more names to his list of people who don’t mind Tangerine’s politicization of war hero graves, at Arlington. And as always, Hinderaker’s dutifully ignores the central legal issue in play here: I don’t care “who likes it” — or doesn’t like it, for that matter.

Trump and his people willfully violated 32 CFR Part § 553.32(c). They assaulted federal employees. This is why he and Hinderaker will lose: they think laws are only for little people — not them. Ugh. End, updated portion.

John (AGAIN!) burps, and then… pisses his pants this afternoon, about Tangerine’s people assaulting and battering a federal military employee at Arlington this past week.

Hinderaker’s whole defense amounts to some members of one family “invited” him there. He holds no office. He has no purpose there, other than… yep, political campaigning.

So, unsurprisingly, John utterly ignores that Tangerine turned it immediately into a official campaign video — in direct violation of long-standing federal law.

And John neglects to mention that one of the graves Trump is standing on, and grinning with his trademark “thumbs up” BS… belongs to a Marine, whose family has demanded he take it down, since THEY did not authorize him to include their son’s name (clearly visible!) in the photo/video. They repudiate Trump.

And this is precisely why federal law prohibits campaign video production inside Section 60 of Arlington. See, 32 CFR Part § 553.32(c): “…Memorial services and ceremonies at Army National Military Cemeteries will not include partisan political activities….” [In Section 60, only official stock Arlington footage is allowed. No private filming. At all.]

No, John — Trump plainly cannot claim these dead — heroes all — support him. In fact, most of them despised him in life, after he called them suckers and losers. And called John McCain (effectively) a non-hero, for being a POW/shot-down Air Force F-4 Phantom pilot, in Vietnam. Disgusting.

And… this is the real reason Hinderaker wants the Democrats to fall silent on this: it is a LETHAL Trump “tell” — of felonious opportunism, yet again.

Damn, son.

See, Scott — In America, Disagrements On Policy… Are NORMAL. I Respect Tim’s Brother’s Right To His Opinions.

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And while I generally agree with most things Mary Trump has to say (she being a PhD, afterall), as the niece of the Donald, she too has her own perspective — diametrically opposed to all that is MAGA.

But candidly, I don’t give Mary Trump’s opinions undue deference — and I won’t give the elder brother Walz much credence either. He’s just one “Florida Man” opinion. [And one who has been convicted of shoplifting and fired from a public school teaching role for it, BTW.] But by all means, he is free to shout from the rooftops that he disagrees with the Governor of Minnesota’s views. [Even though he hasn’t lived there in many decades.] Here is Scott’s of the morning.

And yes, Scott, this is what pluralism in America is all about: we can disagree, without having to be… disagreeable. [At least we used to be able to.] He’s one guy. You are one guy. I… am just one guy.

For MAGA, and the Powerline boys, all of it seems… very personal, for the past eight years, minimum.

Personal attacks are the stock in trade. And when we Democratic progressives then respond in kind — don’t be surprised. We are not your daddy’s “peace, love dope” pushovers, who will take this nonsense lying down.

Like Kamala, we see “your tired old BS — from your tired old playbook.” Losers.

Next question.

Onward. Forward.

Do Read EmptyWheel This Sunday Morning: Why Tangerine Is DOA.

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She is, as ever — a far sharper observer of the US landscape than I am (having lived four decades in battleground state Michigan — but now for a decade on the Emerald Isle’s safety from far right militias that would have potentially ended her).

She focuses today on Trump’s flip-flops — or flailings, on women’s bodily autonomy, and why he WILL lose in November, thus.

…[F]lailing.

Panic.

A recognition that he is losing because of actions he took as President, he is losing because of what the payoff he owed to social conservatives who put him in the White House, a far right SCOTUS, did to women. What NYT journalists with another book contract describe as “head-spinning” is not about branding, it’s about panic because Kamala threatens to hold him accountable for his actions.

No matter how many contradictory statements Trump makes about what a second Trump term would do, there’s no escaping what his first term did do. There are no backsies on Dobbs. There are no backsies on Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. There aren’t even any backsies on that platform granting fetuses protection under the 14th Amendment, even if NYT’s Trump whisperers continue to pretend that didn’t happen….

Trump is only here, in the race, because of those ideologues who were willing to alter the Constitution to serve a far right agenda. Trump has survived thanks to that Court; he is panicking as he considers the possibility it’ll sink him as well….

Trump, who [has been running since 2022, to try to Jimmie the felony indictments and convictions against him] is 91% of the way through his run to regain the presidency.

Not so Kamala Harris.

As I calculated Wednesday, Kamala is just starting the second third of her campaign, what we might call her second trimester if it were three times as long. As of today, she has 60% of her campaign, 64 days of 107, left to go….

And this, as EW points out — is when low information voters tune in. She is pulling away from his agenda of control of women, and hatred of all things pluralistic.

Onward. Forward. She will… win!

Paul Mirengoff Today Admits It: Kamala Is Seen As “Far More Presidential” Than Tangerine.

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Paul Mirengoff clearly admires Kamala’s answer — to Trump’s insulting “is she Black?” line at the NABJ convention — in Chicago, now only three weeks ago.

Here that is, in context:

…I think Harris’ answer was perhaps her most effective moment in the interview. Instead of whining and/or serving a word salad, Harris demonstrated (1) that she’s not letting Trump’s nastiness get to her, (2) that she’s doesn’t want to play the victim, even on a matter of race, and (3) that she can take the high road.

All of this is likely to play well with an electorate that’s sick of gratuitous nastiness, whining, and always “hitting back hard.” An electorate that, in short, is sick of Donald Trump….

The point here is this: Mirengoff concedes — Trump has lost. His net negatives are approaching 15% — and he’s below 44% favorable, overall. He cannot win. No one has ever won, with such high negatives, in such a wide swath of America’s voting public.

Nothing he can do now, will serve to counteract four decades of odious and very public life — and lies and felonies. He’s been weighed; he’s been measured… and he’s been found… wanting.

H I L A R I O U S.