Category: Uncategorized

Busy Night! Mirengoff Wails On Tangerine — To Great Effect. He’s Absolutely Right.

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Yep. Right to call the orange dotard out for his feckless petty score settling, in the middle of the worst hostilities since 1967 in Israel.

The frustration is that Paul, John, Steve and Lloyd and Bitsy could all well see, even five years ago — that this was the way the dotard would break: he is no leader. He is a vain, embittered… crook.

A mobster — with thin skin. Nothing more. Yet these folks, and almost all the rest of the GOP… lacked the courage to turn their collective backs on him. Now his chaos (including in the US House’s lack of leadership)… is directly attributable to these far right idiotic moves they all made. Here’s what Paul does get right though (after helping to set the barn on fire a few years back) — in trying to save at least some milking cows:

…I consider it disturbing that Trump consistently finds that the nation’s enemies are smart, but never seems to credit his political adversaries here at home (even those who once served in his administration) with intelligence.

Praising America’s enemies seems to be a default position for Trump, rather than a reasoned assessment. Putin, for one, has shown himself to be not very smart. His invasion of Ukraine has been a disaster for Russia — degrading the nation’s military, showing Russia to be something of a paper tiger, and wrecking the Russian economy.

We’ll see how smart Hezbollah and Hamas turn out to be. In the meantime, Trump would be better advised not to praise them for their alleged intelligence.

What about Trump’s criticism of Netanyahu and his defense minister(?)… saying that Netanyahu “was not prepared and Israel was not prepared” for Hamas’ devastating attack on Saturday [even if true, now is not the time to say this]….

Yep… what is it they say… about reaping what you’ve sown Paul… and all?

Right. Right.

Reap the whirlwind, son.

Meanwhile… Hinderaker Flings Poo, To Distract From The GOP Morass Engulfing The US House…

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Scalise just went down in flames, moments ago. But he was dead in the water by dawn this morning, already.

McCarthy is pushing to be renamed — has been, for 48 hours… sensing the blood in the water, over Gaza.

And… Jordan is STILL over 100 votes shy — of any coalesced voting bloc.

And all this.. while Israel burns… and the House cannot even pass a resolution to support the people of Israel.

It cannot, without a Speaker (GOP)… yet, Hinderaker whines about an Aussie TV news caster, asking “mean” questions — about civilian peril, in Gaza.

Obviously, the burping off about supposed media evils on the opposite side of the planet is designed to ignore the fact that he and other hard right malign actors created this awful gridlock inside the GOP’s own house in DC.

He helped hobble them, but now wants us to forget that they are impotent, and flailing.

Well done, you half-decade long Tangerine apologist.

Out.

Will Scott Johnson Correct His False Statements?

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On October 9, Scott asserted that the $6 billion to Iran was a policy failure, and in some manner emboldened the Gaza aggressors.

Today all US MSM outlets have confirmed that not only did Iran never get the power to spend a penny of it, but that both Qatar and US actors have worked together to block any attempts to claim it.

The payment was made with a “continuing good conduct” clause — one that the Gaza terror attacks have voided.

Will Johnson and his hard right enablers retract their lies?

Don’t hold your breath.

Out.

All 422 Trump Era Specious NDAs — At 1600 Penn… Are Now Declared… DEAD. Unenforceable.

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The Manhattan federal class action is now final.

At least 422 former employees and consultants who worked in any capacity, in the Tangerine-era White House… are freed. Unchained. Unshackled.

The dotard cannot claim a breach of any supposed NDA agreement when they talk (or testify).

These agreements are, and were — void, as against public policy (and several federal statutes).

Not least of which is the 240 plus year old requirement to testify truthfully, in any legal proceeding — where no privilege applies.

Now you know.

First “Uncorking” — Of The Bennu Flask… Now In The Books, At NASA…

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While I was off-grid, at the theater for a matinee, NASA live-cast the hotly-anticipated… uncorking. Crossing some 182 million frigid miles to drop it here, OSIRIS-REx was a very able carrier pigeon.

And the uncorking… did not disappoint. We see both ~4.5 billion year old water rich traces, and deep carbon footprints there. Here’s the story:

…”As we peer into the ancient secrets preserved within the dust and rocks of asteroid Bennu, we are unlocking a time capsule that offers us profound insights into the origins of our solar system….” Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, said….

“The bounty of carbon-rich material and the abundant presence of water-bearing clay minerals are just the tip of the cosmic iceberg,” he said. “These discoveries, made possible through years of dedicated collaboration and cutting-edge science, propel us on a journey to understand not only our celestial neighborhood but also the potential for life’s beginnings. With each revelation from Bennu, we draw closer to unraveling the mysteries of our cosmic heritage….”

What an amazing time to be… alive! “Not gonna’ weigh my shot!”

नमस्ते

[U: Amici, At Supremes] Well — Unsurprisingly, Danco Wins In The Fifth Cir. — On To The Supremes, Now.

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UPDATED: October 12, 2023 — 5PM EDT: Here is a very good amicus brief, as to how the law actually works, at FDA. Do read it — it has been filed with the Supremes today. End update.

The Texas trial level (natch’!) federal district court has once again been rebuked in the abortion pill, or mifepristone, cases. This time, it came in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Cincy.

But as I’ve long said, we must still wait for final word from the Supremes — where the various stays remain pending. Here’s a bit from this afternoon’s interim victory for Danco, et al.:

…After extensive briefing and oral argument, we hold that the district court’s stay order should be VACATED in part and AFFIRMED in part.

We conclude that the Medical Organizations and Doctors’ claim as to the 2000 Approval is likely barred by the statute of limitations. Accordingly, that component of the district court’s order must be VACATED. This means that, until final judgment, Mifeprex will remain available to the public under the conditions for use that existed in 2016.

We also VACATE the portion of the order relating to the 2019 Generic Approval because the Medical Organizations and Doctors have not shown that they are injured by that particular action. The generic version of mifepristone will also be available under the same conditions as Mifeprex….

So it should be no surprise that a 23 year old drug — with a better safety record than Tylenol (no offense, Tylenol!) — will remain available — and cannot be blocked by a small band of supposed religious zealots, in one tiny corner our nation — preventing all the rest of us from accessing it. Not even in the generally very conservative Fifth Cir. That is today’s central object lesson. Onward.

नमस्ते

Dumbest… Hayward Claim — On A Single Chart — Ever?! Yep. Pretty Close!

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Well — when looking at the record of Steve Hayward, finding the dumbest statistical argument he’s ever made… is a rather daunting task.

There are certainly hundreds of laughably inane non-sequiturs — from his prior charts… littering the Powerline boys’ floors.

But this one, today — that’s a TOP FIVE, for certain.

In it, he argues that Israel cannot have committed atrocities against Palestinians… because… wait for it! — the number of people living in “Palestine” / Gaza… has increased… since 1970.

In that time, the population of Israel more than quadrupled. But a similar rise in Palestine… means… all is sunny, Steve?!

Yikes!

Sure — there is plenty of blame on all sides — in this three thousand year old conflict.

But your chart is… too malevolently stupid — for any serious adult discussion.

Out.

Like The Idiot Justice Thomas, Hinderaker Has Argued To Overturn NY Times v. Sullivan…

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Hinderaker, like Thomas, is a thin-skinned lil’ spud.

He wants to see libel and slander law re-made, so that he can sue when someone says anything “mean” about him. Charming.

It is clear from the copious documentation of the framers’ original intent, that only “so-called fighting words” were not to be protected — in the minds of the framers. All the rest should be sorted out by… yep, more speech.

And Thomas and Hinderaker claim to be original intent guys.

But… in practice? Not so much.

All of which is a rather long wind up… to note that the miscreant who killed dozens of coal miners with his refusal to follow OSHA rules — about a decade and a half ago… has been essentially told that “you can’t libel garbage… by saying it stinks.”

John and Clarence need to take a seat. Our nation was founded on a particularly robust right of free expression — a right that John abuses, daily. But one he would deny — to those who criticize him.

Ironic, that. Same — Clarence Thomas.