Category: Uncategorized

Oh. John… Take A Seat. You’re Going To Split A Brain Blood Vessel, Here…

~ condor ~ 1 Comment

Gosh… this is all rather remedial stuff (in the study of logical argument forms), but apparently John Hinderaker needs a basic education.

First, he conflates “being woke” solely with… whatever it is he thinks he means by “antifa“. Bad enough, if he were to look at all the footage of BLM folks: black, yellow, brown and yes, white — explaining what they mean… when they say “woke” — he’d better understand [but no, that’s not his aim, at all — as we well-know, is it?].

Then as proof of his non-existent premise (and to drive home his would-be racist point), he offers a two minute video of a police officer who happens to be of color, complaining (entirely legitimately, I’ll note) about the behavior of one white woman.

That the officer has a solid point — in an individual case, mind you — doesn’t in any way support a general rule, based on group membership.

But that has forever been John’s problem: he cannot resist labeling behaviors he sees in individual cases, as endemic to entire groups — usually, people of color, LGBTQ+, or men and women who dare cross his supposed “gender normed” radar.

Sad indeed. Good thing guys like him are becoming increasingly infirm, bitter old men — and dying off. He cannot be taught to unlearn his… blindly unthinking, unblinking… ill-will.

[U: Fresh Racism On Display!] Roger Stone’s Felony Convictions… To Be “UN-Commuted” — Shortly?

~ condor ~ 1 Comment

UPDATE @ SUNDAY MORNING, 07.19.2020: As a post [pre-?] scriptum — he was caught on air, on AM radio, voicing an old-school racists’ slur against a black radio talk show host, during the live interview segment on Saturday. So… predictable, this piece of human garbage. Out. End updated portion.

Here is the able professors’ motion for leave to file an amicus brief, with Judge Amy Berman Jackson, in the trial level federal courthouse, sitting in the District of Columbia.

To be clear, the professors, as non-parties, seek to assert the “We, the people’s” right — in seeing that justice is done, in this criminal matter.

And to ensure that we, the people… are not once again subjected to the claims and corruptions of an “infallible” Faux-King, here over 240 years on. [See, A. Hamilton, in particular.]

[More precisely, to the extent Trump is thereby protecting someone who has covered up Trump’s own crimes, that would violate “self-pardon” doctrines embedded in our Constitutional jurisprudence.]

To get to it, then — the most important bit of this five page filing is highlighted in yellow, at right (click it to enlarge — a clean version). The next question is whether the able USDC Judge will allow the actual brief to be filed. I predict she will.

And so, Roger Stone shouldn’t get too terribly comfy — at home. The power of pardon/commutation is not… absolute.

He may end up going inside, afterall.

नमस्ते

Honoring John Lewis: Getting Into His Sort Of “Good Trouble” — Portland Edition, Against Unmarked DHS Agents “Kidnapping” Citizens

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[This, all as John Hinderaker touts the trivial matter of some local beer-brewer (trying to provoke “dialogue” it is claimed), with a beer bottle, shrouded in KKK robes (as its “yellow-belly” packaging)… Why, exactly?!]

In any event, here is the ACLU’s memo of law and motion for a TRO; and we understand the local Oregon Attorney General is filing suit as well. [Here’s the second amended complaint.]

The local authorities have asked DHS to withdraw its shock troops, travelling in unmarked vans, and not wearing name badges, from Portland, and from Oregon more broadly. Under the long established “no quartering, in peace time” principles, the federal government is bound to obey the wishes of state officials, so long as the same be lawful exercises of police power. And they are.

Here’s a bit, but do go read the entire memo of law:

…“The Free Speech Clause exists principally to protect discourse on public matters.” Brown v. Entm’t Merch. Ass’n, 564 U.S. 786, 790 (2011). It reflects “a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wideopen.” New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. at 270. It is “[p]remised on mistrust of governmental power.” Citizens United v. Fed. Election Comm’n, 558 U.S. 310, 340 (2010). “[I]t furthers the search for truth,” Janus v. Am. Fed’n of State, Cnty., & Mun. Emps., Council 31, 138 S. Ct. 2448, 2464 (2018) (citation omitted), and “ensure[s] that… individual citizen[s] can effectively participate in and contribute to our republican system of self-government.” Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 604 (1982). Unless the constitutional rights of journalists are protected, the public’s ability to participate meaningfully as citizens in a constitutional democracy will be severely diminished….

Obviously, Trump is trying to provoke violent confrontations, so he may stage false federal “law and order” mass-arrests, as campaign stunts. Disgusting — and lawless.

We the people need to rein in his abuses, immediately in the courts — and more permanently, at the ballot box, in November. For it is clear that McConnell’s Senate majority will not stand up for the rights of ordinary people in these matters. Onward — to much more “good trouble“… rest in power, now sir. We will carry on.

नमस्ते

We Owe This Man An Immense National Debt… Travel Light, Now, Sir… US Rep. John Lewis.

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I may have more tomorrow, but for now — at age 80, he goes home-ward, and joins Dr. King, and Coretta Scott, anew. Travel well, sir — travel light. And when you are ready… rest, in power.

Be good to one another. While I’m gone, think of Dr. King, Coretta (from right to left, in inset photo — echoed by BHO 44, Rep. Lewis, and the Real FLOTUS, in update main image) — and a then-young activist… named John Lewis. They completed the march on March 24, 1965.

Yep, I’m out. And yep — the nation owes him a debt of gratitude, for so gracefully enduring — and surmounting — so much evil.

नमस्ते

Herd Immunity: ~70% Of USA, Or… About 230 Million People, John.

~ condor ~ 1 Comment

“Lil’ Mister” Hinderaker offers a profoundly fact-challenged “hopey” narrative this evening: he takes some uncertain UK “study” results, in a small, isolated sub-geography, and (irresponsibly) wonders aloud whether the US has almost reached herd immunity, tonight. In a word: Nope.

The probability that he “could be right” is… less than one one hundredth of one per cent. [But I do get it, John, you and Paul are feeling at least a little… bad, about being so lethally, completely… wrong, about the novel COVID-19 virus. From day one to this very day. On literally every dimension. So now you subscribe to an even more feckless version of Trump's "hope-ium“? Charming.]

Here are the actual facts, as known thus far. Read about it.

Of perhaps greatest import, though, is the notion that it seems “immunity by the viral infection” route may only be temporary. That is, there are numerous reported cases of “re-infection.” They have been rigorously documented and vetted.

And so… it may take… vaccination, with mRNA based vaccines, like the Moderna candidate — to achieve permanent immunity.

We are at a known 3.5 million exposed, tonight, John. So… as to your “hope-uim“, we only need to infect about 227 million more people. If even only one per cent of those infected get the serious symptoms version of the virus, and/or die, we will need to see about 2.3 million serious cases, or deaths.

We are just under 140,000 tonight — so we only need to kill about 2.26 million more people, John.

As I say… charming.

Not.

Trump Financials Update: From A “Live” [Virtual] Hearing In Federal Court, In Manhattan, This Morning…

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Per this press outlet / blogger’s summary of this morning’s status hearing, we were made aware of a new detail, on the law, in the Mazars case. [With yesterday’s backgrounder, here.]

And I think DA’s office is right about this: after the Supreme Court decision of last week, it is likely that Trump lacks any standing now — to object to a subpoena duly issued, to Mazars LLP — a third party.
In sum, Trump is going to lose — it is now just a question of how quickly….

The lawyers for Trump suggested they will shortly file an amended complaint about the subpoena to Mazars — on or before July 27, 2020 (per the prior order).

The DA’s office said it would then quickly move to dismiss that to-be amended complaint.

And. . . we will of course keep the readership posted, but Condor confidently predicts the DA will win on a motion to dismiss Trump’s amended complaint (sight unseen!), Smile….

नमस्ते

PowerLine’s US COVID-19 Predictions, For July: Already Completely, Hideously, DEADLY… WRONG!

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The month is just now about half-over — and it is clear that daily deaths in the US are running about two to three times what PowerLine’s science free staff predicted at July 1. Daily new cases are now exceeding the new cases Paul M. had predicted would be… weekly figures.

As the numbers rise — and rise dramatically — I wonder whether Paul and John will continue to adhere to the hideous prior (July 1) argument that “500 deaths a day” should not warrant aggressive mitigation efforts, nationwide. [He also had the unmitigated gall, on July 1, to suggest the BLM protesters would owe HIM an apology here, for being “alarmist” about these matters, when in fact it has turned out that Trump’s sad Tulsa rally became a super-spreader event, even with small crowd sizes.]

Well, to be clear — the actual rate in July is now closer to triple that, or 1,500 deaths per day, and likely to increase from here, since the number of new cases per day are now more than tripling what Paul expected, at July 1.

So, will John and Paul claim that approximately 45,000 new deaths per month, nation-wide… is a level we should “just live with” — and continue to congregate in crowded bars, without masks, for example? [They argued just that at 15,000 deaths per month — to be clear.] Will they claim again falsely, that less than one percent of all these deaths are in age groups below 60? [They are… sounding increasingly like WWII German “human herd culling” / eugenics adherents, to be honest.]

In any event, here is a link to the July 1 guess-timate post, from Paul M. — and a bit:

“…Unfortunately, deaths from the virus didn’t decline during the month as much as I expected. Instead of dropping to around 500 per day, they remained closer to 700. Only on weekends does the count tend to come in at 500 or fewer. [Ed. note: now triple that, daily.]

In a way, it’s surprising that the daily death count decreased at all in June. After all, the daily number of known new infections essentially doubled during the month — from around 23,000 per day to around 45,000….”

That flippant last remark: OMG. Seriously?! 3.5 million Americans now have the virus — and growing.

Well, it is now clear that the doubling Paul feared will not just continue, but will become… a tripling — perhaps into late September, minimum — unless we go back into a modified lock-down, nationwide.

Yes, the grim evidence is piling up, day by day: people who cannot understand pandemic math… ought to shut the f#ck up — and John and Paul — are responsible for essentially all these excess deaths, now. They were all… largely avoidable.

Rushing to re-open is killing far more people than it arguably could have ever saved.

Full stop. Paul: Please. Just stop bloggin’ about your nonsense theories.

John Says Trump Will Run Toward November — On “Law & Order”?! Perfect!

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Well… this is… precious.

It’s late at night, and so perhaps Mr. Hinderaker is having a medication induced “sundowners” event. That’s as charitable as I can be.

But John is delusional, if he thinks ads touting Trump on “Law and Order” platforms won’t be immediately answered with footage of his ordered police brutality — on June 1, 2020, in St. John’s Episcopal courtyard… for his upside down bible photo op (see below left)…

Add to that, the obstruction of justice on plain display (upper right) in his commutation of Roger Stone’s sentence — for witness tampering (mob crime stuff!), and six other felonies.

Tough on crime — sure, but only if the crime isn’t committed to cover for Trumpian felonies!

I think the theme that will resonate with most ordinary (but undecided) Americans is that Trump is… untrustworthy. And all of this is before we might mention the felon Paul Manafort, the felon Michael Cohen, or the felon… Michael Flynn. Yep… and before we mention that Trump is barred from opening or running charities in New York, permanently — for lawless misuse and abuse of his formerly affiliated “charitable” arms, and other misdeeds — like raising money purportedly for kids’ cancer research, but spending it on Trump’s 2016 political campaign. That’s some… order, indeed.

The counter attack ads — from the Lincoln Project, and the DNC, will be brutal — and will foreclose Trump’s increasingly improbable path to 538 electoral college votes.

But you carry right on, John… your “thinking” is… highly entertaining, at least!

Cheers!

Back In Manhattan (USDC, SDNY) — As To The Mazars’ (Financial Records) Subpoena — Trump Is Merely Clutching At Straws, Now…

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Even by the unusually turgid Trumpian standards of tendentiousness, today’s filing is. . . over the top (by Trump).

In it, he argues that Mr. Vance’s criminal inquiry is (wait for it!). . . bad faith. This, from a guy who commutes the sentence of a seven times convicted felon who is covering up for him, by lying and intimidating witnesses. Charming.

[You’ll recall that last week, all nine of the sitting Justices of the US Supreme Court rejected Trump’s absolute immunity claim.] In any event, Mr. Vance will get the Mazars documents, but likely not before the election — even though all of the matters raised by Trump were previously rejected, in explicit rulings by the able District Court judge here (see at pages 5 to 10):

…The President states that he may argue that the subpoena “‘is motivated by a desire to harass or is conducted in bad faith,’” see Slip Op. at 16, or that the subpoena is meant to “manipulate” his policy decisions or to retaliate against him for official acts, see Slip Op. at 17. But this Court has already found that there was no demonstrated bad faith, harassment, or any other unusual circumstance that would call for equitable relief. 395 F. Supp. 3d at 298-300. And this Court has rejected the President’s claim that there was any evidence of a “secondary motive” that goes beyond good faith enforcement of the criminal laws. Id. at 299. Statements by other elected officials, as this Court ruled, “do not reveal the ‘subjective motive’ of the District Attorney in initiating these particular proceedings,” and do not support a finding of bad faith by the District Attorney….

The President further states that he may argue that compliance would “impede his constitutional duties.” See Slip Op. at 20. But this Court has specifically held that the President failed to demonstrate “that the burdens and interferences the President describes in this case would substantially impair the President’s ability to perform his constitutional duties.” 395 F. Supp. 3d at 316….

Onward — grinning, because Trump knows he’s cornered, now. Cy Vance, Jr. has him, dead to rights. If the Mazars documents contain what we’ve been led to believe… Trump will be guilty of several felonies — and headed to prison, in 2021.

नमस्ते

Banksy. Being Just So… Banks-ey.

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This came courtesy of an erstwhile anonymous commenter (at another of our properties) — and as it brightened my day, so too let it brighten yours, a bit.

Even in this rather dire time of COVID, there is still room to be compassionate, mindful of our fellow humans’ needs, careful, and yet… cheerful (well done, Londoners — banks-ground, here):

Onward, smiling — I can’t help it. I love this….

नमस्ते