Category: Uncategorized

A Puzzlement: How Is It, That Mirengoff Can See This — But Not See How It Applies To Civil Rights, For Black And Brown People — In The US?!

~ condor ~ Leave a comment

Paul decided overnight to explain his understanding of the roots — and causes — of… Antisemitism. It is a long form piece — and his thesis is correct, despite minor side-digressions that are ill-founded.

The thesis is that the nation we call Israel (after 1948)… was itself an attempt to “cure” or blunt Antisemitism — or at least provide people with a relatively-safe haven from its pernicious effects.

He is correct.

But it puzzles me that he cannot see that his same argument would apply to civil rights in the US — and yes, to the innocent civilians of Gaza. The faithful, peaceful, tolerant Palestinians — who simply want a land to call their own. A small portion of the lands they once controlled [for almost 2,000 years] right in that region.

Geez Paul… spare me your blind hypocrisy.

Out.

नमस्ते

You May Recall That The Last DRC Ebola Outbreak Ended With Only Four Deaths (2023); Now 15 Already, In A Month — And 28 Cases, Including 4 Health Care Workers. DAMN.

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This is the barbarous outcome… of Trump’s — and Musk’s — feckless lack of empathy for their fellow humans. They together conspired to effectively end all USAID relief efforts in Africa, earlier this year. Now what might have been a much smaller outbreak of Ebola in DRC, Kasai Province… is claiming scores of victims. Damn them. [My 2023 Mothers’ Day backgrounder on the prior DRC outbreak is here.]

Here is the breaking story — in black and white. These are facts, not Tangerine fantasies. He is killing children, and women and young and old men — with his despicable racism, put into action:

…The presence of the virus had been confirmed in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital last month after showing symptoms that included a high fever and repeated vomiting, the ministry added. She died a few hours later from multiple organ failure.

This will be the 16th outbreak of the deadly virus in the vast central African state that has poor health services, and is hit by conflict in the east….

The latest outbreak is in central Kasai province, with 28 suspected cases recorded (and 15 people confirmed dead of Ebola), the ministry said.

Officials have urged strict adherence to preventive measures, including frequent handwashing and social distancing in high-risk areas.

Tests identified the Zaire strain of Ebola, a rare but often deadly disease, officials said….

Four health workers were among the 15 people who had died, it said.

“Case numbers are likely to increase as the transmission is ongoing. Response teams and local teams will work to find the people who may be infected and need to receive care, to ensure everyone is protected as quickly as possible,” WHO added in a statement….

I am simply out of adjectives for this sort of wanton, knowing… depravity — from Trump-World. Dammit.

नमस्ते

If Trump Prevails On His Chaotic Tariffs Gambit @ The Supremes, It Will Mean That John Roberts Now Believes Statutes Do Not Mean What They Say, On Their Faces… Yikes.

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To be clear, though — I think this case will break 6-3, saying the IEEPA does not authorize Trumpian tariffs.

The statute could not be much clearer, on its face — that Congress specifically withheld this sort of chaotic, random taxing / tariff power from the Executive — and kept it where it belongs… that is, in Congress’s hands. I’ll not quote any of the silly filing the Manchurian Cantaloupe made yesterday, as it is poorly reasoned and largely based on preposterous fictions — of undeclared wars and faux) national emergencies.

I will link it for the sake of a complete record.

Onward, to the last full day with my youngest son at home, and then headed back to Oregon, tomorrow after about 15 days (counting the time in Vermont with all of them, as well). Now you know. Grin!

नमस्ते

Harvard Shows Trump… How American Viewpoint / Teaching / Research Actually Works, And How… The Government May Not Suppress Peaceful (Even If Controversial) Thoughts / Expressions.

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Well. That any 21st Century US preznit would need to be told — in a court of law — that he cannot suppress peaceful free speech or thought… is rather astonishing. But this is the (second) time… of the Manchurian Cantaloupe. So it goes.

You likely already saw the headlines, in papers around the East Coast — but here’s the excellently-reasoned 84 page opinion — and the sharpest end of this spear, below:

…[Harvard challenges] the decision to freeze and ultimately terminate nearly $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard.

More specifically, Plaintiffs collectively challenge the decision to freeze and then terminate the grants on three primary grounds, contending that (1) the funding decisions were made in response to Harvard’s refusal to capitulate to Defendants’ content- and viewpoint- based demands and its subsequent decision to file a lawsuit, in violation of the First Amendment; (2) the grant terminations did not comply with the procedural requirements of Title VI and are thus invalid; and (3) Defendants acted arbitrarily and capriciously when they froze and subsequently terminated funding to Harvard, as they failed to provide a reasoned explanation for how or why freezing and terminating funding would further the goal of ending antisemitism, to weigh the importance of the grants they sought to terminate, and to consider decades of reliance engendered through their prior practice of funding research at Harvard….

For the reasons stated herein, Harvard’s motion for summary judgment, [Harvard, ECF No. 69], is GRANTED IN PART….

Hilarious — put that in your pipe and smoke it, you faux would-be / autocrats!

नमस्ते

She’s Logged More Space-Walk Time, And More Hours In Space — Than Any Woman, Ever: Suni Williams Reflects On Her Record-Breaking NASA Career…

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To be certain, she is already a true American icon — of space science. And she rode to the ISS on one of the most hair-raising missions (you see what I did there?!) ever flown (at least since Apollo 13), in June of 2024 — as her Boeing built Starliner capsule had thruster malfunction issues, coming in for the docking maneuver. Her fellow pilot, Butch Wilmore, expertly flew manual for a chunk of the approach, using other thrusters to compensate for the BO ones. That’s all detailed in the below.

She talks a fair bit about the minute-to-minute on that episode, and her space-walks — as well as the long time (over a year and quarter, across her career!) spent in orbit, and the physical rehab needed, afterwards… on this podcast. Do give it a listen — but here’s a bit:

…NASA and Boeing witnessed issues with the spacecraft thrusters on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. Engineering teams reviewed a collection of data, conducted a variety of testing, hosted independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developed various return contingency plans. The uncertainty in data did not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, so NASA decided to return the Starliner safely to Earth uncrewed and move Butch and Suni to return on the SpaceX Dragon as part of Crew-9. Starliner undocked without the two astronauts and landed at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on September 7.

Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov launched September 28 on the Crew-9 mission with two empty seats to return with Butch and Suni later aboard Dragon. The quartet remained on station until April 2025 as part of the space station’s mission of research and discovery. Butch and Suni conducted more than 150 experiments and logged over 900 hours of research. Suni Williams set the record for the most cumulative spacewalking time by a woman at a whopping 62 hours and 6 minutes.

These NASA astronauts are among the few humans to pilot a human-rated spacecraft for the first time. Much was learned from the flight test that is leading to continued work on the commercial spacecraft….

Now you know — and no, Manchurian Cantaloupe… she is not blonde, or blue-eyed. Her ancestors are not… from one of what you called “the good countries“. She is just a purely… American HERO! One we all are immensely proud of. Out.

नमस्ते

[U] Another Loss For Trumpie/Noemites: Conservative Fifth Cir. Says No To Use Of Alien Enemies Act.

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Decidedly good news — and again, this is very much as we have repeatedly predicted. Here is the full 55 page opinion, from a very conservative Fifth Circuit. Trump does not possess any lawful power to falsely claim that all persons coming from Venezuela must be gang members and drug dealers, and deport them without process.

While we are certain the Noemites will appeal this loss to the Supremes, here’s the Wa Po on it all:

…The Supreme Court did step in. In an extraordinary middle-of-the-night order, the justices temporarily barred Alien Enemies Act removals in Hendrix’s district while they considered whether the migrants had been granted enough time to challenge their removals.

Weeks later, the justices renewed that hold on deportations as they sent the case back to the 5th Circuit, setting up Tuesday’s ruling….

Now you know — in under a year on the job, the Manchurian Cantaloupe has been told over and over again (even by jurists he appointed) that he is no king.

Onward.

नमस्ते

Maybe John Should ACTUALLY GO READ The Posse Comitatus Act… Just A Thought.

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Y A W N.

Tonight, Hinderaker — perfectly wrong on the law — chooses to talk about Tangerine 2.0’s “right” to roll the federales into Chicago.

He published his execrable drivel an hour or two after a federal judge ruled on the merits that Trump’s stunt in LA (rolling the National Guard) violated the express and clear provisions of the Act.

But John (idiotically) says Trump could roll Marines into Chicago… though (John sniffs) he “might” lose in the courts.

Might?!

Willful violations of these particularly clear statutes are… felony crimes, son.

Trump could well be charged with felonies for trying a stunt he now knows is plainly a violation of Chicagoans’ rights.

And every Chicagoan encumbered by his lawlessness and abuse of process (in a class action) may sue for damages (erh, BTW that’s about three million people, John). See, Bivens.

All of it is just Hinderaker trying NOT to talk about the four significant losses Trump has suffered recently [though by far the one that hurts Trump’s agenda the most is the tariffs being invalidated].

And. I. Love. It. All.

Thanks Johnnie boy!

Out.

And FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter Gets Her Post Back — Unlawfully Fired By The Manchurian Cantaloupe.

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Of course, Trump will appeal to the Supremes now.

But as the opinion and the below indicate — the Supremes have spoken, this year in very similar cases. Humphrey’s Executor is still good law. Tangerine 2.0 will lose at the Supremes. Here’s the latest:

…President Trump fired Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause. The district court ordered her reinstatement. The government now seeks a stay of that decision pending appeal. That motion must be denied. The government has no likelihood of success on appeal given controlling and directly on point Supreme Court precedent.

Specifically, ninety years ago, a unanimous Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Federal Trade Commission Act’s for-cause removal protection for Federal Trade Commissioners. See Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, 295 U.S. 602 (1935). Over the ensuing decades — and fully informed of the substantial executive power exercised by the Commission — the Supreme Court has repeatedly and expressly left Humphrey’s Executor in place, and so precluded Presidents from removing Commissioners at will. Then just four months ago, the Supreme Court stated that adherence to extant precedent like Humphrey’s Executor controls in resolving stay motions.

To grant a stay would be to defy the Supreme Court’s decisions that bind our judgments. That we will not do….

Trump is likely to rage (impotently) tonight, into the void of his ‘Truth’ platform. Hilarious.

नमस्ते

UPDATED: Case Reassigned To USDC Judge Kelly (In DC) — And Dates For Briefing Modified Slightly, To Get To An Injunction Hearing By September 10 At 2 PM Eastern…

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The preliminary injunction motion will now be on file by noon Eastern — tomorrow. That’s… speedy!

And while he was appointed by, and confirmed under a Trumpian Senate vote in September of 2017 — he’s ruled against Trump more than once in DC. Most notably, he ruled that the Proud Boys would have to stand trial for their role in J6. [Four of the five were convicted — but one was released, because the jury deadlocked on his charges.]

In sum, he’s a no-nonsense jurist with Duke and Georgetown degrees. He clerked for the very capable USDC Judge Buckwalter [a Bush 41 appointee] in Pennsylvania — many decades ago.

So here’s the partially accelerated, and one day partially delayed NEW schedule for the Guatemalan kids’ class action/injunction:

…Plaintiffs shall file their motion for preliminary injunction by noon on September 3, 2025;

Defendants shall file their opposition by noon on September 6, 2025;

Plaintiffs shall file their reply by September 8, 2025; and the parties shall appear for a preliminary-injunction hearing at 2:00 p.m. on September 10, 2025, in Courtroom 11.

Signed by Judge Timothy J. Kelly on 9/2/2025….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते