US Politics: Sorry, we do make the rules.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

And for the record, there's already a bio pic for George Santos out there.

But Hollywood being Hollywood and not writing enough good roles for good male leads gave the job to Michelle Yeoh. The Movie is called Everything Everywhere All At Once

In one dimension he is Jewish, in another one he went to college in the US, in another he worked at Wall Street, in another he lives in NY, in yet another he lives in Florida, and in another one he is a homeless grifter. It got him all confused. The conflicts regarding his sexuality was turned into a martial arts scene featuring a dildo (might have also been a symbolism for his battle for Trump (fighting with a dildo or for one, minor details, Hollywood doesn't do details)).

 

[ants]

On 1/15/2023 at 4:18 PM, LongRider said:

They don’t have nipples, they have teats.  Just a different design for the milk delivery. 

Nipples are teats! 

[RumHam]

50 minutes ago, DMC said:

I had to learn and use python for a couple aspects of my dissertation irt using machine learning for content analysis.  I fucking hated it and thought it was pretty stupid, but my chair/advisors insisted it would give me a better chance to get the papers published (it didn't).  If only I had you to show me how python should really be used, it would have saved me so much time...

I grew up on basic and thus have always been a terrible programmer. Hobbyist though I never had to work for it. 

https://github.com/heylookoverthere

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Is there any stupidity that is too much for the Republican Party?

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/01/13/take-that-california-wyoming-legislators-draft-resolution-banning-electric-vehicles-by-2035/
 

[Gaston de Foix]

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Is there any stupidity that is too much for the Republican Party?

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/01/13/take-that-california-wyoming-legislators-draft-resolution-banning-electric-vehicles-by-2035/
 

No.  BUT don't get triggered by every dumbass bill introduced by a deranged maniac in a ruby-red state.  Wyoming is crazy enough to kick out Liz Cheney cos she ain't Trumpy enough, but I doubt they are crazy enough to enact this into law.  

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

31 minutes ago, Gaston de Foix said:

No.  BUT don't get triggered by every dumbass bill introduced by a deranged maniac in a ruby-red state.  Wyoming is crazy enough to kick out Liz Cheney cos she ain't Trumpy enough, but I doubt they are crazy enough to enact this into law.  

I live in South Carolina… at least I’m not in Ralph Norman’s district like my Sister.

[Zorral]

10 hours ago, ants said:

Nipples are teats! 

As the maga Idaho congercrit boasted just now -- I parapharase, "I know about women's health.  I milked a few cows in my time."

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/idaho-republican-sorry-comparing-womens-health-milking-cows-2023-1

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

31 minutes ago, Zorral said:

As the maga Idaho congercrit boasted just now -- I parapharase, "I know about women's health.  I milked a few cows in my time."

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/idaho-republican-sorry-comparing-womens-health-milking-cows-2023-1

 

Is the Republican Party capable of embarrassment?

[LongRider]

35 minutes ago, Zorral said:

As the maga Idaho congercrit boasted just now -- I parapharase, "I know about women's health.  I milked a few cows in my time."

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/idaho-republican-sorry-comparing-womens-health-milking-cows-2023-1

            Speechless.  

[Zorral]

23 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

 

Is the Republican Party capable of embarrassment?

How can you bother even posing such a question after all this time?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

14 minutes ago, Zorral said:

How can you bother even posing such a question after all this time?

Hope?  That more and more will see the shame it brings upon us all?

[Ormond]

Here's my latest Trump fundraising email. 

The idea that I am one of only 47 people Trump has selected for this club is such a blatant lie, you would think it should be considered criminal fraud somehow. 

 

Quote

 

https://image.email.donaldjtrump.com/lib/fe2d11727364047f731178/m/2/3fe6d95c-0104-47bf-8451-c7cf10f82ea0.png

EXCLUSIVE INVITATION FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP ENCLOSED

OPEN HERE >>
 

Ck,
 

⏰There isn’t much time left⏰

President Trump asked us to reach out to his Top 47 Patriots, which includes YOU, to join a BRAND NEW and EXCLUSIVE club:
 

THE OFFICIAL TRUMP 47 CLUB >>

ONLY 47 Patriots were selected by President Trump to join this HIGHLY EXCLUSIVE group, and he wanted us to personally extend this invitation to you FIRST. 

As an Official Trump 47 Club Member, YOU will help President Trump stand against the radical Left, put America FIRST, and ramp up our efforts to SAVE our Nation.
 

Time is quickly running out. You ONLY have until 11:59 PM TONIGHT to confirm your spot in the Official Trump 47 Club, so HURRY.
 

Please contribute ANY AMOUNT IMMEDIATELY, and you’ll instantly join the ranks as 1 of the 47 Patriots to join the Official Trump 47 Club. >>
 

https://image.email.donaldjtrump.com/lib/fe2d11727364047f731178/m/2/5dedb190-9fff-4cd2-bb2d-1cc2b494494c.png

 

CONTRIBUTE $20 >>

CONTRIBUTE $15 >>

CONTRIBUTE $10 >>

CONTRIBUTE $5 >>

CONTRIBUTE ANY AMOUNT >>
 

Ck, we’re going to hand President Trump the Official Roster with the names of every Patriot who unlocked their status as an Official Trump 47 Club Member, and we know he is hoping to see YOUR NAME on there.

Please give ANY AMOUNT RIGHT NOW to accept President Trump’s Official 47 Trump Club Membership invitation and get your name on the Official Roster he’ll review.

Thank you,

Team Trump 2024

 

 

[Zorral]

Lengthy quote as this is paywalled.

What the Jan. 6 probe found out about social media, but didn’t report
The House committee investigating the riot avoided detailed discussion in its report for fear of offending Republicans and tech companies, sources say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/17/jan6-committee-report-social-media/

Quote

 

The Jan. 6 committee spent months gathering stunning new details on how social media companies failed to address the online extremism and calls for violence that preceded the Capitol riot.

The evidence they collected was written up in a 122-page memo that was circulated among the committee, according to a draft viewed by The Washington Post. But in the end, committee leaders declined to delve into those topics in detail in their final report, reluctant to dig into the roots of domestic extremism taking hold in the Republican Party beyond former president Donald Trump and concerned about the risks of a public battle with powerful tech companies, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the panel’s sensitive deliberations.

Congressional investigators found evidence that tech platforms — especially Twitter — failed to heed their own employees’ warnings about violent rhetoric on their platforms and bent their rules to avoid penalizing conservatives, particularly then-president Trump, out of fear of reprisals. The draft report details how most platforms did not take “dramatic” steps to rein in extremist content until after the attack on the Capitol, despite clear red flags across the internet.

“The sum of this is that alt-tech, fringe, and mainstream platforms were exploited in tandem by right-wing activists to bring American democracy to the brink of ruin,” the staffers wrote in their memo. “These platforms enabled the mobilization of extremists on smaller sites and whipped up conservative grievance on larger, more mainstream ones.”

But little of the evidence supporting those findings surfaced during the public phase of the committee’s probe, including its 845-page report that focused almost exclusively on Trump’s actions that day and in the weeks just before.

That focus on Trump meant the report missed an opportunity to hold social media companies accountable for their actions, or lack thereof, even though the platforms had been the subject of intense scrutiny since Trump’s first presidential campaign in 2016, the people familiar with the matter said.

Confronting that evidence would have forced the committee to examine how conservative commentators helped amplify the Trump messaging that ultimately contributed to the Capitol attack, the people said — a course that some committee members considered both politically risky and inviting opposition from some of the world’s most powerful tech companies, two of the people said.

“Given the amount of material they actually ultimately got from the big social media companies, I think it is unfortunate that we didn’t get a better picture of how ‘Stop the Steal’ was organized online, how the materials spread,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism nonprofit. “They could have done that for us.”

The Washington Post has previously reported that Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the committee’s co-chair, drove efforts to keep the report focused on Trump. But interviews since the report’s release indicate that Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat whose Northern California district includes Silicon Valley, also resisted efforts to bring more focus in the report onto social media companies.

Lofgren denied that she opposed including a social media appendix in the report or more detail about what investigators learned in interviews with tech company employees.

“I spent substantial time editing the proposed report so it was directly cited to our evidence, instead of news articles and opinion pieces,” Lofgren said. “In the end, the social media findings were included into other parts of the report and appendixes, a decision made by the Chairman in consultation with the Committee.”

Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), did not respond to a request for comment. Thompson previously had said that the committee would examine what steps tech companies took to prevent their platforms from “being breeding grounds to radicalizing people to violence.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who sat in on some of the depositions of tech employees, did not comment.

Understanding the role social media played in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol takes on greater significance as tech platforms undo some of the measures they adopted to prevent political misinformation on their platforms. Under new owner Elon Musk, Twitter has laid off most of the team that reviewed tweets for abusive and inaccurate content and restored several prominent accounts that the company banned in the fallout from the Capitol attack, including Trump’s and that of his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Facebook, too, is considering allowing Trump back on its platform, a decision expected as early as next week. ....

 

 

[Martell Spy]

Republicans have already filed dozens of bills to restrict voting in 2023
Measures in Texas would raise criminal penalties and create voting-focused law enforcement unit

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/17/voting-rights-republicans-texas-restrictions

Quote

 

Under pre-filed bills in both chambers, Texas would also launch an election police force similar to the one created by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, which has so far come up short of producing convictions or any evidence of widespread voting offenses. Texas’s law enforcement unit, led by state “election marshals”, would be dedicated to prosecuting election and voting crimes.

Under the proposed legislation, the top election marshal would report to the secretary of state and would appoint election marshals to represent different regions. Election marshals who investigate a violation of Texas voting law could issue warrants and file criminal charges. They could also “impound election records and equipment”.

Other bills in Texas would expand the attorney general’s authority to prosecute election crimes. One bill would allow the attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor for criminal voting cases, and another would allow the attorney general to issue civil penalties to local prosecutors who do not investigate voting crimes

 

 

[LongRider]

Seems Kevin knows how to run a tight ship in the House.  Not.

 

[Ormond]

This isn't hugely different from the last Trump email I shared, but I almost feel compelled to post something that starts out "You are not permitted to share this with anyone."  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

Quote   https://image.email.donaldjtrump.com/lib/fe2d11727364047f731178/m/2/a61682eb-b810-4953-9f5d-db0d25b35ba7.png   Ck, You are NOT permitted to share this email with anyone.  The American People see firsthand that Joe Biden and the radical Left have led our Nation onto the path of destruction, but rest assured, I’m fighting to SAVE OUR NATION in 2024. Ck, I’m emailing you today because I cannot do it alone. I need my Top 47 Patriots to step up to the front lines and join my EXCLUSIVE Official Trump 47 Club. Together, we’ll END the radicalism and socialism wreaking HAVOC on our Country.   The select few Patriots in the Official Trump 47 Club will be ones I rely on and will provide me with the insight and support to RECLAIM America. Invitations like this don’t come around often, so please do NOT miss this.   Please contribute $47 IMMEDIATELY, and you’ll instantly join the ranks as 1 of the 47 Patriots to join the Official Trump 47 Club. >>   https://image.email.donaldjtrump.com/lib/fe2d11727364047f731178/m/2/5dedb190-9fff-4cd2-bb2d-1cc2b494494c.png   CONTRIBUTE $250 >> CONTRIBUTE $100 >> CONTRIBUTE $50 >> CONTRIBUTE $47 >> CONTRIBUTE ANY AMOUNT >>   Ck, our movement is far from over. In fact, it’s only just getting started. I know we can SAVE AMERICA, but only if YOU take action.    My team will hand me an Official Roster in the NEXT TEN MINUTES with the names of every Patriot who stepped up. Please give ANY AMOUNT RIGHT NOW to accept my Official 47 Trump Club Membership invitation and get YOUR name on the roster I’ll review. Thank you, https://image.email.donaldjtrump.com/lib/fe2d11727364047f731178/m/1/71b0eab1-c86f-4652-a27f-103aa77e88b5.png Donald J. Trump   CONTRIBUTE NOW >>     https://click.email.donaldjtrump.com/open.aspx?ffcb10-fef710717d6201-fe5616717063077a7d1c-fe2d11727364047f731178-ff981576-fe6816717060057c7010-fef91575746d02&d=120008&bmt=0 Contributions to Trump Save America JFC are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.   Paid for by Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, a joint fundraising committee composed of and authorized by Donald J. Trump for President 2024 and Save America. donaldjtrump.com You are receiving this email at  Quote   Trump Save America JFC, PO Box 13570, Arlington, VA 22219 We believe this is an important way to reach our grassroots supporters with the most up-to-date information regarding President Trump, and we’re glad you’re on our team. Thank you for joining Team Trump. It’s because of grassroots supporters like YOU that we’ve been able to consistently call out the Fake News media EVERY SINGLE TIME they try to spread misinformation or outright LIES about the important work President Trump is doing to SAVE AMERICA. Reaching grassroots supporters directly is CRITICAL if we’re going to Save America from Joe Biden and the Left. But, in order to do that we need to provide supporters with the most up-to-date information on all of our efforts. TEXT TRUMP to 88022 to start receiving text messages from President Trump. It’s because of the commitment and support from real Patriots, like YOU Ck, that we will SAVE AMERICA! Thank you again for your generous support. If you'd like to change your subscription status follow this link. Privacy Policy

[Zorral]

Do ya think he's gonna call Saul?

Republican Ex-Candidate Arrested in Shootings Targeting New Mexico Democrats
The authorities in Albuquerque said that Solomon Peña, who lost his bid for a State House seat in November, was behind a series of recent shootings targeting Democratic elected officials.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/us/albuquerque-democrat-officials-shootings-arrest.html

.... Chief Medina said that a SWAT team took Mr. Peña into custody on Monday. The police said they planned to charge him with “several state crimes.” It was unclear if Mr. Peña had a lawyer. Carter B. Harrison, an Albuquerque lawyer who represented Mr. Peña last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday night. ....

[ThinkerX]

Couple of offbeat thoughts I've been contemplating recently:

First, an R favorite - something the R House will propose - tax cuts. My though here is that Biden could chose to go along with these - but ONLY for folks making under 150 grand a year (arbitrary number). The R's could either support this and get to deal with the howls from their wealthy benefactors, or attempt to oppose it, ticking off their middle and lower class base. 

The other thought is about folks crossing the border without authorization. (I no longer know or care what PC designation is in vogue for these people, but I will say weasel word terms that miss the 'illegal' component do far more harm than good, making their proponents look like clueless idiots.)

The thought here is this: when these people cross the border without authorization, they are breaking the law. At a minimum, this is some form of trespassing. 

The second part of this thought is that the services of these people in everything from agriculture to construction to fast food are in huge demand. Indeed, without them, the economic consequences would be catastrophic.

The third part of this thought stems from constitutionally granted presidential authority, specifically in certain judicial matters. This can and does apply on a mass scale - witness Biden's recent pardon of millions (?) of minor drug offenders.

So, the unauthorized arrivals cross the border and get arrested. They then get hauled into court, formally charged and convicted of the relevant offense, including a fine. Then Biden steps in and uses the judicial authority of his office to sentence these people to a sort of 'penal work release' program. Said 'work release' being at the jobs they would normally land with anyways, except at minimum wage, with a part of the paycheck going to pay off the fine that landed them in the program. They complete this (six months or a year or whatever), they get actual work permits.

 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

A court sentencing an ethnic group to manual labour (under guidance of the goverment). For some unspecified reason that makes me feel kinda nostalgic. 

Word of warning to the Canadian readers, if those infrastructure projects include new Highways leading to the pol Canadian border, then it's time to get the hell out of Dodge. 

[Zorral]

35 minutes ago, ThinkerX said:

They then get hauled into court, formally charged and convicted of the relevant offense, including a fine. Then Biden steps in and uses the judicial authority of his office to sentence these people to a sort of 'penal work release' program. Said 'work release' being at the jobs they would normally land with anyways, except at minimum wage, with a part of the paycheck going to pay off the fine that landed them in the program. They complete this (six months or a year or whatever), they get actual work permits.

Absolutely frackin' NO!  You may as well advocate reinstituting slavery.  Our prison system has enough enslaved labor as it is, and it is a disgrace and an obscenity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-will-offer-free-abortion-pills-at-four-city-run-sexual-health-clinics

New York City plans to offer free abortion pills at four sexual health clinics as early as Wednesday [that's tomorrow], a city-funded expansion that seeks to break down barriers to abortion in low-income communities, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday. ....