US Politics: Catch the big crook under the “Big Cone”

[kiko]

5 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

So go fly a thousand peaceful weather balloons over China. 

While not impossible to do, this is definitely a fight that the US will not win. China has a mighty ally - earth rotation!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

4 hours ago, kiko said:

While not impossible to do, this is definitely a fight that the US will not win. China has a mighty ally - earth rotation!

Try us. 10,000 balloons are now not enough!

[A Horse Named Stranger]

21 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

No.  I believe it was F-22s sent to target the Balloon.  We don’t (as far as I know) have any F-22s based in SC.

I have my money on lawnchair larry with a knife.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Quote

A former prospective staffer to Rep. George Santos said he filed a police report and House ethics complaint alleging that the freshman congressman made an unwanted sexual advance toward him during a private encounter in his office and was later denied employment there.

The individual, Derek Myers, alleges that Santos on January 25 “touched” his groin before the New York congressman allegedly invited him to his home and said his husband was out of town, according to a copy of the House ethics complaint provided to CNN.

Myers says he declined the alleged advance and promptly left Santos’ office. Five days later, he claims, Santos began to question him over his past work as a reporter. Myers alleges that his job offer was then withdrawn on February 1, even though he had begun working there voluntarily.

A Santos spokesperson and an attorney for the freshman Republican did not provide comment on the allegations included in the complaint after repeated requests by CNN since Friday.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/05/politics/george-santos-prospective-staffer-complaint/index.html

Shocking news!!!

[ThinkerX]

Here it is - lost track of this story yesterday. Anyhow...

The Hunter Biden laptop tale is taking a new twist - with Hunters attorneys requesting DOJ investigations into the people who acquired the copy of his laptops hard drive, citing manipulation of data among other things. 

 

Hunter Biden asks for criminal probe into Trump allies over laptop (nbcnews.com)

 

The letters say evaluating the data has been "exceedingly difficult because, for months, neither the New York Post 'nor its source for the material, President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, were willing to share' that data with the public."

"More recently, downstream recipients of what has been purported to be Mr. Biden’s hard drive have reported anomalies in the data, suggesting manipulation of it," they say.

Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell told NBC News on Wednesday night: “These letters do not confirm Mac Isaac’s or others’ versions of a so-called laptop. They address their conduct of seeking, manipulating and disseminating what they allege to be Mr. Biden’s personal data, wherever they claim to have gotten it.”

In another letter sent Wednesday, Lowell asked the IRS to review the tax-exempt status of Marco Polo, a charitable organization run by Garrett Ziegler, who Biden said uploaded the data he got from Giuliani to the organization's website.

The letter said the organization has "operated as little more than a thinly disguised political operation to attack the Biden administration and the Biden family," contrary to regulations that say such groups "may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates."

The conservative media is highly ticked off about this, claiming that the mere act of Hunter requesting such an investigation is an assault on free speech. 

 

'It's never going to be enough': Fox News contributor shuts down criticism of Hunter Biden (msn.com)

On Sunday's edition of the Media Buzz program, Soave complained about letters Biden's attorneys sent to the Justice Department to urge an investigation into the copying of his personal information. The letters named conservative media and personalities that disseminated information about a laptop allegedly belonging to Biden.

"It's like a whistleblower scenario," Soave said. "You're going to go after — you don't go after the people that report the information once they get it; once they had a hand — unless there was a criminal matter and they participated in that to get the information. Otherwise, you get information like this; you're supposed to report it."

 

To me, both arguments look flawed, but Hunter might actually have the better case - one that might actually land a couple people in prison. 

[karaddin]

Lack of concern for protecting whistleblowers might be one of the most bipartisan opinions of the last 20 years, that doesn't seem a compelling angle to run with here.

[DMC]

1 hour ago, karaddin said:

Lack of concern for protecting whistleblowers might be one of the most bipartisan opinions of the last 20 years, that doesn't seem a compelling angle to run with here.

Longer than that.  Protecting whistleblowers might be a leftist ideal, but I can't think of any Democratic administration that's actually done it.  Really whistleblowers' refuge has never been either political party, it just used to be the courts.

[Rhom]

9 hours ago, DMC said:

Longer than that.  Protecting whistleblowers might be a leftist ideal, but I can't think of any Democratic administration that's actually done it.  Really whistleblowers' refuge has never been either political party, it just used to be the courts.

Oh I don’t know about that… the biggest supporters of whistleblowers around here are the far right wing kooks.  There is even a house two doors down from my in laws that has a big wooden sign in their front yard that looks like a flag and on the white stripes it says “Politicians must support ‘real’ whistleblowers exposing government corruption.”

It all just depends on what you want your whistle blown on.

[Rhom]

On 2/4/2023 at 2:54 PM, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

No.  I believe it was F-22s sent to target the Balloon.  We don’t (as far as I know) have any F-22s based in SC.

I read online (so take that for what it’s worth) that this is the first air to air kill for the F22.  It’s been in operation since the late 90s but has never had a live fire kill.

I’m sure the pilot already has a balloon painted just below his cockpit canopy.  
 

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Who thought this was a good plan?  The QNuts are kooks.  But they’re armed kooks primed for violence.  Is this really a good idea?

 

[Larry of the Lawn]

35 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Who thought this was a good plan?  The QNuts are kooks.  But they’re armed kooks primed for violence.  Is this really a good idea?

 

Is what really a good idea?  Right-wingers losing their shit?  They're going to do that no matter what you do.

[DMC]

1 hour ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Is this really a good idea?

33 minutes ago, Larry of the Lake said:

Is what really a good idea?  Right-wingers losing their shit?  They're going to do that no matter what you do.

Yeah I'm pretty confused what you're asking about here Scot.  From what I can tell, apparently the crazy right is freaking out about a Grammy performance.  So?  I have no idea about that performance or even the performers, but who gives a shit?  The right is always gonna find something to lose their shit over.  If it's about some dumbass Grammy performance that's actually kind of refreshing - common, back-in-the-day religious right whining.

[polishgenius]

Scott's point, I think, is that someone might shoot Sam Smith, or, in their absence, some other more findable non-binary figure.

 

Which might be true, but if you start holding performers responsible for violent right-wing response to their performance you've already lost the culture war they want to have.

[Fez]

2 hours ago, Rhom said:

I read online (so take that for what it’s worth) that this is the first air to air kill for the F22.  It’s been in operation since the late 90s but has never had a live fire kill.

I’m sure the pilot already has a balloon painted just below his cockpit canopy.  

Oh a ballon is definitely getting painted on that plane. Not only is it the first ever air-to-air kill for an F22, it's the first US air-to-air kill since 2017 and only the second since 1999. And I believe it's the first ever air-to-air kill over the lower 48 US land/territorial waters.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

32 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

Scott's point, I think, is that someone might shoot Sam Smith, or, in their absence, some other more findable non-binary figure.

 

Which might be true, but if you start holding performers responsible for violent right-wing response to their performance you've already lost the culture war they want to have.

That’s fair.  Initiating violence isn’t  justified.  It just seems sadly predictable to me.  

I appreciate defiance.  Hell I seek out QNuts in other contexts and engage in defiance.  Perhaps I should look at the beam in my own eye before criticizing the splinter in my siblings.

[Jace, Extat]

4 hours ago, Rhom said:

Oh I don’t know about that… the biggest supporters of whistleblowers around here are the far right wing kooks.  There is even a house two doors down from my in laws that has a big wooden sign in their front yard that looks like a flag and on the white stripes it says “Politicians must support ‘real’ whistleblowers exposing government corruption.”

It all just depends on what you want your whistle blown on.

Yeah there's no point pretending there's any kind of ideological champion of whistleblowers in our politics. There's allies of convenience. 

I've known lots of Rightie types who love Assange and Snowden, despite seeming to know less about them than I do (and I don't even know if I'm spelling their fucking names right, so...) because they're Anti-Gov champions, but they hate Danielle Manning because... "something, something... definitely not the trans thing..." So, IDK. 

I honestly think that most folks on most sides of most issues have no idea what the fuck they're talking about and latch emotionally to the first argument/activity/actor who aligns with them emotionally. But I'm not sayin nothin nobody don't already know

Discourse!

1 hour ago, polishgenius said:

Scott's point, I think, is that someone might shoot Sam Smith, or, in their absence, some other more findable non-binary figure.

 

Which might be true, but if you start holding performers responsible for violent right-wing response to their performance you've already lost the culture war they want to have.

(emphasis mine) 

As to the first part of the post: 

I'm partial to Slut Pop. I wouldn't shoot nobody over it. 

But I might duel... 

 

[Martell Spy]

North Carolina Supreme Court set to rehear election cases

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-score/2023/02/06/north-carolina-supreme-court-set-to-rehear-election-cases-00081286

Quote

 

But those same Republican leaders — the ones who said that there’s little to no room for state courts to review election laws — turned back to the state court to review said laws. Republican legislative leaders last month asked the court to revisit the voter ID and redistricting cases. Republican House Speaker Tim Moore at the time said that following the November election, voters “clearly rejected the judicial activism of the outgoing majority.”

On Friday, the court voted along party lines to rehear the cases on March 14.

 

 

[IheartIheartTesla]

Well, Sam Smith is British and Kim Petras is German, but surely their 'demonic' performance is an indictment of the American left.... somehow.

Dont cede the ground to right wing clowns.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

2 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

North Carolina Supreme Court set to rehear election cases

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-score/2023/02/06/north-carolina-supreme-court-set-to-rehear-election-cases-00081286

 

Sounds like they want to moot the case before the SCOTUS.

[Jace, Extat]

 

 

1 hour ago, Secretary of Eumenes said:

 

I'm partial to Slut Pop.

 

 

^^^ This part is true ^^^^

 

Aaaaaaand

 

2 hours ago, polishgenius said:

 

 

Which might be true, but if you start holding performers responsible for violent right-wing response to their performance you've already lost the culture war they want to have.

^^^^ This part ^^^^ 

 

Both are true, yes? Art is protected. It may be limited. Sometimes, yes? I cannot do nude art in Vanilla Grocery. This is fair? But you cannot stop me doing Nude Art in Nude Art places? This is fair.

(I don't do nude art, this is a bit. But a bit with a point. Keep up. Humorisms as teaching tools. Keep up)

BUT

And this is that POINT we just mentioned. 

Liberals. Especially Millennials. 

Think that policy IS art. Can't blame 'em. 

I mean it's not like politics and business and advertising and everything everywhere has taught them anything other than to use slick words and happy features to get as much as they can as fast as they can and step up to the next thing. (In politics, you have a higher office to aim for. In business, you have a bigger office to aim for.... and so on) 

And, uh, yo. As someone whose life, like, kinda-literally in a physical way depends on understanding how these people (The dirty dirty peasants and their have-nothing fuck-everything cultures...) 

YO! 

And this isn't aimed at you, Polishgenius. I'm just using this as like a jumping off point here for a screed against the broad direction of 'liberal' politics in my lifetime. Okay? We get that? Not attacking anyone, in particular, but gonna rant against some trends and shit. If you feel a little attacked despite what I just wrote. Maybe explore that feeling. Explore it with me, even. 

You people need a new teacher. And I'm here for you.  

Yo. 

When you treat politics like a game. And you start treating it like a performative game. People notice. They notice, man. And yeah, a lot of 'em are stupid and pig ignorant and filled with misdirected fucking HATE 

But yo. They fucking SEE YOU 

Even if they don't always understand. THEY FUCKING SEE YOU 

Democrats didn't give a FUCK about LGBTIQ+ or their fucking rights or the plight of their own fucking children they'd exposed to untested technologies, predatory purveyors, and an education system seemingly designed whether through malice or incompetence to produce multiple generations of sub-literate emotional and mental wrecks and call them Future Leaders

Didn't give a fuck about any of that

Until those neglects produced a nice, dumb, easy-to-scam and easier-to-appease (Hi, Student "debt" """" reform""""") class of dependents who occasionally need to be tricked into believing you just gave them something (when in actuality all you've done is <marginally> decreased their insolvency. Which isn't actually giving someone something, it's taking away (some of) something in return for nothing) in return for stealing their futures. 

Yo. They see you. 

And I, as a democrat. A Democrat. Think they are not unright. (I just made that up! Unright. I think.) 

So, uh, yeah. The point here. Circling back to that Jumping Off Point I borrowed from our Polishgenius...

Obviously the correct, the CORRECT, answer is that if some school or library or whatever wants to do Drag Queen story hour... Whatever. 

I mean, that is the correct LIBERAL and correct conservativeLIBERAL response. "Whatever, man. Or Ma'am. As it may be." 

 

But yo. At the same time... You're allowed to think that Drag Queen Story Hour is fucking weird (I do) and to not understand the impetus behind this like culture-shock campaign you're obviously engaging in. Or rather, I don't accept the rationale I keep getting. Which is to, like, inoculate kids against... transphobia or something... and I'm just like yo... I'm trans and I went to the library literally every day and I didn't need a weirdo in garish makeup to make me wanna go there. Or to make me wanna be who I am when I'm not, myself, wearing a disguise.  

Now all that being said. I ain't got no kids. Can't have no kids. 

And as far as the law ever taught me, through my experiences. Them chirens is YOUR property. And you can goddamn well do what you please with 'em. I may not agree with it. But that's what I've been taught. So, if you wanna do Drag Queen Story Hour honestly I think it's better than TikTok. I just hope you're also, y'know, reading to the kid yourself and taking them to the library on normal days and not just to see the Very Politely Invitee freak show that reminds bougie "liberal" fucks how much better off their children are gonna be than these performative types. 

Just my 

IMHO

or whatever