US Politics: #Musky DeSaster

[DMC]

Quote

Idk man, that feels like Lucy holding the football. 

Actually, during Biden's presidency, it's demonstrably been the opposite.  From the infrastructure bill, to McConnell caving on the debt ceiling (twice), to the Respect for Marriage Act, to ECA Reform, to repealing the AUMFs, to Ukraine funding, time and time again there are many on these threads that are insistent the GOP Senate won't deal only to be proven wrong.  At least in that there's enough "sane" GOP Senators to reach cloture on certain measures.

Doesn't mean those Senators don't still propagate evil policies.  Doesn't mean those Senators aren't still cravenly self-interested political actors.  But it does mean not recognizing this at this point is fundamentally lazy and decidedly non-empirical analysis.

Edited May 25, 2023 by DMC

[Mindwalker]

 

DC Police Intel Chief Was Supplicant To Proud Boys Leader, Prosecutors Say

It’s good to have friends in high places.

Federal prosecutors on Friday highlighted a nexus between a top intelligence official in D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, a relationship which continued from July 2019 through the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Former Metropolitan Police Department officer Shane Lamond, who supervised the intelligence branch of the department’s homeland security bureau, faces four counts stemming from allegations that he fed information to Tarrio about law enforcement investigations into him and then lied about it to federal agents.

the indictment lays out multiple situations in which Lamond allegedly initiated contact with Tarrio, feeding him sensitive information about investigations into the Proud Boys and Tarrio specifically.

At times, Lamond apparently suggests that he sympathizes with Tarrio politically.

After the November 2020 election was called, Lamond allegedly wrote to Tarrio saying, “Hey brother, sad, sad news today. You all planning anything?”

... Prosecutors say that Lamond went on to provide critical details about the investigation to Tarrio, including what evidence investigators had gathered tying Tarrio to the burning, when a charging decision was to be made and, critically, that a warrant for Tarrio’s arrest had been issued. ...

The relationship purportedly continued through January 6. Lamond allegedly continued to feed Tarrio information, post-indictment, about federal investigations into the Proud Boys after the insurrection.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/dc-police-intel-chief-was-supplicant-to-proud-boys-leader-prosecutors-say

Dude has been on paid leave...

 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mindwalker

[A Horse Named Stranger]

The more imminent problem is the budget, and what's gonna happen with McCarthy's gang of loonies.

[Mindwalker]

You can always skip topics you're not interested in.

For everyone else, just something funny to read. Another Pete Buttigieg fluff piece; this one is so ott it reads like satire, but apparently isn't. Needless to say there are no critical questions about any real policies on transportation or anything.

Pete Buttigieg Loves God, Beer, and His Electric Mustang

Sure, the US secretary of transportation has thoughts on building bridges. But infrastructure occupies just a sliver of his voluminous mind.

The curious mind of Pete Buttigieg holds much of its functionality in reserve. Even as he discusses railroads and airlines, down to the pointillist data that is his current stock-in-trade, the US secretary of transportation comes off like a Mensa black card holder who might have a secret Go habit or a three-second Rubik’s Cube solution or a knack for supplying, off the top of his head, the day of the week for a random date in 1404, along with a non-condescending history of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

As Secretary Buttigieg and I talked in his underfurnished corner office one afternoon in early spring, I slowly became aware that his cabinet job requires only a modest portion of his cognitive powers. Other mental facilities, no kidding, are apportioned to the Iliad, Puritan historiography, and Knausgaard’s Spring—though not in the original Norwegian (slacker). Fortunately, he was willing to devote yet another apse in his cathedral mind to making his ideas about three mighty themes—neoliberalism, masculinity, and Christianity—intelligible to me.

The article is very, very long, but then his mind is obviously a very large cathedral. He's an intellectual giant gracing us with his presence and his deep, deep thoughts.

https://www.wired.com/story/pete-buttigieg-interview-god-beer-electric-mustang/

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mindwalker

[A Horse Named Stranger]

Sorry, was meant as response to DMC and the Feinstein committee appointments. 

I agree, that the Senate is a rather minor problem, and whether a potential appointment would get blocked from appointments. There should be enough GOP Senators, who are not up for reelection to just vote a new Democrat Senator through.

 

[DMC]

Of course the debt ceiling is more important than a hypothetical on what may or may not happen if a Senator may or may not resign.  That should go without saying.

[James Arryn]

36 minutes ago, Mindwalker said:

You can always skip topics you're not interested in.

For everyone else, just something funny to read. Another Pete Buttigieg fluff piece; this one is so ott it reads like satire, but apparently isn't. Needless to say there are no critical questions about any real policies on transportation or anything.

Pete Buttigieg Loves God, Beer, and His Electric Mustang

Sure, the US secretary of transportation has thoughts on building bridges. But infrastructure occupies just a sliver of his voluminous mind.

The curious mind of Pete Buttigieg holds much of its functionality in reserve. Even as he discusses railroads and airlines, down to the pointillist data that is his current stock-in-trade, the US secretary of transportation comes off like a Mensa black card holder who might have a secret Go habit or a three-second Rubik’s Cube solution or a knack for supplying, off the top of his head, the day of the week for a random date in 1404, along with a non-condescending history of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

As Secretary Buttigieg and I talked in his underfurnished corner office one afternoon in early spring, I slowly became aware that his cabinet job requires only a modest portion of his cognitive powers. Other mental facilities, no kidding, are apportioned to the Iliad, Puritan historiography, and Knausgaard’s Spring—though not in the original Norwegian (slacker). Fortunately, he was willing to devote yet another apse in his cathedral mind to making his ideas about three mighty themes—neoliberalism, masculinity, and Christianity—intelligible to me.

The article is very, very long, but then his mind is obviously a very large cathedral. He's an intellectual giant gracing us with his presence and his deep, deep thoughts.

https://www.wired.com/story/pete-buttigieg-interview-god-beer-electric-mustang/

You watch Secular Talk too, huh?

[James Arryn]

Feinstein is happening at a terrible time for Biden. Many who weren’t worried about his age will be more likely to now, whereas those who were a bit worried will now be much more worried. 

[Mindwalker]

15 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

You watch Secular Talk too, huh?

No, is it any good?

I came across it on another show.

ETA: Looked it up... heard about it before.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Mindwalker

[Mindwalker]

15 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

Feinstein is happening at a terrible time for Biden. Many who weren’t worried about his age will be more likely to now, whereas those who were a bit worried will now be much more worried. 

Well, from what we know, it has been happening for years, and they didn't want to do anything about it.

But yes, I'm sure they're worried about people making the connection now.

[James Arryn]

10 minutes ago, Mindwalker said:

No, is it any good?

I came across it on another show.

ETA: Looked it up... heard about it before.

It’s…okay. Don’t watch it too much. Prefer Pakman, a few others. Some good takes, a lot of purity tests. Lead guy (Kyle?) is better on his own; when he’s co-hosting and they start bouncing off each other he can get more and more the kind of left-winger right-wingers imagine us all to be, though brighter. 

[DMC]

Pretty sure most voters can figure out how old Joe Biden and will be incessantly reminded of such for the next 18 months with or without Dianne Feinstein.

[James Arryn]

7 minutes ago, Mindwalker said:

Well, from what we know, it has been happening for years, and they didn't want to do anything about it.

But yes, I'm sure they're worried about people making the connection now.

 Yeah, thinking I might have been just a tad hyperbolic; it’s terrible timing and MIGHT be the worst moment, but a bit closer to the election where Biden would have less opportunity to demonstrate cognition to ease doubts might be the worst. So hard to know how these things will take hold, but it’s one of those things that can be hard to unthink once you start thinking it. 

[James Arryn]

3 minutes ago, DMC said:

Pretty sure most voters can figure out how old Joe Biden and will be incessantly reminded of such for the next 18 months with or without Dianne Feinstein.

Sure, but she’s a living breathing reminder of both cognitive decline and a political machine being willing and able to ~ hide it for quite a while. Put it this way, it definitely doesn’t help.

Edited May 20, 2023 by James Arryn

[DMC]

Just now, James Arryn said:

Put it this way, it definitely doesn’t help.

Well, no, obviously not.  But acting like Dianne Feinstein is going to have an effect on voters' evaluations of Joe Biden's age/competency - and subsequent vote choice - is pretty ridiculous.  If someone's using Feinstein as their justification for why they aren't voting for Joe Biden, they already made up their mind. 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

13 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

Sure, but she’s a living breathing reminder of both cognitive decline and a political machine being willing and able to ~ hide it for quite a while. Put it this way, it definitely doesn’t help.

Man, Woman, Camera, TV.

[James Arryn]

Lol, sleeping pills kicking in, going to bed. Maybe we can do this structuralist vs. gestalt thing tomorrow if we’re all interested. Night, with fond affection . 

[Gaston de Foix]

26 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Man, Woman, Camera, TV.

You forgot Person.  It's person, man, woman, camera, TV.   Fortunately horses get graded on a curve, or it'd be the knacker's yard for you... 

[DMC]

13 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

Maybe we can do this structuralist vs. gestalt thing tomorrow if we’re all interested

Ew, well please leave me out of that one.

[karaddin]

I tried gabapentin a few years ago for a combination of post operative pain and migraine and didn't really get any benefit from it, but it also didn't impact me much in terms of side effects. 

I did try pregbalin (Lyrica) a little earlier however and it turned me into a zombie. Gabapentin is the pro-drug for pregbalin (pro-drug means it will get converted to that inside the body) so it's less likely to have the side effects, but less likely isn't guaranteed so I can absolutely see how it could do that to you.