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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 9:45:35 GMT -8
I want to make pancakes, but I keep waffling
Personally I have No Moral Objection to the Death Penalty, If it Were Fairly Given Out and There Weren't So Many Innocent People Sentenced to Death
Oregon Democratic Governor Kate Brown will commute the sentences of all the state's 17 death row prisoners to life in prison without chance of parole.
With less than a month left in office, she said she was using her executive power because she believed capital punishment was wrong.
Oregon is one of 27 states that allows the death penalty, but it has not executed a prisoner since 1997.
Republicans in the western US state condemned Ms Brown's order.
It will take effect on Wednesday.
In a statement, she said she was not acting because these prisoners had been rehabilitated, but because the death penalty is "immoral".
"It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction; is wasteful of taxpayer dollars; does not make communities safer; and cannot be and never has been administered fairly and equitably," she said.
However, It Is Given Out Far More Often to Minorities, and Quite a Few Innocent People Have Been Found on Death Row
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 9:47:33 GMT -8
Twitter Has Found A User to Ban
Twitter has suspended an account that tracked CEO Elon Musk's private jet — just one month after Musk himself said he'd allow the account to stay put.
Wednesday morning, the account, @elonjet — which had amassed more than half a million followers — was listed as suspended for having violated unspecified Twitter rules.
The account was created by 20-year-old Jack Sweeney, a Florida college student.
“Well it appears @elonjet is suspended,” Sweeney tweeted Wednesday.
Musk could not be reached for comment, and has not responded to inquiries on Twitter about the suspension. Last month, he tweeted he'd allow the account to continue even at the risk of his own personal safety.
Maybe If He Had Included Hate Speech, He Wouldn't Have Been Banned
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 9:49:35 GMT -8
Look! Up In the Sky! It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Patriot!
The likely imminent approval of U.S. advanced air defense systems for Ukraine could offer a much-needed boost for its forces and a timely show of support from its allies as the country endures a long and difficult winter.
Washington is poised to satisfy Kyiv's long-held and repeated request by sending Patriot missile systems, fulfilling its promise to further bolster Ukraine’s ability to thwart repeated Russian attacks on both its military sites and civilian infrastructure.
Approval of the plan by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is likely to come later this week, with an announcement possible as early as Thursday, three U.S. officials told NBC News.
The system will not only give Ukraine vital new strength to defend its cities against missile attacks, but also illustrates that the Kremlin’s grinding effort has done little to erode Western support for Kyiv’s cause, military analysts said. After a flurry of stunning Ukrainian victories on the ground, the news also hints at a recognition that conditions have shifted the war’s focus to the air as winter has set in.Patriot — the United States armed forces’ main surface-to-air weapon, which is also used across the world — is an acronym describing how its targeting system works for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target.
Patriot systems typically require crews of up to 90 to undergo at least 10 weeks of training, although as few as three soldiers can fire it if necessary, the U.S. Army has said, and Ukrainian armed forces have previously defied expectations in terms of how quickly their troops have learned to use Western weaponry.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 9:55:11 GMT -8
Note to Russian Commanders: This Isn't 1914
What started as the laughable “Wagner line” at an obscure location in eastern Ukraine has become an epidemic of ditches all over Ukraine. And Russia. And Belarus. All over occupied Ukraine, and into neighboring countries, Russian forces have engaged in a flurry of ditch digging.
Some of these constructions are so obviously pointless as to be laughable—like a series of ditches cut across sand beaches in Crimea.
Others that look as if they have no value, as with the small and unanchored “dragon’s teeth” that Russian forces have been spreading somewhat haphazardly along these lines, may turn out to have some actual stopping power, or at least slowing power, when they’re connected to multiple lines of trenches and fortifications.
Trench warfare reminiscent of World War I has become a horrifyingly familiar part of the fight in Ukraine. The reason for this is simple enough: lack of effective air power by either side. In a fight that has often come down to artillery duels, it shouldn’t be surprising that the lines between armies end up looking like they did when “the king of battle” first ruled the day.
Obviously, some things have changed. Because day after day, we see images and videos showing what happens when 1914-style trenches meet 2022 drones.
Please take the sensitive content warning on this video seriously. This one isn’t kidding.
These entrenched positions can, and have been broken through. More often than not, Ukraine has simply bypassed these positions until they become isolated and can either be approached from the rear or ignored entirely. But Russia is putting an enormous effort into creating more and more miles of trench across the Ukrainian landscape. The formula for these things isn’t new: areas of minefield, backed by dragon’s teeth, backed by another minefield, backed by trenches, backed by a second row of trenches or fortifications.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 9:57:38 GMT -8
What's a Morning Without Some Ukraine Speculation?
Speaking of winning this war, here’s something—something not far removed from pure speculation—that’s been circulating around both Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels over the last week. According to those channels, Ukraine is massing large numbers of forces in two locations: Near Svatove in the north, and near Zaporizhzhia in the south. According to the reports/rumors/wild-ass speculation, as soon as the ground is solidly frozen around Svatove, Ukraine intends to attack with both forces at once.
Then, the story continues, if Ukraine wins in the north, they can rapidly take most of Luhansk, cut off multiple supply routes into Donetsk, and negate anything going on around Bakhmut. If Ukraine wins in the south, they can push forward to Berdyansk and Mariupol, break Russia’s lock on the coast, and threaten Crimea. If Ukraine wins in both places—the war is over and Russia has no choice but to try and sue for peace on any terms available.
It’s a very nice story, and it’s always good to see the pro-Russian sources feeling gloomy. But it should be pointed out that right now, I know of zero evidence that this is the plan, or even that the “massing of forces” in these locations is really happening.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:03:25 GMT -8
Democrats Better Check Their Beds for Severed Horse Heads
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:04:50 GMT -8
Musk Is Looking More Like Previous Guy Every Day.
Twitter has not paid rent for many of its offices for weeks and is looking at denying severance payments to thousands of employees who have been laid off since billionaire Elon Musk took over the social media behemoth, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Musk and his circle of advisers are reportedly still trying to cut costs after the $44 billion takeover in October. Shortly after the deal closed, Musk laid off about half of the company’s 7,500 full-time employees. A month later, hundreds of others left with their own offers of severance after Musk demanded that only “extremely hardcore” staffers remain.
U.S.-based employees were offered at least two months of pay and a month of severance to comply with federal and local labor laws. That deal came only after Twitter considered not paying any severance at all.
But the Times reported that Twitter leaders have discussed how the company could deny the payments it had agreed to and then just wait for lawsuits from the stiffed ex-workers. The paper added that many people have yet to receive separation paperwork weeks after they stopped working at Twitter.
(Some executives were set to receive millions of dollars upon termination, but Musk claimed they were fired for “cause,” which would void any severance agreements.)
The company has also not paid rent for its downtown San Francisco headquarters or other offices around the globe and has been refusing to pay some vendors tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Times said Musk’s team hopes to renegotiate lease agreements for the far smaller company, but his aggressive tactics have drawn ire from the real estate and management companies that own the buildings.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:05:55 GMT -8
If They Start Jailing People Here For Insults, I am Screwed
A court in Turkey sentenced the mayor of Istanbul, the country’s most populous city, to two years and seven months in prison Wednesday on charges of insulting members of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council.
The court convicted Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and also imposed a political ban that could lead to his removal from office. Imamoglu, who belongs to the main opposition Republican People’s Party, is expected to appeal the verdict.
Critics alleged the mayor’s trial was an attempt to eliminate a key opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Tur
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:07:00 GMT -8
WTF is a "Vendor Error"?
Around 9 million people who applied for President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan reportedly received emails wrongly saying their debt relief requests had been approved.
The emails, sent last month by the Department of Education, contained an incorrect subject line telling people their debt relief requests had been granted. Actually, decisions on the applications have been frozen as the administration awaits the outcome of court challenges. The remainder of the email was accurate.
The Education Department apologized for the mistake in a new email on Tuesday reviewed by CNN. It blamed a “vendor error.”
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:09:05 GMT -8
Is Previous Guy Smarter Than a Chimpanzee?
Famed primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall hasn’t changed her opinion on former President Donald Trump.
In 2016, Goodall likened the then-presidential candidate’s behavior to the aggression displayed by a male chimpanzee.
Goodall echoed that view in a lengthy interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber that aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of “The Beat.”
Melber played Goodall a montage of Trump stalking behind Democratic rival Hillary Clinton during one of their 2016 presidential debates, hugging and kissing the American flag, and calling himself a “perfect physical specimen.”
“What do you see there?” Melber asked Goodall.
Goodall chuckled, then replied: “I see the same sort of behavior as a male chimpanzee will show when he is competing for dominance with another.”
“They’re upright, they swagger, they project themselves as really more large and aggressive than they may actually be in order to intimidate their rivals,” Goodall continued.
Republicans in the Mist
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:11:37 GMT -8
Stealing for God
A Florida pastor and his son were arrested Wednesday on charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in federal Covid relief funds and attempting to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Disney World.
Evan Edwards and his son Josh, 30, were taken into custody five months after an NBC News report raised questions over why they hadn’t been charged for the alleged scam, which federal prosecutors first identified in court papers in December 2020.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the family had hired an attorney.
The case dates back to April 2020 when Josh Edwards applied for a $6 million Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover payroll, rent and utilities for his family’s ministry. In the loan application, he claimed that the organization, ASLAN International Ministry, had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million, according to a federal forfeiture complaint. ASLAN International was ultimately approved for an $8.4 million loan.
But when federal investigators showed up at the ministry's office in Orlando, the door was locked and workers at the neighboring businesses told them nobody was ever seen inside, the complaint says. A review of the ministry’s website found that the donation links were inactive and sections of text were apparently lifted from other religious sites, according to the complaint.
There were other red flags. The man who was listed on the loan application as the ministry’s accountant suffered from dementia and hadn’t done any work for the organization since 2017, federal prosecutors said in court papers, citing an interview with the man’s son.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:14:42 GMT -8
The King of Crypto is a Crook
A trio of U.S. agencies filed a flurry of charges ranging from fraud to campaign finance violations against disgraced cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Tuesday, one day after he was arrested in the Bahamas at the request of the U.S. government.
The Justice Department accused Bankman-Fried, 30, of multiple crimes, including conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and violating campaign finance laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that he defrauded his investors, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed fraud accusations as well. The accusations show the reach and influence the young crypto baron amassed in just a few years.
She's Got a Plan For That
Elizabeth Warren is pressing Congress to adopt new bipartisan legislation which would force crypto firms to abide by the same regulations as banks and corporations in an attempt to crack down on money laundering through digital assets.
The Democratic US senator from Massachusetts is pushing for the new controls on the crypto industry in the wake of the spectacular collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. On Tuesday its founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was charged with eight criminal counts including conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Warren’s bill is being co-sponsored by the Republican senator from Kansas Roger Marshall. The Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act would essentially subject the world of crypto to the same global financial regulations to which more conventional money markets must conform.
Under current systems, crypto exchanges are able to skirt around restrictions designed to stop money laundering and impose sanctions. Should the bill be enacted into law it would authorize the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) to reclassify crypto entities as “money service businesses” which would bring them under basic regulations laid out in the Bank Secrecy Act.
Somebody Remind Me: What Are the Benefits of Crypto?
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:16:42 GMT -8
Who Knows More About Elections than a UPS Driver?
Kari Lake, the GOP’s failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate, was mocked on Tuesday for telling a story that critics suggested sounded just like something former President Donald Trump would say.
Lake claimed on Twitter that a UPS delivery driver “just told us he is ‘devastated’ that they ‘stole another election’ and asked how he could help.”
“The Fake News may spin it… Officials behind the Sham Election may lie… But Arizonans get it,” she added. “They know our Elections are a joke.”
Former news anchor Lake pushed Trump’s 2020 election lies before the 2022 midterms and has followed much of his same playbook, baselessly alleging voter fraud, since her defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs. Trump heavily backed Lake in the vote.
You Won't Believe What My Dog Groomer Told Me!!
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:21:10 GMT -8
Either He Has Heard About Sea Level Rise, Or He Figures He'll Get His Money Before It Happens
A New York-based developer, known for luxury apartment complexes and formerly owning the Hotel Chelsea, is betting on Miami’s recent boom.
Chetrit Group is expanding its Miami presence as the company seeks to start sales next year at a 378-unit condominium tower, one part of its massive development called the River District. The company, which expects to finish the building in 2026, gained approval for its first master-planned project in South Florida about seven years ago, but decided to hold off initially as it assessed demand in the market.
Now, it’s putting the plans into high gear, according to Michael Chetrit, who helps run his family’s real estate company.
“We really think Miami is a market that’s here to stay,” Chetrit said in an interview. “Unlike the past surges Miami has had, this one is a permanent surge.”
The River District, located near Interstate 95 and Jose Marti Park, is a more than $1 billion project that spans 6.5 acres (2.6 hectares) and will feature residences and offices, as well as 30,000 square feet (2,800 square meters) of retail space, restaurants and entertainment spots. The district will also have a boat marina and 2,000 covered parking spots.
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Post by mhbruin on Dec 14, 2022 10:22:37 GMT -8
The QOP Hates Kids. Kids Grow Up to Be Democrats
Democrats haven’t gotten any traction so far in their efforts to expand a cash subsidy for parents, a move that would dramatically reduce child poverty.
Adding child tax credit benefits to a year-end spending bill would require significant GOP support, and Republicans seem unenthusiastic.
“The country frankly doesn’t have the time or the money for the partisan, expensive provisions such as child tax credit,” said Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House committee that oversees taxes.
Several House and Senate Democrats have embarked on a dramatic strategy to save the benefits, which amounted to $300 per child each month for most parents last year. The Democrats have taken hostages: a beloved tax break for research and development costs, as well as several other corporate write-offs that will expire unless Congress acts.
But Republicans are refusing to negotiate, according to Ashley Schapitl, spokeswoman for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the chair of the Senate tax committee. Schapitl suggested Democrats would be willing to “expand the reach” of the child tax credit without necessarily insisting on a policy as expansive as what existed in 2021.
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