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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:05:42 GMT -8
A MAGA Republican pushes his pickup into a gas station. He tells the mechanic it died. After the mechanic works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
MAGA says, 'What's the story?'
He replies, 'Just crap in the carburetor'
MAGA asks, 'How often do I have to do that?'
What to know about the 1st Republican presidential primary debate
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:23:08 GMT -8
Meadows Broke the Law of Omerta. Singing Like a Canary.
Former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) said there’s one name Donald Trump needs to fear as the criminal cases against him move forward: Mark Meadows.
“I served with Mark Meadows. I know Mark Meadows,” Jolly told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace on Monday. “And I believe today that Mark Meadows has sung like a canary already.”
Meadows was Trump’s White House chief of staff for much of his final year in office, and was in that role as Trump worked feverishly to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Jolly said Meadows isn’t “somebody who wants to go to prison for Donald Trump.”
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:25:30 GMT -8
He's Not Satisfied With Making Shampoo. He Wants to Be a US WarlordA former industrialist who founded a far-right network of "secretive, men-only, invitation-only fraternal lodges" in the U.S. claims to be “raising accountable leaders to help build thriving communities of free citizens” who will rebuild “the frontier-conquering spirit of America," The Guardian reported. The Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR) was founded by Charles Haywood. According to the IRS, the group has three lodges in Idaho and another one in Texas. The group condemns modern-day leaders who it says “[alienate] men from family, community, and God” and promises to “counter and conquer this poison." According to the Global Project on Hate and Extremism's Heidi Beirich, rhetoric on the group's website is an example of “palingenetic ultranationalism," a type of fascism that says a revolution can bring a national rebirth. On the website, Haywood talks about his desire to serve as a "warlord" at the head of an “armed patronage network” after the collapse of America. The network is described as an “organizing device in conditions where central authority has broken down” where his responsibility would be “the short- and long-term protection, military and otherwise, of those who recognize his authority and act, in part, at his behest." Haywood, who sold his Indianapolis-based shampoo manufacturing company, Mansfield-King, in 2020, writes about the possibility of “more-or-less open warfare with the federal government, or some subset or remnant of it." “At this moment I preside over what amounts to an extended, quite sizeable, compound, which when complete I like to say, accurately, will be impervious to anything but direct organized military attack," Haywood writes, adding that “it requires a group of men to make it work… what I call ‘shooters’–say fifteen able-bodied, and adequately trained, men.” Political theorist and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, Laura K. Field, Haywood is an example of some on the far-right who "have taken on an apocalyptic view of America and think we’re already in a situation where our society is more conflict-ridden than we were before the civil war" and who have been “dabbling in talk of secession for years”, and “believe they need to use whatever they might need, including paramilitaries." US businessman is wannabe ‘warlord’ of secretive far-right men’s network
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:26:52 GMT -8
Today's Time-Saving Tip: When You Turn Yourself In at the Jail, Do It At Off-Hours to Avoid Long Wait Times.
The Fulton County district attorney's office has advised some of Donald Trump's co-defendants to surrender in the middle of the night to avoid a long wait at the jail.
Two of the former president's alleged co-conspirators – Scott Hall and John Eastman – surrendered Tuesday morning, and Trump has said he intends to do so Thursday, but District Attorney Fani Willis recommended that other defendants turn themselves in to authorities around 3 a.m. for a quick turnaround on their booking, reported The Guardian's Hugo Lowell.
Otherwise, prosecutors said, the defendants could be left waiting for hours at the notorious jail.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:27:19 GMT -8
What to watch for in the first Republican primary debate of the 2024 election cycle
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:29:45 GMT -8
The Consequences of Doing Nothing Are Pretty Well Understood, and They Are DireWhen soaring temperatures, extreme weather and catastrophic wildfires hit the headlines, people start asking for quick fixes to climate change. The U.S. government just announced the first awards from a US$3.5 billion fund for projects that promise to pull carbon dioxide out of the air. Policymakers are also exploring more invasive types of geoengineering − the deliberate, large-scale manipulation of Earth’s natural systems. The underlying problem has been known for decades: Fossil-fuel vehicles and power plants, deforestation and unsustainable agricultural practices have been putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the Earth’s systems can naturally remove, and that’s heating up the planet. Geoengineering, theoretically, aims to restore that balance, either by removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reflecting solar energy away from Earth. But changing Earth’s complex and interconnected climate system may have unintended consequences. Changes that help one region could harm another, and the effects may not be clear until it’s too late. I Think We Need Bold Action, But Here's the Other ViewGeoengineering sounds like a quick climate fix, but without more research and guardrails, it’s a costly gamble − with potentially harmful results
Here Are the Consequences of Doing Nothing, and They Will Get WorseThe hazards are many. And they seem to come in all forms. The southwestern U.S. is reeling from record rainfall and extensive flooding from a rare tropical storm. Much of the central and southern parts of the country are in the grips of yet another oppressive heat wave. Nearly two weeks after catastrophic wildfires devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui, more fires are raging in the Pacific Northwest. And after a quiet start to this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, activity in the basin is ramping up. All told, the various extremes are making for a turbulent week in nearly every corner of the country. Climate scientists also say it’s an all-too-real look at how global warming increases the risks — and consequences — of the deadly events. “We’re looking at a multi-hazard situation, where we’re being hit by a string of different events over a short period of time,” said Gonzalo Pita, an associate scientist and expert in disaster risk modeling at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s like a double or triple whammy, and when they happen frequently or at the same time, the negative effects are compounded.” 150 Degrees Fahrenheit!!!
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:30:48 GMT -8
I Thought the Kremlin Was the Moscow Sewer.
A tour guide and all seven members of their party have been found dead after being trapped underground by flood waters in Moscow's sewer system, Russian media say.
Sunday's floods, caused by heavy rain, were so rapid people could not escape.
The group was exploring the underground Neglinka, a tributary of the city's main river, the Moskva.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:35:37 GMT -8
The Clock is Ticking on TikTok and OthersGoogle, Facebook, TikTok and other Big Tech companies operating in Europe are facing one of the most far-reaching efforts to clean up what people encounter online. The first phase of the European Union’s groundbreaking new digital rules will take effect this week. The Digital Services Act is part of a suite of tech-focused regulations crafted by the 27-nation bloc — long a global leader in cracking down on tech giants. The DSA, which the biggest platforms must start following Friday, is designed to keep users safe online and stop the spread of harmful content that’s either illegal or violates a platform’s terms of service, such as promotion of genocide or anorexia. It also looks to protect Europeans’ fundamental rights like privacy and free speech. Here’s a look at what’s happening this week:Here's Why It's Needed: 100+ Dead BabiesRecalled baby products linked to more than 100 infant deaths are still widely sold on Facebook Marketplace despite thousands of requests from federal regulators to take down the items, four members of Congress said. In a letter sent Friday to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the lawmakers said the Boppy lounger, which was recalled in 2021, and the Fisher-Price Rock ’n Play, an infant sleep product that was recalled in 2019, are among the items still sold on the platform. Lawmakers wrote that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has sent Facebook parent Meta about 1,000 requests a month since 2022 to remove the recalled Boppy Newborn Lounger, but the product keeps cropping up for sale on the platform. “To date, the volume of takedown requests has not slowed, and CPSC staff is unaware of any proactive measures Meta has taken to prevent these postings in the future,” said the letter, signed by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican; the House Energy and Commerce Committee chair, Frank Pallone Jr., a New Jersey Democrat; the panel’s ranking member, Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:44:48 GMT -8
The RNC Is On Top Of All the Important Issues
You've Never Seen Previous Guy Petting a Dog. He Is Focused on the Big Issues. Like Letting Putin Pet Him.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:46:52 GMT -8
Just What You Would Expect. The Arrowhead Shooter Was Another Right-Wing Bigot.
The Lake Arrowhead shooter has been identified by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department as 27-year-old Travis Ikeguchi. He was extremely active in the online right-wing ecosystem of hate in the United States, regularly posting about his far-right extremist beliefs on Gab and Twitter/X. He supported Donald Trump in 2016 but became far more devoted to a Christian nationalist worldview driven by antisemitic conspiracy theory culture.
In a personal GoFundMe campaign from 2019, Ikeguchi talked about his estranged father being a police officer. Public records indicate that Ikeguchi's father was at one time a Florida Highway Patrol officer. Ikeguchi started attacking police departments online for making Pride posts on Twitter/X. In 2022, he shared a video on Gab about wanting to shoot police officers— which is what he died doing.
Ikeguchi fatally shot Laura Ann Carleton, a loving wife and mother of nine, for having a Pride flag in support of LGBTQ+ rights at her clothing store Mag.Pi in Cedar Glen, California (two hours east of Los Angeles). He spouted anti-LGBTQ+ slurs and hate speech during the incident— as he regularly did on social media. After fleeing the scene of the murder, he was confronted and killed by police in a shootout.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:48:06 GMT -8
Please Rainbow on My Parade
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:54:58 GMT -8
Bond, Previous Guy Bond. Shaken, Not Stirred.
A quick survey of today’s Google News headlines, concerning the Indicted Defendant in Georgia, all seem to be focusing on one thing — the amount of Bond to be paid by the Defendant: $200,000.
This is the wrong thing to be focused on, in my opinion. For one thing, $200K is chump change for the grifting machine otherwise known as the Defendant’s “MAGA defense fund.” For another thing, only 10% of that amount must be paid in the form of Bail, by the Defendant, when he shows up for his booking. This is spelled out in the CONSENT BOND ORDER FOR DEFENDANT DONALD JOHN TRUMP (pg 1).
The more important things that we the people should be focused on, in my opinion, are instead the restrictions on his behavior, that the Defendant has “consented to” — as part of his agreement to be out on Bond, as he awaits his criminal RICO trial.
Violate your Bond restrictions, and forfeit your conditional freedom … so says this “contract” between Trump and the SUPERIOR COURT OF FULTON COUNTY GEORGIA:
STATE OF GEORGIA V. DONALD JOHN TRUMP
CONSENT BOND ORDER FOR DEFENDANT DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Defendant may post bond as cash, through commercial surety, or through the Fulton County Jail 10% program.
(2) The Defendant shall not violate the laws of this State, the laws of any other state, the laws of the United States of America, or any other local laws. Ayala v. State, 262 Ga. 704, 705 (1993).
(3) The Defendant shall appear in court as directed by the Court. Id.
(4) The Defendant shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a codefendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice. Id. This shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
a. The Defendant shall make no direct or indirect threat of any nature against any codefendant;
b. The Defendant shall make no direct or indirect threat of any nature against any witness including, but not limited to, the individuals designated in the Indictment as an unindicated co-conspirators Individual 1 through Individual 30;
c. The Defendant shall make no direct or indirect threat of any nature against any victim;
d. The Defendant shall make no direct or indirect threat of any nature against the community or to any property in the community;
e. The above shall include, but are not limited to, posts on social media or reposts of posts made by another individual on social media;
(5) The Defendant shall not communicate in any way, directly or indirectly, about the facts of this case with any person known to him to be a codefendant in this case except through his or her counsel.
Trump will probably violate half of these in the first week of his release, under his own recognizance. If his past behavior on social media is any predictor of his future performance.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:56:32 GMT -8
Gullible AmericansLarge portions of the American public still believe false claims of all kinds about guns, the COVID-19 pandemic and reproductive health, a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows. Though the poll found that percentages of Americans who believe that false claims are “definitely” true is small, the portion who think they are “probably” true is substantial. Overall, between half and three-quarters of the country belong to what KFF CEO Drew Altman called the “muddled middle,” saying that the false claims were “probably” either true or false. Perhaps most striking of the poll’s findings is the incorrect belief, held by many Americans, that guns make them safer. Sixty percent of Americans believe it’s true that armed school police guards have been proved to prevent school shootings. Eighteen percent of respondents thought the claim was “definitely” true and 42% believed it “probably” true. In fact, as KFF noted, no studies have shown this, and researchers in 2021 found that in an examination of 133 cases of school shootings and attempted school shootings from 1980 to 2019, “armed guards were not associated with significant reduction in rates of injuries.” What’s more, 13% believed it was “definitely” true and 29% believed it was “probably” true that people who have firearms at home are less likely to be killed by a gun than people who don’t have a gun. That’s also false: Studies have shown among other things that guns are rarely used in self-defense, that living with a handgun owner is associated with substantially elevated risk — particularly for women — of dying by homicide, that the spike in gun sales after the Sandy Hook mass shooting was linked to an increase in accidental deaths, and that handgun ownership is associated with elevated risks of death by suicide. Forty-two percent of people also falsely believe it’s either “definitely” or “probably” true that most U.S. gun homicides are gang-related. Though statistics on gang-related homicides can be unreliable, statistics from the Justice Department’s National Gang Center, which were flagged by KFF, indicate that, between 2007 and 2012, gang-related homicides roughly accounted for just an estimated 13% of all homicides annually. A survey shows misinformation about firearms, reproductive health care and COVID is still widespread.
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 8:59:51 GMT -8
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Post by mhbruin on Aug 22, 2023 9:02:03 GMT -8
He's Half Right.
Most of the Texas Republicans in Congress have threatened to “defund” the Department of Homeland Security to pressure President Joe Biden over border policy.
“No border security, no funding,” said their letter to Biden authored by Austin Rep. Chip Roy and signed by 14 others. “No member of Congress should agree to fund a federal agency at war with his state and people.”
All but one of those same Texas Republicans denounced the so-called “defund the police” movement that sprung up after Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd in May 2020, sparking a nationwide uproar.
Only one of the signers responded to requests to square their horror at that push with their willingness now to cut off all funding for Customs and Border Protection – the nation’s largest law enforcement agency – and every other element of DHS, a sprawling department that includes the Secret Service, FEMA, Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration.
“That would be the definition of open borders, because there’d be nobody on duty,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.
But he added, “Logic and consistency don’t play a large role in politics.”
Logic and consistency don’t play a large ANY role in REPUBLICAN politics.
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