Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Chip Roy Has Gone So Far Around The Bend He’s Making Sense

Frankly, I’m worried about him.
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How To Count Votes

Or, you know, not. It didn’t fail, it just didn’t pass. But first they have to root out the problem of hidden Democrats. And who else do we blame?
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This Is Why…

I don’t “do” Twitter and don’t miss commenting on blogs/elsewhere*). I fought with trolls before we called them “trolls.” I remember when the term came up and I thought, not if Tolkien but if fishing by: trolling. It took me a while to learn: Do Not Feed The Trolls. 🧌 

Nowadays I don’t get any. If I did, I’d just delete them, since I can’t argue back anyway. And really, who wants to argue with uneducable idiots? ETTD is a fundamental law of the universe. So is: “You can’t fix stupid.”

Vladeck’s a professor, he’s gonna keep trying. Me, I’m retired: fuck ‘em.

*It’s a technical FUBAR that blocks me from commenting, here or elsewhere. And where it doesn’t I don’t even try because, why bother? That’s why I post here: to shoot my mouth off. It’s a safe space.
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The Authority Creep

Actually it’s perfectly clear from the Constitution alone that the power of the government lies with the Congress, not the office of President. Article I gives a great deal more power (and detailed attention) to the Congress than Article II does to the Presidency.

One of the more interesting lessons of “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” is the attitude of the Senators towards the President. They know where the power lies, and it ain’t at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. As far as they’re concerned, the real power of government lies with them. It’s their indifference and arrogance that annoys Jimmy Stewart, not their understanding of the separation of powers.

The authority creep of the Imperial Presidency is on us. FDR didn’t have a War Powers Act. His famous date that will live in infamy was a speech to Congress asking them to declare war. Even after Pearl Harbor, he couldn’t retaliate alone. 

This state of affairs is because we wanted it this way. But yes, Trump is a dumbass. That’s on him.
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Four Wives, Cheated On Every One Of Them

Facing criminal charges for cheating on the fourth one and covering up the affair with a payoff.

Raped another woman and slandered her until she sued him again after winning damages for the rape. Sounds like the demon child of David and Solomon, without the graces of the former or the wisdom (bought and paid for) of the latter.
As I recall the story, Moses asked God to send Aaron, because he wasn’t up to the job. But Mike Johnson not only asks for the job, he thinks he’s equivalent to the lawgiver to Israel and one of great figures of world history?

Why is it Republican Christians have no concept of Christian humility?
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Tuesday, February 06, 2024

History Lessons

Years later, Ford reflected on his decision, acknowledging the political fallout: “The political fallout was far more serious than I contemplated…I knew it would have a downside politically, but I had to weigh the political ramification, which was obviously negative, with the benefit to the country, which was very significantly on the upside. And that's part of your job in the White House." This painstakingly crafted reframing of history took time to become the dominant narrative. According to Gallup, only 35% of Americans approved of the pardon in 1976, two years after the decision, by 1982 46% approved of the decision, and by 1986 a majority, 54%, agreed Ford had made the right choice.
So, 12 years after the Ford pardon, a majority decided it was a good idea. It was about that long after the Civil War that the “Lost Cause” narrative sprang up.

I don’t compare the two except in this: those least likely to remember the event, are most likely to misconstrue it. The generation that fought the Civil War learned the lesson of their defeat and didn’t wax nostalgic for what was “gone with the wind.” Their children, however, and their children’s children, were another matter. 

1986? Reagan’s “Morning in America”? I remember people younger than me who’d already forgotten Nixon and didn’t even remember Reagan from “Death Valley Days.” They didn’t remember Nixon, they didn’t remember Vietnam, they didn’t remember Watergate or the”secret plan to end the war,” or Kent State, or RFK or JFK or even LBJ. They knew Reagan. And Nixon couldn’t have been that bad, right?

1986 was also before Iran-Contra. Long before Poppy pardoned himself by pardoning all the suspects in that criminal investigation. Funny how we’ve only needed Congressional investigations and criminal investigations is with Republicans, isn’t it?

It was a dark time, made darker by the American unwillingness to ever learn from history.
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The Real News About Today’s Court Opinion

Following that lead: And on other matters legal: Acts of Congress are not equal to resolutions of the House. But okay…

Closing quick question:
Who wins? Is it even really a contest?
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More Reasons Why Trump Has Bad Lawyers

"I note going through an opinion like this, one thing a lawyer like me does is look at the footnotes first," Rubin said. "You can learn as much from the footnotes as you do from the main text. Indeed, footnotes 12 and 13 on page 49 are really illustrative of their thinking." 
They also go through the second impeachment Senate debate in which 30 senators made statements in support of Trump on the floor saying that impeachment isn't an option for Trump because he's already out of office. 
"They have a note where they say cite to the senators, by name, who made statements to that effect and count them up," said Rubin. "So, this D.C. Circuit is literally taking names with respect to the evidence that they cite." 
"First and foremost, I don’t think this impeachment is proper under the Constitution. This is the first time the Senate has tried a former president. Whether or not it can do so is a difficult question," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-I.A.) said in his speech. "The Constitution doesn’t say in black and white 'yes, the Senate can try a former president' or 'no, it can’t.' In contrast, many state constitutions at the time of the Founding specified that their legislatures could, so it’s notable that our federal charter did not. In order to answer this question it’s therefore necessary to look at the text, structure, and history of the Constitution. That’s what I have done. In the end I do not think we have the ability to try a former president." 
Sen. John Cornyn (R-T.X.): "The arguments of the House Impeachment Managers that the Constitution permits the impeachment of a private citizen, the free speech protections of the First Amendment don’t apply, the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment is optional, and that the trial may include a presiding officer who also serves as a juror all were a bridge too far." 
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-A.L.): “I had concerns with the lack of due process and constitutionality of this trial going in, and I voted twice to say so. But I had a duty as a juror to listen to the arguments of both sides and keep an open mind, which I did. After hearing the arguments presented, I voted to not convict for a number of reasons, including the fact that I don’t think the Senate has the authority to try a private citizen." 
Those are just three of the 30 lawmakers. 
Rubin read from the Appeals Court ruling "saying Trump has said that he can't be prosecuted, because he wasn't impeached and convicted. But, in this footnote, they say the history of the United States is replete with people who have been prosecuted impeachment because, remember, impeachment is not just a solution for former presidents, it applies to people like Article 3, lifetime tenured judges and they cite a number of examples here that there have been hundreds of officers in the United States who have been subject to criminal proceedings for offenses for which they could have been impeached, but were not."
I heard Rubin this morning and noted especially her last comment, about the question of impeachment. The D.C. court made a point of noting there is a history of impeachment, and also that impeachment applies to more offices than that of President.

My point being, everything is always about Trump. Trump’s election fraud claims all excluded every other race on the ballot. If there really was an electoral conspiracy, why not rig it all the way down to dog catcher? But no, the only person affected was Trump, because only Trump matters.

Impeachment is not just for Presidents. A basic fact you’d have thought Trump’s lawyers would have considered before making that pathetic and easily disposed argument.

But it’s all about Trump. It’s only about Trump. And that’s another reason why Trump’s lawyers suck. And why they probably won’t get anywhere with the Supremes.
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Jonathan Turley Is A Putz

The court specifically ruled that Trump has until the 12th (of February) to seek a writ from the Supreme Court, or the Appeals Court stay in Chutkan lifts automatically. The Supremes would have to issue a stay then, because jurisdiction would pass to them. If Trump seeks an en banc rehearing, the stay also lifts automatically (because then jurisdiction stays with the appeals court, and they can do as they wish).  Unless five justices vote for a stay next week, this case goes back to the trial court, which can proceed. (Unless, yes, the Supremes stay the case later than next week, but that is vanishingly unlikely.)

I spell this out so tediously because Professor Turley should know that (is what Professor Vladeck is saying).

The Clerk is directed to withhold issuance of the mandate through February 12, 2024. If, within that period, Appellant notifies the Clerk in writing that he has filed an application with the Supreme Court for a stay of the mandate pending the filing of a petition for a writ of certiorari, the Clerk is directed to withhold issuance of the mandate pending the Supreme Court’s final disposition of the application. The filing of a petition for rehearing or rehearing en banc will not result in any withholding of the mandate, although the grant of rehearing or rehearing en banc would result in a recall of the mandate if the mandate has already issued.
The mandate directs the trial court to carry on. If the case is reheard, the mandate issues. 

Turley is a putz, in short.
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More Reasons Why The Supreme Court Is Unlikely To Take Trump’s Immunity Appeal

It’s a really well-written opinion.
"... former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive immunity that would have protected him while he served as president no longer protects him against this prosecution."
We don’t have monarchs.
"Former President Trump misreads Marbury and its progeny. Properly understood, the separation of powers doctrine may immunize lawful discretionary acts but does not bar federal criminal prosecution of a former president for every criminal act."
Because we don’t have monarchs.
The court then stated that holding presidents accountable criminally after they leave office for crimes committed while president is a benefit to the country, because past presidents have been restrained in their conduct by the belief that they could be prosecuted when their term ends, and if presidents ever felt that they had blanket immunity that would lead to some of the worst possible abuses of power.
Monarchs.
"Former President Trump's alleged efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election were, if proven, an unprecedented assault on the structure of our government. He allegedly injected himself into a process where the president has no role - the counting and certifying of Electoral College votes - thereby undermining constitutionally established principles and the will of Congress."
"This is a very bad situation and the arguments for dismissal don’t cut it.”

And: no monarchs. 🤴
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“Legal” Twitter Speaks

I’ve kind of been waiting for this because some commentary on the court opinion today got all excited about the opinion referencing the seriousness of the crimes alleged in D.C.

The Court discussed those allegations because Trump filed a Motion to Dismiss. In the trial court and on appeal, such a motion is considered in light of assuming all allegations in the charging documents are true. The test is this: if all the allegations are true, but these still fail to meet legal standards required (I speak as generally as possible here), the case must be dismissed. It is, in other words, a high bar to clear. You can’t get there without convincing the court that, even if everything alleged is true, I can’t be found guilty as a matter of law.

So any court hearing or reviewing the motion can, as the D.C. court did, look at the allegations and say, in effect, this is a very bad situation and the arguments for dismissal aren’t good enough.

It doesn’t even reach the presumption of innocence because denial of a motion to dismiss is not a final judgment on the merits. In fact it just returns the case to a process towards a final judgment on the merits, preserving the presumption of innocence for the trial.

So many people think having uninformed opinions is a substitute for law school and legal practice experience. You know, like advising people to find ways to get bleach into their bodies to fight COVID.

Idiots, IOW.
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Continuing…

This is pretty much the legal argument for Trump. No, it’s not a good one. That’s the point. Trump’s lawyers suck, and I don’t think they’re going to persuade the Supremes to hear the case because the clock is ticking. That needs to be stated kind of baldly so it’s clear. Trump has just a few days to respond to this opinion in a petition for writ of certiorari. Trump’s lawyers suck. This is not likely to be a very persuasive petition. And I doubt Trump can convince the Supreme Court otherwise; not even enough to make them want to hear the case. I mean, maybe there’s a good argument for strong Presidential immunity. I just don’t think Trump’s making it. I was wondering about the numbers. This makes me think Trump doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. 🫠
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Where We Are At The Moment

Heh. Never say “never,” but I don’t see the percentages in the Supremes stepping into this. Oh, Alito and Thomas, sure. But the Supremes not only have to vote to take it, they have to vote to stay the case, again.

Lots of doom and gloom out there, and worst-case scenarios (it’s a required course all three years of law school), but it’s February, and there’s no DOJ rule against going to trial in October of an election year. Trump’s delays could be his undoing.
Pretty good advice, really.
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Monday, February 05, 2024

Best And The Brightest

Just to cut to the chase. Then there’s the short analysis: Not to say the Roberts Court won’t find a way to bail Trump out, but even Thomas (well, Alito, surely) would be embarrassed by this argument. It’s a variation on the “POTUS can order an illegal assassination and not be criminally liable without impeachment and conviction” immunity argument. Meaning it really deserves less consideration than Judge Luttig gives it, it so bad on its face (and deeper analysis doesn’t reveal anything beneath the threadbare exterior).

Trump’s lawyers suck. Really hard to understand how a guy burning through $50 million in one year can buy such piss-poor legal representation across the board. It’s a stunning revelation in itself.
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I’m Old Enough To Remember…

...when Mitch McConnell was a matchless leader of the Senate due to his decades of tenure and mastery of Senate rules, and deep knowledge of how to herd Republican Senators to his desired goals.

I always knew that narrative was Beltway bullshit provided by McConnell’s office and faithfully parroted by the D.C. press corps. Stenographers one and all.

McConnell should have retired before reality caught up with his ability to peddle bullshit.
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Best Two Out Of Three Still Leaves One

We eliminated slavery and saved the Union. But we still haven’t eliminated racism.

Long way left to go.
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Trump Is Looking For Lawyers For The Appeal

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Sunday, February 04, 2024

Congress Makes The Laws

Congress authorizes the spending.

Why the fuck is this useless asshole in Congress?
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Invasion!

By and large, the people on the border are comfortable with the border. It’s the people far from the border who fear it. People fear what they do not understand, what they are told to fear.

When Katrina brought people to Houston from New Orleans there were spikes in minor crimes. Bad people came with the good, displaced people settled in, or waited to go back, or reacted badly to their displacement. That was 19 years ago. I was here for it. I missed the influx of Vietnamese “boat people,” but I know some of them. This city is rich with non-white people, as well as Europeans from many nations (oil is an international business; Houston is an international city). We have never been “invaded.” Texas is not being invaded now.

The greatest problem on the border is the numbers, and how to accommodate so many. This is a humanitarian crisis. We must be humane in response to it. That’s what this woman wants. It’s what we should all want.
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The Democratic South Carolina Primary

The real reporting. And the transition to Elmo:
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NOT The NYT Pitchbot

Reality once again trumps (!) parody.

Read the fine print and you’ll notice Trump’s win in lily-white New Hampshire is “historic,” but Biden’s is due to black voters and so “an uncertain measure of wider enthusiasm.”

Because, you know, black people cannot win a presidential election. It was Obama’s white side that won for him. Or something “liberal” and not racist because…New York Times. I mean, they ain’t from Texas, right?
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The World Is Not On Twitter

Good to know where the crazies are, and what they are saying.

And what the CElO of Tesla is up to. I’m sure that won’t be seen as affecting sales at all.
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🧌

Surprise, surprise, surprise!
"We actually made it into Eagle Pass…I was able to see some people trying to cross and stopped at the wire there,” she told the MSNBC anchor. “It’s very eye opening,” she added. 
“And tell me more about ‘eye opening.’ Is it what you expected? Is it better? Is it worse?” asked the reporter. 
Misty responded, “It’s not what I expected. But then again I don’t know what I expected. I can tell you it’s not as bad as what I thought. So that’s kind of eye opening in itself, too.”
I especially like the “we actually made it into Eagle Pass” opening. Like they’d managed to get to Mordor and didn’t find it overrun with orcs and trolls.🧌 

While its analysis is preliminary, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) estimates that large-scale cryptocurrency operations are now consuming over 2 percent of the US's electricity. 
... 
One independent estimate made by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance had the US as the home of just over 3 percent of the global bitcoin mining at the start of 2020. By the start of 2022, that figure was nearly 38 percent. 
The Cambridge Center also estimates the global electricity use of all bitcoin mining, so it's possible to multiply that by the US's percentage and come up with an estimate for the amount of electricity that boom has consumed. Because of the uncertainties in these estimates, the number could be anywhere from 25 to 91 Terawatt-hours. Even the low end of that range would mean bitcoin mining is now using the equivalent of Utah's electricity consumption (the high end is roughly Washington's), which has significant implications for the electric grid as a whole. 
Or just for the Texas grid, since it stands alone.
The EIA also found a number of strategies that miners used to keep their power costs low. In one case, they moved into a former aluminum smelting facility in Texas to take advantage of its capacious connections to the grid. In another, they put a facility next to a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and set up a direct connection to the plant. The EIA also found cases where miners moved near natural gas fields that produced waste methane that would otherwise have been burned off. 
Since bitcoin mining is the antithesis of an essential activity, several mining operations have signed up for demand-response programs, where they agree to take their operations offline if electricity demand is likely to exceed generating capacity in return for compensation by the grid operator. It has been widely reported that one facility in Texas—the one at the  former aluminum smelter site—earned over $30 million by shutting down during a heat wave in 2023.
We’re so glad the powers that be decided to woo crypto miners down here. You know, what with the invasion and all, we need them for…something.

In other, other news: P.T. Barnum was right.
“I called him and asked him: Did you see that Trump spent $55 million of his campaign money on lawyers, for both himself and his associates? Does that trouble you?" Westneat wrote. 
"Not at all, it doesn’t bother me,” said the donor (whom Westneat kept anonymous). 
"I don’t know anything about how he’s actually using the money," the donor added. "I do know that everybody’s attacking him with whatever weapons they have. If he’s defending himself with my money, then that’s more than fine with me." 
"The main thing I can impart to you, and thank you for calling, is that no matter what, we intend to keep at it," the donor told Westneat.
There is one born every minute.
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Saturday, February 03, 2024

Tesla: The Brand Of White Supremacists Everywhere

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Consciousness And Its Connection To Everything

I saw this, too. Just seems a wee bit solipsistic.

Or somebody taking Douglas Adams too seriously.😳 
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🎶 In The Year 2025/If Trump Is Still Alive 🎶

By 2025:

A)  He’ll be broke and in jail for the rest of his natural life.

B) He’ll be drooling into his oatmeal, insisting Nikki Haley failed to call for the National Guard, that he beat Obama, and the economy is only strong because it knows Trump is secretly POTUS.

C) All of the above. After all, who had “Trump becomes completely delusional in public and even Nikki Haley notices” on their bingo card? Or even that E. Jean Carroll would milct Trump for $90 million? Before NY gets to him?  See above: Trump will be broke by summer. Effectively bankrupt. He exists on credit and grifting. The grift is failing, the credit is ending. Trump exists on mortgages. Call those notes due because his ability to pay becomes questionable, he’s toast.

Long before 2028.

Meanwhile, this the quality of representation Trump is getting outside the courthouse:
Actually, reading the latest DOJ filing in that case, that reflects the quality of representation in the courtroom, too:
The filing laid out the measures Smith's team say they took to go through all the records and couldn't find evidence that Trump held a top level security clearance after he left office for Florida. 
Trump’s attorneys maintain that the 45th president kept his security clearance from the Department of Energy (DOE, which handles the country's nuclear arsenal) and that it fortifies his argument that he was acting in "non-criminal states of mind relating to possession of classified materials" at Mar-a-Lago. 
But Smith's team countered that with a memorandum from the assistant general counsel in Department of Energy, which stated that Trump's clearance only reached "Q" status which would be part of his “duties” as president, but that “Trump’s clearance had terminated upon the end of his presidency.” 
“But even if Trump’s Q clearance had remained active, that fact would not give him the right to take any documents containing information subject to the clearance to his home and store it in his basement or anywhere else at Mar-a-Lago,” prosecutors wrote.
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If Willis Is Receiving County Money…

...through her boyfriend, is Trump receiving federal funds through his supporters?

Seems like the same argument to me…*

(*Okay, not really; but both are ridiculous.)
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Only Make Believe

Really Smart People tell me Fani Willis must recuse because her relationship with a lawyer she hired will be something that can be used against her. Even though the divorce records showed nothing, is now final (Willis won’t be testifying in it), and Willis has admitted the relationship (which ain’t nobody’s business but their own). 

And the guy who claims he had the Greatest Economy Ever! and nobody crossed HIS border and the world trembled at the shadow he cast and who claims Biden is behind all his legal problems, is going to use something the rest of us will have forgotten about after February 15 to escape justice in Georgia?

This is why I’m sick of legal “experts.” Trump is making up shit, and the “story” of Willis is no different.
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Sure Happy It’s Thursday

Just for contrast: Speaking of asshole behavior: And as long as we’re wandering from the point: I never did understand that phrase except as Florida is pro-racist. She’s going to fry ‘em some chicken?🍗  Dark Brandon ascendant. From Twitter to the national news in 12 hours or less. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship….
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Friday, February 02, 2024

I Can’t… Even…

The attorney told Conway and Longwell, "And then you could kind of see the wheel spinning in his brain. You could really almost see it. And he said, 'Well, you're here in Mar-a-Lago. What do you think you're going to do for lunch? Where are you going to get lunch?'" 
Roberta Kaplan added that when she told him that his attorneys had "graciously offered to provide" lunch for her team, Trump blew up. 
The attorney remembered, "At which point, there was a huge pile of documents, exhibits, sitting in front of him, and he took the pile — and he just threw it across the table and stormed out of the room…. He really yelled at Alina for that. He was so mad at Alina." 
Kaplan went on to say, "He came back in, and he said, 'Well, how'd you like the lunch?' And I said, 'Well, sir, I had a banana. You know, I can never really eat when I'm taking testimony.' And he said, 'Well, I told you,' — it was kind of charming. He said, 'I told you, I told them to make you really bad sandwiches, but they can't help themselves here. We have the best sandwiches.'"
To what shall I compare thee? An errant child? No child is this bad. A broken man? You aren’t broken, you’re damaged. And no one to blame but yourself.

I’ll just leave you to yourself. That’s all you deserve.

“He looks at me from across the table and he says, ‘See you next Tuesday,’” Kaplan told Conway. “It was like a kind of a joke again, like teenage boys would come up with, but again, I wasn’t in on the joke.”
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? No, not as legitimate as that.  “See you” = C U. “Next Thursday” provides the rest.

Not fit at all.
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🕵️‍♂️

What was your first clue?
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A Village In Texas Is Missing Its Idiot

As we often do, we sent him to D.C. The epicenter of American oil is in and around Nehls’ district. You’d think he wouldn’t be so impervious to that knowledge.
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Candlemas 2024

Νϋν άπολύεις τον δοϋλον σου, δέσποτα,
κατά τό πήμά έν είρήνη
οτι είδον οί όφθαλμοί μου τό σωτήριόν σου
ό ήτοίμασας κατά πρόσωπον πάντων τώυ λαϖν
φϖς είς άποκάλυψιν έθνϖν
καί δόξα νλαοϋ σου ‘Ισραήλ

Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve--Robert Herrick

Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and mistletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all
Wherewith ye dressed the Christmas hall;
That so the superstitious find
No one least branch left behind;
For look, how many leaves there be
Neglected there, maids, trust to me,
So many goblins you shall see.

If you didn't burn your greens by now, the goblins are gonna git ye!

At Candlemas--Charles Causley

'If Candlemas be fine and clear
There'll be two winters in that year';

But all the day the drumming sun
Brazened it out that spring had come,

And the tall elder on the scene
Unfolded the first leaves of green.

But when another morning came
With frost, as Candlemas with flame,
The sky was steel, there was no sun,
The elder leaves were dead and gone.

Out of a cold and crusted eye
The stiff pond stared up at the sky,

And on the scarcely breathing earth
A killing wind fell from the north,

But still within the elder tree
The strong sap rose, though none could see.

And here I thought that kind of early February was peculiar to Texas.


The Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapter 2

22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23 (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

The date for Candlemas does not come from "pagan" Irish holidays, but from Mosaic law (Leviticus 12:2-8). As New Advent notes, the earliest attestation to any observation of the day is in the Jerusalem church, where the event was observed on February 14th, meaning Christ's birthday was, as at least one version of The Cherry Tree Carol has it, on Epiphany, not December 25th. (Interestingly, that carol has roots in Pseudo-Matthew, where it's a palm tree, not a cherry tree (of course), something I didn't know, but suspected. Chapter 20, if you're wondering. Interesting how these "apocryphal" stories persist, isn't it?)

Anyway, the folklore connected with this day is that now, finally, Christmas is over, because the last public act of Christ the child is conducted.   The Christmas celebration ends with the άποκάλυψιν ("apocalypsin"), the apocalypse, again. What Simeon sings is that this child, presented at the Temple, will be a revelation, an "apocalypse," to the έθνϖν ("ethnown"), the Gentiles. People like Luke. People like most of us. Lord, now let us depart in peace.

 


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The Clown Convoy Has Been Sent In

Trump just announced that he is holding a major fundraiser for his campaign in Nashville, TN on February 22, and the headliner is none other than, you guessed it, Kid Rock himself. The advertisement lists several Tennessee elected officials planning to attend as well, including Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Haggerty, and most of the congressional delegation. Getting a chance to see Marsha Blackburn dancing to 'American Badass' might alone be worth the price of admission, until you see those prices. 
I guess they are saving Ted Nugent for the bigger events.

 Now we know where Ted is. He’s on a ranch in Texas.

Dripping Springs is just south of Austin. Eagle Pass is about 4 hours south of Austin (IIRC; I drove there once for a law firm about 45 years ago). Not close to each other, IOW. Which might explain this: She’s not wrong. This the same group that feared “infiltrators” when they got to the border. Which may explain why they’re not getting closer to the border.

If the Border Patrol can’t get to the border, I never understood what these clowns were going to do.
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Thursday, February 01, 2024

In Time Of War

 Whoever could he mean?

Clearly Biden’s forfeited his chance to be Trump’s running mate.
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I’ve Seen Enough Of “I’ve Seen Enough”

 Lacey Hull is my local GOP State Representative.  She is very conservative.  I have never voted for her, and don't plan to anytime soon.  I'm not even going to vote in the GOP primaries for her, just to tweak the nose of Paxton and his bullies. But she voted to impeach Ken Paxton, so....

Today in the mail comes a flyer telling me "WE DON'T WANT SHARIA LAW IN TEXAS."  Why are we at risk for sharia law in Texas?  Because Lacey Hull voted "with every Democrat":

to pass a resolution commemorating Eid-Al-Fitr.

to pass a resolution recognizing Ramadan and commemorating the first Ramadan party in the Texas Capitol.

to recognize March 7, 2023 as Texas Muslim Capitol Day.

to "make the 88th Legislature the most pro-Muslim session in Texas history."

She doesn't seem to have voted "with every Democrat" on that last one, and I think it's just an opinion, not an actual vote on a resolution.  Just a wild guess.

Yeah, I know, 23 years later and still....

I guess this is because Lacey Hull didn't vote against the law requiring booksellers to review all their books for "inappropriate content" before selling them to public schools.  So far as I know she did vote for school vouchers, over and over and over again.  As I say, she's way too conservative for my tastes.  But she voted to impeach Ken Paxton.  An impeachment that one state rep. wants reopened:

Retiring state Sen. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, asked Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — the acting “judge” in the Senate trial and a staunch, vocal critic of the impeachment — to reopen the case after what he characterized as an admission of guilt by the attorney general.

That "admission of guilt" is Paxton trying to lay down on the whistleblower suit and get it dismissed by admitting everything if they'll just go away (empty-handed, of course). 

So, yeah, Gutierrez appealing to some "identity politics" is not the ugliest thing going on in Texas politics right now. But “more broken than ever”? I really abhor exaggeration, especially as a form of self-aggrandizement. 

I’ve definitely seen enough.

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What You Ask For

He asked, X answered. Notice the picture is an Hispanic male, so he must be “illegal.”

These guys are proud of their racism.
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Nothing Is Too Silly 🙃

When reality can’t keep up with parody: And I’m not touching the MAGA Taylor Swift conspiracy theories with a club. Although I’m not surprised the impeachment of Mayorkas may be too silly: Lorry nose you can’t embarrass MTG. And since we’re on the topic of MTG: Quelle surprise.
During her recent speech, Omar spoke assertively about her role in American foreign affairs, despite lacking any formal role in foreign policy; she was removed from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last year by Republicans for what she has said were trumped-up charges of antisemtism. 
“When I heard that people who call themselves Somalis signed an agreement with Ethiopia, many people reached out to me and said I needed to talk to the U.S. government. They asked, ‘What would the U.S. government do?’ My answer was that the U.S. government will do what we tell the U.S. government to do. That is the confidence we need to have as Somalis.” 
That’s far different than what’s been attributed to her on social media, that the “the U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders.” 
That’s not what she said, according to the transcriptions of her remarks. 
Omar’s remarks about the relationship between Somaliland and Ethiopia are not inconsistent with American policy. 
The conflict between Somalia and Somaliland is related to an agreement signed last month with landlocked Ethiopia to give it access to the sea by way of Somaliland’s coastline. 
The AP recently reported that “the deal has been condemned by regional and international groups, as well as Western countries, which say it interferes with Somalia’s territorial integrity and is causing tensions that could threaten stability in the Horn of Africa region.” 
Asked about the conflict and her comments, Omar said she supports longstanding U.S. and Biden administration policy of a unified Somalia. 
“I have joined the U.S. State Department in urging both the State of Somaliland and Ethiopia to continue to engage with the U.S., the African Union and other regional partners who oppose that action. We have partnered well with the government of Somalia in combatting Al-Shabab and are in agreement that any recognition of the (agreement) between the State of Somaliland and Ethiopia would be an unacceptable violation of Somali sovereignty,” she said in the email to the Reformer.
Racism. Xenophobia. Ignorance. Fear of a brown planet. Nothing is too low for the GOP.
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Who Is Invading Whom?

Yes, Dan Patrick is a white nationalist (he doesn’t “sound like one,” he’s not an actor playing a role on stage). But unfortunately, that’s not all that matters.
I’m telling you, it’s not Allred. I mean, it’s gonna be a Hispanic candidate, a strong Hispanic candidate,” Gutierrez told an attendee at the event. “Listen, Rochelle Garza outperformed Beto [O’Rourke] by 3 points. I outperformed Beto by 3 points.” 
“I’m just trying to tell you that work, hard work, hard work ethic, and yeah, some identity politics,” he added. 
Gutierrez said he believes Cruz owes his own success to his last name. 
“They’ll go vote for the president and he steals a vote, he steals a percentage point because his last name is Cruz,” Gutierrez said. 
About 40.2 percent of the Texas population is Hispanic or Latino, but a recent poll shows 29 percent of Democratic primary voters plan to back Allred, compared to only 7 percent for Gutierrez, with 37 percent undecided. 
“Latinos are the biggest ethnic group in Texas, Roland can energize the base and speak to a broad range of voters,” Gutierrez campaign manager Sam Robles said in a statement. 
“Roland Gutierrez has a better chance of taking down Ted Cruz, because Latino ticket splitters, particularly rural men, are interested in a candidate like Roland. Research shows strong Latino candidates routinely outperform the top of the ticket. It’s time Texans have an opportunity to vote for a candidate that looks like them, talks like them, and has lived their life.”
Until I read this article, I didn’t know Gutierrez was running. Now I’ll have to consider who is more likely to beat Cruz (and and what Gutierrez stands for). Not because Colin is black; but because his last name is “Allred.”

Gutierrez may be right about that.

I’d like to think people will reject the party of white supremacy. But this is Texas. Voters are more likely to choose based on party; or last name. Dese are de conditions dat prevail.
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Cry Me A Fuckin’ River 😿

My memories of Reagan are that he was a doofus figurehead run by his COS and people like Rumsfeld (he was the model for W.’s Administration, which Cheney openly ran), who amiably tried to give away the store at Reykjavik and was demented for at least the last half of his second term. He thought both the substance of Iran-Contra and the lunacy of “Star Wars” (the weapons tech, not the movie) were “neat.”

To see him held up as the wise All-Father against whom the GOP has apostosized indicates the paucity of  conservatism in America, and how short a distance it had to fall to reach its current state.
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“Pointy-Heads With Thar Fancy Book Larnin’”

Or: anything to get attention.

“And them furriners, too! ‘Specially the brown ones! They ain’t ‘murican!”
I’d say the woman is a blight on the House; but, Troy Nehls…
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Trump Is Going To Run Out Of Money 💸

QED. 💸
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I’d Have To Explain This To My Adult Daughter

And even then she’d just say: “Oh, okay.”

And my loss of innocence was Kent State. Which was about a year before McLean’s song was released. And as far as I know, isn’t referenced there.

“Tin soldiers and Nixon comin,/We’re finally on our own/This summer I hear the drummin’/Four dead in Ohio.”

Oh, okay…
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“We’re Done For! We’re Done For!!”

Or: Why I Hate Legal Twitter.

You really get the most worthless information there.
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TEXIT!

Texas also loses the war. In about the time it takes to read that sentence. Unlike Britain, there is no escape clause from the Constitution.

Not to mention all the military bases. Which is why Texas would lose the war, hem-hem.

But the sillier notion is that this is what Texans want. When it’s not clear they even want Cancun Ted as their senator anymore.

I think even the right wing crazies are in for a rude awakening in Texas. Two years without effective public school funding is not going down well. There is no grassroots support for vouchers, or for Greg Abbott.

Remember what I said about letting politicians dictate the narrative?
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“Only Connect”

The grift goes international.

Trump is spending other people’s money like a drunk sailor on shore leave.
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