All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[Tendrin]

I'd suggest your last paragraph is the problem. There simply isnt a basis for that claim without a lot changing in this story.

Sure, there is. A key witness turning out to be a secret drug dealer is almost certain to come up if Guyger decides on appeal. If I were her, I wouldn't, but I'm not the one looking at a ten year stretch either.

Also, I think you're overestimating the level of complexity involved in something like that.

[Dalak]

The alternative is more ridiculous. Your cynicism and personal politics are overshadowing rationality.

I dont question "can" you be rational, I am questioning why you seem intent on turning it off.

Doubting the story given by the police isn't believing that Lizard people are running the Illuminati in their quest to hide the fact that Earth is Flat like you are trying to make out. Nor is it assuming the Dallas police are Xanathos-level schemers or too dumb to bang rocks together. You can question things without instantly endorsing the worst conspiracy theories after all, unless you think saying "I think Bill Clinton was into some hinky ****" is the equivalent of saying he and Epstein summoned up Moloch in the Pizzagate catacombs.

tl:dr Settle Down Beavis

[PaulBullion]

According to your link, one of the three seems to be cooperating with police.

Jesus Cousinfucking Giuliani, Mets.

[PaulBullion]

The probability that a witness gets shot in the mouth a day after a cop is sentenced to ten years is pretty alarmingly low to begin with, but hey, it conveniently turns out he was also a drug dealer! I mean, yeah, all that could happen. I'm not gonna hold it against anyone for thinking the whole thing stinks right out of the gate. Yes, it could all be true, but plenty of reasonable people with the experience to know better are gonna say 'this stinks'.

What you find is that reality isn't very realistic, after all.

I guess we'll find out who's right if Guyger gets an appeal and her conviction overturned as a result in a couple years.

The symbolism of shooting a guy who "talked too much" in the mouth is ....man.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

More Details Emerge About How White House Officials Reacted To Trump’s Call With Ukraine

The president’s July 25 call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly sent shockwaves through the White House. Crazy stuff indeed!

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White House Refuses To Cooperate With Impeachment Inquiry; Constitutional Crisis Looms

An eight-page letter to House leaders, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said that the White House will not cooperate with the inquiry into President Trump’s actions. So, why all this nonsense if Trump has nothing to hide? Meanwhile....

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Nancy Pelosi Calls Trump’s Bluff: ‘You Are Not Above The Law’

The White House refused to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, calling it an “unconstitutional” effort to overturn the 2016 election. Funny how the only people yammering about overturning the 2016 election are in the White House.

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Jimmy Carter Urges Trump To ‘Tell The Truth ... For A Change’

The former president wants the impeachment inquiry to carry on, and he criticized the Trump administration’s refusal to comply with the House investigation. Yo, Jimmy! Don't hold your breath waiting for Trump to be honest.

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Trump Lover Flashed Gun At Elizabeth Warren Supporter: Police

Police say Joseph Schumacher followed an 18-year-old woman in Moorhead, Minnesota, while harassing her over her Warren bumper sticker. I wonder if Dolt45 will pay for this scumbag's court fees?

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, as well as 2018, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of the U.S. House Representative from Tennessee's 4th Congressional District, Scott Desjarlais, an Episcopalian physician from Tennessee whose religious background would have made him the perfect Republican to push their social agenda against abortion, contraceptives, and gay rights, while also giving them a guy with the credibility to argue against the Affordable Care Act. The problem with that, though, is Desjarlais has proven to be an embarrassing hypocrite, because while he portrays himself a champion of the pro-life movement, his divorce records were unsealed, and the media discovered he protected the sanctity of marriage by cheating on his wife with four women, and pressured not only his wife (on tape, no less) into getting an abortion, but one of his mistresses. And that mistress was also apparently one of his patients (and she wasn’t the only patient he slept with)… so there went the credibility of the “doctor against the ACA” angle. Also, the “family values Republican” angle, considering he admitted sleeping with six women — including two patients, three co-workers and a drug company representative — during his three-year marriage. But don’t worry, he’s assured everyone that “God has forgiven him”.

Desjarlais is also a big hard-liner on immigration, what with the time he told an 11 year old girl that he was going to deport her dad, and all.

Desjarlais again survived a primary threat in 2018, winning with 70% of the vote before going on into the general election and cruising to a victory with 63% of the vote there. He has returned to Washington, and joined the House Freedom Caucus.
Desjarlais has been dodging facing his constituents like a coward these past few years.

His voting record sure would make it seem like that’s the case, and he’s joined the ranks of the hard right extremists:

• May 2nd, 2018: Scott Desjarlais is one of 18 Republicans who sign on to a letter asking to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Prize for meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
• January 22nd, 2019: Desjarlais votes against HR 676, which would prevent Donald Trump from doing the unthinkable and walking away from our allies in NATO to appease the Russians.
• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais voted against HR 648, because he was gleeully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• January 27th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais votes against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attack Desjarlais our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• February 28th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
• April 4th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
• May 17th, 2019: Desjarlais votes against The Equality Act, which would have prevented discrimination towards Americans based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
• June 4th, 2019: Rep. Desjarlais votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Scott Desjarlais can’t be bothered to vote against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.

In explicably, even as the #MeToo movement continues, Scott Desjarlais remains in Congress, and is seeking a sixth term in office in 2020, where he will presumably whine more about Donald Trump getting impeached, and clutch his pearls over the fact that House Democrats have the nerve to provide checks upon the Trump administration at all. Lord knows this spineless hypocrite didn’t for two whole years.

[Theleviathan]

Sure, there is. A key witness turning out to be a secret drug dealer is almost certain to come up if Guyger decides on appeal. If I were her, I wouldn't, but I'm not the one looking at a ten year stretch either.

Also, I think you're overestimating the level of complexity involved in something like that.

Arent all drug dealers secret until they arent?

[Theleviathan]

Doubting the story given by the police isn't believing that Lizard people are running the Illuminati in their quest to hide the fact that Earth is Flat like you are trying to make out. Nor is it assuming the Dallas police are Xanathos-level schemers or too dumb to bang rocks together. You can question things without instantly endorsing the worst conspiracy theories after all, unless you think saying "I think Bill Clinton was into some hinky ****" is the equivalent of saying he and Epstein summoned up Moloch in the Pizzagate catacombs.

tl:dr Settle Down Beavis

"Bill Clinton is into some hinky ****" is already down that same path. Be better.

You want to pretend what you are practicing is skepticism but you cant possibly understand what that word means and be using it seriously.

[Tami]

Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions

The Guardian today reveals the 20 fossil fuel companies whose relentless exploitation of the world’s oil, gas and coal reserves can be directly linked to more than one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era.

New data from world-renowned researchers reveals how this cohort of state-owned and multinational firms are driving the climate emergency that threatens the future of humanity, and details how they have continued to expand their operations despite being aware of the industry’s devastating impact on the planet.

The analysis, by Richard Heede at the Climate Accountability Institute in the US, the world’s leading authority on big oil’s role in the escalating climate emergency, evaluates what the global corporations have extracted from the ground, and the subsequent emissions these fossil fuels are responsible for since 1965 – the point at which experts say the environmental impact of fossil fuels was known by both industry leaders and politicians.

The top 20 companies on the list have contributed to 35% of all energy-related carbon dioxide and methane worldwide, totalling 480bn tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) since 1965.

[Tendrin]

Arent all drug dealers secret until they arent?

I mean you'd think so but it's not always the case, and more over, it doesn't change anything I said.

[Gray Lensman]

Arent all drug dealers secret until they arent?

Well, the Sacklers are pretty well known...

[InformationGeek]

No. No that's not how that works dipshit.

JUST IN: Giuliani says he won't testify before House investigators unless committee removes Schiff

[Mister Mets]

Jesus Cousinfucking Giuliani, Mets.

If someone is saying the cops have framed three people for murder, it would be relevant that one of the three seems to be offering corroborating testimony.

If you see this as equivalent to Giuliani's crazier comments, that tarnishes the criticisms of Giuliani.

[Theleviathan]

I mean you'd think so but it's not always the case, and more over, it doesn't change anything I said.

It speaks to how much of this that you are creating as a fantasy/conspiracy vs reality. His drug dealing being secret is a silly thing to note much less emphasize.

This would be a complex setup. In your fever dream was this a hit or did it go exactly to plan? (Maybe think about what the police would have to to make either scenario plausible)

[Tendrin]

It speaks to how much of this that you are creating as a fantasy/conspiracy vs reality. His drug dealing being secret is a silly thing to note much less emphasize.

This would be a complex setup. In your fever dream was this a hit or did it go exactly to plan? (Maybe think about what the police would have to to make either scenario plausible)

You're the one fantasizing at this point, honestly, and putting words in multiple people's mouths. Meanwhile, we are talking about the same police department whose members did this:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/snow-job/

Little did the 41-year-old attorney know that she was about to blow the lid off a conspiracy to plant large amounts of ground-up Sheetrock disguised as cocaine or methamphetamine on poor Hispanics, all of whom spoke little or no English, and get them sent to prison on trumped-up charges of drug trafficking. The Sheetrock Scandal, as it is now called, has embarrassing echoes of the controversial drug-related arrests of forty black men and women in the Panhandle town of Tulia in 1999. The FBI has launched an investigation into the activities of Dallas Police narcotics officers, and the DA’s office has dismissed 63 cases against 44 defendants, some of whom have spent five months in jail; another 17 cases against 9 defendants are expected to be dismissed. The scandal has tarnished the reputations of Dallas police chief Terrell Bolton and Dallas County district attorney Bill Hill, who have had to rebut allegations that they and their top lieutenants failed to notice the misdeeds taking place right under their nose.

Pretty sure the star witness being a drug dealer /might/ have an impact on how the jury would hear his testimony, if he was still alive to give it, and my only point in this is that such a thing /could have an impact on his appeal/, which while IANAL. /If/ she appeals, it may well come up.