All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Malvolio]

If Kushner rolls over on Trump, he's gonna return the favor and dish on s*** that went down between Jared and Prince bin-Salman of Saudi Arabia around say, the time of the Kashoggi killing and other inconvenient deals that may have been made.

Like, if they turn on each other in a panic, they're all so, so f***ed.

That could be fun to watch. There would be a run on sales of popcorn.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

New Jersey man caught on video in racist rant attempts Olympic-worthy backpedaling

That story led off the local news here in Philly this morning. The backpedaling by that neanderthal was for no other purpose than to save his racist ass.

John Gotti, the teflon Don, died in prison. Trump is guilty as hell, it's just the will to prosecute him.

And therein lies the problem as I'm not sure that will happen. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I can see Trump spending his last dollar to stave off a trial and the prospect of prison if he's convicted.

[Tami]

That story led off the local news here in Philly this morning. The backpedaling by that neanderthal was for no other purpose than to save his racist ass.



And therein lies the problem as I'm not sure that will happen. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I can see Trump spending his last dollar to stave off a trial and the prospect of prison if he's convicted.

How's the weather by you? We got hit by an unexpected thunderstorm and the power is out. Supposedly it should be back by 9:30. I hope so.

[Tami]

One of these days we'll get an infrastructure plan approved and activated that reduces the number of times the power goes out.

[Mister Mets]

Neo-Fascism, American Fascism, evidence is now out there that this is what we are facing and it's worse than the old fashioned form of fascism.

How so?

John Gotti, the teflon Don, died in prison. Trump is guilty as hell, it's just the will to prosecute him.

John Gotti was convicted for ordering the deaths of five people.

Coming out of New York ...

Ivanka Trump could be the next target for Manhattan's district attorney, according to a former federal prosecutor.

Ivanka Trump might flip on her dad because she has more to lose, Mary Trump says: 'Her husband's family is legitimately very wealthy'

What do you think the percentage odds are that Ivanka will flip on her dad?

[The Cool Thatguy]

John Gotti was convicted for ordering the deaths of five people.

So Trump at least has the same amount of blood on his hands from just the coup alone.

[Tami]

So Trump at least has the same amount of blood on his hands from just the coup alone.

There is an argument to be made that he is responsible for more than half of the deaths from COVID. Something akin to negligent homicide.

[The Cool Thatguy]

There is an argument to be made that he is responsible for more than half of the deaths from COVID. Something akin to negligent homicide.

Oh, I agree on that. But the coup was far more direct of him.

[Kirby101]

John Gotti was convicted for ordering the deaths of five people.

So? I was comparing the two for their so called untouchable reputation. Not their crimes. Trump's numerous crimes are self evident, and as I said, we only need a prosecuted with the will to go after him.

Since you bring this up, there is far more blood on Trumps hands than Gotti. But it's his financial crimes that would get him.

[JCAll]

There is an argument to be made that he is responsible for more than half of the deaths from COVID. Something akin to negligent homicide.

I can't help but still think of it as genocide as part of a reelection campaign.

[Mister Mets]

So Trump at least has the same amount of blood on his hands from just the coup alone.

I don't believe there is any evidence that he ordered that guy to tase himself in the nuts.

There is an argument to be made that he is responsible for more than half of the deaths from COVID. Something akin to negligent homicide.

Where have you seen the best-articulated version of this argument?

So? I was comparing the two for their so called untouchable reputation. Not their crimes. Trump's numerous crimes are self evident, and as I said, we only need a prosecuted with the will to go after him.

Since you bring this up, there is far more blood on Trumps hands than Gotti. But it's his financial crimes that would get him.

The crimes matter because murder is clearly illegal. John Gotti was convicted of murder.

If Trump's financial crimes were as obviously illegal, and as readily provable, there are multiple prosecutors who would be eager to go after him. Anyone in the Manhattan DA's office, Justice Department (which would also include US Attorneys for Florida) and the New York State Attorney General's office would see their careers and reputations skyrocket if they can convict Trump.

There's an interesting podcast that's a spinoff of KCRW's Left, Right and Center called All the President's Lawyers, dealing with the legal questions of all the suits against Trump. The latest episode considered the implications of the indictment of the CFO of the Trump Administration, and addressed Trump's legal liabilities and potential defenses.

Their conclusion is that Weisselberg is likely in a lot of trouble given the shamelessness of the tax fraud (two sets of books to undercut an argument about gifts not being compensation) but that Trump's unlikely to be prosecuted.

https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/lrc-...sselberg-trump

The idea that it's obvious that Trump can be convicted by a prosecutor who tries hard enough is harmful if untrue. It diminishes people's faith in the justice system if things go as normal.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

How's the weather by you? We got hit by an unexpected thunderstorm and the power is out. Supposedly it should be back by 9:30. I hope so.

Sorry to hear you lost power last night. We had a thunderstorm blow through early last night, but it only lasted about fifteen minutes, then it was gone.

One of these days we'll get an infrastructure plan approved and activated that reduces the number of times the power goes out.

We rarely lose power in my neighborhood when storms blow through. But yeah, it WOULD be nice to have that infrastructure plan in place to keep the power grid working smoothly.

[worstblogever]

In both 2015, as well as 2016, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" published profiles of Christopher Shank, a former Maryland State Senator who in his time in the Maryland State Assembly, opposed LGBTQ rights in every way, shape, and form, fighting against authorizing same sex marriages for years, even to the extent that he wanted same sex partners banned from being allowed to visit their loved ones in the hospital or be allowed decision making into their loved ones' well being. What got him special notice was arguing against a transgender discrimination bill because while he did acknowledge they were discriminated against... he thought that minority groups that faced discrimination would then start coming forward, and also want to be protected. He also voted numerous times over the past several years against minimum wage increases, and even voted against the repeal of an outdated part of the Maryland state Constitution that barred atheists from holding public office, saying that it was "a little offensive" him as a Christian to even suggest doing so. When we last reported on Shank, he was serving in Gov. Larry Hogan's administration in the Office of Crime Control and Prevention and has not yet shown any sign that he will be running for an elected office in the near future, mercifully.



On this date in 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as 2020, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published profiles of Clay Higgins, the U.S. House Representative from Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District after an improbable win in the 2016 elections where he finished second in the “jungle primary”, but came from behind to defeat fellow Republican Scott Angelle with 56% of the vote. That won Higgins, a guy nicknamed “the Cajun John Wayne”, the right to go to Washington, D.C. and replace Congressman Charles Boustany, (whose own bid for U.S. Senate failed, due to the unsavory rumors about him soliciting prostitutes that popped up).

Anyway, when we say that Clay Higgins’ victory in the 2016 elections was improbable, we aren’t joking around. Scott Angelle was considered a favorite in that race for months, and as of February of 2016, Higgins was still serving as a sheriff in St. Landry Parish, making appearances on the “Crime Stoppers” show where he would not just ask the community for help in finding felons, but would start berating and mocking them in segments on the show. That got him some notoriety, particularly from the right, because over time, Higgins’ rants started to get… well, a little alarming, and kind of racist. So, of course he had a few guest spots on Fox and Friends in 2015. But as Higgins continued to get more and more over-the-top in his segments on Crime Stoppers, he went viral when he asked for help with “The Gremlins gang”, seventeen individuals who just so happened to be African Americans who he referred to as “heathens”, “thugs” and “animals” while threatening them to turn themselves in with a contingent of officers in SWAT gear and with rifles because, "You will be hunted, you will be tracked. And if you raise your weapon to a man like me, we'll return fire with superior fire."

Making things even more troubling was that the seventeen men had their annoyed families come forward to wonder why the hell the Cajun John Wayne was threatening their loved ones, because they weren’t even aware of their family being in any “Gremlins” gang, saying that it may have been referring to an attempt by some of them to start a rap group years earlier. Higgins tried defending the police’s information on the “gang” by saying his department had “read it on the internet”, which sounds a lot like Donald Trump, come to think of it. Oh, he also insisted his video wasn’t racist because each of the officers in it also was standing near an African American community leader (similar to the “we have black friends” defense).

Well, after his boss let Higgins know he’d gone too far, he gave a public resignation, saying he “don't do well reigned in” and that he would “rather die” than sacrifice his principles by… I guess conducting himself professionally? Fox and Friends and other right-wing allies began to rally around poor, poor Clay Higgins for having his free speech quelled (even though the First Amendment doesn’t allow you the right to speak without punishment from your employer on television while representing them). He parlayed the criticism against him into being the victim and started his campaign for Congress instead.

And then, once Clay Higgins advanced to the final two in the GOP Primary, partially due to receiving a large contribution from fellow fascist-lunatic and former Congressman Allen West, the local media started doing its job, and digging at the sudden political star that could end up in Washington, D.C. They noted that back in 2007, Clay Higgins previously had resigned from the Opelousas Police Department to avoid receiving disciplinary measures after he was accused of using excessive force, and giving false statements in the ensuing investigation.

But even more damning was when a public records request was made with the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office that discovered Higgins wasn’t just dismissed because of the “Gremlins Gang” video… his superiors had become appalled at how Higgins had begun trying to exploit his appearances on Crime Stoppers as a new means of getting revenue, using government e-mail to sell mugs and t-shirts with his likeness to fans of the show, and book himself on whatever talk shows would have him on to appear… as long as they paid him in cash. The “cash preferred” nature of his bookings was because Higgins had the IRS garnishing money from his wages to pay back taxes and keeping payments off the books would prevent the IRS from getting their hands on it. Higgins even had dreams of appearing on his own reality show called “American Justice” where they would carry out SWAT raids, with him leading the charge, and talking trash to the crooks as they brought them in.

Okay… so that’s a month before the election. There’s Scott Angelle, a moderate Republican, and Clay Higgins, an arguably pretty racist, over-aggressive, fame-seeking, wannabe-fascist nut who seems to want to evade paying taxes. In 2016… that’s the same formula that got Donald Trump elected, and Louisiana’s 3rd followed suit when presented with the same kind of candidate to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. Higgins’ website featured issue stances that were a hot bed of crazy, including an argument against all gun control because it didn’t really exist prior to the 1960s (it did, and a need from rifles available to the public tending more towards the semi-automatic and automatic), and referring to the Affordable Care Act as follows:

”2,800 pages of unintelligible psychobabble. It’s the most egregious seizure of power and treasure from the American people in history. It’s the worst idea in an elaborate history of bad ideas. It’s a book of lies, based on lies, sold by liars. Obamacare must be repealed. Period.”

Now, here’s the thing… the “Gremlins gang” video was a pretty clear indicator that Clay Higgins might be a bit of a bigot, and that he would overreact to threats. Well, if anyone had any doubts of if that was a fluke, we can be pretty sure it isn’t now, because after a terror attack in London in June 2017, Clay Higgins responded a day later by calling for Christendom to go to war against “Radical Islam”, and giving the level-headed assessment that we should just “kill them all”.

"The free world... all of Christendom... is at war with Islamic horror. Not one penny of American treasure should be granted to any nation who harbors these heathen animals. Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter. Their intended entry to the American homeland should be summarily denied. Every conceivable measure should be engaged to hunt them down. Hunt them, identity them, and kill them. Kill them all. For the sake of all that is good and righteous. Kill them all."

[worstblogever]

Rep. Higgins made no apologies after people were shocked, and blamed the negativity on his comments on “political correctness”. Because of course he did. In 2017, electing Higgins continues to be a source of embarrassment for his constituents, as he has also outed himself as a climate change denier in August of 2017, but more so when he drew the ire of Jewish groups by filming a political video in the Auschwitz gas chambers without the permission of the museum, using the symbol of the Holocaust as a prop to defend his desire to increase United States military spending. Jewish leaders were, predictably, not pleased.

On the upside, for all their long-standing grievances, at least Muslims and Jews can come together and agree, Clay Higgins is an ***hole.

Louisiana’s 3rd District choosing an “outsider” has not served them well, and even outside of his voting record. So far this term, Higgins has yet to learn his lesson about making ridiculous and inappropriate comparisons to World War II (as if the Auschwitz video wasn’t enough of a teaching moment), deciding to announce in the middle of a hearing on immigration where Democrats were grilling Kirjsten Nielsen for her family separation policy by declaring that “We have D-Day every month on our southern border”.

That was slightly a better job than Higgins did than in the Michael Cohen hearing, when he tried to snare Cohen in a “gotcha” moment and only snagged his own ass for about ten minutes straight, obsessively asking Cohen “WHAR BOXES?” in regards to evidence Cohen had returned to him by federal investigators that he brought documents before the House Intelligence Committee for. (And thus making us all ask if Clay Higgins has been placed on the House Intelligence Committee ironically.) Higgins was of course, more apoplectic about the location of these boxes than the fact that what was contained in them detailed a series of financial crimes by Donald Trump, because of course he was.

Which isn’t to say Higgins, the “Cajun John Wayne” has been on top of crimes committed by people within his own party, or even his own orbit. He was apparently unaware that one of his top aides liked to frequent massage parlors where victims of human trafficking were prostituting themselves for sexual favors.

No word on if Higgins is planning an episode of Crime Stoppers for the rest of his staff.

Anyway, a recent timeline of Clay Higgins' stupidity:

• December 3rd, 2019: Clay Higgins is one of 71 Republicans who votes against a resolution to disallow Russia from re-entering the G7 and makes it the G8 until it leaves Ukraine.
• December 18th, 2019: Rep. Higgins ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
• May 15th, 2020: Higgins votes against the HEROES Act, to further support the healthcare industry and citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• May 28th, 2020: ” In a CNN interview, Higgins declares face masks as “bacteria traps” and claimed that masks don’t work because “you can smell through them”. Higgins was, of course, calling for the country to “re-open” since March, at the start of the pandemic.
• June 1st, 2020: The one thing Higgins didn’t want to reopen for? Protests against police violence carried out by brutal, vicious cops like Higgins, in which case he’d like you to disperse and go home.
• September 1st, 2020: Facebook pulls down two posts from Rep. Higgins, where he threatens African American protesters of police violence exercising their legal right to open carry while they do, saying “I’ll drop any 10 of you where you stand. Journey will end. How fast? 1450 ft. per second fast.” Which is, y’know, how fast bullets travel.
• December 10th, 2020: Higgins signs his name to an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, begging them to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The same election that he won re-election in.
• December 15th, 2020: Rep. Higgins furthers “The Big Lie” being told by Donald Trump about election fraud, and in a terrible and insensitive metaphor, compares the plight of the 75 million Trump voters who lost the election to those who were held in Japanese internment camps during World War II.
• January 6th, 2021: Clay Higgins votes for the objection to the electoral college’s votes in the 2020 election, a failure to send any sort of message that he wasn’t intimidated or sympathetic to those who attacked the Capitol to attempt a violent coup.
• January 13th, 2021: Rep. Higgins votes against the second impeachment of Donald Trump, because the Republican Party no longer feels like they should be accountable for anything, including failed coups that result in the deaths of both their participants and police officers.
• February 4th, 2021: Clay Higgins votes to keep Marjorie Taylor Greene’s committee assignments, because he wouldn’t want her to be accountable for all the bigoted remarks and conspiracy theories she’s spread online (probably because she’s a kindred spirit).
• February 25th, 2021: Higgins votes against HR 5, the latest version of the Equality Act, that would provide workplace protections for LGBTQ Americans.
• March 3rd, 2021: Rep. Higgins votes against HR 1, a bill created to prevent the corruption of money in politics, and protect voter access to the ballot box.
• March 3rd, 2021: Clay Higgins votes against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021.
• March 10th, 2021: Higgins votes against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, because he feels people deserve to die in poverty during a pandemic.
• March 17th, 2021: Rep. Higgins votes 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 19th, 2021: Clay Higgins votes against HR 3233, the creation of a commission to investigate the Capitol Attack.
• May 20th, 2021: Higgins is one of 63 Republicans who vote against the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act.

Clay Higgins is an over-compensating bigot and fascist, who is regrettably unlikely to be bounced from office by his constituents as long as he plays pretend about being “tough on crime” and enough people thinking this corrupt wanker actually wants to do something other than talk tough and grift while no one’s playing attention.

[The Cool Thatguy]

I don't believe there is any evidence that he ordered that guy to tase himself in the nuts..

He knowingly instigated the attack. That's enough.