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

[Malvolio]

For some comedy.

Apparently the horn helmet furry dude, the Q-Shaman is brought to trial in AZ, where he's from.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news...ng/6625619002/

And it's comedy gold.



The last part makes me sorta grateful in that he's torpedoing the Republican/Trump argument at least.

But man, this guy...you can't really make him up. He eats organic food, yet he poses as a wild frontiersman Norse dude and goes waving a spear inside the Capitol. I genuinely think he needs therapy.

For that matter, so do I, so do we all...for different reasons of course.

This is what that hat reminds me of:

[SquirrelMan]

There's videos across America of Putschists getting cuffed at airports or being told they are on the No-fly list.

This guy gives the game away when the police have him on the floor:
https://twitter.com/TalbertSwan/stat...10740480077827

That guy yells "You're treating me like a f--king black person".
The cops says, "You're gonna get sprayed."

That video is from 2018.

[Robotman]

Beyond Impeachment, a Push for Ethics Laws That Do Not Depend on Shame

Among the changes embraced by House Democratic leaders are limits on the president’s pardon powers, mandated release of a president’s tax returns, new enforcement powers for independent agencies and Congress, and firmer prohibitions against financial conflicts of interest in the White House.

“We kept on having to add to it as the administration engaged in new abuses,” said Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “It’s a long list.”


We’ve talked about the desperate need for an ethics overhaul numerous times on this board. we’ve had to witness Trump trample through political norms and it’s obvious we can no longer assume a president will follow traditional decorum. You know, things like the transition of power, nepotism, not blatantly funneling tax payer money into your own business, and not destroying democracy and declare oneself dictator for life.

[numberthirty]

That video is from 2018.

Already covered back around post #22006...

That particular video is from a year or two ago. There are others from the actual terrorists, though. Including one with a guy crying about being treated like a terrorist.

Oh...I guess I fell for fake news.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Does anybody think there will be a political price paid by any of the Republicans that pushed this, who lied and cheered on this sedition?
I don't.

Same here, sadly. Republicans will circle the wagons and protect their own. For them, it's party over country, party over the Constitution, party over law and order, party over morality, party over family, party over EVERYTHING.

Agreed, I still don't believe Trump will face consequences anywhere near enough for what he did too.

Well, SDNY is still waiting for Trump after he leaves office, but even then, if he goes to trial and is convicted of the crimes he's charged with, the chances of his going to prison are razor thin.

[Gray Lensman]

This is what that hat reminds me of:

Not someone singing "I have a structured settlement but I need cash now."?

[kidfresh512]

Covid diagnosis started coming in for the members of Congress that had to take shelter with GOP colleagues that refused to wear masks while locked down. I mean that was obvious that COVID cases were definelty going to come from the Riot. Its another angle that has trumps idiocy and the GOP assistants who supported it on their hands.

Now there are important votes coming up they might have to miss. Hopefully no one actually dies from it.

[SquirrelMan]

Ironically, the most blue state in the Union has elected Schwarzenegger as Governor. California also elected fellow Californians Nixon and Reagan to the presidency. That was before California flipped blue in 1992.

The residents of Schwarzenegger's Austrian hometown were so ashamed of his policy on the state executions, that they distanced themselves from him and stopped advertising it has the Hometown of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger's success in deep Blue Cali should have been a warning about the advantage celebrities have as candidates.

[mathew101281]

Schwarzenegger's success in deep Blue Cali should have been a warning about the advantage celebrities have as candidates.

Even deep blue states have really red areas. The US’s political conflict isn’t a red state blue state thing, but a rural urban thing. That is why the suburbs are so important. They tend to be the swing vote.

[SquirrelMan]

Already covered back around post #22006...

2018 is NOT "a yEar Or tWO aGo" so it was indeed NOT covered.

[Tami]

Melania Trump: Has No One Stopped to Think How the Capitol Hill Attack Affected ME?

In the five days since the violent attack on Capitol Hill, the country has heard nary a whisper from the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump. To be fair, the only reason we heard from her husband, Donald Trump, was because he reportedly hoped a half-hearted two-and-half-minute video 24 hours after the fact would help him avoid prosecution and being removed via the 25th Amendment, after the one in which he told the people who stormed the Capitol building “we love you” and “you’re very special” didn’t cut it. Also to be fair, she was in a uniquely awkward position, given the fact that her husband had incited the violence in the first place, and her condemning it would be like if he flew into the Twin Towers on 9/11 and then she denounced the people responsible for the tragedy. Still, the nation expects certain things from the first couple, one of them being the crazy notion that they should be there to provide comfort to the country in times of great tragedy. And so on Monday, Melania, or someone in her office, put pen to paper, and shared her thoughts on the events of January 6, 2021, coming up with…an extremely unique take on what transpired!

First off, she doesn’t actually reference the insurrection that occurred in her husband‘s name until the fourth paragraph of the statement, at which point she says her “heart goes out” to the people who died. Next, she says that she is “disappointed and disheartened with what happened last week.” So far, so good. But if you thought what she was disappointed and disheartened about was the insurrection caused by her husband that led to literal bloodshed, you thought wrong! What she’s actually teed off about is what she perceives as…attacks on Melania Trump, writing: “I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me—from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain.”

Hilariously, while most people might assume she was referring to the wholly warranted reporting about what she was doing during the attacks (overseeing a photo shoot) and her reaction to them (according to reporter Kate Bennett, she was asked if she had plans to issue “a statement of calm” or a plea to stop the violence and she declined, her “disinterest in addressing the country…indicative of being ‘checked out’”), or that her chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, quit, the first lady, reports Maggie Haberman, was steamed about an op-ed written by her former pal Stephanie Winston Wolkoff.

Oh, also, apparently the section where the first lady goes through the motions of expressing words of comfort was plagiarized from one of her previous speeches, because providing solace is hard:

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Melania Trump: Has No One Stopped to Think How the Capitol Hill Attack Affected ME?

I’m sure people felt sorry for Melania in the beginning as it was clear she wanted nothing to do with following in the footsteps of Michelle Obama, perhaps THE most accomplished First Lady since Jackie, given her, ahem, sketchy background as a topless model and college dropout. Everyone saw Melania as nothing more than a golddigger, brainless arm candy for a billionaire and had been put into a role she was woefully unprepared for, and I’ll admit that was my opinion on her as well. But, she wasted no time debasing everyone of the opinion she was an innocent waif in woods, from plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2016 RNC, her infamous “I Don’t Care” coat, the “I hate Chreestmas” rant and more, Melania has shown herself to be every bit as repellent and repugnant as her loathsome husband. The sooner she’s relieved of her duties as First Lady, the better.

[DrNewGod]

This might be a bit too tinfoil hat for me, fair warning. On Parler's delisting ...

According to a decently large tech company that interacts with Amazon on a regular basis through their AWS offering, there are very few reasons AWS would remove any offering from their platform.

My intuition is that there is a lot going on behind the scenes right now.

Within hours enough companies reversed on Parler to effectively kill them. AWS is the most direct with the highest risk in doing it and the least to benefit. That makes me believe that the FBI was involved and contacted the various companies as a mitigation step. They know how big of a problem we could have soon unless action is taken. In basic terms a communication platform was shut down for domestic terrorists with almost no means to revive in within 2 weeks.

I could be wrong, but the shut downs appeared too organized, timely, and efficient. That all dips into conspiracy territory at that point.

Bottom line reality according to the decently large tech company is the basic software architecture a company like Parler would use ... they will be very hard pressed to spin up their platform again any time soon.

I mentioned it in another post of mine but I I would not be surprised if someone on the Senate or House Committee on Oversight for the FCC called Dorsey or Zuckerberg, outlying what is coming down the pike, so they reacted this time.

And yes, that is a little tinfoil hat for me, too.

Just something that has been sticking in my craw about this.

About 10-15 years ago, some were calling for the internet to be treated as a public utility. The idea got pretty well smothered by free-marketers, but a quick google will show you that discussion is back with a roar. I can't help thinking that prospect (along with officials using words like "monopoly") has the big platforms in a bit of a sweat, and feeling some urgency to clean things up a bit.

I'm wondering if we need a support group thread?

My sister is now starting down the QAnon path and appears to dragging my parents down into that cult as well.

With babyblob and I know there are others, I am wondering if that is something we need?

I am at a loss watching the people that raised me and instilled my value system in me go down this path.

I"m sorry to hear that Beastie. Didn't BB have a mental health thread around here, or are you thinking we need something distinct from that?

Even deep blue states have really red areas. The US’s political conflict isn’t a red state blue state thing, but a rural urban thing. That is why the suburbs are so important. They tend to be the swing vote.

As I recall it, The Governator's ascension had a bit of flukeyness to it. His predecessor, Gray Davis got axed in a recall vote, mainly powered by something that wasn't his fault: the California Electricity Crisis, brought on by a pack of free-wheeling energy company's policies. Now, make no mistake, Schwarzenegger's celebrity was definitely an asset, but I'm not so sure he could have climbed that hill had California not been in such mess at the time.

[JCAll]

Schwarzenegger's success in deep Blue Cali should have been a warning about the advantage celebrities have as candidates.

California has some of the hardest red, ride or die for Trump, Republicans in the country. And probably more of them than the bottom 10 deep red states combined. Cali is huge.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I’m sure people felt sorry for Melania in the beginning as it was clear she wanted nothing to do with following in the footsteps of Michelle Obama, perhaps THE most accomplished First Lady since Jackie, given her, ahem, sketchy background as a topless model and college dropout. Everyone saw Melania as nothing more than a golddigger, brainless arm candy for a billionaire and had been put into a role she was woefully unprepared for, and I’ll admit that was my opinion on her as well. But, she wasted no time debasing everyone of the opinion she was an innocent waif in woods, from plagiarizing Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2016 RNC, her infamous “I Don’t Care” coat, the “I hate Chreestmas” rant and more, Melania has shown herself to be every bit as repellent and repugnant as her loathsome husband. The sooner she’s relieved of her duties as First Lady, the better.

I mean the idea that anyone in the Trump family or in his orbit could be moderating voices or influences was always absurd. People wondered if Ivanka would be a Trump-whisperer because she seemed to have more moderate views (in that she acknowledged climate change was a thing) but that was always an absurd proposition.

Donald Trump all through his life has been a profoundly evil man. Whether it's the housing segregation of the '70s, that Ad against the Central Park Five in the '80s, his general personal corruption, possibly being a serial rapist (given the number of accusations and allegations on him), a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, and of course the unforgivable Birther-attempt, he was and is evil. If his family backed him through all of that, then they will back him through anything. They are all corrupt and complicit.