According to my daily pill organizer, it is a Tuesday in the Realm and with it comes a whole new batch of headlines that caught my attention this morning.
The Headlines in no particular order:
- Cassidy Hutchinson says it’s a ‘make or break moment’ for the Republican Party to stand against Trump
- A history of government shutdowns: The 14 times funding has lapsed since 1980
- A Supreme Court case about hotel websites could blow up much of US civil rights law
- Hunter Biden sues former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani over infamous laptop
- Trump lawyers say prosecutors want to ‘silence’ him with gag order in his federal 2020 election case
- Trump Vows to Investigate NBC, MSNBC For ‘Country Threatening Treason’ If Elected
- Trump suggests Mark Milley should be executed in possible breach of pre-trial release conditions
- Biden to walk a picket line in Michigan
- Scoop: Biden team’s don’t-let-him-trip mission
- Tucker Carlson finds a new booster: Russian TV
My Commentary on these headlines without ever reading the story:
I think it’s been a ‘make or break moment’ for the Republican Party writ large for a while now. Most of the true Republicans have left the party to become independent Conservatives since Trump rebranded the party four years ago.
I keep reading stories where all the past government shutdowns were caused by Republicans trying to push shit that couldn’t be passed in regular legislation. This is mostly true
, but with a couple of exceptions. I recall a shutdown in the mid-1980s where Democrats were trying to force a reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. But yeah, for the most part, it’s always been Republicans playing fuck-fuck with the government.
The third story is about frivolous law suits, and it does have the potential of pissing the Supreme Court off enough to trigger a massive chilling on civil rights lawsuits in general. I say it’s “potential”, considering that they may just choose to stifle this particular plaintiff. But that doesn’t stop the media from assuming the worst case scenario
I’ve been expecting Hunter Biden to sue the pants off of any and everyone involved with his laptop — and for damn good reason. There are explicit laws concerning the dissemination of computer data, and demonstrable attempts at trying to hack Hunter Biden’s computer accounts. Apparently, Rudy and company tried to use the information found on Biden’s hard drive to access bank accounts and other personal accounts — a federal offense, should any prosecutor decide to pursue it. But it certainly doesn’t stop Hunter from suing the dogshit out of Rudy.
YES! That is exactly the motivation behind a “gag order” in federal or state court — to keep the parties from speaking out about the case and poisoning the jury pool though incitement. Most defendants have the common sense and … well, intelligence … to not publicly talk about their pending criminal cases. There is a reason why you have a right to remain silent in criminal cases — forget ‘anything’, but EVERYTHING will be used against you in trial. EVERYTHING you say or do. Every time Trump opens his gaping shit hole, he provides the government with more ammo to use against him. He’s like the gift that keeps on giving for the prosecution. Funny thing though, while Trump has the Right to remain silent, and retains the Right to free speech, he does NOT have a Right to run for public office and use that as an excuse to put off his legal jeopardy. A criminal defendant can also have his pre-trial release conditions revoked and he could spend the next year or so in a FDC waiting trial. I mean, THIS is what his playing with here.
Ah yes, the “enemy of the state” routine. It also illustrates the idea that Trump and his followers believe that a sitting president gets to decide who gets investigated and/or prosecuted on his own whim. The DOJ may be housed under the Executive Branch of our government (for lack of a better branch to house it under) but it is not under the direct control of the POTUS.
The story about Mark Milley circles back to the gag order set by one of the trial judges that Trump is facing. Trump was ordered not to intimidate or talk shit about witnesses in his cases, and true to form, Trump ignored the order spectacularly.
Oh goody. Biden walks a picket line. Trump will be doing the exact same thing tomorrow. I suppose it’s better than either one of them kissing babies…
Don’t let Biden trip. Well, okay then. LOL
Does it surprise anyone that Tucker Carlson is being repackaged and re-broadcast in … RUSSIA?
I wonder how much of this I got right? Like I said, I haven’t read the actual stories behind these headlines. It could be that I got it all wrong.
What I am streaming now:
Robert Downey Jr collects a lot of classic cars. His collection isn’t quite as large and extensive as Jay Leno, but he does have more than a few. Unlike most shows on cars, Downey is taking six of his classic vehicles and converting them to either hybrids or full electric vehicles. What made me interested in this particular show is in the sixth episode he converts a 1969 VW Transporter Bus to a fully-electric vehicle. You can find it here
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A couple of memes from the memebox this morning:
This seems to be more relevant to Nextdoor.com than Facecrack…
There is also the story where Trump bought a gun the other day only to be told that he couldn’t have it because he is under indictment. Sounds a bit like the Hunter Biden gun charge, doesn’t it?
That’s funny. As I remember it, it’s usually the Democrats responsible for the shutdown of the government, due to their habit of stuffing budgets with all their left-wing projects, like the time that Pelosi padded a budget into a 3.000 page document that nobody could read before the vote. I seem to remember her saying “We have to pass it to find out what’s in it” giggle. Did you know that Belgium went for 2 years without a government? It didn’t hurt the country. It wouldn’t hurt if all the Deep Swamp bureaucrats didn’t receive their fat checks for a few weeks. Let them see what it’s like for the rest of us.
But wait! King Joe will use his magic pen/wand and pay them by executive order! Or just order the Federal Reserve to print more money, as he’s been doing. Congress and laws mean nothing to the king, since he consistently violates our laws, as for example, funding the PA in violation of the Taylor Force Act and releasing $6 billion to Iran for 5 hostages without Congress’s approval (that’s $1.25 billion per hostage). We should expect more hostages to appear soon, now that Iran has seen it’s profit-making venture go so well. And of course, Robert Malley, the architect of the Iran deal, who is now “on a leave of absence” and his staff, work for the Irani government. They routinely checked in with the Mostafa Zahrani, head of the “Iran Experts Initiative” and the Irani Foreign Ministry. The Pentagon will never address these issues, but I bet you Malley and his staff own some nice oil wells.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2023/09/27/three-biden-envoy-advisors-secretly-linked-to-iranian-influence-network-1399547/
Maybe you should have read the history of the previous 14 shutdowns. It certainly would save you the embarrassment of being wrong, once again.
Then you have a faulty memory.
Since it appears that you didn’t bother to read that link above, I will summarize below.
Nov. 20, 1981
White House: President Ronald Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: On Nov. 20, 1981, the Senate approved legislation that fell short of spending cuts Reagan had sought. The bill differed from a version passed in the House and funding technically lapsed at midnight, but since Nov. 21 fell on a Saturday, the effects weren’t felt immediately. House and Senate negotiators worked over the weekend to reconcile their differences and passed identical bills on Sunday.
On Monday, Reagan vetoed the plan and ordered the government to shut down, placing 250,000 federal employees on furlough. Later in the day, lawmakers passed a stopgap bill to keep the government funded and allow more time for talks on a deal. Workers returned the next day.
Sept. 30, 1982
Duration: One day
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: The one-day shutdown was not the result of a bitter stalemate, but happened because members of Congress were busy with social commitments.
The New York Times reported at the time that “congressional leaders barred a late-night session because of major social events tonight by both Republicans and Democrats.” Reagan had invited members of Congress to a barbecue at the White House, while Democrats had a $1,000-per-plate fundraising dinner.
The president eventually signed spending bills approved by Congress.
Dec. 17, 1982
Duration: Three days
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: The shutdown arose in part from Reagan’s opposition to a measure that included billions in funding for a jobs creation program and Democrats’ opposition to money for the MX missile program.
Congress walked away from the jobs provision but included money for legal support for low-income Americans. Lawmakers also declined to fund the missile program, but Reagan still signed the legislation to end the shutdown.
Nov. 10, 1983
Duration: Three days
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: The shutdown stemmed from Democrats adding roughly $1 billion in education spending, and cutting foreign aid. House Democrats ended up decreasing their request for education spending to $100 million and provided money for the MX missile, which Reagan wanted. Democrats kept their cuts to foreign aid and defense.
Sept. 30, 1984
Duration: Two days
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: Reagan and congressional Democrats were at odds over several provisions included in a funding bill that cleared the House, namely a crime bill favored by the president, and a water projects measure he opposed. Democrats also wanted legislation reversing a Supreme Court decision that found entire colleges that did not accept federal or state funding were not subject to Title IX’s requirements even though their students did receive federal assistance.
Lawmakers approved and Reagan signed a bill that kept the government open for several more days to allow negotiations to continue.
Oct. 3, 1984
Duration: One day
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: The stopgap funding measure passed days earlier didn’t do enough to stave off another shutdown. Democrats ultimately gave in and removed the water projects and civil rights provisions, and Congress passed the crime bill.
Oct. 16, 1986
Duration: One day
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Democrats
What happened: Congressional Democrats wanted welfare expansion, then known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, as well as other measures the White House opposed. Democrats ultimately walked away from several of their favored provisions and were promised a vote on welfare expansion in order to end the funding stalemate.
Dec. 18, 1987
Duration: One day
White House: Reagan
Senate control: Democrats
House control: Democrats
What happened: The lapse in government funding was the result of disagreement over providing aid to the Contras in Nicaragua and Democrats’ push to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, a policy from the Federal Communications Commission that required broadcast licensees to cover different sides of controversial issues. The rule was repealed in 1987.
In the end, Congress approved nonlethal aid for the Nicaraguan rebels, but Democrats were unsuccessful in their efforts to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
Oct. 5, 1990
Duration: Three days
White House: President George H.W. Bush
Senate control: Democrats
House control: Democrats
What happened: Bush said he would veto a short-term funding measure that did not include a plan to reduce the deficit, forcing a shutdown. Congress ultimately passed a joint budget resolution that outlined a plan for reducing the deficit, and the president signed a continuing resolution that reopened the government.
Nov. 13, 1995
Duration: Five days
White House: President Bill Clinton
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Republicans
What happened: The shutdowns that occurred during Clinton’s presidency centered around his dispute with congressional Republicans of their pledge to balance the budget and repeal the president’s 1993 tax increases. The GOP, led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, took control of the House for the first time in 40 years in 1995 in what would be remembered as the “Republican Revolution.”
The GOP-led Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution that sought to boost Medicare premiums and required the president to balance the budget within seven years, among other measures. But Clinton vetoed the legislation, which led to a shutdown.
Clinton and Republican congressional leaders ultimately reached a deal to fund the government for several weeks and allow negotiations to continue.
Dec. 15, 1995
Duration: 21 days
White House: Clinton
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Republicans
What happened: The additional time given to Congress and the White House in November to continue talks wasn’t enough, and funding lapsed again in mid-December. Unlike the November 1985 shutdown, this one lasted much longer, into early January 1996.
The issue was which agency’s budget projections, the Congressional Budget Office or the Office of Management and Budget, the White House should use to show that the budget was balanced within seven years. In the end, Republicans backed down: then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole indicated in a floor speech on New Year’s Eve that “we ought to end this. I mean, it’s gotten to the point where it’s a little ridiculous, as far as this senator is concerned.”
Sept. 30, 2013
Duration: 16 days
White House: President Barack Obama
Senate control: Democrats
House control: Republicans
What happened: The fight began over the Affordable Care Act and a push by Republicans to dismantle key parts of Obama’s signature health care law. The GOP-led House passed two spending bills, one of which would’ve delayed implementation of Obamacare, which were both rejected by the Democratic-led Senate.
Obama called for a spending bill with no conditions attached, but Republicans ultimately opted to shut down the government over their opposition to the landmark health care law.
House Republicans led by Speaker John Boehner in the end ceded to Democrats and approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include changes to Obamacare.
Jan. 19, 2018
Duration: Two days
White House: President Donald Trump
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Republicans
What happened: The shutdown, which officially began on the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, stemmed from a fight over immigration, and specifically Democrats’ demands for protections for “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
The White House, however, said it would not engage in negotiations over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which extended legal protections for Dreamers, while the government was shut down.
In the end, Democrats relented after Republicans pledged to work toward a deal addressing DACA, and Trump signed a short-term funding bill that reopened the government.
Dec. 21, 2018
Duration: 34 days
White House: Trump
Senate control: Republicans
House control: Republicans/Democrats
What happened: Months later, immigration was again at the center of the government funding fight, though this shutdown involved Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
As the shutdown stretched to become the longest in history and Democrats took control of the House, the former president ended up signing a bill to reopen agencies for three weeks and did not include money for the border wall. Weeks later, Congress averted another shutdown by passing a measure that included $1.375 billion for the border wall, far less than the $5.7 billion Trump requested.
MY METHODOLOGY:
I’ve assigned the ‘blame” in red. Some of them I’ve blamed everyone involved. Since Congress controls the purse, I’ve assigned the blame to the White House if both houses were of the same party. If the White House vetoed a bill from Congress, then the White House gets the “blame”. The second one I think that everyone is to blame. Also, if a party caved, then they also get the blame.
I see no reason to be sorry. For example, with Obama’s Healthcare Act, he added BILLIONS to the budget in a highly suspicious maneuver. And that was when Pelosi made her infamous comment “We have to pass it to find out what’s in it.” She, along with fellow Democrats, also packed it with all kinds of pork. And if Trump’s funding for the wall hadn’t fallen through, we wouldn’t be facing this disastrous invasion of at least 8 million illegal immigrants, many of whom have committed crimes, including rape and child rape. There is no place to put these people, yet Biden promises them free everything – health care, education, housing and you name it. That has to have added billions to the budget. And let’s not forget the hundreds of billions he’s sent to Ukraine. That’s Biden all the way.
But I will concede both parties are to blame for the outrageous spending, pork and untenable deficit. My solution would be to stop paying members of Congress and watch how fast they would come to a decision.
Since you closed the comments before I got to them, I just want to say that I think your answer of “Boo-hoo” to Ashli Babbitt’s murder was DISGUSTING. You mourned over the death of George Floyd, an obese criminal who died of a drug overdose which was later changed to homicide under pressure. Yet a woman who did nothing was cold-bloodedly killed by a trigger-happy incompetent cop. She did NOT deserve to die, why did he shoot her? She was threatening no one, was unarmed and he shot her for no reason. If she’d been black, there would have been riots and apologies, but since she’s white, who cares?
It’s not just you, but I keep seeing things like this all over the InterTubes:
“he added”. I’m guessing the “he” is Obama? Did Obama write the Affordable Healthcare Act? Did he appropriate the money for it? No, Congress did that. Obama just signed it into law.
I know, it sounds a bit nit-picky, but “he” didn’t do all the hard work, “he” just put his face to it.
[caption id="attachment_19580" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
Migrants climbing over a Trump wall.[/caption]
Well, that’s embarrassing. Would you like to see more, in case you think this is a one-off? :em05:
As far as their legal status goes, the majority of those people you are referencing aren’t climbing the fences. They are walking across the border and turning themselves in at the border. The Biden Administration has rejected a record number of these people during processing.
U.S. is rejecting asylum seekers at much higher rates under new Biden policy
It’s a great solution, but not Constitutionally possible. We have to compensate them.
This is a FUN one. As long as they keep the Senate and/or the House session open, they can’t be arrested or detained except for a case of treason, breach of the peace, or a felony. They can literally walk up to you, smack you in the face, and walk away and not be stopped. It wouldn’t play well on the news, today, but it wasn’t all that uncommon 150 years ago. Did you ever wonder how Teddy Kennedy got out of trouble during Chappaquiddick? The Constitution saved his ass. He hadn’t committed a felony in 1969. He had one of the 535 Golden Magic Stay Out of Jail Passes.
Don’t despair, though. I think we can wiggle a way around the Constitution a bit by changing the salary of each Congresscriter to a performance-based system. Full pay for accomplishing work that a majority of people approve of. A portion thereof based on the approval rating of each member. If the government is shut down due to something they’ve caused, then they get a nominal pay of $1 for the entire pay period that the shut down is in.
I don’t close them. The system closes them after a week or so.
It wasn’t a ‘murder’. She was attempting to illegally break into a barricaded room of Congressmen and Congresswomen, with an angry mob behind her chanting “Hang Mike Pence” and “Hang Nancy Pelosi”. You have completely lost your perspective here. This woman had already committed a burglary — a federal offense in this case, along with any or all of the multitude of crimes that hundreds of her compatriots that day have been arrested, charged tried and convicted for — and jailed. Her mistake was breaking into the wrong fucking room.
“She didn’t deserve to die”.
I’m sorry, but yes, she did. It was unfortunate the SHE had to be the one to pay for the mistake, but she was the one who pushed that magic button at the wrong time. If she hadn’t crossed the line and illegally broke into the Capital Building, she wouldn’t be dead. It is really that simple. If that is “DISGUSTING” to you then I don’t know what more to tell you. I am NOT going to shed a tear for someone who was literally acting foolish. It was foolish for her to be there.
Let’s take this a step further for a moment. Imagine she hadn’t been shot and killed when she broke through the barricaded door and into the room with the congresscritters. Behind them come the mob of hundreds people with varying motives in mind.
In what world did you think the detail wasn’t going to start shooting? Does “Stand your Ground” only apply to incidents that you approve of?
I did? You assume a lot. To be honest with you, I didn’t mourn anyone. I didn’t know him. It was sad to literally watch him be murdered like he was. By every definition of the law, those cops murdered that man. It doesn’t make one iota of difference if the man had been white, green blue, red or black, it would make no iota of difference if the man had been a mass murderer or a Christian saint, and it would not make one iota of difference if the man was in excellent health or on his death bed.
It was still a murder. His air was cut off he could not breathe. It was clear he wasn’t breathing. The witnesses around him told the cop he wasn’t breathing.
But hey, let’s pretend that George Floyd died of a drug overdose. In what world is the treatment for a person dying of a drug overdose involves using your knee to hold you down in such a way that it becomes literally impossible for anyone to breathe? This wasn’t a rookie cop, he was a cop that was training other cops. If Floyd was in distress because of a drug overdose, then the cop isn’t going to drag the guy out of the car and into the gutter and then jam his knee with all of his weight into his back, thus preventing him from being able to breathe for EIGHT MINUTES AND FORTY EIGHT SECONDS. Are you sure you want to continue on with that particular defense?
Okay, let’s talk about his obesity, doctor J. If I’m reading your comment correctly, you are blaming his death on the fact that he was overweight? Pardon my actual swearing, but how in the flying fuck is that relevant to this situation? Using your “logic”, anyone with a health condition is at fault for their own death if a cop decides he wants to jam his knee into their back for EIGHT MINUTES AND FORTY EIGHT SECONDS. Without any sort of consequences?
It’s irrational at best.
I wonder, have you ever actually watched the cop murder George Floyd? I’m going to take a small step and guess that you haven’t. It’s hard to watch, but if you had, there is absolutely no way you could think of this the way you have been.
If George Floyd had been white, he’d probably still be alive because the cop wouldn’t have yanked him out of the ground, handcuff him and then try to stuff him into the back of a police car without warning. That’s right, woman, George Floyd died with his hands cuffed behind his back while the cop pulled up on them and kneed his back for eight minutes.
Ashli Babbitt broke into the Nation’s Capital, with a mob of hundreds of angry and agitated people intent on doing a number of dangerous and damaging things to our nation. Whether she realized it or not, she was involved in a literal coup. The fact that she was the only one killed was amazing all by itself.