According to my pill caddy, it is a Thursday in the Realm and I am at home in my Hunker-Bunker at 0500 getting ready to crank out today’s news and stupid commentary to you ingrates. It’s been five whole days since my last ‘confession’ here — but I have an excuse: I really don’t care enough about y’all to be here every day. Contrary to what you might think
, this isn’t my ‘job’. I’m a cranky middle-of-the-road, Libertarian-leaning idiot trying to fill the shoes of the Emperor.
Kinda like our leaders in BOTH parties and we all end up looking like cheap imitations.
But enough of me, here’s the headlines that caught my eye this morning:
3. Mitt Romney sounds one last alarm on Trump
4. Retail theft is the worst in these 10 US cities, study finds
5. Rep. Mike Johnson voted new House speaker
6. In Texas, local governments are banning travel aid for abortions
7. Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) Charged With Setting Off False Fire Alarm
And now for my stupid commentary:
The rules of my game here is that I haven’t actually read the stories connected to these headlines. That’s what makes this fun — I will probably get it all completely wrong.
1. I did actually hear this story on my NPR jazz station that I play as background noise while I am sleeping. I only heard that authorities were looking for a mass shooter in Maine who killed a lot of people in a bowling alley last night. I didn’t know the extent until I saw the bright red headlines on Drudge as I collected today’s headlines.
Twenty-two people. Fuck.
Some people shouldn’t have firearms. You can’t get any more basic than that. Robert Card would be one of those people. But that is all 20/20 hindsight. The problem is, who gets to decide who shouldn’t be allowed to have firearms and what is the criteria? This is where you hit the brick wall.
We already restrict eight percent of the population from owning or possessing firearms for life. If a felon is caught in possession of a firearm, it could be a five-year mandatory prison sentence. We restrict another 13.5 percent of the population from owning or possessing firearms if they’ve been using drugs in the past thirty days. That percentage could be a LOT higher if you consider the fact that marijuana is a Schedule I narcotic and is legal in twenty-three states.
Twenty-one states currently have “red flag laws”, where the state could take away someone’s firearms for mental health reasons. I believe that all have some form of due process in place that allows for the restoration of those firearms once the mental ’emergency’ has passed. I don’t kn0w of any jurisdiction that has a permanent ban on firearms for mental illness. And again, “mental illness” is defined by what criteria? Is it used exclusively for harm potential, or is it just a blanket term that can be defined by the agency applying it?
Would a “red flag law” prevented this shooting? I’ve always thought this was a stupid question. Being mentally ill doesn’t make a person ‘stupid’, or ‘incapable’. A determined person will ALWAYS find a way to get a gun. No amount of laws will prevent that. Especially if you already don’t give a fuck about the law. But there is no doubt that it would stop at least a few of them.
I have an extraordinary solution to all of this: Just execute anyone who commits any crime with a firearm. Right there on the spot, with no trial. It’s a consequence-based solution, related to “fuck-around and find out”. It will save a lot of money and will send a message that maybe a firearm isn’t the best thing to commit a crime with.
But it wouldn’t have stopped this shooting. NEXT…
2. Assuming that he “assumes office”. The last I looked, he still has 91 felony charges that he will be dealing with, and if his performance in his current civil trial has cost him $15,000 in two contempt charges, he’s going to be in an FDC while he waits for trial if he isn’t careful. The courts only have so much patience. If it were anyone else but Trump, the defendant would be behind bars right now, no question.
3. “bleat!” Mittens wrote a book? How cute.
4. I am sure that Seattle is somewhere near the top of any list, and there is a reason why: We elected idiots on our city council. But we are in the process of fixing that problem. I have a ballot right here on my desk that I will be dropping in the box at the library up the street in a few hours. There is a whole new slate of candidates, and none of them actually claim to be Socialists.
Each of them seem to have a better idea of what to do about our homeless problem. Or at least the free-for-all that it has become. All of them are running on the platform of reversing the laws that made it illegal to “sweep” homeless camps and either put them in a shelter or jail to be assessed for mandatory services.
The pendulum swings…
5. Well, that was embarrassing to watch. My question, is what was actually accomplished here? A minority in the House was able to grind everything to a halt while the entire party made a spectacle out of themselves? Shit-can one Speaker only to get another one who will end up being shit-canned for the same reasons?
The Republican Party is really two or even three parties in one, and at least one of them want a divorce from the other(s). Add to that the fact that the House is almost evenly split between Republican and Democrat, that there is no margin of error when you need to pass “have-to” legislation. So the Speaker would have to reach across the aisle to make a deal with the Democrats. Remember, whatever passes in the House, still has to make it through the Senate.
6. This one caught my eye because it sounds dystopian. Some states/counties have tried to make it illegal for a pregnant woman to leave the county to obtain an abortion. I’m picturing one of those checkpoints on roads leaving the county where a cop will check to see if you are not pregnant before being allowed to leave.
Texas does it different. They create the law that will allow anyone with no standing to sue anyone they suspect has gotten an abortion and anyone who has helped or facilitated. Now they want to expand the law to include potentially, any pregnant woman who leaves the county that they suspect may try to obtain an abortion?
Blessed by thy fruit…
7. Good. Pull a fire alarm for any reason other than an emergency, then you should expect to receive an infraction at the very least. Apparently they didn’t think he pulled it to disrupt a House session, or he’d be looking at a felony. Although I would want to know how they came to that determination, because it seemed clear to me that was exactly his intent when he pulled the alarm.
An Interesting Tidbit about why Hamas needs fuel:
Why is Hamas so stressed about the lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip?
It is crucial to understand what is happening in Gaza’s underground. This murderous terrorist organization has created an entire city underground with 1300 branched maze-like tunnels, Located 70 meters (230 feet) under the surface with a total length of 500 km (310 miles). These tunnels are made from the exact concrete that the Western World donated, that was actually meant for schools, hospitals, kindergartens and other civilian infrastructure and services. These tunnels protect high ranked Hamas officials, commanders and 30 thousand terrorists.
Now here’s why Hamas is so stressed about the fuel:
The air to the tunnels is supplied by a ventilation system. The System is operated by fuel powered engines. This is their only source of oxygen. No fuel means no air, no oxygen. If there is no air, it means they have to come out of the tunnels to breathe. Coming out of the tunnels means they will be annihilated by the IDF.
You can’t gas them — it’s a war crime. But what about cutting off their air and sealing the entrances?
Fresh from the Meme-field to the table:
Memes from my meme-box.
Well, that’s it. I purposely left out all the shooting memes.
Have a great day. Get your Shingles vaccination.
Thoughts and Prayers, yadda yadda yadda…
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Dropped the ballot off in the box. My civil duty is now completed. I even voted for my favorite perennial candidate, Goodspaceguy for whatever the fuck he is running for this time. He has been on every ballot going back twenty years now, running for just about every office there is. One of these days we are going to fuck around and elect this guy. :em05:
Goodspaceguy? I proudly voted for Chief Wana Dubie back in 2006. He died in 2017. He is easily found on web.
Unless you’re Hunter Biden.
In a recent press conference, President Joseph R. Biden found himself in an awkward and almost comical moment. He came close to introducing himself before approaching the podium but quickly corrected his mistake, stating, “I’m not introducing me, Mark is. I forgot, Mark. I went straight to the podium.”
Oh, it must have been his stutter.
You doubted my contention that Iran is in the highest part of the Biden administration, so here it is:
One of the alleged “Iranian sympathizers,” a chief of staff in the Department of Defense, who had unrestricted access to classified materials.
But who is this mysterious individual? None other than Rob Malley, Joe Biden’s chief negotiator for Iran. It’s no surprise that Malley is a fervent supporter of the disastrous Obama-Iran nuclear deal. Cruz made it crystal clear that Malley’s conduct has been so egregious that even the FBI is investigating him. And don’t forget, his security clearance was suspended earlier this year, a glaring indication of just how bad things have gotten under this radical White House. [BUT HE WAS NOT FIRED!]
Three of Malley’s top advisers were Iranian operatives recruited and directed by the Iranian government. Yes, you heard that correctly. The very people advising Malley were answering to the Iranian foreign minister.
RE THE MAINE SHOOTING” the shooter reportedly threatened to shoot up a National Guard base earlier this year, he was almost certainly on the FBI’s radar. That would make this incident at least the 23rd time that the FBI has monitored, but failed to stop, mass shooters before they go on their sprees.
21 troops injured in Iraq and Syria drone strikes
Biden is warning Iran, you’d better stop attacking Americas or I’ll…I’ll…take a nap.
You can’t help yourself, can you? I knew this would trigger your Hunter Biden reflex, but there’s one small problem:
Hunter Biden is not a felon yet. That’s the part of the equation that you continually seem to miss. His violation had to do with the use of drugs within 30 days prior. That becomes a felony only after being convicted. Now had he been a felon before he tried to buy the gun, THEN, YES, he would be on the hook for a five year minimum for felon-in-possession.
As far as the rest of your unhealthy obsession with Hunter Biden — I just don’t care.
Hunter Biden is a nobody. A private citizen who does not now, nor has he ever worked directly or indirectly paid or unpaid for either his father or the US Government. He has never been involved in policy decisions. His one and only claim to fame is that he is a member of the lucky sperm club, and his father is currently the sitting POTUS, which earns him secret service protection for that happenstance.
You will get NO argument from me that Hunter Biden was a drug-addled sleazebag. There, but for the grace of god and all that…
Is it embarrassing for Joe Biden? Sure. Just like any father would be embarrassed by the failures of their children. But like most normal parents, Joe Biden will rush to support a child that has stumbled or fallen not disown them.
But you misread even that, don’t you? You see Biden’s support for Hunter as somehow ‘approving’ or ‘excusing’ Hunter Biden’s actions. Wouldn’t something like this be a reason to lend MORE support to your children in order to help them get past all of this? It’s kind of the basic human thing to do, isn’t it?
I am literally exhausted of hearing you yammer on about Hunter Biden. If he gets six months in jail for his gun and tax issues, then who the fuck cares? After all, that is the maximum sentence under the US Sentencing Guidelines for the charges he is currently facing. He’d be eligible for a 15% sentence reduction for ‘good time’, so that 180 day sentence would be finished in 153 days. Because of who he is, he’d probably do it all at home, with an ankle bracelet.
Do you not see the niggling issue this really is?
Yeah, I know. You think there is more to the Burisma story. With emphasis on the word, story. You are trying to establish a link between Hunter’s name-dropping ‘access’ to Joe Biden and Joe Biden somehow profiting off of influence, right?
So far all I’ve ever seen is supposition, with no actual proof. Most of the stuff you post here are opinions of people who have as much knowledge as you or I.
Look, I have NO doubt that Hunter Biden used his father’s name to get him into places that he wouldn’t have gotten into without it. Go back to any modern-era president, and you will find family members and close friends all cashing in on the name and connection to the Office of President. Or any other office of influence. It happens in the White House, and it happens in a small town.
Didn’t Obama have a relative who tried to take advantage of being related to the POTUS? I seem to remember the Bush Twins taking advantage of their father’s position. Clinton had a brother, and so did Carter. Then the Reagan kids made millions off their father’s position. Hell, I’ll name-drop a bit here myself to say that Ron Reagan Jr is a friend and neighbor.
Shall I talk about the actual cashing in by the Trump kids? Anything that Hunter may have done would pale in comparison to what both Ivanka and Jared managed to get from their relationship to Trump.
But you don’t want to talk about that, do you? You didn’t see anything wrong there at all, did you?
Hunter Biden committed a FELONY when he lied on his application for a gun when he answered “No” to the question of whether he was a drug user or addicted.
It cracks me up that you accuse me of being heartless and not understanding that Biden is just doing what any parent would. Never mind that it’s AGAINST THE LAW. Never mind that it’s immoral. And Hunter Biden keeps throwing himself in the spotlight. Video of him smoking crack. Videos of him with prostitutes. BRAGGING about how invincible he is.
Yes, children of presidents get a lot of perks. You think Chelsea Clinton would be a reporter for NBC if not for her last name? But I don’t know of any other children, including Jared and Ivanka, who committed crimes so openly and did not get punished.
Good girl. You figured part of it out. But you are still missing the main part: Hunter Biden does not currently have a felony record. This means his offender score is a ZERO.
They count your PRIOR convictions when setting your offender score. If he doesn’t have a prior record, his sentencing range for lying on the gun application would be at a seriousness level of 1 and an offender score of 0. That range is 0-6 months. Anything above six months would be considered an ‘exceptional sentence’ requiring aggravating circumstances in the crime. There was nothing aggravating about the crime.
I hope you don’t have kids. Heaven help them if they ever get in trouble around your judgmental ass. You’d probably disown them. At least that’s the feeling I get when you ridicule Joe Biden for standing by his son during his time of troubles. The fact that this ‘cracks [you] up’ is just a further indication of just how fucking “heartless” you actually are in this case. Your word, not mine.
Just because a parent stands by their child during their times of trouble doesn’t mean they condone the behavior. Or at least in the case of NORMAL people. Like I said, you’d probably disown your spawn if they stepped out of line.
As a general rule, US Attorney’s do not actually investigate anything. Investigations are done by the various law enforcement agencies — for example, I was assigned to the USPS for most of my cases.
There are a number of reasons why an agency might not be allowed to investigate a certain case — the most common reason being that there has to be some evidence of a crime committed before the government just starts delving into the private affairs of people, places and things. A law enforcement agency can’t just unilaterally start investigating someone just because they want to. And if it smacks of being a political investigation without solid evidence? It won’t be approved.
I get a kick out of your selective outrages though. You can’t get Hunter Biden off of your mind, but you sure don’t want to talk about how Jared and Ivanka managed to use Donald Trump’s position to gain a couple of billion bucks. Where is your outrage there?
Do go on about Hunter Biden though.
Oh look, something else:
Former U.S. Attorney Scott Brady testified this week that the FBI prevented him from investigating Hunter Biden’s work for Ukrainian oil company Burisma.
Brady, who served as the Justice Department’s top federal prosecutor in Pittsburgh from 2017 to 2021, told House Judiciary Committee members during a closed-door hearing on Monday that FBI leadership and special counsel David Weiss deliberately slow-walked any attempt to look into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings.
The testimony comes just days after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed that the FBI sat on dozens of tips from more than 40 informants about the Biden family’s alleged influence peddling scheme.
Well, former prosecutor, is this par for the course?