Good morning from my Hunker-Bunker overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains from my perch on the West side of West Seattle. As you can see from today’s featured image, I get some great views.
This morning I look out my window from my desk, and it is DARK and foggy at 0600. Freezing fog. Good thing I don’t have to be anywhere today.
I plan on starting on phase II of my asset tracking program today. This phase of the project will be setting up an automated preventative maintenance program for all of the assets. From there, I can use AI to create a predictive maintenance program, which should give me an idea on when to expect to repair and/or replace assets. I’ve already set up an AI assistant to deal with the predictive part of it, I’ve just got to set up the foundation. Hopefully, I can have it done by Friday.
But first, I have other things I need to get out of the way, and that includes posting some drivel here today…
It was only a matter of time…
Trump Mulls Replacing Pete Hegseth With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
President-elect Donald Trump is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a possible replacement for Pete Hegseth, his pick to run the Pentagon, according to people familiar with the discussions, amid Republican senators’ concerns over mounting allegations about the former Fox News host’s personal life.
Picking DeSantis, a 2024 GOP primary rival for the presidency, would amount to a stunning turn for Trump. But he would also find in the governor a well-known conservative with a service record who shares Trump’s—and Hegseth’s—view on culling what they see as “woke” policies in the military.
Trump allies increasingly think Hegseth might not survive further scrutiny, according to people close to the president-elect’s team, which considers the next 48 hours to be crucial to his fate.
DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, was on an earlier list of potential defense-secretary candidates that transition officials presented to the president. Trump ultimately went with Hegseth. But as Hegseth’s nomination has faltered, that list has been revived and DeSantis is again among the choices Trump is considering, the people said.
Pete Hegseth’s drinking worried colleagues at Fox News, sources tell NBC News
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News, according to 10 current and former Fox employees who spoke with NBC News.
Two of those people said that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth’s time as a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” which began in 2017, they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air. Those same two people, plus another, said that during his time there he appeared on television after they’d heard him talk about being hungover as he was getting ready or on set.
One of the sources said they smelled alcohol on him as recently as last month and heard him complain about being hungover this fall.
None of the sources with whom NBC News has spoken could recall an instance when Hegseth missed a scheduled appearance because he’d been drinking.
“Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” one of the former Fox employees said.
Lindsey Graham Calls Pete Hegseth Reports ‘Very Disturbing,’ Confirmation Will Be ‘Difficult’
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a stalwart ally of President-elect Donald Trump, expressed on Tuesday some doubt over Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense.
“I think some of these articles are very disturbing,” Graham told CBS News. “He [Hegseth] obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is it’s going to be difficult…”
Hegseth has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a 2017 incident, though he insists that the encounter was entirely consensual. He paid the woman an undisclosed amount following the accusation.
“I like Pete,” continued Graham before arguing that “what we want to do is make sure that we have good order and discipline.”
“Leadership comes at the top. And I want to make sure that every young woman who joins military feels respected,” he added.
In addition to the allegations of criminal sexual misconduct, various salacious reports about Hegseth’s marriages, extramarital activities, and drinking habits have cast doubt over his chances of being confirmed.
MY TAKE:
I am not a fan of Ron DeSantis, but if the choice for SecDef was between Hegseth and DeSantis, I would have to go with DeSantis.
DeSantis is no saint, by any stretch of the imagination, but he doesn’t carry the baggage that Hegseth does, and DeSantis has a much better grasp on reality than Hegseth ever will.
I don’t necessarily have to agree with someone politically to accept them for whatever position they hold, but I tend to draw the line on corruption, criminality, rape and other sexual history and/or pervasive allegations of abuse. I also draw the line on active, untreated drug and alcohol abuse.
So yeah, Ron DeSantis would be a MUCH better pick for the position of SecDef than Hegseth.
This should come as no surprise:
New SCOTUS Leak Reveals Who Didn’t Want Ethics Rules Enforced
The United States Supreme Court revealed what some justices touted as a landmark new ethics code last year.
But critics noted that the scandal-plagued institution’s new rules lacked any enforcement mechanisms, making them essentially a 14-page long list of suggestions.
A new leak of secret discussions from behind the bench, published in The New York Times Tuesday, reveals which justices fought to keep the code of conduct toothless.
The Times reported that the court’s nine justices started passing ultra-confidential memos, kept in paper envelopes and off email servers, back and forth at the end of last summer.
Chief Justice John Roberts, previously a defender of the court’s lack of a binding code, was angling for a compromise. A crisis of public confidence—chiefly driven by revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose taking millions in lavish gifts over two decades, including many from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow—had more or less forced his hand.
But, as they traded memos, Justice Neil Gorsuch emerged as a fervent objector to the idea that the code be anything more than voluntary, the Times said.
Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito apparently backed him up, arguing against critics of the court as bad faith actors.
Representing half of the court’s conservative majority, Gorsuch, Thomas and Alito made a compromise among the justices that featured enforcement mechanisms that were virtually impossible.
The court’s three liberal justices—Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson—all advocated for some form of enforcement, the Times reported.
MY TAKE:
Should any of us be surprised that Clarence Thomas and Alito would be against any kind of ethics rules? I mean, how much money has Clarence Thomas made off of the ‘gifts’ he’s received for his judicial rulings? If this isn’t the textbook definition of ‘corruption’, I don’t know what is.
The point is, rich people aren’t supposed to be buying Supreme Court Justices. The Supreme Court just recently ruled that presidents are immune to prosecution for any ‘official acts’ they do. Is it much of a stretch to assume that these Supreme Court Justices feel the same way about their positions as well? That they are literally above the law, and there is absolutely nothing we can say or do to get rid of them when they start doing crazy shit?
NOBODY should be above the law. EVERYONE should be equally responsible for our own fucking actions, and accept the consequences for those actions whatever they may be.
When it comes to the Supreme Court, we are talking about nine unelected people who are serving lifetime appointments, and have the unique position of being able to adversely affect the lives of millions with just one legal opinion with no recourse.
The Court needs guidelines with TEETH. Also, we need to change the terms from a lifetime appointment to just one twelve-year term, and increase the number of justices to equal the number of districts as was originally intended by the founding fathers.
This way, the Court would fairly represent the generational changes of the population, while still maintaining a balance and precedence.
The wheels of justice grind slow, but they still grind.
Netanyahu’s corruption trial testimony moved to Tel Aviv, starts next week
The testimony of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trial is scheduled to begin on December 10 at 9:00 a.m. The judges of the Jerusalem District Court have ruled that, following security recommendations, the proceedings will take place at the Tel Aviv District Court. The court also rejected Netanyahu’s request to appear before the judicial panel in advance to address procedural matters and security arrangements for his testimony. However, the judges have yet to establish the frequency of the hearings for his testimony.
The court’s decision was rendered “in light of the professional assessment provided by those responsible for the prime minister’s security, following a meeting during which explanations and clarifications were presented by these parties.”
On Monday, the Shin Bet and the Courts Administration submitted their official position to the Jerusalem District Court regarding the appropriate venue for Netanyahu’s testimony. The Shin Bet argued that, due to heightened security risks, it should be held at the Tel Aviv District Court rather than the capital.
“After evaluating various threats based on relevant intelligence, including information received from the military, and following an analysis conducted by a protection consultant, the agency’s professional position is that, at this time, the hearings for the prime minister’s testimony should not be held at the Jerusalem District Court, even though a protected floor is available within the building,” the Shin Bet stated in its submission.
MY TAKE:
Bibi will find a way to drag this out because of “national security”.
I’m also waiting for Jared to pop on back over to fix that peace he was promising to deliver on.
God bless Trump for getting back in time to fix all of this.
Refer Madness 2024
Land of the free, home of the blazed.
In the last few decades, marijuana’s had a major glow-up.
In 1992, less than 1 million people were using it daily or nearly every day — a low point, according to an analysis of data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which began surveying Americans in the 1970s. Ten times as many people, meanwhile, reported drinking alcohol daily or almost daily.
In the 1990s, weed was illegal nationally and in every state. But marijuana’s since had a major rebrand: Three decades later, it’s legal for recreational adult use in nearly half of the 50 states. Now, it’s even challenging alcohol for its status as America’s favorite daily intoxicant.
In 2022, for the first time, more Americans were using marijuana daily, or near daily, than consuming alcohol at the same rate, according to a study by Jonathan Caulkins, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The number of daily or near daily marijuana users has grown from less than 1 million in 1992 to 17.7 million in 2022; in terms of per capita rate, that’s a 15-fold increase.
MY TAKE:
As I take my bong hit of “Permanent Marker” (a 50:50 hybrid with 28.6% THCA) I think for moment with a lot of random, unrelated thoughts and after a few moments finally say, “huh?”
This is a razor-thin ‘mandate’
Democrats’ last House win locks in brutally small GOP majority
Democrats won the final uncalled U.S. House race in California on Tuesday, ensuring Republicans will have a painfully miniscule majority next year.
Why it matters: This could cause all kinds of problems for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President-elect Trump as they try to quickly pass a sweeping conservative policy agenda through Congress.
- Democrats are already formulating ways to kill party-line GOP votes and force Republicans to pursue a bipartisan approach to governance.
Driving the news: Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) told Axios he conceded to Democratic challenger Adam Gray after nearly a month of vote-counting.
- Gray, who won by under 200 votes, declared victory in a statement saying he is “honored to become the Congressman-elect for California’s 13th district.”
- House Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) boasted in a statement on Gray’s win, “Republicans now have no room for error because of their historically narrow margin.”
MY TAKE:
This is an awful tight margin for a president who needs to get as much shit done as he can in his first 100 days. He cannot afford to lose ONE vote.
This is a temporary situation, caused by Trump pulling out members of Congress to fill his administration at a time where the House Republicans could not afford to lose even one warm body. It will be a few months before those seats can be filled, but by then the momentum to get signature things done will have come and gone.
Obamacare became law because Democrats had a ballgame already going the day they were sworn in to office, and before Obama was sworn in. It’s the first 100 days that sets the course and tone of the majority party, and if they aren’t running full-bore by mid-April, they will get nothing done. The rest of their terms will be tied up with running for re-election.
Take a look at the last five Congresses. You can graph it. It’s always the first 100 days, and after that … they are running for office.
The question is, are Republicans going to spend the first hundred days finding a new Speaker again? Who is going to take Matt Gaetz place as House Clown?
From the Memebox:
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Who cares about people’s personal problems when there are nominees whose POLICY VIEWS are disastrous. Gabbard is a much more dangerous pick than Hegseth or Gaetz and more effort needs to be made in blocking her.