Yesterday, I was a little drowsy, having not slept well. As long as i could manage to do what I needed to do, I welcomed that – hoping it would help me get to sleep early last night, which I needed to do in order to get up so early today. By the time you see this (which should be fairly early), I will already be on the road. I’ll respond to comments when I return.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Hill – Federal judge approves bankruptcy settlement for Purdue Pharma
Quote – Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, filed for bankruptcy in 2019 in an attempt to settle about 3,000 lawsuits from states, tribes and other local entities related to the company’s aggressive opioid marketing that they argue contributed to the opioid crisis that has killed nearly 500,000 people over the past 20 years. The settlement plan would shield members of the Sackler family and hundreds of their associates from future opioid lawsuits.
Click through for details. “Controversial” apparently in this case (as too often) being a euphemism for “outrageous.” I will say it sounds like the judge was holding his nose when he signed it.
Crooks and Liars – Even Karl Rove Is Bashing Madison Cawthorn
Quote – Rove wants the Congressman to focus more on Western North Carolina and less on traveling around the country. If it’s his own money then that would be fine, but he’s using his donors’ money to fund his trips around the country to focus on grievance politics. He’s already burnt through much of his coffers at this point.
Click through for a little more detail. His primary opponent is hitting this hard against him. But … look at all the people who voted for Mr. “Not paying taxes makes me smart.” Sigh.
New York Times – Go-to Lawyer for Capitol Riot Defendants Disappears (Following up)
Quote – While the government has not yet weighed in on the merits on [Pierce’s] claims, prosecutors did express concern in their letters filed on Monday about the young associate, Ryan Joseph Marshall, who has been standing in for Mr. Pierce at the hearings he has missed. For one thing, Mr. Marshall is not a licensed lawyer, prosecutors said, and has taken actions on behalf of clients “that he is not permitted” to take. Moreover, they went on, it remains unclear if and when Mr. Marshall will be able to get his law license given that he is under indictment in two criminal cases accusing him of corruption, theft and fraud in Pennsylvania. Mr. Pierce’s situation is not his first encounter with personal and professional setbacks. Last year, his law firm nearly collapsed in a swirl of debts and resignations. Then his most prominent client, Kyle Rittenhouse, the young man charged with murder at a racial justice protest in Wisconsin last year, fired him in a highly public spat that included allegations that a charity arranged for the defense had engaged in financial improprieties.
Click through for a lot of information. I really hope y’all can get past the paywall. This is so much more bizarre than any secondary source has yet published.
Food for Thought –
Addendum: The dude who assaulted the reporter has been nabbed.
10 Responses to “Open Thread for September 3, 2021”
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Hope that you have a good start to your day, and that all goes well with your visit with Virgil, and coming back home. Take care, Joanne.
Cartoon: A good day.
The Hill: Geez…pretty outrageous! They seem to me that they got off easy, to say the least. I didn’t know that they have offshore accounts either. How convenient.
C&L: Makes me cringe. Likes living the high life. I guess he thinks the world owes him a living, eh? Not!!
NYT: How bizarre! Mr. Pierce is gone, and Marshall trying to act like a lawyer, all the while being under indictment in two cases. Crazy!
FFT: Good grief!
Addendum: PTL for the US Marshals arresting this abusive violent man. Hope that Mr. Brewster will be ok too.
THIS JUST IN: TJI: “Abortion is health care.” ~ The Democrats ~
2. “Justice Sotomayor: “ … A majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand … Taken together, the Act is a breathtaking act of defiance — of the Constitution, of this Court’s precedents, and of the rights of women seeking abortions throughout Texas.” ~ Yamiche Alcindor ~
3. “Let me get this straight. We can’t tell you that you need to wear a mask during a deadly pandemic because “your body, your right” but you’re allowed to police whether a woman is pregnant and seeking an abortion??”
~ George Takei ~
4. “U.S. citizen and journalist Danny Fenster marked his 100th day detained in Burma. Danny’s unjust detention is a reminder of the military junta’s crackdown on journalists and press freedom in Burma. We will continue to work for his release until we #BringDannyHome.” ~ Wendy Sherman~
5. “President Joe Biden blasted the U.S. Supreme Court for refusing to block Texas’ six-week abortion ban and slammed the Texas Legislature for passing such a bill, calling the new state law “a bizarre scheme.”
~ Texas Tribune ~
6. “Upon our return from recess, the House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu’s ‘Women’s Protection Act’ to enshrine into Law, reproductive health care for all women across America.” ~ Speaker Nancy Pelosi ~
TJI #2 – Justice Sotomayor was on FIRE!
TJI #3 – The GQP has had decades of practice at hypocrisy.
Shaq appears to be fine as frog hair, I’m happy to say. probably just as grateful as we are that Brewster is in custody.
TJI #1 – As a Democrat, a woman, a woman with endometriosis, and the daughter of a woman who survived an ectopic pregnancy before having me only through a complicated procedure which ceetainly qualified as an abortion, I say so as loudly as I can.
TJI #2 –
TJI #3 – Well, sure, because only white adult males are human. Everyone else is chopped liver.
TJI #4 – The United States under Republicans will be doing that – particularly to its own citizens – if we can’t stop it from happening.
TJI #5 – He’s right, of course. Apparently it was 5-4 – too much for Roberts. Unless I’m thinking of a different decision.
TJI #6 – Yes, that’s good news.Hope there’s a way to get it through the Senate.
Hope you get a good night’s rest for your trip!
Federal judge approves bankruptcy settlement for Purdue Pharma
Pretty clear the judge felt his hands were tied in approving the decision.
Even Karl Rove Is Bashing Madison Cawthorn
“When you’ve lost Karl Rove …”
(Cawthorn has always been a hog for the limelight.)
Go-to Lawyer for Capitol Riot Defendants Disappears
And the reason is “he had a conflict” … no, “he was in a car accident” yeah, that’s the ticket … no, “he’s got COVID & is on a ventilator” there you go.
You don’t suppose Marshall killed him, chopped him up into little bits, and fed him to … someone or something?
Cartoon: A Happy Day for sport fans.
The Hill: Despicable the way these companies get off so easily. Not good at all.
C&L: Shameful. Must be something in the R’s blood that make them feel they have the right at using monetary donations for themselves.
NYT: Crazy situation. The law firm is one I certainly wouldn’t want representing me. Can’t read the article, unless I subscribe.
Food for Thought: Stinking tRumper.
I hope you got some deceit sleep last night, Joanne.
Hope you and Virgil have a nice visit.
I pray that your drive to and from go well without too much traffic due to the Labor Day weekend. Will check back later to see you made it back safely.
Take care. Thanks Joanne
I’m back – and tired – but safe. Thanks.
I hope you weren’t still a little drowsy while travelling to and from Virgil and that you had another pleasant visit, Joanne. Glad you’re back safe.
Cartoon: Without all the modern gear on, I didn’t recognise it as American football (you can tell I’m a foreigner from the additional “American”, can’t you).
TH: [The Sackler family] would admit no wrongdoing and would retain much of the fortune they made from Purdue. …much of the Sacklers’ fortune was parked in offshore accounts. The Sacklers are shedding crocodile tears from the swamp and as always the 1% is getting away with it.
C&L: Biden and his administration are doing a great job but in the swamp nothing much changes, right?
NYT: No wonder Pierce is so enamoured with TFG, he’s a clone in most respects: a malignant narcissist, a compulsive liar, incompetent, addicted to the limelight, a mobster working only with other criminals, etcetera, etcetera. Reality, or other mobsters, has finally caught up with this raving madman and he’s gone into hiding. I doubt whether he’ll be found within the borders of this country.
FFT: MAGA-men aren’t prone to overstatement much, are they?
Here’s a tag you may want (very occasionally, just once in a blue moon, like with today’s FFT):
Thanks for the tag, Joanne.