Aug 312023
 

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell froze again, Idalia made landfall in Florida’s “Big Bend” region (which is exactly where you think it would be), our Mitch emailed his list that he and his are in no danger, and, by evening, Idalia was down to a tropical storm.  Late the night before, I read that Fani Willis has asked the judge to  put all the speedy-trial-demanders into a single trial, and therefore on the same date, October 23, if legally possible.  It hadn’t occurred to me that it might not be so I was assuming they would all be tried together (Eastman is number three.)  It’s consederably more complex than I thought.  Harry Litman explains the contingencies, in this vodeo, which has CC and therefore generates a transcript (click the 3 dots tp the right of the up-down-share line and “open trancript”.)  I hope it works out with the minimum number of seperate trials (which i believe would be four – but what do I know.)   Georgia’s doing us all a big favor and should not be required to break the bank to do it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Family Recalls Jacksonville Shooting Victim’s Last Call With Daughter
Quote – Several other relatives told the Associated Press that Gallion was a devoted father, and though his relationship with the child’s mother didn’t work out, he still had the respect of her family. “He never missed a beat,” Sabrina Rozier, the child’s maternal grandmother, said Sunday at a vigil honoring the victims. “He got her every weekend. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to have her (Saturday).”… “My heart melted for my granddaughter, because she was his world and he was her world. And now we’re trying to figure out how to tell her, because we haven’t told her yet and she’s only 4.”
Click through for more. I do appreciate the Beast telling the story in a respectful way. We don’t always see that.

Robert Reich – Globaloney: Why the Democrats’ love affair with “free trade” is over
Quote – But “globalization” is not a force of nature. How it works and whom it benefits or harms depend on specific, negotiated rules about which assets will be protected and which will not. In most trade deals, the assets of American corporations (including intellectual property) have been protected. If another nation adopts strict climate regulations that reduce the value of U.S. energy assets in that country, the country must compensate the American firms. Wall Street has been granted free rein to move financial assets into and out of our trading partners. But the jobs and wages of American workers have not been protected. Why shouldn’t American corporations that profit from trade be required to compensate American workers for job losses due to trade?
Click through for full assessment. It’s not news that unregulated anything helps only the wealthiest and hurts the reat of us. This does point up that regulation itself needs to be both accurately designed andproperly administered

CPR – [Senator] John Hickenlooper showed up at a SAG-AFTRA rally, and not just as a supporter — he’s paid his dues (literally)
Quote – He was there not just as a supporter, he said, but as a dues-paying member of SAG-AFTRA’s local chapter. That’s because the senator’s cousin, the late filmmaker George Hickenlooper, had a habit of casting him for bit parts. Among them was the film “Casino Jack,” released in 2010 when Hickenlooper was mayor of Denver. He played a U.S. Senator with one big line: “Remove that man.” “My cousin George made me do 28 takes,” Hickenlooper told the crowd near the City Park boathouse.
Click through – I’m not going to be able to keep up three a day, even in a week like this, but I thought this was cute, and I didn’t want to bump anything else for something this light. It was news to me.

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Aug 302023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Chutkan sets speedy trial – March 2024 – in Trump’s trial for trying to overturn 2020 election

Thom Hartmann – GOP’s Bizarre Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theory Targets…Beyonce?!

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – August 29, 2023

Liberal Redneck – The battle for White votes in the South

Mangey Street Puppy Completely Transforms

Beau – Let’s talk about FEMA, Hawaii, and hotels….

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Aug 302023
 

Yesterday, John Eastman became the third conspirator demanding a speedy trial. There are two more days (today and tomorrow) in the window for October 23rd (they get 30 days but on account of Georgia’s definition of a speedy trial anyone demanding on September 1 or after might have to settle for December.) There was news that DA Willis wants a speedy trial for all, bit there is the little problem that there are 19 of them, and courtrooms are only so big. I recall reading womewhere that the most defendants who can be tried in one room is six. But I suppose that could all happen at the same time – Fulton County must have more than 3 judges and the DA’s staff must have more than 3 prosecutors. Also, there was a delightful story about Joe and Jill

Cartoon – 30 0830Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Daily Beast – Here Are 11 Wild Things That Could Happen in the 2024 Election
Quote – These 11 examples are, of course, merely illustrative. We also know the Supreme Court is capable of making decisions that inflame electorates (see Dobbs) and that pollsters regularly misgauge the national mood resulting in seeming surprises (that really are just evidence that the pollsters got it wrong). And then there are the real unknown unknowns, the wild developments that even speculative columns like this one are unwilling to address. Take for example the recent revelations about aliens. After all, if they are true and they have seen the mess we are making of things here on this Earth, surely they must have considered and could be planning to act on the notion that we are long overdue for a planetary makeover.
Click through for complete list. Obviously sone are more likely than others, and some are imaginable only with extreme mental effort. But it’s a good reminder of how much less we know than we think we do.

Wonkette – Mark Meadows Had The Right To Remain Silent. But Now He Doesn’t.
Quote – [U]nder Georgia law, Meadows seems to have waived the right to plead the Fifth about anything discussed on the witness stand. Here’s a quote from the relevant case: :A defendant in a criminal case who voluntarily testifies in his own behalf, waives completely his privilege under the Fifth Amendment. [Cit.] Furthermore, when a defendant voluntarily takes the stand in his own behalf and testifies as to his guilt or innocence as to a particular offense, `his waiver is not partial; having once cast aside the cloak of immunity, he may not resume it at will, whenever cross-examination may be inconvenient or embarrassing”
Click through for more detail, such as even if the case is moved to a Federal Court, it will be tried under Georgia law and with Georgia prosecutors. The only differences will be the judge and the jury pool. And whatever small advantage he might have gotten from the jury pool, he may have just incinerated.

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Aug 292023
 

We know the court date. The other answer we don’t know at time of posting. I want to know too. Also, IF Meadows gets his trial transferred to Federal court, he will still be tried under Georgia law (which is tougher on RICO than the Fed law.)
Glenn Kirschner – Two big court hearings on Monday: Trump’s DC trial date to be set; & Mark Meadows mockery in Georgia

The Lincoln Project – #TrumpMugshot

Thom Hartmann – Is America Run By A Psychopathic Cult? w/ Seth D. Norrholm

Parody Project – WE’RE TRUMPUPPETS – The Maga Theme Song

[Jackson Galaxy] Inmates Find Redemption Through Cats [Long, but worth every second, and the CC is professional]

Beau – Let’s talk about who won the debate….

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Aug 282023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s co-defendant, Meadows, wants his case moved to Fed Court. Here’s why his claim should fail.

The Lincoln Project – Tucker & Trump

PoliticsGirl – Come On, Man

Armageddon Update – The 4 Horsemen Of The TRUMPOCALYPSE!

Orangutan Babysits Tiger Cubs

Beau – Let’s talk about leopards, opportunity, and a likely underreported story….

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Aug 272023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Two of Trump’s RICO co-defendants, Chesebro & Powell, want speedy trial. This is bad news for Trump.

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – August 22, 2023

Farron Balanced – Steve Bannon Attacks Fani Willis And Suggests We’re Close To ‘Revolution’

Rocky Mountain Mike – Headloose

Guy Risks Life To Rescue Cats From Trees

Beau – Let’s talk about how McCarthy can fix the House….

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Aug 262023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Georgia judge sets October 2023 trial date for Trump’s RICO co-defendant, Kenneth Chesebro (groaner alert)

The Lincoln Project – It’s His Party

Robert Reich – Unsung Heroes of Trump’s Georgia Indictment

Brent Terhune – Kid Rock Drank a Bud Light???

Starving Husky Nearly Gives Up Until A Miracle Happens

Beau – Let’s talk about Russia and who they don’t want to face….

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Aug 262023
 

Yesterday, Colorado Public Radio announced that we on the Front Range may get some rain this weekend leftover fron a tropical storm – not from Hilary, but from Harold. The mountains are still a good barrier – the eastern plains, not so much. I did manage to do a bit of laundry and food prep. Also, earlier this week we spoke about clothing being speech. Today’s FFT shows that this can be true even if no one is wearing it. The quote is from a knitting newsletter I receive several times a year (hence the allusion to classes).I made the picture a live link to the exhibit – if you look around that site you can see more details larger. I’m reminded of the AIDS quilt, though the product and the cause are different.

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Short Takes –

Robert Hubbell – A MAGA mugshot
Quote – In addition to impeachment, the Georgia legislature enacted a law this year (which will go into effect in October) that creates a commission empowered to hear complaints against district attorneys who allegedly refuse to enforce categories of crimes like low-level drug offenses, juvenile offenses, and abortion laws. Seventeen other states have enacted similar legislation to target progressive prosecutors who—in their view—refuse to enforce the law…. Four Georgia prosecutors have sued to invalidate the law…. If the Georgia Commission orders Fani Willis removed after a hearing, she can appeal to the Fulton County Superior Court and (ultimately) to the Georgia Supreme Court. That will take a while, to say the least. Even if Willis is removed, her assistants will continue to prosecute the case.
Click through (it’s Substack, so be prepared to click to keep reading, and to scroll down to reach that click if the page appears to freeze.) I’ve seen a lot of people (most of them at Democratic Underground, but also other places) expressing worry for Fani Willis concerning the new Georgia law allowing a Commission to remove DAs, which goes into effect in October. I’ve been saying it can’t be done just by thinking about it – there will be process – but IANAL. Robert Hubbell is a lawyer and he not only explains it better thn I , he also knows more twists and turns. There are a lot of contingencies addressed in this article also.

HuffPost – Ohio Republicans Twist Ballot Language For Pro-Choice Provision In Likely Attempt To Confuse Voters
Quote – In November, voters will consider a ballot initiative that seeks to enshrine abortion rights and other reproductive freedoms into Ohio’s Constitution. But the five-member Ohio Ballot Board, led by anti-choice advocate and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, on Thursday approved anti-choice language to be used in the initiative, which may confuse voters. The approved summary language uses “unborn child” instead of “fetus.” It does not include any language about the right to make decisions about miscarriages, fertility treatments or contraception — even though that’s a significant part of the proposed amendment.
Click through for details. Ohio has a bigger problem than abortion – a problem elephant-sized and elephant-shaped. I wish them luck. They’re going to need it.

Food For Thought

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