Dear Thom, it is with the greatest affection that I say "Nothing will ever make you shut-up.". AND we love that about you!
My thought on the bump-stock issue is that Justice Sotomayor nailed it. It becomes a machine gun, the Republican Justices know it, and they are full of sh*t. Reason? They have no reasoning ability, they have oppositional defiant disorder. And speaking of mental disorder, Dr. Norrholm said it all concerning spreading sociopathy. Maybe a decent health care system could help us work on that too.
Senator Merkley's website has this on it: "Merkley, Murphy, Gomez, Beyer Lead Bicameral Action to Let Every American Choose Medicare". This is how we get the public option that will break the blood-suckers' hold on our medical/insurance industrial complex and get back to the healing arts.
It's our job to get everyone to the polls so Trump's 2025 Project doesn't get the chance to try to keep you quiet.
Recently, a friend said to me maybe our country needs to fall into the hands of those behind Project 2025, tr*mp, and the horrible people around him for Americans to finally understand the warnings, the loss of Democracy, and how bad it truly can be (and is in some places) before they will ever rise up and do anything about it. While I know plenty of activists like me here in AZ, I have had the very same thought. I/we can only yell from the mountaintops so long before our voices are hoarse (not from COVID 😉). Of course, no one likes a doomsayer, but come on! Thom, thanks for all you say and do. I’ve shared many of your articles. And, believe it or not, I still feel optimistic that we will turn things around sooner than later. 💙
Suzanne I felt the same way. Let a rebellious adolescent discover through their own experience the error of their ways, only that is not how it actually works, when the do suffer consequences they find something to blame.
And the problem with letting the right prevail has a blatant example. Germany, Italy and japan, even Spain. Fascism never failed in Spain, until Franco died, and still it lives on, and lives on in Italy, Germany, France and Hungary still, it lives on in Russia who supposedly fought fascism, but it was merely a fraternal power struggle.
Without a countervailing power, and with the power to suppress dissent, once this modern form of religious authoritarianism, with the technologies of AI and algorithms wraps its tentacles around society, the chance of opposition and dissent will disappear
There may not be an Armageddon or an apocalypse., but it will be 1984 dystopian.
William, I totally agree! It was a passing thought and one that actually makes me shiver! I am doing what I can right now even at the expense of possibly driving my son away. But if I stay mute, I will never forgive myself for not doing everything I could come November 6, the day after.
To thine onseelf be true, Suzanne. Children can and do disappoint, and four legged animals and fowl know better than humans. You teach them how to survive and then kick them out of the nest, or pride or pack In nature, in the ocean and on land, it is the female,the matriarch which is in charge, even among lions, meerkats. hyenas and wolves.
1. Get well. Wonder whether anyone else at your conference had it.
2. Project 2025. About 25% of the population where I live crave a caudillo. The Christian Taliban has been offering jobs to Nazis and others if and when Trump wins to displace current federal employees. This is Deja vu. Consider the oral argument before Judge Cannon re Jack Smith's appointment. I was appointed under Article 2, Section 2 as an "inferior" officer. an administrative law judge by the Secretary of HHS and later the Secretary of Labor. During the 2016 campaign, the Federalist Society endorsed a program to remove approximately 150 judges and replace us with Trump appointed judges. Congress had established a "merit selection" process for hiring. trial experience, plus a qualifying test and a structured interview process to create a "judicial register" from which a "best qualified list" was developed -- three based on scoring for each position.
After some litigation by parties attacking the qualifications of a judge at the SEC, Trump eliminated merit selection with a stroke of his pen. Executive Order 13843—Excepting Administrative Law Judges From the Competitive Service July 10, 2018. https://www.govinfo.gov/link/cpd/executiveorder/13843
In Lucia v. SEC, In a 7-2 opinion, SCOTUS held that administrative law judges of the Securities and Exchange Commission are “officers of the United States” subject to the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. Under its precedent, as established in United States v. Germaine, 99 U.S. 508 (1879), and Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), to be classified as an officer rather than an employee, a person needs to have a “continuing” position established by law, and must “exercis[e] significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.” It went on to explain that the factors in Freytag v. Commissioner, 501 U.S. 868 (1991), the case directly governing the instant matter, matched up almost exactly to the elements in Lucia’s case. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/17-130
After I retired (at age 75) that year, the concepts of judicial independence and final authority continue to be litigated on a case by case, agency by agency basis.
I had, depending on the statute I was enforcing, mostly "final authority" in rendering decisions. In virtually all cases my decisions were appealable, and agency decisions, again depending on the enabling statute, usually to the circuit courts of appeal.
BTW the judge who was attacked in Lucia had been a military judge for many years before his appointment, a graduate of Harvard, and had also. I believe been appointed by another agency besides the SEC.
Jack Smith was appointed under the same Constitutional provision. There are dozens of pending attacks on appointments. Some of my former colleagues were not appointed by the head of a department. I.E. Commissions like FERC. Not the same as Department of Energy. Judges are sometimes "voir dired" as to qualifications. I was several times. Unlike most of my colleagues, I could prove I had been appointed by the head of an agency. After the fact, DOL tried to reappoint everyone but some courts did not accept that it related back to some cases.
BTW I rendered decisions under approximately 60 different statutes, 183 different varieties, many for other agencies. E.G. many whistleblower cases involve multiple agencies like the EPA, DOE, NRC and even the EEOC, SEC. I was also appointed by some DOL subagencies like OSHA, MSHA to act as a parliamentarian in rulemaking, and was simultaneously a liaison member of ACUS the Administrative Conference of the United States, a separate agency. Hopefully the statute of limitations has run.
3. A group of Democratic House members, le. Led by California Representative Jared Huffman, will be holding hearings re Project 2025, coordinating with outside groups, and developing plans to stop it. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm3ysXY3eQk
4 Butt stocks. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, the agency is supposed to do fact finding. If they failed to do it, the remedy would have been to remand for a hearing. It's like NONE of the justices went to law school.
Use this map to explore mass shootings, the Republican politicians for where the shooting took place and the amount they get from the gun lobby to block gun safety reform. Stop the Sale of Bump Stocks: Sign this Sandy Hook Promise Petition
From all around the world, I watch independent journalists like yourself and one thing is becoming abundantly clear. The United States is becoming a failed state. Both political parties are flailing around accomplishing very little, while the country fades away due to mismanagement. There aren't enough good politicians anymore to push against the tide of greed and power.
I agree that we need to stop the MAGA cultists from gaining power but we also need to find a way to choke off the warmongers who want to push the EU into WWIII in eastern Europe. All because of their hatred of Russia and Putin. They want to goad China into a shooting war under the belief that the U.S. military and their allies could defeat them. Given their current strategy in Ukraine, we all know how that will work out.
The first ones to fall will be the Philippines and Australia, while the U.S. will retreat back to Japan and the west coast. Since China now has missiles that can take out an aircraft carrier, how much is the U.S. Navy willing to sacrifice? I would wager not much. It's allies would take the brunt and that would be that. The U.S. would gloat from the safety of their continent with an ocean to protect them, or so they think.
As a former active duty military member, I know what the actual capabilities of the U.S. Navy are and it is't good. I know how brave these people are but they can't keep up with all of the equipment breakdowns of these ships. The U.S. hasn't been able to do that for decades. But they try their best to keep that a secret. Until one of their ships of the line loses steering or main power and collides with another ship or runs aground. Stories that leak out ever so briefly and are shut down as soon as possible.
We need to restructure our political system to stop the rampant greed that infects our sitting legislators. The only way to do that is to kick out all of those politicians and justices who are obviously on the take or have obvious biases. Take away the laws that allow this greed to infect them like a disease. The only way to accomplish that is to gather up by the millions and force the U.S. government to do the right thing by the people. All of the people, not just a few morbidly rich donors.
But our voting electorate is cowed by the authoritarians and indoctrinated into believing in a cult so I don't have a lot of optimism for the future of the United States. The economy is on the verge of collapse, despite all of the speeches from the government. The unemployment rate and homelessness is rising, despite government assurances.
Our current government is complicit in supporting a genocide and the rest of the world knows it. Our government is supporting a lost war in Ukraine and keeps throwing arms and money at it, in the hopes of breaking the Russian economy. We see how that is working out. They need to admit defeat and make a settlement with Russia to end the conflict. Accept the fact that NATO needs to stay away from Russia and the Donbas region will become part of the Russian federation.
As to Gaza, the damage to the western reputation is already done. There is no going back. This will hurt the western economies more and more as time goes on. The EU is struggling economically and the right wing factions smell blood. The U.S. is just starting to enter a recession so their time is coming.
There is no good news on the horizon. I am advising everyone to prepare for shortages and unrest soon. If you have any money invested in the stock market, you might want to move it into something a little safer as soon as possible to avoid the loss that is soon to come. I know I am.
Oh boy, now you sound like a Putinist Terrrance, and echoing him by saying pushed into WWIII.
It isn't hatred of Putin and Russia that is the motivator, It is the behavior of Putin that is the problem.
And there is no chance of a WWIII or even a nuclear war, since Nukes and Missiles are maintenance intensive and components have to be replaced, like the plutonium pits. The USA has it's own problems with manpower, training and resources to maintain their nukes. Russia is even worse off, because of corruption. Their generals and admirals have been siphoning off funds to keep the arsenal ready.
,
It is a game of bluff, and western intelligence knows it and can't expose it without exposing their own bluff.
So it gets down to non nuclear warfare, and in that case, Russia will lose in a fortnight. Putin thought that Ukraine would fall in a few days, here he is two years later, and a country that was in effect disarmed as compared to Russia has fought him to a standstill, Now imagine the weight of NATO coming down on his ass, after he has already expended his resources fighting a weaker Ukraine.
China isn't looking for a war either, it is concerned about its own economic and social stability. A war would mean diverting resources and actually setting the economy and society back 100 years.
China will get what it wants, but gradually as first one country and another hands itself over, or just gives up,because they too have been frightened into surrender.
It is the old Better red than dead syndrome.
As you know, since you live in Europe, right wing fascism is on the rise, and has made great gains, just this year. The only setback was in Poland, and that is only temporary.
Fascism in Europe and Fascism in America are brethern to Russian Fascism.
So sorry to hear you caught COVID, Thom 😢 I will definitely be wearing a mask when I fly next, thank you for the warning! I hope you three feel better soon! 🙏
Be sure to wear a surgical-grade N95 mask, as they're now widely available. My go-to is a Moldex 4150 as its wavy design is easiest to breathe through, but 3M makes some good ones as well.
Pro tip: If it has ear loops, it isn't a genuine N95.
As I mentioned to you earlier this week I, too, was visited by the bane known as Covid. However, my case was exacerbated by some other medical issues and I had about a week whereas I thought perhaps I would finally get that 40 Acres and a mule. Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on perspective), I was able to recover. During that time I very much was concerned about you and lamented you not being on the air.
Suffice it to starkly state it is GREAT to have you back in the chair.
My wife is a type-1 diabetic. She isn’t a patient, she’s a revenue stream. The drug stores fight for her business but Medicare makes things complicated.
Clarence Thomas obviously doesn’t know much about guns, but he is an expert in arrogance and the cruelty that can come with it. What kind reasoning went through his mind? I can think of two things. First, some
Republican is making money selling this thing so that is the highest priority. Two, he is eager to show Americans he can be as mean and crazy as he wishes and no one can stop him. Besides a mass slaughter, why would anyone buy a bump stock?
Clarence Thomas is easy. He is bought and paid for. It is not more difficult than that, He and Trump are blood brothers, nothing matters to either except themselves.
To explain the mystique of guns in the Americas (Central and South America are plagued by gun violence too) I go back to the "guns, germs, and steel" of Jared Diamond. Guns represent the victory of Christendom over Godless savages, so to yield or diminish the role of guns in men's hands is to diminish men's place in the world and in society. What frightens them is the thought of being subject to the same hierarchical tyranny of race and class that they have imposed, through guns, for the past 532 years. Guns, not the law, are their equalizer.
Our democratic policians our themselves too beholden to the corporations. Yes yes yes there are clear policy differences but they just don't seem to have the fire to fight. Dick Durbin is one that needs to stop thinking that Republicans are going to give on anything. Is there a plan to do something about Scotus and the lopsided advantage of 6 justices that represent only 40 percent of the population. I don't see anything happening. Whitehouse maybe. Durbin is living in the past.
Dick Durbin is weak. Check out opensecrets.org and followthemoney.org his major contributors are lawyers and lobbyists, finance, insurance and real estate, followed by general business and health.
The contagiousness of sociopathic behavior is the most troubling part of this piece. We directly observed Trumpism spread rapidly and thoroughly throughout the Republican Party. Trump is the super spreader, and Fox News is a primary enabling agent.
Considering the possibility of this SCOTUS handing a contested election to Trump is not so remote, (think Bush v Gore,) the thought of us being doomed before we even vote is chilling.
Oh, and BTW, the official who swears in the president, (whether or not he's the man we voted for,) is SCOTUS' Chief Justice John Roberts, FWIW.
Thom...so glad you and your family are doing well after Covid. Covid is on the rise in California but, thankfully, it's nowhere near as bad as last year.
We are still wearing our masks in stores and indoors if we are with people we don't know. Wore my mask on a recent trip as soon as I entered the airport and didn't take it off until I exited the airport in Boston. I am so used to the mask that I sort of feel "undressed" shopping without wearing a mask.
Sorry to hear you came down with Covid. We are ALL guilty of letting down our guard, particularly with no one to hound us to wear masks. We all know how that went.
I was thinking that we should compile a list of questions that should be asked at the presidential debate. We should expose Trump’s ignorance.
What would be good questions?
I think they should ask about Project 2025, becoming a dictator, dismantling our DOJ, planning another insurrection if Biden wins, letting Putin take Ukraine, what would happen to Social Security, IVF, birth control, about giving the wealthy a tax break again, what you would do with Obamacare?
Does anyone know who the mediators will be? We should send out suggestions to them.
It's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Don't expect that any truly important questions will be asked of Trump. Tapper has become more and more of a right wing sycophant, and Bash is a light-weight. Too bad we can't have Kyle Clark from 9News in Denver!!
A bump stock can be made with some cardboard, duct tape and rubber bands, but it is the principle of the thing, that MAGAhat SCOTUS justices approve. Shame on them!
Dear Thom, it is with the greatest affection that I say "Nothing will ever make you shut-up.". AND we love that about you!
My thought on the bump-stock issue is that Justice Sotomayor nailed it. It becomes a machine gun, the Republican Justices know it, and they are full of sh*t. Reason? They have no reasoning ability, they have oppositional defiant disorder. And speaking of mental disorder, Dr. Norrholm said it all concerning spreading sociopathy. Maybe a decent health care system could help us work on that too.
Senator Merkley's website has this on it: "Merkley, Murphy, Gomez, Beyer Lead Bicameral Action to Let Every American Choose Medicare". This is how we get the public option that will break the blood-suckers' hold on our medical/insurance industrial complex and get back to the healing arts.
It's our job to get everyone to the polls so Trump's 2025 Project doesn't get the chance to try to keep you quiet.
Recently, a friend said to me maybe our country needs to fall into the hands of those behind Project 2025, tr*mp, and the horrible people around him for Americans to finally understand the warnings, the loss of Democracy, and how bad it truly can be (and is in some places) before they will ever rise up and do anything about it. While I know plenty of activists like me here in AZ, I have had the very same thought. I/we can only yell from the mountaintops so long before our voices are hoarse (not from COVID 😉). Of course, no one likes a doomsayer, but come on! Thom, thanks for all you say and do. I’ve shared many of your articles. And, believe it or not, I still feel optimistic that we will turn things around sooner than later. 💙
Suzanne I felt the same way. Let a rebellious adolescent discover through their own experience the error of their ways, only that is not how it actually works, when the do suffer consequences they find something to blame.
And the problem with letting the right prevail has a blatant example. Germany, Italy and japan, even Spain. Fascism never failed in Spain, until Franco died, and still it lives on, and lives on in Italy, Germany, France and Hungary still, it lives on in Russia who supposedly fought fascism, but it was merely a fraternal power struggle.
Without a countervailing power, and with the power to suppress dissent, once this modern form of religious authoritarianism, with the technologies of AI and algorithms wraps its tentacles around society, the chance of opposition and dissent will disappear
There may not be an Armageddon or an apocalypse., but it will be 1984 dystopian.
This is our last chance to save ourselves.
William, I totally agree! It was a passing thought and one that actually makes me shiver! I am doing what I can right now even at the expense of possibly driving my son away. But if I stay mute, I will never forgive myself for not doing everything I could come November 6, the day after.
To thine onseelf be true, Suzanne. Children can and do disappoint, and four legged animals and fowl know better than humans. You teach them how to survive and then kick them out of the nest, or pride or pack In nature, in the ocean and on land, it is the female,the matriarch which is in charge, even among lions, meerkats. hyenas and wolves.
1. Get well. Wonder whether anyone else at your conference had it.
2. Project 2025. About 25% of the population where I live crave a caudillo. The Christian Taliban has been offering jobs to Nazis and others if and when Trump wins to displace current federal employees. This is Deja vu. Consider the oral argument before Judge Cannon re Jack Smith's appointment. I was appointed under Article 2, Section 2 as an "inferior" officer. an administrative law judge by the Secretary of HHS and later the Secretary of Labor. During the 2016 campaign, the Federalist Society endorsed a program to remove approximately 150 judges and replace us with Trump appointed judges. Congress had established a "merit selection" process for hiring. trial experience, plus a qualifying test and a structured interview process to create a "judicial register" from which a "best qualified list" was developed -- three based on scoring for each position.
After some litigation by parties attacking the qualifications of a judge at the SEC, Trump eliminated merit selection with a stroke of his pen. Executive Order 13843—Excepting Administrative Law Judges From the Competitive Service July 10, 2018. https://www.govinfo.gov/link/cpd/executiveorder/13843
In Lucia v. SEC, In a 7-2 opinion, SCOTUS held that administrative law judges of the Securities and Exchange Commission are “officers of the United States” subject to the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. Under its precedent, as established in United States v. Germaine, 99 U.S. 508 (1879), and Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976), to be classified as an officer rather than an employee, a person needs to have a “continuing” position established by law, and must “exercis[e] significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.” It went on to explain that the factors in Freytag v. Commissioner, 501 U.S. 868 (1991), the case directly governing the instant matter, matched up almost exactly to the elements in Lucia’s case. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2017/17-130
After I retired (at age 75) that year, the concepts of judicial independence and final authority continue to be litigated on a case by case, agency by agency basis.
I had, depending on the statute I was enforcing, mostly "final authority" in rendering decisions. In virtually all cases my decisions were appealable, and agency decisions, again depending on the enabling statute, usually to the circuit courts of appeal.
BTW the judge who was attacked in Lucia had been a military judge for many years before his appointment, a graduate of Harvard, and had also. I believe been appointed by another agency besides the SEC.
Jack Smith was appointed under the same Constitutional provision. There are dozens of pending attacks on appointments. Some of my former colleagues were not appointed by the head of a department. I.E. Commissions like FERC. Not the same as Department of Energy. Judges are sometimes "voir dired" as to qualifications. I was several times. Unlike most of my colleagues, I could prove I had been appointed by the head of an agency. After the fact, DOL tried to reappoint everyone but some courts did not accept that it related back to some cases.
BTW I rendered decisions under approximately 60 different statutes, 183 different varieties, many for other agencies. E.G. many whistleblower cases involve multiple agencies like the EPA, DOE, NRC and even the EEOC, SEC. I was also appointed by some DOL subagencies like OSHA, MSHA to act as a parliamentarian in rulemaking, and was simultaneously a liaison member of ACUS the Administrative Conference of the United States, a separate agency. Hopefully the statute of limitations has run.
3. A group of Democratic House members, le. Led by California Representative Jared Huffman, will be holding hearings re Project 2025, coordinating with outside groups, and developing plans to stop it. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm3ysXY3eQk
4 Butt stocks. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, the agency is supposed to do fact finding. If they failed to do it, the remedy would have been to remand for a hearing. It's like NONE of the justices went to law school.
Glad to hear you're feeling better.
Use this map to explore mass shootings, the Republican politicians for where the shooting took place and the amount they get from the gun lobby to block gun safety reform. Stop the Sale of Bump Stocks: Sign this Sandy Hook Promise Petition
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/06/14/stop-the-sale-of-bump-stocks-sign-this-sandy-hook-promise-petition/
From all around the world, I watch independent journalists like yourself and one thing is becoming abundantly clear. The United States is becoming a failed state. Both political parties are flailing around accomplishing very little, while the country fades away due to mismanagement. There aren't enough good politicians anymore to push against the tide of greed and power.
I agree that we need to stop the MAGA cultists from gaining power but we also need to find a way to choke off the warmongers who want to push the EU into WWIII in eastern Europe. All because of their hatred of Russia and Putin. They want to goad China into a shooting war under the belief that the U.S. military and their allies could defeat them. Given their current strategy in Ukraine, we all know how that will work out.
The first ones to fall will be the Philippines and Australia, while the U.S. will retreat back to Japan and the west coast. Since China now has missiles that can take out an aircraft carrier, how much is the U.S. Navy willing to sacrifice? I would wager not much. It's allies would take the brunt and that would be that. The U.S. would gloat from the safety of their continent with an ocean to protect them, or so they think.
As a former active duty military member, I know what the actual capabilities of the U.S. Navy are and it is't good. I know how brave these people are but they can't keep up with all of the equipment breakdowns of these ships. The U.S. hasn't been able to do that for decades. But they try their best to keep that a secret. Until one of their ships of the line loses steering or main power and collides with another ship or runs aground. Stories that leak out ever so briefly and are shut down as soon as possible.
We need to restructure our political system to stop the rampant greed that infects our sitting legislators. The only way to do that is to kick out all of those politicians and justices who are obviously on the take or have obvious biases. Take away the laws that allow this greed to infect them like a disease. The only way to accomplish that is to gather up by the millions and force the U.S. government to do the right thing by the people. All of the people, not just a few morbidly rich donors.
But our voting electorate is cowed by the authoritarians and indoctrinated into believing in a cult so I don't have a lot of optimism for the future of the United States. The economy is on the verge of collapse, despite all of the speeches from the government. The unemployment rate and homelessness is rising, despite government assurances.
Our current government is complicit in supporting a genocide and the rest of the world knows it. Our government is supporting a lost war in Ukraine and keeps throwing arms and money at it, in the hopes of breaking the Russian economy. We see how that is working out. They need to admit defeat and make a settlement with Russia to end the conflict. Accept the fact that NATO needs to stay away from Russia and the Donbas region will become part of the Russian federation.
As to Gaza, the damage to the western reputation is already done. There is no going back. This will hurt the western economies more and more as time goes on. The EU is struggling economically and the right wing factions smell blood. The U.S. is just starting to enter a recession so their time is coming.
There is no good news on the horizon. I am advising everyone to prepare for shortages and unrest soon. If you have any money invested in the stock market, you might want to move it into something a little safer as soon as possible to avoid the loss that is soon to come. I know I am.
Oh boy, now you sound like a Putinist Terrrance, and echoing him by saying pushed into WWIII.
It isn't hatred of Putin and Russia that is the motivator, It is the behavior of Putin that is the problem.
And there is no chance of a WWIII or even a nuclear war, since Nukes and Missiles are maintenance intensive and components have to be replaced, like the plutonium pits. The USA has it's own problems with manpower, training and resources to maintain their nukes. Russia is even worse off, because of corruption. Their generals and admirals have been siphoning off funds to keep the arsenal ready.
,
It is a game of bluff, and western intelligence knows it and can't expose it without exposing their own bluff.
So it gets down to non nuclear warfare, and in that case, Russia will lose in a fortnight. Putin thought that Ukraine would fall in a few days, here he is two years later, and a country that was in effect disarmed as compared to Russia has fought him to a standstill, Now imagine the weight of NATO coming down on his ass, after he has already expended his resources fighting a weaker Ukraine.
China isn't looking for a war either, it is concerned about its own economic and social stability. A war would mean diverting resources and actually setting the economy and society back 100 years.
China will get what it wants, but gradually as first one country and another hands itself over, or just gives up,because they too have been frightened into surrender.
It is the old Better red than dead syndrome.
As you know, since you live in Europe, right wing fascism is on the rise, and has made great gains, just this year. The only setback was in Poland, and that is only temporary.
Fascism in Europe and Fascism in America are brethern to Russian Fascism.
There will be no WWIII.
Thank you William for your expertise on this issue.
Outgoddamedstanding!
Sublime, even.
Amost a year ago, to the day, I proffered the following: https://rohnkenyatta.substack.com/p/ukraine-blue-and-yellow-in-black
I would like to read your link, but I don't do free trials or subscriptions. One time payments, but not subscriptions.
So sorry to hear you caught COVID, Thom 😢 I will definitely be wearing a mask when I fly next, thank you for the warning! I hope you three feel better soon! 🙏
Be sure to wear a surgical-grade N95 mask, as they're now widely available. My go-to is a Moldex 4150 as its wavy design is easiest to breathe through, but 3M makes some good ones as well.
Pro tip: If it has ear loops, it isn't a genuine N95.
As I mentioned to you earlier this week I, too, was visited by the bane known as Covid. However, my case was exacerbated by some other medical issues and I had about a week whereas I thought perhaps I would finally get that 40 Acres and a mule. Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on perspective), I was able to recover. During that time I very much was concerned about you and lamented you not being on the air.
Suffice it to starkly state it is GREAT to have you back in the chair.
My wife is a type-1 diabetic. She isn’t a patient, she’s a revenue stream. The drug stores fight for her business but Medicare makes things complicated.
Clarence Thomas obviously doesn’t know much about guns, but he is an expert in arrogance and the cruelty that can come with it. What kind reasoning went through his mind? I can think of two things. First, some
Republican is making money selling this thing so that is the highest priority. Two, he is eager to show Americans he can be as mean and crazy as he wishes and no one can stop him. Besides a mass slaughter, why would anyone buy a bump stock?
Clarence Thomas is easy. He is bought and paid for. It is not more difficult than that, He and Trump are blood brothers, nothing matters to either except themselves.
To explain the mystique of guns in the Americas (Central and South America are plagued by gun violence too) I go back to the "guns, germs, and steel" of Jared Diamond. Guns represent the victory of Christendom over Godless savages, so to yield or diminish the role of guns in men's hands is to diminish men's place in the world and in society. What frightens them is the thought of being subject to the same hierarchical tyranny of race and class that they have imposed, through guns, for the past 532 years. Guns, not the law, are their equalizer.
In a nutshell Jeffrey. You have described the situation in a paragraph.
Get well my friend. Best wishes.
Our democratic policians our themselves too beholden to the corporations. Yes yes yes there are clear policy differences but they just don't seem to have the fire to fight. Dick Durbin is one that needs to stop thinking that Republicans are going to give on anything. Is there a plan to do something about Scotus and the lopsided advantage of 6 justices that represent only 40 percent of the population. I don't see anything happening. Whitehouse maybe. Durbin is living in the past.
Dick Durbin is weak. Check out opensecrets.org and followthemoney.org his major contributors are lawyers and lobbyists, finance, insurance and real estate, followed by general business and health.
The contagiousness of sociopathic behavior is the most troubling part of this piece. We directly observed Trumpism spread rapidly and thoroughly throughout the Republican Party. Trump is the super spreader, and Fox News is a primary enabling agent.
Keep on healing! we need you and your truth-telling.
Considering the possibility of this SCOTUS handing a contested election to Trump is not so remote, (think Bush v Gore,) the thought of us being doomed before we even vote is chilling.
Oh, and BTW, the official who swears in the president, (whether or not he's the man we voted for,) is SCOTUS' Chief Justice John Roberts, FWIW.
What could possibly go wrong?
Thom...so glad you and your family are doing well after Covid. Covid is on the rise in California but, thankfully, it's nowhere near as bad as last year.
We are still wearing our masks in stores and indoors if we are with people we don't know. Wore my mask on a recent trip as soon as I entered the airport and didn't take it off until I exited the airport in Boston. I am so used to the mask that I sort of feel "undressed" shopping without wearing a mask.
Sorry to hear you came down with Covid. We are ALL guilty of letting down our guard, particularly with no one to hound us to wear masks. We all know how that went.
I was thinking that we should compile a list of questions that should be asked at the presidential debate. We should expose Trump’s ignorance.
What would be good questions?
I think they should ask about Project 2025, becoming a dictator, dismantling our DOJ, planning another insurrection if Biden wins, letting Putin take Ukraine, what would happen to Social Security, IVF, birth control, about giving the wealthy a tax break again, what you would do with Obamacare?
Does anyone know who the mediators will be? We should send out suggestions to them.
It's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Don't expect that any truly important questions will be asked of Trump. Tapper has become more and more of a right wing sycophant, and Bash is a light-weight. Too bad we can't have Kyle Clark from 9News in Denver!!
Let’s do it anyway. If enough people bombard them insisting they ask these questions, maybe they will.
What would you ask?
The questions that you raised are exactly what should be asked. I just doubt that Jake & Dana will ask them.
A bump stock can be made with some cardboard, duct tape and rubber bands, but it is the principle of the thing, that MAGAhat SCOTUS justices approve. Shame on them!