Gromnir

not only does bruce misrepresent what happened in portland, but he ignores what were the criticisms o' police actions during the summer protests. other than a few board anarchists, the objection hereabouts (and elsewhere) o' police efforts in places such as portland were not 'bout police stopping illegal behavior. arrest actual vandals and trespassers? fine. good. the criticism were two-fold: 1) the fed had no authority to take the actions in which they engaged. 2) too many people being attacked by fed police were not committing crimes when they were detained assaulted and/or detained. actual looters and trespassers who were arrested by police and charged accordingly were not receiving sympathy from anybody here or elsewhere... again, save for from a few wingnuts. the problem were that far too many peaceful protesters were being identified as seditionists by barr and trump and those protesters were not getting benefit o' civil rights from the fed cops who would accost such people off fed property. label any protester as an antifa member? fed cops using tear gas and violent force to suppress protesters who had a legal right to be on streets and protest were unconstitutional. am not sure why we need keep repeating it, the fed agents on streets of portland and not federal property were acting unconstitutional. we told you what were the law, more than once. portland and the attack on the capitol not even close to analogous. and again, the situation in portland were never as bruce imagines. were not months o' uninterrupted lawlessness and protests. there is a reason why the rnc had to use stock footage o' riots in spain during their inauguration event in lieu o' actual portland film. compare today to portland protests is worst kinda whataboutism. HA! Good Fun! ps given recent events am deciding to observe the lunar new year as 'posed to the gregorian calander. as such we will recognize today as being part o' 2020 as 'posed to 2021. f you 2020.

merrick garland to be biden's pick for ag. HA! Good Fun!

finally watched the third season of true detective and season 1 of doom patrol. every main character performance in true detective were great, and that includes stephen dorff. (pausing for effect and self reflection. stephen dorff?) even so, something were missing and am not sure what to identify as the problem. too much flash-forward, flash-middle and flash-back... and then flash mostly forward but not quite full forward? too much flashing? enjoyed the show overall, but nevertheless felt let down 'cause it just seemed as if so many great performances did not add up to a genuine great show. good show. enjoyed doom patrol in spite of our low expectations. am thinking some of what guardians of the galaxy did right were captured with doom patrol. similar team-as-surrogate-family-drama, with tongue firm in cheek for a large % of season one. also saw ww84. ... a movie in need o' serious editing. HA! Good Fun!

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Jonathan Swan Describes How Lincoln Project Pence Ad Set Off Trump: He Was ‘Enraged’ “The president didn’t realize Pence had this ceremonial role — he didn’t know about it until very recently. And the way he found out about it was the Lincoln Project came up with this ad… and they ran it just in the DC market. Mostly on Trump’s favorite shows on Fox, designed for an audience of one. And the ad sort of, in an over the top ominous framing, points out to their audience of one that Pence actually plays this role and will be sort of putting the ceremonial sound of death to President Trump’s presidency. Trump sees this ad, becomes enraged ,and begins to take this up with Mike Pence privately.” HA! Good Fun!

is not possible. but again, this administration has done illegal and impossible many times. is not legal possible, but if senate were to be complicit and the Court decided that the issue were a nonjusticiable political question... impossible or illegal is only having meaning if the people with power involved accepts rule of law. example: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/05/953738158/in-explosive-debate-pa-gop-refuses-to-swear-in-reelected-democratic-senator am repeating, but what if mitch mcconnell refuses to accept Presidential and runoff results and a senate majority backs him? what if the Court refuses to hear any election related issues, asserting that all such is non-justiciable political questions? am not suggesting such will happen, but is so many things which has occurred the previous four years we thought were impossible. at the moment it don't appear as if the trump loyalists have a majority in senate or house supporting the unconstitutional efforts to reject state certifications. moot. even so, has been numerous times in the last four years when illegal happened with support o' the senate. 'course by tomorrow afternoon it may be clear the senate minority leader is mitch mcconnell. will change the dynamic significant IF that happens, and not necessarily for the better. biden may wish to heal old wounds, but many democrats will be looking not only for change but for payback. republicans claiming payback rights has been a big reason why the last four years were such a mess. an eye for an eye for an eye for an eye... HA! Good Fun!

just to be sure, bruce understands that the democrat candidates are not taking a lead in any real sense. votes from an election which already happened is being tallied, yes? personal, am ordinarily in favor o' gridlock from Congress, but perdue and loeffler is both so utter skeevy and contemptible is no way we could support either. freaking gaetz threw loeffler under the bus? HA! Good Fun!

*sigh* again, the vp didn't decide the 1796 and 1800 elections. were pluralities leading to multiple votes. you misunderstand the issue or are reading wrong. the only election where the vp were arguable deciding the election were 1876, and 2020 ain't presenting an 1876 issue neither. HA! Good Fun!

doesn't matter if you said his name or not. is no plurality this time. the pre 1804 scenarios have no relevance. biden & harris ticket has been certified by enough state legislatures. 306. again, is the 1876 problem and chaos which trump is trying to suggest gives pence some kinda authority to decide the election, but legislators is not same as legislature. all state legislatures has certified the election results. a random collection o' legislators protesting is irrelevant. 1887 act makes this a non-issue... although it were never actual an issue. HA! Good Fun!

am uncertain where the confusion arises. the problem previous to 1804 were the split ticket and the possibility o' a plurality. biden has 306. even if we ignore subsequent Congressional legislation which clarifies that vp participation is ministerial, there is no situation which would/could produce a scenario such as were the case prior to 1803. HA! Good Fun! ps you are looking at the wrong dates if you wanna stir up confusion. the 1876 election is what trumpers is saying is basis for vp powers to overturn the election. is not actual same situation as the states in 2020 didn't actual send competing certificates. claim to be electors is not same as being electors. electoral count act o' 1887 addressed the 1876 issues.

Amendment XII The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;--The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;--the person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. ... this is not a situation where one needs be an expert regarding Constitutional interpretation to divine how the law will be applied. the vp opens the f'ing envelopes. "open all the certificates" did not have a unique legal meaning in 1804 which might confer 'pon the vp powers unclear from a 2021 reading o' the language o' the text. is no implied powers based on historical precedent or some kinda fuzzy constructive grant resulting from necessity to fulfill purpose o' the amendment. 12th amendment were adopted in part to eliminate vp shenanigans. 1800 election resulted in the adoption o' the 12th amendment so as to prevent just the kinda nonsense trump suggests is possible. is no way to read 12th amendment the way trump and trump loyalists suggest. HA! Good Fun!

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we just assumed ridley scott were a big fan of fight club and took the chemical burn scene a bit too serious. HA! Good Fun!

gonna guess it were homage. am having little urge to see the film in question, but maybe if it eventual makes it to netflix... HA! Good Fun!

yeah, raffensperger and sterling down in georgia is getting much credit for standing up to trump. deserved. much applause. however, is worth noting how raffensperger and sterling purged 200k individuals from voting rolls before the november election and such efforts appeared to be little more than the all-too-familiar southern voter suppression antics which in any other year would make raffensperger and sterling appear to be villains instead o' heroes for many progressives and liberals. at issue were change of address and use it or lose it rules which primarily affect lower income and young voters. numerous voting rights organizations provided compelling proof that a large % o' the 200k purged had not changed address but had failed to take notice o' the innocuous 3rd party mailer which required a mailed response to keep an individual registered. in spite o' trump ire directed at raffensperger, the ga secretary of state did more to help the republican election cause in 2020 than any other single individual, and sterling were his right-hand man as voter suppression efforts which woulda' made george wallace envious were implemented with little national recognition. black votes matter and other similar organizations took raffensperger to court regarding the +200k purge. predictable, and all too familiar, the plaintiffs case were dismissed 'cause o' standing. is perhaps ironic that the same case law which for decades has stymied voter rights advocates such as the aforementioned black votes matter case were what resulted in so many trump campaign auto-fails in court. while many cheered as trump failed time and again to get access to judicial relief, the thing is, in 2021 and beyond is once more gonna be poor, minority and young voter groups who is gonna get the whack-a-mole court treatment and is gonna happen quiet and with negligible media coverage. today's heroes... HA! Good Fun!

maybe make her beef wellington as an apology? to our mind, every beef wellington recipe is requiring the waste o' a perfect good tenderloin, but some folks like it. am gonna admit our rate o' pie crust fail is a smidge worse than 20%. might be the reason we prefer cottage, sheperd or even tamale pie as 'posed to something like chicken pot pie. in fact, whenever we get a hankering for chicken pot pie we just end up making chicken and dumplings. HA! Good Fun!

welsh rarebit for all intents and purposes, were nothing more than a grilled cheese sandwich but with welsh rarebit am able to extra load the cheese. am gonna embrace any excuse for more cheese in a recipe. we oven toasted thick cut sourdough making sure both sides were toasted. ordinarily we use rye bread, but we did not have rye bread and we were not gonna make rye bread. is not traditional, but we were throwing on a slice o' tomato for each piece o' bread. 'cause. too bad we do not drink, 'cause this woulda' been perfect with guinness as were a fair amount o' guinness in the cheese sauce. HA! Good Fun!

we got the flu... think we have the flu. symptoms: muscle aches, runny nose, head congestion, sore throat. have had a slight fever at times over the past 24 hours, but were in the sub 100F range. no coughing. no shortness o' breath. no loss of smell or taste. nevertheless, we thought it were prudent to get a covid test as am aware covid symptoms is hardly universal. january 7. unless we wanna drive more than 50 miles, earliest we can get tested at any area location testing site is january 7. 7:00pm on january 7. have been informed that the response time for covid test results is current 3 days. to be safe, am self quarantining, but is likely we will not know results o' our covid test until seven or eight days following our initial symptoms? HA! Good Fun! ps we got a flu shot in early october. for many months have been active avoiding any indoor situation where we might come into contact with people, but last week our pharmacist called us and said we should get a shingles vaccination, 'cause am now old enough for that to be a thing. went to get shingles shot on new years eve day but 'cause of an administrative snafu, we did not actual get vaccinated. days later we got flu. go figure.

the thing is, the alt-right/fringe element spouting conspiracy theories on radio were largely dismissed by the republican party leadership up until bannon and trump. mccain added palin to his ticket in 2008 'cause his advisors realized how the less educated and increasing angry element o' the republican party represented a large number o' voters. not only did mccain lose, but he opined how adding palin and legitimizing her crazy were the single biggest mistake o' his campaign. post 2008, republicans went back to trying to be more inclusive as 'posed to embracing the wingnut divisiveness o' the alt-right segment... but trump success killed that. ... am knowing people get tired o' hearing this, but as none o' the trump voters with conscience has ever responded, am gonna once again point out how the muslim ban were the turning point o' trump's campaign in 2015 and were quite possible the death knell o' the republican party as we know it, even if we didn't realize what were happening at the time. recall, every republican candidate at the time condemned trump's proposed muslim ban-- every single one. the muslim ban is what genuine distinguished trump from the other candidates. the republican party, if not ordinary republicans living in texas and florida, were at least vocal appalled to the the muslim ban, to conspiracy nonsense and to divisiveness. 2015 and the republican party, in spite of tea party elements, were desiring o' identifying its lineage as the party of lincoln and more recent, reagan. sure, the fringe has been around for decades, though am gonna note it were more a cultural and ethnic element than a party element. thirty years ago southern democrats were as likely to embrace the wingnut conspiracy theories and divisiveness kp sees as inextricable linked to the republican party. were not party. were culture and education which were the predictors o' the conspiracy theory element and such stuff crossed party lines. southern democrats and rust belt republicans were equal likely to embrace stoopid. not 30 years. the great recession magnified income inequality on a massive scale. with greater income inequality came predictable greater political polarization. the same economic forces hurting rust belt farmers and factory workers were punishing low-income urban dwellers. nevertheless, 'cause o' polarization, people who is functional sharing the same freaking fox hole sees each other as the enemy. is stoopid, but alt-right radio is selling stoopid. bannon recognized how the alt-right radio elements kp mentions could mobilize a considerable voting bloc which might reshape the repuiblican party. admitted, alt-right radio has been selling the same schtick for 30 years, but were always considered fringe. it were fringe until after the great recession. is a perfect storm. US republican democracy results in the possibility o' a minority nevertheless able to control all branches o' government. trump as a populist is a ridiculous notion given how relative unpopular he is, but our electoral college and genuine split legislature designed to enhance the need for bipartisan cooperation failed utterly with a President unwilling to follow norms or the Constitution. after +100 years o' Congress ceeding more and more power to the Presidency, the wisdom o' the Constitutional design began to falter. 30 years ago? nope. fifteen years past and the party were still identifying itself as a party with values espoused by reagan. some time after the great recession, the party o' lincoln swung towards representing an electorate which woulda' been more likely to vote calvin coolidge into office than ronald reagan, and for many o' the same reasons. HA! Good Fun!

the heretofore unphotographed fermi oven: chicago pile-due (doo-eh) HA! Good Fun!

am rooting for the eagles. why? an eagles victory means nfc east winner is 6-10. HA! Good Fun!

"Opinion by Ashton Carter, **** Cheney, William Cohen, Mark Esper, Robert Gates, Chuck Hagel, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, William Perry and Donald Rumsfeld" All 10 living former defense secretaries: Involving the military in election disputes would cross into dangerous territory another situation wherein the shocking aspect o' the story is not what fits within the four corners o' the piece. "As senior Defense Department leaders have noted, “there’s no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election.” Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic." every former defense secretary not in the dirt were concerned enough to state what should be axiomatic regarding a possibility which four years past woulda' been unthinkable. carter, cheney, cohen, esper, gates, hagel, mattis, panetta, perry and rumsfield is reminding military officials o' the oath they took to defend the Constitution. dismiss as impossible trump invoking the insurrection act in a last ditch effort to maintain his grip on the resolute desk ignores the dozens o' previous trump actions which were previous unthinkable, improbable and even impossible. am personal still in the "improbable" zone, but such does not blind us to a real possibility which for us became considerable less improbable today.

breaking news: video o' raffensperger responding to trump's conspiracy laden doggerel aimed at changing certified election results. HA! Good Fun!

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the wacky aspect o' this is not trump's efforts to influence an election official, but the predictable inability o' most trumpers to see anything wrong 'bout the audio. HA! Good Fun!