Gromnir

his plain speaking rationality woulda' been much appreciated before the hour o' his book's publication, including those days and weeks preceding the impeachment of donald j. trump. in the later months of 2019, one might have thought mr. bolton had perhaps converted to buddhism and adopted a vow o' silence so taciturn were he at the time. "another day at the office"? if so, and calls for martial law recent reported is analogous to the day-to-day excesses o' the President as bolton observe for many months, then am thinking it were moral bankrupt o' him to have kept such information held so close to his chest like miser's ill-gotten silver as posed to exercising his newfound rationality and glibness. he were complicit. now he is not? am doubtful bolton finding his courage in 2019 woulda' made any difference insofar as impeachment, but sharing truths when doing so might have had the chance o' benefiting his country could have had no result other than an increase in our respect today for the man and his rationality... even if such divisive edification woulda' hurt the eventual sales o' his book. and speaking of martial law and the military seizure of voting machines... HA! Good Fun!

somebody were gonna be first. HA! Good Fun!

members o' congress are not a suspect class, and as we keep trying to tell @Guard Dog, money is not a fundamental right. as such, there only need be a rational basis for a law which would preclude members o' Congress, or other politicians, from benefiting from sales o' stock or other identifiable investments. the government need pay you if they take your property, but prevent you from making stock trades if you want to be a Congressman is gonna need overcome an exceeding low bar to pass legal muster. politicians, by the nature o' their jobs, is privy to information not available to the public. public trust in legislators or politicians is arguable diminished when stories 'bout folks such as loeffler and perdue arise in the press. a law which prevents such skeevy transactions from being possible would arguable diminish public distrust in the motives o' elected officials by eliminating an incentive to exploit information unavailable to the public. "arguable" is enough. is nothing in the constitution which precludes such limits... is no right to free trade o' stocks, which is precise why insider trading is legal prohibited. however, if one were to pass such legislation, is likely it would only affect elected officials up for reelection current or in future. apply retroactive would be problematic 'cause voting for Congressmen is a right in the Constitution. lindsey graham were recent reelected to the senate. didn't give him or his voters a chance to decide regarding the stock trade prohibition when he were elected. so, six years? yup. is a similar issue with term limits btw. can create term limits, but for incumbents is only gonna apply following the current term in office. as for consulate closing, am amused by the suggestion this were on the to-do list for the trump administration and they is just getting 'round to it now a couple years after the fact... or the more silly suggestion o' this being a preemptive action. sure, the announced explanation were that the closings were related to staffing parity issues resulting from previous closings which occurred in freaking 2017. been so busy with other things like deregulating shower heads and toilets that it just slipped the mind o' administration officials until the month before a new President is set to take office? alternative: US punched selves in the face so russia can't get satisfaction o' doing so? neener neener? HA! lord knows trump ain't proactive eliminating a future headache for biden by addressing this little administrative oversight. HA! Good Fun!

‘I am responsible’: Warp Speed chief accepts blame for reduced vaccine doses but creates new confusion about quality control steps But he (gen. perna) was not clear about the scope of quality assurance, or about why it would delay the release of doses, saying only that the Food and Drug Administration “does a fantastic job doing that.” The FDA does not review batches of vaccine before their distribution, an agency spokesperson said Saturday in response to requests to explain the process. Under the terms of the agency’s authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the company is required to submit “certificates of analysis for each drug product lot at least 48 hours before vaccine distribution.” But the FDA does not review the information before the product is shipped. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn confirmed that later in a tweet, saying, “they can distribute without waiting for FDA’s ok.” Asked about the steps involved in clearing doses for release, Perna said he didn’t know “the exact details on that.” He did stress that there had been “zero problems” with Pfizer’s product. ... Asked to explain in simpler terms what happens to make doses releasable, he said, “I am not going to spend any more time talking about the details between fill-finish and releasable.” keep in mind that with a rollout this large, it were inevitable there would be minor and major hiccups. however, the explanation for the shortfalls in deployable vaccines is wanting. all those persons unreasonable suspicious o' the vaccine is gonna have legit cause to be suspicious if the government ain't complete transparent. HA! Good Fun!

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have never been quiet 'bout our concerns regarding russia. LTG H.R. McMaster: The Toughest Man on Russia? have posted the video embedded in the article more than once. am recommending a viewing for any who is thinking the threat o' russia is diminished 'cause they is impoverished (economy 'bout the size o' texas but with ~5x the population.) how many times has we mocked obama for his it didn't age well debate response to romney. as an aside, recent fired #1 at cisa were prophetic when he posted the following: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-296a we linked the post 2 days after cisa made available. Trump downplays Russia in first comments on cyberattack "Officials at the White House had been prepared to put out a statement Friday afternoon that accused Russia of being “the main actor” in the hack, but were told at the last minute to stand down, according to one U.S. official familiar with the conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. "It is not clear whether Pompeo got that message before his interview, but officials are now scrambling to figure out how to square the disparate accounts. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the statement or the basis of Trump’s claims." so charlie fox. edit: as if the election nonsense couldn't get weirder. Trump Discussed Naming Campaign Lawyer as Special Counsel on Election Fraud HA! Good Fun! ps in case it were missed, from the haberman twitter link: "During the meeting, the president asked about Flynn’s suggestion of deploying the military, those briefed said. That was also shot down." both flynn and powell were at the meeting.

biden responded, but he can't even get his people through the door at the pentagon at the moment. trump, by comparison, never adds heat to any "russia hoax." worse, U.S. State Department Closing Two Consulates In Russia were one more item on putin's wish list before trump leaves office? for any still trying to imagine other bad actors responsible, pompeo singled out the russians. HA! Good Fun!

so the fed is telling states to expect 40% less while pfizer claims they got doses piling up in warehouses? regardless, sounds as if desantis were talking out his kiester when he claimed production shortfalls were the reason for allotment reductions. HA! Good Fun!

at least one a month during the summer (which in sacramento lasts from early may until late september) we make chicken, avocado and grapefruit wraps which is tasty and refreshing even if they sound bizarre. otherwise, we don't have much use for grapefruit save for when we get ahold o' the rare bottle o' mexican fresca. HA! Good Fun!

best books of 2020 lists from the smithsonian a few we have read history can personal recommend only two from the list: One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965, Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife. only two we have read. both worthy reads. food Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein, with 125 Recipes won't recommend. is an over reliance on exotic and not easily attainable ingredients. is a similar frequency o' uncommon pro cook apparatus which may not be available in the ordinary home-chef's arsenal and for which no alterative method o' prep is provided. the book is more a vegan cookbook for real chefs who wanna impress their vegan friends. three. three books total. is possible our all-time worst showing for having read books on the smithsonian annual lists. not books but am adding here anyways. apologies... The Ten Best STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2020 am thinking we might consider wordstruct as a purchase to play with our young relatives when they visit... or vice versa. gravitrax looks sooperkewl, but am knowing the pieces would start to disappear as soon as the little crumb snatchers got their hands on the game. HA! Good Fun!

is possible gd conflated with another politician +covid-19 news story. pompeo recent had a christmas party with +600 invitees. 70 rsvp'd. 24-36 actual attended. pompeo is now in self quarantine as he were exposed to a covid positive personage during the party. how many wh and trump inner circle has been infected at this point? when asked 'bout the disconnect 'tween their behaviors and cdc guidelines, the wh always says they has always encouraged folks to follow cdc guidelines and that they is aggressive 'bout testing.... which complete ignores how individuals such as trump, meadows and pompeo were ignoring actual following cdc guidelines. converse, assuming some kinda media blunder or misleading info is both curious and suspect as is clear gd were the person incorrect 'bout the dinner party number. make up a reason why media could be wrong is no better than make up the 600 number itself. edit to avoid double: HA! Good Fun! ps republicans in georgia lost a couple cases today. were runoff and not presidential election at issue. one case were relating to drop boxes for ballots (gop wanted less) and the other were party observers during signature verification (gop wanted more). amusing part were where the lawyers for perdue and loeffler felt it need be stated unequivocal that they were not rudy giulianni, sydney powell or lin wood.

hypocrite? no question 'bout it. however, the recall petition, even if all the signatures is gathered, is a longshot effort. brianna kielar from cnn went down the list o' democrat hypocrites regarding covid-19 restrictions. not a short list and hardly comprehensive. however, am always amazed at how gd will complete blow basic facts for no good reason whatsoever. the french laundry cannot accommodate 600 people. 60? maybe. hyperbole is thy middle name. the gavin newsom dinner party were a collection o' 'bout a dozen people. still bad. still hypocritical. not need the exaggeration to make a point. aside, as we mentioned in another thread, the ca covid limits has been applied complete inequitable and with little consideration o' actual intercourse between counties. our neighbors recent went on a weekend trip to santa cruz in spite o' the new travel guidelines.... though admitted they would not have been able to do so this week as santa cruz predictable slipped into the highest tier o' threat level. idiots. napa, where is french laundry, didn't have an indoor dining restriction at the time o' gavin newsom's dinner. to his credit, not much credit, newsom did not plead some kinda technical adherence to guidelines in his apology. the ca governor deserved to be lambasted and criticized. the other day we were driving through wilton, ca to our local veterinarian and we saw a group o' folks pleading with motorists to stop and sign their gavin petition. the signature gathering effort were set-up in a parking lot adjacent to the local feed store. four or five clustered and maskless wingnuts sold trump/maga (and harley davidson) paraphernalia from same table they collected john han****s. as you might imagine, we were not moved to sign. curious, the feed store carries mazuri (purina) bear diet in bulk. HA! Good Fun!

literal or politically? in the past we would have observed aoc popularity would need eventual be supported by actual achievements, but such isn't the case in 2020 american politics. today, messaging and branding is more important. blame on republicans. blame on moderate democrats. heck, blame on the lincoln project. tangible success is unimportant as long as her message resonates with her base and there is a them to blame for failures. sound familiar? polarization means aoc can be successful, and so too may marjorie taylor greene. brave new world. HA! Good Fun!

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making us thirsty for a fresca. confession: we enjoy fresca. however, am specific referencing the fresca coca-cola makes for mexico. HA! Good Fun!

agreed. patty jenkins and chris pine deserve much credit for the steve trevor character in ww. while we wouldn't put ww in any o' our top ten lists, it were an entertaining film and am thinking that in a movie with dan huston and david thewlis, it were chris pine who had a paradoxical subtle standout performance which managed to not in the least distract from or diminish gal gadot as ww. best performance in ww were, in our opinion, chris pine. best character were steve trevor. get big Gromnir applause for chris pine and patty jenkins. we were also moderate impressed with pine in hell or high water. HA! Good Fun!

Alleged crusade to stop voter fraud lands former HPD captain in handcuffs According to Aguirre, he had been conducting surveillance for four days on a man who was allegedly the mastermind of a giant voter fraud scheme. Aguirre told authorities the man was hiding 750,000 fraudulent ballots in a truck he was driving. Instead, the victim turned out to be an innocent air conditioner repairman, court documents said. ... not so much politics thread fodder as an all too ordinary florida man situation... but in texas. am grateful nobody had to die over this jackazzery, but that is the only upside. HA! Good Fun!

is difficult to think o' a greater challenge for an actor than deliver a memorable and thought provoking performance in a d&d movie. perhaps this is chris pine's way o' measuring himself as an artist? not serious btw. unless the producers showed up at his home with a dump truck full o' money, we got nothing. HA! Good Fun!

Trump attorney Jenna Ellis reportedly lied about being fired from DA's office Ellis was fired from her position as deputy district attorney at the Weld County District Attorney’s Office in 2013. Ellis claimed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that she was fired for refusing to bring a case to trial, believing it to be unethical prosecution. Records from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment obtained by the newspaper showed that Ellis “made mistakes on cases the employer believes she should not have made,” and “failed to meet the employer’s expectations.” ... Records stated that Ellis was fired for “unsatisfactory performance.” HA! Good Fun!

the trump org just lost a case. not election related but one o' those cases which exposes trump to possible criminal charges related to tax evasion and bank fraud. trump co inflated the value o' an easement related to trump's seven springs estate-- took a $21 million tax deduction. the ny ag now gets access and use o' an engineer's report which undercuts trump valuation by a significant degree. didn't think the ny ag were gonna win this one. is our understanding the evidentiary issue had previous been litigated. regardless, is more bad news for trump and while such sounds less significant than the electoral vote yesterday, from trump's pov, it may be more noteworthy. the ny ag is clear building a case 'gainst trump and they is already finding success in court. HA! Good Fun!

one of these days gd is gonna recognize that there is nothing fundamental different 'bout the dna o' politicians. nor is there a kinda secret test politicians must take before running for office to prove they is sociopaths. like it or not, politicians is people. got same human qualities, admirable and malign, as everybody else. is no they. paul mitchell, to his credit, criticized trump's charlottesville comments and for his "go back where you came from," vitriol. however, were dozens o' other instances when mitchell remained silent. when impeachment were before the house, mitchell did not come forward to condemn trump. when mueller testified before committee stating trump were evasive and untruthful in his responses to interrogatories, where were mitchell's criticism? we musta' missed where mitchell criticized trump for attempting to bury the inspector general report related to trump's ukraine call. when barr and trump sent federal troops to portland, mitchell's courage were mia. am also gonna observe how mitchell is not running for reelection, so he no longer needs trump or republican support. paul mitchell does deserve credit for speaking out when so few republicans failed to do so. however, mitchell's belated courage woulda' appeared comical during the nixon debacle. wait to retire before condemning nixon woulda' been ridiculed and mitchell woulda' been unflattering compared to all the republicans who stood up for democracy when it genuine mattered. justified ridicule. is only in comparison to the near ubiquitous cowardice o' 2020 Congressional republicans that paul mitchell's actions appear admirable. 2020 Congressional republicans were not born pimps. unfortunately, being a politician is increasing less 'bout public service and these guys is looking out for their livelihood. citizens united and campaign funding cases and legislation didn't transform politicians from good to bad, but it exposed xposed the humanity o' politicians. HA! Good Fun!

not exactly. forgive our sense o' whimsy if we choose a tmz link. didn't say he would concede. said he will leave the wh and is looking at a january 20 timeline, which is kinda significant as a day after the 'bove linked comments from trump, the soon to be ex-prez said he would leave the wh once biden proved that his near 80 million votes were not fraudulent. "trump said," is meaningless 'cause he reverses self almost daily and "honorable" is not an adjective anybody in their right mind would use to describe him in any event. the current status quo has trump ginning up legal defense funds, 75% which go direct to his pac. am suspecting that after today fewer folks will be donating, but trump supporters has proven over and over the reasonable course o' action is not a particular useful method for anticipating their collective behaviour. a sizeable number o' folks barely scraping by 'cause o' the covid-19 ravaged economy will nevertheless donate more money than they can afford to part with in an attempt to prevent the radical liberal apocalypse they has been told by alt-right radio and fox news a joe biden presidency represents. trump is a highly erratic but ultimately transactional actor. "trump said," may be meaningless, but he will burn down everything if doing so generates more money for his pac. don't expect a concession, but he sure as hell don't wanna be humiliated, and being escorted against his will out o' the wh by the secret service would be embarrassing. HA! Good Fun! ps am suspecting the frivolous law suits won't complete stop even after january 20, 2021. brave new world.

anne reinking.

jj abrams is our best example o' the inevitable fail which nevertheless has us viewing way past the point where is reasonable to do so. ask us why we watched the last season of alias? can't give you a good answer. we never bothered to watch lost past the first episode, but am understanding the last seasons were a slog. HA! Good Fun!

it were a couple weeks previous when barr announced the doj hadn't seen any evidence o' widespread or election changing fraud in the 2020 election. *gasp* then it were public announced that hunter biden were being investigated for tax issues. even though all the relevant info were previously leaked october surprise style before the election, trump blasted barr for not public announcing the hunter biden investigation. weren't so much a rat leaving the ship. were a jack torrance situation by trump. HA! Good Fun!