In these days of dictators and wanna be dictators beating and baring chests, trying to out-macho the other guy and going all maga misogyny, it’s understandable that the top military guy in the top military nation would hesitate to disclose any lack of masculinity – even the tiniest of certain cuts – for fear of hurting that nation’s security and diminishing it’s strongman reputation.
IMHO
stephen on other things that are and are not laughing matters
Boeing stock is down 10% after an in-air mishap involving the company’s 737 Max 9 aircraft, and the former president’s lawyers are struggling to convince a federal appeals court that he should be immune from prosecution for his actions while in office.
Melania Trump’s mother Amalija Knavs dies at 78 (bbc.com)
Good point about Austin, PatD. Still, at least tell your boss.
Trump’s attempt to intimidate a federal appeals court could ensure his defeat
It’s hard to imagine anything more damaging to one’s prospects in a case than attempting to intimidate the judges considering it.
“It’ll be bedlam in the country,” Trump told reporters after the hearing. “It’s the opening of a Pandora’s box.” To many, that sounded like encouraging lawlessness.
Because such dangerous behavior has become almost commonplace with Trump, some of us have come to tune it out. But it’s a safe bet that the courts won’t.
https://news.yahoo.com/opinion-trumps-attempt-intimidate-federal-005843537.html
speaking of cajones, remember this
In Miami, Madeleine Albright was the beloved ‘Madame Cojones.’ Here’s why – Hawaii Tribune-Herald
there he goes again Trump Suggests People Who Aren’t White Aren’t Eligible To Be President | HuffPost Latest News Donald Trump is fueling a lie on social media that Nikki Haley isn’t eligible to be president because she’s not a natural-born U.S. citizen ― the same lie he spread about former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.). It’s almost as if there is something ― something! ― about all of these people who happen to be not white and who happen to have immigrant parents that makes Trump wonder if they are real Americans. What could it be! In Haley’s case, Trump on Monday posted a screenshot to his Truth Social account of a false story claiming that his Republican presidential opponent is disqualified from being president or vice president because “reports indicate that her parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth in 1972.” That story, published by the far-right website, The Gateway Pundit, and shared by Trump to his 5.5 million Truth Social followers, is as ugly as it is nonsensical. Haley was born in South Carolina. She is a natural-born U.S. citizen. She is eligible to be president. But just like he did to Obama, Harris and Cruz when they were his primary political opponents, Trump pushing the racist idea that because Haley has immigrant parents (her parents are from India), she must not be a real American and is therefore disqualified from running for president. Trump aggressively spread this lie about Obama, for years, fueling wild conspiracy theories about Obama being born in Kenya instead of Hawaii, where he was actually born. Trump routinely demanded that Obama release his full birth certificate to prove where he was born, and when Obama actually did, Trump questioned its authenticity. After five years of doing this, Trump abruptly reversed course in September 2016, admitting that Obama was born in the United States and moving on as if nothing had happened. In August 2020, Trump tried the same attacks on Harris. A Trump campaign spokesperson questioned Harris’ citizenship in an interview with ABC News, and later that day, Trump… Read more »
So sad Jack Smith is ruining Trump’s “Golden Years”
Former President Donald Trump is now launching false ‘birther’ claims at his 2024 Republican presidential rival who’s rising in the polls: Nikki Haley. Joe Scarborough discusses the potential reasons Trump is now going after Haley and what will happen if the former South Carolina governor wins the New Hampshire primary.
PatD, that article has me thinking about so-called evangelicals. Those I see in interviews at his rallies are really more about white grievance than religion. So many clearly are not bible schooled as most evangelicals are, but cloaking their racism as “Christian” makes it better for them, I guess.
The Trump Family’s Immigrant Story | HISTORY
[…]
Trump is the son, and grandson, of immigrants: German on his father’s side, and Scottish on his mother’s. None of his grandparents, and only one of his parents, was born in the United States or spoke English as their mother tongue. (His mother’s parents, from the remote Scottish Outer Hebrides, lived in a majority Gaelic-speaking community.)
[…]
craig, yeah, they’re sure not your granny’s christian anymore. but you can bet on it that most (if not all) are angry white men.
interesting analysis by matt dowd reported by daily kos
Matthew Dowd: Trump feeds on the 250-year poison of 27% unsatisfied with 80% of the power they hold. (dailykos.com)
I’m sorry for their loss. It’s hard to lose one’s mother and grandmother.
I doubt there are any organs or appendages that Plumpty does not come up with a shortfall.
today’s meme…
Good to see Hunter and the Dems fighting fire with fire. With some folks, it’s the only way.
It’s hilarious watching republicans make complete fools of themselves on live tv.
Hunter Biden kicked the maga in the “knees” real hard. Show up to meet the subpoena and leave when they don’t have any questions. Solid enough move to leave ’em sputtering and stunned.
As for Secretary Austin – jesusalhou – I cannot imagine what the guy was thinking, and his aides and all who knew he was fighting cancer, having surgery, in ICU. This is a huge error as one of the important people in the U.S. government, and, sixth in order of secession. He disappeared; who answered his phone? The best thing to do is let him retire, to be with his family and for his health, as soon as he can walk. Unforced error that is going to be a maga talking point for the year.
I want to see Secretary Austin keep fighting. Both his cancer and his critics.
Not that the House rethugs are overreaching or anything, but they’re trying to go after Joe, his SecDef (black) and SecDHS (Hispanic & Cuban refugee), all through impeachment, to say nothing of going after his only surviving son. Can Ashley be far behind?
Stephen Colbert is not wrong: “To recap, Trump’s lawyers are arguing that the president, who is currently Joe Biden, could order Seal Team 6 to assassinate his political rival, who is currently Donald Trump. That is a really weird position for your lawyer to take”
The Austin thing is at most a 3 day event and totally unimportant in the general public’s mind.
If he is dealing with cancer, I wish him well.
The thing about cancer is you always tell yourself lies, the worse it gets the more you lie to yourself. This is especially true for hard charging types. He could be on his deathbed and still be planning what he was going to discuss at Monday morning’s staff meeting..
So lets cut him a little slack, ok?
Jack
BTW, didn’t they take out somebody in Iraq while he was in the hospital? In a good organization no one person is indispensable. That includes the POTUS.
Jack
Austin reportedly had his “elective” surgery (huh?) on December 22nd. He was admitted to Walter Reed for pain on January 1st. He probably times the surgery over the holiday (I know, some are never on holiday), but it sounds like he wasn’t in the ICU until 2024. Still, there’s chain of command, and folks needed to know that, especially the President.
I loved seeing Hunter walk out on MTG. He showed up in good faith, for what? To be accused and berated, not actually questioned or presented with evidence? It made the Republicans look, ummm, idiotically-malicious.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/politics/trump-civil-trial-testimony/index.html
“Trump can’t speak during closing arguments in NY civil fraud trial, judge says”
“…Engoron said that Trump hasn’t agreed to conditions he set should the former president wish to give a statement.”
“Not having heard from you by the third extended deadline (noon today), I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable, lawful limits I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys, and that, therefore, he will not be speaking in court tomorrow,” Engoron wrote.
Orange Adolf doesn’t like playing by the rules. However, even if he doesn’t speak in court, he’ll be tippy-tapping messages to his MAGAt army at 3am. He is demented and, because folks unfortunately want to listen to him, he is dangerous.
I echo BB’s comment about Hunter knee-capping the magas by showing up at the hearing today seeking to hold him in contempt for failing to testify in private on December 13. If it’s true that the subpoena did not specify that the deposition would be in a closed setting, it would be a stretch to try and hold him in contempt since he showed up and agreed to be deposed in public. Abbe Lowell knows this. My favorite part is Hunter walking out when MTG got up and started talking. Nice touch. BTW, I want to see the subpoena to judge for myself whether he complied or whether he defied it.
i feel like some people might not understand what the prostate gland is (it’s not cojones)
A man’s chance of developing prostate cancer directly corresponds with his age, so a 70 year-old like Austin has a %70 chance of getting it. i’ve heard it’s not very life-altering if treated early
…had to be VERY CAREFUL with my search terms, here:
“A Ballsy Explainer
When did testicles become courageous?
BY JULIET LAPIDOS
AUG 03, 2010”
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2010/08/when-did-testicles-become-courageous.html
…and of course a biblical anatomical insult:
1 Kings 12:10 KJV
“And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins“
Christie dropping out
Dang it! Christie was the only one brave enough to fully call out tRUMPsky.
Listening to random podcasts today, and seeing where the suggestions lead. This is a hoot and a half. A guy, who claims to have an engineering background (no way), says two NSA agents came to his house because an email was accidentally sent to his son. He calls his son at school, tells him to come home and not to look at his email. So, the son looks at his email, but doesn’t open them; he puts them on a thumb drive. The NSA agents have him delete the emails and leave. He opens one of the emails, and, apparently he sent it to himself from 2060, and we are to be visited by aliens on 7/21/28, which is the opening of the LA Olympics. The aliens will use a screen to black out the sun and an avatar who looks like Greta Thunberg will address the world watching the Olympics (because everyone would be calmly watching TV in the part of the world where the sun should be shining, if it just went dark). More creepiness ensues; an app that tells you you’re pregnant on day 27 and can “optimize” the fetus or terminate the pregnancy; you have to decide immediately. Children being surrendered to become representatives for the aliens, who return from spacecraft with purple eyes. Oh, yeah, the silence left their planet because it was dying, but they’ve come to save ours on a stopover to another planet, and they were delayed because they needed a software patch for their craft.
Here’s where it gets crazy: RonDuh Santis is the Prez in July of 2028, which means he wins in 2024…and will be followed by MGT.
Goofy folks who need a backstory to sell books (smh). They had so many holes in their story, that it isn’t even good science fiction. A little “Bill & Ted,” a little “Village of the Damned,” a little “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” and a little of a few episodes of “The X-Files.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/markets/bitcoin-etf-sec/index.html
“…Securities and Exchange Commission gave its approval Wednesday for some investment companies to offer “spot bitcoin” exchange-traded funds.”
“While we approved the listing and trading of certain spot bitcoin ETP shares today, we did not approve or endorse bitcoin. Investors should remain cautious about the myriad risks associated with bitcoin and products whose value is tied to crypto,” he wrote.
More nonsense.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2024/01/09/jim-harbaugh-3-million-bonuses-michigan-national-championship/72157432007/
“Harbaugh’s basic pay from Michigan for this season is $8.2 million. He picked up $1 million for the Wolverines’ win in Monday night’s CFP title game after getting $500,000 for the team playing in the Big Ten Conference championship game, $1 million for winning the Big Ten title and $500,000 for being selected to play in the CFP semifinals.”
“This set of bonuses was introduced into Harbaugh’s contract with Michigan after the 2020 season, when he took a roughly 50% cut in his basic annual pay from the school to $4 million after the Wolverines had gone 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in the pandemic-affected 2020 season.”
https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/news/michigan-coach-harbaugh-makes-nil-revenue-sharing-suggestion-wad9
“We’re all robbing the same train here. Like coaches, administrators, media, television stations, conferences, NCAA. … I would say this, anyone who is profiting from the student-athletes right now, myself included … take 5 to 10% less. … 5 to 10% less and maybe a 10 percent tax from the television station more, into one pot for the student-athletes…Maybe that’s a start, a way. … that it (would) be right for all student-athletes to share in.”
“They’re getting the same amount as I got in the ’80s. You’re getting a scholarship, room, board, books and tuition. So it’s like, come on, man, let’s do the right thing here.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/sport/nick-saban-alabama-football-retirement-report/index.html
“Alabama football coach Nick Saban, whose seven career national championships are the most by a coach at NCAA football’s highest level, is retiring, according to ESPN and The Athletic, both citing unnamed sources Wednesday. ESPN was the first to report the news.”
Say it ain’t so!
https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2024/01/nick-saban-retiring-as-alabama-football-coach.html
one thought – Nick Saban retires. Colorado Broncos announce new head coach. Or. Washington dumbname announces new coach.
Blue Bronc, that would be awesome but can’t see it happening.
wow at this miniature work
…have been disengaging a bit so i’m now just reading that sitting South Carolina U.S. Representative Nancy Mace yelled “you have no balls” at Hunter Biden in the house chamber 🧐
They’re just all so trashy, the Jerry Springer Show caucus
Starting fistfights at work, yelling vulgarities like that, and showing nude pictures to colleagues gets anyone else fired instantly in any other job, everyone knows these unwritten rules
the Pro-Wrestling States of America 🇺🇸
These people love conspiracy theories, so here’s one: they’re NOT that trashy and all of the performative buffoonery is part of a coordinated and concerted effort to undermine legitimacy of the US federal government
Turning it into a total clown show might just be the easiest way to overthrow it
i’m onto you, $*&@%#s
undermine federal authority
expand state authority
establish a pseudo-christian white-supremacist klept-theocracy in the “red” states
crackdown on women, lgbt, and minorities that weren’t smart enough to flee first
i’ve got a feeling/ those $*&@%#s will secede/ oh yeah/ oh yeah
that’s right
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/11/asia/taiwan-election-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html
“Taiwan, a small and vibrant Asian democracy on the doorstep of a much larger authoritarian neighbor, holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday and the results will reverberate far beyond its borders.”
“The outcome is being closely watched by China’s Communist leaders who have long claimed Taiwan as part of their territory despite having never controlled it.”
“China is openly opposed to Taiwan’s current ruling party and has framed the election as a choice between “war and peace, prosperity and decline.” Xi delivered a fresh warning to Taiwan in a New Year’s Eve speech, declaring: “The reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability.”
“Less than 3% of people in Taiwan now identify primarily as Chinese, and less than 10% support an immediate or eventual unification.”
NEW THREAD