Courtesy of our Trail friend Jamie:
The only thing BeBe is trying to save is his job. Take it right to the Knesset. Either throw the BeBe out with the bath water or face a loss of funds currently purchasing Israeli weapons.
User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
there should be assurance though that the iron dome support continues even if they keep him PM and we have to pull out the other weaponry.
it doesn’t make sense that congress critters are balking at supplying necessary materiel for ukraine to defensively fight putie while at the same time equipping bibi to offensively annihilate gazans.
jamie, thanks for the loan. big storms came through last night and a readymade thread topic came in handy.
stephen on other matters
Stephen kicks off his March 14th monologue with a tribute to Pi Day, then looks into speculation about Donald Trump’s choice of running mate, and the news that Elon Musk fired Don Lemon hours after sitting for an interview with the former CNN anchor.
back to thread topic
Schumer faces backlash after calling for new Israeli elections to oust Netanyahu | Chuck Schumer | The Guardian
meanwhile ….
Attribution: Elections In Russia by Marian Kamensky, Austria
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-occupied-ukraine-putin-elections-voting-b2513101.html
BTW those franken-sheep stephen talked about, according to techspot here’s what they look like:
BB, re your last comment about the SpaceX booster and spacecraft, “Roger that.” So far they’ve debugged a launch pad, the up direction for the booster and separation of the craft from that booster. And they have good cameras on the outside of their equipment. And yes indeed, if I was going to climb on board to head up I’d like to see a history of the craft coming back in one piece with the expectation that I might, too.
I keep coming back to Golda Meir’s most famous quote when Israel was under constant attack.
Unfortunately, BeBe has taken on the worst characteristics of those who attacked Israel in its first decades. The U. S. cannot on one hand demand to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia and then turn around and support Bebe as he condemns innocents the same sort of slaughter, starvation, and disease just to save his job.
It is time to form that coalition of the other nations to help administer Palestine to replace Hamas. Israel deserves safety, but the Palestinian women and children deserve the same and to finally be out from under the horrors of constant war.
In this Woman’s History month, I do have another favorite Meir quote:
seems we’ve been through this before. this ‘toon from back in 2015:
what? have they lost their minds in missouri?
Missouri law bars divorce during pregnancy – even in cases of violence | Missouri | The Guardian
https://www.ajc.com/politics/judge-rules-fulton-da-willis-can-stay-if-wade-steps-aside/3BDOOBKOEBHJBM3X2UOU7QKMXY/
Well, my guess about the Fani Willis recusal motion was right and wrong. WaPo
Obviously Dumbass succeeded in one respect – his most important one – delay. Next up …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March
patD – That’s the thing that will, hopefully, push Josh Hawley over a political cliff.
Lucas Kunce for Senate!
The push to end no-fault divorce in red states will also keep some women in harm’s way. Republicans don’t care. Republicans are monsters.
Time for indecisions
Fly on B plane
Fly on E spaceship
Hitchhike home
Boeing or Elon
Fifties Shakespearish
It was funny in 1960.
Really.
His career hit the skids in ‘62 when he got busted for pot. He died right up the street outside Myrtle Beach. One of his neighbors was Mickey Spillane.
Ray Stevens stole his act with that Ahab the Arab business.
BB, Airbus, ERJ any non 757 Boeing. But I’m thinking hitchhike home may be the safest bet.
And the American Taliban has taken firm hold in Missouri, Texas and Arkansas. Burkas can’t be far behind.
And when Dumbass and his “legal team” crow about their “win” in the Georgia case, feel free to remind them what Judge McAfee pointed out in his decision. Below are excerpts from the decision. The entire decision is here at WaPo. On January 8, 2024, Defendant Roman filed a motion to dismiss the indictment and disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. (Roman Doc. 61). Eight co-defendants later joined and supplemented the motion, raising additional grounds for disqualification. Among other allegations of disqualifying conduct, the Defendants contend that the District Attorney obtained a personal stake in the prosecution of this case by financially benefitting from her romantic relationship with Special Assistant District Attorney (“SADA”) Nathan Wade, whom she personally hired to lead the State’s prosecution team. […] Without sufficient evidence that the District Attorney acquired a personal stake in the prosecution, or that her financial arrangements had any impact on the case, the Defendants’ claims of an actual conflict must be denied. […] Appearance of Impropriety Finding insufficient evidence of an actual conflict of interest does not end the inquiry. Our appellate courts have endorsed the application of an “appearance of impropriety” standard to state prosecutors, even without any explicit finding of an actual conflict. […] While formally undefined in Georgia precedent, an appearance of impropriety is generally considered “conduct or status that would lead a reasonable person to think that the actor is behaving or will be inclined to behave inappropriately or wrongfully.” Black’s Law Dictionary […] While prior inconsistent statements can be considered as substantive evidence under Georgia law, Bradley’s impeachment by text message did not establish the basis for which he claimed such sweeping knowledge of Wade’s personal affairs. In addition, while the testimony of Robin Yearti raised doubts about the State’s assertions, it ultimately lacked context and detail. Even after considering the proffered cellphone testimony from Defendant Trump, along with the entirety of the other evidence, neither side was able to conclusively establish by a preponderance of the evidence when the relationship evolved into a romantic one. However, an odor of mendacity remains. […] Ultimately, dismissal… Read more »
I wish Fani would just tighten the case to only Trump, drop the RICO stuff and get to trial before the election. I always thought his phone call alone was enough for a conviction.
I think that ship has sailed, Poobah.
Sturg, my uncle used to LOVE Brother Dave, and I thought he was pretty funny too.
https://pitchfork.com/news/olivia-rodrigos-management-bans-abortion-funds-from-distributing-contraceptives-on-guts-tour/
“After inviting abortion funds to distribute contraceptive supplies at tour venues, Olivia Rodrigo’s management has bowed to political pressure to put the handouts to an end, Jezebel reports. Prairie Abortion Fund, which had amassed supplies for tonight’s show in St. Paul, Minnesota, confirms that the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) relayed the instructions from Rodrigo’s team. It will instead distribute buttons, stickers, beanies, and resource pages.”
“While most has been positive, Jezebel notes pushback from right-wing figures including Bill Eigel, a state senator in Missouri, where abortion is banned. Eigel falsely claimed that Plan B, which the Missouri Abortion Fund and Right by You distributed at Rodrigo’s St. Louis show, is an abortifacient, rather than a way to prevent pregnancy in the first place.”
“Olivia Rodrigo’s Management Bans Abortion Funds From Distributing Contraceptives on GutsTour”
“In a statement to Pitchfork, Destini Spaeth, the chair of Prairie Abortion Fund, expressed gratitude to Rodrigo for the opportunity to attract attention and funding. “Our country lacks comprehensive sex education and accessible healthcare so offering these items when we table at events is a way abortion funds work to bridge the gaps in our communities,” Spaeth wrote. “A young person taking a Plan B and a few condoms to store in their dresser drawer is a universally good thing.”
https://twitter.com/pm_mcdaniel/status/1768237867690594484
“Isn’t it past your jail time?” Billboard up in Pennsylvania!
Should I sign up for class action arbitration for a privacy violation?
AS someone said – in my defence I was left alone. Years ago, actually the 1960’s, I saw a homebuilt BBQ and patio, all brickwork; the guy was a contractor and brick layer. It was gorgeous. It also had a pizza oven. He had served during WWII in Italy, coming home with some great ideas for his home.
I built a wonderful brick patio at one of my homes. At another was a wood deck patio. Here, I have wood decks, the land is too wet after months of rain to bother with a brick patio. There was one at the back of the lot, but I am using those bricks for project.
I have gas grills, wood grills, smokers and other things. Being alone a Japanese cast iron hibachi is great. But, one thing continued to be lacking. A pizza oven. I searched plans to build a pizza and bread oven. Lots of plans. During those searches I also came across modern “portable” pizza ovens, but the prices were out of sight.
Then a week ago, I saw one on (the infamous) YouTube being used to create pizzas. A little background, we have a lack of pizza makers in this area; either you got a national commercial pizza, or a local pizza that could be rather experimental in creation (the experiment had been on going for years). I could not stand frozen for many reasons. So, I searched on the pizza oven I saw. Hmm, not only on sale, cheaper than on Amazon, but a bundle with the tools and accessories help make up my mind.
The pizza creation is my next learning step. There are a lot of moving parts in making a pizza, and I look forward to the challenge.
Kellyanne Conway dodges national abortion ban question, says Trump favors a “national minimum standard” (Politico)
Uhh, sorry but that’s a ban.
A “minimum standard” also leaves red state bans in place (and they may be lower, of course) and imposes a ban on other states. Nice try, Kellyanne “alternative facts” Conway.
It’s a war on women, and she’s attacking her own kind.
NBC projecting Putin as winnng the Russian election.
“Tennessee Republicans blocked two bills to feed hungry children Tennessee”
“Republicans introduced a bill to recognize “Christian Heritage Month”
Some white nationalist sh/t going on in Tennessee; it sure isn’t Christian.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/25/mike-johnson-profile “…Johnson was a conservative Christian litigator who sometimes warned that hordes of “military-age” migrants were “coming to a neighborhood near you.” Yet, unlike other Republican hard-liners, he cultivated a mild and bookish persona. He wore horn-rimmed glasses, called himself “a nerd constitutional-law guy,” and garlanded his speeches with quotes from Chesterton and Tocqueville. Johnson had only a small national profile, but inside the Republican conference he was a comer. In 2018, after his first term in Congress, he had been elected chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus that includes about three-quarters of the House G.O.P. and often launches lawmakers toward Party leadership.” “Mike called me at the very beginning,” as soon as it was clear that McCarthy “was not going to make it.” Arrington, the chairman of the powerful Budget Committee and a former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, is a charismatic figure whose name had surfaced on lists of potential Speakers. Johnson started out the phone call by politely inquiring if Arrington himself wanted the job. Arrington, who has three young children, said that he worried about the time commitment. He returned the question to Johnson, who replied that, in fact, he “really felt a sense of calling” to be Speaker—“to move forward the vision” he had for the G.O.P. conference, which included decentralizing power by sharing it with committee chairs.” “After journalists excavated some of his signature cases as a conservative Christian lawyer—suing a Baton Rouge abortion clinic, defending Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriage, advocating for the teaching of creationism—Democrats labelled him a religious zealot whose rise underscored how extreme the Republican Party had become. (Much was made of the fact that Johnson and his wife have a “covenant marriage”—a voluntary arrangement that makes it more difficult to divorce.)” The porn thing he has with his son is weird. What’s really interesting though, is Mike’s lack of a single bank account. “In an October interview with the Fox News host Sean Hannity, Johnson said that the Bible dictated his policy positions on “any issue under the sun.” He went on, “Pick up… Read more »
Kellyanne is advising Republican candidates to turn the tables on abortion and, instead of focusing on which week abortion should be illegal, press their Democratic opponents to say how many weeks they think abortion should be legal. That is clever, and Democrats should be prepared to answer.
The answer is to stay away from arbitrary number of weeks, instead say No Government Meddling Until Viability.
That means when a health care provider finds reasonable likelihood the fetus can independently survive.
I can imagine a lot of Democratic candidates needing some schooling on this point or they’ll get caught flat-footed by Kellyanne’s question
It’s up to a woman and her doctor. That’s how many weeks.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/matt-gaetz-subpoenaed-friends-lawsuit-accusing-others-defamation-sex-t-rcna143489
Craig, I’ve heard absolutely crazy scenarios from Republicans, like a woman being halfway through delivery and changing her mind.
Women (and girls) will know pretty quickly what they want to do. Having to give birth to their rapist’s offspring is probably not one, yet tens of thousands have had to do just that.
The fact that there are tens of thousands that resulted in pregnancy and that are known is just horrifying. Greg Abbott was going to be sure to be tough on crime. Fried baloney.
So many things can happen during pregnancy, and most of those making laws have zero understanding how women’s bodies work. Even with education on the subject, every situation is different and it’s between a woman and her doctor how to proceed. Not her husband or partner, just the pregnant person and her doctor.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/64-000-pregnancies-caused-by-rape-have-occurred-in-states-with-a-total-abortion-ban-new-study-estimates/
“A new study estimates that more than 64,000 pregnancies resulted from rape between July 1, 2022, and January 1, 2024, in states where abortion has been banned throughout pregnancy in all or most cases. Of these, just more than 5,500 are estimated to have occurred in states with rape exceptions—and nearly 59,000 are estimated for states without exceptions. The authors calculate that more than 26,000 rape-caused pregnancies may have taken place in Texas alone.”
Why isn’t anyone talking about this part?
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/14/vicente-gonzalez-trump-jews-for-hitler/
“U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from McAllen, compared Hispanic Trump supporters to “Jews for Hitler,” prompting fierce backlash from Republicans as he runs for reelection in a mostly Hispanic South Texas district.”
“In an interview with The New Republic published Monday, Gonzalez warned that Democrats could soon lose support among socially conservative Hispanic voters in South Texas as Republicans increasingly invest in the area. He said Hispanic voters are largely turned off by the anti-immigrant rhetoric coming from the top of the Republican ticket, including former President Donald Trump casting Mexican immigrants as “rapists.”
“It’s clearly a vote against self interest. And yes it would be like the Jewish community voting for Hitler before the atrocities he caused. That would never happen. And Latinos need [to] wake up and see a tyrant on the horizon,” Gonzalez said.
Attn Pat…….This is Friday.
(haha)
Democrats risk losing their current political advantage on abortion by extending the right past viability. Roe itself didn’t go that far. And neither do most voters.
https://www.wndu.com/2024/03/13/indiana-bill-relaxing-child-labor-protections-signed-into-law/
“A hotly debated Indiana bill regarding child labor protections has been signed into law.”
“On Tuesday, Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 146, which now allows 14, 15, and 16 year olds to work past 7 p.m. on a school night.”
So, a 14-year old can close up a restaurant at 11pm, have their homework done, and be awake in class the next morning?
Hmmm, now how could we easily fix the labor shortage? Oh, yeah.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/maga-plan-attack-birth-control-surveil-women-ban-abortion-pill-1234934807/
“Inside the MAGA Plan to Attack Birth Control, Surveil Women and Ban the Abortion Pill – Republicans’ Project 2025…”
“The document explicitly names their intention not just to rescind FDA approval for the abortion pill if they regain control of the White House in 2024, but to revive a 150-year-old law that criminalizes sending or receiving through the mail any “article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine or thing” that could be used to facilitate an abortion. That law, the Comstock Act, is viewed as a de facto federal abortion ban by reproductive rights advocates and anti-abortion activists alike.”
“Those plans — and many more, including proposals to attack contraception access, use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase “abortion surveillance” and data collection, rescind a Department of Defense policy to “prohibit abortion travel funding,” punish states that require health insurance plans to cover abortion, and retool a law that is currently protecting pregnant women with life-threatening conditions — are outlined in Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership.”
Fellas better get interested, because they will be paying a lot more child support.
Why can’t they keep it zipped???
Short Story of the Week:
”Today is Friday”,
by Ernest Hemingway
Shortest poem:
It is what it is.
It is what we make it.
Because Orange Adolf triggers anger in his followers, they are enmeshed with him. They’ve been brainwashed. It’s a cult.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/15/politics/pence-will-not-endorse-trump/index.html
“Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday said he “cannot in good conscience” endorse presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, a stunning repudiation of his former running mate and the president he served with.”
“Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years. That’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign,” Pence said on Fox News.
“Pence did not reveal who he’ll vote for in the 2024 general election, saying that he’ll keep “my vote to myself.” He, however, said he will “never vote” for President Joe Biden. Pence also suggested that he would not back a third-party candidate.”
So, he’ll vote for tRUMP based on the criteria he’s set for himself, he’s just not going to say it out loud?
NEW THREAD by Craig our fearless leader