The Frankish Reich

I'd have to research the case to give you a full answer, but based on what I know: Binance was accused of having reason to know that a lot of the crypto they handled as an exchange was from illegal activity (read: drug sales, etc.). CZ was found guilty of having personal knowledge. He wasn't accused of hands-on cooperation with cartels, etc., but such a finding wasn't necessary in order for him to be guilty. So it is fair to say that Binance facilitated drug trafficking, and that their chief had reason to know that his company was facilitating drug trafficking. I will grant you that crypto is so unregulated that there is some issue in the application of the law. The traditional law we all depends on is a kind of "know your customer." That applies to normal (non-crypto) transactions. You can't be willfully blind to what's going on. Until someone shows me otherwise, I will continue to maintain that facilitation of illegal activity (drug trafficking, evasion of various export/import controls, tax evasion) is the only proven usefulness of crypto.

Reminder: Gavin Newsom won his state in 2022 with almost 60% of the vote. Yes, it's California, yes, it's not like the rest of us, but ... he knows where his voters are, and he delivers. Watch out: he's Bill Clinton. He will tack sharply toward the middle in any national election. Kamala was too stupid or too stubborn or too time-limited in her campaign to do that. He will have no second thoughts. He is a pure political animal with one goal in mind.

TRUMP: I know nothing about the pardon of Binance king CZ. Of course it's a lie, but if you believe him, you believe that he just applies his sharpie to whatever his staffers put in front of him. So, so different from the autopen thing.

So tell me - what's the sinister explanation? As I said, your link doesn't work.

Your link is trash, but a quick Google says he does have this tattoo and it's because his mother was born in Skaneateles.

Hey, I've already said I think this shutdown thing is bad strategy on the part of the Democrats. But I'm not a registered Democrat, and my reps really don't care what I think.

No offense (I get where you're coming from), but it is so nuts that we're used to that phrasing: "climate change is real." Of course it's real! The global climate has changed, and from what we can tell, continues to change. The question is how much of that is caused by human activity. So Gates is now saying that it is not an immediate existential crisis, but it is still very worrying and must be addressed. I have no problem with that.

Thanks, Nancy! And thanks for giving me permission to joke about Charlie!

What??? You're telling me that the New CBS of Larry Ellison's kid and Bari Weiss actually edited a politician interview for extreme boredom! Sue 'em!!

Now THAT'S a professional! Not to be underestimated.

Definitely not a Hindu! Fate is inexorable. JD-Erika 2028. The marriage, the ticket.

I'm working on it. Thanks for understanding. A not-so-random thought: The better bs artist always wins. (2020 and 2024 were tossups) Clinton vs Bush 41. Clinton vs. Dole Bush 43 vs. Gore Bush 43 vs Kerry Obama vs. McCain Obama vs. Romney Trump vs. Hillary Newsome vs. JD? It just rolls out of Gavin's mouth naturally. No tells. JD has a little catching up to do. He is trying to bury his remnants of a conscience but it sometimes still creeps through.

So .... the talking point is now: - Democrats, and Democrats alone, are the people preventing you from obtaining the SNAP benefits you were promised under the law we Republicans passed. - SNAP is an awful program riddled with fraud that enriches illegal aliens who have no right to even be here. Makes sense to me! Play the American people for the fools that they are. MAGA does one thing right: it never underestimates the stupidity of its voters.

I conclude: New York is weird. There is no understanding New York politics because it is based on secret dealmaking and ethnic/religious group promised favoritism. You might as well bet on which Mafia family will become the dominant one.

And this is why I think he's the front runner. He can bs with the best of them. Bill Clinton, Donald Trump. That's elite-level. He's the only one out there who seems to be able to beat them at their own game. So much better to pretend to have a poster on "ignore."

Of course there's waste, fraud, and abuse. But notice what the MAGA folks do when they are losing an argument? They make it about illegal aliens. So here we go again. The Republicans passed the BBB without Democratic votes. If they wanted to add assurances that illegal aliens could not directly or indirectly benefit from SNAP, well, they could've done that. Don't fall for this latest deflection.

In retrospect, I am so glad we lost to the Falcons on purpose.

I see what you did there. Yep. My AI friend confirms. As do JJ Watt, Shawne Merriman, and lots of other real life examples. Yes, athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, particularly anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are significantly more likely to suffer Achilles tendon injuries and ruptures. Anabolic steroids contribute to this increased risk through several mechanisms: Biomechanical Mismatch: Anabolic steroids induce rapid muscle hypertrophy and increased strength, but the tendons and ligaments do not adapt or strengthen at the same rate. This creates a dangerous mismatch where the powerful muscles place supraphysiological loads on relatively weaker, less resilient tendons, predisposing them to injury or rupture. Weakened Tendon Structure: AAS use disrupts the normal synthesis and cross-linking of collagen, the primary structural component of tendons. Studies in animals have shown that steroids can lead to collagen fiber dysplasia (abnormal formation) and decreased tensile strength and elasticity. Impaired Repair: AAS can inhibit the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), enzymes crucial for the normal remodeling and repair of tendon tissue. This impaired healing capacity can lead to pre-existing degenerative changes in the tendon that make it more susceptible to acute rupture during intense physical activity.

It was a risk. It paid off for 1.5 games.

In which Tucker apologizes for calling Nick gay. Nick (previously): "having sex with women is gay." He explained that he's chosen to be an incel. Basically a voluntary involuntary celibate. Whatever. Definitely not at all gay. Why would anyone think that, Tucker?

What happened to our regular teasers for the latest Tucker Carlson episode? I guess that's my role now. I grudgingly accept. Latest one: Nick Fuentes! Cross-posted with the Closeted Gay Republicans thread.

Black Christians are being slaughtered in Nigeria. The majority of the extremely limited (7,500) refugee admissions under Trump 2.0's first full year will be white South Africans farmers. Discuss.

Because that's what it is. Guy who scoffed at concerns about Saudi Arabia dismembering a journalist and Russia inflicting radioactive poisoning on political enemies (remember: "we've done a lot of bad stuff too") suddenly can't stand watching human rights abuses?

Look, I am a neoconservative as it comes to such things. I think we do have a role to play in human rights or the lack thereof in other countries (which doesn't necessarily mean I want to invade them, etc.). It's just that Trump is publicly 100% against that. If he's changing his mind having seen some atrocities, well, good. Nothing wrong with admitting that? Or is there?

We will not get involved in other people's wars. We cannot stand by while some other people's wars go on. Got it?