leh-nerd skin-erd

I’m not sure what your point is here, politically speaking. Virtually everything that crosses the desk if a president is the result of an incredibly complicated and complex intersection of economics, finance, political intrigue, power brokering, culture and other descriptor you want to put in there. If fairness and decency were the standard in politics, maybe everyone would take a short break, dive into all the factors that might impact today’s price at the pump, have a rational conversation about the geo-political framework, big oil, and who’s gotten wealthy as a king being a politician in the right place at the right time where energy is concerned. Sadly, fairness and decency are not on the menu here. Exhibit I: Is it really fair that the totality of Houch Dean’s political career was defined by 90 seconds of sounding like the crazy prepped neighbor down the street who purifies his own urine and was voted most likely to take on a SWAT team? Not really, though it’s up there with the funniest 90 seconds on the internet. Exhibit II: Now, was Joe Biden really just trying to explain all the intricacies of the R plan for banking regulation by invoking the most painful and horrific time of our nation’s history? Does that help the narrative, the concept that R leaders want to put people back in chains? Exhibit III: “PUTIN’S PRICE HIKE” I’ll spare you the numerous clips that include the president and his advisers using their current catch phrase to alleviate American concerns about pain at the pump. At the end of the day, he’s been part of a political faction that has declared war on the legacy energy sector, and worked tirelessly to destroy it and the jobs/livelihoods of those who work in it or benefit indirectly from it. That’s no secret, and as one of the most powerful people on the planet, his words and actions matter. Given that the price of energy is the result of many, many complicated and intersecting issues, it seems completely unreasonable to suggest that Biden’s words, actions as a Senator, VP and president have zero to do with conditions we face today. Frankly, even if he is simply the poor stooge in the captains seat at the wrong place and time, such is life.

If you’re willing to lock a politician up because he gave people a tour of the Capitol, you’re going to lock up a lot of politicians. I may be missing some/any of the evidence pointing to criminal behavior, but beyond giving a tour in unrestricted areas, in full view of security cameras…is there something else the tweeter chose not to reveal? Direct connection to those charged with sedition? The names of the individuals who received the tours, their current status? Has law enforcement charged him with a crime, or is there an ongoing criminal probe directed at him? I googled “Loudermilk Criminal Probe” and a couple other terms but wasn’t able to find anything beyond this commentary from the, uh, Capitol Police: https://nypost.com/2022/06/14/rep-loudermilks-riot-eve-capitol-tour-not-suspicious-police/ When you wonder why precious few applaud the political theater of the 1/6 committee, it’s things like this.

Tibs may be best known around these parts as an internet bon vivant, but he’s a stickler for punctuality!

Yes, exactly. Everything.

I’m all over the place? Me? You went from suggesting people listen to William Barr for clarity to completely disregarding what he has said to referring to him as a Trump Toady in 3 posts. To make things slightly more confusing, you then doubled back to suggesting the guy you cited as reliable, then cited as completely unreliable, reverted back to reliable when what he says aligns with your bias, with a parting shot that you don’t trust what he says. Next up, unsubstantiated and somewhat wild accusations of criminality, alleged criminality and some mythical “jury” that would “convict” him. Given that the hearings are not encumbered by the normal rules of criminal court, I’m not sure what you’re going on about here? Honestly, Bob, if our criminal system worked like some of these political tribunals, where evidence could be withheld, leaked, ignored and the prosecutor had complete control over the process, I’d be surprised if the conviction rate wasn’t 100%. Plus, I think that scenario has played out, historically, in certain places and reasonable people think a system rigged in that fashion is not in the public interest. You’re rapidly becoming the Kama Sutra of this subject Bob. You started out fine, pedestrian really, but with each page that turns, the positions you take are more and more difficult and a struggle to maintain. You should have your heart checked, Bob. What I’m saying is simple. Stop the Steal is political campaigning in line with Russiagate. Sad, but true. Oh, and yes, I most definitely agree that if Trump prevailed in any of his court challenges, he would have contested the Biden presidency. That would not have been the first time that happened, and it’s not the first time it failed. I also believe that had the Dems been able to remove Trump from office mid-term—-one way or the other—-they would have done so.

Wait…gunny bears?

Your limitation is that you don’t consider the perspective of others as a relevant factor in how they view this issue, Bob. I shared factual information from the former Attorney General of the United States, one you suggested folks listen to as a reliable source just a post earlier. You do not see any of that as being relevant as to how people view the events of 1/6, Bob, and that’s a blind spot for you. On the other hand, I do. I also understand your perspective and acknowledge your feelings about Trump, and understand you’ve completely dismissed as standard operating procedure the events to remove him from office under false pretense. Now, if the Jan 6 issue was a one and done, out of the blue event undertaken by Trump, absent rather political actions of the Dems for the prior 4 years, I’d probably be agreeing with you. Moral outrage, holy crap how can this happen, blah blah blah. In this case, it’s a suckers game. Georgia? Politics. It’s a dirty business. You know this. I know this. Why are we arguing about something we both know to be true? To be honest, it’s one reason people are largely disinterested in the story. In the end, Bob, I’m not justifying anything at all, it’s simply that my rational, reasoned analysis leads me to conclude that this is the way the game is played. Again, wish it wasn’t, but it is. I will say, also, that in spite of your attempt at mockery, I get a lot of compliments when I wear orange. Something about my personal color wheel, hybrid skin tone and that autumn somehow just works on me. Other colors on my wheel are blue, red, sea foam green, anything in the purple family, magenta and steel granite metallic if that’s still a thing.

Let’s tell the whole story though, because it matters in context. Barr has also suggested that what was done to Trump, and by extension to the American people who elected him fairly, was “a grave injustice”, “a political dirty trick”, and most recently, “seditious”. He further suggested the entire sad saga was designed to “hobble” the President and “drive him from office”. All of the above is true. So, when supporters of the other side get all worked up because the “seditious” in Washington are trying, and failing, again to tie Trump to the horrible events of 1/6, it falls completely on deaf ears. Based on the ratings and lack of national interest in this story, it seems it falls in other deaf ears as well. Put another way, two things can be true, Bob. It was entirely possible for DJT to appear at a rally for partisan political purposes, on the day he chose (my belief is he chose Wednesday, 1/6 specifically to steal the thunder away from Biden, crank up the next campaign for the next political cycle, and prepare for the next fight). It’s is also true that pre-planned and/or spontaneous chaos could occur within a few miles of the rally down the road, and that Trump and his inner circle had nothing to do with it. As far as I can tell, liberals were ok with the death by paper cut approach to their version of changing the outcome of the prior election, but really uncomfortable with the “Let’s rip the band aid off” approach Trump employed.

It was a busy week. Actual Trump calendar for the week in question: Monday, 1/4/21 9am - 7pm Tour of Moscow with V Tuesday, 1/5/21 9am - 1pm Punch puppies at Pet Smart 1pm - 3pm Tweet 3pm - 7pm Coveffee with Melanie Wednesday, 1/6/21 OPEN Thursday, 1/7/21 9am - 9pm Discuss Kraken Unleashing w/ Rudy Friday, 1/8/21 Winter Break Begins

Bingo.

The assumption here is that the current administration is somehow off track. That the state of the nation is directly tied to one old man’s missteps and gaffes, and his failure to generate excitement or lead on any of the pressing issues. The fact is Biden is who he always has been, and the signs of obvious and marked decline were evident before he was nominated. In spite of that, his team was assembled, a plan for the future of the country developed, and when he won, it was implemented. I think the administration is doing exactly what they planned on doing, and that tossing Biden on the scrap heap of history is part of the plan.

Absolute shame for his family that he passed away, and kudos to Mike Pence for making that call.

If you have a thing for Joy Behar, you have a thing for Joy Behar. The heart wants what the heart wants, Wack.

I watched “Goodfellas”. I figured if I was watching reruns, I might as well watch one where the acting is good. On that note, one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. Hypocrisy and the human condition all wrapped up in about a minute:

How so, FrenchGoat? ☝🏼

Because it’s patently unreasonable and wholly partisan behavior to suggest that in addition to selecting their own members to the committee, the party in power gets to choose the members on the other side as well. It was a cool switch to see the Dems choose a Cheney for their team, though.

It’s fascinating when people don’t see how their own bias contributes to these problems. Someone always thinks their revolutionaries seeking to destroy/maim/kill are in the right, Tibs.

Elaborate. I've been on board with a complete investigation by law enforcement officials on the event of 1/6, including charging the perpetrators who assaulted law enforcement, breached the Capitol, destroyed property and the like. I acknowledge thinking that law enforcement might be a bit heavy handed against those guilty of low level activity, but on the whole, I supported the investigation just as you did. Now, when confronted with videos of insurrectionists and revolutionaries attempting to storm the White House, burn it to the ground and lynch all the occupants, you seem completely comfortable with those actions. @Jauronimo has been active here of late talking about the difference between jaywalking in Des Moines and attempting the stop the peaceful transfer of power, and while I disagree that people are generally comparing 1/6 to stealing sneakers, I do agree a message must be sent. I can't imagine a more destructive assault on our way of life than that shown in those videos.

Hmm. I can’t vouch for the veracity of this list, but it seems reasonable enough to believe that among the top 10 stock positions owned by members, Exxon is #9. 10 Most Popular Stocks Owned by Congress in 2021 Here's what Congress is currently invested in: OrganizationTotal InvestorsMinimum InvestmentMaximum Investment Apple Inc79$9,654,688$38,853,590 Microsoft Corp66$6,777,342$23,462,249 Bank of America59$2,146,215$5,659,133 Walt Disney Co52$2,124,962$8,104,907 AT&T Inc49$1,222,407$2,821,355 Pfizer Inc47$2,630,444$8,206,395 Johnson & Johnson47$2,545,111$4,688,062 General Electric47$647,604$1,390,563 Exxon Mobil45$6,688,238$23,178,183 Alphabet Inc45$2,656,348$6,543,273 There are a few interesting items of note in this list: Pfizer has climbed back into the top 10, at the #6 spot, with almost 50 Congress members holding the stock

Cognitive impairment….interesting.

It would be nice if this was always the standard, huh?

Turns out the dirty little truth is even members of the American media don't trust the American media. What bothers me as a seeker of truth is that this lady wasn't willing to share her grave concerns about the legitimacy of the American media until she got her feelings hurt. Apparently, some members of the press 'get away with murder', racism is prevalent at the WaPo, sexism is a major issue, and it's an incredibly hostile place to work. https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-post-fires-felicia-sonmez Donald Trump only referred to it as "Fake News", this lady dropped an H-bomb on the whole operation. How can we trust ever again?

I'm not certain what @B-Man has done to get under your skin, but it happens sometimes. My suggestion is to push back, take a deep breath, and remember the old saying: "Sticks and stone may break your bones, but words will never hurt you assuming that said words meet certain guidelines as to form and substance as approved by newly created agencies within the federal government. What's the beef, Chief?

Maybe some of the Capitol Police are Biden supporters and should be investigated ?

Uh…I was…uh….hacked? A victim of pfishing?? Sometimes I forget there are ladies in the house!