leh-nerd skin-erd

“All your earthly dreams and aspirations will go mup in smoke if you play with weeds in the devil’s sandbox!” -Someone, probably, in the 1940s I don’t smoke, and I’m not much of a drinker these days. I consider returning to my college days of casual use, but sometimes I think…”Why?”. I’ve spoken with Bob on this issue, and the issue of relief from chronic pain that marijuana is said to bring. If one can find relief, I say go all in. The only challenge I can see, should such misfortune befall me or my loved ones, is how to get in front of him when he has all those frequent flier punches on his ticket. Peace out Stoner!

100% correct Bob. I had no point to make, just thought it was funny on a Saturday morning. Lame, perhaps, but funny.

Are you concerned you have Buttinski Disorder? (I’m in recovery. I relapsed, but you probably knew that already)

We’re on the “The President can’t control anything…” cycle right now. Let’s circle back around to “The President is responsible for everything…” at the appropriate time.

It's interesting that yesterday, while discussing allegations by Tibs of wrongdoing by Representative Loudermilk, another posted offered this a similar story about the disconnect between the DOJ and the committee as proof that Loudermilk was being investigated by the DOJ. Of course, the link said nothing about Loudermilk, likely because Loudermilk's actions were already cleared by the Capitol police per a story I linked. However, in a nugget of gold mixed in with garbage that poster is know for producing, the link indicated the DOJ investigation was being 'hampered' by the committee's actions. With this story, it's a "failure to grant...access". One can only wonder about who and what are being investigated by the DOJ. It certainly could be that they flipped Loudermilk and it's all smoke screen. Still....it sounds an awful lot like the 1/6 dem committee is stonewalling or obstructing the necessary criminal investigation into this matter.

I heard somewhere that @SoCal Deek drives a fully tricked out Ford F450, leather seats, and when not redesigning the So Cal landscape with buildings that are environmentally chaotic and displace the community of San Diego snapping turtle that call the area home, he eats BLT sammies while listening to conservative talk radio with the sunroof open, windows rolled down and AC on max. Now all this. I miss the days when Friday was Funday.

To 6?

Ironically, if it was under the USA TODAY handle…. 🧐

The problem for me isn’t the expectation that I will ever get 100% of the facts about events, it’s that historically speaking, the percentage of times the narrative provided was subsequently proven to be false is quite high. Looking at the events over the 4 or 5 years, we’ve morphed from a massive number of people believing that the president was illegitimate or in power as a result of a coup….to a time where a massive amount of people believing the presidential election was stolen and this illegitimate. Over the last 4 or 5 years, we’ve gone from a time when a massive number of people screamed that the duly elected president and his government could not be trusted, that our system was not just, chronically infected with systemic racism, and that nothing that came from Washington could be trusted….to a time when suddenly in November 2020, those same people were heard to be peddling “trust without question, all is well, everything was done exquisitely” when a massive number of people didn’t trust the outcome not unlike their fellow citizens just 4 years earlier. Over just a couple short years, we went from the start of a pandemic where millions of lives were at risk and people screaming “DO SOMETHING” and a president assembling a task force that delivered vaccines in record time, to a shot time later deaths under the new admin eclipsing those from the prior in spite of the vaccine and the very same people mumbling meekly “Well what’s he supposed to do?”. I think we would probably agree that history tells us blind faith in the US government is not warranted nor advisable, even when it suits your own innate political bias. Actually, I think especially when it suits your own political bias. From stories of mob ties to the Kennedy admin, to the massive lies of Vietnam, Watergate, FBI under Hoover, Iran-Contra, the Keating 5, Agent Orange, the FDA and Perdue, War for Oil, WMDs, Benghazi, One Colluision Two Colluision Three Collusion Oops forget it Obstruction….and so many more, trusting without question is long dead and buried. So, I respect your right to go all in and trust the narrative without question. One could say, I suppose, if you can’t trust a select subcommittee of representatives from congress and high-ranking DOJ officials refusing to confirm/deny pretty much anything to give you the full, unvarnished truth about everything….. Still, I’ll respect historical perspective and wait and see.

That’s the nature of a question, Billst. I assumed everyone knew that. Fortunately, the internet assumes some basic understanding of grammar, sentence structure, punctuation etc, but it can be a tolerant and forgiving place for folks who may have skipped grades 1-12. Interestingly, the humble question mark is near universally accepted as the go-to punctuation when a query is in play, but it’s first recorded usage only dates back to 1862. I feel I like that’s significant, but don’t want those wheels of yours grinding away on this whole question thing. I offer: What a ride. What, a ride? What a ride!

And yet, I forgive you for your inhumanity and your hubris. God Bless you. As was my response, soldier. Again, I tried.

Why are you asking me a question based on an assertion made by Tibs? I had the same question, that’s why I asked Tibsy what more he had beyond what had transpired to that point: 1. That he alleged something about the specific actions of a representative, including a full-throated frothy declaration that he be locked up; 2. That I searched the internet and found no indication of a criminal probe into the specific actions of the targeted representative that Tibs wants locked up; 3. That I found the Capitol Police stating there was nothing suspicious about the actions of the representative in question and the actions that Tibs specifically feels were criminal involving something like abetting a riot and breaking and entering. He declined to provide additional information, but did manage to accuse me of supporting the downfall of the Republic because I said that congressional tours are pretty freaking common. In your response, you included a generic statement about concerns the 1/6 committee is hampering* the DOJ criminal probe and has requested all transcripts. Is it your contention that the statement you provided deals specifically with the discussion Tibs and I were having? If it’s one of the “specific prosecutions” mentioned in your post, please, share. *Hampering criminal probe”. That’s interesting.

I do care about the Republic, Tibsy, probably more than you when Russiagate collapsed like the North Wall in Game of Thrones, S 7. I’m just a realist, and limit my suspension of same for amusement park rides, movies and a good tv series like GOT. For a while back when I was a young guy, Farrah Fawcett was on the list as well. Stop the political jabberwocky, get some charges filed outside this demo circle jerk and we can talk. Maybe Jennifer I Stand With Ukraine Rubin is on to something here.

I acknowledged your point in my post, Jauronimo. I’ll summarize again just to be clear: “It’s complicated and goes beyond the current occupant in the White House”. We agree, not sure how you missed that. Since this is a political board, I responded from the political perspective. I indicated that, too. It seems we agree that Biden, his admin and those past have, or had the ability to impact what’s happening today in a way that would have been a net positive for the American consumer. I don’t see the harm in stating that. I don’t live in the energy capital of the world like you do. It’s entirely possible and quite probable that I’m not all read into the happenings in the energy field beyond some tactical investments here and there. I do live in Albany, though, which if not the Politically-Motivated-BS Capital of the world, it’s top 2 in the country. Seems to me that when talking candidly about all the elements of the current crisis, it’s silly, petty and in poor form to suggest that including Biden’s role as part of the conversation is a “cheap shot” or that any “patting on the back” necessarily ensues. If Biden’s policies, words and actions come back to bite him at the ballot box—and I certainly hope they do—point your finger in the right direction. Thanks for stopping by. No sarcasm intended (now, anyway), you seem to be a very informed guy and I take what you have said for consideration. I appreciate it.

It was an ugly day in our history to be sure. Law enforcement should punish wrongdoers, the guilty pursued, and the lack of security addressed with transparency. I have zero faith in the transparency leg, which taints pretty much everything else.

And the Capitol Police, FBI, DOJ etc haven’t picked up on it yet? Did you try emailing them directly…maybe give them your pager number? Seriously, you have to have more than this.

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.