leh-nerd skin-erd

I am focusing on what I know: I know how the Grand Jury system works, generally. I also know that nothing came from the allegations, which could mean just about anything: A victim fearful of pursuing. A victim who settled discretely to put the matter behind her. A person who made unsubstantiated claims. A person who made unsubstantiated claims and a person settling to avoid harm/damage to reputation. Overzealous prosecution. Incompetent prosecution. Prosecution in on it. Most importantly to me, I know what the outcome was. Do you?

Pure speculation on your part, and all the Latin you picked up from watching LA Law reruns doesn't change that. It's the equivalent of suggesting JB's nomination of Julie Su as his labor secretary reveals deep ties to China.

No, I don’t wonder about that at all. Here’s the way I see it—a grand jury is established to move cases forward. It’s not an arbiter of truth, fairness, full disclosure or anything resembling a decision on guilt or innocence, justice, it’s simply part of the process. I read that federal grand juries result in indictment 99% of the time. With regard to Epstein, it seems there is an awful lot of information that is unknown or unreleased, and I don’t understand why that is. The guy has been dead for years, his associate jailed, and yet it seems that powerful people are being protected. This allows any mention of Epstein to be used as a hammer politically. I think that’s part of the plan tbh.

The exchange with Justice Thomas is legendary. Good call.

From the perspective of the American Indian, they were invaders, obviously. In addition, not only were they invaders, they were conquerers. The history of slavery is much more nuanced than "the colonists...captured and forced Africans...", though slavery is a stain on humanity, especially when viewed from the perspective of the present. It seems you've traced your family roots back with enviable specificity, back a few hundred years. I'm not debating your experience, but I guess I would ask this question--what, exactly do you mean by 'less sins' and how did you come to the conclusion that your ancestors were more less sinny than 'descendants of the colonists', 'average' or otherwise? Our family history is much less clear and likely more traditional. I was fortunate enough to know my grandparents up through at least 15 years of my life, and they were good, decent and kind people. Of course, I couldn't tell you if they were less or more sinny than another neighbor nearby, though I'd certainly state with confidence that they were less sinny than, say Charles Manson or David Berkowicz. I do know I loved and admired them. Of course, for people with some written historical record, it's important to remember the old adage that history is written by the victors. How would one really know that whatever accounting was offered was accurate and not self-serving? Would your great grandfather entrust to history that he cheated his partner in a business deal, or beat a guy senseless in a barroom brawl? Besides, let's speak candidly here. The notion of 'conquerer and invader' is not unique to Europeans, and the notion that there were not warring/conquering/subjugating indigenous people/tribes is naive. Our history is pretty much the same as the history of other nations and people long since vanished--stories of triumph, heroism, brutality, honesty, dishonesty, life, death and loss.

You missed several. Biden has an acknowledged history of inappropriate touching females in his space; Biden was credibly accused of sexual assault by a female he worked with a couple decades back; Biden leverages his family tragedies for political gain, often changing the fact pattern to elicit sympathy; All that aside, perhaps the greatest indicator of his true character is this insistence on staying in the race in spite of his obviously rapidly deteriorating mental state. I have known many, many people who saw decline in mental/physical shape and to a person, all knew what was happening to them. Biden had made a conscious choice to press on in spite of what is obvious to himself. He’s a raging narcissist who started believing his own press clippings.

I think you're on point here and agree with your perspective. Abortion as viewed by fundamentalists simply does not work in America these days. A separate debate can be had on all that, but the majority of voters seem to believe an option to end a pregnancy should be available somewhere after conception, with different opinions on how long that option should last, and for exceptional circumstances. Medicare is a train wreck, at least based on a sustainability standpoint. I am not a fan of the mass deportation rhetoric, though I think many Americans struggle with the notion of the significant chaos we have with what amounts to an open border. I also cannot see a time when 'mass deportation' is even a thing, seeing that both rs and ds in power have participated in creating this clusterf*ck over the past 70 years or so. Energy, check. Independence, check. Tax cuts, check. Freedom(s), check. ...and so on.

10, Pro. I think 10 visits to the personal physician of an octogenarian President's personal physician would be the minimum the press would need before one of the world's foremost experts on a degenerative disease like Parkinson's would even pop up on the radar. Btw--a few years back when Eric Schneiderman was AG and allegations of physical/sexual abuse were made against him. An investigation revealed the accusations were quite credible, but of course, he's a dem in NY so he was above the law, like Eliot Spitzer a short time earleir. Anyway, I was listening to local talk on the radio and a local reporter was spilling the beans on the accusations and allegations against him, of physical/emotional abuse, and including that it was common knowledge that he might have a problem with cocaine. Apparently, none of that was enough to warrant any further digging or reporting, though it involved one of the most powerful people in the state.

I think this explains how this all flew under the radar of the amazingly consistent and leave-no-stone-unturned mainstream media. This Parkinson's expert apparently went in through the front door several times over a few months, and really, how would anyone know that? As far as I can see, it's the only Achilles Heel of the modern press. Oh, and the laptop being dropped off for the Geek Squad. So, two ways, total.

It’s bad, but that’s because the theory of a free and independent press is largely a myth. We have a commercial, agenda-driven media, with circular reporting and leveraging the notion of deeply embedded and anonymous sourcing. That’s only going to change if citizens push back on the type of nonsense we’ve seen with regard to coverage of Biden’s cognitive health over the past few years. For all the bashing of Fox News—some well deserved—-the MSM is at times quite horrible.

In a world where “the next great candidate” to replace “the last great candidate” and the tendency to go with spouses, siblings, children or next name on the ticket as next man up, the chances are quite low.

Well, the Times article is a puff piece, an opinion offered to sell a product and just represents one person (or maybe a small group of people) thoughts on the matters of the day. Beethoven. Vvvvahgner. And obviously, Marty Scorsese. If you can’t laugh at such silliness, or at least mock a bit, what’s the point? In fact, if we’re just making **** up, why not run with Biden’s style being like Mick Jagger, Van Halen (following the German theme, Wolfe, not Eddie) and Pink from Pink Floyd?

The first and most important question for Harris would be “What did you know about JBs rapidly deteriorating mental state, and when did you first know he had a problem? “ followed up with “Why didn’t you do something about it?”.

Richard Wagner, the notoriously anti-Semitic German composer? Or, Jiffy Pop Wagner, Corn’s younger brother?

Sounds like a start, though you would have to extend embargo(s) to include travel in/out if China, and I would think extend that to any nation doing business with China?

That’s pretty unspecific with the world at a tipping point. What does the rest of the world do to compel compliance in your opinion? Cease trade with China? War? As for countries damaging the world at a lesser rate, what does the international community do now to compel compliance? Cut off all aid? Cease trade? War?

It's a shame for his legacy that this is part of his story. The man was the face of NYC rising after the attack on 9/11, bringing people together, leading the recovery efforts under circumstances that likely would have broken others. After seeing the behavior of politicians post 9-11, I can't imagine any of them stepping up under those circumstances.

True, but you should have just ignored it without telling me you were ignoring it. That reveals you didn't ignore it at all, you were actually compelled to reply.

Great. This trend, you see. The democrat party and MSM covering for an aging, cognitively compromised president over a several year period, it's Hellen Keller time.

I wasn’t judging, youngster. Just observing, like the Prairie Home Companion guy, on a message board with 7 contributors, a lot less skill and a boatload less money. Congrats!

That’s pure speculation, but maybe. What I can say definitively, however is that as the official story evolved post-Christopher Steele reporting, all sorts of manipulation, lies, mistruths, and surveillance/unmasking of the political opposition would make Tricky Dick look like a 1970s kid using a Spy Decoder Ring sold in Woolworth’s.

After one, it’s probably a characteristic you’re drawn to?

That was directed at me, I think. I didn’t say it, either, but he was on a roll, I guess.

You’re getting turned around here. The president is acting within the law when acting within his/her official duties. Besides, we already know these officials operate outside laws that are in effect for you and I. Biden, HClinton, Spitzer, BClinton, diplomats. Remember this story? https://nypost.com/2021/09/17/pentagon-admits-its-killed-civilians-not-isis-terrorist-in-drone-strike/

Seems silly to waste time with a yes or no answer when the answer is pre-programmed. Better to ask an open-ended questions about lapses, freezes, staring off into space, being lead off stage by handlers, and grand delusions of someone beating up medicare.