The Smell of Flop Sweat and Circus Peanuts
[NB: check the byline, thanks. /~Rayne]
Buckle up, cupcakes. You know it’s about to go down when the ringmaster summons the clowns.
Like this sad doofus.
[Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA-14) sharing stolen photos* attributed to Hunter Biden during a GOP-led House Oversight Committee hearing July 19, 2023.]
How entirely predictable this goat rodeo was on Wednesday, though. You could set your watch by the triggers.
~ ~ ~
First, the truth is slowly beginning to seep into the public’s consciousness that lifelong scofflaw Donald J. Trump is in deep shit which is about to meet the oscillator.
As Marcy shared in a post on Tuesday, Trump had a tantrum in his personal social media platform. He acted out after Special Counsel Jack Smith sent him a target letter with a deadline Thursday — today — to appear in front of a grand jury.
Lashing out against law enforcement is far from constructive — unless it serves another purpose like whipping up the base for grifting.
Up to now the angry hyperbole flung at Special Counsel and other investigations hasn’t helped Trump much in public opinion, according to a Politico/Ipsos poll published July 6, a month after Trump was indicted related to possession of classified documents and presidential records.
While right-leaning outlets posted headlines like “Nearly a quarter of Republicans say classified docs charges make them more likely to support Trump: poll” in The Hill, Ipsos’ published its results under a headline which read, “Most Americans think Trump should head to trial before the 2024 election.”
This is not a pretty picture for Trump one month after his indictment, before even more evidence emerges about the case.
Trump will continue to respond the same way until these numbers improve because he’s running out of options.
~ ~ ~
Second, in his tantrum online, Trump called upon the House GOP and whined for their support, demanding “REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS MUST MAKE THIS THEIR # 1 ISSUE!!!”
Why the GOP-led House and not some other political group? Because members of the House are protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate clause, Article I, Section 6, Clause 1:
“The Senators and Representatives…shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony, and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their attendance at the Session of their Respective Houses, and in going to and from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.”
Clowns like Big Marj and Jim “Ignore the OSU sex abuse” Jordan (R, OH-04) can blab in front of cameras and microphones, say the most obnoxious crap on behalf of their mob boss, and never be held to account so long as they do it while ostensibly representing their constituents.
They’ll keep doing this until voters get fed up with this trash juggling which does nothing to address the country’s real needs.
Really, what does a bunch of stolen nude images of Hunter Biden have to do with tax law enforcement — laws which have already resulted in Hunter Biden being charged with a guilty plea expected in court this next week. This isn’t even a question you’ll note.
These images had jack-doodley-squat to do with the investigation by IRS personnel who should have been looking for documentation of unreported income or fraudulent write-offs and not nudes of a white male in his late 40s engaged in consensual sex with adults.
Because the erstwhile IRS investigators have also not been held to account for their shoddy work which amounts to little more than digging through a digital underwear drawer, they’ll be used over and over again like goats in this clown-riddled rodeo.
~ ~ ~
Third, the influence operation(s) which resulted in disinformation relying on stolen digital nude photos is being picked asunder and exposed for what it is. This site’s readers who’ve been following Marcy’s painstaking effort digging through documentation know well the narrative created by Trump, the GOP, and other entities is falling apart.
One major tell: the attack on this website after Marcy published her most recent post examining media outlets’ role in the influence operation suggests the details she’s shared have hit a nerve.
Not only has the ringmaster summoned the clowns to change the subject as loudly and obnoxiously as possible, but an attempt was made to shut down and silence an open source investigation.
Can’t imagine why that would be necessary given how entertaining the truth has been.
~ ~ ~
Lastly, there’s another narrative both the ringmaster and a certain clown needed to drown out in a big fat hurry.
So utterly predictable which clown would be in the center arena of the big top Wednesday.
When the next federal indictment of Trump is announced, which flop-sweaty clown do you think will appear first? Place your bets.
Consider this an open thread. Bring everything not on topic in other threads to this one.
_____
* Image blurred by me because nobody needed to see that; a citizen’s bodily autonomy and personal privacy deserved protection and shouldn’t have been treated like revenge porn without their consent no matter if they failed to pay some of their federal income taxes or carried a handgun while addicted to illegal substances.
How odd the GOP-controlled House has had nothing to say about the gun charge levied against Hunter Biden which will strip him of his Second Amendment right.
Yeah. I’ve noticed that, too. I mean it’s not like any of the usual GOP suspects has any ounce of self awareness or allergy to hypocrisy. So why not get all worked up about Hunter Biden having a gun while under the influence? Drugs and sex seem to be the worst “crimes” imaginable to these miscreants. (insert eye roll emoji)
The deal is if Hunter completes his diversion program, the gun charge will be expunged.
Do you really think any NRA-funded members of Congress would accept that deal without making an Oscar-worthy performance out of it?
They don’t fucking care if a lib is owned for having a gun.
“When the first federal indictment of Trump is announced, . . .”
It already was — the Mar-a-Lago indictments are federal. I think you mean “first federal indictments related to J6 and false electors, . . .”
(Oh, and it seems Eileen Cannon set May 2024 for the start of the MaL trial.)
LOL we passed each other — I’ve already edited it to read “next” versus “first.”
Though I admit I’m thinking there may be more than one set of charges yet related to these stolen records. Depends on whether mop-up related to classified information is thorough enough if content was used to further corrupt aims.
Trying to list other upcoming trial dates, where they’re known:
October: civil trial in NY, tax fraud
January: civil trial in NY, second E. Jean Carroll defamation suit
January: civil trial in NY, Doe v. Trump Corp. class action, marketing fraud
March: criminal trial in NY, hush money case
Am I missing any? I know that there are other civil suits that are moving along (e.g., multiple suits related to Jan. 6), but I don’t think trial dates have been set for any of them yet.
Judge Cannon set Trump’s classified doc. pre-trial hearing for May 14, 2024 saying the trial could start as early as May 20. I sincerely doubt that will happen. Trump will have more reasons for delay and Cannon will acquiesce as she always does.
Justsecurity website has an extensive list of all the Trump related lawsuits.
Yes, I’m familiar with that, but they generally don’t identify upcoming trial dates.
“KKK” law firm represented the Trump Org today in settling with Cohen, averting trial that was set to begin next week:
From Courthouse News:
“The Trump Organization was represented by attorney James D. Kiley with Kiley, Kiley & Kiley, who previously interned in New Jersey federal district court for the former president’s older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry.”
https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-org-settles-michael-cohen-suit-over-legal-fees-averting-civil-trial/
Oh, my. The irony of the Trump Org. being represented by KKK.
Also, the far worse crimes of the TrumpOrg syndicate aren’t being investigated and FWIW not even mentioned by the GOP even in hearings. Everything the GOP is flinging at Hunter is mirrored in the syndicate somewhere, even the sleazy sex angle.
Some time ago IIRC Comer had said that the impeachment process was the investigation into Defendant-1, but he ignored the rest of the syndicate entirely even with all of the quids and pro quos in the public record with documents. Comer doesn’t have squat (as EW eloquently pointed out last week) but our courtier press led by the RW-loving editor class refuses to report that or the syndicate’s peccadillos.
If the GOP-controlled House hearing was intended to address the politicization of federal agencies, they won’t want to use TrumpOrg crimes to further their case because they’d give Democrats carte blanche to pull all kinds of criminal behavior into public record making it even easier for the DOJ and states to tackle them.
This circus was itself politicization of Congress for the purposes of Trump’s personal campaign for re-election as POTUS. The House GOP caucus used our tax dollars as a massive campaign stunt without our consent and for corrupt purposes, but about which we have no recourse. Talk about influence operations…*smh*
“The House GOP caucus used our tax dollars as a massive campaign stunt without our consent and for corrupt purposes, but about which we have no recourse.”
That is, until the next House elections which, if there is any justice in politics, will be a decisive mandate for something better.
I did write, “They’ll keep doing this until voters get fed up with this trash juggling which does nothing to address the country’s real needs.”
Voters need to end this bullshit because the GOP can’t govern.
No shit. That last part really chaps my ass, given their constant whining about government hand outs — the hypocrisy is maddening.
As an open thread item, we still have the story of Travis King who decided to dodge his potential court martial for bad behavior by running across the MDL into the DPRK at Panmunjom. This was extremely upsetting to his family (as I think about it this is not too different from an attempted suicide) who deserve our support. This is going to be very hard on them.
King on the other hand probably regretted that choice within minutes. I find it telling that the DPRK hasn’t commented on him at all because of the propaganda value he potentially has as an American rejecting his country. IIRC Sweden still has diplomatic relations with the DPRK, but I don’t know how their application to NATO would affect the North Korean interpretation of Sweden’s objectivity. It’s about the only way we might find anything out about King now.
For the DPRK, they now have a hostage and they are already upset about the US submarine being homeported at Busan as well as the various joint military exercises with the ROK. What the say next will show more of their thinking. As of now the KPA are apparently conducting missile drills to show their displeasure, but if we don’t have a blackmail offer within a week that could be bad news indeed.
I can’t help think Pvt 2nd Class Travis King had a breakdown of some sort. He couldn’t possibly be thinking competently about running into DPRK after what happened to Otto Warmbier.
Desperate kids don’t think straight, and long ago I remember a sailor that decided to get out of the USN so he jumped into San Diego Bay and swam around for a while before he was fished out. Since we’re talking about the stew known as harbor water, they spent the next couple of days detoxing him. Then, it was a court martial and BCD and he was out of the USN with a thud.
Perhaps King was unable to handle the explanation he’d have to make to his family about his time in the Army and why it was over. We won’t know until we hear from him.
That sounds correct. The Warmbier case was truly horrific. Hard to imagine King not knowing about it.
Are you kidding? King was 12 years old. Most unlikely he ever heard of it.
You think active duty personnel don’t talk about events like the Warmbier case when they’re in the neighboring country? ~eye roll~
It was mentioned to him for sure by his leadership, if for no other reason than to make it clear just what the DPRK is. I’ve sailed in those waters too and we remember the Pueblo. However, perhaps we have some 8th Army alums who can speak to this since they’re still patrolling the DMZ.
As of now, we’re still getting saber rattling from North Korea and no mention of King. It’s not good news that they don’t even acknowledge King’s presence. .
I’ll place no wager on the next GOP clown to take a turn at the obfuscate game.
I look at this as less of a circus and more of the carnival side shows that were ubiquitous at all fairs in my youth. The brightly coloured illustrations of various grotesquerie, the promise of amazing sights never before seen, the entrancing music – all inside the tent, the carny assured us – calling out “He walks, he talks, he juggles rocks, tail like an alligator – ALMOST HUMAN”. Step right up they would entreat – see the wonders within.
Money proffered, admission granted and me, the guileless youth, given a very object lesson in grift.
With the sideshows gone out of fashion the carny barkers had to seek other employ. GOP representatives are where the barkers ended up, same crew just fewer tats.
Three carnival scenes from my long-ago childhood.
The Wall of Death: motorcycles roaring around a vertical walled wooden cylinder forty feet across.
Mouse Roulette: an unfortunate rodent is dumped into the centre of a five foot diameter spinning wooden wheel; it (naturally) freaks out and races for the edge and the hole it disappears into pays off.
That second one was so weird, I’m still not entirely convinced I saw it rather than dreamed it.
And of course, the “girlie” tent, which I saw only from a distance, fluttering vertical banners outside it featuring painted images of buxom women in “harem” costumes; I Dream of Jeannie with a leer, so to speak.
I paid a quarter at the North Carolina State Fair to see the ‘creatures from Mars.’ Two bald (apparently some form of eczema) puce-colored overweight dachshunds with bleeding sores.
You have a point there about the carny barker — Trump’s affinity for WWE made him look more like one than not.
This one’s for bmaz, just to add to his appreciation of Fani Willis:
“Fulton county prosecutors prepare racketeering charges in Trump inquiry”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/21/georgia-trump-charges-fraud-election-2020
GA has an unique, and very over broad, RICO provision. Even given that, it is still absurd.
It’s really something that the Republican presidential front runner is a convicted rapist with 71 federal felonies set to trial. That they call themselves the “Law and Order” party is just laughable if it wasn’t such a damn lie and shows how despicable that party has become.
Trump has never been “convicted” of rape. Please don’t do this. It was a civil defamation matter. The underlying matter, which was not rape was a very old sexual abuse allegation, which the civil jury found to be credible, but not as to rape. There is a difference.
There is a Wapo article from the judge of the case. It clarifies his opinion. It’s a gift from Teri Kanefield on Mastodon. You might want to give a read. It’s short.
[Welcome to emptywheel. Please choose and use a unique username with a minimum of 8 letters. We are moving to a new minimum standard to support community security. Thanks. /~Rayne]
Don’t need a crappy piece from Aaron Blake, from Kanefield or anybody else. The jury verdict speaks for itself. If Kaplan doesn’t think sexual abuse is different from outright rape, he is getting senile.
That, as well as the different levels of proof required between civil and criminal cases. If one wants an example, look at OJ Simpson’s case.
It is literally night and day difference.
Yes I should have written that more carefully. From the article in WP he wasn’t actually convicted of rape:
“Kaplan said New York’s legal definition of “rape” is “far narrower” than the word is understood in “common modern parlance.”
The former requires forcible, unconsented-to penetration with one’s penis. But he said that the conduct the jury effectively found Trump liable for — forced digital penetration — meets a more common definition of rape. He cited definitions offered by the American Psychological Association and the Justice Department, which in 2012 expanded its definition of rape to include penetration “with any body part or object.”
Trump was not “convicted” of jack shit. It was a civil case. I implore you to stop making people here more stupid when you have no idea what you are talking about.
To get a criminal conviction, for rape, sexual abuse or anything else, you need “proof beyond reasonable doubt”. There couldn’t possibly be anything approaching that standard in the Carrol case.
As a spectator (was not in the court room) I had reasonable doubt myself. I have no doubt that Trump is a sociopath fully capable of doing such a thing. But she could have made it up. The “grab ’em by the pussy” tape proves he is most likely a sociopath, but nothing else. Apparently it was the key piece of evidence.
“But she could have made it up.”
Fuck off. All the way off. The amount of bullshit rape victims have to put up with including not being believed when they tell of their lived experience generally discourages reporting.
It wasn’t a criminal trial, and to find Trump liable for sexual assault in the civil trial that occurred, the jury only needed to find that Carroll had proved her allegation by a preponderance of the evidence. The jury was in the courtroom, and they unanimously concluded that Carroll proved that she’d been sexually assaulted. Not sure why you doubt their conclusion when you didn’t even hear all of the evidence they did. I also agree with Rayne’s response.
That’s why I added the disclaimer I wasn’t in the court room, and didn’t hear all the evidence presented.
We should not forget Ivana accused Trump of rape in her divorce petition. She later recanted of course. Probably had something to do with a payoff one assumes.
RIP, Tony Bennett.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/21/tony-bennett-us-singer-with-seven-decade-career-dies-aged-96
Amen to that, Earl.
I wonder how many hours I listened to Tony Bennett as a kid. He was my mother’s favorite singer next to Tom Jones. I swear a third of the annual 12-hour road trip from my folks’ home in OH to their camp in the UP was spent flipping between 8-track tapes of those two singers with occasional breaks for the 5th Dimension, the soundtrack from the musical Hair, and godfuckingdamnitall, Mantovani’s Golden Hits circa 1967.
There was a terrific documentary which, unfortunately, I can’t remember where I saw, about some shows he did with Lady Gaga. He was experiencing severe dementia at that point but when he got on stage and sang, he knew exactly what to do.
Presumably, one reason was because it didn’t involve short term memory: he’d been singing some of those songs for decades.
The rhythm and beat of music makes powerful connections within our brains. My kids have 2,000 songs on their phone they can sing along with, but they can only recite a few poems–and we recall verbatim only a very small portion of the pages we read. Music is one of the greatest blessings in our lives–and Tony Bennett was a special blessing!
The CD, of American standards, he did with KD Lang was incredible. She can really sing. My wife and I saw Tony and KD do shows at Chastain Amphitheatre in Atlanta and they were the two best we’ve seen over thirty years attending there.
Tony did three hours, with a break only when his daughter sang for twenty minutes or so. He was seventy-eight at the time.
If you do a little arithmetic with the graph figures, it shows that 60 percent of Republicans believe that Trump should have some punishment administered for what he has, allegedly, done. That’s quite high; and depending on details yet to be released, it suggests a steady weakening of support for him in “his” party.
MTG’s clowning suggests that she hasn’t figured out yet that the Trump version of the GOP may have already hit the iceberg and is taking on water. Well, one can hope.
Well, it won’t help the political pipsqueaks trying to remove him on the GOP side, but it will cause problems for Defendant-1 in the general. Just like the relentless attempts to create the ‘no labels’ candidacy by whatever description is expected to create localized leveraging points (like 2016) this enthusiasm gap will work against the GOP.
It’s one key reason that the main party mavens (like McConnell) are so quiet when not rabid (like MTG) because they cannot afford a larger gap that takes out the downballot as well.
I had mentioned Sununu earlier, he’s busy positioning himself as a dark horse alternative when Defendant-1 is forced to drop out. When is the GOP convention next year? Before or after May 24, 2024?
After (if pattern holds).
RNC is July 15-18, 2023, Milwaukee.
OOOPS! That should be 2024, NEXT year! OY!
[Sometimes it feels like time is pleated.]
“Nearly a quarter of Republicans say classified docs charges make them more likely to support Trump…”
Well…so far as “more likely” translates to…
“Was already 100% certain but now even more 100% certain, with extra mayonnaise!”
I would bet some cash this same quarter of GOP voters is the white supremacist/nationalist faction. They are ride or die with the white supremacy guy.
ADDER: or is that what you meant by “extra mayonnaise.” LOL
” Male, pale, and stale. “
Anybody else notice that Marge has been wearing her Smart Girl Glasses lately? Someone must have told her that they give her gravitas. Or something. To me they just make her look like even more of a poseur.
On the topic of the appearance of MTG, ever since I first saw pictures of her, I’ve had the thought stuck in my head that she looks like the love-child of Roger Stone. That’s quite a hateful thing to say of any woman, but she’s done nothing to help me overcome the notion.
Her personality is certainly similar too. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
[FYI — you’ve made two comments today which have had different typos in the Name and Email fields. This triggers auto-moderation and slows publication until a moderator can clear them. Please slow down and re-check your entries before publishing. Thanks. p.s. I have fixed them to match your past comments. /~Rayne]
Roger Stone is a despicable person, but a lot smarter than MTG.
True, but a dumpster is smarter than MTG.
Brings to mind a T-shirt I want printed with: “Not my dumpster, not my fire.”
Probably ought to print on the back side: “Not my circus, not my monkey.”
I recently read Risks of synchronized low yields are underestimated in climate and crop model projections. Published this month in Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38906-7
Also see: Synchronous crop failures and climate-forced production variability from 2019 which shows such synchronous events have occurred during relatively recent El Nino events.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaw1976
‘Synchronized low yields’ = techno, speak for widespread crop failure and likely famine.
Disclaimer, I’m not a climate expert or modeller but I find these papers troubling.
Not to be alarmist. But the conventional wisdom has been ‘if we have a bad harvest in X location, then Y or Z will carry us through’. Apparently when you look at actual data from the past 40 years or so, it doesn’t hold up. Or at least, its a lot more uncertain and therefore holds more risk than thought. Particularly with regard to El Nino. Not even considering war in one of the global breadbaskets…
Meanwhile BC and much of northern Canada is burning up and our entire province is in the highest stage of drought. Floods and extreme heat abounds, yet climate change is still not the ‘all hands on deck’, war-footing emergency that it must be if civilization (such as it is) is to maintain.
Related, my step-kids think my work on food security, including wholesale propagation of perennial food plants as well as a day job with provincial government, are a waste of time!
I’m not much prone to depression, but this is pretty challenging.
Thanks for sharing that. Same concerns here — also not helping when Russia is mucking about with Ukraine’s grain harvest as a tactic of hybrid warfare.
Back when Chinese “weather balloons” were a thing in the news, I’d noted in comments that Argentina was the 10th largest producer of wheat but its last crop had dramatically decreased yields. Hard to rely on other alternative producers when all producers are burning up.
ADDER: Fooey, meant to add a link regarding India’s ban on exportation of non-basmati white rice.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/why-indian-rice-export-ban-is-so-important-global-trade-2023-07-20
I have turned into a bit of a prepper, have 150 lbs. of white rice in my basement I bought this past spring anticipating rice failure.
Non-basmati? How do you keep it dry?
~side eyeing you~
Actually, I meant the second part. I have no idea what kind of rice you prefer, there are so many.
I use many different kinds of rice, depends on the dish I’m cooking. But plain white rice is a staple throughout much of the world and India is the second largest producer. For them to ban export shipments of plain white rice is extremely problematic.
ADDER: Ah, dry. Now I get what you meant — the storage in the basement. I buy rice in 50-lb. bags, leave the bags unopened until I need them. The bags are stored in another closed plastic bag inside a tightly-closed Rubbermaid tub. A dehumidifier runs about 6 months of the year near my dry goods storage. Stable temperature about 64-66F year round also helps maintain freshness. I do the same thing with wheat flour as well as rice. The only goods I have problems keeping longer than 6 months are whole wheat and nuts — they need refrigeration or freezing temps.
Thanks. When I lived in Michigan, I found that basements and dry did not often go hand in hand.
Adder: Did you think “dry” referred to something from the likker cabinet? :-)
Whether you’re a buyer or a cellar, Don’t try this with non-basementi rice.
~groan~
~grain~
(FIFY)
That’s pretty good. I only have about 40 lbs now. When the pandemic struck, I laid in about 60-80 lbs: Basmati, and Kalijeera. The weather is getting so wacky I may lay in more again.
I’m tempted to pack some in smaller 5-lb. vacuum-sealed bags in case I need to store it longer when we have more unstable electricity.
I don’t recommend any brown rice no matter the variety as the oils in the bran (like the oils in whole wheat and nuts) go rancid quickly unless refrigerated or frozen.
I don’t recommend any brown rice, period. :-) I grew up eating tons of rice, and none of it was brown. I don’t like the taste.
I do eat parboiled Basmati rice, it has an earthier taste than white rice.
That’s a personal preference on your part versus issues with long-term storage.
Many people prefer brown rice for health reasons as well as taste. It just doesn’t keep as long under the same non-refrigerated conditions as white rice.
Yes, that’s the problem with wheat, etc. too. That’s why folks originally knocked off the bran, polished the grains, etc.
Parboiling rice was an attempt to retain nutrients while discarding the oils. It changes the taste significantly, but I like it. Saffron rice, mmm…
BTW: There’s a problem with arsenic in rice. Here’s a way to cook it to minimize arsenic:
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-find-new-way-of-cooking-rice-that-removes-arsenic-and-retains-nutrients/
Speaking of sweat, unstable weather and electrical problems, there was a power outage here yesterday from 6-10pm. It’s been hot as hell lately. Yesterday it went up to 109 with the humidity index. Yuck.
It rained & cooled off a little in the late afternoon. Then…no power. 78 customers w/o power. There was a lot of banging and drilling outside for 2 hours. Then the workers left. But it was 2 more hours before power resumed.
All was well today, until 1:30pm. Then a severe electrical storm swept through and BOOM. Power went out again for 2 hrs. 1,340 customers w/o power. It rained for awhile. Now all is calm, cool and collected. 77 degrees. It would be wonderful if it would stay that way. But not a chance…
To be clear, BC’s drought is not just a matter of a little inconvenience. Forage crops are at 10 to 50% of normal. That means feed for cattle is scarce to nonexistent and expensive. The fires in central BC are forcing relocation of 100’s to 1000’s of cattle, but the usual ‘buddy’ farms don’t want to take them without feed being provided. Special livestock auctions are being held because ranchers need to downsize to what they can feed. This will, to put it mildly, impact their bottom line.
As mentioned above, Putin is fcking with the worlds grain supply.
I’m not as familiar with other regions, but I expect there are crop failures in many places this year.
Anyone who believes their food is secure isn’t paying attention.
We need a Manhattan Project scale endeavor to identify and trial the crops best adapted to emerging conditions, region by region. And climate victory gardens! Carbon credits/ecosystem service payments for growing carbon sequestering high nutrient density food perennials like nut trees are also desperately needed.
I have said enough.
This is a shoutout to support the work of the Land Institute in Salina, KS in developing perennial grains.
Back in the day (ca. 1986), I helped organize a conference where Dr. Wes Jackson gave the keynote address. Wes is the founder of The Land Institute in Kansas where they are developing perennial polycultures of grains, forbs and pulses to invent an agriculture modeled after prairie ecosystems.
Wes repeatedly mentioned the need for more holistic science. During the question session, being a keen young scientist about to begin grad school, I asked about holistic science. “It sounds very interesting, is there a book I can read about this?”
He didn’t miss a beat, just gave me a big grin and said: “No. But you could write it.”
Here I am thirty seven years later thinking about that still unwritten book. I lament the fact that those trying to do cross-disciplinary research face institutional impediments at every level- from obtaining funding (which is usually siloed) to academic hiring and tenure practices, and so on.
The closest I’ve yet seen to a wholistic science is indigenous scholarship and research, rooted in relationship, reciprocity and respect. See Research is Ceremony by Shawn Wilson for more details.
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/research-is-ceremony-shawn-wilson
If you haven’t yet read it, I recommend “Braiding Sweetgrass”by MacArthur fellow Robin Wall Kimmerer. The title is especially apt, as Kimmerer skillfully braids her professional training with her indigenous traditions and knowledge.
I’m about halfway through braiding sweet grass. What an amazing book and fantastic writing!
Maybe the elites who can jet of to their bunkers in New Zealand, et al. think they can buy their way out of starvation. I wonder what they think they’ll do when the canned goods run out? Victor(y)|(ia) gardens?
I keep imagining the weather swirling around like a roulette wheel, and who knows when the “Bad Weather” will settle over the food-producing areas?
Trump’s former lawyer, Tim Parlatore, and current Bernie Kerik lawyer, is on MSNBC with Katie Tur right now. She asked him about the schedule for the MAL Document trial in May.
He said he was surprised at all the discussion that the next indictment would come in a week, because he knows there are people that Jack Smith has yet to interview, for example, his client Kerik. He said he thinks that they are a month out from indictment.
Parlatore and Kerik. Certainly two reputable voices.
I just thought his blabbing that Kerik and others were still waiting their turn was interesting.
In the bring out the clowns category, we have the upcoming UFO truth house committee which undoubtedly will do the job. The Guardian says Republicans AND Democrats are into this, which I find hard to believe, since it look like all the quotes are from Republicans. Many Republicans usual suspects have declared that the military and the government is blocking access to real proofs of alien stuff. Others are smarter and say things like: “Do I see every day in the sky things that do not come from planet earth? Yes, 100%”. Bring out the clowns, indeed.
Sorry I fumbled the link :
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/21/ufos-congress-alien-house-committee-whistleblower
It is certainly bi-partisan in that Senator Gillibrand introduced the “Whistleblower Protection Act” last year and it passed. That is the main reason that numerous whistleblowers and witnesses have come forward to congress, in secret so far, to relate incredible information regarding UAP technology and non-human interaction with our government over a span of many years. Fantastic? No doubt, but seemingly backed up by many highly credible people involved in the clandestine programs. Schumer is now proposing additional legislation that will make it illegal for anyone, or any business entity to keep non-human technology, or knowledge of it, secret from congress and the president. There will be sever criminal liability for offenders. Rubio has been pushing hard because he has heard much of the testimony and says if any of it is true it will be literally earth shattering. I have followed the topic, by intelligent, pragmatic non-sensational researchers for decades. I truly believe there is going to be some news coming over the next eighteen months that will be the most important in the history of mankind…that we are not alone and that non-human intelligence is real and current.
I am not sure if any one group, or person knows the entire truth of this phenomenon. It appears there has been infighting by various factions within our military and intelligence agencies for quite a while as to whether or not to reveal the truth to the public. Ridicule, with the aid of the media, intimidation and yes even violent retaliation have been the methods used to maintain secrecy over the decades. Although, others have come forward in the past the stigma surrounding the subject has allowed them to be silenced or ignored.
The political, social, religious and scientific ramifications of these revelations will be staggering. It will also be the a long awaited “I told you so” moment for people who have bothered to pay attention.
For me, what mitigates against the idea of aliens visiting our planet is the incredible distances involved. That is, unless they’ve figured out how to beat the speed of light, or located one of those fabled worm-holes in the space-time continuum.
The speed of light may not be the barrier it was once believed to be, at least theoretically. But, to travel dozens or even hundreds of light years one does not need to travel at light speed or beyond. It only requires time. If a race of beings has a means of propulsion that can achieve a significant portion of the speed of light they can travel a long way over time. If the occupants of the craft are AI, or some type of android that is impervious to the rigors of time as we know it then it is entirely possible.
I can’t believe I am reading this on EW. But yes, indeed, whenever the Android AI aliens will come out of their space shuttle after refueling in Roswell, it will be an I told you so moment for the entire planet except the prophets and other true followers who saw the signs.
Can anyone prove that aren’t any super stealthy alien spacecrafts that zoom in and out of our atmosphere, hovering over the west atlantic coast and jetting back to their home planet ? No. Just like I cannot prove that gravity is real. Is it possible that it was just a long series of coincidences that every time I stopped holding my buttered bread it fell on the floor ? Yes.
Nevertheless I’ll stick with Physics and Mathematics. Even though well meaning philosophers have shown that there is a human part in the development of science, and some ideas develop because of narratives rather than facts, the scientific approach is still, in my view, the best we have.
I bet you never thought you’d be talking about Donald Trump as an ex-president either. A few of the replies here are about what I expected, but it doesn’t matter. the truth is coming and it’s gonna shake up your world.
Alright, you too. The crazy is oozing from the woodwork lately. This is not some reddit ufo website. STOP.
You stop.
There are hearings in congress next week to interview several witnesses regarding the UAP subject.
Schumer and several other senators are getting legislation through congress to address the coverup.
The ridicule by people who have no idea about what is transpiring within our government regarding this topic is laughable. And the faux superiority of you ands others is predictable. Unfortunately that tactic is past it’s shelf life and you’ll have to do better. Like maybe open your mind.
[Moderator’s note: First, I suggest you reacquaint yourself with the persons listed in the site’s About page, link at the top above the header. Second, I suggest you find something else to do for a while because ignoring a moderator and backchatting at them isn’t acceptable. /~Rayne]
NO. You are full of it, and you will not waltz in and turn this into a ufo blogspot. You are done with that.
Is this a pro and college sports site? Is this a history of music site.? Well, there have been numerous post regarding both of those on this site. Evidently it must be something of interest to you personally to merit your approval for what can be posted. There are hearings in congress this week to interview witnesses on the UAP subject. Is that political? There is legislation on the way from Senator Schumer and others to address the issue of UAP, and non-human technology. Is that legislative/political news? Why don’t you take a couple deep breaths, climb down from your high podium and pay attention for a while.
Stop.
Ralph, I asked you to stop. You seem unwilling. We have enough problems without ufo nut bags infesting us too. So, you are done with that.
(My previous message has disappeared, possibly moderated. Apologies if I answered twi ce).
It is a bit of a bummer for conversation, if you have to wait several thousand years for each back and forth. Unexplainable flying saucers, which are the gateway drug to extra terrestrials, would take a long time to report to base station.
Extra terrestrials are very popular on RT, Sputnik and the like. If you are ready to listen to that, then your brain time is available for more actionable conspiracies.
Even scientific professionals can let their imagination turn into conspiratorial conjecture:
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Monuments_of_Mars.html?id=xBBMGwAACAAJ
Good short editorial about the parallels between Dobbs and Dred Scott.
https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-07-21-why-it-feels-like-the-1850s/
“The denouement of the crisis of the 2020s will not be a full-on war. But until either the Democrats gradually win legislative majorities and appoint new justices to protect rights, or Republicans win national power and snuff out democracy, we are in for prolonged trench warfare.”
I was reflecting on MTG’s speech in which she referenced LBJ and FDR. When I heard about what she said, my first thought was “WTH? Does anyone, particularly her base, even know who those presidents were?” Then it occurred to me that she was signaling to her older, big money contributors — the ones who would know exactly who those guys were.
I believe she’s doing the same with the Hunter Biden nudie pix — but her target audience for that message is younger and edgier.
Bottom line, I think these are her signals to keep her grift going. I’m reasonably sure she’s fundraising — or attempting to fundraise off these performances of her’s.
I do not recall any Democratic member of Congress bringing photos of Melania involved in nude girl on girl action to any Congressional hearings on the topic of how easily illegal immigrants can become victims of sexual exploitation! Michell Obama was right to advise, “When they go low, we go high,” but recalling the fake outrage shown by O’Reilly and Limbaugh after Michelle wore a sleeveless dress in the White House makes clear that low life’s like Taylor-Greene are the height of hypocrisy. Yes, the speech and debate clause provides her some protection–but she needs to be confronted in public with a historically significant question, “Have you no decency?”
“…but she needs to be confronted in public with a historically significant question, “Have you no decency?” ”
It was a rhetorical question then, as it would be now. I predict MTG will go to the circle of Hell for hypocrites, and Joe McCarthy will be there to greet her.
Absolutely her only goal is to fundraise. In Weapons of Mass Delusion, Robert Draper reported on MTG’s penchant for theater and how crazy (my word, not his) she seemed, but in one-on-one conversations with her, she seemed “normal” (again, my word).
She learned from Trump that all she needs is theater and catering to the lowest common denominator to become successful. I think Ted Cruz is the same way. It’s all just games to them, as long as the cameras are trained on them, and the money and adoration pour in.
The problem is the long term harm that’s done because they actually don’t have any principles, other than self-aggrandizement.
“…sent him a target letter with a deadline Thursday — today — to appear in front of a grand jury.”
My regrets to keep trying to confirm this – so yesterday was day four? I assumed that originally, but then read (cannot find the source now) it was 4 GJ days.
It is not four grand jury days.
Thank you bmaz! Very kind of you to clarify!
Thanks from me as well – I brought this up in an earlier thread.
Love the title of this article. It is Spectacle that has replaced any notion of policy re GOP. IIRC they had no platform at all last election. There’s no future apparantely, so don’t even go there. LOL
With regard to the fake elector scheme:
Is there any real possibility of consequences for Ronna McDaniel’s involvement?
Or Ron Johnson’s?
Don’t know yet. Their roles in the fake elector conspiracy were interstate and likely to be the purview of Special Counsel rather than the affected states.
In the case of Michigan, the fake electors charged were MIGOP members whose roles were confined to the state of Michigan. The charging affidavit was very narrow in its delineation of the perps and the crimes with which they are charged.
At least one of the MI fakers is claiming she was scammed, which will be entertaining at trial. It is as well as an indicator for me just how willing these types are to take the hit for Defendant-1 since their ratting out their co-conspirators. FWIW, I think she knew what she was doing but the fact she wants to send someone else to jail to cover her butt is a sign that there are limits in MAGA world.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/22/2180589/-Michigan-false-elector-claims-she-was-duped-by-Trump-attorney-who-forged-her-name
I ran the printing press in my basement, bought the $ bills and bleached them, bought the ink, and now someone tells me the money was counterfeit?!
There are photos of her at the (Michigan) capitol that day. Unmasked. She knew.
The text exchange between Kathy Berden and one of the other fake electors, John Haggard, sure makes it sound like they all understood what ground rules were for the fake electors participation. Lundgren also didn’t sign alone. From pg. 10 of State of Michigan district court’s Final Affidavit in Support of Complaint, July 18, 2023:
At this rate Lundgren could be looking at a false statements charge as well.
One of the Wisconsin fakes became a Ron Johnson campaign aide, correct?
Fascinating stuff.
Having been busy at work, I spent the last 3 days catching up on this week’s prolific-ness, still two threads to go.
But also this, this wins title of the week for me, seems to capture Marge …
Laughing about how widespread the sentiment is that the House Oversight hearing was a circus…