Althouse: At the Late Night Cafe...

April 9, 2018

At the Late Night Cafe...

... you can talk about anything.

56 comments:

David Begley said...: Wild speculation on CNN that Trump will fire Mueller.

Mueller has launched nukes on Trump today.; 4/9/18, 9:27 PM
buwaya said...: April 9 - Bataan Death March day.

We drove the whole route last year.
Most of four provinces.

Two of my uncles walked it, and survived, only to die in the camps months later. One was in the 41st Infantry, Philippine Army, the other was a US Army Engineer reservist, attached to USAFFE HQ.; 4/9/18, 9:38 PM
Scott said...: I'm plowing through "Enlightenment Now" by Steven Pinker. He paints a picture of humanity at the pinnacle of human progress -- that this is literally the best of times for the human race. He makes a convincing argument. And yet, looking at a snapshot of the news every day on the Drudge Report, I still come away with the feeling that we Americans are royally fucked.

Some twenty to thirty years from now, I will probably be looking ahead to a lifespan of months, or weeks, or days. Will my country look like a tragedy when I punch out?; 4/9/18, 9:39 PM
traditionalguy said...: Looks like the FBI needs to be shut down, forever.

That is the only way left now to protect Americans from these totally corrupt tyrants pretending to be lawyers following law but systematically getting away for over 70 years with protecting the guilty and cruelly crushing the innocent with faked evidence and altered witness testimony, and direct perjury, all created at Presidential direction in trade for cash bribes.; 4/9/18, 9:42 PM
tcrosse said...: No Justice, No Peace, to coin a phrase.; 4/9/18, 9:45 PM
YoungHegelian said...: My latest right-wing tinfoil hat conspiracy, and it's a goodie so listen up.

I ask myself why is the state of California going all out for its illegal immigrant population, even to the point of putting themselves at risk for federal prosecution. Because they want to import a whole new set of Democrats? Maybe, but they've already got the state under Democratic control. Because of the kindness of their hearts? I discount such political explanations for all politicians of both political parties, at least in the long term. So, what's the reason?

California is going broke. It's liabilities are piling up & its tax base is fleeing the state at an alarming rate. I say that California's legalization of marijuana should be seen not as a social liberalization, but as an attempt to tap into a major new source of revenue for the state. Matter of fact, recent articles have discussed the concern among Californian growers that the taxes are so high on pot that they're afraid that the underground market will continue to flourish.

Here's where Mexico comes in. Believe or not, marijuana sales bring are the most lucrative for the Mexican cartels. Cocaine sales have a higher profit margin, but Mexico doesn't grow its own coca, so its production costs are shared out of country. But, for marijuana, it's grown, harvested, processed, transported, & everything but sold in-country.

The drug cartels thus have the state of California over a barrel. They, with the tacit control of the Mexican state, have the capabilities to flood the California market with cheap(er) bootleg pot, thus killing California's new cash cow. Remember, too, that those same cartels control the flow of immigrants through Mexico. That's another big source of revenue for them, a source now threatened by Trump's policies.

So, the Mexican cartels and the Mexican state now see two huge sources of income endangered -- marijuana & immigrants. They're fighting back, and the pressure point they've chosen is the state of California.; 4/9/18, 9:47 PM
Kathryn51 said...: Two of my uncles walked it, and survived, only to die in the camps months later.

Your family sacrificed far more than mine (although Dad and F-in-law both served non-combat in WWII and Korea).

Sometimes I get sick to my stomach that the "current" generation have no idea of what came before them. Their "history" began when Fukuyama (I had to look it up) wrote "The End of History and the Last Man". It was the end of "war", it was the beginning of universal peace (if I recall correctly) and it was the year that my twins were born. We have made sure they understand a bit before their time - Normandy, Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Wall - but anything else is unknown and they have zero curiosity about why they are so blessed.; 4/9/18, 9:50 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: The "Get Trump" Squad is active today. The roving Special Counsel has chosen the man, and is now finding the crimes.; 4/9/18, 9:51 PM
Ken B said...: YoungHegelian
That's just loopy enough to be kinda plausible. But Occam's Razor suggests it’s just uncontrollable virtue signaling.

Dershowitz sounds right. This is an assault on lawyer client privilege.; 4/9/18, 9:55 PM
Leland said...: Session needs to call a Special Counsel to investigate CNN's in kind contributions to her campaign when one of their employees gave her debate questions. This should include potential collusion with FBI officials appointed to investigate the Clinton campaign. I hear Trey Gowdy wants to do some prosecution work.; 4/9/18, 10:01 PM
buwaya said...: China's Xi on Bloomberg.
Offering tarriff concessions, etc.

Search for Xi at BOAO forum.; 4/9/18, 10:01 PM
Ralph L said...: the "current" generation have no idea of what came before them.
Final Jeopardy for the college tournament, which began tonight, was discouraging. Category was 20th cent. Presidents. Who was sworn in twice, 14 months apart? The leader came up with Cleveland! 3rd place was the only one to get it.; 4/9/18, 10:02 PM
the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...: There's been a joke format going around for a few months now, I'm sure you've seen it: post a link to something batshit crazy from the left, then follow it with:

This is how you get more Trump.

But it seems that the usual batshit is now Super-Sized Big Mac Batshit -- it's two patties of batshit with special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, all covered in more batshit, with a Diet Coke. Maybe I spend too much time on 4chan, but I'm thinking we're getting close to that joke format to start ending with:

This is how you get more Timothy McVeigh.

I mean, McVeigh was nuts, he thought the Government was corrupt and out of control and gassing women and children and shit. And using snipers to, like, kill chicks.

Except in Waco the Government did gas women and children and shit. And in Ruby Ridge an FBI sniper did shoot a chick while she was holding her 10-month-old baby. But it was all good, because the Government had a reason, right?

And the FBI and shit have a reason to do what they're doing now, sure. But that reason sure seems like mostly finding a pretense for executing a coup. Because raiding the fucking President's lawyer seems like real "Godfather" shit to me. Ask Barzini, ask Tattaglia, ask Moe Greene, ask Strachi and Cuneo: ask them how that kinda shit all worked out for them.

At least Lee Harvey Oswald had the fucking balls to actually shoot the President; Mueller ain't one-tenth the man of Lee Harvey. Mueller is all hoping a legal Magic Bullet will somehow bounce from Russia to Flynn to Stormy Daniels and end up hitting Trump. And if it doesn't, he's OK, he's got more lawyers on the Grassy Knoll.

Yeah: tell a large part of the American population that fuck you, they will tear down anyone you voted for if they don't like it.

This is how you get more Timothy McVeigh.; 4/9/18, 10:05 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I have identified my sperm donor, who through an intermediary has made it known (before I asked) that he refuses to have any contact with me. I'm not taking it personally and I'll respect his wishes but what a pussy! Making decisions out of fear is just ..... lame. What harm could a friendly cup of coffee possibly do.; 4/9/18, 10:14 PM
Ralph L said...: I have misplaced my (child support) suit pants.; 4/9/18, 10:27 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Poor guy. He had no way of foreseeing DNA testing. That's why I'm leaving him in peace, or what he thinks will be peace. I owe him my life, after all. Shame, though. I'm 38 years old and financially comfortable; I feel badly if he truly does think I'm going to try to come after him for back child support or get in his will. What a lame thing to worry about.; 4/9/18, 10:43 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Laslo, my teenager and I just discussed your comment. She read the Wiki entries on Ruby Ridge and Waco and had eyes as big as saucers. They don't, as the cliche goes, teach this stuff at school.; 4/9/18, 10:44 PM
narciso said...: Crunchy irony

https://pagesix.com/2018/04/09/cbs-execs-are-freaking-out-over-looming-charlie-rose-expose/; 4/9/18, 11:00 PM
YoungHegelian said...: @Pants,

They don't, as the cliche goes, teach this stuff at school.

No, they don't. But, in actual defense of Hollywood, neither the TV movie on Ruby Ridge nor the more recent miniseries on Waco are in any way sparing of federal incompetence.

It may not be taught in school, but it's out there & known even among the liberals that these were massive federal fuck-ups.; 4/9/18, 11:00 PM
Michael K said...: My wife and I at dinner tonight agreed that we never thought we would live in the Soviet Union.

Dinner tomorrow night with my FBI daughter. A few questions.

I hate to dump on her but am interested in what she thinks about all this.; 4/9/18, 11:10 PM
narciso said...: Meanwhile is,announcing he will be dropping tariff barriers, you lnow,the ones are betters,say don't exist.; 4/9/18, 11:17 PM
narciso said...: Xi to be fair it's more like the European state model where they force out fillon and Lepen to make way for that whelp Martin.

On the plus side orban win against the prof sensibilities even jobbik
Lost out in its reworking; 4/9/18, 11:23 PM
narciso said...: Oh never mind:

http://amp.dailycaller.com/2018/04/09/hamilton-68-russian-bots-media-coverage/; 4/9/18, 11:30 PM
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narciso said...: This,is when Graham Chapman steps in:

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/syria-chair-u-n-disarmament-forum-produced-chemical-weapons-ban/amp/#click=https://t.co/U23AgHtyBl; 4/9/18, 11:34 PM
narciso said...: Steve McIntyre doesn't find it that ironic,; 4/9/18, 11:39 PM
narciso said...: Fwiw:

https://mobile.twitter.com/AriFleischer/status/983538028160409601; 4/9/18, 11:47 PM
narciso said...: I think this was referred elsewhere:

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/293655/; 4/9/18, 11:51 PM
Ralph L said...: Sorry, Pants, misread "my sperm donor." His loss.; 4/10/18, 12:01 AM
narciso said...: Hazony in the journal, had a dissent with pickers bright shining world.; 4/10/18, 12:10 AM
mccullough said...: Unlike the LAPD, the FBI doesn’t have to produce results. The public should not trust them.; 4/10/18, 12:15 AM
chickelit said...: That’s a lot of unusual men in your life, pants: a current husband or lover who flies a lot of airline miles; a previous husband you practically boasted about dumping; and now a sperm donor. What else are we missing?; 4/10/18, 12:18 AM
George Grady said...: Ok, so WTActualF is going on at Michigan State? And putting John "See-No-Prison-Rape" Engler in as your interim president in response? What the hell is wrong with those people?; 4/10/18, 12:18 AM
Mary said...: "Michael Cohen, the longtime attorney of President Trump, is under federal investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations, according to three people with knowledge of the case.

FBI agents on Monday raided Cohen’s Manhattan office, home and hotel room as part of the investigation, seizing records about Cohen’s clients and personal finances. Among the records taken were those related to a 2016 payment Cohen made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump, according to a fourth person familiar with the investigation.

Investigators took Cohen’s computer, phone and personal financial records, including tax returns, as part of the search of his office at Rockefeller Center, that person said.

Two of the potential crimes being investigated — bank fraud and wire fraud — suggest prosecutors have some reason to think Cohen may have misled bankers about why he was using particular funds or may have improperly used banks in the transfer of funds.

Cohen has acknowledged facilitating a $130,000 payment in October 2016 to Daniels, who claims she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006.

“A search warrant for a law office is extremely rare,” said Stephen Gillers, a professor at the New York University School of Law. “Lawyers are given the courtesy of producing documents in response to a subpoena or a request unless the government believes a lawyer will destroy or conceal the objects of the search.”
Just a few excerpts from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbi-seizes-records-related-to-stormy-daniels-in-raid-of-trump-attorney-michael-cohens-office/2018/04/09/e3e43cf4-3c30-11e8-974f-aacd97698cef_story.html?utm_term=.90fe12db361f; 4/10/18, 12:19 AM
chickelit said...: Did someone just regurgitate?; 4/10/18, 12:44 AM
chickelit said...: Why is Erich Holder now a Google doodle? Is he running for something?; 4/10/18, 12:47 AM
walter said...: " Mueller is all hoping a legal Magic Bullet will somehow bounce from Russia to Flynn to Stormy Daniels and end up hitting Trump. And if it doesn't, he's OK, he's got more lawyers on the Grassy Knoll."

And maybe he's angling for a snif of Spanky's panties. Being a G-man ain't typically about G-spots.; 4/10/18, 1:02 AM
walter said...: "Rob..are you ok?"
"Not now!!"; 4/10/18, 1:04 AM
Jaq said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/10/18, 5:51 AM
Jaq said...: I used to really enjoy the badinage here. I need to step away for a while.; 4/10/18, 6:12 AM
rhhardin said...: Scott Adams fire everybody, it's not about the law any longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXsmuszipV4; 4/10/18, 6:29 AM
Kevin said...: This really looks like a hail Mary from Mueller.

He's got nothin' and he's having a hard time stringing this along until the midterms.

If the worst he can get on Trump is his lawyer made an illegal campaign contribution, that's on the lawyer, not Trump.

And it's going to open up the floodgates of prosecution for a lot of celebrities on the Left.; 4/10/18, 6:40 AM
Kevin said...: “Lawyers are given the courtesy of producing documents in response to a subpoena or a request unless the government believes a lawyer will destroy or conceal the objects of the search.”

Probably went to the FISA Court. Those guys will approve anything based on what you tell them.; 4/10/18, 6:42 AM
Kevin said...: Isn't the proper response to Mueller's actions for Congress to start arresting FBI Agents for failing to turn over documents?

Isn't Rosenstein one of the people who's in jeopardy for withholding said documents?; 4/10/18, 6:46 AM
Hagar said...: Simultaneous "no knock" raids on the office, home, and hotel room of the President's personal lawyer?
This is big time, and Mueller & Co. had better have something other than a technical violation of arcane banking laws designed to trap drug smugglers.; 4/10/18, 8:06 AM
Michael K said...: Making decisions out of fear is just ..... lame. What harm could a friendly cup of coffee possibly do.

About 20 years ago, there was a piece in the LA Times about sperm donors. In the 50s a professor at USC medical school ran a fertility program with artificial insemination. The sperm donors were USC medical students. A mid 30s female social worker was trying to break the confidentiality of the clinic records to find her father so she could sue him for support.

I was very happy it was before my time.; 4/10/18, 8:09 AM
Michael K said...: Blogger Hagar said...
Simultaneous "no knock" raids on the office, home, and hotel room of the President's personal lawyer?

This is "John Doe" gone national.; 4/10/18, 8:10 AM
William said...: I'm prepared to believe that Trump had sex with a porn star and that someone committed some kind of impropriety in purchasing her silence. Here's my stumbling block: Clinton had sex with an intern and lied about it under oath. Why is Clinton's misconduct less than Trump's. Why shouldn't Trump's supporters regard this in the same way Democrats looked upon the Starr investigation?; 4/10/18, 8:16 AM
Hagar said...: Clinton had sex with an intern and lied about it under oath.

It is not just that Clinton "lied about it under oath." It is that he lied about it to deny Paula Jones, a US citizen, her right to justice in a court of the United States.; 4/10/18, 9:18 AM
Big Mike said...: @Michael K, ask your daughter how she feels about belonging to a law enforcement agency now widely regarded as more criminal than the people it investigates?; 4/10/18, 9:27 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: That’s a lot of unusual men in your life, pants: a current husband or lover who flies a lot of airline miles; a previous husband you practically boasted about dumping; and now a sperm donor. What else are we missing?

Don't I know it! Sperm donor is not on me; though. You'll have to take that one up with my parents. I thought I had a normal boring dad and was created in the normal boring way, but, nope!

A mid 30s female social worker was trying to break the confidentiality of the clinic records to find her father so she could sue him for support.

Which would have gone precisely nowhere; sperm donors have never been considered legal fathers by the courts.

I do feel sorry for these guys who thought they could remain anonymous, but it was naive of them to think the children they were participating in creating would never want to know where they come from. All humans do.

It's an interesting journey to be on.; 4/10/18, 9:41 AM
Hagar said...: The "no knock" raids also were "bag jobs," or whatever the trade lingo calls it, i.e. they vacuumed all three places - took everything.
Anybody believe the New York FBI then only went through the stuff looking for evidence of Cohen's purported crime and none of Mueller's team joined in to look for whatever else they could find to pin on Trump?; 4/10/18, 9:43 AM
Hagar said...: Clinton had sex with an intern and lied about it under oath.

Actually, what brought him into court was lying about having exposed himself to Paula Jones and requested a blow job from her, and he then denied that under oath in front of Judge Wright.
Lying also about Monica Lewinsky was a side issue. Also perjurious, but did not injure anyone filing a complaint.; 4/10/18, 11:32 AM
Gahrie said...: Which would have gone precisely nowhere; sperm donors have never been considered legal fathers by the courts.

It depends on your definition of "legal". Plenty of men have been forced to pay child support for children they fathered through sperm donation, even if they had no parental "rights".; 4/10/18, 3:01 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Gahrie, that's actually not the case. In every state an anonymous sperm donor has neither rights nor obligations. There have been a couple isolated cases where there has been a successful suit for support, but only when the identity was know AND the donor had some kind of contact or father-like role. Sending cards, visits, etc. There has never been a case where an adult has contacted a donor and managed to extract money. Hope that helps!; 4/10/18, 3:47 PM
Gahrie said...: Gahrie, that's actually not the case. In every state an anonymous sperm donor has neither rights nor obligations.

Not all sperm donors are anonymous.; 4/10/18, 9:12 PM