Althouse: At the Green Rock Cafe...

May 4, 2019

At the Green Rock Cafe...

... you can talk all night.

187 comments:

Churchy LaFemme: said...: In The Telegraph: Don't build 'coalition against the people', Farage warns May.

What a wonderful, concise take. I doubt a US pol or headline writer could have made the point so clearly.; 5/4/19, 6:57 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 7:00 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 7:04 PM
etbass said...: Well, Maximum Security, the initial winner of the Derby, was disqualified after the race by the stewards who ruled on an objection that he interfered with Country House by changing lanes, preventing Country House from overtaking him. Odds on Maximum security were 4 - 1 and on Country House, 62 - 1. First time ever for this.; 5/4/19, 7:07 PM
Michael said...: So what do they say when Maximum Security wins the Preakness and the Belmont? A Triple Crown asterisk? I loved the shot of one of the racing stewards having to look in the rule book to make his call. Paging back and forth. Obviously a referee who knows his sport.; 5/4/19, 7:08 PM
Michael said...: @Etbasss -- Except he didn't make any contact with Country House. He came over when startled by crowd noise and crowded War of Will, who was still on nearly even terms with Country House, Maximum Security and Code of Honor all the way down the long, long Churchill Downs stretch. Neither Country House's jockey nor his trainer Bill Mott, asked by TV interviewers, could even manage to make the claim the horse would have won the race otherwise, they knew the outcome was so otherwise.; 5/4/19, 7:12 PM
roesch/voltaire said...: Kim and Putin have placed Trump between a rock and tweeter as they smile, talk and send rockets into air and Planes into Venezuela.; 5/4/19, 7:14 PM
Mid-Life Lawyer said...: The Cubs started out 1-6 but have gone 17-6 since. They are now .5 games behind St. Louis for first and they go for the sweep against the Cardinals tomorrow. This is a quiet time for me for sports. I don't care much about the NBA and only the majors in Golf. All football is off-season now. I watch track and field year round and have my own things that I do. I'm running a 10k tomorrow then a 18 mile mild trail race the 18th and a real tough 17 mile race the following weekend at Possum Kingdom State Park a little west of Fort Worth. Interesting place. After this little spurt I am going to take it easy for a month then start a long build-up for my first 100 miler in November. A lot of things have to go right to pull that off. Politics is still too absurd to follow closely. I haven't been on Twitter in close to a year now. I miss it sometime but not enough to get back on..... yet. In other news, I am rereading Bartleby the Scrivener starting Monday morning. I may read it in one sitting as it's pretty short. I'm interested to see if I still think it's the greatest American written creation as I proclaimed the last time I read it.; 5/4/19, 7:17 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 7:22 PM
narciso said...: I guess Melville's other work gets all the plaudits since he crammed everything remotely related to whaling.; 5/4/19, 7:24 PM
narciso said...: I see what you mean:

https://t.co/wzRuNfSfo7?amp=1; 5/4/19, 7:26 PM
mockturtle said...: Michael wonders: So what do they say when Maximum Security wins the Preakness and the Belmont? A Triple Crown asterisk?

If in fact he interfered, he isn't entitled to an asterisk. His jockey was cute, though...:-); 5/4/19, 7:36 PM
Humperdink said...: I disagree. Maximum Security abruptly changed lanes (plural), nearly causing a massive wreck. OK for NASCAR, not in a horse race.

OTOH, if the Kentucky Derby was officiated by NHL referees, not only would Maximum Security have won the race, the owner/trainer claiming foul would have been fined and suspended.; 5/4/19, 7:36 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Warriors v Rockets tonight - BBQ - chicken, asparagus, southwest corn, vodka - the sun is still out - long walk with the Dog thru the East Bay hills overlooking the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge- nice weekend.; 5/4/19, 7:36 PM
Mark said...: Like I said previously -- right call. No playing favorites, no simply saying that he's "the best horse." Just call it straight.

If "the best horse" was any consideration at all, then they would declare a champion based just on the pre-race odds with no need to actually run the race.

We have enough times when "the best" gets privileged, favorable treatment. The stewards are to be commended for what was a gutsy, but correct, call. A lot of officials would have looked the other way.; 5/4/19, 7:43 PM
Mark said...: Replays show that MS veered over several lanes to interfere with several horses then in contention, including nearly colliding with one, and a couple had to pull up as a result. Even the jockey conceded something was amiss when in the initial post-race interview he said that MS had gotten spooked by the crowd. It wasn't purposeful, but it was a foul.

Unfortunate result. But right result.; 5/4/19, 7:48 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "Warriors v Rockets tonight - BBQ - chicken, asparagus, southwest corn, vodka - the sun is still out - long walk with the Dog thru the East Bay hills overlooking the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge- nice weekend."

It is normally my policy to cheer for underdogs, but the Rockets deserve to lose after the "officiating study" they tried to peddle after game 1. I hope the Warriors blank them 4-0.; 5/4/19, 8:03 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I watch the horse race, and I think Biden needed to be disqualified, too. He clearly changed lanes to sniff Kamala's mane....or was that Bernie's do?; 5/4/19, 8:11 PM
Yancey Ward said...: That stone clearly hasn't rolled in a while.; 5/4/19, 8:12 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: At The Green Rock Cafe...

we lichen it to a cat's profile, with the left eye looking back...; 5/4/19, 8:14 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:15 PM
Big Mike said...: Regarding Maximum Security, the real money for his owners comes from stud fees after the horse retires. If he wins the Preakness and Belmont -- and remember that so far his only loss in five starts is this disqualification! -- his stud fees will be pretty much what he would have gotten for winning the Triple Crown.; 5/4/19, 8:17 PM
Humperdink said...: As an aside, my horse-adoring spouse and I toured Churchill Downs a few years ago. It was worth the trip.; 5/4/19, 8:26 PM
Michael said...: @Mark -- had the other horses lost ground, visible ground, I could understand it. This is a field of 19 horses making the turn. Yes, there was crowding and it could have been dangerous -- but no one was endangered and no one lost visible ground. Meaning a length or two, knocked clearly off stride. No horse pulled up. War of Will got in tight and maybe lost a stride or two, but not even a length. War of Will didn't even finish second, though. So a horse that did not come close to winning was made the winner. Bill Mott better go to confession tomorrow.; 5/4/19, 8:26 PM
rhhardin said...: [T]he race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.; 5/4/19, 8:27 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:27 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:29 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:31 PM
Michael said...: One racing steward has to consult the rule book. Another is a blonde who is pointing at the screen like she saw a flash of nudity. Kentucky, get your act together! That was PC enforcement -- a major injustice imposed by dubious referees because of a debatable event that did not alter the outcome.

IMO! And good night!; 5/4/19, 8:31 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: So a horse that did not come close to winning was made the winner.

is this race a metaphor/flashback/prelude to the Dem nomination?; 5/4/19, 8:36 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:40 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 8:41 PM
Birkel said...: Get your own fucking blog, Stephen Cooper.
Then we can all go to your place to read your 9 comments.
Or be more entertaining, you boring heel.

Up your game or give us less garbage.; 5/4/19, 9:04 PM
Lucien said...: @ Midlife Lawyer: Tennis.

The Madrid and Rome tournaments are coming up, followed by the French Open. If Djokovic wins at the French, he will hold all four major titles for the second time 50 years after Rod Laver. If Nadel wins it will be his 12th. If Federer wins it will be his 21st major. If Thiem, or Zverev, or Tsitsipas wins it will be a changing of the guard. So many options that will be historic.; 5/4/19, 9:10 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:10 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:11 PM
bagoh20 said...: It must be some kind of brain infection from the air conditioning at the DNC.

"Nancy Pelosi tells NYT that SHE is worried TRUMP won't respect election results"

https://www.theblaze.com/news/pelosi-worried-trump-respect-election

Unbelievable!; 5/4/19, 9:12 PM
narciso said...: Head they win, tails you lose. Hasn't that made clear, when it doesn't eventuate they run the results till it does.; 5/4/19, 9:19 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:23 PM
Birkel said...: stephen cooper,
Why are you so fucking boring, you pompous windbag?
Preach on your own blog and we'll all come when we want sanctimony.; 5/4/19, 9:24 PM
narciso said...: Well then the stewards need to be replaced or join the NFL, which is much the same result.; 5/4/19, 9:25 PM
Henry said...: It's heartbreaking for Jason Servis and especially Luis Saez, but the more I've thought about it the more I feel the NBC team messed up. They kept using terms to suggest that the foul was only "letter of the law" and a "technicality". That completely misses the responsibility of the stewards to ensure that, on their track, nobody dies.

Horse racing is an incredibly dangerous sport. The fact that Saez temporarily lost control of Maximum Security could be due to many factors, but it doesn't change the fact that the rules are in place to ensure that jockeys have to guide their horse, and trainers have to train their horse to race without endangering themselves or other horses and jockeys.; 5/4/19, 9:26 PM
Birkel said...: That whole shield/sword thing you do with religion?
Yeah, I cannot be made to care.
I see your game and it's pathetic.

Pathos.
Not hating or despising.; 5/4/19, 9:27 PM
Henry said...: The stewards make this incredibly hard and unpopular decision now, to maintain the standard of safety going forward.; 5/4/19, 9:27 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:30 PM
Henry said...: I repeat myself, once more for emphasis. In thoroughbred racing, if a jockey makes a mistake, or a trainer fails in his training, or a horse is uncontrollable, people may die.; 5/4/19, 9:31 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:32 PM
Anonymous said...: The ruling against Max Security was not interference with County House, but another horse in another lane which was surging quickly. Let's be clear about this. Not saying whether I agree or disagree with that ruling, but let's not make this another fake news collusion story.

--Rt1Rebel; 5/4/19, 9:34 PM
Birkel said...: Hey, the sanctimony as sword and shield is an awesome strategy.
And even that is boring as hell.

I do like the sly name calling and innocent accusations.
That makes you really sympathetic, in your mind?
It's not a good look because it's so transparent.

But go ahead and continue to make 30% of the comments.
And make them extra boring with a tad more know-it-all for good measure.; 5/4/19, 9:35 PM
Henry said...: Maximum Security clearly interfered with War of Will, which affected several other horses.; 5/4/19, 9:36 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:37 PM
narciso said...: Maybe they should train the horses more,; 5/4/19, 9:38 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: It is normally my policy to cheer for underdogs, but the Rockets deserve to lose after the "officiating study" they tried to peddle after game 1. I hope the Warriors blank them 4-0.

The Rockets complaining about the officials is a little rich considering that a major part of Harden's game is to trick the officials into calling fouls so he can shoot free throws.; 5/4/19, 9:39 PM
Birkel said...: Sad stories = boring
Complaining about being old in this crowd?
Do you know the demographics here?

Are you boring because you are incapable of true insight?
More pathos.; 5/4/19, 9:41 PM
JackWayne said...: Turns out Caster is a male.; 5/4/19, 9:44 PM
Mark said...: During the review period, MS's owner basically conceded that the ruling could reasonably go against him.; 5/4/19, 9:45 PM
JackWayne said...: You could say he ran outside of his lane.; 5/4/19, 9:45 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:47 PM
Birkel said...: Harden definitely deserved a foul call on the eye poke by Draymond Green.
His eyeball is blood red and he looks a mess.
I don't know how he is able to play with that injury.

I am no fan of the style of offense that Houston plays.
I prefer ball movement and player movement.
But I am tired of the Warriors and especially Green.
He strikes me as just shy of a dirty player because he competes so hard and throws his body (elbows, hands, head, and knees) with such reckless abandon that it cannot be considered accidental.
He is this generation's Dennis Rodman without the athleticism and artistry.; 5/4/19, 9:49 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:49 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:50 PM
Mark said...: Chief state steward Barbara Borden issued a statement on the ruling that disqualified Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby and resulted in 65-1 long shot Country House winning the event at Churchill Downs.

Barbara Borden: “Good evening. The riders of the 18 [Spinoff] and 20 [Country House] horses in the Kentucky Derby lodged objections against the 7 [Maximum Security] horse, the winner, due to interference turning for home leaving the quarter pole. We had a lengthy review of the race. We interviewed affected riders. We determined that the 7 horse drifted out and impacted the progress of number 1, in turn interfering with the 18 and 21 [Bodexpress]. Those horses were all affected, we thought, by the interference. Therefore we unanimously determined to disqualify number 7 and place him behind the 18, 18 being the lowest-placed horse that he bothered, which is our typical procedure.”; 5/4/19, 9:50 PM
Birkel said...: The next day I think of a random internet commenter the following day will be the first.
Your snap judgment about another person sure does violate a lot of the rules you allegedly follow.

Sword.
Shield.
Pathetic.; 5/4/19, 9:53 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:56 PM
Birkel said...: There you go again.
That sword you wield ain't sharp.
It's a boring tactic.; 5/4/19, 9:58 PM
grackle said...: Grackle’s Music Anecdote

I guess it was around 1962 or 3. I would’ve been around 18 or 19 years old. I was stationed at the Naval Academy at Annapolis as an enlisted man. At the time I was hanging with some students at St. John’s University. We were all into folk and used to sit around in dark apartments listening intensely to Joan Baez, the Limelighters, Peter, Paul and Mary and other folk entities.

A new friend suggested we go to a rock and roll concert in NYC. I wasn’t keen on the idea. Normally, no self-respecting folkie would ever deign to listen to rock and roll. But the ticket was free. I like free.

The concert featured Leslie Gore, Paul Anka, John D. Loudermilk and some others that I cannot remember. The headliner was James Brown, a performer I had never even heard of. Throughout the concert I slowly became aware that I might be wrong about rock and roll. The performances were unexpectedly accomplished and entertaining – even thrilling, especially the three named above. I noticed that there seemed to be an inordinate amount of black women in the audience, a sizeable group of them were sitting in the rows directly behind me.

Finally, it came time for the final performance. There was a long runway from the stage into the seats, with a microphone at the end. First Brown’s band, the Famous Flames, entered the stage. They did some very funny comedy material at first but soon settled down to play. They had an incredibly tight sound. This went on for awhile. No James Brown in sight. I remember thinking that just hearing the band was worth the trip.

Suddenly there was commotion from the black females behind me and I turned around in my seat to look at them. They were extremely agitated. As I was turned I heard something that sounded like an animal’s scream, as if it was in terrible pain – or rage. I turned to look back at the stage and saw James Brown for the first time. This small, compact man was dancing around a microphone to the music, while barely moving his legs! Occasionally he would do a complete split all the way down to the stage floor and pull upright by sliding his feet together. He wasn’t actually singing but he would occasionally do that scream to punctuate his moves. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I was amazed.

Next he ran to the end of the runway, sliding on his knees most of the way. He popped up into a perfect pirouette any ballerina would be envious of and ended up kneeling on one knee with the mic held near his face all in one fluid motion. He launched into “Please, Please, Please (help me).” The girls behind me went absolutely crazy! I had never seen this type of audience response. He had total control. I lost track of time; got lost in the phenomenon of a James Brown show and also lost my snobbish taste for nothing but folk music. From that day on, I welcome any musical genre and listen with an open ear.; 5/4/19, 9:59 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 9:59 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 10:01 PM
Birkel said...: There you go again.
Sword on.
Shield on.
Apply as necessary.

Judge not lest he be judged or something.
I think I read that somewhere.
Odd that they didn't write "snap" into those words.

But hey, be boring just a few more times.
My pathos can expand as needed.; 5/4/19, 10:02 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 10:03 PM
mockturtle said...: It must be some kind of brain infection from the air conditioning at the DNC.

Yes, it's already been identified as the incurable TDS virus. And it is, unfortunately, not terminal.; 5/4/19, 10:04 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 10:05 PM
Birkel said...: Can I get a ruling?
Is sanctimony always boring or do boring people just come off as sanctimonious?; 5/4/19, 10:05 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 10:07 PM
gilbar said...: Here's Fun!
Staci Abrams states:
"we don’t have to concede elections anymore, because when we concede, we are condoning systems that are used to oppress us."

Have an election
Count the votes
See how many more you need
harvest those votes
Post postmark them so that they have the election day date on them
WIN!

Democrats have admitted that they are not bothering with democracy anymore; 5/4/19, 10:08 PM
etbass said...: What I am not sure about is why Country House was the winner when Max was DQ’d? Was he next behind Max?; 5/4/19, 10:09 PM
Birkel said...: Following onto my earlier basketball comment:
Chris Paul can be quite the dirty player.
He punched an opposing player in the groin back in college.
That's pretty low. (pun absolutely intended)

But I don't view him as a dirty player.
I view him as a player who sometimes loses his cool and his sportsmanship.; 5/4/19, 10:10 PM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: If you want to see James Brown from that era, checkout out The T.A.M.I show.

The full show is out on DVD now, including the Beach Boys segments Brian Wilson originally vetoed releasing, and The Hardest Working Man In Showbiz in an amazing tour-de-force.; 5/4/19, 10:11 PM
narciso said...: An interesting perspective, from a month ago:
https://www.claremont.org/crb/basicpage/a-princely-ransom/; 5/4/19, 10:13 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 10:19 PM
JackWayne said...: Narciso, to me the premise is flawed because I don’t agree with Lord’s rosy view of the Constitution and the structure he imagines from it. It’s more of a coulda, woulda, shoulda than a is, was, will be. Like Harry Turtledove wrote the Prince.; 5/4/19, 10:22 PM
Birkel said...: narciso,
That perspective is cramped at best. Trump surrounded by flatterers? Let's name some of them. Because his Cabinet and advisors have not been a loyal bunch.

Trump more loved than feared, breaking Machiavelli's rules? The Deep State fears him thoroughly because he reveals the self-identified elite as completely ineffectual. The entire Mueller report insurance policy was created because of fear.

An interesting read that badly goes off the rails with its conventional thinking.; 5/4/19, 10:24 PM
Henry said...: What I am not sure about is why Country House was the winner when Max was DQ’d? Was he next behind Max?

Yes. Country House originally came in second. When Max was DQ'd, he was moved behind all horse he was ruled to have affected. While Country House was not ruled to have been affected, once Max was moved behind the queue of horses he affected, Country House was left as the first place finisher.

Barbara Borden, Kentucky's chief steward, gave a statement to the media several hours after the race.

"The riders of the 18 [Long Range Toddy] and 20 [Country House] ... lodged objections against the 7 [Maximum Security], the winner, due to interference turning for home, leaving the quarter pole. We had a lengthy review of the race," Borden said. "We interviewed affected riders. We determined that the 7 horse drifted out and impacted the progress of 1 [War of Will] in turn, interfering with the 18 and 21 [Bodexpress]. Those horses were all affected, we thought, by the interference. Therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify No. 7 and place him behind the 18 ... the lowest-placed horse that he bothered, which is our typical procedure."; 5/4/19, 10:24 PM
Birkel said...: JackWayne,
If Lord has raised his objections and dated them back to FDR's perversions of the Constitution, I would take him more seriously.
The Switch in Time May have saved the Nine but it distorted the power dynamic.
Thoughts?; 5/4/19, 10:27 PM
narciso said...: It was the reviewer who misinterpreted the volume,; 5/4/19, 10:36 PM
StephenFearby said...: I like the way Deven Nunes' mind works. Without the success of his court case against Fusion GPS, we'd probably never know the Democratic National Committee and Hilary Clinton's campaign funded the Steele Dossier.

Now he's going after Mueller (and/or the many Clinton apparatchiks on his team, the most notable being Andrew Weissmann):

Washington Examiner

'Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is requesting documents from a slew of federal agencies about Maltese academic Joseph Mifsud, the man who told former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos the Russians had thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.

The House Intelligence Committee ranking member seeks information about who Mifsud was working for at the time and wrote in a letter that special counsel Robert Mueller “omits any mention of a wide range of contacts Mifsud had with Western political institutions and individuals" in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.'

The full text of the Nunes letter can be found at:
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/04/nunes-mifsud-papadopoulos/

The most succinct reason for Nunes doing this is in a comment to the recent, very curious piece by the NYT exposing Azra Turk:

F.B.I. Sent Investigator Posing as Assistant to Meet With Trump Aide in 2016
George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign aide, was the target of an F.B.I. investigation into connections between the campaign and Russia.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/us/politics/fbi-government-investigator-trump.html

The J House comment:

---

If the FBI believed Joseph Misfud was acting as an ‘agent of Russia’ after July 2016, they would have put him under surveillance as well. Did they? They let him go in February 2017 when he was visiting the State Dept. One has to wonder if Misfud was working for the U. S. government and not the Russians. If that is so, then Misfud planted the Clinton email information on Papadopolous and it was circuitously used to warrant a counterintelligence investigation...very much like the ‘dossier’ was planted in the press, took root within the Obama admin and was used by DOJ/FBI to predicate the FISA warrant on Carter Page.

Other comments on why the NYT curiously breached Azra Turks's cover include:

MM

This article seems to be the latest of several recent NYT articles with an objective of diminishing the impact of the forthcoming Inspector General's report.

"Getting ahead of the bad news" is consistent with the strategy of the leakers. Why else would they have brazenly leaked classified information involving sensitive sources and methods to the NYT?

When the IG's report does come out (later this month or in June), we will get to see whether or not the ploy has worked.

The (most certified accurate) fortune teller's crystal ball currently sez, "No way, you gotta be kidding."

---; 5/4/19, 10:39 PM
Michael K said...: I just started reading Papadopoulis' book. Interesting right from the first page.

The setup people gave him $10,000 in cash as a "retainer." He was smart enough to give it to a lawyer in Greece,.

When he arrived in the US, the FBI agents who met his plane tore his luggage apart looking for the cash. They knew about it.

He asked them what was going on and they replied, "This is what you get when you work for Trump."; 5/4/19, 10:45 PM
madAsHell said...: Green Rock Cafe

You can't turn your guitar up to 11. The moderator will scold you.; 5/4/19, 10:45 PM
mockturtle said...: Stephen Fearby: Thanks for the summary. Thankful for people like Nunes taking action while most of the GOP sit on their hands. Of course, we know that most of them would have been delighted to have Trump impeached.; 5/4/19, 10:46 PM
JackWayne said...: Well, I’m the last person to ask about the distortion of the Constitution. My belief is that the Constitution is so poorly written due to a complete lack of specificity and so much latitude is granted to each of 4 branches of government that “distortion” is built in. Any structure which relies so heavily on the goodness of people is doomed to failure. Ironically, it is the exact same root cause of all totalitarian states. But yet, no one in America follows that path to the conclusion that we are mostly totalitarian.

As for Lord, it just seems like What If posturing to me. Unreadable for the most part. As is much of the output from our intelligencia. Plus, Machiavelli gets too much credit for his book. He described his view of what he thought he saw not what he DID.

Kind of a random scattergun response. I spent so much time reading all the important books years ago that I developed an aversion to “deep thinking”. It’s unproductive for me.; 5/4/19, 10:49 PM
JackWayne said...: Narciso, Rosen is not accurate but how much of that should be laid off to Lord?; 5/4/19, 10:50 PM
buwaya said...: Contra Birkel et al.,

I don't see Trump as one widely feared, leaving aside the small but powerful minority of those he challenges. Some of those people probably do fear him.

Think of the public perception of Trump. His partisans certainly love him. He is the most beloved American politician since Reagan. Or perhaps beyond Reagan, or maybe Kennedy after death, a man who reliably draws vast adoring crowds on the strength of his own charisma, and of the mass phenonenon itself, the snowball of celebrity. Has there

And those who hate him don't truly fear him. That fear is, I think, not fear but a rationalization of a less honest emotion. They despise him, they feel contempt, they feel deprived of tribal power over the other side, also subject to contempt.; 5/4/19, 10:52 PM
narciso said...: Well il macchia worked for a ruthless prince son of the borgia Pope, it was those tactic that he commended to cosimo de medico, Rosen doesn't seem to understand this.; 5/4/19, 10:55 PM
JackWayne said...: The contempt and despisal are the emotions of a Beta towards an Alpha. So there is definitely an element of fear there.; 5/4/19, 10:57 PM
JackWayne said...: It’s like the consigliere to the Don wrote a book about his advice without understanding what the Don did with it or hid from him.; 5/4/19, 11:00 PM
Birkel said...: buwaya,
Explain the Peter Strzok insurance policy if not fear of discovery for criminal behavior.
And by Peter Strzok's insurance policy, I mean the Mueller cover-up disguised as an investigation.

Does the average random Democrat fear Trump?
Not at all, if honestly contemplated.

Also, Obama was adored much more than Trump.; 5/4/19, 11:00 PM
madAsHell said...: Hey, is Howard Schulz still running for President?.....or did Jay Inslee overtake his advantage?

Yeah......like I don't know the answer!!; 5/4/19, 11:11 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:11 PM
buwaya said...: Birkel, the fear on the part of the conspirators was not, I think, of Trump the man, the wielder of power, of what he himself would do, but that their cover would be blown in general.

Obama was, IIRC, "loved" according to a well organized propaganda campaign. This was a manufactured celebrity for the most part, an image that members of the tribe were obliged to carry.

Obama was an aloof figure.

Trump is not an image. He is there, live onstage, interacting with his masses of supporters.

Consider - if Trump wanted to, he could sell tickets to his shows, to normal people, no strings attached. What other politician could?; 5/4/19, 11:12 PM
mockturtle said...: Birkel, the fear on the part of the conspirators was not, I think, of Trump the man, the wielder of power, of what he himself would do, but that their cover would be blown in general.

Right on, buwaya. They were quite certain none of this would ever come to light.; 5/4/19, 11:20 PM
narciso said...: Yes trump is the head of a movement somewhat akin to Berlusconi's forza Italia which has bowed out after 25 years. Netanyahu is the head of an established party the likud but has little in common with say Sharon's faction.; 5/4/19, 11:21 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:25 PM
narciso said...: Dont turn everything into a profound moral question, like Paul says dont quibble about small things, but profound ones.; 5/4/19, 11:29 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:33 PM
JackWayne said...: I’m confident that Narciso knows I like his allusions. Anything else is my opinion which is simply that. As reliable as any other.

But since you ask, I know what a moby is and a troll. I have not yet figured out what you are. A third way I’m thinking. But it needs a name. Loki?; 5/4/19, 11:37 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:42 PM
eddie willers said...: I keep waiting for someone to point out that that is a YELLOW rock.; 5/4/19, 11:48 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:50 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:51 PM
JackWayne said...: So a moby is a person who pretends to be something they are not. A troll pretends to honesty but deals in prevarication. A loki emotes treacly empathy which appears to me to be insincere. But they all have one purpose. To hijack a thread for personal satisfaction.; 5/4/19, 11:52 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/4/19, 11:59 PM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:02 AM
Birkel said...: buwaya,
Maybe Machiavelli was specific as to type of fear (it's been a while) but I was not. The self-described elites fear Trump because he is not them. The cause of the fear is not relevant to my limited point.

I don't disagree with you, btw, on your points. But I think my point stands, limited as it was.

And while the propaganda surrounding Obama was disgusting, I can assure you many blacks were genuinely enamored of him. And many white women, too. I saw it with the people around me. The propaganda worked on a significant number of people.; 5/5/19, 12:04 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:05 AM
walter said...: Ah Birkel,
Looks like Coop's been using this blog as an emo etch-a-sketch again.
Same as it ever was...; 5/5/19, 12:06 AM
Birkel said...: I said you are boring.
I said get your own blog.
I said you hide behind religion as a shield.
And that you use religion as a weapon too.

And I think you are pathetic.

Hell, the things I said are above.
You can read them and quit bearing false witness.
You should follow the rules you allegedly believe.; 5/5/19, 12:07 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:09 AM
Birkel said...: I said you are boring.
You really ought to learn not to bear false witness.

Ask around, I ain't boring.; 5/5/19, 12:11 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:12 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:12 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:14 AM
narciso said...: Thanks I think, Stephen cooper does ponder things too much unlike others who just laugh it off, some like our German and Brazilian guests are no mere troll but uruk hai or nazgul.; 5/5/19, 12:14 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:14 AM
Birkel said...: See, there you go again with the lying.
And these are sad, pathetic lies.

Loki it shall henceforth be!; 5/5/19, 12:14 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:15 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:16 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:17 AM
Birkel said...: Let's see if you can follow and not project:
You are boring.
You are not interesting.
You post nothing original or entertaining.
You lack originality.

If those qualities obtain, then others will quickly tire of your Loki behavior.

Pathetic.; 5/5/19, 12:17 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:18 AM
Birkel said...: The lie remains that I hate.
That is your projection.
That is the sword.; 5/5/19, 12:18 AM
walter said...: stephen cooper said...tell me why you have hatred in your heart?

or are you afraid to be honest, you little old man?
--
Just that, Coop.
Pompous presumptions towards others..and deleting your own comments.
Hate yourself much?; 5/5/19, 12:18 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:20 AM
Birkel said...: I'm sure there is something written somewhere about lying.
And using religion as a weapon to attack?
I must have missed that verse.

Boring.
Pathetic.; 5/5/19, 12:20 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:21 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:21 AM
walter said...: Etch-a-sketch Coop.; 5/5/19, 12:22 AM
Birkel said...: The lie is misnaming my pathos toward you as hatred.
And you don't know anybody's age on the internet.

And given your propensity for lies, I assume you are a 13 year old girl.
Or a 63 year old man.
Or Billy's Mule.
It matters not one whit.; 5/5/19, 12:22 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:23 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:24 AM
Birkel said...: Loki gets his thread hijack.
Mission accomplished.

Lies spread about hatred? Check.
Attacking others with religion? Check.
Woe is me tales to tell yourself? Check.

Pathetic.
Boring.; 5/5/19, 12:25 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:25 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:27 AM
Birkel said...: Telling others to be quiet by making claims of bullying?
That is Grade A projection.

Imagine thinking you have power.

Pathetic.
Boring.; 5/5/19, 12:27 AM
walter said...: Yeah..same ole mix of toxicity and faux forgiveness.
Only comes out late at night..hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm; 5/5/19, 12:29 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:33 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:34 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “'Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is requesting documents from a slew of federal agencies about Maltese academic Joseph Mifsud, the man who told former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos the Russians had thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails.

The House Intelligence Committee ranking member seeks information about who Mifsud was working for at the time and wrote in a letter that special counsel Robert Mueller “omits any mention of a wide range of contacts Mifsud had with Western political institutions and individuals" in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.'”

The Crossfire Hurricane investigatin, the FISA warrant application, and the justification for the Mueller investigation fall apart if Mifsud is not a Russian spy, but instead, is a western alliance spy, which from all of the photos they have of him with western diplomats and spies. As I understand it, Nunes supplemented his letter with a number of those photos. He appears to have connections with Halper and Downer, as well as Fusion GPS and the Clinton foundation.

Things get really bad if the FBI admits that it has used him as an asset or sent its agents to school at the institute that he owns 35% of. That is because the original basis for Crossfire Hurricane is Papadopoulos learning about the Russians having Clinton’s 30,000 missing emails from the Russians. If it was western intelligence instead, it was manufactured, push/pull, with one operative (Mifsud) pushing the intel to Papadopoulos, and a second operative (Downer or his assistant) reeling him in. If the FBI had any reason to suspect that Mifsud was western intelligence, instead of Russian, such as its agents attending classes at his institute, then this is more than lying by omission- it is lying by commission because of their claim that he was a Russian operative.; 5/5/19, 12:35 AM
Birkel said...: No, forgiveness comes with repentance.
When you keep telling the same lies, it shows a lack of contrition.

And there is no forgiveness for boring.; 5/5/19, 12:35 AM
walter said...: Other than exuding the profile of a serial killer, yer ok, man.; 5/5/19, 12:36 AM
walter said...: Bruce,
That push/pull scenario has been talked about for many months @bongino.
But good to see it under the scope formally.; 5/5/19, 12:41 AM
stephen cooper said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/5/19, 12:42 AM
StephenFearby said...: Althouse writes (in the pinned section above the comments box):

"...avoid personal back-and-forth with other commenters."

What part of this Y'all don't understand?; 5/5/19, 12:43 AM
Birkel said...: StephenFearby,
I would like to invite you to perform a physically impossible sexual act by yourself.

See how pleasant that was?; 5/5/19, 12:48 AM
walter said...: Stephen,
You talkin' to me?
I take that personal.; 5/5/19, 12:50 AM
walter said...: Maybe Althouse should denounce hit and run "etch-a-sketch" post,delete shenanigan trolling.; 5/5/19, 12:53 AM
Birkel said...: 50 deletions?
Hahaha; 5/5/19, 1:00 AM
stephen cooper said...: StephenFearby, thank you for the good advice.

I have deleted all my comments tonight: the first few were about the horse race today, but the ones afterwards were responses to other commenters.; 5/5/19, 1:05 AM
walter said...: Yeah..not so good when others have responded to yours.
Just coverin' yer arse, bud.; 5/5/19, 1:11 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: The funniest thing I have read all day: https://newrepublic.com/article/153744/gig-economy
Wherein we are instructed that if an upper middle class Jewish kid from Southern California can not get a full time job in journalism, the Intellectual Life is dead, and it is the fault of capitalism.
These words were written without a trace of irony: "A new Freelance Journalists Union, launched under the auspices of the IWW, has held a couple impassioned meetings in Queens. But material gains have yet to appear."; 5/5/19, 1:16 AM
readering said...: Strange thread this evening.; 5/5/19, 2:23 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: It's the tequila.

Happy "France out of Mexico" day!; 5/5/19, 3:06 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: "is this race a metaphor/flashback/prelude to the Dem nomination?"

This was horses, not horses' asses.; 5/5/19, 3:24 AM
Humperdink said...: Having observed and commented about Maximum Security last night, I then retire for the evening, only to wake up and see "comment deleted" 4,206 times (I exaggerate).

I made the mistake of engaging this individual a few months ago. He pokes, he prods and then he deletes. His/her/it's thought process mystifies me.; 5/5/19, 3:49 AM
stevew said...: In other news: Bruins were victorious over Columbus last night. After defensively tight first 40 minutes, with outstanding goal tending from both, there were six goals exchanged in the final 20. B's are up 3-2 in the series heading back to Columbus. An honest fan expects this series to go 7. I love playoff hockey. Basketball, on the other hand, is a tedious and uninteresting affair.; 5/5/19, 5:39 AM
Rusty said...: Buwaya

"And those who hate him don't truly fear him. That fear is, I think, not fear but a rationalization of a less honest emotion. They despise him, they feel contempt, they feel deprived of tribal power over the other side, also subject to contempt."
Because he has interrupted the free flow of graft.; 5/5/19, 6:06 AM
Rusty said...: Blogger Birkel said...
JackWayne,
"If Lord has raised his objections and dated them back to FDR's perversions of the Constitution, I would take him more seriously.
The Switch in Time May have saved the Nine but it distorted the power dynamic.
Thoughts?"
Yes. I think we can trace many of our current ills re; federal over stepping directly back to the FDR admin. While someone above stated that the constitution is a vague document there are plenty of areas it isn't vague. ie; "Congress shall pass no law....." Then the federals involved proceed to vio;ate it.

"And there is no forgiveness for boring."
It's the eighths deadly sin.; 5/5/19, 6:24 AM
Obadiah said...: The economy is doing great on a sea of borrowed money, but at some point the bill will have to be paid. The Republican congress cut taxes and raised spending like drunken sailors. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Debt_Held_by_Public.png#/media/File:US_Debt_Held_by_Public.png; 5/5/19, 7:09 AM
Mr. Forward said...: You can talk all night but may be disqualified for jostling.; 5/5/19, 7:09 AM
Trumpit said...: The trolls didn't catch on that Althouse was comparing them to a boulder covered in lichen. Trump has his very own orange lichen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloplaca_marina; 5/5/19, 7:14 AM
stevew said...: "The economy is doing great on a sea of borrowed money, but at some point the bill will have to be paid. The Republican congress cut taxes and raised spending like drunken sailors."

For the entirety of my adult lifetime this has been the warning, except for the Clinton surplus years. It makes sense to me that this will come to pass, but when always seems to be in the future.; 5/5/19, 7:20 AM
Jaq said...: Former FBI Director James Comey gave a radio interview to Los Angeles radio station KNX 1070-AM after the New York Times outlined FBI spies used in the 2016 election. When questioned about the FBI using intelligence assets to engage with Trump campaign official George Papadopoulos, Comey replied: “Really? What would you have the FBI do? We discover in the middle of June of 2016 that the Russians were engaged in a massive effort to mess with this democracy to interfere in the election

Wow, the NTY never talked about any “spies,” just "cloaked investigators." And since the FBI felt like it was important to investigate even with zero evidence, maybe they should have investigated Hillarys campaign too, since, you know, she had taken a *lot* of money from Putin and his cronies, and, at the time, her campaign manager was owning millions of dollars in stock from a subsidiary of Gazprom?; 5/5/19, 7:20 AM
Humperdink said...: @stevew. Yep there is nothing like playoff hockey. The wild card teams bounced the top seeds. Now everyone has a shot to win the Stanley Cup.

Now that my Penguins have been summarily dispatched, I am now a 'Canes fan. The Blue Jackets are playing surprisingly well, but I suspect your Bruins will win this series.; 5/5/19, 7:21 AM
iowan2 said...: The Republican congress cut taxes and raised spending

The Republican congress cut taxes and raised tax revenue. FIFY; 5/5/19, 7:22 AM
Jaq said...: he trolls didn't catch on that Althouse was comparing them to a boulder covered in lichen.

This is the same kind of steel trap logic Strumpit uses to convict Trump on any number of charges.

But if you want to see a real green boulder, you need to go to the Green Mountains in VT where in some places, the stone is green. You thought they were named after the forests, didn’t you? There is a large green stone in my yard, probably scraped off a mountain and deposited there by a glacier.; 5/5/19, 7:23 AM
Jaq said...: " I suspect your Bruins will win this series.”

I hope so, it’s been months since the last championship in Boston!; 5/5/19, 7:25 AM
Marc in Eugene said...: Is the discussion about the legalization of LSD and cocaine somewhere in this thread? Apparently, the Brits now have to worry that such noxious substances have made their way into fresh water lakes etc. But let's legalize 'em anyway because if we're going to be consuming the after-elements of birth control chemicals etc etc we may as well do coke etc too.; 5/5/19, 7:46 AM
Michael K said...: the Clinton surplus years.

Those were the years when Congress borrowed the Social Security surplus and left IOUs for the children of the Baby Boomers.; 5/5/19, 7:57 AM
rehajm said...: I hope so, it’s been months since the last championship in Boston!

Has it been months? I thought it was still weeks. What a drought...; 5/5/19, 7:59 AM
Michael K said...: The Republican congress cut taxes and raised spending like drunken sailors.

Whereas the Democrat Congress that Reagan had let him win the Cold War as long as he let them spend like drunken sailors.

It has been a bipartisan problem since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson set up the Welfare State. The Republicans after 1994 were no better than the Democrats of the previous 30 years but no worse.; 5/5/19, 8:02 AM
Birkel said...: BTW, the Swamp definitely fears AG Barr.; 5/5/19, 8:28 AM
Trumpit said...: "BTW, the Swamp definitely fears AG Barr."

That can't be true because "The Swamp" is the corrupt Trump Administration that installed the lawbreaking Attorney General Barr.; 5/5/19, 8:42 AM
Fernandinande said...: Today is Cinco de Mayo - the Fifth of Mayonnaise!

"May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, an American-Mexican marketing holiday in which people drink an excessive amount of margaritas and Coronas, stuff their faces with discounted tacos and probably have no idea what the holiday actually represents.

So how do Mexican chefs feel about this?"

Despite the marketing(!), Mexican chefs are "not totally on board"! Oh noes!; 5/5/19, 9:00 AM
mockturtle said...: I've been watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, too. My favorite team [Vegas] was out in the last round but it's still exciting. Last year was the first time in my life I'd ever watched hockey, having assumed it was boring, like soccer. It isn't.; 5/5/19, 9:04 AM
Michael said...: So the Kentucky racing stewards said Max Security's interference with War of Will caused everything. And that he had to be placed 17th (of 19) for alllllll the horses his movement somehow affected.

So why didn't War of Will's rider claim any foul?

I do have to commend the stewards about whom I suggested a degree of incompetence last night in my hazy misery after the race. They spotted EGW and they took proactive action to prevent further catastrophe. Equine Global Wandering is indeed a serious matter that threatens the universe, and I only question why they didn't place that miserable offender Maximum Security 19th. Or bar him from the track in the future.

Last point--all seem to accept Max's jockey Luis Saez explaining his horse was spooked by the wall of sound from the infield as he turned toward the stretch run. It was nearly 7 pm. The races began at 10 am or thereabouts and yet the race immediately preceding the Derby went off at 5:25, leaving almost an hour and a half of empty time before the Derby. Why on earth? Was it a TV demand? If ever someone did not have to capitulate to TV schedulers, the managers of Churchill Downs on Derby Day must be primary exemptions from that sort of commercial nonsense. Or was it some other dumb notion?

So, point is, what condition were those infielders in by 7 pm after that 85-minute gap in the racing?

As Luis said, his horse is still a baby. These 3-y-o's are young, haven't raced that many times, and Derby Day is a unique experience even to more veteran horses. Racing is a great, great sport featuring beautiful animals who love to run and do their best and that is why it survives even some of the dumber humans who try to make their own gravy off it. Kentucky and Churchill Downs have some soul-searching to do, in my book.; 5/5/19, 9:19 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “That is because the original basis for Crossfire Hurricane is Papadopoulos learning about the Russians having Clinton’s 30,000 missing emails from the Russians. If it was western intelligence instead, it was manufactured, push/pull, with one operative (Mifsud) pushing the intel to Papadopoulos, and a second operative (Downer or his assistant) reeling him in. If the FBI had any reason to suspect that Mifsud was western intelligence, instead of Russian, such as its agents attending classes at his institute, then this is more than lying by omission- it is lying by commission because of their claim that he was a Russian operative. ”

All Russiagate roads lead to London: Evidence emerges of Joseph Mifsud's links to UK intelligence; 5/5/19, 10:35 AM
madAsHell said...: Hilly-n-Billy were in Seattle fleecing the fools.

I know this because it was mentioned in the Seattle Times. Funny, the article was below the fold on the front of the second section. The article failed to mention attendance.

Rumor has it, they were clearing tickets on GroupOn.; 5/5/19, 1:03 PM
Nichevo said...: Birkel said...
Get your own fucking blog, Stephen Cooper.
Then we can all go to your place to read your 9 comments.
Or be more entertaining, you boring heel.

Up your game or give us less garbage.

5/4/19, 9:04 PM

Birkel, you shut him up? Unpossible!; 5/5/19, 1:37 PM