Althouse: At the Friday Night Café...

16 జనవరి, 2026

At the Friday Night Café...

... you can write about whatever you want.

154 కామెంట్‌లు:

rehajm చెప్పారు...: good nite all…; 16-01-26 6:36 PM
Clyde చెప్పారు...: I had lunch with my 87-year-old dad the other day at Outback. Dad walks with a cane these days, and while we were eating, a couple came in who were both using canes. There was also a walker at a nearby table. Dad said that he felt right at home. He had found his people.; 16-01-26 6:38 PM
tcrosse చెప్పారు...: Dad scorned those clomp-and-stomp walkers, so I gave him a wheelie walker back when they were a new thing. What sold it is that it had a place to sit. After that the old man was never without it.; 16-01-26 6:59 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: The more things change . . .
Let Them is back at #1 on Amazon’s Best seller list.
#2 is the Housemaid by Freida McFadden. She has 4 more in the top 100.
1984 (18) Fahrenheit 451 (20), Animal Farm (29) are back on the list.
New additions: The Great Gatsby (62), Lord of the Flies (93), To Kill a Mockingbird (56)
Rachel Reid has 2 of her hockey male/male romances on the list.
A book that’s been on and off the list - now on is The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (77). He has another book aimed directly at kids called The Amazing Generation: How to Find Fun and Freedom in a Screen Filled World (35). One of the reviews: “Bought for my 11 year old. They really enjoyed it and learned a lot . . . great information for how our devices change our brain chemistry to keep us using them more . . . A must read for this generation that grew up with phones . . . It is colorful and written for kids.” Lots of good reviews. If you have little ones or grandkids this might be a good buy.; 16-01-26 7:02 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: I had no idea There was this much flak

https://youtu.be/iAna3p3GJcc?si=SG7r_D-B9FSqr7KQ; 16-01-26 7:04 PM
Mr. T. చెప్పారు...: Clintons refuse subpoenas.

"Let the chips fall where they may." -Kak/Richsockpuppet/paidActbluetroll

Well?

Tell us, please-what are they so afraid of???; 16-01-26 7:17 PM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Fraud is a problem which as you know, many people say that.; 16-01-26 7:21 PM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: Trump Pardons Convicted Fraudster (Again) Along With Big-Time MAGA Donor’s Father ~ Forbes

"But soon after her release from prison, she and her brother Andres embarked on a new fraud"

With the hope and expectation that Trump would be re-elected? Trump pardons fraudsters because Trump does not see fraud as being a crime. To Trump, fraud is just a standard business practice. Trump supporters ignore all of these pardons because it’s inconvenient for them.

Investigate and prosecute your political opponents. Sell pardons to your wealthy friends and drug dealers so they can commit crimes without consequence. Authoritarianism isn’t coming. It’s already here—whether people see it or not.; 16-01-26 7:26 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: The clintons were epsteins enabler in and out of govt; 16-01-26 7:30 PM
Lazarus చెప్పారు...: I haven't been to the movies since before COVID. Apparently, cinemas expect you to reserve tickets in advance now. Waiting in line in the old days was certainly inconvenient, but didn't you feel a little community with others who were waiting? When you can't just decide to see a movie and pop in, is something lost?

The local urban "high class" cinema has been opening and closing since COVID. Now apparently, it's closed for good, as the owner got involved in all kinds of financial hijinks. Sad.; 16-01-26 7:31 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: The film did seem a little silly perhaps a little risque for the brand not the era; 16-01-26 7:32 PM
Iman చెప్పారు...: Talk about a flip-flopper… Tampon was singing a different tune just 7 months ago:

https://x.com/mazemoore/status/2012019872356843851?s=20; 16-01-26 7:35 PM
Iman చెప్పారు...: kaKAW was all over Biden’s pardons, amirite?!?!?!; 16-01-26 7:39 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Covering with a parachute; 16-01-26 7:41 PM
Peachy చెప్పారు...: The Somalis in Minnesota are reportedly enrolling FAKE STUDENTS to steal millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded student aid

"They never attend a class - and they pocket the money."; 16-01-26 7:53 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: https://youtu.be/77KdB-4oDGI?si=Su3KkznnIuYL1Unj; 16-01-26 7:55 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Trying to outabsurd absurd; 16-01-26 7:56 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: https://accordingtohoyt.com/2026/01/16/its-january-16-do-you-know-where-your-year-is/; 16-01-26 7:57 PM
Inga చెప్పారు...: “If the only things Trump thinks can stop him are his own morality and his own mind, our task — at least for those of us who view the state of things with outrage and anger — is to show him the folly of his words.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/opinion/trump-presidential-power-immunity.html; 16-01-26 8:01 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Lee Zeldin Speaks Slowly to Answer 'a Top Contender for Dumbest Reporter Question Ever' – Twitchy https://share.google/wGbCR8pBcbWnIaU0P; 16-01-26 8:06 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi చెప్పారు...: “Investigate and prosecute your political opponents”

LOL, it must be cafe comedy hour at the Althouse blog; 16-01-26 8:07 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Are there still comedy clubs out there, they were once a big thing thats where behar maher and stewart crawled out of; 16-01-26 8:09 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: ఈ కామెంట్‌ను రచయిత తీసివేశారు.; 16-01-26 8:09 PM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Criminal Illegal Alien Walks Free After Ramming ICE Vehicles Head-On: Seattle Jury Says Not Guilty – Twitchy https://share.google/4qqy5DS4bOn1IwlKH; 16-01-26 8:17 PM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: OK, this guy has me dusting off my totem, err, I mean my MAGA hat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJov8Kr37m4&t=7s

It's the best case I have heard that Trump really is putting American first, that he is beset on all sides, including moles in his Administration who hate him, but don't listen to what Trump says, but look at what he does, and look at the results, and look at the people he makes mad.

Trump is trying to stave off the brown new deal, that's the deal the globalists are trying to put in place to make us all eat a shit sandwich, except for their kids, of course.

It's very long, and you probably want to listen to it at 1.5X, because he talks. kind of slowly, but this is one of those takes that makes you see things completely differently.

I take back every bad thing I said about Trump. Maybe he really is playing eleven dimensional chess on our behalf.; 16-01-26 8:19 PM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: Trump's justification for pardoning drug traffickers, wealthy fraudsters, cop-beaters, cronies, violent criminals, and politically connected Republicans is always the same:

“I heard they were treated very unfairly.”; 16-01-26 8:24 PM
Mad Anthony Wayne చెప్పారు...: @Eva Marie I don’t think I have ever decided to by a book because it was on a bestseller list. My favorite fiction author Katherine Kurtz has never been high on any list. Most non-fiction titles I have purchased have often been years old. The only new books I am looking at buying are Craig L. Symonds “Annapolis Goes to War: The Naval Academy Class of 1940 and its Trial by Fire in World War II” and Jon Parshall’s up coming “1942: Crux of War”.; 16-01-26 8:26 PM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: But I think that the assassination attempt on Putin is going to cost Odessa.

I know that Ukraine insists it's all a Russian lie, but after first denying it, the CIA admitted an attack, but said that we were after some unidentified military target "near" his home, and Zelensky said in his Christmas Day message, that Putin would have to live hiding in bunkers until he ends the war, by capitulating, of course..; 16-01-26 8:27 PM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: BTW, Kak every day is here commenting to push the brown new deal.; 16-01-26 8:29 PM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: How do the Russians get to Odessa?
That is probably harder than getting to Kiev.
One begins, in all these things, by looking at the map.
The Russians need to cross the lower Dneiper, first off. That is a huge river; and moreover complex swampy lowlands. That will require a titanic bridging operation.
The Russians not only lack the bridging equipment anywhere near there, they lack boats/amphibious vehicles. And in the face of masses of Ukrainian missiles and drones they have no way to even attempt such a buildup.
And that, btw, is just major river #1.; 16-01-26 8:56 PM
Original Mike చెప్పారు...: Meaning the American economy is now growing faster than China.

GDP hits 5.5%.
- Productivity growth tripled
- Wages are growing 3.8%
- Layoffs are the lowest since 2022
- Inflation is just 1.7% per Truflation

But I thought…; 16-01-26 8:58 PM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: The Russians HAD a Dneiper bridgehead but could not hold it, in 2022, as all their bridges were blown up by HIMARS. The Ukes have a lot more than HIMARS now. This is problem#2, in case they manage to build up all the bridging material in the first place.; 16-01-26 9:03 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit చెప్పారు...: Earlier today, I came across a yard sing by the side of the road with the name Greg Dolezal. He's somebody running for a higher office than the one he now holds (but that's not important right now).
That last name, Dolezal, resonated with me and I immediately made the connection to that woman named Rachel Dolezal. Remember her?

Later, I started to piece together (in my feverish little brain, driving out there) how that Rachel Dolezal story might relate to the... confusing miasma of white women going from Protectors of American POC --In the heydays of WOKE-- to the now emerging Protectors of illegal Aliens. Culminating in that tragic loss of life in Minnesota.

Rachel Dolezal, an activist, was roundly ridiculed for trying to pass herself off as a POC. I can't help think that the Good and Dolezal stories are intricately interwoven.

Althouse blog post: Theory Supporting Video.; 16-01-26 9:04 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: Thank you for the recommendation. I will try Kurtz. However, I don’t follow Amazon’s list to find good reads. I follow it to find out what people are thinking and it’s the reason I post it here. For instance every time lefties have a cause celebre, sales of 1984 and F 451 go up. Which is strange because, I think of those more tailored to conservatives. But lefties really identify with these books. It tells me (I think) that the general lefty population is really engaged in the events of the day. Sales volume also tells me the popularity of certain political figures. Michelle Obama’s The Look had really decent sales but my biggest surprise is how well Kamala Harris is doing eith her book 107 days. I think it’s in the 200s now which is really good. She’s more popular than the media is reporting. And so on and so forth. I get a sense of what the general American population is thinking.; 16-01-26 9:12 PM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis ~ The Lancet

The Lancet study finds no higher risk of autism when pregnant women take paracetamol/acetaminophen. Analysis of previous research backs prevailing medical advice that painkiller is safe for use despite Trump comments.

"The White House has cited Andrea Baccarelli, senior author of a paper published in August that said children exposed to acetaminophen during pregnancy may be more prone to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Baccarelli, dean of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public
Health, disclosed at the time that he had appeared as a witness for claimants in a lawsuit involving potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders.

He was paid about $150,000 for his work, according to a deposition he made to the court. The judge dismissed the case and backed the defense lawyer’s argument that Baccarelli had “cherry-picked and misrepresented” study results" ~ FT

Headline: Thing that no one realistically claimed or hypothesized happened doesn't in fact happen.

What a waste of a postdoc's time...; 16-01-26 9:16 PM
Mason G చెప్పారు...: "It tells me (I think) that the general lefty population is really engaged in the events of the day."

As opposed to the typical person on the right who is engaged with his/her job and family, everything is political for the left.; 16-01-26 9:17 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit చెప్పారు...: YouTube:
Rich Lowry -- How Minnesota Lost Its Mind (Deep Dive); 16-01-26 9:23 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: On the conservative side, How To Test Negative For Stupid by Sen. John Kennedy is doing well. After Charlie Kirk was murdered several of his books were on the list plus several versions of the Bible appeared as well. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but I think it’s as good an indicator of the state of the nation as polls are. And it’s nice to see Scott Adams and his book How to Fail at Almost Everything on the list as well.; 16-01-26 9:29 PM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: Time will tell Buwaya.; 16-01-26 9:32 PM
Inga చెప్పారు...: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/us/minneapolis-couple-ice-tear-gas-6-children.html

“A Minneapolis couple said that ICE agents deployed tear gas and stun grenades around them and their six children — the youngest only 6 months old — as they tried to maneuver their car out of a tense protest on Wednesday night.

Shawn Jackson and his wife, Destiny, both 26, said they were driving home from a son’s basketball game when the family found themselves caught in a clash between protesters and federal agents in North Minneapolis.

The couple sensed the encounter could quickly spiral out of control, they said, but when they tried to turn their car around to exit the blocked-off street, they were surrounded by federal agents.

“From the side, the front and from behind me, it was nothing but ICE,” Mr. Jackson said in an interview on Thursday.

One agent told the couple that they needed to get out of the area. Ms. Jackson said she and her husband responded that they were trying to do exactly that, but their path was blocked by agents coming up the street.

Then, agents let loose on the crowd, the couple said.

The crowd-control grenades went off around them and one tear gas canister rolled beneath the car, Ms. Jackson said. A concussive blast — from the tear gas canister or another device, she wasn’t sure — rocked the vehicle, she said, setting off the airbags and trapping the family as acrid smoke billowed around.”

These accounts are coming in now with more frequency every day. Deny them all you want, truth will find a way.; 16-01-26 9:40 PM
Original Mike చెప్పారు...: German Chancellor Merz Admits Shutting Down Nuclear Energy Production Was a “Severe Strategic Mistake”

No shit, Sherlock.

Kak's idolized economy is on the ropes.; 16-01-26 9:41 PM
Inga చెప్పారు...: The couple said they were able to get their children, ages 6 months through 11 years, out of the car only after Mr. Jackson kicked open a door. Ms. Jackson, blinded and unable to breathe, circled the vehicle pulling out as many of her children as she could, she said.

Bystanders arrived to usher the family into a nearby house, she said, while others set about removing the 6-month-old, who was briefly trapped in his car seat.

“My baby was completely unconscious, not breathing,” Ms. Jackson said. She recounted talking to emergency services over the phone, receiving instructions on how to perform CPR on her child, while bystanders doused her other children with milk to neutralize the tear gas.

Once the Jacksons’ youngest child came around, emergency medical services arrived and took the couple and the three children most affected by the tear gas to a hospital.”; 16-01-26 9:42 PM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: If you are taking your kids to a protest you are a terrible parent.; 16-01-26 10:07 PM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: Its about time the Germans (their Chancellor will do) admitted their antinuclear policy was idiotic.
The US Democratic party has not yet admitted their antinuclear policy was similarly cretinous. I am waiting. Maybe I will wait forever, as I doubt there is anyone in that herd that can even understand what they have been doing.; 16-01-26 10:10 PM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Original Mike said...

Meaning the American economy is now growing faster than China.

GDP hits 5.5%.
- Productivity growth tripled
- Wages are growing 3.8%
- Layoffs are the lowest since 2022
- Inflation is just 1.7% per Truflation

And 2.5 million American Citizens got jobs and over 1 million foreign born people lost jobs in 2025.

Meanwhile during the Biden years 3 million jobs went to foreign born people and 1 million citizens lost jobs.; 16-01-26 10:10 PM
Inga చెప్పారు...: “If you are taking your kids to a protest you are a terrible parent.”

Fool, he and his family were coming home from his son’s basketball game and got caught in an ICE action. They didn’t want to be there. Don’t you read before commenting?; 16-01-26 10:20 PM
Peachy చెప్పారు...: These are not protests. they are religious cultist insurrectionists - harassing and throwing objects at ICE.; 16-01-26 10:20 PM
Peachy చెప్పారు...: Why do leftists get to thwart Police? why do leftists assume they are above the law?
Leftist anarchist/insurrectionists are creating the atmosphere of danger.; 16-01-26 10:21 PM
Iman చెప్పారు...: “BTW, Kak every day is here commenting to push the brown new deal.”

When they finally catch up with kaKAW, his screen will go dark and his pants will go brown.; 16-01-26 10:21 PM
Peachy చెప్పారు...: Inag - fool. Your party is corrupt and you are too - by extension - based on your religious cultism.; 16-01-26 10:22 PM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Inga said...

“If you are taking your kids to a protest you are a terrible parent.”

Fool, he and his family were coming home from his son’s basketball game and got caught in an ICE action. They didn’t want to be there. Don’t you read before commenting?

Nobody anywhere else in the country is "getting caught in an ICE action."

It is bullshit and everyone knows it.; 16-01-26 10:23 PM
Iman చెప్పారు...: Try thinking before you comment, igna. A baby step.; 16-01-26 10:23 PM
Mason G చెప్పారు...: "If you are taking your kids to a protest you are a terrible parent."

You're talking about people who support those in the mideast who encourage their children to become suicide bombers, so...; 16-01-26 10:23 PM
NT Dave చెప్పారు...: "as they tried to maneuver their car out of a tense PROTEST on Wednesday night."
"the family found themselves caught in a CLASH between protesters and federal agents in North Minneapolis."

"Don’t you read before commenting?"
"got caught in an ICE action"; 16-01-26 10:27 PM
Original Mike చెప్పారు...: It doesn't occur to Inga that the rioters are to blame.; 16-01-26 10:29 PM
bagoh20 చెప్పారు...: There would be no issue driving around town if the city would just let ICE do the job they are paid for, and that their boss was elected to do, and the way it was done with every administration before. Sanctuary cities were warned for a year that exactly this would happen, and not cooperating only made the process exponentially more dangerous for everyone, including immigrants that were not even the target. They could send one car to pick up criminals and nobody would even know it happened, but this mess is what the Democrats want and need to distract from the crimes they have committed. They don't care about immigrants or anybody else in Minneapolis. They don't care if the place burns down. They just want the fraud and votes to keep coming.; 16-01-26 10:30 PM
Jim at చెప్పారు...: Notice how some people are quick to blame law enforcement for things gone wrong and not the punks initiating the confrontations.

If you leftist thugs would mind your own, damn business and let ICE do their jobs, none of this shit would be happening.

We had an election on this very issue. You lost. And no matter what happens in the interim elections, the deportations will continue.

Deal with it.; 16-01-26 10:33 PM
Big Mike చెప్పారు...: It is completely unacceptable that law-abiding Minnesotans are being thrown to the ground, detained, pepper-sprayed, and threatened. This endangers public safety and is fundamentally un-American.

This was posted on X by Minnesota Senator Klobuchar. Given that no sane individual believes that Minnesota citizens found themselves “thrown to the ground, detained, pepper-sprayed, and threatened” as a consequence of actions that were “law-abiding” it demonstrates that all lefty women are contemptible nitwits.; 16-01-26 10:35 PM
bagoh20 చెప్పారు...: ICE just completed a similar action in Louisiana last month. No injuries, nobody got trapped, no shooting, no extra arrests required, no criminals released to the community, no chaos, and of course no coverage. Wouldn't that be better for Minneapolis than this?
Yea, but not better for Democrat politicians. So people of the community must be sacrificed as cannon fodder for them. Who is your enemy again?; 16-01-26 10:39 PM
Mason G చెప్పారు...: "Yea, but not better for Democrat politicians."

They need a distraction from the voting and welfare fraud they encourage and benefit from.; 16-01-26 10:48 PM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: I just got up to adjust the thermostat and got caught in an ICE raid! No idea how they got their vehicles in my house, but they had bazookas, too…; 16-01-26 10:56 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: US District Judge Kate Menendez
“ Menendez’s order bars Homeland Security and ICE officials involved in Operation Metro Surge (in Minneapolis) from “using pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools against persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity.” The judge also prohibited federal agents from stopping vehicles following them, as long as those vehicles are maintaining a safe and “appropriate” distance.”; 16-01-26 11:17 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: Ruling was issued today. No idea what impact it will have.; 16-01-26 11:18 PM
Jupiter చెప్పారు...: "Shawn Jackson and his wife, Destiny, both 26, said they were driving home from a son’s basketball game when the family found themselves caught in a clash between protesters and federal agents in North Minneapolis."
They should move to Mogadishu. They don't have these kinds of First World problems there.; 16-01-26 11:18 PM
Mason G చెప్పారు...: Stopping people and searching their cars? It's happening. Want to guess who's doing it?; 16-01-26 11:22 PM
heyboom చెప్పారు...: Saw a YouTube post today claiming the Black Panthers had arrived in Minneapolis as heroes, taking on Trump's goons. Is that true?; 16-01-26 11:32 PM
Eva Marie చెప్పారు...: BTW What To Expect When You’re Expecting is showing up on the best seller list. So someone out there is helping with population growth.; 16-01-26 11:40 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit చెప్పారు...: I just got released from an ICE raid
I’m going to Disney Land; 17-01-26 12:01 AM
Inga చెప్పారు...: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/ice-videos-minnesota-trump-immigration.html

The video shows a young employee in a reflective vest being hauled away by federal agents from the entrance of a Target store in a Minneapolis suburb.

“I’m a U.S. citizen!” the worker shouted as the armed agents shoved him into an S.U.V. after he had directed expletives at one. “U.S. citizen! U.S. citizen!”

Watch the video, but it won’t matter to Nazis.; 17-01-26 12:56 AM
Peary చెప్పారు...: Postal Service regulations now provide that LATE ballots can still be considered timely. Published the day before Thanksgiving, and effective Christmas Eve, the USPS no longer considers the postmark as definitive of the date the mail was put into USPS custody. Please see Postal Service regulations at website 2025-20740.pdf or Federal Register vol90 no224 p52883 published 11/24/2025, effective 12/24/2025. Web searches will indicate that this page is for Coast Guard regulations, but this site, under the drop-down menu for "Postal Service", directs to the right page: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/frtoc/2025-11-24; 17-01-26 1:49 AM
wendybar చెప్పారు...: James Woods
@RealJamesWoods
·
14h
Oh, the feckless Republican Party most surely does exist, if only as a sucker fish feeding off the Democrat shark devouring the soul of America.
Quote
Emerald Robinson ✝️
@EmeraldRobinson
·
Jan 15
Americans are now waking up to the truth: there is no Republican party.

The GOP does not actually exist.

https://x.com/RealJamesWoods/status/2012213959546274101?s=20; 17-01-26 2:20 AM
wendybar చెప్పారు...: wokeandwoofing
@wokeandwoofing
·
9h
Never underestimate how crafty JK Rowling really is. She managed to shift all the way from progresive liberal to right wing fascist without changing a single one of her political views.
https://x.com/wokeandwoofing/status/2012116592067330061?s=20; 17-01-26 2:21 AM
wendybar చెప్పారు...: Stuff it Inga. I never once heard you cry when
Saint Obama held an American citizen for 3 years....

You seem to thing Trump is the only guy who ever did the things the Presidents before him did. Where were you then. I bet you were cheering Saintly Obama on like the Progressive liar you are.

So tell me. Why all of a sudden does this bother you?? It is ONLY because of Trump. It's why we laugh at you daily.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2018-04-27/ice-held-an-american-man-in-custody-for-1273-days; 17-01-26 2:42 AM
wendybar చెప్పారు...: think...not thing; 17-01-26 2:43 AM
Jim at చెప్పారు...: “I’m a U.S. citizen!”

Well, if he says so then it must be true.; 17-01-26 5:03 AM
Breezy చెప్పారు...: I’d like to see Dem leaders asked over and over why they’re objecting to criminal illegal aliens being captured and deported. They let citizen criminals go free, too, so it seems they consider all criminals a significant part of their constituency, even though they victimize the presumably larger portion of their base. Maybe it’s flak to cover their monetary and political fraud. Dunno. Clearly, the larger portion of their base is not bothered by being victims or potential victims.; 17-01-26 5:23 AM
Mark చెప్పారు...: Big Mike needs to watch some more videos of ICE, if he thinks that isnt happening.

You can spout your talking points all you want, but as shown in the polling most of us trust our eyes and there's a lot of videos going around of ICE acting exactly as you say they aren't.

Just because you are avoiding watching them doesn't mean that no one is. Keep your head in the sand, ostrich boy.; 17-01-26 5:46 AM
Humperdink చెప్పారు...: @Inag, so there are apparently “no go” zones in Minneapolis for innocent families, just like Mogadishu. One would think your Commie-Lefty buddies would alert the innocents.; 17-01-26 6:04 AM
john mosby చెప్పారు...: Kak: "Trump's justification... is always the same: “I heard they were treated very unfairly.”"

Well, that is the central idea behind the pardon power - going back to when it was a power of the English monarch. Interests of justice beyond the cruelly neutral algebra of the law (like the cannibalism case) and the passions of the people running the legal system.

Most of the Trump pardons boil down to cases of disparate treatment: other similarly situated people were never prosecuted, or were sentenced much more gently.

Others may actually help the legal system. What's better for your side: J6 pardons that leave the law intact, or billions of dollars from Trump's private fortune and other fellow travellers financing appeals that might create new precedents? Similar with some of these big financier pardons. Do you want rich guys throwing money at anti-rich-guy laws until they break? Or let this guy go and have the law available for the next guy. CC, JSM; 17-01-26 6:14 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq said...
“OK, this guy has me dusting off my totem, err, I mean my MAGA hat.”

This kinda explains why people tune into Maddow or Carlson to get their ideological batteries charged, a need for emotional persuasion rather than factual analysis, and it’s not accidental.; 17-01-26 6:15 AM
Leland చెప్పారు...: Mandami's video is having an affect:
Left-Wing Mobs in Minneapolis Now Stopping Cars and Interrogating Civilians.; 17-01-26 6:20 AM
john mosby చెప్పారు...: Emerald Robinson via James Woods via Wendybar: "Americans are now waking up to the truth: there is no Republican party."

We are just going through the same thing as so many other countries. Closest situation to us is the UK, where Reform may gut the Conservatives, and a grab bag of Greens and devolved x-national parties may replace Labour. Our 2-party system is over 150 years old, so we're not used to this sort of thing. But it is not just a US phenomenon. CC, JSM; 17-01-26 6:21 AM
john mosby చెప్పారు...: Leland: "Left-Wing Mobs in Minneapolis Now Stopping Cars and Interrogating Civilians."

Yes. Show us your papers, so we know you're not one of those guys that makes people show their papers! CC, JSM; 17-01-26 6:22 AM
john mosby చెప్పారు...: Eva: "Ruling was issued today. No idea what impact it will have."

My detailed legal analysis of Apple News's detailed legal analysis indicates this is a court order to "not do stuff that's already illegal." Like "retaliate" against "peaceful protestors." ICE are not doing that - they are moving people who are blocking their way.

Or if you are a leftie/cynic - ICE will just say they're not doing any of the already-prohibited stuff the judge prohibited again. Either way, the court order is not going to stop them from anything. Especially in this Administration, which has lost any fear of judges. That's what happens when you're always told you're wrong. CC, JSM; 17-01-26 6:27 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: John Mosby @ 10:14, polishing that pardon turd is indeed a tall order, as your word salad just proved.; 17-01-26 6:28 AM
john mosby చెప్పారు...: Yeah, 1000+ years of English-speaking law is a turd. Yeah. CC, JSM; 17-01-26 6:35 AM
Breezy చెప్పారు...: Well, the good news is everyone here agrees that fraudsters should be punished.; 17-01-26 6:36 AM
rehajm చెప్పారు...: Yah I get the impression much of the court order and doxxing stuff is being done by them with the expectation they’ll be in charge of something in the future. Then they’ll use it as justification to round up their enemies…; 17-01-26 6:43 AM
rehajm చెప్పారు...: I’m not sure James Woods et al are caught up to where I’m at yet. I assume Republicans happily funded Democrats immigration schemes, including what many are still calling ‘fraud’. It ain’t fraud if they authorized it. Go check out the language in those spending bills…; 17-01-26 6:51 AM
Big Mike చెప్పారు...: @Mark, people like you and Ronnie Ward, and Inga the Stinka, and Kaki have taught me not to believe a damned “fact” you reference unless and until you put out links. You lie worse than lefty women.; 17-01-26 7:01 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: " a need for emotional persuasion rather than factual analysis, and it’s not accidental."

I see that Ronald J Ward —Genius watched the entire one hour + video of an interview conducted by a professor of international economics and of former hedge fund manager and absorbed and dismissed the entire thing after careful consideration of the myriad facts presented—or, and bear with me, because this is still a remote possibility, he just flew off the handle and made a knee jerk comment without any consideration of the facts, just like he does does 90% of the time.; 17-01-26 7:06 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: John Mosby @ 6:35, your defense of Trump’s pardons leaves so many questions hanging.

If “disparate treatment” is the justification, where are the comparators, sentencing data, or judicial findings?

Why did Trump show no interest in sentencing disparities unless they involved his allies?

How does selectively nullifying consequences for loyalists strengthen the rule of law more than neutral appellate review?
If courts overturn laws based on money rather than merit, can you point to examples where that actually happened?

What neutral criteria governed these pardons, and why was DOJ review routinely bypassed?

If J6 involved video evidence, guilty pleas, jury verdicts, and established statutes, what principle of justice is being corrected?

At what point does mercy stop being corrective and become patronage?; 17-01-26 7:11 AM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: ఈ కామెంట్‌ను రచయిత తీసివేశారు.; 17-01-26 7:12 AM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: Talk about rounding up ones enemies - I can support that, in the case of everyone who was ever anti-nuke. I think it would be very helpful to purge, prosecute and punish all those people, with a lookback of @ 40 years. In Spanish we would say "para mejorar la raza" - to improve the breed.; 17-01-26 7:17 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: How can anyone care about pardons when we’re all suffering from this unprecedented affordability crisis? lol; 17-01-26 7:21 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: Today is the third day of the Major League Fishing tournament at Guntersville. Fifty-one anglers competed the first two days and the field was cut to twenty-five last night. First prize is $125k.

They’ve been reeling in some monster bass. Big fish on Thursday was 7 lb. - 10 oz., Friday was 7 lb. - 5 oz. For those who don’t know: if a weekend warrior lands a four pounder he’s boring his friends with stories and photos for a week…; 17-01-26 7:31 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Do you have a bassomatic; 17-01-26 7:42 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: Those are collector’s items these days, narc. :); 17-01-26 7:43 AM
wendybar చెప్పారు...: Another GREAT Sheriff Grady Judd come back....

MAGA Voice
@MAGAVoice
·
15h
BREAKING 🚨 Florida sheriff just dropped the 🎤 on a Reporter asking a very dumb question:

REPORTER: “Do you condone police spraying reporters with tear gas?”

SHERIFF: "Im not sure theres ANYTHING wrong with spraying journalists with tear gas”

LMAO 🤣

https://x.com/MAGAVoice/status/2012284528727921033?s=20; 17-01-26 7:48 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: In these leviathan crs, you can hide much graft; 17-01-26 7:53 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: ఈ కామెంట్‌ను రచయిత తీసివేశారు.; 17-01-26 7:53 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: They might develop a tolerance; 17-01-26 7:54 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Ronald J. Ward said...

At what point does mercy stop being corrective and become patronage?

J6 protestors were protesting for secure transparent elections where Democrats don't get to board up windows and kick republicans out of vote counting stations.

Minnesota protestors are attacking ICE agents that are trying to enforce immigration law so they can keep funneling taxpayer dollars to learing centers.

What you protest about matters.

Democrats are corrupt pieces of shit and we will be better off with enough of you exiled that we never have to worry about you stealing money and burning American flags with your imported foreign soldiers again.; 17-01-26 8:02 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Passed the first step act snorfle; 17-01-26 8:05 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Ronald J. Ward said...

Jaq said...
“OK, this guy has me dusting off my totem, err, I mean my MAGA hat.”

This kinda explains why people tune into Maddow or Carlson to get their ideological batteries charged, a need for emotional persuasion rather than factual analysis, and it’s not accidental.

This is what you post when you are hiding from the truth.

Chuck is defending welfare and voter fraud.

None of this is a problem if we enforce existing laws on immigration and we pass voter ID and same day in person voting like the overwhelming majority of Americans want.

Democrats don't clear 40% nationally without fraudulent mail in voting and they have no money if the welfare fraud ends.

The only voting blocks they have left are illegals, corrupt stupid over educated women, and their simps.; 17-01-26 8:12 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq @ 7:06, you are correct that I didn’t waste an hour watching, as you said, a slow moving video. If there’s a transcript I’d consider it.

What I assume Krainer is doing, and this is based solely on your reaction and descriptions, is not presenting new evidence, but reframing existing anxieties into a narrative that fits your worldview.

That “Don’t listen to what Trump says, look at what he does” is a classic immunization tactic- dismiss contradictory evidence (Trump’s own words) and replace it with selective interpretation of outcomes. Once you accept that rule, anything can be reinterpreted as intentional brilliance.

“Look at the people he makes mad” is pure affective reasoning. Anger from these perceived elites becomes proof of virtue. Results no longer need to be measured against objective benchmarks—only against emotional reactions.

“Beset on all sides, moles in his own administration” is straight out of cult psychology and authoritarian playbooks. Failure is never failure; it’s sabotage. Loyalty becomes the primary metric of truth.

“Globalists / brown new deal / shit sandwich” is vague yet emotionally loaded. No policy specifics, no mechanisms—just a looming, hostile force threatening identity and status. That’s not analysis; it’s myth-making.

“I take back every bad thing I said about Trump” was by far the biggest and brightest red flag. A single long-form podcast does not overturn years of documented behavior unless the listener is primed for conversion, not evaluation.

This is how it aligns with my Maddow/Waters comparison because it looks more like an ideological recharging station. Krainer seems to be doing the same thing, just for a different audience that wants to feel smarter and more inside the secret rather than simply outraged.; 17-01-26 8:14 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: What is amazing is that Wile E. Coyote, err, I mean Ronald J. Ward keeps coming back, and keeps getting smacked down, the way Achilles just did, and he can't even tell.

This is because he is not rational, he is emotional, he carefully chooses which news sources that he will consume in order to avoid any chance of reading something that will shake his position, which is not decided by evidence and logic, but need for group belonging. What is the totem? What is taboo? That's how he thinks, and so he imagines that that is how others think.

Totem und Tabu may not have had valid theories, but it was like the Michelson Morly experiment with physics, it didn't produce any viable new theories, they came later, but the old ideas were killed, in the case of Totem und Tabu the idea was that public debates are decided rationally was killed.

So really, the only rational way to debate might be to use emotion and propaganda. Especially when nobody would buy your ideas, if your true goals were plainly laid out, like those pushing the shit sandwich of making us all serfs, like Kak, for example, it would make no sense for him to argue his real goals.; 17-01-26 8:17 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: https://youtu.be/dQ6wNUKgMto?si=vih9DhB98X93N3Ko; 17-01-26 8:19 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: Looking at facts that might upset Ward's worldview is taboo!; 17-01-26 8:19 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Ruff; 17-01-26 8:20 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: BTW, Ward. The video was intended for people who have open minds, and who might be wondering if there is a method to Trump's madness, and the short answer is yes, there is.

If you think that it is more important to listen to rhetoric than to look at actions and results, well, that is not surprising. Ever watch small children play soccer? They have no idea of strategy or tactics, they just swarm around the ball as it bounces around the field, that's you Ward.; 17-01-26 8:22 AM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: The nice part about persecuting the anti-nukes is that it is about a discrete policy, not emotionalism. The underlying charge is also nicely international, to those whom this matters,
Hostis humani generis
as with pirates and terrorists.; 17-01-26 8:24 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: The antinuclear panhandrum was soviet, probably now manned by the chinese; 17-01-26 8:28 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: When is the last time Rachael Maddow sat down for a one hour interview with a professor history and economics, who has written multiple books on the history of Europe, and who asked her penetrating questions?

There is no comparison. Maddow never gives interviews to people who might ask her uncomfortable questions, she keeps her bits short, and careful controls the facts that her audience is allowed to see.; 17-01-26 8:31 AM
Rustygrommet చెప్పారు...: Big Mike @ 7:01
Yep.; 17-01-26 8:33 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Trump has a choice.

He can be Buchanan.

He can be Lincoln.; 17-01-26 8:34 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq — that’s a lot of psychoanalysis for someone who keeps insisting facts don’t matter.

If I were “carefully curating” my sources to avoid discomfort, I wouldn’t be engaging with Beast, Mosby, or you at all. I’d be in a safe ideological echo chamber nodding along. The reason I keep “coming back” is precisely because I’m willing to examine arguments on their merits — and reject them when they rely on narrative, motive attribution, or insult instead of evidence.

What’s interesting is that your comment quietly concedes the point you’re arguing against. If public debate is no longer rational, and the “only rational way” to debate is emotion and propaganda, then you’re no longer defending an argument — you’re defending a technique. That’s not persuasion; that’s manipulation.

And once you admit that, as so often occurs here, the rest follows: evil becomes optional, consistency becomes irrelevant, outcomes justify methods, and truth is just whatever mobilizes the group.

At that point, it doesn’t matter whether the totem is MAGA, MSNBC, Krainer, Maddow, or Waters — the mechanism is the same. Identity first, facts second.

You invoke Totem und Tabu as if it disproved rational debate. A more accurate reading is that it exposed how easily people abandon rationality when identity is threatened. That doesn’t mean reason is impossible; it means it’s harder — and therefore more valuable.

If your position really is that propaganda is preferable because honest goals wouldn’t survive daylight, that’s not an indictment of rational analysis. It’s an indictment of the goals.

And for what it’s worth: I’m not here to win converts, collect totems, or enforce taboos. I’m here to examine claims, patterns, incentives, and evidence. If that looks like “getting smacked down” to someone who measures debate by emotional dominance, so be it.; 17-01-26 8:40 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Ronald J. Ward said...

John Mosby @ 6:35, your defense of Trump’s pardons leaves so many questions hanging.

It doesn't leave shit hanging.

Trump pardoned people who were persecuted for wanting transparent secure elections. Yes they broke the law. But they broke the law in the correct way and for the right reasons.

That is not the same as burning American flags and attacking ICE agents and funneling money to Learing Centers.

You can pretend those are good reasons and go join mobs in the streets with your imported illegal foot soldiers.

The rest of us want you held down on the ground and pepper sprayed until you all agree to get the fuck out of the country.; 17-01-26 8:40 AM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: The best show to understand the Trump era turns out to be the best show of the pre-Trump era: 'The Wire'

"You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don’t know where the hell it’s gonna take you.” — Lester Freamon

The Wire -- Dickens for the modern age

It really was one of the greatest TV series before Netflix and streaming came to dominate viewing habits.; 17-01-26 8:42 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Ronald J. Ward said...

If your position really is that propaganda is preferable because honest goals wouldn’t survive daylight, that’s not an indictment of rational analysis. It’s an indictment of the goals.

You are just a lying piece of shit chuck. Nobody cares about your douchebaggery.

We want secure same day elections with voter ID and immigration laws enforced.

We want the people stealing our tax money thrown in jail, deported, or in the case of traitors like walz and frey executed.

You can lie and bitch and moan all you want. Nothing is more popular on the internet right now that some screeching Karen get a mouthful of pepper spray.; 17-01-26 8:44 AM
Olson Johnson is right! చెప్పారు...: "The rest of us want you....etc"

You speak for no one but yourself, cunt.; 17-01-26 8:46 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: ’I wouldn’t be engaging with Beast…’

Speaking of: you were gonna provide me a list of my supported policies that are a threat to democracy. Bullet points are fine. But remember: I don’t support any positions that are out of the political mainstream for the last fifty years.; 17-01-26 8:47 AM
narciso చెప్పారు...: Is the orange man in the room, with you; 17-01-26 8:47 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: " unless the listener is primed for conversion, not evaluation."

It's all about group identity with Ward, he refuses to ask any questions to maybe clarify issues, but rather decides that the podcast contains taboo information and is intended only to deceive members of the out group. It's confession by projection.; 17-01-26 8:49 AM
Creola Soul చెప్పారు...: I’m helping a friend of mine run for reelection as county Sheriff in South Alabama. He said ICE is regularly in their offices everyday. The Sheriff holds detainees for ICE, and other agencies, plus they hold illegal aliens they have caught in other crimes. The transfers are done peacefully with no riots, no protests and no intimidation of LEOs. It usually only takes one or two ICE agents to make the transfers. It doesn’t have to be like Minnesota.; 17-01-26 8:51 AM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder ~ WSJ
'Pardon follows months of efforts by Changpeng Zhao to boost the Trump crypto company'

“The Biden administration pursued Mr Zhao despite no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” Leavitt added in a statement.

Zhao pleaded guilty to a US criminal charge of failure to protect against money laundering, while Binance pleaded guilty to a breach of international financial sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations.

Trump does this partly because he can, partly because he doesn't care about the victims and partly to rub it in the faces of those that oppose him.

But most of all it is to demonstrate to those that pledge loyalty to him, he will pardon them no matter what they do -- Trump is now above the law and by extension, those that are loyal to Trump are above the law.; 17-01-26 8:51 AM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: That's an impressive collection of words Achilles just threw at the wall. Any of them planning to stick to the actual point?; 17-01-26 8:52 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: You invoke Totem und Tabu as if it disproved rational debate. A more accurate reading is that it exposed how easily people abandon rationality when identity is threatened. That doesn’t mean reason is impossible; it means it’s harder — and therefore more valuable.

I am not the one who refuses to look at the evidence, but just focuses on group identity, that would be you.

"That’s not persuasion; that’s manipulation."

I think Achilles adequately answered you on this point. I don't think that you have been persuaded rationally to come to your worldview based on a complete look at the evidence, and after debating the ideas, the way a person might come to accept Quantum Mechanics, were even Einstein had his doubts. That's my point, that you are subject to a lavishly funded propaganda campaign coming at you from all kinds of sources of media owned by billionaires who don't have the same interests as you do, and who can protect their children and grandchildren from the policies that personally benefit them, and turn the rest of us into serfs.

They love unfettered immigration because it brings into the country millions of people who are used to being treated as serfs.; 17-01-26 8:56 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: "That's an impressive collection of words Achilles just threw at the wall. Any of them planning to stick to the actual point?"

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.; 17-01-26 8:58 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: When are you going to comb through the 15,000 autopen signed pardons by your chosen president?; 17-01-26 9:00 AM
Iman చెప్పారు...: He's Trump, he's Trump
Trump’s in kak’s head
He's Trump, he's Trump, he's Trump
kak’s eating lead; 17-01-26 9:00 AM
Jamie చెప్పారు...: A single long-form podcast does not overturn years of documented behavior unless the listener is primed for conversion, not evaluation.

I dunno, RJW. I enjoy reading the stories of what neo at thenewneo.com calls "political changers," and for many, it seems that a single news story sets them on that path.

Take the Charlottesville thing, for instance. Unfortunately I find myself at a loss to remember exactly who cited it as their Damascus moment, but I do recall that in at least two relatively high-profile cases, it was hearing everywhere that "Trump said Nazis are very fine people" and then, when they wondered about the context of that statement and sought out the entire speech, realizing that the entire news media had conspired in a lie (that would be the "documented" part of your "years of documented behavior") to influence their opinion of Trump. One incident was enough to reveal what was going on, and to make them question every story they heard thereafter that was presented the same way.; 17-01-26 9:00 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: ’The Sheriff holds detainees for ICE, and other agencies, plus they hold illegal aliens they have caught in other crimes. The transfers are done peacefully with no riots, no protests and no intimidation of LEOs.’

Super easy!! Wonder if Minnesota has considered such? lol; 17-01-26 9:05 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: Finland's unemployment has climbed to the highest in Europe, but the number of employed is pretty steady, what accounts for the high number of unemployed is that it corresponds to the immigration forced on them by the EU, and now they have to support these immigrants, putting their social safety nets at risk.

Were the Finns reasoned into this policy? Did they even get a vote? Maybe Ronald J. Ward could explain why this was a good idea?

Unfettered immigration drives down wages and drives up the cost of housing. These are the issues that Ward finds taboo to discuss, because it might put his membership the upright citizens committee at risk.; 17-01-26 9:06 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Kakistocracy said...

Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder ~ WSJ
'Pardon follows months of efforts by Changpeng Zhao to boost the Trump crypto company'

The WSJ is a corrupt tool of the banks.

“The Biden administration pursued Mr Zhao despite no allegations of fraud or identifiable victims,” Leavitt added in a statement.

All true. The case against Binance was complete bullshit.

Zhao pleaded guilty to a US criminal charge of failure to protect against money laundering, while Binance pleaded guilty to a breach of international financial sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations.

Joe Biden was working with the owners of FTX to take out a competing trading platform.

Sam Bankman Fried was the owner of FTX. SBF was personal friends with the director of the SEC.

It is not shocking that Democrats ignorantly support corporate corruption like this not knowing a single thing about the case.

Democrats are just stupid ignorant people.; 17-01-26 9:06 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Kakistocracy said...

That's an impressive collection of words Achilles just threw at the wall. Any of them planning to stick to the actual point?

What is your point?

You support voter fraud and welfare fraud.

The people protesting in Minneapolis are protesting to keep illegal aliens in the country so democrats can harvest their votes and they can use them to steal our tax money.

The rest of the country cheers when people burning American flags and attacking ICE agents get their ass kicked.; 17-01-26 9:10 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: Another great comment, Jamie. Unfortunately for Ronald and most of the left, they reach their preferred conclusions first and then carefully curate the data (real or imagined) to support same. It’s much simpler for them that way, and yields no sharp edges or uncomfortable realities.; 17-01-26 9:12 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq,

“ That's my point, that you are subject to a lavishly funded propaganda campaign coming at you from all kinds of sources of media owned by billionaires who don't have the same interests as you do, and who can protect their children and grandchildren from the policies that personally benefit them, and turn the rest of us into serfs.

They love unfettered immigration because it brings into the country millions of people who are used to being treated as serfs.”

A reexamination of that money trial shows a different set of puppet masters and puppets than what you suggest.

Which brings us to Beast @ 8:47; “ Speaking of: you were gonna provide me a list of my supported policies that are a threat to democracy. ”

I recall advocating a policy discussion but didn’t realize I owed a list.

Before reading the next paragraph, can we at least that there’s way too much money controlling our politics today, particularly the billionaire control Jaq speaks of. Most people answer yes, until they hear the following.

The biggest threat to our democracy was Fed v United in 2010. All the warnings have become realty.; 17-01-26 9:24 AM
Achilles చెప్పారు...: Under Biden net +3 million foreign born people got jobs.

Net NEGATIVE 1 million American born citizens got jobs.

Under Trump net negative 1million foreign born jobs.

Positive 2.5 million Americans got jobs.

Just as with the tariff issue Democrats are only really interested in corruption and serving their corporate masters.; 17-01-26 9:25 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: ’I recall advocating a policy discussion but didn’t realize I owed a list.’

I believe it was the day you were driving to St. Louis and had to leave. I don’t think you ‘owe’ it to me, but you said you would provide such after your trip. Still curious, re: those democracy threatening policies that I hold.; 17-01-26 9:31 AM
buwaya చెప్పారు...: Let us name names - for the closing of Indian Point power plant (NY), Andrew Cuomo and Bernie Sanders , among many others, should be charged with crimes sufficient to get them life sentences. Etc.; 17-01-26 9:38 AM
Kakistocracy చెప్పారు...: Achilles I notice you're now discussing everything except the thing we were discussing. Is that the new meta?; 17-01-26 9:39 AM
Beasts of England చెప్పారు...: ’The biggest threat to our democracy was Fed v United in 2010. All the warnings have become realty.’

I think the biggest threat is a legislative branch of only 535 people representing 330 million citizens.; 17-01-26 9:40 AM
Jersey Fled చెప్పారు...: Breaking news from Minneapolis.

Ghost Students are outperforming students who actually exist and show up for class in standardized tests.; 17-01-26 9:40 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: "A reexamination of that money trial shows a different set of puppet masters and puppets than what you suggest."

So you have been told by the media these billionaires own. But sure, I am happy to listen to facts and figures.; 17-01-26 9:42 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq says “ So you have been told by the media these billionaires own. But sure, I am happy to listen to facts and figures.”

You’re creating your own narrative to form your desired conclusion. I form my opinions from actual policy and legislation, what politicians vote for and why.

And yes Beast, I recall wanting to pick up that conversation but thought it pertained to general policy and legislation rather than democracy itself.

With that said, history should speak for itself. How did those Reagan, Bush, and Trump tax breaks pan out? I’ll add that. I was never a fan of Clinton’s NAFTA. Rs seem to be special interest only and I can’t think of a policy or legislation for the working class in the last 50 years.

You?; 17-01-26 10:08 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: " I form my opinions from actual policy and legislation, what politicians vote for and why."

So you aren't going to answer the question then, just assert that everybody knows you are right.

It's like the meme about global warming with the women vs that cat with the plate of broccoli

"I believe the science!" they screeched.
"You believe the television!" The cat retorted.

You really have no idea how shallow your thinking goes, do you. I am personally cursed, for example john mosby asked me a simple question about TV reception and the "digital cliff" but when I heard about the digital cliff, I had to understand why, I had to know about what "snow" was on an old TV "noise" and when a signal gets too noisy now, they don't show snow, they cut off the signal.. that's the digital cliff, but of course I had to know a lot more, why this antenna works, not that one, and it gets into the polarity of the signal... etc, etc. I could have written an answer three times as long, because I am not just happy to hear a term without understanding it. But you, Ronald? You can be told something and if it agrees with your worldview, you just accept it without looking too deeply. In a way, I am kind of jealous.; 17-01-26 10:30 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: That's why I am happy to listen to an hour long interview by a college professor of a hedge fund manager analyzing Trump's policies the way a hedge fund manager would, and when that hedge fund manager is interviewed by a person skeptical of his views. Maybe among the thousands of readers of this blog, most of whom don't comment, there are one or two who might gain some insight.; 17-01-26 10:32 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq @ 10:30, that’s an interesting story, but it doesn’t actually address what I said.

When I say I form opinions from policy, legislation, and voting records, that is answering the question. It’s just not the kind of answer you want, because it doesn’t rely on anecdotes, analogies, or demonstrations of personal depth. It relies on primary sources and outcomes.

Your TV example actually illustrates the difference nicely, just not in the way you intend.

You’re describing curiosity about mechanism — how signals work, why noise looks the way it does, what the “digital cliff” means technically. That’s valuable. I’m actually retired from the electrical instrumentation field so I respect that instinct. But understanding the physics of signal degradation doesn’t tell you whether a broadcaster is lying, manipulating, or acting in bad faith. For that, you look at what they transmit, how consistently, and to what effect.

In politics, I’m less interested in how eloquently someone explains their worldview than in: what laws they support, what they vote for,, who benefits, who bears the cost, and how often their stated rationale matches the outcome.

That’s not “believing the television.” That’s deliberately not believing narratives — whether they come from cable news, podcasts, or charismatic contrarians — and instead checking them against the record.

You seem to equate skepticism of a podcast with intellectual shallowness. I’d argue the opposite. I don’t reject it because it challenges my worldview; I set it aside because it doesn’t offer falsifiable claims or evidence that survives comparison with the legislative and historical record.

And as for “accepting things without looking too deeply” — I’d gently suggest that depth isn’t measured by how far down one rabbit hole goes, but by whether the digging actually changes conclusions when the facts demand it.

If the facts change, I’m happy to change my mind.

What I’m not inclined to do is outsource judgment to someone whose primary tool is narrative coherence rather than evidence.

I suppose that may look shallow from the outside.

From where I’m sitting, it’s just a different discipline.; 17-01-26 10:46 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: Jaq @ 10:32, fair enough. I do think we’re both trying to plant seeds, especially for the many readers who never comment. If someone walks away a bit more curious, a bit more skeptical of any single framework (mine included), that’s a net positive.

We may use different tools, but the goal isn’t conversion — it’s encouraging people to look closer before accepting a story wholesale. On that, at least, we’re aligned.; 17-01-26 10:51 AM
Jaq చెప్పారు...: When I say I form opinions from policy, legislation, and voting records, that is answering the question. It’s just not the kind of answer you want, because it doesn’t rely on anecdotes, analogies, or demonstrations of personal depth. It relies on primary sources and outcomes.

So you sincerely believe that politicians truthfully explain their votes, and that you are fully aware of the thousands and thousands of pages of legislation that get passed, mostly without even those voting on them getting to read them?

You sincerely believe that the news media gives you an honest accounting of the reasons behind what politicians do?

"What I’m not inclined to do is outsource judgment to someone whose primary tool is narrative coherence rather than evidence."

You have already admitted that you find the video taboo and you reassert, time and time again, that you do not want to be mistaken for a person who might believe "WrongThink" and refuse to watch the video and discuss it, but somehow you can dredge your well of prejudices and come up with what passes for you as an understanding of its contents.; 17-01-26 11:01 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: As mentioned above Jaq, if there’s a transcript, I’ll read it.

I don’t watch Maddow or Don Lemon or O’Donnell even though they generally align with my political views. Why? Because just like Carlson et al, they’re trained to enforce a narrative their viewers want to hear. They each have their own talents; the perfected voice inflections, the intentional pauses and sighs, the obvious omissions, the mesmerizing eyes that the viewer stares into while he nods his head up and down with theirs, using a question as if stating a fact.

Nope, not for me. I want it where I can read and search each statement for validity without having to back the clip up for those multiple questions presented as facts.

I’m not saying that’s the case in your video. But from your own admission, that one hour view certainly changed your entire perspective.; 17-01-26 11:25 AM
Ronald J. Ward చెప్పారు...: This brings us to another issue on so-called conservative policy and legislation. By and large, it’s been overwhelmingly unpopular on most every level. Their goal has never been to change their policies but rather their “messaging”. They even admit this out loud to their constituents.

And I’d add, they’ve been extremely successful. I refer to it as how they’ve train them to not only eat the same shit sandwich but to like it.; 17-01-26 11:52 AM
Rustygrommet చెప్పారు...: Jaq said...
"A reexamination of that money trial shows a different set of puppet masters and puppets than what you suggest."

"So you have been told by the media these billionaires own. But sure, I am happy to listen to facts and figures."

We were told early on by the flying monkey serial killer, (That should tell you all you need to know), that our political landscape is controlled entirely by billionaires who never once advanced by their own merits. It's billionaires all the way down. That's when quit listening.; 18-01-26 10:17 AM

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