tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post1784167639483737030..comments2024-03-27T23:12:08.917-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: More on why OUTCOMES show Republican "economics" betrays markets, fiscal sense and the future: Chapter 11's second part.David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6420544648222765242020-10-14T18:09:18.270-07:002020-10-14T18:09:18.270-07:00The more innocent explanation for the fake boxes i...The more innocent explanation for the fake boxes is that the churches hosting them want to make sure all their parishoners HAVE voted. It's still nasty.<br /><br />Now...<br /><br />onward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-35558239626854196602020-10-14T18:02:24.389-07:002020-10-14T18:02:24.389-07:00Alfred Differ:
The CA GOP claimed ownership of at...Alfred Differ:<br /><i><br />The CA GOP claimed ownership of at least some of the fake ballot boxes<br /></i><br /><br />Will someone from California please explain what the GOP is <b>accomplishing</b> with fake ballot boxes? I mean, I could understand if the point was to trick likely-Democrats into putting their ballots in a fake box so those ballots would never see the light of day. But that's not what it sounds like. From all I've heard, they're placing fake boxes in places like churches or gun shops in order to collect <b>their own</b> voters' ballots.<br /><br />So what's the end game? I'm not just pretending to misunderstand in order to make a larger point. I really don't understand what they're (allegedly) doing.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84941967216241034792020-10-14T17:06:11.617-07:002020-10-14T17:06:11.617-07:00One of the sickest/stupidest cult chants of the le...One of the sickest/stupidest cult chants of the left is to howl that whatever gender choice you made was hard-wired. Sure that's an element. But it's source was convenience, telling parent: "it's not up for discussion." Yes, a large part appears to be inbuilt, I don't denay that! But future generations will surely deem that notion of genetic compulsion weirdly at-odds with notions of self-determination.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6115618174562683202020-10-14T17:05:33.381-07:002020-10-14T17:05:33.381-07:00Acacia
My apologies, in the delayed posting shuff...Acacia<br /><br />My apologies, in the delayed posting shuffle I did not see your post. It does have a worthwhile question in it.<br /><br />The nomination and confirmation of Supreme Court nominees is an inherently political process. To pretend otherwise is silly. <br /><br />Very indirectly, and imperfectly I guess, the process does reflect popular opinion. We elect a President who nominates. And Senators who confirm. Heck, even the House of Representatives could get in on the action as I suppose they have the responsibility to impeach.<br /><br />A President you probably think better of than the current one famously said "Elections have Consequences". Indeed they do. I do not personally like Donald Trump. Or Joe Biden although that's beside the point. But Trump ran in 2016 saying "The Supreme Court is at issue here...and here's my list of people I will consider". This is a commendable level of transparency. Biden has been challenged to produce a similar list. He has refused to do so. His cowardice in this regard cedes considerable moral high ground.<br /><br />As to Merrick Garland by what I've read he's a decent guy. It was appropriate to nominate him whether 3 years or 3 days before an election. With our electoral circus running constantly now, does it really matter? The Senate majority at that time opted not to proceed with the nomination. Direct your ire thence, it is a legitimate reason to vote D vs R in Senate races. My only minor quibble with his nomination is that we really should have diversity in the high court. Not everyone has to be Harvard/Yale. And a mother of a large batch of children, some with special needs....might be a worthwhile perspective?<br /><br />Larry, Picard totally screwed up that message. Honorius would not have been looking over the seventh hill of Rome for several reasons.<br /><br />1. He was hiding out in Ravenna behind effective fortifications. <br />2. One and a half of the seven hills were pretty well wiped out when the Domus Aurea was built by Nero as history's greatest Party House. Look it up, it's impressive. I've been inside.<br />3. Honorius was an idiot with little capacity for deep thought. Allegedly he spend much of his time raising pigeons. I think of him as being Bert from Sesame Street wearing a toga.<br /><br />Pachydermis2Tacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8128000471803852652020-10-14T16:33:14.390-07:002020-10-14T16:33:14.390-07:00Der Oger,
The CA GOP claimed ownership of at leas...Der Oger,<br /><br />The CA GOP claimed ownership of at least some of the fake ballot boxes. I would be quite surprised if our AG wasn't looking into what charges can be filed against their leadership.<br /><br />Proof will be the tricky part. Defendants can claim that the original claim was a political stunt and that they did not IN FACT place any of the fake ballot boxes out there. If the AG can't be fairly sure of a conviction, I doubt indictments will surface. Still, I expect a Grand Jury will be convened at some point.<br /><br />These things take time. Usually way more than the public's attention span.<br /><br />Meanwhile, they got noticed and reported. <br />That is something all of us in the US can do. <br />Take pictures and geotag them.<br />Then lookup the official list and see if your bird-watching discovers an intruder.<br /><br />In a Transparent world, they won't get far.<br />We'd just keep cameras pointing at the suspected fakes and see who comes for them.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86988560053021292652020-10-14T16:16:11.556-07:002020-10-14T16:16:11.556-07:00Regarding SCOTUS nomination process, I'm not g...Regarding SCOTUS nomination process, I'm not going to get emotional about this one. I'll just point out the political fix.<br /><br />After the Dems win the Senate this time (likely now, but not by a lot)<br /><br />1. Abolish the Filibuster. Hold a solemn funeral for it. Seriously. Arm bands and all that.<br />2. Immediately appoint two more SCOTUS nominees. (Do NOT nominate four judges.)<br />3. Follow a normal investigation process with committee hearings and all that.<br />4. Point at McConnell and say he politically stole two nominations. This is just political tit-for-tat. Reap What Ye Sow.<br />5. Point at McConnell and describe the other judicial appointment thefts down in lower courts. Promise that they are next. Reap What Ye Sow.<br />6. Follow through on lower courts, but RESPECT their ideological balance for their regions of coverage. For example, don't pack a southern district with California progressives.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7641562541639887082020-10-14T16:00:46.811-07:002020-10-14T16:00:46.811-07:00Dr Brin:
I am not sympathetic to woke-enforcers p...Dr Brin:<br /><i><br />I am not sympathetic to woke-enforcers pouncing on "sexual preference." That is moving the goalposts of pulling a Lucy on Charlie Brown. I<br /></i><br /><br />It bothers me on mere syntactical grounds. They're trying to make it sound as if she implied that people make a conscious choice to be gay or straight or bi or whatever--that the <b>preference</b> is for the lifestyle. The <b>preference</b> in "sexual preference" is for which gender(s) one <b>prefers</b> sexual relationships with. To identify as a gay man, for example, <b>is to admit</b> a preference for male sexual partners. I fail to see what is either incorrect or offensive about saying that out loud.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70249897366333050622020-10-14T15:52:16.256-07:002020-10-14T15:52:16.256-07:00jim:
It seems like old corporate Joe will win and...jim:<br /><i><br />It seems like old corporate Joe will win and have a democratic house and very slight majority in the senate (51 or so).<br /></i><br /><br />You say that like it's a bad thing.<br /><br /><i><br />If a total crap sack like Trump could fight the oligarchs push for globalization ...<br /></i><br /><br />Careful. You know what happens the minute you love Big Brother.<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22230758471244909722020-10-14T15:09:59.580-07:002020-10-14T15:09:59.580-07:00I am not sympathetic to woke-enforcers pouncing on...I am not sympathetic to woke-enforcers pouncing on "sexual preference." That is moving the goalposts of pulling a Lucy on Charlie Brown. It's like refusing to note that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was actually a major step forward and served its function as a transition that ended 90% of the worst persecutions.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41400959203910011982020-10-14T14:51:42.300-07:002020-10-14T14:51:42.300-07:00Early voting---check. Even if I drop from COVID t...Early voting---check. Even if I drop from COVID tomorrow, my vote is cast.<br /><br />Meanwhile, to amplify what I was saying earlier, this is what life leading up to November 3 is feeling like. From the end of Book 2 and the beginning of Book 3, <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>:<br /><br /><i><br />The unseen force was drawing him fast to itself, now, and all the tides and winds were setting straight and strong for it. He left his two letters with a trusty porter, to be delivered half an hour before midnight, and no sooner; took horse for Dover; and began his journey. "For the love of Heaven, of justice, of generosity, of the honour of your noble name!" was the poor petitioner's cry with which he strengthened his sinking heart, as he left all that was dear on earth behind him, and floated away for the Loadstone Rock."<br /><br />...<br /><br />A very few French leagues of his journey were accomplished, when Charles Darnay began to perceive that for him along these country roads there was no hope of return until he should have been declared a good citizen at Paris. Whatever might befal now, he must on to his journey's end. Not a mean village closed upon him, not a common barrier dropped upon a road behind him, but he knew it to be another iron door in the series that was barred between him and England. The universal watchfulness so encompassed him, that if he had been taken in a net, or were being forwarded to his destination in a cage, he could not have felt his freedom more completely gone.<br /></i><br /><br />Or maybe for this crowd, this line from Captain Picard is more to the point:<br /><i><br />"We may yet prevail. That's a... a conceit. But... it's a healthy one. I wonder if the Emperor Honorius watching the Visigoths coming over the seventh hill truly realized that the Roman Empire was about to fall. This is just another page in history, isn't it? Will this be the end of *our* civilization? Turn the page."<br /></i>Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-64377824730976085432020-10-14T14:33:08.381-07:002020-10-14T14:33:08.381-07:00Sory I've been not ansering much. So swamped. ...Sory I've been not ansering much. So swamped. But I did chuckle in wry amusement at jim's hysterical (in both senses) iability to draw the obvious conclusion. That Trump did exactly what his masters want, top to bottom. So wrecking our alliances and the trade networks that lifted 2 billion kids out of poverty was an exception to that uniform campaign. Huh.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-81127032188342411112020-10-14T13:48:38.780-07:002020-10-14T13:48:38.780-07:00Well it looks like things are shaping up for the D...Well it looks like things are shaping up for the Democrats this election.<br /><br />It seems like old corporate Joe will win and have a democratic house and very slight majority in the senate (51 or so).<br /><br />We will get to see if the Democratic party does anything worth supporting.<br /><br />If a total crap sack like Trump could fight the oligarchs push for globalization maybe the democrats could inadvertently do something useful to deal with horrible predicament of ecological overshoot that we face. (not hopeful but stranger things have happened). jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07865068658069680309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-70597733007992119382020-10-14T13:12:43.501-07:002020-10-14T13:12:43.501-07:00Just a question:
Can the Republican Party as a wh...Just a question:<br /><br />Can the Republican Party as a whole be held responsible for the various actions committed by their members (like, fake ballot boxes etc.)? Can they be persecuted, like a criminal organization, if widespread misbehaviour can be proven?<br /><br />Disclaimer: I am totally clear that any of the above-mentioned scenarios won't likely happen, or that they should happen. I am just wondering if it is legally/technically possible.<br />Der Ogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00977602334642769985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74862002600856125212020-10-14T12:53:36.478-07:002020-10-14T12:53:36.478-07:00Also, Pachy, it is important to remember that the ...Also, Pachy, it is important to remember that the Kavenaugh hearing was a total morass because of the past behavior of the nominee. <br /><br />Don't like contentious hearings? Then don't nominate someone that has attempted rape and shows no remorse. Don't nominate someone who had millions of dollars of debt paid off by unknown parties. Don't nominate a drunken frat boy to SCOTUS. <br /><br /> matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-7296533511906789012020-10-14T12:33:47.942-07:002020-10-14T12:33:47.942-07:00To respond about the Nature article on high temp s...To respond about the Nature article on high temp superconductivity - Incredible pressures are something that can be engineered. Not impossible. This could have real-world engineering applications. <br /><br />Also, what does this say about the electrical transmission deep in the heart of gas giants? I seem to remember that they are believed to have pressures on the order of magnitude of this effect. 3M barr is an estimate I've seen for interior pressures in Jupiter, which would be right in the range for this superconducting effect. Methane and H2S are possible in that environment as well. Hm, gas giants as giant computational machines...matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-32700825379489902462020-10-14T12:32:43.723-07:002020-10-14T12:32:43.723-07:00https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/Maps/O...https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2020/Pres/Maps/Oct14.html#item-2<br /><i><br />She stepped in it a bit when she responded to a question about LGBTQ rights by referring to "sexual preference," a phrase that implies that being LGBTQ is a choice. Barrett apologized for that wording later in the day.<br /></i><br /><br />Is it something in the water, or how do I become the chivalrous defender of Amy Coney Barrett? And yet I think this particular sort of "criticism" does my side more harm than good. "You didn't use the correct PC phrase of the day" isn't going to win any support to the good team, and will more likely confirm the right's caricatures of us.<br /><br />When I hear "sexual preference", it doesn't sound (to me) as if the person is <b>choosing</b> the condition of gayness or whatever. It means that he has a <b>preference</b> for sexual partners of a particular gender. It that incorrect, let alone offensive?Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85581038988139663682020-10-14T12:23:45.778-07:002020-10-14T12:23:45.778-07:00David
She's been a judge for far longer than ...David<br /><br />She's been a judge for far longer than Justice Kagan ( 0 days on the bench )! And one assumes Law Professors learn something along the way. Seems to me a recent President you rather approved of had that on his resume somewheres..... <br /><br />Pachy2Tacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-59859446335539417992020-10-14T12:16:05.853-07:002020-10-14T12:16:05.853-07:00Dr. Brin, how many years was Elena Kagan a judge?
...Dr. Brin, how many years was Elena Kagan a judge?<br /><br />There is a specific reason why I'm not using that argument. It is most likely the reason why the Democrats are not using that argument.<br /><br />Acacia Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15096453166548112692020-10-14T11:49:36.712-07:002020-10-14T11:49:36.712-07:00Don't get too excited by the titles: "Roo...Don't get too excited by the titles: "Room-temperature superconductivity in a carbonaceous sulfur hydride." Of course it's a version of the grail we've sought. But it only happens at incredible pressures.<br />https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2801-z<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77590855751642248042020-10-14T10:57:35.005-07:002020-10-14T10:57:35.005-07:00Pachy2... how can we tell? She's only been ANY...Pachy2... how can we tell? She's only been ANY kind of judge for what? 3 years? Youth, health andcompliance were clearly as important as political fanaticism and (to Trump) physical appearance.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15795929595900702362020-10-14T10:55:24.761-07:002020-10-14T10:55:24.761-07:00Jon S:
How does that make her an "excellent&...Jon S:<br /><i><br />How does that make her an "excellent" candidate for a lifetime SCOTUS appointment?<br /></i><br /><br />Strangely enough for someone as partisan as myself, I think I understand where Pachy2 is coming from. Oh, I know intellectually that Barrett must be a partisan hack, or else the Federalist Society would never have recommended her. But she's <b>saying</b> the right things at the hearings. She didn't say she'd let Trump not peacefully transfer power--just she'd have to hear the arguments in a case before her before rendering a verdict.<br /><br />I guess what I'm saying is that I know it's bull semen, but it's <b>great</b> bull semen.<br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54720092564376130792020-10-14T10:50:25.917-07:002020-10-14T10:50:25.917-07:00So today was a rare day off. I don't take man...So today was a rare day off. I don't take many. But I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and figured I'd early-vote later in the day, so I took the whole day off.<br /><br />Made the mistake of checking my work e-mails. Out of the blue, the woman I've been probably more appreciative of than a married man should be was "separated" from the company last night. Of course, there are no details forthcoming.<br /><br />I post this here as a living metaphor, because between COVID and the upcoming election battle, I increasingly have the feeling that doors to "life as I know it" are closing in quick succession. This is just one more example.Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53225963127431470732020-10-14T10:05:31.215-07:002020-10-14T10:05:31.215-07:00The "job of a judge is to apply the law,"...The "job of a judge is to apply the law," she said. "And so it's not the heart that compels conclusions in cases. It's the law. The judge applies the law to the facts before that judge."<br /><br />P2Tacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-64331287228028469072020-10-14T09:18:01.298-07:002020-10-14T09:18:01.298-07:00Pachydermis2, how is Barrett a better candidate fo...Pachydermis2, how is Barrett a better candidate for a Supreme Court justice than Merrick Garland, a man who the Republican Party refused to allow to even be considered for the position? <br /><br />I kind of remember how Republicans stated that Obama should only get two Supreme Court picks. This is despite the fact that the position that Merrick Garland would have filled was void for three quarters of a year. Well, Trump has had two picks. Why should he get a third? We're talking about a man who is a national security risk, is deep in debt, has instigated racial conflict, refuses to disown white supremacy, and has refused to state he will step down if the elections don't go in his favor which is contrary to the will of the Founding Fathers and has been against the view of a peaceful succession of power for the entirety of every President of the United States... and I count Lincoln becoming President. (That a bunch of States then seceded is on those state governments, not on the peaceful succession of power between heads of state.) <br /><br />Trump is an illegitimate President. To be honest? I consider his Supreme Court picks to be suspect. And for the Republican Party to act the way it has been is downright treasonous. They are spitting on the Constitution and on this country. They no longer believe in Democracy. They intend on becoming the new Aristocracy under a dictatorship run by the Republicans, and their actions make this increasingly clear.<br /><br />If Republicans refuse to acknowledge the 2020 elections if they lose the Senate and Presidency, how will you respond? Will you say "the Democrats are as bad" and "the elections are corrupt and can't be trusted!" or will you say "these men have to stand down and accept the results of this election" much as Democrats reluctantly accepted the results of the 2016 election.<br /><br />Acacia Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-975949924172657202020-10-14T09:09:17.592-07:002020-10-14T09:09:17.592-07:00Jon
She's doing what every SC nominee has don...Jon<br /><br />She's doing what every SC nominee has done in recent memory...saying she needs to actually hear a case to have an opinion. And the Senators are all doing what they do, trying to set her up either for a no vote or for a demand for recusal later. The latter being especially apt with cases known or likely to appear before her as an Associate Justice.<br /><br />This is at least, so far, not the tawdry debauch that was the Kavanaugh hearing.<br /><br />PachyTacitushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17007086196578740689noreply@blogger.com