Recent Comments

1. about 12 hours ago on Prickly City

   Did conservatives who complained bitterly about Biden administration actions, Democratic Party legislation enacted 20-24, and mocked President Biden for his speaking style his entire administration fail to ‘get over it’?

   Nobody in the Democratic Party has once suggested the Trump did not win election as 47th POTUS. I have yet to hear any non conservative state, suggest, or even hint that the 2024 elections were rigged or the results were in any way false.

   The Trump administration and the current GOP, both national and at the state and local levels, began receiving criticism on or near day one. Any actions their opponents oppose are going to be criticized in the future, as well.

   Get over it already.

2. about 12 hours ago on Prickly City

   You know it, but being blind makes you unable to see it.

   MAGA “reasoning” “skills”.

3. about 12 hours ago on Rabbits Against Magic

   I think you gotta state the claims as World’s Biggest Liar s, plural. Trump is hardly the sole participant in the MAGA Whopper of the Day competition.

4. about 12 hours ago on Tom the Dancing Bug

   If Democratic politicians and 70M+ citizens arise against Trump at some point during this term, be it before the 2018 elections or later, and if federal courts have effectively endorsed his administration in their rulings on every law suit brought against Trump administration actions (inspiring the citizenry to act against Trump and US federal courts justices, US armed forces commanders/officers/enlisted will either refuse to act or to take a side and deploy against the other one.

   Trump has not loaded the Joint Chiefs and unit upper command echelons with hand selected sycophants — yet. But I’m certain a strategic list of those to be supplanted either exists or is close to being completely compiled, and a similar list of suitable (sycophants) replacements either also exists or is also being compiled.

   The USA within the next 2 – 4 years may well find itself in the position where a military action(s) within our own borders determines whether we emerge a democratic republic with free and fair elections, or “governed” by a far right fascist totalitarian regime.

5. about 12 hours ago on Tom the Dancing Bug

   From 2017, during presidency of GOP Trump (title)

   Excerpts from the NPR article Jack7528 cites:

   … Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the two settlements Thursday. The Justice Department quoted him as saying of the IRS activity: “There is no excuse for this conduct. Hundreds of organizations were affected by these actions, and they deserve an apology from the IRS. We hope that today’s settlement makes clear that this abuse of power will not be tolerated.” …

   The consent order says the IRS admits it wrongly used “heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays” and demanded unnecessary information as it reviewed applications for tax-exempt status. The order says, “For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology.” …

   In the NorCal case, plaintiffs allege the IRS violated their constitutional rights by using tax information for improper purposes. The settlement still must be approved by the federal district court in Cincinnati, home of the IRS division on tax-exempt organizations.

   The controversy began in 2013 when an IRS official admitted the agency had been aggressively scrutinizing groups with names such as “Tea Party” and “Patriots.” It later emerged that liberal groups had been targeted, too, although in smaller numbers.

   The IRS stepped up its scrutiny around 2010, as applications for tax-exempt status surged. Tea Party groups were organizing, and court decisions had eased the rules for tax-exempt groups to participate in politics.

   Groups sought tax-exempt status as 501©(3) charities, where the organization and its donors get tax write-offs, and 501©(4) “social welfare” organizations, where donors’ contributions are not tax deductible.

   Jack7528 would have us think this is a current event — it is not.

6. 2 days ago on Over the Hedge

   Easy there, Ken. Take a laxative.

7. 2 days ago on Prickly City

   G Norquist is a hardline Libertarian economics advocate. Libertarian thinking (e.g. Leonard Leo & The Federalist Society he founded are front and center examples of this philosophy which in the USA dates back to The John Birch Society), along with Christian nationalism, are the two primary socio-economic forces which since the 1980 election cycle have acquired power/membership at the top of both the national and state GOP and almost solely dictate Republican legislative, governance, and legal policies at both levels.

   Red states over the past 45 years have implemented more radical far right Christian nationalist and Libertarian agendas than has the Republican Party at the federal level. But since gaining 6-3 control of the USSC, plus > 200 Fed Society lower federal court positions during Trump’s first term, and the most recent election cycle taking control of both the Executive and Legislative branches, Congressional Republicans and our wonderful(gag) President (and his hyper radical Executive Branch appointees and WH assistants) are hurtling as far right as fast as they can.

   It would take too much space (not to mention my time) to post here anything close to a comprehensive summary of Libertarian philosophy and goals. A short summary is that nearly each and every protection against exploitation of the general population by Wealth interests enacted since ~ 1890 is opposed by Libertarians, as are legislated programs which use tax revenue to benefit the entirety of the public.

   For a detailed report on Libertarian taxation policy, I recommend insidepoliticalscience dot com Libertarian Views on Taxes.

8. 2 days ago on La Cucaracha

   You are not wrong that humans scheme for their own selfish ends in any number of ways to manipulate the thinking and/or behavior of others, and likely always have.

   But I have zero doubt that even IF Trump has by now abandoned his preposterous ownership goals/ambitions re Gaza (or Greenland or Panama or Canada), when initially announced by him — and for some number of days afterward — each of these Trump acquisition plans (even if he claimed them as USA national plans, which while not entirely untrue were still conjured [or maybe implanted by others?] in his real estate mogul brain as opportunities for permanent historical examples of Trump greatness) were submitted by Trump entirely in earnest solely for the goal of Trump/USA acquisition, versus the goal of manipulating other national heads of state in ways Trump deems beneficial to his (or even the nation he is president of) interests.

   I’m also far from certain that Trump’s mind works in a way which would result in him coming up with any bait and switch campaign, ever, let alone one so audacious as you suggest.

9. 2 days ago on La Cucaracha

   Trump’s present gettin’ even with enemies project since late yesterday is aimed squarely at Zelenskyy. I’ve lost track of the how many and the who he has directed US policy against for insults he’s received since his first inauguration in 2016, but the list is likely to be well above 365. He’s shown no sign yet of taking even a single day off from this project, either. This is the only thing (so far) he has been zealous about other than making money any way at any opportunity, and stiffing people with whom he has business deals or who trust him as President. Oh, yeah, and playing lots of golf while Prez. And hosting events and spending personal time at properties he owns, obliging payments to Trump Enterprises from visitors and gubmint money for Secret Service and staff who accompany him to these events.

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