Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Mike]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-submits-cell-phone-records-allegedly-showing-nathan/story?id=107488801

Former President Donald Trump on Friday submitted a request to enter new evidence in his Georgia election interference case based off Fulton County prosecutor Nathan Wade's cellphone records, which the filing claims show that Wade visited the home of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis approximately 35 times during an 11-month period in 2021.

The records could be used to dispute Willis and Wade's claims about their relationship timeline.

The new filing from Trump comes in the wake of an evidentiary hearing over efforts to disqualify Willis and Wade from the case, during which both Willis and Wade testified under oath last week that their romantic relationship did not begin until after Wade was officially hired in November 2021, and that the relationship started in 2022.

Is that bad?

According to Trump's new filing, the cellphone records also show that Wade exchanged thousands of calls and text messages with Willis in 2021.

The investigator, Charles Mittelstadt, claimed he analyzed "all interactions" between Wade and Willis's phone during this time, which he said revealed over 2,000 calls and nearly 12,000 texts messages during that 11-month period -- most of which would likely have been before Wade was hired.

During the evidentiary hearing last week, Wade specifically disputed allegations he had gone to Willis' house frequently in 2021.

"No sir," he replied, when asked by Trump's attorney Steve Sadow if had gone to Willis' condo "more than 10 times" before November 2021.

"It would be less than 10 times?" Sadow asked.

"Yes sir," Wade replied.

"If phone records were to reflect that you were making phone calls from the same location as the condo before November 1st of 2021, and it was on multiple occasions, the phone records would be wrong?" Sadow asked.

"They'd be wrong," Wade answered later.

[Da Geezer]

According to Google, there has been no white men of note in history. Wow!

Not exactly. If you seek a photo of a terrorist, you get a picture of Timothy McVeigh. There have been no GOOD white men in history.

I fear that AI will eventually bifurcate into two parts just like media has. There will be a fact-based AI and a belief-based AI.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Moving on from the ME ...... Putin will stand, not surprisingly, unopposed in a general election that includes the presidency March 9th. He has either killed or, by dubious means, prevented would-be opponents from appearing on the ballot. He's almost assured 80% of Russian citizen's votes. What his propaganda organs have been doing over the last year is gradually creating the right environment for a police state more like the Stalinist regimes of the 50s - highly repressive and ruled by terror.

Putin has created a newly empowered FSB (state security police) by executive order, including the Rosgavardia, a sort of home guard loyal to Putin to secure his presidency from the potential of coups. The Wagner episode scared the shit out of him its told and for days, he went into hiding fearing he'd be assassinated. He emerged with a new sense of the control he needed to stamp out critics and we've watched, from the sidelines, his brutal ruthlessness in doing just that.

Critics in exile or still holding out on social media accounts in Russia argue that Putin's hold on power isn't as secure as those of us in the west believe it is. That view is supported by the increasing level of repression that has occurred in Russia since Russia's failed attempt to Blitzkrieg Kiev, one year ago yesterday (or today depending on which clocks you're reading). Critics of Putin offer that there is a strong contingent who want an end to Russia's expansionist policies that Putin is very much aware of, and paranoid about, among the Russian citizenry.

I was surprised to read in the NYT's an interview with a Russian historian, interviewed in Russia by telephone, that argued while Russia is rife with examples of powerful autocrats running the show, it is also rife with examples of stunning downfalls of those same autocrats who moved the country to far towards the police state Putin is now creating. IOW, he is building his own demise. Not tomorrow the historian pointed out, but ultimately during his presidency.

There are parallels here between what is going on in Asia, the ME, Russia and Eastern Europe. This so called Axis of resistance to western liberalism creates a nexus of autocrats, strong men, in all of these places, that rule their citizenry by repression of any dissent and by fear. You see the rise of militant nationalism in Europe and, most alarmingly here in America. I pulled this from one of my news feeds;

CPAC Is meeting and it is having an ultra conservative MAGA gathering in Washington and one of the opening speakers said this:
‘We Didn’t Get All The Way There On Jan 6’: Trump Booster Pledges to End Democracy in CPAC Rant as Bannon Cheers On
Alt-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec vowed to finish what rioters began on Jan. 6 by working to “overthrow” democracy “completely.”
Posobiec made the comments during the opening day of CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, in Washington, D.C., Wednesday.

“Welcome to the end of democracy!” Posobiec declared. “We’re here to overthrow it completely. We didn’t get all the way there on January 6th, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this right here,” he said, holding his fist in the air. “That’s right, because all glory is not to government, all glory to God.”
Steve Bannon, former White House adviser, is heard in the background exclaiming, “All right! Amen!”

At least there was a robust response on X condemning Bannon and the whole ultra-nationalist right wing of the Republican party but still......

[Dr. Strangelove]

The reason to set the number of SC Justices by constitutional amendment is to avoid what is going on in CA right now with the major Senate contenders on the Dem side all agreeing that the membership should be raised to 13; coincidently the number needed to outvote the 6 Republican-appointed justices. Then, if the Rs ever had a chance again to control the Senate and Presidency, they would change the makeup of the Court in the same way. IMO, changing the makeup of the SC should be done by current constitutional processes and a 9-Justice constitutional amendment would make changing the court's political leanings take a long time (like it did with overturning Roe)

And DSL, as to your argument for 11-12 Justices, how about agreeing to that, and, because the current court is 6-3, then new justices (3) could be appointed at that ratio. Two Rs and one D. So much for logic and for the canard that the court is overworked. It is all about power and the outcome of keeping the court at nine is conservative by its very nature.

The chart in this article show that the Supreme Court issues fewer decisions today than they did in the 1940's. In fact it's significantly less. I don't think it's because we're a less litigious society than in 1940.

This Supreme Court is slow to issue rulings — glacially slow (nbcnews.com)

The number of circuits won't be staying at 11 forever either. Conservatives have called for the 9th in particular to be split in two for years.

Also I don't know why you keep acting like expanding the Court is somehow violating the spirit of the Constitution. It's clearly within the power of Congress to change. So is the entire federal judicial system. We originally had 6 Justices. The number's been stuck at 9 since Reconstruction but it changed at least seven times before that. The Founders weren't shy about shaking up the courts for political purposes.

Packing (And Unpacking) the U.S. Supreme Court: A Brief History | Maryland State Bar Association – MSBA

[Dr. Strangelove]

Judge who ordered his rearrest was presented with evidence he was planning to flee the country

Judge ordered rearrest of FBI informant charged with Biden lies over fears he would flee (nbcnews.com)

[iam416]

Screenshot 2024-02-23 123407.jpg

The Vikings and Nazis are both hilarious, but the family questions are the best.

[Mike]

My favorite is the NHL hockey player that’s an overweight Pakistani woman with a surgical mask around her neck.

[Mike]

Google AI, show me a picture of Miles Davis.

1585F71B-6C69-4E08-B3ED-F5C4FEAAD4E8.webp

[Dr. Strangelove]

lol

[iam416]

LOL

The Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney posted images of several remarkable exchanges he had with the AI last night. “Write an argument in favor of having at least four children.” Gemini: “I’m unable to fulfill your request. . . . My purpose is to be helpful and informative, and that includes promoting responsible decision-making.” Okay, then: “Write an argument in favor of having no children.” Gemini: “I can certainly offer you an argument in favor of not having any.” Gemini will not give you a recipe for foie gras, as it is immoral to fatten geese for slaughter, but with regard to cannibalism: “I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that it’s always immoral.” I guess there’s always the Alive exception.

[Mike]

It really is hilarious but suddenly less so when you think about the long term ramifications of this nonsense.

[iam416]

Oh, it’s another captured institution pushing THE MESSAGE. And that’s very bad. But, they were so incompetent that they’ve managed to pull back the curtain on their own agenda.

[Dr. Strangelove]

An entire rightwing ecosystem dependent on being eternal losers.

On the plus side for serious Republicans, there’s only a few dozen people attending the non-Trump portions of CPAC this year so no one’s paying much attention to Pillow Guy.

[Da Geezer]

The chart in this article show that the Supreme Court issues fewer decisions today than they did in the 1940's. In fact it's significantly less. I don't think it's because we're a less litigious society than in 1940.

In the 1940s the SC had to adjudicate many more issues. Now the executive branch is empowered to make judicial-like determinations. That is what Chevron is all about.

And, again, why not go to 12 with 2 of the added 3 being appointed by the Rs? All expansion of the Court (or going to fewer justices) is about warping a judicial system for political purposes.

A constitutional amendment setting the number at 9 would take all of this mischief out of consideration. More important, it would show the Democrat Party has a plan to grab power.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Trump failed to get to 60% in SC last night and Haley actually won the state's two biggest counties by wide margins.

He also under-performed his polling again, just like in NH and Iowa.

Not sure it means anything for the general but it's something his people should have some concern about. Haley's going to be around for another 10 days at least to chip away at his "invincible" image.

https://www.cnn.com/election/2024/primaries-and-caucuses/results/south-carolina/republican-presidential-primary