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8/22/2022


PUTIN ALLY’S DAUGHTER KILLED IN CAR BLAST, RUSSIA BLAMES UKRAINE

Filed under: General — Dana @ 3:30 pm






[guest post by Dana]

Yesterday, the Russian propagandist daughter of the man dubbed “Putin’s brain”
was killed when a car bomb went off:

> [Darya] Dugina died at the scene after “an explosive device, presumably
> installed in the Toyota Land Cruiser, went off on a public road and the car
> caught fire” at around 9.00 p.m. local time on Saturday, near the village of
> Bolshiye Vyazemy, according to the press service of the Russian Investigative
> Committee, as reported by the Russian state news agency TASS.
> 
> The bomb was detonated remotely, a law enforcement official told TASS Monday.
> “Presumably, the car was monitored and its movement was controlled,” the
> unnamed official told the news agency.
> 
> […]
> 
> Russian officials said the explosive device was attached under the car “on the
> driver’s side,” and 400g of TNT was used, according to TASS.

The report mentions that a family friend said that the car Darya Dugina was
driving belonged to her father, ultra-nationalist Alexander Dugin, and suggested
that perhaps he had been the intended target, not his daughter. More:

> On August 20, the father-daughter duo went to the Traditsiya (Tradition)
> festival, an art and culture event with a nationalist bent, where Dugin spoke
> and his daughter appeared as a special guest. Dugina reportedly drove them
> both to the festival site—the Pushkin Museum and Park in the town of
> Zakharovo—in the Toyota Land Cruiser, which was apparently registered in her
> name. She was also reportedly going to drive Dugin back to Moscow; but at the
> last minute, he got into a different car for the return trip. The explosive
> device was evidently planted in the museum parking lot where security cameras
> had been (according to some reports) disabled two weeks ago.

Both father and daughter had been previously slapped with U.S. and European
Union sanctions.

Unsurprisingly, Russia is blaming a Ukrainian spy service for the bombing:

> Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main KGB successor agency, said
> Monday that Dugina’s killing had been “prepared and perpetrated by the
> Ukrainian special services.”
> 
> The FSB accused Ukrainian citizen Natalya Vovk of carrying out the bombing,
> saying she arrived in Russia in July with her 12-year-old daughter and rented
> an apartment in the building where Dugina lived, in order to shadow her. The
> agency said Vovk and her daughter were at a Russian nationalist festival which
> Daria Dugina and her father attended just before the car bombing.
> 
> The FSB said Vovk and her daughter left Russia for Estonia after Dugina’s
> killing, using a different vehicle license plate on their way out of the
> country.
> 
> Russian law enforcement said it would seek to extradite the suspect to Russia,
> threatening “tough actions” if Estonia refuses to cooperate.

Ukraine pushed back on the accusations, with a Zelensky adviser saying on
Ukrainian television Sunday that Ukraine “certainly had nothing to do with” the
attack, and arguing the country was “not a criminal state like the Russian
Federation is.”

Meanwhile, Russia is already looking to strike Ukraine:

> The Russian government has not commented on the incident, but Kremlin-linked
> propagandists were accusing Ukraine of the attack even before investigators
> could finish picking through the debris.
> 
> Margarita Simonyan, one of Vladimir Putin’s favourite pro-war TV pundits, said
> that missile strikes should target Ukraine’s “decision-making centres”.
> 
> Meanwhile, Tsargrad TV, the Russian orthodox and nationalist TV network where
> Mr Dugin is the editor and Ms Dugina had been a commentator, said that “Kyiv
> should shake” from missiles strikes.

However, Bill Browder suggests a very different and real possibility with regard
to those responsible for Dugina’s death:

> It entirely possible that the FSB assassinated Dugina in order to blame
> Ukraine and justify more violent attacks. They did the same thing to justify
> the Chechen war

President Zelensky warned Ukrainians of the likelihood of increased attacks on
the days before Ukraine’s independence day August 24:

> Several Ukrainian cities, including the country’s capital, Kyiv, are banning
> Wednesday’s Independence Day celebrations as Ukraine President Volodymyr
> Zelensky warns of “particularly cruel” attacks by Russia.
> 
> Ukraine will mark 31 years of independence from Soviet rule this Aug. 24. It
> will also be the first time the country celebrates its independence since
> Russia invaded six months ago.
> 
> “We should be aware that this week Russia may try to do something particularly
> nasty, something particularly cruel,” Zelensky said in his nightly address
> Saturday.
> 
> “One of the key tasks of the enemy is to humiliate us, Ukrainians, to devalue
> our capabilities, our heroes, to spread despair, fear, to spread conflicts,”
> Zelensky said as he urged vigilance. “Therefore, it is important never, for a
> single moment, to give in to this enemy pressure, not to wind oneself up, not
> to show weakness.”

Note: Don’t miss Cathy Young’s brilliant piece (which I quoted from above) on
the death of Darya Dugina. About Dugina and what sort of woman she was, Young
provides a look at her which tells us all we need to know:

> In an appearance on Russia’s state-controlled Channel One, Dugina asserted
> with a straight face that what Russia was actually doing in Mariupol was
> “trying to reclaim the peaceful population from death.” It turns out, however,
> that she wasn’t talking about literal death: “Death is the loss of community,”
> she explained, with a reference to the nineteenth-century German Romantic poet
> Novalis. “In Ukraine, this community, this unity of the people, was lost; a
> whole bunch of groups appeared with an aggressive ideology, with absolute
> Russophobia.” What Novorossiya really needs, she concluded, is “the
> introduction of ideology.” Oh, and tribunals for the “Nazis” and “non-humans”
> fighting for the Ukrainian side.
> 
> On other occasions, Dugina claimed that the killings in Bucha were staged in
> order to “convince the Western public of the Russians’ bloody crimes” and that
> Bucha was chosen for this purpose because of its name’s similarity to the word
> “butcher” in order to implant the trope of Putin as a butcher in people’s
> minds.
> 
> On the very last day of her life, Dugina appeared on an online propaganda show
> to claim that the “special operation” in Ukraine was the “final nail in the
> coffin” of Western “liberal totalitarianism”—which, she asserted for good
> measure, was seeking to reduce the world’s population through
> environmentalism, gay rights, and the COVID vaccine.

Via Young, I’ll leave you with this observation by Russian journalist Yulia
Latynina:

> I don’t know who murdered the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a marginal but
> highly visible fascist who went around without security. But I believe it will
> be followed by a Great Terror, just like Fanny Kaplan’s attempt on Lenin’s
> life or the murder of [Party official Sergei] Kirov.
> 
> A week ago I asked: “How will Putin respond to the strikes on Crimea?” It
> looks like Putin has no way to respond outside Russia and will respond with
> massive domestic terror. And if he doesn’t, others will do it for him.
> 
> The murder of Dugin’s daughter is not senseless. It will launch a wave of
> retaliatory terror just like Kirov’s murder [in 1937]. As for the prehistory
> of this murder, I will not speculate about it because there are too many
> possibilities.

–Dana

Comments (9)


RUSTY BOWERS: THE CONSTITUTION IS HANGING BY A THREAD

Filed under: General — Dana @ 2:03 pm






[guest post by Dana]

Here is an illuminating interview with Rusty Bowers, Arizona’s speaker of the
House who lost his bid for the Senate last month. As you might recall, Bowers
had refused to subvert the election despite facing immense pressure from Donald
Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and John Eastman. As a result of his refusal to submit to
Trump’s demands, he faced death threats, as well as protesters assembling
outside of his family’s home.

Anyway, I can’t express how much I relate to Bowers’ sentiments below. I don’t
believe he is being dramatic or overstating the issue. This is simply a
realistic view of where we currently find ourselves. His words resonate with me
because, like Bowers, I believed the Republican Party to be the gatekeepers of
the Constitution, and that every effort would be made to protect it, no matter
what might come along to challenge it. Never did I dream it would be Republicans
that would be so willing to betray it:

> “The constitution is hanging by a thread,” he told me. “The funny thing is, I
> always thought it would be the other guys. And it’s my side. That just rips at
> my heart: that we would be the people who would surrender the constitution in
> order to win an election. That just blows my mind.”

Here’s a bit more from the interview with Bowers:

> The ascent of election deniers across the board marks the final transformation
> of the Republican party in the state. Trump’s grip is now complete; the strain
> of constitutional conservatism epitomized by Bowers is in the wilderness.
> 
> “I think it’s a shame,” was his rueful reflection on that transition. “The
> suite of candidates that we now have representing what used to be a principled
> party is just like, wow … It’s like being the first colonizer on Jupiter.”
> 
> In February, a mega “election integrity” bill was introduced into the Arizona
> legislature that was the culmination of the anti-democratic drift of the
> party. House bill 2596 would have given the Republican-controlled legislature
> the power to reject any election result that the majority group didn’t like.
> 
> Bowers resoundingly killed off that bill by sending it to languish not in just
> one house committee, but in all 12 of them. “I was trying to send a definitive
> message: this is hogwash. Taking away the fundamental right to vote, the idea
> that the legislature could nullify your election, that’s not conservative.
> That’s fascist. And I’m not a fascist.”
> 
> It’s a party that doesn’t have any thought. It’s all emotional, it’s all
> revenge. It’s all anger. That’s all it is.
> 
> Bowers said he remains optimistic that the party will one day find its way
> back on to the rails…
> 
> “It’s not like I’m alone in the wilderness. There’s a lot of people from all
> over the United States thanking me.”
> 
> But for now, he accepts that things are likely to get much worse before they
> get better. I ask him, at this moment, is the Republican party in Arizona
> lost?
> 
> “Yeah,” he said. “They’ve invented a new way. It’s a party that doesn’t have
> any thought. It’s all emotional, it’s all revenge. It’s all anger. That’s all
> it is.”
> 
> He held the thumb and digit finger of his right hand so close together that
> they were almost touching. “The veneer of civilization is this thin,” he said.
> “It still exists – I haven’t been hanged yet. But holy moly, this is just
> crazy. The place has lost its mind.”

–Dana

Comments (9)


8/19/2022


WEEKEND OPEN THREAD

Filed under: General — Dana @ 10:09 am






[guest post by Dana]

Let’s go!

First news item

How bad is the drought? History exposed in the Danube:

> Europe’s worst drought in years has pushed the mighty river Danube to one of
> its lowest levels in almost a century, exposing the hulks of dozens of
> explosives-laden German warships sunk during World War Two near Serbia’s river
> port town of Prahovo…The vessels were among hundreds scuttled along the Danube
> by Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet in 1944 as they retreated from advancing
> Soviet forces, and still hamper river traffic during low water levels…Strewn
> across the riverbed, some of the ships still boast turrets, command bridges,
> broken masts and twisted hulls, while others lie mostly submerged under sand
> banks.

And in the Western United States, a fifth body is exposed in Lake Mead:

> Another set of human remains were found in Lake Mead near Las Vegas, the
> second time this month that remains have been found in the country’s largest
> reservoir, officials said Wednesday…This is the fifth time since May and the
> second time this month that human remains have been found in Lake Mead, where
> water levels are receding at a historic rate…On May 7, human skeletal remains
> were found near the lake’s Callville Bay, according to NPS. The discovery came
> a week after the decayed body of a man was found stuffed in a steel barrel
> near the reservoir’s Hemenway Fishing Pier, over 20 miles from Callville Bay,
> according to Las Vegas police…On July 25 and Aug. 6, human remains were also
> discovered at Swim Beach.

Also, villages and bridges exposed in England:

> Ancient bridges, lost villages and secret gardens that have been hidden from
> view for decades have been revealed once again as the country sees it driest
> summer in half a century…Among these are ancient bridges that have spent
> decades hidden from view and lost villages that were flooded to as the
> reservoirs they now call home were made…The effects have also been seen on
> land, with parched lawns at stately homes across the country uncovering old
> gardens that had been paved and planted over in the course of the last three
> centuries…These include Longleat in Wiltshire, which has seen the outlines of
> long-lost walls, pathways, fountains and parterres dating back to the 1600s
> become visible in the extreme heat…In Derbyshire water levels in Ladybower
> Reservoir have fallen so low that people can see ruins from the old villages
> of Ashopton and Derwent, both of which were flooded when the reservoir was
> filled in 1946.

(Amazing photos at the link.)

Second news item

About Trump’s “standing order” to declassify:

> In the days since the FBI seized classified and top secret documents from
> Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, the former President and his allies have
> claimed that Trump had a “standing order” to declassify documents he took from
> the Oval Office to the White House residence.
> 
> But 18 former top Trump administration officials tell CNN they never heard any
> such order issued during their time working for Trump, and that they believe
> the claim to be patently false.
> Several officials laughed at the notion. One senior administration official
> called it “bullsh*t.” Two of Trump’s former chiefs of staff went on the record
> to knock down the claim.
> “Nothing approaching an order that foolish was ever given,” said John Kelly,
> who served as Trump’s chief of staff for 17 months from 2017 to 2019. “And I
> can’t imagine anyone that worked at the White House after me that would have
> simply shrugged their shoulders and allowed that order to go forward without
> dying in the ditch trying to stop it.”
> 
> […]
> 
> In addition, CNN spoke with former national security and intelligence
> officials as well as White House lawyers and Justice Department officials.
> Taken together, their tenure covers all four years of the Trump
> administration, and many served in positions where they would either be
> included in the declassification process, or at the very least, be aware of
> such orders.

Third news item

Will she or won’t she, should she or shouldn’t she:

> Asked if she plans to run for president, she first deflected and argued that
> the GOP needs to be taken in a different direction. “We’ve now got one major
> political party, my party, which has really become a cult of personality, and
> we’ve got to get this party back to a place where we’re embracing the values
> and the principles on which it was founded,” she said.
> 
> Pressed again about whether she’s contemplating running for president, Cheney
> said, “That’s a decision that I’m going to make in the coming months, and I’m
> not going to make any announcements here this morning — but it is something
> that I am thinking about.”

Fourth news item

McConnell concerned about quality of candidates:

> Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday downplayed expectations of
> Republicans capturing control of the Senate in the fall elections, describing
> “candidate quality” as an important factor.
> 
> “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the
> Senate. Senate races are just different — they’re statewide, candidate quality
> has a lot to do with the outcome,” he said…
> 
> “Right now, we have a 50-50 Senate and a 50-50 country, but I think when all
> is said and done this fall, we’re likely to have an extremely close Senate,
> either our side up slightly or their side up slightly.”

I get why McConnell is concerned:

> Two of the other candidates vying to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen.
> Maggie Hassan this fall — failed 2020 Senate hopeful Don Bolduc and first-time
> candidate and crypto currency advocate Bruce Fenton — leaned into the outrage
> Donald Trump has been stoking online ever since federal agents retrieved
> highly sensitive documents from his Florida home.
> 
> “It’s time to abolish the FBI and replace it with nothing,” Felton told the
> crowd.
> 
> “You shouldn’t be able to raid a former president’s house at any time,” Bolduc
> offered in his defense of the embattled former president.

And then there’s Hershel Walker, Dr. Oz, etc…

Fifth news item

Oh:

> China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin plan to attend
> the G20 summit in Bali later this year, according to Indonesian officials.
> 
> …President Biden is expected to attend November’s forum, setting the stage for
> the first summit involving the leaders of the U.S., China and Russia since
> Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine and tensions between Washington and Beijing
> became further heightened after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
> 
> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to the summit, which
> would mark Xi’s first visit to another country since January 2020, before the
> pandemic took hold across the world…
> 
> Indonesia’s government has faced pressure from Western leaders, including
> Biden, ahead of its chairing of the Group of 20 meeting of major economies to
> exclude Putin from the summit due to his forces invading Ukraine.
> 
> Yes, but: Indonesia’s government has sought to place itself as a mediator on
> matters concerning both Russia and China.

Sixth news item

No hate crime charges yet:

> The suspect in the stabbing of renowned British-American novelist Salman
> Rushdie in New York state last week pleaded not guilty Thursday to
> second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault…Hadi Matar, the man
> accused of ambushing Rushdie as he was about to deliver remarks at the
> Chautauqua Institution, made the plea during his arraignment in a Mayville,
> N.Y., courtroom after a grand jury indicted him on those charges. He is to be
> held without bail, the judge ordered. If convicted of attempted murder, Matar
> could face a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. An assault conviction could
> mean up to seven years in prison, a prosecutor told CNN…Jason Schmidt, the
> Chautauqua prosecutor on the case, said the county’s district attorney’s
> office is considering whether the suspect’s charges could be upgraded to a
> hate-crime charge but won’t be pursued as such for the time being. FBI
> Director of Public Information Beau Duffy also said it could potentially probe
> the incident as a hate crime, “but no hate crime charges have been filed at
> this time,” the agency told Fox News.

Seventh news item

Ukraine flexing:



Details:

> How are they doing it? And why are they doing it?
> 
> The “why” part is easy. Ukraine’s government continues to insist that a
> counteroffensive in Kherson to liberate the southern part of the country is
> coming but that it lacks the weapons at the moment to make a meaningful push.
> While they wait for those, they’re going to focus on cutting Russian supply
> lines and spooking the hell out of Putin and his henchmen with these
> Doolittle-esque strikes in territory that was thought safe from attack. “We’re
> using a strategy to ruin their stocks, to ruin their depots, to ruin their
> headquarters, commander quarters. It’s our answer to their meat-grinder
> tactics,” Ukraine’s defense minister said this week. The more they deplete
> Russian ammunition and complicate the logistics of defending Kherson, the more
> pressure Russia will feel to retreat rather than commit to a potentially
> disastrous defense.

Zelensky warns Russian actions could result in catastrophe:

> Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia’s actions
> could “cause a catastrophe” should Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in
> Ukraine not be defended properly.
> 
> “If Russia’s actions cause a catastrophe, the consequences may also hit those
> who remain silent so far,” Zelensky warned.
> 
> He continued, “Any radiation incident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP can affect the
> countries of the European Union, Turkey, Georgia and countries from more
> distant regions.”
> 
> Zelensky elaborated on the effects of Russia’s presence near the power plant
> on the international community, saying that Russia is ignoring and rejecting
> other countries’ demands.
> 
> “If a terrorist state allows itself to completely ignore the demands of the
> international community, especially in such a sensitive topic, this clearly
> indicates the need for immediate action,” he said, adding that Russia is
> “rejecting the security demands” of 42 countries that have asked the country
> to withdraw its forces from the plant.

Eighth news item

A male “period dignity officer” who’s not even a medical doctor:

> Local authorities in Scotland have come in for criticism after they appointed
> a man to the role of period dignity officer, responsible for coordinating the
> region’s response to a new law that makes menstrual products free to access in
> the country.
> 
> A group of colleges and local councils in Tay region in eastern Scotland
> announced the appointment of Jason Grant, who previously worked as a student
> wellbeing officer at a local college, to the role on Thursday.
> 
> However, critics argue that a woman would have been better suited to the job.
> 
> […]
> 
> “He will coordinate and streamline the approach to ‘Period Dignity’ across the
> area by working directly with the colleges and local authorities,” Grainger PR
> said in a press release announcing the appointment…”Jason will lead a regional
> campaign across schools, colleges and wider communities, raising awareness and
> understanding of the new Act and ensuring that the Scottish Government funding
> is allocated appropriately,” it said.
> 
> […]
> 
> Grant called the legislation “transformational and long-overdue” in the press
> release announcing his appointment…
> 
> “I think being a man will help me to break down barriers, reduce stigma and
> encourage more open discussions. Although affecting women directly, periods
> are an issue for everyone,” he said, adding that he will also work to raise
> awareness of the menopause.
> 
> “It’s time to normalise these topics and get real around the subject,” he
> added. “I believe I can make progress by proving this isn’t just a female
> topic, encouraging conversations across all genders and educating and engaging
> new audiences.”

Good luck to this young man instructing a roomful of cranky, hot-flashing
menopausal women to get real about their transition and just chill the heck out…

P.S. Scotland has just become the first country to offer women free tampons and
sanitary pads.

Ninth news item

Gov. DeSantis and the First Amendment:

> A federal judge on Thursday blocked portions of a Florida law restricting how
> workplaces and schools can discuss race during required training or
> instruction championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
> 
> U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida Chief Judge Mark
> Walker issued a preliminary injunction blocking the private employer
> provisions in the law, known as the “Stop WOKE Act,” saying it violates free
> speech protections under the First Amendment and that it violates the
> Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause for being impermissibly vague.
> 
> “Recently, Florida has seemed like a First Amendment upside down,” Walker
> wrote in the ruling, comparing the law to the fictional “upside down” in the
> Netflix series “Stranger Things.”
> 
> “Normally, the First Amendment bars the state from burdening speech, while
> private actors may burden speech freely,” the Obama-appointed judge continued.
> “But in Florida, the First Amendment apparently bars private actors from
> burdening speech, while the state may burden speech freely.”

This:



Have a great weekend!

–Dana

Comments (281)


8/17/2022


IN WHICH I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH A TRUMP SPOKESMAN

Filed under: General — Dana @ 5:44 pm






[guest post by Dana]

You said it out loud. No backsies:

> Ms. Cheney had hoped the Jan. 6 riot would be a turning point for Republicans.
> It did prove to be a dividing line. But it was those who crossed Mr. Trump who
> have suffered the electoral consequences.
> 
> “She may have been fighting for principles,” said Taylor Budowich, a spokesman
> and adviser to Mr. Trump. “But they are not the principles of the Republican
> Party.”

Let’s take a look-see at what Liz Cheney says about those “principles”:

> There is much at stake now, including the ridiculous weakness of our political
> rivals, the irrational policies at the border, and runaway spending that
> threatens a return to the catastrophic inflation of the 1970s. Reagan formed a
> broad coalition from across the political spectrum to return America to
> sanity, and we need to do the same now. We know how. But this will not happen
> if Republicans choose to abandon the rule of law and join Trump’s crusade to
> undermine the foundation of our democracy and reverse the legal outcome of the
> last election.
> 
> History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to
> defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our
> democratic process. I am committed to doing that, no matter what the
> short-term political consequences might be.
> 
> […]
> 
> America cannot remain free if we abandon the truth. The lie that the 2020
> presidential election was stolen is insidious.

–Dana

Comments (136)


8/16/2022


WHILE LIZ CHENEY WILL LIKELY LOSE THE ELECTION, SHE’LL SCORE A DIFFERENT KIND OF
WIN (UPDATE ADDED)

Filed under: General — Dana @ 11:10 am






[guest post by Dana]

Despite condemnation and judgment for sitting on the Jan. 6 Committee, Rep. Liz
Cheney has demonstrated her unwavering support of the Constitution and rule of
law as she faces an almost certain loss in today’s Wyoming primary election.
That steadfast commitment speaks volumes about her character, especially given
that the Republican Party has chosen to line up behind a corrupt leader who, to
this day, continues to lie about the 2020 election. Instead of having shunned
Trump and holding his feet to the fire for his election lies which helped spark
the Jan. 6 insurrection, the party chose to shun Cheney for her efforts to hold
him accountable. By doing so, the GOP solidified its ties to the former
president. The Republican Party’s message couldn’t be any clearer: Embrace the
corrupt former president and show him the loyalty he demands, reject the
congress member who has refused to show him loyalty and has wanted nothing to do
with being in his good graces.

For some time now, I’ve been told that this MAGA version of the GOP is what
Republicans want and to get on board or get left behind. It took me a long time
to accept that this is true because I couldn’t believe, and still cannot believe
that a once grand party could fall for someone like Trump. But here we are (and
have been for quite some time): the Republican Party over there, and me over
here.

The polls look bad for Cheney in the state where Trump won 70% of the vote:

> In the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, Cheney had a 60% favorability
> rating with Democrats.
> 
> But among Republicans, her favorability sank to just 13%.
> 
> …A Quinnipiac poll, for example, showed her approval with Republicans at 17%.
> 
> In Wyoming, a survey found Cheney’s disapproval in Wyoming at 72%.

Moreover:

> [I]f every Democrat, every member of the Constitution Party, libertarian and
> every other otherwise unaffiliated registered voter in the state broke for
> Cheney, she’d still be more than 200,000 votes short in a state of just under
> 300,000 registered voters.
> 
> To put an even finer point on it, if Cheney wins every Wyoming voter who is
> not a Republican, she’d still lose by almost 50 points (73%-27%) if she won no
> Republican votes.

Clearly, she faces an extremely difficult, if not impossible, climb to victory.
And while the solid conservative Cheney will likely lose the Wyoming primary
because she dared to vote to impeach a Republican president and then sit on a
congressional committee charged with investigating the events leading up to Jan.
6 and Trump’s part in it, she’ll still have a different kind of win under her
belt. It’s not as sexy as an election victory, nor does it have the flash of
having the titular head of the Republican Party beckon you to his glam pad in
Florida to kiss the ring, but at the end of the day, while Trump may be
victorious in taking out the last of his impeachers, Cheney will still be able
to look in the mirror and know that her principles remain intact. And to this
former Republican, that’s a real victory. The best kind there is.

Cheney to reporters today: Not the end of the fight but the beginning of a
battle:



She’s not done. Nowhere near being done. Not by a long shot.

UPDATE: As expected, Liz Cheney has lost the GOP primary to Trump-backed Harriet
Hageman. In her concession speech, Cheney pointed out the truth of the matter:

> “Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have
> done the same again.
> 
> The path was clear. But it would have required that I go along with President
> Trump’s lie about the 2020 election. It would have required that I enable his
> ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of
> our republic,” she said. “That is a path I could not and would not take.”
> 
> “Tonight, Harriet Hageman received the most votes in this primary. She won. I
> called her to concede the race. This primary election is over. But now, the
> real work begins,” Cheney said.

More:

> “No house seat, no office in this land is more important than the principles
> that we are all sworn to protect,” she said. “And I well understood the
> potential political consequences of abiding by my view, our republic relies
> upon the goodwill of all candidates for office to accept honorably the outcome
> of elections.”

A few more snippets:




And that is what a patriot looks like.

(Apologies for snippets. but I have yet to find the full text or video of jer
concession speech.)

–Dana

Comments (210)


8/12/2022


WEEKEND OPEN THREAD

Filed under: General — Dana @ 10:01 am






[guest post by Dana]

Reminder:

> Personal attacks on commenters (or me) are out. Criticizing the arguments is
> fine. Criticizing the person is not. [UPDATE: Criticizing public figures is
> just fine. What would a blog comment section be without that?]
> 
> Violations will be handled according to my judgment and the judgment of
> moderators I trust. There will indeed be a sliding scale, depending on your
> track record.
> 
> […]
> 
> That leads me to the key principle: DO NOT MISCHARACTERIZE OTHER PEOPLE’S
> POSITIONS. Also, do not mischaracterize other people’s positions. One more
> thing: do not mischaracterize other people’s positions.

There are a few commenters who like to mischaracterize other people’s positions.
Stop it.

And if it has been clearly demonstrated that you’ve made a false statement, own
it and apologize.

Now, let’s go!

First news item

These two old white rich guys duking it out is the best America can do? No thank
you:

> President Joe Biden is preparing to launch his re-election bid in the months
> after November’s midterm congressional elections, according to multiple aides
> and allies…
> 
> [A]llies say Biden’s determination has grown amid revelations about Trump and
> his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, as well as the former president’s
> continued embrace by Republicans. This week, FBI agents searched Trump’s
> Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of a probe into whether he removed
> classified documents from the White House, and Trump was deposed by New York’s
> attorney general over claims his businesses misled lenders.
> 
> Biden frequently notes polls that show him defeating Trump head-to-head in a
> 2024 matchup, and believes he won the Democratic nomination in 2020 because he
> represented the best chance to remove the former president from power.
> 
> But in a potential rematch, Biden would be the incumbent, defending his record
> both on the economy and overseas while fending off Trump and his still
> formidable and energized base of supporters.

Second news item

Flat-out denies it:

> Former President Donald Trump on Friday denied a report from The Washington
> Post that said FBI agents were looking for classified documents related to
> nuclear weapons, among other items…
> 
> On his Truth Social platform, Trump said that “Nuclear weapons is a hoax, just
> like Russia, Russia, Russia was a hoax,” referring to then-special counsel
> Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Trump
> attacked the officials involved with the search of his home, calling them
> “sleazy.”

Third news item

New abortion poll taken after Kansas vote:

> According to a new poll released on Wednesday by Ipsos/USA Today, 70 percent
> of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, would favor voting on an
> abortion ballot measure at the state level. A total of 1,018 adults were
> interviewed for the poll, 70 more Democrats than Republicans.
> 
> The poll asked, “If there was a ballot measure in your state to decide
> abortion rights, would you vote in favor or against making abortion legal?”
> Fifty-four percent of Americans would vote to keep abortion legal while only
> 28 percent would vote against abortion legality, according to the poll.
> 
> Seventy-six percent of Democrats said they support abortion legality as did 52
> percent of independents and 34 percent of Republicans. Only 10 percent of
> Democrats are against abortion legality, 27 percent of independents, and 54
> percent of Republicans.
> 
> The poll also asked, “When you think about abortion, which of the following is
> closest to your personal opinion?” Twenty-eight percent said they believe
> abortion should be legal in all cases while 32 percent believe it should be
> legal in most cases. Meanwhile, 9 percent believe abortion should be illegal
> in all cases while 28 percent believe it should be illegal in most cases.

Fourth news item

Polio, yes polio, found in wastewater:

> The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the New York City
> Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) today updated New Yorkers
> on the detection of poliovirus (the virus that causes paralytic polio) in
> sewage, suggesting likely local circulation of the virus. Polio can lead to
> permanent paralysis of the arms and legs and even death in some cases.
> 
> “For every one case of paralytic polio identified, hundreds more may be
> undetected,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. “The
> detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in New York City is alarming,
> but not surprising. Already, the State Health Department – working with local
> and federal partners – is responding urgently, continuing case investigation
> and aggressively assessing spread. The best way to keep adults and children
> polio-free is through safe and effective immunization – New Yorkers’ greatest
> protection against the worst outcomes of polio, including permanent paralysis
> and even death.”
> 
> “The risk to New Yorkers is real but the defense is so simple – get vaccinated
> against polio,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “With polio
> circulating in our communities there is simply nothing more essential than
> vaccinating our children to protect them from this virus, and if you’re an
> unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated adult, please choose now to get the
> vaccine. Polio is entirely preventable and its reappearance should be a call
> to action for all of us.”

Fifth news item

Russia-annexed Crimea looks to be in play:

> At least two explosions on Tuesday destroyed at least seven Russian aircrafts
> at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea, a new satellite image from Planet
> Labs shows.
> 
> The cause of the explosion is still unknown. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
> says it could not determine the cause, while the Russian Ministry of Defense
> said the blasts were caused by detonated aviation ammunition but did not
> reveal how it had been detonated. [Ed. “Ukraine hasn’t officially claimed or
> denied responsibility for the blasts, but an unnamed Ukrainian official told
> the Washington Post the attack was carried out by special forces operating
> behind the Russian lines.”]
> 
> […]
> 
> The amount of destroyed planes on Tuesday may wind up making it one of the
> most destructive days for Russian Air Force aircraft since World War II,
> including the Soviet-era. The little available data on military aircraft
> losses during the Soviet era and modern Russia era do not indicate such
> substantial losses from a single incident, on a single day.

Zelensky says Crimea must be freed:

> President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukraine must retake Crimea for
> the war with Russia to end.
> 
> “This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began
> with Crimea and must end with Crimea — with its liberation,” Zelensky said.
> 
> “Crimea is Ukrainian, and we will never give it up,” he added.

Sixth news item

Horrible:

> Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the
> 1980s, was attacked Friday as he was about to give a lecture in western New
> York…An Associated Press reporter witnessed a man storm the stage at the
> Chautauqua Institution and begin punching or stabbing Rushdie as he was being
> introduced. The 75-year-old author was pushed or fell to the floor, and the
> man was restrained…Rushdie was quickly surrounded by a small group of people
> who held up his legs, presumably to send more blood to his chest.
> 
> Rushdie’s book “The Satanic Verses” has been banned in Iran since 1988, as
> many Muslims consider it to be blasphemous. A year later, Iran’s late leader
> Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s
> death…A bounty of over $3 million has also been offered for anyone who kills
> Rushdie.

Seventh news item

CDC loosens school guidelines regarding Covid-19:

> Schools can end quarantines and regular screening tests for COVID, but
> students and staff should keep masks on in areas with high levels of COVID
> spread, according to guidelines released Thursday by the Centers for Disease
> Control and Prevention…Almost no districts are starting the year with a mask
> mandate, and in-school quarantine rules are on the retreat.
> 
> […]
> 
> Schools aren’t required to follow these recommendations — states and cities
> can still set their own rules — and updates to CDC guidance no longer prompt
> the kind of sweeping policy changes that they did earlier in the pandemic.
> Still, many districts look to the recommendations.

Eighth news item

Episcopal Church says nose, nose, anything goes:

> Resolved, that the 80th General Convention calls for the Episcopal Church to
> advocate for access to gender affirming care in all forms (social, medical, or
> any other) and at all ages as part of our Baptismal call to “respect the
> dignity of every human being”; and be it further
> 
> Resolved, that the 80th General Convention affirms that all Episcopalians
> should be able to partake in gender affirming care with no restriction on
> movement, autonomy, or timing; and be it further
> 
> Resolved, that the 80th General Convention understands that the protection of
> religious liberty extends to all Episcopalians who may need or desire to
> access, to utilize, to aid others in the procurement of, or to offer gender
> affirming care; and be it further
> 
> Resolved, that this 80th General Convention supports public policies at the
> local, state, and national levels in all our countries to support gender
> affirming care.

What this includes: “Puberty blockers that can impede proper bone growth and
hormones that can have deleterious side effects that have not been fully
studied. Castration of boys who believe they are girls. Destroying the vaginas
of girls who believe they are boys.”

Ninth news item

I’ve been scolded repeatedly that today’s Trump GOP is what Republicans want, so
here you go:



Have a greate weekend.

–Dana

Comments (757)


8/11/2022


UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS OF EVIDENCE PLANTING AT MAR-A-LAGO ABOUND

Filed under: General — Dana @ 1:07 pm






[guest post by Dana]

After the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s lawyer suggested that the FBI
may have planted evidence during the search at the residence:

> [O]ne of Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, told Fox News she was “concerned” that
> FBI agents “may have planted something” during their search.
> 
> “You know, at this point, who knows? I don’t trust the government, and that’s
> a very frightening thing as an American,” Habba said.

Donald Trump also suggested that evidence planting may have taken place:

> “The FBI and others from the Federal Government would not let anyone,
> including my lawyers, be anywhere near the areas that were rummaged and
> otherwise looked at during the raid on Mar-a-Lago,” Trump wrote on Truth
> Social. “Everyone was asked to leave the premises, they wanted to be left
> alone, without any witnesses to see what they were doing, taking or, hopefully
> not, ‘planting.'”

Trump-supporting media then told viewers that it was likely the FBI had planted
evidence during the search:

> …Fox News’ Jesse Watters said in his Tuesday opening monologue: “What the FBI
> is probably doing is planting evidence, which is what they did during the
> Russia hoax.
> 
> “We also have a hunch they doctored evidence to get the warrant—again, what
> they did during the Russia hoax.”
> 
> […]
> 
> Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, said Tuesday he “wouldn’t
> put it past” the federal government to try to frame the former president.
> 
> “The FBI and the DOJ are essentially lawless criminal organizations,” Bannon
> told conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the latter’s InfoWars show on Tuesday.

MAGA lawmakers jumped on the evidence planting bandwagon as well, and attacked
the FBI:

> Kentucky Senator Rand Paul also echoed the claim while speaking to Fox and
> Friends on Wednesday.
> 
> “Do I know that the boxes of material they took from Mar-a-Lago, that they
> won’t put things into those boxes to entrap him?” Paul said. “How do we know?
> The lawyers weren’t allowed to see the boxes.
> 
> “How do we know they’re going to be honest with us about what’s actually in
> the boxes? How do we know that was in the box before it left the residence if
> the lawyers weren’t allowed to see everything?”








Meanwhile, FBI director Christopher Wray denounced the increasing threats being
made by Trump’s followers on social media:

> Christopher Wray, who was appointed as the agency’s director in 2017 by Trump,
> called threats circulating online against federal agents and the Justice
> Department “deplorable and dangerous.”
> 
> “I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” Wray said. “Violence
> against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”

The report published a few examples of what Wray is concerned with:

> It has been easy to find the threats and a call to arms in those corners of
> the internet favored by right-wing extremists since Trump himself announced
> the search of his Florida home. Reactions included the ubiquitous “Lock and
> load” and calls for federal agents and even U.S. Attorney General Merrick
> Garland to be assassinated.
> 
> On Gab — a social media site popular with white supremacists and antisemites —
> one poster going by the name of Stephen said he was awaiting “the call” to
> mount an armed revolution.
> 
> “All it takes is one call. And millions will arm up and take back this
> country. It will be over in less than 2 weeks,” the post said.
> 
> Another Gab poster implored others: “Lets get this started! This unelected,
> illegitimate regime crossed the line with their GESTAPO raid! It is long past
> time the lib socialist filth were cleansed from American society!”

This morning, an armed individual tried to breach an FBI office in Cincinnati:

> On August 11, 2022, at approximately 9:15 EST, the FBI Cincinnati Field Office
> had an armed subject attempt to breach the Visitor Screening Facility (VSF).
> Upon the activation of an alarm and a response by armed FBI special agents,
> the subject fled northbound onto Interstate 71. The FBI, Ohio State Highway
> Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, Ohio,
> trying to resolve this critical incident.



This is the latest update I could find:



While the events of this morning in Cincinnatti may or may not end up related to
the search at Mar-a-Lago and we likely won’t know for some time yet, it wouldn’t
be surprising if that (or possibly some other Trump-related event, like Jan. 6)
was what motivated the suspect. We have already seen that there are any number
of MAGA reactionaries throughout the country that are willing to demonstrate
their loyalty to Trump, no matter the cost. In the meantime, an unsubstaniated
suggestion was made by Trump’s lawyer, which he also pushed, and in doing so, he
stoked the outrage machine. He positioned himself as the victim of a powerful
entity that was conspiring against him and signaling the play to his followers.
And like clockwork, his people (private citizens and MAGA media and MAGA
lawmakers) followed his lead. They are more than willing to spread an
unsubstantiated rumor and use it as a rallying cry to unify before the midterms
and before a possible campaign announcement for 2024. Now everyone that lives in
MAGA World knows who today’s enemy is.

This all feels familiar. And not in a good way. And I doubt that Merrick
Garland’s statement will slow down the Trump train one bit:

> The Justice Department on Thursday moved to unseal portions of the search
> warrant executed at the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump.
> 
> “The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred under
> these circumstances weighs heavily in favor of unsealing,” prosecutors
> revealed in a court filing connected to the search warrant.
> 
> Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the news moments after the
> department filed the motion in federal court in Florida.
> 
> “I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in the latter,”
> he said. Addressing criticisms of the department and FBI agents lodged by
> Trump and his allies, he added: “I will not stand by silently when their
> integrity is unfairly attacked.”
> 
> […]
> 
> “All Americans are entitled to the evenhanded application of the law, the due
> process of the law and to the presumption of innocence,” said Garland. “Much
> of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to
> protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the
> integrity of our investigations.”

Note:

> “Former President Trump, through counsel, was provided copies of each of these
> documents on August 8, 2022, as part of the execution of the search,” the
> filing adds.

–Dana

Comments (278)


8/10/2022


ADVISORS TO TRUMP: DON’T LET THIS CRISIS GO TO WASTE, ANNOUNCE YOUR PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN FOR 2024!

Filed under: General — Dana @ 2:28 pm






[guest post by Dana]

Well, this didn’t take long:

> Top Republicans who have spent months trying to dissuade Donald Trump from
> announcing another presidential campaign before the midterms are coming around
> to the idea, after an unprecedented search of the former President’s
> Mar-a-Lago property by federal investigators on Monday lit up the GOP base.
> 
> Trump has received a fresh wave of encouragement to jump start his next
> presidential campaign in the 24 hours since his primary residence became the
> target of an FBI search warrant, several sources familiar with the matter told
> CNN. The former President, who is widely expected to run again, had previously
> eyed Labor Day as his target launch date, but is now being advised to
> accelerate his timeline to capitalize on what Republicans have described as
> extraordinary overreach and political persecution by Justice Department
> officials, including by advisers who previously counseled him to take his time
> with a 2024 announcement.
> 
> “My advice that we should wait until after the midterms was based upon a
> rather standard landscape. [The Justice Department] set off a nuclear bomb on
> that landscape yesterday. This is no longer a business-as-usual campaign. Not
> even close,” said Michael Caputo, a longtime Trump confidant, who previously
> urged the former President to wait for the 2022 election outcome before diving
> into a presidential primary.

It’s bizarre exactly what you would expect from Trump and his advisors: Parlay a
lawful FBI search of his residence for potential mishandling of classified
documents into a “witch hunt,” rally the troops, watch them circle the wagons
and then announce a run for 2024. It’s really amazing that a former president
who was twice impeached and is currently the subject of any number of
investigations appears to be the Republicans’ go-to guy. But since he is in full
victim mode and his supporters are amped and ready as they issue warnings about
upcoming wars, Gestapo tactics, defunding federal agencies, Banana republics,
and cleaning out D.C., it makes perfect sense for him to announce sooner rather
than later. Strike while the iron is hot! After all, there’s no telling if when
the next crisis will happen.

Interestingly, this puts Trump’s biggest threat (if Gov. Ron DeSantis decides to
run) in a tricky position. Yesterday’s events forced his hand because, while he
has not said much about Trump lately and knows that he may end up running
against the former president, he also knows that Trump continues to control the
Republican Party. Thus, he was compelled to come to Trump’s defense after the
search at Mar-a-Lago:



However, it appears that both men may benefit from the FBI search yesterday:

> A Florida GOP operative also highlighted that the FBI’s action could
> politically benefit both DeSantis and Trump, though for differing reasons.
> 
> “This is a unique opportunity for DeSantis because he can highlight the
> ongoing battle with the radical left and at the same time further distance
> himself from Trump,” said a veteran Florida Republican operative…“DeSantis
> continues to be the perfect combination of political skill and good fortune.”
> 
> The operative, however, sees the FBI search as something that could give Trump
> heightened momentum with a Republican base that in recent months has started
> to line up behind DeSantis.
> 
> “What makes things interesting is that Trump has almost no choice but to get
> in and spend the next several months doing everything he possibly can to
> secure the base,” the person added. “The only thing that helps push back
> against potential criminal liability is a high level political candidacy.”

I’m already exhausted at the prospect of it all.

–Dana

Comments (191)


PALATE CLEANSER: KINDNESS AND COMPASSION WIN THE DAY

Filed under: General — Dana @ 9:55 am






[guest post by Dana]

I don’t know which team actually won this game at the Little League World
Series, but I think this young ball player’s actions demonstrate that he’s a
real winner, regardless of the score:



More, please.

–Dana

Comments (10)


8/9/2022


NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE: CASHING IN ON YESTERDAY’S EVENTS AT MAR-A-LAGO

Filed under: General — Dana @ 6:19 pm






[guest post by Dana]

Because never letting a crisis goes to waste is the mantra of politicians
grifters on both sides of the political aisle. But certainly, the MAGA crew
steals the spotlight here.

First, though, I want to share how a few prominent MAGA self-proclaimed law
enforcement supporters responded to the FBI lawfully searching Donald Trump’s
Florida residence yesterday:

> Republican members of Congress said Tuesday they want to dismantle the FBI or
> “clean house” at the Department of Justice after agents raided the Florida
> estate of former President Donald Trump.
> 
> “This is Gestapo crap and it will not stand. The Department of Injustice needs
> to be cleaned out if they are going to start pretending we are some kind of
> banana republic,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, said in a Twitter
> video.
> 
> Rep. Paul Gosar, Arizona Republican, also invoked the Nazi era, tweeting: “I
> will support a complete dismantling and elimination of the democrat brown
> shirts known as the FBI. This is too much for our republic to withstand.”
> 
> […]
> 
> “DEFUND THE FBI!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, posted.

And from Rep. Matt Gaetz:

> The FBI raid of Mar-A-Lago is the most defining moment of the Joe Biden
> presidency. It was a political performance against Trump. The antidote has to
> be NOT ONE MORE damn penny for this administrative state that has been
> weaponized against our people in a very fascist way.

Here’s how MAGA politicians, pacs and fundraising committees are cashing in on
that, uh, FBI “Gestapo crap” at Mar-a-Lago:

> A volley of emails on Monday night and Tuesday morning denounced the FBI’s
> search warrant — reportedly connected to classified materials that Trump
> allegedly brought to his Florida resort after leaving the White House — and
> slammed both the agency and the Biden administration.
> 
> “Biden’s FBI raided President Trump’s beautiful Florida home,” the Republican
> National Committee wrote in a fundraising email, adding that “it’s hard to
> believe it but it’s true.”
> 
> “These are dark times for our Nation,” read an email from Trump’s fundraising
> team. “The lawlessness, political persecution, and Witch Hunt, must be exposed
> and stopped.”
> 
> An email from the National Republican Senatorial Committee called the raid
> “unprecedented,” while Trump’s political action committee Save America and the
> Tea Party Patriots Action group both railed against Democrats and the Biden
> administration in their fundraising emails.
> 
> The National Republican Congressional Committee asked for money and said
> donations will matched by anonymous donors, calling the effort a “last chance”
> to “save” Trump.
> 
> […]
> 
> Rep. Jim Jordan attacked Democrats and asked for money so Republicans can
> secure House majority during the upcoming elections. Emails from GOP Sens.
> Chuck Grassley and Marsha Blackburn also slammed the “Democrat-controlled”
> FBI, asking for donations and support.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is also hawking tee shirts and caps:



Obviously, the king of grifters himself is fundraising off this latest “witch
hunt”:



MAGA Republicans don’t seem the least bit interested in whether Trump violated
the law. They are concerned with making bank off a crisis and promoting the
goodness of Donald Trump while condemning the evil Merrick Garland, the FBI, the
judge who signed off on the search warrant, the Justice Department, and all
other “enemies” of Trump. Sad!

And just so you won’t scream, yes, Democrats took advantage of the moment too.
As I’ve long maintained: Trump is the gift that keeps on giving:

> Democratic political action committees — like American Bridge and Never Again
> — linked the raid to fundraising, praising the Justice Department and the FBI.

Anyway, I’ll just leave this here:

> If we really believe, as we say we believe, that this is a republic, that
> nobody is above the law, that the presidency is just a temporary
> executive-branch office rather than a quasi-royal entitlement, then there is
> nothing all that remarkable about the FBI serving a warrant on a house in
> Florida. I myself do not find it especially difficult to believe that there
> exists reasonable cause for such a warrant. And if the feds have got it wrong,
> that wouldn’t be the first time. Those so-called conservatives who are
> publicly fantasizing about an FBI purge under the next Republican
> administration are engaged in a particularly stupid form of irresponsibility.

Amen.

–Dana

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