March 17, 2018

At the Museum Café...

fullsizeoutput_2f6

... talk about anything!

ADDED: The terra cotta figure, called "Standing Woman" (1941) is by Sargent Johnson, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

193 comments:

tim in vermont said...

Is that sculpture SMOD? It looks like Hillary with Trump’s hair.

tcrosse said...

It's the world's most expensive PEZ dispenser.

MadisonMan said...

SO what's his name was fired! About time. Which Democratic-leaning lobbying group/TV Channel will now employ him?

Birkel said...

Andy McCabe, whose wife took a $700k bribe, er, campaign contributions from Terry McAwful, was fired.

Expect a criminal indictment of him to follow. If convicted his planned book deal collapses.

Anonymous said...

MadMan: And I was just getting ready to query why nobody was yacking about McCabe yet.

David Begley said...

Althouse and Meade out to hit the bars in Madison. Do it!

Rusty said...

Cranes flying overhead this morning.
It's good to be alive.

Rusty said...

Dave. It's amateur night tonight. Best to tuck in and raise a glass at home and miss the rivers of body effluent.

Fernandinande said...

"Mother Beat Baby to Death with a Whip and a Bible in 'Exorcism,' Shocking Court Testimony Reveals"

It's Africa so it doesn't really count; it's illustrated with a picture of an unfortunate white baby who is apparently possessed by the spirit and face of Jimmy Durante.

This counts: "Rev. Andrew Menke, executive director of the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Divine Worship quoted the introduction to the rite of Exorcism in a statement to PJ Media."

Summary: "First make sure they're not crazy, like we are."

ceowens said...

Laura Ingraham about went off the rails last night. NO COMMERCIALS!!! If half of that show was accurate, holy smokes.

Anonymous said...

Oops, didn't notice folks were all over the McCabe thang in yesterday evening's café.

Fandor said...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Bad Lieutenant said...

Mrs. Butterworth looks sad. Someone should let her out of that glass box.

tim in vermont said...

What does a person need 750K to run for state senate? How many yard signs does one need?

Fernandinande said...

GIANT RAT ALERT!

Dino dog! World’s biggest puppy bred to recreate an extinct 7,000-year-old monster dog is 6ft tall and already weighs more than the average human at just 9 months old

Because 7,000 years ago there were dinosaurs in Italy!

"She is a new breed called the American Molossus, selectively bred to be the closest genetic descendent of the ["died out"] Mesopotamian Molossus"

The Daily Mail doesn't understand the words "genetic" and "descendant". It's a slightly bigger than average Neapolitan mastiff, 180 pounds and "six feet tall".

My parents had a Great Dane - found loose in the desert - that weighed 260 pounds and could touch the ceiling with his front paws; their vet said it was the biggest dog he'd ever seen.

Sebastian said...

Hey, we can talk about anything, right?

McCabe: "The investigation subsequently focused on who I talked to, when I talked to them, and so forth. During these inquiries, I answered questions truthfully and as accurately as I could amidst the chaos that surrounded me. And when I thought my answers were misunderstood, I contacted investigators to correct them."

So he's making the kind of excuse the FBI would never allow one of its own victims to make.

Tommy Duncan said...

Andrew McCabe is angry because:

--He lost his pension.
--He got caught just doing his job as he defined it in political terms.
--The FBI followed normal process to fire him, so he can't blame Trump.
--If that damn Hillary hadn't screwed up none of this would be in play.
--They don't do this to people like him. He should have been shuffled into a well deserved retirement. "You singled me out!"

DavidD said...

Bad LT for the win.

David Begley said...

My preport was wrong. Creighton lost. Badly.

Preporting is foolishness.

MadisonMan said...

Oops, didn't notice folks were all over the McCabe thang in yesterday evening's café.

Same here!

I don't understand how McCabe loses his pension. The BH hasn't worked for the State anywhere near 20 years, but she'll still draw a pension because she and her employers have paid into the very well-funded WI Pension plan. I'll have to talk to the Feds I work with to see how Fed pensions work.

Does 'lose his pension' simply mean he won't get a maximum amount?

Michael K said...

"If half of that show was accurate, holy smokes."

Agreed.

I this is true, we are going to see some fireworks.

Maybe a Guillotine will be needed.

Birkel said...

MadisonMan:
He was fired "for cause" and that creates some differences, I think you will find.
Let this BH get caught stealing significant amounts of office supplies (felony levels) and see about that pension.

Kevin said...

Military personnel who leave or are forced out at 19 years get no pension. Why should the FBI be different?

Chest Rockwell said...

@MadisonMan

As I understand it he won't lose it completely. But he'll collect it later .. age 57 rather than 50 .. and it will be reduced.

The cost of poor ethics I suppose?

the 4chan Guy who reads Althouse said...

I once got a blowjob from Jennifer Aniston at the MoMA in Manhattan.

It was the Spring of 2001. Thursday, April 19th, I believe: a nice warm day, maybe 60 degrees.

I was looking at a Jackson Pollock painting when I noticed her out of the corner of my eye, looking at the same painting. She was wearing sunglasses. I imagine this was to be inconspicuous, but you end up being conspicuous when you are wearing sunglasses inside a museum. It probably impairs your view of the artworks, too: being a celebrity can be hard.

Being Manhattan, people tried to play it cool, and not stare at her, but you could tell they were trying to look without being seen as looking. 'Friends' was one of the biggest shows at the time, and though the art patrons in the museum acted like they never watched it, they probably did.

I looked at the Pollack painting, nodded in appreciation, then said "This makes me think of bukkake" and walked away.

I figured this would be a funny story to tell friends: the time I said "bukkake" in front of Jennifer Aniston.

I was standing in front of Salvador Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory" when Jennifer Aniston came up beside me again. I nodded, and without looking at her I said "1931".

"Excuse me?" Jennifer Aniston said, wearing her sunglasses.

"1931" I repeated, still looking at the painting. "Seventy years ago. Time flies."

She didn't say anything for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.

"Melting clocks, Time flies: I get it."

I nodded, still facing the painting.

"I never really understood what the melting clocks really mean," Jennifer Aniston said, while wearing her sunglasses.

"I think the melting clocks symbolized Dali's fear of getting older, and the possibility of becoming impotent: I mean, the clocks are flaccid, after all. Seems pretty clear to me."

"Impotent," Jennifer Aniston nodded, while still wearing her sunglasses.

"Yep," I said, then walked away.

Twenty minutes later I was in the Cafe, drinking an overpriced coffee, when Jennifer Aniston sat at the table beside me. She was still wearing her sunglasses.

"It seems like you see sex in everything," she said, a slight smile on her lips. Beneath her sunglasses.

"Sex is everywhere," I replied.

"Yeah," she replied, shaking her head, and we continued to make small talk.

She was excited: she had a movie coming out in September, "Rock Star", with Marky Mark Wahlberg. She even laughed and whispered "I think I'll get an Oscar nomination", in that way that sounds like someone is kidding, but they also kinda mean it. Of course, she didn't get that nomination, but maybe that was because something else big happened a few days later that September; perhaps the movie just got lost in the chaos.

Then she said "Sometimes I think I'm famous just because people want to fuck me."

"That's entirely possible," I replied.

"You're supposed to reassure me and say I'm talented."

"Sure," I answered. "And I don't want to fuck you."

"You don't want to fuck me?" she said, incredulous.

"No," I said. "I don't want to fuck you. I just want you to suck my cock."

She let out a laugh, and then we went into the women's bathroom, where we went into a stall, and then Jennifer Aniston sucked my cock.

The Germans have a word for this.

Gahrie said...

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the vast majority of money allocated to student organizations goes to left-leaning groups, according to Campus Reform.
The higher education watchdog reported that students paid more than $48 million in mandatory fees in 2017, with approximately $1.5 million of that going to student organizations. Left-leaning organizations received 95 percent of that funding, compared to just 4.5 percent for right-leaning groups.
That means each student paid an estimated $7.60 towards leftist causes, and just $0.36 towards conservative groups.


http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/03/12/conservative-student-organizations-get-less-funding-wisconsin-madison

madAsHell said...

....and I was worried that our Master of Dialogue had departed for another comment section.

Craig said...

Gahrie,

I laughed and laughed and laughed at the illiteracy of the Fox News reporting. This is comically and obviously false:

---

"The higher education watchdog reported that students paid more than $48 million in mandatory fees in 2017, with approximately $1.5 million of that going to student organizations. Left-leaning organizations received 95 percent of that funding, compared to just 4.5 percent for right-leaning groups."

---

How could that make it off of an editor's desk? No idea. It certainly isn't supported by the Campus Reform report (which is itself pretty suspicious stuff).

Craig said...

Tim in Vermont,

Luckily, there's some data out there for you. You'll see that even that incomplete data reflects that average state senate winners' expenditures exceed half a million in a few states. You might think that's wasteful (I might even think that), but it doesn't seem like raising that kind of money to take an incumbent would be all that surprising...

Birches said...

I'm so pleased about the McCabe firing. In other news, I had to trash my bracket last night. I picjed UVa to win.

Bad Lieutenant said...


Craig said...
Tim in Vermont,

Luckily, there's some data out there for you.

Reasonable observation, but I'd like the data on how much she kept of the campaign funds. Bottom line it for me.

Hagar said...

It is unlikely John Brennan became unhinged overnight. He must have been that way for some time.

Fernandinande said...

Craig said...
This is comically and obviously false:
"The higher education watchdog ..."


What is comical and obvious?

It certainly isn't supported by the Campus Reform report

Well, yeah it is supported because they have the same numbers, only worse:

"This means that each student pays an estimated $7.60 towards leftist causes each fiscal year, and just $0.36 towards conservative groups, with another $3.08 going to diversity-themed organizations."

It's actually $10.68 to leftists and $0.36 to conservatives since "diversity" is a leftist cause.

wholelottasplainin said...

Blogger Craig said...
Gahrie,

I laughed and laughed and laughed at the illiteracy of the Fox News reporting. This is comically and obviously false:

*********************************

You need to let us in on the joke. WHY is the Campus Reform report comically and obviously false?

Craig said...

Bad Lieutenant,

The internet provideth!

Craig said...

Jay Elink, Fernandistein,

I didn't say that the Campus Reform report was comically and obviously false. I said I found it suspicious (in large part because I don't trust its categorization of the organizations, carefully omitted from both the Fox News story and the Campus Reform story). It was Fox News's report that was comically and obviously false. Fox News reported that $1.5 million dollars of the mandatory fees went to student organizations and that left-leaning organizations received 95% of the student-organization funding. But that's not what Campus Report said (hence, the illiteracy charge). Campus Report said that left-learning organizations received 95% of the funding that went to groups with discernible political leaning, not 95% of all student-organization funding.

How was Fox News's reporting obviously false? Anyone who has ever been on a campus would know that there are student funded organizations which aren't political. There are ballroom dance clubs and chess clubs and who knows what else. There's an accounting society, probably also getting some student funding. And yet some writer and some editor thought that a story should go out suggesting that 100% of the dollars going to organizations from student funding went to political organizations. Come on, there are some idiots asleep at the switches over there.

Maybe you think this is a detail that doesn't matter. I guess I care about getting things right!

Craig said...

I must apologize! From one of the comments on the Campus Reform article, it looks like perhaps I falsely accused Fox News! There is some chance that Campus Reform may have originally written the laughably dumb claim and perhaps later changed the web story without acknowledging the error!

Who knews--but somewhere between Fox News and Campus Reform, there are some dummies out there. We should pull the funding for both.

virgil xenophon said...

The Germans Have a Word for that@10:23/

Betamax3000/Laslo Spatula/ jj..........Welcome back!!!

Fernandinande said...

Craig said...
It was Fox News's report that was comically and obviously false.


They omitted the phrase "with a discernible political leaning".

That's the most hilarious thing I've heard all week.

victoria said...

John Brennan to Donald Trump:

"When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America...America will triumph over you."

Right on, John. Finally someone who is not scared of the Cheeto in Charge

Vicki from Pasadena

320Busdriver said...

Andrew McCabe

Yeah, the Germans have a word for that.

Schadenfreude

Bad Lieutenant said...


Hagar said...
It is unlikely John Brennan became unhinged overnight. He must have been that way for some time.

3/17/18, 11:25 AM




He voted for Gus Hall! How much more proof do you need? The kicker is, who let him into the government with a background like that?




Blogger Craig said...
Bad Lieutenant,

The internet provideth!

3/17/18, 11:28 AM

Thanks for that. Now, pull the other one, it's got bells on it.

Hagar said...

But Vicki, this surely is a most remarkable public statement to be made by a former presumed to be non-partisan CIA director?

Hagar said...

Also very impolitical, since it immediately carries over to his public friends and associates over the years, and casts their impartiality in doubt - justifiably or not.

bolivar di griz said...

It might have been posted elsewhere, but thesis what Daniels atty does


https://patch.com/california/hollywood/saudi-prince-to-ask-for-damages-against-a-hollywood-producer

Fabi said...

Keep hope alive, Vicki!

bolivar di griz said...

Like the fellow who burned our most promising asset inside al queda to spike the ball, who thought he could meet moderate hezbollah.

Hagar said...

In other words, it isn't just the FBI who has got a 7th Floor problem!

Yancey Ward said...

Tim and Bad Lt,

"What does a person need 750K to run for state senate? How many yard signs does one need?"

What you need are the campaign expenditure reports- things like what was bought and who received the payments. I am willing to bet that almost all of Ms. McCabe's funds were paid to family members in one manner or another. It is a typical way to launder campaign contributions if your real interest is other than getting elected, which has to be the case for most people running for a seat already held by an incumbent- incumbents rarely lose.

Drago said...

Vicki, all your Brennan/Comey colluders had was over 2 years of intercepting every single communication and interaction with Trump and all his campaign associates and all his work associates and all his family and all their records and access to information from every other security service in the world as well as nefarious contacts and information provided by Putin's pals themselves and...

...and...

...and...

Nothin'.

Donald Trump is the single most thoroughly vetted Presidential Candidate, President-Elect and President in the history of United States.

Deal with it.

LLR Chuck hardest hit as usual.

And now the truth concerning the corruption of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies is being completely exposed....and it ain't good for LLR Chuck's allies on the left.

It took an wild swing for the fence / hundred year flood candidate like Trump to make it all come out.

Birkel said...

Craig, paraphrasing: The average spent is half a million.

Craig's link: Jill McCabe spent 1.7 million in her campaign.

Craig: You are craptastic today and I solute your dissembling. Good job.

Drago said...

Vickies' beloved Brennan voted for the commie who was completely controlled by the Soviet Union, Gus Hall.

'nuff said.

Craig said...

Yancey,

How much do you want to bet?

"It is a typical way to launder campaign contributions if your real interest is other than getting elected, which has to be the case for most people running for a seat already held by an incumbent- incumbents rarely lose."

Ahahahahahaha nice try tough guy. This is laughable.

Hagar said...

"Who" rather than "that" because it is individuals violating their oath of office we are talking about here.

Craig said...

Craig, paraphrasing: The average spent is half a million.

Craig's link: Jill McCabe spent 1.7 million in her campaign.

You know that some people spend more than the average? Given that not everyone spends the same exact amount, it is a mathematical necessity that some people spend more than average. And follow the dialectic, dummy. Tim in Vermont asked why someone would need $750k for a state senate campaign; I answered that. I did not say anywhere "Jill McCabe's campaign spending was the mathematical average."

Also, a free vocabulary nudge: while I'm guessing you are more than familiar with "craptastic," I don't think you know what "dissembling" means. You can look it up though.

Birkel said...

Craig, paraphrasing: nothing unusual with a candidate spending half a million.
Left unsaid: $700,000 was from a single source

Craig, paraphrasing: her expenditures were not excessive
Left unsaid: they were only 3.3 times the average spent -- to lose the race

Further left unsaid: How much did the average loser spend, when that loser was not within shouting distance of a victory?

Craig is here to lie.
We need a better class of troll.

Birkel said...

I clarified dissembling for you and just went ahead and called you a liar.

Square?

Craig said...

Birkel:

I didn't say the things you attribute to me via "paraphrase," nor are those accurate paraphrases. In fact, if you learned to read, you'd see the parenthetical which tells against your paraphrase. Get your act together idiot.

Also, ahahahaha. Little baby can't reason well, resorts to calling other people trolls. Awwwww widdle baby!!!

bolivar di griz said...

The seventh floor is the problem, more correctly stated so Mccabe hires bromwich another deep state with roots going back to Iran contract investigation, who Obama hired to hammerlock the oil industry:

https://web.archive.org/web/20100618064002/http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-announces-bromwich-fix-oil-industry-oversight

Mary H said...

New tweet from Comey:


James Comey
‏Verified account @Comey
4m4 minutes ago

Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.
104 replies 569 retweets 1,246 likes

Yancey Ward said...

Craig,

It is human nature to take donated funds and spend them for self-aggrandizement and family benefit. This is why candidates generally hire so many family members for campaign positions and contract out for work material the same way. This only increases with the diminishing chances to actually win the seat itself.

Open seats in competitive districts tend to see the candidates spend more intelligently for good help, but even there if you look at the expenditure reporting, you will find an overwhelming number of brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, in-laws, and spouses hired for the campaign staff. And if you take a deeper look in actual investigation with subpoena power, you will find that many of these positions are no-show jobs. I doubt any of this is illegal if there are no kick-backs, but it is still corruption.

Birkel said...

Craig:
Why do you believe Terry McAuliffe contributed $700,000 to a losing - by a wide margin - political campaign?

The easiest explanation is that McAuliffe sought to influence the husband of the first-time politician who happened to work for the FBI while the husband was in charge of highly politicized investigations.

Again, you claim the average spent is $500,000 and we will take that as a given. What purpose do you see for giving so much to one candidate? Wow us with your logic.

Birkel said...

Yancey,

It would appear McCabe spent just over one million in advertising and an eighth of a million on salaries. She spent that money with a Philadelphia firm: Shorr Johnson and Magnus. It's in her disclosures.

Yancey Ward said...

McAuliffe was very clever- at that point in 2015, people already knew Clinton was going to face an FBI investigation, and McCabe was already in a position to direct that investigation when it finally got started- McAuliffe's funds were a basically a bribe, and everyone knows this. McCabe knew this which is why he failed to disclose it for such a long time on forms on which he was legally required to do so. He only disclosed it when someone finally took the time to discover these payments and made them public.

But I guess in the chaos surrounding McCabe in 2015, he forgot about Terry McAuliffe being a Clinton bagman and being the single biggest donor to his wife's hopeless campaign.

Yancey Ward said...

Yes, but the firm has to spend the money somewhere in Northern Virginia buying yard signs and such, Birkel, and they don't disclose what they bought. Who produced the commercials, if any? People in politics know how to make something look legal by utilizing cutouts- for example, McAuliffe making the donation instead of the Clintons themselves.

Birkel said...

Craig:

I went back and checked but found no parenthetical in which you were discussing McCabe. I'm sure I just missed it. Thanks in advance.

Freder Frederson said...

Donald Trump is the single most thoroughly vetted Presidential Candidate, President-Elect and President in the history of United States.

You can't be serious. He hasn't even released his income tax. He has spent his entire life working for a series of privately held family owned companies (mostly LLC's, so he doesn't even have to answer to a Board of Directors). We know next to nothing about his finances.

HT said...

Walking, palming the ball -- just part of today's slop basketball. Talent is squandered, burned up, not fostered. Shot clock, added weight and bulk to blame.

Birkel said...

Yancey,
No disagreement here on any of those points. In fact, I'd wager you are correct. The missed - and legally required - disclosures are evidence of a guilty mind. McCabe knew the game was afoot and he made every effort to play for his team. Trump was truly a black swan event and the whole thing was foiled. And now he suffers the consequences of his behavior, with more to come if we are lucky.

The more than $1,000,000 to a single firm is a tell, in my opinion. Those internal expenditures, inside Shorr, Johnson and Magnus can be discovered. Subpoenas for their books would be an interesting next step.

One can hope.

Birkel said...

Freder Frederson:

I hear that Trump hid his tax returns underneath Obama's college transcripts. So at least you know where to look. Should be easy enough to find.

Freder Frederson said...

I hear that Trump hid his tax returns underneath Obama's college transcripts.

Don't think we have seen Trump's college transcripts either. In the past Trump has claimed he was first in his class at Wharton, which is almost certainly bullshit.

Birkel said...

Freder Frederson:

I told you where to find all the evidence you seek. I wish you good fortune.

Hagar said...

So Freder, what do you know about Obama's finances?

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“The Germans have a word for this.”

Ja, es ist...Tagtraum.

Birkel said...

Inga,
How goes that impeachment plan?

Freder Frederson said...



He released 11 years of tax returns prior to his initial election and every year while he was president. Trump hasn't released any of his tax returns and we only have two leaked pages from his 2005 return.

somewhy said...

Been reading this blog so long now that when I saw this, I immediately thought of Althouse:

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2018/mar/13/menswear-picks-get-off-to-a-flying-start-with-your-holiday-wardrobe-in-pictures

(bonus socks with sandals :)

Michael K said...

"we only have two leaked pages from his 2005 return."

Which showed you got nutthin.

Try again sometime.

Jon Ericson said...

I wonder how many teeth "Craig" has?

Michael K said...

In fact, if you learned to read, you'd see the parenthetical which tells against your paraphrase. Get your act together idiot.

More lefty manners.

Freder Frederson said...

Which showed you got nutthin.

It shows nothing of the kind. Just that that particular year he got nailed by the AMT.

victoria said...

Drago, The dude voted for Gus hall in 1980, when he was 25v years old. You mean that you have never voted for a candidate that you later regretted voting for? Seriously? I suspect you voted for Trump, a decision you will later regret.

And you said: "Donald Trump is the single most thoroughly vetted Presidential Candidate, President-Elect and President in the history of United States." Seriously, he is probably on the list of the worst vetted Presidential candidates, ever.

Nice try.

Vicki from Pasadena

Jon Ericson said...

Go Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny, Go.

Jon Ericson said...

She's the terror of Colorado Boulevard.

Hagar said...

So, how does Obama's lifestyle compare to his tax returns?

Drago said...

Vicky: "Drago, The dude voted for Gus hall in 1980, when he was 25v years old. You mean that you have never voted for a candidate that you later regretted voting for?"

Lol

We arent talking about a guy backed by a regime we did not understand. This was the Soviet Union in 1980! And we arent talking about some new ideology. This was the 100 million in mass graves communist ideology.

And Brennan wasnt 18. He was 25.

I love how Vicky pretends voting for the soviet backed dude was like accidently voting for a Rotary club guy vs a shriner!

Nice try at "normalizing" an utterly oppressive and murderous ideology vicky. Leftists everywhere are appreciative.

But wait: it gets funnier.

Vicky: "Seriously, he is probably on the list of the worst vetted Presidential candidates, ever."

Again, his political and empowered enemies had access to every single thing Trump, Trumps campaign, and Trumps business associates have said and done for 20 years.

Vickys "powerful" retort?

Nuh uh...

Lol

Thats an Inga-level response there..

Drago said...

Field Marshall Freder: "In the past Trump has claimed he was first in his class at Wharton, which is almost certainly bullshit."

Lol

"almost" "certainly" "bulls***"

So clearly you consider it possible that Trump was first.

Drago said...

Freder: "You can't be serious. He hasn't even released his income tax."

Freder thinks obamas IRS is falling down on the job.

Tell us Field Marshall, where did obamas IRS fail to adequately review and assess Trumps tax returns?

We'll wait....

Lol

Drago said...

Why is Freder attacking and demeaning the fine folks at obamas IRS?

So strange given the lefties and their LLR allies caterwauling over known felonious leaker and obstructor of justice McCabe.

Gee, its almost exactly like the lefties dont actually believe a single thing they are lecturing us about...

wwww said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wwww said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
buwaya said...

Re Brennan,

People do change, their allegiances if not their instincts.
Notable, and honorable, cases exist of course: Whittaker Chambers, Arthur Koestler, Andre Malraux, etc.

Note though that these gentlemen were never permitted to run anything important.

It is never prudent to make a bet on the ideological soundness of one who was known to have sympathized with the other side, and in this case at the height of an existential struggle no less. I don't know how Brennan was permitted to join the CIA in the first place.

Drago said...

wwww: "Her lawyer was baiting him into this. This suit opens T. up for discovery."

It's unfortunate Trump doesn't have any New York lawyers who understand the law.....

...oh wait.....

And yet they did it anyway.

I wonder what Trump's lawyers know that we do not....

Drago said...

buwaya: "I don't know how Brennan was permitted to join the CIA in the first place."

There are lots of "vicky's" running around the federal govt who sympathize strongly with our existential enemies.

Some of them have even been known to send pallets of cash to terrorist regimes who want to destroy us and Israel.

Drago said...

My favorite part about McCabe's lies is that he claims that lots of folks knew about the backstory feeds to reporters that he authorized but which were only attributed to "anonymous sources" in the media stories.

Specifically, Comey knew what McCabe was doing, according to McCabe.

However, Comey testified under oath that he had never approved of nor knew of any leaks or feeds to media folks from within his dept.

So, for the lefties, here's your question: Who is lying, McCabe or Comey?

LOL

Not to worry, they both are. And McCabe lied under oath.

Which also strongly indicates that Sessions was not kidding that there has been an actual prosecutor working with the IG.

And the IG report will be out soon.......

buwaya said...

That is curious indeed. Is it legal to authorize an "anonymous" leak?

Is it not, in the spirit of the laws, a requirement that this information be released openly?

Freder Frederson said...

Tell us Field Marshall, where did obamas IRS fail to adequately review and assess Trumps tax returns?

Where did I ever say anything like that? Trump could easily have complied with all tax laws but still not want anyone to see his returns. Reasons could be that he pays very little in tax, that he gives little or nothing to charity, or that he is not worth nearly as much as he claims (given, it can be hard to judge net worth from income tax returns). My theory is the thing he doesn't want revealed most of all are the foreign partners in his various businesses (which have to be listed on his LLC income statements).

Evidence of many financial crimes are not necessarily evident from tax returns. It is not the IRS' job to determine where income comes from, just that it is reported properly.

If Obama's IRS was really so partisan, why haven't Trump's returns (except for those two pages from 2005) been leaked?

buwaya said...

These FBI gentlemen certainly worked in an unconventional manner for government officials. Or as government officials should be expected to act.

The fact is though that this sort of underhanded manipulation of information has been SOP across the government is a telling symptom of its degeneration.

Drago said...

Freder: "Where did I ever say anything like that?"

When you claim Trump was not vetted.

Field Marshall Freder: "Trump could easily have complied with all tax laws but still not want anyone to see his returns."

Great. Trump obeys Tax Laws should be the headline.

I think we are done here.

Drago said...

Field Marshall Freder: "If Obama's IRS was really so partisan, why haven't Trump's returns (except for those two pages from 2005) been leaked?"

LOL

Failure to commit felonies is the newest test for non-partisanship!

Well played Freder. Well played.

Kevin said...

McCabe revealed that he had three in-person interactions and one phone call with Trump, in which the President berated him each time about his wife's failed Virginia Senate campaign.

Gee, CNN, I think there was more to report about her campaign than that it simply "failed". Instead of telling your readers that Trump might have had reason to bring it up, you write the article to make him seem like he's bringing up something inconsequential to those who would get their news from...CNN.

Drago said...

Freder: "Evidence of many financial crimes are not necessarily evident from tax returns."

It's a shame there is no one in the IRS trained to spot potential irregularities and report that to the DOJ and SEC and....

LOL

You get the idea.

Keep going Freder. You're doing great!....

wwww said...

I wonder what Trump's lawyers know that we do not....



This is a very interesting question.

As I wrote in my last comment, I expect the next year to be as drama-filled as the last.


Freder Frederson said...

When you claim Trump was not vetted.

It is not the IRS' job to vet candidates. Every candidate (except Trump) for president since Nixon has released his or her tax returns.

buwaya said...

I suspect one reason is the IRS has been well spooked by the attention paid to the Tea Party scandal, and that there is little political hay to be made vs the institutional cost of a leak of personal information, which would be enormous.

Consider the blowback on the government once it becomes clear to every tax filer that the state will leak this persinal information as it suits its political purposes. This will annoy Democrat billionaires even more than the others.

Kevin said...

If Andrew McCabe lied, could he be charged like Michael Flynn?

Could one person who violates a law be charged like another person who was charged for violating the same law?

Thank you, The Hill, for a headline that only proves how much "nation of laws" has become a punchline.

Kevin said...

It is not the IRS' job to vet candidates.

It was not the IRS' job to discriminate based on the content of an organization's speech, but here we are.

Trump and his organization were under audit during the campaign. The potential for people at the IRS to "vet" him thoroughly is way too high to simply dismiss as being out of their stated scope of work.

Obama violated FISA to get dirt on Trump, what's another Lois Lerner or two?

Drago said...

Freder: "It is not the IRS' job to vet candidates. Every candidate (except Trump) for president since Nixon has released his or her tax returns."

LOL

The entire nation was well aware that Trump had not released his taxes.

The nation "vetted" Trump by electing him with that knowledge.

But not to worry. Muellers team of democrat hacks has shown no reluctance to leak things so I'm sure you'll be seeing alot more info from illegal dem leaks as we move forward.

So keep your chin up there little fella!

Kevin said...

NEWS FLASH: Former FBI Director, fired for lying, has memos he handed to Mueller about Trump's conversations that might be the key piece of evidence that leads to some sort of Trumppocalypse.

It's like the news media doesn't seem to understand the implications of "fired for lying" on a person's credibility...

Drago said...

Kevin: "It's like the news media doesn't seem to understand the implications of "fired for lying" on a person's credibility..."

Are you kidding?

Lying to get Trump will be key bulletpoint on McCabes CV for employment at any one of a hundred lefty think tanks/oppo research firms.

Kevin said...

Mr. Comey responded on Twitter saying, “the American people will hear my story very soon.”

Just as soon as his book comes out so he can charge the American people $19.95 for the privilege of hearing his side of the story.

#PatriotMyAss

320Busdriver said...

Lawfare blog has some pretty interesting comments regarding McCabe. Leaving the door open that he did some REALLY bad things....lol

Drago said...

buwaya is correct of course. Can you imagine the blowback from congress if the IRS leaked Trump's returns?

Right now many republicans in congress are happy to let the dem/establishment/LLR deep staters keep wounding Trump with leaks from elsewhere.

Someone (congressional republicans) must have sent the message that if the IRS crossed that line there would be real hell to pay.

Otherwise it certainly would have happened by now.

Freder Frederson said...

It's a shame there is no one in the IRS trained to spot potential irregularities and report that to the DOJ and SEC and....

Actually, it works the other way around, the DOJ and SEC will get a court order for the taxes. The IRS, except in very limited circumstances, can not and will not release tax information, even when the source of the income is suspicious (even if you are stupid enough to list it as "proceeds of a bank robbery" or "bribe").

Drago said...

Mr. Comey responded on Twitter saying, “the American people will hear my story very soon.”

Comey has to wait just a bit longer to try and gleen what he can from the upcoming IG report which is going to blow him out of the water.

Comey doesn't want to rush the printing because he has to figure out what new lies to spin once the IG report blows the old lies out of the water.

Yet the market "heat" for any book requires release immediately!

Oh what a quandry!

Kevin said...

Lying to get Trump will be key bulletpoint on McCabes CV for employment at any one of a hundred lefty think tanks/oppo research firms.

For sure. But it's not going to hold up as well in a court of law.

What are they going to report when he's charged with a felony and pleads guilty to avoid jail time?

Yes, they will love his "courage", but it's not going to make him a credible source at the end of the day.

320Busdriver said...

Dan Abrams site makes the case that poor Andy is F'ed when it comes time to petition for his pension. Too bad.

Drago said...

Freder: "Actually, it works the other way around, the DOJ and SEC will get a court order for the taxes."

Actually it works both ways.

But you seem to keep forgetting that Trump and his associates and his business and his campaign have been under intense combined investigation for over 2 years which included illegal surveillance of EVERYBODY near Trump.

But yes, yes. We all know how this works.

The longer we go in not finding wrong-doing the MORE complete the conspiracy must be!! We just need to search harder!! The lack of evidence is PROOF of something even bigger than we ever dreamed!!

LOL

Drago said...

Kevin: "What are they going to report when he's charged with a felony and pleads guilty to avoid jail time?"

Easy.

Trump railroaded an innocent man.

The screenplays and Made for TV movies are already being written.

Kevin said...

Comey doesn't want to rush the printing because he has to figure out what new lies to spin once the IG report blows the old lies out of the water.

True dat.

Drago said...

Remember Valerie Plame, the racist?

Same old same old.

Next thing you know, the lefties will be blaming an entire city (Dallas) for what one of Vicky's innocent little commies did....

Oh, right. They already did that.

Kevin said...

Trump railroaded an innocent man.

The American people don't really work that way. Bill Clinton could never shake the fact he pled guilty to perjury.

They can spin Al Shapton's involvement with Tawnna Brawley and Hillary's with the CGF because while the allegations are awful, they weren't illegal or were never found to be in a court of law.

"Felon" still carries a stigma, although the Dems are working overtime to strip it away from the prison population before they find themselves and their friends tarred with it.

Freder Frederson said...

Drago,

Here is the reference since I know you don't believe me.

buwaya said...

No one before Trump has had such complex financial situations, his case being a personal business empire that he ran himself.
The only two that come close are Edward Kennedy and Mitt Romney, and they avoided personal attachment, working through a family corporation (Kennedy) and a business (Romneys Bain, which he did not found, in which he dealt for the partnership, not himself).

One good reason for not disclosing Trumps tax returns is because of its personal nature - a great deal is exposed that would be better sealed off in other cases like Bain. This would require disclosing some of his business arrangements with vendors, creditors, clients, silent partners and etc., all of whom would be exposed to political harassment. Many already are as we see, known ones like Macys and NBC and many others. There are websites with hit lists of people doing business with Trump, and many of these have been pressured to drop his licensed products, etc.

And as we also saw in the case of Romneys Bain, which was campaigned against and continuously slandered to their cost.

But that is nothing like what has already been done to Trumps business partners.

Kevin said...

Michael Wolff's book is full of "unsubstantiated" charges.

If he were convicted of libel, people would look at its contents much differently.

Why do you think Dems are so scared of a government that would actually prosecute people for their crimes? It drastically changes the ferocity of the attacks which can be successfully carried out.

Gahrie said...

The whole freaking left is doing nothing but search for stolen strawberries these days!

Freder Frederson said...

If he were convicted of libel, people would look at its contents much differently.

Hey dumbass, libel is not a crime. Something about the first amendment, I think.

Freder Frederson said...

This would require disclosing some of his business arrangements with vendors, creditors, clients, silent partners and etc.

All of which may be extremely relevant to his fitness to serve as president. After all, if his returns revealed that he was in business, with say a drug dealer (oh, never mind that one is in the public record or the Russian Mafia, then it would be something even the least curious Trump fan would want to know.

Freder Frederson said...

There are websites with hit lists of people doing business with Trump, and many of these have been pressured to drop his licensed products, etc.

The First Amendment is a bitch, ain't it?

Kevin said...

Hey dumbass, libel is not a crime.

"Libel is the written or broadcast form of defamation, distinguished from slander, which is oral defamation. It is a tort (civil wrong) making the person or entity (like a newspaper, magazine or political organization) open to a lawsuit for damages by the person who can prove the statement about him/her was a lie."

https://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1153

If you'd like to try to discuss the difference between crimes and torts, I'll pass from lack of interest.

Freder Frederson said...

If you'd like to try to discuss the difference between crimes and torts, I'll pass from lack of interest.

You are not convicted for a tort, it is a private action (not the state bringing charges) and you can't go to jail.

Freder Frederson said...

And your definition proved my point.

buwaya said...

The First Amendment is just fine Freder.
We speak here of the unwritten conventions of political conflict, which are always even more important than laws.

Your problem is an excess of bile, unmoored from any ethical system, to the point that you will ruin people for their associations or political expression. The case of Brendan Eich was a signal of overstepping all the unwritten rules, as also the harassment of, say, Rush Limbaughs advertisers, etc.

Not only is this dirty pool, but politics played without limit is civil war.

This is a very, very dangerous game.

Freder Frederson said...

Your problem is an excess of bile, unmoored from any ethical system, to the point that you will ruin people for their associations or political expression.

This is rich from a guy who fantasizes about setting up death squads to murder liberals.

buwaya said...

And, again, I recommend Antony Beevors "The Battle For Spain" for a succinct retelling of what happens when all the unwritten rules of political behavior are overruled by, first, ideological fanaticism, and then, frustrated, by hysterical hatred.

Hatred answers hatred. The consequence is the written laws fall reliably after the unwritten ones have become obsolete.
As we see with the corruption of the US government, and the corruption of the greater society around it, including the corruption of intellectual discourse.

What is next? You should fear Part 2.

Stop, stop, stop.

buwaya said...

Freder,

I don't fantasize, I predict. I warn. This has all happened before, over and over.

Listen with your mind open, your heart open.

Kevin said...

And your definition proved my point.

I'm sorry, was your point germane to the discussion?

I discussed Al Sharpton, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Michael Wolff, each of whom could be charged with crimes, sued over torts, or simply dismissed as discredited charlatans.

In no way did my comment about Dems being scared of "a government that would actually prosecute people for their crimes" refer specifically and exclusively to Michael Wolff.

Did you not understand that? Or is it just the case you can't you help yourself from being a pedantic asshole?

Jon Ericson said...

I vote pedantic asshole.

buwaya said...

As for the form your civil war will take, if you don't stop, well, that is prudent to think it through. What are the consequences of a system failure?

What is at the end of your path?

Conduct thought experiments.

Freder Frederson said...

In no way did my comment about Dems being scared of "a government that would actually prosecute people for their crimes" refer specifically and exclusively to Michael Wolff.

Actually, that is exactly what you said.

"Michael Wolff's book is full of "unsubstantiated" charges.

If he were convicted of libel, people would look at its contents much differently."

At least wait for another thread to lie about what you wrote earlier. It makes it too easy for me.

Jon Ericson said...

"First we Fuck Flynn then fuck Trump"

Francisco D said...

Freder: "Hey dumbass, libel is not a crime. Something about the first amendment, I think."

Wow! That's embarrassingly stupid - Inga sort of stupid..

We need a much higher quality of lefty troll/commenter on this site.

Jon Ericson said...

Please carry on "Freder".
Weak sauce.
Not as entertaining as "Craig" or Pedro,
But I bet you were a loser at debate.

Fritz said...

I feel kind of sorry for McCabe. He was probably a straight shooter until he got into the swirl of corruption around the Clintons. They're like Pigpen; people get dirty just being near them.

Kevin said...

Actually, that is exactly what you said.

I said many other relevant things as well. I alluded to them in my last response, and you'll also find them in this thread.

What tends to happen here is that people write things, and then other people write things, and then people respond. But strangely enough, it's the entirety of the conversation that is being discussed, not just the last thing someone posted.

It's like a conversation, you have to keep up. It would be strange if you were at a cocktail party and before you could respond you had to retell everything that came before for the one guy who happened to wander into the group.

That's why in life the person just joining the conversation tries to understand what came before and doesn't just start spouting off. They'd have no context and just look like an asshole looking to score points.

You might want to consider that it works like that here too.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Geez, you're kind of dragging this out of me, but let's not pile on Freder just for being Freder. We were all that young once. Let's stick to the arguments which are copious enough.

Freder, what is this fan dancing about libel not being a crime vs civil tort? That really is not the point. Libel convictions would also be significant and damaging, don't you think? The more so for their rarity of successful prosecution?

Jon Ericson said...

Oof!

buwaya said...

I am of course very pessimistic that you can avoid a system failure. The next change of government, even if seen as legitimate (which may not be seen to be so), will bring you a substansive destruction of your First Amendment. This will be necessary on the part of the PTB in order to preclude another Trump episode, or worse. Free speech is moot if all its channels are blocked.

The news today has a bit about the Chinese system of "social credit" points, based on recorded behavior, and also internet browsing habits and written comments. They will punish people for being politically unreliable. The US is already creating his system unofficially, held back so far only by political risk vis a vis a hostile administration. Come a sympathetic administration and you will have it post haste.

I know Americans very well. This will not go smoothly. The reaction will be met by hysteria, and that by more reaction. You already hate each other with a rare intensity - really, other peoples with deep political divisions aren't as intense as you - so much so that you are already perfectly willing to break every rule to get at each other.

Mr. Fabulous said...

(World Famous Lurker says....)

As this is a Cafe Post, here is my musical cafe link within a Cafe Post: Valentina Lisitsa playing Paganini-Liszt "La Campanella": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD6xMyuZls0&list=RDMD6xMyuZls0

She looks just a bit like the Professor, yes?

Freder Frederson said...

That really is not the point. Libel convictions would also be significant and damaging, don't you think?

The point is there is no such thing as a "libel conviction" in this country. Precise language is important, especially on a blog that purports at least partially concerned with legal issues.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Fine, you've made your point and a fine one it is. Anything else?

Bad Lieutenant said...

Buwaya, a rebellion, if it come, will be swiftly put down, but what form will a second Reconstruction take?

Jon Ericson said...

Someone should offer to start a gofundme to purchase some "whiney butthurt salve" for "Freder"
I'd send ten bucks.

buwaya said...

BL,

A start of a thought experiment - what forms do modern rebellions take?

tcrosse said...

She looks just a bit like the Professor, yes

More so here

Jon Ericson said...

Calm down, "Freder", we know whose side you're on.

Mr. Fabulous said...

(world Famous Lurker says....)

tcrosse - Very nice, I hadn't seen that version. Have you seen her in this one, at another train station (in London?), playing another Liszt piece - Rondo Fantastique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn-KEbvCckg&list=RDvn-KEbvCckg

Bad Lieutenant said...

B, the same as always, the fell wax-moth. Bore from within. Whip up the malcontents, breed cadres, sap the system's will. Sow doubt of society's right to live.Make deals. Be too nasty to confront or oppose. Find external sources of support for you, and sunder others. Never let up.

Look at us, then look at Europe. Look at Paris. Hamburg. Rotherham.

Then look at Beirut. It's a continuum.

Imagine that RVN had conducted a VC type campaign, not countering but matching, infiltrating great numbers of overt and covert forces, both infiltrating and directly striking governmental structures, performing terrorist acts, degrading the economy and the war effort, perhaps discovering and penetrating the foreign actors playing their parts.

tcrosse said...

Mr. Fabulous - I'm a fan. Here's my favourite in the street-piano genre.

Appassionata in Paris

buwaya said...

BL,

Consider how a "right wing" campaign of that sort would work out in a tribally-divided polity, where allegiances are already given. A lot of the work you are talking about is a done deal in the US. The most likely model for an actual outbreak in the US is already present. Whats missing is the urgency of motive plus organization

In general, I am thinking Northern Ireland. The Oklahoma bombing is a model of that sort of propaganda of the deed. There are any number of other incidents (including mass shootings, politically motivated or not) that show the form in which the early staged may follow, the channels are already worn. And organization is not required for most of this.

Drago said...

Field Marshall Freder: "Precise language is important, especially on a blog that purports at least partially concerned with legal issues."

Lol

Yeah, a lefty just wrote that. Just now. In the middle of the gun debate where the desire for precision in language is being derided and blasted by the left.

Too funny.

Drago said...

Field Marshall Freder: "The First Amendment is a bitch, ain't it?"

Yeah. A lefty wrote that. Just now. In the middle of attempts by lefties to violently shut down conservative speakers and create unconstitutional "hate speech" restrictions on any speech the left disagrees with.

Mr. Fabulous said...

(Not lurking today, am I?)

tcrosse - That's better version of her playing Beethoven's Appassionata than I have been watching/listening to, thank you!

More cafe music in future Cafe Posts!

Bad Lieutenant said...

Since this is Cafe, I'll throw out the following topic for New York regional people and civil engineering times. What does everybody think of the Gateway issue, the trans Hudson tunnels?

Bad Lieutenant said...

Consider how a "right wing" campaign of that sort would work out in a tribally-divided polity, where allegiances are already given. A lot of the work you are talking about is a done deal in the US. The most likely model for an actual outbreak in the US is already present. Whats missing is the urgency of motive plus organization

Why don't you throw out a case, and I'll have my whack? Maybe I lack the vocabulary, the experience you offer. The Philippines is a rare time I recall when that sort of thing went well.

Jon Ericson said...

Shut up, "Craig".

Jon Ericson said...

Huh, it worked!

Jon Ericson said...

So, how has the research paid off?

Jon Ericson said...

"Tuff Guy"

Jon Ericson said...

B. Dylan - New lyrics for 2018!

buwaya said...

The Philippines is a very poor case to compare. Strategically it is vastly different because the culture is so foreign. Tactically it is more useful, but only up to a point.

The "people power" revolution in which I participated could not have worked the same way elsewhere, and certainly not in the US. The differences are numerous - a near-totally Catholic and mostly devout population, a fundamentally communal, united society sharing identical values, a weak government structure, a polity that was regionally tribal, not dispersed and annoying each other, the people were almost completely unarmed - and many more.

If the US had a "people power" option then I would be more hopeful, but it does not, or I don't see it. A mass movement of street protest would not work because it could not attract a majority in the US, in the same way that the "pussy hat" protests didn't, or that pro-life protests never have. That sort of thing is one faction of the people protesting another faction of the people; here that is mostly sterile, it cannot create a preference cascade.

Over there we were immediately respectable because we were favored by the Church. We had the actual pulpits and the widely-available church radio (Radio Veritas) to bypass government propaganda. You won't have that.

It goes on and on at every point.

But the biggest difference by far is that in the Philippines the people didnt hate each other (leaving out Muslims and their enemies, a small special case). There was no large group beyond the pale. There were those on-side and those that weren't, but save a few individuals both were mutually acceptable to each other. Even class differences were not full of hate. The common man, the tao, the peasant, was a figure of traditional respect. Art and folklore held him and his traditional rice-farming lifestyle up as an ideal. Most of the urban population, including the wealthy, were just a generation or two removed from the soil.

In the US you have racial and cultural differences almost completely isolating you from each other, and very little mutual respect.

Spain in 1936 is much closer to the US today. There it was class and ideology and tribalism isolating groups, even neighbor from neighbor.

Jon Ericson said...

Lack.of.candor.

Jon Ericson said...

But buwaya, we do have a few months (weeks) left with Althouse... Don't we?

Ann Althouse said...

"She looks just a bit like the Professor, yes?"

Ha. I read that, totally believed you meant Hillary looks like me, and said to Meade: That's what I thought. That's how I think I look walking around town.

But I enjoyed the piano music. Reminded me of Chico Marx. I didn't recognize the music, but I said out loud: "That's what bad taste sounded like 200 years ago." And I mean that in an admiring way.

Thanks for seeing me in her. I'm complimented.

And I still do believe I traipse about in my natural habitat looking like broken-wrist Hillary.

buwaya said...

You have a while.
How long I don't know.
But last year I took the precaution of establishing a robust foreign hedge of my personal assets, with the assumption that I was likely to obtain reduced appreciation vs US investments in the short term, or ever. Insurance is a cost.

And then we also have second-country passports, a refugees best asset.

Jon Ericson said...

Althouse the Anti-Mench drops yays in the middle of an existential question and answer.
Go watch some Netflix.
It'll make the discomfort go away.

Jon Ericson said...

Please recommend something nihilistic.
Gotta prepare my ass for what's coming.

buwaya said...

Re civil wars - on Netflix - "Beasts of no Nation"
Its superb, and terrible

Jon Ericson said...

Phrasing!

Gotta prepare my ass for future eventualities.
or
Gotta prepare myself for what's coming.

Whew!

Too bad everybody's out getting shit-faced right now -- no comments.
But I hope they all login soon with their fascinating tales.
One can only imagine.
One might have been implicated in this sort of behavior hisself ~mumble~ years ago.
"let it all hang out"
lol

Jon Ericson said...

Thx buwaya.
Australia?
We've got a few friends there and have the down payment.

Jon Ericson said...

I understand New Zealand is being prickly about some current applications from some billionaires.

Jon Ericson said...

Poland looks good.

Jon Ericson said...

Too bad nobody cares.

Jon Ericson said...

No! No! They care! They're just monitoring their "picks".
Better than picking their noses.

Jon Ericson said...

So whenzit over?

buwaya said...

Stay here, send your kids.
Thats my plan.
What does it matter what happens to us?
We are an end, they are a beginning.

Australia is nice. But if the US goes wonky China will own it.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Australia is nice. But if the US goes wonky China will own it.

3/17/18, 9:46 PM


That's what I'm saying. Stand your ground. What hedge? There is no hedge. You think Spain is safer than Australia?

Jon Ericson said...

buwaya, thanks for all the good advice.
Maybe Althouse has been good for something.

Jon Ericson said...

Oh Bad, life is not Mad Max. Yet.
Keep up a good Façade.
Hup Hup Hup!

buwaya said...

Looking ahead, I would rate Australia over Spain long term.
In spite of China.
Its an easy choice for someone young.

Demographics are key, and the Spanish advantage in identity over the US (Spain, or its parts, will remain Spanish, of whatever flavor) is matched by Australia. Australians are very Australian, with the advantage that you can become Australian. Americans used to be like that. Australia has better prospects across the board.

Spain looks good as a retirement destination, to me anyway. My wife dies not agree. Women are hard to move.

Gahrie said...

That's what I'm saying. Stand your ground. What hedge? There is no hedge. You think Spain is safer than Australia?

Personally, I'm hoping that Musk succeeds....I can't see any of the snowflake or SJW brigade making the trip.

Big Mike said...

@buwaya, the reason Australians are so Australian is because everything down there is trying to kill you, from saltwater crocodiles (world’s largest) to great white sharks to bull sharks that can swim freshwater rivers to Sydney funnel web spiders to a bunch of the most venomous snakes in the world to box jellyfish. Did I mention the close relative of the American Black Widow spider that likes to sit under toilet seats?

Big Mike said...

And are you aware of the sheer size of the Australian Huntsman spider? Leg span 12” and reputed to be extremely quick.