Politics What is happening????

The general feeling is the restrictive (anti)abortion will stand, but with some portions being declared illegal.

The whole bill needs to be shot down.
But the bounty/reward seriously
needs to be declared illegal.

 

Unfortunately, moments ago, the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the temporary injunction issued by the district court early this week...

Texas Abortion Law Back In Effect As Appeals Court Blocks Injunction

The initial ruling last month by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court that allowed this highly restrictive law to go into effect did not consider the constitutionality of the Texas law in its one paragraph opinion:

...In reaching this conclusion, we stress that we do not purport to resolve definitively any jurisdictional or substantive claim in the applicants’ lawsuit. In particular, this order is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas’s law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts...
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/21a24_8759.pdf​

This law is ultimately headed to a full hearing by the Supreme Court but it is not surprising to me that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most conservative of the 12 federal appeals courts, would allow it to proceed when its constitutionality is highly questionable.

 

While he was not among the 200+* MAGA rioters charged with assaulting (or impeding) police at the US Capitol on Jan 6, the 'QAnon Shaman' received the longest sentence to-date



'QAnon Shaman' sentenced to 41 months in prison for role in Jan. 6 attack

DoJ update on total arrests/charges...
Approximately 675 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states (this includes those charged in both District and Superior Court).

Criminal charges:

• At least 210 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including over 65 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
• Approximately 10 individuals have been arrested on a series of charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media, or destroying their equipment, on Jan. 6.
• Over 600 defendants have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds.
• At least 265 defendants have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding, or attempting to do so.
• Approximately 40 defendants have been charged with conspiracy, either: (a) conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, (b) conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, (c) conspiracy to injure an officer, or (d) some combination of the three.

Ten Months Since the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol

 

The thing I fear is that they will learn that if they were successful, then none of them would be going to prison. They might try to use deadly force next time and won't give up so easily.

 

That looks impressive. The sheer volume of numbers would lead one to believe serious action is being taken.

The truth is too many wrist slaps and too few prison sentences. Some of the known hard-core rioters are properly prosecuted and sentenced. Many are probably running around bragging about what they essentially got away with.



I wish the hell the decision to have armed troops in place had been made and carried out.

 

Later this morning. the US Court of Appeals will hear Trump's desperate claim of "executive privilege" in an attempt to block the National Archives from releasing White House documents, including communications between Trump and advisors, to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

The three Appeals Court judges selected randomly to hear the case were appointed by Obama and Biden. Trump is likely to lose his appeal and would then take it to the US Supreme Court....

Full story: Trump to ask court to keep records away from U.S. Capitol riot panel

-----

Why those records are important....

The Guardian is reporting today that 'sources' have said "that just hours before the attack on the US Capitol, Trump made several calls from the White House to top lieutenants at the Willard Hotel to discuss ways to stop or delay the certification of Joe Biden’s election win from taking place on 6 January..."

Full story: Trump called aides at command center hours before Capitol riot

The House Select Committee has reportedly interviewed nearly 200 people to-date (rally organizers, Trump administration officials and others) behind closed doors, mostly gathering information and connecting dots, so there has been little reporting on what has been learned about the role of Trump and White House officials in the violent attack on the Capitol.

I would expect the Select Committee will begin public hearings after the first of the year where witnesses will be questioned about the findings from the private sworn depositions.

 

What's happening,
I learn recently my cousin, a dem who goes to church regularly is being dragged to...
The American Redoubt, north Idaho.
Her toxicley masculine son in law is taking a job in a wood mill in cour de Laine where they want more "like minded" (strict christians and Jews, muslems can fuck off) to move in and upend all the non partisan public servants to be hella conservative folks, and generally push east Wa, east Or. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to band together and secede from the union.
Because, fuck vaccines man ! I got freedums !!

Fine...that's a 5-6 hr Christmas drive I will never do. Nor will I take the $200 flite.
Too bad, I like my cousin, her daughter and my grand neice X2
Oh well, enjoy the bro dozer in the winter. Hope your daughters don't hate you too much when they grow up and learn you kill Bambi's family every year you can.
It'll be interesting to hear the culture over there from my cousin. She doesn't watch the news or really do politics so I expect she'll do ok unless people are openly racist and really overt about their open carry daily dick wagging gun show.
Always liked seeing my cuz at Christmas. Hated playing cards agents humanity at a table with people 14-63 years old who don't all know each other.
But toxic masculinity says it's fine to make jokes about eating grandpa's cum at the dinner table with kids to grandparents all there.
Really dude ?

Oh well my cat will be happy I'm not gone overnight for 2 days.

 

Three days after a 15 year old student in Michigan killed four of his classmates and wounded seven others with a gun given to him by his parents as an early Christmas present, a Republican congressman from Kentucky tweeted a family Christmas greetings...


View: https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1467197523127422979


Yesterday, a Democratic congressman from Kentucky responded...


View: https://twitter.com/RepJohnYarmuth/status/1467222643107680273


More: “Not Everyone From Kentucky is an Insensitive A**hole” Rep. John Yarmouth Rips Thomas Massie’s Assault Weapon X-Mas Card

I never cease to be amazed at how callous some "gun rights" advocates like Rep. Massie are after school shootings.

 

And 86 thousand tweeters love it.

 

Fucking hell.

 

I don't post on firearms forums because of crap like this. Some of what I read is mind boggling.

Two things that jump out at me:
The Second Amendment covers one hundred round (and more) magazines, and binary triggers.

 

Not to start a new gun control debate, but just a reminder...


View: https://twitter.com/yokoono/status/1468599843371327490


Yoko Ono Marks 41st Anniversary of John Lennon's Death with Stark Gun Violence Statistic

 

^^^
I certainly do NOT
agree with all of the views of the hard right 2A supporters.

I will say *accurate* gun death totals aren't easy to come by.

Also you can present similarily "disturbing" numbers for alcohol related deaths. You can include motor vehicle deaths.

Edit: What I failed to say anywhere close to clearly is numbers can be used to support nearly any viewpoint. The story behind the numbers can make them range from very accurate to very misleading.

 

I agree the Yoko Ono tweet was little more than a political statement but still a reminder of gun deaths in the US.

There have been similar tweets in the last few years from family members on the anniversaries of the school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

In terms of the number, the 1.5 million is probably a reasonable estimate, with an average of 30-40 thousand/year over those 40 years. What is often forgotten is that the majority of gun deaths (more than 60 percent consistently over the years are suicides).

The greatest causes of death in the US are heart disease, cancer other medical conditions (hundreds of thousands annually) but in the last few years, gun deaths have surpassed motor vehicle deaths.

 

Only a matter of time

 

View: https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1491607687297122304

Biden targeting Gen Z voters!

 

WTF...
Florida House passes 'Don't Say Gay' bill

And double WTF
Texas governor calls on citizens to report parents of transgender kids for abuse

How did we get so fucking stupid that we elect such human garbage to public office ?

Who wants this kind of absurd idiotic legislation ?
Why is anyone afraid of non binary people ??

Where's Dan Savage ? Things aren't getting better Dan.