We are all struggling to get back to a little more normal existence. Here on Halloween 2021 our doors are again opened to the little, or not so little, ghosts, goblins and witches, or perhaps Squid Game guards, who knock on our doors. In a break from politics, pandemics and riotous school board meetings I am going to do a Halloween music post. So on this Halloween sit back and relax with a little ghostly, creepy music.
How could I not start with this?
An oldie, but still creepy.
Have to include some classic rock.
Doesn't have to be a monster on land.
And last, but not least...
58 comments:
Watching the weekend news I came to the conclusion that the Democrats are losing the PR war for 'Biden's Presidency' because they can't seem to settle on a simple, bumper-sticker ready issue and slogan.
I think I know the issue they need--vaccines. They need to lean into the vaccine controversy. The Republicans got 'em spooked and leaning away from that. (Incidental note: American truckers' unions are joining the Trumpkin anti-vaxxer types. Politico)
The issue is quite simple to formulate--the Republican/Trumpkin coalition is evil, and dangerous. They are an evil unleashed within America. Their position on vaccines is the proof. (Add FoxNews to that coalition, tag them as 'The Mouthpiece of The Evil Coalition' and make them defend their position to their viewers.) Don't try to reach the FoxNews viewers; quit trying to pretend those people are reachable; let FoxNews have that audience (for now). Try instead to reach the few swing voters who might be reachable, and, most importantly, drive home knowledge of the danger with those who already know 'nuff to get their asses vaccinated. The villagers around Buchenwald, Auschwitz, et al. claimed to not know what went on inside although the stench of death had wafted for miles across the countryside for years. They weaponized ignorance, real or feigned.
So it is now. (A difference in the degree of the evil, but no difference in kind in the weaponization of feigned ignorance.) The unvaccinated are a danger to the vaccinated. They ought to be called on it, publicly, loudly, and often. The White House should be leading the call.
(I don't think there's a tinker's chance in Hell the Democrats will actually do this, but maybe if they get their ass beat Tuesday in Virginia they'll at least consider it. The Trumpkin/Republicans live for their delight in indulging their carefully groomed anger and outrage. It's high time the Democrats start getting a little angry 'bout that themselves.)
The Republicans, at least the majority that have embraced Trump, are using the vaccine as just another means to stoke fear and doubt. Whether it is the media, the elections, CRT, liberals, masks or the vaccine they are using these things as levers to pry apart our country. Evil is as good a word as any. Whether we sink so low as Nazi Germany only time will tell. But right now it does appear that it is only the Democrats, as the only other major party, that can halt the slide. If more elected Republicans had chosen to stand up to Trump and McConnell this might not be the case. But as it stands I hesitate to vote for any Republicans, because they all seem to toe the line that those two have drawn.
I think the Democrats do need to find a point that can be focused on to unite the hesitant voters. Would the vaccine work? I don't know. This is a different country from our grandfather's. People are less willing to stand up and self-sacrifice for the good of all. I remember mentioning to someone, who voted for Trump, that during that election we were still able to vote as we chose, but there may come a time when that is not the case. He thought I was being extreme. I wonder if any of those people will listen now? I somehow doubt it. They are simply not paying attention or do not follow anything in the mainstream media because they don't trust it.
I am relieved that I can still find new people who are as concerned as I am about the trend of our politics. The question is, can we flip those who have been sucked into the lies of Trump & Co.?
I was talking to one of my neighbors this weekend and she told me that one of her 28 year old co-workers had died of Covid recently. He left behind a new wife who is pregnant. He thought he was invincible. He was unvaccinated.
"He thought I was being extreme."
He's probably confident that he will still be able to vote as he wants so long as Trump wins this next round. But, he just may have to settle for not be able to vote at all come 2028.
"People are less willing to stand up and self-sacrifice for the
good of all."
Not looking to get them to "stand up and self-sacrifice"; that's a pipe dream; I'm looking to paint them as 'the others', as the enemy. The selection of a domestic 'enemy' for demonization can be made to work against the Trumpkins just as easily as it works for them.
But, since you mentioned 'Critical Race Theory', I have thoughts on that as well. So, moving on to that subject….
First, nobody's teaching 'Critical Race Theory' in the public schools. There are no classes on the subject, no curricula--no books, pamphlets, teaching materials, etc. have ever been developed for any such imaginary classes. There are no workable plans to ever teach such classes (nor anybody working on such plans, so far as I can tell).
Second, the subject's simply not amenable to undergraduate instruction except perhaps for a select class of the highest academic achievers, perhaps the top 10% of undergraduate students (or perhaps a considerably more rarefied and selective an audience). Had anybody been making plans to gather together such a selective group to fill out such a class (either willingly or forcefully), we'd have heard about it--the necessary logistics would be impossible to conceal.
Third, and simply put: They lie! They lie because they are evil.
And they lie because they wish to conceal their true evil intentions. What they object to is the teaching of history. (I could fill out the argument, but you probably get the idea just from what little bit of it I've so 'simply put' so far.) They can't admit that they wish to outlaw the teaching of history, 'cause that wouldn't poll well, even with the audience at FoxNews, but that's what they want.
The Democrats oughta be pounding on that one too. Time to take the gloves off, and name them as the evil they are.
(But, again, the Democrats won't do be doing that. They elected Biden to restore 'bipartisanship' to the government and to resurrect good feelings all about, not to beat the bastards back. Damn good chance that'll cost them their legislative majorities come the 2022 mid-term elections. Good chance it'll cost them the Virginia Governors' race going down today as well.)
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"He thought he was invincible."
Presumably he was disabused of that notion by the end.
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Manchin dropped his last pretenses late yesterday, and insisted that the "progressives" in his party back down just as they always have before, and as he had expected they would this time, if he just dragged things out long enough. He'd been relying on that pattern holding up at least one more time. But, they haven't folded. So, now he's pissed. And now he's gonna rage against the 'progressives' first, and then he's gonna vote the way he was always gonna vote anyway. Or so he says. (He wasn't makin' a whole lot of sense as he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to wrap up the loose ends of that argument.)
Could be Biden can talk some sense into him when Biden gets back from Europe.
Or, maybe not.
Does kinda take the heat offa Sinema though.
Looks like The Fed is seriously considering both dumping the pandemic economic 'supports' (large purchases of the federal debt) and raising interest rates during the coming election year. The Democrats' prospects for retaining their legislative majorities will take another big hit when that happens. (Trump gettin' lucky again.)
The party in power usually gets outsized credit when the economy rises, and almost always gets outsized blame when the economy falls (although Trump seemed to be immune to any blame among his supporters so long as he stoked their malice against the minorities and the 'libs'). Biden and company can wail about it if they want, but that's just how things work.
But, hasn’t Trump come out pretty hard as pro-vaxx though?
I mean, I know his former/present base are over represented* among the ones refusing the vaxx, but I don’t see how that could be blamed on Trump himself.
*curiously a lot of medical staff seems to be anti-vaxxers also. And I’m not saying this to second guess the vaxx, I took both shots available to me as soon as I could and will take a booster this winter if it’s recommended to me, still I find it curious.
Trump made the following statement at one of his rallies in August:
"'And you know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You've
got to do what you have to do,' Trump said. 'But I recommend take
the vaccines. I did it. It's good. Take the vaccines.'
"Some boos rang out from the crowd, who were largely maskless.
"'No, that's OK. That's all right. You got your freedoms,' Trump said,
echoing rhetoric from opponents of mask and vaccination mandates.
'But I happened to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the
first to know. OK? I'll call up Alabama, I'll say, hey, you know what?
But the vaccine is working. But you do have your freedoms you
have to keep. You have to maintain that.'"
NBC (local channel--Alabama)
Near as I can recall, he's never again made any public statement supporting vaccinations. Once booed by his base over that was all he could take. He then ran away from the subject, never to return to it.
I would not characterize that as 'coming out pretty hard as pro-vaxx'. I suppose you can call it whatever you choose.
First, nobody's teaching 'Critical Race Theory' in the public schools. There are no classes on the subject, no curricula--no books, pamphlets, teaching materials, etc. have ever been developed for any such imaginary classes.
Exactly. Yet we are seeing people bring it up at school board meetings or in our election for school board members. They are making up imaginary issues when they can't find something of substance. Even some students have noticed and are getting ticked off at the lack of focus on real issues. My neighbor came out and called it for what it is, stupidity.
Speaking of the election today, one of the questions on the ballot in Minneapolis is regarding the future of the police department there. They are voting on whether or not to create something called the Department of Public Safety within which the Police Department will function. As far as I am aware they have not gotten around to actually determining who will be in charge and how it would function.
They also have on the ballot a question on whether to curtail the City Council's power in favor of the Mayor.
I don't live in Minneapolis so I don't get a vote, but I think I would vote no on both of those questions. I would need to know exactly how the Department of Public Safety would work before I voted for it. And the other question would seem to give too much power to one person.
I had 37 Trick or Treaters on Halloween. Usually I have close to 100. I had a LOT of candy left over. I brought it in to work where it is finding good homes.
So far It's not looking good for the Dems in Virginia or New Jersey Governor's races.
"I had 37 Trick or Treaters…"
I find that locking the front gate and putting up a "Danger Electrified Fencing" sign is an effective deterrent when the two are used in combination.
Don't even need to put in the electric fence, just install a few insulators in prominent places with some wire strung on them.
(I thought about installing a "Child Molester in Residence" sign, but then had second thoughts about that one. Didn't want to have to acquire a fake child molester to ride fence for the night; seemed to me to be too much trouble when the fake Electric Fence sign was so easy to reinforce with a few salvaged insulators and some extraneous wire.)
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"…curiously a lot of medical staff seems to be anti-vaxxers also."
Not around here, not after months with both of our hospitals overrun by covid patients. Although, the very few 'anti-vax' medicos who did survive that experience with their covid politics intact do seem to attract an outsized amount of attention.
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I don't think there's a high degree of danger of New Jersey acquiring a Republican majority state legislature. But a Republican Governor in Virginia serving a four year term could help a Republican majority Virginia legislature "find" enough votes to throw the state's electoral votes to Trump in 2024--the actual vote count notwithstanding. So, the risk from Trump rises a little bit with Youngkin's win last night.
Minneapolis' new "Department of Public Safety" option seems to have bitten the dust as well. FoxNews is saying that the "strong mayor" option has been approved, with the current mayor getting a plurality of the vote, but not enough to avoid a subsequent run-off election.
I find that locking the front gate and putting up a "Danger Electrified Fencing" sign is an effective deterrent when the two are used in combination.
lol! That would certainly make for a quiet night. I tend to not look forward to having to get up and answer the door, but I kind of enjoy seeing the kids in costume and interacting with them. I did have three come as Squid Game guards. I would guess they were in Junior High. I doubt parents would let younger kids watch that and High School kids aren't out Trick or Treating.
Minneapolis' new "Department of Public Safety" option seems to have bitten the dust as well. FoxNews ...
All accurate. They billed the "strong mayor" idea as making it easier to govern. He would pick heads of departments and the City Council would make policy.
In our school levy questions they voted to renew existing levies but turned down any additional funding. And the guy running on a platform of anti-mask and anti-CRT got in in his district. He wasn't in mine so I couldn't vote against him.
I hope the Democrats take note of the results in these elections and get their act together, or we may have problems in 2022 and 2024.
After the Trumpkin/Republican Party filibustered the latest, and probably last, attempt to pass some sort of voting rights legislation (yesterday) Senator Joe Manchin announced that the failure of this fourth iteration of the bill, now even further watered down to attract Republican support, was everybody else's fault, not his fault that he never could find those ten Republicans he promised to find--never his fault. Quoting Manchin:
"We need other people to be talking to each other and find a
pathway forward. It can’t just be one or two people talking to
both sides."
FullCircleNews
Translation: "Never mind what I said before about this being my project; this is not my project now that it's failed; I'm blameless here; just as I'm always blameless--and the filibuster will live on."
And, of course, the Democrats will just have to live with that 'cause there ain't nothin' they can do 'bout it. The numbers are what they are; if they're gonna get a 50ᵗʰ vote for any of their legislation, it's gonna be Manchin that provides it.
I'd like to see one of the Republicans who is not running again do the right thing and cross the aisle. Then Manchin won't be so critical. But, of course, that won't happen. While we may rail at Manchin, it is really the Republicans who are to blame for not working on something that would benefit a majority of the American people, including their base.
"While we may rail at Manchin…"
Don't know that I'd agree to the proposition that I was railing "at Manchin". I thought I's being fairly practical, even grudgingly accepting of the situation. Mostly I thought I was backing up my earlier observation that one cannot trust a damn thing Manchin says for public consumption; that what he says in public often offers zero insight into what he's gonna do or why he's gonna do it.
(I believe he actually takes a sort of perverse pleasure in the fact that he bullshit the press and be blatantly inconsistent in public, pretty much at will, and none of his peers have the balls to call him on it. Except, I think he's actually got that a little bit wrong--I think it's instead a situation where nobody has any incentive to call him on it--there's no purpose to be served by that sort of direct challenge to him. (Although that last dynamic might change on short notice*.) And, I happen to have noticed that I'm not the only one who believes this.)
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"… including their base."
Their "base" wants them to screw the rest of us over, and to do whatever's necessary to accomplish that screwin' over; that's what their primary-voting 'base' wants. And if their 'base' has to accept some collateral damage in the process, they're willing.
And they know that.
"Let's go Brandon" is their base's current favorite rallying cry. That's not been lost on them; they didn't miss that goin' 'round at the Trump rallies, as well as in between the rallies; nor did they misunderstand it.
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I read yesterday that the coronavirus is still taking a 1,000 American lives per day. A typical seasonal influenza outbreak takes 100 lives a day while the season lasts. Atlantic
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* More later on change in the Manchin dynamic.
"* More later on change in the Manchin dynamic."
This is later.
Looks like Manchin negotiated himself into position behind the eight ball. The 'progressive' Democrats did not fold this time--Manchin's expectations notwithstanding. When his expectations did not come to fruition he resorted to exhortations, which likewise did not get the 'progressive' Democrats to fold this time. However, coupled with Tuesday's losses in Virginia, Manchin's maneuvering did spook Biden and Pelosi, and they decided to force a vote on the 'bipartisan' infrastructure bill, unlinked to Biden's "Build Back Better" wholly partisan effort supported by the 'progressive' wing of the party, and to do it quick, before that got away from them too. They thought they needed a win, so they took what they had in hand. Tonight they held the unlinked vote on the 'bipartisan' infrastructure bill, which has already passed the Senate, and they passed it. It goes to Biden for signature now. (They ultimately had to rely on crossover Republican votes because the 'progressive' Democrats voted against that surrender in sufficient numbers to have killed it--they never did back down--six would have been enough, and they had the six.)
Now Manchin can kill Biden's "Build Back Better" legislation at his leisure. (He'll probably take a fairly longer time than necessary to kill it, just so's he can enjoy himself, like a cat tormenting a damaged mouse, but that always ends up dead mouse.)
However, I don't think this was the way Manchin wanted it to go down. This way he's gonna get the almost sole blame for killing off Biden's rather ambitious social agenda. Ideally, Manchin would have wanted to spread that blame around among other "moderate" Democrats who were also a bit leery of the program, but who'd been hiding their reluctance behind Manchin's penchant for grabbing the spotlight for himself. But the process got away from Manchin. In the end nobody was asking Manchin how to get his vote. Biden just took the win he could get (and Pelosi went along) and nobody asked Manchin's opinion on that turn of events. Now Manchin's gonna get the entire blame for the remainder of the Biden agenda going down in flames. (For those uninitiated in the ways and deeds of Manchin--this was not the Manchin plan.)
Now, the thing to remember here is that Manchin won his last general election by .3%. That's not 3%. That's point 3% ≈ .003 of the total vote. (That's the closest he's ever cut it.) He needed all those Democratic votes he's been getting to win last time. Some of them are gonna hold this against him next time he runs for the Senate as a Democrat (assuming this doesn't damage him so much that he jumps ship from the Democratic Party, or even just retires from the Senate instead of running again.)
The Manchin dynamic has now changed, probably irrevocably. He enjoyed himself just a little bit too much this time, just a little bit too long, and now he's got himself caught holding the bag with "project failure" written on it. (Sinema will get to skate on this one 'cause she kept her head down and let Manchin enjoy himself with it, but she's got her own problems already; she's gonna get primaried. She may go "independent" as well.)
He only gets the blame if he doesn't vote for the other bill when it comes up for a vote. He can still reassess and go for it. We'll see how badly he wants those voters.
Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda has Biden's environmental project wrapped into it. There's almost zero chance that Manchin was ever gonna vote for that. Chances have not improved just 'cause he got caught holding the bag.
(For one thing, Manchin's fairly heavily invested, personally, in carbon-based energy. And that's on top of his constituents' expectations, constituents who still want to believe that "clean coal" might be something other than a pipe dream. And then, of course, there's the fact that "Let's go Brandon" is a highly popular multi-purpose slogan in West Virginia these days. Manchin ain't gonna go up against all that. He was never gonna go up against all that. He was gonna double-cross the 'progressives' instead. That was his plan all along. But, he can't do that, 'cause they don't believe in him anymore; that's why they wouldn't fold this time. But he can still vote against 'the liberal agenda'. And he will when the time comes to vote on it. He might even win another term in the Senate in a three-way race. That's his best shot at reëlection now--bolt the Democratic Party and run as an Independent and hope he can position himself to win a three-way race before the time comes for him to run again.)
I spotted something curious this morning… (First the setup…)
You may recall that the "Nazi" designation from 1930s Germany was a shorthand "National Socialism".
They were, of course, not remotely Socialist in their politics, just like the "Peoples' Republic of China" is neither a republic nor answerable to 'the people' of China. But, Socialism was rather more popular than was fascism in Germany (in the beginning), so the 'socialist' part of the name was originally useful as a disguise.
But, it was the "National" characteristic of the Party name that was important. They presumed to rule "for the nation". They justified a lot of brutalities with that claim.
Well, now the "Conservative Political Action Committee", CPAC for short, has a competitor taking over the pages of the conservative media (some of the pages at least). And they style themselves not as Republicans, but as "National Conservatives". Kinda sent a chill down my spine, not that the fascists are surging out of their closets, but rather that they're now so blatant about it. But then again, "America First" was the slogan of the 1930s American political movement that supported the German and Italian fascist parties. So, they've been fairly blatant about their affiliations for quite awhile now, I should not be surprised when I see more and more of it coming to the fore.
That is a rather disturbing article. She is very adept at twisting things to support her agenda. She and her ilk do seem to be getting real bent out of shape about "woke". They seem to feel that it will diminish them to try to be aware of prejudice.
And how pulling out of international institutions would be an advantage for us when we have been instrumental in creating them sounds like a gift on a silver platter to Putin.
Final counting in the closest legislative seats in Virginia finished up yesterday. The Trumpkin/Republican Party has retaken the majority in the Virginia State "House"--51 to 49. That makes for another state where the Republicans might conceivably throw out the popular vote count in 2024, if it should happen that Trump loses, and then award the state's electoral votes to Trump in spite of the state's popular vote to the contrary. (There's one seat still counting, but it belongs to a Democratic incumbent. If he holds on it'll still be 51 to 49 for the Trumpkin/Republicans; if he loses it'll be 52 to 48.)
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"She and her ilk do seem to be getting real bent out of shape
about 'woke'."
Imaginary enemies are always the best ones for them to have. Imaginary enemies never have to be actually confronted in the real world because they live always and forever in the dark dream shadows cast by their followers' fears. All the faithful really have to do is hate the imaginary enemies, loudly and passionately; actual confrontation is never necessary. (Indeed attempts at real confrontation are to be strictly avoided--imaginary, pretend confrontation is the rule for these folks.)
"Wokeness", "Critical Race Theory", "The Gay Agenda", all are imaginary enemies whose value never fades because, being not real, they can never be defeated and so they are always lurking back there somewhere, just behind the dark shadows, ready to jump out at a moment's notice to startle and discomfort the faithful. They are the monster under the bed come back to haunt them again in their adult lives.
Well said, Lee.
It is very difficult to fight phantoms.
I will hazard a guess that Rittenhouse will walk.
I will not hazard a guess on the defendents in the Arbery case. My view as an observer is that they should be found guilty and given prison time.
They have indicted Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress. Which is as it should be. However, it remains to be seen if they can get a conviction.
For the rule of law to actually work there has to be teeth in it. Trump and his followers, like Bannon, have been flouting the law for too long.
"… a guess that Rittenhouse will walk."
I read a report that claimed the judge in that case is notoriously defendant-friendly in criminal trials. Doesn't seem to hinge on politics--he's supposedly that way historically with all criminal matters that come before him. Luck of the draw.
Normally 'conservative' politicians and pundits are quick to denounce such judges, but, in this case, they're happy to have him sitting on that case.
Speaking of judges… I expect protecting Trump will soon enough fall to the newly anti-democratic majority in the Supreme Court. (Re: The Bannon indictment.) They've not shown much loyalty to Trump so far, but they are consistently loyal to right-winger causes, and keeping the nation from discovering what they were covering up on Trump's behalf is a current right-winger cause of the first order. So, that one could go either way. Probably all the Federalist Justices really have to do is drag out the proceedings (issue a 'stay' of enforcement) long enough for the Trumpkin/Republicans to retake a majority in the House of Representatives, and then they'll kill the subpoenae themselves.
And… Mark Meadows (Trump's Chief of Staff during the relevant time period) skipped out on his 'last chance' appearance deadline yesterday before that same Committee. So, the indictment of Bannon hasn't exactly put the fear of Congress into anybody.
Kyle did nothing wrong!
I have heard that Rittenhouse's mother is happy with the judge. That kind of says it all.
Kyle did nothing wrong
Kyle went to a place where he had no business being with a loaded weapon and killed two people. There are those who would argue with you.
You may be surprised but I do not lay all of the blame on him for the mistakes that is he made.
"…with a loaded weapon…"
Might also point out that Rittenhouse was a minor, and therefore legally unable to either purchase or own that semi-automatic assault rifle he carried in Wisconsin. He'd arranged for a "straw owner" to purchase it for him.
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"More than two-thirds of Republicans (68%)…believe that the
[2020] election was stolen from Trump."
Public Religion Research Institute Poll)
Kyle’s a good lad. He went there to help nice folks and was attacked by vicious, nasty guys but he stood his ground.
"…but he stood his ground."
You were perhaps not informed that he actually ran away, escaped across the state line, and they had to extradite him to get him back for trial?
He made a tactical retreat to avoid having to shoot more communist-kiddie fiddlers and assorted scum.
"…he stood his ground."
"He made a tactical retreat…"
Pick one.
From what I heard he shot one of the people in the back. That doesn't sound like self defense.
Rosenbaum was shot in the back. He was shot four times in all, twice from the front, once in the back (allowed speculation was that Rosenbaum was collapsing forward, or possibly lunging forward as allowed speculation from the defense attorney suggests as possible, and Rittenhouse put another bullet in him as he went down--that was the fatal shot), one other shot into Rosenbaum's hand (unclear just how Rosenbaum's torso was oriented when that happened). CNN
I have heard little about what actually led up to Rosenbaum's shooting. He was the first man Rittenhouse shot. The other man shot and killed was one of those who chases Rittenhouse after that shooting, apparently in an effort to stop him. It could be argued that the second shooting was not in self defense on the part of Rittenhouse I would think. At that point he is the active shooter and is the danger.
The Wyoming Republican Party's central committee voted yesterday to issue a declaration to the effect that they no longer "recognize" Liz Cheney as a Republican. (There's no provision for actually throwing someone out of the Republican party in Wyoming; there is no 'list' of Republicans in Wyoming from which they could strike her name; they even have an 'open' primary system, so this was the best they could come up with.)
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"I have heard little about what actually led up to
Rosenbaum's shooting."
That's because Rittenhouse fled immediately after the shootings, and by the time they caught up with him he'd retained counsel and wasn't sayin' nothin'. Eventually (after his lawyers looked over the state's evidence) he produced an attorney-approved story of how Rosenbaum had been threatening him earlier that night, before the shooting incident. But, very few journalists take that at face value. And, of course, Rosenbaum's not talkin'. So, they don't have much to report about "what led up to Rosenbaum's shooting".
"It could be argued that the second shooting was not in self
defense"
Not an adequate basis for a conviction. The standard is "beyond a reasonable doubt", not "it could be argued that…".
I still think it all boils down to how the jury sees that first shooting. Rittenhouse has no legal right to use deadly force to "protect" himself from capture after having murdered somebody (i.e. Rosenbaum).
But, if the jury decides his shots on Rosenbaum were justified, they could fairly easily also decide that Rittenhouse was justified in believing that the persons he shot following in Rosenbaum's wake were a danger to him as well. (Whether they really were any danger to Rittenhouse is fairly questionable, but that's not the question the jury will be asked to answer.)
That Rosenbaum Antifa hooligan that was justly shot by Kyle in self defense, that’d be the same commie scum bastard who had 11 convictions of child molestation, including forced sodomy, against multiple boys aged 11-15, right? I’m just asking here to see if we speak of the same VICTIM here.
The jury requested to view the video of the Rosenbaum shooting. They wanted to see it on the larger screen in the courtroom again. They are now deliberating.
There are times I feel rather sorry for Rittenhouse, but then I watch the video of him sitting in the street calmly shooting at people multiple times and I tend to lose that feeling. As the prosecutor said, there were a lot of people out there on the streets yet it was only Rittenhouse who shot and killed anyone.
It sounds like Minnesota will not wait for the federal government to open up booster shots for everyone over 18. We may allow them by the end of this week. That is good news for me. Until now I haven't been eligible. I reached my 6 month anniversary of my second shot on Nov. 13.
Our case load is very high with a positivity rate of 10%.
"I’m just asking here to see if we speak of the same VICTIM
here."
Apparently not. The story you're tellin' doesn't match up with the dead Rosenbaum being discussed at the Rittenhouse trial in Michigan, and I think that's the reference you were intending. So, "apparently not".
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"We may allow them by the end of this week."
We're still feeling the effects of the last chief of the County Health Department. (The one who got hired away to the big city.) By unofficial agreement, the County Health Department and the two big local hospitals decided to consider just living here to qualify any resident who wanted one for the booster under the 'increased risk of infection' catch-all category. The local pharmacies have fallen in line with that decision and have been administering boosters to any adult who's had their first two shots and who shows up and asks. (I'm given to understand they don't even ask if the patient actually lives 'round here.) I got the booster almost a month ago.
Cannabilism, anyone?
Roof "had no future" and so was "exactly the kind of person who should be committing acts of mass murder," said Cantwell's guest, a guy from the neo-Nazi gossip blog The Daily Stormer. Cantwell agreed: "Not everyone's going to be a professional propagandist, shall we say. Some of us got to be fucking cannon fodder for the race war."
Seems it might be a problem in the White Supremacists groups, as well as others.
The local pharmacies have fallen in line with that decision and have been administering boosters to any adult who's had their first two shots and who shows up and asks.
Probably a good idea. I did make an appointment with the pharmacy where I got my first two shots for next Wednesday.
It looks like the House has passed the "Build Back Better" Act. We'll see how much farther it gets.
They do need to make it clear what that bill includes, whether it be paid family leave or drug price controls, people need to understand what ii really is and how it is paid for. It is different from the Coronavirus stimulus packages, which are not paid for. And there are things in there that would be of great impact to the average American.
Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges.
Can't say I'm surprised at the verdict. I don't know how much the assignment of judge influenced the outcome; I don't think anybody knows--had to've been some, but how much is an almost unanswerable question.
Worst thing is that this verdict will greatly encourage the right-winger militia movement. (We can already see its influence in the surprise decision by the defendant Travis McMichael in the Ahmaud Arbery trial to take the stand and try to claim self-defense after he and his father and their spotter friend had chased their victim for five minutes before they corralled him and shot him to death.)
"I did make an appointment…"
They're taking 'walk ins' at all the local pharmacies--at least, according to all the signs I've seen. I did a 'walk in' appearance to get my shot. (I did have my card with me.)
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"We'll see how much farther it gets."
We'll probably have to suffer through several months of Manchin and Sinema competing for the starring role as "Diva in the Spotlight", and enjoying the Hell outta themselves, before we actually find out if it's goin' anywhere.
And I do agree that they really need to step up their PR game. Several months of 'Diva in the Spotlight' headlines are just gonna add to the "Biden can't get anything done" story line that the Republicans are pushing (with surprising success so far).
Can't say I'm surprised at the verdict.
Me either. I've been listening to the testimony given by Dominick Black, the friend of Kyle Rittenhouse who bought the gun. It's interesting. I don't know if there is racial bias, but I do get the feeling that these guys were into playing soldier. I say playing because neither one was really mature enough to be in the situation they were in. They seemed to really like guns, though. I'm also not impressed with Rittenhouse's Mother, who urged him to run after the shooting. Nor am I impressed with Dominick Black's stepfather who was housing the gun for Kyle.
"I do get the feeling that these guys were into playing soldier."
They were both old enough to enlist, and neither seem to have seriously considered it. They were into playing a rather different game. But, I can certainly see how you might mistake the one for the other.
It's too bad the authorities put off prosecuting Black. They probably thought a guilty verdict against Rittenhouse would make their job easier when it came to Black, but now the right-winger militia types and the Trumpkin/Republicans (some overlap there) will argue that it's just a 'sore loser' effort by the Kenosha County Prosecutor's office. (Wouldn't surprise me if they now offered Black a sweetheart deal on a plea, maybe even drop the charges.)
Well, I didn't specify what kind of soldier.
Btw, I am sure the last name of Black is common. I do not know if he is at all related to Don & Derrek Black.
Not everyone's going to be a professional propagandist, shall we say. Some of us got to be fucking cannon fodder for the race war."
Pure speculation on my part. No real evidence.
Justice prevailed. Kyle’s a good lad. A red blooded American.
Apparently there was a Fox news team from Tucker Carlson embedded with the Rittenhouse defense. They were making a documentary about the case. This was at the request of the donors who financed Rittenhouse's defense. No info on who those donors were.
Kyle’s a good lad. A red blooded American.
In some ways I feel very sorry for Kyle Rittenhouse.
But I feel even more sorry for the loved ones of those he killed.
Marcus's "good lad" was and is a blundering young fool. Now they're gonna make him out to be a Video Hero of the Revolution, and so we're gonna get herds of blundering young fools eager to be a FoxNews' Hero of the coming spring and summer. Gonna be whole herds of 'em come warm weather, lookin' for their opportunity for a trigger pull.
Could get messy as they compete for airtime with each other and with the Epic Fable of Kyle Rittenhouse.
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