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Happy Thanksgiving Open Thread

Don't forget to listen live to Arlo Guthrie at noon when radio stations across the country play the full 18 (or 22) minute version of "Alice's Restaurant." If you can't find a station, here's Boulder's KBCO.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What's on your menu and who are you spending the day with. This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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    Aloha from Hilo, Hawaii. (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Nov 23, 2018 at 04:34:35 AM EST
    Elder Daughter and family flew in from Honolulu Wednesday night. We had a wonderful day today, traditional Thanksgiving dinner except substitute white rice for mashed potatoes. (It's an island thing.) Tomorrow, we're driving up to the Hawaii Volcanoes Nat'l Park now that it's reopened. It will be interesting to see the changed landscape at Kilauea's summit since the volcano's 35-year-long eruption appears to be over.

    Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

    so now (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 06:04:01 PM EST
    instead of tearing families apart and putting children in cages we are spraying them with tear gas.

    Tear Gas against Children (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by MKS on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 08:10:01 PM EST
    Trump thinking the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs makes $5 million annually.

    Condoning the murder of a journalist.

    A GOP Senator from Mississippi sends her children to a segregationist school and few care.

    Stupid and ignorant.  Depraved actually.

    The response of the "Liberal Media?"  The New York Times fetishizes the racist white working class as representative of the "Heartland."

    And I thought I was numb.   It just never ends.  

    Parent

    Well, (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 08:25:07 PM EST
    the only light I see in this is reps like Adam Schiff and Maxine Waters are going to make Trump's life a living h*ll once they take over. Of course, he is incapable of empathy so it won't change any of his thinking and he'll perpetually play the victim but at least he's not going to continue to do things and be given 100% cover by the GOP. The media appears not to be up to the job of covering Trump for the most part. So we are left with the house to do what they can.

    Parent
    The Democratic National Committee (none / 0) (#44)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 01:21:41 PM EST
    is advertising for a new hire to cover rural stuff.

    Parent
    We could actually (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 09:54:19 AM EST
    Have a democratic senator from Mississippi.

    It is entirely possible.  I would not bet the farm but the very fact it's a real possibility, as it was in TX and GA is remarkable.

    Your move Mississippi (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:08:37 PM EST
    The only (none / 0) (#33)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 10:16:16 AM EST
    problem is the polls show him 10 points down. The stuff Cindy Hyde-Smith has said and done is not going to pose too many problems with MS voters. Espy is a long shot but he can win if enough GOP voters decide to skip the runoff.

    Parent
    Only one place more oppressive than Alabama (none / 0) (#34)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 10:22:47 AM EST
    And that is Mississippi.

    I wonder if the NAACP is on the ground and in war mode like they were in Alabama?

    Parent

    Like I said (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 10:26:11 AM EST
    It should not even be news.

    The fact it is does not bode well demographically for the haters

    Parent

    Hey that recession thing.... (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 10:38:59 AM EST
    GM to slash jobs and production, cancel some car models

    Its North American salaried workforce, including engineers and executives, will be by 15 per cent, or about 8,000 jobs. The company said it will cut executive ranks by 25 per cent to "streamline decision making."



    Parent
    I know...bleh (none / 0) (#38)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:24:46 PM EST
    But it's what the majority of white America voted for, ignorance.

    Parent
    GM stock is up. (none / 0) (#45)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 01:22:40 PM EST
    Yet more proof (none / 0) (#49)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 03:26:11 PM EST
    Wall Street is not the economy.  Those thousands of GM jobs will translate into tens is thousands of jobs in related industries.  Not to mention non related ones where those now unemployed people would have spent money.

    Parent
    I can't help but wonder (none / 0) (#39)
    by CST on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:27:22 PM EST
    If it helped that Doug Jones was a white guy.

    I say that with the full understanding that is the question which will be asked in 2020 as well, and I despise it.

    Parent

    I'm sure it did. (none / 0) (#40)
    by Chuck0 on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:29:17 PM EST
    It was his history of bringing (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 07:03:03 PM EST
    Some justice to Birmingham due to the church bombing and the killing of the little girls.

    Parent
    Oddly (none / 0) (#41)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:31:09 PM EST
    I think Jones victory makes it harder for Espy.

    Parent
    Why? (none / 0) (#46)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 01:23:13 PM EST
    He killed the myth (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by CST on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 01:46:18 PM EST
    That a Democrat could never win in the south.

    There may have been a number of Republicans who stayed home in Alabama believing that they didn't need to vote for the Republican in order for him to win anyway.

    Parent

    His history in Birmingham helped him a lot (none / 0) (#55)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 07:01:11 PM EST
    There was a lot of energy in the state for him because he did take on the Klan. Doug Jones was/is a rockstar in Alabama's African American community.

    Parent
    I'm with you (none / 0) (#57)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 08:20:04 PM EST
    on that sister. Oddly it seems to me that Obama has made electing African Americans to office harder. My theory on it is that before Obama they were complacent and thought that African American candidates could not win. Now they know they can and they have to show up and vote to make sure that they don't win.

    Parent
    There have been reports today (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:41:45 PM EST
    Of low turn out in heavily Trumpish areas.

    MSNBC said earlier turnout out was down in some of those areas as much as 75% from the 6th.  And that some of it was republicans staying home who voted for the third party.

    What a thing it would be.

    Parent

    Cindy "Hang um Hyde" Smith (none / 0) (#74)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 09:12:17 PM EST
    Wins.

    Parent
    Washington Post calls it for Hyde-Smith (none / 0) (#75)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 09:20:02 PM EST
    at 10:15 pm, with a 56-44 margin so far, after 75% of precincts counted. Here's to the State of Mississippi.

    Parent
    A red wave (5.00 / 1) (#86)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 12:09:16 PM EST
    in Mississippi.  Time for the media to interview voters at Cat Fish Diner  to find out what makes these Republicans tick.

    Parent
    Mississippi (none / 0) (#77)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 09:27:52 PM EST
    Has long been appreciated in Arkansas for making us look good by comparison

    Parent
    Isn't your state's motto .. (none / 0) (#92)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 04:31:09 PM EST
     ... "Nos non Mississippi"?

    ;-D

    Parent

    Do you think? (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by KeysDan on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 12:31:47 PM EST
    The NYTimes observes a dramatic decrease in drug overdoses in Dayton, Ohio.  In a rare report that does not interview a heartland Trump supporter in a diner, a physician in a large regional hospital tells the story of a plunge in drug overdose deaths, after a stretch so bad that the coroner had to rent refrigerated trailers to keep up with the death load.

    The Dayton experience appears to be a trend, reflecting preliminary data of the CDC. The question for the NYTimes and the local officials, has become: what has happened?  What are the factors involved?

    While several factors, mostly inter-related, are at play, the fact that Medicaid was expanded in Ohio in 2015 is considered to have the biggest impact.  It has given nearly 700,000 low-income adults in the state access to free addiction and mental health treatment. In Dayton, there are now more than a dozen residential and outpatient clinics.  And, the availability and treatment with such narcotic antagonists as methadone and naltrexone.

    The mayor of Dayton believes that "if you are a state that does not have Medicaid expansion, you can't build a system for addressing this disease."

    Great (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 05:57:08 PM EST
    The GOP's humiliation in California is ... (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 03:20:04 AM EST
    ... nearly complete, as Democratic challenger T.J. Cox has pulled ahead of incumbent GOP Congressman David Valadao in CA-21. If this trend holds, Republicans will occupy only 7 of the state's 53 U.S. House seats. 24 years ago, they held 31. In 2017-18, they held 14.

    Democrats also easily won all eight of California's statewide elective offices, and 60 of the 80 seats in the State Assembly. They also hold 28 of the 40 seats in the State Senate. 24 years ago, Republicans held sway in Sacramento. Today, they've been thoroughly marginalized.

    Further, for the first time in over 100 years, an incumbent Sheriff of Los Angeles County has been defeated in his bid for re-election. Sheriff Jim McDonnell, a Republican has conceded the race to retired Sheriff's Dept. Lt. Alex Villanueva, who openly campaigned as a Democrat even though the post of Sheriff is ostensibly nonpartisan. McDonnell has promised an orderly transition.

    Democrats make up 43.5% of all registered voters in California, while the share of the electorate held by Republicans has dropped from 35.5% in 1998 to only 24% today. The changing demography has proven to be a boon for the Democrats, especially since the Republicans no only make little or no effort to woo minority voters, they more often than not alienate them and chase them away.

    Finally, on a more sobering note, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman has taken / been placed on a leave of absence, in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him by staff. I'll offer odds of better than even that he ultimately resigns. I can only say that as a card-carrying Democrat, I really expect far better from those who would desire to lead us.

    Aloha.

    And Bauman condemned Kavanaugh. (none / 0) (#66)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:03:15 PM EST
    Multiple staffers claim that Bauman harassed or assaulted them at official party functions. Vice-Chair Daraka Larimore-Hall called the allegations "credible, corroborated, and utterly heart-breaking"


    Parent
    People who live in glass houses, &etc. (none / 0) (#76)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 09:26:28 PM EST
    Update: Chairman Bauman has resigned. (none / 0) (#93)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 04:35:42 PM EST
    He blames his alcoholism for his abusive and antisocial behavior. Per CDP bylaws, First Vice Chair Alexandra "Alex" Gallardo Rooker has taken the party's reins as Acting Chair.

    Parent
    Ya, saw that. (none / 0) (#107)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 12:11:02 PM EST
    Kinda hard to believe Newsom was unaware until Wednesday's LAT article of the past decade of Bauman's proclivities...

    Parent
    Eric Bauman only became CDP chair last May. (none / 0) (#117)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 07:30:35 AM EST
    And his political ties and connections are mostly all in the L.A. area, whereas Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom hails from San Francisco.

    Bauman first began to get some political notice and traction 20 years ago when Gov. Gray Davis tapped him to be his office's Southern California director. Afterward, he served as a senior advisor to Assembly Speakers Toni Atkins, John Perez and Anthony Rendon, who are all from SoCal. He lives in North Hollywood and works out of L.A., and he commuted to Sacramento only a few times a month at most.

    So I can see how Newsom could have been unaware of Bauman's behavior. They move in entirely different circles and never had much cause or reason for interaction with one another. Newsom probably barely knew the guy and even after Bauman became CDP chair, he likely had minimal contact with him except at occasional joint public events during the CDP's coordinated campaign.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Bauman became CDP chair in May of 2017, (none / 0) (#123)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 11:50:30 AM EST
    not "last May."

    While clearly Newsom's campaign was generally separate from the CDP, Newsom got a lot of money from SoCal donors and Bauman was absolutely a big part of that.

    Bauman's impact on state-wide CA politics goes back, as you said, for 20 years. He regularly appeared on CNN, TV news shows, and in the LA Times.

    And Bauman's inappropriate sexual hijinks go back at least a decade as well.

    Imo, it is not likely than that Newsom and so many other CA Dem political operatives had zero inkling that there was Something Strange About Mary...

    Parent

    Did you know about Bauman's behavior? (none / 0) (#132)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 09:11:57 PM EST
    Because I sure didn't, and I work in those circles and know a lot of people who've work in the California legislature and the CDP. I just returned from over a month working with a number of them -- I was under contract -- during the midterm campaign in SoCal.

    Now, I had earlier heard from fellow Dems in the CDP that Bauman liked to drink a lot, and that he could be an a-hole when he had a few. Unfortunately, that also describes more than a few people on both sides of the aisle in this business -- or probably in any business, for that matter. But nobody mentioned the nitty-gritty details.

    Bauman's "hijinks," as you very politely termed it, probably goes back a lot farther than the ten years documented by the L.A. Times. And like so many abusive people, the reason he got away with his behavior for as long as he did is likely because those who were around him chose to endure it and / or ignore it and look the other way, rather than call him out.

    Perhaps they were intimidated by him personally, or were awed by his rank and / or the company he kept, or perhaps they simply didn't want to make a scene. Regardless, party staffers and others only recently started speaking up about it publicly, rather than continue to keep it amongst themselves. And like most bullies who are cowards and blowhards at heart when they're finally confronted, Bauman backed down and eventually ran away. The CDP's certainly better off without him.

    And on that note, I'm inclined to give Gavin Newsom the benefit of the doubt because like the rest of us, he's not Karnack the Magnificent and can't divine what's happening when nobody tells him about it.

    I think the object lesson here is that while nobody should ever have to endure abusive behavior in the workplace, the only way to effectively put a stop to it is to speak up loud and clear when it either happens to you personally, or when you see it happen to someone else. Don't just assume that others will do so on your or another's behalf, and don't be afraid to make a scene.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    have some sort of equivalent involvement in CA Dem politics as Newsom? Or that you do?

    Parent
    Right to Seize Vehicles (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 04:04:11 PM EST
    Tyson Timbs and a 2012 Land Rover LR2 v. Indiana.

    That's really what it's called

    This dispute is set make it all the way to our nation's highest court later this month with important implications for law enforcement agencies and criminal justice reform. The case could rest on the say of one Supreme Court Justice in particular: Neil Gorsuch.



    HOTAIR (none / 0) (#80)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:21:58 AM EST
    Rarely does oral argument before the Court go so badly for one side that legal observers will dare to say afterward that the other is likely to win. Even more rarely does that happen when SCOTUS is being asked to issue a landmark constitutional ruling, in this case whether the Eighth Amendment's ban on excessive fines should apply to the states via "incorporation" into the Fourteenth Amendment.

    But one commentator after another who followed this morning's hearing in Timbs v. Indiana is out on that limb today. The NYT, the AP, SCOTUSblog, Slate, Reason -- they're all predicting crushing defeat for the state of Indiana and, by extension, PDs nationwide who've gotten into the habit of seizing and keeping cars and other valuable property used by suspects incidentally in the commission of crimes.

    SCOTUS Set To Limit States' Power To Seize Property Used By Criminals When Committing Crimes -- Led By Neil Gorsuch



    Parent

    This is good news. (5.00 / 1) (#81)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 10:38:57 AM EST
    Jefferson Beauregard Sessions loved civil asset forfeiture. This is a repudiation of that stain of an Attorney General.

    Parent
    Two steps forward (none / 0) (#82)
    by CST on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 11:12:38 AM EST
    It's nice that liberals and conservatives have finally found an issue where we can all come together - hating on Jeff Sessions.

    Parent
    Wow, it's like it's 1969 again (5.00 / 3) (#72)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 07:15:09 PM EST
    This is from the right wing Washington Examiner

    They are clearly alarmed by these results.  I suspect those my age may be less so.  I find it the most encouraging thing I have read in ages.

    But what the poll found is that they have a lot of work to do when it comes to those 38 and younger. Just one example: Four in 10 say it is OK to burn the flag

    The highlights provided to Secrets:
    Half of those surveyed believe the United States is sexist (50 percent) and racist (49 percent).
    American exceptionalism is on the decline -- 46 percent of younger Americans do not agree that "America is the greatest country in the world."
    38 percent of younger Americans do not agree that "America has a history that we should be proud of."
    One in eight (14 percent) of millennials agree that "America was never a great country and it never will be."
    46 percent of younger Americans agree that "America is more racist than other countries."
    19 percent of millennials believe that the American flag is "a sign of intolerance and hatred."

    It's like back to the future.  Except in our day those numbers would have been higher.

    Maybe the kids ARE all right.

    Gives me some hope (5.00 / 2) (#79)
    by Zorba on Wed Nov 28, 2018 at 04:56:45 PM EST
    Although I agree that "back then," the numbers would have been higher.  

    Parent
    To be fair (none / 0) (#83)
    by CST on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 11:15:29 AM EST
    "back then" you also probably had a stronger case, at least in the sense of what was legal discrimination (vs cultural issues).

    I'm pretty happy about the fact that I can get a credit card in my own name without my dad or husband on it, and my sister could legally marry her husband in any state in America.

    Parent

    Honestly (none / 0) (#84)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 11:21:08 AM EST
    I think the case has never in our lives been as strong.

    It was easier in our day because it was a cultural thing.  IMO they deserve more credit because we are not in the midst of a cultural revolution

    Parent

    I think in a way we are (5.00 / 1) (#85)
    by CST on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 11:27:09 AM EST
    I just don't know which way it's going to go yet.

    Parent
    Flake (5.00 / 1) (#87)
    by FlJoe on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 12:13:17 PM EST
    folds again
    Outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) flaked again when he withdrew his "no" vote against controversial judicial nominee Jonathan Kobes.

    Flake has pledged to stage an epic protest against President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who refused to allow a vote on a bill to protect Bob Mueller.

    Depressingly predictable.

    ... Jeff Flake is Lucy holding the football.

    Parent
    Also.. (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by desertswine on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 01:22:29 PM EST
    Federal agents on Thursday raided the office of an attorney who in the past has handled the Trump Organization's taxes.

    The Chicago Sun-Times reports that "federal agents showed up unannounced at the City Hall office of Finance Committee Chairman Ed Burke, kicked everyone out and papered over the windows Thursday morning."

    It is unclear as yet if this is related to Trump.  I hope so.

    Pretty amazing (5.00 / 1) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:21:17 PM EST
    California Man Shows Remarkable Recovery Less Than One Year After Facial Transplant

    On the medical team's end, Dr Gelb and his colleagues rushed into operation planning, aided by advanced technologies including a three-dimensional computer modeled surgery run-through and 3D-printed customized cutting guides. During the complex procedure, the team relied on intraoperative CAT scans and assisted tool navigation systems to achieve ideal alignment between the patient and donor's bones and correct placement of implanted plates and anchoring screws.

    In total, Underwood received Fisher's upper and lower jaw bones, including his 32 teeth, palate (roof of the mouth), floor of the mouth, lower eyelids, cheeks, nose, and nasal passage sections. Underwood's own tongue remained, but underwent reconstruction.



    Like the doctor said.. (none / 0) (#106)
    by desertswine on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:58:45 PM EST
    everyone deserves a second chance.

    Parent
    Also brilliant (5.00 / 6) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 09:21:00 PM EST
    Randy Rainbow (5.00 / 4) (#144)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Dec 05, 2018 at 05:08:56 PM EST
    Happy T-day... (none / 0) (#1)
    by desertswine on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 01:30:10 PM EST
    stay safe with friends and family.

    After stuffing ourselves (none / 0) (#6)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 08:39:13 PM EST
    And in the process of further stuffing we watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

    Parent
    Pan-shot! (none / 0) (#30)
    by desertswine on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 11:13:28 PM EST
    We'll be in the SF bay area today (none / 0) (#2)
    by McBain on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 02:55:59 PM EST
    Finally, some decent air to breathe after two weeks of smokey conditions.  I wasn't prepared for this at all, pretty much did everything wrong.... no mask, wrong kind of mask... left windows open.  

    For food, it will be a basic turkey, stuffing, potatoes, brussel sprouts (I'm one of the few who like these).   Not sure about desert... probably pie, cheesecake and ice cream.  There are some family birthdays this time of year, so we usually have extra deserts.

    Sometimes we go to a movie.  I don't watch much NFL anymore. Probably take the dogs for a walk in a nice, ridiculously overpriced neighborhood.  

    traditional Thanksgiving dinner (none / 0) (#3)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 05:17:18 PM EST
    Miraculously all three daughters were able to come, two with husbands. One with baby; the other pregnant. Third daughter's partner is with her own parents. Plus two stray friends of third daughter who had no place else to go. Turkey, stuffing (and extra cooked outside the bird), gravy, three kinds of cranberry sauce, mashed white potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes (some with melted marshmallow), green beans, brussel sprouts pan-braised with dried cranberries and sage, and home-made dinner rolls. Red wine, white wine, and cider. Everybody on deck in the kitchen all day, cooperating; likewise on the clean up. We also baked two pumpkin pies (from the Halloween pumpkins that we cut up and baked yesterday, and with home-made crusts) and one cherry pie. No one has room to dig into those yet, so we're on break between meal and dessert.

    Sounds Absolutely Perfect! (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 09:20:57 PM EST
    The food and the family all together!

    Parent
    Who knew there are three kinds of (none / 0) (#43)
    by oculus on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 01:17:07 PM EST
    cranberry sauce.

    Parent
    Jellied (from a can), whole berry (also (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by Peter G on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 02:47:19 PM EST
    from a can), and a cranberry chutney that a friend of ours makes in her kitchen (I love it).

    Parent
    I made (5.00 / 2) (#50)
    by Zorba on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 03:35:11 PM EST
    A brandied fruit compote with dried cranberries, plus dried blueberries, dried cherries and apricots, and figs and prunes.
    Everybody loved it.  They want it again for Christmas.

    My mother used to cook the raw bagged cranberries with orange peel and juice, and sugar.

    Parent

    I make oatmeal cookies (none / 0) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 03:59:45 PM EST
    With dried cranberries instead of raisins

    Parent
    I like (none / 0) (#52)
    by Zorba on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 04:24:33 PM EST
    Dried cranberries and cherries better than raisins.

    Parent
    Fifty-five years ago today, in Dallas (none / 0) (#4)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 05:35:36 PM EST
    President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot and killed in a planned assassination. Contrary to the conclusion of two official investigations, a thorough review of all available photographic, forensic (autopsy, audio and ballistics), and eyewitness accounts supports the conclusion that five shots were fired within a nine-second span from three locations (two behind, one in front), three of which hit their target. Only one of the gunmen was ever arrested, and he was killed while in police custody a couple of days later. Some 80% of Americans reject the official conclusion that the one arrested killer acted alone.

    So (none / 0) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 22, 2018 at 07:07:36 PM EST
    The holiday with the Trumpish branch of the family tree was actually sort of fun.

    Fun because, aside from being actual fun, it was clear attitudes toward Trump are evolving.  And not in a Trump positive way.

    Politics was almost entirely avoided.  The one time it was mentioned was interesting.  My brother has two sons.  Both in their late 40s.  One is in the process of retiring from the army.  The brief mention was an eye rolling reference to Trumps Thanksgiving "message" to the troops.  

    I had seen it before I left the house today.  If you haven't you should.  It is just awful.  Really just pitifully embarrassingly awful.  He was clearly fed up.  With that and the fake deployment to the southern border and whatever else.  

    Fed up and no one dared challenge him.  It was clear no one wanted to talk politics so it was quickly moved on from but it was like a breath of fresh air.

    We spent most of the rest of the time talking about the MARVEL universe, Stan Lee and movies in general.  I was stunned to find as a group they knew more about many of these subjects than I did.

    It was fun.  And very caloric

    Asking about the number of troops (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by MKS on Fri Nov 23, 2018 at 10:19:43 AM EST
    under the command of the person on the phone, etc.

    Just what an enemy would want to know.

    Just stupid.

    Parent

    Whining about (5.00 / 3) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 23, 2018 at 11:35:54 AM EST
    Judges being mean to him.

    Seriously.

    It's F'ing Thanksgiving

    Parent

    Maybe it's a trend (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 23, 2018 at 07:11:47 PM EST
    For the coup de grace, make them ... (none / 0) (#12)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 08:51:14 AM EST
    ... watch "Big Jim McClain," which is arguably John Wayne's lousiest movie in a career that was chock full of such uber-macho jingoistic clunkers. It just played on TCM the other night. Produced in 1952, it simply reeks of Red-baiting McCarthyite paranoia.

    The Duke of course plays the title character, a commie-busting investigator for the patriotic white male members of the House Un-American Activities Committee. He's been sent to the union-loving Territory of Hawaii to root out the dirty Asian commies who've infiltrated and taken over the islands' labor unions on behalf of Uncle Joe Stalin and Uncle Mao.

    Conveniently produced for purposes of propaganda during the infamous "Hawaii 7" trial of local union leaders -- of whom several had once been members of the Communist Party -- for violations of the Smith Act, "Big Jim McClain" is not just laughably inept filmmaking and the worst movie ever to be filmed in the Hawaiian Islands. It also serves as a timely reminder of just how simple-minded, ugly and racist our country's far-right scaremongers were 66 years ago, and have actually always been.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Would they get the joke? (none / 0) (#16)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 12:40:55 PM EST
    If they don't, ... (none / 0) (#31)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 05:02:01 AM EST
    ... then they're the joke.

    Parent
    Great gift. (none / 0) (#13)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 12:05:54 PM EST
    I forgot. (none / 0) (#14)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 12:08:55 PM EST
    $5 goes to one of 4 organizations,  of your choice. Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Earth Justice or Institute for Free Speech. My choice was ACLU.

    Parent
    You saw this? (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 12:20:38 PM EST
    You reap what you sow. (none / 0) (#17)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 01:26:57 PM EST
    His demise what biblical.

    Parent
    WAS biblical (none / 0) (#18)
    by Chuck0 on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 01:27:15 PM EST
    Could have only been more so (5.00 / 1) (#19)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 24, 2018 at 01:40:53 PM EST
    If they had eaten his dumb azz

    Body of Christ n all that.

    Parent

    Ewwww (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 05:46:18 AM EST
    Life styles (none / 0) (#21)
    by FlJoe on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 09:08:07 AM EST
    of the religiously insane. Sorry, I see this as comedy rather than tragedy.

    Parent
    A good "brand" (none / 0) (#23)
    by KeysDan on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 11:32:34 AM EST
    for a vacation destination and a hotel tower.

    Parent
    I am confused by the caravan (none / 0) (#22)
    by Chuck0 on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 10:25:54 AM EST
    of immigrants that has arrived in Tijuana, Mexico. News reports has described the caravan as peoples from Central America. Most likely having crossed into Mexico from Guatamala. How do you end up in Tijuana, which is in the northwest corner of Baja California coming from Guatamala? That would be like me going to Montreal from PA by way of Detroit/Windsor. That is a long trek up the west coast of Mexico, then making a left turn to get to Tijuana. That baffles me somehow.

    It would seem to me a caravan from Guatamala would head to Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo or even Juarez. All are much closer border crossings than Tijuana.

    Maybe because (none / 0) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:37:02 PM EST
    They thought they might meet less resistance in CA than in TX?

    Parent
    The headline (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 05:39:03 PM EST
    Didn't (none / 0) (#25)
    by FlJoe on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 05:51:42 PM EST
    Karl Mark warn us about this? Or was that groucho? I'm so confused.

    Parent
    Marx and Lennon (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 25, 2018 at 08:56:25 PM EST
    THE TRUTH ABOUT KILLER ROBOTS (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 26, 2018 at 05:49:42 PM EST
    the year's most terrifying documentary

    In describing how his film came to fruition, Pozdorovkin recalls, "I went [to Germany] to investigate, to talk to the workers. Most of them were forbidden from talking about the accident. But a lot of them talked about the perils of automation, the way that their work environment was made worse as the result of robots. I'm using the tropes of science fiction and true crime to make a film that investigates some of the philosophical and economic problems that automation brings with it."

    In case you need something non political to worry about

    Tonight on HBO

    Eminent (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 11:56:24 AM EST
    "White House press briefing"

    Might be worth watching

    Imminent (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 03:12:34 PM EST
    I think spell correct only exists to make stupid substitutions

    Parent
    He lives in a pineapple under the sea (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 03:25:41 PM EST
    Hillenburg (none / 0) (#62)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 03:26:46 PM EST
    Spellcheck.  Like said.

    Parent
    My daughters loved Spongebob Squarepants ... (none / 0) (#65)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 04:52:28 PM EST
    ... when they were children. And truth be told, I became a closet fan myself. I used to sit and watch it with them, and we'd just laugh our a$$es off. May Mr. Hillenburg rest in peace, knowing how much joy he brought people with his creation.

    We lost my aunt to ALS in January 2010. It's such a horrible disease and I was grateful that she only lasted 10 months after her diagnosis, and was not subjected to a long-lingering twilight of paralysis as are so many of its victims. That was actually her biggest fear, that she'd be effectively trapped in a useless body, unable to either move or communicate.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I am a huge Spongebob fan (none / 0) (#68)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:10:14 PM EST
    The early ones are absolute classics.  The later ones not as much.

    I also loved Rockos Modern Life

    Parent

    40 years ago today in San Francisco, ... (none / 0) (#64)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 04:37:09 PM EST
    ... Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were both assassinated in their City Hall offices by Dan White, a conservative former supervisor who had unsuccessfully sought to be reappointed to his former position by the mayor after he had hastily resigned several weeks prior.

    The tragedy proved to be a true watershed moment in not only San Francisco's history, but California's as well. But while the life and times of Harvey Milk have been publicly recounted and celebrated in both an Academy Award-winning 1984 documentary and 2009 feature film, less well known and remembered is the equally impressive progressive legacy of George Moscone, who is the subject of a new documentary, "Moscone: A Legacy of Change."

    Aloha.

    We lived in San Francisco (none / 0) (#70)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:40:13 PM EST
    at that time.  Harvey was our city Supervisor.  His camera shop was a few doors down from our bank.  

    Parent
    John Bolton, (none / 0) (#67)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 05:05:59 PM EST
    in response to a reporter's inquiry, claimed he did not listen to the Khashoggi bone saw murder tape, because he would not learn anything since he does not speak Arabic.   Apparently, Melania has fired all the NSC translators, besides, no translations are really needed since screams from torture and murder are the same in all languages.

    And her emails.   Does anyone think, as do I, that an examination of Ivanka (and Jared's) shared private email server would reveal a green light conversation with Crown Price MBS?  

    Melania's (5.00 / 3) (#73)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 08:04:07 PM EST
    attempt at Christmas decorating looks like an ode to Khashoggi's murder. It's absolutely macabre.

    Parent
    Christmas bloody Christmas. (5.00 / 2) (#78)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 27, 2018 at 09:48:38 PM EST
    I, too, wondered if the Crown Prince served as Mrs. Trump's designer.  

    Parent
    Did you see her decorations last year? (none / 0) (#101)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:22:49 PM EST
    They weren't blood red, but they were equally ominous and cold. At the time, I thought she must've been inspired by her memory of some Balkans ice cave where the Germans probably stashed bodies during the Second World War. Anyway, it led one caustic critic to title her effort "Christmas in Hell."

    Parent
    I thought she must have been inspired (none / 0) (#102)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:44:25 PM EST
    By the season 2 finale of TRUE DETECTIVE

    Melanie version

    I kind of liked it.  I even like the news one that look made from hundreds of dead Elmos.

    But the I once had a Christmas tree decorated with green rubber hospital gloves and cans of SPAM.  So....

    Parent

    And then (none / 0) (#103)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:52:07 PM EST
    The gay (none / 0) (#104)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:54:26 PM EST
    committee is going to come and revoke your card. LOL. I think you are the only gay guy I know that cannot decorate. Most of them make me pea green with envy with their decorating skills.

    Parent
    Oh (none / 0) (#105)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 08:57:29 PM EST
    I can decorate.

    If I was going to Photoshop the red things I would put a kitchen meat grinder over each one so the look (even more) like a pile of freshly ground meat.

    Parent

    MSNBC has reported that (none / 0) (#88)
    by desertswine on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 01:14:16 PM EST
    the German police have raided the offices of Deutschebank in relation to a money laundering investigation, but have offered no details as of yet.  I'm looking forward to learning more about this.

    "In the past.." (none / 0) (#90)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 01:30:40 PM EST
    Better:  up until a few months ago.

    Response to (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 02:18:24 PM EST
    Desertswine #89,  Chicago Alderman Ed Burke was Trump's real estate tax attorney until recently.

    Parent
    Curious as to (none / 0) (#95)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 05:27:22 PM EST
    why Alderman Burke's City Hall office was raided rather than his law office.  Maybe, keeps special accounts stashed away from law partners.  His fellow alderpersons would be more understanding.

    Parent
    Uh-oh. (none / 0) (#94)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 04:39:53 PM EST
    "Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has a busy weekend with pit stops planned in Vermont and New Hampshire, where she's expected to pump up her progressive bonafides and put out her 2020 presidential feelers."

    Please allow me to throw a bucket of cold water on that fantasy.

    I wish she was a legitimate threat (5.00 / 4) (#108)
    by jondee on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 12:16:24 PM EST
    to Trump if only so that I could hear Trump try to say Jagad Guru Siddaswarupananda Paramahamsa.

    Parent
    Thanks!!! That was a coffee spewing (hot tea, (5.00 / 1) (#122)
    by vml68 on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 10:52:38 AM EST
    in my case) comment :-)!

    Parent
    ;-D

    Parent
    Would explain a lot (none / 0) (#96)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 06:06:24 PM EST
    ... since August 2017. For some reason, it never got any traction with our navel-gazing east coast media, who -- save for a few brief mentions by Rachel Maddow -- more or less ignored it.

    Nevertheless, freelance journalist Ruth May had initially traced $6.35 million in funds to various GOP candidate-related PACs from a very wealthy man named Len Blavatnik, who was born in the Soviet Union, holds joint U.S. and U.K. citizenship, and enjoys very close personal relationships with Russian oligarchs Oleg Daripaska and Viktor Vekselberg. In the course of her investigation, May implicated Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Liberace-- er, excuse me, I mean, Lindsey Graham, among others, as beneficiaries of Russian generosity.

    Donald Trump isn't the only one with dirty hands here.

    Parent

    Trump could have problems in both houses (none / 0) (#97)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 06:19:37 PM EST
    Because, elections

    A conservative sums up the problem

    In short, Republicans really needed those other red-state pickups this cycle, because the pickings will be mighty slim in two years. Even if the GOP manages to escape that trap in 2020, the Class 3 split looks just as bad (22 GOP seats, 12 Democrats) and the battlegrounds even more challenging -- Georgia and Arizona again, Florida, North Carolina again, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, among others. If Republicans don't figure out how to increase their suburban strength again, it's possible that we'll see a net loss of anywhere from two to seven seats in the upper chamber in two years, and worse down the road.

    Did GOP Win Enough Senate Seats To Secure A 2020 Majority?

    I truly (none / 0) (#98)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 29, 2018 at 07:11:23 PM EST
    think Perdue is a goner in 2020 simply because the GOP keeps losing 3% every year. It's like Alex Castellanos said the GOP strategy is not a winning strategy. Maxing out the rural vote which is a declining area with completely abandoning the fast growin suburbs might work in freak election like 2016 where the Russians were helping Trump but none of that is going to be going on in 2020 or if it is most people are going to be wise to it.

    Parent
    Amber Guyger indicted for murder (none / 0) (#109)
    by McBain on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 03:27:25 PM EST
    for the shooting of Botham Jean.
    The court records Friday showed both a manslaughter and murder charge entered in her file, but the clerk confirmed that the murder charge is the one prosecutors are moving forward on.

    Based on limited coverage of this case, I thought manslaughter or perhaps even something lesser would be the appropriate charge. Perhaps Guyger's story of mistaking Jean's apartment for her own didn't add up.  

    Perhaps ? (5.00 / 4) (#110)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 05:17:47 PM EST
    Her story stunk from day one.

    Parent
    The Number One Task to Understand in this Case (5.00 / 1) (#137)
    by RickyJim on Sun Dec 02, 2018 at 01:04:05 PM EST
    is why Guyger didn't know she was not at her own apartment until too late.  She had plenty of clues like the floor mat in front of Jean's door.  The apartment inside was apparently lit enough for her to fire accurately at Jean. Of course, it is also a mystery as to why Jean was there in the dark  with the door unlocked (according to Guyger). Unless these basic questions are cleared up, it is pointless to argue murder versus manslaughter.

    Parent
    Anybody Have a Good Guess (none / 0) (#111)
    by RickyJim on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 07:04:13 PM EST
    for a motive?  Or don't you need one to file a murder charge?  

    Parent
    Motive is not a requirement (element) of (5.00 / 1) (#112)
    by Peter G on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 08:14:17 PM EST
    a prosecutor's murder case. If motive exists, it can strongly corroborate the "premeditated" intent to kill (which makes 1st degree murder rather than second, or voluntary manslaughter rather than involuntary). But all you generally need to prove murder (rather than manslaughter) is the malicious (cold-blooded, rather than hot-blooded) use of deadly force, causing death. (This is all speaking in very general terms about American criminal law. Each state may have its own variations.)

    Parent
    For awhile there was a story (none / 0) (#113)
    by jondee on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 08:39:35 PM EST
    that Jean's "downstairs neighbors" had been making noise complaints about him, though it wasn't clear whether Guyger was the one who made the complaints.

    Parent
    Did they do any kind of toxicology test (none / 0) (#114)
    by McBain on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 09:25:04 PM EST
    on Guyger?  Was there any kind of interaction with Jean before the shooting?  

    My guess is that this could be another case of overcharging based on politics and/or public pressure. She was initially charged with manslaughter.  After Jean's family and their lawyers complained, it's now murder.

    Parent

    She is charged with both murder and manslaughter (5.00 / 1) (#116)
    by Peter G on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 07:20:26 AM EST
    which is a perfectly appropriate way to allow a jury to assess intent and degree of culpability.

    Parent
    If the evidence strongly suggests murder (1.00 / 1) (#120)
    by McBain on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 10:32:06 AM EST
    go with that.  If it doesn't, it shouldn't be included  to give the impression someone is "tough on crime".  Juries should only have the option of a murder conviction if it's appropriate. I don't know what the case is here yet.

     

    Parent

    If you "don't know what the case is" (5.00 / 3) (#124)
    by Peter G on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 01:24:54 PM EST
    then why are you suggesting that the prosecutors are doing their job wrong at the charging stage? Certainly, nothing in your comment is responsive to what I explained (either by agreeing, disagreeing, or inquiring further). It is appropriate for the prosecutors to offer a jury the option of any degree of offense that their good-faith assessment of the direct and circumstantial evidence leads them to believe a jury might fairly find beyond a reasonable doubt. In this case, expressly charging manslaughter in the alternative suggests to me that the prosecutors agree there may be at least two ways of looking at the case, even if you believe the accused is guilty.

    Parent
    I'm skeptical because I've seen too many (none / 0) (#125)
    by McBain on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 03:37:57 PM EST
    high profile cases without a honest "good-faith" assessment by prosecutors....
    Freddie Gray officers
    Zimmerman
    Casey Anthony...
    to name a few.  

    As I pointed out, in this case the initial charge was manslaughter but after the Jean family, their lawyers and others complained or demonstrated, a murder charge was added.  For right now, I'm skeptical.  

     

    Parent

    You've got post-Zimmerman (5.00 / 3) (#126)
    by jondee on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 04:06:03 PM EST
    Traumatic Stress Disorder I think, McBain.

    Do you have any thoughts on the way the police riffled through Mr Jean's apartment but not the accused and possibly impaired Officer Guyger's?

    That's not a course to take if you're concerned about families and lawyers complaining and demonstrating. Wouldn't you agree?

    Parent

    I've got high profile case coverage (none / 0) (#127)
    by McBain on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 05:30:54 PM EST
    withdrawl Jondee.  The media doesn't give them the coverage they used to.  
    Do you have any thoughts on the way the police riffled through Mr Jean's apartment but not the accused

    The shooting took place in Jean's apartment.

    Parent
    I'm not clear on how (none / 0) (#128)
    by jondee on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 06:40:22 PM EST
    that is an excuse to search the victim's apartment and not the possibly impaired and homocidal shooter's apartment.

    Parent
    Why would they need to search her apartment? (none / 0) (#129)
    by McBain on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 07:48:27 PM EST
    I believe they already had her gun.  This article says she had a blood and alcohol test done the night of the shooting. I think they have information from the electronic locks/keys so they know when which door was opened.  

    Parent
    Use your imagination (none / 0) (#130)
    by jondee on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 08:38:38 PM EST
    the woman just killed her upstairs neighbor.

    There might have been drugs or paraphernalia or medications in her apartment that could point to her being in an impaired or unstable condition at the time of the shooting.

    There also could be written notes or other material that might indicate prior contact with Jean.
     

    Parent

    Imagining what "might" be found (none / 0) (#131)
    by Peter G on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 09:11:47 PM EST
    does not allow a search of a suspect's residence. The Fourth Amendment requires a warrant for that search, supported by probable cause to believe that contraband or instrumentalities or evidence of a crime will be found. A search of the crime scene does not require a warrant. In this respect, there may be a false equivalency in looking at whether the police searched one place and not the other.

    Parent
    Call me cynical (none / 0) (#135)
    by jondee on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 09:54:00 PM EST
    but I can't help thinking that if the shoe had been on the other foot and Mr Jean had accidentally entered Officer Guyger's apartment and shot her, a search warrant for Mr Jean's apartment would have been issued in record time.

    Parent
    Here are some red flags for me (none / 0) (#136)
    by McBain on Sun Dec 02, 2018 at 11:17:41 AM EST
    Guyger's lawyer Robert Rogers..
    Rogers argued that emotion was injected into the grand jury process, particularly because Jean's mother testified.

    Rogers says having a family member give testimony during a grand jury process is highly unusual.

    Since she wasn't a witness to the shooting, I wonder what she testified about?  Hopefully, she didn't get to say anything like this (from the same article)...

    Speaking at a news conference Friday, Allison Jean said she believed Guyger "inflicted tremendous evil on my son."

    More from the article...

    Johnson said her office thought the shooting constituted murder all along.

    Faith Johnson is the Dallas County DA. If she thought it was murder all along that means she made up her mind before looking at all the evidence.  I'm going to try to keep an open mind here but this has all the earmarks of something rotten.

    Parent
    In every homicide case, one element (none / 0) (#139)
    by Peter G on Mon Dec 03, 2018 at 08:49:30 AM EST
    of the offense that the prosecutor must establish is that the victim was alive before the interaction with the accused, and dead afterwards. In almost every case, the prosecutor uses the grieving mother or widow (or the like) as the witness to prove this element. Yes, it adds an element of emotion, but it is commonplace and universally accepted by the courts as appropriate.

    Parent
    The police releasing public (none / 0) (#115)
    by jondee on Fri Nov 30, 2018 at 11:45:57 PM EST
    statements about the victim having pot in his apartment, while skirting the issue of what Guyger may have had in her system and in her apartment. What was that if not a ham-handed appeal to prejudices of people who think Those People are always up to no good and that the Dallas police can do no wrong

    If the cops wanted to perfectly set the stage for a public/political backlash, they went about it the right way.

    Parent

    From The Onion: (5.00 / 2) (#118)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 07:43:39 AM EST
    Open-Ended New Bill Would Criminalize Whatever Black People Are Doing Right Now - "Saying the measure would provide a substantial boon to police departments nationwide, members of the House Republican caucus introduced a bill Tuesday containing open-ended language that would criminalize whatever it is black people are up to right now."

    Parent
    Good article from the Dallas Observer (none / 0) (#146)
    by McBain on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 12:22:56 PM EST
    Link
    Guyger says it was a mistake. She says she parked on the wrong floor of the garage in her building, went to Jean's apartment thinking it was her own...
    ...It's no good waving arms and saying that's impossible. It's not impossible. It's possible.

    Other residents of the same building will testify they have made the same mistake -- parked on the wrong floor, gone to the wrong apartment thinking it was their own.


    I found this part particularly interesting..
    And there is no fact or even a theory by which Guyger set out deliberately and consciously to kill Jean. They had never met. There was no backstory.

    Texas law is clear. If Guyger formed a belief that the law calls "mistake of fact," then the standard is whether her subsequent behavior would have been reasonable had her belief been true. She says she thought he was a trespasser. In Texas, you can shoot a trespasser unless he is fleeing without any of your stuff in his possession.

    I'm sure there have been plenty of cases where self defense was successfully argued when someone was incorrectly identified as an intruder.  But I wonder how many cases have there been where the shooter incorrectly identified their own home?

    There more I read about this case the more I think the question isn't murder vs. manslaughter, it's crime vs. no crime.  If Guyger's story raises reasonable doubt, this could be another not guilty/hung jury criminal case with some kind of civil settlement/victory for the Jean family.

    Parent

    It is not a Good Article (5.00 / 1) (#148)
    by RickyJim on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 03:27:25 PM EST
    It is a bunch of worthless speculation by somebody who does not know the evidence presented to the Grand Jury.  In particular: the medical tests on Jean and Guyger, exactly what Guyger saw at various stages of approaching and entering Jean's apartment and how close to Jean was Guyger when she decided to fire. If I were the editor, it wouldn't have been published.

    Parent
    I'm glad you're not the editor (none / 0) (#154)
    by McBain on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 09:44:19 PM EST
    In addition to the parts I quoted in my previous post, I found this to be an important point...
    A week ago the city's only daily newspaper said in an editorial: "We worry, though, that the murder charge creates a greater risk of a not-guilty verdict."

    They wanted a manslaughter charge because they thought it would be easier to get a conviction on that lesser charge. Guess what. That's none of the newspaper's business. Trial by press is one thing. Now are we going to have pretrial plea bargaining by the editorial page?

    I hope the article's author, Jim Schutze, continues to cover this case.  Ideally, if there's a trial, it will be televised but that doesn't seem to happen much anymore.  

    Parent

    I'm 60 years old. (5.00 / 1) (#156)
    by Chuck0 on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 07:56:17 AM EST
    I've lived in apts. and houses all of the United States and two foreign countries. I have never, ever, once ever entered someone else's home or apt. thinking it was mine. The premise is stupid, stupid, stupid. At an absolute minimum Amber Guyger deserves a long prison sentence for just that. Sheer stupidity.


    Parent
    Apparently it happens Chuck (none / 0) (#157)
    by McBain on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 09:30:19 AM EST
    CST claims to have made the mistake of tying to enter someone's else's apartment a few times in college.

    I'm sure it has to do with living in a multi floor complex where each floor looks the same.  In the Guyger case, I believe the parking garage allows people to park at the same level of their apartment.  

    Parent

    It quite remarkable (5.00 / 1) (#158)
    by jondee on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 11:18:43 AM EST
    that in an apparently well-lit hallway, she stll somehow managed not to notice the bright red doormat in front of Mr Jean's door.

    How do you miss something like that?

    Parent

    She was white? (none / 0) (#159)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 11:28:39 AM EST
    I'm not hung up on the doormat (none / 0) (#161)
    by McBain on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 12:14:19 PM EST
    as some of you are.  I don't usually notice doormats.   I'm more perplexed by Guyger not recognizing the interior.   Even if the floor plan is exactly the same, it would still look and probably smell different.

    The only comparable thing for me I can think of is when I mistake someone else's car for mine.  

    Parent

    I thought I read it was night (none / 0) (#162)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 12:42:41 PM EST
    and the lights in the apt were off.

    Parent
    Perhaps that's a legitimate excuse (none / 0) (#163)
    by McBain on Sat Dec 08, 2018 at 12:51:38 PM EST
    This article states the Dallas county DA has the electronic locks from both Guyger's and Jeans' apartments.  If the data suggests Guyger opened her door before going to Jean's, it would not support her story. If it suggests she went straight to Jean's door, it might help her.  It might also show if Jean's door was ajar.  

    Parent
    And yet (5.00 / 1) (#160)
    by CST on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 11:38:24 AM EST
    I never shot anyone.

    Parent
    Donald Trump (none / 0) (#121)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Dec 01, 2018 at 10:51:06 AM EST
    squirrel feeder

    Brilliant

    I'm watching the third episode (none / 0) (#138)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Dec 02, 2018 at 07:50:05 PM EST
    Of ENEMIES.  The Clinton episode.  It's very good. It's hard to watch if you lived through it.  But it is at its heart entirely about Trump and the hypocrisy of those defending him.  It almost surreal.  Lindsey Graham, Rudy etc.  It's almost unbelievable.  The last line is Trump.  Looking into the camera and talking about how disgraceful all the lies are.

    Next week is the finale.  They promised updated content based on what happens in DC.  You almost wonder if this film makers with all their connections got a heads up.  Because I think next week it's likely there will indeed be things to update.

    The worst part of the episode. Learning Watermelon Dan Burton is still alive and he still thinks Vince Foster was murdered.

    Good guys with guns shot by police. (none / 0) (#141)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Dec 04, 2018 at 01:48:04 PM EST
    In the past two or three weeks, I've read stories of "good guys with guns" being shot (and killed) by police. One in Birmingham, AL, one in the Chicago area. Both "good guys" were black. Wonder why that is? Methinks the 2nd Amendment only applies to white guys. After all, white guys wrote it.


    Good white guys with guns (none / 0) (#142)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Dec 04, 2018 at 04:14:18 PM EST
    That's totally implied.  

    Parent
    I mean seriously (5.00 / 2) (#143)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Dec 04, 2018 at 04:27:43 PM EST
    Just ask yourself what would happen if these a-holes showing up for these open carry events were black.

    Parent
    Jeffery Epstein and other powerful men (none / 0) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 10:06:35 AM EST
    Lawmakers demand probe of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's 'sweetheart deal'

    This is starting to look like it could be a very big deal.  Just saw a segment on MJ.  I didn't know much about it but it seems to have very big implications for several important people.

    More that 80 (known) young girls and women.  pleasure islands for rich men.  It has another name but I didn't use it.  One of the women actually named Allen Dershowitz as being involved.

    Although not named in the letters, one of those involved in the decision-making was U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who was a U.S. Attorney in Florida at the time.

    Acosta is currently Labor Secretary.  And is rumored to be in line for AG.

    I have several very long posts (none / 0) (#147)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 02:36:29 PM EST
    on the Epstein case. Start with #9 and work your way up. (If you are interested).

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    I am interested (none / 0) (#149)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 03:54:35 PM EST
    Thanks.

    Not sure where I was in 2015

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    Oh, man (none / 0) (#152)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 05:17:16 PM EST
    From a thread titled 2015 was a terrible year.  Or something like that.

    The 2016 presidential election campaign (5.00 / 5) (#2)
    by Anne on Fri Jan 01, 2016 at 04:58:29 PM EST
    is going to be a huge drag on the year, in my opinion; as bad as it's been so far, I think it's going to get much worse.

    Reply to This |  1  2  3  4  5

    Just watching a bit (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Jan 01, 2016 at 05:33:14 PM EST
    Of FOX News.  Not sure why but I think my IQ just dropped 10 points.  Anyway,  there was a long "in depth" piece questioning if Donald can win a general election.
    It will almost certainly be an interesting year.  In the Chinese sense.

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    Ok (none / 0) (#150)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 04:02:38 PM EST
    Read #9 working up.

    Curious what you think about it resurfacing and what you think about Acosta and his future in the Trump administration.

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    An Alex Acosta (none / 0) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 04:18:23 PM EST
    It is definitely back in da news (none / 0) (#153)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Dec 06, 2018 at 05:25:57 PM EST
    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A last-minute settlement was reached Tuesday [Dec 4th] in a long-running Florida lawsuit involving a politically connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls, clearing the way for the victims' lawyers to try to unravel a once-secret agreement that prevented federal criminal prosecution of the financier.

    link


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    The reason (none / 0) (#155)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Dec 07, 2018 at 06:36:16 AM EST
    it is back in the news apparently is because the victims filed a civil suit. I guess statue of limitations is out on criminal or maybe a double jeopardy situation?

    There are rumors that Trump was running parties for Epstein at Mar a Lago.

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    no rumors please (none / 0) (#164)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Dec 12, 2018 at 02:41:14 PM EST
    there are enough facts to comment on.

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