Saturday, March 16, 2024

It's Happening


How it happened then...

"At first, the love of money, and then that of power began to prevail, and these became, as it were, the sources of every evil. For avarice subverted honesty, integrity and other honorable principles and, in their stead, inculcated pride, inhumanity, contempt of religion and general venality. Ambition prompted many to become deceitful; to keep one thing concealed in the breast and another ready on the tongue; to estimate friendships and enmities, not by their worth, but according to interest; and to carry rather a specious countenance than an honest heart. These vices first advanced but slowly, and were sometimes restrained by correction; but afterward, when their infection had spread like a pestilence, the state was entirely changed, and the government, from being the most equitable and praiseworthy, became the most rapacious and insupportable." 

Sallust, Conspiracy of Cataline
And their love will grow cold.....

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Saudis Reveal Gropebot


NYPo shared a story on a Saudi built robot.  It groped the female reporter after she called his name.  

Red Team's Hostile Takeover


The Republican National Committee has been acquired by the Trump campaign.  The hostile takeover resulted in mass firings, the installation of pet people and a trashing of old priorities in favor of "All Trump, All the Time."  Petty dictators love control and prize loyalty.  

RNC senior leaders are gone.  Lower ranking people were fired or told to reapply for their jobs.  The new guard wants a leaner, more aggressive operation, one that leverages political experience.

Dang, Americans get enough of this at work, especially if their employer has been taken over by a private equity underwriter (PEU).  

Do assholes have to run everything?  Apparently so. 

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.

Update 3-14-24:  The Red Team is divided amongst itself.  Less than half of House Republicans RSVP'd to an invitation for their annual retreat.  

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Ken Paxton Lawless Lawman


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants to replace elected judges and state representatives from his political party.  Their transgressions?  Asking for the law to apply to Paxton.

The judges in question applied the Texas Constitution, which specifies duties/responsibilities of the Attorney General's office.  Rather than change the Constitution to get the power Paxton desires, Ken wants to get rid of the judges who made the ruling.

Paxton is gunning for elected representatives who voted to impeach him for two indiscretions, an affair and accepting free home renovations from Nate Paul, an Austin private equity underwriter.  Paul employed Paxton's side dish and helped Ken get anonymous Uber rides to see her.

Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick joined Paxton in targeting Texas representatives for replacement.  Abbott visited several times recently to push his preferred candidate, who only speaks briefly at events.  

I want my local representatives to not accept whatever Abbott, Patrick and Paxton want carte blanche.  I want elected officials to act on significant ethical lapses, driven by hubris and political connections.  

The public has the chance to see Paxton's long term lack of character in two upcoming legal cases.  One is from attorneys in the Texas AG office who blew the whistle on Paxton's trading influence for personal benefits.  The other is a long delayed securities fraud trial.  

Paxton is not on the ballot but it is replete with Texas Triumvirate's political tampering.  I hope the Big Three's select candidate is sent packing on Tuesday.  That's my hope and my prayer.

Update 3-6-24:  Citizens in San Angelo and Abilene rejected the Abbott-Patrick-Paxton candidates in yesterday's primary election.  An answered prayer.

Friday, February 9, 2024

Biden's Memory is Voter Issue


The Special Counsel report recommended not charging President Biden for his retaining classified documents after leaving office.  It states:

“Given Mr. Biden’s limited precision and recall during his interviews with his ghostwriter and with our office, jurors may hesitate to place too much evidentiary weight on a single eight-word utterance to his ghostwriter about finding classified documents in Virginia, in the absence of other, more direct evidence."

“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Poor memory is a common tactic used by CEOs and other powerful people under investigation.  Executive amnesia or boardroom fog has been employed by the likes of:
  • BP CEO Lord John Browne after a Texas City refinery explosion killed 15 workers and injured 180.
  • Ivanka Trump during the investigation of tax fraud by The Trump Organization
  • BP CEO Tony Haywood after the Deepwater Horizon exploded killing eleven people and causing the Gulf Oil Spew
Ghislaine Maxwell could not recall even a single flight on Epstein's private jet with Jeffrey Esptein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Biden's poor memory in an investigative interview should not alone be reason for concern given its widespread use by influential, powerful people.  That said, Biden's protest may trigger something in families that dealt with Alzheimer's disease or dementia.  

How many people have heard in a raised voice "my memory is fine" or something similar?  

Americans vote on their lived experienced.  Powerful people avoiding responsibility is an everyday occurrence in our country.  Returning an angry elderly man with poor memory to the White House is altogether different deal  

Update:  Blue Team Rep. Adam Smith said Biden’s address to the media was “not the way you want to do it.”

Update 2-16-24:  As for memory problems in investigative cases the judge in Trump's civil fraud trial said of Ivanka:
"Despite being presented with ample emails and other documentary evidence demonstrating the critical role she played in the negotiation, Ms. Trump professed to have no memory of any of the events of the loan negotiation or the agreed upon terms." 
"But the court found her inconsistent recall, depending on whether she was questioned by OAG or the defense, suspect."

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Need Break from "Cam Pains"


Former President Donald Trump lives in his own world, one apparently unaffected by legal cases or restitution judgements, which amount to $88 million for E. Jean Carroll.  HuffPo reported:

“Are you thinking of potentially trying to use campaign funds to pay some of the penalties?” a reporter asked the former president at a news conference following his meeting with Teamsters Union leaders in Washington, D.C.

“What penalties?” Trump asked. 

“In the New York fraud cause and the defamation case,” the reporter replied. 

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Trump. “I mean, that’s been proven as far as I’m concerned.” 

He claimed that “actually, we won in the court of appeals.”
It's time to turn off the doddering old rivals, Trump and Biden.  The public does not want a rematch but public will rarely drives political organizations.  

We may have to suffer a rematch of the 2020 election but I can wait at least six months before tuning in again.   Maybe, I'll rejoin the race after Labor Day.  That's about the time Trump pretended to be presidential in the last battle.

Trump's insatiable need for adulation and revenge became rancid long ago.  Biden needs to look in the mirror and realize the job no longer fits a man of his age, however connected he may be to society's power structures.

I can't count on Red or Blue political teams to deliver new candidates but I can ignore their respective coronations.  

Update:  Trump disagrees with the DC District Court that refused to grant him King George like privileges.

Monday, January 22, 2024

AI Already Impacting 2024 Race to Bottom

Early adopters of artificial intelligence (AI) include criminals and political campaigns.  A New Hampshire robocall with President Biden's voice encouraged voters not to go to the polls for the Democratic primary.

AI has been used to scam people, steal their passwords, commit fraud and launder money.  

Meanwhile the two people Americans don't want running again have big leads in both political parties.  Please tell me it's just a simulation...

Update 1-25-24:   Fake Taylor Swift porn is the latest AI garbage to flood the internet on X/ex-Twitter.  Trolls should consider Swift took on Carlyle and won.  I'll venture there are far more Swifties than trolls.  It should be an interesting battle and a monumental waste of societal resources.