HUNTER BIDEN’S LEGAL TEAM CAUGHT MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS IN COURT FILINGS: This is delightful. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Scarsi on Wednesday issued a show cause order to Hunter Biden’s legal team requiring them to explain why they should not be sanctioned for making false statements.
FBI RAIDS HOME OF FORMER AID TO GOVERNORS CUOMO AND HOCHUL: This is delicious. No word yet on what they suspect her of doing, but she and her husband are heavily involved with China and run an export business. Could it be espionage? There’s a lot of that going around these days.
FIFTH CIRCUIT RULES FCC’S UNIVERSAL SERVICE FEE UNCONSTITUTIONAL: The court calls the fee a “misbegotten tax.” This is delovely. “Programs funded through the USF provide phone service to low-income users and rural healthcare providers and broadband service to schools and libraries.” (*cough* Obamaphones *cough*) This will doubtlessly be appealed to SCOTUS, but absent a circuit split they can decline to take the case.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR POUNCES AFTER SCOTUS RULING: Oh, wait, you can only use “pounce” if they have an “R” after their name; CNN describes this as being buoyed. “This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same.” Needless to say, advocates for the homeless drug-addled, batshit-crazy, street-shitting vagrants are not happy. And I have sympathy for those people, many of whom are combat veterans suffering from PTSD, but tent cities are not the answer.
GOVERNMENT-RUN WELLNESS FARMS: RFK Jr. suggests creating “wellness farms” to “reparent” those struggling with addiction [and depression, and ADHD] by growing organic food and taking away screens. I can only imagine the shrieking hysteria and breathless media coverage that would have erupted had anyone on the right suggested this.
PANDERING: Trump calls for jail sentence for desecrating flag: ‘Stupid people’ will say it’s unconstitutional. JHTFC, not this bullshit again. Yes, it’s unconstitutional. Not only does it violate the 1A free expression clause, but it comes dangerously close to violating the establishment clause of 1A by setting up a civic religion with criminal penalties for desecration of holy symbols. He already has the vote of the flag-worshiping crowd sewn up. He could have simply condemned flag burning, but no. Fuck populism.
DESTINY’S CHILD: Over at Letters from Fiddler’s Greene, Dave Greene draws the link between intemperate leftist rhetoric such as that spewed by bloggers like “Destiny” (Steve Bonnell) and the actions of would-be assassin Thomas Crooks. A long, but good, read.
FINALLY, NUCLEAR ROCKET ENGINES: “Phoebus 2A, the most powerful space nuclear reactor ever made, was fired up at Nevada Test Site on June 26, 1968. The test lasted 750 seconds and confirmed it could carry first humans to Mars. But Phoebus 2A did not take anyone to Mars. It was too large, it cost too much, and it didn’t mesh with Nixon’s idea that we had no business going anywhere further than low-Earth orbit.” The technology was then mothballed, but now both DOD and NASA seem interested in reviving the program. This technology will open up the Moon and Mars for serious exploration, human settlement, and tourism. A long read, but worth it. I get delrious just thinking about it.
I have the flag burning discussion (argument) with my dad often. To me it is a symbol and a piece of fabric at the same time. He sees it as sacred. The 1st amendment covers it, end of story. But, do I appreciate when some vet smacks a dude while he is attempting to do it….yes, yes, I do.
I love your link style Tonio.
Delirious is such a fun song by the Prince.
I’d be happy if the burners were prosecuted for vandalism or whatever if they steal the flag, but that’s only done if it’s a rainbow flag (speaking of state religions).
Good point – the Hamas assholes are free to burn US flags they own but stealing them off a flagpole and burning them is a property crime.
Stealing a lectern from a government building is insurrection, so stealing a flag from a government installation must be just as bad – or even worse. Isn’t running up a new flag the way that you mark a takeover?
I was expecting this one honestly. (non-Prince… or even non-Formerly Known As…)
Yes, it’s a 1A violation to ban burning it but, also, I’d vote not to convict someone who kicked your ass for doing so.
100%
Burn a rainbow flag and you will go to jail.
Symbols aren’t reality. I couldn’t care less if someone burns a flag or even a Bible. It changes absolutely nothing.
Tell that to the people prosecuted for leaving tire tracks on LGBTQWERTY symbols painted on roadways. It will comfort them in their time of punishment.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear. It changes nothing for me. I realize perfectly well that I will not receive the same from others.
Not yet anyway. It has made plenty of changes for other people less cautious.
Aligned that this is unconstitutional – but it’s a potentially solid move to dismantle hate-crime legislation used to prosecute those who burn a quilt-bag flag…
Also a hate-crime to leave tire marks on the rainbow crosswalk.
“hate-crime legislation”
Speaking of 1A violations. . . .
After your first three lynx, I was expecting this musical selection.
Yikes. Was there a more inescapable song that year?
No. But I still love it.
Yup.
It is the song of the early 90’s to me. Lots of funky groovy fun.
Anything with Bootsy is almost guaranteed to peg the Funk-O-Meter. And Q-Tip was a perfect choice.
You weren’t expecting Tonio to link Show Tunes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDhPBN747HI
Just this one.
Hmmm…. certain crosswalks and “hate crimes” might want a word there, unfortunately.
That and we’ve reached a point where the only purpose of government seems to be to punish your political enemies.
“This technology will open up the Moon and Mars for serious exploration, human settlement, and tourism.”
I want the air and water concessions in the tourist areas of Mars and the Moon.
“No problem… just stand there while we drop a comet
on youfor you!”I promise to be careful.
I’m pretty sure I saw that movie. Schwarzenegger was the star.
Australia looks on with interest…. (see also: That has no chance for abuse!)
I can understand the desire and need for something to get addicts off the street as well as mental health facilities… but that’s an area you need to tread really, really carefully. And telling me that they’ll be “growing organic crops” makes it sound like either you’re a lightheaded twit … or you’re looking for cheap labor for your agricultural sector and using the Kamala method of forced labor. Neither fills me with confidence.
Could be worse. They could be fertilizing the organic crops.
That is true. There is no chance for abuse. Abuse is a certainty.
Maybe they could hang a sign over the gate about work and freedom…something uplifting like that, y’know, to give people hope.
“There’s a lot of that going around these days.”
So it appears that people who think they are untouchable because they’re useful to the right team might not be able to do whatever the hell they want after all.
Sturmabteilung leaders say “Hello.”
Various stars would like a word. (They didn’t say made by man after all!)
Snark aside — I’d love to see it happen since chemical for anything beyond Lunar is almost certainly not economical (or probably even workable). Almost certainly would have to be assembled / fueled in orbit though… people would have hissy fits if you tried to launch one even inactive in a stage I’d bet. As I remember one article on possible Mars missions had it be something like 2 years because of the fuel / thrust issues.. where a nuke could do it in months (6? 3? I forget). Plus if you used a big block of water ice as a fuel tank, you’d get your radiation shielding (once you’re out of the magnetosphere, that’s a problem for long treks) out of it. Which strikes me as a good plan and all….
Carl Sagan mentioned in the original Cosmos that nuclear space travel was…unlikely due to treaties signed during the Cold War prohibiting [man-made] nuclear reactions in space. Now that the USSR doesn’t exist, are those treaties void, I wonder?
What if Elon could get the Benevolent Government to allow him to do nuclear rocket development? (who knows – maybe he’s already doing it)
That’s one possibility. The other is that nations follow treaties — until it is no longer advantageous for them to do so. (Does anyone seriously think the CCCP will give a flying flip about such a treaty if it locks in the ultimate high ground for them? If they can get away with it… they’re going to do it. I would expect us to have an escape clause as needed as well if it comes down to it — we certainly shouldn’t cede the Solar System because we signed a paper in 1952 [or whatever]).
CCP already ignores treaties – see UNCLOS in the SCS. No reason we should handicap ourselves. (and I’m pretty sure we could argue private corporations are independent – esp multinationals – it’s how we get out of the gravity well in Pournelle’s Codominium saga.
I’ve been looking and the closest thing I can find is the Outer Space Treaty which seems to prohibit nuclear weapons, but not nuclear reactions.
But, there are many ways out of the treaty trap, most obviously an independent Republic of Texas which would not be bound by the treaty obligations made on its behalf by a federal union to which it formerly belonged.
I found a clip on YT from the scene where he talks about it (specifically the ramjet), but they cut out the part about the treaties. Gah!
(BTW, I don’t care that Sagan was a lefty – IFL him. I love the way he explained things. He is solely responsible for my interest in physics.)
Took XX to a women-in-STEM workshop for her high school, and there were a bunch of college students there talking to the girls. One said she was going to law school for space law. 🤯
I always enjoy a good Prince song. When we were kids we used to sing “I get diphtheria, whenever you’re near…”
Now that’s what I call a first-class mondegreen!
Probably more a sign that I rarely listen to Prince — but now I’m hearing that for this song….
I still listen a lot. Always appropriate
Even when this comes up?
I’m glad that was a one-off. Take the money and run is always good advice.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR POUNCES AFTER SCOTUS RULING: Oh, wait, you can only use “pounce” if they have an “R” after their name; CNN describes this as being buoyed. “This executive order directs state agencies to move urgently to address dangerous encampments while supporting and assisting the individuals living in them — and provides guidance for cities and counties to do the same.”
He’s a little late to the party.
Unfortunately they are joined by many junkie gutter punks who terrorize local residents and businesses so they can get their next fix.
And the pols who indulge them are never honest enough to draw any distinction.
The hair is on point.
*rolls eyes, closes tab*
I’m looking forward to nuclear fusion engines. Baby steps though.
NUCLEAR ROCKET ENGINES
This is really Uncivil’s next do-it-yourself project, isn’t it?
SPOILERS!
You got the Uranium from some Libyans didn’t you?
Nonsense, I’m going to pick it up from Moab on my way through Utah.
If you angle the exhaust just so, it’ll fix your neighbor problem.
I really wish I could find the original of this:
https://youtube.com/shorts/0FhWQ86quD4?si=l1UuD49C4Re6Gcfc
STEVE SMITH NOT TAKE NO FOR ANSWER!
JFC
https://x.com/dom_lucre/status/1816526271821832214
Well, the Dems would be crazy to cede the drag queen vote to Trump.
Lol. Nice.
It would create cleavage where there was none before.
I don’t understand the obsession with drag queens. If adults want to see them, fine. I’m sure they can be entertaining, but why push them on kids?
Because it’s indoctrinations and forced acceptance of the unacceptable.
“In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.”
…Theodore Dalrymple
Homple’s Dalyrmple quote shows why it is imperative to speak up. There are numerous emperors walking around stark naked and we need to point it out. Yeah, you may lose a few “friends” in the process but you’ll keep your self-respect.
I overheard a couple gushing about Kamala today and on the spot I resolved something like this.
I am fairly introverted but if push comes to shove I can’t keep quiet anymore – the last few years have just been too damn absurd and ridiculous. I am a terrible speaker, though.
Rhywun, you don’t have to act like a dick. Question the speakers. Like “I don’t know much about Kamala. I heard when she was a prosecutor, she put lots of young black men in jail for smoking pot, thus giving them prison records, breaking up families, and harming minority communities. Is this true because I can’t support someone who did that?” Socratic approach, get where they are coming from.
OMG
Cringe x 100
Sue Mi Terry, alleged S Korean spy: Would. Would *now.* Asians, Koreans age real well. Younger her…uh, while working w/at the CIA, it doesn’t surprise me SoKo (successfully) pursued her for work as a honey pot.
Me no wonder one bit.
The average Asian aging process Age 18 Age 20-30 Age 120
THIS. Right here. Hilarious, and Absolute Truth. It’s fairly stunning in its ubiquity. Korean woman will have 2 kids and..no change, other than slight natural aging to a more (and more…) Adult girl.
And Korean grandmothers? Identical. Like 35% of them surnamed Kim? How do they ID anyone! (They have their ways, unfamiliar to this weigook. Whereas I was just any Random White Guy unless someone actually knew who I was. Astonishingly helpful at times.)
Had an orientation at the private xtian school today. I like it because it’s casual. I’ll be teaching a variety of subjects, including algebra, anatomy, and marine biology. I get to pick an elective class, which will probably be geometry, but maybe chemistry.
When I was a wee lad, maybe 4 or 5, my parents took me to the natural history museum in DC. I don’t remember it, but my mom said that in front of some dinosaur diorama, I gave an impressive impromptu lecture like:
***
This is so-and-so-asaurus and it lived during the whatchamacallit period…
***
Basically, I knew more than the museum guides did.
Things are looking up. Please enjoy this video about the other dinosaur fighting game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypKNr1rFfsQ&t
Oh my, I have played that.
Wonderful news.
Please don’t do what one of my econ profs did far too often. He would eat cold greenish weiners while he gave a lecture, occasionally shaking said weiner at us when he was in the groove.
Uh, phrasing?
Marine biology?! I thought you always wanted to pretend to be an architect. But you know your alleys!
The sea was angry that day my friends…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEvOU2HKhzw
My folks have told me similar stories about me as a young lad at a museum…though I can’t recall anything similar.
RV park owner just told me that after my 7th month, my rent goes down by $200!!! (though I have to start paying for electric)
WOWWWWEEE…maybe I’ll never leave! (I asked to get on the waitlist for a larger site – I’m not going to look for property right away)
TN?
NC
Oh, that’s right. Still Smokys, though, correct? How long have you been there?
Yes – in Franklin NC. I’ve been here almost 3 months. I really love it here. I’m close to everything – grocery, downtown, hospital, Walmart, Lowe’s. Plus the sheer number of swimming holes and waterfalls is insane. I can’t wait til the tourists leave and I can go up to Bust Your Butt Falls on a Saturday afternoon without crowds.
I should probably take a few weekdays off and go up the road and check out some of the various falls.
We were there in May. Such a lovely part of the country. I’m not a sound sleeper so I was up really early most days and really got to dig the actual smoky in the name.
Good for you. The tourist traps are stupid, but the rest is amazing.
My favorite sunrise.
Nice!
Nice. More money for booze. You can really make them regret that decision.
Written medical exam was today. Results within two weeks. There’s no way I did NOT get 80% right, the cut-off. It’s just pass/fail. Nothing above counts for extra. Most were pretty easy but I know I guessed-at-best/missed several. I’m guessing I got in the 85-90% bracket. I was getting low-90s scores on others we took. I’d be quite pleased with myself if I get over 90%, my .300 batting average equivalent.
I’m going to rewrite/make/design my resume tomorrow. Also a basic cover letter I can edit with applications. Most(?) intimidating is updating it to be within 2024. I’ve kept mine the same for quite a while. I don’t wanna look stale. I know google and more have templates that can be used. As always, getting the Nice Ones costs extra, which I’m loathe to do. Any tips on any of that would be of immense help.
I hope y’all have Good Things on the horizon. I’m excited and goofed-out that this is my next venipuncture into work in America. Career curve ball #3, I believe. I’m more than an oddball. I rather enjoy this, for the most part.
(Venipuncture. I keep reading/seeing that as ‘penis puncture.’ C’mon y’all. I am not the only one, yeah?)
Good luck, Evan. I hope you knock it out of the park.
TIK, on point as always. Turns out, Marx was a useless layabout who felt himself above the workers he championed. Same as it ever was.
And Thoreau had a mommy who cooked his meals and did his laundry while he went out to daddy’s cabin in daddy’s woods and lived deliberately.
Judge Carl Stewart, nominated to the court by former President Bill Clinton, was among 5th Circuit judges writing strong dissents, saying the opinion conflicts with three other circuit courts, rejects precedents, “blurs the distinction between taxes and fees,” and creates new doctrine.
I would say it is distinguishing between fees paid for service provided and taxes taken to provide things to others.
Let’s see, the funds are collected by a regulatory agency, from the industry it regulates, not in return for any particular service. It is instead calculated based on a percentage of amounts billed by telecom providers. Sounds like a tax to me, on gross revenue, even.
In Sebelius, the funds were collected by the IRS, the tax agency, from its usual prey – the citizenry, which already makes the ObamaCare “tax” more taxy than the FCC’s universal service “fee”. Now, it was imposed based on whether or not you had certain insurance, which makes it more like a penalty than a tax.
Of course, ObamaCare was upheld as an exercise of the taxing power (somehow), but when it was pointed out that the slender reed of the tax upon which its Constitutionality depended was not, in fact, in effect, the courts still said “Nah, brah. ‘Sall good.”
my understanding of Sebelius is that anything that John Roberts and four others might agree could have been a tax is a tax for purposes of qualifying as constitutional under the taxing and spending clause
the distinction was permanently blurred at the highest level in 2012, amen, so say five with the chief writing for the court
I have since presumed that USSC had basically pre-ratified any capture of my wealth by the federal government in any form that it might choose to impose
of course, all of this is wrong, but I don’t see how anyone can say it hasn’t be the law for a dozen years already