First, President-Elect Trump failed in his effort to get the Supreme Court to bypass New York appeals courts and toss his conviction for falsifying business records (see story here). The New York judge won’t punish him for his paperwork crime, but his sentencing on Friday, January 9, 2025, is [...]
January 9th, 2025 - 7:13 pm § in Law and Courts, Misc.
“Pizzagate” vigilante dead after pulling gun in traffic stop
The late Edgar Maddison Welch (1988-2025) was the poster boy of rightwing vigilantes. On December 4, 2016, Welch (photo, left) barged into the Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria (photo below) in Washington, D.C., with an AR-16 and a handgun, and fired several shots. No one was hurt, but incident traumatized e[...]
This Supreme Court 5-4 ruling should’ve been 9-0
Kings answer to no one, and nobles answer only to kings. Supposedly egalitarian communist societies have nobility, too, the ruling class. America was supposed to be different. Our founding fathers wanted a classless society, under rule of law, where everyone was treated equally (except slaves, women[...]
January 8th, 2025 - 10:35 pm § in Business
REI shutters classes and guided trips
REI, the Seattle-based outdoor member co-op, announced (here) on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, that it’s closing down its money-losing “Experiences” division, which includes classes and guided tours. “The Co-Op,” as REI is known, said this business decision will eliminate[...]
America needs better Republicans
A healthy democracy requires healthy competition between healthy political parties. We don’t have that. Republicans fill our public discourse with stunts, grandstanding, and lies; there’s very little serious discussion of serious issues. Democrats aren’t perfect (no one is), but Re[...]
January 8th, 2025 - 11:08 am § in America, Donald Trump
Trump takes a crayon to the map
Trump thinks of Canada as just another real estate development (read story here). If you ask Canadians, they’re not interested, see poll here. While making Canada a U.S. state is just a fantasy, were it to happen, that would give Democrats a massive advantage in the Electoral College and House[...]
January 6, 2025
On this date in history, Democrats taught Republicans how to certify an election. With Kamala Harris presiding, they did it with dignity and grace, and without drama. She declared “democracy prevails,” and no Democrats objected to the results. The Democrats are the adults in the room, wh[...]
January 7th, 2025 - 3:31 am § in Politics, Republicans
Republican priorities
As Congress begins its 2025 session, if you thought GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s top legislative priority is the cost of housing or eggs, or even illegal immigrants, you’d be wrong. Banning trans athletes is. (Read story here.) Why? Because turning trans athletes into a culture war issue h[...]
January 7th, 2025 - 12:45 am § in Law and Courts, Politics
Rudy Giuliani’s complaint
Rudy Giuliani complains a lot these days. About being forced to cough up assets to pay the black Georgia election workers he falsely accused of election fraud. The questions lawyers ask him in court. Even the courtroom artist’s sketches of him. “You made me look like my dog!” he wh[...]
January 6th, 2025 - 11:55 pm § in Health
First American dies of bird flu
Louisiana health officials announced the first known U.S. human bird flu death on Monday, January 6, 2025 — five years after Covid-19 reached America. They didn’t identify the victim, only saying it was a person over age 65, who had been hospitalized “with severe respiratory sympto[...]