Looks like the previous thread decided it had had enough, so here’s a new one.
Here’s some entertainment for you: Samantha Fish at the Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival about a month ago:
Enjoy!
Looks like the previous thread decided it had had enough, so here’s a new one.
Here’s some entertainment for you: Samantha Fish at the Lancaster Roots & Blues Festival about a month ago:
Enjoy!
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I wonder why threads just clam up like that. Length? I dunno.
Anyway, I wanted to at least start to respond to Dorian downstairs vis a vis California.
To my assertion that Cali has the 1st or 2nd highest poverty rate in the country,
No, California is not 1st or 2nd, its not even in the top 20. Try 35th in the country.
According to the Census Bureau, the poverty rate is 23.4%, which is 17% higher than second place Nevada.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/11/california_economy_a_measly_37th_behind_michigan_and_ohio.html
It has become so expensive to live in California that the cost of living actually becomes a disincentive to work. Poor people are better off accepting the generous benefits offered by state and local governments rather than going to work. In effect, the reason California is the poverty capital of America is that the state subsidizes poverty.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/01/why_california_is_the_poverty_capital_of_the_america.html
It’s late, that’s all I have time to post tonite, and I’m sure people would rather talk fun stuff.
I’ll see yinz tomorrow
I forgot this one, sorry, tired.
TRUE: California has the nation’s highest poverty rate, when factoring in cost-of-living
http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2017/jan/20/chad-mayes/true-california-has-nations-highest-poverty-rate-w/
Recluse Draconian from Iconic Leaf. Box press, with a special trade show map band. Toro length rolled Entubado style. (Not sure I’ve ever had one rolled that way before, really smooth draw.) Amazing tasting cigar.
Followed with one of my all time favorite cigars the Joy De Nicaragua Cabinetta. Forgot how much I love those.
@ eaglesoars:
@ eaglesoars:
Shaking my head. Its as if you cannot tell the difference between political rhetorical hyperbole and evidentuary facts. The links you provided… gasp… are political rhetoric masquerading as opinion based supplemental evidence. The link I provided, was the actual Census data.
The links you provide, do not constitute evidentuary facts, they are highly biased supplemental and ancillary information. The link I provided you is the actual data. Ok, it really doesn’t get any simpler than that.
@ doriangrey:
The links I provided do indeed use Census data as a starting point but provide supplemental data because the poverty rate as cited provide an incomplete picture.
I hadn’t looked at state population growth/loss stats that you mentioned. The population AS A WHOLE seems to be growing and is projected to grow in the future according to most sources I found but it’s unclear what to attribute that to, e.g., births,. Because the California State Gov’t maintains more people are leaving than are arriving.
California Losing Residents Via Domestic Migration
(this is Feb 2018)
http://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/265
And I couldn’t find anything that talked about how much of the growth could be attributed to legal vs. illegal immigration. But it was late and I was tired, I’m sure it’s out there. As it stands, I don’t have a good handle on migration demos.
Bottom line: I stand by my original statements.
BTW, this discussion seems to have hit a nerve in lots of places. Zip just put the article up.
Twitter CEO Shares And Raves About Article Calling For Dem Victory In Second ‘Civil War’
https://www.weaselzippers.us/380970-twitter-ceo-shares-and-raves-about-article-calling-for-dem-victory-in-second-civil-war/#disqus_thread
It just started but I’m looking forward to the comments.
eaglesoars wrote:
Political rhetorical hyperbole.
a) California is currently run by the Democrats.
b) The Democrats maintain their control over California by way of a combination of illegally maintained Democrat favoring Gerrymandering, and illegal and ineligible voters.
*supplemental information on point b) The residents of California successful placed and approved California Proposition 11 in 2008 and Proposition 20 in 2010, the intention of these two propositions was to wrest the illegal and gerrymandered control of California away from the Democrats.
The Democrats also control the justice system here, so when the Democrats were caught violating the laws regulating propositions 11 and 20, they were successful in preventing legal challenges that would have overturned their illegal maneuvering.
As per the law in propositions 11 and 20, no political parties were allowed to take part in the Redistricting of California. The Democrats side stepped these legal restrictions by bringing out of state Democrat operatives into California about 6 months before the Redistricting Commissions were chosen, and they packed the Redistricting Commission with undeclared democrats.
As a act of retaliation, the residents of California passed Proposition 28 in 2012, which limits the duration any individual may serve in the State Senate, Assembly or any combination of the two. Previously they could serve 14 years in the Senate and 12 in the Assembly for a combined total of 26 years in the State Legislature.
___________________________________________________________________
You keep quoting the Political Classes paid Cheerleaders. Do you not get that? You’ve been in Mordor on the Potomac so long its as if you are afflicted with Beltway Bubble Disorder. Do you not understand the fallacy behind using the premise of your argument as the evidence supporting your argument?
You cannot quote the source of your argument (the Cheerleaders) as your argument, and then cite the Cheerleaders Sis-boom-bah machine as the evidence supporting your original assertion. This is a form of logic fallacy known as a circulus in probando/Post hoc ergo propter hoc.
@ doriangrey:
*additional supplemental information on point b)
The Democrat party in California maintains California’s eligible voter rolls, (a perk of being the majority party). California is a MotorVoter State. What this means is, anyone with a legitimate California Drivers License can register to vote using that Drivers License as both proof of Citizenship and Proof of Residency.
California has somewhere between 3.5 and 5 million legally ineligible registered voters.
This is why the Democrat controlled State apparatus asserts that California has more people exiting than entering California. By maintaining this fiction they can explain the growing disparity between registered Democrats and registered Republicans, no reason to look further into the growing Democrat majority. All of those people leaving California are Republicans fed up with being out of political favor.
Reality of course is an entirely different matter. Here is reality, California has 40 million legal residents, and another 5 to 7 million illegal aliens. Somewhere between 3.5 and 5 millions of those illegal aliens are ineligibly registered voters.
They do not even have to go to the voting booths to vote, because the Democrat party knows exactly who each one of them are, and can vote by proxy on their behalf any time they need the extra votes to swing an election.
This is how Jerry Brown was able to “Swing” San Diego and Orange Counties to vote for Hillary. San Diego had 120% of the eligible voters cast votes, while Orange County had 130%. This is actually far worse than it looks on the surface.
Californian’s are notoriously among the nations most politically disengaged citizens. Even in a Presidential Election attempting to make the assertion that more than 60% of eligible Californian’s voted is in and of itself evidence of one of three things, 1) You are part of the highly corrupt political party in charge, 2) You are profoundly ignorant of reality, and quit possibly tripping your balls off on acid, or 3) You are certifiably nuttier than squirrel shit and have forgotten to take your Thorazine today.
Jerry Brown rushed through the certification of over 1 million brand new illegal alien Driver’s Licenses less than 2 months prior to the 2016 Nov Election. Yes, those brand new Drivers Licenses/Voter Registrations were nearly all in… San Diego and Orange Counties.
As I said, in order to maintain the fiction that the growth in the percentage of Democrat voters is legitimate, California has to explain where the Republicans went. That extremely false explanation is, intrastate migration. Except, that if you go to the places that those fictional California Republicans are migrating to… You discover that the vast majority of them were actually California Democrats.
doriangrey wrote:
As in the California State Gov’t?
Steven Baldwin is a former Calif legislator and a California native
Carson Bruno is, I believe, working from the Hoover Inst., or was.
Just a few examples.
And regardless of who is quoted, the numbers are valid or they’re not. I didn’t make them up and as far as I can tell, neither did anyone else.
You cannot quote the source of your argument (the Cheerleaders) as your argument, and then cite the Cheerleaders Sis-boom-bah machine as the evidence supporting your original assertion.
Um, yes, the source of my argument is the evidence supporting it. I don’t understand your confusion.
This is something that isn’t getting enough attention (our media sucks when it comes to global news)….
Farmers in South Africa suffer more murders per capita than any other community across the world outside a war zone
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-07/nimby
I wonder if that might have something to do with the age of the WordPress version?
@ eaglesoars:
Your renewal for your free copies of Janes Defence Review, Janes Defence Weekly and Janes Naval review are due best to just go online to do the job!
🙂
Hope that you’re enjoying the free magazines.
@ Aussie Infidel:
good to know as I never got the first one. I’ve got copy of the original, I’ll send it in again.
Seeing reports that all hell is breaking loose in Syria. An airbase (near Damascus I think) has been attacked. Pentagon has denied it’s the U.S. That leaves Israel and who else? France?
Seeing reports that the IG report is going to begin release of its report to Congress tomorrow. It is so massive/complex it will be done in stages
eaglesoars wrote:
money is on Israel. Targeted airbase was launch site for drone attack on Israel
@ eaglesoars:
Yup I’m betting on Israel too.
Meanwhile Britain or more to the point British elites seem to be auguring into the dust
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5590377/Armed-Forces-head-threatens-block-promotions-unless-officers-improve-inclusivity.html
Would some kind squaddie please ‘frag’ this bothersome General
Meanwhile back in 1965 when all of the degenerate Progressive madness began in earnest, we have Marcuse’s writing describing it all in black and white. He the original prophet of all things PC and has been witnessed recently rotating at 450 RPM in his grave!
🙂
http://www.marcuse.org/herbert/pubs/60spubs/65repressivetolerance.htm
eaglesoars wrote:
P_lease do. Janes office staff are terrible. I tried initially to re-apply for my freebies … Janes Defence Review; Janes Defence Weekly and Janes Naval Review and got back …. your Janes Airfields of the world will be renewed …… WTF???
They are hopeless.
TRY AGAIN!
🙂
@ Aussie Infidel:
The tolerance which is the life element, the token of a free society, will never be the gift of the powers that be; it can, under the prevailing conditions of tyranny by the majority, only be won in the sustained effort of radical minorities, willing to break this tyranny and to work for the emergence of a free and sovereign majority – minorities intolerant, militantly intolerant and disobedient to the rules of behavior which tolerate destruction and suppression.
They’ve become what they fight
Well “Pillars of the Earth” is over so I’m off to bed. nite.
morning y’all
http://theothermccain.com/2018/04/08/triumph-orban-wins-big-in-hungary/
http://dailycaller.com/2018/04/08/mccain-chemical-weapons-syria-trump-assad/
@ The Daily Caller
McCain is just marinating in Trump hatred. He blames Trump for the chemical attack in Syria.
It goes like this, Trump emboldens Assad by announcing his intention to pull out U.S troops.
Syria and Russia want that to happen, so they launch this attack to make the U.S stay?
Whatever, it’s Trumps fault.
@ RIX:
I have a problem with it too. Why would Assad gas his people again when he knows the unvarnished hell that will be visited on him? Because it’s more cost effective than sending troops into a rebel-held enclave? I’m not clear on the thinking here.
I’m done with Twitter permanently, especially after reading this:
https://www.weaselzippers.us/381026-twitter-ceo-shares-and-raves-about-article-calling-for-dem-victory-in-second-civil-war-2/
Jack Dorsey has been a tyrant for some time now vis-a-vis the conservative viewpoint. To continue to support him by having an account, nope.
@ Deplorable Barbarian:
I’m shutting down FB, but I’ve got no other way to keep up w/my dogsled stuff. GAB doesn’t cut it
@ eaglesoars:
I found some of the nasty racial postings at GAB not to my taste. I’m all for free expression but some things go beyond the pale. I closed FB awhile ago, but I know for some news and group postings, it’s invaluable. I know lots of people who are still on FB, like you, strictly for a particular purpose.
Dogleds, huh? Interesting!
eaglesoars wrote:
Something does not add up. In either event he is not emboldened by Trump.
@ Deplorable Barbarian:
I’ve found myself blocking a fair number of people because of racist stuff. A lot of anti Semitics.
RIX wrote:
a) Different moral and ethical values. b) In Islam, perfidy is a perfectly acceptable military tactic. c) See a).
Syria is a Muslim infested nation, contested over by differing factions of Islam. Islam is not a monolithic religion, there are dozens if not hundreds of sects. Many realize that there are Sunni and Shia sects of Islam, but few realize that Sunni and Shia are also divided into smaller subsects.
Every Imam essentially represents his own interpretation of Islam (within a narrowly defined set of parameters) and he obtains his authority from the Imam above him, going all the way up the hierarchy to the Ayatollah.
The Imam’s and Clerics are the Islamic aristocracy. They rule Islamic society, and it is very important to note, the extent of their power and authority is the same as it has been since the days of Mohammad, its based on the number of people whom you control.
How, exactly you gain control over them is immaterial, only that you do. In Islam, as history plainly shows, violence is the preferred method of obtaining that control.
Wherever you find violence and Islam, it is always associated with a struggle for control over which Mullah/Imam has control over the people who live there.
And this takes us right back to points a) and b). The morals and ethics of Islam are completely different than that of rest of the World among the differences, is that perfidy is 100 percent acceptable.
For Muslims, it is a common and perfectly acceptable practice to commit vile atrocities and accuse your enemy of being the one who committed them.
If you needed further proof McCain is a slime bucket
https://www.weaselzippers.us/381057-mccain-blames-trump-for-syrian-chemical-weapons-attack/
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
This conquer or die view, unlike Kevin Williamson’s, is not beyond the pale. In fact Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey described the Medium article as a “great read”. The idea that only one side of the political aisle leaves the room while the other is clapped in irons plainly expresses many may have secretly thought except heretofore it was necessary to conceal it. Now the decks are cleared and some are itching to raise the Jolly Roger.
The major problem with this strategy is China, whose relentless competition will penalize all irrational political correctness and all serious division. America can become as dysfunctional as California but China will own it.
a very interesting analysis from Fernandez
https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/an-evitable-disaster/
Fernandez says Dorsey et.al. don’t realize they will need us Deplorables to fight China, as their imported replacement population has no loyalty to America. I disagree. Neither does Dorsey and his crew. I think they don’t WANT to fight China, China is their model.
@ eaglesoars:
IMO if we had a fighting civil war in the US we would transition to a military government. @jack seems tone def as to why YouTube was shot up. If they aren’t politically neutral jack and mark become easy bogeymen for the crazy to focus on.
@ eaglesoars:
In the interest of world peace I have no problem designating San Francisco as a city state. Then giving it advanced sister city status with Hong Kong. Let China appoint the mayor. Put a wall with no doors around it. Let them vote in Chinese elections.
darkwords wrote:
I respectfully disagree. Crazy people will find/create a target. We had one here a few years ago in Silver Spring MD who went after the HQ of Discovery Channel because they didn’t have enough Global Warming programming. He said he had a bomb, so the cops had to take him out. He didn’t have a bomb and no one remembers his name. Not-Crazy people would have written a letter.
The FBI has raided the office of Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer. I suppose this is nominally about Stormy Daniels.
Ultimately, it’s about the FBI
eaglesoars wrote:
nope
I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in part, a referral by the Special Counsel Robert Mueller
Stephen Ryan who is Michael Cohen’s attorney
https://twitter.com/masoodfarivar/status/983443113904689152
@ eaglesoars:
I can’t wait to hear the justification for this.
Heads that were about to roll must be being protected.
History will not be kind to this action if NY papered together a sham warrant for Mueller.
@ Deplorable Bumr50:
And I say again, if not directly on point for Russian involvement, Rosenstein has no authority to authorize. Sessions recused on the issue for Russia only.
A really great judge should throw out anything and everything connected to this investigation as it violates the Special Counsel statute requiring that the investigation stem from a particular CRIME. Mueller is out of effing control.
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
Yup, and Rosenstein has removed all doubt that he is a Deep State weasel.
This has what do do with Russian collusion?
Sessions set the table with his recusal. If he thought that he had a substantial conflict of inters he should have
revealed that before the confirmation process and withdrew.
Deplorable Bumr50 wrote:
Since when does Robert Mueller need any more justification that, that’s what he thinks should be done? Mueller should be in prison doing multiple life sentences for murder for the way he handled the Whitey Bulger case. Bulger murdered at a bare minimum 19 people, all of who while Mueller was overseeing him.
I want to know the name of the judge that signed the warrant
eaglesoars wrote:
I would too. You do NOT raid lawyer’s offices to obtain attorney/client communications. And we KNOW how Mueller and the Democrats love to leak. Wait and see what “accidentally” leaks out.
I would like to see Cohen’s attorneys seek an immediate writ of mandamus to the Second Circuit demanding the immediate return all proceeds of the search. The Circuit might very well grant it, or at least an injunction, advising the FBI and the media in the strongest terms possible that no information better appear in the press.
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
fuck that. I want to see EVERYTHING. Cohen can release the warrant which will give some idea of the underlying statutes and what they wanted to seize. I would be fantastic if the application for the warrant got out, but I don’t think Cohen or his lawyer have that do they?
@ Deplorable Barbarian:
as far as the writ of mandamus, what would you think could be cited as needing correction?
@ lobo91:
according to judge Nap, if Cohen told the bank he wanted money to remodel his house and then used it to pay off Daniels, that’s bank fraud (the house would be collateral for the loan, I guess). Campaign Finance Violations would be because it could be considered sort of an ‘in kind’ contribution that should have been declared to the FEC?
In any case, it doesn’t sound like there’s any criminal behavior being attributed to Trump
@ eaglesoars:
You can try at:-
http://www.magazines.ihs.com/jdw/cc
Click on the I would like a free subscription box and follow your nose from there.
Don’t forget that you are an ‘influencer’ to governmental decision makers or other influencers.
Fill in all the fields including to ensure that you click in ‘paper copies’ of ALL three publications
Bon Chance
🙂
@ lobo91:
Wait a sec, I’m trying to find my sympathy meter for people who support BLM. Oh! There it…nope, that’s an old sponge under the sink.
sorry!
@ Aussie Infidel:
merci!
@ lobo91:
The Australian National Union of Workers is a front organisations of a Communist group who use strong arm tactics to extort funds from employers and other gun to the head scams.
Looks as if the ‘Comrades’ are into a little cash raising by bleeding BLM schmuks.
I need food. bbl
Aussie Infidel wrote:
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
eaglesoars wrote:
Don’t these folks have e access to cash? Do they live so close to the financial wind that anything they want to do they have to borrow?
Seriously?
If Cohen is such a big wheel lawyer I’d expect that he has a spare half a million set aside for a rainy day. Are these guys real?
The NUW have been in the ‘right faction’ of the Australian Labor Party (socialist) but over the past years they have been white-anted from within by Progressives ever since their formation in 1989 when there were multiple amalgamations of unions caused by the falling away of union membership. By the 1990s and the Howard Liberal (conservative) government the NUW were ‘at the barricades’ opposing Howards economic initiatives even when they were shown to be working.
Slowly the Progressive infiltration of the NUW continued until they are so called ‘right faction’ of Labor but that is relative as Labor has moved massively to the Progressive socialist Left. The leadership of the NUW are first and foremost intent on maintaining their own political and financial position as the ‘comrades’ are on a ‘nice little earner’.
🙂
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/world/fears-over-chinas-bid-for-permanent-military-base-in-vanuatu/
Looks as if China is moving out from the close abroad (South and East China Seas to the second ring of Chinese influence the Western Island chains of the Pacific. Of particular concern is China’s selection of the Island of Espititu Santo because this was the centre of a breakaway movement 25 years ago that has never been settled. China appears to be having a bet each way. Pulling the Vanuatu Island chain into its orbit and failing that financing another breakaway faction on Espititu Santo as a fall back position. The major chin eye built port facilities are there for the support of the Chinese blue water fleet once the Chinese Domination Ring of the South China Sea is secure and controlled by the Chinese navy.
China is also busy funding various groups in the ‘Third Ring of Influence’ that stretches all the way to Tahiti in a swathe of ocean running under Hawaii to the East.
I finally get this “Special Counsel” thing.
It means if I get to be suspected of speeding, not actually caught speeding but suspected of it because the time I set the alarm on in the office and the time I got home and logged onto Facebook could indicate that I drove home above the speed limit. However that day I was not the last one to leave the office. ( OK trying to make up a scenario here )
If a special counsel were to be appointed to investigate my alleged speeding offence they could look at every part of my life trying to find any other offenses I may have committed.
Also the special counsel could investigate any person who I have or had any contact or dealings with in my life.
So, taking that to its logical conclusion in my mind.
I am investigated for suspected speeding by this “special counsel” in 2018 and they discover that in 1979 a co-worker of mine who was on the same night shift as me feeding punch cards into an IBM 360/50 was supplementing his income selling weed. (I think he was selling other things too… Night shift was a blast! )
To me it looks like this Mueller investigation has no boundaries.
Aussie Infidel wrote:
China best be very very careful. There is only one true Blue Water Navy on earth anymore. All of the bluster, braggadocio, and land based deceitful political posturing stops at the waters edge. China’s survival in the “Deep Blue” is 100 percent at the discretion of the US Navy.
Possum wrote:
Yea, but that’s an illusion caused by the fact that its being conducted under illegal procedural guidelines by an individual with a proven track record of violating legal and ethical principals to achieve results determined before any line of investigation had been opened.
@ Aussie Infidel:
yesterday or today I saw a headline about China setting up jamming equipment on an island near where our navy is patrolling/deployed. didn’t read it.
@ eaglesoars:
Spratly Island
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign/china-installed-communication-radar-jamming-equipment-on-man-made-islands-report
I’ll just leave this here for cw and that martian dude.
https://www.dallasnews.com/life/people/2018/04/09/111-year-old-texan-oldest-living-us-veteran-takes-first-trip-private-jet
eaglesoars wrote:
Bah… Islands which barely constitute a place where a 6 foot tall man can stand at high tide and not drown.
Well, this is a new one. Wonder if CW has seen anything like it
cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a condition that causes cyclic vomiting in heavy marijuana users and can be cured by quitting marijuana.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/marijuana-us-sickness-nausea-stomach-pain-symptoms-hot-shower-colorado-chicago-medicine-health-a8295491.html
doriangrey wrote:
That’s cool.
from commentor ‘hwgag’ on instapundit who is apparently commenting as a lawyer:
————
1) The Attorney Client privileged was breached if a crime was committed by or on behalf of the client (Trump) by the lawyer (Cohen);
2) Trump said to the Press that he was not involved in the Stormy Daniels NDA which – to be fair – is probably true.
3) This means that not only is the NDA invalid (no meeting of the minds between Peggy Peterson and David Dennison because David Dennison wasn’t involved and thus – his mind can’t meet – and David Dennison isn’t a party to it) but the payment, which Cohen said himself was out of his own pocket, was a campaign contribution well in excess of the $2,700 limit and thus, illegal, invalidating the NDA and exposing Cohen to criminal liability. See also: Dinesh D’Souza’s probation issue.
Assuming the above are all true – and we have it out of Trump’s and Cohen’s mouths that it is – then the attorney client privilege doesn’t attach at least to documents related to that transaction. No relationship, no privilege. If Trump was lying and Cohen was lying (and even so – the admissions against interest are strong) and indeed Trump WAS involved and Cohen WAS involved, it was still criminal activity because they were attempting to stop Daniels speaking just before the election which is apparently illegal. In that case, if the money came from Trump and the agreement was with Trump, then they’re in an entirely different sort of trouble.
Just saying “fix all my problems” is generally insufficient – lawyers are not free range chickens.
Meanwhile, that’s just one of the allegations.
The raid on the office which was done via no knock warrant should come as no surprise – if Cohen behaved… let’s just say extralegally… and there’s enough evidence of it to convince a judge that despite this person being a lawyer and despite this person being POTUS’s lawyer, that the FBI has a damn well open and shut case (because otherwise that judge is going to have some serious issues for taking on POTUS), and they were able to convince nonpartisans in the OEO etc, then Trump’s in trouble.
The only way that Trump’s not in trouble, really, is if there truly is a deep state conspiracy of such vast proportion that everyone at the FBI behaves like mafioso and omerta is the law of the land. If you actually believe that, well, that’s not falsifiable and thus no real way to test the theory.
Then we have to ask – what else is the FBI lying about? Are they arresting innocent people on drug charges? Terror charges? Do we need to fire the whole FBI because they’re lying to us about everything? What’s the deal?
So – if you believe in the vast left wing conspiracy, this is a nothingburger of overreach. If you believe that the FBI is full of professionals, it’s a huge huge deal.
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/293591/#respond
eaglesoars wrote:
Actually this sojourn by China into the Pacific has much greater ramifications than the Spratley ‘rocks’
Julie Bishop is from the left end of the current pretend conservative coalition government of Australia and even she is concerned by China getting its feet into the South Pacific.
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/current-issue/4663-david-brophy-reviews-silent-invasion-china-s-influence-in-australia-by-clive-hamilton
The take away from all this is not even about Vanuatu. It’s about getting UNDER the Australian Ultra Low Frequency Radar called Jindalee. The three massive Jindalee stations spread over thousands of miles of Australian desert can watch ALL of China including the South China Sea and there is NOTHING that China can do about it. They ULF Radar skip distances places China right in the cross hairs of Jindalee’s capability.
If China can get a port established in Vanuatu then Jindalee will be blind to any Chinese movements from the Philippines South. It will allow China to launch a nuclear capable missile from below the radar horizon and will give Sydney just 4 minutes warning of an attack.
@ Aussie Infidel:
the only visible-to-the-naked-eye map I can find has text in Chinese (the source appears to be China (i.e., ‘roc’)
http://www.spratlys.org/maps/1/roc_scs_spratly_1946.jpg
This map gives a better idea of its geographic location
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmHxWnE3M7w/VpP83vROUpI/AAAAAAAATzE/y_jy9LwAhjE/s1600/SouthChinaSeaSpratlyIslands.jpg
This map, showing installations and claims by country, is interesting
https://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/12z7v7/2905_spratly_map_729.png
I have to go to bed. nite. thanks for the info Aussie
Winter just arrived.
Three tornados in the North Island and deep snow all over the place in the Southern Alps. The skiers are doing handstands as this looks as if it will be a great early ski season!
All I can say is Brrrrrrr.
Actually here in the winterless north although the wind is blowing 60 gusting 80 it’s still short sleeves and shorts weather.
🙂
Aussie Infidel wrote:
Bah… Means nothing. Crazy Aussie and their children live in shorts, you blokes even wear short on the south pole during winter.
I’m trying a new facebook alternative called mewe. Not too bad, and since you pick you own groups you can avoid the actual white supremacists.
Oh, EP Carillo Oscuro Torpedo tonight.
eaglesoars wrote:
this is one of my favorites. i’ve seen plenty of these. it is so much fun to tell the stoner that the only way to fix this is to stop smoking weed, permanently…thank you and here are your discharge papers and a script for zofran.
the look on their face is not very much unlike the look on a dog’s face when he is trying to understand calculus.
Deplorable Martian Overlord wrote:
i had a oliva wrath, devil’s due.
nice and simple tonight.
doriangrey wrote:
Well that’s just great. Just had a wind storm with masses of lightning but little rain. 100-gusting 140. Blew my steel louvred front gates off their tracks. Yours truly was out in it manhandling the gates back on their tracks. Lightning all over the place and the street lights were going on and off as the circuit breakers did their jobs. Managed to slide one back manually. The other one is jammed but at least it’s on the track. Of course Mrs. Aussie Infidel is due to fly out to Melbourne at ‘sparrow fart’ tomorrow morning and I am supposed to deliver her to the airport. As long as I can get past the gates that is!
She’s a nervous flyer at the best of times and it’s going to be a real roller coaster ride out of Auckland Airport tomorrow.
🙂
eaglesoars wrote:
I’m evaluating MeWe.com and Oneway.com for alternative social media.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/china-president-xi-jinping-us-trade-concessions-tariffs-trade-war/
@ Chicago Sun Times
China starts to blink in trade disputes with Trump. They are willing to lower import tariffs on goods among
other things. Trump is using a tactic as old as Homo Erectus, you are in a dispute find your adversaries
paint point and press it.
The MSM will either ignore this or try to turn this into some kind of negative.
@ RIX:
makes me wonder what’s been going on behind the scenes. Xi made his bones on his nationalism stance (much like Trump) and he can’t lose face. He’s getting more out of this than not being humiliated.
@ Aussie Infidel:
So, let me just make sure I understand what you said. While God was putting on a light show to distract you from the perfect kite flying weather, you took a lovely stroll to the end of the driveway and un knackered up the normally knackered up front gate on a count of the Mrs was fixing to visit her sister in Melbourne and needs to leave at 4am but since your not keen on listening to her sister natter on for days, you’re letting some other bloke fly her to Melbourne, and while this other bloke hasn’t actually crash a plane, you still suspect he might have learned to fly from reading a Chinese Volkswagon repair manual.
Did I get that right?
eaglesoars wrote:
Could be, but it is still a win for Trump. Trump has a stronger hand an played it, and it flew because they
believe him.
RIX wrote:
TRUTH!!
@ RIX:
Dow opens up 300 on China lifting tariffs
eaglesoars wrote:
This is the greatest ever, this I can tell you 100%! We are winning bigly!
You are going to come to me and say, “Mr Trump, we are so tired of winning”
I will tell you that we can’t stop. MAGA!
@ eaglesoars:
I was referring to any of the attorney/client communications between Trump and his lawyer, which I wouldn’t put past Mueller, the FBI or the jerks at the Southern District.
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
Ah. That must be what Dershowitz was talking about. He said Trump’s lawyers should go to court asking that everything taken from Cohen be removed from the FBI’s custody and given to a judge to review to see what was and was not truly covered.
@ eaglesoars:
And that answers your second question – that would be grounds for the mandamus to the Second Circuit.
In truth though, I would start the ball rolling in the courts that Rosenstein went beyond course and scope of his authority on Mueller.
And for F–KS SAKE get that worthless sack of skin Sessions out as AG.
Rush NYT: FBI agents looking for info about Karen McDougal and Trump
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
political suicide
@ eaglesoars:
Well if not firing, perhaps pressure to resign?
Oh, and I’d like to know if payment to a porn star is a campaign contribution, where’s the investigation into Google and Facebook helping Obama’s campaign with their data mining? Certainly that has a monetary value.
The Zuckerberg hearings have begun. He looks like a confused kid.
@ RIX:
Rush has played recordings of a Facebook executive that sounds like an effing Valley Girl gushing over what Facebook can do for Obama and saying the only reason GOP doesn’t have that is that they didn’t know how to do it. “The information is out there.” Okay, so what’s the problem with Cambridge Analytica then. People VOLUNTARILY filled out the questionnaire. They were not forced to.
THEN he played a recording of the always-creepy Jim Messina (not THAT Jim Messina of “Loggins and” fame) talking about how Facebook would help the campaign by referring friends, etc. when you logged on.
RIX wrote:
He’s not, it’s an act.
doriangrey wrote:
He also seems nervous , kind of looking guilty. It could just be nerves, but this guy is wildly wealthy CEO
who is used to public speaking.
@ RIX:
Why is he nervous? I’m given to understand he’s not under oath.
I would be very very curious to see how many Facebook accounts have been closed since the news of how they allowed data mining and “colluded” with the Obama campaign to use their users’ data. Since FB owns Instagram as well, I wonder if the fallout with swamp that app as well.
Personally, I’d like Jack Dorsey’s ass hauled before Congress and asked questions about the policies of Twitter and his firm’s suppression, shadow banning, etc. of political viewpoints. James O’Keefe got it ALLLL on tape. This won’t matter to libs, of course.
@ Deplorable Barbarian:
Zuckerberg is all onboard with the Dems. I am sure that he sees himself as a leader of the Resistances.
@ RIX:
I’m sure he does. As does Dorsey. The hallway at Twitter has #BLACKLIVESMATTER writ large on the wall.
I’ve been out all day and just sat down. In the car on the way home Larry O’Conner was saying that Rob Rosenstein DID NOT go thru Sessions to approve the warrant for the Cohen raid?
WTF? I thought it went thru people in NY? I’m confused.
@ eaglesoars:
Is this what he was talking about?
Trump Appointed DOJ Attorney Not Involved in FBI Raid Authorization of Personal Lawyer Michael Cohen…
According to updated information the Trump appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, was recused from any aspect surrounding the FBI raid of President Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
One of the key points made by those who defended the highly charged political raid of Michael Cohen’s home, office and hotel suite was that a President Trump appointed U.S. Attorney signed off on the raid. That deflection point is now demonstrably removed.
(Via ABC) […] Berman was not involved in the decision to raid Cohen’s office because of the recusal, two sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The recusal was approved by senior Justice Department officials who report to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the sources said. Rosenstein himself was notified of the recusal after the decision was made.
The raid of Cohen’s office was handled by others in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and approved by a federal judge. (more)
So Rosenstein removed him. with or without Sessions’ ok?
eaglesoars wrote:
Sooner or later the phrase “Coup d’état” is going to start making sense to you.
doriangrey wrote:
100%
Perfect!
HEH!
🙂
RIX wrote:
Too right Xi believed Trump.
Xi knows that Trump holds a full house while Xi holds a busted straight
It’s now down to bluffing.
Interestingly from Chinese I know quite well, that have family associations all of the way up to politburo level the attitude of the Chinese elite as well as the movers and shakers is that Xi isn’t all that bright.
Trump will eat his lunch unless Trump makes a massive miscalculation or Xi launches a ‘distraction’ military strike to galvanise waning support in China. Neither is very likely.
MAGA
🙂
@ eaglesoars:
Mark Levin was reading the litany of Mueller’s failures and botched investigations (Whitey Bulger, the anthrax incidents that resulted in a $6 million settlement and the suicide of his target) and the unethical prosecutorial misconduct of Weissman – how does this walking turd even still have a law license after what he’s done?
And Rosenstein has NO authority to authorize any of this. What the hell is going ON HERE???? Where the hell is Jeff Sessions? Other than crowing about MS-13 and suing California?
doriangrey wrote:
This as art of the to and from with my local equivalent of a congress Critter:-
As a former naval officer Chris, this development should be of interest.
https://vanuatuindependent.com/2018/04/10/china-eyes-vanuatu-military-base/
Apparently China has established good relations with key members of Vanuatu’s government and is also building an international airport at Luganville, as well as the long wharf.
Rick Fisher, a good friend and a Washington DC based expert on China’s military, recently emailed me that the PLA have established their own Marine Corps with mechanized units and engineers, starting with 100,000 personnel.
They can be carried on 12 long-range Gator assault transports, of which six have been completed.
Rick asked me to keep him informed on the response from Wellington, so I would be grateful for any assistance.
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
Mueller has a string of so called successful prosecutions predicated entirely on his ability to prosecute individuals into bankruptcy. In other words, Mueller is an incompetent prosecutor who just happens to be a senior administrative level civil servant. In short, the living embodiment of “The Peter Principle”.
and this from the aforementioned Rick Fisher:
China’s military push into the South Pacific is not going to abate until meets decisive force, political and/or military.
This is now a global phenomenon.
I have just returned from Chile’s airshow and the Chinese were quite open that despite paltry arms sales/strategic partnering success limited to failed socialist states, they are willing to change tack and keep pushing. They will not stop until they supplant the US as the regional power player in our Hemisphere.
When the PLAN is operating its totally nuclear powered carrier battle groups by the early 2030s, we will have to reserve some part of our fleet for Hemispheric defense and the next Battle of the Coral Sea will be nearer to thee.
My concern is that there is a limited period connected to John Bolton’s time as National Security Adviser for Australia and New Zealand to get a new deal that will deter China. Australia is going to require “strategic reach” and eventually a nuclear deterrent. New Zealand, if it ever wanted it, should view this as the time to get fighters and tankers. Fighters from the US or Oz, tankers from the US. KC-135s go for around 40 to 50m apiece. 2-3 of those plus some number of F/A-18s with 500 nmi range LRASMs. Low low lease to buy, phenomenally cheap loan, whatever will make it work, this is the time to push.
Australia and NZ can try to buy off/scare off a Chinese strategic beachhead and I hope that happens. But ultimately impressing the PLA will come down to kinetics and kilotons.
Of course I have no idea how far such notions will fly in Wellington or who could possibly be a leader. I offer them as a friend.
Aussie Infidel wrote:
yeah, well, he is where he is and…they’re not
Aussie Infidel wrote:
Anyone with enough money can buy a Formula 1 race car and drive it around the track. That doesn’t mean you are a F1 race car driver. The Chinese recently arranged for a couple of merchant ships to crash into US Naval ships, the US Navy played it off as if they were accidents caused by US Navy incompetence.
But make no mistake about this, the US Navy knows what time it is. China should have asked Moscow about playing chicken with the US Navy in deep blue water. You don’t think the K-141 Kursk really sank due to an accident do you? China better never let its most expensive capitol assets venture into deep water, if you know what I mean.
@ eaglesoars:
True but he’s only a man with a faction of his own.If he drops the ball there are plenty of others only too willing to pick it up… and Xi knows it.
doriangrey wrote:
Very true mate but the Chinese have been experimenting with playtime carriers for a decade and with 001 (their second carrier) but still with a pathetic ski jump and only a handful of strike aircraft. Ship 002 now being built will be in the 70,000-80,000 tonne range and likely to be nuclear powered. By the 2030s China will have built enough operational experience to put a nuclear battle group to sea.
I know that the USN would swat it with a 3 carrier task force in a second Battle of the Coral sea and 002 would join the wrecks of the Japanese Imperial navy on the bottom. Still the Chinese will be capable of fielding a Carrier Task Group within 15-20 years.
🙂
@ Aussie Infidel:
G’day mate, I like the way you think. Trump has called Xi’s bluff and that was not the Obama model.
Obama is an effete elitist with very little talent. Trump is a whole nother thing, an ass kicker.
Deplorable Barbarian wrote:
Totally objective guys./
Aussie Infidel wrote:
Like I said, anyone with enough money can buy a Formula 1 race car, but that doesn’t make you a F1 race car driver. The US Navy gained its mastery of the Deep Blue the old fashioned way over 2 centuries of slugging it out with the finest navies the earth had to offer. If China thinks they are going to gain that kind of skill in a few short decades, they are profoundly mistaken.
Deep Blue Water is a very special kind of mystery. Shit happens there and when its done, there’s nobody left to tell the tale. Shit disappears without trace in the deep blue all of the time. China thinks the US can’t hear its ultra quiet concrete diesel submarines. China is profoundly mistaken.
The US Navy pretends it can’t because it causes the Chinese to get cocky and make mistakes. The US Navy can hear lobsters farting on the opposite side of the globe. China keeps fucking around, and their deep blue pretend navy shit is going to start having very serious conversations with Davy Jones.
The US Navy’s response? “Hey, we have a ship about 1000 miles away, we can help you find your missing ship if you would like”. It is genuinely frightening how fast and quiet a Virginia-class attack submarine is.
What I learned about the Chinese back in spy school…. Errr, I mean USIU, was that the Chinese are bullies. Which is to say, that Chinese diplomacy is based first and foremost on intimidation. They yell, they scream, they push, they bang on the table, and if you flinch, they eat your lunch while you sit there watching.
This is not to suggest that they will not back their threats up with violence if pushed into a corner, because they will. But their first tactic is always to try to intimidate you into surrendering without a fight. To deal with the Chinese, you have to yell and scream and push and bang the table right back without making them feel like they have nowhere to retreat to.
The Chinese are arrogant to a fault, but they are not insane or suicidal. They want to win, not die.
I am beyond tired, driving today was harrowing. nite.
Ok, time to watch “A wrinkle in Time”. Yea, I know, its a fat ass Winfrey movie, but as long as they stick to the book, it should be ok.
https://vzm.ag/movies/44383-a-wrinkle-in-time-2018.html
@ lobo91:
From what I saw of the hearing the three senators that held Zuckerbergs feet to the fire were Cruz, kennedy
and I have to admit Durban. I thought that Zuckerberg with all of. his virtue signaling got tedious.
He kept mentioning that he and his college roommate started Facebook to do good. No, they started it to
rate chicks on campus, particularly body parts. There was no high principaled reason.
@ RIX:
I guess he forgot that they made a movie about it…
@ RIX:
@ lobo91:
ROTFLMAO… You guys obviously forget, that in liberal la-la land, money buys virtue.
lobo91 wrote:
I just watched Animal House last night.
doriangrey wrote:
Always, it makes you a paragon of virtue.
@ RIX:
doriangrey wrote:
Let me know. A friend told me they stripped out all the Christian elements by changing them to “spiritual”, removed the twins entirely, and watered down the anti-communist allegory. Too much special effect, too little heart.
How the hell have the people on my facebook feed turned the Cambridge Analytica stuff around to say it’s the conservatives? They were laughing their asses off today by saying that the right got caught, even while their little buddy zuck was whining up on capital hill.
Deplorable Martian Overlord wrote:
So, I think the way this goes is that the Republicans used the data that was available during the Trump campaign, therefore raising privacy issues. What the lefties ignore is the fact that what the Republicans (well, Trump really, the useless eunuchs in the Republican party proper would have had no clue) had to work to compile, analyze, and exploit, Zuckerberg gave to the Dems in the previous election cycle for free.
AZfederalist wrote:
From what I’ve been reading this service was also provided to SHrillery.