OTB Trolling

 Whataboutism: I remember how the Democrats quashed and voted against any reports for the Clinton administration after Bill Clinton left office.

“I think it’s good that Hillary Clinton got the Presidential Medal of Freedom, because not a lot of novelists and fiction writers get the award, And yet the Hillary Clinton campaign financed and created one of the greatest works of fiction in living memory in the Steele Dossier, Despite it being total fiction, it enthralled the press, the Intel community, and federal law enforcement for years. And so I applaud her for that work of fiction and am excited about the work she does in the future on her totally fictional presidency,”

Qualified Immunity for the law enforcement caste
‘All Animals Are Equal but Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others’

While that seems to violate the “no person is above the law” precept, the fact of the matter is that high government officials—in this case, a Presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed policymaker—is rightly accorded much more discretion. 

 @Scott:

Good for you using the conveniently memory holed talking point that was discredited and debunked.
The Clinton Campaign paid for the Steele dossier laddering the money using the Perkins Coie law firm lead by Marc Elias to protect it from disclosure as attorney client privilege and work product.
The Washington Free Beacon never hired or paid Christopher Steele.

Since its launch in February of 2012, the Washington Free Beacon has retained third party firms to conduct research on many individuals and institutions of interest to us and our readers. In that capacity, during the 2016 election cycle we retained Fusion GPS to provide research on multiple candidates in the Republican presidential primary, just as we retained other firms to assist in our research into Hillary Clinton. All of the work that Fusion GPS provided to the Free Beacon was based on public sources, and none of the work product that the Free Beacon received appears in the Steele dossier. The Free Beacon had no knowledge of or connection to the Steele dossier, did not pay for the dossier, and never had contact with, knowledge of, or provided payment for any work performed by Christopher Steele. Nor did we have any knowledge of the relationship between Fusion GPS and the Democratic National Committee, Perkins Coie, and the Clinton campaign.
Representatives of the Free Beacon approached the House Intelligence Committee today and offered to answer what questions we can in their ongoing probe of Fusion GPS and the Steele dossier. But to be clear: We stand by our reporting, and we do not apologize for our methods. We consider it our duty to report verifiable information, not falsehoods or slander, and we believe that commitment has been well demonstrated by the quality of the journalism that we produce. The First Amendment guarantees our right to engage in news-gathering as we see fit, and we intend to continue doing just that as we have since the day we launched this project. 

acquire better communication skills.

 Steven L. Taylor says:

Tuesday, 31 December 2024 at 10:38

@Paul L.:

Repeat the direct question that debunks, derails and discredits my “Gish Gallop”.

Direct questions don’t debunk, although the answer to the question might (and the unwillingness or inability to answer can be revealing).

But the point of questions is dialog. And understanding can only come from interaction.

A series of semi-coherent to often utterly incoherent assertions (i.e., your style of posting) does not lead to understanding. It is a central core of human interaction that to be understood, and to understand others, some level of intelligible capacity to articulate positions is necessary. This includes providing evidence and answering and asking questions.

As I have tried to demonstrate to you before, and had told myself I wouldn’t try again (but here we are): if you want to be understood, you need to acquire better communication skills.

It is kind of depressing the degree to which so many of these interactions feel like I am trapped in the Monty Python Argument Sketch.

Connecticut families illegally messed with and rigged the bid process contrary to the sale order and should be punished.

 Do you listen to Alex Jones/Infowars ?

No.  But I have seen bits of  Alex Jones/Infowars.

Connecticut families illegally messed with and rigged the bid process contrary to the sale order and should be punished.  They can't assign a monetary value to embarrassing and laughing at Alex Jones and good feelings by selling InfoWars to the Onion.

Here is a video explaining it. 

it’s also the impermissible collusion with the onion and effort to rig the auction with the goal of achieving a result desired by the Connecticut families yes because they’re [fornicators] [maleoralsexacts] absolute [maleoralsexacts] piece of [POS] [fornicators] I agree that waiver should be determined to be you know what you guys want to [fornicate] around fine $1.5 billion waiver [fornicate] you that’s it you get nothing now you want to [fornicate] around with the money collection we’re done that is how that should work that is how that should work that is how that should work if they want to [fornicate] around like this you know they want to [fornicate] around they should learn they should get the reditor treatment

Evolution

Why is Evolution separated from Abiogenesis when Abiogenesis is just the beginning of Evolution?
Please list the scientific advancements based wholly on the giants and pure essence of science: paradigms/facts of evolution, the big bang and string physics?

Whataboutism

 JKGirl says:

Wednesday, 20 November 2024 at 10:25

Was spreading a poisonous and false conspiracy theory that Russia rigged the 2016 election to get Trump in the White House a violation of “norms?”

Was hiding the physical and mental decline of an incumbent President a violation of “norms?”

Was throwing open the U.S./Mexico border to allow historic levels of illegal immigration a violation of “norms?”

Was trying to prosecute a former President a violation of “norms?” Does it become more or less a violation of “norms” when those prosecutions are essentially abandoned when that President is re-elected?

Was banning the sitting President from social media a violation of “norms?”

Was having members of his administration working to oppose a sitting President’s agenda a violation of “norms?”

Was the FBI spying on a Presidential candidate a violation of “norms?”

Was censoring and suppressing an accurate news story before the 2020 election a violation of “norms?”

Was handing the Democratic Presidential nomination to someone who never won a single primary a violation of “norms?”

Was a Defense Secretary going AWOL while the U.S. was involved in two major military conflicts a violation of “norms?”

Was having a baggie of cocaine show up in the White House a violation of “norms?” How about the Secret Service stretching credulity beyond the breaking point by telling us they couldn’t determine who brought the cocaine into the White House…a violation of “norms” or nah?

How about an outgoing administration escalating a military conflict with a hostile nuclear power after the American people elect a new President with an entirely different view of how the conflict should be handled? Does that violate any “norms?

Our political environment is never going to improve until people like you, James Joyner, can admit you don’t really care about norms or rules or decency or citizenship. You just care about people like you remaining in charge no matter how frequently or how disastrously they screw up.

DK says:

Wednesday, 20 November 2024 at 10:51

@JKGirl: Lies, lies, lies.

You support Trump, an Epstein-bestie pedo who launched his toxic political career with racist birher lies against the first black president. Nobody cares about what you have to say about decency; you and rapist Trump have none.

Yes, Russia interfered in the 2016 election, with Trump’s approval.

Yes, Biden continues to perform his job duties more effectively than any of the younger presidents in recent memory, including obese and elderly fascist Trump, who left office with mass death and record job loss due to his incompetence.

No, Republicans do not care about illegal immigration except to manipulate idiots with racist fearmongering, hence why they passed no immigration bill under Trump and killed the bipartisan, Border Patrol supported border bill under Biden.

No, it does not violate norms to prosecute an orange thug who attempted a violent coup and illegally retained govt secrets. Phony hypocrites that screamed “Lock Her Up” at Hillary know this.

Yes, private social media companies had every right to ban Trump for using their platform to incite the Jan. 6 terror attack, violating their TOS.

True, defeated traitor Trump urging Netanyahu and Putin to undermine Biden was abnormal (and illegal).

No, it’s not abnormal for the FBI to monitor Russian assets.

No, a private social media company taking 24 hours to vet an irrelevant New York Post link about a private citizen was not abnormal. It’s also not censorship.

Yes, parties have every right to choose their nominee however they please.

No, the Secret Service’s behavior of late has not been normal, including the hundreds of Jan 6 text messages they magically deleted and disappeared.

Yes, it’s normal for a US president to defend allies, not letting Putin’s nuclear blackmail control US foreign policy.

The political environment will improve once voters, currently addled on amnesia, are reminded why they booted Republicans in 2018 and Trump in 2020: the amorality, incompetence, treason, and chaos already on display.

Y’all know that clock is ticking, hence why MAGA is still so angry and bitter despite Trump’s pyrrhic 1.5% victory. Delicious!

 

 

Migrant Refugee hero Jose Ibarra

 

Migrant Refugee hero Jose Ibarra demonized by Trump as a rapist and murderer being tried for murder of Laken Riley for rejecting his Latin Passion.

-Felony Murder x 3
-Malice Murder
-False Imprisonment
-Kidnapping
-Aggravated Assault with Intent to Rape
-Hindering a 911 call
-Peeping Tom

The US Law Enforcement and Intelligence communities needs the support, appropriate degree of subservience and complete, unquestioning obedience of citizens not a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" like the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Here is a another Trump promise to add to the list:
The US Law Enforcement and Intelligence communities needs the support, appropriate degree of subservience and complete, unquestioning obedience of citizens not a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" like the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Patriot Act II!!!!!  Repeal FISA! because you have nothing to hide.

Trump’s third idea was about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) courts. These courts permit intelligence agencies to spy on people. He said, “We will totally reform FISA courts, which are so corrupt that the judges seem to not care when they are lied to in warrant applications.” He was critical of the FISA courts for their role in what he called “fraudulent warrant applications.” Trump said that many FISA judges are aware that these cases are wrong but don’t do anything about it. He promises to change this practice.

Trump wants to set up a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to find and report any hidden wrongdoing by government organizations. Trump says that this committee will work to get documents that show what he calls “deep-state buying, censorship, and corruption” out of secret and into the public eye. “We will set up a truth and reconciliation commission to declassify and publish all documents on the buying, censorship, and corruption by the deep state,” he said. He says that this move would make these powerful organizations more open by letting the public see how they work on the inside.

Goodbye OTB

 

Don’t be a Troll

A reminder (and a warning).

Steven L. Taylor · Thursday, November 7, 2024 · 

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I will be blunt: I am tired of certain commenters who feel the need to insult rather than argue. I would name them here, but I get the impression that that would make them happy. Despite their protestations about the uselessness of the authors of this site, they clearly want us to pay attention to them.

Here’s the deal: we do this for free. It is an outlet and a hobby. It serves certain needs and uses, but there is nothing that requires this place to exist. We don’t need to have comment sections, nor is there any requirement to engage.

I engage because I enjoy it. And, yes, I actually think I have something to say. I know no one has to read it, let another engage me over it. I can live with the fact that comments can sometimes be annoying. I am self-aware enough to know that I, too, can be annoying.

This post is not about annoying.

I have no problem with disagreement.

I would honestly welcome a useful debate from a different perspective.

I understand that locking metaphorical horns with someone who disagrees with you can be cathartic.

BUT.

I do not enjoy sneering complaints and insults.

I see no need to constantly deal with people who can’t even be bothered to engage with the contents of the post.

I have tried to be patient.

I have tried, in some cases to point out that engagement is not happening.

In some cases over the years I have actively tried to help such people learn to engage.

I would note, as I have in the past, commenters are guests. I am not asking for deference, but I am at the end of putting up with rudeness and the derailing of conversation. Life is short and my time is valuable, at least to me.

SO.

Starting right now I will delete any comment that is rude or simply oppositional for the point of being oppositional.

Anything deemed derailing will be gone. Anything that hints of insult will be trashed.

And soon, commenters who can’t act like adults will be banned.

We provide a free and open space for anyone who can behave.

So. Behave.