No national guard in State matters,

https://x.com/donkilmer/status/1931728410763767963

Poor retarded Governor Goofus. He doesn’t understand that it depends on why the National Guard was federalized. 

Let’s see if we can break this down for him. What if federalizing the National Guard of (oh say) Arkansas (+ the 101st Airborne) was done to enforce Brown v. Board of Education where Governor Orval Faubus and the state legislature declared itself a sanctuary state to perpetuate the racists status quo in public education?  What if that state refused to use local law enforcement to uphold the law of racial equality, and actually encouraged local law enforcement to “stand down” with the intention of defying federal policy to integrate public schools with all deliberate speed? 

Now perform the following substitutions: 

Arkansas Nation Guard + 101st AB = CA National Guard + USMC. 

Gov. Faubus = Gov. Newsom. 

Arkansas Legislature = California Legislature. 

Federal law enforcement of equal protection laws = 

Federal law enforcement of immigration laws. 

P.S.  Earlier this week @GavinNewsom

 was sounding very Jefferson Davis-y with his talk of an independent California, and diverting federal tax money to the California state government.  

Now if he was talking secession to establish a libertarian sanctuary state, that included: abolishing taxation, repealing all gun laws, and establishing a laissez-faire economic system, he might be saying something worth paying attention to.  But he’s not.  He’d turn California into vassal state of China in the blink of any eye, as long as he was named governor-for-life.  So 🖕 him.

LGBTQIAMXYZ++ hero Harvey Milk did nothing wrong.

 Left blames the Right for the Elliot Rodgers that killed more men than women attack so I blame them for the attacks on the draw Mohammad contest and Salman Rushdie.

@politicalmath

The renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk is such a perfect example of a smarter right-wing that has learned how to set a narrative trap
The Navy “leaks” that they are going to rename the ship, leveraging the volume and scale of the media to spread wide this info
The predictable outrage ensues. Nancy Pelosi calls it “shameful, vindictive erasure”, which is not a thing she said about people tearing down statues of the founding fathers
That’s where the trap is sprung. The Dem’s outrage machine has given the story legs and visibility. The right can leverage that visibility to sabotage Milk’s legacy
They can talk about how a 33-year-old Milk was sleeping with teenage boys Or they can talk about how Milk defended Jim Jones and helped keep a father from saving his 6-year-old son from the cult leader who would ultimately kill him If the right tried to bring all these skeletons about Milk up in isolation, they would seem obsessed and creepy But by using this ship re-name as bait, they got Dems to make praising Harvey Milk a part of their national platform & now Milk’s bad behavior is fair game

 @johncardillo

Schumer is a liar.

- Milk groomed, drugged, then raped a 16-year-old homeless boy.

- Milk’s discharge from the Navy was ‘other than honorable’

- Milk wasn’t “assassinated” because of his sexuality. He and then SF mayor Moscone were shot and killed by Dan White, a former political colleague with whom they had long-standing disagreements.

OTB goes full ‘Kill the Boer’ Klan on white refugees

 The Case of the Afrikaners

DEI,” like “CRT” before it and “woke” are just a myth.

 DEI,” like “CRT” before it and “woke” are just a myth.

 University of Delaware: Students Required to Undergo Ideological Reeducation

Mandatory thought reform program at the University of Delaware (UD) 

Before FIRE stepped in, approximately 7,000 students living in UD dorms were required to attend training sessions, floor meetings, and even one-on-one sessions with student Resident Assistants (RAs) where they were pressured to comply with university-approved views on issues such as politics, sexuality, and moral philosophy—highly subjective and personal topics. UD’s program tried to erase the personal viewpoints held by individual students—those that make a student body truly diverse—and replace them with what the university deemed a “correct” ideology.

The RAs running these sessions were forced to go to “diversity facilitation meetings,” where they were taught UD-sanctioned views, including “[a] racist is one who is privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality.”

 Did you catch that? According to UD materials, all white people are inherently and unavoidably racist simply because they are white, and RAs were forced to accept this indiscriminate definition as part of their reeducation.

Defended as some of the finest scholarship of noted black hertorical expert Dr. Shakti Butler, PhD

Dr. Shakti Butler is a distinguished and influential figure in the fields of social justice, racial equity, and documentary filmmaking. With a career spanning several decades, she has made significant contributions to the advancement of diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism efforts in both academia and the broader society.

Trump's Latin Passion

I remember when the Free Abrego Garcia, Karmelo Anthony and “Just Latin Passion against Gringos” Jose Ibarra and Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez crowd cheered the imprisonment of Gonzalo Lira.

Kathy, Choke with hatred on this outrage. I don’t understand how the evil rapist Trump had the self control to not bash all of his Sexual Assault victims heads in with a rock when he was in the throes of “Latin Passion” like Jose Ibarra.

Because Trump is far more evil than Ibarra and deserves a far worse punishment like execution. Jose Ibarra was found by a court to be not guilt of rape.

Only Aggravated battery, Aggravated assault with intent to rape, False imprisonment.

A Plea to Republicans

 

A Plea to Republicans

Michael Bailey · Friday, April 18, 2025 · 

“It’s human nature to tie yourself to a leader as much for the services you’ve done him as the good he’s done you.” —Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter 10

A Plea to My Beautiful Republican Friends:

We need your help. We all do.

Our nation is in a dangerous place. The constitutional safeguards we rely on to check the ambitions of our President are fraying—some are already gone. Let me be direct: governance under President Trump is authoritarian in character. He has worked relentlessly to remove impediments to his control. He has wielded not only the full powers of the office, but also the powers of rhetoric, party loyalty, and media influence. Doing this much is not the decisive issue. The problem is that he has also employed legal intimidation, and has targeted judges, governors, universities, news organizations, and prosecutors. If unchecked, our electoral systems and civil liberties will be next—and “next” is now.

That may sound like the hysterical rant of an alarmist. And if that’s your first reaction, here’s what I hope: I hope you’re right, and I’m wrong. I hope the years of study I’ve poured into this topic are misguided. I would much rather be embarrassed for sounding extreme on social media than be proven right by a national catastrophe.

But if you do think I’m unhinged, I suspect it’s for one of three reasons.

First, perhaps you see nothing new here. Didn’t Presidents Obama and Biden also push executive power to the limit? Didn’t Obama issue unconstitutional executive orders on immigration? Didn’t Biden try to forgive $400 billion in student loans without congressional authorization? Where was the outrage then? Why now?

Second, maybe Trump’s actions don’t bother you because they substantively align with your policy preferences. He campaigned on tariffs, law and order, and border enforcement. He won the election—this time, even the popular vote. Isn’t he simply keeping his promises, something Democrats rarely do? Are we really supposed to get worked up because the IRS is a little less comfortable? Isn’t this just a policy dispute dressed up as a constitutional crisis?

Third, perhaps his actions don’t feel threatening because they haven’t touched your life. You’re here legally. You’re not a snobby professor with the privilege of tenure, or a whiny journalist, or a civil rights lawyer. You’ve worked hard and earned your place. You trust that Trump won’t come for you.

Neither of the first two points is entirely baseless.

Recent presidents from both parties have pushed—and sometimes exceeded—constitutional boundaries. That abuse should be called out wherever it occurs. If Democrats only care about overreach when the other team does it, their complaints ring hollow.

And yes, elections do have consequences. Policy victories like shrinking federal agencies or cutting taxes don’t necessarily signal a constitutional crisis. I may disagree with those policies, but they’re part of the democratic process—not a threat to it.

But as for the last point—your sense of security—I genuinely hope you’re right. I pray your trust is well-placed. But here’s where I believe you can make the greatest difference—and why we need your help so desperately.

Despite past abuses from both parties, we are now witnessing something unprecedented: a deliberate, systematic assault—not just on laws, but on the very norms and guardrails that hold the presidency accountable.

We are witnessing an ideology of retribution, of pure vindictiveness, that treats opposition as illegitimate and punishes it ruthlessly. Consider President Trump’s attack on our most iconic institution of higher education, Harvard University, founded in 1636. Frankly, I love hating on Harvard—as most spirited people do. But if I’m going to be honest, I must confess that Harvard is plausibly the single most successful institution of any kind within our nation’s borders. It preceded our nation, and it has been an intellectual haven to the world’s greatest minds. Its contributions to humanity are legion. And it’s taken less than four months for President Trump to effectively threaten its viability as a world-class institution and—like a classic abuser—to demand an apology from it.

Our slide into authoritarianism will not arrive with spectacle or fireworks. It will arrive with congressional votes, court decisions, and executive orders—all under the appearance of legality. And many Americans will mistake this coordinated erosion of checks and balances for legitimate governance, rather than the full-on abdication of constitutional duty these actions signify.

Right now, many in Congress—and not a few judges—fear President Trump more than they fear losing their institution’s authority. Our system only works when each branch jealously guards its own power. Madison wrote that “ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” But that only happens when officeholders believe they have more to gain from defending their institutions than from pleasing the president. Trump has mastered the politics of intimidation. His threats work as well—if not better—against his own party as they do against the opposition.

This is where you come in, my cherished Republican friends.

Republican lawmakers are terrified. Yes, some support Trump unreservedly. But many others support him only cautiously, or provisionally—or not at all. Some disagree with him deeply on constitutional grounds but stay silent because his disapproval could cost them their careers.

They will not act until you give them cover—until millions of Republican constituents tell them that you value free speech, judicial independence, and due process more than President Trump’s regimen of constitutional overreach.

Nothing about your demands requires you to abandon conservatism or the Republican Party. To the contrary, there is nothing “conservative” about abandoning due process. True conservatism fears government overreach. It respects limits. It honors the rule of law. It acknowledges that we live in a nation of competing needs and values. What could be more quintessentially conservative than sober and thoughtful grown-up adults acknowledging that no one in this world gets—or should get—everything they want?

You don’t need to change your ideology. You just need to return to it.

Liberals and Democrats can do very little at this moment. They do not control the presidency, the House, or the Senate. Most states are Republican-governed. The courts are majority Republican-appointed.

If the slide into tyranny is to be stopped, it will be because you stopped it.

And here’s the human truth that Machiavelli grasped, and why I began this plea with his quote: it’s hard to back away from someone we’ve publicly supported. Our endorsements bind us—emotionally, psychologically, relationally—to the people we make them for. I know the feeling. When I discover a student cheats after I’ve written them a letter of recommendation, I struggle to admit it. It feels like a betrayal of me, not just of them, and I am sorely tempted to turn my head, to look away. My success is wrapped up in their own, and it’s hard to acknowledge what has happened.

But I also know this: when you voted for President Trump, you simply wanted more efficient government. You wanted stronger borders. You wanted the nation to stand up for itself. You didn’t vote for Trump because you wanted him to punish universities, silence journalists, or rule by fiat. I believe that because I believe in your character.

I don’t believe you voted for Elon Musk to replace Congress. I don’t believe you hoped Trump would side with Putin over Ukraine. And I don’t believe you wanted a presidency that mocks the very constitutional norms you cherish.

Here’s where it gets personal for me.

If Trump’s power grab continues unchecked, it won’t be stopped just at the ballot box or in the courts. It will eventually spill into the streets, and though it cuts against my every instinct to stay behind a safe screen, I’ll be there on the streets as well. I love my country. Our country was born of protest, and from time to time, it must be defended through protest.

This I fear I must promise you: these protests will be messy. And as with virtually all protests, a few people will go too far. It’s inevitable. And in that moment, President Trump will have his excuse. A single regrettable act—or a handful of regrettable actions carried out by a tiny minority—will become the justification for a full-fledged crackdown. He has already justified dozens of his actions by legally claiming we have an emergency. If President Trump can locate an emergency with regard to sweet and lovely Canada’s posture toward the United States, imagine his wrath when his direct opposition moves in earnest to the street.

The most lawless president in our history will claim ultimate power in the name of “law and order.”

It doesn’t have to go that way. But I truly believe it’s in your hands to prevent it.

I know how much you revere the Constitution. I’m asking you now to honor not just its name—but its practice.

Banned for comparing LGBTQIAMXYZ++ to Incels and White Supremacists

All groups are human and marginalized. 

I guess I just want to if there are  transphobes watching like you do know that like trans people are people like like they they have feelings they are bullied they bleed they feel bad about themselves they strive they train you know they're like I I just wanted to make sure we're like we know they are people.

BTW: I have reached my limit with Paul L. He provided nothing of use and creates nothing but derailed threads and upset regular readers.

Adios, Paul L.

Red scare mccarthyism from OTB

 Stop the red scare mccarthyism. Trump is following in the giant steps of the great World War II Democrat Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. Uncle Joe Stalin.

“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,”

1. The Steele Dossier was always raw data, understood by its users as likely to have bad info mixed in with reality. Which it was, as expected, largely true with some bad info mixed in.

2. Where can I find a summary of what was largely true, verified and corroborated in the Steele dossier. In a press release from Sen Adam Schiff or the unredacted Trump FISA warrants that primarily referenced the Steele dossier as evidence that were signed, authorized and approved by FBI law enforcement heroes J. Comey, J. Baker, A. Weissman and A. McCabe?

3. @Steven L. Taylor:

4. Checking the approved official narratives from the main source of conventional wisdom woke thought.

A Red Scare is a form of moral panic provoked by fear of the rise, supposed or real, of left-wing ideologies in a society, especially communism and socialism.

According to wiki McCarthyism can only be applied to left wing ideologies similar to racism only applies to whites

.To my knowledge nothing in the Steele Dossier has been disproven. Which matters not one whit. The Mueller Report, the Senate Bi-Partisan Report, the Stone Trial Transcript, and Manafort’s own admissions all spell out the reality which MAGAts refuse to accept.

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/steele-dossier-retrospective

@Daryl: Michael Cohen in Prague to set up Russia collusion for the 2016 presidential election.

Again, the current public official record does not affirmatively corroborate the assertion that Cohen spearheaded, even for a short time, efforts by the Trump team to obtain unlawful election assistance from the Russian government. But neither does the absence of such detail mean that the dossier is false. For what it’s worth, Cohen strenuously denied ever traveling to Prague, though that denial preceded his guilty plea and (spotty) cooperation with the government.

Is this the standard evidence required for FISA warrants?

The dossier is, quite simply and by design, raw reporting, not a finished intelligence product.

PPPPP strikes again

It was an action that was investigated and deemed “lawful and within Department policy” and “potentially saved Members (of Congress) and staff from serious injury and possible death

Nothing warms my black cold heart more than Police and their defenders pulling off the mask and saying out loud that Policy, Protocol, Procedure, Process and Practice are more important than the law or constitutional rights.

“We investigated ourselves and found we did nothing wrong but keep the public safe.”

While we deeply regret any distress or inconvenience caused …, our officers acted under the assumption that they were intervening in an emergency, with the safety of the community at the forefront of their actions. This was a decision made in good faith, with the intention of preventing further harm.

We are committed to transparency and accountability in all matters, including this incident, and will defend this new lawsuit. Our priority remains ensuring the safety and security of all individuals in our community, while also ensuring our officers are equipped with the appropriate training and guidance to handle challenging situations with professionalism.

We ask for understanding as we navigate this process and remain dedicated to upholding the trust and safety of the public we serve.”

Jack Smith report.

 This is the normal prosecutor bullshit of scream the indictment on the courthouse steps, maybe a small press release months later when the charges are dropped.

Claims that dismissal of his criminal cases signifies Mr. Ted Stevens’ “complete exoneration.” That is false . As the Office explained in its dismissal motions and in the Report, the Department’s view that prosecutorial misconduct is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution-all of which the Office stands fully behind.

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.