For your viewing pleasure as the Trial restarts:

There's a real shitty anti-Biden ad that's been running

consistently during the Phillies games. It states that a young woman was raped and murdered by someone who was initially detained at the border and then released to “Biden’s open border policy”. It has the requisite horrible photos of the President and it’s paid for by some PAC Make America Great Again.

It’s played once or twice a game and there are no ads from the Dems yet. Yes I know it’s “early” but it’s not that early.

Just reporting in…

I saw this joke on Quora.

It’s “ok”, not great, but I thought I’d pass it along on this (so far) quiet weekend:

Trump has finished a late meeting with the House leadership who still refuse to fund his wall.

Frustrated, he decides to go for a walk while he works out how to deal with the problem

He walks to the Washington monument. He looks at it and says “what would you do, George? “a ghostly voice says”go to the Congress and ask for a separate bill for the wall so the government can operate “. Trump shakes his head, “the senate would pass it but not the house, so I can't do that. “

Then he walks to the Jefferson memorial. He asks the same question. Jefferson ‘s ghost says ”ignore Congress, go to the people, they have the power to demand funding for the wall.” Trump shakes his head. “I can't do that, they voted this house in, and I didn't even win by the popular vote, only by the electoral college.”

Depressed, fed up and despairing he arrives at the Lincoln memorial. Before he can ask the question, Lincoln stands up and points to the Kennedy Center “go to the theatre!!!!! “

TYPICAL!!!!!

This is the bank I’ve used for over twenty years.
The first bank to close this year in the US
There was a branch in the lobby of my office building
Yes I know I haven’t lost any money but Jeez.
Wherever I go, everything I use routinely closes.
And yes, they said branches would reopen as Fulton Bank, but my branch had a water main break and is “under renovation”.
Anyone here remember Joe Btsflk from L’il Abner? That’s I.

https://www.inquirer.com/business/republic-first-bank-closes-philadelphia-20240426.html

WASHINGTON — Regulators have closed Republic First Bank, a regional lender operating in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Friday it had seized the Philadelphia-based bank, which did business as Republic Bank and had roughly $6 billion in assets and $4 billion in deposits as of Jan. 31.
Fulton Bank, which is based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, agreed to assume substantially all of the failed bank’s deposits and buy essentially all of its assets, the agency said.
Republic Bank’s 32 branches will reopen as branches of Fulton Bank as early as Saturday. Republic First Bank depositors can access their funds via checks or ATMs as early as Friday night, the FDIC said.

This SCOTUS business MAY not be as dire as one might think..

Then again…
BUT: one can only imagine the complexity of the subterranean machinations ongoing. I think the public believes that these Justices sit in their offices and have formal conversations discussing the Framers Original Intent and Precedents as though it is modeled, in the masses’ brains, like some B-movie about law school.

Now I am not ascribing “good intentions” to at least a couple of the miscreants, but I’ll tell you: I was very concerned about the midterms and the Presidential Election until this majority handed us the overturning of Roe v. Wade which has mobilized the electorate. It may be the greatest “mistake” the RW has ever made in my lifetime , eclipsing the nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964.

If I had to guess, and in fact I DO have to guess because I have no idea of what is reality, I think that some of the questions asked of the lawyers were deliberately designed to get everyone excited one way or another, and the decision when it is handed down may not be anything oredicted based upon the questioning. The Court, whose reputation is in the shitter, may possibly be sending out requisite signals to its constituencies and then will not give this Caligula-wannabe the immunity he craves.

I have for a long time assumed that the game is rigged and I’ll retell a story which I have related here a few times over the years. Many years ago I was acquainted with the most influential Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia. Senator Santorum, now of etymological fame, was running for a second term. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Mr. Klenk, was his Democratic opponent. There was essentially no advertising for Klenk but he wasn’t trailing by very many points at all. I mentioned to the fundraiser that with some ad buys, the gap could be closed. I shall never forget what he said to me: “We are not doing that. Its not our time for this election, the deals have already been made.” Chilling…but educational.

The point I’m making is that the cognoscenti know that Trump is going to lose, bigly. It’s just a question of how they’re going to maneuver the down-ticket candidates and come out of this with some hopes for the 2026 midterms and to rehabilitate the public image for the big one in 2028. That is the one they are really looking at. The House is lost to them, and likely the Senate will remain as it is with each side having some ups and downs. In a crazy way, like the NFL and the NBA, the elections are rigged and Trump isn’t entirely wrong, he’s just malignantly malevolent.

Now the other point is that the ongoing machinations, of which we are totally unaware, are proceeding at an incredible rate: you could liken them to the preparations below decks on an aircraft carrier ready to launch a squadron of planes, or to a placid-appearing duck whose feet are paddling incredibly fast underwater. Hold onto your hats, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride from here on out.

This SCOTUS business MAY not be as dire as one might think..

Then again…
BUT: one can only imagine the complexity of the subterranean machinations ongoing. I think the public believes that these Justices sit in their offices and have formal conversations discussing the Framers Original Intent and Precedents as though it is modeled, in the masses’ brains, like some B-movie about law school.

Now I am not ascribing “good intentions” to at least a couple of the miscreants, but I’ll tell you: I was very concerned about the midterms and the Presidential Election until this majority handed us the overturning of Roe v. Wade which has mobilized the electorate. It may be the greatest “mistake” the RW has ever made in my lifetime , eclipsing the nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964.

If I had to guess, and in fact I DO have to guess because I have no idea of what is reality, I think that some of the questions asked of the lawyers were deliberately designed to get everyone excited one way or another, and the decision when it is handed down may not be anything oredicted based upon the questioning. The Court, whose reputation is in the shitter, may possibly be sending out requisite signals to its constituencies and then will not give this Caligula-wannabe the immunity he craves.

I have for a long time assumed that the game is rigged and I’ll retell a story which I have related here a few times over the years. Many years ago I was acquainted with the most influential Democratic fundraiser in Philadelphia. Senator Santorum, now of etymological fame, was running for a second term. The former mayor of Pittsburgh, Mr. Klenk, was his Democratic opponent. There was essentially no advertising for Klenk but he wasn’t trailing by very many points at all. I mentioned to the fundraiser that with some ad buys, the gap could be closed. I shall never forget what he said to me: “We are not doing that. Its not our time for this election, the deals have already been made.” Chilling…but educational.

The point I’m making is that the cognoscenti know that Trump is going to lose, bigly. It’s just a question of how they’re going to maneuver the down-ticket candidates and come out of this with some hopes for the 2026 midterms and to rehabilitate the public image for the big one in 2028. That is the one they are really looking at. The House is lost to them, and likely the Senate will remain as it is with each side having some ups and downs. In a crazy way, like the NFL and the NBA, the elections are rigged and Trump isn’t entirely wrong, he’s just malignantly malevolent.

Now the other point is that the ongoing machinations, of which we are totally unaware, are proceeding at an incredible rate: you could liken them to the preparations below decks on an aircraft carrier ready to launch a squadron of planes, or to a placid-appearing duck whose feet are paddling incredibly fast underwater. Hold onto your hats, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride from here on out.

John Heilman just quoted Adolf Hitler as to an observation on the nature of war.

To his credit - Joe tried to stop him but Heilman verbally rode over him. That is just not done - Hitler is not quoted on air. Reprehensible.

"I ate my baby because God told me to" - actual Headline

From an Enquirer when I was a kid.

On the opposite pate was a photo of a guy who lost his forearm in a farm implement accident. I’ll never forget it: I have PTSD from it. 😁😳🤯

For your viewing pleasure:

Yeah I know he's a sociopath but...

although I'm not an attorney, I spent a lot of time in Philadelphia courtrooms testifying as an expert witness and I'll tell you one thing: you just don't fuck with a judge. Period. They ARE the law...they don't "represent" the law. Don't believe me, do something in a courtroom in flagrant contempt of the judge and you will find yourself in a filthy holding cell immediately and held for an indeterminate number of days.

I watched one time where a guy didn't want to be on jury service so he played the race card in front of an African American female judge whom I knew personally - she dismissed him angrily for using various derogatory words about the plaintiff in the case who was also African American and told him to exit directly from the witness stand straight out the back of the room. He got up, left the box, and rather than walking straight, turned to the right and stood in front of her staring her down. She locked him up for three days and there was NOTHING anyone could do to get him released from what I understood.

Oftentimes, because jargon became so complex, judges themselves would ask me a clarifying question from the bench during my testimony, and without question, the first two words out of my mouth were: "Your Honor" followed by my answer. The judge requires and is entitled to complete deference and respect. If you don't, you and your case are possibly in greater danger than you can imagine. Orangina does not realize what this judge can do to him - it is not simply what the talking heads are opining about.