DL Open Thread: Saturday, June 10, 2023

Read The Indictment.  Go ahead, I’ve got time.

Again, I Must Emphasize, Not Satire.  MAGAt ‘Relationship Expert’ Gets Harsh Sentence–And Gets Thrown Out Of His Wine Club:

A self-described Haddonfield sex and relationship strategist and “pickup artist” who livestreamed his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was convicted Friday by a federal jury in Washington.

Patrick A. Stedman, 35 — who bills himself online as an expert in “female psychology” — was found guilty of one felony count of obstructing an official proceeding as well as four misdemeanor charges tied to his illegal entry into the Capitol as part of the mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed the building and interrupted the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

He now faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious count at a sentencing set for September and has become the 17th New Jersey resident found guilty of playing a role in the historic attack, which caused millions of dollars in damage, injured scores of officers and threatened the peaceful transition of power.

His day job?:

In a daily “sex and female psychology” newsletter, he promised subscribers he’d answer once and for all the question of what women “really want from men.” He offered relationship coaching classes at $500 a session, promising to unlock the mysteries of “well-executed online dating exchanges” and “the easiest way to ‘supercharge’ your woman’s femininity.”

In an online fundraising pitch for money to cover his legal fees, Stedman said he’d “cried deep, uncontrollable tears” for “the United States of America I knew and loved” and maintained the case against him was an attack on Biden’s political opponents.

“Classmates and family members informed the FBI on me,” he wrote. “I was disinvited from family gatherings. My father and I were kicked out of the wine group he founded 40 years ago.”

Not a problem.  I understand that toilet wine is quite the bracing beverage, with just a hint of earthiness, or something not unlike it, on the mid-palate.

Blood Money Always Wins (Hey, I can recycle headlines if I want).  And Saudi Arabia is awash in blood money:

President Biden vowed during his quest for the White House to make the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, a “pariah” over the killing and dismemberment of a dissident. He threatened the prince again last fall with “consequences” for defying American wishes on oil policy.

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator, called Prince Mohammed, the oil-rich kingdom’s de facto ruler, a “wrecking ball” who could “never be a leader on the world stage.” And Jay Monahan, the head of golf’s prestigious PGA Tour, suggested that players who joined a rival Saudi-backed league betrayed the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — carried out by hijackers who were mostly Saudi citizens.

Now, their words ring hollow.

Mr. Biden, visiting Saudi Arabia last year, fist bumped Prince Mohammed when they met and regularly dispatches officials to see him — including his secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, this past week. Senator Graham grinned next to the prince — known by his initials M.B.S. — during a visit to Saudi Arabia in April. Also this week, Mr. Monahan jolted the world of professional golf by announcing a planned partnership between the PGA and the upstart Saudi-backed LIV Golf league, suddenly giving the kingdom tremendous global influence over the sport.

“It just tells you how money talks because this guy sits on top of this oil well and all this money, so he can basically buy his way out of everything,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, the Saudi director for the Freedom Initiative, a rights group in Washington and a vocal opponent of the monarchy.

North Star Elementary Kids Rock!  Win Odyssey Of The Mind World Championship:

A group of 4th and 5th graders competed in a division with 77 teams from across the world at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals held on May 27, 2023, on the campus of Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, and emerged as the best in the world.

The team competed in the Vehicle Problem category where they designed and constructed a two-person, ride-on vehicle with a battery-powered drill propulsion system.

“A lot of duct tape, a lot of hot glue, a lot of staples, and a lot of cardboard and paint, but it’s pretty amazing what they come up with,” said Bledsoe. “My kids this year learned sewing, how to sew because they had to sew certain components. They learned how to use power tools, like drills, and how to safely use saws.”

A Republican Bill I Can Support.  HB 203 (Hilovsky)  ‘requires high schools to provide, at a minimum, a half credit course on financial literacy. And, beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2025 through 2026 school year, successful completion of the course will be required to obtain a high school diploma.’  My daughter incorporates financial literacy into her HS math classes.  It is an essential survival skill for everybody.  I hope it passes.

What do you want to talk about?