DL Open Thread: Thursday, August 10, 2023

Trump Fomenting Violence.  Utah idiot tried to act on it–and was killed.  If this TV ad isn’t a call for violence, I don’t know what is.  BTW, the charge that Willis had an affair with a gang member?  Completely made-up.  He will not stop ignoring court orders to limit what he says publicly.  Lock him up.  He’s earned it, and he’s daring the judges to do it.  Jesus The Second.

Conservative R judge warns that Trump imperils democracy:

A former federal judge is sounding the alarm on the Republican Party under Donald Trump ― and warned on Wednesday that the GOP’s problems could threaten the nation as a whole.

J. Michael Luttig, once a favorite of the right for his conservative legal opinions, last year testified to the Jan. 6 committee that the former president was a “clear and present danger” to the nation’s democracy.

He said on CNN on Wednesday that it’s even more true today as Trump persists with false claims about the 2020 election and Republican officials have joined him in making those claims.

“These false claims have corrupted American democracy,” he said. “They’ve corrupted American elections, and they’ve corrupted the perception of the American people in America herself.”

DeSantis ‘Fires’ Duly-Elected Democratic Prosecutor.  The second duly-elected one he’s fired b/c of their ‘political agendas’, according to DeSantis.  Presumably, DeSantis is a straight-shooter with no political agenda:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Black Democrat and elected prosecutor for Orange and Osceola counties, contending she failed to pursue appropriate charges in serious cases.

DeSantis took a rare step away from his struggling presidential campaign Wednesday to return to Florida’s Capitol to announce Worrell’s suspension, flanked by Attorney General Ashley Moody and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass.

“Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law,” DeSantis said. “One’s political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty.” 

Worrell is the second elected Democratic state attorney removed by DeSantis. Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren was pulled from office last year by DeSantis over what was viewed as his progressive political stance.

DeSantis took no questions following an announcement that at times resembled a political rally. Accompanying DeSantis at the Capitol were Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who took turns praising the governor’s action amid pauses for applause from DeSantis supporters in the audience.

With DeSantis chuckling in the background, Judd held up a placard with a meme-inspired cartoon image of Worrell in a house on fire proclaiming, “This is fine.” Judd touted the selection of Baine.

I guess Merrick Garland has bought into the ‘states’ rights’ meme and has returned to utter fecklessness.  I’m calling it:  He would have been the Chris Coons of the Supreme Court.

Alabama Should Lose Fed Pork Until Tuberville Surrenders.  Best idea I’ve seen today (it’s only 8:30 am, but it’s a good one):

OK, blocking the Space Force move was something, but seriously, it was insanity to move the HQ of a high-tech agency to one of the least likely states to attract the kind of talent needed to be nationally competitive in the 21st century. That move should have been canceled even if Tuberville was perfectly behaved.

Be that as it may, it is time for Biden to start kicking Tuberville in the proverbial nuts. Alabama is the 5th biggest taker state., receiving over $3.00 of Federal pork for every $1.00 in Federal taxes paid.

Here are the major military installations in Alabama:

• Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base
• Anniston Army Depot
• Fort Rucker
• Redstone Arsenal
• Fort McClellan
• Coast Guard training center
• Dept of Veteran’s Affairs
• Army Corps of Engineers

And here are some big civilian installations:

• Department of Agriculture – Farm Service Agency
• GSA in Huntsville
• Federal Contract Compliance
• International Education Agency
• NASA
• Census Bureau
• …  and many more

Biden’s Chief of Staff needs to make it clear that every 30 days, there will be a new project kicked off to begin the process of moving one of those installations out of Alabama. If Tuberville doesn’t support the armed forces, then maybe there shouldn’t be any bases at all in Alabama. I’m sure there are plenty of other states that would be happy to have the flood of money that Alabama has latched onto.

38 Free Vacations.  And presumably counting.  Yes, we’re talking Clarence Thomas, the most corrupt judge ever:

At least 38 destination vacations, including a previously unreported voyage on a yacht around the Bahamas; 26 private jet flights, plus an additional eight by helicopter; a dozen VIP passes to professional and college sporting events, typically perched in the skybox; two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica; and one standing invitation to an uber-exclusive golf club overlooking the Atlantic coast.

This accounting of Thomas’ travel, revealed for the first time here from an array of previously unavailable information, is the fullest to date of the generosity that has regularly afforded Thomas a lifestyle far beyond what his income could provide. And it is almost certainly an undercount.

Perhaps even more significant, the pattern exposes consistent violations of judicial norms, experts, including seven current and former federal judges appointed by both parties, told ProPublica. “In my career I don’t remember ever seeing this degree of largesse given to anybody,” said Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge who served for years on the judicial committee that reviews judges’ financial disclosures. “I think it’s unprecedented.”

But, hey, the Supreme Court can police itself.  Just ask the Chief Justice.

Climate Change Batters Hawaii.  People flee into ocean to avoid incineration.

Delaware Assisted Living Facilities Offering Alzheimers Care Under False Pretenses.  More great reporting by Meredith Newman.  Here’s at least one thing you need to know:  Assisted living facilities have no minimum staffing requirements, and no minimum staffing requirements by shift.  Nursing homes do, and one of the reasons for staffing-by-shift is to ensure that residents with dementia are looked after instead of being able to just wander off.  Their sleep patterns are often different from other residents and many are awake during normal sleeping hours.  (Of course, the state has been derelict in enforcing staffing-by-shift, but that’s another story that needs to be told.)  Assisted living care for those with Alzheimers is nothing more than a scam designed to take even more money from residents, their families and, of course, Medicare.

What do you want to talk about?