Scratching These Down, Here

H/T

On the Protests

While I have no truck with the pro-Hamas protests, it is interesting to note that when the Tikki-Torch Nazis were marching, I don't recall any cops standing around in full riot gear.

Do you?

The Pro-Putin Vote in the Senate

Here they are:

Barrasso (R-WY) Blackburn (R-TN) Braun (R-IN) Budd (R-NC)
Cruz (R-TX) Hagerty (R-TN) Hawley (R-MO) Johnson (R-WI)
Lee (R-UT) Lummis (R-WY) Marshall (R-KS) Merkley (D-OR)
Rubio (R-FL) Sanders (I-VT) Schmitt (R-MO) Scott (R-FL)
Vance (R-OH) Welch (D-VT)

Three pro-Putin senators managed to courageously hide in the Senate Cloakroom and avoid voting: Paul (R-KY), Scott (R-SC), and Tuberville (R-AL). But you do know, Gentle Reader, that if they had been on the Senate floor, they would have voted with their fellow supporters of Russian fascism/imperialism.

Political Courage in the Age of MAGA

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went agains the MAGA fascists in pushing aid to Ukraine to President Biden's desk.

Before The Dead Radio Fascist and Newtie the Terrorist changed things, bipartisanship was normal. It was fairly rate to have a supermajority in the Senate, so if anything was to be done, it took working across the aisle to do it. Legislators from both parties would, from time to time, get together socially. Their families were friends and neighbors with each other. But that ended whtn those two assholes elected to engage in a decades'-long demonization of those who disagreed with them.

A majority of Republicans in both bodies bought into Russian and MAGA propaganda about the Russo-Ukrainian War. Some of the loonier onew, such as Moscow Marjorie Traitor Greene, did little more than repeat and push Russian propaganda. The rest of those low-wattage boobs were content to throw away Republican hawkishness on Russia (and the USSR) and turn their backs on Putin's push to rebuild the Soviet Union. They were happy to repeat the pro-Nazi mistake of the America First jerkoffs in 1940 and 1941, bury their heads in the dirt and wait until the war came to our shores.

McConnell knew the danger early on and has been outspoken in the need to help Ukraine beat back the Ruscist Katsaps. Johnson, on the other hand, took some persuasion. Maybe it was the lesson of history. Maybe it was the fact that his son will be in the Naval Academy this summer and, if we get into a war with Russia, his kid may be one of those who gets shot at.

But either way, those two leaders stood up to the MAGA morons in their caucus and they deserve to be honored for it.

The Irony is Rich

The RNC’s Chief Election Integrity Counsel, Christina Bobb, has been indicted for her role in the Arizona fake elector scheme.

More of the story:

An Arizona grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump ‘s chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 16 others for their roles in an attempt to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Trump won Arizona in 2020. They include the former state party chair, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate and two sitting state lawmakers, who are charged with nine counts each of conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

The identities of seven other defendants, including Giuliani and Meadows, were not immediately released because they had not yet been served with the documents. They were readily identifiable based on descriptions of the defendants, however.

Those fools all bought the TOFF's lies about the election and, like most in the Party of the Confederacy, continue to believe those lies. He persuaded those lunatics to commit fraud and now, the slowly-grinding wheels of justice, have ensared them.

An old and still valid reminder: If you can't do the crime, don't do the crime.

Putin's Useful Idiots in the Senate

Update: The bill is now law. The taps are opening.

McConnell had some harsh words for those "poo-flinging chaos monkeys":

“The holiday from history is over,” McConnell said on the Senate floor before the vote. “Will the Senate indulge the fantasy of pulling up a drawbridge? Will we persist in the 21st century with an approach that failed in the 20th? Or will we dispense with the myths of isolationism and embrace reality?

“So much of the hesitation and shortsightedness that has delayed this moment is premised on sheer fiction. And I take no pleasure in rebutting misguided fantasies,” McConnell said in a rebuke of some members of his party. “I wish, sincerely, that recognizing the responsibilities of American leadership was the price of admission for serious conversations about the future of our national security.”

McConnell knows that his party was on the wrong side of history in 1940-41; he doesn't want to repeat that error. He blamed both Tuckyo Rose and the TOFF for the delay in authorizing aid to Ukraine.

JD Vance, on the other hand, offered the lame-ass excuse that Putin is not Hitler. that's true, if the deciding factor is industrial-based genocide. but as to everything else, such as invading neighboring countries, abolishing freedom of the press and jailing people for having the temerity to even mildly speak out in dissent, there isn't a sliver of difference between the two.

I'll post the roll-call roster when I find a form that's easy to copy. But, having said that, a majority of GOP senators chose to vote for tyranny and for Putin. Most of the expected suspects in the Caucus of Appeasers voted to appease Putin: Blackburn, Hawley, Cruz, Johnson, among others.

I am glad that enough Republican senators stood up to their pro-Putin wing. But it's sad that it was a minority of Republicans in both houses of Congress. Pro-Hitler then, Pro-Putin now.

Tripping These Down, Here

"Real Scumbags" and Klansmen in the House GOP Caucus

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, ripped into his party’s right flank for voting against billions in foreign aid for U.S. allies last week, castigating his ultraconservative peers as “scumbags” and klansmen.

“These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they're walking around with white hoods in the daytime,” Gonzales told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview Sunday. “It didn't surprise me that some of these folks voted against aid to Israel.”

Gonazales, a rare flame-throwing centrist who is battling it out against YouTube gun enthusiast Brandon Herrera in the first serious primary challenge, singled out two sitting Republicans by name who have endorsed against him.

“It's my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags like [Florida Congressman] Matt Gaetz. He paid minors to have sex with them at drunk parties,” Gonzales said, before calling out Rep. Bob Good for earlier this month endorsing Herrera, whom he called a “known neo-Nazi.”

Makes it easy for me when all I have to do is copy and paste the words of a Republican, without having to add more snark.

"Renewal by Anderson" Can Go Eat a Bag of Richards

I am just irritated by their fake news-interview commercials. I don't know who those cocksuckers think they're fooling.

Your Sunday Morning Jet Noise

A now-retired 727:

If You Want To Send Moscow Marjorie Traitor Greene a Gift

May I suggest Russian for Dummies?

Her mailing address is P.O. Box 829 Dalton, GA 30722.

There are 111 other Putinites who could also use a copy: .

Alford Allen Amodei Armstrong Arrington Babin Baird Balderson Banks Bean (FL) Bergman Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (NC) Boebert Bost Brecheen Burchett Burlison Cammack Carl Cline Cloud Clyde Collins Comer Crane Crawford Davidson De La Cruz DesJarlais Donalds Duncan Estes Ezell Fallon Finstad Fischbach Fitzgerald Franklin, Scott Fry Fulcher Gaetz Good (VA) Gooden (TX) Gosar Graves (LA) Green (TN) Greene (GA) Grothman Guest Hageman Harris Harshbarger Hern Higgins (LA) Huizenga Jackson (TX) Jordan Joyce (PA) Kelly (MS) LaMalfa Langworthy Lee (FL) Lesko Letlow Loudermilk Luna Luttrell Mace Malliotakis Maloy Mann Massie Mast McClain Miller (IL) Mills Moolenaar Moore (AL) Nehls Norman Obernolte Ogles Owens Palmer Perry Pfluger Posey Rose Rosendale Roy Self Smith (MO) Spartz Stauber Stefanik Steil Steube Strong Tenney Tiffany Timmons Van Drew Van Duyne Van Orden Walberg Waltz Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Williams (TX) Zinke

Odor in the Court! Odor in the Court!

Drowsy Don is allegedly stinking up the joint.

Meiselas: What I’m hearing from credible sources is that Donald Trump is actually farting in the courtroom… I’m hearing it from actual credible people that as he’s kind of falling asleep, he’s actually passing gas and that his lawyers are really struggling with the smell. pic.twitter.com/wa6F3iRDgX

— Acyn (@Acyn) April 19, 2024

Maybe they can issue gas masks to the jurors....

The Internet snark should be epic.

TOFF Criminal Case #5?

Maybe.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (“CREW”) respectfully requests that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Public Integrity Section investigate whether former President Donald J. Trump knowingly and willfully made material false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) by reporting more than $50 million owed to one of his own companies, Chicago Unit Acquisition LLC (“Chicago Loan”), as a liability on all nine public financial disclosure reports (“PFDs”) he filed with the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) and the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) between 2015 and 2023, even though the loan appears to have never existed. If the Chicago Loan never existed, as was recently disclosed by a court-appointed monitor, then Mr. Trump may have made false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2) each time he listed it as a liability on one of his PFDs.

That may not go anywhere. But it is worth keeping in mind that it was tax evasion, not murder, bootlegging or racketeering, that landed Al Capone in prison.

And, so, maybe....

H/T

No Doubt That Moscow Marjorie Traitor Greene is In Her Office, Throwing a Fit and Chewing the Carpet

The House is pushing swiftly through a series of votes in a rare Saturday session to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, Democrats and Republicans joining together after a grueling monthslong fight over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion.

With overwhelming support, the House approved the Ukraine portion, a $61 billion aid package, in a strong showing of American backing as lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Some lawmakers cheered, waving blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.

The $26 billion package aiding Israel and providing humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza also easily cleared. Each segment of the aid package faced an up-or-down vote. A national security bill that includes a provision forcing sale of the popular platform TikTok was quickly approved, as was another supporting Indo-Pacific allies.

If the Senate passes the bill, aid will begin crossing into Ukraine in days, which will be just in time to help them fight off Russia's spring offensive (and to send more Katsaps home in zinc boxes).

The amusing thing about this is that Greene and her Batshit Caucus could have gotten money for border security months ago, if they hadn't scotched the comprehensive bill that the Senate passed. That bill also included money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But their Orange Manevolent Demon told them to kill the bill and they did.

So now, after a delay of months, those foreign aid bills move forward and what they wanted, money for border security, is, as of now, dead. They essentially traded that for a ban on Chinese ownership of TikTok.

One thing is clear: Those fuckers in the Putin Caucus couldn't negotiate a lease for a fifth-floor walkup studio apartment in the shittiest neighborhood in DC, let alone a complex legislative agenda.

Caturday

Chip, being goofy.

Mike Johnson May Have Decided Which Side of History He's On

And he may have chosen the side of not appeasing either the Russians or the Batshit-Putin Caucus in the House.

With rare bipartisan momentum, the House pushed ahead Friday on a foreign aid package of $95 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian support as a robust coalition of lawmakers helped it clear a procedural hurdle to reach final votes this weekend. Friday’s vote produced a seldom-seen outcome in the typically hyper-partisan House, with Democrats helping Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan advance overwhelmingly 316-94. Final House approval could come this weekend, when the package would be sent to the Senate.
...
“Ukrainians desperately need lethal aid right now. ... We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to roll through another country and take it,” Johnson told the conservative host of The Mark Levin Show about the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine. “These are very serious matters with global implications.”

That, of course, does not make Moscow Marjorie Traitor Greene and the rest of her Putinite Useful Idiots in the Caucus of Appeasers happy. So they'll try to kick Johnson out of the Speaker's chair, which may fail as Democrats could help him out. What that'll do to his re-election chances are a different question. But Johnson may have decided that some things are more important that political survival. If so, then he's a rare breed in the job.

But we shall see.

Too Bad MTG Wasn't On Board as an Observer

Ukraine said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber in combat for the first time since the Kremlin’s invasion began after the aircraft launched a missile strike that left at least nine people dead in the central Dnipro region.

The Tu-22M3 was downed some 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the Ukrainian border after launching missiles, Ukraine’s military intelligence, or GUR, said on its website. It was the first successful hit against this type of bomber since the start of Russia’s invasion, GUR said. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also confirmed the strike.

She has been busy pulling her pro-Putin tricks to try and screw up helping the Ukrainians fend off the Katsaps. Even some people on the GOP Agitprop Channel have had enough of her.

Because It's Friday

Hauling heavy stuff over the road, the old-fashioned way.

Game On, Lobsterbacks!

The war* got going 249 years ago this day. It is also the day of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which was one of many.

I probably should snark that the current government in the Massachusetts Commonwealth is very much against citizens owning state-of-the-art weaponry and, in that regard, they have more in common with the Lobsterbacks than they do with the Colonialists. I'm surprised that they haven't made Concord replace the musket held by the Minuteman with a rake or some such.
___________________
* "The war", when I was a child, referred to either the Revolutionary War or the Second World War. That 19th Century dust-up in the South was not given much regard, because, after all, we had won that one, too.

GOPers Love Committing Voter Fraud (and Complaining About It)

Republican state Rep. Austin Smith has dropped his reelection bid after being accused of personally forging more than 100 petition signatures to get on the 2024 ballot.

And he’s facing a possible criminal investigation into his signatures after state elections officials forwarded his petition signatures to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

Smith is first-term representative from Surprise, a member of Arizona’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus and a top official at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of the far-right Turning Point USA, which is aimed at young Republicans and run by Charlie Kirk.

One has to wonder how many decades he could spend behind bars for forging that many signatures.

He's also quit TP-USA, presumably so he can spend time with his new wife and his criminal defense attorney.

Drones Kill Helicopter

One of Connecticut’s major manufacturers is laying off hundreds of employees.

Stratford-based Sikorsky says it’s making the cuts after the U.S. Army canceled plans for a new helicopter called the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft.
...
As many as 400 workers in Connecticut will be affected, the vast majority of them in Stratford. Many of the workers are part of the company’s engineering and digital technology staff.

A new manned aerial reconnisance helicopter in the age of drones would seem to be as sensible as buying new flintlock rifles after the invention of percussion caps. So, good on the Army.

Pumping These Down, Here

GOP Impeachment Big Fail

Heh.

The Senate has dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the the U.S.-Mexico border and ending his trial before arguments even began.

The Batshit-Crazy Caucus's argument on this case has always been that they didn't like how he was doing his job. No crimes, no misdemeanors, they just didn't like him. Which is hardly a reason to impeach him.

The Trumpanzees are living in some sort of alternate universe where having threadbare control of one house of Congress gives them the power to dictate everything. it doesn't, anyone with a sense of realism would know that, which is why you have imbeciles like MTG throwing hissy fits on a daily basis.

This particular circus act has been a stellar example of that

Erecting These Down, Here

The Selective Outrage of the Pro-Hamas Jerkoffs

So where is the outrage of the pro-Hamas twits over what the Russians have been doing in Ukraine? Why are they giving the Russians a pass on bombing cities, massacring civilians and torturing people? Do they not care about Putin's attempt to conquer a peaceful neighbor?

Anyone?

Heidi-II

CBS said it will re-air its broadcast of Billy Joel's 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden after it was cut short for some viewers on Sunday.

Joel was in the middle of singing "Piano Man" when local news began in some parts of the country.

"Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans," Joel's performance, filmed on March 28, will air again in its entirety on Friday, April 19, at 9 p.m. ET, CBS said on Monday.

The DJs on the classic rock stations have been ranting about this since Sunday night.

In case you've forgotten about the Heidi Game.

Dumb Fuckers, Stupid Assholes and Fascist Douchebags

Israel’s top general has said the country will respond to Iran’s missile and drone attack, but it remains unclear what form that response will take and whether it will be so forceful that it could tip a worsening spiral of violence into a full-scale regional war.

The Israelis are a bunch of dumb fuckers if they do. They attacked Iran's territory (bombing a consulate). Iran struck back with a large and ineffective missile and drone attack. A smart person would leave it there. But nobody has accused Bibi recently of being smart.

And now, to the stupid assholes:

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked roadways in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest on Monday, temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation’s most heavily used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and on a busy West Coast highway.

Here is a lesson: When you engage in a protest that inconveniences lots of people (making them late for work, miss their flights), those people are not going to ruminate about or consider the cause you espouse. No, they are going to judge you to be the asshole of the day. You will end the event by making more enemies to your cause than you won over.

You feel that strongly about it? Go to Lebanon and sign up for Hamas. See what that gets you.

Assholes.

Oh, and by the way, I make this pledge: If Republicans continue to block military aid to Ukraine, I will not vote for any Republican whatsoever for any office, from town council on up. Never, ever. They supported Hitler in the 1940s and they support Putin now. Fuck them all.

Raking in That Good Old Wingnut Welfare

Nikki Haley, who was Donald Trump’s last remaining challenger for the Republican presidential nomination until she dropped out of the race in March, has a new job.

The former South Carolina governor has accepted a role with the Hudson Institute, a Washington DC-based, ultra-conservative thinktank specializing in foreign policy affairs.

That's how the game is played. She gets a high-profile gig that is the best thing to a no-show job while she ponders her options.

Maybe she can try to clean the bloodstains and dishonor out of Kissinger's old chair there.