Open Thread February 2 2024 federal judge tosses disinformation superspreader Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawsuit
Last September, Kennedy—who has lambasted social media platforms’ attempts to contain his fact-free rants about vaccines as unforgivable infringements on free expression—brought suit in New Hampshire to squelch a blogger who posted anonymously on the Daily Kos website about a speech that the late Sen. Robert Kennedy’s son delivered in Berlin to a group called Querdenken. “Free Speech Lover RFK Jr. Loses Bid to Punish Online Critic,” Daily Beast, William Bredderman.
Open Thread January 25 2024 Should WE Extend the 2017 Tax Break, Angry Bear
Bobby is broken. I need to remind myself that in a very real sense he is the victim of gun violence. All over the country there are now thousands of families who have been brutalized in a similar fashion. Many of them are damaged in ways that are impossible to measure.
You are right. My impulse is to be angry, but he probably deserves our pity instead.
RFK Jr got on the primary ballot in Utah one month ago. They are the first state to put him on the ballot.
USCENTCOM announced after market closed long awaited air strikes with precision air strike weapons. Limited to Iraq and Syria.
In the lead-up to this, Iran had told the Iraqi militia to back off. But that is not how these matters tend to play out.
Kataib Hezbollah: Iran-backed group suspends attacks against US after drone strike (bbc.com)
US starts retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets | Reuters
Iran Condemns US Strikes Without Threatening to Retaliate
NY Times – just in
As Iran and the U.S. assess the damage from American airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, the focus is on whether Tehran will respond or de-escalate. …
The time Ronald Reagan kept the US out of war in the Middle East
Boston Globe – Jan 31
Not all provocations have to be met with violent retribution.
(After a barracks in Beirut, Lebanon housing US Marines was truck-bombed on Oct. 23, 1983 and 241 US Marines were killed, Reagan was urged to respond ‘vigorously’. He decided instead to move the Marines to ships in the Med.
It is now suggested, again, that the US pull back. The difference, however, is that we are now reacting to attacks on American troops in the region with air strikes, minimizing risks to US forces – perhaps – and keeping our troops in place.)
But, not to worry: ‘the president (is) attempting to calibrate his responses to avoid a sharp escalation of the fighting in the Middle East’
Biden has ordered further retaliation to killings of US soldiers, officials say.
NY Times – just in
After Speedy Start, Appeals Court Slows Down on Trump Immunity Decision
NY Times – about an hour ago
IMO, it looks like ‘the fix is in’. The federal courts will be staying out of ‘election interference’ as much as possible.
Now that the unanimous & unequivocal Appeals Court decision is in, voters in 2024 will have plenty of time to consider their POTUS choice: a candidate that believes in the rule of law; or, one who doesn’t. While it will most certainly be appealed to SCOTUS, I doubt they will accept it, & if they do, it would be legally riotous if they were to overturn the decision.
What Should Boeing Do to Fix its Longstanding Problems?
NY Times – Feb 3
Is this anything?
S.N.L. Brings Nikki Haley Into the Mix
NY Times – just in
The South Carolina Dem Primary was yesterday. Biden won with 96% of the votes.
The GOP Primary is not until Feb 24.
Trump holds large lead over Haley in South Carolina, Post-Monmouth poll finds – The Washington Post
re robert Kennedy Jr
i don’t like Kennedy any more than you do. and i hate the idea that he will “steal” votes from Biden and deliver us Trump, The Sequel.
But censorship is a slppery slope business even if it is “private sector” especially now that the private sector is the government.
meanwhile the danger of misinformation on the internet is tending toward proof that democracy may not be such a good idea after all.
testing:
censorship even by privately owned platforms is dangerous especially now that private enterprise owns the government.
if we can’t trust the people to sort out the idiots and liars, what does that say about democracy?
How Loud Billionaires Convert Their Wealth Into Power
NY Times – just in
Fred
money has always been the mother’s milk of politics. i doubt that knowing who contributed to what would change anyone’s votes.
unless someone can explain to me how citizen’s united changes things, i think we should worry about something else…like what the policies actually are and why we let the country go to hell by electing morons, liars, and crazies.
Who Should Be Trump’s No. 2?
NY Times – Kellyanne Conway – just in
(She goes on to say that she was instrumental in choosing Mike Pence. Because he would greatly assist with winning votes for the GOP in the Great Lakes region. But she would not do that again, She prefers Mature White MAGA Males. Then she says…)
(She goes on to suggest that while the GOP is vulnerable on the Right-to-Choose issue, GOP voters – female as well as male – much prefer Mature White MAGA Males. Sarah Palin is not mentioned, oddly enough.)
(But then she concludes…)
(I think this something of a muddle, but she does suggest that Mr. Trump will attract further attention by keeping us in suspense and surprising us with his choice.)
“Politics is the art of addition, not subtraction — let alone distraction.”
Yes, let’s let distraction alone.
I would say that Donald Trump is all about distraction, really.
i think hillary lost the election by making all about the glass ceiling.
and trumps sexual morals.
maybe the electorate is smarter than i thought…or maybe not. trump is much worse than just being a man and a sex-pig.