Quote of the Day
When you think of the long and gloomy history of man,Enya, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
The latest stats from WaPo:
Well, with just over a day left in the month/year, it's all but a lock I'll set a record low for monthly pageviews, probably in the range of 200-300 pageviews, as multiple days this past week I barely cracked double-digits. I'm not sure why; I did post notes that blog scheduling might be affected by travel plans, but my recent illnesses affected those. I still have had to embed some older clips, e.g., when McClanahan took a year end hiatus from fresh publication (but they hadn't been published earlier in the blog) since my regular feeds have published fewer clips. Hopefully readership will recover in the new year.
Hallmark is winding down its Countdown to Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of old favorites, "Angels and Ornaments" and "A ChristmasVisitor" made cameo appearances on HMM, but several didn't, like "Farewell, Mr. Kringle" and Debbie Macomber "Mrs. Miracle" nanny movies, "Help for the Holidays", "Annie Claus", "Christmas Magic", etc. I think some might now be licensed to other family cable channels. I thought some were linked to the Hallmark Drama Channel (not in my bundle), but oddly I didn't see much of any holiday content in channel listings. I did add a few other holiday contents to my Amazon Prime watchlist, but I think those may disappear by New Year's.
Phone spam. The latest one was a phishing attempt using a USPS context to harvest personal contact information. The context was USPS couldn't deliver a package because an inapplicable piece of my (unprovided) delivery address was missing; shipper wasn't identified. There was a tracking number which pulled up nothing on the US tracking site. Not to mention I wasn't expecting a delivery.
I'm mostly recovered from being sick for over 2 weeks earlier this month. I lost a lot of water--I remember between Monday and Wednesday doctor visits, I had dropped 3-4 lbs. Yes, I was barely eating, but I rarely drop that kind of weight while dieting over a week or 2. I dropped at least another 12 pounds although the doctor scales tend to weigh me 4 or 5 lbs over my Taylor scale. The point is, I've already gained those 12 pounds back--probably all water because I'm still transitioning to my regular diet. (I bought a lot of nutritional shakes during my nausea stage.)
Quote of the Day
The best way to have a good idea is
Lindsey Stirling, "Joy to the World"
Quote of the Day
Experience teaches slowly
Lindsey Stirling, "O Holy Night"
This has become my favorite new track of this holiday season. So much so I licensed the song yesterday. Longtime readers may recall my seventh grade French class did a performance of Le Jongleur de Notre Dame and at the climax, when the statue of the Blessed Virgin comes to life in tribute to the gift of the mocked juggler's skills, we sang "Minuit Chrétien". (As a Franco-American, I still prefer the version in my first language.) This compelling version comes from a former AGT contestant, and the brilliant video beautifully integrates scenes from "The Chosen".
Quote of the Day
Tact is the ability to describe others
Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone, "Baby Its Cold Outside"
Quote of the Day
Ideas are the root of creation.
Sarah Brightman, "Child in A Manger"
Quote of the Day
I do not regret one professional enemy I have made.
Celtic Woman, "O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night .... O Holy Night"
The speculation over Musk delegating CEO duties over Twitter has been inevitable. The left's obsession over loss of censorship authority made the conflict with Musk personal and undermined the moral authority of his platform reforms.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
Mike Lee wants to make victimless crimes a matter of regulation by the general government? He needs to get back to the basics of liberty. https://t.co/JtVKLIPWx0
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
When are analytically-challenged leftist feminist ideologues going to stop playing their trite insane victim card? This troll ignores the fact Twitter is a privately-held company and Musk is managing a company he owns.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
No, I'm sure Musk considered walking away before the poll. https://t.co/3WbAY661xt
Justin is one of the few who has consistently criticized House leadership of both parties for strictly limiting the options of Congressional voting, all but a closed process to most Congressmen, an oligarchic scheme. The recent hero worship of Pelosi's tenure has ignored her role https://t.co/1w42NxgrLt
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
"Real" pro-liberty conservatives do not seek unconstitutional expansion of the general government.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
My latest essay is my annual mock award for Republicans behaving badly. My selection is a repeat winner and perhaps obvioushttps://t.co/TfYYLUNwUx
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 19, 2022
Well, with all this hoopla over UFO's, Biden needed the straight scoop from someone who actually met ET #sarcasm
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
This is Soft Rock America. The Trumpster reminds us of classic Chicago: https://t.co/Ua72bTkH4h https://t.co/yQ0r3dn2uV
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
Is she on drugs? I agree that Lincoln's assaults on our Bill of Rights (habeas corpus, shutdown of opposition papers, etc.) were crimes against our system of government, but an unarmed protest vs Pearl Harbor or 9/11? https://t.co/NyI7KqMOA2
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
Possible but unlikely. Trump initially ran for the 2000 Reform Party nomination but bowed out. Does he believe that he could succeed where Teddy Roosevelt failed? He is delusional, but I don't see him ending his career playing spoiler for the reelection of Biden.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
The other 99 are just as bad as Cherokee Lizzie. https://t.co/a36olCWU6o
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
The past century of immigration restrictions has exacerbated the status quo. Immigration is a net benefit to our economy and the only policy consistent with our heritage of liberty. https://t.co/6LaVsX2dyP
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
Oh, seriously, dude? Kanye West publishes a tweet, and people are reading motive in coincidental puzzle appearances. Imagine the grief God gets for what people read into cloud cover!
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
Swastika https://t.co/RZJ5JU2N0S
I honor Amy Grant living her faith of Jesus' love and acceptance through her offer to host her gay niece's commitment ceremony. I have been a fan since I first heard her cover of "El Shaddai".
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
"Amy Grant"
A crime against the Afghanistan people and their economy. https://t.co/4eVbGQJGvS
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
The political duopoly of the general government continues to fund Big Defense at the expense of future taxpayers even though the Pentagon can't complete an audit.https://t.co/nSoVEfbJHh https://t.co/Fk9OZU23uC
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
It's rather amusing leftists are losing their lunch over eligibility for certain Twitter polls. Even first-semester research students can challenge the validity of convenience polls.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
You gave your years wrong. 1872 was Grant's reelection. Tilden/Hayes was in 1876.https://t.co/1KhUeum23E
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
The "$1.7 Trillion" omnibus bill is super spending political porn.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 20, 2022
Economic illiterate leftists continue to disingenuously argue that long-overdue corporate tax reform undermined fiscal reform.https://t.co/KhoIxQUeBN https://t.co/Gq8V7g6SEd
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
No. This is unconstitutional.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
Yes.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
Absolutely evil. There is no constitutional need to know.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
Just a reminder: the Dems control the House, the Senate and the White House. There is little doubt the GOP has had its bad moments during the Bush and Trump years and on military spending, but primary responsibility is clear.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
There's nothing honorable about Congress, and Zelensky is little more than another political whore with his hands in the pockets of our grandchildren. https://t.co/ZMIvOh59ex
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
I think the idea anyone knows everything the government is spending money on is pure fiction. https://t.co/M2MtddvgH8
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
To Barbara Boxer, better late than never. She worked so hard to win that title of "Senator"....https://t.co/lw6bvS1raL https://t.co/1F2UAm9dXR
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 21, 2022
Nope. Amy has it right. Christ loves the sinner and hates the sin. Homosexual behavior occurs naturally across species. Jesus explicitly warns us against being judgmental about others. https://t.co/2eKJjyNjfJ
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
The Minority Leader has a point. The Jan. 6 riot had much to do with overwhelmed security, and Congressional leadership has a role in security planning. Despite widely predicted Trumpkin protests, leadership failed to supplement security. There should be accountability. https://t.co/iuV5dfXgGo
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Given the general merits of Congressional speeches, that's not much to say. #sarcasm https://t.co/j4bYHK3U3y
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
"Investing in democracy" is a euphemism for unsustainable leftist spending.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
No doubt Biden is reviewing Elon Musk's proposal to the Space Force to colonize the seventh planet from the sun #sarcasm https://t.co/DZoWvV5Obv
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Well, cattle futures didn't make Hillary Clinton into some investment guru. No, spending the US into insolvency is not an "investment". Neither is a blank check to the military-industrial complex. https://t.co/CYYNgm4JZf
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Anti-scientific crackpot rubbish. "Experimental biological agents" my ass. For someone to abuse her professional credentials is a breach of the public trust and professionally unethical.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Any employer, including the federal government, has the right to ensure a safe workplace. https://t.co/ZUGspGVdAG
Well, by one indicator, I as a pro-liberty conservative haven't seen much change since the Musk acquisition of Twitter. My reach still feels very limited; the only improvement is fewer timeouts from Twitter Mommy.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
The "George Santos" scandal has me chuckling a bit. After nonstop leftist claims of the GOP playing to far-right neo-Nazis and antisemites, who knew that a NY GOP congressman-elect's devious plot to victory in the general election was stolen valor fabrication of his ancestry? https://t.co/vLSBMoNkhx
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Are you pandering to the war criminal regime that offered you citizenship?
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Economic illiterates would have you think that some number they pick out of the thin air should trump a voluntary transaction between employer and worker. The real minimum wage should be $0.00. You don't "help" people by pricing them out of work.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
"Texas is $7.25"
Your anti-liberty scapegoating against immigrants is an abomination. Weaponizing Title 42 was never a serious attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 from a failed administration which fecklessly screwed up testing rollouts. Americans, particularly unvaccinated ones, sustain it https://t.co/2q0zT7obft
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Would you believe that reading comprehension-challenged leftists think that this refers to Trump?https://t.co/EB72jJtUbW https://t.co/CxcyxdPphR
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Technically speaking, Justin is wrong here. Title 42 is part of the 1944 Public Health Services Law. The Trump Administration resurrected it in its abusive interpretation of federal "emergency" power to weaponize against migrants, no evidence of migrants spreading COVID-19.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
Nope. Trumpkin losers like you backed unprincipled, unqualified losers who can't attract independent voters. https://t.co/d58EvJoUsQ
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
It takes chutzpah for Trump to criticize the current omnibus spending bill. Some hypocritical idiot signed the $1.4T Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The same bozo who negotiated with Chuck and Nancy.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
I think my own numbers are worse than that, although Twitter Analytics don't provide comprehensive breakouts. For example, on my most recent 1000+ impression tweet, I got 3 likes. I have a lot of solo-like tweets.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
I was overthinking this. Partly this is because I don't think Musk explained himself that well.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
Musk really meant to say that published tweets now show summary stats near related action icons, e.g., view total near the bar chart. We tweet authors are used to clicking on that.
How does this differ from reported impressions?
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 22, 2022
This is not a principled stand. Let us point out that there is no statutory requirement over tax reporting for POTUS but only Ford and Trump have not complied since the 70's.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
Going by net worth, more than half of federal legislators are millionaires.https://t.co/shGxsVNUra https://t.co/sm6m1zH2LF
I'll let Musk speak for himself. I do not know the specifics of how impressions are measured.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
I would assume you have a different list of followers than the Gray Lady. But I have a limited follower list, and I would say a good plurality of my tweets fail to reach that number.
Remember when some impeached Hypocrite-in-Chief decided to primary Tom Massie (and failed) over demanding in-person voting for Trump's bloated COVID-19 relief bill? Don't listen to the $8T debt political whore.https://t.co/uawJ4DytsB https://t.co/ly2dEvYHbo
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
Granted, I'm pretty old, but I remember Volcker interest rates over the turn of the 80's. https://t.co/rQU3fO6t16
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
Property.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
The people have a right to know that POTUS is being transparent. Every President since Reagan has reported their taxes until Swamp Monster Trump. There are reasons why Trump is hiding his financial picture, and they are self-serving.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
I snapped when I saw new Russian citizen Snowden publish a tweet suggesting European investigators are hiding evidence of US involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline ruptures. https://t.co/g4QyGyjElg
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 23, 2022
I'm waiting for Trump's inevitable blowback now that Hannity admits he doesn't believe in Trump anymore. He may not get that stocking of WV coal Joe Manchin promised him for Christmas.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 24, 2022
Hannity
This is a knowing lie. The Speaker is part of a group that has oversight of the Capitol police. There was National Guard assistance offered to the Capitol police 4 days before Jan. 6. It was reportedly turned down by leadership who reportedly didn't like the optics.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 25, 2022
Nobody takes Trump seriously. It is funny how he lives rent-free in the heads of leftists who give him all the attention his narcissism requires. The GOP knows they can never win over independents they need as long as Trump is in the picture.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 25, 2022
Clairvoyant
You're making the rest of us look bad. I've got an open account, a few followers but lots of tweets with fewer than a dozen impressions.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 25, 2022
I'll take the right vote, even if it's for the wrong reason. https://t.co/rXAiQtvc7w
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 25, 2022
Actually, you just need one: for a cellphone.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 25, 2022
Gmail https://t.co/D8u0MyY0JR
Quote of the Day
Make the best use of what is in your power,
Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall
Affiniti, "O Holy Night"
The latest stats from WaPo:
The stats are still not good but not unexpected, up to 73K daily. The anti-vaxxers are getting more assertive; I noticed some of them somehow in my Twitter feed. DeSantis and the Florida Supreme Court are setting a grand jury to investigate vaccine manufacturers. There are social media posts falsely implying mass casualties from vaccinations. Older people are disproportionately among hospitalized and dying from COVID-19, and part of the story is mediocre booster participation. Finally, an active lifestyle seems to be related to lower COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths from infection.
Blog statistics continue to be among the lowest in recent blog history. Even my typically more popular social media digest posts: the latest one barely edged a handful of pageviews. Barring a blowout final week, the month will likely set a new multi-year low by literally hundreds of pageviews, maybe 40% or more off last month's modest total. Not sure why, but it is what it is. On the publication front, I will likely fall short by a few posts of matching last year's posting record.
Odd dreams over the past week involving my doctoral graduation from years back. In the nightmare, I found myself facing one bureaucratic nightmare after another on the way to graduation. To understand how unrealistic this was, you really earn your PhD when you successfully defend your dissertation and your committee signs off. University graduation is more of a formality, although being hooded and wearing a gold tassel are a nice touch.
A related dream was like a family anniversary celebration of my doctoral graduation, which has never happened. Probably the most interesting thing about that is somehow they came up with an unexpected video clip. This requires an explanation for context. I'm the oldest of 7, and all of my family showed up for my graduation, even some in-laws and a niece. But they didn't really coordinate it, and nobody brought a camera, thinking others would be bringing theirs. (Of course, this is unthinkable today with everyone carrying a smartphone with an integrated camera.) I was pissed, like couldn't anyone go to a drugstore and pick up a disposable camera? I'm the only doctoral graduate I know without photos of their day.
Quote of the Day
Happiness is not a goal,
The Ronettes, "Sleigh Ride"
It's been an unsolved mystery that continues to be debated: what party was behind the Russian/German gas pipeline disaster Sept. 26 in the Baltic Sea earlier this year, which area experts attribute to sabotage of 3 of the 4 pipelines. Which party had the incentive and the ability? Fingers have been pointed at both US and Russia as having the capabilities, motive, and opportunity. The Russians has a military presence in the Baltic Sea region. The Western alliance has been conflicted over Russian/German economic ties, and the Nord pipelines provide an alternative to transit fee supply routes through Ukraine and Poland.
So Russia could see a false flag operation as useful in a divide-and-conquer strategy: If the US, whose own liquified natural gas interests have a competitive interest as a European supplier, could be implicated, it would roil the NATO alliance. Not to mention nearly half of Russia's national budget comes from energy revenues; as the second leading global producer, it benefits from a tight or uncertain global market. Also, note that Nord 2 hadn't been approved by Germany before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Nord 1 had been shut for reported maintenance, which many saw as Russian pressure on Europe.
As others have pointed out, pipeline-supplied Russian natural gas is almost 25% cheaper to alternatives, but Russian market share of EU natural gas imports has dropped from about 90% to 37% over the past 3 decades as Europe has diversified its suppliers and built out LNG infrastructure.
What about motives for the US? Well, Germany had already frozen Nord 2 approval after Russia recognized 2 Ukraine secessionist regions just before the Russian invasion. And Western sanctions had hardened sanctions on Russia, including energy imports, in the interim. Why would the US take out the Nord 2 pipeline when it was not approved and would likely not be revisited until the Ukraine intervention has been resolved? On the other hand, Russia has repeatedly cut off exports to other nation/customers for policy reasons. Recall that Putin has floated the idea of use of tactical nuclear weapons in the Ukraine theater. The ruptured pipelines can be repaired. It may well be a message that Putin wants to send that European energy infrastructure remains vulnerable, and there are other (non-Russian) pipelines.
Most of the case against the US is a dubious vow by Biden on not allowing Nord 2 to go forward. But the US position against Nord 2 preceded Biden, and the focus was on diplomatic channels.
I do not claim to resolve the kerfuffle here; I do think, like most analysts, that Russia is most likely culpable but remain open to where the evidence leads us.
So why this rant now? A recent report suggests there's been no signature evidence yet of Russian involvement in the sabotage.
Snowden decided to comment on the situation, implying it was a US operation but allied countries are burying the story to protect the US and NATO.
I am one of the few libertarians out there who has refused to support a pardon or clemency for Snowden, the reason being he violated his contract for access to classified data. I argue that libertarians honor contracts. I've probably published a half dozen tweets to that effect. I don't see much reaction, one way or another, to my point of view. Maybe there has been, and I'm not aware of it.
So in the middle of all this, Putin has granted Snowden Russian citizenship.
I snapped back to his above-cited tweet by asking a rhetorical question: is attacking the US one of the prices you pay for a war criminal granting you citizenship?
Quote of the Day
A person who can't lead and won't followCourtesy of Bob Gorrell via Townhall
Barbra Streisand, "Ave Maria"
Quote of the Day
If you're not confused,Bing Crosby, "White Christmas"
Quote of the Day
I am free of all prejudices.I loved comic books during my middle school years, the Superman TV reruns, the campy Batman series, the Fantastic Four, Archie & Jughead, etc. Sometime after I grew up, storytelling got trumped by political ideology
Andy Williams, "Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow"
Quote of the Day
Seek respect mainly from thyself,When I grew up as a Catholic boy, there was always veneration for Mary, Jesus' mother, and there are legendary alleged appearances. In our hemisphere, there is Our Lady of Guadalupe. In Western Europe, the most famous are the nineteenth century apparitions of Lourdes and the twentieth century ones in Fatima.
Sadly, I've never been to any of these sites, but when my USAF NCO dad was stationed in Europe (I was in middle school) we attempted a springtime pilgrimage to Lourdes but our Volkswagen van broke down on the way.
Darlene Love, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
The choice may be obvious at first; this blog has been Never Trump for years, I supported his impeachments, and I've written over 1000 critical tweets. But. no, I am not obsessed with Trump; I'm actually more concerned about giving him the attention his narcissism craves. I'm tired of the hyper partisan squabbling, Trump's incessant loyalty tests, his White House reelection obsession, etc. I would rather see no attention paid to his self-serving nonsense. For example, I have not for the most part followed the Jan. 6 hearings.
But there are at least 2 reasons to pick Trump this year: his drag on the mid-terms and his noncompliance with the Presidential Records Act, including his mishandling of classified data. The second issue is more troubling from a constitutional context.
On paper, the GOP seemed to have the wind at its back 6 months going into the mid-terms: high gas prices and inflation cutting into real household wages, a bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, chaos at the Southern border, COVID-19 policy fatigue, etc. Biden's approvals approached the dangerous low-40's. Granted, the GOP didn't have a lock on regaining the Senate defending 21 of 35 seats up, including an open seat in PA and incumbent seats in purplish NC, FL and WI. There were projections of dozens of House seats being won in regaining the House. There's little doubt Trump wanted to use a Trumpkin mid-term recapture as a springboard for his 2024 campaign. He wanted to press his nationalism policies, of course, but he also sought to settle scores over Republicans he considered disloyal over his 2020 election loss. Jan 6, and other critics.
The unexpected overturn of Roe in Dobbs no doubt was a reset of sorts, but Trump's kingmaking ran into problems notably in Georgia, where his attempts to primary state Republicans failed not to mention his endorsed Senate candidate, Herschel Walker. PA, WI, MI, and AZ state/state-wide elections went against his choices. His Senate endorsed candidates in GA, NH, AZ, NV, and PA failed, despite vulnerable incumbents. I can't speak for other states, but term-limited MD Gov. Hogan and Trump had differences; Trump primaried Hogan's endorsed replacement, but Cox got blown out in the general election. While any statewide office in blue MD is challenging, Trump's unconventional picks made it difficult to appeal to independent voters.
But it was Trump's stolen Presidential papers, over 15 boxes, that is the grounds for serious misconduct. I've written past posts on this kerfuffle and will not repeat myself here, except for this brief summary. Trump had not enforced data classification rules; there are anecdotal reports of a classified document left in a White House restroom, retrieved from family living quarters, etc. Generally speaking, classified documents are retained in secure storage with access strictly on need to know. As former POTUS, Trump no longer has need to know. What we know is Trump took many of them when he left in Jan. 2021, many were stored in a MAL storage room, apparently initially without so much as a padlock, and the FBI found some in his personal desk during its search last August. Trump has argued that he had a standing order to declassify any material in his possession, unsupported, self-serving and absurd on its face, (There are defined procedures for declassification; POTUS can modify policy but Trump did not implement any.) If a cleared employee or contractor had engaged in such misconduct, he could be prosecuted,
I do not know the specifics of how NARA came to realize Trump had not turned over documents at the end of his term of office as required under law, but what was clear was Trump was not being cooperative. He seemed to believe he was entitled to serve as custodian for his eventual presidential library, not an option under law. Apparently at the end of 2021, NARA finally suggested if Trump did not accommodate, they might refer the matter to the Justice Department and/or Congress. Trump finally agreed to a MAL pickup in January. In the weeks that followed NARA determined the 15 boxes were incomplete. A subpoena was issued, and there was a pickup I believe in June, with some Trump legal signoff the USG had all remaining material. I don't know the specifics but there apparently were government sources at MAL who indicated some material was still being held, leading to the August search at MAL.
Part of the problem is that the Presidential Records Act relies on the honor system which doesn't work with someone as fundamentally dishonest as Trump. Trump has disingenuously argued his predecessors also violated the Act.
Quote of the Day
Seek respect mainly from thyself,
Amy Grant, "Grown Up Christmas List"
"Treasonous ghost of Ashli Babbitt"? The woman was an unarmed trespasser who was protesting an election.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 13, 2022
Athletes are not politicians. Stop punishing athletes for matters beyond their control. Sportsmanship transcends politics.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 13, 2022
The politically correct presentist war on American history is shameful. This does not change the past. https://t.co/yzKwIRZrmW
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 13, 2022
Where does "marriage" appear in the US Constitution? As far as I'm aware, no state or the USG banned civil unions between gay couples, and some legally recognized them. Social experimentation redefining traditional constructs will have unexpected consequences.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 13, 2022
"Cyndi Lauper" https://t.co/Rn2HEMTaEy
Boebert won her reelection recount, resulting in a GOP majority of 222-213 in the new Congress
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 14, 2022
I didn't even buy Trump's rookie POTUS card.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 15, 2022
#MajorAnnouncement
Just a reminder: when taxpayer money pays for something, it isn't really "free".
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 15, 2022
COVID is very real, and you need recent vaccine protection.
"Free COVID"
Marriage isn't a matter of Congressional action by the Constitution.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 15, 2022
"In fact, Republicans so far have beaten Democrats by about 4.9 percentage points in the national popular vote for the House, 51.7 to 46.8 percent". Cherrypicking close districts is intellectually dishonest.https://t.co/k86oLfmOUz https://t.co/ySO1xFV9cp
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 15, 2022
This is a rubbish meme. Nobody pretends everything Jesus taught is captured in the Gospels. It is true that Christ loves the sinner but hates the sin. It is true homosexuality was accepted in the Roman world but not in Israel, and the Didache explicitly condemned pederasty. https://t.co/29dRvkTPw6
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 16, 2022
Leftists have been testing their boundaries ever since Musk acquired Twitter. First, they used their blue-check accounts to impersonate his. Next, they've tested Twitter rules trying to accuse him of hypocritical censorship. Now, after warnings over doxxing...
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 16, 2022
"Keith Olbermann"
As an MBA, I'm fascinated with Trump's risk-taking in possibly tarnishing his brand. My favorite target was teetotaler Trump hyping his brand of potato vodka.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 16, 2022
"Trump Steaks"
Can you guess who won my mock annual award for Dems behaving badly?https://t.co/k5B2XFIQQc
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
You're not intelligent enough to understand POTUS is not included under "officers of the US"https://t.co/Mwt9nutEe5.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
Rubbish. It's amateurish and predictable for leftists to stereotype their political opponents. I and other conservatives and libertarians were censored under the prior management, and we subscribe to the NAP. Leftist trolls constantly criticizing Musk are a fact. https://t.co/ee9Yuci7XN
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
While I'm generally supportive of Musk's changes in Twitter management, I think it would be prudent for him to tone down his micromanagement, which I think plays into the hands of leftists.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
Point of fact: Trump is not covered under section 3 of the 14th Amendment. I'm personally Never Trump, but this nonsense is unconstitutional. You're just worried Trump will get reelected despite Jan. 6.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
This is fundamentally ignorant of freedom of the press. Only the government has a monopoly on power, like when Lincoln unconstitutionally shut down the opposition press. Musk doesn't control the Internet or other media. https://t.co/NNm9dP39mb
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
This is just a natural extension of past abuses of the Fourth Amendment exposed by Snowden and others. Yes, it is disturbing. https://t.co/CoicjXx5Y3
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
NO. This violates privacy as enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and has never been more than a partisan witch hunt and I write that as a Never Trumper.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 17, 2022
Nope. It's not a constitutional wildcard for a federal judicial power grab over states and evisceration of the tenth amendment.
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 18, 2022
Pathetic, shallow analysis both of conservatism and the nature and extent of oppression by the prior leftist Twitter regime. The censors didn't provide context for their repression. They simply parroted garbage allegations of PC-perceived "threats" to others
— raguillemette (@raguillemette) December 18, 2022