TWIT: The Stench of Corruption Surrounds You

credit: M. Raimerez

It is all but certain that Trumpilini will get his rematch against Biden in 2024.  How a criminal defendant facing 91 felony charges and suffering two impeachments during his term in office speaks volumes about the degraded condition of politics in this nation.  The sins of the past are finally catching up with 'Merika, exacerbated by a demigod who is expert at exploiting mass-edia and legal lacunae in the constitutional system. 

A bright spot in the desolation of another years' end is the fact that two states, Maine and Colorado have decided to throw him off the primary ballots in their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, three states, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Michigan have decided he is not disqualified from office for having led an insurrection agains the central government. Under the filter of the Electoral College--the only one that counts--he is ahead in the horse race since those states control more electoral votes (29 versus 14). However, the verdict is still out in several western states including Nevada and Arizona, both swing states. California, a decidedly blue state, will keep the insurrectionist on its ballot.  The US Supreme Court will decide this issue of disqualification eventually. As the Maine Secretary of State said,  "Trump chose to light a match".  It is the electoral system that is burning brightly this Yuletide.

On the criminal defense front, the Special Counsel's case in DC is on hold while the Supremes decide whether he is immune from criminal prosecution for crimes committed while in office.  Altogether a sorry state of affairs.

TWIT: Blut und Land

A conspiracy is everything ordinary life is not...

Conspirators have a logic and daring beyond our reach.

All conspiracies are a taut story of men who find coherence 

in some criminal act.

                                    Don Delillo--Libra

More:  Conservatives on the Supreme Court refused to grand certiorari to the Special Prosecutor and immediately hear Herr Trumpilini's claim of absolute immunity. Instead they handed the defandant a Christmas gift by opting for an opinion from the Circuit Court of Appeals before deciding the issue--obviously a decision influenced by politics.  Compare United States vs. Nixon. The decision moves the game piece another square towards an election deadline.  ln the meantime, audio recordings of phone calls have surfaced in which the coup mastermind pressures two Repugnant functionaries in Wayne County, Michigan to refuse certifying the election results in that state.  His fingerprints are also over this tangled web of deceit.

Breaking: The decision is sure to be appealed to the United States Supreme Court, but by a 4 to 3 vote the Colorado Supreme Court has declared Trump to be disqualified from holding office of the President of the United States therefore he cannot appear on the primary ballot in that state under the state's election code. The order is is stayed until January 4th giving him time to appeal.

The Colorado Supreme Court specifically found that Trumpilini was an officer of the United States and engaged in insurrection within the meaning of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. That ruling reversed the state district judge who found that he was not an "officer of the United States" under Section 3. even though she found that the former president did engage in insurrection.

More: Herr Trumpilini continues to invoke Hitlerite themes in his campaign speeches. The latest is his use of the concept of dilution of the blood that leads to cultural collapse. This psuedo-scientific rubbish was used in part to justify Nazis' final solution to the Jewish question. Hitler wanted the Aryan race, also a misconception, to be kept pure. Trump is clearly a dangerous crackpot who has captured a good sized portion of the American electorate susceptible to the appeal of nativist, white nationalism. After he was struck from the ballot in Colorado, he issued a message to his supporters saying, "This is how dictatorships are born". This guy is not joking around. He means to seize power in a manner reminiscent of Hitler's party winning election to the Bundestag in1932. Hitler was appointed Chancellor in January, 1933. Once in office, Herr Trumpilini means to stay there by any means necessary including using the military to enforce martial law.

Dictatorships are born by a lack of resistence from democratic forces. Very late in the game, the federal judiciary may be waking up to Trumpilini's nefarious legal maneuverings, and bring him before a jury of his peers before the election, but democracy still faces the hurdle of a conservative Supreme Court willing to put party above nation.  The case of defendant Trump is testing to the limits 'Merica's commitment to democracy.  It raises the fundamental question: do the American people have a right under our Constitution to elect a Neo-fascist dictator?

credit: M. Wuerker, Politico.com
BC Idonwanna sez:  His copy is bookmarked!

Wolves Come Back to Colorado

credit: Denver Post

Five wolves were released in an undisclosed location in Grand County, Colorado in fulfillment of a vote of the people to reintroduce the predators in the state.  Two juvenile males, two juvenile females and an adult male were given their freedom on Monday.  The wolves were given to Colorado by Oregon, which has a growing population despite culling by the state at the behest of livestock owners. The last count was about 178 in 24 known packs. Colorado's wolf management plan calls for the release of fifty wolves over the next three years. One pack that formed naturally in Moffat county was eradicated when it crossed the border into wolf-hating Wyoming. The state has an agreement with New Mexico, Arizona and Utah to recapture and return re-introduced wolves 

The governor said that history was being made with the re-introduction since wolves were eradicated in the state in the 1940's. They were captured from helicopters and shipped to Colorado in crates. The animals were fitted with GPS collars, vaccinated and given a health check before release. Reintroduction of wolves in the West is controversial, and has become mired in the culture wars. For progressives the wolf is a symbol of restoring healthy ecosystems, while conservatives see the wolf and an implacable enemy that must be eliminated.

 

King of the Desert

That honorific belongs to the sand cat (Felis margarita), a small, elusive member of the feline family.  It lives in the hot deserts of Africa, southwest and central Asia, and hunts primarily at night so little is know about the species, until European researchers made a concerted effort to know more about this cat. Fortunately it is not endangered and of least concern on the IUCN's list, but that might change after the latest research is evaluated.

The cat is superbly adapted to the blazing hot sands of the Sahara. It's stripped yellow coat blends in with he dunes and its paws are equipped with thick, black fur between their toes that allow it to travel without leaving paw prints. Drinking water rarely, the small feline relies on the moisture contained in its prey, primarily rodents. Sand cats only weigh about 6 pounds, allowing them to hide under bushes to escape the scorching sun or pursue prey. [photo credit: A. Silwa]. Acute hearing allows it to hear the faint scratchings of burrowing prey and curious scientists up to 600 feet away.

a lesser jerboa, a favorite prey animal

Given their small size and elusive natures, sand cats were not categorized by science until 1858.  Their range is based on rare sightings, scant camera trap recordings, and informed speculation.  Two persistent and resourceful scientists, Alexander Silwa and Gregory Breton,  found three sand cats in southern Morocco, motivating them to apply to the Moroccan government for permission to study the species more systematically.  They overcame early difficulties to track the animals,   repeatedly losing track of collared cats, eventually realizing that the range of their GPS equipment was 12 miles, while the cats' home ranges were huge.  Home ranges for males can extend to over 120 square miles; for females its 100 square miles. They do not appear to be particularly territorial, tolerating others, even aggregating if conditions are right. One piece of data from the research stands out: sand cats are more rare than previously thought. 

The researchers think that IUCN status should be upgraded to "vulnerable" based on what they found in the field.  Their research has provided the most comprehensive morphological and ecological data available on Felis margarita.  As more research is done, science will be better able to assess its population status.  Better GPS equipment for such small subjects will aid in new research.  The more science knows about the "desert king", the more they will know about deserts and how they are changing as the world warms.

The Depravity Continues

Two US citizens have been charged with killing 3600 birds including their nation's protected symbol, the bald eagle, for profit. Parts and feathers were sold on the black market. A Montana grand jury indicted Simon Paul and Travis Branson for illegal traffiking and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. The men hunted around the Flathead Indian Reservation using deer meat to entice the birds of prey. The pair made substantial sums of money from their illegal activity according to the indictment. Records show the sold a pair of bald eagle wings, four golden eagle tails and an entire golden eagle. They face up to eleven years in prison and fines of $275,000 each. Their trial is in January. [photo credit: Getty Images]

Eagles have made a recovery from the devastation caused by the indiscriminate use of DDT decades ago.  The pesticide was banned in 1972, after the publication of Rachel Carson's landmark book, Silent Spring.  The birds still face severe dangers in the their environment.  Lead pellets from ammunition and fishing tackle poses a dangerous health risk and often death.  Researchers reported high levels of lead exposure in 46% of eagles sampled in 38 states.  Lead is a neurotoxin that impairs a birds to fly, hunt and reproduce.  In high doses it causes seizures, breathing difficulties and death.  According to an expert, a lead fragment the size of a pin is enough to kill an eagle. Lead ammunition for wildfowl hunting was banned in 1991, but upland bird and big game hunters still use lead in their guns.

TWIT: Fifth Avenue

In an unanticipated move, Jack Smith Special Prosecutor, moved the US Supreme Court to grant certiorari in the Jan 6th case.  It was a wise move to cut off the endless delay tactics employed by Don 'Legit'. Smith asked the court to consider the issues of double jeopardy and immunity from prosecutions for criminal acts committed while in office. The conservative court voted to consider the government's petition. Argument of double jeopardy is unlikely to succeed since an impeachment and Senate trial for much the same criminal activity does not count as 'jeopardy' in the legal sense. The immunity claim is slightly more consequential, but informed pundits think there is at least a five vote majority against the proposition of instilling the divine right of kings in an elected leader of a republic.  See Article I, Section 3, Clause 7 of the US Constitution.*

Not to be outdone, MAGAists like Justice Clarence Thomas countered by granting certiorari on Wednesday in the case of United States v. Fischer. Defendant Fischer, a former police officer, participated in the Capitol attack. He was charged with, among other offenses, obstructing an official proceeding--the counting of electoral votes. There is evidence that Don Trumpilini intended the violent riot to disrupt the counting procedure long enough to convince poltical supporters to reject duly qualified electors and throw the election into the US House of Representatives where his party has a numerical advantage. The Court wants to examine the application of the obstruction statute in Fischer's circumstances. This concern does not bode well for Jack Smith's case against the former President, who is also charged with obstruction. More indications the highest Court has become a partisan political institution.

In New York, the civil fraud case against Don 'Legit" is coming to a close. The defense rested this week without calling the compulsive liar to the stand. Trumpilini ridiculously claimed that he could not testify because of the gag order imposed upon him and re-instated on appeal.The state expects to call only a few rebuttal witnesses.  The only issues before Judge Engoron relate to damage recovery for his persistent fraud. 

credit: A. Telanaes, Washington Post

 * Justice Brent Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, wrote a law review article as a student attending Yale Law School.  In it he concluded that the framers contemplated the possibility of prosecuting a former president for crimes committed while in office.

COP28 Not Far Enough

Getty Images: Tuvalu

The deal was struck when small island nations, the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, were out of the room.  Nations present including the US, China and the EU, agreed to "transition away from coal, oil and gas.  That language was a step down from "phasing out fossil fuels" which western nations approved.  Still, even the weaker language was a unexpected outcome from a 200 nation conference in oil-rich United Arab Emirates presided over by that nation's CEO of the national oil company, Sultan al-Jaber. He expressed satisfaction with the conference outcome despite push-back from oil nations like Saudi Arabia and Iraq.  US climate envoy, John Kerry, also said the 21 page agreement was a "step forward" in the difficult context of war in Ukraine and Palestine.  Activists were less satisfied with the compromise, calling the agreement "weak" and a "litany of loopholes".

Countries committing to the agreement have just six years to cut carbon emissions by 45%.  Many countries are nowhere near reaching that goal.  A climate scientist at the talks said there may be a lot of back-slapping going on, but "the physics will not care" since the agreement locks in high levels of emissions for years to come.  Temperatures and sea-levels will continue to rise.  The host for the next conference on climate change is gas-rich Azerbaijan. God help us!

Kill 500,000 Barred Owls?

That is what the US Fish & Wildlife wants to do in an effort to protect the endangered spotted owl Strix occidentalis in the northwest.  The barred owl Strix varia out-competes the spotted in forests it inhabits. [photo] To reduce the competition USF&W proposes to allow hunters to kill half a million owls over the next thirty years. 

Barred owls are considered invasive in the northwest.  They have been here since the 1950's spreading over California, Washington and Oregon, and supplanting the native spotted owl.  Their success is attributed to their larger size, aggressiveness, and more varied diet.  Studies have shown that barred owl removal has a salutary effect on the decline of spotted owl populations.  Nevertheless, hunting such an iconic bird of prey is unthinkable.  Would you be willing to kill a bald eagle?

Culling is a tragic method of controlling the population of problematic species.  It should be used as a method of last resort.  Other options such as sterilization are more expensive and labor intensive.  There are now over 100,000 barred owls in spotted owl territory.  A great deal of effort and controversy went into preserving old growth forest in the northwest so as to provide habitat for the spotted.  The habitat is there, but now the barred is moving in, big time.  US Person occasional hears the "hoot-hoot woohoo" of a barred in the night in the big firs outside his home.   It is always an inspiring sound.

Lost Golden Mole Found

credit: N. Souness

Researchers in South Africa have rediscovered a lost mole species not seen since 1936. De Winton's golden mole (Cryptochloris wintoni)
lives in the sand dunes of the northwest coast. Near Port Nolloth, the habitat is currently unprotected and threatened by development. Researchers used a specially trained border collie to sniff out the blind rodents that live mostly underground. More than 100 sand samples were collected and tested for DNA shed by the burrowing moles. The DNA collected was compared to the DNA from a De Winton's mole specimen kept in a Ort Nolloth museum. De Winton's golden mole is one of twenty-five "most wanted" list. The Endangered Wildlife Trust hope to use the rediscovery to advocate for protection of the mole's habitat.

TWIT: No Joking Matter

More:  The Nevada Attorney General has indicted six individuals including the chairman of the state RNC who posed as qualified presidential electors in that state as part of the scheme employed to stay in power illegally,  Michigan and Georgia have already filed charges.  Ken Chesebro was released from the conditions of his pre-trial release in Georgia to travel to Nevada to cooperate with that Attorney General's case.  Chesebro will no doubt also travel to Arizona where the the Democratic AG promised to investigate the fake electors scheme in her state. Trump electors there did not even bother to qualify their selection as provisional in case the official slate was rejected.  That did occur in New Mexico, which probably explains why no investigation is going forward there.  Michigan will hold a probable cause hearing in its case next week.

The defendants in Nevada will undoubtably rely on the historic precedent of President John F. Kennedy's campaign in Hawaii in 1960.  Their reliance is misplaced.  Kennedy's people compiled a contingent slate of electors in the event he was declared the winner of a disputed election.  They were not submitted to Congress until after he was declared the winner of Hawaii's election. His slate of electors were then submitted for counting. The Trump conspiracy submitted their slate of electors to Congress after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the Arizona presidential election.  Clearly not the same situation.

{07.12.23}Don Trumpilini can be called a lot of names: malignant narcissist, chauvinistic boor, failed businessman,  criminal defendant, and wanna-be dictator.  One category he does not fall into is stupid.  He has the cunning of a mobster, and the scruples of a con-man.  His attorneys are attacking the US justice system in its vulnerable precincts by filling appeals left and right in the hope of delaying proceedings until the election decides whether he goes scot-free.  The legal system is failing in its ability to handle an unprecedented criminal defendant. No one in US history has run for office while facing four criminal indictments and 91 felonies.  Legal scrupulosity is making a hash out of what should be a straightforward criminal prosecution supported by abundant publicly known facts. His lawyers' latest gambit is to request the entire proceedings, including time-consuming jury selection, in DC be put on hold, while a notoriously slow DC Circuit of Appeals considers his dubious argument that he has absolute immunity from prosecution for acts committed while President of the United States. 

It has already been determined as a civil matter that presidential immunity is not absolute. See PNG post, "The Delusions of Orange Jesus". It boggles the mind to think that a sitting President is entitled as a matter of law to commit crimes while in office. If that were the case, the War of Independence was fought in vain.  The fact that he is running for office should be entirely irrelevant to the issues before the bar in his various criminal prosecutions. The justice system is playing into his hands by allowing him to use his campaign for a second term as a shield and excuse to launch public vitriol against the courts' officers. The US justice system's standing in the world as an impartial arbiter is disgraced, making a sick joke of the often expressed opprobrium, "No one is above the law."

the Ochre Menace exposed

Panama's Giant Copper Mine Is Illegal

Panama's Supreme Court ruled on October 20th that the giant copper mine owned by First Quantum Minerals illegal because the concession was not tendered by the state properly. Minera Panama, a subsidiary, will have to close the mine in face of the unanimous court decision. Last year, the mine produced 86,000 tons of copper around 1% of the world's total production. The mine has sparked popular protests; observers say the protests are part of a growing movement among Mesoamericans to protect natural resources against extractive industries. The mine is located near the Carribean coast were several rivers converge, supplying the region with fresh water. During a drought which has led to restriction of traffic in the Panama Canal, water consumed by the mine could have been used to keep the Canal operating a full volume.

Cyanide Bombs Banned

In a victory for wildlife, the BLM has banned the use of infamous M-44 cyanide bombs to kill predators. The little known Wildlife Services bureau within the Department has used the devices to kill tens of thousands of animals over the past decade. The devices [graphic] are indiscriminate and have even been known to injure humans and their pets like Canyon Marshal and his dog Kasey, releasing a cloud of poisonous sodium cyanide gas if triggered by an animal. The fight against M-44s has been long and difficult.

Canyon Mansfield was walking on the hillside behind his Pocatello, Idaho home with his dog in 2017 when he spotted what looked like a sprinkler head.  When he reached down to pick it up, the spring loaded device released a cloud of gas. The poison killed his dog and injured him. The agency had planted M-44s on the public land adjacent to the Mansfield property. Now, the focus of the fight shifts to other land management agencies in the federal government to ban the use of inhumane device. Oregon was the last left coast state to ban their use in 2020.

TWIT: The Delusions of "Orange Jesus'

credit: D. Whamond

One of Don 'Legit' Trumpilini's most cogent legal arguments, among many frivolous one, is that a sitting President is immunity from liability. The argument fits perfectly the delusional personality involved. He has escaped responsibility for his bad business decisions and criminality for most of his life. He once quipped he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue without loosing political support. His many public statements clearly show he believes he has the power of absolute monarchs when in office. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has told him he is wrong. The opinion comes out of several lawsuits filed by Democrats and police officers seeking to hold him accountable for the damage done on January 6th. A three judge panel concluded that a President is not always dong official business when in office. When he acts in a private capacity, such as running for re-election or formeting insurrection, he does not continue to enjoy official immunity. The opinion was unanimous and written by chief judge Sri Srinivasan. Judge Tanya Chutkin, presiding over Special Counsel Jack Smith's criminal insurrection prosecution, also rejected his argument of absolute presidential immunity. It may prove influential in the criminal cases against him where he is making a similar arguemnt. As part of his stonewall tactics the decisions will be appealed to the US Supreme Court. A spokesperson for Trumpilini called the decision, "limited, narrow and procedural". Outed Repugnant congresswoman, Liz Cheney, who served as co-chair of the House Select January 6th Committee has written that Donald Trump is the “most dangerous man to inhabit the Oval Office.”  Ditto by US Person. 

The Justice Department, which was late in recognizing the unique threat to democracy posed by Don 'Legit', reversed its decision to represent Trumpillini in the second E. Jean Carrol defamation suit. New evidence suggests that the former guy acted out of a personal grievance against the former Elle journalist steming from events that pre-dated his term of office. A trail is expected to go forward in January. Carrol is seeking $10 million in damages. The jury awarded her $5 million in the first defamation suit.

The title of this post is blasphemous.  Don't blame rude US Person for that, he is simply quoting the Repugnant sycophants in Congress.  The depth of their hypocrisy is endless.

credit: B. Bramhall, New York Daily News