tover153

I remember that book! Wasn’t it basically, how to make your own Eliza with a bunch of If…Then’s?

Iowa here: We are where the campaigns try to hone their messages in front of small groups, before they take them nationally. So, I’ve been to many small to medium group gatherings. In small groups you can ask questions, but the replies are almost always some portion of a stump speech that may or may not contain an answer. I have had aides contact me later with better answers to my questions.

The biggest event I’ve attended was the Ames Straw Poll, back in 2012. It was interesting, meeting the candidates up close, then the big meeting at the end. None of the candidates I was interested in made it very far, and I don’t belong to that political party any more, but under the right circumstances I would go back.

Iowa here: manure

So, as far as I can see, the only Bill of Right Trump hasn’t flat out, explicitly decided he can over turn by presidential decree is the third? Has anyone asked him if it would be okay to quarter troops on the population yet?

“Follow the money.” and/or “Money is fungible.”

Train’s coming in to the station, I can smell the smoke.

This is a great article, but it misses one very important dimension. I was raised mostly in Iowa by a conservative evangelical minister, and attended approximately 20,000 hours of church services, church camps, and national week-long meetings. My earliest memories of church start about 1973. Prayers using these same biblical references started in 1979 when Ronald Reagan began campaigning against Jimmy Carter. My “Christian” minister father stopped speaking to a lot of our relatives because they tried to point out that Jimmy Carter was a MUCH better human being than the former actor.

Forty years of conditioning sessions. These prayers aren’t new, and they aren’t specific to TFG. This was prepared.

I’ll leave you with one small anecdote: When I was in my mid teens, the logic of the evangelical movement started troubling me. During the midweek prayer meeting and Bible study (questions and discussion were encouraged) I questioned some of the premises that were being touted. I was removed (by my father, the pastor), taken to the parsonage, and told to NEVER question his authority on biblical matters in public again. Apparently there was a defiant look in my eye, and I was picked physically up and thrown through the front picture window of the parsonage. I thank my kismet, karma, or raw random chance that this happened because otherwise my family would probably be the same full on Trumpists mess that my siblings families remain to this day.

Also, I am male, I have children and grandchildren, and I don’t own a cat, but I now identify as a “childless cat lady”.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113243/

There’s really no way to express how sad this is. We really don’t want the fascist to win, but it’s time to lay your burdens down, Joe. We love you, but give it up.

Combining several recent court decisions, is there a list somewhere with how much I need to “tip” to overturn a federal agency rule I don’t like? Do I need to “tip” multiple levels of judiciary, or can I just “tip” at the top?

She actually needs the DA to add those hate crimes to the charges so that Abbott can pardon her later, just attempted capital murder and injury to a child aren’t going to cut it with him.

This is exactly what the special counsel counsel wanted, he will now petition the appellate court to replace her, and they will agree.

Yet another wholly owned subsidiary of Russia Inc.

Here in Iowa we sympathize (because we have the same problem).

Flibbertigibbet

Love the John Prine line!

I’m 56. When I was in Kindergarten my parents say I shook hands with Chuck Grassley as he marched in a parade for one of his early campaigns in Cedar Falls/Waterloo Iowa. Retire already.

Eco Westworld

As an Iowan, I’m glad that’s over, the number of phone calls per days was actually getting totally ridiculous.

Why can’t someone get Alina Habba disbarred? There is surely cause.