Miscellaneous news items that don't warrant their own thread

[BDKJMU]

So the Biden admin traded with a Russsia an American hating female basketball player in exchange for the Merchant of Death, the (at one point) world’s largest illegal arms trafficker, responsible for tens of thousands? of deaths and #2 on the FBI’s most wanted, behind only Bin Ladin.

Who will the Biden admin trade to get the WSJ journalist back? Going by the standard set in the Griner case, certainly someone greater than the Merchant of Death..

[SeattleGriz]

So the Biden admin traded with a Russsia an American hating female basketball player in exchange for the Merchant of Death, the (at one point) world’s largest illegal arms trafficker, responsible for tens of thousands? of deaths and #2 on the FBI’s most wanted, behind only Bin Ladin.

Who will the Biden admin trade to get the WSJ journalist back? Going by the standard set in the Griner case, certainly someone greater than the Merchant of Death..

How about Julian Assange? He seems like a bad guy and a journalist as well. Sure we could twist the UKs arm.

[JohnStOnge]

Just dropped in to mention something I saw today that struck me. It's a manifestation of the phenomenon whereby more educated people tend to favor Democrats while less educated people tend to favor Republicans.

This morning I stumbled across a poll done by Seltzer during March 14 - 19 for Grinnell College at https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1slhyh8i ... lbddvdcaeu . Any time I see a Seltzer poll I look at it because it is a very high quality poll. 538 has graded 506 polls It only has four of those 506 polls graded ''A+'' and the Seltzer poll is one of those four.

With the high quality of Seltzer polling in mind: This poll has Biden underwater among the population overall with 39% approving of his job and 51% disapproving. He is underwater among people without college degrees with 32% approving and 57% disapproving.

But he is above water among people with college degrees. 48% of people in that group approved of his job performance while 43% disapproved That makes for a VERY dramatic difference between how people without college degrees and how people with college degrees view his job performance. i mean, you are talking about a 30 percentage point swing from his net approval level among people without college degrees to his net approval level among people with college degrees. That, to me, is just remarkable.

[kalm]

It’s being reported that Ketanji Brown Jackson was taking lavish gifts including $500,000 luxury vacations from George Soros while she was ruling on a case that now makes it next to impossible to charge public officials with bribery.

[UNI88]

It’s being reported that Ketanji Brown Jackson was taking lavish gifts including $500,000 luxury vacations from George Soros while she was ruling on a case that now makes it next to impossible to charge public officials with bribery.

According to SG and BDK she isn't dirty until she's convicted of a crime.

[Winterborn]

It’s being reported that Ketanji Brown Jackson was taking lavish gifts including $500,000 luxury vacations from George Soros while she was ruling on a case that now makes it next to impossible to charge public officials with bribery.

According to SG and BDK she isn't dirty until she's convicted of a crime.

Worked for Klam and Hillary.

[UNI88]

According to SG and BDK she isn't dirty until she's convicted of a crime.

Worked for Klam and Hillary and the Bidens.

Truth!

[BDKJMU]

And now the racist Lightfoot gets the boot finishing 3rd in the donk primary, and lashes out at her fellow donks as being racist amd sexist. Eating their own lol..
https://nypost.com/2023/03/01/chicago-m ... sm-gender/
Good riddance to maybe the worst big city mayor in the country.

Hopefully Vallas wins the runoff. Dude is not charismatic but he gets sh!t done when running a governmental organization.

Instead of electing the sensible law and order democrat Vallas, they elected the socialist 51-48 who will be as bad as Lightfoot. He’s apparently called for defunding the police amd raising taxes (Chicago apparently already has high taxes)..That will work wonders for Chicago’s sky high violent crime. The people of Chicago get what they deserve.

[BDKJMU]

What the hell is up with the military giving TS clearances to young, low ranking, enlisted members? Remember Bradley Manning (before he pulled a Klinger and became a cross dressing he/she). He was like an Army E4 (Specialist) or maybe only a E3 (Private 1st Class) when he leaked highly classified info. This Air Foce guy is a 21 yr old E3. WTF was he doing with a TS clearance?

FBI arrests Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in probe of classified document leaks
Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday for allegedly leaking 'classified national defense information'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/classi ... -guardsman

TS clearances (and access to highly classified material) should be limited to officers and NCOs (E5-E9)

[BDKJMU]

From what I just read, Manning faced up to 90 years. The prosecution asked for 60, the defense for 25. He got 35 years but Obama pardoned him after only 7. Probably in the name of justice for trans people something something..This guy should just say he’s trans, conks are evil, and Trump is Hitler something something..

[kalm]

What the hell is up with the military giving TS clearances to young, low ranking, enlisted members? Remember Bradley Manning (before he pulled a Klinger and became a cross dressing he/she). He was like an Army E4 (Specialist) or maybe only a E3 (Private 1st Class) when he leaked highly classified info. This Air Foce guy is a 21 yr old E3. WTF was he doing with a TS clearance?

FBI arrests Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in probe of classified document leaks
Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday for allegedly leaking 'classified national defense information'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/classi ... -guardsman

TS clearances (and access to highly classified material) should be limited to officers and NCOs (E5-E9)

I’ll hazard a guess and suggest he didn’t work alone or maybe didn’t even have authorization.

[Winterborn]

What the hell is up with the military giving TS clearances to young, low ranking, enlisted members? Remember Bradley Manning (before he pulled a Klinger and became a cross dressing he/she). He was like an Army E4 (Specialist) or maybe only a E3 (Private 1st Class) when he leaked highly classified info. This Air Foce guy is a 21 yr old E3. WTF was he doing with a TS clearance?

FBI arrests Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in probe of classified document leaks
Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday for allegedly leaking 'classified national defense information'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/classi ... -guardsman

TS clearances (and access to highly classified material) should be limited to officers and NCOs (E5-E9)

I’ll hazard a guess and suggest he didn’t work alone or maybe didn’t even have authorization.

Lets just skip to the end and call it an insurrection.

[UNI88]

I’ll hazard a guess and suggest he didn’t work alone or maybe didn’t even have authorization.

Lets just skip to the end and call it an insurrection.

That’s what the MAGAts want. Label every political dispute an insurrection and you whittle away at the perception and impact of January 6.


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[Winterborn]

Lets just skip to the end and call it an insurrection.

That’s what the MAGAts want. Label every political dispute an insurrection and you whittle away at the perception and impact of January 6.


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MAGAT's and their cousins (illibrials) are both in the same place when it comes to the perception and impact of January 6th and neither are right, IMHO.


My tongue in cheek response to Kalm and BDK is that when everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis. There are ways of handling both Jan 6th, the BLM/Antifa riots in a manner that are equal, but until both sides grow up, we will continue to get this "tic for tat" BS and a politicizing of the Judaical system. Trying to put that genie back in the bottle is much easier said than done. Neither side is will handle the einevitble pendulum swing that comes from short sided thinking that is all the rage these days.

[BDKJMU]

The question is why were any tourists even in Chicago?.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/teen-takeove ... k-tourists

[UNI88]

The question is why were any tourists even in Chicago?.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/teen-takeove ... k-tourists

I was in Chicago on Friday.


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[BDKJMU]

The question is why were any tourists even in Chicago?.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/teen-takeove ... k-tourists

I was in Chicago on Friday.

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You were a day early for the rampaging rather dark crowd..

[Winterborn]

Since we don't have a "Why are all Politicians so stupid thread", I put this here.

I know a few road builders and civil engineers and they would fall out of their office chairs if somebody mentioned the roads they designed are racist. Now their maybe infrastructure problems in some areas, but that isn't because of racism.

[kalm]

Since we don't have a "Why are all Politicians so stupid thread", I put this here.

I know a few road builders and civil engineers and they would fall out of their office chairs if somebody mentioned the roads they designed are racist. Now their maybe infrastructure problems in some areas, but that isn't because of racism.

He’s an empty suit.

The road safety issues might be legit in some places but I’d assume it’s an economic issue rather than design flaw.

Engineers are still weirdos though.

[bobbythekidd]

What the hell is up with the military giving TS clearances to young, low ranking, enlisted members? Remember Bradley Manning (before he pulled a Klinger and became a cross dressing he/she). He was like an Army E4 (Specialist) or maybe only a E3 (Private 1st Class) when he leaked highly classified info. This Air Foce guy is a 21 yr old E3. WTF was he doing with a TS clearance?

FBI arrests Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in probe of classified document leaks
Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday for allegedly leaking 'classified national defense information'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/classi ... -guardsman

TS clearances (and access to highly classified material) should be limited to officers and NCOs (E5-E9)

It's quite common. I held a Secret Clearance starting when I was an E-3. You need the clearance to get to the information to do some jobs.

however, back then the FBI actually conducted clearance interviews. According to a friend that retired after 20, that's not as common anymore.

[BDKJMU]

What the hell is up with the military giving TS clearances to young, low ranking, enlisted members? Remember Bradley Manning (before he pulled a Klinger and became a cross dressing he/she). He was like an Army E4 (Specialist) or maybe only a E3 (Private 1st Class) when he leaked highly classified info. This Air Foce guy is a 21 yr old E3. WTF was he doing with a TS clearance?

FBI arrests Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira in probe of classified document leaks
Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday for allegedly leaking 'classified national defense information'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/classi ... -guardsman

TS clearances (and access to highly classified material) should be limited to officers and NCOs (E5-E9)

It's quite common. I held a Secret Clearance starting when I was an E-3. You need the clearance to get to the information to do some jobs.

however, back then the FBI actually conducted clearance interviews. According to a friend that retired after 20, that's not as common anymore.

But this E3 didn’t just have a ‘Confidential’ or ‘Secret’, but a ‘Top Secret’, the highest level. Why would an E3 need that? I believe some of what he accessed he couldn’t have accessed with a Secret Clearance, only TS..

OPM, not the FBI, has been doing background investigations for clearances (both initial and reinvestigations) going back to at least the 90s, maybe longer. And like much stuff in govt, OPM contracts a lot of it out.

[bobbythekidd]

It's quite common. I held a Secret Clearance starting when I was an E-3. You need the clearance to get to the information to do some jobs.

however, back then the FBI actually conducted clearance interviews. According to a friend that retired after 20, that's not as common anymore.

But this E3 didn’t just have a ‘Confidential’ or ‘Secret’, but a ‘Top Secret’, the highest level. Why would an E3 need that? I believe some of what he accessed he couldn’t have accessed with a Secret Clearance, only TS..

OPM, not the FBI, has been doing background investigations for clearances (both initial and reinvestigations) going back to at least the 90s, maybe longer. And like much stuff in govt, OPM contracts a lot of it out.

I hear you but Top Secret isn't even the highest level. Mine dates back to the early 90's. Using your scale, I was privy to some of the the best stuff. I needed it to do my tertiary MOS (job).

My concern isn't the rank of the individual, but rather the lack of background investigation of the individual. After all, I haven't breathed a word of the info I hold. It's been near 30 years and I assume better tech has replaced what I know. The thing is, no one has ever told me it's cool if I talk about it.

If he were better vetted, he would not have the access and someone more trustworthy would have been doing his job.

[BDKJMU]

But this E3 didn’t just have a ‘Confidential’ or ‘Secret’, but a ‘Top Secret’, the highest level. Why would an E3 need that? I believe some of what he accessed he couldn’t have accessed with a Secret Clearance, only TS..

OPM, not the FBI, has been doing background investigations for clearances (both initial and reinvestigations) going back to at least the 90s, maybe longer. And like much stuff in govt, OPM contracts a lot of it out.

I hear you but Top Secret isn't even the highest level. Mine dates back to the early 90's. Using your scale, I was privy to some of the the best stuff. I needed it to do my tertiary MOS (job).

My concern isn't the rank of the individual, but rather the lack of background investigation of the individual. After all, I haven't breathed a word of the info I hold. It's been near 30 years and I assume better tech has replaced what I know. The thing is, no one has ever told me it's cool if I talk about it.

If he were better vetted, he would not have the access and someone more trustworthy would have been doing his job.

TS is the highest level. TS/SCI and TS/SAP are just enhanced compartmentalized layers.

[Winterborn]

Since we don't have a "Why are all Politicians so stupid thread", I put this here.

I know a few road builders and civil engineers and they would fall out of their office chairs if somebody mentioned the roads they designed are racist. Now their maybe infrastructure problems in some areas, but that isn't because of racism.

He’s an empty suit.

The road safety issues might be legit in some places but I’d assume it’s an economic issue rather than design flaw.

Engineers are still weirdos though.

The only reason he exists is to keep plants happy (photosynthesis)..... In fact he is so incompetent that the only "job" he can hold down is being a politician.

But employees are a window into a business and how it is run. What does it say about a boss that not only supports a individual like him for a role, but keeps him there even when it is shown that he cannot handle that role? What does it say about that organization that allows that?

Buttigieg's also has another use. He gives a interesting look at the talking points and thoughts that are being emphasized by the organization. Which tells us what about that organization?


And those weird engineers are involved in every single product we use today.

[UNI88]

Since we don't have a "Why are all Politicians so stupid thread", I put this here.

I know a few road builders and civil engineers and they would fall out of their office chairs if somebody mentioned the roads they designed are racist. Now their maybe infrastructure problems in some areas, but that isn't because of racism.

What Pete said was stupid and reflects poorly on him and the administration but I not sure you could argue that racism didn’t drive some planners/politicians in determining where to place roads in the past.

The design and materials might not have been racist but using a road to isolate a black neighborhood, obstruct minority access to a desired amenity, or wantonly splitting a black neighborhood and displacing its residents when they wouldn’t do the to a white neighborhood is racist. There are plenty examples of those things happening.

We can be ostriches like desantis and pretend the unpleasant aspects of our history didn’t happen or we can admit and address them.


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