Get used to more of this:
A former Houston Police Department Captain was arrested and charged for running a man off the road and pointing a gun at his head in an attempt to prove claims of a massive voter fraud scheme in Harris County, according to a news release from the Harris County’s DA’s office.
Mark Anthony Aguirre, 63, was arrested by Houston police Tuesday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
“He crossed the line from dirty politics to commission of a violent crime, and we are lucky no one was killed,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “His alleged investigation was backward from the start – first alleging a crime had occurred and then trying to prove it happened.”
According to court documents, Aguirre told police that he was part of a group of private citizens called the “Liberty Center,” who were conducting a civilian investigation into the alleged ballot scheme.
According to Aguirre, he had been conducting surveillance for four days on a man who was allegedly the mastermind of a giant voter fraud scheme. Aguirre told authorities the man was hiding 750,000 fraudulent ballots in a truck he was driving.
Instead, the victim turned out to be an innocent air conditioner repairman, court documents said.
Aguirre ran his SUV into the back of the truck to get the technician to stop and get out, according to court documents.
When the technician got out of the truck, Aguirre pointed a handgun at the technician, forced him to the ground and put his knee on the man’s back until police came, the court document said.
Aguirre allegedly directed police to a parking lot nearby where another suspect, who has not been identified, took the truck.
There are a lot of unhinged, unstable folks out there, and Trump is motivating to act upon their lunacy.
WV Blondie
Call it what it is – stochastic terrorism.
(From Wikipedia) stochastic terrorism [stuh-kas-tik ter-uh-riz-uh m] -noun- the public demonization of a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable but whose specifics cannot be predicted.
Bill Arnold
See also wonkette:
Patriotic Houston Ex-Cop Crashed Into Van, Held AC Repair Guy At Gunpoint To Foil ‘Voter Fraud’ (Doktor Zoom, December 16, 2020)
Jay C
Not that makes much difference in principle (said principle being “F*ck Tr*mp and all his works”, but the incident in Houston happened back on October 19.
Though being pre-election doesn’t make the paranoiac violence any better to have to read about.
Pete Mack
And now the worthless SOB will 0lead temporary insanity or something.
Roger Moore
@WV Blondie:
This specific case is not stochastic at all. He wasn’t some loner who decided to do this on his own hook. He had been hired to be part of a private investigation of the election:
I definitely want to know more about the “Liberty Center for God and Country”, especially about which billionaire is funding it.
Fester Addams
Any word on the accomplice/co-conspirator who stole the HVAC guy’s van?
Citizen Alan
Send the bastard to Gitmo. Waterboard him until he identifies who is financing his terrorist cell. Surely no Republican would object to that.
J R in WV
OT but cool…
Next door neighbor and best friend, works for the big county health dept in the state capitol area, is an inspector so out in public a lot, got her first vaccination yesterday.
No third eye yet, if you believe her.
So relieved to hear that, she has been in danger for months now. Has been a neighbor since we moved out here 40 years ago. Helped us move stuff from town, actually. Also a great cook, bird expert and gardener!
Shalimar
@Pete Mack: They paid him $266k for this 4-day investigation, though much of it was the day after the incident in what clearly seems like a payoff to keep silent about the real backstory. In that sense, it seems like a grift. But on the other hand, he waited for police so he obviously was a true believer that there were ballots in that trailer.
Seems insane to me, but also a little frightening that 10s of millions are insane by that criteria.
Felanius Kootea
Whoa. The lack of a shared reality between Trump cultists and the rest of us is going to lead to more frightening incidents. This person is delusional but convinced that he’s on the side of righteousness – did he call the police to the scene of his ongoing crime thinking he’d finally solved the “voter fraud” case?
Yarrow
From the article:
“Indefinitely suspended?” What’s that mean? Is he still collecting a paycheck?
SideshowBill because I can't use my real name for business reasons
Notice the incident happened back in October and they’re just arresting him now. It’s great to be a cop </snark>
schrodingers_cat
@Roger Moore: Thank you. Stochastic means random. The only thing random about T-inspired terrorism is which one of his crazy nutters he inspires to do the deed.
We know who is doing the instigating (Orange Clown) and we know who are the likely targets.
Call it what it is, Republican inspired White Supremacist Terrorism.
Bill Arnold
If you want some of today’s GOP insanity, another wonkette piece:
That’s Right, MAGA Idiots, Time To Eat Mitch McConnell’s Face! (Evan Hurst, December 16, 2020)
I rabbitholed down the Sidney Powell tweet and found myself in a world stranger than the Wonderland that Alice found.
A lot of left-wing conspiracy theories (some grounded in very reasonable suspicions and facts) have been resurfacing as right wing conspiracy theories the last few weeks. Some of the Parler action is competent progressive trolls. Some of the twitter action too. Mixed feelings about this; quite dangerous, but will do a lot of damage to the GOP if steered well.
Oh, and <em>”The Kracken”</em> clearly is/has been a large scale disinformation/influence op to promote and amplify sedition in the USA, by enemies of the United States of America, both domestic and foreign.
Prove otherwise! :-)
Sister Golden Bear
@Roger Moore: Ask and ye shall receive.
More about Dr. Stephen Hotze, who runs the Liberty Center for God and Country, which paid the ex-cop $266,400 for his services.
laura
I mean, who hasn’t been run off the road after a rear end accident by a retired LEO who was paid almost 300 large to stick a gun in your face and then hold you hostage while his coconspirator steals your wrecked work vehicle and your life flashes before your eyes. Ain’t that America, home of the free…….
My God, how we need an American Nuremburg Trial to sort through this experiment in fascism and criminality.
Betty Cracker
@Sister Golden Bear: Hotze has been bankrolling wingnuttery for ages, IIRC. He flipped out extra hard after marriage equality became the law of the land.
Barbara
@Bill Arnold: Has anyone planted the rumor that Sidney Powell and Giuliani are both agents of Hugo Chavez and company and that their role was to defend Trump in such an incompetent manner that they couldn’t possibly win? I mean, what are the CHANCES that someone could LOSE 60 lawsuits unless they were TRYING to lose? I mean, who in their right mind would try to pass off a military jeep mechanic as an expert in military intelligence and cybersecurity?
Let them deal with the angry hordes outside their doors for a change.
Poe Larity
It strikes me that Hollywood has never had an air conditioning hero or bad guy. Nor any actors I can think of. Lots of famous people were plumbers – Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Ozzy…
The Wingularity sure has some strange paths when it’s “The HVAC Guy”
Jeffro
seconded.
And I know what you mean, Cole, but I refuse to ‘get used to it’.
Bill Arnold
@schrodingers_cat:
That’s precisely the way stochastic terrorism should be used; the people doing the rabble-rousing are the terrorists, and they’re counting on a high probability that one or more rando (in this case a delusional rich rando) takes action, but because their is (almost always) no legally provable causal link, the perpetrator (the rabble rouser) skates.
Stochastic optimization, e.g. simulated annealing, is a similar usage.
The actual incidents/events, such as this one, are the intended results of stochastic terrorism.
Anoniminous
The Liberty Center for God and Country
These people are a real piece of work. From the link:
“Liberty Center for God and Country: “Patriots will stand and fight before we let these Communist Democrats steal the election and destroy America’s Constitutional Republic.”
Most of their shit is the usual Right Wing crapola they’ve been pushing since Roosevelt.
Mo Salad
Rewritten below.
trnc
@Bill Arnold: “Patriotic Houston Ex-Cop Crashed Into Van, Held AC Repair Guy At Gunpoint In Successful Attempt To Prove Mental Instability Of Trump Supporters” also works as a headline.
Poe Larity
@Bill Arnold: HillaryisQAnon will become a thing.
Mo Salad
I always wondered what he was doing since retiring from the Pistons…
Xenos
This whole scenario is like a fact pattern of an issue-spotting exam for a torts class in law school. You could just hand the students the article and say “discuss”.
Gin & Tonic
@schrodingers_cat: We will be fighting that mis-use of “stochastic” forever, it seems. In futility.
Ken
Didn’t we have this argument about what qualifies as “stochastic terrorism” the last time someone mentioned it? Or am I remembering another famous argument?
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
I find it a nice respite from the debate over “defund the police.”
trnc
Looks like the Soros patented “Inflatable Tools Of The Trade (Perfect for hiding Ballots and Communists! Order yours TODAY!”) is working as expected.
Anoniminous
@Baud:
Defunding the police will only lead to ever increasing incidents of stochastic terrorism.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
@Yarrow:
Bunches of cops got disciplined over that, with at least one resignation and a prosecution or two.
Charges against the folks in the mass arrest were all dismissed.
Baud
@Anoniminous: Don’t cross the streams.
Jeffro
POLITICO story breaking: the trumpov maladministration decided back in July to go for herd immunity despite the deaths that would result. Murdering liars.
“We want them infected” – UGH!
Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)
Well, yeah, but he never meant for anybody to get hurt. Lord, no. It’s only a few bad apples, line wolves, if you will, doing these naughty things.
trnc
@Bill Arnold: I assume they wouldn’t be quite so mad if Mitch hadn’t actually managed to say a few very kind things during his statement.
Yutsano
@Bill Arnold:
Can y’all be leaving Seattle’s hockey team alone now? Please and thank you.
jeffreyw
Kindle has a Le Carre book for $3. I read the reviews rated most helpful and they were 1 star.
I considered that to be a good review, and very helpful! I am not going into comments on the review. No need!
Enhanced Voting Techniques
It’s been mention elsewhere this clown got paid over a 100K to do this. We’re going to have to come up for a new word for Terrorist – Grifter.
ByRookorbyCrook
@Baud: Or Stevein<location>’s quixotic ‘literally’ campaign.
different-church-lady
Yup, it’s “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”, except instead of space aliens it’s one sociopath with lots of money and a talent for bringing out every single gram of latent racism in people.
Bill Arnold
@Jeffro:
Paul Alexander left when M. Caputo (who Paul Alexander reported to) went on medical leave.
rikyrah
@Yarrow:
I would bet on him still collecting a check.
rikyrah
How is this a surprise? That dude from the Hoover Institute was the one pushing Herd Immunity.
We knew this months ago.
Well, if you watched Maddow, she made this plain months ago.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Gin & Tonic: Been that way for the Racist Right for a while since they began sueing Klan leaders for the youthful indiscretions they egg their members into. King Rat haranges his minions until one of them goes lone gunman.
Of course in this case King Rat shown he’s got money, to let the litigation begin.
Kent
Thinking this through to the end game. It seems to me that the increasing radicalism and crazy of the Republican party only ends two ways.
I don’t know how things play out. I don’t think we can survive a Trump 2.0 Demographics do not favor the current path of the GOP. But one way or the other it is going to be a bumpy fucking road. But strategically thinking, I’m not sure which is worse, a crazy GOP that can’t regain power. Or a less crazy more expansive GOP that does regain power.
Mo Salad
@Yutsano: We both know that they should have went with the Metropolitans. A free century-old Stanley Cup title, right there for the taking. But nooooooo…
Rand Careaga
@Bill Arnold:
And Alex Jones knows exactly what he meant with “one way or another” a few days ago, and so did most of the people who heard him.
Uncle Cosmo
@Gin & Tonic: It’s NOT a misuse. See Bill Arnold at #21 supra.
Kent
@rikyrah: I doubt he was still collecting a paycheck. It probably meant they agreed not to pull his law enforcement credentials and put an actual firing on his employment record if he agreed to go away and never come back. That sort of thing is pretty common.
Elizabelle
@jeffreyw: Agent Running in the Field.
I liked it a lot. LeCarre had a lot to say about Trump (described as “Putin’s shithouse cleaner”) and about British politicians and Brexit.
Foo on those one-star reviewers. They are stupid.
Here’s a review from BookTrib.
Bill Arnold
@Rand Careaga:
You saw that too. Instant chill on reading it.
(To put it in Alex Jones’ terms, Alex Jones’ influence over gullible easily manipulated Americans needs to be neutralized, one way or the other; he’s an enemy of the United States of America.)
Steeplejack (phone)
Important system update.
jeffreyw
@Elizabelle:
But helpful! I bought it and added the Audible book as soon as I heard the sample narration.
Three-nineteen
@Poe Larity: I guess you never watched Community. Or does TV not count?
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/community-casts-john-goodman-as-215086
(Not actually a) Dr. Thoth Evans
@Roger Moore:
“allegedly never” ?
Just Chuck
I say we just call it “Trump Terrorism”
Barbara
@rikyrah: They now have the emails. That’s the difference.
Just Chuck
@Kent: Police unions make it damn near impossible to actually fire a cop.
Omnes Omnibus
@WV Blondie: If you do that you will get an argument from some of our math enthusiasts who will tell you that you using stochastic incorrectly.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Those of you in the path of snowstorm might appreciate this video.
Just One More Canuck
@Poe Larity: they even had a forensic accountant, for god’s sake
Omnes Omnibus
@Citizen Alan: Fuck you, no. Torture is wrong, end of fucking story.
Chyron HR
B-but Bernie said they’re not deplorable.
Kent
@Just Chuck: Funny how even in right to work states like Texas you still get police unions
Us teachers couldn’t have unions. But the police can and do. Well, technically we still had teachers’ unions. But they couldn’t actually negotiate or anything. So they were really just more professional associations.
Gravenstone
@Roger Moore: Sounds like they should be charged with inciting terrorist acts, as a starting point.
Kent
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Around here (Portland metro) at least the city buses would most certainly have snow chains. We still get plenty of crazy stupid drivers but at least the transit tends to work OK.
patrick II
A different take:
Seth Abramson
Poe Larity
@Kent: I wonder how the Birchers would have turned out if there had been internets then. There were always more than a few LaRouchites or hangers-on at their protests. 1986:
FOR LAROUCHITES, IT`S ALL A HOAX
The TreasAnons are raging on Mitch right now, threatening to go their own way.
Gin & Tonic
@Poe Larity: I think I remember a short film where it’s very warm, and an HVAC guy shows up to repair the young lady’s air conditioner…
WV Blondie
@Omnes Omnibus: Yes, I’ve noticed. But I’m applying the term to Hair Furor and his toadies, goading this idiot (and the further idiots he conned into paying him for the “assignment”) into acting. Not at the idiot et al. As Bill Arnold explains at #21 (thanks, Bill!).
Gravenstone
@Sister Golden Bear: He seems, nice.
Elizabelle
@jeffreyw: From the 47 responses to the idjit one-star review. Several, of course, said “thanks, I will buy it right now.”
patroclus
@Baud: I’m not sure if I understand your point. Are you saying that defunding the police will not result in the rise of stochastic terrorism or not??!! And by “defunding,” I mean (blah, blah) and by “stochastic,” I mean (yadda yadda). Please explain in detail.
Gravenstone
@Poe Larity: Bob Hoskins infamously played a plumber once. That’s sort of close.
Kristine
So the guy who was paid over a quarter of a million to root out voter fraud thinks you can fit 750K ballots in the back of what, a van? A pick-up?
I don’t believe it would ever fly, but I wish election service could be classified with jury duty and one could be called up to serve as an election judge. If these folks had to take the classes and work an election or two, at least some of them would realize how ridiculous so many voter fraud accusations are.
Omnes Omnibus
@Elizabelle: I agree that it was a good book. It may be too contemporary for some people’s tastes though.
WaterGirl
@Jeffro: Holy shit.
Steeplejack (phone)
@patrick II:
Thanks. Surprisingly interesting thread.
Poe Larity
@Gravenstone: I had completely forgotten about Central Services.
taumaturgo
@Sister Golden Bear: $266,400 of tax-free money. Any religious institution that commits crimes -looking at you too Catholics – should have their tax free status revoked.
Kristine
@Elizabelle: I’ve learned over the years that a number of very conservative folks–including iirc a co-founder of CPAC–are fans of my SF, and I also wonder if they know what they’re reading. You never know what a reader is going to take away from your work. They choose you, not the other way around.
(Also, Le Carré fan who is behind on her reading and should check out that book)
Gravenstone
@Kent: Republicans like certain unions. Case in point, Snotty Walker explicitly omitted police and fire unions from his destructive efforts. Saw a pro-Walker protest where at least one of the women was sporting a “Union wives for Walker” tee shirt. I just muttered to myself that she didn’t realize they would be on the chopping block the second it became politically expedient.
schrodingers_cat
@Bill Arnold: I disagree, calling it stochastic makes it seem random. We never call the terrorism inspired by Al-Q or ISIS stochastic so there is no need to call terrorism inspired Y’All Queada stochastic either.
West of the Rockies
Isn’t it truly great to see a president (elect) who knows how to wear a suit and select a decent tie? Isn’t it fantastic to have a VP with a personality, brain, and sense of humor and humanity?
SteveinSC
From Kyle Griffin NBC:
Dr. Joseph Varon, chief of critical care at Houston Memorial Medical Center, tells NPR that half of his nurses won’t take the COVID vaccine for ‘political’ reasons:
“Most of the reasons that most of my people don’t want to get the vaccine are politically-motivated.”
My Twitter Reply:
I love this! A MAGAt version of the CIA’s “Auto-Terminated with Prejudice.” Don’t take the fucking vaccine you morons. Thinning the herd Texas style! Additional benefit: Follow your MAGAt heart and it will cause the U.S. average I.Q to go up. Be my fucking guest!
Elizabelle
@Kristine: Maybe they’re OK with truth and justice and the American way … on a planet that exists only in imagination?
You have a good website. Will have to check out some of your books.
MattF
Well, consider that Allen West apparently moved from Florida to Texas to became chair of the Texas GOP. Years ago, I used to make a point of getting the Texas Republican ‘platform’ to see what the crazies were up to. But I know better now.
Anotherlurker
@jeffreyw: I just purchased the book for Kindle. That 1 Star review was all I needed.
I read a few of the comments and they were spot on in criticizing the reviewer.
Aaron
Fact check: a ream (500 sheets) of paper weighs 5 lbs. So 750,000 sheets would weigh at least 7,500 lbs.
Roger Moore
@Poe Larity:
How about Archibald Tuttle in Brazil?
Elie
Can’t that poor air conditioning repair man sue the asshole and the “Liberty” organization for assault or something? They weren’t part of a formal policing or related process. They were private citizens doing vigilante bullshit that brought harm to the van he was driving and probably scared (and therefore injured) the repairman. I’d take all his little money and the organization. He should sue the guy who hired Aguirre and anyone else affiliated. Let ’em pay lawyers. Honestly.
This is an example of the amount of raging insane people we have running around these days. Its crazy but treatment for most is elusive and we have a terrible system for pre-emptively identifying folks like Aguirre who most probably is paranoid or somesuch.
Mike in NC
Front page of USA Today — “Really is over”: Fight to overturn vote collapses
Trump will rally the Proud Boys and some people will die.
schrodingers_cat
@Gin & Tonic: We are in agreement on this.
zzyzx
@Mo Salad: the only thing more gross than being associated with this effort to overthrow an election is that of the New York National League baseball team.
prostratedragon
@Poe Larity:
“We do the work, You do the pleasure!”
Ran across this fan trailer not long ago; recall that the movie takes place during “Christmas.”
catclub
I thought WTF about this part. ACCOMPLICE, takes the keys and moves it out of sight to plant evidence, and didn’t. isn’t this now a conspiracy – plus hired criminals.
Just Chuck
@Elie: The fact that the cop was on the payroll of that org, yeah I suspect he could sue ’em good and hard.
catclub
an ex-cop (white, natch) paranoid? who knew?
Just Chuck
@catclub: Not to mention, by definition this was a criminal conspiracy. I hope they pile that onto the charges and the two never see daylight again.
catclub
@Aaron: I suspect that is 20lb bond paper – so 2000 sheets is 20lbs.
They is lighter paper, but the basic point holds – that is a lot of paper.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@patrick II: I agree the whole thing is a LARP to far (and now I know why my SCA friends despised LARPing as a form of mental illness, ya the SCA is a bit escapists but that full contact martial arts part of is a reality that can’t be ignored) but I disagree with this guy’s solution. The way to stop these stupid Wingnut LARPS like Qanon is force them to break character and part of that is real legal consequences for their game, but that’s the government. For the rest of us to get them to stop is break their fourth wall for them – “oh gods, you and your silly Qannon role playing, what are you level 25 now?”
Elie
@Just Chuck:
I hope some enterprising and energetic lawyer is making contact with the airconditioning repair guy as we speak . I’d take all their little money made on this ridiculousness and eat it up in an award and payments to lawyers. This lawyer could also investigate whether there were any other regular folks who suffered at the hands of the vigilante criminals. Get them some money too. Jail is satisfying but I really like taking their money and making them have to move out of their homes, lose their cars etc.
Citizen Alan
@Omnes Omnibus:
Cool your jets, Sparky. No one’s going to do that. But it sure would be nice to be able to ask GOP assholes who are fine with torture and indefinite detention for every Muslim who looks at them funny exactly why they DON’T support the same policies for White RW Domestic Terrorists.
Kristine
@Elizabelle:
It could be so many things. Some think that if weapons/fighting are involved, well, you have to think like they do because everyone knows liberals don’t do violence. And if the adventure moves along quickly enough, a lot of other stuff scoots under the radar.
Thanks–I keep wondering if it’s time to update. Maybe after I finish the wip. Some of my romance-writer friends have amazing websites. You can do so much these days with premade themes and plugins.
mrmoshpotato
You fucking fascist shitstains.
LongHairedWeirdo
@rikyrah: The release of e-mails is proof that it was discussed. It’s like Woodward; it was clear and obvious what was going on, but now there’s evidence of actual malice (tainted with blind stupidity).
They deliberately created a situation to kill Americans, because they wanted to stop having to deal with Covid-19.
Llelldorin
So he has a known affiliation with a criminal street gang.
West of the Rockies
@Kristine:
What’s your website? I’m always looking for good SF.
BaffleGab
@Poe Larity: Check out “Brazil”… Robert De Niro plays a guerilla HVAC repair man.
Llelldorin
@catclub: I’m pretty sure this makes Liberty Center meet the Texas definition of a “criminal street gang.” That strikes me as the correct way to go after these guys—we have laws to go after organizations that exist to break the law already.
Joe Falco
@Poe Larity:
See Dogma. There’s your HVAC bad guy there.
Frankensteinbeck
@Kristine:
I should probably get a better website. I can keep up an amusing Twitter, but not a blog.
Elizabelle
@West of the Rockies: Click on Kristine’s name in the comment above.
If a commenter’s name appears in blue at the top of his/her posts, that link goes to a website.
JanieM
@Frankensteinbeck: What’s your Twitter handle? I don’t have an account yet but am thinking of making one….
Bill Arnold
@schrodingers_cat:
I am talking about people using probability (and chaos) and an audience of easily-manipulated minds as a (for practical purposes) deterministic weapon.
Absolutely, preachers, whatever religion, rabble-rousing during their preaching to encourage terrorist attacks are engaged in [stochastic terrorism]. Incidents caused by such, however, are something else, for which I don’t know of a good technical name. (Haven’t looked at the literature in a while.) They are not, however, acausal, at least not entirely, just usually easily deniable. (There’s often some [art] involved.)
Bill Arnold
@West of the Rockies:
Blue nyms are links. :-)
Kristine
@Frankensteinbeck: I go back and forth about my blog. I tell myself I should post weekly, and I’m lucky if I manage a post every month. Scalzi, I ain’t.
I’m with WordPress, and I use one of their free themes. Some of my friends use Divi from Elegant Themes, and their sites are stunning imo.
Jeffro
@Llelldorin: “conducting a civilian investigation”…at gunpoint.
I wonder what would happen if I “conducted a civilian investigation” of the NRA, or a mega church, or Grover Norquist’s office…at gunpoint?
Kristine
@West of the Rockies: I saw you got some answers already, but just in case.
'Niques
@jeffreyw: Thank you! That review sold me . . . It’ll be my next read!
Punchy
From this article about states suing Google, here are the states in the lawsuit:
/strokes chin…squints….
There’s…..something….about those states that they all have in common…..hmmm.
Cameron
@Poe Larity: Nixon had plumbers, too, but I don’t think that’s what you’re referring to.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Punchy: They pollute the gene pool by marrying their cousins?
Llelldorin
@Jeffro: Doing it under the auspices of a named organization makes this pretty much akin to the way the Crips used to conduct civilian investigations into the Bloods’ drug operations when I was growing up in Los Angeles. This is definitionally organized crime, and should be treated as such. No “but he’s a nice white guy” exemptions this time.
WereBear
@patrick II: thanks, that led to a lot of interesting stuff.
markar
@Punchy: They have more metropolitan areas of more than 300,000 people than surnames?
No One of Consequence
@Poe Larity: I would humbly suggest you regard Mr. DeNiro in Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”…
Peace,
NOoC
cain
@Pete Mack:
No.. that won’t happen. Instead, he will decry the deep state and run for office.
cain
@Barbara:
Did Hugo reach out to them through Herman Cain’s twitter account?
burnspbesq
@Citizen Alan:
Don’t go there. You’re advocating war crimes. Don’t even fucking joke about that.
Roger Moore
@Jeffro:
And not just doing it at gunpoint. He also stopped the guy by ramming his vehicle. It’s just reprehensible behavior.
cain
@Jeffro:
That sounds like Jared Kushner special there.
I finally realized something – Jared looks just like a younger Dr. Phillip Barbay from the movie back to school – played by Paxton Whitehead.
Roger Moore
@Llelldorin:
The big thing to me is that he got a big payoff after the events that got him arrested. That makes it clear the paymaster approves of his activities and solidifies it as a criminal conspiracy.
Patricia Kayden
Petty
danielx
@Jeffro:
You would, as the saying goes, get lit up.
cckids
Fixed that for you.
cain
@Kent:
The news folks love a good snow storm. I remember one about a decade or so ago where it was particularly bad and it looked like they were reporting on it 24/7 – it was bad enough that I think they weren’t even sleeping or something – they sure looked like they were hit by a bus.
raven
@Gin & Tonic: In season three of Fargo Nikki Swango drops an air conditioner on a dudes head from the third floor.
cain
@Kristine:
They can hold opposing beliefs at the same time apparently or gets transmogrified internally.
cain
@Llelldorin:
Speaking of books – please convey my hellos to Belgarath and Polgara.
Matt McIrvin
@Kristine: John Scalzi got a lot of very conservative readers through his MilSF novel Old Man’s War, which convinced a lot of them that he was a right-winger (and, frankly, I can see why–though the ambiguity already present in the novel’s politics increased in subsequent volumes). Scalzi is actually one of these people who insists to this day that he’s a non-partisan independent, but his opinions about everything are pretty much mainstream Democratic Party and have only gotten more so with time.
So they were in for a shock when they read the political stuff on his blog, and some got very, very angry, and Scalzi seems to like mocking and picking fights with them, though he’s still remarkably tolerant of right-wing posters in his comments.
Mike in NC
@Patricia Kayden: Oh, no. It’s the War on Showers!
Some British writer described Trump as the Picasso of Pettiness, which is quite apt. Nutcase.
WaterGirl
@Kristine: I don’t think you are on our Balloon Juice Authors list. The list is in the footer – If you would like to be on the list, please send me the kinds of information you see listed for folks who are on the list.
Redshift
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Fuck your SCA friends. I will never understand why members of groups that get sneered at as weirdos decide it’s cool to sneer at other subgroups as the real weirdos.
Despite the fact that it seems to have become common to slap the label “larpers” on them as shorthand for “idiots,” these assholes are no more LARPers than neo-Nazis are historical recreationists.
Llelldorin
@cain: I’ve been using the name for something like 30 years now; you’re the first to actually comment on its origin. The character’s dippy enthusiasm really spoke to me as a college student; these days it’s just habit and anonymization.
polyorchnid octopunch
@Bill Arnold: Release the Crack Pipe!
debbie
@Roger Moore:
Whatever kind of terrorism it is, we need to stick to language everyone (including the asshole’s supporters) will understand. This is no time to seem to be talking down to anyone.
That said, this guy should rot in jail and should be charged not only with violation of gun laws and intimidation, but also with violation of federal voting laws.
Wyatt Salamanca
This makes it all the more imperative that the NY Atty Gen or Manhattan DA build an airtight case against Trump so that he’ll end up disgraced and dying in a prison cell. Hopefully, their staffs are crossing every t and dotting every i to prevent this psychopath from getting acquitted on some bullshit technicality.
AWOL
@Poe Larity: Deleted—film maven above noted de Niro’s role.
Unsympathetic
This article is a more thorough explanation of the detail re QAnon being a ARG/LARP. Pretty wild stuff..
debbie
@schrodingers_cat:
When did the word “terrorism” become insufficient? ?
debbie
@jeffreyw:
Amazon reviews are jokes, period.
debbie
@Mike in NC:
Speaking of, where have the Bugaloo Bois been? They seem very quiet lately.
Emma from FL
@Wyatt Salamanca: And it will change nothing. The Cult of Trump will double down on the persecution mania. They will get even more insane.
Mike in NC
@debbie: They must be having their ridiculous black and yellow ‘kilts’ dry-cleaned.
Kristine
@WaterGirl: Thanks! I’ll forward you info later today.
debbie
@Mike in NC:
Those guys group mooning Antifa? They were at the rally, but were referred to as Proud Boys. That’s gotta wound their pride!
Jay
West of the Rockies
@Elizabelle:
I did not know that! Thank you.
Elizabelle
So who’s got snow today? Sounds like Philadelphia has whiteout conditions in places?
Just cold rain here. Good indoor weather.
Benw
@Elizabelle: s n o w
Kids get a snow day tomorrow! They’re even letting the remote only kids off!
Kristine
@Matt McIrvin: I think ambiguity is the key. Unless you come out and state gov’t structure or political philosophy, most readers can make any assumption they like. A ruling class like an oligarchy could be opposed by all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons.
Butter Emails
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Sure. Because it’s the people smacking each other with real weapons who are the sane ones.
jeffreyw
@Elizabelle:
Elizabelle
@Benw: Yea kids! Snow day!
@jeffreyw: Yum. Is that today??
schrodingers_cat
@Elizabelle: Not yet but we are expecting about a foot. Snow is overrated.
jeffreyw
@Elizabelle:
The roast was warm earlier today after an all night soak at 200 degrees. The little bit of snow is nearly all gone.
Jay
Elizabelle
@schrodingers_cat: I hope it is picturesque.
frosty
@Elizabelle: A good amount of snow in South PA. Forecast for 13 inches, probably about 6 right now, but changed to freezing rain an hour or so ago.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Emma from FL:
Unfortunately, Trump maniacs will be around for a long time, but if Trump becomes a convicted felon, he’ll no longer have access to a social media platform.
The idea of a future with no more Trump tweets or online posts is something I’d welcome with open arms.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Elizabelle:
I got snow and Beethoven too ( given that you referenced him in a previous thread)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAAsth8eLps
Elizabelle
@Wyatt Salamanca: Thank you.
Back atcha with Beethoven. Symphony No. 9, the Oslo Philharmonic with its wunderkind conductor, Klaus Makela*, born in 1996.
Elizabelle
@frosty: Stay safe and warm.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Elizabelle:
Thank You So Much!!!
Following the Ninth is a documentary film about the global impact of Beethoven’s final symphony.
https://www.followingtheninth.com/
I haven’t seen this film, but it’s on my must see list.
Hopefully, Beethoven’s 9th symphony will be the last piece of music I hear before I take my leave of this world.
Elizabelle
@Wyatt Salamanca: years and years and years from now.
Thank you for the film link.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Kent:
That is a feature, not a bug. It makes it damn near impossible for city mayors implement effective criminal justice reform, clean up the streets, and turn cities into even more lovely places to live. As a result, Republicans can say, ‘See how horrible cities are? That’s what you get when Democrats are in charge.’ Cha-ching. They scare rural people and suburbanites and get more votes.
Bobby Thomson
Someone paid this guy 200 large plus to do this. There are some very wealthy people funding this shit and they’re getting careless.
Steve in the ATL
@frosty:
And how disappointed was she?
Zing!
Bill Arnold
@Kristine:
Bought Gideon/Jericho (kindle) ’cause the (blurbed) subject matters are of interest. Just a bit into Gideon now, interesting.
(Some of the medieval stories of Tempestari and African stories of Storm Calling are by careful observers. The warm neck mind crawl/empath tell is uncommon in contemporary fantasy stories, at least what I’ve read.)
Kristine
@Bill Arnold: Thanks–I hope you like them.
Both books gave me the opportunity to research local legends and odd occurrences. Very different from the science fiction.