Jussie Smollett Meltdown

Not everyone is surprised by this slow trainwreck coming:

Police sources: New evidence suggests Jussie Smollett orchestrated attack

Unless I've missed an update we are still in the "Sources Say" phase, but it's hard to see how Smollett explains this away.

Now, a Frequently Unasked Question: Smollett had received a threatening letter a week earlier, which the FBI was investigating. Also a hoax? {Rick Moran has more at PJ Media.]

And when did the alleged attackers become white? Neither the initial NY Times nor Ebony accounts mention that, nor is it brought up in Smollett's initial statement. IIRC, in some statement Smollett said he didn't know their race since they were bundled up against the cold.

MORE: TMZ said the attackers were white in their initial coverage and recently claimed they had that confirmed twice.

 

 

Comments

[Porchlight]

Happy Presidents Day!

[MissMarple2]

Porchlight,

I wonder how much of the federal money the Lutherans and Catholics get to redirect to other expenses.

[hrtshpdbox]

From an article over a year old, one of the things to know about Jussie is...

He has ties to Angela Davis.

Smollett’s mother Janet Smollett is an activist. She grew up during the civil rights era and marched alongside prominent figures, including members of the Black Panther Party and Angela Davis.

In fact, his mom and Davis are good friends, and Smollett has spent a lot of time with the influencer throughout his life.

Lovely.

https://www.ajc.com/news/world/things-know-about-jussie-smollett/5JRipU3t5jiMrcRI3JduiK/

[henry]

maryrose, on Milwaukee crime there are three factor that add up:

1. judges don't give jail sentences.

2. police don't pursue stolen vehicles.

3. a cop lost his job and was prosecuted for shooting a mentally deranged person that was attacking him with a knife.

in effect, there is no law in Milwaukee.

[clarice]

what a pity, henry, When I grew up there it was clean, well-ordered and far from lawless.

[peter]

So many of us may be descended from Genghis Khan.

https://tinyurl.com/y638lgxb

[Marlene]

Good Morning! I just returned from an initial consult with our new dentist here in Florida. She is fantastic! She used every modern dental gizmo available. :)
I have a question. Does anyone have an opinion about adult orthodontics? What is your opinion? Is it worth it for those of us of a certain age? :)

[jimmyk]

Step 3: Wring hands at child’s unchecked anxiety and inability to cope.

I went to a talk by Jonathan Haidt recently, and this was basically his book "The Coddling of the American Mind." He had hard data on the rise of serious anxiety in teens, and how it related to overprotective parents. I also met Lenore Skenazy there, who started the "Free Range Children" movement. She was once arrested, or threatened with arrest, for letting her kids (I think they were 6 and 8) go outside alone--something I'm sure most of us did routinely when we were that age.

[rse]

MM-

when the kids were growing up we lived in Fla in a beach community all summer and holidays. Eldest worked for he beach service and owner said he as first owner' kid who knew how to work.

My daughters ran a babysitting service catering to the vacationers who wanted someone to watch the kids while they drank too much. Very eye opening into poor parenting.

One of the primary complaints among homeowners there was how they were still having to support their adult children financially. Being led to believe as a child that a nice lifestyle is not tied to who you become a an adult is no way to raise a child.

[Marlene]

Hillary's and Yoko Ono's birthday on the same day. Thank goodness today is National Drink Wine Day!

[jimmyk]

And OL, I hate to break it to you, but even if you got your smartphone and texted and facetimed, your daughters would still be 90% with their mom. In my household I'm the one who actually uses the smartphone, the missus never checks texts or voicemails. But somehow she and the daughter connect all the time, and I get the occasional "I need money" text. (Ok, I exaggerate, but only a little.)

[JimNorCal]

"parents make a big mistake in not encouraging part-time jobs, at least in the summers"

Good advice. Still, you would be shocked how few "summer jobs" there are in CA. Many are swooped up by illegals who are willing to work year round cheap.

[lurkersusie]

Cross the first name off the list.

Jennifer Jacobs
@JenniferJJacobs
LATEST on who Trump’s considering for UN ambassador:
—Dina Powell, his former deputy national security adviser
—Kelly Craft, US ambassador to Canada
—John James, former US Senate candidate from Michigan
—Richard Grenell, US ambassador to Germany

per sources w/ direct knowledge.

[hrtshpdbox]

To celebrate Yoko's 86th birthday, I think it would be nice if everyone shrieked Walking On Thin Ice at the top of their lungs, on their porch to passersby.

Richard Grenell not just an ambassador, but also a former regular on Red Eye from the good old days when Gutfeld was actually funny (five years ago),

[JimNorCal]

If you are Amb to Canada and then you transfer to UN ambassador... is that a step up or a step down?

[MissMarple2]

peter,

Thanks ofr that article on Genghis Khan. Learned lots of new things, but the one that dumbfounded me was that his empire stretched to Kuwait!

[Neo]

Black civil rights activist Najee Ali is calling for the arrest and prosecution of actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly lying about being the victim of a hate crime, saying Smollett could have unintentionally triggered a “race war”.

[henry]

"unintentionally" right.

[MissMarple2]

Lots of people on Twitter favor Grenell, who has done a fantastic job in Germany and who knows the ropes at the UN.

James is well-spoken and would be an attractive representative, but I think he would need a darn good experienced assistant to show him the ropes.

I don't know anything about Kelly Craft, except that as long as Trudeau is the PM, the UN would probably be a promotion.

I agree with lurkersusie on Dina Powell.

[jimmyk]

Good advice. Still, you would be shocked how few "summer jobs" there are in CA. Many are swooped up by illegals who are willing to work year round cheap.

I just explained to my daughter, who was talking about trying to get a summer job, that the new $15 minimum wage in NYC would pretty much make that impossible.

And on that idiotic Warren tweet about the minimum wage, not only is she FOS on the facts, most people in minimum wage jobs (meaning the federal minimum $7.25) are not supporting families. About half are under 25 and about 3/4ths are 'never married.'

https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2017/home.htm

[Extraneus]

It's been over a year since Mueller indicted the 13 Russians & companies for crimes that include those committed by all illegal aliens and for which none of whom are ever indicted. (Still thinking of Janet's post on that from a few days ago.)

Nothing ever came of those splashy indictments except for some fun times when the one company decided to have they attorneys appear in court and taunt the prosecutors like a Monty Python Frenchman.

I sure hope we see the unredacted scope memos soon.

[D]

Anyone but me think that Rocco’s tweet at 10:00am is kabuki?
I do not think it is kabuki.
I think it is TomR unwilling to admit that he was wrong about Rosenstein, just like he and Rattlegator wereerong about Sessions.
I await the opinion of others on the blog.
Pagar and Rocco:
Some love to live in the land of magical thinking.TomR has returned to his original argument despite verbal proof that President Trump said he believes Rosie was part of the witch hunt.

[MissMarple2]

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2019/02/18/standup-guy-nfl-star-ben-watson-donates-ultrasound-to-new-orleans-ministry-to-save-infants-n2541540

[Jane]

Is Yoko still alive?

Grenell is my choice for a ton of different reasons.

[Neo]

Malia Obama described President Trump as 'evil' on a secret Facebook page where she exchanges messages friends including Joe Biden's granddaughter, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The Facebook page operates under a pseudonym and does not appear to have been publicly updated since 2017.

Its cover photograph is of a row of pink post-it notes which read: 'Donald Trump is President,' 'This is not normal', 'Donald Trump is evil' and 'Don't be complacent.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6717603/Malia-Obamas-secret-Facebook-account-reveals-anti-Trump-messages.html

[D]

Yes MM , Clarice posted Victor’s article this morning early and I consider it a must read for all JOMers.

[D]

Neo:
Thank you for the Mali’s quote.
I think she needs to be visited by the FBI and warned about the dangers of political hate speech which she was probably taught by her mother and father.

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

bebusinessed dot come backslash history backslash history-of-minimum-wage

has the facts about the minimum wage...

for some reason I cannot post links when I am logged in. :(

[Threadkiller]

The Kabuki quote:

Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more deranged. He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.....

....There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more. This was the illegal and treasonous “insurance policy” in full action!

I bolded the misdirection. Everything else in the tweet is true.

Talk about a Four[D]est Gump intelligence test...

[clarice]

FWIW, I still believe Rod is an apparatchnik, not a coup plotter.

[Porchlight]

I wonder how much of the federal money the Lutherans and Catholics get to redirect to other expenses.

A ton. It is all happening on the southern border, with multiple churches involved, to the tune of tens of millions every year.

[Porchlight]

I love Lenore Skenazy, jimmyk.

A lot of teen anxiety is exacerbated by incessant device use and social anxiety.

Occasionally my 15 year old complains of anxiety and I tell her she is completely fine and just needs to take a break from the stupid phone.

[MissMarple2]

maryrose,

For a long time I was willing to give Sessions the benefit of the doubt. I now think he is suspect because he was originally slated for Homeland Security but he lobbied President Trump to get the AG spot, and then once in, almost imediately recused himself, having never notified the President that he believed he needed to do so.

That smacks to me of the Andy McCarthy-style delusion that the DOJ can do no wrong, regardless of whatever other suspicions I have.

The only way I can conceive of Rosenstein being on our side is if the President got the goods on him and insisted that if he was to stay he would have to collect intelligence on the bad actors. I am not sure that is a reasonable theory, but it is all I have.

As I have said before, I am to the point that I would like everyone in the DOJ in DC gone, along with the federal prosecutors in the biggest areas rife for corruption, like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, etc.

[Porchlight]

"social anxiety" s/b "social media."

Teens are supposed to feel anxious, anyhow. When I think about the amount of worry I expended over friendships and other stuff...now multiply it by Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, etc. etc....

[Threadkiller]

FWIW, I still believe Rod is an apparatchnik, not a coup plotter.

Welcome to The Ledge.

[D]

I go with John James.
He was a good Senate candidate.
Again the Michigan state Repub party couldn’t get their act together so we are stuck with Stabenow for 6 more years. I refuse to believe President Trump is playing kabuki theater or lying about Rosenstein.

[Threadkiller]

The only way I can conceive of Rosenstein being on our side is if the President got the goods on him and insisted that if he was to stay he would have to collect intelligence on the bad actors. I am not sure that is a reasonable theory, but it is all I have.

That is the theory I have been working on since the plane ride last year. I think it is a good one, MM.

[MissMarple2]

maryrose,

President Trump has often done kabuki style stuff. There are plenty of examples in his books.

One major example is his public, blustering personna that has led a lot of libs to think he is stupid. It allows him to sneak up on opponents, like the statement he released after signing that Border Bill and his movement of money sequentially so that the emergency lawsuit won't affect initial construction.

[D]

Porch:
Your post with the Hillary picture just cracked me up!
Thanks for my big laugh for today.

[jimmyk]

Yeah, if there's anything I can be 100% confident on regarding Trump, it's that he knows how to get big construction jobs past resistant pols.

[D]

I don’t want the president to lie to me.
I consider it lying if he doesn’t support what he tweeted out.
He could have given s similar message without mentioning Rosenstein.
But he chose to mention him so I am going to hold him to it until I hear otherwise.

[Threadkiller]

So this, from last year, could have been Kabuki?

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/400898-trump-i-have-a-fantastic-relationship-with-rosenstein

[Threadkiller]

Jeff Sessions, by the third act of "I wouldn't have picked Sleepy Jeff if I knew he'd recuse" Kabuki Twitter Theater, was tossed out in a non-Kabuki fashion.

Turns out the pre-tweets weren't theater at all.

[hrtshpdbox]

Was there anything Kabuki about Trump not pushing the wall right out of the gate 2 years ago? Really, getting rid of the mandate was all he needed to do to kill Obamacare, it's difficult to see exactly why he didn't focus on the border from the outset (I suppose "no one is perfect" fits, though).

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/how-paul-ryan-turned-trump-into-jeb-bush/

[MissMarple2]

TK,

Quite true. Not all of it is, but some of it is.

That tweet including Rosenstein is rather ambiguous about who "they" are. McCabe and Rosenstein, or McCabe and other bad actors within the FBI?

I don't know. I quit trying to predict anything and have made myself an interested observer. I am soured on both the DOJ and FBI until they prove me wrong.

[MissMarple2]

hrtshpdbox,

It is my understanding that Paul Ryan was behind waiting on the wall. He wanted to get the tax reform and other stuff done first.

I don't know if that is correct. I am trusting my memory on that.

[MissMarple2]

Here is another question no one asks: Why did Paul Ryan announce he was retiring from Congress so early, and then not yield the Speaker's position to someone else? He made himself a lame duck way too early.

[boris]

Newt hread

[Extraneus]

Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty)

That is a damning phrase, and btw it wasn't Sessions who "hired" Rosenstein. It was Trump. He may not be happy about it, but it was his responsibility to make sure the DAG was a solid appointment.

I realize it's a lot of pressure, but the guy is starting to sound unhinged, and I don't see why Barr would participate in kabuki and ruin his no-nonsense reputation. What would be the point?

[Threadkiller]

I don't think there is any Kabuki in this at all, Ext. I think it is Trump letting his "Drain the Swamp" fair weather fans know that he is still in the fight.

I missed why Barr should be upset over this tweet. Or was there another tweet?

[Dave (in MA)]

Today is not the Chardonnay Chugging Witch's birthday, that's at the end of October. That tweet was posted on her birthday in '16 right before she fumbled the election on the 1 yard line.

[Old Lurker]

Buckeye, seconded by SBW: "Course if it ever comes down to writing machine code for a PDP-11, I'll clean his clock:)"

Now that you mention it...

I was real good at Basic and Fortran late 60's and I was playing around recently with a hobby "Raspberry PC" which runs Linux. So I read the book and plan to tinker this summer after the wedding if I need a hobby.

So anyway, following that thought and reflecting on how much "graphics" are embedded in Linux, I thought nostalgically about my Basic/Fortran days, and all those nighst in college I waited for my punched cards to come back revealing whatever fatal error I had coded...

...Then I found myself yesterday at youtube looking for videos on Basic and then on Google to see if one could by an "ap for that". Now Dartmouth Basic had come out when I was about a freshman and we had a 1 credit course we had to take and some people just never got the grasp of it. So I was pleased to find a bunch of YouTube tutorials for learning say about 75% of Basic...

...so I watched one end to end and was happy how much I still knew and all was good until the end, where the credits announced "This video tutorial has been designed for ages 5 and older...

OUCH.

[Porchlight]

I know, Dave (in MA). But it's equally relevant for (Not) Presidents' Day.

[Neo]

I loved the part of the story where Smollett had actually staged the assault in view of a camera .. that was facing the other direction.

[Dave (in MA)]

I saw Jussie Smollett Meltdown open for The Brian Jonestown Massacre back in '95

[Porchlight]

LOL Dave (in MA). Whatshis name from Brian Jonestown probably punched out Jussie onstage.