Catch-22

No one can figure out who has the authority to release personnel records related to Biden's office and Tara Reade. DC is now a multi clown-car pile-up.

Comments

[Stephanie Nene Not Your Normal Granma]

If she was cutting up babies instead of hair, she'd be essential and no problems.

[Narciso]

Two hawt latin chicks doing a broadcast, do i have to spell it out that thoroughly.

[Dave (in MA)]

Narciso | May 05, 2020 at 10:37 PM

Advised or Challenged?

[Narciso]

Tomato tomatoe

[jimmyk]

Neo, the official line on RBG is that she "was diagnosed with a gallstone that had migrated to her cystic duct, blocking it and causing an infection."

She says she wants to serve on the court till she's 90. That would take to 2023, plenty of time for Trump to appoint her successor. I agree it seems unlikely she'll last that long. I don't wish death on her, but really, she should retire.

[Narciso]

They grasp to power like donovan holding the false grail cup.

[KevlarKid]

on the farm we used paraquat and a touch of old school Roundup. we were clearing tracts of overgrown pasture, converting it to soybean and milo ground.

took a chisel plow to it to bust up the hardpan. it the process root systems would get dragged up. then we'd hit those with a hand sprayer of the same cocktail to good effect.

go big or go home.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

My dad had a decent supply of 2-4-5-T. And he had red hair, so when the blackberries saw him coming they were doubly freaked out by Agent Orange Man Bad.
Sure did a number on em.

[Captain Hate]

Joe Paterno never wanted to retire because he was afraid of dying almost immediately after retirement like Bear Bryant, whom he always called Paul, which I thought was kind of neat, did. So he stuck around way too long and hardly noticed that his program became indistinguishable from any run of the mill big div 1 program. Someone told me when his brother died he lost the only person who could talk sense to him because I think his wife was nuttier than he was. Then the Sandusky thing happened and he was fired in disgrace.

And then he croaked almost immediately.

[Melinda]

Ralph-

There’s a MarketWatch piece from a few hours ago that a few bright people at the Oregon School of Medicine and Science put together that indicates the severity of disease after infection may be tied to HLA gene variants. It seems to me, for that to show up, virus saturation of the populace HAS to have occurred, and I mean north of 55%, probably closer to 75%, with asymptomatic survival not shown.

I’ll post it in a few minutes. It’s on another device.

[jimmyk]

I know a lot of people who don't want to retire till they have to, or until they're carried out horizontally. My dad worked till he was 85 and he started to feel like his mental facilities were declining. My mother worked till she was 88 or so, gradually cutting back.

Fortunately retirement didn't kill either of them. But they were both self-employed. In a lot of jobs (including mine) if you keep working long enough you know your employer just wishes you would retire so they can replace you with someone younger, cheaper, and probably more productive. That's not a good situation to be in.

[KevlarKid]

Agent Orange was invented and patented by Dr Keith Leasure, School of Agriculture, So. Illinois University at Carbondale. He was a plant science legend.

[Melinda]

Boy, WSJ products no longer welcome by Typepad? Hmmm, might be the subject matter.

Here’s the MarketWatch piece on symptomatic tendencies due to genetics: https://tinyurl.com/yahmh3rw

Hope that works after three tries.

[Another Bob]

Pretty sure that’s the situation I’m in jimmy.

But what might make that paranoia on my part is that I got the best raise and bonus ever from this employer last December.

I need to find something with which to occupy my time in retirement. I’m convinced that’s necessary, but it’s been harder than anticipated to identify something.

[JimNorCal]

Mr Tacoma, your post on infection load and the problems of weakened people who get exposed to multiple loads being in more danger...that makes sense to me.

Also, henry posted a genetic theory that is worth pondering. Here's the link:
"Would you believe HLA gene alleles explain Wuhan Flu severity?"
https://twitter.com/marketwatch/status/1257734370862997511?s=21

Finally, I'm finding lots of interesting insights and tidbits of knowledge here. Just read and scroll ....
https://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/

[jimmyk]

Sounds like you've made yourself valuable, AB. I try, but I'm not sure the powers that be value the same things I do. I'm just hoping to outlast the current regime, and maybe the next one will see things differently. I don't have it in me to "go along to get along."

Fortunately they can't fire me or cut my salary unless they shut down or declare "financial exigency." Which could happen, I suppose. The top brass just took a 20% pay cut because of the financial crunch.

[JimNorCal]

"I don't wish death on (RBG), but really, she should retire."

You're a class guy, jimmyk!
I'm ashamed to be sitting here wishing ... well, wishing for stuff that I shouldn't really be wishing for :) :) :)

[Narciso]

She should retire, shes been a pioneer in ways noble and ignoble take a lap call it a day.

[joan]

Ralph, thanks for your suggestion. We have one of OSU's county agents in a small town near us. They're experts in agriculture, plants, etc. I'll call and ask them about how to kill poison ivy.

[Another Bob]

Maybe so jimmy, I try to be flexible but I have my limits that have been bumped into a couple times. I’ve seen enough sh1t happen that I take nothing for granted. I don’t have any employment agreement, I can be on the street tomorrow.

[Narciso]

Im being charitable in her contributions,

[Pinandpuller]

Going into hour 57 of no power and this is the most I’ve been inconvenienced since this whole COVID scam started. I still have my health and a healthy generator. It looks as if my water heater gets enough passive heat for a shower to be not unpleasant.

[Another Bob]

What happened Pin? Must have missed it.

[Narciso]

Powet outage in nashville or thereabouts

[joan]

I boiled three pans of water and poured it on the ivy -- it didn't begin to even wilt a little until I used the third pan. I'll be curious to see how it looks tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice about burning and the smoke -- I'd heard about that off and on before. Our son-in-law is really sensitive to poison ivy.

This is just a small group of three sprigs growing right now. We had four nandinas (taller than me) planted along a fence at the end of the pool. The last few summers when I was weeding around them I noticed the vines -- never very thick or long, but back deep between two of the large nandinas. Each summer I would spray the vines and kill them back -- also, a couple of times I put my hand in a thick plastic bag and tried to pull them up, but they always came back. I tried to dig them out, but it was difficult to work because the nandinas were like a solid wall, and the ivy was tucked under them way at the back along the privacy fence.

Last summer (getting older) I got so tired of sweeping the pool deck -- because those nandinas, even though they were healthy and beautiful, seemed to always be shedding leaves. So, I had a tree company come and cut them down and had all of the beds cleaned up and remulched. You know what appeared out of the mulch a couple of weeks ago? The poison ivy.

[Ralph Tacoma]

Jim.S,
Thanks for those links (and thanks to henry for first posting the one about HLA.) It certainly seems plausible. It would be interesting to know if particular types of HLA are associated with particular ethnic groups. If that association exists, it would be easier to see overall patterns in the data and/or target various groups for special protection.

The other source (which I've only begun to scan)included some reference to Vitamin D levels. That is also quite plausible to me. Phang (my wife) and I upped our Vitamin D intake significantly starting about ten years ago and we seen an amazing improvement in our general resistance to colds, etc. I saw an article earlier in one of the UK papers referring to the issue in their experience. It mentioned our modern life styles tend to get less sun exposure, etc. I've often speculated that we might be able to make a significant improvement in the overall health o our Black population if we encouraged them to take more Vitamin D. I speculate (and, it's only a speculation, I don't have any hard data.) that they should, on the average, have lower Vitamin D serum levels than whites since assuming similar life styles they would tend to get less Vitamin D from sun exposure. If I'm right, we could get a lot of benefit for a rather small investment. And, I don't see any real downside to giving it a try.
I suspect that, once we know more about it, we'll find out that more than one of these theories has an element of truth to it.
Thanks for the information.

[JimNorCal]

nytol

[Jane]

Ccgirl,

Where in MA is your store (if you don’t mind saying).

Good Morning! Kiwi got me up a while ago. She’s back snoring on my side now. Hope it’s a great day for everyone!

[MissMarple2]

Thank you @Honeywell! pic.twitter.com/4jH6NF63XI

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2020

One-minute video at the link.

[MissMarple2]

Good morning, Jane!

[Jane]

Good Morning MM. how are you today?

[MissMarple2]

Jane,

Getting better and have more energy. Thanks for asking!

I was listing to Dan Bongino's pod cast and heard what I thought was a statement from the Intelligence IG's report which indicated that Flynn had been told by the Brits that the Steele report was BS BEFORE Comey came to talk to him.

If that is true, then Flynn allowed himself to be gramed in order to catch some people who were spyiing on the President.

However, I want to see something in writing as I was listening as I was drifting off to sleep and I could be mistaken.

[MissMarple2]

Here is the section of Bongino's show which deals with Flynn. Apparently part of it is the Andy McCarthy piece from National Review, which I didn't read because I have let my irritation with McCarthy get the better of me. I will have to look it up.

Bongino agrees with McCarthy and does a good job of explaining the significance of what McCarthy says. The segment is about 8 minutes.

The Coincidences Continue! Preserve The Probe By Setting Up Flynn?
👇🏻👇🏻🔥https://t.co/wmk5lSQU0I

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) May 5, 2020

[Jane]

MCCARTHY is a good guy. Just misjudged his loyalty to thr govt.

[MissMarple2]

Biden caught LYING about academic record.

Would be a shame if we reminded him.

RETWEET THIS! pic.twitter.com/HxnJjIZsYt

— DeAnna Lorraine 🇺🇸 (@DeAnna4Congress) May 6, 2020

Video at the link. It's a compilation of reports from Sam Donaldson, Morton Kondrake, and other news people. Bonus: pre-hairplugs Joe!

[MissMarple2]

https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/05/state-department-denies-venezuela-coup-nicolas-maduro/

[Neo]

Coronavirus Pandemic Update 66: ACE-Inhibitors and ARBs - Hypertension Medications with COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OudhmwulJHY

[James D.]

Jane @ 6:43

Maybe 3 years ago I might have accepted that.

But at this point there has been so much evidence that the people he’s repeatedly stood up for are treasonous criminal scum, that there is no excuse for any loyalty at all to them, regardless of how long he worked with them or whatever.

He can either once and for all can the never Trump crap and the one step forwards, two steps back essays, or he can just go away and never come back. I’m out of patience.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/05/green-new-deal-healthcare-for-illegals-soros-funded-groups-push-dems-to-use-virus-to-achieve-progressive-wish-list/

[henry]

LI has the full stream of yesterday’s WI SC hearing. Plus a featured tidbit.

https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/05/wisconsin-sup-ct-justice-isnt-states-lockdown-order-the-very-definition-of-tyranny/

[henry]

Technical review of HCO Az Zn etc.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/05/05/many-effects-of-hydroxychloroquine-against-covid-19/

[Old Lurker]

This is for sure:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/alex-berenson-coronavirus-lockdowns-take-grim-toll-on-mental-health-of-americans

[Old Lurker]

This one too.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/04/us-treasury-seeks-to-borrow-a-record-3-trillion-this-quarter.html

Not counting the hundreds of billions per week in lost GDP.

[henry]

Plus a surge in TB deaths.

https://twitter.com/smeredith19/status/1257992444089688064?s=21

[jimmyk]

On the boundary of tyranny: It seems like vaccinations are a microcosm of the lockdown issue. Normally states can't force parents to vaccinate children; they can only deny those children public schooling. But there may be some kind of public emergency exception, the camel's nose under the tent.

Now states are forcing business to shut down, under some state of emergency pretext. There's got to be some check on governors declaring these states of emergency. Qui custodiet ipsos custodes yet again.

[James D.]

Janet on FB posted the link to the story about the Dallas salon owner who's been fined $7,000 and jailed for opening her salon.

I don't care how this sounds: I would cheer if I read that a group got together and shot the cops who arrested her, the prosecutor who charged her, and the judge who sentenced her.

[henry]

jimmyk, surprising some governors haven’t rolled straight into “climate emergency” mode.

[James D.]

Now states are forcing business to shut down, under some state of emergency pretext.

I want to know how all these forced closings (often without much in the way of logic, and certainly without any actual legislation, just executive orders) are not considered takings for which the local governments must compensate the business owners impacted, just as if eminent domain had been employed.

[henry]

I thought Cargill did grain.

https://www.tmj4.com/news/coronavirus/cargill-protein-facility-in-milwaukee-temporarily-closed-due-to-pandemic

[Old Lurker]

Jimmy, to repeat myself, the two things that MUST come after this crisis is past are:

1. Reconsideration of onshore sourcing for all of our critical materials.

2. Rewriting of the "Emergency Powers Acts" of ALL 57 states AND the Federal Government so that what has been done by the petit-tyrants in our midsts can never do so again. It would be helpful if SCOTUS would force this issue.

[MissMarple2]

Well, next week Indiana does it's first stage of opening up, and as I reported yesterday, left-leaning local media and reporters are still trying to push the fear angle.

Fortunately, the governor isn't going along with it.I would just as soon open everything up, at once, but I am grateful for small favors, when I look at our bordering states.

Dan Crenshaw posted on Twitter that he felt that the judge had no right to impose such a sentence.

[James D.]

It would be helpful if SCOTUS would force this issue.

It would, but it certainly won't happen with four progs plus jackass Roberts as chief justice.

[Old Lurker]

Not just "takings", James. That Bill of Attainder (thou shalt pass no law that burdens an individual or small group) discussion we had last week applies too.

[Old Lurker]

James, Roberts is just like all the other inside DC tools who do not grasp the danger they have wrought to our entire system of government and the social compacts implicit in making it all work.

[Buckeye]

Yesterday, Napoleon DeWine announced that $775 million in cuts are proposed to the state budget, and he isn’t going to dip into the rainy day fund.

He wants the cuts in place over next 2 months.

He finally does something I agree with.

I expect massive pissing and moaning by the libtards.

[MissMarple2]

Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites): Americans’ “obsession” with freedom makes us “blind" to threats like viruses and climate change.

“Government is not the biggest threat to our liberty … what the government does is protect us from” oppression. pic.twitter.com/T0tm1oxvlU

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 6, 2020

Video at the link (it's an MSNBC guy, which is why I didn't recognize his name).

[Captain Hate]

"nothing has happened in Mexico - a few people got
sick, a few less died. Just like every other flu season, nothing more.
This has all been a monstrous fraud.

Posted by: Tom Servo"

I have been watching Mexico thru this with interest. Even accounting for the third-world incompetence and dysfunction, their death count should be many times what it is now. A month ago the excuse was "Well, they are just behind the curve" Not valid excuse any more. They have peaked and deaths are leveling off. And his will never be mentioned by the lying MSM.
Posted by: Ripley at May 06, 2020 08:11 AM (MxEKc)

[MissMarple2]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/04/29/jjudicial-watch-sues-pennsylvania-for-800k-inactive-voters-on-voter-rolls/

[Melinda]

Prof Margot relearns "Politics of Personal Destruction" is a business model:

Margot Cleveland
@ProfMJCleveland
I've been so deep in SpyGate angle of this, personal toll on innocent people like @RealSLokhova hasn't really hit me. I always intellectually "got it" that it ruined her life. But hearing this, I got chills realizing the evil on a personal level. God bless Svetlana. Justice.

Praying Medic @prayingmedic
Replying to @prayingmedic
20) Devin Nunes questioned Robert Mueller about why his team did not interview the Svetlana Lokhova who was (falsely ) alleged to have had an affair with General Flynn.

https://twitter.com/ProfMJCleveland/status/1258009170525261826

[GUS]

Henry, I mentioned the CLIMATE CHANGE scam here the other day. Commies don't react, they proactively seek ways to destroy you. You can be that the BLUE GOVERNORS have learned a few lessons from CHINESE VIRUS.

Not good lessons, COMMIE lessons.

[Jane]

James,

Your choice.

[Jane]

I bet it’s herd immunity Capt.

[sbwaters]

James D. I don't care how this sounds

I do.

There is no thought that is unthinkable, but many that are undoable.

Leave this kind of thought to yourself. You are a better craftsman with words than this indicates.

[Captain Hate]

Probably, Jane, but unless their numbers are complete garbage (which ours are far from the gold standard) it gives ammunition to everyone opposed to the lockdown.

[Extraneus]

Enough rambling, but I'm interested in any thoughts others may have.

I'm all in on the logic of it, Ralph. JimmyK linked a similar thing last week, which I think was a discussion among a number of doctors.

Ralph's re-link, which Insty also linked last night:

https://thezvi.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/taking-initial-viral-load-seriously/

[James D.]

sbw, I hear you, but I disagree.

If our public employees have so little regard for our rights that they are happy to issue illegitimate and arbitrary orders that destroy people's livelihoods for no good reason; and if they have so little regard for our lives that they are happy to send out armed men licensed to use lethal force to carry out those orders, then I have absolutely no regard for THEIR lives, and i don't see why I should.

[GUS]

Miss M. "America was founded on GENOCIDE and SLAVERY. This mother fucker went to SIDWELL FRIENDS. Sound familiar? He also went to MICHIGAN and HARVARD. Why is he in America? His parents were from India, I think.

[Melinda]

Hmm. Missed this appeal:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-appellate-court-upholds-enforcement-irs-summons-seeking-information-concerning-law

[Buckeye]

Probably, Jane, but unless their numbers are complete garbage (which ours are far from the gold standard) it gives ammunition to everyone opposed to the lockdown.

Sounds good to me:)

[cathyf]

Did you guys know that if you’re playing a game like Rust and you type in “1989 Tianamen Square” all the Chinese kids playing with you will get booted from your particular group because the censors shut down those kid’s internet?

Gee, sounds like a great way to conduct a denial-of-service attack on the Chinese Internet. Keep does things that cause phrases about TS to appear in their web traffic...

[JimNorCal]

Posted yet?
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/05/mid-week-in-pictures-giant-murder-hornets-edition.php

[JimNorCal]

There's a 1 minute vid at InstaPundit about the TX hair stylist small business owner. Recommended.
Scroll to "martyr"

[GUS]

SBW......"WHAT PRICE LIBERTY?"

[JimNorCal]

Heck, here's the link.

A hair stylist in TX says feeding your family is not being “selfish”.
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/370791/

[cathyf]

On Monday, 373 workers at one meatpacking plant in Missouri tested positive for COVID-19. All COVID-19-positive employees at the Triumph Foods pork processing plant were asymptomatic.

Wow that’s incredibly good news! That’s a description of a successful vaccination against covid!!!!

[Melinda]

Here's how you close 21 million phone accounts in WUhan:

The bizarre 'click farm' of 10,000 phones that give FAKE 'likes' to our most-loved apps

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/bizarre-click-farm-10000-phones-10419403

Has a lot to do with distorting the online ad biz, doesn't it?

[henry]

How many of those phones are registered to vote in WI, MI, PA?

[Melinda]

None, I'm told, because "Trust me!".

Honest.

[Extraneus]

Jane, I think the cc in ccgirl stands for Cape Cod.

[sbwaters]

Perhaps you should rephrase your argument, James D.

Not to put too fine a point on it, it appears you believe in vigilante tactics rather than pursuing justice through the courts, the legislature, or the federal executive.

Not sure what you consider essential in a civil society or, for that matter, what you believe in at all except your emotions and instant gratification.

[sbwaters]

Okay. Add Gus to the list.

[Jane]

Me too Buckeye, which I have opposed for weeks. Florida is 1/2 open but I can’t drive so I’m pretty much stuck. Of course I don’t go out much anyway but Walmart is starting to sound like Disnetworld!

Eye seems better today. Doc told me to watch for the macular to go down which it has everyday! Goal is to drive across the street by week’s end.

[Melinda]

Veritas has dropped on CBS faking testing:

https://www.projectveritas.com/news/cbs-news-this-morning-aired-faked-covid-19-drive-through-testing-site-line/

[rse]

Reporting from this week's grocery run. Both publix and wf. Both suddenly have turkey after not having any for over a month. Suddenly turkey chipotle chili became an option for this weekend as I have a family member with a b'day and we were going to have a few people over in our backyard.

Also picked up a beef brisket, which can be done a day ahead and then just sliced on a platter outside.

Chicken breasts available but no dark meat at all unless you buy a whole bird. In both places workers unnumbered shoppers during senior hours.

Hit target yesterday and they were quizzing and turning away anyone without a mask during early hours. Everyone got asked if they were there for "high risk hours".

Absolutely no TP at publix which was a first. I had finally decided I had to go to T myself because the grocery stores only had he detergent in the fragrance free I use as there are several asthmatics in the HH.

[Jane]

Someone needs to come up with a grand plan for replacing all products from China. China will go down in months.

Someone reminded me of the days (of Reagan) when the Soviet Unuion was our enemy. We did no business with them and assured their defeat. Whoever started boing biz with China, (Clinton? Bush?) made a big mistake.

[Jane]

Makes perfect sense Ex. Thanks

[henry]

a small college shuts down for good.

https://madison.com/news/local/education/university/as-a-small-wisconsin-college-closes-its-doors-others-worry-about-growing-covid-19-losses/article_e55e3675-61ce-527a-a621-da4f6410027c.html

[Melinda]

Jane-

Tariffs motivated A LOT of people to move things out of China, for the last 3 years. The holdouts appear to have received what in the business world is known as "Bad Advice", from people like McKinsey, some recently retired politicians and some soon-to-be-retired government officials.

[sbwaters]

Whew! Pardon me for bringing out such blunt opinions. I apologize.

Individuals matter so much to me because I see how they repair the necessary fragile society we have created with others.

I treat it so carefully because society can be shredded from any side, for any perceived "good" reason. It is humbling.

[Jane]

Mel,

Lots of politicians got very rich off China. Time to bankrupt them.

I wonder if there has ever been a time when politicians have been more unpopular.

[Jack Lillywhite]

Today we had our weekly briefing from Frederick’s school in CT. I missed the first 6 minutes but Mrs. JiB tells me that the briefer noted that the CT governor (Ned Lamont) has ordered all public schools closed for the rest of the year. Does anyone from CT know if this is correct?

Frederick’s school is private and they are meeting with all other private schools to see if it applies to them.

[Melinda]

Jane-

Anything hidden offshore by our dedicated public servants? I suspect The Papers roadmap may be making a few very, very nervous.

[cathyf]

Jack, might be rest of school year, not nearly as draconian...

[lurkersusie]

Jack

Governor Ned Lamont
@GovNedLamont
#BREAKING: Due to the ongoing pandemic, in-person classes at K-12 schools in Connecticut will remain canceled for the rest of the academic year.

Given the circumstances, this is the best course of action for the safety of students, educators, and staff. https://bit.ly/2WoBw6Q

[henry]

Does public school closing hurt anything? They don’t seem to put any effort into educating anyone. (Budget example at link)

@vickimckenna

Milwaukee’s failing school district to spend $412k on Black Lives Matter program. Meanwhile, just 9.6% of black students are proficient in English, 8.6% proficient in math. #Priorities

https://twitter.com/vickimckenna/status/1258028892029440001?s=21

[James D.]

sbw, I do hear you, and I do see your argument. And I will admit I have little or no patience at this point, especially when it comes to the decisions and actions of our public employees.

From where I sit, it is they who have been shredding the fabric of civil society, in myriad ways, for decades, and asking us ordinary citizens to pay for it all, and pay them handsomely to do it.

So when I see abuses like this travesty in Dallas, you're right, I do want instant gratification. I don't think that poor salon owner should have to have guns pointed at her, or sit in jail, or spend months or years, and whatever remains of her life savings, to try and convince the people whose salaries she pays to allow her to remain in business.

If that makes me a vigilante or an emotion-driven person, so be it.

[Extraneus]

I need to find something with which to occupy my time in retirement. I’m convinced that’s necessary, but it’s been harder than anticipated to identify something.

Bob, I've been out a little over a year and in that time I've increased my workouts, lost weight, played a lot of music, read books on cooking, atmospheric science and bird biology, spent some quality time online, paid more attention to my investments, took my wife to a number of different sushi restaurants, some several times, learned to cook new things using new methods, did some traveling, gambling, hiking, fishing, and quite a bit of boating.

It's sad to think of these people whose jobs are so important to them that they wither and die soon after retirement, but I'm not one of them, and I didn't have any big plans for what I was going to do with the time. I think it's just a matter of staying interested in things and doing what you like.

[James D.]

Just to add, sbw, when I see that the judge offered to let the salon owner free if she gave a pre-written confession using the state's preferred language...well, in no way does that have anything to do with the rule of law, or civil society, as I was taught it in grade school.

It has a lot more in common with what I was taught about the Soviet Union or China during the Cultural Revolution.

[James D.]

Oh, and insty also notes that the judge in question is a Harvard Law School graduate.

Somehow that's not a surprise.

[cathyf]

Somebody (sorry lost track in my turbo-read catch-up) posted a link to risk factors associated with the CCPV

https://www.livescience.com/why-covid-19-coronavirus-deadly-for-some-people.html

These risk factors include:
Age
Diabetes (type 1 and type 2)
Heart disease and hypertension
Smoking
Blood type
Obesity
Genetic factors

In the “Smoking” section it claims all sorts of conventional wisdom about smoking being bad for you In lung ailments, and cites several studies from China apparently claiming this to be true. But I’ve seen multiple studies from the NYC outbreak noting that smokers are strikingly under-represented among the sick and experts are very puzzled and pursuing it further.

Is there some difference between Chinese cigarettes and American cigarettes that are showing some protective effect of the US cigs vs the Chinese? Or is livescience just making shit up? (Everybody knows smoking is bad for you, so they don’t wait for data to intone it here, too.)