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Wednesday, February 19. 2025

Quillette has annoyed me with their sign-in thing

Blue State Bill Aims To Jail Those Who ‘Misgender’ Dead People

The Welsh Are Whack: Pharmacists Now Need to Know About Drugs, Jabs... and Climate Change

What would a Harris-Walz administration be doing right now?

It’s Wednesday, February 19. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Coming up: Muslim groups defend Australian nurses who say they’ll kill Israelis. Trump makes IVF more accessible. The National Endowment for Democracy—scrap it or save it? An incredible letter from the New England Patriots owner. And more. But first: USAID funded the vast majority of “independent” media in Ukraine—and spent our tax dollars to suppress the truth.

Wednesday Potpourri

They Just Don’t Get It by Matthew Continetti

Trump Is Right About Greenland. Bringing the island closer to America makes national security sense.

Trump Gets Broad Backing On Illegal Immigration Crackdown: I&I/TIPP Poll

Trump Blasts Critics Of His Ukraine Peace Initiative, Including Zelensky, Questions Where Hundreds Of Billions Went

Dem Congressman Likens J.D. Vance’s Munich Speech to Hitler — Claims Rhetoric Could Be Used to ‘Justify The Holocaust’

JONATHAN TURLEY: Critics Prove Vance’s Point on the Threat of the Anti-Free Speech Movement.

Orban Issues 'WARNING!' Over 'Soros NGO Network Fleeing To Brussels' After USAID Funding Freeze

The End of the ‘Deliberate Starvation’ Lie

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 07:00 | Comments (25) | Trackbacks (0)

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Now that we know USAID and virtually ever federal department laundered hundreds billions of dollars much of it going to left wing NGO's, the question is: is a government funded "NGO" actually an NGO? Isn't it by virtual of it's funding and direction a government organization? Aren't all these NGO's really just dark government not very different from every communist country with their secret police and KGB?

IMHO every NGO that took government funds could be required to produce all of their records and to testify under oath. At the very least the taxpayers should know what their money was used for. And if by chance along the way someone is found to have broken laws they should face legal actions. The country needs this to heal and to discourage this kind of underhanded actions in the future.

#1 OneGuy on 2025-02-19 09:04 (Reply)

OneGuy: Now that we know USAID and virtually ever federal department laundered hundreds billions of dollars much of it going to left wing NGO's

No. We don't know that. But feel free to provide evidence for your assertion.

#1.1 Zachriel on 2025-02-19 10:21 (Reply)

Ahem... let's start with...
Samantha Power???

#1.1.1 Zachinoff on 2025-02-19 13:11 (Reply)

Then Soros NGOs...

#1.1.2 Zachinoff on 2025-02-19 13:20 (Reply)

Then the CDC and NIH...

#1.1.3 Zachinoff on 2025-02-19 14:09 (Reply)

QUOTE:

Trump Is Right About Greenland. Bringing the island closer to America makes national security sense.

No. Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to take Greenland, if Denmark, an ally of the United States, wouldn't sell out Greenlanders to the Americans.

QUOTE:

Trump Blasts Critics Of His Ukraine Peace Initiative, Including Zelensky, Questions Where Hundreds Of Billions Went

Trump said Ukraine started the war. He also falsely said the United States gave Ukraine $350 billion.

{Trump} is living in this disinformation bubble. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

QUOTE:

What would a Harris-Walz administration be doing right now?

In foreign affairs, they would align the United States with democratic and economically powerful European Nations and against Russia and other autocratic kleptocracies; as opposed to Trump, who aligns the United States with autocratic kleptocracies against democratic and economically powerful European nations.

In domestic affairs, they would work with Congress to address national affairs, rather than trying to undermine constitutional checks and balances as Trump is doing.

#2 Zachriel on 2025-02-19 10:25 (Reply)

Ukraine, aided by the US state department (Nuland)and the CIA, illegally removed and replaced the Russian speaking president. They violated their own Constitution when they came up short of the numbers required to impeach but pretended that was good enough. Then they pretended to negotiate, with the help of outsiders like Boris Johnson, which turned out to be nothing more than stalling in order to prepare for war. And do not forget the billion dollar incentive to drop an investigation in Jr. Bidens corruption with Ukraine oligarchs. All of this corruption has resulted in destroying much of Ukraine infrastructure and people.

And you wish to blame Trump disinformation... you are a jokester along with USAID Samantha Power.

#2.1 indyjonesouthere on 2025-02-19 13:02 (Reply)

Sorry Quibble-DickZ but it looks like President Trump's interests align with the interests of the American people unlike the previous administration.

#2.2 Zachinoff on 2025-02-19 13:06 (Reply)

Z: n foreign affairs, they would align the United States with democratic and economically powerful European Nations and against Russia and other autocratic kleptocracies; as opposed to Trump, who aligns the United States with autocratic kleptocracies against democratic and economically powerful European nations.

Democratic? The EU has annulled a member state's election, Germany is discussing outlawing the AfD. England prosecutes people based on that they are thinking.
Powerful? Almost all NATO and EU countries spend less than 2% of GDP on defense
Autocratic? Who jails more people for social network posts? Russia or England? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GTn1He86oJk
Kleptocracies? As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us!" US tax payers are getting ripped off for hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe a trillion and Harris-Walz would have no thought to expose it much less try to stop it.

Which constitutional checks and balances are being undermined? Ending contracts? Grants? Those are almost all initiated by an agency in the executive branch which Trump controls.

#2.3 mudbug on 2025-02-19 13:45 (Reply)

mudbug: The EU has annulled a member state's election

Incorrect. Romania's Constitutional Court annulled the election under Article 146(f) of the Romanian Constitution, due to Russian interference in the election. We understand the United States President has invited Russian interference in their elections, but other countries have constitutional provisions to ensure the integrity of their elections.

mudbug: England prosecutes people based on that they are thinking.

So, does the United States. For instance, if you intend to kill someone you may be charged with murder, intention being an element of the crime of murder which must be proven at trial.

mudbug: Almost all NATO and EU countries spend less than 2% of GDP on defense

Incorrect. Overall, NATO Europe spends 2% of GDP on defense, with 23 out of 32 members meeting or exceeding 2%.

mudbug: US tax payers are getting ripped off for hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe a trillion

Making stuff up is not much of an argument.

mudbug: Which constitutional checks and balances are being undermined?

Something new every day. Why just today, Trump said only he and the Attorney General "shall provide authoritative interpretations of the law for the executive branch." Rather, Article II of the U.S. Constitution states the president shall "take care that the laws be faithfully executed," while the power to interpret laws and to determine constitutionality belongs to the judicial branch under Article III.

#2.3.1 Zachriel on 2025-02-19 14:10 (Reply)

Seems Quibble-DickZ isn't looking for evidence but for an argument.

#2.3.1.1 Zachinoff on 2025-02-19 14:18 (Reply)

Every president and his legal team will insist they determine authoritative interpretations of the law for the executive branch. Biden and team determined that they could forgive student loans at their will. How did that turn out?

#2.3.1.2 indyjonesouthere on 2025-02-19 14:55 (Reply)

Z: ...due to Russian interference...

The Russian interference was from social media posts in support of a pro-Russian candidate from fake accounts. I don't know if that rises to the level of a fake Russian dossier or Labour party volunteers working for Harris-Walz. I think not but if you think some social media posts, even if they came from Russia is "interference", then you have a low opinion of Rumanians and/or freedom of speech since they could just as easily have been made by Rumanians.

I erred in blaming the EU but they did participate in the annullment.

QUOTE:

Thierry Breton, the European Union’s former internal market commissioner, admitted in a French TV interview at the end of last week that the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) bowed to EU pressure.

(https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/former-censorship-tsar-admits-eu-role-in-annulling-romanian-election/ which kinda makes it look like the EU interfered with the election too.

Z: So, does the United States...

My apologies for the typo. I meant to say, "England prosecutes people based on what they are thinking." But you did get the gist. However you are apparently ignorant of the Public Spaces Protective Order where you can be prosecuted for silently praying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXURFRSUS9U and https://decisionmagazine.com/uk-man-convicted-of-thought-crime/.

Z: Overall, NATO Europe spends 2% of GDP on defense...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_in_Europe_by_military_expenditures
Out of 43 Eurozone countries (I'm not counting countries like Malta, Switzerland, Iceland, Russia, etc.), 12 contribute 2% or more of GDP to defense (I didn't count Ukraine since they are in a war).

Z: Making stuff up is not much of an argument.

That's right so let's look at some fraud. The GAO in a report last March estimated that $2.7T worth of improper payments since fiscal year 2003 and of that $236B were made in the previous year. Millions of people are in the Social Security database who are old enough to be dead but their "death field" is set to FALSE! https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1891350795452654076. $4.7T of treasury payments were made without the required Treasury Account Symbol making tracking those payments impossible. Somebody made those payments untraceable. How many of those untraceable payments were proper? And then the Department of Defense has not passed an audit in seven years. Any guesses how much money is wasted there? Biden's boy Zelenskyy claims that half of the money he was supposed to have gotten didn't get to him. Where did it go? Obama sent Iran pallets of untraceable cash. Where did that come from?

Go ahead and argue that the US taxpayer isn't get ripped off for hundreds of billions of dollars.

Z: Trump said...

Yeah, Trump said his interpretation of a law is authoritative. He may be correct or not but the SCOTUS will make a final decision. Nothing has changed. Don't mention that the president should "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" after Biden ignored immigration law and anti discrimination laws.

#2.3.1.3 mudbug on 2025-02-19 17:07 (Reply)

mudbug: The Russian interference was from social media posts in support of a pro-Russian candidate from fake accounts.

That's correct. Effectively millions of dollars worth of political advertising was spent by a foreign actor, contrary to law. Regardless, disagreeing with the decision made according to the Romanian Constitution doesn't make Romania an autocratic kleptocracy.

mudbug: However you are apparently ignorant of the Public Spaces Protective Order where you can be prosecuted for silently praying.

Adam Smith-Connor was prosecuted for what he did, not for his "thoughts". He was found guilty of deliberately violating the safe zone around an abortion clinic. He had emailed the local council that he intended to conduct a silent vigil outside the clinic, which he did. Then he refused repeated police requests to leave the area. Now, you may think that his actions were warranted by his conscience and the grave nature of abortion. But, civil disobedience is, well, civil disobedience.

Z: Overall, NATO Europe spends 2% of GDP on defense...

“In 2024, NATO Allies in Europe will invest a combined total of 380 billion US dollars in defence. For the first time, this amounts to 2% of their combined GDP."

mudbug: The GAO in a report last March estimated that $2.7T worth of improper payments since fiscal year 2003 and of that $236B were made in the previous year.

That period would obviously include the first Trump administration. $236 billion (which is a small improvement over the previous year) represents about 4% of federal expenditures. Nor are most improper payments fraud. Of course, one would want to reduce the amount of improper payments, but it will never be zero.

mudbug: Millions of people are in the Social Security database who are old enough to be dead but their "death field" is set to FALSE!

That's just plain misinformation from people who should know better. The federal database uses a decades-old programming language, COBOL, which doesn't even provide a date field. As the Social Security Administration reported in 2023, they have yet to update the system to mark the dates of deaths of people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased. But those people aren't receiving benefits.

mudbug: Biden's boy Zelenskyy claims that half of the money he was supposed to have gotten didn't get to him.

No, he didn't. Zelensky said they received $75 billion in military aid. The rest of the money was economic support. None of it adds up to anywhere near the $350 billion Trump claimed—and he's the President, so he should know, or be able to find out. But he doesn't care.

mudbug: Yeah, Trump said his interpretation of a law is authoritative. He may be correct or not but the SCOTUS will make a final decision.

If you say the Supreme Court makes the final decision, then Trump was claiming powers he doesn't have under the Constitution. And that was just today!

#2.3.1.4 Zachriel on 2025-02-19 20:33 (Reply)

mudbug: Russian dossier or Labour party volunteers working for Harris-Walz

Both of those are legal. The dossier was paid out of domestic campaign funds, while foreign nationals acting as campaign volunteers are explicitly allowed under campaign law.

#2.3.1.4.1 Zachriel on 2025-02-19 22:27 (Reply)

It's not worth my time to reply to every idiot point you made but I'll give a sampling:

In the case of Rumania, you ignore the point of EU involvement.

In the case of the Public Spaces Protective Order, you admit that he announced that he would be silent. You also didn't respond to the woman who was arrested for silently praying.

In the case about SS payments I know about COBOL and in the first place but if the date of death isn't recorded that what is to tell the program that that person shouldn't still receive benefits? Of course THAT person, who is dead, doesn't receive payments, somebody else is probably getting them.

As far as Trump and his powers vis a vis SCOTUS, he didn't DO anything unlike Biden who bragged about not letting the SCOTUS stop him from paying off student loans with funds that were not approved by congress (something similar to what Democrats are saying about DOGE because Trump is supposedly not spending all the money allocated by congress.

One wonders how you would know that most improper payments weren't fraud.

#2.3.1.4.1.1 mudbug on 2025-02-19 23:45 (Reply)

mudbug: In the case of Rumania, you ignore the point of EU involvement.

Oh, did the EU unleash an army of trolls and partisan advertising on the Romanian political system? What exactly did the EU do? Romania is part of the EU, which includes provisions concerning democracy, so both parties have responsibilities. Regardless, the decision was a unanimous decision by the Romanian Constitutional Court. The effect will be to deter Russian interference in future elections, contrary to the U.S. president's stated preference for inviting Russian interference.

mudbug: In the case of the Public Spaces Protective Order, you admit that he announced that he would be silent.

Your claim was he was prosecuted for "thought". He was prosecuted for protesting in a protected space. He refused to leave when asked by the police, and he knew what he was doing was illegal.

mudbug: You also didn't respond to the woman who was arrested for silently praying.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was charged under the Public Order Act of 2023, but acquitted and awarded compensation. Adam Smith-Connor was convicted under a local ordinance.

mudbug: if the date of death isn't recorded that what is to tell the program that that person shouldn't still receive benefits?

'Cause programming. It's a kludge. Just having Musk post a bunch of numbers doesn't prove anything, and it is contradicted by the fact that the money going out doesn't match what Musk says it does.

mudbug: Biden who bragged about not letting the SCOTUS stop him from paying off student loans with funds that were not approved by congress

Biden thought he found a valid provision in the law that allowed his loan forgiveness program. He was wrong, and the court struck it down. Then he used a different legal provision, but the court has indicated that he was probably wrong on that too. At no point did Biden say his was the authoritative interpretation of the law. What Trump has done is tell the executive branch that he is the authority on interpreting the law, directly contrary to the Constitution, which grants that authority to the Judiciary.

mudbug: something similar to what Democrats are saying about DOGE because Trump is supposedly not spending all the money allocated by congress.

The courts have repeatedly ruled that the President has to follow appropriations law. Most appropriations give substantial discretion to the Executive, but other appropriations say the President "shall". The President has a duty to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed", while Article I grants Congress the power of the purse.

mudbug: One wonders how you would know that most improper payments weren't fraud.

According to the report you cited, improper payments were about $236 billion. However, $46 billion or so were underpayments, so the net would be about $144 billion. Considering the amount of mistaken underpayments, it is reasonable to suppose that the majority of overpayments were also mistakes. However, we will retract the claim about "most", as the data isn't sufficient to narrow it down further.

#2.3.1.4.1.2 Zachriel on 2025-02-20 07:49 (Reply)

"and he knew what he was doing was illegal."

That is exactly the point of it. What he was doing was a constitutionally protect right, NOT illegal. The lower courts are corrupt. The law in question is as unconstitutional as would be a law preventing blacks from protesting. I am ashamed of the Supreme Court for not stepping in and clarifying this and I am disgusted by the Democrats in congress for allowing it.

#2.3.1.4.1.2.1 OneGuy on 2025-02-20 09:25 (Reply)

OneGuy: What he was doing was a constitutionally protect right, NOT illegal.

It was in the United Kingdom, so their courts decide based on statutory and common law. But in both the United Kingdom and the United States, it has always been recognized that government can place some restraints on the place and time of speech.

#2.3.1.4.1.2.1.1 Zachriel on 2025-02-20 10:44 (Reply)

Something new every day. From the White House: LONG LIVE THE KING!

#2.3.1.4.1.2.2 Zachriel on 2025-02-20 10:52 (Reply)

The resident tribe liar strikes again!

#2.4 Mark Matis on 2025-02-19 14:17 (Reply)

I am still laughing at Wednesday's snowman picture.

#3 yoeman on 2025-02-19 10:54 (Reply)

Those are Harris/Waltz car trunk voters.

#3.1 indyjonesouthere on 2025-02-19 13:07 (Reply)

Dem Congressman Likens J.D. Vance’s Munich Speech to Hitler — Claims Rhetoric Could Be Used to ‘Justify The Holocaust’

From the link:

QUOTE:

A Democratic Congressman has compared J.D. Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference to Adolf Hitler.

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachussetts said that the rhetoric Vice President Vance used at the conference was reminiscient of Nazi Germany.

“He was talking about ‘the enemy within.’ This is some of the same language that Hitler used to justify the Holocaust,” Moulton said during an appearance on MSNBC on Monday.

As a Democrat from Massachusetts, it's a good bet that Congresscritter Moulton reveres the late Robert F. Kennedy. RFK wrote a book on organized crime: The Enemy Within: The McClellan Committee's Crusade Against Jimmy Hoffa and Corrupt Labor Unions

Did Congresscritter Moulton ever accuse RFK, in using "The Enemy Within" in the title of his book, of using Hitler-like rhetoric that could be used to justify the Holocaust?

Inquiring minds want to know.

#4 Gringo on 2025-02-19 14:40 (Reply)

Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about the Holocaust. The Zionists illegally occupying Palestine have been doing much the same for decades.

#4.1 DeGaulle on 2025-02-19 18:44 (Reply)

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Wednesday, February 19. 2025

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