Steve Thomas

Trump wanted to ‘neutralize' the presidential chain of succession by seizing power at the Capitol: By Bob Brigham July 02, 2022 https://www.rawstory.com/trump-wanted-to-neutralize-the-presidential-chain-of-succession-by-seizing-power-at-the-capitol-expert/ Finally, somebody articulated what I have thought all along. If Trump could have taken out Pence and Pelosi at the same time, the Presidential line of succession would have been broken, and Trump would have been in control of the second branch of government as well. Steve Thomas

18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection Legal Information Institute https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2383 “Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” Go Jill Wine-Banks go. Steve Thomas

After Patriot Front arrests in North Idaho, meet the new right-wing ‘Conflict Entrepreneurs’ by Marc C. Johnson, Idaho Capital Sun June 30, 2022 https://www.rawstory.com/after-patriot-front-arrests-in-north-idaho-meet-the-new-conflict-entrepreneurs/ “The 31 members of the white supremacist group calling itself Patriot Front who were arrested last week at a northern Idaho Pride Day celebration may seem, at least at first blush, to be little more than a handful of neo-poopoo losers and cranks, White men who hate the idea that the United States is a nation of ethnic and religious diversity. But it would be a mistake to dismiss these dangerous men as anything less than what they are, domestic terrorists. “ “Patriot Front has demonstrated in Philadelphia, leafleted in Vermont and the campus of the University of West Virginia and led anti-immigrant protests in California. In Brooklyn a year ago, members vandalized a George Floyd statue and defaced a mural in Richmond commemorating Black tennis great Arthur Ashe. Patriot Front members have been involved in anti-abortion rallies, as well. The group’s national reach and level or coordination is obvious given that those arrested in northern Idaho came from at least 11 states and just happened to show up packed into a rented U-Haul truck wearing hoods and carrying shields and apparently some weapons. The objective was clearly to provoke a confrontation, create chaos, grab headlines and then slink out of town. Consider this: One of those arrested in Coeur d’Alene came all the way from Alabama.” Steve Thomas

Ketchup on the walls? Why hasn't Donald Trump been arrested for vandalism? Steve Thomas

Isn't it funny that the loudest voices for pro-life when it comes to women and abortion are also the most strident calling for the death penalty. In Texas alone. there have been 574 prisoners on death row who have been executed since 1982. https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/bradfordgaylandlast.html Steve Thomas

The customer is always right. “One woman is dead and another is in surgery after a shooting in an Atlanta Subway store, WSB-TV reports. The women were Subway employees and the shooter was a customer who was allegedly upset over too much mayonnaise on a sandwich. Glenn said both the young women had only recently started working at the location. Police are still looking for the shooter.” Steve Thomas

- Lauren Boebert - "..., the Colorado Republican attempted to confront comments made by President Joe Biden about people not being able to purchase something as powerful as a cannon when the Second Amendment was written. "There were Gatling guns," the GOP lawmaker said during the interview, after urging people to know their history. "And that was a pretty high-powered machine, fully automatic really. And I think you could own a cannon, too." Cannons, ah yes. We all need our cannons. (Notwithstanding the fact that Gatling guns weren't invented until 1861.) I could say something about carrying a concealed cannon in my pocket, but I won't go there. Steve Thomas

Murder Totals Far Higher in Trump 'Red' States Than Biden 'Blue' States https://www.ncja.org/crimeandjusticenews/murder-totals-far-higher-in-trump-red-states-than-biden-blue-states Red counties have higher mortality rates than blue counties — and the gap is growing "Curiously, the "mortality gap" between red and blue counties was evident long before the pandemic began”. By Eric Schank June 10, 2022 https://www.salon.com/2022/06/10/mortality-gap-red-blue-states/ Applied Science - Health Indicators – Are Red or Blue States Better? August 2, 2020 · by Paul Chiariello https://appliedsentience.com/2020/08/02/7-health-indicators-are-red-or-blue-states-better/ Life Expectancy – Democrats do Vastly Better People without Health Insurance – Democrats do Vastly Better Infant Mortality – Democrats do Vastly Better Household Food Insecurity – Democrats do Vastly Better STDs: Chlamydia (Gonorrhea) – Democrats do Clearly (Vastly) Better Adult Obesity – Democrats do Vastly Better Hypertension Mortality – Democrats do Vastly Better No wonder Republicans had to ban abortion. Next, you will probably see calls saying “It’s your patriotic Confederate duty to bear children”. How far will it be to forced pregnancies? There are already calls in the right-wing media to stalk and follow pregnant women around to make sure they don’t have abortions. This is a nightmare. Steve Thomas

This will be the boundary of the next Mason-Dixon Line. Steve Thomas

If the FBI could warn Ruby Freeman to move out of her house "the week of" January 6th, why weren't they screaming bloody murder from the rooftops to warn the rest of the country? Steve Thomas

- Eric Greitens - “We are sick and tired of the Republicans in Name Only surrendering to Joe Biden & the radical Left. Order your RINO Hunting Permit today! . There’s no bag limit, and no tag limit” https://twitter.com/EricGreitens/status/1538876823978713089 You reap what you sow, I guess. Steve Thomas

Texas GOP Website Crashes After Push for Vote to Secede From U.S. By Andrew Stanton 06/20/2022 https://www.newsweek.com/texas-gop-website-crashes-after-push-vote-secede-us-1717449 "One particular tenet of the platform that has received attention is support for a referendum that, if supported by a majority of Texans, would allow the state to secede from the United States. A section of the platform titled "State Sovereignty" stated: "The federal government has impaired our right of local self-government. Therefore, federally mandated legislation that infringes upon the 10th Amendment rights of Texas should be ignored, opposed, refused, and nullified." The policy urges the state Legislature to require a referendum in the 2023 general election that would allow Texans "to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation."" In 1860, it was South Carolina. Today, it's Texas Steve Thomas

Internal Trump campaign emails show fake electors gambit was a 'concerted strategy': Washington Post by Brad Reed June 20, 2022 https://www.rawstory.com/trump-fake-electors-2657534115/ “Internal Trump campaign emails obtained by the Post show that campaign officials pressed Pence to accept the validity of the fake pro-Trump electors, even as lawyers working for the campaign acknowledged "they did not have legal validity and the gatherings had not been in compliance with state laws." One email highlighted by the Post was written by notorious "coup memo" author John Eastman, who on December 19th, 2020 argued that the plan to send the electors to Congress was "dead on arrival" from a legal perspective because no state legislatures had certified them. Nonetheless, Eastman said that Pence should accept them as valid in another email written days later, as doing so would create the impression that the results of the election were still in dispute. "The fact that we have multiple slates of electors demonstrate the uncertainty of either," he wrote. "That should be enough."” Steve Thomas

There was a thread on the scope in this Forum last Fall. https://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/26715-the-scope/ Steve Thomas

I can't say if It was a Mauser or a Carcano that was found, but I will make the following observations: 1) If you follow the timeline closely, the shells were found, photographed, and entered into evidence before the rifle was found. The rifle had to match the caliber of the shells that were already there. If I'm not mistaken, a Mauser and a Carcano used different caliber shells. 2) The Deputy Sheriffs arrived on the scene before the Dallas City Department officers did. When the City people arrived on the scene, the Deputy Sheriffs were sent away and told to return to work. All of the people who said they saw a Mauser were County Deputy Sheriffs. The people who said the rifle was an Italian Carcano were City officers. Steve Thomas

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TRUMP STEAKS ANYONE? Like Father, Like Son. “For example, Trump Jr. recently made a post on Instagram promoting Good Ranchers, a MAGA-friendly mail-order meat company. “If you haven’t heard about Good Ranchers before, you need to. They’re one of the only companies out there delivering 100% American meat to your door 100% of the time,” Trump Jr. said in the video, which offered the code “MAGAKING” for two free ribeye steaks.” Better Business Bureau® https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/friendswood/profile/meat/good-ranchers-llc-0915-90051868 “Current Alerts For This Business Accreditation Revocation: On 12/02/2021 this business's accreditation in the BBB was revoked by the BBB's Board of Directors due to failure by the business to adhere to the BBB requirement that Accredited Businesses meet and abide by the following standards: 6. Address disputes forwarded by BBB quickly and in good faith. 8. Approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and commitments with integrity, good faith and intent to do what is reasonably expected. 6A. Provide a response to each complaint that: Is professional, addresses all significant issues raised by the complainant, includes appropriate evidence and documents supporting the business' position, and explains why any relief sought by the complainant cannot or should not be granted. 6D. Cooperate with BBB in efforts to eliminate the underlying cause of patterns of customer complaints that are identified by BBB. Overview of BBB Ratings Steve Thomas

Jan. 6 investigators appear to have ‘stumbled on another’ crime committed by Trump: legal expert by Sky Palma June 13, 2022 https://www.rawstory.com/jan-6-hearing-trump-crimes/ “This Monday, the House committee investigating the Capitol riot said that former President Donald Trump fundraised off his false claims of mass voter fraud in the 2020 election. “The Trump campaign knew that these claims of voter fraud were false yet they continued to barrage small-dollar donors with emails encouraging them to donate to something called the ‘Official Election Defense Fund,’” senior investigative counsel Amanda Wick said. “The select committee discovered no such fund existed.” During a segment on MSNBC this Monday, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said the revelation shows that the committee "in investigating one crime may have stumbled on another." "...if [Trump] is using a lie as a false pretense to collect money from people, that could also be a charge of wire fraud, so, in that way, we may have seen an expansion of the potential liability here," McQuade said” No such fund existed. Fancy that. Steve Thomas

This is the ultimate end result of the "lst 56 years", Study Shows Widening Gap in Death Rates Between Democratic, Republican U.S. States BY MARTIN M. BARILLAS, ZENGER NEWS ON 6/10/22 AT 5:59 PM EDT https://www.newsweek.com/study-shows-widening-gap-death-rates-between-democratic-republican-us-states-1714879 " Published in the British Medical Journal, the study shows that the difference in death rates between Democratic and Republican counties increased by a factor of more than six times from 2001 to 2019. This was especially true among white Americans, and was driven by deaths caused by cancer, chronic lung disease, heart disease, suicide, drug overdoses and unintentional injuries." "The researchers, led by Dr. Haider J. Wairrach of Harvard University, concluded: "Overall, our finding that Democratic counties have experienced steeper declines in mortality than Republican counties over the past two decades builds upon previous evidence suggesting that more liberal policies, laws, and regulations may be associated with better health outcomes."" Steve Thomas

The JFK QAnon Cult Is Heading Back to Dallas for Another ‘Second Coming’ “Michael Protzman, a QAnon influencer, has once again promised that JFK would reappear and reveal himself to the group.” by David Gilbert June 10, 2022 https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7v48d/the-jfk-qanon-cult-is-heading-back-to-dallas-for-another-second-coming “More than seven months after the group first met in Dallas, it is heading back to the city this weekend after Protzman once again promised that JFK would reveal himself to the group, proving once and for all that he is, in fact, the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Protzman has already checked into the Hyatt Regency, where hundreds of people gathered back in November.” What would Marilyn say, “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” Steve Thomas

Matt, I just have one question. Will Trump's orange jump suit clash with his orange hair and orange skin, or will it complement them? Steve Thomas

Trump allies explored sending armed private contractors to seize voting machines in 2020 election By Sarah D. Wire June 4, 2022 https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-06-04/trump-allies-proposed-order-to-seize-voting-machines-gave-authority-to-armed-private-contractors “The Nov. 21, 2020, letter includes placeholder text at the top for an introduction conveying the document came from the president. The letter would have granted authority to three third-party companies to seize all election machines and election data at will, and given the companies and their subcontractors the authority to research, obtain and store offsite “all data and/or code regarding US election fraud, election manipulation, voter fraud, election interference, voter eligibility, and election systems wherever it resides.” The directive also would have allowed the companies to inspect and analyze any records or equipment related to the election, as well as details about who had contact with them and when. In addition, the letter specified that the U.S. Marshals would assist the effort and the employees of private companies authorized to perform the work would be “granted the authority to be armed when conducting these investigations since most of the operations would be conducted under hostile conditions.”” “Former U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Christopher Krebs, who was fired by Trump shortly after he made comments affirming the security of election machines, said the Nov. 21 draft appears to have been written by someone unfamiliar with executive orders and the authority they can and cannot grant. Requesting that private contractors be armed to assist in the process of inspecting machines is “chilling” and “implies that whoever drafted this [letter]... views this as some sort of warlike event,” Krebs said. “You’re talking about issuing letters of marque effectively to a private sector organization to go do some sort of activity on behalf of that executive office of the President,” Krebs said. “A private sector organization has no authority to go and seize state government equipment. The federal government doesn’t even have that authority, particularly in the context of administering elections. And we are looking at a document that says that’s OK.”” Steve Thomas

- Matt Gaetz - “I sort of like Massie’s legislation that maybe everyone who’s a voter or on their way to vote ought to have the opportunity to carry a firearm to ensure that they’re not subject to any intimidation.” Gee, I wonder what could possibly go wrong. Steve Thomas

Pat, It would seem to me that if you were saying that someone was throwing firecrackers as a diversionary tactic, you'd want to know where that person or persons were standing, and then review any film footage you had of that area to see if you could identify that person. In all the film evidence that has been examined, has anyone ever been observed lighting a firecracker, or throwing a firecracker? Has anyone ever been observed showing a startle effect , as if someone had dropped a firecracker at their feet? I personally don't remember ever seeing something like that. Steve Thomas

Do fireworks leave residue? To the best of my knowledge, no one ever reported finding leftover evidence. e.g. shredded or bunt paper. Steve Thomas