W. Niederhut

Our three Kirk, Thankfully, the forum has truly brilliant MAGA members like Karl Kinaski, Paul Rigby, and John Cotter to tirelessly educate us all about American history and contemporary politics-- and MAGA Ron DeSantis to get to the bottom of this latest libtard/Deep State plot against Donald Trump! Trump knows that climate change is a Chinese hoax, and DeSantis knows it too. Meanwhile, Kinaski, Rigby, and Cotter did a diligent job of endlessly posting the MAGA YouTube conspiracy videos-- and X-Twitter posts--about the putative Deep State plot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and now they are keeping us up-to-date about the Deep State plot in Florida. Their financial planner/YouTube MAGA marketing guy, Martenson, is the kind of investigative journalist we really need to get to the bottom of this case! What's puzzling, though, is that Kinaski, Rigby, and Cotter have never been able to explain why the Deep State hired a dietary aid from a nursing home to assassinate Trump in Butler. Was Crooks a decoy, and the expert assassin missed, or what, exactly? Perhaps our three Euro sleuths will have better luck explaining why the CIA hired a mentally unstable construction worker to hide in the bushes at Trump's golf course for 12 hours, before fleeing the scene. And perhaps Rigby, Kinski, and Cotter can eventually explain why the Deep State foiled the golf course plot by discovering that a guy with the gun who was hiding in the bushes. How does the golf course diligence of the much-maligned Secret Service fit into the Kinaski/Rigby/Cotter Deep State narrative? Stay tuned, folks!! 🙄 Admittedly, it's hard to imagine that angry American nuts with AK-47s would try to kill a wonderful, racist demagogue like Donald Trump. Stuff like this never seems to happen in Ireland, Austria, and the UK. How could it happen here?

Probably true. By 2008, we were all trying to forget about Dubya. IMO, the same thing was true in the case of some of the great Vietnam War films-- Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Hearts and Minds, Between Heaven and Earth, etc. Many Americans didn't want to think about what we had done in Southeast Asia. In the case of the Iraq War, the Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker, also didn't do very well at the box office, as I recall.

Saw this at Salon today. May be of interest to Douglas Caddy and others. “Active suppression of witnesses”: CIA lied about "Havana Syndrome," whistleblower documents reveal | Salon.com

Russians made video falsely accusing Harris of hit-and-run, Microsoft says The fake narrative was one of several concocted attacks on the Democratic presidential candidate that went viral on social media, the company said. September 17, 2024 SAN FRANCISCO — Russian propagandists are escalating attacks on the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris with false but widely circulated videos on social media, including one that featured an actor accusing Harris of a nonexistent hit-and-run that paralyzed a girl, Microsoft researchers said Tuesday. That video was a viral hit, spread by X accounts with as a many as a half-million followers, despite first appearing on a newly minted San Francisco news outlet that soon vanished. Posts featuring the video racked up 7 million views on X alone, and were also on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Another video manufactured an assault on an attendee of a rally for Republican candidate Donald Trump, garnering millions of views, Microsoft said. One depicted a fake New York billboard with vulgar messages saying Harris wanted to change children’s gender. It drew hundreds of thousands of views on X. In all, Microsoft called out three Russian government-backed groups in addition to those described in federal charges last week against employees at propaganda network RT. One group was “adept at grabbing headlines with its outlandish fake videos and scandalous claims,” Microsoft said, while another “will likely only escalate its targeting of the Harris-Walz campaign in the lead-up to Election Day.” Microsoft described those and other smear jobs in its regular report on election-influence attempts. It said there will be another report before the November election. The latest findings suggest that the Russian government has not been daunted by previous exposures and the disruption of websites that masqueraded as mainstream news sites to push falsehoods. They also belie Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent claim that he supports Harris in the election. Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said Monday that it was banning pages for state-run television outlet RT after the United States said the outlet was involved in intelligence activities as well as propaganda and announced sanctions against related companies. Two weeks ago, the Justice Department indicted two RT employees, accusing them of laundering nearly $10 million through shell companies to covertly run a Tennessee-based media firm that posted videos by prominent conservative influencers seeking to undermine support for Ukraine. Last week, State Department officials said the campaign was a small part of covert information operations run by RT. RT and other Russian government outlets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “are no longer merely fire hoses of Russian propaganda and disinformation. They are engaged in covert influence activities aimed at undermining American elections and democracies, functioning like a de facto arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.” On Tuesday, Microsoft further outlined activity by six Russian hacktivist groups that claim to be independent but appear to work in tandem with the FSB security service, GRU military intelligence or other Russian government entities. The Kremlin has denied involvement in any attempts to influence the American election. Like the private companies Moscow is accused of using to sow disinformation without accountability, the hacking groups “offer a method for potentially laundering compromising information garnered from a hack-and-leak operation while maintaining a veil of plausible deniability,” Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center wrote. It said officials and the media “should be wary of overinflating the threat of these groups in the public forum yet should remain vigilant.” Russians made videos falsely accusing Harris of hit-and-run, Microsoft says - The Washington Post

There's a right way to respond to the apparent attempt on Trump's life. And a wrong way. (msn.com) September 17, 2024 For a political candidate, responding to an assassination attempt should be fairly easy: Be thankful if no one was hurt, express your condolences if anyone was and condemn political violence. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris showed how to do it in her immediate response to the apparent assassination attempt over the weekend on former President Donald Trump, putting out a statement that said she is "glad he is safe" and that "violence has no place in America." Trump’s response, however, has revealed a very different approach. Speaking to Fox News Digital less than 24 hours after the incident, he claimed that the rhetoric of President Joe Biden and Harris was "causing me to be shot at," then immediately pivoted to saying they are “destroying the country” and that they are “the enemy from within” and “the real threat." The threat of political violence, regrettably, is nothing new in our nation’s history. However, this election cycle, the rhetoric has been hotter, more negative and more dangerous than usual, and how our politicians choose to respond may matter. For Republican candidates in swing districts and states, responding more like Harris — and less like Trump — may be the key to putting some distance between their campaigns and the problematic candidate at the top of the ticket. Condemning the apparent attempt on Trump's life while making sure to also criticize other overheated and even violent rhetoric from your own side can make these candidates look thoughtful and responsible. These candidates should be careful to avoid any similar comments and go out of their way to talk about their opponents as fundamentally decent people with whom they politically disagree.

Never trust a bleeding-heart liberal, Denny. They're the loony libtards who created Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare. They also wrote the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and joined the Paris Climate Accords to try to mitigate climate change. They're coming for our incandescent lightbulbs and gas leaf blowers. Talk about evil! And that loony libtard, Tim Walz, passed reforms to prevent racist white policemen from murdering black guys like George Floyd in cold blood. Meanwhile, Haitians are eating cats and dogs, thanks to the loony, childless, libtard cat ladies. We need to Make America Great Again by rounding up dark-skinned people from sh*thole countries, and cutting more taxes for billionaires. See posts by Paul Rigby, Karl Kinaski, and John Cotter for full details.

The French can make great cuisine out of anything-- even cats and dogs, I expect. Perhaps the Haitians picked up on that culinary knack from their former French overseers. Or, perhaps, Trump and JD Vance are simply two lying sacks of merde who are demonizing Haitians to fire up their base.

Confused Trump struggles in 'painful' crypto interview and keeps trying to change topic Donald Trump's bid to become a 'crypto bro' has got off to a bad start as the 78-year-old couldn't answer simple questions during a live X Spaces Confused Trump struggles in 'painful' crypto interview and tries to change topic - Politics - News - Daily Express US (the-express.com) September 16, 2024

J.D. Vance Explains Trump’s ‘Concept of a Plan’ September 17, 2024 at 9:27 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Jonathan Chait: “Donald Trump infamously said at the presidential debate he had the ‘concept of a plan’ to replace Obamacare. As is often the case when Trump commits verbal self-harm, it fell to J.D. Vance to turn his car wreck of a statement into an intelligible position.” “What Vance came up with is not only surprising but, if understood properly, far more damaging than Trump’s original statement. The Trump plan, according to Vance, is to permit insurance companies to discriminate against people with preexisting conditions.” Brian Beutler: Vance lets slip: He and Trump are coming for your health care.

Matt, IMO, part of the problem here is that our justice system, and law enforcement, have no meaningful way to police or prosecute stochastic terrorism. It's non-specific, population-based incitement of violence by demagogues. I thought about this after various acts of violence incited by Trump's hate speech. How does our justice system prosecute the demagogue? How does law enforcement intervene? They don't.

Meanwhile Kinaski and Rigby are trying to figure out why on earth Routh would have suspected that Trump might play golf on a Sunday. Who'd have thunk? Perhaps they thought he was in church, wearing golf cleats again. Their financial planner/conspiracy theory YouTube guru, Martenson, has constructed a whole new MAGA rabbit hole about this incident.

So, Paul Rigby is back in a big way today-- posting more MAGA spam from his favorite Peak Prosperity salesman, and lurid Russian stories about alleged Neo-Nazis in Ukraine, etc. But, oddly, I noticed that Rigby hasn't posted anything about Trump's Neo-Nazi Proud Boys marching and making bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio! Rigby still seems to be stuck in a Kremlin/MAGA algorithm, and he can't get out of it.

David, I thought Oliver Stone's film, "W.", (starring Josh Brolin as Dubya Bush) was a good flick-- perhaps under appreciated.

"Bankrupting residents by hundreds of thousands of dollars?" Sounds like another classic Donald Trump projection. He's about to bankrupt his fans who invested in Truth Social.

I wonder if Trump will have any trouble getting a foursome together now. Roger Stone and Sean Hannity would probably oblige. And Laura Loomer could ride shotgun in Trump's golf cart with an AK-47. I know from dodging elk at Estes Park that Secret Service men could also ride standing on the back of those carts.

Yeah, Kirk, Trump and the Russian t-r-o-l-l farms are going to milk this loony Mar-a-Lago AK-47 incident for all they can-- while ignoring the core problem of GOP/NRA gun violence in the U.S. Their false narrative is always Trump-as-Victim. But let's recall that Putin funneled $30 million to Trump in 2016 through the NRA-- and Trump and his GOP goons on the SCOTUS have dutifully obstructed any attempts to implement rational gun control in the U.S. Today, as expected, our Education Forum MAGA spammers-- Karl Kinaski and Paul Rigby-- are already swamping the board with MAGA spam about Ryan Routh and his AK-47. Lucky us... It's a re-play of Kinaski & Rigby cutting-and-pasting pages of MAGA spam here after the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting-- including X-tweets from Laura Loomer, Vigilant Fox, Zero Hedge, and MAGA Ben Shapiro. 🙄

Pamela, Please do some remedial educational reading. Let's try this a second time. Here’s what Tim Walz has done as governor of Minnesota • Minnesota Reformer Here’s what Tim Walz has done as governor of Minnesota By: Max Nesterak, J. Patrick Coolican and Deena Winter - August 7, 2024 2:37 pm Democrats have swiftly fallen for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Midwest dad persona, sharing videos of him working on a car, going on a rollercoaster with daughter Hope at the State Fair, signing a bill renaming a street in Prince’s honor in purple ink. But he’s also got a long record as governor. Walz’s first term was largely defined by the gridlock of divided government and crisis management in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd. But once Democrats swept control of state government in the 2022 elections with Walz at the top of the ticket, they passed one of the most significant progressive agendas in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority. Walz represented a Republican-leaning district in the U.S. House and was widely seen as the more centrist of the two leading Democratic candidates for governor, but he’s become a champion of progressive policy as governor. With few exceptions, Walz supported what the Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate could muster the votes to pass. Those bills — ranging from protecting abortion access to speeding up energy permitting to increasing protections against wage theft — have excited the nation’s Democratic base, which is beginning to learn about the trifecta’s work over the past two years. Here’s a look at where Walz stands on the issues, based on the bills he’s signed. Abortion access Among the first bills Walz signed after Democrats took control of the Legislature was the Protect Reproductive Options Act, guaranteeing that “every individual has a fundamental right to make autonomous decisions about the individual’s own reproductive health.” The law fulfilled a campaign promise that helped Democrats win control of state government after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states across the South and Midwest to enact draconian restrictions on abortion. “The message that we’re sending Minnesota today is very clear: Your rights are protected in the state. You have the right to make your own decisions about your health, your family and your life,” Walz said during a ceremonial bill signing in January 2023. Democrats then passed a “shield law” aimed at protecting women who travel to Minnesota for abortions by prohibiting state courts, law enforcement and health care providers from cooperating with authorities outside the state. Finally, Democrats eliminated virtually all restrictions on abortion — many of which had already been deemed unconstitutional — including that abortions after the first trimester be performed in a hospital or abortion facility, that both parents of minors be notified and that the state Department of Health keep data on abortions. Education Perhaps the most popular bill Walz signed into law provides free school breakfast and lunch to all kids at eligible schools, regardless of income. The bill signing at a Minneapolis school created the now-ubiquitous image of a mob of schoolchildren embracing Walz as he laughs. The 2023 Legislature also boosted K-12 education spending by $2.3 billion and early childhood education by $300 million, although school districts complained much of the new funding went to cover new mandates. Among those mandates was The Read Act, which requires school districts to use evidence-based practices to teach reading. School districts must also provide free menstrual products to students. One of the more controversial policies Walz signed into law banned school police officers from using prone — e.g., face down — restraints on students, which created a mini political crisis when some police departments pulled their officers from schools. Walz said he doesn’t support the use of face-down holds but also signed the bill repealing the ban. Walz signed a bill providing free college tuition for University of Minnesota and Minnesota State campuses, for families with income of $80,000 or less. For Walz, a former teacher, achieving a “Minnesota Miracle 2.0” would define his legacy as governor. But the state’s above-average achievement has sunk closer to average during his tenure, while racial disparities, among the worst in the nation, have persisted. In 2015 the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked the state sixth overall in the U.S. on education quality. By 2024 Minnesota had fallen to 19th place. Increased funding for schools, science-based reading instruction requirements and free universal meals will likely take years to yield results. Walz was criticized by Republicans for keeping schools shuttered longer than in many Republican-led states. The long periods of remote learning damaged the academic and social/emotional progress of many children, but Walz and his allies said the risk to staff and families was too great. A federal program — administered by the state Department of Education — designed to feed hungry children when schools and daycares closed became the source of a massive fraud, with over $250 million gone missing. The U.S. attorney has convicted nearly two dozen people of the 70 who have been charged, in what is the biggest pandemic relief fraud in the nation. Labor Walz signed into law one of the most significant pro-worker agendas in state history in 2023, including paid sick leave and a state-run paid family and medical leave program providing up to 20 weeks of leave in a single year. Democrats banned noncompete agreements; banned anti-union captive audience meetings; expanded unemployment benefits to hourly school workers who are off during the summer; made general contractors liable for wage theft by their subcontractors; and raised workplace safety standards at meatpacking plants and Amazon and other big warehouses. The state also established a nation-leading Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board with the power to set wages across the industry. Walz has also signed massive infrastructure spending packages — known as “bonding bills” — including a $2.6 billion package in 2023 funding many union construction jobs repairing roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure. Walz broke with his allies in the labor movement on two significant occasions that year, however. Walz insisted on a carve-out for Mayo Clinic from two bills aimed at increasing nurse staffing levels and slowing the rise of health care costs, after the health care giant — and largest private employer in the state — threatened to move billions in future investments out of state. Both bills were gutted. The president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, the union advocating for the staffing bill, called it a “betrayal.” Walz also issued the only veto of his tenure on a bill setting minimum pay rates for Uber and Lyft drivers and granting them greater protections from being unfairly deactivated after Uber said it may leave the state. Instead, he created a task force on driver pay and labor standards, which informed a bill he did sign earlier this year. Environment One-hundred percent of Minnesota’s energy must come from carbon-free sources by 2040 under a bill Walz signed into law in early 2023, putting the state on one of the most aggressive timelines to shift away from fossil fuels. He also signed a bill to speed up permitting for new energy projects. While celebrated by environmentalists at the time, his administration has recently earned their ire by advocating for the “carbon free” definition to include burning wood and trash for energy since those sources will emit carbon dioxide whether burned for electricity or left to decompose. Walz also moved aggressively to curb greenhouse gas emissions by making Minnesota the first state in the Midwest to adopt California’s clean car standards. The standards, which requires car dealers to offer more hybrid and electric vehicles, are set to take effect next year after surviving a lengthy legal battle. His administration’s adoption of the rule will likely provide fodder to the Trump campaign, which called Walz a “radical leftist” in a statement on Tuesday. “Walz is obsessed with spreading California’s dangerously liberal agenda far and wide,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign press secretary, said following the announcement of Walz as Harris’ running mate. Along with clean car standards, Walz approved additional tax credits to bring down the cost of electric cars and e-bikes. Early in his first term, Walz continued a legal challenge from his predecessor’s administration to Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement pipeline. Enbridge ultimately completed the new oil pipeline despite legal challenges and protests by some Native tribes and environmental activists — including outside the governor’s residence. Walz faced harsh criticism from those groups for not using executive power to halt construction. Environmentalists have also been disappointed that Walz hasn’t tried to stop plans for copper-sulfide mining near the Boundary Waters and in the St. Louis River watershed that feeds into Lake Superior. His administration has defended state permits for PolyMet’s proposed mine near Babbitt, and allowed Twin Metals to conduct drilling tests on state land near the Boundary Waters. The Biden administration essentially put a 20-year moratorium on the Twin Metals proposal, however, by removing 225,000 acres near the protected wilderness from the federal mining leasing program. Those projects are supported by trade unions, which has put competing pressure on Walz from two important constituencies. Health care Like many Democratic governors, Walz put in place a stay-at-home order at the beginning of the pandemic, and later an indoor mask mandate and restrictions on public events at the urging of public health authorities and institutions like the Mayo Clinic. Walz enlisted former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to win statewide office in Minnesota, in a public show of their COVID-19 vaccination. He required state workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the workplace. The pandemic decisions were polarizing and at times faced legal challenges. By the time the worst of the pandemic was over, Minnesota had lower COVID-19 death rates than most other states. Walz spent his first term under divided government fruitlessly pushing for expansion of MinnesotaCare, Minnesota’s health insurance program for the working poor. With Democrats in power, Walz signed a bill moving the state toward establishing a public option that allows all residents without employer-subsidized health insurance to buy into MinnesotaCare. The earliest that could begin is 2027, and lawmakers must still receive federal approval and find a way to fund the new social benefit. In the first year of his second term, Walz signed a bill to expand public health insurance access to the more than 40,000 undocumented people estimated to live in Minnesota who meet the income requirements of MinnesotaCare beginning as soon as next year. Walz also signed a bill making Minnesota a refuge for people seeking gender-affirming care. Marijuana Democrats duped Republicans into legalizing low-dose THC edibles and drinks in 2022, and then came back for full legalization after taking both chambers in the election that year. Walz ran on legalization in 2018, so this was a promise kept. The legalization rollout has been a little rocky. Walz’s first choice to lead the Office of Cannabis Management was forced to step aside after media reports that she had been selling THC products with more THC than is legally allowed, had tax liens and unpaid debts. The administration has still yet to name a permanent replacement. The law includes an expungement mechanism to help people clear their records of marijuana convictions. It also favors communities hardest hit by prohibition by giving them a head start on obtaining a license to open a marijuana dispensary. Retail sales are expected next spring, MinnPost recently reported. Policing and public safety The aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd in 2020 presented one of the greatest political and governing challenges of Walz’s career. The widespread destruction of the riots, which followed decades of police abuses, created a lasting liability for him. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blamed Walz for hesitating to call in the National Guard while the city burned, while Walz’s office said the city did not provide enough detailed information for them to deploy the National Guard until the afternoon of May 28 — after three nights of protests and rioting. Trump, at his rally in St. Cloud, falsely said he saved Minneapolis by calling in the National Guard, and Republicans have hammered Walz for “allowing” the rioting four years ago. At the time, Walz also faced pressure to quickly pass police reforms by those far to the left of him championing “defund the police,” a slogan that continues to haunt mainstream Democrats. Walz did sign a bipartisan bill in 2020 with policing changes, including a ban on certain chokeholds; a ban on “warrior-style” training for police officers; and residency incentives for police officers to live in the city they patrol. Later, with control of state government, Democrats passed a more sweeping package of changes to policing and criminal justice broadly. Walz signed a bill changing the state’s standard for deadly force, saying it “shall be exercised judiciously and with respect for human rights and dignity and for the sanctity of every human life.” Walz also signed a bill banning cops from entering homes without knocking first — with limited exceptions — in response to the 2022 police killing Amir Locke, a young Black man not suspected of any crime. He also signed off on a massive overhaul of the state’s prison system, making it more rehabilitative and less punitive in an effort to reduce recidivism. It includes earned release, in which prisoners can get out earlier and shorten their community supervision time if they participate in rehabilitation programs. Now, prisoners can get out when half their sentence has been served if they complete programs and behave well; Republicans called it a “get out of jail free” bill. Walz also signed legislation that limits probation to five years for most felonies (except for homicides and sex crimes); made phone calls free for prisoners; legalizes possession of drug paraphernalia; made it easier for people to expunge non-violent crimes from their records; made it easier to get clemency; and banned people involved in hate or extremists groups from being licensed as police officers. While governor, the state gave $300 million to cities, counties and tribal governments to spend on law enforcement as they see fit and invested $70 million in community violence prevention grants for victim services, prison re-entry, homelessness assistance, restorative justice, violence interruption and juvenile diversion. Undocumented Minnesotans can now get a driver’s license after Walz signed a bill in early 2023. Voting rights Last year Walz signed legislation restoring voting rights to felons who are no longer imprisoned. The law was upheld this week in the face of a legal challenge. The bill restored the right to vote to over 50,000 Minnesotans who have completed their sentences but remain on probation or parole. Prior to that, they had to wait until they were out from under the government’s control and had paid their fines and restitution. Given Minnesota’s lengthy probation, that could add up to years. Walz also signed the Democracy for the People Act, which aims to make casting a ballot easier. The law includes automatic voter registration; allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote; and creates a permanent mail voting list, meaning voters can be automatically sent a mail ballot for every election, without having to apply for one. Other new election laws Walz signed include a requirement that voting instructions and sample ballots be translated into languages other than English in certain districts; protections for election workers from intimidation or interference; a ban on tampering with voting equipment, ballot boxes and lists of registered voters; and an extension of the right to leave work in order to vote to include the 46 days of early voting. Taxes The Legislature passed and Walz signed a 1% sales tax increase in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, with .75% dedicated to transportation and .25% for housing. It was a major victory for Democrats, who had long sought dedicated funding sources for public transportation and affordable housing. But the tax hike — passed when the Legislature had a $17.5 billion surplus — drew outrage from Republicans. Walz also signed a bill tying the state’s gas tax to inflation — capped at 3% — which was a politically risky decision as consumers’ budgets were battered by high gas prices and high inflation. In addition to tax increases, Walz and his Democratic colleagues exempted Social Security income from taxes for joint filers earning less than $100,000 a year. They also championed tax credits for low-income families, and the state earned the recognition of having the most equitable tax system in the country, according to the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. Walz signed one of the nation’s largest child tax credits, which is steeply graduated, granting $1,750 per child for low-income Minnesotans. It begins to phase out for married filers who make $35,000 annually and $29,500 for single taxpayers. Walz also signed a bill expanding the Working Family Credit, which is the state equivalent of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The Legislature passed and Walz signed a one-time tax rebate of $260-$1,300, depending on family size, in what became colloquially known as a “Timmy stimmy.” The former renters’ tax credit has become an income tax credit, which is expected to sharply increase the number of people who claim it. Even as legislators pushed for a novel tax increase on corporations’ international revenue, as well as a fifth income tax tier, Walz let those proposals die on the vine. Gun control The perception going into the 2018 campaign for governor that Walz was a moderate was due in large part to his position on guns. He grew up around guns, was a skilled marksman during his military career, hunts pheasants and had long been endorsed by the NRA. That changed after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, which also coincided with Walz’s campaign to win the Democratic-Farmer-Labor endorsement that spring. “The world’s changed. I’ve changed,” he said at the time. Since then, he signed bills requiring background checks for all private gun sales; allowing a judge to temporarily take a person’s guns if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others, e.g., a “red flag” law; and increasing the penalty for straw purchases of guns, as when a person buys guns for the express purpose of helping someone get a gun when they are not legally allowed to. That law passed in the wake of the killing of three first responders by a gunman alleged to have used a firearm obtained via a straw purchase. Housing Minnesota lawmakers increased the state’s spending on housing about ninefold with a $1 billion spending package — paid for with part of the $17.5 billion surplus in 2023 — to increase affordable housing, prevent homelessness, expand homeownership opportunities and provide rental assistance to thousands of households. A bipartisan group of lawmakers aimed to increase housing construction by overriding local zoning laws that restrict development and economic inclusion. Most of those proposals failed to get enough support, however, although Walz did sign a bill ending an environmental lawsuit against Minneapolis over its pro-density 2040 plan.

It should include a rider about Trump paying for his own golf course security.

Matt, IMO, the real issue here-- as in Butler, Pennsylvania-- is that angry men in the U.S. can easily buy deadly assault rifles and shoot people, for a wide array of "reasons." Most such men are MAGA Republicans, but not all. In 2002 Ryan Routh, apparently, had an altercation with police in North Carolina, in which he barricaded himself in a building with a machine gun! MAN WITH GUN BARRICADES SELF INSIDE BUSINESS (greensboro.com) Only in America-- among G-7 nations-- could someone with Routh's history easily buy an AK-47 in order to shoot a presidential candidate. Naturally, the MAGA media will not focus on this crazy aspect of the story, but, IMO, it's crucial. We should recall that our weak "Brady" laws were enacted only after John Hinckley, Jr. shot Reagan. So, the key issue isn't that Trump is a victim. It's American guns, and the nuts who buy them. Meanwhile, the American taxpayers have spent a sizeable fortune on security for Trump at his golf courses and MAGA rallies since 2016. It's ridiculous.

Geez... unreal. I think our forum members and mods can clearly see what the problem is here. We have a forum member who didn't even watch the historic Harris-Trump debate posting MAGA disinformation about what happened, then posting false ad hominem slurs about those who have taken the time to correct his misunderstanding of history. * Here are 6 of the wackiest conspiracies to explain Trump's debate fail (dailykos.com)

Read my posts again, John. You're either a pathological dissembler, or your reading comprehension is truly impaired. What did I explain (above) about the appropriate, timid ABC fact-checking of Trump's firehose of falsehoods? The ABC mods only fact-checked two or three of Trump's 30+ lies in that debate. And the format didn't allow Harris to respond to most of Trump's lies. The Daily Kos article (above) made precisely the same point, for those who understand plain English. You, obviously, didn't even watch the debate.

Paul, Ryan Routh may be mentally ill, but there's nothing "psychotic" about supporting Ukrainian sovereignty and freedom. On the contrary, the "psychos" are the people supporting Putin's war crimes in Ukraine, and his oppression of his own people.

So, while we're waiting for John Cotter to finally answer my question about whether he watched the historic Trump-Harris debate, here's an amusing review of the loony MAGA excuses for Trump's disastrous debate performance.* Guess which MAGA excuse is listed at #1 here? It's John Cotter's MAGA Megyn Kelly "Biased Moderator" trope!! 🙄 In all fairness to John Cotter, he probably doesn't know that Megyn Kelly got her career start by being pimped out to the MAGA cult by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes. Now she markets her own show to her remaining MAGA base, after getting canned by Fox and NBC. * Here are 6 of the wackiest conspiracies to explain Trump's debate fail (dailykos.com)