Corona Virus - How is that working for you?

At the moment you can only have alcohol with a meal...and a 2 hour limit per person on premises...(as much for turn over for the business as it is about stopping long drinking sessions) - We opened up our parks last weekend, and some groups were disappointing, not keeping their distance from each other - So we will see if this can work, its up to us ultimately. I don't drink so its no news for me...
So the message is "Don't be a Galah..."

 

Covid-19 may cost republican's control of the US Senate.

It was announced today that the FBI executed a search warrant on North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr and seized a cell phone which may have evidence of insider trading. Burr is a member of the 'gang of eight', a small group of members of Congress privy to top level intelligence. Like that on the Covid-19 pandemic. He sold off over 6 figures worth of stocks, jut ahead of the massive drop in the market.

To get a search warrant the FBIwould have to convince a Federal judge there was 'probable cause' of a crime. They would also had to get approval of Attorney General Barr. There is speculation this could be 'payback' for not always towing the line with President Trump in the Russia investigation.

Burr stepped down from the chairmanship of the Intelligence committee, but remains a Senator. It should be noted that proving insider trading is very rare and hard, also Democratic Senator Finestein was also question about he husbands trades, though no word on any search warrants executed on her or husband.

North Carolina has been rocked by serious political scandals recently. Burr's predecessor was indicted of campaign finance fraud in sex scandal and in 2018 a voting scandal led to 5 arrests and a new election in the NC 9th district.

If Burr is forced to resign before the 2022 election, North Carolina's democratic Governor can appoint a replacement, likely a democrat, at least until 2022 or until a special election can be called. Finestein is from California who also has a democratic governor and would likely appoint another democrat.

This would mean that if thr republicans lose two senate seats in this fall's election, their control would be in jeopardy. Loss of three seats would guarantee it.

 

After locals threatened to repel government tracers with firepower, the governor backed down on requiring phone numbers with your dinner reservation. Now he is just asking with a pretty please. I'm in for the duration.

 

Too early to tell...Look at Senator Robert Menendez(D-NJ), despite being indicted, he managed to get out of it, and was reelected. Only time will tell.

 

the media has been attacking Mr Trump since 2016..what planet do you live on?
Mr Trump:
combed his hair
said there instead of their
scratched his right ear
etc etc
and it's mostly for fake crap--like!!!! = Russian Collusion

..the media screams RACIST at everything and anything---this is undeniable

 

..if you hate the US, Somalia will take you...also, anywhere in Africa with the worst:
sanitation
potable water
starvation
disease
education
etc etc
if we suck, why do millions come here? and many die trying

 

There has always been a small (thankfully) subset of American society that view civil liberties as 'I' have the right to do what ever I want at any time or in any situation, 'your' rights are subject to negotiation. In the first half of our history there was a untamed frontier where 'law and order' was open to interpretation. Throughout the 1800's this helped make America into great and wealthy country, but there are no new frontiers ( in North America anyway) for these people and with a ever increasing population there must be some accommodation to the rest of society for the good and peace of all.

 

just one--just one of many examples of the MSM attacking Mr Trump and racism--here--undeniable--from day 1 [ Mr Trump did nothing wrong!!!!! ] --a perfect, undeniable, slam dunk:
The whiteness of Trump's White House interns is absurd ... and speaks volumes (opinion) - CNN
..the left are the racists--not Mr Trump

 

I hate to watch the US become a lawless banana republic. If I didn't love my country I'd leave it.

The part of the country where I live was the frontier when the grandfathers of the people who live here now were "taming" it. The Klan was strong and a dead Indian was a good Indian. The late 1800's. and early 1900's. Distrust of any government is a family tradition and threatening violence is socially acceptable. They are emboldened when the POTUS calls for violence and rebellion.

I was sitting at a bar 1/4 mile away from where military convoys pass often on the way to maneuvers and discussing why anyone needed to be armed with more firepower than an LST full of infantry on D Day. The vet said to me "What if those convoys of tanks and armored troop carriers turned off the highway and attacked the citizens? We need to be able to defend ourselves and our rights." Really? Never say never but really? I told him if that were to happen it would be best to do what the Rangers and FSSF did in WWII. Wait for opportunities to kill the enemy while they were sleeping. Totally illogical discussion about something that is improbable. We should have been talking about the Seahawks or the proposed sewer plant.

 

In other news, can you spell clusterfck?

Fed shipment of Q-tip-style coronavirus swabs puzzle Washington State officials, latest wrinkle in supply woes

 

In principle I agree, on what little I knew, I thought his goose was cooked and was surprised he held on to his seat.

There are some key differences in this case. As this this story is related to Covid, its not going away any time soon, Menendez managed to make/keep his scandal a local issue. The optics are particularly bad, we will reach 100,000 dead in a week to 10 days and with nearly 30 million out of work, a Senator making a windfall has got to burn people looking for a scapegoat.

Next there is Burr's own plans. Well before this story broke he announced he would not run for re-election to the Senate in 2022. So it is a fair question to ask how far or long does he want to fight this publicly. If he wants to be Governor or perhaps even President, maybe so, if he planned on retiring to private life, maybe no.

Both parties has shown a greater willingness to toss aside problematic members of congress of late and with what promises to be a very tight election this year, how much political capital is McConnell and other republicans willing to spend on a lame duck occasionally on Trump's crap list?

Last there is Barr's involvement. Barr would never allow a investigation with political overtones that might threaten Trump's position without first clearing it with him first, so we must conclude Trump doesn't care what fate befalls Burr.

 

Trump backs Australia

Trump backs Australia push for COVID-19 inquiry

 

A fair inquiry is sensible Just remember America First. Donnie will only believe the findings if he agrees with them. Sorry mate but if there is a shooting war with China you'll be on your own.

 

Yeah...Australia isn't relying on the US at the moment, a scary place to be, but it's giving defence a boost...We must be more self reliant. We wouldn't get into a stoush with China...And China probably doesn't want to fight us either. Like most governments theres rhetoric for domestic consumption, and whats being said internationally. China doesn't want to piss us off too much and has been conciliatory behind closed doors. They still need our beef, diary products (like you wouldn't believe) wine and of course steel...China will need plenty of steel to pump their economy back up...we will fill that need.
They bully us all the time, and we push back, which they respect. As I have said many moons ago, Australia has been riding both dragons (US and China) for decades, we know how to shift in the saddle and stay on...but nothing lasts forever.

 

Trump backs Australia...Or more to the point...Trump retweets the actions of others while the USA does nothing.

Why is Australia & Africa taking the lead on this?

 

Good question...we went out of the blocks a bit early, and was seen as the only one, so China hit back at us...finally Australia has found some friends to stand with us.

 

Unfortunately, the US is not one of them, we only stand with God and his Son, the Almighty Dollar.

 

Too damned many kids slept through high school civics and now they think their "rights" are sacrosanct, for some strange reason the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights above all others. The problem is they missed the part where those rights are balanced by concomitant responsibilities. Yes, you have a right to free speech, but you do not have a right to scream fire in a crowded theater as a joke - to use the old SCOTUS example; or to incite a riot. You also don't have a right to be a dip$hit and leave an unsecured firearm in your unlocked pickup truck or to use your lawfully owned firearm in a felonious assault on any random people you don't happen to like. You do have a responsibility to obey lawful firearms regulations and know how to keep the damned things safe and out of the hands of children, idiots, and felons, including your own if you happen to be one of those things.

 

With rights comes responsibilities...you are correct that this isn't taught anymore...In Aboriginal culture, there is a ceremony to make kids into men of the tribe...they are told their new rights, but the real schooling is in their new responsibilities they must now take on...White culture had the same thing, but no longer teaches responsibilities...Indeed the 21st birthday should be a day of learning one's new responsibilities, instead we have turned it into a piss drinking party...completely lost the point of it.

 

The 21st birthday is just an arbitrary date. I think it should be the 15th - 18th.

When, I was growing up, at 16, you could drive a 2-ton vehicle to work, but child labor laws prevented you from using a knife.

At 18, you were essentially considered an adult, you were technically free of your parents, if you committed a crime you were charged as an adult, you could be drafted and be sent of to kill and be killed.

But...You still could not legally buy an alcoholic beverage. Although I did hear they moved the smoking age to 21.

The laws don't make any sense...Hence we get drunk on our 21st in a vain attempt to comprehend the nonsensical laws.