Pattern Ghost

I think my favorite take on it so far was a simple one:

"They came for Dolly.  We ride at dawn."
 
I mean, seriously...this is like going after Mister Rogers.

I had not seen a thread on this and while I knew he was unwell had not appreciated just how much.  There is a note from his sister on Scott's personal page - I have reproduced that here because folk may not browse personal pages too often.
 
I am sure the boards will be poorer without his take on the issues under discussion, not least due to his personal experience with the folk who brought Champions to the marketplace.
 

State conviction, he cannot.

Then I guess they were libertarians the way MAGA were conservatives.

I'd say that's a bit of a leap. I don't think politically motivated violence is enough to move the dial much for murder, specifically. The good news, is that murder is slightly down overall.

It's significantly higher, actually. The national rate is around 6%, Las Cruces around 9%, half again the national.
 
I think the big question is why? Seattle has seen a similar increase, despite the booming economy. 
 
We know economics are a large driver crime. Crime tends to go down when the economy is good, and up when it's bad.  It's apparent that our reportedly booming economy isn't really benefiting everyone equally, and this is another symptom. When I pay nearly $5/gallon for gas, and three bags of groceries ring up to nearly $100, and the "budget" vehicles I'm shopping for have new prices of $25-35k and are considered bargains* . . . I'm lead to believe there's room for improvement.
 
There's certainly a lot more to this, but the economy is what has me grumpy today. I'm getting a bit tired to hear how great things are going with all this inflation giving our household drastically decreased spending power.
 
 
 
*I'll be driving my 2015 Corolla until the wheels fall off, even if I can get 20 mpg better in a hybrid. If anyone has a Corolla Hybrid, PM and let me know if it's reliable and as good on gas as advertised. 😃

It's the 40th anniversary of The Black Suit
 
 

 
 
Also...I'm old

Are we talking about thefts from the British Museum, or thefts by the British Museum?
 
* ducks *

CGI Space Cloud was afraid of being typecast, and took the role to show its range. 

Wasn't it the escaped fart of a Greek god or something?

I'm expecting that the IMDB page for CGI Space Cloud would also include episodes of Star Trek and Dr. Who, as well as a recurring role in Lost.
 
The head shots would be a bit fuzzy, though.

Hank Pym
CES

And the greed.  Don't forget the greed.

It gets EVEN BETTER!
 

I'll settle for any outcome in which America does not descend into a fascist hellscape.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/20/us/politics/house-vote-aid-ukraine-israel.html
 
Thank goodness. Aid to Israel and Ukraine (and Taiwan) passes the House.

I think we generally agree with you, but the First Amendment says they're protected speech...for the most part.  The "COVID is a hoax" may be actionable...if said by a doctor, as a violation of professional ethics.  Even that, tho, probably requires quite a bit more to it before any punishment will get handed down.
 
And how far do you want to take that?  Because you KNOW the Paxtons and DeSantises would weaponize this as fast as they could, and THEIR definition of "demonstrable lies" or "harmful speech" might well include anything counter to their manipulation of Biblical text.
 
 
 
 

I've come to some grudging acceptance of the "hush money" label simply because large swaths of the electorate wouldn't pay attention at all if it were a "mere" election fraud trial.  I know my fellow Americans well enough to know that high treason isn't nearly as interesting as a porn star.

1/3 of the jurors already selected today.  At this rate the trial might get fully underway by Monday.
 
Also, I'm getting tired of corporate media headlines burying the lede.  This isn't a "hush money" trial, it's a campaign finance violation trial.  Paying off your porn star is not a crime, but laundering the payments in violation of campaign finance law, and thereby cheating in the election, is a felony.

I wasn't praising them. Just pointing out a fact.
 
Below is a thorough, non-partisan analysis of Iran's response to the Israeli strike, its implications and possible outcomes. If you want a clearer understanding of the dynamics involved, it's worth investing eight minutes forty seconds.
 
 

Let's not forget they helped engineer the 10/7 attack:
 
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-israel-hamas-strike-planning-bbe07b25
 
Israel may have hit them first in this round of Poke the Bear, but I don't think Iran deserves any praise for restraint. 

Wait, what?
 
Oh yeah, the poll...gimme a bit.

Yesterday marked six years of me never having to pretend to be a guy again, and today, like every March 31st, is International Transgender Day of Visibility, so it's a double celebration for me.
 
Being visible as a trans person is important to me for two main reasons. For one, to remind non LGBTQ+ folks that people like me exist and are real people who are part of their communities. The other reason is to help older trans people who think that they're too old to transition know that it's never too late. I started my transition at fifty-two and it's still the best thing I've ever done for myself.
 
So, like the title says, happy Trans Day of Visibility.

Turkey’s Erdogan dealt major election blow as opposition party wins big cities