By David Futrelle
Three, three indictments in one! Three former Trump campaign officials are in the hot seat today. Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is the big name on the list (along with his pal Rick Gates), for such fun things as conspiracy against the U.S. and money laundering. But even more intriguing is the GUILTY PLEA of relatively unknown Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, whom Mueller has presumably flipped, who seems to have been doing some active COLLUDING WITH THE RUSSIANS.
So here’s an open thread to discuss the news and any other indictment fun that transpires today.
NOTE: Sorry to have gone missing for so long. I’m still dealing with a combo of health issues that have made it very difficult to work. Thanks again for your patience and support.
I’m surprised Lush’s “Ladykillers” didn’t turn up in this thread.
Supposedly the 3 guys referenced in the song are Liam Gallagher, Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Matt Sharp from Weezer and Rentals, in that order. Which of course explains the Kiedis looking guy in the video.
It is true that when streets/public areas are well lit, crime decreases. That would presumably include sexual assault of the stranger danger variety. I’m all for safe places to walk at night. Although it’s not clear why that light can’t come from sources other than fossil fuels. And most sexual assault is not perpetrated by a stranger. So, yeah. Headdesk. Perry is just a strange person. His efforts to sound intelligent are always just so bizarre.
Jesus loves oil and coal and hates wind and solar. Because only godless liberals love wind and solar. Everyone knows that!
Or maybe Rick Perry is a member of the Fellowship of the Sun
Rick Perry keeps embarrassing Texas. *sigh*
@wwth
Cost.
He’s talking remote villages in Africa, not somewhere with even basic infrastructure. Fossil fuel generation is cheaper to build and scale, and easier to maintain (anyone with any mechanical aptitude at all can be taught how to maintain a simple generator system in about an hour) at the moment, though the increased difficulty in transporting fuel partially counters that.
Do wish he’d learn to speak clearly.
Axe, ooooh, that’d be some interesting data.
On the plus side, Lamar Alexander (GOP head of the house science committee, climate denier extraordinaire) is retiring.
After THIRTY FUCKING YEARS of blight.
But still, retiring.
Some more good news for the day:
The Mercers Wash Their Hands of Milo
😀
Not by a long shot.
If you don’t have basic infrastructure, solar panels are by far the cheapest; that and a car battery will power lights at night and maybe a TV with rabbit ears for a few hundred bucks.
A little generator like food trucks often use will set you back about the same, but requires regular fuel shipments on top of that.
A diesel plant requires building a grid for the town and setting up billing and accounts and wiring up homes — now you’re taking millions of dollars.
A coal plant requires building a grid for several towns, and setting up a train line or a barge terminal for the coal. Now you’re hitting the billion-dollar mark.
Good luck also with rounding up financing for those diesel or coal plants.
@Jesalin I like how some of the mocking responses were ‘yeah, coal could stop sexual assault if you hit the person with a big enough piece’. 😀
@Fishy Goat
I rather liked those myself.
If you have clear land, yes. If you don’t – are in the jungle, for example – your solar panel is useful for the three minutes a day it gets any sun, sitting as it does at the bottom of a 30 meter well.
If it breaks, you’re screwed. Solar panels aren’t repairable at all. Generators can be repaired until the material that makes them up wears away, and parts are either cheap or can be made locally (it’s usually the gaskets that go first).
And TV, FFS?! The second thing ever that these villages use their generators to power is a fridge. Between that and the water pump, you get a dramatic drop in people actually dying.
Not to mention the long term costs of pollution from pipeline leaks and health problems such as asthma from air pollution.
Rick Perry is bought and paid for by oil. As all TX Republicans are. He’s pretty clearly angling for some sweet contracts for oil companies and co-opting women’s issues to do it.
Great, another line of questioning to discredit sexual assault victims. “What were you lit with?”
There are ppl all over my Twitter TL saying Trump’s account is deleted??!!
What’s going on?
eta: aw looks like it’s back up …..
It’s back up now but was definitely down for a bit.
https://mobile.twitter.com/WestDeclines/status/926223703662350338/photo/1
ETA: ninja’d!
@VP
I feel you. My wife and I met through Atheist Nexus. :p
I’m just gonna pop in to leave this here. You’re welcome.
@ Buttercup Q. Skullpants,
“What were you lit with?” Could maybe work as a defense too. Sorry, officer, I only had a candle lit and didn’t realize it was the mail man on the front porch, I thought it was a monster. So I had to smash it. Self defense. K thanx bye.
Or how about for a bank robbery? Well the bank was poorly lit and I thought I was in the deposit box area and just happened to be waving a gun around, as one does. It’s just a hobby of mine.
@ Katie Kitten,
We remember you too and glad to hear you’re doing better. I have been really stressed out lately too (my mom passed away 🙁 ), my friend here was seriously ill recently, we’re helping each other out.
We wave hi from Chi Town! 🙂 Yeah, Manhattan? FFS.
We send you a virtual deep dish pizza 🙂
Re: pretending to be people
It might be tempting but one should be honest with yourself, it’s deception. It angers for good reason and will reinforce what you wanted to change.
A neighborhood cat (we think stray, named him Spooky) we have been feeding is really sick and skinny, I think it’s his last winter. We are already socializing a new kitty (Suki) with current kitty (Mischievous), and I want to get him in here. I think he might want in too, he hangs out by the window for hours. But I really don’t what to do. I’m petting and talking to him on the porch. It’s just one of those nights.
@Brony,
Do you have a room you can isolate him from the other kitties in?
I see your comment there @Paradoxy :3 That video is golden, and I hope Jim comes to read WHTM. He is a good egg.
That is so nice, @Brony. Just be kind to him, you’re already doing that. The poor little thing. He may not want to live in a house, and that’s fine. Just be a good friend to him <3
@Kitty, if I haven't said, hello and welcome back! Glad you came back!
He’s not eating much the last couple of days either.
@kupo
It’s Suki’s room for when he feels overwhelmed. Also Spooky stands in the doorway like it’s a really new and confusing experience. I’ve gotten him to come in twice but he just wants the affection. Then he stares at us through the window like we are his TV.
@Scildfrega
That’s the plan so far. We’ve only gotten to know him for a couple of months, it’s like he just wandered into our area, or like we hope has a home. He seems to act more like a stray though. We just got to know him.
Apparently I missed out on a popular Twitter personality, Jenna Abrams.(Probably because I don’t have a Twitter account.) Her Tweets generated her a lot of publicity. But apparently she doesn’t actually exist, and is simply the output of a Russian propaganda network.