AN ASSHOLE IS AN ASSHOLE

Up front, let me apologize for the title. It was the first that came to mind. Nothing else as representative or befitting the facts.

Sometimes you have to call them as you see them.

The “hero” of this tale is Representative Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican. A Trump die hard, also. To each his own.

Gohmert has refused to wear a face mask. To be expected. Trump has refused to wear one, also.

Gohmert tested positive yesterday for coronavirus.

He announced later in the day that he planned to “use hydroxychloroquine” to treat the virus. He said, “My doctors and I are all in.”

Normally federal judges are quite good. They follow the law. Not all judges do.

A number of Portland protesters have been arrested. Misdemeanor charges. They came before the court. The federal magistrate agreed to release them on “bond” (does not mean the case is over / the defendant technically must return for other court appearances and a trial or the defendant will merely forfeit bail and not appear for trial thereby ending the case with no criminal conviction applying.)

The judge has required each protester to sign and agree to an Order Setting Conditions of Release. A certain paragraph in the Order reads: “Defendant may not attend any other protests, rallies, assemblies or public gathering in the State of Oregon.”

Totally improper! Unconstitutional on its face! Arm twisting by the court.

A judge under the circumstances of this case has no right to require such agreement from a defendant. By so requiring, he is forcing the defendant to waive his right of free speech. Basically, the right to protest.

This scenario is similar to the Michael Cohen situation which occurred in the past 10 days in federal court in New York City.

Cohen had been released to home confinement because of the coronavirus epidemic. He was with his lawyer making a required routine visit to federal officials.

The word was out Cohen was writing a book about his experiences with Trump. The officials said Cohen had to sign an agreement that he would not write the book nor discuss his time with Trump with the media. Otherwise, he would be returned to jail.

Cohen refused. He was returned to jail. Several days later a federal judge released Cohen saying  to prohibit his writing the book was an unconstitutional violation of his rights.

John Galt has been a religious reader of this blog for many years. A student of history. We agree more than we disagree. However, we do disagree on occasion.

John commented on the blog I wrote the other day titled: Grim Reaper Ain’t Gonna Get Reaped. I share his comment not because he agreed or disagreed with me re what I wrote. I share it with you because I learned some historical facts I was not aware of.

John wrote, “Some of the federal police opposing the demonstrators in Portland are from the Federal Protective Service. The FPS is one of those federal agencies that most of us have never heard of. Its origin dates back to 1790 when President George Washington was acquiring buildings to become the location for the seat of the federal government. Six ‘night watchmen’ were hired to protect the designated buildings the government was planning to use. FPS races its origin to those six night watchmen. In 2002, the agency was transferred to the newly formed DHS.”

Pizza Hut is cutting back on its operation and number of Pizza Huts.

The organization will be closing hundreds of locations in the U.S. Those that remain open will no longer provide restaurant service. The dine-ins have been under performing in recent years. The stores will provide only delivery and carry out.

I came across another Pizza Hut announcement. Its Greece stores will close. All or some? The news notation was slight. I could not discover any further information.

I would wonder why Pizza Hut or any other U.S. quick food chain would even open in Greece.  I never saw a Pizza Hut in my many Greece travels. Also,  Greece provides some of the finest short order quick food restaurants probably in the world. I enjoyed my lunches more than the dinners. That good!

Remember 2008 when American banks were too big to fail. The banks were saved by the government on that premise. To the detriment of millions of people who lost their homes in mortgage foreclosures. No governmental assistance.

Banks continue to get away with murder. U.S. banks on a precipice. Something many are unaware of.

European banks, also.

Th Spanish Banco Santander is a European biggie. For the first six months of this year, it announced a $12.7 billion loss. Its first loss ever in 163 years.

A primary reason was the bank’s write off of expected loan losses. Many coronavirus caused.

I have an uneasy feeling. Tropical storm Isaias has come about rather suddenly and is expected over Florida saturday. The cone looks like Irma. Initially, directly over Key West. Now could be either east or west coast of Florida. If east coast, we could be hit.

I have tons of food. However little “hurricane food.” Things like bottled water, crackers, peanut butter, jam, cookies. Thinks that do not have to be cooked. Can’t cook without electricity. Can’t store food that will spoil when the refrigerator stops working.

Isaias not a big deal compared to Irma. Irma was coming in as a category 5. Isaias will be a tropical storm.

Florida’s Governor De Santis rarely does anything right. Especially matters that are coronavirus related.

Yesterday was one of those rare occurrences when he exercised proper judgment.

There has been an eviction and foreclosure moratorium that is scheduled to expire saturday. De Santis has extended the moratoriums to September 1.

Trump continues his ill advised ways.

I wrote yesterday of Dr. Immanuel who supports the use of hydoxychloroquine. Trump became aware of her yesterday. He was on TV at 5 lauding her virtues.

The media did a quick in depth check on her. Turns out she is a fruitcake. Believes demons and witches are involved in our lives, that aliens have sex with humans in their dreams, etc.

By the time Trump went to bed last night he had to know he had praised a nut.

Apparently Trump does not care. He was back on TV this morning not backing off her purported virtues. He continued to laud her. She had spoken from the steps of the Supreme Court with a bunch of doctors listening to her.

He thought she was A-ok. I suspect so because she endorsed the use of hydroxychloroquine as the cure all for coronavirus. He avoided questions as to her demonic/witchery beliefs.

Trump’s support of Dr. Immanuel as good as Trump’s belief at one time that Clorox or bleach ingested would quickly cure coronavirus.

A survey released yesterday suggested taller people faced a higher risk of catching Covid-19. The study revealed that people 6 feet or more tall were twice as likely to be diagnosed with coronavirus.

Conclusion: The virus spreads through the air, not only from droplets.

Makes me happy that I lost 4 inches in height in recent years. From 6’1″ to 5’9″. Old age.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

26 comments on “AN ASSHOLE IS AN ASSHOLE

  1. Is the Federal Protective Service, in Portland, or anywhere else, authorized to detain, without identification, anyone not acting suspiciously, not on Federal Property, not tell them why they are being detained, whether on not they are under arrest, etc., etc? Which is a big part of the issue with Federal Police in Portland, not just with division of the DHS they belong. Perhaps we can have your friend John Galt enumerate those points. While he’s at it maybe Mr. Gault would also help us with way the FPS officers in Portland were not wearing their own uniforms and were in fact unidentifiable in every way as to who the were generally and individually. Isn’t their indemnity specifically tied in law to the individual identification?

    I was also wondering if the FPS was responsible for other Federal Buildings, like the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, that was blown up and if so, why wern’t they disbanded after that for having failed to protect it at all?

  2. When I mentioned the FPS a couple of days ago I specified that it was in a historical context, and not meant as comment on Portland. I found it interesting that a group hired to guard Federal buildings for George Washington in 1790 was still around today doing The same thing. I don’t expect everyone to find that equally interesting.

    As far as what the FPS is authorized or not authorized to do, I have no idea. I a$$ume they have sufficient authority to act as police officers while protecting government buildings.

    I can also a$$ume that FPS officers were on duty at the Alfred Murrah building, and died there.

    I have not commented on any ongoing protests or demonstrations on Lou’s blog, and I don’t intend to.

    • I too have no interest in commenting on the Protests in Portland and never would either, just wondering why such an appropriate and historic agency such as the FPS wasn’t already in Portland protecting that Federal property, especially after a month of protests at that particular facility where all the protesting was happening. It also seems odd to me that why didn’t the temporary head of the DHS Ken Cuccinelli, or Trump, just come out and say “We sent in the FPS” when asked who these unmarked and apparently “Secret Police” really were? That would have been a good and adequate answer, at the time, reducing most peoples concerns and criticisms. Again, I’m only asking this in it’s historical context, is the FPD’s mission stealth, or am I missing something? For historical reasons, won’t this whole mess be remembered incorrectly because our leaders involved kept referring to those that make up this Federal Police force were always referred to as Border Patrol Agents, Federal Prison Guards, Coast Guard, U.S. Marshals, and other agencies, etc., pretty much ignoring any references to the FPS itself. I am only asking this to set the historical record straight and could care less about the protests themselves, which is beneath me.

      • According to Mr Google the FPS has been in Portland for years doing what they do, standing in doorways, admitting visitors, patrolling hallways and drinking coffee. We don’t hear about them because, as far as federal police agencies go, they are likely at the bottom of the pile.They wouldn’t have had enough officers in Portland to deal with much more than a trespa$$er. So when the sh*t hit the fan they called for help from the big boys. I don’t see anything odd or secretive about that. The acting head of DHS has publicly named the agencies involved in Portland. And his name is Chad Wolf, not Cuccinelli.

        • True, the FPS were already in Portland (as you did NOT say in your original post), however few they may have been, as is typical and normal with other Federal facilities throughout the country. At some point this was apparently deemed inadequate by Trump and he sent in what everybody now refers to as Trump’s “Secret Police” for his own reasons and purposes. That is the actual ‘history’ of this part of what happened. It seems like you have you own interests and purposes for jumping into this, that do not really seem to me, to just clarify some point of history, but rather more like making your own stealth political point and with s*cking up to Lou.

          If you really wanted to share the history and explain what was going on, you should have said that in your original post, rather than tip-towing around with some nonsense about not wanting to talk about the protests.

  3. No doubt Dr. Immanuel is a fruitcake. (Jimmy Buffett made a song about her.) She’s a real wacko. Her and Trump… birds of a feather.

    I think she is right about one thing… it’s got to be evil deamons that cause impotence. Fortunately, I have no deamons.

    Kokomo Man

  4. Today, Portland FOX New Channel, did everything it could to try and spin the peaceful gathering of people in the down town Portland where protests have been happening as something more threatening and sinister, even though the Portland Police issued a statement saying said that none of its officers engaged with protesters overnight. The bureau also said it did not use any tear gas nor make any arrests.

  5. Oregon Governor Kate Brown says she has made a deal with Trump. The feds will begin to withdraw today, replaced by Oregon State Police troopers. I’m not aware of the state troopers having much riot control experience, so this should be interesting.

    • Compared to who, the DHS Secret Police who were made up of Boarder control and prison guards? Who you trying to kid?

    • Okay, so I’m filling out my score sheet. The protesters/rioters have lethal projectiles, lasers, incendiary devices, and a 64 day head start. The state troopers have patrol cars and funny hats. I’m putting my money on the protesters.

      • You are on to something here. Without proper building security, how long will it take for the peaceful protesters to destroy all federal buildings? Let’s start a pool at winner take all. I’ll take Nov 3!

  6. Serge – based on your past posts, one would doubt if ANYONE would even care what you think. Based on your current post I think EVERYONE wonders why you are exaggerating this. Do you have FEET for brains or what?

  7. I suppose we should have some sympathy for Herman Cain and his family. But I only really feel some schadenfreude for his arrogance with this Covid epidemic and not wearing a mask very defiantly in public. Just another case of what happens with so many of those who show blind loyalty to Trump.

      • Doesn’t matter if you are a good person (denying everything you are told to deny) or a bad person (denying everything you are told to deny). Deny the wrong things (because you are told to deny them) and you might be denied life itself.

        Wonder how many other people will die (or suffer) because Herman Cain (a so called good guy who was just following orders to keep his job) infected, instead of doing the right thing?

        • Herman Cain didn’t have a “job”. He took orders from no one. He was a stand-up guy who took on projects that were good for Americans.

          • You are delusional and wrong.

            He may have been a stand up guy, but I’ve heard that said by some about Trump too, including that from Michael Cohen and Anthony, who also took orders from and did what Trump told them to do. Trump tarnishes everything and everybody.

            Herman Cain may have been a “nice guy” but he was a “denier” and did what he what ever Trump told him to do and say. In the end his blind support and willingness to do what TRUMP wanted cost him his life and any other reference to his integrity, like so many other Trump “Loyalists.”

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