that guy in AZ Wrote:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday ( October 8, 2017) that any of his players who disrespect the flag during the national anthem won't play in games.

Jones is the first NFL owner to publicly make a stand about disciplining players who kneel during the anthem. Jones didn't specify what kind of other demonstration he would consider disrespectful.

https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2017/10/09/cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-any-player-who-is-disrespectful-to-the-flag-won-t-be-allowed-to-play/

The Frisco-based natural gas producer owned by Dallas billionaire Jerry Jones is cashing in on a surge in prices for the fuel as a brutal freeze grips the central U.S., leaving millions without power.

Comstock Resources Inc. has been able to sell gas from its Haynesville Shale wells in East Texas and northern Louisiana at premium prices since Thursday. As demand jumps amid the cold, gas at some regional hubs has soared past $1,000 per million British thermal units.

Gas from Comstock’s Haynesville wells was sold on the spot market for between $15 and $179 per thousand cubic feet, chief financial officer Roland Burns said Wednesday on an earnings call. That translates to between $15.55 and $186 per million British thermal units.

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/2021/02/17/jerry-jones-natural-gas-company-hits-jackpot-as-texas-freeze-drives-up-prices/

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared to spend the 2020 NFL draft in a comfortable spot: his $250 million super-yacht.

ESPN's Don Van Natta tweeted that the feed from Jones' location was the "Bravo Eugenia," the 357-foot "super-yacht" he bought in 2019.

https://www.insider.com/jerry-jones-super-yacht-nfl-draft-2020-4

Ok.

I will start by saying I agree re: Reagan in terms of his presidency. He was damn near useless. Iirc, Dymtry Orlov said tha Reagan needed Gorbachev much more than Gorbachev needed Reagan. The USSR was bound to collapse. Reagan perhaps hastened it but at tremendous cost.

All of that being said, “it” didn’t start with Reagan. The undercurrents of wealth seeking to minimize the impact of government have been around for centuries. In the 20th century FDR had to deal with them. People like Leo Strauss, Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley, utopians masquerading as patriots/“reasonable conservatives” were planting more seeds of the lies that people like Goldwater watered and tended. The rabid, psychotic segregationists were able to wield as much power as they did due to conservatives like Goldwater. While it is likely true that he would not be welcomed into today’s Republican Party with open arms and celebration he still would be welcomed in. Reagan simply tended the growing plants of the mental illness of conservatism while allowing open hatred of government to be acceptable.

From there it is history. I would include in that narrative of the destruction of government the so-called Third Way Democrats. By willingly suckling at the teats of the F.I.R.E. sector they too played a role in chipping away at the most critical support of government: confidence in institutions.

What we are seeing today throughout society both here and elsewhere is the erosion and/or deliberate destruction of confidence. The entire edifice of political economy rests on confidence, the belief in the system. Not arbitrarily that the system cannot be improved but rather the existence of a political economy based on something besides base tribalism.

1) The guy is a loon.

2) If he had a decent paying job he probably would be less of a loon.

3) He is wrong about the Tri-lateral Commission, The Biderbergers and The Illuminati. The first two exist but have nothing to do, in and of themselves, with running the world. The Illuminati is a fairy tale.

4) Like most people he completely and utterly misses the point. Read Rothkopf’s “Superclass” for some insight into who does quote run the world end quote. It is called wealth, access, influence and soft power. The Superclass doesn’t care about guys like Angeli. Not because they don’t give a shit per se but because he is not important and never will be to them.

5) Rage is a powerful motivator for good or ill. It is not necessary to understand each and every Trump Humper. It is necessary to know your enemy thus understanding the rage is critical.

While Trump is responsible for his words and actions, those who rioted and engaged in insurrection are responsible for their actions as well.

Pointing the finger at Trump does nothing. Trump actually did the country a favor by tearing the mask off of the country and exposing its deeply ingrained illness.

There is no "United" States. There has only been the "United" States on a handful of occasions. The rise of Trumpism is merely the latest variant of a disease that has its roots deep in history. It goes back before the founding and, indeed, to the so-called European civilization. The difference is that Europe actually has tried to learn from its mistakes.

This country cannot even be bothered to try.

Montesquieu once wrote that democracy/republics cannot work on large, geographic scale states. Madison sought to prove him wrong. Imo, he failed. The factions that he feared have been here all of the time. Today they are more rampant than ever.

that guy in Arizona Wrote: according to this morning's Al Jazeera, ALEC is now planning to get involved in local politics. since the organization has been very successful at gumming up the works at the state level throughout the country:

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/10/american-legislativeexchangecounc..

not surprisingly, the Koch brothers have a strong connection to ALEC .. the top lobbyist for Koch Industries was once the chairman of ALEC, and the Koch brothers have given significant financial support over the years ..


http://www.thenation.com/article/161973/alec-exposed-koch-connection#


Proposition 122, Arizona's latest attempt to secede from the union, was written by the chief litigator for the Goldwater Institute, which has also received SUBSTANTIAL money from the Koch brothers ..

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Goldwater_Institute#Ties_to_the_Koch_Brothers

Schmidt Wrote:

I do not believe the Supreme Court will hear the case, but f they do, it will be 9-0 against Trump and the 18 states. And those 106 Republican members of the House of Representatives licking Trump's boots by supporting this case will have to answer to their voters.

As crazy as all this appears though, Trump and Republicans are raising tons of money out of this charade ($7 million a day in November). If Trump concedes the money will slow. They don't care how they are hurting our democracy. They are driven by power and money. I would guess most all of them know in their hearts that Trump lost but find it politically and financially beneficial to cow tow to trump's every whim.

Schmidt, I agree that the SCOTUS likely will not hear the case and even if they do they will not rule in favor of the suit. I do think that there might be 1 or 2 or possibly 3 justices that would side with Trump but nowhere near enough.

As for the voters holding the 106 Republicans responsible? that is a pipe dream. The voters put these shitheads into office in the first place. They love that their guys are screaming authoritarians as long as they are the correct kind of authoritarian

OK, please pardon me if I ramble.

The first problem to lay to rest is that the constitution is a set of laws. It is not. At least not in the sense of laws as passed by legislatures. It is a document that describes and lays out the methodology of a government that is born of and is to operate allegedly by the will of the people who are being governed. In essence, it is supposed to be government by the governed. That being said it is not that and it never was. There are some laws in the document such as the bill of rights and the amendments which provide structure for certain circumstances and cases. Beyond that? It forbids certain things such as bills of attainder. It permits and indeed was created to allow for the federal government to pass legislation which becomes laws for the country. Yes, yes, there are limits but even these are vague.

What is crucial to realize is that the founders did NOT believe in democracy. That word has been tossed around with people claiming we are a democracy and people claiming we are not and the government was never intended to be a democracy. Jefferson and Adams corresponded throughout their lives and a term that arose was "accidental aristoi" which means, imo, an aristocracy whose purpose or who obtained the ability to place themselves in government by constitutional means to run the country. Jefferson, iirc, had an image of the gentleman-statesman meaning an aristoi that took seriously a duty to be in government and lead ( my thoughts here) a benighted people forward while preserving a social structure which kept people in their place including those deemed "the other" such as slaves, immigrants of different cultural and racial backgrounds. We must recall that the founders were, for the most part, better educated by far than the common person. They were also people of their times to a degree which is bullshit as there were abolitionists in the 1700's. They simply chose a path to create a government which meant NOT dealing with slavery. If they had the country would have fractured immediately. That being said the failure to resolve slavery has been a problem for centuries and will continue to be.

As to laws, the review, abolishment and alteration are important tools.

Regarding the political economy, the country has over the course of centuries created a rigid class structure which is likely to continue for a very long time. Upward social movement was, for a time, possible but has become far less so. Wealth inequality is a danger as are reactionary forces arising to changing demographics. Behind all that is the continued rise of China, the potential instability caused by Russia and climate change.

Due to the rise of reactionary populism I give the country 30-50 years, max.

Schmidt Wrote:

Huffington Post: Roger Stone Calls For Trump To ‘Declare Martial Law’ To Seize Power If He Loses

From the September 12th HP article:

"Under martial law and the Insurrection Act, Trump will have “the authority” to arrest Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, “the Clintons” and “anybody else who can be proven to be involved in illegal activity,” Stone said. He also called for the immediate arrest of former defense secretary James Mattis for “sedition,” apparently because he feared Trump was unfit for office, according to Washington Post journalist’s to Bob Woodward’s upcoming book, “Rage.”"

"In addition, Stone warned, journalist also risk arrest. “If the Daily Beast is involved in provably seditious ... acts” in a new Trump future, their “entire staff can be taken into custody and their office can be shut down.” “They want to play war, this is war,” he added."

"Stone demanded that “the ballots in Nevada on election night should be seized by federal marshals” and not counted, claiming with absolutely no evidence that “they are completely corrupted.” "

==============================

I suppose anything is possible for Trump, but his effort to sway the legislators to change the electoral college voters is fast passing. I believe Trump knows he lost, but he is highly vindictive, and so the remaining two months in office will be retribution against his opponents. For what Roger Stone has suggested would require him to impose martial law on some "trumped up" accusation. Look for a "scorched earth" set of policies to hamper Biden's presidency. Then Trump will "hang around" for the next four years seeking the limelight with falsehoods to feed his base. Also, he is likely to register as a candidate for 2024 to give him a legitimate reason to fund raise. If he does call martial law, very few Republicans will push back at him.

Well, we could always kick Stone out of the country or maybe charge him with treason.

Just kidding.

Sort of.