This Old Condo

Today has been quite the adventure over at Chez WP...or taking into consideration that there's a guy right over my head hammering and singing canciones de amor de Mexico...Casa WP. Look, I still speak and comprehend enough Spanish to understand Mi amor, mi amor, extraño tus dulces labios. At least I hope he was saying labios and not labias which would make for a seriously bawdy song probably more akin to songs in Quechua...but I'm not going there right now. 

Despite weeks of careful planning, the roof AND the refrigerator arrived today. The roof guys found they had an earlier opening and told us Friday afternoon...after the fridge place closed for the weekend. I couldn't stop the fridge from arriving, but the roof guys said they would make a path to my door when the delivery truck arrived....sometime between 9 and 12 noon. The freezer was emptied into a cooler at 6 a.m. before I left for morning minyan, and since I would be home around 8:15, that gave me plenty of time to drop the upper stuff into its own cooler. No prob, right? 

Guess again. 

I wasn't home more than 5 minutes when the fridge guys arrived at about 8:20. They were very great and said to empty the fridge whilst they got everything set up...and the roof guys did their best not to throw shingles on them. Old fridge was standard depth and wedged into the opening so precisely that it took an act of brute force to get it out. The doors all had to come off and although it must've come through the kitchen door to get in, it wasn't going out the same way. So with a shrug and a grin, they began removing anything that could catch on the doorframe. 

no mice,
no plumbing

The guys were undeterred. They promised me everything would be just fine. At last, that bugger was sliding outta the hole. My biggest fear in all this was not the height nor the width of either fridge...it was a dreadful dark thought that there might be a dead mouse (or two) under there because that's where they hid on the two occasions I had to employ the peanut butter bucket. Once it was out, we confirmed that the bright stars who designed this kitchen, beautiful as it is, did not plumb a waterline for an ice maker. I am not doing it now. And that's still annoying.

There were no dead mice. A few giant dust balls and a rather large, imposing dead moth, but I could dispatch those easily enough. The floor got washed, and the new fridge, a counter depth one, sailed right in. 

Ian and Dan

Ian and Dan, my two patient heroes, slid that sucker right into the hole and it was perfect. I was thrilled that the giant sticky-outy part was gone and I could stop whacking my toes on the corner. (Yay, feet!) They installed, they adjusted, they walked me through a few new things, and they made the experience not simply pleasant but kinda fun. Okay...they laughed at my punchlines. All things considered, their good humor was great considering the pounding outside, the stress of moving the original fridge, and me trying to be funny. 

I knew, going to counter depth and a two drawer freezer, I was going to lose space. I was a little surprised at how much space I lost, but that's the price of toe-protection. Better organization in the fridge upstairs and the little chest freezer in the garage will balance out. It will be fine. Oh, and one MAJOR improvement...the stainless steel door is magnetic. Thank G-d! No more blue tape for kiddo artwork!

Okay, this is the part where I say thank you to the folks involved with the saga of me finding a new fridge. If you've been reading the WP for a long time, you might remember when the 26 year Sub-Zero was wheezing precariously and I had to replace it. That episode, Standing in the Sunlight and Blinking, was about fixing up that which was wrong with my kitchen. This time, the only thing that really needed replacing was the fridge, and like the last time, I did my homework to figure out what I wanted/needed. I shopped around, visited a number of appliance dealers, including Home Depot, Best Buy, Warner Stellian, and Lowe's, before I stumbled across Build With Ferguson's. They're actual a builder's resource, but the showroom is open to the public. So I walked in the door of the Oakdale showroom. (The tubs situated in lovely displays were ogasmic all on their own!) The lady that helped me, Kerrilynn, was nice, knowledgeable, and patient. I came equipped with the dimensions of the old fridge as well as the manual for it, questions about sizes, depths, counter versus standard, and a whole lotta other stuff. She took the time to not just answer the questions, but to educate me about what has changed in the 9 years since my last foray into refrigeration. Sorry if I sound like an advert, but customer service makes or breaks the experience, and this was a great experience from beginning to end. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ That's 10 outta 5 stars. Okay?

Meanwhile, back to the singing roofers. I am but one part of a row of 6 townhouses. I was stunned at the speed and efficiency these guy had. I will admit it made writing the blog difficult with hammering over my head for a good portion of the day. They were all very nice, stopped tossing shingles every time I walked out the front door. They were great about the fridge business, and as promised, they left space so I could get in and out of the garage. And while today could've been horribly, horribly stressful. it wasn't. The roofing guys I interacted with were charming and helpful. I loved when, at noon, they spread out blankets and had picnic lunch all together. It was kinda sweet, actually, with lots of banter and laughter. 

Next week I'll be back to ranting and raving, I'm sure.  But for the moment, I'm going to enjoy the silence overhead while it's dark out. They're coming back in the morning. Maybe I'll go to the Art Institute after morning minyan. Or the walk the Tree Top Trail at the zoo . Or go to State Fair. Whatever. I'll figure out something. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Shopping for a big ticket item?

You have the right to ask all the questions you want. 

If you don't like or trust the answers, go elsewhere.

Wanna Know What Scares Me?

 My grand-dog has derailed my ability to think. 

She's mad that Uncle Senior Son is not in residence at the moment. She depends on him for amusement. I, apparently, am not amusing.

I gotta go! RFN! I gotta go!

I, on the other hand, is a total meany because I insist she not attack wicker garbage baskets. Today, in an attempt to access used tissues, she figured out how to open my closet door behind which I had hidden the basket. Stupid she isn't. It's now on a shelf. 

Granted, she is used to having a fenced yard and lots of room to romp. However, in my house, she has to be walked and if she has her way, I would be walking her every half-hour from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Oh, wait! I already am walking her every half hour. This dog poops more than a newborn. For a dog that is over 90 in dog years, as soon as the leash is attached, she's a toddler all over again. I'm lucky my arm is still in the socket.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted. But I love her to bits especially now that she has mastered which side of the bed is hers. 

Still, I  am unable to write a cogent sentence. 

Yeah, yeah....why is this night different from all other Monday nights?

In the past, I've been fixated on the Second Amendment. I know this and accept that I will never understand how anyone can possibly believe an automatic weapon is a hunting rifle unless you are hunting humans...adults and children alike...unsuspecting prey at best. I cannot understand how the pro-life movement can be pro AR-15s. These things are a mystery to me. 

But this week, I am fixated on a different amendment: the Fourteenth:

Amendment XIV

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2.

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state.

Section 3.

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4.

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5.

The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Read Section 3. Now read it again. Now, notice the text in red. 

I am surprised no one has gone gaga over the last line. This is like a part A and part B quiz. 

And I heard some Iowa guy on the radio today who said something to the effect that the charges don't matter and if they convict him, that don't matter neither...once we have Congress back to red the way it should be, they can just get rid of any convictions.

Hello? Anybody home? The presumption is that Feckless will win the election and the majority of both houses will go red...thereby negating anything the courts have done. 

And, in effect, opening the door to overturning the Constitution. 

So if all of that is scary to you, you need to pull up your grownup undies and get out there to canvas and speak out FACTUALLY. Not in anger, not in hyperbole. But in simple, declarative facts. 

But wanna know what I'm really scared of?

What happens if Feckless gets the nomination and loses? Mull that over for a while. January 6th will look like a dress rehearsal. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Day

Whining is an exhausting activity.

So is taking Savta for a drag around the block. 

My smart watch keep congratulating me on all my new exercise. 

I shall not disabuse it of that notion.

At least she stopped whining. 
Silence is a blessing. 

Every Family's Got One or Two...or More.

David Weiss           Hunter Biden

The names David Weiss and Hunter Biden kept coming up in my emails this week. Hell, even my bro asked me what I thought.  Other than the standard I haven't given it much thought, I must confess I have given it some thought. In no discernible order, here are my thoughts on the subject:

1. David Weiss was appointed to his position by Feckless Loser. Even though he claims he didn't really appoint him, he did, with little or no opposition from either side.
2. The Clowns of Congress have been screeching for a special prosecutor since the beginning. Now, they're screeching they don't like the special prosecutor even thought he's been the lead investigator since the beginning. 
3. The plea deal was shot down not  by Judge Maryellen Noreika of Federal District Court who asked for "more information" from both defense and prosecutor, but by Hunter himself when he finally grokked the idea that immunity was not a total blanket of protection for any crime ever committed. [Like duh.]
4. The plea deal never included the international trade irregularities with Hunter Biden and Ukraine. No deal would have covered those. 
5. There is NO comparison between Feckless attempting to overturn the election and Hunter Biden's attempt at tax evasion. These are not on the same playing field.

In a July 26th. 2023NYT article, Judge Puts Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal on Hold, Questioning Its Details, there is a fairly clear explanation of the judge's objection:

Judge Noreika’s concerns appeared to center on two elements of the proposed deal. One was a provision that would have offered Mr. Biden broad insulation against further prosecution on matters scrutinized by federal prosecutors during the five-year inquiry, providing him with some protection against the possibility that Mr. Trump, if re-elected, or another Republican president might seek to reopen the case. The other had to do with the diversion program on the gun charge, under which she would be called on to play a role in determining whether Mr. Biden was meeting the terms of the deal.

 

Judge Noreika said she was not trying to sink the agreement, but to strengthen it by ironing out ambiguities and inconsistencies, a view held by some former department officials.

But did it stop there? No! In today's attempt to explain what happened, the NYT  proffered  Hunter Biden Says Prosecutors Reneged on Major Part of Plea Deal. The article holds Judge Noreika "largely responsible" for the deal impasse, but I think when Hunter Biden told the judge he would not sign any deal that did not offer broad immunity and his lawyer "popped up angrily to declare the deal “null and void," might have had something to do with it.

But not everyone is on the same page here. 

All manner of folk seem to have their knickers knotted over this. Poppycock! What happened in that courtroom is basic SOP. Deals are hammered out, refined, re-hammered, and eventually agreed upon. In the comments section of today's article, one fellow added a lucid and precise explanation of what just happened. I vetted his answer with my legal-eagle lawyerly consultants, and they thought his explanation was spot on:

Pietro

NYC

There is a great deal of hyper-ventilating going on in these comments, my my! I work in criminal defense, in district (federal) courts. Plea deals happen in over 95% of cases--it's the rule, not the exception. Hardly anyone goes to trial. What's more, the "immunity" business everyone seems suspicious of is misunderstood--the idea is, you proffer as a defendant, come clean with your conduct in the offense, and you can't be prosecuted any further for the answers to whatever they ask you: the famous "queen for a day" proffer session with the feds. The idea that Hunter should plead guilty, proffer what he knows, then still be vulnerable to MORE prosecutions and investigations is simply NOT how it's done. I am sorry--LEFT AND RIGHT--if this offends your sensibility, but it's how the DOJ operates, day in, day out. And yes, defendants routinely get diversion for minor charges, like making a false statement on a gun or other licensure application. It's routine (I've worked on a few of those). As for putting someone in jail for paying their taxes late, with fines and fees--the decision to do that is entirely political. Plenty of folks walking around free who file late every year, with fines, as a matter of routine business. Folks need to stop taking the right-wing messaging bullet points and blowing them up into outrage. This is how our justice system works. It will probably work that way for you someday, when you get jammed up, if you have a decent attorney advocating.

I thought this was a great explanation.

So, do I think Judge Noreika was right to push back on the deal? Absolutely. Do I think David Weiss should've been named Special Prosecutor? I don't think it matters one way or the other in a court of law...and that's the only place it should matter. He's been doing the job, he's a Republican, and no one is gonna make everyone happy, so give it a rest. 

I have no doubts that Hunter Biden is 1) an idiot and 2) was engaged in less than above-board actions. Like I mentioned in observation #5, this is nowhere near to overturning an election, shitting on the Constitution, or preaching insurrection. Hunter is nothing more than a diversionary tactic that, if his folks were as smart as they should be, would've strong-armed him into coming clean at the first hint of impropriety. That they did not do exactly that makes me lose some measure of respect for both POTUS and FLOTUS. But they didn't and it's a swamp they really need to drain quickly and openly because right now, it's festering. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.

Wanna know what I wanna know? How come Feckless Loser's asshat sons are wandering the earth spewing bulloney at campaign events. No one has ever gone after those two, or even Princess Ivanka and her consort. These guys traded on the presidency, from golf courses in Scotland to charging the government. But the GOP is carrying on as if Hunter Biden was planting bombs under the federal buildings. This bothers me. Apparently, I'm not the only one who has noticed. 

In their May 11th, 2023 issue, TIME Magazine noted:

Records of Hunter Biden’s activities also echo the foreign business dealings of the family members of another President. While in office, former President Trump remained connected to the Trump Organization, even as he passed control of the company to his two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Though Trump’s team said the business would not enter any new overseas deals during his term, his family members continued to engage in business abroad. Meanwhile, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, continued to pursue financial interests in foreign countries.

Specifically? Don't forget Don, Jr's foray into foreign affairs even before his Sorry Sire was elected. He met with Russians at Trump Tower in New York City to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. Of course, Ivanka's clothing line and her dealing with China and Indonesia continued while she had an office in the White House...but before she was "encouraged" to shut it down in 2017. And let us not forget that in 2019, when Hunter Biden's actions were first being examined by the DoJ, Eric lied as he claimed his family had stopped dealing in international business all the while doing the Scotland golf deal. Where are those investigations? 

Tonight, down in Georgia, Feckless Loser and 18 of his cabal have been indicted for attempting to overturn the election in that state. 

Let's take a minute to look at the U.S.C. § 2381:

18 U.S. CODE § 2381 - FEDERAL CRIME OF TREASON

Treason is a federal crime in the United States, as stated in Title 18 U.S. Code § 2381. It is defined as "levying war against the United States, or adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort."

The actual law reads as follows:

18 U.S.C. § 2381 says, “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or imprisoned and fined, and incapable of holding any U.S. office.” 

Now, listen to this recording: 

There is abundant proof that it is the voice of Feckless Loser. One might think that's more than ample evidence in a court of law to convict that embarrassment of treason. Now, add what he did on January 6th, then add what he has recently said at rally after rally after rally. 

Whadday think? Is there a case there?

And therein lies the problem. A significant number of citizens of these here United States thinks what he did was okay...despite overwhelming proof that there was no malfeasance in the election process in Georgia, or anywhere else for that matter. 

Yeah, yeah.  I'm preaching to the choir here. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

A quote from Miyamoto Musashi

Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is,

and you must bend to its power,

or live a lie.

A  bonus quote from Isaac Asimov:

When stupidity is considered patriotism,

it is unsafe to be intelligent.

When Politicians Lie

I've come to the conclusion that almost all politicians lie, some more egregiously than others. Some actually never tell the truth about anything, and if we're lucky, they get caught and get forced out of office. Or at least not re-elected. Once upon a time, back before I had reached double digit age, I believed politicians were in it for the good of the people. Silly me. 

In her rather brilliant 1967 essay, TRUTH AND POLITICS, Hannah Arendt wrote:

It has frequently been noticed that the surest long-term result of brainwashing is a peculiar kind of cynicism – an absolute refusal to believe in the truth of anything, no matter how well this truth may be established. In other words, the result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lies will now be accepted as truth, and the truth be defamed as lies, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world – and the category of truth vs. falsehood is among the mental means to this end – is being destroyed. And for this trouble there is no remedy. It is but the other side of the disturbing contingency of all factual reality. Since everything that has actually happened in the realm of human affairs could just as well have been otherwise, the possibilities for lying are boundless, and this boundlessness makes for self-defeat. Only the occasional liar will find it possible to stick to a particular falsehood with unwavering consistency; those who adjust images and stories to ever-changing circumstances will find themselves floating on the wide-open horizon of potentiality, drifting from one possibility to the next, unable to hold on to any one of their own fabrications.

The yellow highlight is mine. While the sentence is really the root of her argument, I think it needs to be seen as part of the whole paragraph as well as being singled out.  

Listening to the bombastic speeches from Feckless Loser and the cohort of candidates gives Arendt's words a new kind of spectacular clarity. The inability to determine truth from fiction will be, in the next few years, that which brings this country to its knees. Even when candidates like Mike, Pence, Chris Christie, and Ron De Santis say that Feckless lost the election aloud, it does not begin to make a dent in the cult following of the last administration. 

Never mind that indictments have had no discernible impact on Feckless other than to broadcast and intensify his bombastic claims, he has now gone one step further: he has openly threatened the people of the process on his social media platform. I keep thinking this is like shouting FIRE in a crowded theater...only the audience doesn't have to worry about the fire...they have to worry about the firemen. 

If you want to read about the aftermath of that post, check The New York Times or The Washington Post.  I cannot write about it here without wanting to vomit. 

Whether or not it was intended to be a threat, veiled or otherwise, is actually not all that important. Like every other dog-whistle he has used, this is the starting gate. He doesn't have to make any threats at all...he simply has to give permission to his rabid followers that it's okay to "go after" anyone they perceive as trying to prosecute their leader's ass. 

As Arendt says, there is no remedy for this. Once the lies transcend the truth, the orders to behave accordingly will be embedded and ingrained in the language of the devoted minions. Every time he opens his mouth and the lies about the last election spew out, Feckless Loser empowers those who are seeking open revolution. They know he can't win, so like drunks in a bar, they will attempt to toss stools, break windows, and punch out anyone who tries to stop them. 

Jon Minadeo II

The insidious beginnings are all too often ignored. Last week, outside Raleigh, North Carolina, hundreds of anti-semitic flyers were distributed in 5 neighborhoods. The flyers reference The Goyim Defense League, a known hate group and conspiracy theory network. They are headed up by Jon Minadeo II. This guy is not an unknown quantity. He's a proponent of the sovereign citizen's movement, and an established provocateur. Despite frequent arrests, his following continues to expand. Once found mainly in California, Colorado, and Florida, the Goyim Defense League has expanded along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. And their numbers will continue to grow as Feckless dog-whistles them into action.

Oh, wait! Never heard of the Sovereign Citizens Movement? The Anti Defamation League provides a good definition: 

The "sovereign citizen" movement is a loosely organized collection of groups and individuals who have adopted a right-wing anarchist ideology originating in the theories of a group called the Posse Comitatus in the 1970s. Its adherents believe that virtually all existing government in the United States is illegitimate and they seek to "restore" an idealized, minimalist government that never actually existed. To this end, sovereign citizens wage war against the government and other forms of authority using "paper terrorism" harassment and intimidation tactics, and occasionally resorting to violence.

The Southern Poverty Law Center  goes even further...and falls right into Arendt's descriptives:

Sovereign citizens believe they are not under the jurisdiction of the federal government and consider themselves exempt from U.S. law. They use a variety of conspiracy theories and falsehoods to justify their beliefs and their activities, some of which are illegal and violent.

Do not think for one New York minute that they are gonna go away, blow over, or otherwise disappear after the next election. This shit is here to stay.

Look, I know politicians have lied since there were politicians to be heard. This is not new. In his novel, LYING CHEATING SCUM, Ed Uravic, a former Washington insider wrote:

The American people remain forgiving of their politicians, as long as those politicians put the people first and deliver tangible benefits for all of us.

I think he's spot on. Think about who we forgive and who we don't. I'm sure you can come up with a few names. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week 

Read the whole Truth and Politics essay.

It's important.