Government

On the Epstein Files

Attorney Andrew Branca says it best:

one could believe what the Trump administration is explicitly telling us–they HAD good reason to EXPECT that a careful review of the Epstein “files” in the possession of the prior administration would lead to evidence of criminal conduct that could be prosecuted–but that the ACTUAL review of what is available to them does NOT amount to evidence of prosecutable criminal conduct.

That could be because the criminal conduct was much more limited than imagined–perhaps it was largely Epstein who was the actual monster, and he’s already facing the forever consequences of that conduct?

Or it could be because the monstrous conduct WAS widespread but that the EVIDENCE of that widespread criminality has been stripped from the “files” available to the current administration, due to no fault of Trump.

After all, Trump’s most vicious political enemies have been in possession of these “files” for years. If the conduct largely implicates those enemies, why would they NOT strip the evidence of their criminality from the files they knew would be available to Trump?

We can also be certain that if the “files” in the possession of Trump’s enemies had so much of a hint of Trump himself engaging in any of the alleged offenses against children, we would have learned of this notional evidence many, many years ago.

And yet we have not.

When there are hypothesis consistent with Trump acting in good faith, why does everyone who is purportedly a supporter of his administration so quick to jump to the conclusion that Trump is acting in bad faith?

I think that those files had a lot of high ranking people on them- from both political parties. I used to say that certain politicians like SCOTUS judges were acting oddly, as if someone had videos of them with Vietnamese prostitutes.

Blackmail only works if the information being used as leverage remains secret.

By Divemedic, ago

Thieving Politicians

The San Francisco Parks Alliance was a nonprofit NGO that partnered with the city government to solicit donations to build parks. They are under fire for spending $3.8 million in donations on staff bonuses, lavish pay, and swanky parties. No parks, though.

The CEO was a friend and assistant to the Mayor. His web page brags about how he ran non-profits all over the country. This is the kinds of NGOs that have been funneling taxpayer money to the left for decades. We are the ones funding the let’s subversive activities.

By Divemedic, ago

Property Taxes

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says that property taxes are nonsense, in that you are essentially paying rent to the government in exchange for owning property.

“You should own your property free and clear,” DeSantis said at a recent roundtable in Jacksonville. “I think to say that someone that’s been in their house for 35 years just has to keep ponying up money — you don’t own your home, if that’s the case.”

He’s right, but at the same time, things like police, fire, and schools need to be funded. The thing that surprised me about this article was that the state’s tax on real property accounts for 18% of county revenue, 17% of municipal revenue and between 50% and 60% of school district funding.

So the elimination of property taxes would mean that counties would have to cut 18% of their expenditures. Using Orange County (where Orlando is located) as an example, they have an annual budget of $7.2 billion. (pdf alert) That would mean that the county needs to cut $1.3 billion from its annual budget. From their budget, they spend money on:

In this budget, we have purposefully allocated resources to address critical areas that are essential to ensuring the well-being of our residents by investing in affordable housing, preserving the environment, fueling economic development, strengthening public safety, improving transportation, expanding mental and behavioral health services, and enhancing children and family services programs. We will also develop a plan for expanding services to homeless people.

Orange county’s property tax proceeds total about $969 million of that budget. Can they make some cuts?

  • $16.1 million is for affordable housing programs
  • Neighborhood Centers for Families (NCF) $7.5 million for mental health, early childhood development, youth empowerment, family support, and youth recreation.
  • The Citizens Review Panel (CRP) recommends grant funding for small and large nonprofit organizations that provide vital services to Orange County children, youth, and their families. CRP funding is budgeted at $4.1 million for the fiscal year 2025.
  • resources to advance environmental initiatives $100 million per year
  • Tourist Development Tax revenue budget for fiscal year 2025 is $345 million. Let businesses fund their own development.

Without even trying, I have found $472.7 million in cuts. That’s halfway to eliminating property taxes. It can be done. Government shouldn’t be an endless source of pork that is being used to buy votes. Government should stay out of our pockets and provide only essential services through taxes. They should ask for donations for any extra services.

By Divemedic, ago

Lies

 Two years ago, the Republicans caved by giving President Biden a blank check to borrow whatever and how ever much money he wanted to spend. On that day, the US debt stood at $31.46 Trillion. Within a month, the US had borrowed another Trillion dollars. Here we are with $36.21 Trillion in debt. (By the way, our national debt is the same now as it was on inauguration day, FYI)

They are borrowing money at incredible rates. We now are borrowing $1.5 Trillion each and every year.

It took this nation over 200 years to borrow a trillion dollars. Trump did it in seven months, Obama did it in only 6 months. It took Biden 9 months to borrow his first Trillion dollars, but he soon got better at it. His second trillion took three months, borrowing $2 trillion in his first year. In fact, he has increased the national debt by 118% in just two and a half years.

Biden increased the National Debt by 30% in four years, a total of $4.5 trillion.

President Trump increased the National Debt by 141% in his first four years.

Obama increased the debt by 194% in eight years.

President George W Bush borrowed his first trillion dollars in two and a half years. He borrowed his second trillion a year and a half later. Another two years, another $1 trillion. All told, President Bush borrowed $5 trillion in 8 years, increasing the national debt by 187%.

It took President Clinton 3 and a half years to borrow his first trillion dollars. All told, he borrowed $1.2 trillion in his first term, and $600 billion in his second. He increased the national debt by 140% in eight years.

George HW Bush borrowed his first trillion in 3 years, and he increased the National debt by 170% in four years.

Reagan borrowed his first trillion in 6 years, and doubled the National debt during his eight years in the White House.

Carter increased the National debt by 150%, but “only” borrowed $300 billion in 4 years. I guess that was when $1 Billion was real money.

Ford increased the debt by 147% in 3 years., Nixon by 135% in 5 years, Johnson by 116% in 6 years, Kennedy by 106% in 2 years, Eisenhower by 108% in eight years.

Democrats, and Republicans, both in a contest to see who can spend the most in our society of “how much can you give me if I vote for you.”

Remember when the Biden spokeswoman told us that borrowing trillions didn’t cost anything because it was already accounted for? Note that we weren’t really allowed to increase the debt until we divorced from the gold standard during the Nixon administration. Ever since then, spend, spend, spend. This nation creates money as fast as computers can create the 1′ and 0’s at the Fed. This can’t continue. By definition, anything that can’t continue, won’t. There is no amount of voting that will fix this.

By Divemedic, ago

Montezuma

Biology class went on a summer trip to South America: 2 adults, 10 high school students. They came in with diarrhea. The biology teacher who took them says “It can’t have been the water. We were drinking bottled water.”

I replied “What water did you use to brush your teeth?”

She says, “The water in the hotel.”

I ask, “Did your drinks have ice in them?”

Of course they did.

Yeah. Biology teacher.

By Divemedic, ago

Airstrikes

The left is losing their collective shit over Trump’s bombing of Iran. They are claiming that it’s unconstitutional. There are, as usual, Democrats claiming he should be impeached for it. DJT can’t take a dump without someone trying to impeach him for it. As far as it being unconstitutional, I would simply point out that every President since at least Eisenhower has taken military action without seeking the permission of Congress. The law simply says that he has to notify Congress within 48 hours. It doesn’t say HOW he has to notify them. I would send them a letter by certified mail. The courts have ruled that, when the law requires a notification be sent or given, that notification is complete upon mailing. Done. Keep the receipt.

There are also those on both sides who are making the claim that Iran is peaceful, not pursuing nukes, and the US shouldn’t be doing Israel’s bidding. Let’s talk about that. First, on Iran being peaceful. I was in the military for many of these incidents, and was actually there for some of them:

They are constantly holding the world hostage by capturing shipping as it passes through the Persian Gulf, mining the Persian Gulf, and supporting terrorism.

The claim that Iran isn’t pursuing nukes is simply wrong. They have enriched Uranium to more than 60%. There is no use for that level of enrichment, except for use as a weapon. Even the IAEA reports that Iran had 2700 centrifuges in place there, which was a violation of the Obama nuclear agreement. Sure, the Obama administration had the Iranians pinky swear that they wouldn’t make a nuclear bomb, and the Iranians would never lie, would they?

As you can see, Iran has been attacking US forces for more than 50 years. In this case, Israeli interests and US interests happen to be the same in this case, and I don’t have a problem with someone finally dealing with those assholes. Sure, we need to try for peace, but you can’t let other nations continually attack you and pretend that it isn’t happening.

Trump has used the US military exactly four times: Against Iran in 2025, Isis in 2025, ISIS in 2020, and LA in 2025. That’s far fewer than any of the last Presidents going all the way back to Herbert Hoover.

To those who would tell me that if I support this, I should go serve? I already did. I was in for six years, and did 2 combat tours. In the late 80s, I was in a bar less than an hour before it was bombed by terrorists. (I couldn’t find a link to the story.) I’ve been there. Look, most of the times that the US military has been used in the past 70 years, it was an unnecessary use of military force, and that includes the 1990 Gulf War. This case? I don’t have a problem with it. Iran needs to be brought to heel. Instead of taking half measures designed to “teach them a lesson” which they obviously aren’t learning, they need to have their war making factories destroyed.

By Divemedic, ago

There Goes the Jury Box

Florida passed a law making it illegal for illegal immigrants to enter the state. A Federal judge in Miami issued an order barring the state from enforcing the law, citing the supremacy clause, making the claim that only the Federal government can enforce immigration laws. When the Florida Attorney General told the court that law enforcement agencies weren’t subject to the order, the judge found him in contempt.

The courts are just as partisan and biased as the rest of the nation, and are becoming illegitimate as a result. The orders you get depend on the political stance of the judge in question, and not on the Constitution. I can prove it. Ask this same judge to put out an order telling the states that due to that same supremacy clause, no state can enforce any gun laws, because there are Federal gun laws. Likewise, drug laws, laws against murder, etc.

We all know what would happen.

By Divemedic, ago

Israel

I know that quite a few of my readers like to complain about “the JEWS” and think that they are involved in some sort of conspiracy. So what I am about to say here may not land well, but I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind.

Israel is a sovereign nation that looks after its own interests. For that reason, I admire them and wish the US would grow the same set of balls. For years, the Iranians have publicly stated that they want to get a nuclear weapon so that they can use it to nuke Israel. Top that off with the fact that Iran is sponsoring a huge terrorist organization that is busy shooting and stealing everything that moves in the region. I think that the Israelis have shown considerable restraint. They do, however fight to win. You won’t see them pulling out and leaving their enemies with enough weapons to supply an army.

Sometimes the interests of the US and Israel conflict, sometimes they don’t. In this case, the interests of the two nations are aligned. I think Trump played this well.

The Muslim nations are batshit crazy, and I say that after having done two tours over there. They are nutjobs who want all of us to either convert to Islam or die while living in the 14th century with their child brides and primitive attitudes.

By Divemedic, ago

Liberal Viewpoint

there are no “illegals.” That’s a word the Republikkkans use to dehumanize and demonize. People who are here without documentation, without legal permission, that’s a civil offense, not a criminal one. Crossing the border outside a checkpoint is misdemeanor trespass. They can claim asylum from anywhere in the U.S and whether you like it or not they have as much right to be here as you MAGAats do. Most of them are workers with families just like you. Once they have been there for over decades, they are protected by the statute of limitations.- Rando Lefty talking points

This ties in with my statement on Due Process. Read the clause again:

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.

So lets assume that you are right- illegally entering the country isn’t a crime. OK. What is the penalty? You get sent back to the nation that you came from. That isn’t depriving you of life, liberty, or property, so you aren’t entitled to due process.

If the government DID want to charge you with a crime, the law used would be 8 USC 1325: Improper entry by alien. The law reads:

Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

In other words, it’s a misdemeanor the first time, a felony each subsequent time.

Saying the word “asylum” isn’t a magic word that gets you a free pass. First, asylum is for fleeing your home country because your life is in danger if you stay. Second, once you have left your home country, the threat is gone, and you are done fleeing. That means you can’t pass through 8 nations on the way to the US in order to claim asylum. That’s not how it works.

Also, sneaking into the country and staying here for a decade in violation of the law doesn’t mean that you can claim asylum after being caught.

The statute of limitations don’t apply in the event of a crime that continues every day. If I were to make an illegal machine gun, but I own it for 20 years, that doesn’t mean ATF can’t charge me with it. That also isn’t how crimes work.

By Divemedic, ago