A New Spine

Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh and Lindsey Graham -- three vertebrae in the new spine that the Republicans are growing.

Spellbound

The recent testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at the Senate hearings on the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation brought to mind a movie from my childhood. This movie was Alfred Hitchcock's classic psychological drama "Spellbound," which scared the spit out of me.

Briefly, this movie was a story about two psychiatrists, Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck. The latter doctor suffered psychotic incidents whenever he saw parallel lines, such as on a fork or ski trails. So the doctor played by Ingrid Bergman  put Peck under psychoanalysis to figure out why. After much drama, it was discovered the the character played by Gregory Peck had, as a young child, been on the roof with his brother when this brother fell off and onto a wrought iron fence (thus, the parallel lines) where he was killed. Gregory Peck's character felt it was his fault and this guilty thought was  then suppressed ... causing his psychosis.

Can I now draw a parallel to Dr. Blasey Ford's obvious psychosis surrounding her weird and driving obsession for two front doors?  The explanation that this was connected to a locked bedroom door in the alleged Kavanaugh sexual attack seems simplistic and contrived to this observer. But, not being a head doctor, I think that this clue suggests a much more traumatic incident under different circumstances ... perhaps earlier in her life than was related.

If this is the rational for destroying Kavanaugh's life, then it deserves more serious and professional investigation ... but not at the expense of his confirmation. This is Blasey Ford's demon, not Kavanuaugh's. Watch for the blockbuster book in five or ten years.

Afterward: See Real Clear Politics and Real Clear Investigations

Obvious Truth #31

Our world is  often fundamentally transformed, for good or evil, by wackos in disguise ... the nuttier the fruitcake, the bigger the change. It is then up to the sane among us to maintain or reverse this new status quo. -- Anon.

Headlines

Kavanaugh confirmation hits major snag

Kavanaugh friend Mark Judge: 'I will cooperate' with FBI sexual assault probe

Ex-Justice Kennedy warns of dangers to democracy ...

Facebook blocks bad news about itself as 'spam'

Facebook reveals breach of nearly 50M users' information

Judge lets Democrats in Congress sue Trump over foreign payments

US, Canada could reach new NAFTA deal 'in 48 hours' ...

CNN comes in 10th place in primetime

U.S. pulls diplomats from Iraqi city, blaming Iran-backed violence

EU regulators want to make sure Amazon isn't undercutting sellers, commissioner says

Judge rules CA 'sanctuary state' law unconstitutional ...

... ABA: Kavanaugh confirmation should be delayed until after FBI investigation

Best Evidence

There is a tenet in law that one should always seek the best evidence. In the Kavanaugh hearings, Christine Blasey Ford's attorneys presented two snippets of evidence -- the summary conclusions of the lie detector administer and an indication from the Ford's family counselor that the accuser had related her near-rape experience that fateful evening,

However, if the FBI and the Republicans are smart they are going to demand the complete set of notes from the family counselor as well as any videos, audio tapes and the complete results from the lie detector test. The FBI should also thoroughly interview both these parties.

I expect that Dr. Ford's lawyers might push back on these requests. But the door on both has been opened by the accuser and I expect a court order might be easy to obtain. If the FBI investigation comes back without this critical information, then one can rightfully conclude that the fix is in.

Footnote: The FBI should also get Christine Blasey's high school yearbook and copies of all her deleted social media postings for the last two years at least.

Sexual Assault

Now Kavanaugh is going to want two front doors too ...

Fonzi Time

It's only a matter of time. Public speakers  often punctuate their delivery with "ladies and gentlemen." This cisgender salutation surely will soon be attacked by members who identify with one of the 234 other gender classifications now in vogue. In fact, if orators were to try to accommodate all this gender taxonomy, they might have no time left in their talk to deal with the subject at hand. Maybe this might be an improvement?

Then we come to "Dear Sir" and "Dear Madam" as salutations at the top of letters. Clearly making assumptions about the gender of the recipient from its name or appearance is now a no-no. There are even those single individuals today who want to be known by the plural pronoun "they" because of the fluidity of their perceived plumbing.

So what to do?

I suggest public speakers use "ladies, gentlemen and those many others." And we must now start all letters with a Fonzi-esque "Yoh."

Footnote: Now that transgenders have been admitted to the army, recruits can no longer salute and respond to their sarge ant's order with "YES SIR." Perhaps "YOH" is the answer here too?

Fractured Definition

Cyclone-- An exact biological copy of Sylvester Stallone.

Powerline Pic

Headlines

GOP breaks toward Kavanaugh vote with key Republicans undecided

Tesla's Musk pulled the plug on a settlement with the SEC at the last minute

Tax cut 2.0 seems ending in a whimper ...

Ramirez's Yale classmates reject Kavanaugh accusations

Trump thrilled at Kavanaugh defiance

American Bar Association calls for an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh allegations

[Senate] Committee Republicans' addresses, phone numbers splashed on WIKIPEDIA ...

South Korean and Japanese leaders clash over 'comfort women' at U.N.

Co-founder of form behind Trump dossier rejects House GOP request for interview

Italy boosts deficit target, defying the EU and rattling world markets

Mortgage rates hit seven year high ...

Feinstein's office recommended accuser's lawyer

Cost-Benefit

Christine Ford finished her lacrymonious testimony yesterday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And she was obviously effective. However one thing, that no one else noticed, did strike me as strange. This disconnect was when Dr. Ford said several times, when asked about why she finally came forward with her accusations, said that she had to weigh the costs against the benefits of this decision.

OK, let's assume that thus was her thinking ... what could be the costs and benefits that she was facing?

Costs: a few weeks of a disruptive life dedicated to negations, legal coaching and testimony, threats from disgruntled foes, possibly some legal and associated costs (unlikely given yesterday's testimony), invasion of her and her family's privacy bubble, possible charges of perjury

Benefits: Possible blockage of Kavanaugh's sitting on the Supreme Court, a significant embarrassment to her hated President Trump, eternal adoration by the Left and its media, a likely seven-figure book deal, a lifetime of speaking deals and likely honorary degrees, a movie deal, numerous prizes and awards, etc.

Why was there any question of what she would do?

Truth

Truth can transmogrify itself from a will-o'-the-wisp into  a Leviathan in a microsecond. -- Anon.

Two Front Doors

It seems reasonable to look upon with suspicion anyone who insists on having two front doors.

See: Details.

Fractured Definition

Bumbershoot -- An NRA event held sometime in late November offering a prize fit for the Thanksgiving table.

Headlines

Kavanaugh's GOP defenders on the hot seat at hearings

New orders for key US-made capital goods unexpectedly drop in August

Bibi [Nerenyahu]: Iran has 'secret atomic warehouse' ...

Brett Kavanaugh rips Senate for 'search and destroy' tactics ...

House committee tees up release of Russian probe transcripts

Trump says he rejected meeting with Trudeau over NAFTA -- but Canada says it never asked to meet

Regulators sue Musk for fraud, seek Tesla removal ...

Muslim mob stones three Christians to death in Kenya

House Republivans pass symbolic measure against non-citizen voting

More US corporate giants say tariffs will mean price hikes

Obama fantacies about being president again ...

Fed Chair Jay Powell: Taeiffs are not hurting the economy or raising prices

Quotable Quote

In a mirror maze the best strategy is to ignore the obvious. -- Anon.

Headlines

Senate panel schedules Kavanaugh vote for Friday

Brett Kavanaugh is hard to believe

Alarm after W. Virginia allows SMARTPHONE voting ...

Avenati locks [Twitter] account, admits Kavanaugh accuser might not appear

Red state Democrats refuse to come out against Kavanaugh

Amazon makes first investment in homebuilder, backing start-up focused on prefabricated houses

UPDATE: Rosensrein survives until after midterms ...

Jimmy Kimmel suggests cutting Brett Kavanaugh's penis off

Biden won't back Schumer as Democrat leader

Europe, Russia and China join forces with a new  mechanism to dodge Iran sanctions

Second [Kavanaugh] accuser willing to testify ...

Linsey Graham: 'These [Kavanaugh] allegations are collapsing'

Supreme Irony

The object lesson to be drawn from the current Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confiirmation imbroglio is dripping  full of irony. This irony derives from a previous (1960) Supreme Court decision (New York Times Co. v. Sullivan) that makes it very burdensome for someone in public office to sue successfully for libel or slander. This almost 60-year-old decision puts an almost impossible burden on the plaintiff ... that the defendant had to not only known the allegation was false .. but must have acted with "malice aforethought."  It might seem obvious why some media might issue lies ... but proving motivation is a mile-high hurdle.

Therefore, if Kavanaigh were to survive this Democrat assassination attempt and take his seat on the Supreme Court, he likely couldn't or wouldn't sue Christine Ford, the New Yorker magazine or Michael Avenati. And, even worse, if such a case were to make it back to the Supreme Court, Justice Kavanaugh would likely have to recuse himself from the case.

Fractured Definition

Tectonic shifting -- The dubious claims by Google, Amazon and the social media companies that they don't misuse the private user data that they collect on-line.

Dichotomy

President Trump decides with logic and sells with emotion. -- Anon.

Headlines

Kavanaugh drama rattles GOP support

US, Iran clash comes to UN, helping to push oil higher

Trump asks other nations to isolate Iran ...

UN audience laughs at Trump during speech

Avenati stars in 'avenging angel' role

China reveals its new party line: We're trying to save  the world from the US

Americans spend more on taxes than food & clothing -- combined ...

Susan Collins: 2nd accuser should speak with Senate investigators

Sander's won't say if Trump wants to gore Rosenstein

Latinos: A powerful force for small business growth, driving $700 billion into US economy

[Sem.] Cruz chased out of DC restaurant by protesters ...

Trump signs renegotiated trade agreement with South Korea

A Man

U.N. Audience Laughs at Trump Dufing Speech

If you cam keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. -- Rudyard Kipling

The Joker

There was this joker from Remo,

Who lost his shirt playing Keno.

But his special vice 

Was the game of dice,

For which he broke the casino.

Obvious Trurg #30

There are few more sinister than virtue signalers. -- Anon.

Headlines

Kavanaugh confirmation in renewed peril after second assault claim

Fly-over coin try no more: Why millennials are flocking to Rust Belt real estate

Swiss voters approve burka ban ...

Border wall construction begins in El Paso

Will the Democrats regret weaponizing the Judiciary?

Good news, America: Credit scores are at an all-time high

New [Kavanaughh] accuser came forward because  Dems 'came looking' ...

U.S. only improving economy in the world right now

Women's [House] caucus rebels against Pelosi's grip

Tesla made a big deal out of its Solar Roof in 2016, but two years later it has barely shipped any

Empty seats plague NFL stadiums ...

[Lindsey] Graham: 'There's a bureaucratic coup' against Trump

The Swamp

Mixed with lobbyists' excrement and the tears of the little people ...

Supreme Court

Trump has already chosen his next Supreme Court nominee ...

Obvious Truth # 29

These Kavanaugh assassination attempts are  all about our legal latitude to kill babies.

Headlines

Trump world divided on Rosenstein -- not weather to fire him, bu when

Iran's president blames US after attack on military parade

Yet another witness denies [Christine] Ford's account ...

Only 25 percent of women believe Kavanaugh accusations are creditable

Immigrants may be denied green cards if they've received benefits

OPEC, Russia rebuff Trump's call for immediate boost in oil output

[Keith] Ellison says his accuser fabricated abuse story ...

Grassley accepts Kavanaugh accuser's demand to testify Thursday

Woman denies attending party where alleged Kavanagh attack occurred

[France's] Macron's popularity falls further in September -- polls

Kaepernick is Nike's $6 billion man ...

Hawley: Missouri rally so big we had to turn away 20,000 Trump supporters

Just Us

Sliding into Second Base

I confess. Being that it is very unlikely that I am going to be appointed to the Supreme Court or even run for public office for that matter, I confess that I had groped some females when I was a teenager. I can't remember how many or the when, where or even who that they may have been, but I'm pretty sure that t tried to 'cop a deel' anytime my hormones suggested ... which was quite often.

Way back then we also called it 'getting to second base.' I won't explain what third base and a home run were ... but I 'm sure you can use your imagination. But I also remember that that there were some 'straight arrows,' mostly  Catholics, who were less randy and forward than I.

I am not baring my soul in this matter to suggest one way or another in this Kavanaugh matter. Being that there seems to be no witnesses or even a blue dress, only Christine, Brett and God know the real facts.

But, if it were me and, seeing what I have just confessed,I think I might prostrate myself in front of Diane Feinstein and beg that she not call me out. I kinda doubt she would relent however. This is hardball  politics after all.

Fractured Definition

Polysyllabic -- A pet parrot that talks your ear off.

Headlines

Grassley extends deadline on accuser's decision to testify

China said to call off high level trade talks with US as tariff war escalates

[Christine Ford's] Lawyer caught on camera: 'Going to resist' ...

Sen. Cory Booker admitted to 'groping' female friend at 15

[Sen.] Collins 'appalled' by Trump's attack on accuser

UK opposition party Labour would nationalize key industries quickly, finance spokesman says

White House order would trigger antitrust probe into 'online platform bias' ...

Levin: Don't fore Rod Rosenstein; New York Times article may be a setup

DOJ's Rosenstein, allies deny he considered secretly recording Trump

India's Midi faces calls for  resignation after French jet deal

Yale study finds number of illegals in USA Double previous estimate ...

Dershowitz: Dems will 'continue to lose elections' if they back the 'hard left'

Fractured Definition

Algorithm -- The  Catholics' birth control method once used by Bill Clinton's truncated Vice President.

Powerline Pic

Headlines

Dens break GOP hold on Mideast governorships

Michael Cohen is reportedly talking to Robert Mueller about trump's [financial] dealings with Russia

WSJ: Google workers discussed tweaking search function to counter [Trump's] travel ban ...

62M immigrants and their U.S.-born children now reside in the America

How the U.S. Senate became a campus kangaroo court

Former Google CEO predicts the Internet will split in two by 2029, with one part led by China

Paper: Impeaching Trump 'doubtful,' removing him 'neatly impossible'

Number of Arabic speakers in America nearly doubled since 2000

Michael Flynn to be sentenced Dec. 18

Tesla loses another exec: VP of supply chain management Liam O'Connor

ASSANGE: [We are] Last generation to be free of surveillance  ...

Courts deport half of Obama's 2014 adult migrants

Agreed!

Christine Ford's team of lawyers has agreed that she will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday! The only stipulations remaining are that, when Kavanaugh testifies, he can only be questioned by the committee Democrats and he must be wearing a novelty nose and glasses.

3,000 Deaths

"There are lies, damn lies and statistics." -- Benjamin Disraeli

There is a bit of a kerfuffle now regarding the number of deaths that occurred as a result of  hurricanes Maria that hit Puerto Rico a year ago. President Trump has tweeted that when he was on the island the number was 6 to 18  ... but did acknowledge that the number later went up after he left. (The first official number of direct deaths issued by the Puerto Rican government was 64.)

However, enter stage left, politics. Sometime earlier this year the Puerto Rican government suspiciously commissioned George Washington University to investigate this matter further to see how many direct and indirect deaths there actually were. After some grinding of wheels, these statisticians came back with 3,000 deaths (2,975 to be exact ... which obviously sounds more definitive.)

But this number is artificial. It cannot be supported with names of the dead and their death certificates. It is justified only with statistics of how many people may have died directly AND indirectly as a result of circumstances surrounding Maria.

The media madness that sprang up over the disconnect between Trump's number and this latest estimate has caused me to look at the "scientific" process employed at GW University. Its method was as follows:

- Look at the number of Puerto Rican deaths in the 6-month period from September, 2017 to February, 2018.

- Compare this to the number of deaths in the same period for the two prior years.

- After some unknown adjustments, the difference must be the deaths directly and indirectly attributed to Maria.

Now, I am not an university professor, but several things bother me with this approach:

- Why a six month period? Why not 2, 4, 8 or even 12 months? What if  the winter flu season in any of the sampled years skewed the results? Or any other unusual mortality rates?

- Why are deaths  compared to just two years? Why not just one year or 5 years? Are changing demographics accounted for?

Bottom line, this approach is open to too much subjective judgment ft my taste. I would prefer a counting of death certificates in which the cause of death is directly or even indirectly attributable to hurricane Maria. Let's bury the politics.

Headlines

Kavanaugh accuser: FBI should investigate claims of sexual assault

China's second-in-command: we're facing 'greater difficulties' in keeping economy stable

Chicago deal for Obama Center: 99 years at $10 ...

Donald Trump orders declassification of Russian investigation

Poll: Democrat women turbocharged to vote in midterms

Trump savages Jeff Sessions: 'I don't have an attorney general'

Republican wins Texas special election .. Same district Hillary won by 12 !

Feinstein on Kavanaugh [accuser]: 'I can't say that everything is truthful

Kim agrees to dismantle main nuke site, if U.S. takes steps too

Republicans are itching to move forward on Kavanaugh confirmation after accuser calls for FBI probe

AMAZON is now third largest ad platform ...

4th prominent Democrat endorses [Sen.] Melendez's GOP opponent

Obvious Truth #28

American's right to privacy is guaranteed by the 4th Amendment to our Constotition. But now this right is being seriously jeopardized by the Internet and its connected listening and camera devices ... which can and often do capture everything said and done in a connected room.  The implications of this power in anyone's let alone evil hands is enormous. We should be very afraid.

Afterward; See: Fast Compamy

Obvious Truth #27

It is predictable, after $16 billion of federal aid  to  the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico for hutticame Maria relief, that there would be a hand-biting effort to smear Trump for not doing enough ... purportedly because of his racial bias. -- Anon.

Fractured Definition

Diversity -- A poetry contest memorializing Prince William's and Prince Harry's deceased mother.

Headlines

Trump orders declassification of surveillance  applications, release of Comey texts

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross: China's 'out of billets' to retaliate against Trump's new tariffs

Politics dominates Emmy Red Carpet ...

Emmys catastrophe: Ratings crater 10% to new all-time low ..

Flake's revenge: Trump's antagonist holds back on Kavanaugh

China must retaliate against US tariffs, Commerce Ministry says

[Christine Ford's] LAWYER: Not her job to corroborate her [Kavanaugh] story ...

Texas declares 'final victory' in voter ID lawsuit

Trump's Space Force struggling to launch

Your Social Security check could be 2.8 percent higher next year

[Alibaba's Jack] Ma: Trade war could last 20 years ...

China retaliates levying tariffs on $60 billion if U.S. goofs

Wedgie

"And I demand that Peter Strzok investigate this ..."

Obvious Truth #26

Grotesque Geary buildings

The are two types of famous architects -- those who design beautiful yet functional buildings ... and those showboaters who build expensive monuments to themselves. -- Anon.

A Question

For all my Liberal readers: Aren't you embarassed to be associated with such underhanded slimeballs? (They make Trump look like a choirboy.) 

Obvious Truth #25

When our liberal media is caught exhibiting a double standard, it's only to make up for the fact that most of the rest of the time they have no standards whatsoever. -- Anon.

Headlines

'I do not know this woman': Trump allies rally to Kavanaugh's defense

China warns it won't just play defense in its trade war with the US

Newspaper Publisher Association honoring Maxine Waters with 'leadership' award ...

Scarborough: Trump fat greater challange to the idea of America than 9/11

Why God is laughing at Brett Kavanaugh

Musk says Tesla is now in 'delivery logistics hell'

Maduro's huge salary increase causes 40% of Venezuela stores to close ...

Kavanaugh accuser signed letter fighting Trump border policy

Trump gets pass from Congress on Puerto Rican deaths

Former Obama administration official: Trump is addressing 'longstanding' trade issues

Japan conducts first sib tests in disputed South [China] Sea ...

Brooks: Trump's comments on Puerto Rico 'almost pathalogical'

Fractured Definition

Doggerel -- A poem penned by a pooch.

Prediction

The chances are very good that Christine Blassey Ford will NOT appear at the Senate Juciciary Committee hearings next Monday on her charges against Brett Kavanaugh.

Afterward: BINGO!