Politics of Petulance (title renamed to match original post)

[Family 4,229]

Suspect Admits to Starting Fire in Los Angeles as Blazes Persist

 

man was taken into custody late Friday night after admitting he ignited a brush fire at Pioneer Park in Azusa, California, as the Los Angeles wildfires persist, local law enforcement said on Saturday.

The Context

The arrest comes as California continues to battle multiple destructive wildfires. The Pacific Palisades fire has been roaringthrough Los Angeles County, spreading throughout the region spurred by powerful Santa Ana winds. The fire was estimated to cover more than 11,802 acres and has forced at least 30,000 to leave their homes.

At least three blazes are currently active in the region as of Sunday, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire). According to the Associated Press, the death toll of the fires has reached 16, and over 12,300 structures have been destroyed according to Cal Fire, with more at risk as weather conditions persist.

 

Carranza-Escobar, who police described as a transient, admitted to setting the fire. He was then arrested on suspicion of arson and is currently being held in custody.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/suspect-admits-starting-fire-los-angeles-blazes-persist-2013681

 

Palisades Fire likely started near the remnants of a blaze believed to have been sparked by NYE fireworks: report

 

The Palisades Fire that has devastated Los Angeles and killed at least eight people may have reignited from scorch marks left by an earlier inferno that is believed to have been caused by fireworks set off on New Year’s Eve, according to a report. 

The remnants of the New Year’s Eve fire likely could’ve been reignited by strong winds — which have made the current blazes difficult to control — even six days after it was put out, the Washington Post reported.

An analysis of satellite images, radio communications, videos as well as interviews by the publication found that the deadly Palisades Fire began in the same area where firefighters had put out the previous fire — and that firefighters were slower to respond to the second blaze, which quickly became one of the most destructive in California’s history. 

Frustrated residents told The Washington Post that the response time from first responders when the Palisades Fire first started last Tuesday was much slower than it’d been on New Year’s Eve.

 

The first time around, he said that the response was swift and impressive. The second, though, was slower and hindered by the high winds, he told the outlet. 

 

When he and his wife each called the Los Angeles Fire Department 30 minutes apart last Tuesday to report the possible beginnings of the Palisades Fire, Valentine said that he had to wait because the line was busy.

 

At the time, LAFD crews were caught up responding to two other situations in other parts of the city and planned to send resources whenever they had a chance, according to WaPo. Meanwhile, a helicopter carrying water that attempted to respond early on couldn’t because of the high winds.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/01/12/us-news/palisades-fire-likely-started-near-the-remnants-of-a-blaze-believed-to-have-been-sparked-by-nye-fireworks-report/

 

Meanwhile investigators are searching for clues as to why the major fires – Palisades and Eaton – were ignited, even as Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up overnight on Sunday and through Tuesday with no rain anticipated until later in the week.

One theory gaining traction is that overhead transmission and distribution lines, rocked or brought down by the winds, may have sparked, igniting the dry vegetation below. It is routine for utilities to shut off power during “red-flag events” but the power lines were on near the Eaton and Palisades fires started on Tuesday last week.

Power lines and utility equipment have been identified as the cause of California’s 2018 Camp fire, killing 85 people and destroying the town of Paradise, the 2023 Maui fire in Hawaii and a 2021 fire in Otis, Oregon, that began when a utility pole fell and ignited a wildfire, destroying 300 homes.

 

Los Angeles department of water and power reportedly does not have a program in place to pre-emptively shut off power in urban areas when fire risk is high. Robert McCullough, a electric utility consultant, told the New York Times that the department’s shut-off plan is “woefully inadequate”.

The analyst also said that the utility’s electric grid was designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 56mph, which considered “quite low in today’s climate”. The department has said it did not cut power in advance of the fires in the city despite the wind speeds.

 

“Impacts to critical city services, including emergency response, the ability to fight fires, traffic and streetlights, as well as impacts to vulnerable people at home, are risks of widespread power outages, as are hospitals, dialysis centers and care centers,” the department explained in a statement to the outlet.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/12/newsom-marshall-plan-wildfire-theories

[Family 4,229]

 

 

 

[TBoneTX 46,130]

Interesting stories.  Remember that we have a dedicated wildfire thread, too.   

[Family 4,229]

2 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Interesting stories.  Remember that we have a dedicated wildfire thread, too.   

Aye ! aye!…some subject matter seems to have drifted here, so took a moment to clear up our wildfire position: We Are Not Amused.

 

As for Putin , reading through the AI chat  ( instead of a stiff lipped official) translated subtitles was a good excercise to see change to the digital landscape in action. 
There are a few gems there, one being when he points out that for all the economic stressors and complaints....the Russian citizen has doubled their consumption of meat and milk..😂

Edited January 13 by Family

[Ban Hammer 13,558]

[Family 4,229]

 

[Family 4,229]

 

[Boiler 46,124]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/19/joe-biden-had-one-job-and-he-failed

 

Quote

 

Joe Biden had one job. And he failed

The president was supposed to defeat Donald Trump and end the threat he posed to our democracy. Yet, here we are

“You had one job.”

As we bid farewell to the 46th president of the United States, I can’t get that Ocean’s 11-inspired internet meme out of my head.

Joe Biden had one job. Not getting bills passed or executive orders signed. Not fighting foreign wars or securing the border. No. It was defeating Donald Trump. Denying him the presidency. Ending the threat he posed to our democracy.

 

 

When Progs say Democracy they do not mean Democracy as they do seem very much against it as recent events have shown and I am sure future events will confirm.

 

I mentally replace the term with Democrats, makes much more sense.

 

[Dashinka 24,803]

On 1/19/2025 at 9:02 AM, Boiler said:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/19/joe-biden-had-one-job-and-he-failed

 

 

When Progs say Democracy they do not mean Democracy as they do seem very much against it as recent events have shown and I am sure future events will confirm.

 

I mentally replace the term with Democrats, makes much more sense.

 

This is why I make pains to always label them as the Democrats Party, and not interchange Democratic with Democrats.

[Dashinka 24,803]

Should probably go here as well considering it is old corrupt petulant Joe’s last act.  So much for restoring dignity to the White House.  Good Riddance!

 

Recipients of pardons include Trump's former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, former chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and lawmakers involved in the U.S. House Select Committee on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

 

"Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy," Biden said in a statement. "Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties."

 

Hours later Biden announced the pardoning of his brother, sister-in-law, sister and brother-in-law: Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden.

 

"My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me-the worst kind of partisan politics," Biden said. "Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.

 

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-issues-preemptive-pardons-for-fauci-milley-capitol-police-family-members/ar-AA1xwu9C?ocid=BingNewsSerp

[Boiler 46,124]

No surprise 

 

 

[Family 4,229]

IPTP Will Track Trump 2.0

reports: "In anticipation of next week, I wanted to share that the Immigration Policy Tracking Project (IPTP) website is updated for Trump 2.0. 

Beginning Monday, all new federal immigration policies and underlying source documents will be summarized and posted in a searchable 2.0 database that can filter by topic, agency, type of action, 1.0/2.0, and other categories.

The Tracker will also continue to update the status of all Trump 1.0 immigration policies. As many of you know, IPTP is a collaborative project I started in 2017 to track Trump 1.0 policies with Stanford and Yale law students and the support of key experts who review every entry before posting. Sadly, it is necessary again.

Feedback to help keep entries complete and accurate is very welcome. Each policy entry also has the capacity to link to external commentary and to significant litigation developments. Please send any information or suggestions to iptp.feedback@gmail.com Thank you to so many students and colleagues who have contributed to this effort over many years!"

[More info here.]

 

https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/insights/legal/immigration/b/outsidenews/posts/iptp-will-track-trump-2-0

[Boiler 46,124]

Have you not been doing this for the last 4 years?

[Dashinka 24,803]

5 hours ago, Boiler said:

Have you not been doing this for the last 4 years?

Don’t have to track open borders I guess.

[Family 4,229]

When Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents go to homes and the community to arrest non-citizens, it’s common for them to lie about who they are and what they want from the individuals they encounter. The lies are called “ruses.” 

What is a ruse?

On the morning of July 19th around 10:00 AM, two ICE officers came to a family’s home in Brooklyn near Coney Island. When the agents, whose clothing was unmarked on the front side, knocked on the door, CM and her friend went to the door but did not open it. The agents told the women in broken Spanish that they wanted to speak with them about the bible.  CM and her friend did not open the door.  The agents did not stay for long and when they turned to leave CM and her friend saw that the back of the jackets said “ICE” on them. The agents then went to several other apartments.

 

ICE does not only use ruses pretending to be local police. They also use ruses pretending to be potential employers, or even private businesses. They may drive what looks like a delivery van, wear a fake uniform, or carry ladders, clipboards, and other props. They may intentionally be vague about who they are.

Ruses are not only an in-person tactic. ICE agents also use phone ruses as a way to locate their target. Through conducting their surveillance, ICE agents may obtain the phone number of the person they have targeted but not know where to physically find them. 

Ruses that ICE has used over the phone include pretending: 

• to be local police and asking you to answer a few questions for them
• to be local police asking you to meet them because you are the suspect in a criminal case
• they found your lost ID and need to arrange a time and place for you to pick it up
• to be calling from a local District Attorney office wanting to arrange a time and place to meet you
• to call from a local court confirming an upcoming court date or asking for your updated contact information

https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/ice-ruses/#8-what-kinds-of-ruses-does-ice-use