TBoneTX

And the question is whether this was gratuitous or, rather, a last resort when all else failed amidst interminable and intolerable delays.

This is detailed and interesting, if not fascinating. Comments? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bernie-Trump voters are back. Are they poised to play an undetected role in the election? By the time Trump took office, his administration was essentially a Frankensteined power-sharing agreement between several different factions: moderate business types (Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Steve Mnuchin); the Republican professional class (Reince Priebus, Kellyanne Conway); conservative evangelicals (Mike Pence); military hawks (James Mattis, John Kelly); and populist nationalists (Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller). Flash forward eight years, and Trump announced the honorary co-chairs of his 2024 transition team on Tuesday: Tulsi Gabbard and Robert Kennedy Jr., both onetime Democratic presidential candidates. If his 2016 transition lead was meant as a signal to the GOP establishment, this new iteration should be seen as outreach to a very different — and rarely discussed — demographic: the Bernie-Trump voter. Remember them, from 2016 — the outsider, "burn it all down" populists who voted for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary and then Trump in the general election? We don't talk much about these voters now, but in 2016, they were all the rage (and often literally raging). Post-election studies suggested their votes may even have been decisive for Trump: data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study showed that 12% of Sanders' primary voters cast ballots for Trump in 2016 — including critical segments in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin that were more than enough to swing the election. [...] https://www.wakeuptopolitics.com/p/bernie-trump-voters-are-back

Chiefly political thread is moved from the Waivers forum to the Current Events forum.

Insulting women drivers! Reported!!!!! [not]

Wouldn't that tax their birdbrains?

Study: Crows Intelligent Enough To Steal Trinkets, But Foolish Enough To Think Material Goods Will Solve Problems CHICAGO—Confirming the impressive but limited scope of the birds' cognitive abilities, a study published Thursday by the University of Chicago found that crows were intelligent enough to steal trinkets, but foolish enough to think that material goods would solve their problems. "Our data indicates that corvids display the reasoning skills necessary to pilfer and collect shiny tchotchkes, but they are not so wise as to realize that accumulating physical items will never bring true happiness," said lead researcher Timothy Goetz, noting [...] https://theonion.com/study-crows-intelligent-enough-to-steal-trinkets-but-foolish-enough-to-think-material-goods-will-solve-problems/

Tim Walz Promises To Ensure All Violent Migrant Gangs Have Access To Free Tampons U.S. — In a stirring speech, VP candidate Tim Walz vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure all violent migrant gangs have access to free tampons. "Violent gangs full of undocumented immigrants we could easily deport should absolutely be given free feminine hygiene products," Tim Walz said while on the campaign trail. [...] https://babylonbee.com/news/tim-walz-promises-to-ensure-all-violent-migrant-gangs-have-access-to-free-tampons

Majority Of Wives Admit They Only Clean The House So They Can Smugly Apologize For How Messy It Is When Their Friends Come Over U.S. — A new scientific study published in the September issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine suggests that a majority of wives only clean their house so they can smugly apologize for how messy it is whenever their friends come over. "Oh, I'm so sorry. My place is just such a mess," Tiffany Sanders, the subject of a case study, said as she invited friends into her immaculate home. "I just don't have any time!" Single women and all men are reportedly immune to this behavior. According to the study, [...] https://babylonbee.com/news/majority-of-wives-admit-they-only-clean-the-house-so-they-can-smugly-apologize-for-how-messy-it-is-when-their-friends-come-ov

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Democrats Consider Replacing Kamala Harris With More Coherent Joe Biden [...] Harris's joint interview with running mate Tim Walz was met with poor reviews, with top Democratic officials citing Harris' inability to provide cogent answers or communicate like a person as reasons why the party should turn to the clarity and coherence of Joe Biden. "It may be time to consider a more mentally fit candidate," said one high-ranking Democrat who asked to remain anonymous. "We gave Kamala the good ol' college try, but she just does not display the same mental capacity and clear communication skills as Joe Biden. [...] https://babylonbee.com/news/democrats-consider-replacing-kamala-harris-with-more-coherent-joe-biden

Israel Defense Forces Finds, Un-Alives Senior Hamas Commander in West Bank On Friday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) located and deleted a senior Hamas commander, Wassem Hazem, along with several of his henchmen. The operation was executed as the IDF pushed further into the West Bank [...] https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/08/30/israel-defense-forces-locate-eliminate-senior-hamas-commander-n2178741

BREAKING: Police Subdue Man Who Tried to Climb Onto Press Riser at PA Trump Rally https://redstate.com/beccalower/2024/08/30/breaking-police-subdue-man-who-tried-to-climb-onto-press-riser-at-pa-trump-rally-n2178750

Harris' problem: She's a complete phony If you're a candidate for president of the United States and you avoid the media for a week or two, you can reasonably call it a strategy. If you avoid them for almost six weeks, it's a problem. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has a problem, even after she was finally shamed into breaking down and talking to CNN. It's not like the difficulties that President Biden had that led his team to keep him away from cameras as much as possible; his problem was clearly his advancing decrepitude. But now that the current holder of the office of president has been shoved out of view, his vice president is seeking a promotion, and her handlers have a different concern: She's a complete phony. And so they conspired to keep her away from the media until her CNN appearance on Thursday with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 39 days from the day she became the presumed Democratic nominee for president. They likely did this for two main reasons: They needed time to begin to erase her radically leftist record, and they didn't trust her to go out and help build her own new fake persona. It's not that she's liable to pull a literal face-plant the way Mr. Biden was; it's that she has a tendency to get stuck in catchphrase loops when she speaks about subjects with which she is not comfortable or familiar. When she's out of her depth on a topic, she sounds like it, and everyone listening knows that she has no idea what she's talking about. That could happen a lot if you're going to campaign on ideas you opposed only 39 days earlier. [...] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/aug/29/harris-problem-shes-complete-phony/

Jack Smith Makes Me Think Trump Won in 2020 I used to be agnostic on the victor in the 2020 presidential election. I simply didn't know since our system is so botched and riddled with holes in almost every state it's difficult to determine the winner in any of our elections that are even relatively close. I still remain somewhat agnostic, but the tenacity, resembling monomania, with which our Torquemada-like special prosecutor Jack Smith seeks to indict and convict Donald Trump leads me to believe Mr. Trump actually won. Many may also feel that way because of the manner in which Mr. Trump's poll numbers tend to grow the more he is indicted. I admit my reaction is to some extent psychological/emotional, but it does have a factual basis. [...] https://americanrefugees.substack.com/p/jack-smith-makes-me-think-trump-won

Even if Bud Light continues to repent, will this change your mind? Change the public's mind? Discuss, please. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bud Light smartly tapped Shane Gillis for ads — the latest brand doing post-DEI damage control After a disastrous partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney that reportedly cost the brand over $1 billion in lost sales last year, Bud Light has returned to its roots. The inch toward redemption started with a 2024 Super Bowl commercial featuring Peyton Manning and Post Malone. This week, Bud Light released a new ad starring comedian Shane Gillis — and it's a full-on embrace of the brand's fratty, frivolous ethos that, for decades, turned its ads into pop culture touchstones. And Dilly Dilly to that. If 2023 was peak woke, 2024 will be known as the year that DEI died — with corporations finally admitting it's all a shakedown by lefty activists. Recently, companies like Harley-Davidson, Ford, John Deere and Lowe's have all reversed course on DEI, thanks in large part to the work of people like Robby Starbuck calling them out. And now we get "The Dean's Office," in which Gillis plays a college football coach standing behind a dean, who is trying to extract an admission of plagiarism from a star player. In exchange for the stud athlete's confession, the dean presents him with a bucket of ice-cold Bud Lights. Instead, the coaxing works on Coach Gillis (his jacket reads Coach Herb), a professor and the dean himself, who start singing like canaries. [...] https://nypost.com/2024/08/29/opinion/bud-lite-smartly-tapped-shane-gillis-for-ads-the-latest-brand-doing-post-dei-damage-control/

Why do cats hate closed doors? If you've ever witnessed a cat in front of a closed door, you might notice how much they seem to be annoyed by it. They might poke a furry arm under the crack, begin to paw at the door or even attack it while letting out agitated meows. But why do cats seem to hate closed doors so much? [...] Continues: https://www.livescience.com/animals/domestic-cats/why-do-cats-hate-closed-doors

Not sure how many will find this interesting, but maybe some pilots can comment on possible errors in judgment. ~~~~~~~~~~ Lost plane, passenger's remains found 17 years after plane crash near Mackinac Island MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) — A private search and recovery company has found the missing wreckage and human remains from a 2007 plane crash in Lake Huron, according to Michigan State Police. The findings give closure to family members, who have waited 17 years with little evidence. The crash happened on the afternoon of August 24, 2007 when a pilot and a passenger left in a SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad, a small single-engine aircraft, from an airport from Mackinac Island to Bad Axe. It was a calm, cloudy day in the 70s with wind picking up to 5-10 mph after noon. [...] https://www.yahoo.com/news/lost-plane-passenger-remains-found-162507324.html

Thrilling Friday non-ES report, see man: Today was non-Two-Guys eve, just we man and miu man man. Lunch was 2 ham-&-cheese sandwiches, indict all but the cheese and ingest we man. After ES-ing, we siesta'd for a glorious nearly-2-hours, zzz we man. Din-din was toucans of Progresso chicken noodle soup*, ingest we man. *bought just hours ago at Many'rd ES and not even pantried, financially savvy we man After evening TV news, mowed front lawn, in distinct need man. Off-blew debris from pavement, cleanly we man. The instant we went inside, neighbor's lawn Mexicans appeared, noisy they man. Of course, they blew neighbor's detritus onto our clean sidewalk, man. Movie night occurred upon Mini-B.'s return, Two Guys man. Many Everybody Hates Chris episodes were watched, watch Two Guys man. Many (2+2+1) bowls of Costco popcorn were consumed, ingest Two Guys man. This makes Many (2x2x2 +1) for the week, only one more needed for official status man. While we were popcorning, we felt a bite on our neck, stinging we man. We slapped at it and a wasp flew away, oh bite us man. Mini-B. went aysheep, aysheep wee man man. We retrieved oversized swatter bought earlier from dollar-plus store, for just such situations man. Wasp promptly met its doom, die miserably man. We flushed its detestable carcass down the toilet, bye man. Went upstairs and put Calamine lotion on our sting, self-medicate we man. Mini-B. put a bandage over that for us, help wee man we man man. It's right at T-shirt collar level, inconvenient man. We conclude that we shall probably survive it, conclude we man. We are not even bothering to look for Saturday GSs/ESs, exhaust inventory of same today we man. We shall try to zzz in, hopefully no early lawn crews man. Party with the rubias imminent, cavort we man. And that was/is our thrilling Friday, report we man.

Old thread is now closed to further comment. See OP's last answer.

Haynes, contact your Congressman's office. The immigration liaison there might be able to grease the skids so that you get your green card expedited. I recommend phoning the office. There will be a routine form to fill out, giving your permission for the office to intercede on your behalf. Look on the Congressman's website for that, and have it ready to submit when you call.

Friday ES report, see man: We attended all Many ESs, reliable we man. The first and Many'rd yielded the take, see man: -- men's suede belt from Uruguay = $1, steal man -- Manycans (toucans + toucans) Progresso soup, onecan Chunky soup, onecan Many-oz. ([2x2x2 +2 +2]-oz.) cured ham, Manypacks (tupacs + onepack) paper snack plates = $1, steal man* *"We don't sell food, no man, but you can take it, si man," whee and man Total = $2

Shouldn't Minnesotans be embarrassed that this clown is their governor? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chinese Dissident Ends Tim Walz's Stupid 'Grammar' Excuse for Stolen Valor ... in Two Sentences Earlier, we shared with you Tim Walz's pathetic excuse for decades of stolen valor. [...] Walz lied. And that claim that he just doesn't understand grammar runs straight into the teeth of just one fact. We will let Chinese defector Xi Van Fleet explain it to the class: [...] https://twitchy.com/aaronwalker/2024/08/30/chinese-dissident-ends-tim-walzs-grammar-excuse-for-stolen-valor-in-two-sentences-n2400321

"Who ya gonna believe -- us, or your lying eyes?"

WATCH: Kamala Harris Gives Disqualifying Answer When Asked About Defense of 'Biden's Capacity to Serve' [...] Kamala Harris is not just going to come right out and say Joe Biden is unfit to serve another four years in office - especially considering she was the beneficiary of his announcement and endorsement. But to sit there and pretend like Biden has been a model of strength, leadership, and intestinal fortitude since Day One? Seriously - does anyone outside of Jill Biden even believe that anymore? [...] https://redstate.com/sister-toldjah/2024/08/30/watch-kamala-harris-gives-disqualifying-answer-when-asked-about-defense-of-bidens-capacity-to-serve-n2178707

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Statues in Peril Alert: San Fran Taliban On the Scan [...] The city of San Francisco, awash with excess cash and time as it is, has decided to inventory its complete public statuary holdings in an effort to determine which are appropriate and reflective of today's modern San Francisco. In the city's own words, they'd very much like to eschew traditional public art, which is now offensive to modern tastes and sensibilities, and are asking the general public to weigh in - snitch actually - on those statues that "no longer represent the values that we say the city stands for." The Taliban have come to town in an official capacity. [...] https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2024/08/29/statues-in-peril-alert-san-fran-taliban-on-the-scan-n3793828

All of your points are excellent, and maybe we'll learn some (weakly) extenuating details.