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So, this thread has gone from the U.S. of A. no longer invading Greenland, to the U.S. of A. possibly invading Canada. And, this thread isn't even located on the High Weirdness Sub-board.

Well ... pardon the interruption. I'm off to the supermarket for more popcorn. Carry on.

[7 key things to know about Trump's tariffs after the Supreme Court decision]

The POSOTUS has a lot to whine about this morning:

7 key things to know about Trump's tariffs after the Supreme Court decision

As per this article:

"The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump overstepped his authority when he ordered tariffs on imports from nearly every country in the world, using a 1970s "emergency" statute."

So, on to his 'Backup Plan.'

In this Season of Chaos, 'tis the time of the first Flux Holyday of the Year of Our Lady of Discord 3192. And, once again, that ol' Hodge and Podge, Eristic and Aneristic, Yin and Yang, Dark and Light, Dry and Moist, Rim and Ram, Jim and Jam, etc. thing is beginning to happen.

So, as this season slowly winds down, chill out for the day, and use it to prepare yourselves for what is likely to be a memorable, historic Season of Discord.

Hail Eris!

All Hail Discordia!

[WARNING: ARTICLE CONTAINS PHOTOS YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO UNSEE!]

WARNING: ARTICLE CONTAINS PHOTOS YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO UNSEE!

Here's a man wise enough to have learned from the mistakes of other contractors who have worked for the POSOTUS, and his Republicult™ worshipers:

'It's not leaving until they pay me': sculptor holds Trump statue hostage

"Alan Cottrill created an 18ft bronze capturing the moment the president survived an assassination attempt. He says his patrons aren't paying up"

As per this article:

"In a foundry in the hills of Ohio lies a colossal bronze statue of President Trump that was recently coated in gold on the orders of a consortium of cryptocurrency entrepreneurs.

It is a work of art by the sculptor Alan Cottrill showing Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, standing and punching the air moments after he survived a would-be-assassin's bullet.

It is also a hostage.

"They said: 'Oh don't worry Alan, we'll pay you, we'll pay you,'" Cottrill said of his patrons, a group of 16 cryptocurrency enthusiasts who commissioned the statue to honour President Trump.

But just as Michelangelo sometimes found himself funding the redecoration of the Sistine Chapel, Cottrill feels he has been carrying the cost of an enormous sculpture of Trump."

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

[Barack Obama Says Aliens 'Are Real', but Not in Area 51]

Well, if this doesn't get the UFO believers' hearts pumping, nothing will:

Barack Obama Says Aliens 'Are Real', but Not in Area 51

As per this article:

"The exchange occurred during a "lightning round" portion of Cohen's interview, where the journalist prefaced his question by noting the rare opportunity to speak with a president of the United States. Cohen asked directly: "Are aliens real?"

Obama's response was immediate and unequivocal: "They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in, what is it—"

Cohen interjected: "Area 51?"

"Area 51," Obama confirmed. "There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous CONSPIRACY (Emphasis mine), and they hid it from the president of the United States."

Cohen then asked what the first question Obama wanted answered when he became president. Without hesitation, Obama replied: "Where are the aliens?"

The exchange ended with laughter from both men as Cohen repeated, "Where are the aliens?"

And, never let it be said that Former President Barack Hussein Obama doesn't have a sense of humor.

[February 14, 1929 - 'Merican Organized Crime Committed the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre]

February 14, 1929 - 'Merican Organized Crime Committed the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

Seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang were murdered in a garage, with 'Merica's iconic Thompson submachine guns, and a shotgun.

The murders have been widely attributed to the Chicago Outfit, headed by Al Capone. However, although several investigations took place, and suspects were arrested, no one was ever charged, or convicted for committing this brazen, high profile, criminal act.

Happy Valentine's Day.

[Only Republican Disqualified From Senate Race in Democrat-Led State]

I've never see, or heard of anything like this every happening in any state:

Only Republican Disqualified From Senate Race in Democrat-Led State

As per this article:

"New Mexico will have no Republican on the ballot for the U.S. Senate race after GOP candidate Christopher Vanden Heuvel was disqualified for failing to submit enough valid signatures to qualify, New Mexico's secretary of state press team told Newsweek."

And, as per further along in this article:

""I am writing to inform you that you did not qualify as a candidate for the office of United States Senator, pursuant to the express requirements of the New Mexico Election Code," a letter obtained by Newsweek signed by Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver sent to Heuvel.

The letter continued, "To qualify as a candidate for this office, a prospective candidate must submit a declaration of candidacy and the statutory minimum number of nominating petition signatures at the time of filing."

Oliver said that after review, the office determined that he "failed to reach the required 2,351 signatures in accordance with NMSA 1978, § 1-8-33.""

Now, perhaps requirements like this vary widely from state to state. But, requiring only 2,351 signatures to get a candidate for the U.S. Senate on a political party's ballot for their primary election sounds to me like a really low bar to jump. (Although in my state it's only 2,000 signatures, a $200 filing fee, and signatories must be members of the candidates political party.) Yet, the Republican Party of New Mexico (RPNM), couldn't qualify a single candidate. Not one.

[A century of hair shows how lead exposure collapsed]

A century of hair shows how lead exposure collapsed

"A century of human hair shows just how dramatically lead exposure fell after leaded gas was banned."

As per this article:

"Before the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970, lead pollution was a routine part of daily life across the United States. It came from factories, lead-based paint, drinking water pipes, and most of all from vehicle exhaust. Lead is a toxic metal that builds up in the body over time and has been linked to learning and developmental problems in children. As environmental rules tightened in the decades that followed, lead in the environment dropped sharply, and human exposure declined with it."

And, here's the link to the original paper the above article is based upon:

Lead in archived hair documents a decline in lead exposure to humans since the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency

Getting lead additives out of gasoline was a major undertaking by the EPA, back in the day. And, I'm not 100% certain the current administration would have the will, yet alone the interest, in doing so today, if the problem were only recently identified. Anyway, in my state, the lead pollution from a single Exide Technologies lead-acid battery manufacturing plant in Laureldale/Reading, PA is so extensive that it has still not been completely remediated, even though cleanup work first started in 1988.

Last, the above article reminded me of what some historians believe excessive lead exposure did to the Roman Empire a couple of millennia ago. Here's a link to a summary of that theory, if anyone's interested:

Roman lead poisoning theory

[Lesson # 1. Know Your Country's Constituency]

I originally started this topic having only the next U.S. Presidential Election in mind. But, some of these lessons will be applicable to the next U.S. Midterm, and U.S. Off-year Election as well.

And so, here's my latest edit of the first lesson. I'm fairly satisfied with this version. But, I may still need to tweak it a bit to make it more compatible with the lessons that will complete the document:

Lesson # 1. Know Your Country's Constituency

America is not the shining city upon a hill. It's 'Merica, and it's a trailer park on the banks of a swamp, with Billy Bob's Good Ol' Boys Bar & Grill on one side, and Ridgerunner's All Night Live Bait 'n' Ammo Shop on the other. And, the clergy has convinced many of its denizens that The Rapture before Armageddon is a viable retirement plan.

It ain't pretty. But, recognize it for what it is, not for what you want it to be.

[adynaton]

I learned a new word today:

adynaton is a figure of speech, and a rhetorical device, in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to insinuate a complete impossibility.

I was curious about what form of speech the phrase "When pigs fly ..." is called, and the word popped up. Now, my self imposed challenge is to invent a new, catchy phrase for my personal use that simply oozes the very essence of 'adynaton.'

I've not yet come up with the perfect, catchy phrase that oozes the essence of 'adynaton.' So, I think I'm going to need more than just one new adynaton.

Now, this one is far from perfect, but variations of it should amuse me on the occasions when it's an appropriate reply:
   

"Just like when the South started the Civil War to end slavery."

["Knowledge is Good."]

"Knowledge is Good."

- Emil Faber - Founder of Faber College

So, you really are going to go with that. Well ... it's your call.

Yes because as vile as Trump is he had:
The racists
The disgruntled youth with no hope of ever owning a home in a society that bailed themselves out by sacrificing their kids futures.
The accelerationists and those looking for an outsider.
Conservatives that hold their nose and vote the party.

AoC would have appealed to two of the above groups.

Some of 'Merica's disgruntled youth not understanding which political candidates, and which political party represents their best hope of securing 'The American Dream' is a communications and an educational problem. Still, you can't fix stupid. You can only do your best to recognize it, and outsmart it.

However, accelerationists who can not bring themselves to vote for someone who is clearly the lesser of two evils lack the pragmatism required to make right, but unpleasant choices. I believe it's misplaced optimism to count on them to save anyone, including themselves, from anything.

And, anyone who has been paying attention knows the POSOTUS began his political career as an outsider. So, besides lacking the ability to make right, but unpleasant choices, I believe it's misplaced optimism to count on people to save anyone, including themselves, from anything, who do not realize 'Merica is in the situation it's in today because it chose to elect a political outsider to the highest office in the land.

Again, AOC was not on the ballot seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for POTUS in 2024. And, early on, people were publicly encouraging her to seek that nomination. But, she's way more than intelligent enough, and way more than politically savvy enough to know her chances of winning that nomination were slim. Further, she knew that starting a long, ugly fight to secure the party's nomination would reduce her chances of actually winning the presidency to between slim and none. So, AOC made the smart choice, and then campaigned enthusiastically for the Biden/Harris ticket. And, if that wasn't good enough to get out the 'disgruntled youth vote,' the 'accelerationist vote,' and the 'outsider seekers vote,' then I have to wonder: Wouldn't the party be wise to move on, and maximize its efforts in securing 'Merica's blue collar vote again?

Now, the belief that AOC would have been the Democratic Party's savior in 2024 isn't anywhere near as bad as when some QAnon followers believed JFK Jr. would somehow reappear, become Trump's VP, and magic him back into the White House in 2021. But, that said, I don't realistically see either case as being anything more than wishful thinking after taking stunning election losses.

If you keep assuming that every one of his voters was a racist then the same exact thing will happen again next time

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt on this one, and assume you unintentionally wrote a clumsy sentence. My assumptions, quite obviously, have little influence on anyone's vote but my own.

And, as I've written before: "Just how vile does a Republicult™ presidential candidate have to be before they can be beaten by a Black and Asian-American, female, Democratic Vice President?"

And again, as I've also written before: "Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris lost because of her race(s), gender, and political party affiliation."

Last, I'll add: I have no reason to believe a Presidential Candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could have won, given her ethnicity, gender, and political party affiliation.

[adynaton]

I learned a new word today:

adynaton is a figure of speech, and a rhetorical device, in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to insinuate a complete impossibility.

I was curious about what form of speech the phrase "When pigs fly ..." is called, and the word popped up. Now, my self imposed challenge is to invent a new, catchy phrase for my personal use that simply oozes the very essence of 'adynaton.'

[WON]

That was part of it but she was also continuing very tried and tested voice of the establishment that Biden had represented, there's no appetite for that.
Its the reason AOC had a chance and Harris would have none

On Tuesday, Election Day, November 5th, 2024, 77,303,568 'Mericans had the choice between ...

You're missing the option that most people picked, which was "none of the above" That's what happens when the choices are "the bad you're used to" and "worse"

No, I didn't miss a thing. I intentionally, and specifically provide the statistic about the 77,303,568 'Mericans who voted for the most vile former president, as well as the most vile presidential candidate ever nominated by either of 'Merica's two major political parties in my lifetime. Those 77,303,568 'Merican voters WON the election for the POSOTUS.

And, as I've written before with slightly different wording, this begs the question: Just how vile does a Republicult™ presidential candidate have to be before they can be beaten by a Black and Asian-American, female, Democratic Vice President?

And, as I've also written before: "Vice President and Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris lost because of her race(s), gender, and political party affiliation."

All of the registered members of the Democratic Party had ample time and opportunity to chose to run for their party's nomination for POTUS themselves, or encourage other members of their political party to run for their party's nomination for POTUS, as well as to nominate an acceptable write-in candidate(s) for their party's nomination for POTUS. I've already provided details about how they first chose Joe Biden, and later nominated Kamala Harris to be their party's candidate for POTUS.