30 minutes of A fireplace (burning MAGA hats)

Ex-Cop Held Man at Gunpoint to Search for Fraudulent Ballots That Didn't Exist, Prosecutors Say

A former Houston police captain ran an air-conditioner repair man off the road and held him at gunpoint after becoming convinced the man had masterminded a giant voter fraud scheme and was hiding 750,000 fraudulent ballots in his truck, Texas prosecutors say.

Wild fantasies about voter fraud allegedly led ex-top cop Mark Anthony Aguirre, 63, to want to conduct “surveillance” on the man, who was not named, the prosecutors say. Aguirre was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the incident, which took place in October, a few weeks before the election, according to a statement by Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

On October 19, Aguirre tailed the repairman in his SUV and rammed his vehicle into the back of his truck, prosecutors say. When the repairman got out, Aguirre allegedly pointed a handgun at him and “forced him to the ground and put his knee on the man’s back.” Prosecutors say that the repairman’s truck was full of tools and spare parts, not fraudulent ballots.

More:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3gb9x/ex-cop-held-man-at-gunpoint-to-search-for-fraudulent-ballots-that-didnt-exist-prosecutors-say

OSC Finds 'Substantial Likelihood' of Wrongdoing at Global Media Agency

The ongoing investigation centers on CEO Michael Pack’s six-month tenure.

COURTNEY BUBLÉ, http://www.govexec.com

There is a “substantial likelihood” that top leadership at the U.S. Agency for Global Media engaged in wrongdoing, according to an ongoing investigation by the independent agency that oversees civil service law.

The Office of Special Counsel made this determination on Wednesday following numerous complaints by the Government Accountability Project (a whistleblower advocacy group) about U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack and other top political officials. GAP said this type of finding is “notable and rare.” Pack––a former conservative filmmaker and an ally and former colleague of Steve Bannon, former Breitbart News executive and White House chief strategist–– took over about six months ago and his tenure has been marred with controversy and fears about politicization of the agency’s journalism.

“Our clients – current and former staff at [the global media agency], [Voice of America] and its sibling organizations – have reported to federal whistleblower agencies egregious and continuing acts of wrongdoing by Mr. Pack and his enablers,” said David Seide, GAP senior counsel. “It is gratifying that one of those agencies, OSC, has independently determined that there is a significant probability that our clients’ information reveals wrongdoing. It is a significant step, but far from the last one.”


More: https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2020/12/osc-finds-substantial-likelihood-wrongdoing-global-media-agency/170467/o

Trumps rant tonight disappeared

Trump posted a 45 minute long rant tonight on his Twitter account- screaming about fraud, telling his cult followers that the news networks are all hiding the fraud- and telling lie after lie nonstop for 3/4 of an hour.

Within a short time, the video disappeared- but I can’t tell if Trump took it down, or if Twitter killed it. It was the most anti-democracy crap I’ve seen him post yet!

Now he’s posting excerpts of his rant that were captured/ clipped from Brietbart.

It’s like he’s begging his followers to overthrow democracy. Have you seen this? What the heck can be done???

My girl isn't feeling well.

Dixie is a 9 year old plot hound- normally very energetic. Friday evening she just wasn’t fully as energetic as normal, and I just put that down to have been playing a lot, and was worn out. I gave her some Turkey as well- that may have been a big mistake on my part.

Yesterday, she was suddenly extremely lethargic. She layer down and didn’t want to do anything all day. I had a hard time getting her to come outside for potty.

Today was the same for most of the day- barely wagged her tail, and slept. Only drank a little a couple of times today. That was the good- at least she drank a bit.

No temperature, (my wife was sick with some kind of flu bug a week ago- she tested negative for Covid) and Dixie hasn’t thrown up, and has no obviously tender spots on her body. I couldn’t take her to the vet today - Sunday the vet is closed.

Dixie doesn’t ever run alone- only goes outside normally four times a day for short walks on a leash to go potty. I can’t think of her getting any diseases from outside- she’s not anywhere to catch anything.

Anybody else have ideas? I’m thinking the Turkey thing may have flared a pancreatic attack, but I really didn’t give her that much.

Looking for other ideas

Can dogs catch influenza type bugs from their moms? Mom was sick for three or four days , a week and a half ago. Does that sound possible, likely?

The Senate in 2022

Here is the list of Senate seats next up for vote in 2022. A tough nut to crack, but not impossible.

Democrats
Bennet, Michael F. (D-CO)
Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT)
Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV)
Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL)
Harris, Kamala D. (D-CA)
Hassan, Margaret Wood (D-NH)
Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT)
Murray, Patty (D-WA)
Schatz, Brian (D-HI)
Schumer, Charles E. (D-NY)
Van Hollen, Chris (D-MD)
Wyden, Ron (D-OR)


Republicans
Blunt, Roy (R-MO)
Boozman, John (R-AR)
Burr, Richard (R-NC)
Crapo, Mike (R-ID)
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA)
Hoeven, John (R-ND)
Johnson, Ron (R-WI)
Kennedy, John (R-LA)
Lankford, James (R-OK)
Lee, Mike (R-UT)
Loeffler, Kelly (R-GA)
McSally, Martha (R-AZ)
Moran, Jerry (R-KS)
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK)
Paul, Rand (R-KY)
Portman, Rob (R-OH)
Rubio, Marco (R-FL)
Scott, Tim (R-SC)
Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL)
Thune, John (R-SD)
Toomey, Patrick J. (R-PA)
Young, Todd (R-IN)

Which seats do you think are most vulnerable on each side, and why?

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mi) is in trouble.

His opponent, John James, is 34,000 votes ahead right now.

This is going to come down to what absentees are left.

https://www.freep.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-senate-MI-24463/

Marijuana ballot measures

Just a quick update:

Last night voters APPROVED:

Recreational marijuana in NEW JERSEY, Arizona, and South Dakota.

Medical Marijuana passed in Montana, South Dakota, and Mississippi. The Mississippi measure that passed was the broad measure allowing for 22 ailments to be treated with MMJ.

Oregon decriminalized small amounts of heroin and cocaine possession. Those will now be treated as civil infractions and get treatment instead of prison terms.

More:
https://www.newsweek.com/marijuana-had-big-night-ballot-measures-push-america-towards-legal-weed-1543348

Ballot processing begins in Detroit; 2 poll challengers removed

Source: Detroit Free Press

(Republican poll challengers removed from Detroit Absentee Counting after creating disturbance- )

On the first day of absentee ballot processing in TCF Center in Detroit, police removed two poll challengers, including one man wearing a horror-movie mask and shouted that the ballot processing was “crooked.”

The man, who did not give his name, stood in line and identified himself to election officials as a poll challenger. Poll challengers, both Republican and Democrat, are allowed on site. Starting at 10 a.m. Monday, poll workers started processing — though not counting yet — absentee ballots from Detroit.

The man in the horror-movie mask had credentials to be a poll challenger, election officials said. But he started to cause a commotion, shouting the process is “crooked.” He wore a mask that looked similar to the masks worn by the villains in the movies "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th."


More, and the video- at the Detroit Free Press





Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/02/poll-challengers-removed-detroit-ballot-processing-begins/6122976002/?fbclid=IwAR0vIsDOI2aY3oMjvZPp0gFw1kuewJNDgQjKh-yp3-DJuGABcTccyKhJIz0

USDA Secretary Violated Hatch Act With August Speech, Watchdog Finds

From. Govexec.com:

Secretary Sonny Perdue needs to reimburse the taxpayers for costs associated with the speech, Office of Special Counsel says.

COURTNEY BUBLÉ | OCTOBER 9, 2020
HATCH ACT

Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue violated the Hatch Act when he gave an overtly political speech in August promoting President Trump’s reelection, the independent agency that oversees civil service law said on Thursday. The Hatch Act limits the political activity of government employees while on the job.

The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and a group of House Democrats filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel regarding Perdue’s speech at an event in Mills River, North Carolina on August 24.

The speech was focused on the department’s multi-billion dollar program authorized by “The Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” which allows USDA to use appropriated funds to buy food directly from producers and then distribute it to food banks and nonprofits that are serving the millions in need during the pandemic.

“Mr. President, as you saw those throngs of people lining both sides of the road from the airport all the way to Mills River here, those were a part of those forgotten people that voted for you for 2016,” said Perdue during the speech. “And I’ve got better news for you: They and many others are going to vote for you for four more years in 2020. Because they understand, under your administration, they’ve not been forgotten. And this [Farmers to Families Food Box Program] is a great example of that.”

(Snip)

“Even in an administration that has racked up a record number of Hatch Act violations, it is still shocking to see a Cabinet secretary violate the law in such an egregious manner,” said CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder in a statement on Thursday. “This administration has shown its lack of concern about these anti-democratic abuses, but it’s a good thing the Office of Special Counsel still values upholding this important law.”



More:
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2020/10/usda-secretary-violated-hatch-act-august-speech-watchdog-finds/169156/