Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
The little children in russia all hate the west now. What legacy is that.
The measure of a man, they say, is in his enemies.
Bit of a shame that all we have is Russia.
But it will have to do, until a major country comes along.
Russia is reource rich with very low debt to gdp unlike the usa drowning in debt.
How does it feel to look up at economic giants like… Mexico?
Mexico doesnt have nuclear weapons remember that.
Mexico’s Guacamole Grenades alone could disarm Russia on present form.
A delicious way to go though. Do you know the recipe dates back to the Aztecs.
By august the west will be facing total humiliation. How would that make you feel at the hands of a tinpot economy. Wouldnt feel good would it.
No. I don’t hate the Russian people, as much as you and your Master try to divide us. From the moment the first wells started pumping in Russia, pumping out dollar signs, where has the money gone? Who does this money belong to? It belongs to the Russian people. But as the wells have pumped up dollars over recent decades, where’s the money been going? The Russian People? Or those gangsters sailing around the world or living in palatial luxury, taking the piss out of you, Excalibur.
That money should go into a Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund, for the Russian people, now and into the future, not into the pockets of Ten Palace Putin and his cronies.
You know your problem Excalibur? You’ve never lived in a proper democracy. I feel sorry for all the decent ordinary Russian people of the last couple of centuries who never enjoyed democracy, and how it can, to a degree, not perfectly maybe, represent and protect them, their families, and their children’s futures.
From the moment Pavel Pestel failed, the ordinary people of Russia have never for one moment been free from oppression and greedy ideologically mad dictators. Maybe there was a whiff of a chance if Lenin’s sealed train had sunk in the Baltic Sea and so the Liberal Democrat’s remained in charge. Truth is The liberal reforms and revolutions that progressed the West these past 200 years have passed Russia by.
If I could take back time and change that for the Russian People, I would.
There is very little evidence of the battle,. But it is a quietly lovely stretch of the Ohio River (which toggles between gorgeous and horribly rustbelty - rather like the Rhine (so I can see why Germans sense a resemblance))
What makes it great is that in the little park memorialising the battle there is, almost unnoticed, an ancient Indian burial mound from the Adena culture
This part of backwoods Ohio is so unvisited the girl at Hocklingport gas station basically fainted when I came in and used a British accent. She just couldn’t get her head around the idea a British journalist would come to her corner of Ohio
The people are almost unfailingly polite and friendly, often funny, generally quite fat, and touchingly innocent in that parochial backwoods USA way
Still think America is a bit fucked, tho. I shall continue my reports through the week. I’m doing an unusual loop of a road trip
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
"California's years of major population growth have ended, and a state forecast suggests that the numbers might peak by as early as 2030 and then start to decline. At the turn of the century, when the population was about 34 million, state forecasters were predicting 45 million by 2020 and 59 million by 2040. That isn't happening."
A drunk dude has just sat down at the lounge piano in this fading, sort-of-grand, obviously haunted hotel - the Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio - and started playing Scott Joplin rags really quite brilliantly
"California's years of major population growth have ended, and a state forecast suggests that the numbers might peak by as early as 2030 and then start to decline. At the turn of the century, when the population was about 34 million, state forecasters were predicting 45 million by 2020 and 59 million by 2040. That isn't happening."
A drunk dude has just sat down at the lounge piano in this fading, sort-of-grand, obviously haunted hotel - the Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio - and started playing Scott Joplin rags really quite brilliantly
A drunk dude has just sat down at the lounge piano in this fading, sort-of-grand, obviously haunted hotel - the Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio - and started playing Scott Joplin rags really quite brilliantly
A drunk dude has just sat down at the lounge piano in this fading, sort-of-grand, obviously haunted hotel - the Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio - and started playing Scott Joplin rags really quite brilliantly
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
Am guessing you're planning to stick to interstate highways to boggie to eastern PA, but in case not -
> the road along the Ohio River, on either side, north from Marietta to Wheeling is lovely rural, hilly landscape with patches of industry, getting hillier and more industrial further north you go. IF you take this route, beware of Friendly, West Virginia - notorious speed trap.
> an alternative is to head 10 miles down to Parkersburg (where you catch boat to Blennerhasset Island) then east on US 50. Then north on I-79 to Morgantown (home of WVU) then east on I-64 to Hagerstown MD which ain't far from Gettysburg. BTW, between Hagerstown and G'burg is Blue Ridge Summit, right on PA-MD line and the northern extension of Blue Ridge Mountains, notable as the birthplace of . . . wait for it . . . Wallis Warfield Simpson aka Duchess of Windsor.
> the route above is way more scenic than taking the PA Turnpike. Which unless things have changed drastically can be a truly wretched driving experience.
> IF you end up buzzing north then east via I-77 then I-70 to Wheeling WV then Washington PA, instead of staying on interstate > PA Turnpike, alternative is taking US 40 east via Uniontown PA and hooking up with I-64 east around Grantsville MD.
ADDENDUM - meant to say, this last route mostly follows the trail taken by General Braddock's army (including George Washington and Daniel Boone) on his epic, fatal march through the wilderness to defeat at Fort Duquesne, later Fort Pitt.
Which today is the Golden Triangle in downtown Pittsburgh where the Alleghany and Monongahela meet to form the Ohio River. Worth a visit in its own right.
Braddock's Road was the basic route of the National Road, the first great federal government infrastructure project in US history.
A drunk dude has just sat down at the lounge piano in this fading, sort-of-grand, obviously haunted hotel - the Lafayette, Marietta, Ohio - and started playing Scott Joplin rags really quite brilliantly
Yes another sign that America is fucked.
It is fucked. Get out of your silly LA bubble
You know, it may be a bubble. But it's a fucking awesome one.
Oh God. Husband has answered the door to a Lib Dem and there’s a huge game of whatisawoman taking place on the doorstep. I’ve just heard the Lib Dem invoke chimpanzees.
Oh God. Husband has answered the door to a Lib Dem and there’s a huge game of whatisawoman taking place on the doorstep. I’ve just heard the Lib Dem invoke chimpanzees.
I am surpised nobody has mentioned Donald's latest charges.... an American president being charged with espionage against his own country!!! Huge.
Partisan account so don’t know how accurate it is - but it would be jolly funny if that was the case….
MAJOR BREAKING: Donald Trump is facing five years in prison and a felony because of a law HE SIGNED in attempt to punish Hillary Clinton in 2018.
Oh this is GOOD!
The law HE SIGNED upgrades the crime of wrongly moving classified material from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Trump signed the bill after spending the 2016 presidential campaign accusing Hillary Clinton of improperly handling classified information.
"Trump certainly has legal exposure to Section 1924 given it was classified documents from his spaces in the White House that were removed to Mar-Lago," said attorney Bradley P. Moss.
This evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would be indicted.
Trump said he must report to a Miami courthouse this Tuesday.
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
This case on the face of it seems simpler and has more legs than the NY indictment . With legal challenges and appeals to those challenges any chance it goes to trial in 2023?
It does save Trump the hassle of coming up with any ideas for his campaigning, he can just talk about himself constantly - he and the base both seem to love that.
The Chinese regime seems to be doing a lot of conmunication with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin. Some real red carpet stuff to boot, the kind of things reserved for someone like a President.
Maybe they are just getting close to their preferred successor in Russia.
Good call.
Mixed in with the charade of standing by a friend, like we would want to appear on a besties side even when thinking them wrong and making idiotic mistakes?
The level of recepion afforded to Mishustin is unusual. China couldnt give a fiddlers about Putin.
Putin wouldn’t have massively over promoted him if he anticipated he could become a political threat though. He’s still most likely being a lap dog in there, protecting the establishments ill gotten gains.
There is a temptation to think the Chinese are some sort of masters at political insight who run rings round the West. In reality, they are as incompetent as most other players in foreign policy and possibly worse.
I am surpised nobody has mentioned Donald's latest charges.... an American president being charged with espionage against his own country!!! Huge.
Partisan account so don’t know how accurate it is - but it would be jolly funny if that was the case….
MAJOR BREAKING: Donald Trump is facing five years in prison and a felony because of a law HE SIGNED in attempt to punish Hillary Clinton in 2018.
Oh this is GOOD!
The law HE SIGNED upgrades the crime of wrongly moving classified material from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Trump signed the bill after spending the 2016 presidential campaign accusing Hillary Clinton of improperly handling classified information.
"Trump certainly has legal exposure to Section 1924 given it was classified documents from his spaces in the White House that were removed to Mar-Lago," said attorney Bradley P. Moss.
This evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would be indicted.
Trump said he must report to a Miami courthouse this Tuesday.
The really delicious irony would be that he was quite right to sign it. Senior Federal officials should not be using government documents as their personal playthings. Trump’s criticism of Clinton was deserved and one reason why she was not a suitable candidate to be president.
But for him to get caught out by it, only bigger and better, is very Trump and actually very funny.
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
Yes, Trump is so bad that he must be being victimised!
The Chinese regime seems to be doing a lot of conmunication with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin. Some real red carpet stuff to boot, the kind of things reserved for someone like a President.
Maybe they are just getting close to their preferred successor in Russia.
Good call.
Mixed in with the charade of standing by a friend, like we would want to appear on a besties side even when thinking them wrong and making idiotic mistakes?
The level of recepion afforded to Mishustin is unusual. China couldnt give a fiddlers about Putin.
Putin wouldn’t have massively over promoted him if he anticipated he could become a political threat though. He’s still most likely being a lap dog in there, protecting the establishments ill gotten gains.
There is a temptation to think the Chinese are some sort of masters at political insight who run rings round the West. In reality, they are as incompetent as most other players in foreign policy and possibly worse.
This is fair. The regime in China is unfortunately successful on its terms (on its face at least) in its internal control and stability, but the diplomatic rhetoric is often just childish taunting and basic hypocritical talk like a lot of countries.
Their power is not to be denied and they should not be underestimated, but the near mystical level insight and tactics they sometimes get imbued with feels like a racist trope, like the magical native American tropes
According to ABC the full extent of the charges are:
Willful retention of national defense information (maximum penalty if convicted: 10 years) Conspiracy to obstruct justice (maximum penalty: 20 years) Withholding a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years) Corruptly concealing a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years) Concealing a document in a federal investigation (maximum penalty: 20 years) Scheme to conceal (maximum penalty: Five years) False statements and representations (maximum penalty: Five years)
American indictments are a bit weird and often have a lot of charges relating to the same essential acts. They are also more flexible than ours and leave more up to the punishment period in the event of a conviction where new evidence putting the offending act in context can be produced. But this seems pretty serious.
Given that windfall taxes seem to be a critical part of Labour's policy of explaining how new spending is "paid" for they should be even more concerned than the government that it is not working in a positive fashion. My expectation is that they will ignore this as they will want to continue the pretence that their sums add up.
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
No, because if people become him in order to best him there's no point in doing it. If laws have been broken by others I'd want them charged in due course (As Trump can attest to his own benefit l though the DOJ has a policy of not charging sitting presidents).
Not all the various cases against Trump look as strong as each other and not all may end up at trial or see him convicted*, but just because many people would like it if he was does not make all the cases bogus, yet that is the predominant GOP line. That no case could be true because people dislike him as that's in itself proof it's a fix.
*I continue to believe he won't see a day in prison and has a good chance of being president again.
The Chinese regime seems to be doing a lot of conmunication with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin. Some real red carpet stuff to boot, the kind of things reserved for someone like a President.
Maybe they are just getting close to their preferred successor in Russia.
Good call.
Mixed in with the charade of standing by a friend, like we would want to appear on a besties side even when thinking them wrong and making idiotic mistakes?
The level of recepion afforded to Mishustin is unusual. China couldnt give a fiddlers about Putin.
Putin wouldn’t have massively over promoted him if he anticipated he could become a political threat though. He’s still most likely being a lap dog in there, protecting the establishments ill gotten gains.
There is a temptation to think the Chinese are some sort of masters at political insight who run rings round the West. In reality, they are as incompetent as most other players in foreign policy and possibly worse.
This is fair. The regime in China is unfortunately successful on its terms (on its face at least) in its internal control and stability, but the diplomatic rhetoric is often just childish taunting and basic hypocritical talk like a lot of countries.
Their power is not to be denied and they should not be underestimated, but the near mystical level insight and tactics they sometimes get imbued with feels like a racist trope, like the magical native American tropes
When Rare Earth prices spiked a few years back, there were a bunch of articles about China using its position to dominate the market. Power in the Electric Century etc…
What actually happened was that the Chinese oligarch who controlled production was a fucking useless manager and hadn’t kept up investment in the mining and ore processing. So output fell. And round the world a lot of mines were opened (and reopened).
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
No, because if people become him in order to best him there's no point in doing it. If laws have been broken by others I'd want them charged in due course (As Trump can attest to his own benefit l though the DOJ has a policy of not charging sitting presidents).
Not all the various cases against Trump look as strong as each other and not all may end up at trial or see him convicted*, but just because many people would like it if he was does not make all the cases bogus, yet that is the predominant GOP line. That no case could be true because people dislike him as that's in itself proof it's a fix.
*I continue to believe he won't see a day in prison and has a good chance of being president again.
I agree. Trump is a narcisstic buffoon who acts like a mafia boss, but America is daft enough to re-elect him.
According to ABC the full extent of the charges are:
Willful retention of national defense information (maximum penalty if convicted: 10 years) Conspiracy to obstruct justice (maximum penalty: 20 years) Withholding a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years) Corruptly concealing a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years) Concealing a document in a federal investigation (maximum penalty: 20 years) Scheme to conceal (maximum penalty: Five years) False statements and representations (maximum penalty: Five years)
American indictments are a bit weird and often have a lot of charges relating to the same essential acts. They are also more flexible than ours and leave more up to the punishment period in the event of a conviction where new evidence putting the offending act in context can be produced. But this seems pretty serious.
Serious yet to his cohorts its just a bunch of documents so who cares.
As Barr (no saint) has said if he'd just handed over what was asked for none of this would be happening but instead he jerked them around for 1.5 years. Such a weird thing to do - if it was an attempted fix he could have short circuited it by going 'here you go'.
Pence and Biden both cooperated when docs were found hence why the former already has the all clear.
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
Ha! So I’ve actually done both of the bits you’ve yet to reach.
On my road trip last autumn, I thought it was mixed. Even away from the obvious tourist spots, there were towns with a fair bit of life - Greensboro, NC was buzzing on a late September Saturday evening - and my impression from last year was that in the round, American retail seemed to be more healthy than at home, with fewer closed or closing restaurants or empty shops that you now see even in relatively prosperous British small towns.
If you want loopy Appalachia (pronounced with a hard ‘ch’ that far south), try Asheville. “If you’re too weird for Asheville, you’re too weird”; “Keep Asheville Weird” is the unofficial town motto. A reservation for Democrats in North Carolina, and the most dog-friendly city in the US. The countryside in the mountains between there and Tennessee is the most quietly beautiful (as against stunning or impressive, which are the usual American adjectives along with awesome) I have seen in the US, with farms that have been settled for generations nestled in the folds of the hills, winding country roads, hay bales and real animals in the fields, mountains on the horizon…real scenery without all the usual American wall-to-wall tree cover.
The Georgia case still sounds the worst - if it is not a crime for one candidate to spend an hour in a private meeting with top election officials badgering them about the election process that is astonishing, but they've still not indicted there so maybe it isn't - as holding onto documents might appear trivial, but its all so...unnecessary and self inflicted.
Absent a conviction preventing him he's going to be the nominee, but what a mess.
I think of the no hopers only Christie is actually clear he wouldn't support Trump if he is the nominee again?
Pence is, remarkably, running on a platform that Trump is unfit to be President because he put himself above the constitution and Pences family in danger at the same time...but hey that's OK if the party nominates him again.
I know they've talked about debate rules on candidates to back the eventual nominee but yeesh.
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
Ha! So I’ve actually done both of the bits you’ve yet to reach.
On my road trip last autumn, I thought it was mixed. Even away from the obvious tourist spots, there were towns with a fair bit of life - Greensboro, NC was buzzing on a late September Saturday evening - and my impression from last year was that in the round, American retail seemed to be more healthy than at home, with fewer closed or closing restaurants or empty shops that you now see even in relatively prosperous British small towns.
If you want loopy Appalachia (pronounced with a hard ‘ch’ that far south), try Asheville. “If you’re too weird for Asheville, you’re too weird”; “Keep Asheville Weird” is the unofficial town motto. A reservation for Democrats in North Carolina, and the most dog-friendly city in the US. The countryside in the mountains between there and Tennessee is the most quietly beautiful (as against stunning or impressive, which are the usual American adjectives along with awesome) I have seen in the US, with farms that have been settled for generations nestled in the folds of the hills, winding country roads, hay bales and real animals in the fields, mountains on the horizon…real scenery without all the usual American wall-to-wall tree cover.
Re the pronunciation of Appalachia I always thought it was pronounced with a “sh” not a “ch” until listening to a US podcast where the subject came up and heard quite a sweet phrase to correct; “if you say Appalaysha I’ll throw an apple atchya”.
Given that windfall taxes seem to be a critical part of Labour's policy of explaining how new spending is "paid" for they should be even more concerned than the government that it is not working in a positive fashion. My expectation is that they will ignore this as they will want to continue the pretence that their sums add up.
I think of the no hopers only Christie is actually clear he wouldn't support Trump if he is the nominee again?
Pence is, remarkably, running on a platform that Trump is unfit to be President because he put himself above the constitution and Pences family in danger at the same time...but hey that's OK if the party nominates him again.
I know they've talked about debate rules on candidates to back the eventual nominee but yeesh.
Who would have thought the Republicans would turn into Trots?
'My party right or wrong - I know one cannot be right against the Party.'
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
Ha! So I’ve actually done both of the bits you’ve yet to reach.
On my road trip last autumn, I thought it was mixed. Even away from the obvious tourist spots, there were towns with a fair bit of life - Greensboro, NC was buzzing on a late September Saturday evening - and my impression from last year was that in the round, American retail seemed to be more healthy than at home, with fewer closed or closing restaurants or empty shops that you now see even in relatively prosperous British small towns.
If you want loopy Appalachia (pronounced with a hard ‘ch’ that far south), try Asheville. “If you’re too weird for Asheville, you’re too weird”; “Keep Asheville Weird” is the unofficial town motto. A reservation for Democrats in North Carolina, and the most dog-friendly city in the US. The countryside in the mountains between there and Tennessee is the most quietly beautiful (as against stunning or impressive, which are the usual American adjectives along with awesome) I have seen in the US, with farms that have been settled for generations nestled in the folds of the hills, winding country roads, hay bales and real animals in the fields, mountains on the horizon…real scenery without all the usual American wall-to-wall tree cover.
Re the pronunciation of Appalachia I always thought it was pronounced with a “sh” not a “ch” until listening to a US podcast where the subject came up and heard quite a sweet phrase to correct; “if you say Appalaysha I’ll throw an apple atchya”.
Virginia and north, it's the soft ch, Carolina and south, it's the hard ch. They're quite particular about it in NC and you'll get corrected for sure if you go down there and say it the Virginian way.
Politico says you can run for President ftom Prison, and if you win we already know Trump takes a maximal interpretation on the power to pardon, so he'd do fine.
Leon, presume you are en route to Our (or rather My) Nation's Capital?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
I’m gonna swing through a bit of Pennsylvania, do some Civil War stuff, then head south and maybe stay at Alexandria (with easy access to DC)
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
If you have time to go through Eastern Tennessee and visit the Smoky Mountains and Dollywood I would recommend it.
The weird thing is it's not as though ex world leaders being charged or convicted is that unheard of, and yet many seem to act as though its an affront to charge one in America even if guilty, like they should have immunity post office.
That oddity might be one reason they seem firmer on saying its definitely untrue this time.
The weird thing is it's not as though ex world leaders being charged or convicted is that unheard of, and yet many seem to act as though its an affront to charge one in America even if guilty, like they should have immunity post office.
That oddity might be one reason they seem firmer on saying its definitely untrue this time.
This is a line that Trump came up with. I don’t believe it was something lots of Americans held to beforehand.
What Trump says is accepted as fact by much of the Republican Party, so they will now go on repeating this line as if it is some god-given truth that has always applied. But it’s not.
Republicans we’re absolutely fine with the idea of indicting (W) Clinton.
Meeks mentions in passing the current trend to renationalise rail. One interesting data point is the utter shambles that is Transpenine Express which was (very slowly) improving slightly. Since being nationalised a month or so ago, quite remarkably its actually gone backwards and is now canceling as many trains at the worst of the crisis last winter.
Pretty much the only thing that has changed at TPE is the MD. It was run by DfT edict before, its run by DfT edict now. As are all of the passenger rail operations - and that has been the case for quite a number of years.
Until the new management team (who are private sector in all of the nationalised operators...) start to dismantle the DfT lunacy of things like having very narrow driver route knowledge, it won't get better.
Politico says you can run for President ftom Prison, and if you win we already know Trump takes a maximal interpretation on the power to pardon, so he'd do fine.
I was wondering why the bot turned up overnight, 36 hours early. A sign of panic perhaps?
Let's hope so.
I don't know why they bother. Its painfully funny every time, and sounds increasingly desperate.
Are they all Jehovah's Witnesses? They are the only other group I can think of who endlessly keep knocking on doors and trying to convert people to their views whilst having the door slammed shut Every Single Time.
I doubt Trump will ever be convicted of anything as you’ll always end up with a few Trump cult members on any jury who will refuse to find him guilty .
I was wondering why the bot turned up overnight, 36 hours early. A sign of panic perhaps?
Let's hope so.
I don't know why they bother. Its painfully funny every time, and sounds increasingly desperate.
Are they all Jehovah's Witnesses? They are the only other group I can think of who endlessly keep knocking on doors and trying to convert people to their views whilst having the door slammed shut Every Single Time.
It would make sense if they were honing their skills, improving their technique, modifying their behaviour for better results.
Politico says you can run for President ftom Prison, and if you win we already know Trump takes a maximal interpretation on the power to pardon, so he'd do fine.
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
No, because if people become him in order to best him there's no point in doing it. If laws have been broken by others I'd want them charged in due course (As Trump can attest to his own benefit l though the DOJ has a policy of not charging sitting presidents).
Not all the various cases against Trump look as strong as each other and not all may end up at trial or see him convicted*, but just because many people would like it if he was does not make all the cases bogus, yet that is the predominant GOP line. That no case could be true because people dislike him as that's in itself proof it's a fix.
*I continue to believe he won't see a day in prison and has a good chance of being president again.
Thanks @kle4. I agree with you and I know you don't believe in this but there is a fair few on this site alone - and definitely on the opposite side of the fence in the States - who don't see it that way and would be quite happy banning Trump or the GOP as threats to democracy (the old "you have to kill democracy to save democracy" line).
I see Musk is already weighing in on the matter and asking questions about why there seems to be differential treatment being seemingly handed out.
All that is now going to happen is a reaction on the opposite side. There will be a even bigger ramp up of the probes into Biden's finances and claims any investigations were smothered. And we are only in June 2023.
I was wondering why the bot turned up overnight, 36 hours early. A sign of panic perhaps?
Let's hope so.
I don't know why they bother. Its painfully funny every time, and sounds increasingly desperate.
Are they all Jehovah's Witnesses? They are the only other group I can think of who endlessly keep knocking on doors and trying to convert people to their views whilst having the door slammed shut Every Single Time.
You've never been a door-knocker for the Conservatives....
(I once had a JW tell me on the doorstep "Now you know how we feel....")
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
Yes, Trump is so bad that he must be being victimised!
But he is evil and a great threat to democracy, right?
Politico says you can run for President ftom Prison, and if you win we already know Trump takes a maximal interpretation on the power to pardon, so he'd do fine.
He is not going to prison pre-election. Appeals et al will take up the time.
You can be put in prison pending an appeal. However I grant you the first instance trial probably won’t be finished pre-election.
Does limit his ability to enter time-limited plea-bargains though. Even he can't go into the election as "convicted felon and former President, Donald Trump...."
The Chinese regime seems to be doing a lot of conmunication with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin. Some real red carpet stuff to boot, the kind of things reserved for someone like a President.
Maybe they are just getting close to their preferred successor in Russia.
Good call.
Mixed in with the charade of standing by a friend, like we would want to appear on a besties side even when thinking them wrong and making idiotic mistakes?
The level of recepion afforded to Mishustin is unusual. China couldnt give a fiddlers about Putin.
Putin wouldn’t have massively over promoted him if he anticipated he could become a political threat though. He’s still most likely being a lap dog in there, protecting the establishments ill gotten gains.
There is a temptation to think the Chinese are some sort of masters at political insight who run rings round the West. In reality, they are as incompetent as most other players in foreign policy and possibly worse.
This is fair. The regime in China is unfortunately successful on its terms (on its face at least) in its internal control and stability, but the diplomatic rhetoric is often just childish taunting and basic hypocritical talk like a lot of countries.
Their power is not to be denied and they should not be underestimated, but the near mystical level insight and tactics they sometimes get imbued with feels like a racist trope, like the magical native American tropes
There is a lot of front when it comes to China's power. In reality, their banking system is probably bankrupt under normal accounting standards given any normalised view on their loan book, demographically they are screwed and they seem to have fallen into the middle-income trap very quickly. When you look at their foreign policy, they also are quite inept - they have managed to make hostile partners of many of the countries on their southern rim and have thrown their lot in with Pakistan when India would have been a far better strategic option (an alliance of the two truly would be a world-changing event)
The Chinese regime seems to be doing a lot of conmunication with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin. Some real red carpet stuff to boot, the kind of things reserved for someone like a President.
Maybe they are just getting close to their preferred successor in Russia.
Good call.
Mixed in with the charade of standing by a friend, like we would want to appear on a besties side even when thinking them wrong and making idiotic mistakes?
The level of recepion afforded to Mishustin is unusual. China couldnt give a fiddlers about Putin.
Putin wouldn’t have massively over promoted him if he anticipated he could become a political threat though. He’s still most likely being a lap dog in there, protecting the establishments ill gotten gains.
There is a temptation to think the Chinese are some sort of masters at political insight who run rings round the West. In reality, they are as incompetent as most other players in foreign policy and possibly worse.
This is fair. The regime in China is unfortunately successful on its terms (on its face at least) in its internal control and stability, but the diplomatic rhetoric is often just childish taunting and basic hypocritical talk like a lot of countries.
Their power is not to be denied and they should not be underestimated, but the near mystical level insight and tactics they sometimes get imbued with feels like a racist trope, like the magical native American tropes
There is a lot of front when it comes to China's power. In reality, their banking system is probably bankrupt under normal accounting standards given any normalised view on their loan book, demographically they are screwed and they seem to have fallen into the middle-income trap very quickly. When you look at their foreign policy, they also are quite inept - they have managed to make hostile partners of many of the countries on their southern rim and have thrown their lot in with Pakistan when India would have been a far better strategic option (an alliance of the two truly would be a world-changing event)
Aside from the hostility between the two, an alliance with India would be too close to a partnership of equals for China’s governments taste.
Gonna start a thread of Republicans who love Trump more than their country who are also pretending that Trump didn't get elected by insisting that Presidential candidates could be investigated and arrested. https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1667048712386801664
Politico says you can run for President ftom Prison, and if you win we already know Trump takes a maximal interpretation on the power to pardon, so he'd do fine.
The interesting thing about the Trump indictment reaction is not that most Republicans back him wholeheartedly - that was expected aside from some no hopers - but how unequivocal they are about it. Not even a bit of 'this "looks" like persecution etc' or 'whatever went on this is not appropriate ftom DOJ' just full throated backing on the narratice it is a complete fix. They've learned what happens if they do not bend the knee quickly enough.
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
The thing is, if you believe that Trump is the greatest evil and threat to American Democracy - which many people on here and, in the US, believe - why would you NOT use all means, fair and foul, to bring him down?
No, because if people become him in order to best him there's no point in doing it. If laws have been broken by others I'd want them charged in due course (As Trump can attest to his own benefit l though the DOJ has a policy of not charging sitting presidents).
Not all the various cases against Trump look as strong as each other and not all may end up at trial or see him convicted*, but just because many people would like it if he was does not make all the cases bogus, yet that is the predominant GOP line. That no case could be true because people dislike him as that's in itself proof it's a fix.
*I continue to believe he won't see a day in prison and has a good chance of being president again.
Thanks @kle4. I agree with you and I know you don't believe in this but there is a fair few on this site alone - and definitely on the opposite side of the fence in the States - who don't see it that way and would be quite happy banning Trump or the GOP as threats to democracy (the old "you have to kill democracy to save democracy" line).
I see Musk is already weighing in on the matter and asking questions about why there seems to be differential treatment being seemingly handed out.
All that is now going to happen is a reaction on the opposite side. There will be a even bigger ramp up of the probes into Biden's finances and claims any investigations were smothered. And we are only in June 2023.
Trump was frequently in trouble with the law before he became President. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s still in trouble with the law after ceasing to be President. As far back as 1973, he lost a case over discriminatory practices at his properties. He had to settle in the Trump University case. The Trump Foundation was shut down. USA Today reported in 2018 that there had been >4000 state and federal legal actions involving Trump or his businesses.
Thee is no differential treatment. This is who Trump is.
Comments
However, Leon is the FIRST to recognize it as a vortex of dystopia.
(Though place was named in honor of Marie Antoinette.)
Wait until you make it out to Forks, Washington!
So did you check out Blennerhasset Island?
What is your projected route? And how did you get to Marietta?
BTW, the other Frenchified (originally) town along Ohio River in those parts is Gallipolis. Pronounced "Gal-la-po-LEESE" by locals. Settled by French emigres who got sold worthless land title by pack of high-placed swindlers. Credited with helping launch the hard cider industry in the Old Northwest.
That money should go into a Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund, for the Russian people, now and into the future, not into the pockets of Ten Palace Putin and his cronies.
You know your problem Excalibur? You’ve never lived in a proper democracy. I feel sorry for all the decent ordinary Russian people of the last couple of centuries who never enjoyed democracy, and how it can, to a degree, not perfectly maybe, represent and protect them, their families, and their children’s futures.
From the moment Pavel Pestel failed, the ordinary people of Russia have never for one moment been free from oppression and greedy ideologically mad dictators. Maybe there was a whiff of a chance if Lenin’s sealed train had sunk in the Baltic Sea and so the Liberal Democrat’s remained in charge. Truth is The liberal reforms and revolutions that progressed the West these past 200 years have passed Russia by.
If I could take back time and change that for the Russian People, I would.
The ONLY major Civil War battlefield site in Ohio
https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/browse-historical-sites/buffington-island-battlefield-memorial-park/
There is very little evidence of the battle,. But it is a quietly lovely stretch of the Ohio River (which toggles between gorgeous and horribly rustbelty - rather like the Rhine (so I can see why Germans sense a resemblance))
What makes it great is that in the little park memorialising the battle there is, almost unnoticed, an ancient Indian burial mound from the Adena culture
This part of backwoods Ohio is so unvisited the girl at Hocklingport gas station basically fainted when I came in and used a British accent. She just couldn’t get her head around the idea a British journalist would come to her corner of Ohio
The people are almost unfailingly polite and friendly, often funny, generally quite fat, and touchingly innocent in that parochial backwoods USA way
Still think America is a bit fucked, tho. I shall continue my reports through the week. I’m doing an unusual loop of a road trip
Two or three days in DC for the museums and White House vibe, then I am gonna try and do Jamestown etc, and finally loop south and west through mad-as-possible Appalachia then Kentucky and back to Cincy to fly home
i am filling in my mental map of America. After this the only bits I won’t have seen will be northern New England - Maine &c - and the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana etc
Also Wisconsin. But I can probably cope if I die without having visited Wisconsin. TBH
Road trips remain a joy in America. It is the ONLY way to see the country, even as I despair of the way cars have ruined American cityscapes
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/17/borenstein-californias-population-boom-is-over-plan-accordingly/#:~:text=California's years of major population,and 59 million by 2040.
I have never been here before, and I will surely never be here again. That is the essence of travel. The comfort of the unfamiliar
> the road along the Ohio River, on either side, north from Marietta to Wheeling is lovely rural, hilly landscape with patches of industry, getting hillier and more industrial further north you go. IF you take this route, beware of Friendly, West Virginia - notorious speed trap.
> an alternative is to head 10 miles down to Parkersburg (where you catch boat to Blennerhasset Island) then east on US 50. Then north on I-79 to Morgantown (home of WVU) then east on I-64 to Hagerstown MD which ain't far from Gettysburg. BTW, between Hagerstown and G'burg is Blue Ridge Summit, right on PA-MD line and the northern extension of Blue Ridge Mountains, notable as the birthplace of . . . wait for it . . . Wallis Warfield Simpson aka Duchess of Windsor.
> the route above is way more scenic than taking the PA Turnpike. Which unless things have changed drastically can be a truly wretched driving experience.
> IF you end up buzzing north then east via I-77 then I-70 to Wheeling WV then Washington PA, instead of staying on interstate > PA Turnpike, alternative is taking US 40 east via Uniontown PA and hooking up with I-64 east around Grantsville MD.
ADDENDUM - meant to say, this last route mostly follows the trail taken by General Braddock's army (including George Washington and Daniel Boone) on his epic, fatal march through the wilderness to defeat at Fort Duquesne, later Fort Pitt.
Which today is the Golden Triangle in downtown Pittsburgh where the Alleghany and Monongahela meet to form the Ohio River. Worth a visit in its own right.
Braddock's Road was the basic route of the National Road, the first great federal government infrastructure project in US history.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/former-ministers-peerages-scrapped-to-avoid-by-elections-9gsh928cr (£££)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/weather-warning-as-england-prepares-for-a-weekend-warmer-than-ibiza-kn5jsq6nl (£££)
Any tips?
https://twitter.com/laurasparling/status/1666874550527590415?s=20
Eagle eyed viewers will note that... err... not all the images are entirely legit.
That's keen canvassing
MAJOR BREAKING: Donald Trump is facing five years in prison and a felony because of a law HE SIGNED in attempt to punish Hillary Clinton in 2018.
Oh this is GOOD!
The law HE SIGNED upgrades the crime of wrongly moving classified material from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Trump signed the bill after spending the 2016 presidential campaign accusing Hillary Clinton of improperly handling classified information.
"Trump certainly has legal exposure to Section 1924 given it was classified documents from his spaces in the White House that were removed to Mar-Lago," said attorney Bradley P. Moss.
This evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would be indicted.
Trump said he must report to a Miami courthouse this Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/CalltoActivism/status/1666954598119079938?s=20
The lack of pretence from Trump is also refreshing - when he makes comments about how its outrageous to be charged when he had been president with most votes ever and is leading in the polls or whatever, he and his backers are being open that they think a president or ex president should be a divine right king - untouchable because of their position.
There is a widespread view among Republicans that the former president is being unfairly persecuted
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/09/donald-trump-indicted-analysis-charges-election-2024/ (£££)
Political betting advice from the Telegraph (yours for five hundred million quid).
A friend of mine went to visit his brother in Oregon, but his travel agent sent him to Maine.
It does save Trump the hassle of coming up with any ideas for his campaigning, he can just talk about himself constantly - he and the base both seem to love that.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/06/08/ian-rosenblatt-labour-donations-russia-sanctions-money/ (£££)
Good. Makes sense. However I cannot see it being good politics. The opposition will make hay with it.
https://twitter.com/julianhjessop/status/1667043600700456961?s=61&t=s0ae0IFncdLS1Dc7J0P_TQ
But for him to get caught out by it, only bigger and better, is very Trump and actually very funny.
Their power is not to be denied and they should not be underestimated, but the near mystical level insight and tactics they sometimes get imbued with feels like a racist trope, like the magical native American tropes
BTW, Musk is already weighing in on the Trump indictment.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-trump-indictment-reaction-b2354352.html
Willful retention of national defense information (maximum penalty if convicted: 10 years)
Conspiracy to obstruct justice (maximum penalty: 20 years)
Withholding a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years)
Corruptly concealing a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years)
Concealing a document in a federal investigation (maximum penalty: 20 years)
Scheme to conceal (maximum penalty: Five years)
False statements and representations (maximum penalty: Five years)
American indictments are a bit weird and often have a lot of charges relating to the same essential acts. They are also more flexible than ours and leave more up to the punishment period in the event of a conviction where new evidence putting the offending act in context can be produced. But this seems pretty serious.
Not all the various cases against Trump look as strong as each other and not all may end up at trial or see him convicted*, but just because many people would like it if he was does not make all the cases bogus, yet that is the predominant GOP line. That no case could be true because people dislike him as that's in itself proof it's a fix.
*I continue to believe he won't see a day in prison and has a good chance of being president again.
What actually happened was that the Chinese oligarch who controlled production was a fucking useless manager and hadn’t kept up investment in the mining and ore processing. So output fell. And round the world a lot of mines were opened (and reopened).
As Barr (no saint) has said if he'd just handed over what was asked for none of this would be happening but instead he jerked them around for 1.5 years. Such a weird thing to do - if it was an attempted fix he could have short circuited it by going 'here you go'.
Pence and Biden both cooperated when docs were found hence why the former already has the all clear.
On my road trip last autumn, I thought it was mixed. Even away from the obvious tourist spots, there were towns with a fair bit of life - Greensboro, NC was buzzing on a late September Saturday evening - and my impression from last year was that in the round, American retail seemed to be more healthy than at home, with fewer closed or closing restaurants or empty shops that you now see even in relatively prosperous British small towns.
If you want loopy Appalachia (pronounced with a hard ‘ch’ that far south), try Asheville. “If you’re too weird for Asheville, you’re too weird”; “Keep Asheville Weird” is the unofficial town motto. A reservation for Democrats in North Carolina, and the most dog-friendly city in the US. The countryside in the mountains between there and Tennessee is the most quietly beautiful (as against stunning or impressive, which are the usual American adjectives along with awesome) I have seen in the US, with farms that have been settled for generations nestled in the folds of the hills, winding country roads, hay bales and real animals in the fields, mountains on the horizon…real scenery without all the usual American wall-to-wall tree cover.
Absent a conviction preventing him he's going to be the nominee, but what a mess.
Pence is, remarkably, running on a platform that Trump is unfit to be President because he put himself above the constitution and Pences family in danger at the same time...but hey that's OK if the party nominates him again.
I know they've talked about debate rules on candidates to back the eventual nominee but yeesh.
'My party right or wrong - I know one cannot be right against the Party.'
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/06/trump-running-for-president-prison-00090931
Let's hope so.
That oddity might be one reason they seem firmer on saying its definitely untrue this time.
What Trump says is accepted as fact by much of the Republican Party, so they will now go on repeating this line as if it is some god-given truth that has always applied. But it’s not.
Republicans we’re absolutely fine with the idea of indicting (W) Clinton.
Until the new management team (who are private sector in all of the nationalised operators...) start to dismantle the DfT lunacy of things like having very narrow driver route knowledge, it won't get better.
Are they all Jehovah's Witnesses? They are the only other group I can think of who endlessly keep knocking on doors and trying to convert people to their views whilst having the door slammed shut Every Single Time.
I’m disappointed to have missed it
I want my money back!
but they're not...
I see Musk is already weighing in on the matter and asking questions about why there seems to be differential treatment being seemingly handed out.
All that is now going to happen is a reaction on the opposite side. There will be a even bigger ramp up of the probes into Biden's finances and claims any investigations were smothered. And we are only in June 2023.
(I once had a JW tell me on the doorstep "Now you know how we feel....")
NEW THREAD
They like weak, poor countries they can dominate.
https://twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1667048712386801664
So all those Republicans declaring him innocent don't even care about the evidence.
Thee is no differential treatment. This is who Trump is.
Monkey World
Durdle Door