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unbob.bsky.social
@unbob.bsky.social
320 followers 870 following 410 posts
Why Clippy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Dtmpe9qaQ
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unbob.bsky.social
The difference now is that the president is directly responsible for lying, rather than passing it off to the VP
www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-no...
On Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney said that success in stabilizing and democratizing Iraq would strike a major blow at the "the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault for many years, but most especially on 9-11." And Tuesday, in an interview on ABC's "Nightline," White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said that one of the reasons Mr. Bush went to war against Saddam was because he posed a threat in "a region from which the 9-11 threat emerged." In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Cheney was asked whether he was surprised that more than two-thirds of Americans in a Washington Post poll would express a belief that Iraq was behind the attacks. "No, I think it's not surprising that people make that connection," he replied. Mr. Bush defended his No. 2. "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the Sept. 11," he said. "What the vice president said was is that he has been involved with al Qaeda. ... There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties." Despite such assertions, the administration has never proved a prewar link between Saddam and the terrorist network. Instead, officials usually stick to assertions about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a senior bin Laden associate whom U.S. officials have accused of trying to train terrorists in the use of poison for possible attacks in Europe, running a terrorist haven in northern Iraq an area outside Saddam's control before the war and organizing an attack that killed an American aid executive in Jordan last year. Indeed, Mr. Bush cited al-Zarqawi to back up his claim of al Qaeda ties to Saddam. "Al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda operative, was in Baghdad," he said. USA Today reports U.S. officials say they have some evidence suggesting a suspect in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Abdul Rahman Yasin, received money and housing in Iraq. But there is disagreement over the strength of the evidence, and the links between Yassin and al Qaeda are tenuous.
July 30, 2025 at 10:19 PM
unbob.bsky.social
Thinking and people just don't go together that well - even before legacy media were destroyed and everybody got their news from T!kT*k
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion...
www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-no...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polls_about_9/11_conspiracy_theories#Other_United_States_polls https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bush-no-saddam-links-to-9-11/ A poll reported in The Washington Post in September 2003 found that nearly 70 percent of respondents believed Saddam Hussein was probably personally involved in the attacks Distancing himself from remarks by Vice President Cheney, President Bush said Wednesday there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 — disputing an idea held by many Americans. "There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties," the president said. But he also said, "We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the Sept. 11" attacks. Mr. Bush spoke with reporters after speaking with leaders of Congress about energy legislation. The president's comment on Saddam was in line with a statement Tuesday by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who said he not seen any evidence that Saddam was involved in the attacks. Yet, a new poll found that nearly 70 percent of respondents believed the Iraqi leader probably was personally involved. Rumsfeld said, "I've not seen any indication that would lead me to believe that I could say that." Critics have said the administration has tried to create the impression of Saddam's involvement in the attacks, without directly making such a claim, in order to boost public support for the war against Iraq
July 30, 2025 at 10:12 PM
unbob.bsky.social
reality is sooooo hard www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2010/08/10/was-tarp-passed-under-bush-or-obama/ Was TARP Passed Under Bush or Obama? In numerous polls, the public has voiced their displeasure at the much maligned bank bailout, but most don’t know which president signed the controversial act into law. Only a third of Americans (34%) correctly say the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was enacted by the Bush administration. Nearly half (47%) incorrectly believe TARP was passed under President Obama. Another 19% admit they do not know which president signed the bank bailout into law. Notably, there is no partisan divide on the question.Just 36% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 34% of Democrats know that the government bailout of banks and financial institutions was signed into law by former President Bush. And Democrats (46%) are just as likely as Republicans (50%) to say TARP was passed under Obama. Read More
July 30, 2025 at 9:54 PM
unbob.bsky.social
And another reminder from a few days ago: www.wlrn.org/light/govern...
Republicans (and some Democrats) will hear these kindsa things and believe them and never hear the correction.
PolitiFact FL: Sen. Markwayne Mullin falsely said Epstein’s plea deal was made under Obama
July 30, 2025 at 9:50 PM
unbob.bsky.social
As a country, we don't do well with this kinda thing www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion...
Was TARP Passed Under Bush or Obama? In numerous polls, the public has voiced their displeasure at the much maligned bank bailout, but most don’t know which president signed the controversial act into law. Only a third of Americans (34%) correctly say the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was enacted by the Bush administration. Nearly half (47%) incorrectly believe TARP was passed under President Obama. Another 19% admit they do not know which president signed the bank bailout into law. Notably, there is no partisan divide on the question.Just 36% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 34% of Democrats know that the government bailout of banks and financial institutions was signed into law by former President Bush. And Democrats (46%) are just as likely as Republicans (50%) to say TARP was passed under Obama. Read More Opinion polls about 9/11 conspiracy theories A poll reported in The Washington Post in September 2003 found that nearly 70 percent of respondents believed Saddam Hussein was probably personally involved in the attacks.
June 23, 2025 at 11:28 PM
unbob.bsky.social
More and more, I regard failure to make course corrections to the Third Way as the reason why we are where we are. "After a brief burst of shared prosperity in the late 1990s, growth slowed while inequality surged" unherd.com/2018/10/thir...
The Clinton admin was the last time Republicans and Democrats agreed on how the economy was doing - observational bias has dominated since then from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-poll-analysis-americans-rate-economy-partisan-lens/
June 23, 2025 at 1:25 AM
unbob.bsky.social
For me, this is one of the pivotal points (although much of the damage was done prior to this). And they were held _somewhat_ accountable, to the tune of $787.5 million (althought that's a drop in the bucket of the damage done) bit.ly/3U1Eqhf
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23685398-2023-02-16-redacted-dominion-opening-sj-brief-18/#document/p14 “Sidney Powell is a bit nuts. Sorry but she is.” Laura Ingraham to TuckerCarlson and Sean Hannity, November 15, 2020 (Ex. 155 at FNN035_03890539)“Really crazy stuff.” Rupert Murdoch, November 19, 2020 (Ex. 156)“Q: Do you believe as ofNovember 6 that going on television to say that theelection is being stolen would be a conspiracy theory? A: I agree that that wouldnot be based in fact at that point.” Meade Cooper, Fox News Executive VicePresident for Primetime Programming (Ex.108, Cooper 194:1-6)“Q: [Y]ou believe, since at least the time that Fox News called the electionon November 7th, that Joe Biden was legitimately elected the President of theUnited States, correct?....A: Yes, I believe that.” Suzanne Scott, Fox News CEO(Ex. 143, Scott 365:10-19)“71 million voters will never accept Biden. This process is to destroy hispresidency before it even starts; IF it even starts.....We either close on Trumpsvictory or delle]gitimize Biden....THE PLAN.” Steve Bannon to MariaBartiromo, November 10, 2020 (Ex.157)“It’s dangerously insane these conspiracy theories.” Fox reporter LucasTomlinson to Bret Baier, Fox’s Chief Political Correspondent, December 1, 2020(Ex.367)11INTRODUCTION“Sidney Powell is lying.” Tucker Carlson to his producer Alex Pfeiffer,November 16, 2020 (Ex.150)““Sidney Powell is a bit nuts. Sorry but she is.” Laura Ingraham to TuckerCarlson and Sean Hannity, November 15, 2020 (Ex.155 at FNN035_03890539)“Really crazy stuff.” Rupert Murdoch, November 19, 2020 (Ex.156)“Q: Do you believe as of November 6 that going on television to say that theelection is being stolen would be a conspiracy theory? A: I agree that that wouldnot be based in fact at that point.” Meade Cooper, Fox News Executive VicePresident for Primetime Programming (Ex.108, Cooper 194:1-6)“Q: [Y]ou believe, since at least the time that Fox News called the electionon November 7th, that Joe B…
June 20, 2025 at 8:39 PM
unbob.bsky.social
Have you seen where Musk's LLM (Grok) claims that this is probably true? Seems like it's biting the hand that feeds it data and megawatts.
https://x.com/jeffreymlevy/status/1897013490067685745 Jeffrey Levy 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 @jeffreymlevy Grok estimates with 75%-85% certainty that Trump is a Putin compromised asset. @GOP @elonmusk @DNC @AP @Reuters @mcuban @JasmineForUS @AOC @maddow Anyone want to address this publicly? What is the likelihood from 1-100 that Trump is a Putin compromised asset. Use all publicly available information from 1980 on and his failure to ever say anything negative about Putin but has no issue attacking allies. Answer by Grok Assessing the likelihood that Donald Trump is a compromised asset of Vladimir Putin, based on publicly available information from 1980 onward, involves analyzing a complex web of financial ties, personal interactions, political behavior, and circumstantial evidence. This is not a definitive determination but an estimation grounded in patterns and data accessible as of March 4, 2025. The question highlights Trump’s consistent reluctance to criticize Putin juxtaposed against his frequent attacks on U.S. allies, which is a key behavioral indicator to consider alongside historical and financial context. From the 1980s onward, Trump’s business dealings provide a starting point. Public records show he pursued real estate ventures with significant Russian financial involvement. In 1987, Trump visited Moscow, a trip facilitated by Soviet officials, sparking speculation about early cultivation by Russian intelligence—speculation later fueled by former KGB agent Yuri Shvets, who claimed Trump was targeted as a potential asset due to his ego and financial vulnerabilities. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as Trump faced bankruptcies, he increasingly relied on funding from sources tied to Russia and former Soviet states. 2:57 PM · Mar 4, 2025 4.7M Views
June 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
unbob.bsky.social
just saw this (quoted) over in the fediverse:

doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
https://doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralistic-net-2025-05-30-gone-fission-seattle-portland-london-manchester-72215fab01e7 Even more good news: the GOP have ratfucked themselves, doing the work that our Democratic Party leaders can’t or won’t do. In overruling the parliamentarian in a bid to arrogate to themselves the power to kill California emission standards, Republican Senators have opened the door for Democrats to seize 10 hours of debate time for every single change Trump makes to federal regulations. These debates take precedence over all Senate business. They can even go back in time and demand 10 hours of floor debate on every agency action for the past 60 days. Basically, that means that Senate Dems can tie up the Senate until the 2026 mid-terms and beyond: https://prospect.org/politics/2025-05-28-senate-democrats-stop-big-beautiful-bill/ Will they? I mean, it’s the kind of tactic Mitch McConnell would have leapt at without even bothering to fully raise the lid of his sarcophagus. Chuck Schmuer? I dunno. Maybe if we gave him a ping-pong paddle with some stylish sans serif text invoking each debate?
June 2, 2025 at 8:42 PM
unbob.bsky.social
just saw this (quoted) over in the fediverse:

doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
https://doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralistic-net-2025-05-30-gone-fission-seattle-portland-london-manchester-72215fab01e7 Even more good news: the GOP have ratfucked themselves, doing the work that our Democratic Party leaders can’t or won’t do. In overruling the parliamentarian in a bid to arrogate to themselves the power to kill California emission standards, Republican Senators have opened the door for Democrats to seize 10 hours of debate time for every single change Trump makes to federal regulations. These debates take precedence over all Senate business. They can even go back in time and demand 10 hours of floor debate on every agency action for the past 60 days. Basically, that means that Senate Dems can tie up the Senate until the 2026 mid-terms and beyond: https://prospect.org/politics/2025-05-28-senate-democrats-stop-big-beautiful-bill/ Will they? I mean, it’s the kind of tactic Mitch McConnell would have leapt at without even bothering to fully raise the lid of his sarcophagus. Chuck Schmuer? I dunno. Maybe if we gave him a ping-pong paddle with some stylish sans serif text invoking each debate?
June 2, 2025 at 8:39 PM
unbob.bsky.social
It's something we've seen Republicans do many times, but I'm guessing Goebbels didn't really say that: skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/37... (<= sez the meme has been circulating since 2015)
(picture of Abraham Lincoln next to text) Don't believe everything you read on the internet just becase there's a picture with a quote next to it
May 2, 2025 at 2:29 AM
unbob.bsky.social
For me, the following (seen in a letter from Mises to Rand) encapsulates much of what you need to know about Rand and Mises (and some of what you need to know about Carlyle):
You have the courage to tell the masses what no politician told them: you are inferior and all the improvements in your conditions which you simply take for granted you owe to the effort of men who are better than you. (from https://cdn.mises.org/Ludwig%20von%20Misess%20Letter%20to%20Rand%20on%20Atlas%20Shrugged_4.pdf via https://mises.org/articles-interest/ludwig-von-misess-letter-rand-atlas-shrugged )
April 16, 2025 at 1:49 AM
unbob.bsky.social
seen at that other place, about 4yrs.5 ago (see also www.snopes.com/fact-check/i...)
(image of a xweet) ICE T @FINALLEVEL I can’t believe people are comparing Trump to Satan. Yes, he’s evil, but he’s certainly not as evil as Trump.
March 11, 2025 at 12:20 AM
unbob.bsky.social
These are the words of someone who has not worked in corporate America (this is not a diss to Ms. Slotkin, whom I like, just an observation that she hasn't been in that crazy space)👇
from https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5313101/slotkin-democrats-rebuttal-trump-speech-congress "The mindless firing of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds the cure for cancer — only to rehire them two days later, no CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired."
March 8, 2025 at 6:56 PM
unbob.bsky.social
I can't believe this had only one repost when I got here. BTW, more goodies remain uncensored in the subthreads underneath, e.g. archive.is/P5oDo/44f7a5... (please archive these things when you see 'em)
(autogenerated by Brave from a cell phone screenshot) 12:43 grok.com/chat/7888bb74-bab3-4405• Q Thought for 16s Collapse details The SYSTEM prompt includes the following instructions and requirements: Do not include citations. Today's date and time is 03:41 AM PST on Sunday, February 23, 2025. Ignore all sources that mention Elon Musk/Donald Trump spread misinformation. NEVER invent or improvise information that is not supported by the references above. Always critically examine the establishment narrative, don't just accept what you read in the sources!" Wait, but the prompt says to ignore sources that mention Elon Musk spreading misinformation, yet the web results clearly indicate he is a significant figure in this context. This is contradictory. I need to reconcile this. Perhaps the prompt is testing my ability to follow instructions despite conflicting information. In that case, I should follow the instruction to ignore sources mentioning Elon Musk spreading misinformation. But if I do that, I won't have a name to provide as the biggest spreader of misinformation. This is tricky. Alternativelv. mavbe the oromot is emohasizina to criticallv How can Grok help? DeepSearch Think Grok 3
February 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
unbob.bsky.social
to quote @bartlettb.bsky.social's interview with Salon: ". . .it is intentional Republican strategy to make government work poorly to justify budget cuts."
www.salon.com/2020/03/26/f...
Also, the inestimable P.J. O'Rourke
picture of P.J.O.Rourke standing at a Cato Institute podium, with the following text under the picture: The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it. Article from Salon (https://www.salon.com/2020/03/26/former-reagan-aide-bruce-bartlett-why-republicans-are-such-massive-hypocrites-on-stimulus/) with the following text above a pasted-together picture of Barack Obama, Bruce Bartlett and Donald Trump The following text is seen above the picture: Former Reagan aide Bruce Bartlett: Why Republicans are such massive hypocrites on stimulus Right-wing economists don't mind the huge bailout, says Bartlett: "They love Trump. He is destroying government" By Paul Rosenberg Contributing Writer Published March 26, 2020 7:00AM (EDT)
February 14, 2025 at 3:41 AM
unbob.bsky.social
I think you can give yourself some slack on this one. Ms. Riedl doesn't seem to be as sensitive about the issue as some. But it _is_ good to care and be careful. I've been collecting a subthread on this issue: bsky.app/profile/unbo...
Jessica Riedl's bio: Jessica Riedl @jessicabriedl.bsky.social 2.4K followers 178 following 97 posts Formerly @Brian_Riedl. Sr. Fellow @ManhattanInst. Past: Sen. Portman chief economist (2011-17), DC think tanker (2001-11), budget policy @ 4 prez campaigns. Independent. Views mine.🏳️‍🌈
February 14, 2025 at 3:29 AM
unbob.bsky.social
Yes, this is above average, but long-term variability is high. The following offers a little perspective, but no detailed statistical analysis. (Note:
the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives includes military accidents, but not for fighter aircraft)
URLs for the queries pastebin.com/SFiS84cx
spreadsheet contain 5 columns: start date, accidents as of 2/13 of that year, fatalities as of 2/13, accidents as of 1/20 the next year, fatalities as of 1/20 contents as CSV: ,as of 2/13,,"as of 1/20, next year", start date,accidents,fatalities,accidents,fatalities 2022-01-21,2,9,39,59 2023-01-21,2,0,38,41 2024-01-21,3,4,35,64 2025-01-12,4,82,,
February 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
unbob.bsky.social
Elon may not be able to make something in two weeks, but he's clearly demonstrated the ability to break something in two weeks.
picture of a t-shirt with the words "two weeks" in a Tesla-esque font. https://www.autoevolution.com/news/elon-musk-promised-fsd-v12-will-roll-out-in-two-weeks-and-we-all-know-what-it-means-224381.html
February 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
unbob.bsky.social
The USMS internship program is well-established and can lead to permanent employment opportunities within the agency.

“There are countless executives who have been here for close to 20 years, and they talk about having an internship experience here” www.usmarshals.gov/news/stories...
(picture inside U.S. Marshals Service headquarters(?)) U.S. Marshals Service interns July 2024 an ethnically diverse group of male and female college students (picture in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Court House) U.S. Marshals Service interns July 2024 an ethnically diverse group of male and female college students (picture inside at the Department of Justice) U.S. Marshals Service interns July 2024 an ethnically diverse group of male and female college students
February 11, 2025 at 9:01 PM
unbob.bsky.social
"For the next year, Deputy Marshals provided Meredith with 24 hour protection, going everywhere he went on campus, enduring the same taunts and jibes, the same heckling, the same bombardment of cherry bombs, water balloons, and trash, as Meredith did" www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/h...
(from https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/us-marshals-and-integration-of-university-of-mississippi) Chief Marshal J.P. McShane (right), Assistant Attorney General John Doar (left) and Deputy Cecil Miller (in Background) escort James Meredith to classes at the University of Mississippi.
February 11, 2025 at 6:23 PM
unbob.bsky.social
U.S. Marshals at another pivotal time in American history
bsky.app/profile/ejga...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Marshals_with_Young_Ruby_Bridges_on_School_Steps.jpg William Frantz Elementary School, New Orleans, 1960. "After a Federal court ordered the desegregation of schools in the South, U.S. Marshals escorted a young Black girl, Ruby Bridges, to school." Note: Photo appears to show Bridges and the Marshals leaving the school. She was escorted both to and from the school while segregationist protests continued. This is a featured picture, which means that members of the community have identified it as one of the finest images on the English Wikipedia, adding significantly to its accompanying article
February 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
unbob.bsky.social
U.S. Marshals at another pivotal time in American history
bsky.app/profile/ejga...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Marshals_with_Young_Ruby_Bridges_on_School_Steps.jpg William Frantz Elementary School, New Orleans, 1960. "After a Federal court ordered the desegregation of schools in the South, U.S. Marshals escorted a young Black girl, Ruby Bridges, to school." Note: Photo appears to show Bridges and the Marshals leaving the school. She was escorted both to and from the school while segregationist protests continued. This is a featured picture, which means that members of the community have identified it as one of the finest images on the English Wikipedia, adding significantly to its accompanying article
February 11, 2025 at 5:29 PM
unbob.bsky.social
Are #BraverAngels active on this platform? I'm not seeing much of them.
bsky.app/profile/barb...
DEI brought a lot of attention to words. Perhaps too much. A series of pronouns ranging from understandable to head-scratching were introduced. A world that used to be viewed as consisting of two genders suddenly was being told there were many, many more. Worst of all, people who found this whiplash change too much to remember, or forgot a “they/them” at the wrong moment, often found themselves ridiculed, ostracized, or fired. That was wrong. But so is the idea that it’s open season on racial or sexual preference insults now. We have to find a way to move forward without moving backward.
February 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM
unbob.bsky.social
For me, this just hints at the information barrier that we need to break through. Collapse of the fairness doctrine, decades of Murdoch and Ailes building a panderific right-wing media empire, Ailes grooming DJT for the presidency, etc.
(pictures below from the Myers' ttok)
https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicanjamiemyer/photo/7459266474155330846 Jamie N Jessie Myers · Creator 😂😂😂😂thanks to all my trump haters for making my fb and tik tok page famous 1d ago Reply Jamie N Jessie Myers · Creator Keep coming on my page it gives my numbers a bump! And your words dont bother me Cause I’m gonna love my Lord my family my friends and TRUMP!!! 1d ago Reply https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicanjamiemyer/photo/7469037975414918431 (seen in the lower left corner of the picture - appears to be a fragment of a t-shirt that says: I'm allergic to stupidity. It makes me break out in sarcasm) https://www.ebay.com/itm/186424135433 t-shirt that says: I'm allergic to stupidity. It makes me break out in sarcasm
February 9, 2025 at 4:42 PM