Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi all,
Vanilla are planning an update to the site on April 24th (next Wednesday). It is a major PHP8 update which is expected to boost performance across the site. The site will be down from 7pm and it is expected to take about an hour to complete. We appreciate your patience during the update.
Thanks all.

Donald Trump discussion Thread IX (threadbanned users listed in OP)

1…4546485051…153

Comments

  • #1412
    Lithium93_
    Registered Users Posts: 48,990 ✭✭✭✭Lithium93_


    Itssoeasy wrote: »
    The government have their first guilty plea associated with the events of January 6th at the capitol and also a defendant who is reported to have flipped. I see that Matt Gaetz had his iPhone taken from him in December by the feds under the trump justice dept and the GOP are doing the duck and weave when asked about him or it’s radio silence. You’d think they’d he singing like canaries but it’s silence.

    Jon Schaffer, guitarist for the band Iced Earth.
    Schaffer, 53, a guitarist and lead songwriter for the heavy metal band Iced Earth, was charged on Friday by criminal information, a type of charging document used when a defendant waives the right to an indictment.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/guilty-plea-capitol-riot/2021/04/16/f7d5d420-9eb6-11eb-9d05-ae06f4529ece_story.html


  • #1413
    Nody
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,258 CMod ✭✭✭✭Nody


    Lithium93_ wrote: »
    Jon Schaeffer, guitarist for the band Iced Earth.
    This is a plead deal...
    Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he has agreed to plead guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

    According to CNN, prosecutors and Schaffer's attorneys agreed to recommend that he get between three and a half and four and a half years in prison, based on how fruitful his cooperation is with the government.
    I can see quite a few people willing to flip when they get told what sentences they will face if not.

    Article used.


  • #1414
    Lithium93_
    Registered Users Posts: 48,990 ✭✭✭✭Lithium93_


    Nody wrote: »
    This is a plead deal...

    I can see quite a few people willing to flip when they get told what sentences they will face if not.

    Article used.

    Co-operation is a hell of a thing to keep yourself from going to jail. Either way assuming he gets the 3.5/4.5 years, he's ruined his bands, dropped from their record label, lost members, only has a drummer left I think.

    The band will go the way of Lostprophets after Ian Watkins was sentenced.


  • #1415
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Lithium93_ wrote: »
    Co-operation is a hell of a thing to keep yourself from going to jail. Either way assuming he gets the 3.5/4.5 years, he's ruined his bands, dropped from their record label, lost members, only has a drummer left I think.

    The band will go the way of Lostprophets after Ian Watkins was sentenced.

    Was initially thinking 'guitarist is replaceable' but, like Watkins, he's also the songwriter.

    Rather more difficult to do a personnel swap when the now persona non-grata is getting the bulk of the cash still.


  • #1416
    gizmo
    Registered Users Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭gizmo


    L1011 wrote: »
    Was initially thinking 'guitarist is replaceable' but, like Watkins, he's also the songwriter.

    Rather more difficult to do a personnel swap when the now persona non-grata is getting the bulk of the cash still.
    Nah, Schafer is Iced Earth, it's basically been him being supported by a revolving door of musicians since their formation in the 80s. Somewhat unsurprisingly, most of the current line-up left after the Capitol Riots.

    It's kind of amusing though, I only really dipped into them in Uni when The Glorious Burden came out. Needless to say, I wasn't massively surprised when I heard his name listed amongst those participating on the day.


  • Advertisement
  • #1417
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Larbre34 wrote: »
    (CNN)"On Monday, a cohort of former Trump administration officials launched the America First Policy Institute, a think tank organization aimed at promoting "liberty, free enterprise, national greatness, American military superiority, foreign-policy engagement in the American interest, and the primacy of American workers," according to its website."

    Well, you know what they say, you can't spell 'America First Policy Institute' without F.A.S.C.I.S. or T.

    It seems that people did not come out of the ground to support them and they found they needed the GOP more than the GOP needed them.


  • #1418
    hirondelle
    Registered Users Posts: 326 ✭✭hirondelle


    gizmo wrote: »
    Nah, Schafer is Iced Earth, it's basically been him being supported by a revolving door of musicians since their formation in the 80s. Somewhat unsurprisingly, most of the current line-up left after the Capitol Riots.

    It's kind of amusing though, I only really dipped into them in Uni when The Glorious Burden came out. Needless to say, I wasn't massively surprised when I heard his name listed amongst those participating on the day.

    I had never heard of them until this guy got arrested. The album looks a little bombastic to say the least!


  • #1419
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    The 2020 election isn't over in the minds of the Arizona GOP party. It/they have hired a private company [Cyber Ninjas] to do an audit of the Maricopa County count result by going through the ballots and the machines used in the count [which were kept secure by the authorities there]. A court ordered the Co to provide it papers and details of the procedures it is using in the audit and the Co seems to have refused to comply with the order on the grounds of Co procedure security. The court hearing followed on from the Democrat Party following on from the GOP party moves. I guess the GOP is trying to get a toe in the door for use in other states.


  • #1420
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 81,522 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    aloyisious wrote: »
    The 2020 election isn't over in the minds of the Arizona GOP party. It/they have hired a private company [Cyber Ninjas] to do an audit of the Maricopa County count result by going through the ballots and the machines used in the count [which were kept secure by the authorities there]. A court ordered the Co to provide it papers and details of the procedures it is using in the audit and the Co seems to have refused to comply with the order on the grounds of Co procedure security. The court hearing followed on from the Democrat Party following on from the GOP party moves. I guess the GOP is trying to get a toe in the door for use in other states.

    Surely if a court demands a disclosure of their methods and they refuse then nothing they found can be deemed admissible. Without knowing what they did there is no confidence that their findings are not entirely manipulated


  • #1421
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,961 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    Overheal wrote: »
    Surely if a court demands a disclosure of their methods and they refuse then nothing they found can be deemed admissible. Without knowing what they did there is no confidence that their findings are not entirely manipulated

    They don't care - They want to keep it secret so that they can announce that they have "proof" of all kinds of skullduggery and the people that think that doing this audit was a legitimate and reasonable thing will accept that without question.

    Then the State GOP Officials will take to the media circuit using this proof to excuse wholesale changes to the voting process.

    And many other States will use this same "proof" as reasons why they need to make changes "So that this doesn't happen in our State!!!"

    They have absolutely no interest in transparency or finding actual evidence , not that any actually exists.

    This is a Marketing exercise to help them gut the voting system as it's the only way the GOP can win and they know it.

    Well , it's not the only way they can win - They could actually connect with the public and come up with a policy platform more palatable to a wider group of people , but listening to actual voters is not what the GOP have ever done.


  • Advertisement
  • #1422
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Is there any actual truth to the reports that some states lost congress seats and others gained seats as a result of the census population tallies? I'm thinking that loss of representation seats would cause both parties to worry about elections in the near and far future.


  • #1423
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,961 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    aloyisious wrote: »
    Is there any actual truth to the reports that some states lost congress seats and others gained seats as a result of the census population tallies? I'm thinking that loss of representation seats would cause both parties to worry about elections in the near and far future.

    Yes , it true.

    NY and California lost a seat each I think , Texas gained 2 , Florida gained one along with a few other changes.

    Fixed total of House seats with the redistribution as a result of increases/decreases in Population.

    What now happens is massive gerrymandering at State level (by both sides to be fair) based on the reported shifts in Population, but the GOP have control of quite a few more State houses than the Democrats.

    For example I read an article earlier that NY will lose a district , but given the Democrat control of the State government , it will be a GOP district that gets culled , most likely one of the rural upstate ones and they will also "adjust" the borders of the other districts to squeeze out a few more GOP congress people.

    The same will happen in all the States across the country over the next 12 months.

    The whole place is a partisan mess.


  • #1424
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Its safe enough to stay that if a state has more than one congress district (all those 3 EC vote states), its going to be gerrymandered by whoever is in charge.


  • #1425
    amandstu
    Registered Users Posts: 3,353 ✭✭✭amandstu


    L1011 wrote: »
    Its safe enough to stay that if a state has more than one congress district (all those 3 EC vote states), its going to be gerrymandered by whoever is in charge.

    What actions could be taken to prevent that happening?

    Could any kind of any impartial system be put in place?


  • #1426
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,961 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    amandstu wrote: »
    What actions could be taken to prevent that happening?

    Could any kind of any impartial system be put in place?

    The same way it's managed in most other countries - Including Ireland.

    A independent "Electoral Commission" or similar responsible for everything Election related.

    From the size, shape and location of districts to the rules around the actual process of voting.


  • #1427
    check_six
    Registered Users Posts: 2,245 ✭✭✭check_six


    amandstu wrote: »
    What actions could be taken to prevent that happening?

    Could any kind of any impartial system be put in place?

    Do most mature democracies not have some kind of election commission to organise election boundaries? Seems crazy to have rampant gerrymandering seen as a legitimate election strategy. Maybe this does happen everywhere?

    Maybe the United Nations could appoint some kind of team that would normally be sent to somewhere with a more tinpot-type reputation.

    Is this a throwback to 18th century election standards where gerrymandering, and rotten boroughs with one voter electorates, etc. were the done thing? They do seem to put great store against the ideas of the founders.


  • #1428
    check_six
    Registered Users Posts: 2,245 ✭✭✭check_six


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    The same way it's managed in most other countries - Including Ireland.

    A independent "Electoral Commission" or similar responsible for everything Election related.

    From the size, shape and location of districts to the rules around the actual process of voting.

    How well would the Electoral Commission be regarded in Ireland? I always assumed that they would be impartial and basing their changes on population changes. I would not have even considered that they would be operating on a partisan basis like the madness in the States. Is this the case does anyone know?


  • #1429
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,523 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Its considered impartial, you'll often find Government TDs / Government party wannabe TDs moaning about changes and claiming that a change has 'cut them off from their voters' just as often as the opposition do.

    Every party that had control of it before it was made independent tried to gerrymander at some stage, most notably when Dublin was cut in to loads of geographically tiny three seat constituencies on the assumption that it would create a permanent majority for an FG/Labour coalition, with the seats going 1/1/1 FF/FG/Lab neatly. And they didn't; it gave FF the last overall majority anyone has ever had as they went 2/1/0 to FF generally.

    And that's why it was taken out of the hands of the Minister and given to the Commission instead!

    We will will probably need another 6 seats added after the 2022 census based on population growth so we'll get to see it in action.


  • #1430
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    The same way it's managed in most other countries - Including Ireland.

    A independent "Electoral Commission" or similar responsible for everything Election related.

    From the size, shape and location of districts to the rules around the actual process of voting.

    It's probable that, due to the "States Rights" and decentralised Government, that an Irish-style electoral commission wouldn't be given the time of day by the U.S parties as they seem to have more power at states level than the party cumann have here at regional level from party HQ. The courts there would probably agree with them and decline to hear any argument against the present set-up, regardless of the feelings that any type of gerrymandering should be kicked to touch.


  • #1431
    salmocab
    Registered Users Posts: 11,282 ✭✭✭✭salmocab


    aloyisious wrote: »
    It's probable that, due to the "States Rights" and decentralised Government, that an Irish-style electoral commission wouldn't be given the time of day by the U.S parties as they seem to have more power at states level than the party cumann have here at regional level from party HQ. The courts there would probably agree with them and decline to hear any argument against the present set-up, regardless of the feelings that any type of gerrymandering should be kicked to touch.

    They in the spirit of democracy could vote for an independent electoral commission.


  • Advertisement
  • #1432
    amandstu
    Registered Users Posts: 3,353 ✭✭✭amandstu


    check_six wrote: »

    Is this a throwback to 18th century election standards where gerrymandering, and rotten boroughs with one voter electorates, etc. were the done thing? They do seem to put great store against the ideas of the founders.
    That was my thought. Is this "democracy for slow learners"?*

    *attr S.Mallon::)


  • #1433
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    Quin_Dub wrote: »
    Yes , it true.

    NY and California lost a seat each I think , Texas gained 2 , Florida gained one along with a few other changes.

    Fixed total of House seats with the redistribution as a result of increases/decreases in Population.

    What now happens is massive gerrymandering at State level (by both sides to be fair) based on the reported shifts in Population, but the GOP have control of quite a few more State houses than the Democrats.

    For example I read an article earlier that NY will lose a district , but given the Democrat control of the State government , it will be a GOP district that gets culled , most likely one of the rural upstate ones and they will also "adjust" the borders of the other districts to squeeze out a few more GOP congress people.

    The same will happen in all the States across the country over the next 12 months.

    The whole place is a partisan mess.

    Trouble will be if non-partisan methods are used (compact districts around cities where possible etc.) there's a decent likelihood that existing districts where there's a majority black population could be broken up. It's a tetchy subject and both parties have a history or talking out both sides of their mouths on it.


  • #1434
    Leroy42
    Registered Users Posts: 15,472 ✭✭✭✭Leroy42


    It really is banana republic type carry on, if the same was done in other countries the US would be calling for international observers.

    They will march about masks, but don't seemingly care that their vote is basically being played with to suit whatever party has the power to do so.


  • #1435
    Quin_Dub
    Moderators, Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,961 Mod ✭✭✭✭Quin_Dub


    Buttonftw wrote: »
    Trouble will be if non-partisan methods are used (compact districts around cities where possible etc.) there's a decent likelihood that existing districts where there's a majority black population could be broken up. It's a tetchy subject and both parties have a history or talking out both sides of their mouths on it.

    It's swings and roundabouts - Both parties will gain and lose to some extent across the country, depending on which of them have been responsible for the most recent rounds of redistricting in a given State.

    Whilst both parties have dirty hands in this space , the GOP have done the lions share of the heavily partisan redistricting in recent years , particularly in the swing states.

    You have situations where the GOP get 40% of the vote but 70%+ of seats because of how much they have carved up the districts.

    It's also what has allowed them to hold and consolidate their grip at the State level.


    That has to change - A party in power should not have the ability and authority to shift the voting goal posts in their favor without any oversight.


  • #1436
    Itssoeasy
    Registered Users Posts: 39,415 ✭✭✭✭Itssoeasy


    Leroy42 wrote: »
    It really is banana republic type carry on, if the same was done in other countries the US would be calling for international observers.

    They will march about masks, but don't seemingly care that their vote is basically being played with to suit whatever party has the power to do so.

    The comedian Al Murray got the US right when he said the “US is a good idea that s got out of hand.” And he was in character when he said it but it’s spot on.


  • #1437
    Itssoeasy
    Registered Users Posts: 39,415 ✭✭✭✭Itssoeasy


    NBC news are reporting breaking news that federal investigators have searched Rudy Giuliani’s New York City apartment. I’d love to know what they are looking for and how it’s linked to trump.

    Edit: and I wonder how long it will take before trump declares he barely knew Rudy ? This in spite of him representing the former president. And the search is in relation to Ukraine.


  • #1438
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Postscript by Steve Benen on MSNBC to his earlier report posted by the Rachel Maddow Show on it's F/B page. Postscript: Just as I was hitting the publish button on this, the Times updated its report to note that investigators also executed a warrant on the Republican lawyer's office, too.

    Update: The Wall Street Journal reported that Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, confirmed the execution of the search warrant.

    The same article added, "Mr. Costello said authorities, who arrived at Mr. Giuliani’s apartment at 6 a.m., seized Mr. Giuliani’s electronic devices. He said the search warrant describes the investigation as an investigation into a possible violation of foreign lobbying rules. Mr. Costello said the warrant sought communications between Mr. Giuliani and individuals including John Solomon, a columnist who was in communication with Mr. Giuliani about his effort to push for investigations of Joe Biden in Ukraine.


  • #1439
    amandstu
    Registered Users Posts: 3,353 ✭✭✭amandstu


    Itssoeasy wrote: »
    The comedian Al Murray got the US right when he said the “US is a good idea that s got out of hand.” And he was in character when he said it but it’s spot on.
    Was he just referring to a patronizing attitude on behalf of The British to their "offspring"?


  • #1440
    aloyisious
    Registered Users Posts: 11,536 ✭✭✭✭aloyisious


    Watching Bill Maher show earlier this evening, while talking with his guest he mentioned that since the census changes to Congress membership, the Democrats had their numbers advantage reduced from 4 to 2 over the GOP there. Also mentioned was the flow of voters from the the northeast to the southwest states. Is this correct?


  • Advertisement
  • #1441
    marno21
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,341 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    aloyisious wrote: »
    Watching Bill Maher show earlier this evening, while talking with his guest he mentioned that since the census changes to Congress membership, the Democrats had their numbers advantage reduced from 4 to 2 over the GOP there. Also mentioned was the flow of voters from the the northeast to the southwest states. Is this correct?

    https://twitter.com/redistrict/status/1386760864267649032

    Yes. Those numbers are current pure raw numbers though. It doesn’t take into account gerrymandering etc from the redistricting.


Advertisement