Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[faberryman]

Sorry, it is a Washington Post article. Maybe you have a free one left.

More than 130 Secret Service officers are said to be infected with coronavirus or quarantining in wake of Trump’s campaign travel

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-coronavirus-outbreak/2020/11/13/610eebcc-2539-11eb-8672-c281c7a2c96e_story.html

[Robert Roaldi]

The legal consensus is that the presidential pardon power is subject to very few limitations.  Briefly, in the hope of forestalling uninformed speculation:

• The presidential pardon power extends only to federal crimes.
  
• The power extends only to federal crimes committed prior to the issuance of the pardon.
  
• A pardon may be granted to an individual who has not been convicted of a federal crime.
  
• A pardon may be granted to an individual who has not been charged with a federal crime.
  
• There is no modern case law regarding the authority of a president to pardon himself, but common law doctrine suggests that such a pardon would be ineffective.
  

A presidential pardon would not have any effect with respect to a charge or prosecution based on the criminal laws of one of the individual states.

Thanks very much. No. 4 sounds a bit weird to me. If a person hasn't been charged, it's hard to see how you can pardon them of anything. It's more of a "stop investigating" order than a pardon, sort of a pre-emptive pardon, a bit like that Get Out of Jail Free card in a Monopoly game. But the fact that I find it weird means nothing whatsoever.

In truth, I find the entire practice bizarre. I get why the concept of pardons exists, I can see it as a shortcut way to redress a conviction gone wrong or to reboot a personal record but only as part of a judicial process. "Pardons" can be granted in Canada but I don't think they don't call them that and the procedure is different. You have to apply for a pardon under some set of conditions and reasons and there is an investigation before one is granted. A friend received one to expunge a silly youthful indiscretion that might have caused him pointless harm as an adult.

Giving the President cart blanche almost guarantees that it will be used politically. It's not obvious to me why that's good for the country.

[James Clark]

Insofar as the vaccine, he clearly deserves credit for that.  Having a 300M open order for the first company to produce a vaccine was a clear incentive.

Sheer genius.  Who but Trump would have thought to buy a vaccine if it became available.   4-D chess, people. Truly another level.

 

[Robert Roaldi]

Of course the fake news press's article never mentioned that.  They went on about how internal disagreement about the legitimacy of the suit caused problems in a firm that traditionally took controversial cases regularly.  The truth is the were afraid of retribution.  That was my conclusion not even knowing about the Lincoln Project.  This reminds me of when the Communist Revolution in Russia either killed their adversaries or tried to destroy them through shame and economic loss.  No wonder the polls were so wrong and so many more people voted for Trump than anticipated.  Americans today are afraid to speak their mind as we always have before.  And this is from the same group who always complains about McCarthyism against the left.  Now they're practicing it with glee.

Interesting that you find this unacceptable. Wasn't it just yesterday that some people thought it was ok to keep track of political appointees who applauded at the Pentagon. As you've said many times yourself, sometimes when you take action there are consequences. This is all based on your assumption that what you think is true. So in that sense, it's a pretty hypothetical discussion.

There could be lots of reasons why the firm pulled out and until those reasons are made public, this is all hot air.

[faberryman]

It's to befuddle non-Americans as they busily Google these American sayings.("Now what did Alan mean by that.")  Actually, I think I'm doing a service as their understanding of idiomatic English grows, well American English not that other English we can't understand. 

Suit yourself Aunt Bee.

[Frans Waterlander]

Really indeed: close together jammed in rallies for the deal leader, no masks.  The infection rate INSIDE the administration is proof enough of that fact.

TDS in full display.

[Alan Klein]

I have no idea. It's not like I can do anything about it. There is only one electricity provider. Like water and gas. Many years ago the electric company offered a green deal where you could pay extra and they would buy green energy. Turns out it was a scam. All the electricity was fungible.

Are you sure there's only one provider.  Not so in New Jersey.  The way it works here is the company that owns the infrastructure of elec lines, get a basic fee.  However, the usage in KWH can be bought from numerous different entities.  NJ passed a law , as have other states, that allow each user to select their own supplier that offer competitive rates. Every year I get offers from various electricity suppliers.  Our township, makes a deal with one of them every year for the lowest KWH price.  The town then notifies its residents who the supplier is. I switch my service to the same supplier saving money..  The line owner only get a standard rate for the lines, but I save on the usage.

Check in your state.  You may have similar laws and arrangements.

[faberryman]

Giving the President cart blanche almost guarantees that it will be used politically. It's not obvious to me why that's good for the country.

It is one of the perks of the job, like getting to pretend you are driving a fire truck under the portico of the White House.

The Department of Justice has this elaborate procedure for applying for and being reviewed for consideration for a pardon. But when you have Kim Kardashian sitting across from you in the Oval Office, it is hard to say no.

[faberryman]

Are you sure there's only one provider.

No Alan, I am not sure. I have no idea what I am talking about.  I am oblivious to my options for buying electricity.

[Alan Klein]

I pay nothing per kWh for electricity and in fact get a check for electricity I generate and send back to the grid. Since 2012. My home is 100% electric (no gas). Helps to have a HERS index of 46.
And no Trump and Alan, it all works at night, no generator required. 😜

I looked into it here in NJ but it wasn't worth it. MY 2100sf house only costs me $2000 a year or so for natural gas and electricity. That's for heating, cooling, cooking, lights, washing and drying machines, hot water etc.  The house is very well insulated.  You live in a sunny state which makes solar more usable.  Plus you're all electric which can get very pricey up here if I wasn't using gas for heating and cooking range.  Curious. Do you have batteries for use at night or does the system switch back to grid supplied electricity? 

Right now I'm looking into installing a 24 kw  Emergency Generator when we lose grid power. Falling trees during storms or ice constantly knock down power lines here.  While these are underground within our community,  outside they're all on power poles.   We lost power for four days when one of the hurricanes came through during the summer.  I was thinking of using solar instead of a generator.  But the batteries offered won't run our 4 ton central AC, only 3 tons.  And I don;t know for how long anyway.  4 tons require around 15kw to run. Of course with improving batteries, it might make sense later.  So I'm thinking of getting a Generac 24kw which comes with the facility to tie-in solar later with batteries if I decide to go that route.

[JoeKitchen]

Forbes disagrees with you. The pendulum continues to swing towards renewables. Note that this article is two years old. 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2018/12/03/plunging-prices-mean-building-new-renewable-energy-is-cheaper-than-running-existing-coal/?sh=42d4269f31f3

There are many articles that state the same facts. Solar is cheaper than coal - cheaper to build and WAY cheaper to run. Natural gas will be the next to fall.

How much do you pay per kWh for your electricity?

I'll believe it when I see it actually happen.

Most of the time, these article obscure the full cost of going solar/wind, such as ignoring the subsidies, land purchases, cost to transport the power, cost of maintaining the plants when they are ideal, etc.  In looking at other articles, it seems the only place the solar really is affordable are in desserts, but then you need to transport the power. 

I still highly doubt solar/wind will be the wave of the future.  It will be much like EPV; in 30 years we will look back and think, "what were we thinking?  Of course this would not work." 

But anyway, last I read up on this at the beginning of this year, the most analytical reporting still should solar/wind being significantly more expensive when you look at the entire process from start to finish and take into account everything required. 

[JoeKitchen]

One more thing about comparing the cost of solar/wind vs. coal/oil/gas is that we really do not have an actual free market, and cant even if you can change who your provider is.  Having a free market would require each energy provider to have its own electrical grid, which could be possible in theory but is practically impossible. 

This means comparing prices of solar to coal/gas on the market is actually distorted. 

Michael Shellenberger talks about this a lot in his criticism of wind and solar.  They cost a lot more then what they appear too since they are leeching off of a grid built mainly with coal/gas profits. 

[digitaldog]

Another example of posting without reading the article.  Address Justice Alito's points, not mine.

You posted it here, not Alito. Seems you don't understand his points nor why you should post it.

No constitutional protection of driving allow vast restrictions to be imposed on the rights of drivers.

 
Explained, ignored. Moot.

Not so with speech, assembly and religion.

 
As with your inability to answer a question and prove what Hillary didn't say that you said she did, you ignored my question about what you posted from Alito, again proving you don't understand what you've passed along. A lot like how Trump re-tweets stuff that's either nonsense or misunderstood.

Laws must be very modest, balanced on other needs of the public but without infringing on their basic rights.

They must be? Your law degree came from?

For example, houses of worship must follow local building codes for safety and fire prevention.

And in some states, restriction for the numbers gathering due to Covid-19. Doing so does not infringe on their rights to assemble, just how many can at one time.

Those do not basically infringe on the right to practice your religion.

Ditto, without basically, in terms of Covid-19 restrictions. There are restrictions for not pissing in the holy water too, or spilling the blood of animals inside the gathering etc. 

Alito's main point is that he sees extensive and long term restrictions on these rights in a noble effort to prevent the spread of Covid.

That's your assumption of his point.

He's cautioning us that we have to find the right balance in this approach and don't forget needs and rights other than health.  I think he makes a reasonable argument.

That's your assumption of his point. You've not answered my questions again, or made a reasonable argument, rather pretty unreasonable assumptions. 

[Alan Klein]

Thanks very much. No. 4 sounds a bit weird to me. If a person hasn't been charged, it's hard to see how you can pardon them of anything. It's more of a "stop investigating" order than a pardon, sort of a pre-emptive pardon, a bit like that Get Out of Jail Free card in a Monopoly game. But the fact that I find it weird means nothing whatsoever.

In truth, I find the entire practice bizarre. I get why the concept of pardons exists, I can see it as a shortcut way to redress a conviction gone wrong or to reboot a personal record but only as part of a judicial process. "Pardons" can be granted in Canada but I don't think they don't call them that and the procedure is different. You have to apply for a pardon under some set of conditions and reasons and there is an investigation before one is granted. A friend received one to expunge a silly youthful indiscretion that might have caused him pointless harm as an adult.

Giving the President cart blanche almost guarantees that it will be used politically. It's not obvious to me why that's good for the country.

Governors also have those authorities regarding state pardons.   I think it goes back to the authority of monarchs to forgive.  Maybe God too.  It's the idea that people can be redeemed or a person forgiven or to preempt political retaliation which could easily happened with Trump.  There are a lot of people who just want to hang him and everyone who supported him.  After all, look how the Democrats and media went after him and others regarding phoney Russia collusion charges, destroying lives and careers along the way. 

[digitaldog]

TDS in full display.

Still OT, still no photo's, still no camera (or sensor heat, display flicker, Elements database issues etc). Still examples of dangerous sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity: in full display.

[Alan Klein]

Interesting that you find this unacceptable. Wasn't it just yesterday that some people thought it was ok to keep track of political appointees who applauded at the Pentagon. As you've said many times yourself, sometimes when you take action there are consequences. This is all based on your assumption that what you think is true. So in that sense, it's a pretty hypothetical discussion.

There could be lots of reasons why the firm pulled out and until those reasons are made public, this is all hot air.

The article concluded that it was an internal disagreement that caused them to pull out.  Yet the writer offered no proof of that.  The law firm gave no reason.  If the article can conclude a political reason to make Trump look bad, something the fake press does all the time, so I can conclude a different reason just as likely. 

[faberryman]

Governors also have those authorities regarding state pardons.   I think it goes back to the authority of monarchs to forgive.  Maybe God too.  It's the idea that people can be redeemed or a person forgiven or to preempt political retaliation which could easily happened with Trump.  There are a lot of people who just want to hang him and everyone who supported him.  After all, look how the Democrats and media went after him and others regarding phoney Russia collusion charges, destroying lives and careers along the way.

Do you know what the best thing is about Trump losing the election? Come January 20, 2021, I won't have to listen to Alan whine about how unfair everyone has been to Trump. At least that is what I am hoping for.

[digitaldog]

The article concluded that it was an internal disagreement that caused them to pull out.  Yet the writer offered no proof of that.

Sound like familiar tactic? 
Unlike some posting here, let's give Robert some time to at least attempt to find you the proof you demand.
Or maybe that internal disagreement that caused them to pull out was just a 'figure of speech'? 

[digitaldog]

Do you know what the best thing about Trump losing the election? Come January 20, 2021, I won't have to listen to Alan whine about how unfair everyone has been to Trump.

That's when so many lawsuits against Trump can move forward so no, that whining will not stop. The results however may very well be worth hearing all the whining.

[Alan Klein]

No Alan, I am not sure. I have no idea what I am talking about.  I am oblivious to my options for buying electricity.

I wasn't trying to insult you Frank, only help.  A lot of people where I live didn't know about this option even though it is available.  Or they were afraid to buy it from anyone but the owner of the electric lines think that it would be "bad" electricity or something.  In any case, you're in Tennessee?  Do you get TVA power which is very cheap?  If so what do you pay?  We pay around $.14/KWH.