Flotsam and Jetsam - The Final Countdown to Shutdown

This is likely to be the last great hurrah for flotsam and jetsam for a while. Georgia and I are going on a trip, and creating long posts on the iPad is just too much trouble. Our destination should be apparent from the first post from when we (finally) arrive. In the meantime, I've set "morning" posts to trigger on schedule. The things I do for you guys.

Streiff at RedState, Trump Agrees to Meet Schumer and Jeffries to Stave Off Shutdown That Trump Just Might Want, although after what Schumer said about I don't see why he'd bother. Sundance at CTH hosts a Sunday Talk – Speaker Mike Johnson Discusses Likelihood of Government Shutdown. From NewsBusters, surprise, surprise, ABC Goes Full DNC During Government Shutdown Preview. At OTP, Government Shutdown Prevention Act Author Paul Blames Both Sides As Deadline Nears. He's right, of course, but not helpful. At Am Think, Bill Manning explains How the Fed Stifles the Economy.

At RedState Bob Hoge likes how Hegseth Orders 200 National Guard Troops to Portland—State Dems Immediately Flip Out, Take Action and Sister Toldja, thinks it's a Bad Night for Antifa in Portland As Feds Move In. Grummz @Grummz "What kind of “not an organization” has a lawyer’s guild, free legal representation, and designated legal observers? “Antifa is an idea, not an organization” is a bold lie." Quote Andy Ngo @MrAndyNgo, "If you see people in these green hats at far-left riots, know that they are not independent legal observers but are rather members of an Antifa legal group called the National Lawyers Guild. The group helps Antifa & far-left terrorists escape prosecution." Driscoll at Insty, PINOT NOIR OVER PORTLAND: Kristof’s Rosy Spin on a City Besieged by Antifa Chaos. Mark Hemingway @Heminator "If you asked the finest satirists of the age to parody boomer liberalism, they couldn’t possibly do any better than “Hell does not serve Pinot Noir this good.”" Quote Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof, "President Trump has dispatched federal troops to what he calls "war-ravaged Portland." Portland has its problems but it is not the "hell" Trump claims; it remains a food-and-wine heaven. "Hell" does not serve Pinot Noir this good. I suspect Trump is sending troops mainly to see if he can provoke violence to distract from his messes (Epstein files, corruption, tariffs, economic softening) and justify his authoritarian rule." Althouse finds "Trump’s brand of politics feeds on the lie that multicultural cities are frightening and chaotic. If he follows through on his threats to deploy National Guard troops..." "... to Portland, it won’t be for the benefit of the people who call the city home. . . . Writes Jacob Grier, in "100 Cups of Coffee in a City on Fire/President Trump keeps saying Portland is an anarchic hellscape in need of the National Guard. With the help of my bike and a serious caffeine addiction, I set out to discover the truth" (Slate)."

Bob Hoge also sees Hegseth's Big Meeting With Generals Will Have a Special VIP in Attendance, Trump. Sarah Anderson at PJM finds Another Hypocritical Dictator Attacks Trump for Striking Drug Boats "But do you know who doesn't support this type of military action? Venezuela's illegitimate president Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela's defense minister Vladimir Padrino López. Cuban government officials. Colombia's authoritarian (and crazy Fidel Castro fanboy) president Gustavo Petro. U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Make of that list what you will. Personally, it tells me I'm on the right side of this issue, but I digress." JD Supra, Trump Administration Initiates Section 232 Investigation on Medical Supplies, to "determine the effects on the national security of imports of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical consumables, and medical equipment including devices."

Eric S. Raymond @esrtweet "Elon Musk says he was invited to Epstein's island and refused. I believe him. Why? Because Epstein seems to have liked thinkers who don't quite fit in conventional academic boxes and are a bit notorious for that. Elon fits that pattern. So do I. In retrospect, I'm a little surprised I never got that invitation. But I'm glad, because I'm not sure I would have known enough to refuse it. . . Feeling the wind from that bullet passing by my head is why I think just mass-dumping "the Epstein files" would be wrong. People who visited once, smelled something kinky about the setup, and never went back, would be unfairly smeared. I'd be suspicious of people who visited the island repeatedly, though. I don't claim any inside knowledge of what Epstein was doing, but the classic pattern for an entrapment operation would be to dangle bait in front of first-timers and if they rise to it involve them in more and more compromising stuff through repeated contact. The difference between these two cases is why I'm inclined to take a relatively benevolent view of the Trump administration's back-and-forthing about what to release. They're in a no-win situation, morally and politically. Indiscriminate release with smear innocent people, but selective release would invite accusations that they're covering for their friends. . . "

Roger Kimball at Am Great, asks is Comey Indictment Retribution or Justice? "James Comey’s indictment marks a turning point, raising the question: is Trump seeking revenge on his foes—or finally delivering long-denied justice?" Both. Sundance hosts another Sunday Talk – JD Vance Discusses Comey, Gaza and Russia. Matt Margolis at PJM sees Scott Jennings Drop a Truth Bomb on CNN Panel About Comey Indictment. Papadopoulos to Newsmax: Comey Indictment 'Absolute Vindication'. At NYPo, former FBI agent James Gagliano says The James ‘Cardinal’ Comey I knew at the FBI fully deserves whatever comeuppance is in store. From Fox, Who is the Biden-appointed judge taking James Comey’s perjury case? "Judge Michael Nachmanoff set former FBI Director Comey's arraignment on two charges for Oct 9." "Nachmanoff is a former public defender, which lawyer William Shipley said is a sign that he might not be an "activist progressive judge." Shipley, a former longtime federal prosecutor who defended dozens of Jan. 6 defendants, said in a social media post that Nachmanoff might be the "best potential draw" of the district's Biden-appointed judges." Bill Shipley, aka Shipwreckedcrew. Leah Barkoukis at TownHall, Jeffries Vows Anyone Involved in Comey Indictment 'Will Face Accountability'. Jonathan Turley @JonathanTurley "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appears to be promising a Democratic purge of the Justice Department in response to the Republican purge: "Anyone complicit in this malignant corruption will face accountability."..." Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Hakeem Jeffries threatens that a Democrat-led DOJ will to go after people working with Trump if Democrats regain power. Then, in the same breath, says that Trump is destroying the credibility of the DOJ." OTP fears Trump’s Words Could Benefit Comey’s Defense.

From the Center Square, Exclusive: DOJ 'weaponization' victim still in jail, asking for Trump pardon "What happened to me is not just wrong, it was evil,” Shirley told The Center Square in an email in an exclusive interview. “My liberty was stripped because I wouldn't play my part in the Biden DOJ's grand scheme to prevent a second Trump presidency and a Republican takeover of Congress. The Left always screams of tyranny if Trump was elected, but I witnessed true tyranny first-hand under Biden. The ultimatum given to me: prison or parrot their lies. They needed my help smearing their opponents, no matter how far-fetched the source material was.” Biden DOJ officials attempted to pressure Shirley to “revive the discredited Russia hoax against Donald Trump; falsely claim the 2018 Florida recounts – which elected Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott – were stolen; falsely confess to the existence of an illegal GOP fundraising operations to impede the 2024 elections,” Austin based Republican political consultant Andy Hogue told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. Hogue previously ran for mayor of Leander, Texas, and Shirley was his consultant at the time." Horrific, if true.

At News Wax, Trump: FBI Placed 274 Agents Into Crowd on Jan. 6. Matt Vespa at TownHall hears So, That's What 300 FBI Agents Were Doing on Capitol Grounds on January 6, "crowd control?" From Sundance, FBI Director Kash Patel Says Agents in J6 Crowd Were Dispatched to Quell Riot Underway “274 FBI agents were thrown into crowd control on Jan 6 against FBI standards. That failure was on corrupt leadership. Thanks to agents stepping up, the truth is coming out. Transparency. Justice. Accountability.” How do you control a crowd with undercover operatives? Matt Margolis, Kash Patel Accuses Christopher Wray of Lying to Congress About Capitol Riot, almost certainly true. It's what FBI directors do. The Peacock whines Trump says he 'would think' DOJ is investigating former FBI Director Christopher Wray. "In an interview with NBC News on a variety of topics, President Donald Trump said "I would think they are doing that" when he was asked about a potential Wray investigation by the DOJ."

Shipwreckedcrew, Supreme Court Yet Again Tells A District Judge In D.C. That He Is Not King. "With 83 days experience on the federal bench, D.C. Judge Amir Ali began ordering the new Trump Administration to send tens of billions of dollars to NGOs promised money by the Biden Administration." Leslie Eastman at LI sees another Federal Judge Overturns Trump Halting Revolution Wind Project Construction "Meanwhile, the Trump administration moves to revoke permit for Massachusetts offshore wind project." Don Surber calls it The 47th Amendment "Anything Trump does anytime is unconstitutional." Althouse likes "I don’t think that … any of these cases that have been decided are the gospel.... And I do give perspective to the precedent. But… the precedent should be respectful of our legal tradition..." ""... and our country and our laws, and be based on something – not just something somebody dreamt up and others went along with.... I think we should demand that, no matter what the case is, that it has more than just a simple theoretical basis.... [If it’s] totally stupid, and that’s what they’ve decided, you don’t go along with it just because it’s decided." Said Clarence Thomas, quoted in "Clarence Thomas says precedent might not determine cases on upcoming supreme court docket/The court is expected to weigh in next session on same-sex marriage, which it legalized in 2015" (The Guardian)."

A great moment in immigrant activism from Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: An anti-ICE protester in Massachusetts forgot to put her car in park while yelling at agents making an arrest of an illegal alien in Upton, MA, and her vehicle went into a lake and sunk, an ICE source tells me." From OTP, Abrego Garcia’s Lawyers Question ICE Explanation For Moving Their Client To Pennsylvania. At Da Signal, Virginia Allen GOP Lawmakers Release Latest Results of Trump’s ‘Whole of Government’ Border Crackdown.

At The College Fix, Catholic university tells employees to add preferred pronouns to email signatures. 

Da Caller cites Richard Grenell who Reveals Trump’s Plan To Rescue The ‘Dying Arts’ “We want everyone to come to the Kennedy Center regardless of who you voted for. This is a place for everyone,” Grenell told the DCNF. “And since I’ve arrived, we haven’t canceled a single show. We have just simply demanded that if you can’t sell enough seats with your production and you can’t find a sponsor to cover the cost that then you’re on the hook. We just can’t have productions where we’re losing money.” In my opinion, the Kennedy Center catered almost exclusively to the NPR crowd. To be fair, they're much of the local audience.