Unsightly Mental Blemishes

WaPo is reporting as breaking news that the nominee for U.S. Attorney  of the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik S. Siebert, has resigned:

A top federal prosecutor in Virginia has resigned amid pressure from the Trump administration over his decision not to seek indictments against two of the president’s political foes, three people familiar with the matter said.

U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert, in the Eastern District of Virginia, submitted his resignation as the head of that office Friday evening, the people said, moments after President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “I want him out.”

Siebert was, of course, nominated by Trump. I wonder if this is the same as withdrawing the nomination, or if there’s a nuance I’m missing.

The rub here is that even a U.S. Attorney can end up in prison if they are caught and convicted of abusing their office. I don’t know Mr Siebert’s qualifications, and as he hadn’t been confirmed, there’s no news from the Senate as to same, but it appears that he knows enough about the law not to venture into a self-destructive disaster.

Trump, like any child, didn’t take well this news:

… a recent determination Siebert made that there was insufficient evidence to pursue a mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), according to four people familiar with that investigation. Siebert also declined to prosecute former FBI director James B. Comey based on allegations lodged by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, two people familiar with that inquiry said.

And it’s worth noting that everyone against Siebert aren’t putting their liberty at risk, isn’t it?

Among those pushing for Siebert to be fired was Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who has accused several of the president’s prominent adversaries, including James, of committing mortgage fraud, according to people familiar with the matter. They added that Ed Martin, the Justice Department official who is overseeing criminal investigations based on Pulte’s allegations, also pushed for Siebert to be removed.

Along with a President whose Republican-wing SCOTUS-bestowed immunity will presumably protect him as well. So we see the profound foolishness the decision in Trump v. United States.

This is perhaps more important than the persistent failures of the nominee for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. She seems to just be a clown occupying an important position. Such is the fate of media personalities, and applies to social influencers just as much as conservative TV hosts.

Steve Benen expresses discomfort at the self-importance of the conservatives when it comes to rule of law:

Not surprisingly, voters on the left weren’t exactly eager to endorse indifference to the rule of law: 11% of Democratic voters and an identical number of voters who describe themselves as liberals said presidents should put side rules and laws.

But on the right, it was a different story: 36% of Republican voters, 38% of voters who backed Donald Trump and 40% of “very conservative” voters all expressed support for a president “willing to break some rules and laws to set things right.”

I use self-importance because these conservatives consider their views to be more important than the rule of law, of their fellow, and co-equal, citizens.

And, oddly enough, it reminds me of the behavior of the transgender advocates. As I’ve mentioned before, their failure was to not put their issue, and their views on it, up for debate, but rather impose their views, via the law, on their fellow citizens.

This is in violation of one of the most basic tenets of liberal democracy, that of not imposing arbitrary regulations sans debate upon the citizenry.

The arrogance of both sides continue, to the great destruction of the American polity. Will the independents figure it out and force it out? How about MAGA, which must seek redemption?

Gammon:

Gammon meat is cured, salted meat from the hind legs of a pig.

During processing, a ton of salt is added to pull moisture out. This allows the bacon meat to cure, dry safely, and develop different flavors. [CarnivoreStyle]

New one on me. Another source suggests it’s mostly a UK and Irish word. Noted in this video, in the promotional section.

French movie poster.
Source: Wikipedia.

Fantastic Planet (1973; French: La Planète Sauvage) looks like something the Monty Python troupe might have created: an animated tale of humans taking the role of pets to their gigantic overlords, the Draags on the Draag home planet. The human orphan infant Terr, adopted by Draag child Tiwa, manages to survive to his teen years, and, more importantly, learns to listen in on the psychic school lessons delivered to Tiwa.

He escapes to find ‘wild’ Oms, or humans, surviving on the leavings of the Draags, It’s a rough world, but Terr is ready for it, and his knowledge is unique among the humans. His learning keeps the humans alive, no doubt a theme, as the Draags, irritated at the activities of a clearly inferior race, including having babies much more quickly than the Draags, and discovering the murder of a Draag by the humans, determine to be rid of the humans. Then it’s a race against to get off the planet.

The ending is sufficiently loony to be worthy of this sort of movie, and seemed nearly incoherent.

And it’s a lot like Monty Python’s animated bits, with no attention paid to plausibility in the midst of all the apparent whimsy, and some awfully horrible animal behaviors best not described. The animation itself fascinated my Arts Editor, ranging from sketchy, but recognizable, half-naked figures, to simple stick figures at the human massacre.

I’m not sure about enjoying this story, but it does force the audience to pay attention and do a bit of thinking. Which is more than a lot of movies today. Tellingly, we were both sure we wouldn’t make it to the end, but, despite some snarky remarks on our part, we saw it right to what we believe was the end; the print we viewed came to a very abrupt end.

To: Bob Iger, CEO, Disney,
c/o Disney’s Corporate social responsibility team

Sir,

I write to remind you of an important distinction. Your position atop a storied American corporation is not a trophy to be placed on your mantlepiece. It is, instead, a position of measureless responsibility. Briefly, you are responsible for preserving and advancing the company in a sustainable manner. That includes a recognition of those elements of the society in which Disney matured that were necessary, namely democracy.

Insofar as demands from the current Administration may have influenced and encouraged a decision to suspend Mr Kimmel, I am asking that the suspension be reversed. Confirming the Administration’s worst tendencies will benefit no one in the long view, as arbitrary and capricious decisions are a hallmark of those whose tenure in power is marked by a disdain for democracy, its laws and traditions.

I reiterate: revoke Mr Kimmel’s suspension. Disney will be the better for it.

Sincerely yours,

H. A. White, Jr.

Here’s an example of a predictable risk that is much more easily executed on the crypto variety of currency:

Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that it was ordering the seizure of 187 crypto wallets that allegedly belong to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.

In a document detailing the seizure order, the ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) said it was “convinced that the cryptocurrency wallets” in the list are property of the IRGC and are “used for the perpetration of a severe terror crime.”

The IRGC is sanctioned as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Israel, among other countries.  [TechCrunch]

Sure, the blockchains on which cryptocurrency is based makes claims of being distributed, but it’s not distributed like cash, now is it? It takes a lot of work to collect well-hidden cash. Crypto-wallets? The big exchanges either cooperate with the government, or they locate their servers out of the reach of said governments – and those governments’ protective elements.

There’s a reason we have governments, and it isn’t, at its best, to be parasites. They provide protection, but, at their worst, they can be extremely destructive.

And basing currency on computers just makes it more vulnerable.

I giggle when my stomach is printed.

Mickey 17 (2025) explores a religious society that considers at least one life to be completely expendable. What happened to Mickeys one through sixteen?

They’re gone, dead.

He’s a specialist on a colony ship, a ship sent to another planet, analogous to the British colonization of Australia. He’s the guy that gets sent into dangerous situations, such as ship repair or exploring a cave. If he doesn’t make it, his body is reprinted and the memories from the now-dead Mickey, assuming his memory was conserved, is added to the new Mickey.

Dying still hurts, though. Perhaps worse is that he’s almost a joke in the ship, but he eventually acquires a partner willing to disregard his occasional disappearance.

But, equally fascinating, is that ship leadership is a much like a religious charismatic leadership, willing to do anything to fulfill the hole in their soul that needs adoration.

It all comes to a head when there is suddenly two Mickeys existing, a definite blasphemy that cannot be permitted, AND they discover the planet they’re set to colonize already has an intelligent population, they just didn’t recognize it immediately, If they’re not handled delicately they may wipe out the colony ship.

Meanwhile, Mickey’s partner is in ecstasy, what with two Mickeys and all.

Mickey 17‘s all rather interesting, and not at all heavy. Which may discourage some viewers, but sometimes difficult moral questions are best dealt with via humor, rather than pedanticism.

So don’t be afraid of it. The future’s dystopic in this story. Have some fun with it. We’re still human, at least for these storytellers.

I’m becoming more and more convinced the issues of honesty, truth, integrity, earnestness, all wrapped up in a single word – anyone have a candidate? – is going to become the focus of a nation-wide discussion once both political parties have been kicked out of office, whether electorally or violently. Steve Benen has a convenient summation:

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) wraps up the story involving Lord Grantham, his wife Cora, and their upcoming retirement, while Mary must endure a stumble or two that may stop her from assuming control of the Abbey. The Great Depression has descended upon the world, and the storytellers do not make either error of omitting any damage to the family fortunes, or putting them in penury; damage there is, and that is used to teach the lesson of flexibility.

It’s well done, with fine acting, a paucity of critical information to keep anticipation florid, and a sober recognition that reality is higher up the ladder than sordid social conventions. If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, proceed directly to the start line; if not, but are interested, binge the series and previous movies first.

And enjoy the sprinkling of wry, dry humor throughout.

Groyper:

The Groypers, sometimes called the Groyper Army, are a group of alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist^[4] activists led by Nick Fuentes. Members of the group have attempted to introduce alt-right politics into mainstream conservatism in the United States and participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and the protests leading up to it. They have targeted other conservative groups and individuals whose agendas they view as too moderate and insufficiently racist and nationalist. The Groyper movement has been described as white nationalist, homophobic, nativist, fascist, sexist, antisemitic, and an attempt to rebrand the declining alt-right movement. [Wikipedia]

Ya gotta wonder if declining is a wishful adjective, or is backed up by a statistic that can be examined. Noted in “Will the MAGAs admit that Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer is one of them?” Frank Vyan Walton, Daily Kos:

So, this wasn’t an attack “from the Left.”  This kid was from a White Mormon Republican family who were steeped in gun culture.  His dad was a Sheriff.  He wore an unironic Trump costume for Halloween. He wasn’t a Latino, he wasn’t a Trans person. Some indications are that he was linked to the Groyper subculture who were deeply antisemitic and hated Charlie Kirk for his staunch support of Israel.

As it happens, this guy just goes on and on and on, and not much of interest, either, although probably fairly accurate. I’ve seen groyper before, but I hadn’t look it up.

In case you’re in need of diversion.

Because I’m too lazy to unbottle a rant.

Striking, I think.

Augh! I’m compelled!

And all the men and women merely players …

That came to mind when I learned — yes, yes, I’m well behind on my reading, maybe I’ll catch the fiendish reading monster of relative ephemera, aka news articles and blog posts, when the snow flies – that the detention center dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz‘, a tent city in the Florida Everglades, is being dismantled:

In July, Florida Republicans launched the brutal “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center deep in the Florida Everglades with great fanfare. Soon, the Trump administration was championing it as a model it wanted to replicate across the country. But less than two months later, the camp is being dismantled and emptied of detainees. [MSNBC]

And, frankly, with nary a whisper.

As if a stage change was taking place on the stage that is the world.

Remember, President Trump’s greatest skill – I shan’t call it talent – isn’t building, branding, or governing. He reportedly made millions and millions of dollars, and built a nation-wide reputation, as an actor.

Or, as a professor long ago said of John Wayne, a performer. Although I never saw Mr Trump’s vehicle, The Apprentice, my understanding is that he did the same thing over and over and over; so the professor also said of Wayne.

But now that Mr Trump is descending into dementia, his acting skills coming to the fore to sell his daily issuance of mendacity, he seems to believe that the world is a stage, and yesterday’s big dramatic scene is for tomorrow’s disassembly, quietly accomplished to make way for the next big act.

Not the way a government should be run.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) is the sequel to Beetlejuice (1988), the ghost story in which a young married couple goes off a bridge and end up dead, after which they discover that the dead have their own culture, including hucksters, and their own set of dangers.

But what happened to the huckster? That’s the point of this sequel, but, despite the best efforts of the actors, this movie doesn’t make the grade. Promising characters are developed and discarded, the delights of the first movie are repeated and extended to no particular end, the parts that might have charmed us fall flat, and the central mystery is clumsily handled.

It was a disappointment, at least for me, even if I did like the actor playing the arguable lead, Jenna Ortega. But your mileage may vary.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk puts us on a precipice, I think. People think they’re justified in killing people with whom they disagree, and that endangers a political system that has produced the finest military ever.

Intolerant, arrogant assholes on both sides are trying to tear us down because of their firm belief that they’re the smart ones, or a silent God is on their side.

I did not pay attention to Mr Kirk, so I have no opinion, but, just like State Senator Hortman’s assassination, Kirk represents another step in the Structural-Demographic Theory’s disintegrative phase (same link), as arrogance and impatience with divergent opinions leads to fatal conflicts.

Professor Turchin’s work suggests that in rural societies it takes about fifty years for the adamant to realize that civil war is not a fake war, but leads to horrible deaths and a weakening of the country. Will that hold true for our technological society?

When a Federal judge ruled that tariffs may not be set by the President, hysteria seems to have broken out at Truth Social on the President’s account:

Without Tariffs, and all of the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS we have already taken in, our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated. In a 7 to 4 Opinion, a Radical Left group of judges didn’t care, but one Democrat, Obama appointed, actually voted to save our Country. I would like to thank him for his Courage! He loves and respects the U.S.A.

Yeah, I might like to know how the loss of a few tariffs would instantly obliterate our military. Maybe he means spiritually?

No, I won’t provide a link. You can find it on your own, I feel sure.

Nonet:

1. a group of nine performers or instruments.
2. a composition for a nonet. [Dictionary.com]

Noted in “Former CDC directors: RFK Jr. is ‘unlike anything our country has ever experienced’,” Steve Benen, Maddowblog:

But just as notable, if not more so, is the written condemnation itself. Under a headline that read, “We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health,” the nonet was unreserved in its criticisms of the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who is currently serving as the nation’s health secretary.

Not quite matching the definition.

Folks who are paying attention will recall, years ago just a few weeks ago, when Paramount, now owned by Skydance Media, and its legendary show Sixty Minutes, succumbed to a dubious lawsuit and agreed to pay a settlement of $16 million in response to silly accusations by President Trump.

Evidently, Skydance, et al, do not understand that bullies constantly probe for weakness, and, when detected, exploit it to the full.

When you realize Come home to roost isn’t just a quaint remark concerning bad judgment.

So this should come as no surprise:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused CBS News of selectively editing footage from her Sunday interview, cutting some of her remarks about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who was mistakenly deported and returned to the U.S. to face separate charges.

I anticipate a lawsuit demanding ridiculous damages, seeing as Trump’s previous lawsuit asked for $20 billion in damages, and then Skydance will be up against it, as they say.

This is what happens when you let financial considerations have priority over everything else, including questions of loyalty to political systems.

Skydance is becoming the Trump Administration’s thumb puppet, and those aren’t smooth fingernails, I’m tellin’ ya.

For aura-watchers, this is a migraine of the aura.

We watched Timestalker (2024) today. Perhaps my Arts Editor will have a clue, but I don’t have any idea what to make of it.

Another sordid attempt at drowning.

Stone of Destiny (2008) is a slightly fictionalized story of a real incident. The Stone of Scone, aka Stone of Destiny, is a real thing, a Scottish boulder with associations to the Scottish monarchy.

At the time of the movie, 1950, the Stone of Scone was stored in Westminster Abbey, having been plundered and removed from its Scottish home by King Edward I of England in 1296. A young Scottish college student, Ian Hamilton, like many other young Scotsmen, hungers to return the Stone as a symbol of Scottish nationalism. Unlike most, though, he falls in with just the right mix of fellow students to actually accomplish the task: a hard drinking engineering student, a more studious and withdrawn friend of the engineer, and a young nationalist woman, who provides motivation and support.

The charm of the story is in the details of the theft, as it is with most such stories: ducking the cops, getting access to the location, obtaining the plunder, and getting out of Dodge, or London. Further, the story shows the myths of the Scottish, namely grit, persistence, and hard drinking.

But there’s also the vivid difference between a national leader, John MacCormick, who is balancing national politics, such as retaining plausible deniability even as he provides finances, and must think of the optics of being a nationalist not only to Scotland, but a wide world, and the group of students, who, despite internal rows, should have the motto Let’s get this shit done!

This is not necessarily an inspirational story. Failure did not mean death, but more likely personal embarrassment. But it’s educational and fun.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

yahoo!finance is reporting a victory for authors who are litigants in suits against AI companies using their books in training generative AIs:

Anthropic told a San Francisco federal judge on Friday that it has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit from a group of authors who accused the artificial intelligence company of using their books to train its AI chatbot Claude without permission.

Anthropic and the plaintiffs in a court filing asked U.S. District Judge William Alsup to approve the settlement, after announcing the agreement in August without disclosing the terms or amount. …

The proposed deal marks the first settlement in a string of lawsuits against tech companies including OpenAI, Microsoft and Meta Platforms over their use of copyrighted material to train generative AI systems.

Successful suits in those still-open cases could bring larger prizes yet, now that a settlement produced a “mere” billion dollars, excuse me $1.5 billion, and the three companies cited are cash rich. Juries, depending on presentations by the attorneys, are often impatient with manifestly unfair situations in which a corporation is gaining riches.

This, too, is interesting…

Anthropic as part of the settlement said it will destroy downloaded copies of books the authors accused it of pirating, and under the deal it could still face infringement claims related to material produced by the company’s AI models.

They may have to erase the data produced and start again. Will their AI be as accurate as the current AIs? In any case, I’m naive on both the AI and legal fronts, but it sounds like Anthropic looked at the arguments and decided they were in a hole and it was caving in on them.

And how will investors react to this rather large penalty? This isn’t like a line of research not panning out; this is a legal blunder and may be met with fury by people who expected a big return and only get a small one.

Or nothing at all.

ZeFrank’s been around just about forever, and still pumps out videos with grace and nuance.

OK, just kidding about g&n 🙂 Well, onwards to the facts!

CNN has a report on the National Guards’ involuntary sojourn in Washington, DC:

With each phone call home, the troops describe a mission unlike any other.

One soldier from Tennessee told his father that from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day, his only task is to walk around Chinatown. Another service member from Mississippi told a loved one that she’d been repeatedly cursed at while on patrol. During a call to his wife, a guardsman from Louisiana said there was confusion about what the military was actually doing there.

“We haven’t gotten critically low on morale, but we’re falling fast,” said one soldier who, like others quoted in this story, spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media and feared reprisal.

I think my fellow citizens in DC are making a mistake when they make the National Guard the enemy by yelling curses, because they are also our fellow citizens. They are in the Guard because they believe they can do good there – and often do. The Guard isn’t just a fighting force, but also fire-fighting and rescue and recovery and quite a few other things.

And now this is an opportunity to welcome them to Washington, explain that Trump’s orders are illegal and should be ignored by their commanders, and to build those bonds that will be important as Trump supporters are winnowed down to the hard-core grifters.

They should be reminded of the nature of our country, and not let it be remade into a Nation of Thieves & Victims by Trump. The Guard isn’t an invading force, but victims of Trump.

Honored with a collage of pics.