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This morning, lawyers are acting on my request to prepare a counsel’s opinion on the legality of publishing those of Stewart McDonald’s emails which are in the public interest to be revealed. This may take a day or two. Emails of dubious provenance are published all the time. Emails about Partygate brought down Boris Johnson. […]

The post Patience, Please appeared first on Craig Murray.

You hear a lot about how police officers have to be allowed to shoot first and ask questions later because it’s so dangerous for them on the streets. But many of them are against gun safety laws which seem counter-intuitive. Some are going so far as to refuse to enforce them: Law enforcement’s reaction to the recent assault weapons law approved by Gov. JB Pritzker has been largely negative, with many sheriffs saying they believe the law is illegal. More than 80 sheriffs, including those in Peoria, Woodford and Tazewell counties, have said they will not ask those with a valid Firearm Owners Identification card to register their weapons as required by the law. Others have gone further, saying they will not arrest people “solely for noncompliance with the act.” But can a sheriff refuse to enforce a law? Is it legal for a sheriff to decide what laws are legal, or is that the purview of the courts?

Ken Paxton, Texas AG, just settled a defamation suit brought by his former deputies and Texas taxpayers will foot the bill. And why did he defame his former deputies? Because they blew the whistle on Paxton’s criminal conduct, a case which is still in limbo. Attorney General Ken Paxton and four of his former top deputies who said he improperly fired them after they accused him of crimes have reached a tentative agreement to end a whistleblower lawsuit that would pay those employees $3.3 million. In a filing Friday, attorneys for Paxton and the whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to further defer consideration of the whistleblower case until the two sides can finalize the tentative agreement. Once the deal is finalized and payment by the attorney general’s office is approved, the two sides will move to end the case, the filing said. The agreement would bring an end to the lawsuit over the firing of the staffers, but would not end Paxton’s legal troubles. The allegations by the former aides of bribery and abuse of office prompted an FBI investigation, though no charges have been filed and Paxton has denied wrongdoing.

It’s true. Here’s what the book is about: The charming, acclaimed book about a cat who is teased for the food she brings for school lunch—and that launched the beloved series about Yoko—is about accepting and embracing our differences. Mmm, Yoko’s mom has packed her favorite for lunch today—sushi! But her classmates don’t think it looks quite so yummy. “Ick!” says one of the Franks. “It’s seaweed!” They’re not even impressed by her red bean ice cream dessert. Of course, Mrs. Jenkins has a plan that might solve Yoko’s problem. But will it work with the other children in class? = I suppose it is too much to ask that these people actually try to teach their kids to be polite, decent citizens, tolerant of differences with other people.  After all, they are cretinous morons themselves and only want their kids to grow up to be just like them. But what the hell?  I think maybe we need to start looking at what books they want the schools to teach. A child’s guide to Mein Kampf? The Jim Crow Reader?

I guessed that most people would think that industrialists like Ford and Edison were opposed to fiat money, and in favour of “sound money”—money backed by gold or some other commodity. As this post will show, that is a false belief. These two industrialists were outright fans of fiat money—money created by the government—and critics … Continue reading "Ford and Edison, the anti gold bugs"

If Democrats will let it Whether Republican or Democrat, it is not often that state power players fail to get their way in North Carolina politics. On Saturday, however, high-level Democrats’ pick for state party chair lost reelection in an upset to a young, rural activist. Center-left Carolina Forward, a nonprofit progressive research group, dubbed the election “a massive rebuke of the party establishment.” Anderson Clayton, 25, is chair in Person County (pop. 39,000) bordering Virginia north of Durham. N.C. Democrats’ State Executive Committee (SEC) chose Clayton over incumbent, Bobbie Richardson, 73, a former state House member and the party’s first Black chair elected in 2021. Richardson garnered endorsements from all seven Democratic members of the Congressional delegation, Attorney General Josh Stein, and Gov. Roy Cooper. Cooper delivered a prerecorded pitch for Richardson on the statewide Zoom call. Richardson brought endorsements. But Clayton brought game, too.

For conservative pundits reevaluating their life choices Watching conservative pundits and consultants reevaluate their life choices in the time of Trump is heartening. It doesn’t mean that the Bill Kristols and Mona Charons and Rick Wilsons won’t rediscover their three-legged roots once MAGA fever inevitably passes, but for now, they provide refreshing clarity about their Late Great Republican Party. Jennifer Rubin is enjoying seeing the cordyceps-infected in Congress taken down by Democrats. The GOP’s sideshow “hearings” that opened in the House last week are not going as planned. House committees may get C-SPAN coverage, but the forum is not as mine-free fro Republicans as Fox News. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), freshman Rep. Daniel S. Goldman (D-N.Y.) , and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) are nobody’s props. They came to puncture MAGA Republicans’ Chinese balloons. And did, repeatedly. Rubin writes: Democrats came to these hearings prepared and focused. They not only eviscerated GOP conspiracy theories but also did a bang-up job exposing Republicans as the ones who have “weaponized” the government.

Something to savor with your morning coffee:

He never stops being embarrassing: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) kicked off the first meeting of the House Judiciary Committee last week by cordially inviting an accused murderer to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Under its new Republican leadership, the 118th Congress’ judiciary committee may choose to start each hearing with the pledge ― an amendment to the rules put forth by Gaetz, who said it allowed members to invite “inspirational constituents” to lead it. The first honor went to Corey Beekman, a retired National Guard member accused of killing a man in 2019 whose case has not gone to trial. Gaetz did not mention this aspect of his guest’s backstory. Beekman led the pledge in his military dress uniform on Feb. 1. “It is my pleasure and distinct honor to introduce to the committee Staff Sgt. Corey Ryan Beekman, an American hero and a constituent of mine residing in Pensacola, Florida,” Gaetz said in the video still available on C-SPAN. He rolled through Beekman’s life story.

What’s a little more suffering? This is depressing. But it’s best that people over 60 understand that it’s every man for himself, accept the fact that their lives are considered expendable and assess the risks accordingly: In early December, Aldo Caretti developed a cough and, despite all his precautions, came up positive for Covid on a home test. It took his family a couple of days to persuade Mr. Caretti, never fond of doctors, to go to the emergency room. There, he was sent directly to the intensive care unit. Mr. Caretti and his wife, Consiglia, both 85, lived quietly in a condo in Plano, Texas. “He liked to read and learn, in English and Italian,” said his son Vic Caretti, 49. “He absolutely adored his three grandchildren.” Aldo Caretti had encountered some health setbacks last year, including a mild stroke and a serious bout of shingles, but “he recuperated from all that.” Covid was different. Even on a ventilator, Mr. Caretti struggled to breathe. After 10 days, “he wasn’t getting better,” said Vic Caretti, who flew in from Salt Lake City. “His organs were starting to break down.