Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort receives 7.5 years in prison, and faces additional time in New York, which would not be subject to pardon

Like a lot of folks, I was kind of pissed off last Thursday, when U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, of the Eastern District of Virginia, chose to disregard sentencing guidelines that would have put Donald Trump’s incredibly corrupt former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, behind bars for 19.5 to 24 years, and instead just sentenced him to 47 months in prison for his participation in a litany of financial crimes related to tax and bank fraud… Adding insult to injury, Ellis, after calling the sentencing guidelines “excessive,” said he thought that Manafort had “lived an otherwise blameless life.” [Really, don’t all criminals lead “otherwise blameless” lives, once you put aside their criminal activities? I mean John Wayne Gacy’s charity work was pretty impressive, right?]

Well, today, we got somewhat better news out of the D.C. District Court, where Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Paul Manafort to an additional 43 months in federal prison on charges brought by special counsel Robert Mueller of conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice relating to undisclosed lobbying work that he’d done on behalf of pro-Russian political figures in Ukraine, like the country’s ex-president, Viktor Yanukovych. And, to the credit of Amy Berman Jackson, she made sure to stipulate that this 43 months, which Manafort had earned not only by acting as an unregistered foreign agent for these criminal Ukrainians, but also by engaging in money laundering, and witness tampering, could not be served concurrently with the sentence handed down last week.

So, in total, even with last week’s gift on behalf of T.S. Ellis, the nearly 70 year old Paul Manfort will be serving a total of 7.5 in prison for the crimes enumerated by special counsel Robert Mueller. And, as the average male lifespan in America is on the order of about 76, that’s pretty much a life sentence, which is what Manafort, in my opinion, deserves for selling out his country… Oh, and Amy Berman Jackson also signed the forfeiture order seizing Manafort’s Trump Tower condo today, so that’s another $3 million that we can put toward the cost of Mueller’s investigation, which has already paid for itself several times over.

Donald Trump, of course, attempted to spin today’s Manafort-related developments as a positive, stating repeatedly that this case against his former campaign chairman has proven there was “no collusion” with Russia. The case for collusion, he said today, was “proven” to be “a big hoax.” And he didn’t just say it once. He repeated the phrase “no collusion” 6 times in under 80 seconds. And this was something echoed by Manarfort lawyer Kevin Downing, who stood on the steps of the courthouse where his client was just sentenced, and said that it had now been proven that there was no collusion. This, however, simply isn’t true. As Judge Amy Berman Jackson herself said this morning, “any conspiracy, collusion… was not presented in this case…. therefore it was not resolved by this case.” And, as you can hear in this video of Downing, the people outside the courthouse reminded him of this fact.

As Marcy Wheeler said earlier today, this was the culmination of an 18-month “pardon strategy” on the part of Manafort, and his team, led by Downing. They spent the past year and a half not attempting to prove Manafort’s innocence, but repeatedly saying that Russian collusion had not been proven, and that Donald Trump was completely without guilt. And, in return, they’d been hoping to be rewarded with a pardon… Sadly, though, as Downing was speaking, Cy Vance, the New York County District Attorney, was essentially taking that pardon off the table.

Almost immediately after Amy Berman Jackson passed sentence on Manafort, Cy Vance announced a 16-count indictment against him in New York State. These charges, which include conspiracy, residential mortgage fraud, and the falsifying of business records, could bring with them several more years in New York state prison. And, most importantly, these changes are not federal charges, and, as such, would not be subject to presidential pardon. [You can read the charges here.] So, assuming Manafort is sentenced in New York, there’s no way he’ll be avoiding prison, even with a pardon.

Making matters worse for Donald Trump today, it’s also being reported that his former acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, in a closed-door session with members of Congress, today refused to reiterate under oath that the President never called him to discuss the Michael Cohen case. Representative Jerry Nadler, who was in the meeting with Whitaker, said that he “did not deny that the President called him to discuss the Michael Cohen case and personnel decisions in the Southern District.” And, this, of course, is something he did deny under oath several weeks ago to members of the House Judiciary Committee, meaning that he likely both committed perjury, and established that Donald Trump had attempted to obstruct justice.

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93 Comments

  1. From Facebook
    Posted March 13, 2019 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    You left something out.

    “When Paul Manafort traveled around the world with his wife Kathleen he made her have sex with his business associates while he watched against her wishes. It has been revealed in texts between his daughters which prompted at least one to change her last name in protest.”

  2. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 13, 2019 at 9:52 pm | Permalink

    Whoah, LifeLog I mean Facebook is back up?

    Mueller report coming. Think your prayers will be answered? I don’t sense the mania I would expect. Gearing up for a letdown? Don’t worry, Adam Schiff will save you hahahaha!

  3. Anonymous
    Posted March 13, 2019 at 10:35 pm | Permalink

    Cyrus Vance has a history of not holding Trump accountable.

    https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-didnt-manhattan-da-cyrus-vance-prosecute-the-trumps-or-harvey-weinstein/

  4. wobblie
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 7:03 am | Permalink

    MM, I know how much you want the fiction of the Russian conspiracy to bring down Trump, it just ain’t going to happen. Pay attention to what the leader of the Democrats says, “Impeachment is off the table”. We are going to have to beat him at the ballot box, and other than the Democrat party folks, no one cares about Russiagate.

  5. wobblie
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 7:08 am | Permalink

    Objectively the Senate sticking its finger in Trumps eye over Yemen is much more important–https://www.juancole.com/2019/03/historic-rebuke-invokes.html

    finally people are starting to wise up to the real scandal of our government, now if they would reject Trumps bribes to the military-defence-surveilence industries in his budget.

    POLICY folks not personality will win the election

  6. Jean Henry
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 7:21 am | Permalink

    A reminder here that Manfort still faces charges in the State of NY. Important because Trump can (and will) pardon Manafort on these charges but not on those charges.

    I don’t know if the Mueller investigation will ‘prove’ collusion with Russia. We have all said from the beginning that it would be hard to prove. I’m not sure how it is the HW knows what the outcome would be. Oh, yes. Q told him. It seems to me that Mueller is setting up a RICO corruption sting on Trump which, if successful, would put many in his organization in jail and seize all his assets. Trump could, in fact, be impeached for this or for Russian collusion or under the emoluments clause for self-dealing. It’s off the table for now… As it should be until the investigation is complete. Calls for impeachment are political. Everyone knows now is not the time. But they need to play to the base who are impatient and under-informed about the process. If RICO corruption charges are brought, I don’t think impeachment will be necessary. We’ll see.

    Lastly, just because the FBI may not find sufficient evidence prove collusion does not mean it didn’t happen. Failure to prosecute is not proof of innocence.

  7. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 7:56 am | Permalink

    Without evidence what is the point? To destroy Donald Trump. Why would they? 80,000 sealed indictments and surveillance warrants ought to tell you. Over 5,000 a month since 11/17. This is big, folks. There has never been anything like it.

  8. CNN
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 8:31 am | Permalink

    President Trump says he “feels badly” for Paul Manafort after his sentencing and new charges https://cnn.it/2TEBSaf

  9. Lucky Pierre
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 8:57 am | Permalink

    “80,000 sealed indictments and surveillance warrants ought to tell you. Over 5,000 a month since 11/17”

    Well, MY conspiracy theorists tell ME those sealed indictments are evidence the Trump-Kushner-Cohen criminal organization and all of its co-conspirators will be in front of a judge in chains when the Mueller investigations finally run their course. Oh for sure it’s big, and there has never been anything like the blatant and pervasive criminality of Trump and his enablers. Literally for decades.

    Who is right? Why don’t we bet? If Hillary or Bill is indicted for child sex trafficking before Trump is out of office, I will change my screen name to whatever you like. If not, will you do the same?

  10. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:00 am | Permalink

    Lisa Page testified Obama did in fact want to know everything they were doing with the Insurance Policy. He will be the first President to be convicted of treason. Declassification after the Mueller report finally lands will make it so.

  11. Lucky Pierre
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:01 am | Permalink

    Anyone want to suggest a new name for Hyborian Warlord? He’s going to need one by November 2020, maybe sooner if Mueller gets off his ass.

  12. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:10 am | Permalink

    So anyone who ever talked to Trump is going to be indicted, huh? Betting Hill/Bill will be indicted on child trafficking is too specific. Barring death or impeachment or such things I’ll bet you some of these major figures of past administrations will be indicted. I don’t trust that you would carry through with using only that name though. That’s the honor system. That ship has sailed.

  13. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZE2EiQ-z4I

    This is the voice of Q
    Whatcha got to do
    Open your mind and listen
    Prepare to receive transmission

  14. puzzled pawn
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:13 am | Permalink

    I think a fitting name for Warlord would be “Jean Henry’s bitch” unless that is offensive to Jean

  15. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 9:16 am | Permalink

    Pwahaha!!! Does a bitch school your ass every day?

  16. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 11:17 am | Permalink

    Weissman steps down.

  17. Jean Henry
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 11:19 am | Permalink

    Warlord is his own bitch.

  18. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 11:26 am | Permalink

    Good trash talk there. Just “ur a bitch.” If you want to talk like that I make you my bitch every time I school you and that is a lot. Oftentimes I do it with your own info which is doubly satisfying.

  19. Sad
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 5:03 pm | Permalink

    What about Mrs. Warlord? Won’t she be jealous?

  20. Jean Henry
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 5:03 pm | Permalink

    There are no more sealed indictments than normal. A fraudulent analysis was used to make that claim. It’s been thoroughly debunked.
    https://wmerthon6.wixsite.com/website-1/home/comprehensive-analysis-of-the-50k-sealed-indictment-claim

    Additionally, almost anything in play in an investigation can be sealed until arrests are made, drunk driving, juvenile offenses, search warrants.

    Nothing to see here. HW’s ‘independent’ research clearly doesn’t include testing his own or Q’s premises.

  21. Jean Henry
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 5:41 pm | Permalink

    HWs DARVO tendencies are on display again.
    https://dynamic.uoregon.edu/jjf/defineDARVO.html

    DARVO refers to a reaction perpetrators of wrong doing, particularly sexual offenders, may display in response to being held accountable for their behavior. DARVO stands for “Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender.” The perpetrator or offender may Deny the behavior, Attack the individual doing the confronting, and Reverse the roles of Victim and Offender such that the perpetrator assumes the victim role and turns the true victim — or the whistle blower — into an alleged offender. This occurs, for instance, when an actually guilty perpetrator assumes the role of “falsely accused” and attacks the accuser’s credibility and blames the accuser of being the perpetrator of a false accusation.

    I do worry for Mrs. HW and that child.

  22. Bob
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 6:10 pm | Permalink

    It takes a special kind of brain-dead chutzpah to keep crowing about how the investigation has nothing, as the convictions, guilty pleas and indictments keep racking up. All of it before the actual report has even dropped. You are a very special idiot, HW.

  23. John Brown
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 6:21 pm | Permalink

    Breaking: Crazy desperate fascist wannabe says shit.

    https://www.alternet.org/2019/03/a-threat-of-fascist-violence-trumps-ominous-comments-to-breitbart-reveal-his-worst-impulses/

    The military I know think he’s a total POS, like any sane person would.

  24. Lucky Pierre
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 6:23 pm | Permalink

    Hyborian Warlod: “Betting Hill/Bill will be indicted on child trafficking is too specific.”

    Okay, how about if Hill or Bill Clinton, OR Obama, or any member of their cabinet, or their campaign managers, are indicted, before 2021 you pick my name. If any of Trump’s are, I pick yours?

  25. Jean Henry
    Posted March 14, 2019 at 10:10 pm | Permalink

    LP– I think it would be much better to say we will donate $50 each to the cause of HW’s choice if he’s right about those sealed indictments, but if no Clinton or Obama cabinet members are arrested, HW has to donate the equivalent total amount we raise to Planned Parenthood.

  26. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 7:08 am | Permalink

    “Okay, how about if Hill or Bill Clinton, OR Obama, or any member of their cabinet, or their campaign managers, are indicted, before 2021 you pick my name. If any of Trump’s are, I pick yours?”

    How about if I turn out to be correct then you say sorry for being such a jerk? No time for tricks; not worried about Manafort. That’s for what he did in the Obama era. Not interested in name bets on the honor system at a place where spoofing names is considered activism.

  27. Anonymous
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 9:08 am | Permalink

    What if you’re not correct? Is this a heads I win tails you loose thing?

  28. juancole by proxy
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 10:00 am | Permalink

    https://www.juancole.com/2019/03/replacing-stochastic-terrorism.html?fbclid=IwAR1mFlL3_D96aFgAe4grbfVXZXFZE6HHlwocjMF1Gv8UZ8960fAwPQAEp-U

  29. Anonymous
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 11:01 am | Permalink

    So all these criminals around Trump were purposely positioned by Trump so that he could take them down for their associations to Clinton and Obama?

    Got it.

  30. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 11:05 am | Permalink

    I’ll just be like alright it was a larp or it failed. Whatever turns out to be true.

  31. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 11:09 am | Permalink

    Manafort worked with Tony Podesta at the time of his Ukraine dealings. That’s interesting someone like that would be hired for a few months in the Trump campaign. Where is old Tony these days. Can’t say I have heard from him since about the time in 10/17 when I was jubilant that he stepped down.

  32. maryd
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 11:55 am | Permalink

    I see HW still has his tin foil ears on…
    Just wait though folks it’s going to be big…

  33. Anonymous
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm | Permalink

    Everyone will have to be prepared for when the number of sealed indictments exceeds the number of people on this planet.

  34. Lynne
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 1:13 pm | Permalink

    One thing to note is the difference in sentences between black people found guilty of political crimes involving financials and white people found guilty of similar crimes. e.g. Kwame Kilpatrick got 28 years compared to Manafort’s 7.5 years. I am no fan of Kwame Kilpatrick but it does seem like if you are a white man, you get better treatment in our justice system even if it is white collar crime.

  35. John Brown
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 1:55 pm | Permalink

    Trump, Dylan Roof, Anders Brevik. Inspiring a neo-nazis mass murderer near you. The president is a hero to the most vile of the alt-right and yet his base looks away, so as not to see the blood on their hands.

  36. Anonymous
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 4:03 pm | Permalink

    If Trump was depending on racists from New Zealand to vote for him, we’d already be hearing some “both sides” bullshit.

  37. John Brown
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 7:32 pm | Permalink

    True he’s not getting votes from NZ killers, but he did nonetheless immediately turn around use the “non-white invasion” schtick, which goes hand in glove with activating the white terrorist, while vetoing the rebuke of his fake emergency.

  38. anonimal
    Posted March 15, 2019 at 10:12 pm | Permalink

    any idea what the hell is going on at the city of yspi right now? can you find someone who can explain why we fired the city manager and whether the city is about to get its pants sued off? It seems like no one knows how to handle this, because the batshit wing of council might have used race as an excuse get rid of a manager they didn’t like, and the internal candidate just seems like a pawn in this. Was there a reason to suspect that Darwin chose the Livonia guy based on race, not on qualifications?

    I didn’t like Darwin much, but our leaders are really fucking up the ability to hire future staff. Ed > Ralph > Darwin > Next_Sucker. We’ve turned into one of those crazy communities that can’t keep staff because council has enough idiots to form a majority, and are willing to throw someone under the bus as soon as an opportunity presents itself.

  39. Jean Henry
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 6:26 am | Permalink

    Anonymous– Trump said he doesn’t think White Supremacy is a growing threat. Luckily the FBI disagrees with him.

  40. John Brown
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 7:37 am | Permalink

    Jh, President > Executive > Dept Justice > FBI. Now go ahead and use lots of words about why this doesn’t matter.

    Meanwhile, I’d also like to know the scoop on the Ypsi manager crisis…

  41. Sad
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 7:55 am | Permalink

    This site no longer has an interest in local political shenanigans.

    Sorry. It’s all Trump all the time.

  42. Jean Henry
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 10:36 am | Permalink

    I think the independence of the FBI from the president has been made pretty clear this presidency. He certainly has tried to disrupt that. But they seem to be holding true to core principles of independence. The FBI is indeed targeting and monitoring white supremacist groups and individuals in the US. This does not mean targeted groups are entirely safe. Nothing does. Gun regulation would help complement that work a lot more than JB-style tactics.
    https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/14/fbi-and-dhs-warned-of-growing-threat-from-white-supremacists-months-ago/

  43. stupid hick
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 10:48 am | Permalink

    “This site no longer has an interest in local political shenanigans.”

    Maybe Mark deflects attention to Trump because he doesn’t want anyone focusing on accounts about sick “children gentleman carnivals” taking place in the “artist” studios Mark rents by the hour, across the street from the gentleman’s club on Washington Street. Notice that Mark doesn’t deny it. Notice as well how quiet John Brown has become on the topic, after accidentally blurting it out in what no doubt he mistook for a DM. Something isn’t right here, folks.

  44. Jean Henry
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 10:53 am | Permalink

    DOJ is asking for action on the part of Congress to improve enforcement of domestic terrorism threats, especially from white supremacist groups.
    https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/opinion-grave-threats-white-supremacy-and-far-right-extremism

    It’s a bot paranoid to assume lifelong intelligence agencies operate only to serve the political interests of the President. Most agents serve ‘under’ many presidents. That would mean changing direction every few years, disrupting ongoing investigations, etc. I’m not saying there’s no influence. We know 9-11 might have been prevented had CIA terrorist surveillance been shared with the FBI etc. But Trump expected it to be as you describe JB and I think it’s safe to say he’s been sorely disappointed. One useful thing about the Trump presidency is that it has essentially been a stress test of sorts on our checks and balances system. He has pushed all boundaries. It seems that the more politically independent arms of government are demonstrating their resilience. This complicates the standard leftist narrative about intelligence agencies. Complexity is good.

  45. Jean Henry
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 10:55 am | Permalink

    It also complicates the standard leftist narrative about government bureaucrats…

  46. stupid hick
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 10:56 am | Permalink

    Jean Henry doesn’t deny she’s addicted to child’s blood harvested by Mark in the basement of Landline, and needs it to maintain her mental acuity.

  47. stupid hick
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 11:05 am | Permalink

    “Whatever turns out to be true.”

    I love you, brother, but I don’t hold out much hope for you getting well any time soon. You have a pitiful track record being able to distinguish truth from your deplorable self-comforting fantasies. I say that not to mock you but to encourage you to listen to your social worker and keep trying to get a little better. We’re all rooting for you to succeed.

  48. John Brown
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 11:33 am | Permalink

    JH, I agree with most of what you said about the FBI, with a couple major exceptions, which in my direct experience impacts every branch of the Administrative Branch.

    1) The pace of info processing is glacial. The initiative to collect the info used to base the white supremacists threat assessment was no doubt begun under Obama.

    2) The key personnel in the Agencies evolve to reflect the personality of the Administration. Heck we’re still dealing with lots of “civilian” hires under GW Bush who were in fact political hacks and are now career Deputy Administrators, where shit gets decided.

    These two things combined would make it a real good bet that the FBI, and every other agency, will reflect trump more and more with each passing day. Hell, the hiring process is contracted out now making it a piece of cake for an new Administration to hijack. And lo and behold a new contract company took over for work force management in 2017. Nothing shady there, no siree. Any Govt insider can tell you the system can be gamed. That’s not paranoid. And the lower in the organization you do it, the stealthier and longer lasting it is.

  49. Sad
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 11:34 am | Permalink

    If there were coverage of local politics it would make Strump seem reasonable.

    SH two fish sandwiches at Arby’s $5 and they’re not bad,

  50. anonimal
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 4:51 pm | Permalink

    @Stupid Hick

    Direct messages on an outdated internet comment setup? I sure as hell don’t see a DM option on here. And wtf are you talking about? Thinking that the vast liberal pedo conspiracy has invaded Ypsi now? Gonna go full pizzagate on mark? God damn idiots.

  51. Anonymous
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 6:53 pm | Permalink

    Does HWs social worker read what goes on here?

  52. John Brown
    Posted March 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm | Permalink

    Also in Ypsi, this week’s special at Dunham’s is a Bushmaster QRC (quick response carbine) AR15 including a red dot optic for only $529. I’m not sure what they expect you to be responding to quickly? Nazis zombies maybe? Libtards in drag? Your imagination is the only limit I guess.

    Are you comfortable knowing that this unrestricted marketing to likely dangerous personalities is a thing?

  53. Jean Henry
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 7:11 am | Permalink

    No one is comfortable with the present scenario. Many of us also know that arming ourselves only makes everyone less safe. Especially those in already targeted populations.

    You keep suggesting you have an answer. We see the problem but don’t support your answer as any kind of solution. You are well past the point of just venting your frustration and fear. This is simply not an effective rhetorical strategy anymore. It also could be dangerous to those who might be vulnerable and take you seriously. If this is the approach you really want to take, I’m sure you can find some group out there ready to create a leftwing militia. This is America. We have all kinds. Just take it elsewhere. Your alarmist and violent rhetoric only makes recent events more disturbing and not in a way that energizes people to action.

    You are a violent armchair revolutionary.

    Good luck with that.

  54. John Brown
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 11:37 am | Permalink

    JH, why did you waste all those words on me? Don’t shoot the messenger. Do your “real” activism. The rest of us are counting on you to define us and to save us from ourselves.

  55. John Brown
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 12:16 pm | Permalink

    Send Dunham’s your words. It worked with Dicks.

    https://www.dunhamssports.com/contact-us/

  56. Jean Henry
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 12:20 pm | Permalink

    Because I believe your approach is counter-productive. And you have been relentless in asserting it here. I have not said much until now. I’m simply making my point. (And I won’t bother going forward) The one useful function for blogs/social media is as a place for discourse, which is not activism but is important to a critically functioning democracy. If your comments stand alone without a counter, that’s not discourse; that’s proclamation. A response is engagement which it would seem you would welcome from anyone who shares your concerns. If you feel I defined you incorrectly or at all, please feel free to correct. I wasn’t trying to define you. You have been prescribing what you see as the correct response to the horrors upon as for everyone here for months now. And you said repeatedly that we are ignoring the seriousness of the situation if we don’t respond as you do. I was simply responding to those relentless diatribes. I don’t believe I’m the one overreaching.

  57. wobblie
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 1:48 pm | Permalink

    almost forgot the anniversary of another mass murder
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbcgIn63ibo

  58. John Brown
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 2:21 pm | Permalink

    Proclamation is exactly what I’m going for. Everyone can know where this one citizen stands and take it for what it’s worth. I have actual relationships for engaging in discourse. The internet is over.

  59. Jean Henry
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 2:30 pm | Permalink

    Fine JB. I have some sympathy with that position. Please refrain then, in your proclamations., from making assumptions/declarations about how aware or complacent anyone else is, because they haven’t similarly armed themselves in preparation for civil war. At a minimum, it’s a bad strategy for rallying people to the cause.

    PS the internet isn’t over. Far from it. Would that it were so, I guess. Meanwhile, it is a powerful tool that can be used for good or evil. And it’s really great for political organizing. Haven’t spent too much of my youth folding flyers and licking stamps, I fully appreciate it. You might even find some comrades there. This is not the place to go phishing for recruits.

  60. Jean Henry
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 2:31 pm | Permalink

    Having not haven’t*

  61. John Brown
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 3:28 pm | Permalink

    Let me proclaim a conspiracy theory. The active shooter threat yesterday was probably orchestrated psychological terrorism. The chances of an accidentally triggered response during the vigil for Christchurch Muslims and immediately following the women’s March is low.

  62. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 17, 2019 at 6:41 pm | Permalink

    “You have a pitiful track record being able to distinguish truth from your deplorable self-comforting fantasies.”

    I’ve been correct about the Big Daddy so far: no collusion found by the House and the Senate. No evidence to support the Dirty Dossier, which I first heard about here. How does that square with what you said? Still think Mueller is going to show collusion? If he doesn’t do you think the Pissgate Players are going to go unscathed?

  63. stupid hick
    Posted March 18, 2019 at 10:34 pm | Permalink

    “two fish sandwiches at Arby’s $5”

    Great deal, isn’t it? IMO, Arby’s is under-rated. Their mix and match 5 sliders for $5 (with coupon) competes favorably against anyone’s value menu. Arby’s deserves more respect than they get around here.

  64. stupid hick
    Posted March 18, 2019 at 11:17 pm | Permalink

    “I sure as hell don’t see a DM option on here. And wtf are you talking about?”

    Sorry, I have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m just parroting stupid drivel I picked up from “conservative” social media! Ask Hyborian Warlord, he’ll explain it better than I can

  65. stupid hick
    Posted March 18, 2019 at 11:56 pm | Permalink

    “I’ve been correct about […] no collusion […] How does that square with what you said?”

    This is kind of what I was talking about. Why can’t you just listen to me for once? All I’m asking is for you to accept that you have poor judgement and jump to false conclusions. It’s no big deal, and nothing to be self-conscious about here. Keep questioning why you believe what you do. You will get better.

  66. Jean Henry
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 6:00 am | Permalink

    JB– I’ve been to a lot of rallies on the diag. One of the notable characteristics of them is how decidedly ignored they are by students, especially at Mason which looks out on them. If you are at one and caught up in the moment, a trip to the bathroom will remind you that most people don’t give a damn about the issue.

    I’m sure the balloon thing is being investigated. But it’s entirely plausible that a attendees to a birthday party on the 2nd floor were not even aware of what the latest protest/vigil was about.

    You are seeking to justify your own violent inclinations with paranoia. There’s enough legitimate reason out there without jumping to dangerous conclusions.

  67. Jean Henry
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 6:04 am | Permalink

    John Brown, vigilante, will now take it upon himself to assault any groups having celebrations adjacent to protests vigils.

    “Arm yourselves, people! The revolution against sorority girls and student clubs is upon us! Don’t stick your heads in the sand! Get Woke!”

    The political vacuum of his viewpoint is so intense that he can’t imagine there are other people having other experiences.

  68. Jean Henry
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 6:08 am | Permalink

    Stupid Hick and SAD– Those fish sandwiches are 540 calories a piece. Hope you are exercising plenty.

  69. stupid hick
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 7:33 am | Permalink

    “Those fish sandwiches are 540 calories a piece.”

    If there were fewer calories you would get less for your money! FWIW, I am more health conscious now so I’m not eating those sandwiches. I am only praising Arby’s for what it is, not what I want it to be. Admit Arby’s is good enough for you the way it is and I’ll be quiet.

  70. John Brown
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 8:30 am | Permalink

    Oh JH, you’re a hoot. I can’t offer an actual plausible scenario for folks to consider without you going all Frosted Flakes with the gaslighting? You never heard of “swating”? It’s a favorite trick of alt-right gamer types, and not at all dissimilar to the false alarm in it’s intended impacts. The alt right are at war with leftist – in their minds. And UM is as good a lefty target as any. And as you said it’s no doubt being investigated, since cops apparently are paranoid too?

  71. Sad
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 8:35 am | Permalink

    You have to cater to your audience John Brown. JH prefers knives and cutting. Could you talk about weapons more in that vein to try to win her over? Machetes maybe…..

  72. John Brown
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 9:28 am | Permalink

    Well I learned last night that Mussolini committed his first knife attack at age 11. Followed by multiple stabbing incidents throughout his adolescence. Check out the “Dictators Playbook” on TVO (TV Ontario). Apparently Canucks are concerned about what’s going on down here.

  73. iRobert
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 10:28 am | Permalink

    Canada needs to build a wall and make us pay for it.

  74. Jean Henry
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 11:08 am | Permalink

    SAD– We already know that JB and others here cannot distinguish between metaphor and reality. You don’t have to encourage that.

    JB– the police are obligated to investigate. An investigation itself in no way implies guilt.

    You jumping to damning conclusions in advance of accurate information is disturbing given your vigilante tendencies..

  75. Jean Henry
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 11:12 am | Permalink

    Arby’s is a waste of space, SH. I’ve eaten there once. Here is the nutrient info for a fish sandwich. Lots of fats and sugars and little nutrient value but iron and protein. I’d rather eat a handful of nuts or a can of tuna fish. Cheaper too for the nutrient value.

    https://fastfoodnutrition.org/arbys/classic-fish-sandwich

  76. iRobert
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 11:23 am | Permalink

    Most Americans could probably be tricked into building the wall along our northern border. They’re not strong in geography.

  77. iRobert
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 11:29 am | Permalink

    I still can’t be sure whether John Brown is for real or a parody. I like that.

  78. iRobert
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 11:30 am | Permalink

    Sad is obviously a parody.

  79. John Brown
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 1:38 pm | Permalink

    iR, I’m still not sure either. But this is a pretty good article that sums up that ambiguous feeling.

    https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5c8938d3e4b038892f49c3cb/amp?__twitter_impression=true

  80. John Brown
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 1:57 pm | Permalink

    JH, “obligated”, because people doing nefarious stuff usually obfuscate the truth. Imagine the ironic kick some Nazi would get from using the ruse of an alledged “gender reveal” balloon popping to create a disruption of a libtard murder victim vigil? Even HW would acknowledge the evil brilliance. Oddly I saw a bunch of overtly alt-right avatars propagating rumors on UMich Twitter during, which we’re then promptly deleted when all clear was declared. Obligated to investigate, indeed.

  81. John Brown
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 3:43 pm | Permalink

    Ok, I might have misread this gender reveal thing. Is this strictly for babies? If so why in Mason Hall? Or is it for adults self identifying their own genders, which was admittedly what I was thinking would be the more likely scenario to be occuring in Mason Hall.

  82. iRobert
    Posted March 19, 2019 at 6:00 pm | Permalink

    Is Trump worried John McCain’s corpse is going to challenge him in the primaries? He probably should be. McCain’s corpse would almost certainly beat him, and do a better job as president.

  83. stupid hick
    Posted March 20, 2019 at 1:49 am | Permalink

    Jean, you don’t say when your one visit to Arby’s was, but any serious fast food analyst would tell you it matters, and particularly in Arby’s case, because what made Arby’s great up until the early 90s is not why it is approaching greatness today. Stereotypical commentary about Arby’s almost always centers on their curly fries, which I think is a mistake. You either like them or you don’t, and I’m not saying which side I’m on because it’s irrelevant. Most scholars now agree that what lead to Arby’s rapid decline and could not be slowed by curly fries is they (1) jacked up the price of the junior roast beef sandwich so it couldn’t compete against competitors’ dollar menus and (2) they stopped giving dine-in customers free rein of the pickles and onions and horsey sauce. Well, as a result, Arby’s spent 20 years adrift and atrophied, but now they are coming back to life. They are making a play at value menu territory that not long ago was solidly in McDonald’s control. They’re going deep into coupon territory where Burger King thrives. Despite waging battle on those two fronts, they still show off by launching seasonal flagship sandwiches such as pork belly and short rib. Which are surprisingly good for the price. If your opinion of Arby’s is from an ancient trial by a Jean Henry prototype, next time you get a coupon in the mail consider refreshing your experience. It may be that neither you, nor Arby’s, is the same as you remember.

  84. Jean Henry
    Posted March 20, 2019 at 6:16 am | Permalink

    1981

  85. Jean Henry
    Posted March 20, 2019 at 6:21 am | Permalink

    I had a roast beef sandwich. Couldn’t eat it.Did not taste like roast beef or anything really. Just an amalgam of beef parts, gums, sodium and glutamate. I was 15. No intention of going back. No reason to. I’d rather have a hot dog.

  86. Jean Henry
    Posted March 20, 2019 at 9:49 pm | Permalink

    For John Brown:

    “Yousef Rabhi
    March 17 at 5:24 PM ·
    I want to set the record straight on yesterday’s suspected active shooter situation. Lot of people seem to be fixated on the balloons that were popped. At the vigil, I don’t think anyone heard any balloons popping (at least no one that I talked to did). The mass panic was entirely set off by a police officer running though the crowd yelling “Move! Move! Move!”. That is what set off everyone running, that’s why people were shoved and injured. And by the way, most people literally ran in the direction of Mason and took shelter in the building because that’s the direction it seemed the officer was wanting people to run. The police in the building told people there was an active shooter and they needed to not be in the building, which was the first most people heard what was even happening. So just in case someone says “I can’t believe people had a mass panic attack over balloons”, we didn’t. We were entirely responding to what law enforcement officers told us.”

  87. stupid hick
    Posted March 22, 2019 at 12:18 am | Permalink

    “1981”
    “I had a roast beef sandwich. Couldn’t eat it.Did not taste like roast beef or anything really. Just an amalgam of beef parts, gums, sodium and glutamate. I was 15. No intention of going back. No reason to. I’d rather have a hot dog.”

    I imagine you were a drive-thru customer, because I don’t understand how anyone would not be impressed by the abundance of pickles and expertly-cut thin slices of onion on Arby’s totally unregulated condiment bar. Nobody was as generous with pickles and onions as Arby’s in the 80’s, and it’s unlikely anyone ever will be in the future, which is why so many experts view Arby’s of yore as the pinnacle of fast food hospitality. Surely the pressed roast beef at Arby’s doesn’t have to be as good as your memory of the prime rib at your grandparents’ country club to deserve a second chance after 38 years. I knew a Jean Henry in the mid-80’s who was thoughtful, and wasn’t mean and unforgiving, so I’m inclined to give her namesake infinite second chances. Any way, your review is fair enough, and you’re allowed to eat what you like. Although you seem stubborn and cocksure about a present-day Arby’s you never met, I will concede you deserve some credit for saying you might eat a hot dog.

  88. John Brown
    Posted March 22, 2019 at 4:51 am | Permalink

    JH, I heard that already. So the police responding in hyperagressive manor suprises no one I’m sure. How will that be considered in their investigation? I doubt it will. That’s the baseline. Was it A2 or UM I wonder that Yousef encountered?

    Does the police review board mission include considering white supremacists infiltration I wonder?

  89. wobblie
    Posted March 22, 2019 at 5:41 am | Permalink

    Used to go to Arby’s all the time. Not only did they have that unregulated condiment bar, they had the best kids toys. My daughter and I collected a whole slew of Babbar cars. You know the ones that you roll the car in reverse and let go. We would have 20 to 30 rocketing around the living room. Great fun. Stopped going when we kept finding bits of metal in the jr. arby’s. I imagine there is still a Babbar car hiding in some of the dark corners of the house.

  90. Jean Henry
    Posted March 22, 2019 at 5:15 pm | Permalink

    It was UM police.
    You seem to be adjusting your conspiracy theory according to the changing news cycle. The only constant is the conspiracy.

    That’s not encouraging, JB.

  91. Hyborian Warlord
    Posted March 22, 2019 at 8:17 pm | Permalink

    Hahahaha. What’s goin’ on?

  92. iRobert
    Posted March 23, 2019 at 9:31 am | Permalink

    Maybe we should have our next Maytard gathering at a local Arby’s. Which one would be the best for such a get-together?

  93. Sad
    Posted March 23, 2019 at 9:37 am | Permalink

    Let’s make it a day trip and go to the Arby’s in the truck stop in Chelsea.

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