Just One Thing: Mayorkas impeached
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday afternoon to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The vote was 214-213 with passage secured by the return of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) from cancer treatment. I’m torn on this. Mayorkas is one of the most incompetent cabinet secretaries I’ve ever seen, and he has repeatedly lied to Congress. But is that a “high crime or misdemeanor” to be bad at your job and have a boss telling you to implement bad policy? You can argue that refusal to enforce the law is impeachable, but impeachment is a purely political decision and my gut instinct is that the GOP is catering to the MAGA base while showing the rest of the country that they’re willing to waste time and resources, given that the odds of Mayorkas being convicted is precisely 0%. Are party-line impeachments a good idea? Just because Mayorkas deserves it doesn’t mean it’s the right move.
A member of Congress explains why he believes the impeachment was the right thing to do: Why We Impeached Alejandro Mayorkas - WSJ
Another member explained a week ago why he voted no, but he was 1 of only 3 who voted no Tuesday so his is a minority view even though I agree with most of it: Why I Voted Against the Alejandro Mayorkas Impeachment - WSJ
The WSJ said they didn't think it was a good idea: Impeaching Mayorkas Achieves Nothing - WSJ
There’s only been one other impeachment of a cabinet secretary and technically that guy wasn’t even in office anymore because he resigned shortly before the vote. Therefore this makes yesterday’s vote the first impeachment vote in US history of a sitting cabinet secretary. (Of course the other guy would not have resigned if he weren’t facing impeachment, but it’s still an interesting historical footnote.) U.S. Senate: Impeachment Trial of Secretary of War William Belknap, 1876
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One More Thing: Report claims that Obama's intelligence agencies coordinated with foreign spies to surveil Trump associates going into 2016 election
Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi, along with Alex Gutentag, offer this bombshell, which they say will be followed up by additional reporting. Taibbi will livestream discussion of the story this evening.
Livestream Tonight 6:30 pm ET: Explaining Russiagate Exposé (racket.news)
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A Valentines Day thought: I'm very glad I'm not in the dating world right now
Dating is always a challenge but for today's young adults, for whom politics has become a dominant filter -- with women doing much of the filtering and guys doing much of the being-filtered -- it seems particularly brutal.
I'm so glad that I'm married to a woman I both love and like, and that I don't have to deal with "swiping right", etc, and I hope I never am back "on the market" again, not that I'm highly marketable anyway.
When It Comes to Sex, My Generation Is Screwed | The Free Press (thefp.com)
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Today's Guest
Danielle Jurinsky is an at-large member of the Aurora City Council. She's proposing to increase the penalties for shoplifting in Colorado's 3rd-largest city.
Aurora lawmakers will vote on anti-shoplifting bill over ACLU’s objections - Sentinel Colorado
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Other Stuff
RIP, a truly great American: William 'Bill' Post, inventor of Pop-Tarts, dies at 96
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Not the most important, but let's start with a little bit of potentially profitable Valentines Day fun in Denver: Paper mache hearts made of 100 $1 bills will be hidden across Denver for people to find on Valentine's Day - Denverite, the Denver site!
And one more Valentine's Day story: Mystery of which culture kissed first finally solved — and it has a spicy secret (nypost.com)
Who is St. Valentine anyway? Saint Valentine | Facts, Patron Saint Of, Feast Day, History, & Legends | Britannica
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New York's 3rd Congressional District held a special election yesterday to fill the seat once held by "George Santos", arguably the biggest fraud and liar ever to serve in Congress. Santos, a Republican, was a dead weight on the GOP in the race and Democrati (and former Congressman) Tom Suozi beat his Republican opponent by almost 8 percent. This makes the job of Speaker Mike Johnson even more difficult with an even narrower majority. Think of it this way: if Suozi had been sworn in already, the impeachment vote (against Mayorkas) would have been a tie, which would have meant that it failed instead of passing by one vote. Another way to look at it: Once Suozi is sworn in, on any party-line vote, the GOP can only lose 2 votes and still pass the measure. That's almost ungovernable. Or maybe I shouldn't say "almost".
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Citizens of Lakewood, CO do NOT want their city to start incinerating money to support illegal aliens the way Denver is:
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Here's this year's version of the Assault Weapons Ban, brought to you by the two most radical members of the Colorado House of Representatives:
Remember, Epps brought this last year too and it failed. For people who know anything about guns, the measure contains a fair amount of ignorance.
Colorado assault weapons sale ban introduced in legislature (coloradosun.com)
Here's the bill text: D:\dist\text\1292_01.txt (colorado.gov)
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Oops, a little conflict within Denver government: Denver elections office will not comply with mayor's budget cuts | 9news.com
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It's amazing how much better policy you get when you add some conservatives, in this case moderate conservatives, to a local government, in this case Aurora: Aurora lawmakers will vote on anti-shoplifting bill over ACLU’s objections - Sentinel Colorado
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Inflation is not dead: Sticker Shock and Sticky Inflation - WSJ
Here's yesterday's report: Consumer Price Index Summary - 2024 M01 Results (bls.gov)
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Was a storage unit believed to be safer than their home? Thieves steal George Washington portrait in Englewood (denverpost.com)
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Offered without comment: CDC plans to drop five-day covid isolation guidelines - The Washington Post
Same article at different website if you can't read the Wash Post one: CDC plans to drop five-day COVID isolation guidelines - The Boston Globe
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I guess this isn't surprising but it's still remarkable (in the literal sense that it's worth remarking about): Super Bowl 58 most-watched football game ever | Sports Coverage | denvergazette.com
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This is what happens when you institute a capital gains tax that is avoidable by moving: Why did Jeff Bezos sell $4 billion of Amazon stock in four trading days? | Vancouver Sun
Think about how much money Bezos saved...nearly $290 million so far.
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Trump will say this was his goal all along: Poland, France and Germany vow to make Europe stronger as fears grow over Russia and Trump | AP News
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I don't get it. He's an aggressive pro athlete who wants to win. I just don't see how it makes sense to criticize him for any of this. Maybe it's just jealousy?
Travis Kelce Criticized For His 'Classless' Super Bowl Celebration (msn.com)
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Today's Videos
Yesterday we shared Joe Biden's ridiculous Super Bowl "shrinkflation" video (shared again here if you missed it.)
Listener Mike, of Empire State Pizza in Greeley, does a better job: He offers reverse-shrinkflation with two 14-inch pizzas for the price of one on Tuesdays!
Messages of love and friendship from a wise young woman on this Valentines Day
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On Valentines Day, a Note on Friendship and Love
A listener sent me his wonderful piece of writing. It describes his friendship of many decades with a close friend who recently passed away and how he uses some of those lessons on dating sites to explain what he's looking for in a relationship:
A Perfect Relationship Story
Cherish Yours. Mend Anything Missing
Mac and I were opposites. He was a skilled hunter and fisherman, loved his guns, operated heavy equipment, and was a staunch union democrat. He liked his drink, had a magnetic personality, and stood five feet tall. Me? I'm six feet.
During his home hospice, Mac, my friend since kindergarten, 70 years back, surprised me with a question. He asked what memento I’d like from him – his guns, gold, or other prized possessions.
After some thought, I said, "Nothing!" Taken aback, he wanted to know why. What? Why not? He asked. I said Mac, you've given me a lifetime of memories." Mac and Linda, his wife, were speechless.
Months after Mac passed, I thought about why our friendship lasted so long. I made a list, understanding the secret behind our bond. This list became Mac's second gift to me:
Quick to Help. Fast responses. Help at ready. Calls returned quickly. Needs fulfilled.
Treasured Friendship. Laughter aplenty. Thoughtful tokens. Overly generous. Shared wisdom.
Inspiring to Be With. No offense taken. No arguments. Kept independence. Protected weaknesses. Never complained. Lifted each other up.
Strong Support. Encouraging, not critical. Reliable. Advice when sought. Uplifting, not disparaging. Watched each other’s back. Total respect.
We Were Always Ourselves. Always genuine. Safe talks. Trust earned. No egos. No scorn. Never judgmental. Always honest. Open and listening. Unbreakable trust. All topics welcome. Thoughts shared. Constant sincerity.
Love. “A perfect relationship is a loving one”
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7
Reflecting on these qualities, I realized they define what I look for in others. They are the essence of a true, lasting connection.
Mac, in his simplicity and depth, characterized the art of a real relationship. A bond unbroken by time or differences.