Attorneys for six people facing felony charges for attending a demonstration that spawned property damage in downtown D.C. on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration told jurors here that the Trump administration was trying to “criminalize” their First Amendment rights.
The government has conceded there’s no evidence that any of the six individuals currently on trial caused any property damage or committed any violence on Jan. 20, during an anti-fascist demonstration that included anti-capitalist and anarchist elements. But the government has labeled the event a riot, and sought to hold nearly 200 participants who were arrested en masse that day accountable for the actions of those individuals who smashed windows and caused roughly $100,000 in damages.
Each of the defendants who have been on trial since Nov. 20 ― Michelle Macchio, Christina Simmons, Jennifer Armento, Oliver Harris, Brittne Lawson and Alexei Wood ― are facing two misdemeanor rioting charges as well as five felony charges of property destruction, which the government contends they’re responsible for because they participated in a conspiracy to riot.
Dancing With Fools 
Woo boy! Terrible Amtrak derailment south of Olympia this morning — this was the %01’s INAUGURAL RUN!
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/train-derails-from-bridge-onto-interstate-5-near-olympia/
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501
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Polls say less than 1/3 of Americans support the GOP tax bill. WTF? What an upside down, out of whack universe we live in!
Americans are more tolerant of inequality than other rich countries, looks like to me. Undoubtedly because of ignorance about the scale of the problem.
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Jeebus! The Democrats can find their ass with both hands.
Now, this…first, they force him out, then it’s king’s-X, we didn’t mean it!
A number of U.S. Senators have urged Democratic Sen. Al Franken to reconsider his resignation over sexual misconduct claims.
Among them is Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia who criticized Democrats for “rushing” Franken into a resignation during an interview on Politico podcast “Off Message.”
“What they did to Al was atrocious,” Manchin said. “Here’s a man, that all he said [was], ‘Take me through the Ethics Committee. I will live by whatever decision and I will walk away thinking about this opportunity I’ve had while I was here. But you find out if I’m a predator,'” he added.
While Manchin was the most vocal in his support for Franken, Politico spoke with other Democratic lawmakers who expressed similar sentiments, but asked to remain anonymous.
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What a day so far! Not necessarily good, started out with an actual train wreck and ended with a political train wreck at the other end of the country.
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Den….every day is a “train wreck” in the other Washington!!!!!
The Amtrak train was going more than 80 mph about one-quarter mile before it entered a curve where the speed limit was much lower. A track chart prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows the maximum speed drops from 79 mph to 30 mph for passenger trains just before the tracks curve to cross Interstate 5.
It is not known (or perhaps not being revealed yet) how fast the train was going at the point of derailment.
13 of the 14 cars were derailed. Could this 14-car train slow from 80 mph to 30 mph in 1,320 feet?
KOMO reported that the train “may have” hit an obstruction on the tracks.
Transitdocs.com, which maps Amtrak trains and speeds, reported that the train was moving 81 miles per hour, two miles per hour above the speed limit for the line. Sound Transit, who owns the stretch of track where the crash occured, said speed limit for the curve preceding the crash site is 30 miles per hour.
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Speed could have very well been the problem. It looks to me the trucks (wheel holders) under the passenger cars were of a single axle design at each end of the cars. A normal passenger car has two axles at each end, maybe three, providing more rail contact.
Two wheel cars would have less rail contact and less rail-holding ability especially at a rail curve and then add excessive speed, bye bye. The wheel flanges looked short to me also with too wide of a radius where the flange meets the flat of the wheel.
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I liked reading your comment on FB about that car. Can’t remember the brand, but you sure know your shit. I couldn’t just click ‘like’ I had to give you the little face that means WOW!
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Whoops, more fun at the Palin Ranch.
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Category: State Flags
A: On its flag, and elk and a moose stand beside a shield depicting a lake and a peninsula
Q:
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What is the Michigan State flag
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Ding ding ding
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Do I win a prize?
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Your choice:
http://www.thetubes.com/lyrics/life.htm
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“Tuebor.” I had jury duty back in the mid 70s. One of my fellow jurors was a priest. Since the Michigan flag was everywhere I asked him what Tuebor meant. He didn’t know. I took one year of Latin but I didn’t know.
“Tuebor,” meaning, “I will defend,” refers to Michigan’s frontier position. The shield is held by two animals representing Michigan, the elk on the left and the moose on the right. Michigan is on an international boundary, and the figure of the man shows his right hand raised in peace.
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“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”
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So, Jill and I went to the Wooden Nickel at noon and a friend from up Carter road met us there. Had the best hamburger ever AND they had sweet potato fries. You’ll never believe this but Jill and I both had 4 glassed of beer. Holy moly! I think we were there about 3 hours. We didn’t have to pay, Joe picked up the check. Gonna have to do that again!
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Better living through beer!
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LOL, I just got a hangup call from area code 313!
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That’s effin weird! Detroit? Transmigrationalpermutation I suspect.
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In the past week I’ve had hang ups from Houston, Florida, Utah, Tennessee, plus several phishing calls from my prefix to make me think they are local calls. Once had one from my phone #.
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Spammers revenge.
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Happy Holidays from three people I don’t know:
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Snow eating rain on the way to the Nuevo Vallarta.
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