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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 10h

It's meaningful that this is Santos. He has no friends. He has no power. He has no influence. This isn't the kind of corruption where Trump gets money or favors. This is a message: no matter how big an asshole you are or how much everyone hates you, the law does not bind you if you are a Republican.

Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 12h

I think at this point it’s fair to say that we’re no longer under the rule of law.

Trump Orders Santos to Be Freed From Prison ‘Immediately’ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...

Trump Orders Santos to Be Freed From Prison ‘Immediately’

www.nytimes.com

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 11h

Bobbyposting.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 11h

Not sure DoJ is a place one is likely to get much relief on that front.

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 16d

Here are the banners from the four Hatch Act violating departments.

Banner from the Department of State website referring to "the Democrat-led shutdown."

Huge banner (there is also a pop-up) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development website claiming "The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government." "Radical" and "Left" are capitalized in the original.

Banner from the Department of Agriculture website, stating that the website will not be updated "[d]ue to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown." Again, "Radical" and "Left" are capitalized in the original. Goes on to falsely claim that "President Trump has made it clear that he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people." To the contrary, the President has promised to use this opportunity to fire as many of those people as possible.

Banner from the Department of Justice website stating that "Democrats have shut down the government."

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 12h

They aren't even all called the Supreme Court. New York's is called the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court is both the trial court and the intermediate appellate court.

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 12h

Some are elected. Some are appointed. Some are a hybrid of the two systems in various ways. Lots have mandatory retirement ages. It's a panoply.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 12h

The US doesn't just have one Supreme Court, although one gets most of the attention. Because we have shared sovereignty between the states and federal government, as well as territories with their own court systems, we have 56. They all have different ways of being selected and terms.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Saw this in Hawaii, where there is significantly more positive feeling for the former monarchy than in the parts of the US that were subject to European monarchs.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

At this point I am less interested in the statement than why the Irish Times, The Irish Independent, RTÉ, and many more won't tell me what the statement was.

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

My point is, that is the story. If one is a journalist writing about this and does not include the allegedly defamatory statement(s), then one has committed journalistic malpractice. My issue is with the pervasive failure of Irish journalism.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, it is a rhetorical question. But one that perhaps a journalist will see and actually report this kind of story correctly the next time this comes up.

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Or, fine, they don't want to say it. Maybe they think Murphy will sue them, too. Then link me to the complaint Murphy filed. He can't complain about that. Or even just tell me what court it was filed in, so I can go look it up. But nobody does any of that. Why?

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Sure, and I could go watch a whole debate to try and figure what it is. Or a reporter could do their job and tell me what the allegedly defamatory statement is. Especially as that reporter has apparently reviewed the court papers, which are required to say, specifically, what the statement is.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

But did she though? Because I keep seeing this language that indicates she maybe didn't actually say it, but instead perhaps just implied it or that whatever she said "could be understood" to mean that. Seems like it could be understood much better if they would say what it was.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

I suppose I would know if I had been listening to the RTE debate, but I wasn't, so I just have vague descriptions and Murphy's characterisations (which frankly, even in his solicitors' description, don't sound defamatory).

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Are they, though? I haven't read everything, but I just now went and read through a half-dozen articles on this fracas and not a single one gives what she actually said verbatim. It's always something like "Ms Humphreys made comments regarding an incident." What comments? What did she say?

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 1d

Could the reporter have learned much of that from the court documents referenced here? Sure could! Did he pass it on to the reader? Nope! Did he link the actual documents, so people could go find it themselves? Also nope!

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 2d

What a news article about a defamation action should include:

1) the allegedly defamatory statement(s)

2) an overview of how defamation law works

3) enough background to determine if the allegedly defamatory statement(s) were true

What articles give us:

None of that.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 2d

Papa John's was never good? It never had to be: it just needed to be less bad than Domino's.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 2d

Could Hashem create a piece of knowledge so irritating even He could forget it?

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 3d

Wow, that could go right?

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 3d

settle on the best option, given all considerations. I don't live in Maine and don't care about Mills one way or the other, but there is no inherent conflict in being willing to overlook a particular flaw in one candidate but finding insufficient reasons to do so with another.

Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 3d

That seems unduly simplistic. It would be entirely possible to see Sanders' age as a potential problem but believe he had sufficient other positive qualities (or his opponents had sufficiently negative ones) to endorse him anyway. Nobody is a perfect candidate, we all weigh the pros and cons and

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 3d

Somehow it is more horrifying that it is supposed to be a mouth than what I originally assumed, that someone had taken a bite of a sentient PBJ pie.

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 3d

Is there imposter syndrome imposter syndrome, where I think I have imposter syndrome but actually I am genuinely an imposter?

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Coriolus Nimrod @coriolusn.bsky.social · 4d

Oh. That is very stupid.

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