Lowering the Bar
@loweringthebar.bsky.social
Legal humor. Seriously.
By Kevin Underhill
By Kevin Underhill
Okay, bad, no question, but murders. Trump is a murderer who has ordered more than 80 murders so I would suggest focusing on the murders.
Top Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Monday opened an investigation into multiple flights that Patel took last month with a $60 million government jet.
The visits were reportedly to visit his girlfriend. trib.al/bZoPHwq
The visits were reportedly to visit his girlfriend. trib.al/bZoPHwq
December 7, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Okay, bad, no question, but murders. Trump is a murderer who has ordered more than 80 murders so I would suggest focusing on the murders.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
The trio of octogenarian nuns gained global fame after fleeing their care home and breaking into their former convent.
Austria's rebel nuns refuse to give up Instagram to stay in their convent
The trio of octogenarian nuns gained global fame after fleeing their care home and breaking into their former convent. Now their superior has asked the Vatican to intercede in the dispute.
n.pr
December 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
The trio of octogenarian nuns gained global fame after fleeing their care home and breaking into their former convent.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
Police Chief Brian O’Hara has delivered a blunt message to his department: If an officer witnesses ICE agents using illegal force and fails to step in, they will be fired. 👏 👏 👏
Minneapolis police chief warns officers: Stop unlawful force by ICE or lose your job
Chief Brian O’Hara says he’ll fire city police officers if they don’t intervene when immigration agents use unlawful force.
www.ms.now
December 6, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Police Chief Brian O’Hara has delivered a blunt message to his department: If an officer witnesses ICE agents using illegal force and fails to step in, they will be fired. 👏 👏 👏
The Swampshank Redemption
One inmate remains on the run after a group of three removed mortar and concrete blocks from a jail wall in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, to make their escape this week, the sheriff’s office said. https://cnn.it/3Ye8WoU
Louisiana inmates escape by breaking through jail wall, one remains at large | CNN
One inmate remains on the run after a group of three removed mortar and concrete blocks from a jail wall in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, to make their escape this week, the sheriff’s office said Frid...
www.cnn.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The Swampshank Redemption
Public hangings of billionaires?
Again I point out that this company is named after technology that’s become so tainted by evil it can no longer be used safely. They named their tech company that.
Again I point out that this company is named after technology that’s become so tainted by evil it can no longer be used safely. They named their tech company that.
A Palantir billionaire just called for public hangings.
“It's time to bring back masculine leadership to protect our most vulnerable,” writes Joe Lonsdale.
This is where Silicon Valley authoritarianism is heading:
www.thenerdreich.com/joe-lonsdale...
“It's time to bring back masculine leadership to protect our most vulnerable,” writes Joe Lonsdale.
This is where Silicon Valley authoritarianism is heading:
www.thenerdreich.com/joe-lonsdale...
Joe Lonsdale Calls For Public Hangings
Silicon Valley radicalization escalates
www.thenerdreich.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Public hangings of billionaires?
Again I point out that this company is named after technology that’s become so tainted by evil it can no longer be used safely. They named their tech company that.
Again I point out that this company is named after technology that’s become so tainted by evil it can no longer be used safely. They named their tech company that.
The admiral reportedly said he’s the one who gave the order. If so that’s (at least) two counts of first-degree murder, and an awful lot of accessories before and after the fact.
December 6, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The admiral reportedly said he’s the one who gave the order. If so that’s (at least) two counts of first-degree murder, and an awful lot of accessories before and after the fact.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
Um.... This is an actual judicial opinion (dissenting in the TX gerrymandering case)
December 5, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Oh, maybe they were trying to cast a spell on the U.S. Navy or America itself. Can’t be too careful.
New. Survivors of the first boat attack on Sept 2 were shown in the video waving. Surrender? Request for Rescue? Signaling drug traffickers?
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...
Video of Boat Strike Shows Survivors Waving Before Fatal Follow-Up Attack
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Oh, maybe they were trying to cast a spell on the U.S. Navy or America itself. Can’t be too careful.
It is crazy that we allow members of Congress to trade based on inside information. (Well, they’re allowing *themselves* to do it, but it’s crazy that we put up with that.) Members from both parties do it and should be forced to stop.
Also presidents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Also presidents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
According to a new study, members of Congressional leadership perform 47% better in stock market trades than their rank-and-file peers, thanks to access to nonpublic information.
Today would be a great day to ban ALL elected officials from trading stock, don't you think?
Today would be a great day to ban ALL elected officials from trading stock, don't you think?
December 5, 2025 at 8:56 PM
It is crazy that we allow members of Congress to trade based on inside information. (Well, they’re allowing *themselves* to do it, but it’s crazy that we put up with that.) Members from both parties do it and should be forced to stop.
Also presidents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Also presidents.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
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The justification was the “‘assumption the drugs could still conceivably be on that boat, even though you could not see them,’ Smith said, ‘and it was still conceivable that these two people were going to continue on their mission of transmitting those drugs.’”
NEWS --> Tons of fresh detail on what video of the strike shows: Rep Adam Smith says two men are sitting on capsized boat, drugs aren't visible. Rationale officials gave for killing is they *may* have been able to keep trafficking.
"It's bad," Smith says.
Read here:
newrepublic.com/article/2039...
"It's bad," Smith says.
Read here:
newrepublic.com/article/2039...
Hegseth Defense Collapses as Dems Reveal Horrific Video Strike Details
The ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services committee tells TNR after watching the video: “This is a big, big problem.”
newrepublic.com
December 4, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The justification was the “‘assumption the drugs could still conceivably be on that boat, even though you could not see them,’ Smith said, ‘and it was still conceivable that these two people were going to continue on their mission of transmitting those drugs.’”
That’d be great. The problem as always is how to value an outcome that doesn’t necessarily have a dollar sign attached to it. One of the many questions AI won’t be able to answer.
(WSJ) - Is the billable hour about to become a thing of the past?
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-g...
@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-g...
December 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
That’d be great. The problem as always is how to value an outcome that doesn’t necessarily have a dollar sign attached to it. One of the many questions AI won’t be able to answer.
The first strike was murder. The second strike was to murder the witnesses to the previous murders. The quote is a president of the United States saying his hit men should’ve done a better job to begin with.
Reporter: If there were a second strike that killed wounded people, would that be legal?
Trump: I don’t know that happened and Pete said he did not even know what people were talking about. I wouldn’t have wanted a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine.
Trump: I don’t know that happened and Pete said he did not even know what people were talking about. I wouldn’t have wanted a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine.
December 4, 2025 at 7:36 PM
The first strike was murder. The second strike was to murder the witnesses to the previous murders. The quote is a president of the United States saying his hit men should’ve done a better job to begin with.
“The security researcher also pointed out that given Kohler can access customers’ data on its servers, it’s possible Kohler is using customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.”
NEW: Your "end-to-end encrypted" poop pictures taken by this $599 (+ subscription) smart toilet camera are actually not end-to-end encrypted.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
techcrunch.com/2025/12/03/e...
‘End-to-end encrypted’ smart toilet camera is not actually end-to-end encrypted | TechCrunch
Kohler, the makers of a smart toilet camera, can access customers' data stored on its servers, and can use customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.
techcrunch.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“The security researcher also pointed out that given Kohler can access customers’ data on its servers, it’s possible Kohler is using customers’ bowl pictures to train AI.”
Was his “legal adviser” named Pete Hegseth?
Someone should really advise him not to say this because it’s the kind of breathtakingly, hilariously stupid statement for which a person will always be remembered. “Oh, the guy who said the swimmers were ‘continuing their drug run’? LOL”
Someone should really advise him not to say this because it’s the kind of breathtakingly, hilariously stupid statement for which a person will always be remembered. “Oh, the guy who said the swimmers were ‘continuing their drug run’? LOL”
A top admiral is expected to tell lawmakers tomorrow that he and his legal adviser concluded that the two survivors of a boat strike in September were attempting to continue their drug run, making them and the damaged vessel legitimate targets for another attack.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Exclusive | Survivors of Boat Strike Were Actively Continuing Drug Mission, Admiral to Tell Lawmakers
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the commander of the September attack, is set to provide an account of his role for the first time in a closed briefing.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Was his “legal adviser” named Pete Hegseth?
Someone should really advise him not to say this because it’s the kind of breathtakingly, hilariously stupid statement for which a person will always be remembered. “Oh, the guy who said the swimmers were ‘continuing their drug run’? LOL”
Someone should really advise him not to say this because it’s the kind of breathtakingly, hilariously stupid statement for which a person will always be remembered. “Oh, the guy who said the swimmers were ‘continuing their drug run’? LOL”
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
Two things:
1) How can people floating in open water continue a drug run? Swim a thousand miles towing a crate?
2) More importantly, drugs are not weapons, and a drug run is not a national security threat, especially not an immediate one to the world's most powerful navy.
1) How can people floating in open water continue a drug run? Swim a thousand miles towing a crate?
2) More importantly, drugs are not weapons, and a drug run is not a national security threat, especially not an immediate one to the world's most powerful navy.
A top admiral is expected to tell lawmakers tomorrow that he and his legal adviser concluded that the two survivors of a boat strike in September were attempting to continue their drug run, making them and the damaged vessel legitimate targets for another attack.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
Exclusive | Survivors of Boat Strike Were Actively Continuing Drug Mission, Admiral to Tell Lawmakers
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the commander of the September attack, is set to provide an account of his role for the first time in a closed briefing.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Two things:
1) How can people floating in open water continue a drug run? Swim a thousand miles towing a crate?
2) More importantly, drugs are not weapons, and a drug run is not a national security threat, especially not an immediate one to the world's most powerful navy.
1) How can people floating in open water continue a drug run? Swim a thousand miles towing a crate?
2) More importantly, drugs are not weapons, and a drug run is not a national security threat, especially not an immediate one to the world's most powerful navy.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
It’s the 47th anniversary of the raid on Cynthia Payne’s house in Ambleside Avenue, Streatham, in which police found men (including, apparently, a Lord, an MP, and some vicars) queueing on the stairs waiting to pay for sex with luncheon vouchers
December 4, 2025 at 1:16 PM
It’s the 47th anniversary of the raid on Cynthia Payne’s house in Ambleside Avenue, Streatham, in which police found men (including, apparently, a Lord, an MP, and some vicars) queueing on the stairs waiting to pay for sex with luncheon vouchers
Was the “defense official” who said this named Pete Hegseth?
No admiral saw two guys clinging to the wreckage of a boat as “legitimate targets.” And the claim he thought they were “continuing their drug run” is hilarious. They were swimming towards Florida towing a bale of drugs?
No admiral saw two guys clinging to the wreckage of a boat as “legitimate targets.” And the claim he thought they were “continuing their drug run” is hilarious. They were swimming towards Florida towing a bale of drugs?
BREAKING: Admiral Frank Bradley saw alleged drug boat strike survivors as legitimate targets, a defense official says. They were killed in a second strike.
Admiral saw alleged drug boat strike survivors as legitimate targets, defense official says
Adm. Frank M. Bradley saw the two survivors of the first strike on an alleged drug boat as legitimate military targets based on the rules for the operation, a defense official said.
nbcnews.to
December 4, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Was the “defense official” who said this named Pete Hegseth?
No admiral saw two guys clinging to the wreckage of a boat as “legitimate targets.” And the claim he thought they were “continuing their drug run” is hilarious. They were swimming towards Florida towing a bale of drugs?
No admiral saw two guys clinging to the wreckage of a boat as “legitimate targets.” And the claim he thought they were “continuing their drug run” is hilarious. They were swimming towards Florida towing a bale of drugs?
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
It isn't a war. If it were, the strikes are still war crimes.
The drugs weren't headed to the U.S.
The people killed were likely poor, low-level smugglers, not drug lords.
Most overdose deaths are from fentanyl. Fentanyl doesn't come from South America.
Everything else Marshall says is correct!
The drugs weren't headed to the U.S.
The people killed were likely poor, low-level smugglers, not drug lords.
Most overdose deaths are from fentanyl. Fentanyl doesn't come from South America.
Everything else Marshall says is correct!
Sen. Roger Marshall defends Hegseth: "Look, we're losing 200 Americans every day to drug poisoning from these drug lords. This is a war. And it's ugly. War is never pretty ... that strike probably saved thousands of American lives."
December 3, 2025 at 2:47 PM
It isn't a war. If it were, the strikes are still war crimes.
The drugs weren't headed to the U.S.
The people killed were likely poor, low-level smugglers, not drug lords.
Most overdose deaths are from fentanyl. Fentanyl doesn't come from South America.
Everything else Marshall says is correct!
The drugs weren't headed to the U.S.
The people killed were likely poor, low-level smugglers, not drug lords.
Most overdose deaths are from fentanyl. Fentanyl doesn't come from South America.
Everything else Marshall says is correct!
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.” -George Will www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | A sickening moral slum of an administration
Regarding Venezuela, Ukraine and much more, Trump and his acolytes are worse than simply incompetent.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:53 AM
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to be a war criminal. Without a war. An interesting achievement.” -George Will www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
“If the President intentionally shot a baby in the face, would that be wrong?”
“Let’s not rush to judgment before knowing all the facts”
“Let’s not rush to judgment before knowing all the facts”
RAJU: If defenseless survivors were killed, would that constitute a violation of the laws of war?
MIKE JOHNSON: I'm not going to prejudge any of that. I was pretty busy yesterday. I didn't follow a lot of the news.
MIKE JOHNSON: I'm not going to prejudge any of that. I was pretty busy yesterday. I didn't follow a lot of the news.
December 2, 2025 at 4:11 PM
“If the President intentionally shot a baby in the face, would that be wrong?”
“Let’s not rush to judgment before knowing all the facts”
“Let’s not rush to judgment before knowing all the facts”
“the combat decisions HE has made”
Make no mistake about it, Pete Hegseth is throwing Admiral Bradley under the bus, all the while pretending to support him.
When things go south, and they will, Hegseth is going to make sure that Bradley is holding the gun.
When things go south, and they will, Hegseth is going to make sure that Bradley is holding the gun.
December 2, 2025 at 8:11 AM
“the combat decisions HE has made”
The older ones may vaguely remember a time when presidents ordering people to commit crimes was frowned upon.
Many senior Republicans in Congress are now demanding more details from the White House about its recent military campaign in the Caribbean.
The push for transparency from President Donald Trump’s own party comes after weeks of mounting concerns among some GOP lawmakers.
The push for transparency from President Donald Trump’s own party comes after weeks of mounting concerns among some GOP lawmakers.
Lawmakers demand audio and video of boat attack as follow-up strike raises concern on Capitol Hill | CNN Politics
The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday said Secretary Pete Hegseth had confirmed to him there was a second US strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in Septe...
www.cnn.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:09 AM
The older ones may vaguely remember a time when presidents ordering people to commit crimes was frowned upon.
Reposted by Lowering the Bar
Please, Apple, do this one right.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.
Apple TV's New Cyberpunk Show That Was Called 'Unfilmable' Is the Sci-Fi Event of the Decade
One book-to-screen adaptation that was once thought impossible is finally coming to Apple TV next year--and we couldn't be more excited.
www.cbr.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Please, Apple, do this one right.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.
Neuromancer by @greatdismal.bsky.social finally gets a TV series. Could be amazing, but expectations will be high from all of us who read these books when we were young.
Count Zero was a personal fave.