Mike Brock, as usual, writes not only eloquently, but with his continued high batting average of sharing reality. The commentary title, "The Wire Still Holds," brings to mind a relevant and thought-provoking quote.
"Yet I do always to be walking a tightrope over a cesspool" — George Orwell, Such, Such Were the Joys" (1950), page 50 of the hardback edition.
Yes, the "wire" or our Democratic "tightrope" is holding. But there are politicians now in office who have abused power, allowed morality to slide down the drain, and are following Animal Farm rules of "law" that maintain our DIRE STRAITS position.
Our situation reminds me somewhat of what I felt in treating a young woman with acute myelogenous leukemia. I had to be aggressive with chemotherapy to wipe out the leukemic cells in her bone marrow It was touch and go until I tests confirmed that she was "coming back" with a healthy cell population. At this moment, we have a malignancy running and ruining our country. And that twisted and pathologic "oak" has seeded his cabinet with similarly twisted and pathologic acorns. We are still on the wire or a tightrope. It is holding. But the issue is that those in political office (GOP) and those non-politicians (MAGA) are doing what they can to push this Democracy and democratic-minded citizens off the tightrope.
Yesterday, a neighbor I like shared his thoughts about Trump, tariffs, religion, the 747 gift from Qatar, due process, MS13, and Abrego Garcia. I was shocked. His arguments were loaded with statements he pulled out of God knows where. Interestingly, I took a few of his "truths" and asked Gemini, a Google AI, to discuss, confirm and/or refute. Gemini negated all of what he said. I sent him the text, and to my surprise, he started questioning his opinion. Maybe other readers might wish to try this. Gemini, Perplexity, and other AIs are free. You can ask for specific references and receive them.
My colleague in the Netherlands shared good input regarding Perplexity AI. Gemini is one of Google’s AI "engines." It allows follow-up questions. I have used artificial neural nets (ANNs) in medicine when other physicians laughed at what seemed to them absurd. A major change in my medical approach to cancer and other diseases evolved from algorithms and nomograms to ANNs, and from there to machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). The use of such tools, as far back as the '80s, altered the course for the better of the hundreds of men I evaluated and treated for prostate cancer.
What is unique about the AI Gemini I have used, and probably the other AI tools out there, is:
• I challenge the AI findings, and often AI admits to not having looked at the latest data and corrects itself.
• I can save all my AI interactions with Gemini (free version).
• I can get references. I asked Gemini to provide medical references in full citation format using a particular style, like Chicago. It did so.
• If you are familiar with Evernote, you can use the Evernote Webclipper, and it will clip the AI response and show all the referenced links as images. You can then share that by exporting the clip as a PDF and send to whomever.
• Perhaps most importantly, AI is taking far too long to be used routinely in medicine.
Many peer-reviewed papers show significant improvement in outcomes incorporating AI in medical imaging analyses, such as CT or Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. Yet, this is not employed in caring for patients other than a few academic centers. AI is not being used in diagnosis. I was diagnosed with a rare B-cell malignancy approximately 4 years late. When I discovered AI and entered only my symptoms, the correct diagnosis was near the top of the differential diagnosis. For me, the late diagnosis with conventional medicine has led to horrendous side effects and has negatively affected my quality of life.
When we have discovered something that offers life something far better, and we leave it on the back shelf instead of using it in the present, we harm a living entity, be it a human, animal, or the Planet.
Even the conservative SC clan finally recognised the monster they have assisted in creating. We can only hope that today's small, yet significant victory serves as a precedent for the upcoming legal battles.
Free Will, the article depends upon the reasonable assumption that anyone reading it would know that in the United States, under our constitutional law, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The law also guarantees that no one will be denied liberty without first facing a trial in which the prosecution succeeds in proving guilt. Therefore, the El Salvation jail is filled not with murders, rapists, and members of vicious gangs, but with innocent people. A very few of them may actually be criminals, yet — on what evidence is available — most appear to truly be innocent. Insert this common knowledge into the essay, and its proof is painfully clear.
Always remember that the right to a fair trial is there to protect not criminals, not migrants, not anyone in specific, but to protect YOU, to protect ALL OF US. If you were wrongfully snatched off the streets by Trump's goon squad, YOU would want and deserve these protections, but YOU only have them when ALL OF US have them.
P.S. — Depriving people of liberty is such a serious matter that we in the United States must retain control of incarceration. Sending prisoners to jails abroad is wrong, because it denies us the opportunity to readily correct our mistakes. Abrego Garcia, and many others, need to come home!
I have had so many discussions with those belonging to MAGA, as you seem to be. They (MAGA) come up with their own true facts versus those of the left which are considered untrue facts. Such a belief system is written about in depth by George Orwell in his chapter on Nationalism. I do not suppose you would be open to the results presented by an AI engine such as Perplexity or Gemini. I guess that you would affirm that these are simply propaganda tools of far-left radicals. Right?
After a discussion with Jack, a MAGA neighbor whom I like, I was so bedazzled by his 180-degree opposite viewpoint on issues like the Quran, the Qatar gift to the Department of Defense, and just about every issue we had discussed that I spent over two hours asking Gemini the same questions. I printed out the results and handed them to Jack. To my surprise, he replied that he would look further into his beliefs, one example related to his interpretation of the Quran versus mine. Per Jack, Muslims avoid "hell-fire" by sacrificing a Jew or a Christian. I said that's bullshit. The Quran does not promote violence or the taking of another's life. Gemini unequivocally supported my understanding. Jack is now rethinking and perhaps re-reading the Quran.
Perhaps you ought to try various search engines like Gemini (free on Google) and use the URL: https://gemini.google.com/
I took your opinion about Merrick Garland and submitted it to Gemini. Before pasting the results below, I must say this. I watched live TV on January 6, 2021. Please do not insult my intelligence by saying that those attacking the Capitol police, whom I saw in real time, were peaceful protesters. That's unadulterated bullshit. I saw the attacks on those officers with bear spray, fists, poles, etc. Your insinuation that this is contrived is unexplainable and inexcusable.
First, here is the AI response to one of your opinions presented exactly per your comment above.
It seems there may be a slight misspelling in the name you provided. It's likely you are asking about Merrick Garland, who is the current Attorney General of the United States.
Here's information to clarify the situation:
Merrick Garland's Role: As the Attorney General, Merrick Garland is the head of the Department of Justice. The DOJ is responsible for federal law enforcement and prosecution.
Arrests Related to January 6th: Following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Garland, has been involved in a large-scale investigation and prosecution of individuals involved in the events of that day.
Focus on Those Involved in Illegal Activity: The arrests and prosecutions have focused on individuals who allegedly committed illegal acts, such as assaulting law enforcement officers, illegally entering the Capitol building, and disrupting government proceedings.
Peaceful Protesters: The Department of Justice has stated that its focus is on those who engaged in violence and illegal acts. Peaceful protesters would not typically be subject to arrest by federal authorities.
Therefore, the statement that Merrick Garland arrested thousands of peaceful protesters after January 6, 2021, is not accurate. The arrests made by the Department of Justice were related to the alleged involvement of individuals in illegal activities during the Capitol attack.
And here's Gemini's reply to your unconscionable statement about no injuries occurring to the Capitol police.
Yes, it is unequivocally true that Capitol Police officers were injured on January 6, 2021. This is not "mainstream media hype" but a well-documented fact supported by extensive evidence, including:
Testimony of Officers: Capitol Police officers themselves have testified publicly and given harrowing accounts of the violence they endured. They described being beaten, crushed, sprayed with chemical irritants, and facing threats to their lives. Officer Caroline Edwards, for example, described it as a "war scene" and recounted being knocked unconscious.
Official Reports: Investigations and reports from various government bodies and news organizations have detailed the injuries sustained by law enforcement officers.
Visual Evidence: Numerous videos and photographs from that day clearly show violent clashes between rioters and police, with officers being physically assaulted.
Department of Justice Data: The Department of Justice has charged many individuals with assaulting law enforcement officers during the Capitol attack, and many have pleaded guilty to these charges.
Casualty Numbers: Reports indicate that over 140 police officers were injured, including officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C. Some injuries were severe, requiring hospitalization and long-term medical care.
Deaths Connected to the Attack: While the immediate cause of death for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was ruled as strokes, the medical examiner noted that "all that transpired played a role in his condition" after he was assaulted by rioters. Tragically, four other officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within the following months, highlighting the severe trauma they experienced.
To suggest that the injuries to Capitol Police officers on January 6th are "mainstream media hype" is to disregard the direct accounts of those who were there, the legal proceedings against the attackers, and the overwhelming evidence of violence against law enforcement. It's a disservice to the officers who risked their lives to defend the Capitol and the democratic process.
All of the above responses per Gemini are backed up with links to references.
You, "free will," are either so brain-washed that you cannot discern fact from fiction, or perhaps you are a Russian bot. I would love to see a debate on the topics you have noted in your post on Fox News.
In this video, you’ll see Ashli Babbitt doing her thing along with the other peaceful protestors. In the spirit of an often used MAGA banality: If she had just complied and followed officer’s orders, she wouldn’t be dead. Fuck around and find out.
“More than 1,500 people across the U.S. have been charged with federal crimes related to the deadly riot. Hundreds of people who did not engage in destruction or violence were charged only with misdemeanor offenses for entering the Capitol illegally. Others were charged with felony offenses, including assault for beating police officers. Leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys extremist groups were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as plots to use violence to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Trump, a Republican, to Joe Biden, a Democrat.
About 250 people have been convicted of crimes by a judge or a jury after a trial. Only two people were acquitted of all charges by judges after bench trials. No jury has fully acquitted a Capitol riot defendant. At least 1,020 others had pleaded guilty as of Jan. 1.
More than 1,000 rioters have already been sentenced, with over 700 receiving at least some time behind bars. The rest were given some combination of probation, community service, home detention or fines.” - PBS, 1/6/25
—-
“I understand you BELIEVE everything you just wrote.” Paraphrasing the Constitution is not a “belief.”
Something tells me you didn’t do your homework before deciding to troll this Substack. But keep it coming. Every word you type underscores that you’re full of beliefs, empty of facts.
Upon even closer inspection of the video: 29 seconds of an angry mob attempting to breach barricaded doors into the Speaker's Chamber. :30 AB one leg and arm on the other side of upper door panel (that no longer had a glass it.) :30-:31 one shot fired
The fact that a USAF veteran (AB) thought it was ok to use force to break into the CLOSED Capital Building while Congress was attempting certify the election results speaks volumes.
You have your monsters confused because it certainly isn't Lt Michael Byrd: The only person responsible for shelling out 5 million in Bondi's DOJ wrongful death settlement is Donald Trump. From his own pocket. Not us taxpayers. You know, those same taxpayers whose votes Ashli Babbit sought to overturn.
What you're doing in this comment thread is the definition of gaslighting. You're insisting on the exact opposite of what is happening in this video. You're insisting on a narrative of events that is verifiably untrue. Peaceful is the opposite of what is happening in this video. Walked through the door is the opposite of climbing through a barricaded door. The doors to the Speaker's Chamber are closed, locked and barricaded with chairs and furniture. In the video, the rioters are using force with poles and other objects to break the glass. She didn't walk through a door. She was climbing through the window panel of a barricaded door.
I know a fool when I'm up against one. No brainwashing required.
You can watch her right here in this video, which I also shared in my first response to you. You didn’t bother to look at it then had the arrogance to state: “Provably untrue on AB. There is video footage. The passage was mostly clear…”
Thank you for proving once again that you’re allergic to facts:
Mike Brock, as usual, writes not only eloquently, but with his continued high batting average of sharing reality. The commentary title, "The Wire Still Holds," brings to mind a relevant and thought-provoking quote.
"Yet I do always to be walking a tightrope over a cesspool" — George Orwell, Such, Such Were the Joys" (1950), page 50 of the hardback edition.
Yes, the "wire" or our Democratic "tightrope" is holding. But there are politicians now in office who have abused power, allowed morality to slide down the drain, and are following Animal Farm rules of "law" that maintain our DIRE STRAITS position.
Our situation reminds me somewhat of what I felt in treating a young woman with acute myelogenous leukemia. I had to be aggressive with chemotherapy to wipe out the leukemic cells in her bone marrow It was touch and go until I tests confirmed that she was "coming back" with a healthy cell population. At this moment, we have a malignancy running and ruining our country. And that twisted and pathologic "oak" has seeded his cabinet with similarly twisted and pathologic acorns. We are still on the wire or a tightrope. It is holding. But the issue is that those in political office (GOP) and those non-politicians (MAGA) are doing what they can to push this Democracy and democratic-minded citizens off the tightrope.
Yesterday, a neighbor I like shared his thoughts about Trump, tariffs, religion, the 747 gift from Qatar, due process, MS13, and Abrego Garcia. I was shocked. His arguments were loaded with statements he pulled out of God knows where. Interestingly, I took a few of his "truths" and asked Gemini, a Google AI, to discuss, confirm and/or refute. Gemini negated all of what he said. I sent him the text, and to my surprise, he started questioning his opinion. Maybe other readers might wish to try this. Gemini, Perplexity, and other AIs are free. You can ask for specific references and receive them.
I’ve didn’t know about Gemini but I absolutely love Perplexity as it’s so easy to ask your own follow up questions.
My colleague in the Netherlands shared good input regarding Perplexity AI. Gemini is one of Google’s AI "engines." It allows follow-up questions. I have used artificial neural nets (ANNs) in medicine when other physicians laughed at what seemed to them absurd. A major change in my medical approach to cancer and other diseases evolved from algorithms and nomograms to ANNs, and from there to machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). The use of such tools, as far back as the '80s, altered the course for the better of the hundreds of men I evaluated and treated for prostate cancer.
What is unique about the AI Gemini I have used, and probably the other AI tools out there, is:
• I challenge the AI findings, and often AI admits to not having looked at the latest data and corrects itself.
• I can save all my AI interactions with Gemini (free version).
• I can get references. I asked Gemini to provide medical references in full citation format using a particular style, like Chicago. It did so.
• If you are familiar with Evernote, you can use the Evernote Webclipper, and it will clip the AI response and show all the referenced links as images. You can then share that by exporting the clip as a PDF and send to whomever.
• Perhaps most importantly, AI is taking far too long to be used routinely in medicine.
Many peer-reviewed papers show significant improvement in outcomes incorporating AI in medical imaging analyses, such as CT or Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies. Yet, this is not employed in caring for patients other than a few academic centers. AI is not being used in diagnosis. I was diagnosed with a rare B-cell malignancy approximately 4 years late. When I discovered AI and entered only my symptoms, the correct diagnosis was near the top of the differential diagnosis. For me, the late diagnosis with conventional medicine has led to horrendous side effects and has negatively affected my quality of life.
When we have discovered something that offers life something far better, and we leave it on the back shelf instead of using it in the present, we harm a living entity, be it a human, animal, or the Planet.
Even the conservative SC clan finally recognised the monster they have assisted in creating. We can only hope that today's small, yet significant victory serves as a precedent for the upcoming legal battles.
Boo
More likely no turning point, but last performative gesture to law before substantive capitulation.
Free Will, the article depends upon the reasonable assumption that anyone reading it would know that in the United States, under our constitutional law, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The law also guarantees that no one will be denied liberty without first facing a trial in which the prosecution succeeds in proving guilt. Therefore, the El Salvation jail is filled not with murders, rapists, and members of vicious gangs, but with innocent people. A very few of them may actually be criminals, yet — on what evidence is available — most appear to truly be innocent. Insert this common knowledge into the essay, and its proof is painfully clear.
Always remember that the right to a fair trial is there to protect not criminals, not migrants, not anyone in specific, but to protect YOU, to protect ALL OF US. If you were wrongfully snatched off the streets by Trump's goon squad, YOU would want and deserve these protections, but YOU only have them when ALL OF US have them.
P.S. — Depriving people of liberty is such a serious matter that we in the United States must retain control of incarceration. Sending prisoners to jails abroad is wrong, because it denies us the opportunity to readily correct our mistakes. Abrego Garcia, and many others, need to come home!
However, I have occasionally indulged myself by imagining dRumpf & his minions in chains being walked into CECOT.
I have had so many discussions with those belonging to MAGA, as you seem to be. They (MAGA) come up with their own true facts versus those of the left which are considered untrue facts. Such a belief system is written about in depth by George Orwell in his chapter on Nationalism. I do not suppose you would be open to the results presented by an AI engine such as Perplexity or Gemini. I guess that you would affirm that these are simply propaganda tools of far-left radicals. Right?
After a discussion with Jack, a MAGA neighbor whom I like, I was so bedazzled by his 180-degree opposite viewpoint on issues like the Quran, the Qatar gift to the Department of Defense, and just about every issue we had discussed that I spent over two hours asking Gemini the same questions. I printed out the results and handed them to Jack. To my surprise, he replied that he would look further into his beliefs, one example related to his interpretation of the Quran versus mine. Per Jack, Muslims avoid "hell-fire" by sacrificing a Jew or a Christian. I said that's bullshit. The Quran does not promote violence or the taking of another's life. Gemini unequivocally supported my understanding. Jack is now rethinking and perhaps re-reading the Quran.
Perhaps you ought to try various search engines like Gemini (free on Google) and use the URL: https://gemini.google.com/
I took your opinion about Merrick Garland and submitted it to Gemini. Before pasting the results below, I must say this. I watched live TV on January 6, 2021. Please do not insult my intelligence by saying that those attacking the Capitol police, whom I saw in real time, were peaceful protesters. That's unadulterated bullshit. I saw the attacks on those officers with bear spray, fists, poles, etc. Your insinuation that this is contrived is unexplainable and inexcusable.
First, here is the AI response to one of your opinions presented exactly per your comment above.
It seems there may be a slight misspelling in the name you provided. It's likely you are asking about Merrick Garland, who is the current Attorney General of the United States.
Here's information to clarify the situation:
Merrick Garland's Role: As the Attorney General, Merrick Garland is the head of the Department of Justice. The DOJ is responsible for federal law enforcement and prosecution.
Arrests Related to January 6th: Following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Garland, has been involved in a large-scale investigation and prosecution of individuals involved in the events of that day.
Focus on Those Involved in Illegal Activity: The arrests and prosecutions have focused on individuals who allegedly committed illegal acts, such as assaulting law enforcement officers, illegally entering the Capitol building, and disrupting government proceedings.
Peaceful Protesters: The Department of Justice has stated that its focus is on those who engaged in violence and illegal acts. Peaceful protesters would not typically be subject to arrest by federal authorities.
Therefore, the statement that Merrick Garland arrested thousands of peaceful protesters after January 6, 2021, is not accurate. The arrests made by the Department of Justice were related to the alleged involvement of individuals in illegal activities during the Capitol attack.
And here's Gemini's reply to your unconscionable statement about no injuries occurring to the Capitol police.
Yes, it is unequivocally true that Capitol Police officers were injured on January 6, 2021. This is not "mainstream media hype" but a well-documented fact supported by extensive evidence, including:
Testimony of Officers: Capitol Police officers themselves have testified publicly and given harrowing accounts of the violence they endured. They described being beaten, crushed, sprayed with chemical irritants, and facing threats to their lives. Officer Caroline Edwards, for example, described it as a "war scene" and recounted being knocked unconscious.
Official Reports: Investigations and reports from various government bodies and news organizations have detailed the injuries sustained by law enforcement officers.
Visual Evidence: Numerous videos and photographs from that day clearly show violent clashes between rioters and police, with officers being physically assaulted.
Department of Justice Data: The Department of Justice has charged many individuals with assaulting law enforcement officers during the Capitol attack, and many have pleaded guilty to these charges.
Casualty Numbers: Reports indicate that over 140 police officers were injured, including officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C. Some injuries were severe, requiring hospitalization and long-term medical care.
Deaths Connected to the Attack: While the immediate cause of death for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was ruled as strokes, the medical examiner noted that "all that transpired played a role in his condition" after he was assaulted by rioters. Tragically, four other officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within the following months, highlighting the severe trauma they experienced.
To suggest that the injuries to Capitol Police officers on January 6th are "mainstream media hype" is to disregard the direct accounts of those who were there, the legal proceedings against the attackers, and the overwhelming evidence of violence against law enforcement. It's a disservice to the officers who risked their lives to defend the Capitol and the democratic process.
All of the above responses per Gemini are backed up with links to references.
You, "free will," are either so brain-washed that you cannot discern fact from fiction, or perhaps you are a Russian bot. I would love to see a debate on the topics you have noted in your post on Fox News.
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS:
In this video, you’ll see Ashli Babbitt doing her thing along with the other peaceful protestors. In the spirit of an often used MAGA banality: If she had just complied and followed officer’s orders, she wouldn’t be dead. Fuck around and find out.
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/capitol-shooting-that-led-to-ashli-babbitt-s-death-captured-on-video-99180613572
In this video, we watch as an officer is almost crushed to death by the peaceful protestors:
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/video-shows-officer-being-crushed-by-violent-pro-trump-mob-in-deadly-capitol-riot-99210309545
DUE PROCESS & DENIAL OF LIBERTY:
“More than 1,500 people across the U.S. have been charged with federal crimes related to the deadly riot. Hundreds of people who did not engage in destruction or violence were charged only with misdemeanor offenses for entering the Capitol illegally. Others were charged with felony offenses, including assault for beating police officers. Leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys extremist groups were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as plots to use violence to stop the peaceful transfer of power from Trump, a Republican, to Joe Biden, a Democrat.
About 250 people have been convicted of crimes by a judge or a jury after a trial. Only two people were acquitted of all charges by judges after bench trials. No jury has fully acquitted a Capitol riot defendant. At least 1,020 others had pleaded guilty as of Jan. 1.
More than 1,000 rioters have already been sentenced, with over 700 receiving at least some time behind bars. The rest were given some combination of probation, community service, home detention or fines.” - PBS, 1/6/25
—-
“I understand you BELIEVE everything you just wrote.” Paraphrasing the Constitution is not a “belief.”
Something tells me you didn’t do your homework before deciding to troll this Substack. But keep it coming. Every word you type underscores that you’re full of beliefs, empty of facts.
It’s always Rasmussen Polls that get quoted by MAGA. Gee, I wonder why?
Banning books? Civil Librarians craving freedom of speech? Pot, meet kettle.
Ashli Babbit was shot as she was four feet in the air attempting to use her body to break through the glass door that was barricaded from the inside.
Take your false equivalence, “truther” garbage elsewhere.
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled. - Twain
Upon even closer inspection of the video: 29 seconds of an angry mob attempting to breach barricaded doors into the Speaker's Chamber. :30 AB one leg and arm on the other side of upper door panel (that no longer had a glass it.) :30-:31 one shot fired
The fact that a USAF veteran (AB) thought it was ok to use force to break into the CLOSED Capital Building while Congress was attempting certify the election results speaks volumes.
You have your monsters confused because it certainly isn't Lt Michael Byrd: The only person responsible for shelling out 5 million in Bondi's DOJ wrongful death settlement is Donald Trump. From his own pocket. Not us taxpayers. You know, those same taxpayers whose votes Ashli Babbit sought to overturn.
I sleep perfectly well at night.
What you're doing in this comment thread is the definition of gaslighting. You're insisting on the exact opposite of what is happening in this video. You're insisting on a narrative of events that is verifiably untrue. Peaceful is the opposite of what is happening in this video. Walked through the door is the opposite of climbing through a barricaded door. The doors to the Speaker's Chamber are closed, locked and barricaded with chairs and furniture. In the video, the rioters are using force with poles and other objects to break the glass. She didn't walk through a door. She was climbing through the window panel of a barricaded door.
I know a fool when I'm up against one. No brainwashing required.
You can watch her right here in this video, which I also shared in my first response to you. You didn’t bother to look at it then had the arrogance to state: “Provably untrue on AB. There is video footage. The passage was mostly clear…”
Thank you for proving once again that you’re allergic to facts:
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/capitol-shooting-that-led-to-ashli-babbitt-s-death-captured-on-video-99180613572