American Politics

[Xpartan]

Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first parents in the US to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child, Ethan Crumbley who is serving a life sentence in prison.

While I applaud the ruling, congress and the courts should go one better and repeal PLCAA, one of the dumbest / numbskull laws ever. PLCAA, was a Repub backed bill, pass by George "Dubya" Bush administration, back in 2005, to protect gun manufacturers from being sued, from those harmed by their products, can't sue the pants of them. No other manufacturers in industry has this kind of immunity.

Maybe if they didn't have such immunity, perhaps they'd put safer gun measures into their products, for fear of being sued, like everyone else?

Look at the SCOTUS composition where this repeal would inevitably end up even if victorious.

[MarquisdeSade1]

"Prostitution is legal in the USA hence the Nevada brothels, but the Feds are hell bent on finding ways to make it illegal by using the bullshit accusations like money laundering, human trafficking ETC. It amazes me how many sex workers have said they know very few if any women who have been trafficked, but we see endless warnings about it.

The fucking FBI can lie all they want AKA Russiagate but you cannot. You handled it right. You do not say anything with those assholes because they will lie about what you said.

The only good news is the perverted Democratic Department of Justice may have gone too far. I am sure you have heard about the $364 billion Trump verdict as Dems tried like crazy to spin it that there were victims with it when they were none. It was such bullshit that the truckers of America have had enough.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/fk...tarting-monday

Truck drivers transport between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States. Therefore, when truckers begin discussing plans on social media to boycott loads to progressive hellhole New York City, it's important to pay attention.

X user Chicago1 Ray, who appears to be a Midwest truck driver, shared a video late Friday night detailing that a number of truck drivers will begin denying loads to NYC on Monday.

"I don't know how far across the country this is. Or how many truckers are going start denying loads to NYC. But I'll tell you. You f**k around and find out," Chicago1 Ray said.

He continued: "We're tired of motherf**king leftist f**king with Trump. Okay. Motherfu**ers start to get tired of this shit. Our bosses aren't going to care if we deny loads. We'll go somewhere else. ".

"You know how hard it is to get in and out of NYC?" the trucker emphasized. I've been on the radio for over an hour and I've talked to at least (10) Truckers who are going to start refusing loads of Monday for (NYC) . I talked to (3) guys that I work with who texted the boss and told him no (NYC).

By Saturday morning, the video had amassed nearly 3 million views.

End of link. The truckers in Canada were the first ones who organized in mass against Covid and now we have to rely on their common sense again. I get their point. If you want to cost Trump $350 million on bullshit charges, we are going to hit you for $3 billion in damages you POS New Yorkers. I am done trying to convince these Dems of anything. They are so dumb they think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

What really gets me is the Covid crap we had to deal with. How many boosters you Dems get it? You still wearing masks and social distancing? Uh, why not? There is still Covid out there. You can still die from it just look at all the daily deaths in the world. Look up the numbers if you do not believe me.

It was only after states like Texas and Florida opened up that the gutless ones like California and New York saw the hits to their pocket books that they backed down. WAIT, YOU MEAN WE CANNOT JUST PRINT MONEY AND STAY HOME? That is what it is going to take with New York, getting hit in the pocket book.

I just hope the first thing Trump does when he gets in office is start over with law enforcement. Just destroy the corrupt FBI, CIA, and NSA and start fresh. They do way more harm than good. ".

They just cheated in Pakistan and Bangladesh and Washington Dc in 2020.

If they try this shit again in Nov, look out.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/w...-election.html

[Paulie97]

"Russia, if you're listening", neither your top American political stooge Donald Trump nor your and MAGA's top useful idiot in the media Tucker Carlson has yet uttered one word of criticism for your Murdering your political enemies.

This is the elephant in the room.

[EihTooms]

Of course, Bank Fraud is not a victimless crime.

Aside from the obvious theft of money and available resources from everyone who didn't commit Bank Fraud, unless bank fraudsters like Trump are fined huge monetary penalties far beyond whatever they might have gained from their bank fraud, there will be zero deterrence for him or anyone else from doing it again and again and again.

Everything Trump said outside the doors of his NY fraud trial is wrong. Here's why, point-by-point.
Dec. 8, 2023

https://www.businessinsider.com/dona...tcheck-2023-12

The banks "love us" and there are "no victims"

In relying on Trump's exaggerations, Deutsche Bank lost out on $168 million in interest payments they would have otherwise charged him between 2014 and 2023, they allege.

"Trump's crimes are not victimless," James told reporters a year ago. "When the well-connected and powerful break the law to get more money than they are entitled to, it reduces resources available to working people, small businesses, and taxpayers."

The Trump Crime Family got off easy. They all should have been banned FOR LIFE from doing business with banks that do business in New York.

Uh. If you steal a car, you still committed the crime of car theft and denied the owner and everyone else relying on that car access to it even if you return it 9 years later with a full tank of gas and a new coat of wax.

[Spidy]

Jennifer and James Crumbley were the first parents in the US to be charged in a mass school shooting committed by their child, Ethan Crumbley who is serving a life sentence in prison.

The Michigan school shooter's mother Jennifer Crumbley was convicted of manslaughter. Could the landmark ruling set a legal precedent?

• Why was the mother found responsible? Even though Jennifer Crumbley did not pull the trigger, she was held responsible for not safely securing the gun and ammunition at home, as well as failing to seek support for her son's mental health" ...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-...bley/103435710

While I applaud the ruling, congress and the courts should go one better and repeal PLCAA, one of the dumbest / numbskull laws ever. PLCAA, was a Repub backed bill, pass by George "Dubya" Bush administration, back in 2005, to protect gun manufacturers from being sued, from those harmed by their products, can't sue the pants of them. No other manufacturers in industry has this kind of immunity.

Maybe if they didn't have such immunity, perhaps they'd put safer gun measures into their products, for fear of being sued, like everyone else?

[Elvis 2008]

I got busted by a reverse sting mongering in a Sheraton hotel next to Ohare airport several years ago (circa 2015), guess who was running it, the FBI.

They asked my name of course I gave a bullshit name I said I found an ad online for a massage.

He was pissed yelling in my face he was a latino about 4 maybe 5 feet tall LOL with his FBI jacket on, yelling at me in my face, don't lie to me I'm the FBI.

I told him to blow me I want to speak to an atty and I sat down.

An hour or so later I was home.

Pro tip, leave wallet in the car.

Leave ignition key inside the gas cap door space.

Always say you just came for a massage and leave your wallet and keys behind.

They were towing other mongers cars.

I said my office was down the road and I took a taxi.

They didn't find any car FOB on me, they looked for one.

Prostitution is legal in the USA hence the Nevada brothels, but the Feds are hell bent on finding ways to make it illegal by using the bullshit accusations like money laundering, human trafficking ETC. It amazes me how many sex workers have said they know very few if any women who have been trafficked, but we see endless warnings about it.

The fucking FBI can lie all they want AKA Russiagate but you cannot. You handled it right. You do not say anything with those assholes because they will lie about what you said.

The only good news is the perverted Democratic Department of Justice may have gone too far. I am sure you have heard about the $364 billion Trump verdict as Dems tried like crazy to spin it that there were victims with it when they were none. It was such bullshit that the truckers of America have had enough.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/fk...tarting-monday

Truck drivers transport between 70% to 73% of all freight in the United States. Therefore, when truckers begin discussing plans on social media to boycott loads to progressive hellhole New York City, it's important to pay attention.

X user Chicago1 Ray, who appears to be a Midwest truck driver, shared a video late Friday night detailing that a number of truck drivers will begin denying loads to NYC on Monday.

"I don't know how far across the country this is. Or how many truckers are going start denying loads to NYC. But I'll tell you. You f**k around and find out," Chicago1 Ray said.

He continued: "We're tired of motherf**king leftist f**king with Trump. Okay. Motherfu**ers start to get tired of this shit. Our bosses aren't going to care if we deny loads. We'll go somewhere else. ".

"You know how hard it is to get in and out of NYC?" the trucker emphasized. I've been on the radio for over an hour and I've talked to at least (10) Truckers who are going to start refusing loads of Monday for (NYC) . I talked to (3) guys that I work with who texted the boss and told him no (NYC).

By Saturday morning, the video had amassed nearly 3 million views.

End of link. The truckers in Canada were the first ones who organized in mass against Covid and now we have to rely on their common sense again. I get their point. If you want to cost Trump $350 million on bullshit charges, we are going to hit you for $3 billion in damages you POS New Yorkers. I am done trying to convince these Dems of anything. They are so dumb they think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

What really gets me is the Covid crap we had to deal with. How many boosters you Dems get it? You still wearing masks and social distancing? Uh, why not? There is still Covid out there. You can still die from it just look at all the daily deaths in the world. Look up the numbers if you do not believe me.

It was only after states like Texas and Florida opened up that the gutless ones like California and New York saw the hits to their pocket books that they backed down. WAIT, YOU MEAN WE CANNOT JUST PRINT MONEY AND STAY HOME? That is what it is going to take with New York, getting hit in the pocket book.

I just hope the first thing Trump does when he gets in office is start over with law enforcement. Just destroy the corrupt FBI, CIA, and NSA and start fresh. They do way more harm than good.

[EihTooms]

Aww. Who told Repub Trump what had begun in 2014, expanded in 2022 and was already happening this year?

LOL. That is such a Classic Do Nothing Repub move for him to leave his booth at the KFC to run out in front of a passing parade that had already been marching down Broadway for years in hopes that at least a few ill-informed numbskulls might think he is the one who organized it.

Germany's Scholz commits to spending 2% on defense 'in the 2020's, in the 2030's and beyond'.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/17/germ...ndroidappshare

MUNICH, Germany German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday reaffirmed Berlins commitment to spend 2% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) on defense, this year and over the longer term.

Germany will invest 2% of its GDP on defense in the 2020s, in the 2030s and beyond, Scholz told the Munich Security Conference.

Germany has this commitment in 2024 through regular and special budget outlays for the first time since the early 1990s, a defense ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
....
Germany announced a new 100 billion euro ($107 billion) debt-financed fund for the Bundeswehr the German armed forces to beef up its national security in 2022, days after Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Scholz at the time dubbed the move a Zeitenwende or watershed moment in Germanys modern history, which would allow the country to meet its long-held 2% defense spending goals.

Why Donald Trumps boast that he got delinquent NATO allies to pay up is misleading

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...s-that-he-got/

2014, following Russias illegal annexation of Crimea, North Atlantic Treaty Organization members agreed to spend 2% of their national gross domestic product on defense spending by 2024. Spending has increased since then. As of 2023, 11 countries met that goal.

Experts said Russia President Vladimir Putins actions in 2014 and 2022 in Ukraine spurred the defense spending increases.

Oh brother. Cue the typically pro Repub Mainstream Media's spin that Trump's unconstitutional and criminal encouragement for any dictatorship to invade any country and "do whatever the hell they want" is responsible for a commitment and process that has been ongoing in Germany and many other NATO member countries for years! LOL.

[MarquisdeSade1]

"Some Dem is lapping up an FBI accusation as proof of guilt versus the FBI playing politics. What else is new? You mean the same FBI that sat on Hunter Biden's laptop during the 2020 election? That FBI?

David Weiss is charging Smirnov with lying to the FBI about the details he's presented in the Hunter Biden probe. Smirnov faces up to 25 years in prison.

Remember, this is the same David Weiss who said the IRS whistleblowers were lying, even though it was proven that they were telling the truth, and he offered Hunter that sweetheart plea deal before the Judge rejected it.

Did you guys know that Alexander Smirnov is only being charged with the DOJ catch all: "Making a false statement" 18 USC 1001, and "Creating a false and fictitious record" 18 USC 1519. The old "process crimes" attack. Classic Biden.

Ok. So where are all the indictments for everyone who gave the FBI false information about the Russian collusion charges against Trump?

Russiagate was the FBI telling countless lies about Trump being in bed with Putin. They lied to the FISA court. They lied in their documents, they changed testimony and now the FBI is outraged, outraged about someone lying? LOL.

Repeat after me, Tooms. Russiagate was the FBI lying to everyone in America about Trump. Can you say that? Sure you can.

So why the fuck should any of us care about the FBI and lying?

I got busted by a reverse sting mongering in a Sheraton hotel next to Ohare airport several years ago (circa 2015), guess who was running it, the FBI.

They asked my name of course I gave a bullshit name I said I found an ad online for a massage.

He was pissed yelling in my face he was a latino about 4 maybe 5 feet tall LOL with his FBI jacket on, yelling at me in my face, don't lie to me I'm the FBI.

I told him to blow me I want to speak to an atty and I sat down.

An hour or so later I was home.

Pro tip, leave wallet in the car.

Leave ignition key inside the gas cap door space.

Always say you just came for a massage and leave your wallet and keys behind.

They were towing other mongers cars.

I said my office was down the road and I took a taxi.

They didn't find any car FOB on me, they looked for one.

[Deleted by Admin]

[EihTooms]

Some Dem is lapping up an FBI accusation as proof of guilt versus the FBI playing politics. What else is new? You mean the same FBI that sat on Hunter Biden's laptop during the 2020 election? That FBI?

David Weiss is charging Smirnov with lying to the FBI about the details he's presented in the Hunter Biden probe. Smirnov faces up to 25 years in prison.

Remember, this is the same David Weiss who said the IRS whistleblowers were lying, even though it was proven that they were telling the truth, and he offered Hunter that sweetheart plea deal before the Judge rejected it.

Did you guys know that Alexander Smirnov is only being charged with the DOJ catch all: "Making a false statement" 18 USC 1001, and "Creating a false and fictitious record" 18 USC 1519. The old "process crimes" attack. Classic Biden.

What lies and which witnesses were those?

This is what Trump's own Department of Justice found regarding the FBI's necessary and totally justifiable investigation of Trump, Camp Trump and their extraordinarily deep and intense collusion with Russia all through the election:

FBI was justified in probing Trump-Russia, fed watchdog says.
Dec. 9, 2019

https://apnews.com/fbi-was-justified...7ad4c8f8af565c

WASHINGTON (AP) The FBI was justified in opening its investigation into ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia and did not act with political bias, the Justice Departments internal watchdog declared Monday, undercutting President Donald Trumps repeated claims that he has been the target of a witch hunt.

The long-awaited report rejected theories and criticism spread by Trump and his supporters, though it also found serious performance failures up the bureaus chain of command that Republicans are citing as evidence that Trump was targeted by an unfair investigation.

The affirmation of the investigations legitimacy, balanced by criticism of the way it was conducted ensured that partisan battles would persist over one of the most politically sensitive investigations in FBI history. Another review of the origins of the probe continues, and the prosecutor picked by Attorney General William Barr to lead that effort hinted Monday hell take a harder view of the FBIs actions.

There was only evidence against the FBI of making mistakes on the forms required to initiate their necessary and justifiable investigation and too little evidence of wrongdoing to charge whatever "lying" witnesses you are referring to.

"Russia, if you're listening", neither your top American political stooge Donald Trump nor your and MAGA's top useful idiot in the media Tucker Carlson has yet uttered one word of criticism for your Murdering your political enemies. Actually, your and MAGA's top useful idiot in the media has lovingly defended and supported it.

[EihTooms]

Yeah, you're always going to get the odd one (or two) DINO types, saddle up along and side with the Repubs. Annoyingly unavoidable! Just looking to support their campaign contributions, big money and rich billionaires donors, by scuttling and watering down very good, meaningful and transformative bills/legislation, in the face and against the majority of Americans.

Just take the recent case of the DINOs, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, w/r to the initial, bigger $4.5 trillion IRA..

Bear in mind, Lieberman had been booted from the Democratic Party by then. He was no longer a "Democrat" In Name Only or in any other way.

By then he was passing himself off as an Independent, the kind of pol meant to attract votes from pro Repub "Bothsiders" who can't admit openly or to themselves that they want Repubs to win elections so they can produce horrific results in office but that is typically the end result of their vote anyway.

The same thing he is doing with his No Labels movement.

[Spidy]

Joe Lieberman, the same Independent / Third Party / No Labels screw-up who is working mightily to help Donald Trump retake the White House so he can produce another 4-year shitstorm of historic crap Repub Economic and National Security policies and stewardship results, along with virtually every admitted Repub in Congress was the reason the Affordable Care Act healthcare reform wasn't many, many times better and cheaper than it is.

The New Republic: It Was Lieberman All Along.
Oct. 28, 2009

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/...ryId=114233563

The eternal lesson being, if you want a better Economy, better National Security, better Border Control, Lower Inflation, more and better jobs created, higher wages, more affordable and better Healthcare, lower debt and deficits, greater Stock Market gains and any other significant improvements in the lives of Americans, you do not, repeat, do not vote for Repubs, Third Party candidates or refuse to vote at all. No, you vote Democrat all the way down the ballot every time, no exceptions. And do your best to convince everyone you know to do the same.

America must have a Dem in the White House, at least 235 Dems in the House and at least 5 more Dems than required to constitute a Super Majority in the Senate if the country is going to deliver great things for our taxpayer dollar. It is as simple as that. Even 1 decisive non Dem in the House or Senate and most definitely any Repub in the White House is enough to put the entire country and much of the rest of the world in serious danger.

I wish it weren't so. But the data and evidence supporting that conclusion is overwhelming and inarguable now.

Yeah, you're always going to get the odd one (or two) DINO types, saddle up along and side with the Repubs. Annoyingly unavoidable! Just looking to support their campaign contributions, big money and rich billionaires donors, by scuttling and watering down very good, meaningful and transformative bills/legislation, in the face and against the majority of Americans.

Just take the recent case of the DINOs, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, w/r to the initial, bigger $4.5 trillion IRA.

The New Republic: It Was Lieberman All Along. Oct. 28, 2009 ... I think Lieberman is the one to watch. My guess is that ultimately he'll vote for reform, but he'll do so because the Democrats will scale back their plan and win over Olympia Snowe, making Lieberman's opposition academic. Lieberman won't join a futile filibuster, but if he has the chance to stick in the knife and kill health care reform, I think he'd probably jump at the chance.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/...ryId=114233563

Well from Lieberman's Wiki post, it looks like he got the chance to "stick in the knife" and vote-down the "public health insurance option", part of the ACA.

Thanks, it's always good to put a face/name to those "filibuster" impeding progress transgressors, even if it's a DINO.

[CheckMate1]

Here is the full Zelensky's speech on Feb 23, one day before the invasion.

Putin is on the same level as Thanos.

Feb 23, Zelensky made a speech.

Feb 24, Putin (Thanos) mobilized 100 K troops to the border using a new transporting power he got from riding a horse half naked somewhere in Russia. Easy peasy.

[Xpartan]

No, you vote Democrat all the way down the ballot every time, no exceptions. And do your best to convince everyone you know to do the same.

Isn't this what Republicans do?

Would you vote for Menendez?

One of my Rep friends who hates Trump's guts told me he'd vote for him anyway. I asked him why, and he said it's either him or Biden. I asked him half-jokingly how he'd be able to live with himself, and he said amazingly similar things to what you just did. That once you make a choice you have to stick with this choice even when it stinks and makes you cringe.

The danger of your approach is that when merit flies out of the window, it only encourages bad behavior. When politicians of any creed know they are politically invincible, there is nothing to prevent them from "menendezation".

[Elvis 2008]

It appears the central witness in Trump Attorney General Sean Hannity and ChristoFascist Mike's Impeachment case against President Hunter Biden has been busted for lying mercilessly about all the bits that so endeared him to Winger Repubs.

Some Dem is lapping up an FBI accusation as proof of guilt versus the FBI playing politics. What else is new? You mean the same FBI that sat on Hunter Biden's laptop during the 2020 election? That FBI?

David Weiss is charging Smirnov with lying to the FBI about the details he's presented in the Hunter Biden probe. Smirnov faces up to 25 years in prison.

Remember, this is the same David Weiss who said the IRS whistleblowers were lying, even though it was proven that they were telling the truth, and he offered Hunter that sweetheart plea deal before the Judge rejected it.

Did you guys know that Alexander Smirnov is only being charged with the DOJ catch all: "Making a false statement" 18 USC 1001, and "Creating a false and fictitious record" 18 USC 1519. The old "process crimes" attack. Classic Biden.

Ok. So where are all the indictments for everyone who gave the FBI false information about the Russian collusion charges against Trump?

Russiagate was the FBI telling countless lies about Trump being in bed with Putin. They lied to the FISA court. They lied in their documents, they changed testimony and now the FBI is outraged, outraged about someone lying? LOL.

Repeat after me, Tooms. Russiagate was the FBI lying to everyone in America about Trump. Can you say that? Sure you can.

So why the fuck should any of us care about the FBI and lying?

[Elvis 2008]

Here is the full Zelensky's speech on Feb 23, one day before the invasion. Where is the bit about "nuclear rearmament"?

I posted the link.

Even if this speech had happened, whatever Zelensky might've said on Feb 23, couldn't have meant anything. The Russian troops had already been positioned for the invasion. This claim of yours is insane.

It is not MY claim, dummy. Russia could have pulled back if they had assurances from Biden there were going to be no nukes in Ukraine and no NATO expansion. Biden told Putin to kick rocks.

How the false Russian biolab story came to circulate among the USA Far right.

https://www.npr.org/2022/03/25/10879...russia-ukraine

Theory About USA -Funded Bioweapons Labs in Ukraine Is Unfounded.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/u...formation.html

Hey, where did the whole biolabs thing come up? It was from one of your neocon Jewish friends, Victoria Nuland. You know the lady who chose the leader of the "sovereign nation of Ukraine. Cough, cough. The one who said, "Fuck the EU. " Oh my bad, you are so dumb you thought I made that up.

https://greenwald.substack.com/p/vic...has-biological

The Russian Foreign Ministry asserted that "Russia obtained documents proving that Ukrainian biological laboratories located near Russian borders worked on development of components of biological weapons. ".

So that is easy to swat down. Just say it is not true. Well, it turns out that is not what happened: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), hoping to debunk growing claims that there are chemical weapons labs in Ukraine, smugly asked Nuland: "Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?

Rubio undoubtedly expected a flat denial by Nuland, thus providing further "proof" that such speculation is dastardly Fake News emanating from the Kremlin, the CCP and QAnon. Instead, Nuland did something completely uncharacteristic for her, for neocons, and for senior USA Foreign policy officials: for some reason, she told a version of the truth.

She acknowledged: "uh, Ukraine has, uh, biological research facilities."

So Russia makes a claim and Nuland admits it is true. No one knows exactly what those facilities were working on including you. But when NPR and the NYT pretend to know, and they spew out MAGA, QAnon, Russian conspiracy to confuse people like you, you lap it up like a puppy.

Repeat after me: Crimea and Donbass belong to Ukraine. Do you understand this. Ukraine. Mexico is not allowed to be "provoked" into war if some shit happens in Texas. What the hell is wrong with you?

LOL. Man, you really do not know your history. Cuba had nukes and the USA was going to go to war with Cuba and Russia to get them out, so this whole a country can do whatever it wants within its borders is sheer bullshit. Russia can look at the Cuban missile crisis to justify their invasion.

Then there is Mexico: The Mexican American War was an invasion of Mexico by the United States Army from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1845 American annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered its territory because Mexico refused to recognize the Treaties of Velasco its generals signed.

The USA Army, under Major General Winfield Scott, invaded the Mexican heartland and captured the capital, Mexico City, in September 1847. The war was successfully concluded with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It ended the war, and Mexico recognized the cession of present-day Texas, California, Nevada, and Utah as well as parts of present-day Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Mexico relinquished its claims on Texas and accepted the Rio Grande as its northern border with the United States, a loss of 55% of its territory.

Hey, Xpartan, maybe you just learned something.

Unfortunately, this is a reality we're all forced to live in.

You do not live in reality.

Think I am kidding? How many Covid boosters have you gotten lately? You have not gotten any. You are just too much of a coward to admit it.

And can you say this? Russiagate was a total fraud. The fact that you cannot say Russiagate was a fraud means you believe what you want and not the truth. You would not know the truth if it bit you in the ass.