Loquacious Lew

When did Nancy Pelosi break into the Capitol Building again?

Our left is to your right although there are a few blokes here who would feel right at home in our southern heartland....where I live! But mostly we are a conservative lot, and that includes Biden and Harris. We do have a demonstrably "recognizable" left in people like AOC and Omar, but they are not the powers in the Democratic party right now. Biden and Harris though are no radicals. They are anything but. But it's easy to tar them with that brush because all that takes is words. I do not accuse you of that and don't recall you saying that either. To be frank, the Dems picked the most centrist candidate that they thought could win and they did it to appeal to the middle. And they got a result. And you'll eventually be glad of that, I promise. More importantly, my Evora is faster than yours!

There was no chance he would ever be a great president or even a great man, or great businessman for that matter. Americans who paid attention to him, especially New Yorkers, have always known this. His move to Florida is largely a response to the legal actions being taken against him in New York, although he'll never admit it. The NY trials and suits are the ones that will catch him out if nothing else does. I mention this because I am originally from NY and Trump's age to boot. He was always a bit of a pariah in his home town, and it's not just because he's a social boor. Everybody knows somebody who was wronged by him in some way, often from just a simple refusal to pay his bills. If one was paying attention, and I see no reason why an Englishman in 2016 should or could have been aware of this and his family history of malfeasance, one knew it would come to this end or one equally insane and unpredictable as to the path he'd follow to get to "here" today. But if all you knew of him was his talk and not his background, you are justifiably excused for being taken in. That said, his personality and proclivities have always been out front, right there for all to see. What his sycophants love isn't anything about policy or accomplishment though they will point to this or that as if he actually did something, like invent a cure for CV19. And he's happy to accept the kudos. It is the man himself. They see him as strong, unbending and unyielding regardless of the realities. His gift to them was three judges. Nothing else he's done will stand but they will be his main legacy. He is the ultimate example of the cult of personality. It is his personality that he runs on. He has no fixed ideas or principles, no particular philosophy or ideology. He suit is fundamentally empty if a suit containing 290 pounds of flab and bluster can be considered so. This battle isn't about taxes, though they get mentioned from time to time. It's not about infrastructure spending or plans or ideas or how to do anything like that. The Wall (sounds like a great name for a novel...is it available?) won't be built but look at how much ink that silly wall has gotten! But it's not about the Wall. It's about a much more subtle separation and division of people. All he ever has been when it comes to policy is talk. Some of his focuses are agreeable to consider. What to do about China? What to do about jobs? If you don't have his history, he sounds like a real patriot but of course, he was not the one on the front lines a few days ago at the physical fracas. Just like he loves the Army but refused to join it. He doesn't lead from the front and he didn't last week. He just shouted "charge" at the crowd and then retreated with the protection of the Secret Service to a safe place to watch the fun on TV. "I'll be there with you" was just another lie. His supporters never even noticed he wasn't there. Now, he's calling for those people he urged on to the attack to be punished to the greatest extent of the law. Anybody will be trampled if they get in his way, even his own fallen comrades. He's exactly the same guy he was in 2016 but now the talk can be seen for what it is. Wait until they start looking at where the money went! And they will. We don't disagree about his qualities today, and that works well enough for me but to be clear, many knew what he was long before 2016. His failure to gain the popular vote then (as today) reflects that but with a shockingly thin margin given how very close to fascist doctrinaire he has taken us from the start.

"Not denying anything, lamenting. You think Trump was bad. " You don't?

The full details of my process, before and after pulls and the rest are reported (across 15 pages) on lotustalk. Follow the link above in my OP for the "before" dyno information but I will tell you briefly about that now. I'd intended to do both before and after runs on the same day on the same dyno. Unfortunately, the dyno available that day was a two wheel roller type that doesn't allow the car to get to 7000 RPM or make full power. My thought at the time was at least I'd get the AFRs, so we went ahead. But you do need a four wheel dyno to get reliable results from an Evora since it will cut power if the front wheels are not turning. It doesn't matter how you treat the nannies, it needs all four wheels to spin. Moving along! On that dyno, that day, my car made 306HP and 292 ft. lbs at the wheels. But it wasn't an accurate representation of how the car will perform on the road under load. Then to make it more annoying, the tune KT sent me had some problems and wouldn't load so even accepting the disadvantages of that particular dyno, we were unable to load the file and see the delta the tune would yield under those circumstances. When I got the corrected file from KT, I decided to load it and obtain the final ("after") results when I finally located a four wheel dyno. I was most interested in the AFRs but I would get a decent idea of what the car was now doing although without comparable data from a prior tune on the same dyno. To get the real changes and their deltas, I will need to un-flash, make runs, then re-flash, and make more runs. That will have to wait for another time. But please do follow my link for more details and a further explanation. Also available there are the results others have obtained, including before/after runs. My results match well with others that have been reported so you should get additional useful data there. Bottom line: expect 40 plus ft lbs of torque and about 50 HP in calculated gains at the flywheel. This is not an unusual result. Very similar returns have been previously reported on Lotustalk by other owners.

You don't need to agree with me to be wrong. I have no hope to convince anyone of anything. This can only be discussed, it can't be resolved on a Lotus forum. I say "You ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know." But I can tell you, Biden and Kamala convincingly won the electoral college and the popular vote, deny that as you will. That is reality. Our system did not fail in that. Trump is a monster and has never won the popular election in the USA. Ever. I got my info on the electoral and popular vote count from the returns as reported by the US government, delivered to them by the individual states. I reckon they should have the most reliable details. Where do you get your data?

Do you mind if I speak my mind? I think your post reflects your wishes, not reality. Mr. Delusional just got kicked out of office and the results of his induced mass hysteria and exploitation of grievances are all over the media. Kamala will be fine in her role. I'm a fan, actually. Surprise! She's been very tough on crime as a prosecutor in California so she will likely have a hand in prosecuting the criminals. BTW, the Brits I have met who favored Trump, also favored Brexit. It seemed to go hand in hand. There are always exceptions of course. Maybe you are one of those but that's for you to tell.

I never inferred you have cultural unity. I'm not any sort of expert on British polity but I am passingly familiar with your versions of tribalism. I even saw Braveheart . I include a rare smiley so you don't take that last bit about Gibson's versions of history too seriously. I will include emoticons in the future so you know when I am pulling your leg. What I said, or certainly meant to say, was that Brexit was the latest demonstration of it being missing in battle. My inference being that it split you even further along predictable lines, nothing more or less. Anyway, I am bored of discussing Brexit on a Trump thread. I said that already, but perhaps it needs repeating for you?

Yeah, he did actually.

As we have every right to be. Things will change in a week, things will improve with adults at the helm but we will not soon forget these events as they continue to reverberate and we continue to struggle with these issues of racism, greed and the inevitable corruption of power and that will not end in my remaining time. But we will not succumb to the mob. Trump is toast but his legacy will obviously not be dispersed easily. It's an ongoing theme. If you want to take a more positive, longer view, consider Trumpism a pustule on the face of humanity that needed to be excised. It was never going to be neutered without a battle. He and his "handlers" made sure of that. Biden and Epstein? Oh please! I've got a pizza parlor with ogres and pedophiles in the basement to sell you.

Same? I don't know about that but it's your challenge and judged by the reactions here, the anger is not dissipated. One may be "bored" of Brexit but that doesn't mean the divide is over. Our divide is more virulent and dangerous than yours but they 're both commentaries and clear windows into the depth of differences and how they raise hackles. Brexit also reflects problems other than just differences of opinion on Brexit itself. Also, Boris, whatever his charms or lack of them, is no Trump and you are not people lately given to storming castles. Street violence seems to be in your recent past (Northern Ireland?) and didn't mar the debate this time. But your politic was split in two over the issue. I'm not the person who raised the Brexit question here and really have no interest in it as it relates to Trump. Perhaps for many who were engaged in your debate, and especially for the losers, moving on is not as easy. Being the loser is always more dramatic than winning, and the costs and losses are often remembered long after winning is forgotten. I have no desire and little to add to the Brexit debate beyond the comments I've already made in response. I'm much, much more concerned about developments here.

Well then, you don't need sympathy and I retract my comment because Brexit went so smoothly and was so reaffirming for British cultural unity. It's over, nobody feels shortchanged and look how little residual anger remains.

Report From The Colonies Gentlemen, I assure my bros across the sea that we will survive but what can you say with a straight face? The Trump tide is in ebb hurrah! but man alive what a bunch of cowboys are in the kitchen. Biden's administration is being assembled. BTW, I didn't support Biden in the Democratic primaries and was disappointed my faves, there were several, didn't win. But Biden got the most votes. I think he may be just the man. He knows everybody, everybody knows him, and the Democrats are sure to be more competent administrators. They almost always are. Jobs reports are not good. Many feel endangered, or at least tense. Those who don't must have more immediate problems like job, rent, school. Of course, if you think Trump has the nuke codes, that's scary. Or, if you think you just lost your country and your god sent President to fascist-communist-BLM-antifa-people- wearing -Trump-hats who just charged the Capitol, but it couldn't have been Trump people, you're also scared. I like Biden better by the day. He'll be good for the job and I have come to think that's the case over time. He won by a substantial margin, so don't listen to that "stolen election" horse shit. It's horse shit. But you know that. Not horse shit is that there is a lot of damage done. The Republican Party is damaged too. I'm not alone in contemplating that the extreme right will continue but in some other form . If not, kiss the Republican Party good bye as an organ of small l liberal western government. If the Democrats are always arguing, the Republicans could split in two. The ray of sunshine is that this was so very shocking to the government in residence at the Capitol. It was traumatizing to be a senator or representative and that was non partisan trauma because it didn't;t matter who you were. Mobs and all that .But it's not like it wasn't expected by everybody. The shock is also that it was a shock at all. Who didn't see this coming? It raises a lot of questions about the response and what happened and what didn't happen and who was in charge. I'm sure you have your own opinions. Even McConnell knows that Trump endangered him. A third of the country is in denial and can't get over that Trump was fired but Moscow Mitch and Lord Lindsey got the message. That's the rub in a nutshell. So, Biden negotiates as well as anybody and there will be considerable desire to talk now. Trump will be impeached in our House. The Senate, who knows what they'll do? "Mitch is Mitch and should be ditched but he got hitched and we're his bitch for another six." That's like me rapping, dude. In twelve days it would, be a different story, but now? What a country! Anyway, Adults on the way. Also, expect a few Republican defections, maybe a senator or two to the Democratic side. I say expect but maybe it's more like don't be surprised. That would be a help for those of us who support some progress. The balance of power tips in every way to the Democrats, but only just. It really does make you want to scream. Sympathies on the Brexit thing. I don't understand how any of this makes sense but a theory I have heard is that half the people you meet at random are below average.

Nobody who supports Trump at this point is on the right side of history. They may be fine folks somewhere in their gooey centers, they may be nice one on one, but in respect to their critical faculties, those who still believe in their phony idol can only be seen as mean spirited delusional sheep at this point. Or at the very least, so very easily fooled. Tax the churches that engage in politics and remove their ability to preach such politics and pass lies from the pulpit without consequence. Let them follow the law. Make them follow the law! The failures and outright crimes and lies of the Christian right must now be addressed without fear or excess reserve. Murdoch and the Trumpets elite and enablers can't be left unmentioned either, but the politicization of the evangelical churches has to be addressed directly if they continue to engage in politics without any cost, monetary or legal. They incited this too.

Also, do you not think Putin is just doing back springs? What a total success! It feels like he just won a war. Wow. And one more thing. There will be a lot of third party talk and this time it is serious. But first we need to get through this crisis.

Report from the Colonies: What a day! And who but the 'police' didn't see this coming? Well actually, that's a long story and as it's still unwinding I'll reserve my opinions for later when history reveals what position I can claim I saw coming weeks ago. But here's my thinking off the cuff. The Capital is Federal territory and guess who has ultimate control on Federal territory? Hey! You guessed it! It's the President. And that's why we didn't get the big boys in fully armored vehicles in right at the start. Somebody had to get them there but it wasn't Trump it seems. It was Pence. so Pence is out as you've reckoned he would be. Trump is off the rails and everybody, and I do mean everybody is on tip toes and tenterhooks. A very awful day and Trump must surely be booking his tickets to Moscow but God knows what might happen in between. A shameful episode. What a bunch of weasels our so called conservatives are. Although,their spinelessness has finally undone them and now they're talking about how to cooperate and how they need cooperation too. Their feelings are hurt! They are truly a miracle of nature in their chameleon like abilities to assume the background. But what patriots! We'll get through this and Biden and Harris will be sworn in. And the Senate will flip so that may be better. An interesting question to ask is: " does the man make the times, or do the times make the man?" As we always say when the Democrats get in, "I wouldn't want his job." But Biden is experienced, and savvy. We are in a dangerous spot but the line of succession is very clear. Trump is such a coward and he really should be changed, and tarred. His enablers are barely better, if at all. They are taking about Article 25 and I suspect Pence would comply at this point but it's all just too mad. Those darn Republicans! I hope I have made myself clear! I will report again tomorrow with another fair and completely unbiased Report From The Colonies!!

I have not discussed re- flashing my car on this forum but have discussed it at length on the Lotustalk (US) forum. Rather than repeating 15 pages of the chatter you can access there (here it is if you must have it) I'll just post up the end result here. The chart below does not include a print out of the AFRs but they were all quite close enough to the desired stoichiometric standard. What you see is torque in foot pounds (peaks at 350 at the wheels) and calculated horsepower (393) also at the wheels and presented according to the SAE standards. The calculations (assuming a 15% loss of power between the flywheel and the rear wheels) indicate a tune that made 463 HP (+/-) at the flywheel. I have not discovered any negative side affects. If anything, throttle response is sharper and smoother with no hiccups when blipping for downshifts, no gas smells and no noticeable effect on fuel economy when not dipping deeply into the power well. My car passed all legal road requirements for emissions during it's annual testing and in everyday driving feels exactly like the Evora 400 it is except it's much stronger and more alive everywhere in the power band. The results are not subtle nor hard to identify in use. If for some reason you have become bored with your 4XX's power, the KomoTec 435 tune is conservatively (under)rated, retains clean running and is a very simple installation once any delays in the tune's development are accounted for. Each tune is made for the specific car/ECU so may take a bit of time to receive once you have ordered. But any wait proved worth it to me. I thought this result was worth crowing about so here it is, unvarnished and in all its glory. I have no connection to KT except as a customer.

The only good news about those unwarranted pardons is that the recipients can no longer refuse to answer questions, (plead the 5th amendment in American parlance) and must answer questions while on the stand without the usual protections afforded by the constitution against self-incrimination. In other words, they can't claim things like "executive privilege" and they definitely can't refuse to answer or lie while under oath without the possibility of severe repercussions. This may become a factor down the road if Democrats elect to pursue any related crimes aggressively.

Correct. The hang up is that Trump gutted many agencies and installed unqualified but loyal minions to do his bidding . The GSA is one agency he rearranged some time ago, likely in preparation for this day. He has corrupted the process and while he retains the title, it's hard if not impossible to work around him and his henchmen. He is capping off the daily damage he already has done with a total disregard for what comes after him. Scorched earth, l'etat c'est moi, apres nous, le deluge. That's really his goal, to throw a spanner in the works, since the election results will not change no matter how hard he wishes it so.

I think that's perhaps speculative in an absolute sense. , Regarding Nixon's "honesty," It's hard to say with certainty that he wasn't convinced that his actions were justifiable, in his mind and more especially lately, the minds of many conservatives. There has been a steadily increasing rearrangement of historical "facts" that attempt to exonerate Nixon, always on partisan grounds. In reality, he was a dishonest creep with a foul mouth (very un-Quaker like), a vindictive streak and known associations with organized crime. If one thinks he didn't gloss over those traits when self-evaluating, one might reconsider, although now I'm speculating! Lately, a lot of Americans are prepared to to just do that in the "battle to the death against socialist creep" that makes it impossible for any Republican (except Bush 2, a RINO) to do any wrong. Very tribal thinking, such notions are difficult to alter in their minds because belief trumps fact, mainly because they don't pay attention day to day. . There's no way of knowing if Nixon was contrite but he stopped well short of acknowledging any wrong doing in public. That said, no president in our history was as bat shit crazy as Trump is.

Apparently we're not that far apart except that I and many of my compatriots credit Trump with providing a mighty shove closer to a theocratic oligarchy by granting permission to upset the applecart to the confused and regressive, abetted by the unquestioned support of his now completely corrupted Republican party. This lax attitude towards homegrown fascism, something he actually admires, has been THE major sticking point in American politics since he took office. That coupled of course, with his corruption, obstruction of process, installation of sycophants and toadies, his attempts to stifle all criticisms, all topped off with his daily inability to see and convey reality to the populace. You keep saying I blame everything on Trump. I blame Trump's actions on Trump. I credit his election to the misguided beliefs of a large minority of my fellow citizens. That's not a subtle distinction but seems to be something you are having trouble with. Moreover, I'm unclear why you think leadership is irrelevant unless you truly believe quality of leadership and governance is of no consequence to the health of a nation. America can be seen to be great again when it acts great again. Electing Biden was the first step towards a return. Let's hope this era's lessons, as even further revealed during the investigations that are sure to follow further clarifies his misdeeds to those set unconvinced by his failures. I think much hangs in the balance as we teeter between the extremes. Biden, being a centrist, is probably the right man for the job and here's to hoping he surprises us with his abilities. His extensive experience in governing and in life as a decent human being should come in handy in the days to follow. I should note here for the record that I did not support him in the primary. Finally, the Constitution is compromised and was from the start despite the fawning deference some devotees have for the prescience of our Founding Fathers. They were men of their times and their creation was a document of its time, reflecting the views of slave owners and those who compromised with them for the next 100 years. It remains flawed as all human creations and Lotus are. In fact, it's become increasingly difficult to update even at the best of times. Considering where we (USA) are now, it seems that this skeleton, lauded for it's ability to be adapted, is frozen in time and has become a millstone of sorts even as it's basic tenets remain a model for democracy in a world that has unfortunately moved on much faster than it has in the last 230 years. Where did you get the idea that I blame Trump for everything?

I don't think I misinterpreted your post. Indeed, we have had institutional problems since the beginning when the nation was founded by an elite who compromised on many issues simply to support slavery. That legacy has dogged us for two centuries. I'll add to your accurate comments by arguing the ones I find inaccurate. I think it's ultimately the responsibility of individuals to understand this history and be supportive of change so as to adapt our opaque customs and any inappropriate regulations to erase the inherent inequalities. Trump's election and the subsequent consequences fall squarely on the shoulders of the people who continue to support these anachronisms (those who voted for and support him) but it's his inflammatory rhetoric and continued lawlessness (top of the list: obstruction of justice, just as we see today) and total pandering to the vile side of human nature that has provided the spark and the permission to his mouth breathers to wreck further havoc on us. Nothing absolves Trump of taking complete advantage of the situation and driving a wedge further into the heart of the matter. You can blame the institutions for allowing this travesty to occur but Trump has weaponized all of the divisions in an effort to shore up his base and create the confusion required for a man like him to survive and thrive. He's responsible and he and his Reds, the lot of them, are now attempting to subvert the electoral results and taint the Biden presidency before they even acknowledge its legitimacy. We are being treated and are witness to an attempted highway robbery by Trump and his sycophants. We are responsible for the background, he's responsible for the treason, lies and division that now racks the nation. His unwillingness to accept the reality of the vote is all we need for proof of his malfeasance. His criminality has nothing to do with anything but his flawed character.

I think we make the same distinction but that won't account for sloppy usage by the scientifically illiterate of which we seem to have a surplus.

^ I find little in terms of concrete results from Trump's actions regardless of their perceived intents, and I find it especially naive to dismiss the damage he has done to our public discourse and institutions. I am surprised some can fail to see how he has helped widen the divide in our society and fed into its fears. That has been his major accomplishment and what he will be remembered for. It's hardly memorable to note that he slapped ineffectual tariffs on China. On another point, Here is one view regarding what Trump's NATO policy has wrought. I find little to defend in Trump's behaviors and actions since so few have had any positive result or are auspicious enough to outweigh the harm he has done to our national discourse. Regarding Biden's meetings with IRA operatives, I thought the troubles were over three decades ago but I see the issue still dwells. It's your civil war I suppose and perhaps I should watch closer, but I can't comment since it is given so little notice here, especially these days. I take your word for it that meeting with IRA agents is not popular in Britain. That's all I have on that so pardon my ignorance and perceived indifference on this. I don't find the silver lining in Trump's cloud and it seems neither did a majority of my countrymen. Sadly, they were not nearly a large enough majority to suit me, but that's what fear and lies will get you. Some people can be fooled all of the time. Meanwhile, despite the handicaps placed before our new administration, I can only be overjoyed that Trump is gone. You may not care since he's our president, not yours, but you've been active on this thread which is of course, about the man himself, our president for four long years. While you don't care, you have distinct opinions (no problem, mind) and an ongoing desire to debate the questions surrounding him. Curious, but it makes for stimulating conversation, and I'm all for that!

As one of the Americans who converses here, let me get this out of the way. Whew. YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY. There are many things to say and consider. We won a big one. It's scary how many people still voted for the jerk but we have a convincing presidential victory by the usually applied standards.. It disappoints that we didn't take more Senate seats and lost a few in the House but you fellow humans in the outside world can honestly rejoice. The President is responsible for foreign policy here which clearly is why ours has been so befuddled if not outright corrupt for the last four years. Biden will do much better by you and our friends. If we can ever travel again my wife and I can visit interesting places and enjoy strange and ancient customs while we hold our heads a bit higher than we did the last time. Today is a great relief for me, my family and most of my friends who really were very nervous about this. We did feel our democracy, already in need of work, was imperiled to the breaking point. You need a functioning government and if any proof is needed of that and how Trump burned us, we can look at all the people in the streets who weren't in the streets five years ago. The widely reported chaos that Trump tried to take advantage of was not nearly as widespread as he claimed but it did occur. That's another story for another time. When and why do Trump and his minions suppose this massive unrest he speaks of was kindled? Who do his believers blame for the deteriorated conditions of our social fabric during the last five years ? Obama? Biden? Me? We're all responsible for our own behavior of course, but how much better to have a person to set the tone. One who can grasp the desire and needs of the people, who understands something beyond power and money, who at least observes the basic rules of dignity and polity so that something might be wrought between those with disagreements who must still recognize common interests. We have been without leadership for four years and with a divided government for going on ten years. Trump poured fuel on the fire but now thank the fates, he is soon gone. What damage he really did is yet to be discovered and how we pull together as a reasonably cohesive people is a question everybody asks but we'll get along a lot better tomorrow than we were doing yesterday. We're dancing and laughing here in Nashville Tennessee, which state by the way went for Trump. Well, "eventually we will do the right thing, having exhausted all other possibilities."