For John, BLUF: Trying to compete for women and their affection. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, by Dr Helen Smith, 13 August 2018.
Yes.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Friday, August 31, 2018
Evolution Hates Men?
For John, BLUF: Trying to compete for women and their affection. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, by Dr Helen Smith, 13 August 2018.
Governor Cuomo Stubs His Toe
For John, BLUF: This was an unforced error. I am not saying Actress Cynthia Nixon would be a better Governor for the Empire State, but could she be much worse? Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Salena Zito, 19 August 2018.
Here is the original quote by the Governor, from The Washington Examiner:
“We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great,” Cuomo said, to an awkward blend of gasps and chuckles.I get that the Governor of The Empire State was trying to say our greatest days are still ahead of us—and that President Donald Trump is off the beam—but this was a truly unartful way of expressing his thoughts, as Reporter Salena Zito points out. Governor Cuomo is even less smooth and suave than the President.
Ms Zito does see the rest of the nation in ways the professional politicians fail to, as her story shows.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Threatening ICE
For John, BLUF: Threatening ICE Agents has become a Progressive parlor trick, but it is not very becoming. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
From Fox News, by Reporter Alex Pappas, 30 August 2018.
Here is the tweet from Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), yesterday:
If you are a US government official and you are deporting Americans be warned. When the worm turns you will not be safe because you were just following orders. You do not have to take part in illegal acts ordered by this President's administration.Well, yes, the Nurenberg Trials established that "just following orders" is no defense.
On the other hand, if you are a legislator you are implicated in the wrongdoing, especially if you have been there over two or more Administrations.
The other thing is, the reasonable man, The man on the Clapham omnibus. What would he or she think if given a warrant to serve? What would a juror think?
There is also the fact, as reported in the Fox news story, that this is a practice going back a couple of Administrations:
In a statement to Fox News on Thursday, a State Department spokesman blasted the Washington Post report, saying passport denials in these cases have actually declined under this administration. Both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations reportedly denied passports to people delivered by midwives in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, though the practice was hindered by a court challenge years ago.I think Representative Gallego is just trying to stir up trouble to stir up votes in November.“The facts don’t back up the Washington Post’s reporting. This is an irresponsible attempt to create division and stoke fear among American citizens while attempting to inflame tensions over immigration,” said Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman. “Under the Trump Administration, domestic passport denials for so called ‘midwife cases’ are at a 6-year low. The reporting is a political cheap shot.”
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Aggressive China
For John, BLUF: While looking for the Russians hiding under the bed we are being overrun by China, North Korea, Iran and other spies. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Washington Post, by Columnist Marc A. Thiessen, 9 August 2018
By way of introduction, here is the lede:
Imagine if it emerged that the Republican chairman of the House or Senate intelligence committee had a Russian spy working on their staff. Think it would cause a political firestorm? Well, this month we learned that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had a Chinese spy on her staff who worked for her for about 20 years, was listed as an “office director” on payroll records and served as her driver when she was in San Francisco, all while reporting to China’s Ministry of State Security through China’s San Francisco Consulate. The reaction of the mainstream media? Barely a peepYes, they are everywhere.
And, it would be nice to see some generalized damage assessment from this case. But, it might be a tough Senatorial race out in the Golden State.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Antifa in DC
For John, BLUF: Yes, this is two week ago, but still interesting. I think the Democrats are playing with fire, and could burn the country down. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, by the one and only Sarah Hoyt, 17 August 2018.
Here is an excerpt:
Apparently while countering the “Unite the Right” (which is neither) demonstration, the brown shirts of Antifa got a little upset there was no one there to fight them. According to this article on Powerline, quoting an article in the Washington Post by Petula Dvorak (who covered the Antifa demonstration):I love the last, “No border! No wall! No USA at all!”. If there is no USA, perhaps there will be no more illegal immigration.Masked — in black instead of KKK white — they pinballed around the empty streets of downtown D.C., randomly chanting and searching for a brawl .“Bust some windows!” (Why?)
“Nazis, go home!” (They did.)
“No border! No wall! No USA at all!” (Huh?)
I wonder if the "Resistence" wants to turn us into Venezuela? Maybe we could all flea to Canada, since Columbia, the notional Venezuelan country of refuge is a tad far, and a tad full, with a million refugees..
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
The Fundamental Right
For John, BLUF: In my lifetime a lot of Governments have murdered a lot of people—millions—because they held "unapproved" political, religious or economic views or had the wrong DNA.. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
I have taken this, in the recent past, to include the right to be wrong, or the right to be stupid. You may think this is a dangerous right, given problems like climate change. I, on the other hand, remember, from back in the mid-1980s, a discussion on a morning TV news program where the guest asserted that 90% of what we knew to be true in 1900 we now know to be false. What if it were only half that is now wrong? That is still a big number.
Democracy is built on the idea it is OK to be wrong. We don't send you to a re-education camp just because you chose wrong at the last election.
In yesterday's edition of The [Lowell] Sun Mr George F. Will touched on this point in his OpEd, "Judge Kavanaugh: Is government truly of, by and for 'the people'?"
Regards — Cliff
Thursday, August 30, 2018
"White Privilege", One Take
For John, BLUF: The author suggests that too much emphasis on our differences and our grievances will lead to bad outcomes. I suspect he is correct. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Quillette, by Mr William Ray, 29 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
The author then goes on to show us that yes, indeed, Ms McIntosh was the product of "white privilege" but it was unrelated to how most of us grew up. In fact, Ms McIntosh lived a very privileged life as a young woman.[White Privilege is] the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits, and choices bestowed upon people solely because they are white. Generally white people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it.—Peggy McIntosh, quoted in the Racial Equity Resource Guide
The concept of ‘white privilege’ was popularized by Peggy McIntosh in a 1989 paper written at Harvard University and titled, “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack.” It was written as a personal, experiential essay, and it details 26 ways in which McIntosh’s skin color has been decisive in determining her life outcomes. This hugely influential paper has been responsible for the subsequent proliferation of a rigidly enforced theory of privilege throughout social movements and university classrooms. So central has this doctrine become to progressive politics, pedagogy, and activism, that to even question its validity is to invite the inquisitorial wrath of ‘social justice’ radicals. But it is for this very reason that it is important to subject McIntosh’s ideas to scrutiny. So let us return to the source and to first principles and unpack Peggy McIntosh’s knapsack…
Then, as the end of the essay Mr Ray tells us about his experience as a UN Peace Keeper and how it showed him that pitting group against group just leads to atrocities.
But then what do I—a person privileged by accidents of race and gender—know about ‘identity politics,’ that Peggy McIntosh does not? Well, I can share at least one lesson drawn from my own ‘lived experience.’ The year I turned 25, I was serving as a United Nations Peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia. My unit engaged the Croatian Army in what would come to be known as the Battle of Medak Pocket. Eventually, we halted the enemy’s advance and pushed them back.This is not the future I look forward to. I would much prefer that we all try to live together, working on what we have in common, and helping each other grow our Republic. Focusing on our tribal differences is not going to help us. I don't want the US to end up like the former Yugoslavia I hope you don't either.Clearing a house after the fighting, we discovered the contorted and charred bodies of two young women tied to chairs. One was estimated to be in her early 30s, the other in her late teens. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police techs who processed the scene for the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague confirmed what we could tell just by looking at the corpses: the exaggerated arching of the backs, the screams of agony that still seemed ready to burst from what remained of their gaping mouths, the fingernails embedded in the wood of the chair arm—these two young women had still been alive when they were dowsed in gasoline and set alight. But then the tech added a detail that was not readily apparent. His tests appeared to confirm that they were almost certainly already dead when the Croatian Army rolled into town. That meant they had been burned alive by their neighbours. People they had lived beside and gone to school with.
The area that the Croatian army had briefly overrun had been mixed Croatian and Serbian farming villages. These people had lived together for half a century. They had intermarried, lived in the same streets, eaten the same food, and attended the same social events. But slowly, starting in the 1980s, political leaders and demagogues of various stripes had started using a politics of identity to solidify their social and political power. Each side’s citizens were repeatedly told by respected academic figures that they were being robbed, and that the ‘other’ was exploiting unearned ‘social privilege’ granted by their ethnic status. Children were taught this in school as received truth and ostracized if they dared to question it. Slowly, this curated resentment built into hatred. From there, events developed according to an inescapable logic. Sometimes, soldiers on one side of the ethnic conflict would ask us for news of a high school sweetheart or friend across the lines. But identity allegiance remained paramount. To those who respond with the fatuous claim that this was simply a ‘white-on-white issue,’ I will only note that, as I was fighting for my life in Eastern Europe, the same divisive hatreds were being broadcast across Rwanda by Télévision Libre des Mille Collines. Tribal hatreds are not a white or a black problem, they are a human problem.
Every time identity politics has been used by any faction in human history for any reason violence eventually follows. No matter how detailed and intricate the justification, no matter how reasonable it can be made to sound as a way to correct for unequal social conditions and historical injustice, it always ends in the same foul basement of mutual fear, loathing, and depravity. It is past time to consign this foul epistemology to the trashcan of self serving debasements and return our attention to the real causes of ‘privilege’; the growing disparities of wealth that divide us, whatever the color of our skin.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Bigger Than the Collapse of the Soviet Union?
For John, BLUF: In this piece the author asks if greater powers are leading us to perdition. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, "The Belmont Club", by Mr Richard Fernandez, 29 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
If anyone thought the 2016 revolt against the institutions was transient recent events may force a reconsideration. Instead of dying down open political war now permanently grips Washington.&Nbsp; Abroad, time has healed no wounds; immigration issues have not dissipated in Europe, on the contrary riots are rocking Germany. The British are still rushing bald-headed toward Brexit with all the incalculable consequences that entails. What can't be happening is.Yes, The whole world seems to be unable to focus on cooperation and doing right. Self-centeredness seems to be on the rise.According to sources quoted by the NYT "ideological agendas" have spread to the Catholic Church. After the Vatican's ex-ambassador to Washington Archbishop Carlo Vigano claimed a gay and left wing mafia had been protecting sex abusers within the Church and naming Pope Francis as the Left's man an issue was reliably anti-clerical suddenly turned into conspiracy story. Jason Horowitz in the NYT concluded that politics must be behind Vigano's allegations.
Here is how the piece ends:
When the totality of cultural warfare and revolution now raging throughout the world is summed we may be watching an event bigger than the fall of the Soviet Union. The event doesn't have a name yet, on the day we finally understand, it will. But understanding may prove the most difficult part.If you see four horsemen riding down the street, make a quick, but sincere, Act of Contrition.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world's darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Could it be true?
Regards — Cliff
Respecting the Office
For John, BLUF: I wonder if Tiger Woods learned his good manners from his career Army Father or his immigrant Mother, or both. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From USA Today, by Golfweek Reporter Bill Speros, 26 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
The subject of Tiger Woods and his relationship President Trump was brought up during a news conference Sunday following Woods' final-round 70 at The Northern Trust.And that is it.Woods did his best to avoid being partisan or provocative when asked the following question:
"At times, especially 2018, I think a lot of people, especially colored immigrants are threatened by him and his policy - what do you say to people who might find it interesting that you have a friendly relationship with him?"
However, over at Victory Girls we get the rest of the story—"Preachy ESPN Says Tiger Woods “Not Black” Because He Won’t Bash Trump [VIDEO]":
But wait, there’s more. MUCH more. And it comes in the form of the Trump Haters over at ESPN—who ironically just parted ways with perhaps the most rabid of said Exclusive Club—who are “disgusted” with Mr. Woods. Behold the outrage at Tiger for, you know, sticking to doing what he does, playing golf:Back in the day we were told that "race is a social construct".
A race is a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories generally viewed as distinct by society. First used to refer to speakers of a common language and then to denote national affiliations, by the 17th century the term race began to refer to physical (phenotypical) traits. Modern scholarship regards race as a social construct, that is, a symbolic identity created to establish some cultural meaning. While partially based on physical similarities within groups, race is not an inherent physical or biological quality.And in the Media it is, formed around politics. Or maybe just President Trump, although I am doubtful it is just him.
Hat tip to Ann Althouse.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Palestinians Throw in With Democrats
For John, BLUF: The Palestinians seem to have thrown their lot in with the Democrats, which means no progress on peace in the Near East. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
Palestinian leader hopeful Democrats will seize control of Congress, stall Trump agenda
From The Washington Free Beacon, by Adam Kredo, 29 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus two:
Palestinian leaders are betting their future on President Donald Trump being impeached by Democrats following the mid-term elections, according to Arabic language comments by a senior Palestinian government leader who praised Special Counsel Robert Mueller for targeting Trump and his top allies.Apparently our November Elections will have major implications for world peace.Palestinian government leaders, under pressure from the Trump administration as it slashes U.S. taxpayer aid to the embattled government, say they are betting on a Democratic takeover in Congress that will stall the administration's agenda and put the still languishing peace process on the back burner.
Muhammad Shtaya, a member of the Fatah government's Central Committee, said regional officials are counting on Democrats winning the midterms and seizing control of Congress, a scenario the Palestinians believe would work in their favor as the Trump administration pursues efforts to isolate regional governments for their support of terrorism.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Keeping the List Short
For John, BLUF: I am not shocked. Saddened, but not shocked. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From People, by Reporter Susan Keating, 29 August 2018.
On the other hand, it appears that Google Maps has already renamed the Richard Russell Senate Office Building, at the behest of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for the late Senator McCain.
Hat tip to the Drudge Report and to Memorandum.
Regards — Cliff
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Road From Slavery
For John, BLUF: Sadly, slavery still exists, because many cultures don't value individual freedom. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Instapundit, by Law Professor Gail Heriot, 28 August 2918.
Here is the lede:
ON THIS DAY IN 1833: William IV, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, signed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 into law. There was an exception for possessions of the East India Company (which was removed in 1843).It is a short but thought provoking post.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
The Mueller Grand Jury Report
For John, BLUF: The rules are the rules. Or at least they should be. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Hot Air, by Reporter Jazz Shaw, 27 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
One of the more compelling bits of drama coming out of the Russia, Russia, Russia investigation this summer has been the question of Bob Mueller’s highly anticipated “report” on the findings of the grand jury. Rudy Giuliani has argued that he has to release it by this week or sit on it until after the midterms. (A claim with some basis in reality but not a rule written in stone.) Others have argued that politics shouldn’t set the timetable for anything in terms of upholding the law. But is there even a report? Thus far, Mueller’s been silent on the matter.Hat tip to the InstaPundit.Assuming there is, however, there’s a completely separate court case drawing to a close in the next month which could keep any report Mueller generates under wraps. Politico has a fascinating look at a mystery that’s over six decades old and a lawsuit arising from it which could seal the report from the prying eyes of the public and the press.
Regards — Cliff
Monday, August 27, 2018
Grounds for Impeachment
For John, BLUF: Yes, I would like to see the evidence. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Twitchy, by Sam J, 27 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus:
Democrats are finally starting to admit what we normal people have known for over a year … they do not have enough evidence to actually impeach Trump.Of course, there is always The Mueller Report.For anything.
From The Hill:
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said Sunday there is not enough evidence yet to bring impeachment proceedings against President Trump.On ABC’s “This Week,” Swalwell said Trump is not above the law, but Democrats don’t have enough evidence yet to say that he has committed a high crime and misdemeanor.
“We don’t want to be as reckless with the facts as he is,” he said. “I think having thorough investigations, putting forth an impenetrable case, doing it in a bipartisan way is the proper way to do this, but we’re not there yet.”
Would it be wrong to drop The Mueller Report close to the mid-term elections? The Democrats sure howled like they thought so when then FBI Director James Comey did so just before the 2016 Presidential Election.♠
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
♠ A Recent (23 August 2018) Real Clear Investigations article shows that when Director Comey dropped his October Surprise he had not, in fact, reviewed the whole laptop and didn't know whereof he spoke. Director Comey was no J Edgar Hoover.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Venezuela Implodes
For John, BLUF: There will be reverberations up here in North America. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
The UN's migration agency says Venezuela is heading for the same refugee "crisis moment" seen in the Mediterranean in 2015.
From The Beeb, 25 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus three:
The warning comes as its neighbours try to halt the movement of people fleeing Venezuela's economic crisis.A friend of mine wrote:Peru brought in stricter border regulations on Saturday - a day after a court overturned Ecuador's attempt to strengthen its own controls.
More than two million Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014.
They are fleeing a dire economic situation, with Venezuelans facing shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.
Whenever it appears that the economic crisis in socialist Venezuela has reached it's nadir, another emergency situation occurs. This country's economic collapse is having repercussions throughout many Latin America countries. Those US Millennials advocating socialism should travel to Venezuela to view it's effects first-hand.Various forms of socialism (Scandinavia is the example) work in high trust societies, but not all societies are such homogeneous high trust societies. Where does the United States stand?
Regards — Cliff
Friday, August 24, 2018
US Supreme Nominations
For John, BLUF: At the pace of Mr Mueller's operation, the below approach could shut down Government for several years. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From the Twitter Account of Dr Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman).
Paul Krugman Retweeted Charles M. BlowCan we see the Impeachment articles? Can someone at least name the felony of which Mr Blow speaks?
Yes. Kavanaugh may yet be confirmed, but this will make the SC fundamentally illegitimate.Charles M. Blow Again, how are we going to move forward with a SCOTUS nominee chosen by a president implicated in a conspiracy to commit a felony?
1:57 PM - 21 Aug 2018
As for Professor Krugman, the math says there are nine members of the US Supreme Court and Judge Kavanaugh would be one of those nine. How does that make the US Supreme Court fundamentally illegitimate? I could see an argument for split decisions, but does that make the whole apparatus illegitimate? Maybe Professor Krugman is "fundamentally illegitimate."
Under the Blow Doctrine, how can the President even sign a budget bill? Maybe he should just veto authorizations and appropriations.
It is interesting to note that Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) has signed off on Judge Kavanaugh.
Regards — Cliff
Save Us From the Fascists
For John, BLUF: Well, in the Press, the Antifa, but really they are fascists. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, by Ms Debra Heine, 23 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus five:
A Los Angeles-based antifa group is calling for a "sea of armed masses" to use "revolutionary violence against the enemies of the people" and ultimately "take power" in America, Far Left Watch reports.Remember the Antifa line, "No border! No wall! No USA at all!"The revolutionary Maoist group Serve the People -- Los Angeles (STPLA) made the call during a recent demonstration in South Central Los Angeles, where "dozens of protesters" wearing red bandannas and carrying STPLA flags, banners, and a Trump piñata-effigy "rallied the masses" to demand the release of Gladis Hernandez, an illegal immigrant woman who is being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The thing is, when our Progressive Übermensch take over they will end illegal immigration, but not in the way they expect. They will turn the USA into Venezuela and people will flee to Canada, Mexico and beyond.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Evolution Hurts Males
For John, BLUF: Of could we want to present as fit and fudge to do it. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From PJ Media, by Doctor Helen Smith, 13 August 2018.
Short answer is "Yes".
Long answer is "It's evolutionary."
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Hearings For Judge Kavanaugh
For John, BLUF: The Kavanaugh nomination for the US Supreme Court is about more people than Judge Kavanaugh. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Hill, by Mr Reid Wilson, 19 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
When Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifiets before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings next month, he will face a united front of Democratic opposition.Senator Harris is pretty impressive, but she hangs out with folks who don't seem to understand economics or history.He may face no more blistering set of questions than those posed by the senator who sits all the way to the left of the dais, Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
A year and a half into her first term in office, the Judiciary Committee’s most junior member is already seen as a potential presidential front-runner.
She has used her perch to insert herself into the debate over major national issues like President Trump’s decision to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and her advisers believe the Kavanaugh hearings will give her another moment to seize the spotlight.
The hearings won’t exactly be a coming-out party for Harris, who is already front of mind for many Democratic activists across the country. But they will offer another moment in the limelight that other potential presidential contenders will not have.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Monday, August 20, 2018
"The Few"
For John, BLUF: Inspirational. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Sir Winston Churchill, on this day in 1940.
The speech was today, but 15 September is "Battle of Britain Day".
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Evil Demand For ID
For John, BLUF: Just because The Boston Globe invokes "studies", there is no reason for me to roll over. Show me the links. In the mean time, help me to feel secure in my vote. Nothing to see here; just move along.
This is a Boston Globe editorial on 20 August 2018.
Here is the key paragraph:
“The time has come for voter ID like everything else,” said Trump earlier this month at yet another one of his rallies, this one in Florida. He claims identification at polling places can thwart voter fraud, despite no evidence that this problem exists outside of his own imagination.The President misspoke and said you need an ID to guy groceries. That was stupid. However, for the Editorial Board of The Boston Globe to ignore the fact that you need an ID on a visit to a physician's office or for withdrawing money from a bank at the drive up window, is dishonest and malicious.
Today High School Students are issued a photo ID and they have to hang it around their neck. I don't recall that from my days in high school. I wonder if there is some correlation with minority high school drop out rates.
In the mean time the media is all up in the rafters over Russia (what about China and north Korea?) hacking our voting system.
If I said this was just more yellow journalism by a paper supporting the Democrats, would that be unfair?
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Not That Great
For John, BLUF: I wonder if he wishes he could take it back? Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Washington Examiner, by Ms Salena Zito, 19 August 2018.
Here is the part of the column quoted by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, who encourages you to read the whole thing:
Somewhere between Nickelsville and Bear Wallow Hollow along Virginia state route 71, the remains of a redbrick home smolders on the hillside overlooking the single lane road. Several volunteer firemen sit, drinking water near the remains of the home. It’s over 90 degrees out. The sun and heat are punishing, exaggerating the heaviness of their efforts.Yes, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had a major brain cramp. Worse that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi coughs up once in a while.None of these men will get a paycheck for risking their health and possibly their lives. But that’s okay, that’s not why they do it.
An elderly gentleman stands outside of his vehicle along Route 11 West, the Virginia-Tennessee bi-way made infamous in the 1958 movie Thunder Road about moonshine running — he’s not far from a service station. Two young men pull over and offer their help. Minutes later, he is steering, and they are pushing. He makes it to the station; they walk back toward their white service van with two sandwiches in hand he bought them at the lunch counter inside the service station.
A new waitress at a Chattanooga diner drops her tray full of ribs, macaroni and cheese, and wings just as she is about to deliver it to a table filled with family members from out of town. Half of it lands on the father of the family, staining his white shirt and tangling gooey macaroni and cheese in his hair. She is filled with apologizes and tears. They handle it with grace.
When they leave — after they finally have their dinner — they refuse an offer for complimentary dinner and leave her a generous tip.
None of these are extraordinary moments. In fact, they are really quite ordinary things that happen every day in this country. They are the tiny measures of character, which is best measured in such granular increments. Character is the mosaic of tiny acts, rather than a large bold mural making an obvious statement. Speaking at a bill-signing ceremony last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great” — a line that caused some of those in attendance to gasp, others oddly to cheer, before he continued. It was a line meant to take on his nemesis, President Trump, and his signature “Make America Great Again” slogan — but keeps with the notion that some in politics truly believe, that America is not all that great.
Perhaps they don’t know what great means.
Or worse yet, what America means.
And he didn't dismount very gracefully. Is this where the Democratic Party is heading? Do their voters really believe the chant, "No border, no wall, no USA at all"? I hope not.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Protecting the Jury
For John, BLUF: Sure, I am convinced Mr Paul Manafort (as was the key witness against him) guilty of financial shenanigans, but I also wonder if the culture at DOJ is more about justice or more about counting Coup? Nothing to see here; just move along.
This is a Tinker to Evers to Chance kind of thing, starting with a blog post by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, that starts with:
From PJ Media, by Mr Roger L Simon, 17 August 2018.
Here is an interesting paragraph from Mr Simon, talking about the Democrats, and those who run with them:
This, of course, comes from the very people who themselves were colluding with the Russians only minutes ago, but that is the nature of groupthink. A healthy amount of self-delusion is necessary. The party line is ever moving. Don't panic. Just stay with the nomenklatura. They're always right. (If you don't think we have our own nomenklatura, you're not paying attention.)In his blog post Professor Reynolds then links to a Power Line post on seven news agencies asking for the names and addresses of the jokers in the Paul Manafort case.
Yes, I can see some legitimate news gathering purpose in interviewing the jourers after the trial. However, I can also see some Rep Maxine Waters inspired public harassment of the jurors if the don't return the "right" verdict. That would be a major injustice to the jurors, and it would damage our justice system.
As Professor Reynolds says in his post:
Once I would have thought this paranoid, but I’ve learned that this is how they operate.Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Friday, August 17, 2018
What the Democrats Promise for the House
For John, BLUF: In the end it is about guerilla warfare against President Trump, awaiting the Day of the Mueller Report. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
Column: The Democrats' plans for 2019—and beyond
From The Washington Free Beacon, by Mr Matthew Continetti, 17 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
The Democrats have decided that agendas are overrated. Back in May, the party unveiled its "Better Deal" program, calling for expanded broadband access, an increase in the minimum wage, and paid family and sick leave. Voters didn't bite. So last month the Democrats came up with "For the People," which simplifies the platform to infrastructure spending, lowering health care costs, and draining the swamp. Again, crickets.In the end it is about banishing President Trump, and crippling him until that glorious day.What to do? Party leadership has declared that it's every cis-het man for himself. "We trust our candidates to know their districts and the challenges facing their communities better than anyone," House campaign chair Ben Ray Luján tells the New York Times. Translation: If you are Conor Lamb, run as a gun-friendly champion of the working class. If you are Rashida Tlaib, feel free to announce that you would vote against aid for Israel and to call for bi-nationalism that would end the Jewish State. Texas Democrat Colin Allred, following Hillary Clinton, says everyone should be able to buy into Medicare. Maine Democrat Jared Golden, following Bernie Sanders, says, "We need to move towards a universal health care system, like Medicare-for-all."
As for President Trump, it reminds me of the pig wrestling caution. "Don't wrestle with a pig. You will get dirty and it will only make the pig happy."
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Thursday, August 16, 2018
The Other Side of the Trade War
For John, BLUF: President may be a light weight, but if he is he is a very lucky player, which is just as good. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Don Surber, 16 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
Omarosa. The show trial for Paul Manafort. These are the things CNN chipmunks chattered about endlessly the last few days. But CNN has no news judgment because it is run by a moron with a Harvard degree and a Napoleon Complex.Yes, the South China Morning Post (SCMP).To find the news, I read the South China Morning Post, which is worried spitless that the Red Chinese economy will tank like its stock market has.
China throws its weight around, but it isn't all smooth sailing for the new Great Helmsman, General Secretary, Chairman and President Xi.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
The Free Press
For John, BLUF: I think the Presslooks down on half the population, the half that voted for Candidate Trump. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is David Burge (@iowahawkblog):
If people who think the press is the enemy can't be persuaded by 350 identical newspapers editorials, I guess I there's no hope for them
Here is the original Old Gray Lady tweet:
NYT OpinionIt appears the Press leaders seem to think the First Amendment is in jeopardy. On the other hand, while worried about Press Freedom, the Press seems to not worry about Free Speech. Antifa is free to restrain free speech, but the President isn't free to question the motives of the Press?
@nytopinionIn response to a call from the @BostonGlobe, more than 200 newspapers big and small, including this one, are speaking up in defense of America’s #FreePress. bostonglobe.com/freepress
Maybe the November election will cause a refocusing. Or maybe not.
Regards — Cliff
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Picking the Wrong Side
For John, BLUF: The Left, which used to support Jews, and Israel, seems to be stepping away. Sadly. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Samizdata, by Natalie Solent (of Essex), 13 August 2018.
Here is the lede:
“Jeremy Corbyn: I was present at wreath-laying but don’t think I was involved”, reports the Guardian.Well, he was present at the wreath laying, back in 2014, in Tunisia. The event was commemorating the terrorists involved in the massacre of Israeli Olympic Athletes at Munich, back in 1972.
It was a long time ago, the original massacre, the retaliation and the wreath laying, which was in 2014. But, the question is, where does Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn stand today? I suspect not on the right side of this.
From Guido Fawkes' blog, Order-Order, we have "Corbyn Reported to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards". Here are the first two paragraphs:
Jeremy Corbyn has been reported to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, over his non-declared visit to Tunis, attendance at the wreath laying ceremony for the masterminds of the Munich Massacre, and inability to be open and honest about his attendance.Read Guido's post to see the three elements cited.Andrew Bridgen MP has written the commissioner, setting out how Corbyn has potentially breached three key elements of the Code of Conduct.
Regards — Cliff
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
President Working For All
For John, BLUF: And, he is. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is a Tweet from Donald J. Trump, 11 August 2018:
@realDonaldTrumpOur senior senator, here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, doesn't seem to think so, but Ms Kim Kardashian seems willing to work with the President in the area of prison reform.
I am proud to have fought for and secured the LOWEST African American and Hispanic unemployment rates in history. Now I’m pushing for prison reform to give people who have paid their debt to society a second chance. I will never stop fighting for ALL Americans!
6:41 AM - 11 Aug 2018
Sadly, our political scene seems to resemble the TV Series Occupied, Season 1. Who ARE the good guys?
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Keeping It Together
For John, BLUF: Your Spouse is someone you should walk with (and talk with) to the very end. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From , by Playwright Carla Seaquist, 4 August 2018.
I have met Carla, and followed her writings over the years. Her husband, Larry, was my boss's Deputy when I was on the Joint Staff. While I don't agree with all of her politics, I do think she makes a very good point here. Marriage is very important and should not be allowed to decay over issues of domestic politics.
The other thing I picked up was a link to an Opinion Piece her husband wrote, along with another person, on Homelessness in their part of Washington State. The [West] Coast is having a terrible time with homelessness, and my understanding from when I was a teenager is that trends start out in Southern California, head east to New York City and then spread out from there. This homelessness trend is not something we want to see spread to Lowell.
Homelessness isn't one thing. Rather, it is a combination of things, including skyrocketing home prices, high unemployment, mental health issues, addiction of some form, a desire to be free of obligations and a failure to launch as an adult. Our solutions need to consider all those factors One solution does not fill all needs, but we do know that adequate housing does reduce medical costs, and thus the physical cost to the person who is homeless.
Regards — Cliff
Monday, August 13, 2018
Fixing the Justice System
For John, BLUF: And who is working to fix this problem? Kim Kardashian and President Trump. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The National Interest, by Mr Jim Geraghty, 6 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus four:
You think you have a tough job this morning? Imagine being the guy who has to organize “Cops for Warren 2020” in a year or so.Sure, I think Legislators bear a lot of the responsibility for this situation, but do you think Senator Warren thinks Law Professors bear some responsibility for the state of affairs as she sees it?Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, speaking at Dillard University in New Orleans this weekend:
“Let’s just start with the hard truth about our criminal justice system,” she railed. “It’s racist. It is. And when I say our system, I mean all the way. I mean front to back. This is not just sentencing reform we’re talking about here. We’re talking about the front end on what you declare to be illegal on how you enforce it, on who gets arrested.”“Racist all the way, front to back,” is a really surprising and troubling thing to hear about a system that was, until 18 months ago, effectively headed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and before her, Eric Holder, appointed and accountable to the nation’s first African-American president. A system that has 214 African-American federal judges, 125 of Latino or Hispanic heritage, 41 Asian-Americans, and three Native Americans. A system that has at least 400 black prosecutors (although far too few elected ones). A system where 27 percent of the officers and police personnel are members of minority groups, as of 2013, the most recent year data are available. Do all of these people feel like they are cogs in the “racist all the way, front to back” machine?Does she think her potential rival, former Massachusetts governor and assistant attorney general Deval Patrick was part of a racist system? How about former district attorney and state attorney general Kamala Harris?
I wonder if Senator E Warren is the one who told Mr Bertrand Russell that it is turtles all the way down?
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Following the Narrative
For John, BLUF: I wonder if Reporters, and their editors, are bothered by objective facts on the ground? Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Victory Girls Blog, by Ms Nina Bookout, 12 August 2018.
If you don't equate AntiFAT with the Nazi era Brownshirts you either are not paying attention or your historic understanding is deficient, or both.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Does She Really?
For John, BLUF: The thing about discrimination is that it costs you the value of talent. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Hot Air, by Mr John Seton, 3 August 2018.
Yes, this is about the new Member of the Editorial Staff at The Old Lady, Ms Sarah Jeong, who is female and of Korean extraction.
I wonder if she thinks that in addition to excluding Japanese military Self Defense Force members from helping repel some future North Korean military assault on South Korea, male caucasians (US, Aussie, Kiwis and Brits) should also be excluded?
And, in the back of one's mind is the question of if we can, in the future, expect a fair shake from 620 Eighth Avenue.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
"Fixing" The Electoral College
For John, BLUF: The Electoral College serves an important function, in ensuring the smaller and less populated states feel they have a stake in the larger Federal Government. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Boston Globe, by Globe Staff Member Michael Levenson, 10 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
A Harvard Law professor, former governor William F. Weld, and Al Gore’s onetime attorney are making a long-shot bid to change the Electoral College system, arguing that it encourages presidential candidates to devote all their time to a handful of swing states and ignore the vast majority of the country.For Massachusetts it meant rounding up three non-Democrats to file suit against the Commonwealth. They even found a Republican Student at Harvard who joined the suit.The high-powered group is suing two blue states, Massachusetts and California, and two red states, Texas and South Carolina, arguing that the winner-take-all system that they and 44 other states use to allocate electors to the Electoral College effectively disenfranchises millions of voters who back the losing candidates.
Sure, this might be a good idea, but having the courts force it seems like a vote of no-confidence is the legislative process. Why go to a Federal Court to deal with something the General Court could fix itself. Are we in some sort of "death pact" with most of the other states, where we cannot take the lead without hurting ourselves (or the Democratic Party)?
Regards — Cliff
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Connecticut Senator Mentally Adrift
For John, BLUF: Freedom of speech means the Government can't shut you down. It is not a promise of private companies publishing whatever you produce. Nothing to see here; just move along.
So that is the Tweet from Ben Shapiro.
Here is the original Tweet, from Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT):
Infowars is the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies that uses sites like Facebook and YouTube to tear our nation apart. These companies must do more than take down one website. The survival of our democracy depends on it.
So, yes, the First Amendment is about the Government. So Facebook or some other Internet organization can dump Mr Alex Jones and his InfoWars any time it wants.
However, for Congress to mandate it would be to violently violate the First Amendment.
The other thing is, for a member of a party that uses terms like Hitler and Nazi to describe the leaders of the other major political party to then talk about "hate and lies" and tearing "our nation apart" is the height of hypocrisy.
Shame Senator Murphy, Shame!
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Practice
For John, BLUF: Violinist Mischa Elman is walking from Carnegie Hall toward his hotel following a rehearsal. He wasn’t happy with his playing and had his head down. Two tourists who saw his violin case asked him "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" Without looking up, he replied, “Practice.” Nothing to see here; just move along.
From "The Long March" (Reporter and Historian Tom Ricks) feature of Task and Purpose, by Ms Sara Samora, 6 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus two:
One of my drill instructors, then-Staff Sgt. Rosie Suarez-Woods, made it all look so easy. My November company platoon sisters and I tried repeatedly to duplicate her drill actions. A handful I believe were successful. Most of us were not.Seems right to me.As easy as Suarez-Woods made it look, it was hard. Hard as f_ _k, really.
During one drill practice, she said something that stayed with me to this day, and it’s something I always return to when professors or bosses have me and my colleagues or classmates do something repeatedly: “An amateur practice until she gets it right. A Marine practice until she can’t get it wrong.”
Regards — Cliff
Pranked
For John, BLUF: I can see tired and frustrated airline passengers not doing well in this situation, but that is when a sense of humor is most important. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Time Magazine, by Ms Megan McCluskey, 9 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
Basically anyone who has ever been to an airport knows that finding an open power outlet can be one of the most stress-inducing aspects of flying. So it should come as no surprise that people are freaking out over this power outlet sticker prank."Basically," if you can't take a joke, life is going to be very hard.Thanks to one beleaguered traveler’s commitment to exposing this diabolical trick to the world, a photo of one of the fake sockets has gone viral. “Whoever put up this fake sticker of an open outlet at the airport, you are now my enemy for life,” Twitter user Brandon Ewing captioned a photoset of himself discovering the ruse.
The up side of this is that it might prompt various airport managers to do some rewiring.
As a note, the video at the top of the story has nothing to do with the story.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Are These Democrats?
For John, BLUF: Some on the left seem ready to jump off the precipice. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
It’s not just New Deal liberalism.
From Vox, by Ms Meagan Day, 1 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
I’m a staff writer at the socialist magazine Jacobin and a member of DSA, and here’s the truth: In the long run, democratic socialists want to end capitalism. And we want to do that by pursuing a reform agenda today in an effort to revive a politics focused on class hierarchy and inequality in the United States. The eventual goal is to transform the world to promote everyone’s needs rather than to produce massive profits for a small handful of citizens.Jacobin Magazine? Here.Democratic socialists share goals with New Deal liberals. But they want to go further.
That seems to have settled that. Abolish Capitalism and replace it with socialism. Will there be an escape valve? Or is Caracas our future for ever?
Of course, if everything is produced in abundance there is no need for economics.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Friday, August 10, 2018
The Insurance Policy
For John, BLUF: This kind of thing would never happen in these United States, but if it were to happen, this is how it would happen. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Hill, by Reporter Sheryl Attkisson, 9 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus two:
Let’s begin in the realm of the fanciful.To be fair to the bureaucrats, Ms Sharyl Attkisson believes the Government broke into her house and bugged her computer—as in secretly broke into her place of residence, contrary to the Fourth Amendment.Assume, for the sake of argument, that powerful, connected people in the intelligence community and in politics worried that a wildcard Trump presidency, unlike another Clinton or Bush, might expose a decade-plus of questionable practices. Disrupt long-established money channels. Reveal secret machinations that could arguably land some people in prison.
What exactly might an “insurance policy” against Donald Trump look like?
I am sure that any relationship, in this scenario, to Text messages exchanged by FBI Chief of Counterespionage Peter Strzok and DOJ Lawyer Lisa Page is purely coincidental.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Banning Extreme Conservatives
For John, BLUF: I guess there is no place for NRA members or Right to Life folks in The Empire State. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The New York Post, by Reporter Seth Lipsky, 8 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus five:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s lawyers will be in federal court in Albany next month, when they’ll try to get a judge to dismiss the lawsuit against him by America’s largest civil rights organization.Yes, maybe the Democrats are correct. We elected Donald Trump and now it feels like we are living in Nazi Germany, or Stalinist Russia, or the Bolivarian Socialist Republic of Venezuela. Well, I don't, since I live in Massachusetts, but think about living in New York State. Terrible.The group is the National Rifle Association, which is asking a federal court to halt the governor’s efforts to use financial regulations to drive the gun rights group out of business here. Think of it as the first court test of what could be called the “Cuomo doctrine”: the governor’s vow that “extreme conservatives” have “no place in the state of New York.”
Cuomo first declared his doctrine in a radio interview in January 2014. He railed against “extreme conservatives who are ‘right to life,’ ‘pro-assault weapon,’ ‘anti-gay.’” Cuomo didn’t say whether he meant to include in his list of deplorables all Catholics, say, or Muslims, or Orthodox Jews.
What had really set Cuomo off was Republican opposition to his gun-control measures. He was infuriated that, after Sandy Hook, some objected to tightening already-strict New York gun laws.
Fair enough, one might say. The governor of New York is entitled to have a view on guns, to differ with the NRA and to join robustly in the debate over what to do about gun violence.
In April of this year, though, state regulators told insurers and banks they oversee to look at their relationships with gun rights groups. They warned of “reputational risks” in their “dealings” with the NRA.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
North Korea Faces Problems
For John, BLUF: The global heat wave seems to have impacted North Korea particularly hard. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From the Daily NK, by Reporter Kim Yoo Jin, 8 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus three:
As North Korea continues to reel from an unprecedented heat wave, the authorities are conducting a nationwide assessment of the damage that has been inflicted on crops as well as on-site farm visits, report sources in the country.Will this remind the North Koreans of the North Korean famine, which occurred in North Korea from 1994 to 1998?"The temperature has risen daily and there's no rain, so crops all over the country are drying out," said a North Hamgyong Province-based source on August 6. "The authorities are investigating the damage done to the agricultural fields."
The source said that the authorities have sent investigative teams to farms throughout the country who are taking photos of the damage and sending them back to central headquarters.
The roots of the corn crops have yellowed because they have dried out from the lack of rain. North Koreans consider the agricultural season to be "finished" this year. Farmers have suffered from both the double impact of intense heat and drought.
The first question, of course, is how do we prevent another famine, given the last one killed hundreds of thousands? Here is Wikipedia's view:
Out of a total population of approximately 22 million, somewhere between 240,000 and 3,500,000 North Koreans died from starvation or hunger-related illnesses, with the deaths peaking in 1997. A 2011 U.S. Census Bureau report put the likely number of excess deaths during 1993 to 2000 at from 500,000 to 600,000.The second question is how do we prevent a breakdown that results in a massive refugee exodus into Russia and China, which will be resisted by both?
The third question is how does the United States properly leverage this situation in a way that helps Chairman Kim Jung-un step back from his nuclear ambitions?
Regards — Cliff
Wrong Questions Give Wrong Answers
For John, BLUF: No prejudice is more interesting that that of Social Scientists. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
A Columbia University sociologist recently published a study showing that much of the academic research into President Trump’s voters is marred by prejudicial designs, distorted data, and outright misrepresentations.
Musa al-Gharbi points out, for instance, that one data set used in a Washington Post article to accuse Trump voters of racist motivations actually shows that Trump voters were less racist than those who voted for Mitt Romney.
From Campus Reform, by Reporter Toni Airaksinen (@Toni_Airaksinen), 2 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
A new study finds that much of the research conducted on President Trump’s voters is marred by prejudicial designs, distorted data, and outright misrepresentation of Trump’s words.Led by Musa al-Gharbi, a Columbia University sociologist, “On Social Research in the Age of Trump” analyzes three case studies of academic research on Trump to illustrate the various ways that academics have misrepresented the president and his voter base to the public.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Building Trump's Base
For John, BLUF: Sometimes you are known by the enemies you make. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From American Greatness, by Professor Victor Davis Hanson, 5 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus five:
ecently, Politico reporter Marc Caputo was angered at rude hecklers at a Trump rally who booed beleaguered CNN correspondent Jim Acosta.Frankly, I am honored the elites think I am one of Les Deplorables.So Caputo tweeted of them, “If you put everyone’s mouths together in this video, you’d get a full set of teeth.”
Politico had not employed such a crass journalist since before it fired Julia Ioffe for tweeting, “Either Trump is f—ing his daughter or he’s shirking nepotism laws. Which is worse?” (Ioffe was then snatched up by the Atlantic, which has an unpredictable policy either of excusing or not excusing the controversial expressions of its newly hired journalists.)
I suppose Caputo meant that Trump voters intrinsically lacked either the money to fix their teeth or the knowledge of the hygiene required to take care of them or the aesthetic sensitivity of how awful their mouths looked. Or Caputo was simply rehashing the stereotypes that he had seen on reality TV shows like “Duck Dynasty” and “The Deadliest Catch.”
Or none of the above: the journalist grandee was just stupid.
That last alternative seems most likely since Caputo then escalated and called them collectively “garbage people.” Or rather, in the manner of a cowardly age of social media, he tweeted that slur when safely at a distance.
Remember the line, "If you want more Trump, this is how you get more Trump."
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Jeff Sessions on SPLC
For John, BLUF: Turning around DoJ is hard work. Nothing to see here; just move along.
SPLC = Southern Poverty Law Center, a hate group. Just ask Ms Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
From PJ Media, by Mr Tyler O'Neil, 8 August 2018.
Here is the lede:
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions denounced the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for weaponizing its "hate group" designations against conservative organizations, and pledged that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will not partner with hate groups or groups that defame Americans. He spoke in front of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian legal organization that has won 9 Supreme Court cases in the last seven years and that has been unfairly defamed as a "hate group" by the SPLC.I want to hear what the FBI does as a result of this direction.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
It's Over
For John, BLUF: The Word of the Day. Nothing to see here; just move along.
the standardization of political, economic, and social institutions as carried out in authoritarian states.
What prompted this was a blog post at InstaPundit, by Mr Stephen Green, on an item in PJ Media, "Advertisers Jump on the SJW Bandwagon, Declare Masculinity Dead", by Ms Faith Moore, 8 August 2018.
I guess there are a few of us "bitter clingers", clinging to our guns and Bibles and our masculinity, but otherwise it may all be dead, as we all align with the SJWs.
The only problem is that the SJWs sometimes change direction with no warning. Watch out for whiplash.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Petty Government
For John, BLUF: Their sidewalk, their city government. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Washington Times, by Reporter Victor Morton, 6 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
The West Hollywood City Council called Monday night for President Trump’s star be removed from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to a tweet by the city’s mayor.I guess it is their sidewalk. The thing is, this is what President Trump is being accused of—petty responses to things he doesn't like This is grand scale petty.
Didn't someone once say, “When they go low, we go high”? Words [I wish we were mature enough] to live by.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Improving Driver Licenses
For John, BLUF: Holding the Democrats to their own standards. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
Doubling down on gender recognition for all
From The Boston Herald, by Your Captain, Howie Carr, 5 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus four:
I’m going to nominate Rep. Jim Lyons for a Profiles in Courage Award.Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, in posting this to his blog, said:You’ve heard of No Child Left Behind? Well, on Tuesday night, in the waning moments of the legislative session, the Republican from Andover took a stand for America’s newest civil-rights movement.
No Gender Left Behind.
The smugger-than-thou PC Democrats at the State House were trying to add a third “gender” to the Massachusetts driver’s license — Gender X.
But of course, as everyone knows, or would know, if they were “woke,” there are an infinite number of genders — literally. Ask any two-spirit that you know. Every neutrois understands this, you damn ’phobes!
SAUL ALINSKY SMILESHat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Too Many Laws
For John, BLUF: Too right. Way too many laws on the books. You don't expect any change from the General Court do you? Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
Donald Trump has supported the First Step Act to reduce minimum sentences, but more can be done. For one thing, we need fewer crimes.
From USA Today, by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, 7 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus five:
It’s time and past time to do something about the criminal justice system, as I’ve been arguing for years. But with last week’s White House conference on criminal justice reform, it looks as if we might just see progress, though I think we need real structural fixes too.And here is how it ends:Right now we have both an over-and an under-incarceration problem. The over-incarceration problem is that too many people are sent to jail for things that shouldn’t carry much jail time, if any: nonviolent regulatory crimes, low-level nonviolent drug crimes, etc. Even crimes that are punished with fines can turn into jail time if the defendant can’t pay the fine, as is often the case with poor defendants. (At the same time, people who commit serious violent crimes often get out too soon.)
Then, when people do get out, they have a hard time making it honestly. Many people don’t want to hire an ex-con, even when the crime was a comparatively mild one. And many ex-cons lack the skills to make it in the employment world, though the current booming job market is helping with that.
One solution is to have fewer crimes. There are — literally, as I noted in the Columbia Law Review a few years ago — so many crimes that not even the government can keep up with them all. The more crimes we create, the more criminals we create.And that’s bad, because enforcing the law, as Yale Law professor Stephen L. Carter points out, is inherently violent. The more laws, the more violence: When New York made it a crime to sell loose cigarettes for tax reasons, Carter notes, it set the stage for Eric Garner’s death.
As Carter writes, “This is by no means an argument against having laws. It is an argument for a degree of humility as we choose which of the many things we may not like to make illegal.”
I think we’re much too quick to criminalize conduct without thinking this through. The next step in criminal justice reform should be to drastically prune the criminal law.
The old saw, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" is worthless in the face of all the laws on the books, both Federal and State. I fully agree with Professor Reynolds.
Further, passing more laws is the Legislators' lazy way of dealing with problems. We don't need more laws, we need more understanding.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Monday, August 6, 2018
Environmental Improvement
For John, BLUF: I am not sure banning straws is going to break the camel's back. We are seeing the leading edge of a moral panic. We are making progress and we need to remain calm and carry on. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Investor's Business Daily, a 2 August 2018 Editorial.
Here are three key paragraphs, excerpted by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds in his blog post:
From 1970 to 2017, the six major pollutants monitored by the EPA plunged by 73%. By comparison, during that time the U.S.’ economy grew 262% and its population by 60%.Then Professor Reynolds goes on to say:The decline in pollution is steep. Carbon monoxide, down 77%. Lead, 80%. Nitrogen oxide, 56%. Ozone, 22%. Particle pollution, off an average 38%. Sulfur dioxide, 88%.
Not included in the report, but equally if not more significant, is the fact that CO2 — the main greenhouse gas — overall has plunged 29% since peaking in 2007. That’s been the relentless focus of global warming activists and the left-leaning power elites from their policy perches at think tanks, NGOs, and global government organizations such as the U.N.
Meanwhile, Europe, despite all the sanctimony, is making no such progress.Is it possible that for the Europeans it isn't so much about the results as it is about the process? I recall a quip, attributed to a German Professor out of Heidelberg:♠
That Works Very Well in Practice, But How Does It Work In Theory?By the way, here is the US EPA Report.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
♠ Attributed here to a Boston based magazine back in 1911.
Why Be Engaged in Europe?
For John, BLUF: This is about World War One, The Great War, of which we have a number of memorials here in Lowell, including Kittredge Park. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is the sub-headline:
A century after the guns fell silent, the United States risks replicating the errors of the past.
From Defense One, by Professor Eliot A Cohen, 9 July 2018.
I do disagree with Professor Cohen on one point. I believe the Commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), General John "Black Jack" Pershing, was right to want the US forces to be committed as a whole, rather than in penny packets along the front. The reason was psychological. Support for the war would be enhanced by American performance and diminished by American accomplishments being blurred in with those of the French and British.
If we glance at Dead Carl for a moment we see the emotional, the psychological, as the first in the three items listed in his "Trinity". It appears General Pershing knew this. One suspects President Wilson, with his Southern background, would have sensed it also.
But, back to the larger theme, we do need to stay engaged in Europe, because it will likely cost us in the long run to not be so engaged.
Regards — Cliff
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Thoughts on Russia
Quoting Afghan King Ahdur Rahman Khan (1901):
My last words to you, my son and successor, are: Never trust the Russians.Regards — Cliff
Manafort Trial Stumbles Forward
For John, BLUF: I don't think I have seen anything about Russian Collusion WRT this trial. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Law and Crime, by Mr Colin Kalmbacher, 2 August 2018.
Here is the lede:
Paul Manafort‘s third day on trial over charges of bank fraud and tax evasion was cut a bit short on Thursday after government attorneys made the same mistake twice in a row.I wonder if Federal Judge T.S. Ellis III has talked with United States District Judge Emmet G Sullivan?
Hat tip to the Drudge Report.
Regards — Cliff
GOP Campaigning in Commonwealth
For John, BLUF: Nice turnout. Even Sam Poulton was there. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The [Lowell] Sun, by Reporter Rick Sobey, 3 August 2018.
Here is the lede plus two:
The "Blue Wave" is coming this fall, you may have heard time and time again in the wake of Democratic backlash against Republican President Donald Trump.Remember, Primary, Tuesday, 4 September, and the General Election is Tuesday, 6 November. If you are going to be out of the City on 4 September you can vote now. Well, Monday. Tuesday the Election Office (City Hall Basement, SE Corner) is open past 5 PM, for convenience.But that couldn't have been further from the thoughts of politicos in Lowell's Athenian Corner Wednesday evening.
State and congressional Republican candidates gathered downtown for the "GOP Meet and Rally Fest," making their case for a strong fall election season.
And thanks to State Senate Candidate John MacDonald for organizing the affair.
Regards — Cliff
Building the Wall
For John, BLUF: Leave it to Texas to lead the way. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Babylon Bee, 3 August 2018.
Here is the lede:
The Texas legislature has approved construction of a border wall surrounding the state in order to keep out unwanted refugees fleeing the rapidly crumbling dystopia of California.Here is the key paragraph:
A recent conversation about changing the name of the city of Austin to be more politically correct opened lawmakers’ eyes to just how many liberal California residents had come to the state in recent years, bringing their crazy ideas with them.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Interfering in the Politics of Other Nations
For John, BLUF: In Nicaragua we have had over one hundred deaths from political violence. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From Counter Punch, by Celina Stien-della Croce, 6 July 2018.
The paragraphs tend to be long, so no extract. The sum of the story is that the United States is messing in elections in Latin America, especially, in this case, Nicaragua and Venezuela. I am shocked. I thought only Putin's Russia did this sort of thing.
Perhaps the real scandal of the 2016 election is that the US Government did so little to counter Russian election meddling and then did so much to cover it up.
In the mean time, we should not underestimate the power of Socialism to damage nations and bring about the fall of governments.
Regards — Cliff
Generational Changes in 2016
For John, BLUF: I am not sure if this is a generational switch or a sign that folks under the age of 50 never got a good education in history and economics. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Boston Globe, by Columnist Joan Vennochi, 30 July 2018.
This is an Opinion Piece about Massachusetts US Representative Mike Capuano, his challenger in September, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who has endorsed Ms Pressley. What I found interesting was that Ms Vennochi managed to write the whole 631 word OpEd without once mentioning that older generation Democrats are also being threatened from the Republican side.
Can you believe it? But, here is a Friday article in The [Lowell] Sun that says opposition is not just in September,♠ but at the vote in November.
As to the Democratic Socialism now invading the Democratic Party, they seem to not understand that Capitalism has pull the vast majority of People across the globe out of abject poverty in the last 300 years, but people like Venezuela's President Maduro are trying to reverse that trend.
Regards — Cliff
♠ Yes, if you are going to be out of town on 4 September, the Primary Election Voting Day, the day after Labor Day, you can go down to Lowell City Hall on this coming Monday (6 August) and vote in the primary. On Tuesday you can even do it after 5:00 PM.