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Sunday, January 31, 2021

Policing One's Own


For John, BLUFProfessions, as Professor Sam Huntington told us, includes a self-policing function.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Real Clear Investigations, by Reporter Paul Sperry, 28 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

As the U.S. government seeks prison time for a former FBI lawyer who admitted falsifying evidence to spy on a former Trump aide, the District of Columbia Bar association hasn’t begun an investigation to strip him of his law license, records show.

The defendant, Kevin Eugene Clinesmith, is still listed as an “active” attorney in “good standing” with the Democrat-controlled D.C. Bar, despite his having pleaded guilty more than five months ago to illegally altering a document used for authorization to electronically eavesdrop on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page as part of the FBI’s Russiagate probe.

A search of the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel database of "disciplinary proceedings" turns up no such proceedings against Clinesmith, even though his guilty plea was reported to the bar and the bar's board has received at least one formal complaint demanding his disbarment.

This was from Thursday and on this Friday Mr Clinesmith was sentenced.  Perhaps on Monday the DC Bar will reverse course.

As a responsible Citizen, I apologize to Mr Carter Page for the actions of our Government.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Whither the Impeachment Trial?


For John, BLUFThe [Second] Impeachment Trial of Citizen Donald J Trump begins in the US Senate on 9 February 2021.  At least the Super Bowl will be over.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Beware: Those arguing the Dems are making a miscalculation have got it all wrong.

From National Review, by Commentator Andrew C McCarthy, 27 January 2021, 11:12 AM.

Here is the heart of the argument:

To summarize, Republicans are trying to signal that Democrats should just drop the whole thing.  The votes are not there; ergo, it’s a waste of time.  All it will do is raise Trump’s profile, give him a platform to air his grievances, and launch his political revival. Who wants that?

The Democrats want that.

Despite President Biden’s pretensions about bringing our nation together, Democrats want to impeach Trump because it will be divisive, not despite its divisiveness.  They are banking on his being acquitted and politically revived, not underestimating that possibility.  They want him to run for office again, not banish him.

Yes, the former president’s impeachment trial will be divisive for the country, but not in a way that troubles the Democrats.  Rather, it will unite the Left while intensifying the Right’s internecine conflict.

With Republicans having agreed to delay the trial proceedings for a couple of weeks, impeachment will be a boon for the fledgling Biden administration.  The new president will get his major appointees confirmed and installed in the various executive departments and agencies.  Meantime, Biden will get a double windfall.

For sure, it is all about Former President Trump, and how you read him.  The Democrats read him as a destructive and self-destructive force.  The Senate elections in Georgia may, to them, bear out this view.  On the other hand, Former President Trump has a Fingerspitzengefühl sense of the "Tea Party" folks out across the Fruited Plain.

I think much will depend on if Former President Trump is able to put 2020 behind him and focus on 2022 and 2024.  If he can, he could be formidable on the hustings.  And his "martyrdom" at the hands of the Democrats in Congress will only add to his luster.

On the other hand, if it all goes as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes, then Mr Trump will be finished in politics, to the great relief of the Democrats.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Friday, January 29, 2021

SCOTUS Turns Its Back


For John, BLUFI am sure that Democrats will criticize Chief Justice John Roberts for stepping away from this second Impeachment Trial, especially if things go sideways.  Howver, the Chief Justice has made the wise choice.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

The economy is imploding, the coronavirus is raging, the terrorists in Black Lives Matter and Antifa are still terrorizing Democrat-run cities, and what’s the Democrat-run U.S. Senate gearing up to do, and do with His Fraudulency Joe Biden’s approval…?

Ferom Breitbart, by Editor John Nolte, 28 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

Impeach … a private citizen.

If you thought that first impeachment of President Trump was fake, these lunatics now want to impeach and convict Trump as a private citizen — a farce so absurd, so ridiculous, and such a piece of failed political theater, even establishment toady John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, refuses to participate.

Roberts is refusing for a very good reason…

The impeachment process is about removing the president.

Donald Trump is not the president.

In place of Chief Justice John Roberts, the Senate Democrats have picked Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to preside.  Senator Leahy is a decent human being.  Chairing this fraud is not going to be good for him or his reputation.  Whatever he does will be decried as wrong, from one side or the other.

But, Speaker Pelosi insists.

Yes, the use of "His Fraudulency" as a title for President Biden seems a little over the top.  We should not emulate the Democrats from the last four years.  We should grant legitimacy and hope that President Biden makes moves that make America better.

Hat tip to my Wife.

Regards  —  Cliff

Supreme Court Acknowledges Donald J Trump Has Stepped Down


For John, BLUFThis is about the Constitution's Emoluments Clause (Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 ).  I think that deep down inside the Democrafts are concerned that Donald and Melania named their Son Barron.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Gateway Pundit, by Reporter Cristina Laila, 25 January 2021, 1:36pm.

Here is the lede plus two:

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed emoluments clause lawsuits against Donald Trump.

In an order that was issued with no dissent, the highest court of the land instructed lower courts to toss out opinions against Trump since he is no longer in office.

For years Trump endured judicial harassment after rabid Democrats lawmakers and attorneys general of DC and Maryland sued him over 3 years ago because foreign government officials stayed at Trump’s DC hotel.

It is Gateway Pundit, which explains the over-the-top reporting.

Funnily enough one might have thought the First Branch would take this as a hint, and drop the Trial for the Second Impeachment.  Alas, no.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

First Sentencing For Russiagate


For John, BLUFYes, the DOJ has convictede a number of Trump supporters, but here is the first conviction of a person involved in smearing Donald J Trump and crew via Russiagate, and thereby distrupting the proper functioning of the US Government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Epoch Times, by Reporter Ivan Pentchoukov, 29 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

A federal judge on Jan. 29 sentenced former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith to 12 months of probation for forging an email that resulted in one of several major errors in the applications to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg described Clinesmith’s forgery as an “inappropriate shortcut.”  The judge concurred with the defense’s argument that the FBI attorney did not intend to lie when he added the words “not a source” to an email from a CIA liaison which described Page as having provided information to the agency.

Boasberg, who serves as one of the judges in the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that approved the applications to surveil Page, said that Clinesmith’s forgery damages the reputation of the court.  The judge said he had no reason to disagree with the findings of the report by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General, which found that Clinesmith’s actions were not motivated by his bias against President Donald Trump.

The judge also ordered Clinesmith to serve 400 hours of community service.

This is the first fruit of the Federal Prosecutor John Durham's investigation into the Federal Government's handling of information on then Candidate Donald Trump.  Outgoing US Attorney General William Barr appointed him a Special Council before stepping down.  Mr Durham's task is to investigate to determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was "lawful and appropriate".

As to the sentence, it seems appropriate, given that Mr Carter Page is suing the US Government (Department of Justice, FBI and Mr James Comey) for $75 million over his Civil Rights being violated.  I don't see filling up another jail slot with Mr Clinesmith.  That is just more Federal money down the drain.  And, the community service is a nice touch.

On the other hand, I thought maybe a FISA Court Judge, like U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, might want to extract a pound of flesh and send a serious message.  Kudos to him for resisting the temptation.  I hope this slap on the wrist, and professional embarrassment, is sufficient to send a signal to other Government lawyers.

But, at the end of the day I hope his testimony given in exchange for this light sentence will help convict others who violated the Civil Rights of American Citizens and who further blemshed the record of the FBI and the Department of Justice.

Here is the PJ Media take on the sentencing.

Regards  —  Cliff

Your School Has a Bad Name


For John, BLUFI think it wasn't until Ninth Grade that I was in a named school (Bancroft.  For a while the woman two doors down from us on Mansur, in her youth, had been a Bancroft student).  History is to be learned from and erasing history erases learning.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Washington Examiner, by Columnist Byron York, 27 January 2021, 08:57 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

The latest enactment of that old truth happened Tuesday night in, of all places, a Zoom meeting of the San Francisco School Board.  In that meeting, members voted to strip the names of American historical figures -- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and even California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein -- from schools in San Francisco.

What began in recent years as a call to remove the names of Confederate leaders from schools, roads, and military bases, and then to tear down Confederate statues, has now moved on to target all of American history.

The San Francisco Board created a School Names Advisory Committee in May 2018.  Members passed a resolution committing the board to "changing the names of schools named for historical figures who engaged in the subjugation and enslavement of human beings; or who oppressed women, inhibiting societal progress; or whose actions led to genocide; or who otherwise significantly diminished the opportunities of those amongst us to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The last phrase, targeting anyone who had "diminished the opportunities" of anyone else, was a catch-all that would allow the School Board to go after virtually any name it chose.  And indeed, on Tuesday night, the Board voted to change 44 school names.

Not only did they tag George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, but also Paul Revere and sitting US Senator from California, Diane Feinstein.

Of course the San Francisco School Board hasn't yet found a way to reopen those schools, but at least there will be name changes.

Frankly, this action would cause me to run for the School Board in the next election.  Schools being closed for COVID-19.  Schools not meeting the needs to the students.  What is there not to run against?

One hopes that at some point the People will rise up and throw the bums out.  Rise up in the classic, "go to the polls", sense.  Or maybe there will be the formation of a new political party.  Call it the Grizzley Bear Party.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

  Can Patriots' Day be far behind?

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Take a Nap


For John, BLUFI am an afternoon napper, so I find this news about the value of an afternoon nap as encouraging.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From United Press International, by HealthDay News, 27 January 2021, 1:05 AM.

Here is the lede plus one:

"You snooze, you lose" may not be true when it comes to your brain:  A new study finds that napping in the afternoon may actually boost mental agility.

The study couldn't prove cause and effect, but a midday nap was associated with a rise in "locational awareness," verbal fluency and working memory, the Chinese researchers reported this week in the journal General Psychiatry.

"Among the things that are good for you and fun, you can now count daytime naps," said Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist specializing in memory disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Who knows what science will tell us next, but I think this finding seems supported by experience.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Prices Going Up?


For John, BLUFWe think our winter weather here in New England can be bad, but so can the odd spot of bad weather in Southern California.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From gCaptain, by Bloomberg's Brendan Murray, 26 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

Cargo ships enduring one of the worst U.S. port bottlenecks in more than a decade faced down another obstacle as they waited to offload near Los Angeles: a lashing from Mother Nature.

Winds gusting to 55 knots (63 mph) and 17-foot (5.2-meter) waves forced 17 loaded container vessels to depart their anchorages for safety out at sea, the Marine Exchange of Southern California said in a note late Monday.  Another 14 carriers remained anchored outside the adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, it said.

The storm prevented “many” scheduled port movements, and marine officials indicated that the congestion doesn’t look likely to clear soon:  28 additional container lines are scheduled to arrive in the next three days — 11 more than the usual pre-Covid traffic.

Will this bottleneck at the port cause the cost of imported goods to go up, or is the cost of an idling ship not that high?

Regards  —  Cliff

Saving the Filibuster


For John, BLUFRepublican Senator Mitch McConnell has struck a bargin with Senator Chuck Schumer to save the filibuster.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Hot Air, by Allah Pundit, 26 January 2021, 4:13 PM.

Here is the lede plus two:

The funniest thing on social media over the past 48 hours has been liberals complaining that McConnell may love the filibuster now but if he were back in charge of the Senate he’d nuke it ruthlessly to clear a path for Republican policies.

As if we didn’t just spend six years watching Cocaine Mitch steadfastly refusing to nuke the filibuster as majority leader, even when Republicans had total control of government in 2017 and 2018, even when the leader of his party was barking at him to do it.

I know political attention spans post-Trump have atrophied almost completely but McConnell was in charge of the Senate as recently as 24 days ago.  You don’t even have to look back past this calendar month to remember a time when he was in position to go nuclear!

Senator McConnell has not been one of my favorite people of late, although he did a lot to redeem himself with his vote on the Senator Ron Paul Point of Order to declare an Impeachment Trial, after an office holder leaves office, unconstitutional.  Here he is again on the side of the Angels.

The filibuster is an anti-democratic institution, but yet it is something that has, apparently, helped our Republic to not just survve, but thrive.  I expect the unintended consequences would not be pretty, would damage what comity remains in the Senate, and in Congress as a whole.  Thank you, Senator McConnell.

I am so old I can remember when Democratic Party Senators cherished the filibuster.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

  Here are the five Republican Senators who voted for a trial:  Sasse, Collins, Romney, Murkowski, and Toomey.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Domestic Surveillance Renews


For John, BLUFContinuing from the previous blog post.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard blasted former CIA Director John Brennan, House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and big tech “oligarchs” seeking to censor fellow Americans after the January 6 Capitol riot.

From Breitbart News, Reporter Kristina Wong, 26 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Gabbard shared a video statement online where she criticized them for trying to take away Americans’ constitutionally protected rights.  She said in the video:
The mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 to try to stop Congress from carrying out its constitutional responsibilities were behaving like domestic enemies of our country.  But let’s be clear.  The John Brennans, Adam Schiffs, and the oligarchs in big tech who are trying to undermine our constitutionally protected rights and turn our country into a police state with KGB-style surveillance are also domestic enemies, and much more powerful and therefore dangerous than the mob that stormed our Capitol.
Former US Rep Tulsi Gabbard is pointing to trends toward Domestic Surveillance, to the detriment of our Civil Rights.  Thanks to Ms Tulsi Gabbard for this.  This is important.

This is a repeat of the 1950s and 1960s, when the Federal Government engaged in Domestic Surveillence, in defiance of the law and the Constitution.  For example the FBI domestic surveillance efforts in the 1950s.  Or Operation CHAOS.

I have met the Reporter of this article, in a non-reporting situation, and was impressed with her.

Hat tip to my wife.

Regards  —  Cliff

Going in the Wrong Direction


For John, BLUFSome Democratic Party members are calling for new domestic surveillance efforts, which is a wrong path.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) called on President Biden to reject efforts to expand the government's national security powers

From The Blaze, by Reporter Chris Pandolfo, 26 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard issued a dire warning to the American people on Tuesday, expressing concern that "domestic enemies" of the United States, in the national security community and Big Tech industry, are plotting to create a "police state" in America.

Gabbard, who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2021, posted a video to social media in which she spoke out against efforts to expand the federal government's national security powers after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.  In the video, she called out former CIA Director John Brennan and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), two leading proponents of expanding national security powers, labeling them "domestic enemies" of the country.

What is Ms Tulsi Gabbard trying to do?  Is she trying to lure me into being a Democrat, with her common sense approach to the issues we face?  Maybe she should become a Republican.

For sure, she has put her finger on a major threat to who we are as America.  We have been through Domestic Surveillance before, under J Edgar Hoover's Federal Bureau of Invdstigation.  We should not wish to go back to that unconstitutional abborgation of our Civil Rights.  Freedom means all voices being heard and progress being made in enjoyment of our freedom.

Regards  —  Cliff

Monday, January 25, 2021

Who Presides?


For John, BLUFThe US Senate can't seem to entice the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to preside over their trial of Donal J Trump, Citizen.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

I'm trying to understand "John Roberts ducks the spotlight by skipping the second Trump impeachment trial" by Joan Biskupic (CNN).

From The Althouse Blog, by Professor Ann Althouse, 25 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

Ducks by skipping?!!  That's a daffy way to put it.  I think it means John Roberts arrived at the view that there was no occasion for the Chief Justice to preside, and therefore he has a duty to refrain from participating.  That's not ducking and it's not skipping.  When he presides, it's because he must, and when he refrains, it's because he must.  It's based on an interpretation of law.

But I can't tell, reading this article, if he was asked to preside and communicated a refusal, or if Senate Democrats decided that the Constitution, Article I, Section 3, does not provide for a role for the Chief Justice.

The article says "Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the president pro tempore of the chamber, will preside for Trump's second impeachment trial."  So, it seems a decision has been made, but did Roberts participate?  Did the Senate Democrats want him, or are they, on their own, taking the opportunity to exclude him?

Professor Althouse is not having any of the wishy-washy thinking about the Impeachment Trial, and ends:
I understand why Trump opponents want to proceed against him anyway, but I don't think it will go very well for them.  Trump is out of office.  Leave him alone.
I agree with the Professor.  This has high potential for going sideways on the Democratic Party Leadership.

At least is is not a Star Chamber.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

How Is Justice Proceeding?


For John, BLUFHere is an interesting spin on the 6 January 2021 assault on the Nation's Capitol.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Samizdata, by Mr Niall Kilmartin (Stirling), 15 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

Truth is the daughter of time.  Meanwhile, what do we actually know about the events of the 6th?

Ashli Babbitt died because she was shot.  Three protestors died of medical emergencies (it happens in crowds but still …).  And someone killed Brian Sicknick, a Capitol policeman, a Trump supporter and no friend to the deep state.

Brian died because a man threw a fire extinguisher onto a group of policemen and it struck him.  (The clear video hasn’t prevented some accounts, and even more comments, confabulating tales of his being beaten to death by a frenzied mob, but you can click the link to see what actually happened – a professional-looking strike by a man who approaches from the left of the video and then as swiftly retreats when the deed is done.)  Throwing a fire extinguisher is no way to kill a specific targeted person, but it is a way to inflict death or injury on a random policeman.  (Four years ago, in early 2017, the rioters threw concrete blocks at the police – luckily, IIRC, no-one was killed then.)

Andy Ngo said it did not look like Antifa to him. He was in England at the time, not Washington DC, so is working from videos of the event, but he has a great deal of experience of what Antifa in Portland look like.  Michael Yon says in this video that it looked like standard Antifa false flag agent-provocateur tactics to him.  He was there outside the Capitol and he has seen Antifa in Portland (and has seen many protests around the world).  Michael Waller, another eyewitness, is very sure he saw agent-provocateurs, and that some were Antifa false flags — and is not so sure about others.  The impeachers and the MSM remain in denial but gradually others – even the FBI – are deciding that the crowd listening to Trump’s split infinitive (“to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard”) were not first on the scene at the Capitol.

The views of outside observers varry.&nbnsp; Mr Michael Yon doubled down with The Gateway Pundit over the weekend.

I am not depending on the Department of the Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation to give us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  This is from The Hill:

Justice Department and FBI officials are reportedly discussing whether everyone who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 should be charged, with some arguing charges should not be filed for those who did not engage in violent behavior.

The Washington Post reported on the internal deliberations Saturday, citing multiple people familiar with the discussions. The Post added that discussions on such a decision are in the early stages, with no formal stance taken on the matter.

Because they are nice people?  Because there is no real crimes?  To avoid a public trial, which might embarrass certain people?  To allow certain individuals to avoid prosecution?

Then, today there is this:  FBI Agents Arrest ‘Walkaway’ Founder Brandon Straka.  This is for him being on Capitol Hill during the 6 January Occupation.

I think an Impeachment (especially when the Chief Justice declines to preside) is an opportunity for a lot of blowback.  I grant that the Housse Impeachment Managers can try to stifle the defense, but it will look bad to at least the 74 million Trump voters.  And, with the likes of Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA), could even look bad to many others.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Doing the Job of the Press


For John, BLUFThe Press, as the Fourth Estate, has a function in our system of government.  That function is to hold the politicians to daily account for their actions.  Some think it is failing in that function.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Trust in media is down, but if journalists don't listen to critics anyway, why should they care?

From TK News, by Reporter Matt Taibbi, 22 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

A day after Joe Biden's inauguration, the headline in Axios read:  “Trust in media hits a new low.”  Felix Salmon wrote that “for the first time ever, fewer than half of all Americans have trust in traditional media.”  The Edelman survey showed overall trust in the press dropping to 46%.

The traditional explanation for this phenomenon is that Republicans hate the press a lot, but Democrats just a little.  The Axios story bore this out somewhat, as only 18% of Republicans reported trusting media, versus 57% of Democrats.

Still, 57% of half your potential audience is nothing to brag about, when you’re in the trust business.  Other numbers, like 56% of respondents believing journalists are “purposely trying to mislead people,” or 58% thinking that “most news organizations are more concerned with supporting an ideology… than with informing the public" are more ominous.

Media critics who work in the corporate press, like Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post, seem determined to look everywhere but inward for solutions.  The dominant legend in our business is that if Republicans believe in fairy tales like Q and “Stop the Steal,” the traditional press can do nothing but stand its ground.

Sullivan’s reaction to at-times “embarrassing” Inauguration Day coverage was an injunction to reporters to resist the temptation to try to appear more balanced by showing “toughness” with regard to the incoming Biden regime.  If anything, Sullivan said, the press should stand even taller in its opposition to red-state lie merchants like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, “without fearing that they’d be called partisan.”

Matt Taibbi has been a reporter for some time, and is good at it.  I have always viewed him as a Progressive.  I think his Progressive insights inform his reporting, but do not get in the way of his reporting the objective facts.

Regards  —  Cliff

Terms of Service


For John, BLUFSome of us have dropped out of Twitter and Facebook, and it is an inconvenience, but then Big Tech makes us feel unwelcome.  How do we fight back?  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Ace of Spades Headquarters, by Bloggr Buck Throckmorton, 25 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

If Monster Tech can aggressively de-platform businesses and individuals for expressing forbidden opinions, then maybe it’s time for skilled tradesmen to respond in kind against the woke left.

Leftists despise working class “deplorables” and seek to punish them for all their disapproved habits – you know - God, guns, motorized vehicles, and voting MAGA.  Well, the tradesmen I know are swamped with business right now, so it might be a good time for them to establish their own “terms of service” enabling them to deny services to advocates of cancel culture.  We’ve learned from Monster Tech that all you have to do is declare someone’s speech to be “hateful” or state that their speech might “incite violence” to banish someone from receiving service.  If a deplorable can be targeted as hate-filled for simply supporting Trump, then a tradesman’s Terms of Service can in turn declare that any visible support for Democrats constitutes hate speech.

Broken down on the side of the road with a Bernie or Biden bumper sticker?  Sorry – you’re going to have to find a wrecker that employs all 57 genders and declares all their pronouns.  But Earl’s 24-Hour Wrecker won’t be towing your car today.  Terms of service, you know.

I like it.  I know it is wrong, at some level, but I like it.  I would be happy with Earl carrying a roll of hundred mile an hour tape for covvering up the violent, offending, sticker for the duration.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

  If you search for hundred mile an hour tape, Amazon has a page of offerings, including at least one example being sold as hundred mile an hour tape.

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Amazon Now Fights Election Fraud


For John, BLUFThere has always been election fraud.  The key is to keep it under control.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Surprise!  Mail-in ballots raise the risk of fraud - according to Amazon.

From Zero Hedge! by the Fictitious Tyler Durden, 24 January 2021 - 8:11.

Here is the lede plus one:

In a Thursday filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Seattle-based online retail giant formally requested that a group of Alabama warehouse trying to form a union be required to vote in person, rather than by mail, according to Bloomberg.  The company also requested a postponement of the vote so the NLRB can reconsider its earlier ruling which gives workers the next two months to vote by mail.
A group of workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse filed paperwork in November for an election to decide whether to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a rare step for workers at a company whose U.S. workforce isn’t unionized.  The NLRB, which oversees union votes, earlier this month said the vote would be conducted by mail, citing standards set up during the pandemic to keep workers and staffers safe.  -Bloomberg
The action speaks for itself.

The question is, what are your legislators going to do about it?.

Hat tip to Zero Hedge.

Regards  —  Cliff

Fears of Domestic Surveillance


For John, BLUFThe Democrats in power seem to be gearing up for more domestic surveillance.  We have been here before, and it wasn't pretty.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The National Review, by Writer Brittany Bernstein, 23 January 2021, 10:05 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic representative from Hawaii, on Friday expressed concern that a proposed measure to combat domestic terrorism could be used to undermine civil liberties.

Gabbard’s comments came during an appearance on Fox News Primetime when host Brian Kilmeade asked her if she was “surprised they’re pushing forward with this extra surveillance on would-be domestic terror.”

“It’s so dangerous as you guys have been talking about, this is an issue that all Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians should be extremely concerned about, especially because we don’t have to guess about where this goes or how this ends,” Gabbard said.

She continued:  “When you have people like former CIA Director John Brennan openly talking about how he’s spoken with or heard from appointees and nominees in the Biden administration who are already starting to look across our country for these types of movements similar to the insurgencies they’ve seen overseas, that in his words, he says make up this unholy alliance of religious extremists, racists, bigots, he lists a few others and at the end, even libertarians.”

Ms Gabbard is giving us the straight word here.  In the name of domestic tranquility the current Congress and Administration could initiate domestic spying and cause Citizens to restrict their Free Speech in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves  This is the antipithy of the American Way.  This would make us more like some Cold War Socialist nation.

some of the names associated with this kind of talk, such as Former FBI Director James Comey (he who calls for burning down the Republican Party) and former CIA Director John Brennan, are scary from a Civil Rights point of view.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hurting The Poor


For John, BLUFSenator Rand Paul says a boost in the minimum will result in job losses.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From USA Today, by Louisville Courier Journal Reporter Emma Austin, 23 January 2021, 7:34 PM EST.

Here is the lede plus two:

Not for the first time this week, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul took his criticisms of newly inaugurated President Joe Biden to Fox News.

Speaking with conservative personality Sean Hannity Friday night, the Republican congressman repeated his claim that Biden's goal of increasing the national minimum wage to $15 would cause 4 million people to lose their jobs.

"And the people who lose their jobs first when you hike up the minimum wage are Black teenagers," Paul said.  "So, you know, 'why does Joe Biden hate Black teenagers' should be the question.  Why does Joe Biden want to destroy all these jobs?"

To be fair, the Reporter then goes on to challenge Senator Paul's assertions.

That said, if wages are going up, owners are asking if there are jobs to be eliminated, to keep prices from going up.  That extra pay has to come from somewhere.  There is profits, which has limits.  There is saving money on supplies like more buying from China.  The is staff elimination.  Then there are those with business plans who relook and say they can't turn a profit and don't start new businesses.

But, none of this impacts Middle Class college graduates of any race or ethnicity, except for thos teenagers looking for part times jobs.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Stop the Pipeline, etc


For John, BLUFSometime in the past folks laid down markers to show that President Trump was beholden to President Putin.  President Trump missed them, but President Biden is on course.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Real Clear Energy, by Writer Daniel Turner, 19 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Joe Biden’s plans to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline is a gift to someone.  The radical green groups for sure: they have opposed the oil link since its inception.  The trucking and railroad industry will benefit, too, because once the pipeline is stopped, then the oil will be transported in and around America by something with wheels.  It’s also a gift to our adversaries:  for who will benefit when America and Canada can’t bring their fossil fuels to market? The competition.  Russia and Venezuela will be thrilled to know their market share will increase thanks to the Biden Administration’s fumble.

What’s fascinating about Keystone is how un-fascinating the project actually really is.  Sure, it’s a marvel of engineering and an extraordinary accomplishment of human and mechanical skills.  The 1,200 mile pipeline from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast carrying crude oil to be refined is a great infrastructure project.  A State Department study commissioned during the Obama Administration (when Joe Biden was Veep, a point which requires emphasis) determined the pipeline would create 3,200 temporary construction jobs directly, 42,000 additional jobs indirectly, and generate over $2 billion in wages.  For the people in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska, the states through which the proposed pipeline will transverse, that’s an enormous opportunity.

Of course, it is bad for the environment and the pipeline traverses sacred lands for local Native American tribes.  As to the first, I am not sure that stopping the pipeline will stop the flow of oil.  What will our Canadian neighbors do?  Stop pumping oil because we (or a voal minority) don't like it?  I am doubtful.

However, this has larger implications.

Back in February 24, 2017, in The American Interest, Mr Walter Russell Mead wrote:

If Trump were the Manchurian candidate that people keep wanting to believe that he is, here are some of the things he’d be doing:

  • Limiting fracking as much as he possibly could
  • Blocking oil and gas pipelines
  • Opening negotiations for major nuclear arms reductions
  • Cutting U.S. military spending
  • Trying to tamp down tensions with Russia’s ally Iran
These outcomes were inevitable, based upon the way the American Voters cast their ballots in November.  They will get a chance to change their minds in 2022.  Reversiung the inevitable consequences may be harder.  But, we are a Democracy, so our course is not always steady.

Exit Question:  Can Canada sue us over cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The New Administration Launches


For John, BLUFThe vote has been counted, but the enthusiasm in the polling seems a little off.  I blame the pollsters.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From InstaPundit, by Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, 23 January 2021, 8:30 AM.

Here is the blog post:

Slow start:  Biden’s opening approval below Trump and Obama, just 48%.

This is Rasmussen’s daily presidential tracking poll.  Note that in Rasmussen’s final tracking poll for Trump, Trump was at 51%.

Weird, because the press is telling us that everyone hates Trump, a total pariah.  And that everyone loves our America’s savior, Joe Biden.

Related:  The impeachment is about legitimizing Biden.

He’s gonna need some legitimizing to be legitimate.

On Wednesday I was feeling ebullient. : Today, not so much.  No, not because of the flurry of Executive Orders President Biden signed, or because Florida Banks are closing Mr Trump's bank accounts.  It is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schummer and his partner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.  They seem intent on trying Citizen Donald J Trump on the Impeachment charges.  What ever happened to unity?  Who is in charge of bringing us together?  The Third Wipper on the Presidential Yacht?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Friday, January 22, 2021

No Way Out


For John, BLUFJohn, just like that Irish Funderal Director dismissed you as a Yank, the Woke are dismissing you as white.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Black and Latino Trump voters have been accused of suffering from ‘multiracial whiteness’.

From Spiked, by Assistant Editor Fraser Myers, 20 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

One of the more remarkable results of the 2020 election was that Donald Trump increased his support among non-white voters.  Even some of the hardcore Trumpists who stormed the Capitol – whose faces now adorn the FBI’s ‘wanted’ posters – were black and Latino.

Given that Trump is regularly derided as a racist – a white supremacist, even – this demands an explanation.  ‘What are we to make of unmistakably white mob violence that also includes non-white participants?’, asks Cristina Beltrán from New York University in the Washington Post.  She argues that we need to think in terms of ‘multiracial whiteness’.

Whiteness, Beltrán says, is the ‘politics of aggression, exclusion and domination’.  And multiracial whiteness ‘reflects an understanding of whiteness as a political colour and not simply a racial identity’.  It is a ‘discriminatory worldview in which feelings of freedom and belonging are produced through the persecution and dehumanisation of others’.

It seems we are setting the nation up for a contest between Caucasians and all others.  This is complicated by some of the "all others" identifying with the Anglo-Saxon political outlook of the Caucasians.  This is likely to not end well.

One of the things I am not seeing is the articulation of an end state, a final outcome.  It looks like conflict from now until the sun burns out, unless, of course, there is abject surrender of the Caucasians.  However, to whom do they surrender and are there terns being offerred.  For sure I don't see a Grant at Appomatix situation.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Uniting the Nation


For John, BLUFHere is one thought on unity.&nhsp; Liberate the South from the Republicans, return it to the Democrats.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Daily Wire, by Reporter Ryan Saavedra, 13 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claimed without evidence during an hour-long Instagram post Tuesday that Southern states are not “red states,” but rather “suppressed states” that need to be liberated to “heal” America.

“That’s what we got to do. We got to organize.  And I think what we saw in Georgia is a really good example with black women leading the way, with multiracial and multicultural organizations leading the way, um, they proved that southern states are not red states,” she claimed.  “They are suppressed states.  Which means the only way that our country is going to heal is through the actual liberation of southern states, the actual liberation of the poor, the actual liberation of working people—from economic, social, and racial oppression.  That’s the only way.  That’s the only way.”

I believe that Representative Sandy Cortez has missed the boat here, but at least she understands the need for unity in these United States.  I hope the White House and the leadership on Capitol Hill also see the need for unity.  The leadership on both sides of the asile.

Regards  —  Cliff

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Uniting


For John, BLUFI have worried about the ability of the Citizens, and Non-Citizens, of these United States, to come together.  Apparently with reason.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Up until this morning I have been hoping President Biden would be bringing the Nation together, and a full four years in office, to keep it together.

My doubts started last night, with this photo from MPP (Mostly Peaceful Portland).  I wasn't alone.  Sometime this morning, in the four o'clock hour, a friend EMailed the same item to me:

Then, this morning, I saw this photo in The [Lowell] Sun:

That is Boston.

Now I am hoping President Biden can bring the Democratic Party together.

In the mean time the rest of us will be over in the visiting team dugout, waiting.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Plotting OCH


For John, BLUFIt seems The Was Post thinks that the Occupy Capitol Hill movement was a plot planned out days in advance, rather than a mob reaction to a President Trump speech  Insurrection, yes, but not well planned out.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From PJ Media, by Reporter Matt Margolis, 20 January 2021, 2:57 PM.

Here is the lede plus six:

With the second bogus impeachment in the books, the Washington Post has finally seen fit to admit that President Trump did not incite the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 with his speech, acknowledging that it was, in fact, planned in advance.

The article, published Tuesday, the day before Biden’s inauguration, declares in its headline “Self-styled militia members planned on storming the U.S. Capitol days in advance of Jan. 6 attack, court documents say” and opens with the following paragraphs.

Self-styled militia members from Virginia, Ohio and other states made plans to storm the U.S. Capitol days in advance of the Jan. 6 attack, and then communicated in real time as they breached the building on opposite sides and talked about hunting for lawmakers, according to court documents filed Tuesday.

While authorities have charged more than 100 individuals in the riot, details in the new allegations against three U.S. military veterans offer a disturbing look at what they allegedly said to one another before, during and after the attack — statements that indicate a degree of preparation and determination to rush deep into the halls and tunnels of Congress to make “citizens’ arrests” of elected officials.

  U.S. authorities charged an apparent leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group, Thomas Edward Caldwell, 66, of Berryville, Va., in the attack, alleging that the Navy veteran helped organize a ring of dozens who coordinated their movements as they “stormed the castle” to disrupt the confirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory.

Several paragraphs later, here’s what the authors of the article concede:
The arrests this weekend of several people with alleged ties to far-right extremist groups, including the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters, suggest that the riot was not an entirely impulsive outburst of violence but an event instigated or exploited by organized groups.  Hours of video posted on social media and pored over by investigators have focused on individuals in military-style gear moving together.
So it wasn't Trump's fault?  Does that mean his Impeachment was a mistake?  Does Speaker Nancy "Ahab" Pelosi know this?.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Should the Senate Have a Trial?


For John, BLUFWe can't put the Trump Administration behind us if we don't put the Trump Administration behind us.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

"If you're going to ostracize and excommunicate President Trump from the party, then guess what, millions of his fans will leave as well."

From National File, by Reporter Tom Pappert, 17 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

Speaking on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle on Friday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said he believes that if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans join the Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump, a third of Republican voters will permanently abandon the party as a result.

Speaking first about the Democrats’ aims for impeachment, Paul expressed incredulity.  “I don’t understand how they can be moving forward with this,” he said, before adding “The thing they’re doing now is an overreaction, and if they think they’re going to have a positive feeling from the public, when they’re going to go through a partisan impeachment again, I think that’s absolutely insane and wrong headed.”

Ingraham then asked Paul if he was surprised that McConnell is reportedly planning to instruct Republicans to vote to convict President Trump after he leaves the presidency, in a move that could strip him of his security and prevent him from running for office in 2024.

“I don’t often get asked my advice from leadership on how they should react, but my unsolicited suggestion would be this:  They will destroy the Republican Party if leadership is complicit in impeachment, or if leadership votes for impeachment, they will destroy the party.”

That seems pretty clear.  And i think it is pretty insightful.  Could it be that Senator Mitch McConnell is not a long game player?  A Senate trial, and especially a Senate Conviction, would have a major impact on the Republican Party and it could lead to President Trump forming his own party, which would attract millions of followers.

Perhaps SpeaKer Nancy "Ahab" Pelosi will spare the leader of the Republican Senatorial Caucus by not forwarding the article, being satisfied with having stained the President a second time with Impeachment.

Me neither.

However, on Thursday it will really be up to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the Vice President, Kamala Harris.  Which way will they lead?  To a trial or to reconciliation?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Compromised Leaders


For John, BLUFVoting is a compromising action.  Not eveyone we vote for has the same moral standards we aspire to.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

I agree with those who argued last year that the primary responsibility for effective Catholic witness in public life rests with lay Catholics. Lay Catholics are to be salt and light in society, including politics.

From The Pilot, by Professor George Weigel, 20 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female:  for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27-28).

Catholics who take this apostolic teaching seriously will understand that our first obligation toward our brother in Christ, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., is to be in Christian solidarity with him through prayer.  We pray for his health, strength, and courage.  We pray that he be granted the gift Solomon asked of God: wisdom in governance.  We pray for his deepening conversion to Christ.  Solidarity in prayer is the first duty of American Catholics toward the new president today.  That is bedrock Catholicism.

There is no doubt, however, that the inauguration of President Biden, the second baptized Catholic to attain the presidency of the United States, creates an inflection point for Catholicism in America, as we strive to be a communion of disciples in mission.

Were he to follow through on campaign promises to bring the Little Sisters of the Poor to heel over the provision of contraceptives, some of them abortifacients, to their employees; were he to support federal funding of abortion, at home and internationally through U.S. foreign aid; were his administration to promote the practices of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide; if, through his Department of Health and Human Services, he were to hollow out religious freedom by repealing the federal regulations that now protect the conscience rights of Catholic doctors, nurses, and other health-care workers -- then Mr. Biden would have demonstrated, as president, that he is not in full communion with the Catholic Church, because he would have deliberately facilitated what the Gospel and the Church teach are grave moral evils and injustices.

That is one very long sentence, but it hangs together.  The rule of thumb I learned was 20 words, unless you are an excellent writer, a writer in the same class as Shakespeare or Milton.

In the end, he notes how the President, and other Catholics, support actions that deviate from Catholic moral teachings.  Then he puts it upon lay persons to uphold those moral standards.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Extremism Missed


For John, BLUFFormer FBI Director James Comey, who disgraced his office and his agency, wants to see his enemies "burned down," which is an unfortunate turn of phrase.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From JONATHAN TURLEY, by Law Professor Jonathan Turley, 19 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

There is an interesting interview this week with former FBI Director James Comey.  He states that he now believes that the infamous alleged “pee tape” may be real and makes other surprising statements while pitching his new book.  One statement, however, stood out:  “The Republican party needs to be burned down … It’s just not a healthy political organization.”  Since the Republican National Committee was targeted with a pipe bomb in the recent riots, some could argue that this is incitement to arson or violence.  I would not.  I would call it free speech and hyperbole.  The question is where the line is drawn given the impeachment of Donald Trump based on his speech and the allegations that others who used such hyperbolic language are actually guilty of incitement.

As I have previously stated, I condemned Trump’s speech in a series of tweets while it was being given and I called for a bipartisan vote of censure over his responsibility in the riots.  However, I opposed the use of a snap impeachment by the House and raised concerns over the framing of the article of impeachment as an “incitement to insurrection.”  Despite the chorus of legal experts insisting that the speech would constitute a strong case for criminal incitement (and the DC Attorney General said he may charge Trump), I believe such a prosecution would eventually collapse on free speech grounds if based solely on this speech and Trump’s other public statements.

Comey is not alone in the use of such rhetoric in today’s super-heated political environment.  We previously discussed how conservatives have pointed to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) calling for people to confront Republican leaders in restaurants; Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) insisted during 2020’s violent protests that “there needs to be unrest in the streets,” while then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said “protesters should not let up” even as many protests were turning violent.  They can all legitimately argue that their rhetoric was not meant to be a call for violence, but this is a standard fraught with subjectivity.

The question is whether Comey would be charged under this same logic if the RNC building was attacked again and actually burned down.  That would be obviously ridiculous.  However, where is the line drawn?  Free speech demands bright lines and those are being erased in our cancel culture from universities to the media to Congress.

And, remember, Professor Turley is not a Trump voter.

Amongst those mentioned above, I have particular scorn for former FBI Director James Comey, who wraps himself in self-righteousness while breaking the public trust under the guise of protecting the Republic.  He sanctions the violation of our Civil Rights and cuts political deals, while claiming to be a virtious Civil Servant.  He is a fraud and he bismirches the reputation of the organization he led.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Congratulations Mr President


For John, BLUFWe have a new President and our hopes are in him.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




We should all be wishing him the very best as he tackles the problems our nation faces.

Prayer would be appropriate, a s it says in 1 Timithy 2:1-3, we should pray for those in government positions.

Regards  —  Cliff

Thank you Mr President


For John, BLUFFour long, hard, years as President.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Unlike the Professional Punditry and the Journman Journalists, I believe President Trump has done a lot of good for this nation, including reducing regulations and encouraging job creation that has reached out to minorities.  However, his vision conflicted with that of others and now it is time to leave as new ideas are tested.

Another thing President Trump did was avoid getting into war, and also pulling our troops home from those wars he inherited.

Thank you Donald Trump, you gave the rest of us hope.

Regards  —  Cliff

Cities in Trouble


For John, BLUFCrime makes Cities less fun to live in and to visit, meaning the economies of cities with crime are impacted, badly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Rising violence may undercut New York’s efforts to rebuild its economy.

From City Journal, by Editor Steven Malanga, 19 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

In the late 1980s, U.S. Athletics was a 13-store footwear chain bucking competition from big national retailers to carve a market for itself in New York City.  It had the right styles at the right price and by the end of the decade was projecting $20 million in sales.  What the chain lacked was a strategy to deal with New York’s exploding crime.  In 1990, the company’s owner wrote to city officials complaining that its Manhattan stores had been held up at gunpoint 15 times in the past year, suffered 25 break-ins, and been victimized by 1,000 shoplifting incidents.  He warned that he might have to shut down his city operations.  It wasn’t an idle threat; the next year, U.S. Athletics closed its city retail operations.

U.S. Athletics wasn’t alone.  New York businesses during the late eighties and early nineties suffered hundreds of millions of dollars from pilferage and had to invest billions more in extra security to fend off crime.  Many gave up, and the result was shopping districts dotted with boarded-up, empty stores, and industrial areas with vacant warehouses.  Crime was another reason that a city with other competitive disadvantages—including high taxes and heavy business regulation—struggled to create jobs during that era.

There is nothing to say.  Either the local police forcer effectiverly suppressess crime, without suppressing the Citizens, or the city goes under.  If the policer disrespect the citizens then quality of life goes down, and eventually the Citizens replace the local Government, by voting, one hopes.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Rights Over Reaction


For John, BLUFCongresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has the right reaction to the 6 January Occupation of Capitol Hill.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the Tweet:
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib @RepRashida  ·  6h
I’m leading the call for national security powers to not be expanded in light of the attack on our nation’s Capitol that occurred two weeks ago, as such measures often lead to the erosion of Americans’ civil liberties.
The Congresswoman is right on target, delievering Common Sense.

Thank you Congressman Tlaib.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Fear of Fellow Americans


For John, BLUFTomorrow, perhaps, we will move to reconcilliation.  Nothing to see here; just move along.



Here is an interesting Tweet, by US Representative Steve Cohen, Democrat, Tennessee:

The is a sad surrender to disruption over leadership.

UPDATE:  Cartoonist Scott Adams adds:

Once you start evaluating soldiers for political loyalty, you are on your way to creating something like a Revolutionary Guard that protects one party or leader.  Democrats are becoming what the think Trump is.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Choosing a Path


For John, BLUFWhat is the way forward in 2021 and beyond?  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From USA Today, by Reporter Ledyard King, 18 January 2021.

Here is an excerpt:

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, a University of Tennessee Law School professor who runs the political blog Instapundit, said Biden’s efforts to promote unity won’t be helped if liberals continue to seek retribution after Trump leaves.

“If you want a return to normalcy, act normally,” he said.  “That means ending the talk of making lists and prosecuting Trump supporters, and of prosecuting Trump.  You can’t have a successful democracy if people feel that their lives and careers are in danger when they lose an election.  That’s what destroyed the Roman Republic.”

Professor Reynolds reports himself doubtful.

However, as distasteful as it may be, that is the path to success.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Fixing The Climate


For John, BLUFI worry that Government control of the means of production will be intoduced under the guise of fixing climate change.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Daily Wire, by Reporter Ashe Schow, 18 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Two aides named by President-elect Joe Biden to handle environmental issues claim “systemic racism” is partially to blame for climate change.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that Maggie Thomas has been tapped for the Office of Domestic Climate Policy chief of staff and Cecilia Martinez will serve as “senior director for e nvironmental justice.  Both incoming advisers have said racism drives climate change while insisting Biden’s environmental reforms should be based on “racial and economic justice.”

Then the article quotes The Washington Free Beacon as saying
Thomas and Martinez’s climate plans in many ways mirror the Green New Deal, a $94 trillion bill introduced by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) in 2019.  The legislation calls for the “economic transformation” of the United States and aims to provide “adequate” federal housing for every American.  While Biden has not explicitly endorsed the Green New Deal, he has praised the bill as “a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face” and included many of its components in his $2 trillion climate plan.  The proposal, released in July 2019, pledges to “comprehensively address the most pressing, intersectional environmental justice issues” by targeting federal subsidies to minority groups.
A trillion dollars is a lot of money, and two trillion doubly so.  The US Nation Security budget for the 2021 Fiscal Year is $740.5 billion.  That is less than a trillion.

I am dubious about the racism of climate change.  Open to being convinced, but I have seen these kinds of assertions defeated by folks I respect.  We will see what the Biden Administration produces.  I hope it isn't one of those Speaker Pelosi thousand page bills, which they have to pass for us to read it.  That isn't democracy.  That is the Bureaucratic State at its Fascist best.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Monday, January 18, 2021

Explaining Away Multiracial Nature of OCH


For John, BLUFWe have been assured by Speaker Nancy "Ahab" Pelosi that the OCH action on 6 January was all about Whiteness.  This article calls that into question.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

The Washington Post reveals why so many ‘white supremacists’ are in fact not white.  It’s scary

From The Spectator, by "Cockburn", 18 January 2021, 2:57 pm.

Here is the lede plus one:

It’s hard being a pundit these days.  Not only does steadily advancing groupthink and fear of cancellation increasingly force you to copy the same takes as everybody else, but frequently those views are very dumb.

Take the riot at the Capitol.  Some minatory cabal of Twitter, Facebook, Google, the Bilderberg Group, FEMA and the Jesuits has issued its secret decree to all news outlets:  the rampage through the halls of Congress was the work of dastardly white supremacists! And the outlets oblige. . . . But there’s a small problem.  Somehow, on their way to launching a neo-fascist takeover of the United States, the white supremacists ran out of whites.  Simply looking at video of the Capitol riot, or looking at the FBI’s wanted images afterwards, makes it obvious that the mob of Trump die-hards were multiracial.  The two most famous members of the Proud Boys, America’s premier ‘white nationalist’ group, are an Afro-Cuban and a Samoan.  ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer Ali Alexander identifies as black and Arab.  And of course, there are November’s famous exit polls, which showed that Joe Biden was carried to the White House by improving on Hillary Clinton’s support with white voters, while faltering with Hispanics and blacks.

Fortunately, The Wash Post has an explanation.
Over the weekend, the paper ran a piece by NYU history professor Cristina Beltrán:  ‘To understand Trump’s support, we must think in terms of multiracial Whiteness.’

It is now a lot clearer.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Census Bureau Gets New Director


For John, BLUFSome jobs are just hard and heading the Census Bureau is one of tham and we should appreciate the job the Director has done.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Census Bureau, by Dr Steven Dillingham, Director, 18 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Today, I write my last update on the 2020 Census.  I have just informed the outstanding staff at the U.S. Census Bureau that that I will retire from federal service on January 20, 2021 at noon.

This past week, strongly worded questions were submitted to me by the Inspector General (IG) regarding a data request to career Census Bureau analysts by one or two Administration appointees assigned to the Census Bureau.  The request was for certain administrative data to improve estimates of population categories.  Contrary to published comments and reports, the data recently requested was not an attempt to release 2020 census data results for apportionment early.  I promptly responded to the questions in writing and my answers are posted on the Census Bureau website.  Below is a statement from me providing context and summarizing my knowledge of the recent request which has been reported and commented on in the media.  The statement is followed by an announcement of my plans and heartfelt appreciation of my time and service with the Census Bureau and its outstanding employees.

It has been a hard slog for Director Dilingham, and he deserves a vote of thanks as he goes back into retirement.

Regards  —  Cliff

MLK Day 2021


For John, BLUFLeadership is about making things happen through people.  I think we can see how, in the 1960s, up to his assassination in 1968, Reverand Martin Luther King was that kind of leader, and all of us are better off for it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.



Here is a poster prepared by the US Census Bureau, for today:
Two of the trends are very positive, although one is down for all of America.

Whle I am optomistic about race relations in these United States, I find that many, too many, are honoring The Reverand Martin Luther King, while rejecting his ideas.

This kind of thing is happening a bit, so I built a matrix to try and picture it.

We need to be seeing if we can fit more into the upper left hand block.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sunday, January 17, 2021

A Definition of Fascism


For John, BLUFWhen we look around we may be seeing this.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Samizdata, by Samizdata Illuminatus (Arkham, Massachusetts), 13 January 2021.

Here is the quote:

Fascism is the organised attempt to introduce socialist planning with the consent of big business

– Edward Conze (1934)

This sounds about right.  And, it sounds like what may be happening here, today.

I wonder how US Representative Sandy Cortez (D, NY) sees it?

Regards  —  Cliff

Queue The Immigrants


For John, BLUFNot all immigrants are left leaning, Democratic Party voting, drones.  Some absorb the American myth and vote like they believe it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Actually, they have two.

From Commonweal Magazine, by Book Reviewer Tom Deignan, 7 December 2020.

Here is the lede plus two:

Tucker Carlson, of course, was outraged.

Disorder and chaos were again coursing through the streets of an American city, this time in southern Wisconsin, during the long, hot summer of 2020.  “The mob descended on Kenosha,” Carlson intoned ominously on his highly rated Fox News show.  “Joe Biden’s voters really are a threat to you and your family.”  Carlson then made a point of distinguishing one constituency from the hordes of revolutionary Bidenites.  “[Kenosha] is home to a sizable Hispanic immigrant population.  There’s no evidence they participated in any of this.  They weren’t in the street yelling about the police or BLM.  They’re just here to work.”

Which is quite a statement coming from a pundit—semi-seriously mentioned as a 2024 presidential candidate—who has spent years preaching to the “Build the Wall” choir.  But it’s all the more reason to acknowledge that Carlson’s comments—like the outcomes of both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections—point to an immigration dilemma for progressives in post-Trump America.  Two, as a matter of fact.

. . .

  • Which brings us to progressives’ first immigration problem.  In 2020, Republicans are doing just fine, thanks in no small part to yesterday’s immigrants.  Joe Biden and Kamala Harris managed to woo enough of these “white ethnic” voters to take the White House.  Nevertheless, while MAGA-merica is typically depicted as the tumbleweed states in the middle of the country, the last two presidential elections actually came down to districts outside of urban areas that were once immigrant hubs.
  • Which brings us to progressives’ second immigrant problem:  despite all manner of right-wing anti-immigrant bile, some residents of ethnic enclaves are apparently quite willing to dip their toes into more conservative waters.  In 2020, Donald Trump “confounded expectations” by “adding a substantial number of votes in areas with a lot of Hispanic residents,” according to the New York Times, which also reported that Muslim voters “confounded Democratic strategists with their support for Mr. Trump reaching 35 percent.”
I think the author makes good points here.  An article worth the skimming.

The statistics cited by Mr Deignan suggest there is a lot yet to learn about the 2020 election, and about America.  I am looking forward to it unwinding.

Oh, and I like Talk Show Host Tucker Carlson.  He seems a serious person in perilous times.  Yes, he is sometimes a bit over the top, but he is a Talk Show Host.  Few can pull it off being low key and deadpan.  Most do it by being outrageous.  Mr Tucker Carlson seems relatively calm amongst the crowd.

Regards  —  Cliff

  The American myth is that people came here for freedom and a chance to better themselves.  It included the idea that anyone who worked hard could succeed and it incorporated the idea that we, the Citizens, run the government or elect those who do.  Yes, add the usual caveats and exceptions and other stuff, but you are better off here than in most countries.

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Who Are You Going to Believe?


For John, BLUFSomeone writing in The Times (the real one, in London, not the Old Gray Lady in New York City) asks about Americans believing conspiracy theories, which leads to asking about their media.  Good questions.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Samizdata, by Ms Natalie Solent (Essex), 13 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus many:

“Why does the US fall for conspiracy theories?” asks Daniel Finkelstein in the Times.
QAnon, the online conspiracy theory to which many Trump supporters subscribe, is like fan fiction, with endless riffs on Trump and increasingly bizarre plots about the skulduggery of his enemies.  The contributors to this script have the pleasure of being the heroes of it, setting out to cleanse the nation.  Like Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity, they have woken and are gradually peeling away layers of deception.  The deep state behaves as it does in every film but will prove no match for the hero.
The deep state behaves as it does in every film – As an aside, that, the endless stream of conspiracy thrillers put out by Hollywood, will do as Explanation No.1.  The scriptwriters of these movies were unable to conceive of the cabal of senior people in the US government, the CIA, the FBI, and the military as anything other than right wing, but the imagination of the American people is not so limited.

A personal best:  I have digressed even before I began.  The main point of this post is… ah, **** it, I already said it:

By censoring the Hunter Biden story the MSM has destroyed its ability to convince Americans there was no vote fraud.

By censoring the Hunter Biden story the MSM has also hampered its ability to convince Americans there is no “cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats, Hollywood celebrities and billionaires” which “runs the world while engaging in pedophilia, human trafficking and the harvesting of a supposedly life-extending chemical from the blood of abused children.”

It has also hampered its ability to convince Americans, and not only them, that they should be vaccinated against coronavirus. Hitherto the English-speaking countries plus the Nordics have been somewhat less prone to vaccine conspiracy theories than people in most of Western or Eastern Europe.  I expect that to change, and that change will kill people.  That is what happens when the boy cries wolf too many times.

There is more to the post at the link.

Please note that Blogger Natalie Solemt is a Brit.

i think ths blog post sums up my view.  The press, by supressing the Hunter Biden story, by giving space to Russiagate, by flatly denying that there was an fraud in the 2020 Election, have forfieted the right to be accepted as honest brokers of the truth.  The actions of Social Media just add to the problem.  And Mr Jeff Bezos gets an extra penalty for both owning The Washh Post and owning Amazon, which suppressed Parler.

Regards  —  Cliff

Hiding the Truth


For John, BLUFChina was playing in the 2020 Election and Bureaucrats hid it from the public.  However, this is not the smoking gun in the Trump loss.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Washington Examiner, by Justice Department Reporter Jerry Dunleavy, 7 January 2021, 02:21 PM.

Here is the lede plus one:

Politicization problems exist in U.S. spy agency assessments on foreign influence in the 2020 U.S. election, including analysts who appeared to hold back information on Chinese meddling efforts because they disagreed with the Trump administration's policies, according to an intelligence community inspector.

Barry Zulauf, an analytic ombudsman and longtime intelligence official, issued a 14-page report obtained by the Washington Examiner to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, revealing his investigation was “conducted in response to IC complaints regarding the election threat issue."  In addition, he lamented the “polarized atmosphere has threatened to undermine the foundations of our Republic, penetrating even into the Intelligence Community.”

This isn't a big thing, a big smoking gun.  Those who wanted to know about China knew about China on Election Day.  Those who sought ignorance achieved ignorance.  But, it is another sign that the Bureaucracy does its own thing and is often unmoored from the elected government.  How does that make you feel?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff