Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Secession


For John, BLUFWhen I was growing up the concept of succession was one that was looked down on.  It is what Southern States did in 1860.  I was taught it was a bad thing.  Now I have to rethink my understanding of the dynamics.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Neighborhoods secede from cities, cities from counties, and counties from states.

From Front Page Magazine, by Mr Daniel Greenfield, 21 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

That a battle over Atlanta would play nearly as pivotal a role in the country’s second civil war as it did in the first might have surprised few historians.  What might have surprised them is that the battle would involve civic meetings rather than bullets.  There are plenty of bullets in Buckhead, a part of Atlanta coping with runaway crime under the pro-crime rule of Mayor Keisha Bottoms, and those bullets have inspired local residents to secede and form their own police force.

Buckhead is not the first part of Atlanta to try and secede.  Sandy Springs had already successfully seceded from Atlanta and a number of cities in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, have tried to break away to form Milton County.  These efforts to escape the blight and corruption of Atlanta aren’t new, but Buckhead’s fight to escape Atlanta’s pro-crime government has captured the imagination of millions of Americans from one coast of the country to the other.

The cold civil war is being shaped not by national, but local secessions like the one in Buckhead as neighborhoods try to secede from cities, cities from counties, and counties from states in a powerful struggle by conservative and centrist communities to define their own way of life.

The issue of big cities, or big governments, exerting their will on the smaller governmental entities has a long history.  The idea of groups of people breaking away from the larger group, to strike out on their own also has a long history.  Groups breaking away is an opportunity for new ideas and new growth.  While it shouldn't be too easy, it should not be forbidden.  Those breaking away should have to do some work, but should be allowed room to succeed.

The City of Lowell is one that was created by a series of secessions, from Dracut, Chelmsford and Tewksbury.  I subsequently learned that once upon a time the City of Cambridge had extended up to my neighborhood, including a small cemetary. This I learned thanks to Intrepid Reporter Jennifer Myers.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

SPLC Strikes Out, Again


For John, BLUFIn a previous Blog Post I linked to Reporter Glenn Greenwald talking about how near everyone has memory holed the reason US Domestic Terrorist Omar Mateen shot up the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  Now comes the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From PJ Media, by Reporter Tyler O'Neil, 14 June 2021, 10:05 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus one:

Five years ago on Saturday, a radical Islamic terrorist opened fire in Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others.  He pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) during the attack, and ISIS later claimed responsibility.  Yet, because Pulse is a gay bar, leftists have memory-holed the terrorist’s intentions and blamed “anti-LGBT hate” for the heinous attack.  On Saturday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) used the anniversary of the shooting to demonize conservative Christians and efforts to restrain the excesses of the transgender movement.

In a fundraising email, the SPLC noted the horrific Islamic terror attack, saying, “Today, we remember those we lost. We grieve for their families and friends.  And, we honor them by keeping up the fight against anti-LGBTQ hate.”

To quote Agent Maxwell Smart, "Missed it by that much."

This is the kind of thing that discredits efforts to fix our race problem.  The Southern Poverty Law Center may have been doing God's work in the beginning but today it is just hustling money and putting bad spin on the views of those who don't worship at its altar.  Sad.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Interests of the Voters


For John, BLUFI think one of the consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic handling will be that the Common Man may be unhappy with the way local government has handled the situation.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Hot Air, by Blogger Ed Morrissey, 23 June 2021, 8:21 AM ET.

Here are the exceprts at The InstaPundit:

How does a public comment period at a school board turn into an unlawful assembly, and then into an ugly scrum?  The Loudoun County school board apparently got tired of getting lectured over critical race theory by angry parents, who already were upset over the suspension of a teacher from a previous public-comment session.  The school superintendent suddenly declared the meeting closed and told police to start arresting people who refused to leave, and … we have this great moment in woke representative government. . . .  Bear in mind that this took place at a public comment session — whose explicit purpose is to hear points of view from the community on proposed regulation and policy.

Plus

In that sense, it’s not even about critical race theory or transgender pronouns.  This conflict is about the definition of representative governance in local school systems, the First Amendment, and abuses of authority.  Its eventual resolution will show whether accountability actually exists for politicians in Northern Virginia, and perhaps in many other places as well.  Speaking of which, accountability takes more than one form.

While the Democrats in Congress are thinking about "Court Packing" the Common People are thinking about voting out the autocrats on local school boards.  I wonder if that kind of thing could ripple up the levels of elected office all the way to the Halls of Congresss?

Local elections tend not to pull many voters, but if the people are aroused that little bit of wisdom might be found to be wrong.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Tuesday, June 22, 2021


For John, BLUFThe McCloskey home defense (2nd Amendment) issue is back in the news, with a resolution.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Lid Blog! by Reporters Wes Walker and Jeff Dunetz, 21 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

If authorities thought that compelling the McCloskeys to plead to a misdemeanor firearms violation would scare them into bending the knee, they have grossly underestimated the McCloskeys.

For anyone who missed it, here is a quick recap of events that had their detractors gloating.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges after they brandished weapons against protesters outside their home in June 2020 during the height of riots surrounding the death of George Floyd.

On Thursday, Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree misdemeanor of assault and was ordered to pay a $750 fine, while Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor of harassment and mandated to pay $2,000.  Neither will face jail time, though the pair’s firearms will be destroyed by state authorities.

This seems like a major reduction in the charges, as times has worn on.  How much right does one have to defend the lives of loved ones and one's own property?  Apparently quie a bit.  Just don't yell at the protestors, such that they feel as frightened as oneself.

Will Mr Mark McCloskey be running in 2022 for the US Senate from Missouri, to replace Republican Senator Roy Blunt?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Monday, June 21, 2021

Not the Old Sod


For John, BLUFWhat do parents want for their children, and do we care?  For example, do our school systems wish to retain links to the old sod more than the parents wish it for their children?  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

I recall a time when public education and the entertainment world helped forge a common American culture undefined by race or sexuality.

From The Bookworm Room, by The Bookworm, 20 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

I don’t think I’ve made any secret of the fact that I don’t “get” baseball.  I understand it technically, of course.  It’s just that I don’t understand why people enjoy it.

When I mentioned that as part of a bigger discussion with a friend, he said, “I don’t think that’s at all surprising considering your European upbringing.”

I knew instantly what he meant despite the fact that I was born and raised in America.  My parents came from Europe and never embraced America.  Although we spoke only English in the house (hence, my embarrassing inability to speak any languages other than English), there was nothing American in my home:  the aesthetics, the food, and the values were all tied very tightly to the old country.  Getting back to baseball, even American football, baseball, and basketball were derided (although we did like the Harlem Globetrotters).

Meanwhile, at school, all my friends were first-generation Asians.  That is, like me, their parents came from another country.  They too grew up in houses that had little to do with America.

The Bookworm then goes on to talk about how school and entertainment, in the old days, reinforced being American.

Today, not so much.

Hat tip to Sarah Hoyt, at the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

We Have to Decide Who We Are


For John, BLUFThis is about the posibility of political opponents stabbing each other in the back.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

What might happen if Republican senators were serious about confronting the Biden Administration’s political weaponization of the intelligence community?

From Amertican Greatness, by Commentator Angelo Codevilla, 27 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Suppose I had in my hands a draft of a bill that Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) were preparing to prevent the Biden Administration from using federal agencies to encourage U.S. persons to inform anonymously on whomever of their families, acquaintances, fellow workers, etc. they suspect of becoming radicalized to violent extremism.  The staffers who provided the draft would probably report that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is pressing the senators to stop work on the bill and to deny they had ever started it.

The draft “dear colleague” letter by which the bill’s authors would seek co-sponsors would argue that encouraging people to attribute the undefined term “extremism” on activities, expressions, and even attitudes that no law prohibits makes it possible to hurt persons non-judicially whom the government and its partisans dislike or fear.  Thus, say the senators, the Biden Administration is grasping the power effectively to outlaw political opposition.  Using anonymous accusations among persons in ordinary contact is sure to politicize ordinary interpersonal difficulties, increase mutual suspicions, and inevitably will lead to bloody fights.  Destroying the lives of political opponents through anonymous accusations of shadowy crimes, which the media then hypes, is a standard tactic of totalitarian regimes. It has no place in America.

We have to decide who we are.  We need to avoid the kind of activity against our opponents that are a reflection of more dictatorial regimes.  On the other hand, the Fourth Estate needs to be a little more active in exposing undemocratic activities and exposing subversion of democracy by Governmental Intelligence Agencies.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Flag Day


For John, BLUFThe recognition of human rights is an evolving thing, and we should celebrate our movement forward.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Monday, the 14th of June, was Flag Day this year.

In the mean time, over at The New York Times there is a meltdown as a memberof the Editorial Board is triggered by the sight of American Flags on pickup trucks on Long Island:


From The New York Post, by Reporter Lee Brown, 9 June 2021, 8:11 am.

Here is the lede plus three:

The New York Times is vigorously defending editorial board member Mara Gay after she was widely ripped for saying she was “disturbed” at the sight of “dozens of American flags” flying in Long Island.

Gay had herself complained about the attacks that followed her appearance on MSNBC early Tuesday in which she said Donald Trump supporters flew the flag to say that “this is my country … not your country.”

“I see I’m being trolled with the American flag this morning.  Trolling a Black journalist with the American flag is not the own some people think it is,” the Times board member and MSNBC contributor tweeted.

After outrage grew throughout the day, the Times’ PR team tweeted a statement late Tuesday insisting that her clearly heard comments had been “irresponsibly taken out of context."

Right.

It seems to me that Ms Gay has “irresponsibly taken out of context" the flying of the National Flag.  It is everyone's flag.  Everyone who is an American Citizen or aspires to be one.

I think Ms Gay is having a Pauline Kael moment, but without the insight of Ms Kael, that there are people out there, that one runs into all the time, but never engage in political conversation.  In fact, it sometimes appears that The New York Times itself is having one big, decades long Pauline Kael moment.  That is not a good look for the Nation's Newspaper of Record.

I wonder, if we had a national vote, would The Old Gray Lady or our National Flag win?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Monday, June 14, 2021

Getting It Wrong, Again and Again


For John, BLUFWhen Newspaper Editor Maxwell Scott said "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." it made sense.  But, that was a movie.  In real life we need the truth, not the legend.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Politicians and activists should stop ratifying the fiction that Omar Mateen was motivated by anti-LGBT hatred.  It dishonors the victims and obscures the real motive.

From Glenn Greenwald, at Substack, 14 June 2021.

Reporter Greenwald goes on for a while, so here is a lengthy excerpt:

On the fifth anniversary of the PULSE nightclub massacre in Orlando, numerous senators, politicians and activist groups commemorated that tragic event by propagating an absolute falsehood:  namely, that the shooter, Omar Mateen, was motivated by anti-LGBT animus.  The evidence is definitive and conclusive that this is false — Mateen, like so many others who committed similar acts of violence, was motivated by rage over President Obama's bombing campaigns in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and chose PULSE at random without even knowing it was a gay club — yet this media-consecrated lie continues to fester.

On Saturday, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) falsely described the massacre as an "unspeakable act of hate toward the LGBTQ+ community.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) went even further, claiming “the LGBTQ+ community was targeted and killed—all because they dared to live their lives.”  Her fellow Illinois Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, claimed forty-nine lives were lost due to “anti-LGBTQ hate” (he forgot the +).  These false claims were compiled by the gay socialist activist Matt Thomas, who correctly objected: “the shooter literally picked PULSE at random from Google after security was too tight at the mall he went to first,” adding that while LGBT groups “are hopeless of course,” too much money and power is at stake for them to give up this self-serving fiction.  But he asked, “Shouldn’t the bar be a little higher for senators?”

In the immediate aftermath of that horrific crime, it may have been reasonable for the public to speculate that Mateen, given his professed support for ISIS, chose PULSE because it was a gay club.  That belief also neatly played into a liberal political agenda of highlighting anti-LGBT hate crimes, and also comported with the dual stereotypes of the gay-hating Muslim and the closeted gay man who harbors self-hatred that ends up directed at other gay people.  This storyline was instantly consecrated when politicians and LGBT groups quickly seized on this claim and ratified it as unquestionably true.

Rather than acknowledging that it was anger over his relentless bombing raids in the Muslim world, President Obama immediately declared that anti-LGBT hatred was the real cause.  “This was an attack on the LGBT community,” the president said, adding:  "And hatred towards people because of sexual orientation, regardless of where it comes from, is a betrayal of what’s best in us.”  Chad Griffin, then-head of the largest LGBT advocacy group, Human Rights Campaign, claimed:  “the maniac who did this was somehow conditioned to believe that LGBT people deserve to be massacred, that they are ‘less than’ in this society.”

Then-candidate Hillary Clinton, as part of her campaign, made a pilgrimage to Orlando and seized on the attack.  In addition to its constituting anti-American terrorism, the Democratic nominee proclaimed the massacre “was also an act of hate,” adding that “the gunman attacked an LGBT nightclub during Pride Month.”  She vowed:  “We will keep fighting for your right to live freely, openly and without fear. Hate has absolutely no place in America.”  Speaking with Clinton in Orlando, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that it is “a cruel irony that a community defined almost exclusively by whom they love [LGBT people] is so often a target of hate.”  Then-candidate Donald Trump also endorsed this view:  “A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub, not only because he wanted to kill Americans, but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens, because of their sexual orientation.”

Liberal propagandists who pose as journalists treated this storyline as definitively proven.  The massacre was “undeniably a homophobic hate crime,” Jeet Heer wrote in The New Republic.  “Let’s say it plainly:  This was a mass slaying aimed at LGBT people,” Tim Teeman wrote in The Daily Beast.  In USA Today, James S. Robbins speculated that Mateen was likely “trying to reconcile his inner feelings with his strongly homophobic Muslim culture. ” In the days following the killing spree, one writer in USA Today, Steph Solis, even accused those of questioning this narrative of propagating bigotry and exhibiting cruel indifference to gay suffering:  “Those who insist the shooting was solely an Islamic terror attack try to erase the LGBT community from the narrative, causing only more pain by invalidating their experiences in this ordeal.”

But journalism is supposed to function on evidence, not speculation, and there never was any evidence that supported the storyline that he was driven by hatred for LGBTs.  The evidence that was available suggested the opposite.

On June 12, 2016, Mateen spent just over three hours in PULSE from the time he began slaughtering innocent people at roughly 2:00 a.m. until he was killed by a SWAT team at roughly 5:00 a.m.  During that time, he repeatedly spoke to his captives about his motive, did the same with the police with whom he was negotiating, and discussed his cause with local media which he had called from inside the club.  Mateen was remarkably consistent in what he said about his motivation.  Over and over, he emphasized that his attack at PULSE was in retaliation for U.S. bombing campaigns in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.  In his first call with 911 while inside PULSE, this is what he said about why he was killing people:

Because you have to tell America to stop bombing Syria and Iraq.  They are killing a lot of innocent people.  What am I to do here when my people are getting killed over there.
Killing LGBT+ humans for their sexual orientation is wrong.

Not getting a story correct on a mass shooting is unhelpful to say the least.  We can't make proper corrections if we don't know what really happened.

Thank you Mr Greenwald.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Bibi Out


For John, BLUFIt was bound to happensometime, and there seems to be a derth of good times for it to happen.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




The source is MSN, but the article is from The New York Times, by Reporter Richard Pérez-Peña, 13 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

The long and divisive reign of Benjamin Netanyahu, the dominant Israeli politician of the past generation, officially ended on Sunday, at least for the time being, as the country’s Parliament gave its vote of confidence to a precarious coalition government stitched together by widely disparate anti-Netanyahu forces.

Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, approved the new government by just a single vote — 60 to 59, with one abstention.

The Reporter, Mr Pérez-Peña, does not seem to have a neutral view of Mr Benjamin Netanyahu.  That doesn't seem very professional.

As Blogger Glenn Harlan Reynolds says of the leadership change, "I don’t expect this to end well."

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Friday, June 11, 2021

Getting Under Their Skin


For John, BLUFThe Nation would benefit from a new House Speaker, and along comes a proposal that it be former President Trump.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Hill, by Reporter Tal Axelrod, 4 June 2021, 08:23 PM EDT.

Here is the lede plus one:

Former President Trump on Friday called a proposal that he run for the House in 2022 to try to win the speaker’s gavel “interesting,” though the chances of him actually doing so remain low.

Trump was asked about the proposal by far-right radio host Wayne Allyn Root on Friday after Steve Bannon, a former adviser to the ex-president, floated the idea.

“That’s so interesting,” Trump said.

The thing is, you don't have to be an elected member of the House of Representatives to be the Speaker of that House.

On the other hand, it shows that Former President Trump is still an exciting political personality.  Maybe more than the current speaker.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Dimmitude


For John, BLUF"The traditional Islamic world exhibited a modicum of tolerance.  Christians and Jews were dhimmi, allowed to exist, but on the condition that they accepted their subordinate role in society.  While studying this arrangement, sociologists coined the term “dhimmitude,” which refers to the mentality of those who have internalized their second-class status."  Per the author we are seeing a new form of dimmitude, when thought and analysis are required.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Here is the sub-headline:

Even those who aren’t woke seem damaged by the experience, and they’re deprived of role models.

Fron The Wall Street Journal, by Mr R.R. Reno, 7 June 2021, 5:56 pm ET.

Here is the lede plus three:

I’m not inclined to hire a graduate from one of America’s elite universities.  That marks a change.  A decade ago I relished the opportunity to employ talented graduates of Princeton, Yale, Harvard and the rest.  Today?  Not so much.

As a graduate of Haverford College, a fancy school outside Philadelphia, I took interest in the campus uproar there last fall.  It concerned “antiblackness” and the “erasure of marginalized voices.”  A student strike culminated in an all-college Zoom meeting for undergraduates.  The college president and other administrators promised to “listen.”  During the meeting, many students displayed a stunning combination of thin-skinned narcissism and naked aggression.  The college administrators responded with self-abasing apologies.

Haverford is a progressive hothouse.  If students can be traumatized by “insensitivity” on that leafy campus, then they’re unlikely to function as effective team members in an organization that has to deal with everyday realities.  And in any event, I don’t want to hire someone who makes inflammatory accusations at the drop of a hat.

Student activists don’t represent the majority of students.  But I find myself wondering about the silent acquiescence of most students.  They allow themselves to be cowed by charges of racism and other sins.  I sympathize.  The atmosphere of intimidation in elite higher education is intense.  But I don’t want to hire a person well-practiced in remaining silent when it costs something to speak up.

The inability of our young intellectuals to entertain a variety of views means long-term intellectual rigidity, which, in turn, means lack of progress, except along an "approved" party line.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Local Celebration


For John, BLUFAM Radio seemed on its way out when Rush Limbaugh arrived on the scene and helped revive it.  Here is Lowell radio personalities like Gary Francis and George Anthes and Teddy Panos and Ryan Johnston kept it going.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




Everybody Gets It

WCAP, 980 on the dial, has been around for 70 years.

It is nice to have our own local radio station.

Hat tip to Gary Francis.

Regards  —  Cliff

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Sanity Moment


For John, BLUFHer "classmates complained she had made “offensive” and “discriminatory” remarks at a lecture."  I feel sorry for the offended.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From The Herald (Scotland), by Scottish Political Editor Tom Gordon, 9 June 2021.

Here is the lede:

A LAW student who was investigated by a Scottish university for saying women have vaginas and are not as strong as men has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
A moment of sanity.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Sunday, June 6, 2021

"Died For Civilization"


For John, BLUFI am part of the generatoin that didn't even realize thare was an Operation OVERLORD when it happened.  But, I do believe it is worth commemorating each year.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




The cost to the Ground Forces, the Armies fighting in Operation OVERLORD was high, as was the suffering.  They were true heros and they died, as it says in the video, for Civilization.

It is wonderful to see the response each year from the People of the town of Sainte-Mère-Église.  From the movie, The Longest Day, my first thought is to the members of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment coming down on Sainte-Mère-Église and one para getting hung up on the church steeple.

In thinking about the Normandy Invasion it is useful to remember the Bomber Aircrews who flew costly missions over Germany so that our long-range fighters could break the back of the Luftwaffe, which made the landings possible and successful.

Hat tip to Keith Nightengale, Colonel, US Army, Retired, who is in the Credits.

Regards  —  Cliff

Friday, June 4, 2021

COVID Update


For John, BLUFRecent revelations suggest that Dr Antony Fauci was not only not straight forward with us, but may have tried to lead us astray.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From PJ Media, by Reporter Matt Margolis, 4 June 2021, 12:49 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus three:

Dr. Anthony Fauci’s FOIA emails have sent shockwaves nationwide (with the exception of CNN) as they made it clear that Fauci wasn’t being completely straightforward with the American people about the efficacy of masking or the origins of the virus, amongst other things.

One person who feels vindicated by the content of the emails is President Trump.

“After seeing the emails, our Country is fortunate I didn’t do what Dr. Fauci wanted me to do,” Trump said in a statement.

Trump went on to explain various actions he took in spite of Fauci.

I am not expecting much to happen to Dr Anthony Fauci.  He is well past retirement age.  Any hits on Dr Fauci may be seen as vindication of Former President Trump.  No one in the current Administration benefits from taking down Dr Fauci.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

That Voter ID.


For John, BLUFThe issue of if one should have to show an Identification to vote is a hot one and the rhetoric has been somewhat ugly here in the United States.  The term Jim Crow 2.0 qualifies as ugly in my book, thank you Mr President.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From Real Cldr Investigations, by Mr John R. Lott Jr., 1 June 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

Democrats and much of the media are pushing to make permanent the extraordinary, pandemic-driven measures to relax voting rules during the 2020 elections – warning anew of racist voter “suppression” otherwise.  Yet democracies in Europe and elsewhere tell a different story – of the benefits of stricter voter ID requirements after hard lessons learned.

A database on voting rules worldwide compiled by the Crime Prevention Research Center, which I run, shows that election integrity measures are widely accepted globally, and have often been adopted by countries after they've experienced fraud under looser voting regimes.

Of 47 nations surveyed in Europe -- a place where, on other matters, American progressives often look to with envy -- all but one country requires a government-issued photo voter ID to vote. The exception is the U.K., and even there voter IDs are mandatory in Northern Ireland for all elections and in parts of England for local elections.  Moreover, Boris Johnson’s government recently introduced legislation to have the rest of the country follow suit.

Either the Europeans are terrible, racist, classist, anti-democrats or we need our Democratic Party Brothers and Sisters to go into their views with a little more detail,

One wonders if our Democratic Party Brothers and Sisters are so blasé about this because they figure they already control the voting systems in key cities and it all works for them.

In the mean time, we could go with dipping our finger in ink.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Court Packing


For John, BLUFCourt Packing was a thing in the late 1930s, when President Franklin D Roosevelt felt that he was losing momentum in his efforts to lead the United States out of the Great Depression.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From PJ Media, by Mr Matt Margolis, 1 June 2021, 12:00 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

Legal analyst Jonathan Turley thinks the United States Supreme Court is sending a message to the Democrats about their not-so-secret plans to pack the court—and I think his theory has merit.

Turley believes that four recent unanimous decisions by the Court are a message to the Democratic majority that the Supreme Court is “not so rigidly ideological as Democratic members and activists suggest.”

In the Garland case, the court ruled (again) unanimously to reverse the Ninth Circuit in an opinion written by Justice Neil Gorsuch on the rule in immigration disputes regarding the credibility of noncitizens’ testimony.  cannot be reconciled with the terms of the Immigration and Nationality Act.  In Cooley, the Court unanimously ruled in an opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer that a tribal police officer has authority to detain temporarily and to search a non-Native American traveling on a public right-of-way running through a reservation.

Last week, there were two unanimous opinions making this six 9-0 rulings in two weeks.  Justice Sotomayor wrote the opinion in United States v. Palomar-Santiago, an immigration decision that ruled for the government and against an immigrant.  It also ruled unanimously in Territory of Guam v. United States, in an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas.  The Court ruled in favor of Guam on the collection of funding from the U.S. government to remediate environmental pollution on the island.

Turley also notes that a number of current and former justices, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, have publicly warned against packing the court.  “If anything would make the court look partisan, it would be that—one side saying, ‘When we’re in power, we’re going to enlarge the number of judges, so we would have more people who would vote the way we want them to,’” RBG said shortly before she died.
A resort to court packing is a sign that we don't have a concensus on how to go forward politically.  It says that one or more parties has lost faith in the eventual proper outcome on issues.

Court packing is a sign of tough times and an unwillingnesss to try and compromise as we all go forward.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

A Hot Time in Portland


For John, BLUFYes, mostly peaceful demonstrations.  It is the not mostly part that worries me.  While the demonstrators may feel they are cowing the people, but it could backfire and turn really ugly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




From PJ Media, by Ms Victoria Taft, 31 May 2021, 11:42 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

Ronald Reagan said in his farewell address, “don’t be afraid to see what you see.”  That’s good advice for what we’re “seeing” on the streets of Portland.

The communist antifa and Black Lives Matter, Inc. mobs have now elevated their war footing against western civilization and have begun deploying head hunting death squads it appears.  What else can you call it?

On Friday, May 28, the usual black masked mobs slithered “like water” – their favorite phrase for staying hidden and moving from cops – to hold another planned riot and torching in “grief-stricken” homage to the anniversary of their George Floyd riots.

Antifa called it an “anniversary event” and Portland Police begged the mob to be nice.

Local weekly newspaper, Willamette Week, reported that Ngo was on the antifa hit list because of his “willingness to post the mug shots and other personal information of arrested protesters [that] caused many of the people in Portland’s leftist movement to see him as something like an existential threat.”

Remember when newspapers used to post mug shots?  Before the mob take over, antifa and BLM riots mug shots were de rigueur in the media.  Now, they’re an apparent invitation to beating any reporter including them in a story.  Reporters like Suzette Smith of Willamette Week and at least one reporter over at the alternative weekly The Mercury appear to be all-in with the mob.

Remember when "the Mob" used to mean the Mafia, the Costa Nostra?  That was the old days.  Now the mob is the collective of street thugs affiliated with ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter.  Neither of those groups seems to feel the current system of government is capable of dealing with America's problems and have elected to go outside the elective process and to go with intimidation.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Happy Day


For John, BLUFPersistence is an important characteristic.  Nothing to see here; just move along.




To My Wife

Fifty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary.

Not bad for geeting married in a wedding chapel in Las vegas.

Regards  —  Cliff