Terrorism or Vandalism

For John, BLUF:  intellectual Honesty is in short supply these days.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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What's the difference?

From Althouse, by Professor Ann Althouse, 9 May 2022.

Here is the lede plus one:

It's interesting, the differences that matter to people, the endless quest to distinguish alligators from crocodiles and psychopaths from sociopaths, but what I wanted to know was the difference between vandalism and terrorism.

I'm reading "Madison anti-abortion headquarters hit by apparent Molotov cocktail, vandalism, graffiti" in the Wisconsin State Journal:  "Vandals set a fire inside the Madison headquarters of the anti-abortion group...."

It is obviously terrorism.  It was done to cause terror, rather than just make a mess of things.  However, how one classifies the event is a good indicator of one's position on this issue and on Democracy.

I think, for sure, a clear headed thinker does not call it terrormism when the other side does it and vandalism when one's own side does it.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Understanding Liberalism

For John, BLUF:  Language is important for conveying ideas, and thus precise language is useful for communication.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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You keep using the word “liberal:”  it doesn’t mean what you think it means

From Sarah A Downey Blog on Medium, by Ms Sarah A. Downey, 16 November 2020.

Here is the lede plus four:

If you think “liberal” and all the variations of “left” mean the same thing, let this be your wakeup call.

Many things described as “liberal” today mean the opposite of what was historically true and what many people expect, and this disconnect is likely contributing to some of heightened frustration we’re seeing in political arguments in 2020.

Be careful when using the word “liberal” if you care about clear language. Starting in roughly 2013, “liberal” veered sharply from its roots. It’s confusing, so much so that you’ll hear the word “illiberal” used to describe these contradictions (or “far/alt left,” or simply “not liberal”), while people sometimes use “classic liberal” to differentiate that they’re talking about basic enlightenment values.

What are classic liberal values?  They emerged from the age of enlightenment and include civil rights, free speech, free markets, separation of church and state, a balance of government powers, capitalism, freedom of religion, limited government, freedom of the press, and human rights.  The US constitution was founded explicitly on liberal principles.

Thus it’s possible, even approaching common, for moderates and Republicans to be more liberal than Democrats.

The way I see it.  I definitely don't see it as being equated with the Democratic Party.

I also think the terms "Left" and "Right" are out of date.  We need new terms.  The French Revolution is over, at least in the United States.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Supporting Human Rights

For John, BLUF:  Rights come from God, or if you don't accept God, then from nature.  They are not granted by Government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The authoritarian left does not believe in human rights.  They think government GRANTS and contains your rights.

Here is the sub-headline:

“To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good” - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

From NOQ Report, by Blogger D Parker, 22 January 2020.

From the middle of the Blog Post:

Despite the fact that tens of thousands peacefully rallied for the conservation of human rights in Richmond this week, to the great disappointment of the national socialist media, ‘democrats’ in the Old Dominion are going to ignore the wishes of the people and impose their liberty-free vision on the state anyway.

This is more than an issue of ‘safety’ or guns, but of liberty itself such as the hideous example of gun confiscation swatting with so-called ‘red flag laws’.  Their tyrannical desires are now expanding to free speech with newly proposed law that will criminalize criticism of the ruling class of Virginia.

The authoritarian left is also ignoring the presumption of innocence with the impeachment trial.  They’ve blithely decided to turn centuries of precedent on it’s head, demanding that president Trump prove his innocence as pointed out in the video.

Rights need, from time to time, to be defended, usually against the Government.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Christmas Television Watching

For John, BLUF:  What are the limits to what one wishes to watch for entertainment?  Must it represent the cultural tastes of the avant guard, the bien-pensant?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Hallmark Channel Under Assault by Race Hustlers and LGBTQ Cult, 'Too White'

From PJ Media, by Ms Megan Fox, 29 November 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Every Christmas season, it appears we have to endure listening to the race hustlers and the gay patrol complain about the one channel left in America that does not partake in envelope-pushing.  The Hallmark channel really is the last known entertainment that does not engage in the culture wars by pushing "diversity" for the sake of pleasing the agitators and instead focuses on its demographics; white moms and grandmas.  But these days, being white and enjoying things white people like is a cause for concern and mockery.  I'm white, and a mom, and Hallmark doesn't particularly appeal to me except in the sense that I know I can turn it on and not be concerned that my children will be exposed to clown world morality that is on every other channel. It's safe.

The Hollywood Reporter penned an article called "Hallmark Channel Struggles to Give Diversity a Home For the Holidays."  In it, author Lesley Goldberg takes aim at white people liking to other watch white people as if it's some kind of mortal sin.  "While other networks are viewing the holidays  with an eye toward inclusion, Hallmark is delivering the dream of a white Christmas, just like the one's audiences used to know."  I doubt Goldberg would ever complain about the lack of diversity on Black Entertainment Television (which, by the way, I happen to think is a great idea and caters to a specific audience that likes what they do. What a concept!)

As bad as the acting gene rally is on the Hallmark channel, the stories are blissfully devoid of any toxic cultural stew pushing politics with every line. There was a time in America where television censors would never allow any sex scenes as graphic as what you would see on Cinemax after dark but today it's old hat to have to watch people groaning and panting (and swearing) at 7 pm on NBC.  It's gross.  As a result, I've given up cable and only subscribe to online services with access to movies and shows the cultural elites now call "unwatchable."  I've completely lost the desire to watch any new programming.

In an article from 2017 in the Walrus entitled "The Unwatchable Whiteness of Holiday Movies," Hallmark fans give reasonable explanations for why they like the channel.

“It’s clean and I just don’t enjoy cussing,” a Georgia grandma told E! News in October.  The sentiment was echoed by a North Carolina senior who said, “There is no profanity nor any offensive sex acts in any movie I have ever seen.”  A middle-aged Minnesotan added, “There are no politics, there is no crime, no hate, no war.”

But in a culture that values offensive sex acts, profanity, and violence overall, the Hallmark channel is doomed.  The diversity activists will never be satisfied until everything white people like is canceled, including white people themselves.  And they will eventually get their wish because white people in America will become a minority in the not-too-distant future.  Meanwhile, however, whites are still the majority population.  Even so, if that majority wants to watch entertainment that represents them or doesn't include a constant assault on morality and decency, they're relegated to one cheesy channel that plays nothing but sappy Christmas movies most of the year.  But when the social justice soldiers get done with Hallmark, they won't even have that.

I am a Hallmark aficionado.

The Hallmark channel's CEO, Mr William J Abbot, has signaled that the network is open to gay stories.

Since we still don't force feed television programming, it will be a case of Go Woke, Go Broke.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Trump on the Political Spectrum

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats running for the Presidential nomination in 2020 seem to have a leftward drift.  Some more than others.  Even Speaker Pelosi seems to recognize it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This morning my wife summed up the political situation:

Trump is the best Democrat running.

Yes, I think that is correct.

Not that it is a bad thing, when you think back to some of the Democrats when President Trump was young, like Harry S Truman, JFK or Hubert H Humphrey.

Regards  —  Cliff

Plot to Remove Trump

For John, BLUF:  The folks in DC, and places like Portland, are looking more and more wacky.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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We're in a permanent coup

Here is the sub-headline:

Americans might soon wish they just waited to vote their way out of the Trump era

From the Blog of Reporter Matt Taibbi, 11 October 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

I’ve lived through a few coups. They’re insane, random, and terrifying, like watching sports, except your political future depends on the score.

The kickoff begins when a key official decides to buck the executive. From that moment, government becomes a high-speed head-counting exercise. Who’s got the power plant, the airport, the police in the capital? How many department chiefs are answering their phones? Who’s writing tonight’s newscast?

When the KGB in 1991 tried to reassume control of the crumbling Soviet Union by placing Mikhail Gorbachev under arrest and attempting to seize Moscow, logistics ruled. Boris Yeltsin’s crew drove to the Russian White House in ordinary cars, beating KGB coup plotters who were trying to reach the seat of Russian government in armored vehicles. A key moment came when one of Yeltsin’s men, Alexander Rutskoi – who two years later would himself lead a coup against Yeltsin – prevailed upon a Major in a tank unit to defy KGB orders and turn on the “criminals.”

We have long been spared this madness in America. Our head-counting ceremony was Election Day. We did it once every four years.

That’s all over, in the Trump era.

On Thursday, news broke that two businessmen said to have “peddled supposedly explosive information about corruption involving Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden” were arrested at Dulles airport on “campaign finance violations.” The two figures are alleged to be bagmen bearing “dirt” on Democrats, solicited by Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

This is sad if true, and there is a risk it is true.  Does anyone really want to get up tomorrow and go downtown to fight the Brownshirts or some Communist for?  Of Course not.  But…

I like the sketch of former FBI Director James Comey used with the piece.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Brownshirts in the Streets

For John, BLUF:  President Trump went to Minneapolis and was greeted by a large number of supporters, supporters who were attacked as they left the venue.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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HOW EVIL IS THE LEFT?  THIS EVIL

From Powerline Blog, by Blogger John Hinderaker, 17 October 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

I wrote here about the riot that occurred in downtown Minneapolis during and after President Trump’s rally last Thursday night.  Trump supporters were assaulted, their vehicles were blocked, police officers and police horses were attacked, and so on.  This video, filmed by Alpha News, shows how violent and disgusting the “protest” by liberal Democrats was.

You might think that in the aftermath of such appalling lawlessness, mainstream Democratic politicians would rush to denounce the violence.  In fact, to my knowledge, not a single Minnesota Democrat has criticized what you saw in that video.  At least one Democratic legislator, Aisha Gomez, participated in the riot, and several others tweeted their support for it.  And Ilhan Omar, the darling of Minnesota’s Democratic Party, expressed regret that she wasn’t taking part in the riot along with Rep. Gomez

Video at the link.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Antifa Backlash

For John, BLUF:  While Academia is a far left mess, that is no reason to deny Free Speech Rights.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Professor Forced to Resign for Supporting Antifa

From Pajama Media, by Mr Rick Moran, 27 August 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

A professor at an Iowa community college was forced to resign after some of his social media posts supporting the radical left group Antifa came to light.

Jeff Klinzman, an adjunct professor of English literature at Kirkwood Community College told local reporters last week "I affirm that I am antifa." Klinzman was responding to one of his social media posts that appeared to threaten Donald Trump.

Reason:

In response to a tweet from President Donald Trump calling antifa "gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats," Klinzman had written, "Yeah, I know who I'd clock with a bat…" on Iowa Antifa's Facebook page.

The school claimed that Klinzman was not removed due to his beliefs, but that their decision was "based solely on their commitment to harboring a safe learning environment for our students, faculty and staff."

"However, when the expression of views by him or any member of our community is perceived as placing public safety in jeopardy, or hampers our ability to deliver on our mission, we will always do what is necessary in service to our students' pursuit of a higher education."

Even if one identifies with the indefensible Antifa, one’s right to speak what one wants should not be curtailed.  If the First Amendment means anything, it means the right to be wrong.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

1619?

For John, BLUF:  The Old Gray Lady is not taking a whole of America look at slavery.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Real Purpose of the 1619 Project

Here is the sub-headline:

Title of the Project is wrong, not to mention the Premise

From Da Tech Guy , by Baldilocks (Juliette Akinyi Ochieng), 24 August 2019.

It is short.  Read it.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Warping History

For John, BLUF:  The Masses need to stand up against the shenanigans of the Elites.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Looking Forward

From According to Hoyt, by Author Sarah A Hoyt, 24 August 2019.

Here is the lede plus five:

In haste:

Dumas said that you shouldn’t rape history unless you intend to conceive a bastard.  The left has taken this to heart and is trying to create a bastard that will rule us with a rod of iron.

It won’t take.  Just like the leftist/Marxist illusion is a child of the mass production era, that era is passing and ushering in more customized times, more individual times.

This is good, because honestly the era of mass production and mass behavior encouraged us to see humans as widgets.  Humans are not widgets, and we haven’t done well under this regime.

The Twentieth Century was worse than the fourteenth for soaking the Earth with blood.

The left will have trouble putting their boot on our necks again, now we’ve tasted freedom.  They’re trying, but it’s the spasms of a dying beast and a dying way of life.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Larger Cities Shifting Politically

For John, BLUF:  One implication is that Homelessness is driving a shift toward a more socially conservative electorate.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Pushback

Here is the sub-headline:

In some blue cities, a divide is opening between an activist political elite and liberal—but more pragmatic—voters.

From City Journal, by Mr Christopher F. Rufo, Summer 2019 .

Here is the lede plus two:

The political ground may be starting to shift in America’s bluest cities. While San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver remain reliable Democratic strongholds, a divide is opening between the cities’ activist political elite and a liberal, but more pragmatic, majority of voters.

In Denver, voters recently rejected Initiative 300, the “right-to-survive” ballot measure that would have legalized homeless encampments in public spaces. The city’s activist class—progressive politicians, social-justice organizations, and nonprofit service providers—claimed that the city’s camping ban, in place since 2012, is unconstitutional and inhumane. They argued that, since society forces the homeless onto the streets, it must afford them the “right to exist,” which would include living on public property, without interference from law enforcement. Citizens, businesses, and neighborhood groups—led by the Downtown Denver Partnership, National Association of Realtors, and Colorado Concern—rose up in opposition to the initiative, raising more than $2.3 million to fight it. Voters rejected Initiative 300 by an 81 percent to 19 percent margin.

The public sentiment behind the Denver vote has been growing in cities up and down the West Coast, where rampant homelessness has led to deterioration in the quality of life for many residents. In Washington State, progressive lawmakers and activists tried to pass a similar “survival crimes” bill through the state legislature, but it died in committee after a barrage of public opposition. Even in hyper-progressive Seattle, 68 percent of voters don’t trust the mayor and city council to make progress on homelessness, and 53 percent support a “zero-tolerance” policy on encampments.

It isn't like big city electorates are becoming more Republican.  But it is like they want their cities a little cleaner and more orderly.  But, there are a number of equities.♠

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The next election for Sufffock County DA (Rachel Rollins), in 2022, will be a test.

The Gleichschaltung

For John, BLUF:  Gleichschaltung—"the standardization of political, economic, and social institutions as carried out in authoritarian states."  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Totalitarian Mindset is Strong on the Left

From The Chicago Boyz, by Blogger David Foster, 11 July 2019.

Here is the lede plus:

Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot:

“I woke up this morning thinking it was going to be another great day.  I’ve been celebrating with friends, family and the community since I turned 90.  I’ve told you about the gracious gift of $117 million that was collected and given in my honor to four charities that mean a lot to me.  All that happiness blew up because I said in a newspaper interview that I have supported and will continue to support Donald Trump.

Boom!

Negative stories… vicious threats, without cause, to boycott the company that has enabled my foundation to give billions to support autism, medical research, education, heart and neurological issues like stroke, and to help our veterans.  The company that I retired from in 2002 and have not had a business relationship with in almost 20 years.  A company that has employed more than a half-million people.  The people who work there are affiliated with both political parties or no party at all.  They are of all religions and all colors and backgrounds.  Why would people want to hurt them?

All because I give my voice and some of my money to our President.  Am I in China?  Argentina?  Russia?  That’s what it feels like to me.

It saddens me that our country has come to this, where I, as a private citizen, cannot express my feelings.  It angers me and it saddens me, but it sure as hell is not going to stop me.  If you thought it would, you’ve got the wrong guy.

There are some bad ideas out there.  There are some hurtful ideas out there.  Countering such idea is not best done by suppressing them.  It is best done by engagement.  By education.  By reaching out.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Speaker Attacks From The Left

For John, BLUF:  I think Speaker Pelosi is doing a good job of trying to keep Democrats from veering too far left, and without much help from her associate, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Left Burns a Heretic: Nancy Pelosi

Here is the sub-headline:

Clamoring for her head because she isn't sufficiently pro-Squad, they seem to hate her more than they do Trump and the GOP.

From The American Conservative, by James P Pinkerton, 24 July 2019.

Here is the lede plus three:

For most Democrats, the take is that Donald Trump is a racist. For Woke Democrats, the take is that Nancy Pelosi is Trump’s patsy.

It might not have seemed like Pelosi was a Trump dupe when she pointed her snarky clap at him during the State of the Union, or when she dusted him during the partial government shutdown, or when she said that he belonged in prison. And yet in politics, the caravan is always moving on.

These days, Woke opinion holds that Pelosi has been so soft on Trump as to virtually be his friend. The speaker did, after all, oppose the Woke left in last week’s impeachment vote. Wokesters believe that Pelosi, desirous of keeping her majority in the House—and her own personal control of that majority—has been too tough on the Squad, that being the hip moniker for that noisy quartet of left-wing freshwomen.

The Squad has plenty of friends in high places. One such is Karen Attiah, global opinions editor of The Washington Post.  On July 14, taking note of Trump’s most recent anti-Squad animadversion—the instantly notorious “go back” tweet—Attiah volleyed her own strong tweeting:  “Make no mistake: Nancy Pelosi’s dogwhistling snipes at @AOC, Ilhan Omar, @RashidaTlaib and @RepPressley helped pave the way for this vicious, racist attack from the president.”

While this is good news for President Trump in 2020, it may not be good for the nation as a whole.

And now Speaker Nancy Pelosi finds herself in a sort of No Man's Land between the Left Democrats and the Republicans.  She is not alone, but may be lonely.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Is 2020 The Year America Goes Socialist?

For John, BLUF:  If the US goes "Socialist" in 2020, will fly over country be our Vendée?  Or will It be the Central Valley of California?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Progressive Revolution:  From Democratic to Liberal to Progressive to Socialist

Here is the sub-headline:

Obama kick-started a cycle that moves ever farther left — even he now seems passé.

From National Review, by Professor Victor Davis Hanson, 16 April 2019.

Here are the last two paragraphs:

What we are seeing in the Democratic party’s movement to the hard left is not the beginning but the end of a long march.  Socialists and progressives believe that control of the Congress, the presidency, and courts is the final missing tessera from their already expansive socialist mosaic.

They believe that the future is theirs.  They no longer need to apologize for pushing government-sanctioned redistribution.  And with an administrative state that nearly pulled off a coup in the past two years, with 21 trillion dollars in national debt and the courts as de facto progressive legislators, and with an open 2,000-mile border, they may well be right.

If the Democrats continue along the current path (that is, the Pelosis and Clinton's are not able to wrestle back control) the 2020 will be a big roll of the dice and if they lose it will be serious rebuilding time.  The will be looking for a new Bill Clinton (and I don't mean Hillary).

"Nearly pulled off a coup in the past two years."  I wonder to what that refers?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wild Claims on Terrorism

For John, BLUF:  A wrong emphasis on who are the terrorists will just get in the way of reducing terrorism.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Who Commits Most of the World’s Extremist Violence?

Here is the sub-headline:

Evil as they are, white supremacists aren’t even close to the top of the list.

From City Journal, by Associate Editor Seth Barron, 8 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

Last week, the New York Times featured an illustrated timeline of “white extremist” killings over the last nine years, with lines demonstrating citation and affiliation among the killers.  According to the Times, the record shows “an informal global network of white extremists whose violent attacks are occurring with greater frequency in the West.”

The idea that white supremacist violence is a growing global threat has gained more currency recently, notably in the wake of the ghastly Christchurch mosque massacre, when an avowed white nationalist murdered 50 Muslims.  New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, asserted that “White supremacists committed the largest # of extremist killings in 2017.”  No one will deny that racial hatred is an evil ideology, and that people who kill in the name of white supremacy commit evil—but are the New York Times and Ocasio-Cortez correct that “white extremists” are increasingly sowing worldwide mayhem?

The evidence suggests otherwise.  Even a superficial glance at the record indicates that of the nearly 20,000 people killed in thousands of extremist killings in 2017, white supremacists were responsible for very few.  The worst terrorist event of 2017, according to the State Department, was the explosion of a truck bomb outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, which killed more than 580 people.  This violent act is believed to have been the work of Al-Shabaab, which was responsible for 97 percent of the 370 instances of extremist killings in Somalia in 2017, accounting for about 1,400 deaths—mostly civilian.  The remaining violent acts were carried out by Jabha East Africa (ISIS-Somalia), a dissident Al-Shabaab splinter group.

And on it goes.  They don't even get to the 150 Christians killed recently in Niger.

And, if Egyptians or Turks aren't Caucasian, what are they?  Are they Asian?  I don't think so.  They are not African in the sense we here in the US understand the term.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Ed Goes Hard Left

For John, BLUF:  Politics makes for strange bedfellows—Mr Charles Dudley Warner.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Ed Markey pairs with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Green New Deal

From The Boston Herald, by Ms Marie Sianiszlo (marie.szaniszlo@bostonherald.com), 8 February 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Sen. Edward Markey partnered with freshman U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her controversial “Green New Deal” proposal to cut fossil fuel use and achieve “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions within 10 years — an idea that one economist said would “significantly” raise the cost of energy?

Markey’s move to the left is seen by political analysts as a positioning for his own looming re-election battle — to ward off the kind of progressive challenge that took out former veteran U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano.  Markey himself cited the initiative as a looming campaign issue.

“This is going to enter the 2020 election cycle,” Markey said at a news conference outside the Capitol with Ocasio-Cortez and several of the resolution’s more than 60 co-sponsors.  “The greatest climate denier of them all is in the White House.  …The green generation has risen up, and they are saying we want this issue solved.  We now have the troops, we now have the money, and we’re ready to fight.”

One hopes this will not become the law of the land until we figure out how much it will cost and how to pay for it.  In saying that I am flat out rejecting the idea that the end of the world as we know it is only 12 years off.♠

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Of course the Second Coming could end the world as we know it, but with a good outcome, not a bad one.

The New Puritans

For John, BLUF:  I would like to see a happy balance.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Left Are Annoying Puritans

From PJ Media, by Ms Sarah Hoyt, 27 January 2019.

Here is the lede plus ten:

Every time I blunder into a discussion of [paperbackbook] covers in my field, I realize that the left has turned into puritans so slowly we barely noticed.

When I was young – yes, and Mastodon roamed the Earth – the left was all about “liberation.”

Of course, even then, if you paid close attention – or any attention, really – you’d see they idolized the Soviet Union and no one could really believe it was “free” when people were dying to get out.

But as the seventies progressed on their very strange way, I told myself they were just odd people who believed the lies published about the Soviet Union, and they wanted complete freedom to do whatever they wanted.

It might surprise the people who were born after the seventies to find out that the left really wanted no taboos at all.  At least in Europe, if you attended a certain type of party, you might be importuned by adult males way before the age of consent.  And when you refused you were told you had a problem and were repressing your sexuality or had “inhibitions.”  (I developed an answer that was something like this “No, I don’t have any hang-ups about nudity.  I just have no interest in seeing old men naked, thank you.” It usually made them go away.)

In fact, just about anything you didn’t want to do or try, you were told that you had hang-ups, and how much better you’d feel if you just gave them up and did whatever the person talking to you wanted.

If someone had told me back then that the left would in time become complete Puritans, I’d not have believed them.

But just look at them now.

When the cover for Darkship Thieves was settled on, the male editor who was attending the conference I was at did not show it to me because I am a woman, and he was afraid I’d be offended.

To be clear, the cover has zero sexual content.  It shows a woman in a pose reminiscent of Botticelli’s Venus, mostly naked, with a sort of wrap around her that hides all the crucial points.

It is also quite obviously art, not porn.  And it did wonders for the book sales.

The thing that goes along with this new Puritanism is the idea that females need to be protected from toxic, hypermasculine males.  We have regressed back to the Victorian Era, or maybe to the age of Chivelry.  Or maybe we are enroute to an age without males.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

AOC in the Lead

For John, BLUF:  I wonder what it would be like if she were 36.  On the other hand, if she was older, then maybe the Middle Aged women of the Democratic Party might have a blanket party for her.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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AOC = DNC -- Ocasio-Cortez is pace car for Democrats' turbocharged race to the far left

From Fox News, by Mr Deroy Murdock, 30 January 2019.

Here is the lede plus six:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become, in essence, the new leader of the Democratic Party.  The avowed socialist from the Bronx, New York, is now a one-woman Democratic National Committee.

Despite having served in office for less than a month, she is now the pace car for the Democrats’ turbocharged race to the far left.  If AOC says it, many Democrats adopt it as their new gospel.

Nine months ago, “Abolish ICE!” was an exotic, extremist idea.  But then AOC stunned the Democratic establishment by beating 11-term Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., in their June 26 primary and winning her heavily Democratic district last November.

AOC called for scrapping Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Other politicians on the left – no less than Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., swiftly leapt aboard AOC’s abolish-ICE express. This is now a mainstream Democratic position.

AOC campaigned on and promises Medicare-for-All. Among other things, if you like your health plan, you will lose your health plan.  Period.  Medicare-for-All would vacuum private insurance into Uncle Sam’s newfangled universal health care system.  And George Mason University’s Mercatus Center estimates that it will cost taxpayers $32.6 trillion over 10 years.

But what AOC wants, AOC gets.  So the House Budget and Rules Committees will explore Medicare-for-All in depth.

“House Democrats would not be holding hearings,” Splinter.com’s Libby Watson explained, “without outside pressure from Medicare for All proponents and the constituencies of popular leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders.”

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Misremembering the Holocaust

For John, BLUF:  Being Anti-Israel is becoming "fashionable," leading to Anti-Semitism, which is bad.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Linda Sarsour Outs Herself as an Anti-Semite on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Sunday was UN (and EU) Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Here in the US it is in April or May, following the Jewish Calendar.  In addition to six million Jews killed by the Nazi regime, a like number of Slavs, Poles, Serbs, Romani people, mentally and physically disabled Germans, and people who were "different," such as Jehovah's Witnesses, asocial political dissidents and homosexual men, all to the lasting disgrace of the German People.

From PJ Media, by Mr Tyler O'Neil, 29 January 2019.

Here is the lede:

On Sunday, Women's March leader Linda Sarsour effectively outed herself as an anti-Semite.  Ironically, her statement for Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2019 did the very thing she denounced in 2017 as the "definition of anti-Semitism" — she did not mention the Jews.

But, back in 2017 it was President Trump who failed to mention the Jews.  Which s different, because….  That said, I am not sure I would have noticed, the Jews and the Holocaust being so tightly united in my mind.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The "It Girl" Scores Again

For John, BLUF:  Yes, this does seem to be the year of the crazies.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals Her Plan to Overthrow the Supreme Court

Miss Ocasio-Cortez is running for the US House from New York.

From PJ Media, by Mr Tyler O'Neil, 12 October 2018.

Here is the lede:

On Saturday, Democratic Socialist starlet Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the abolition of the Electoral College.  On Thursday, she revealed her plan to undermine the U.S. Supreme Court. It's not very original...

Although maybe the voters don't care.

I care.  The Constitution has served us well the last two hundred or so years.  Messing with it is like playing a game where you pull blocks out of a tall structure, until it collapses.  We don't need a collapse of the Constitution.  We need a baseball like attitude of "there is always next year.  Because there is, unless we destroy the Constitution.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff