Thoughts On A Sunday

It’s been another great weekend here at Lake Winnipesaukee. Good weather, good food, and not too many Cap’n Boneheads to deal with out on the lake. (That’s always a good thing.)

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What is it about pushing a destructive hike in the minimum wage to $15 that appeals so much to the Left? Is it that by destroying jobs that they can take more control over the populace? Do they believe they can bring about True Socialismsup>TM by damaging or destroying the pillars of our economy?

One commenter proves to be one of those who looks at things based entirely upon the numbers and chooses to ignore the human element.

You know, if I didn't graduate as finance major and had written numerous business plans and then moved on to work in the finance industry, I might think you had some idea what you were talking about with all of the stupid crap you are saying.

First off, economics and supply and demand are a model and do not work in every situation. For instance monopolies so government intervention is required as a check to the system. So yes, government mandates are REQUIRED as part of our economic model.

Moving on from that, yes minimum wage was never defined as that, until recently. People want it to be that. The reason is that all of the money in our economy is coming out of the hands of the workforce to the point where people can't survive. People have about 40% less discretionary income than they used to and there are numerous factors that contribute to that, a large amount is that automation is allowing companies to do without a large number of employees which is resulting in wages going down for the remaining people competing. As such, people are unable to get jobs, so businesses have to adjust for that. As a result whatever state government of the jurisdiction you're in, passed a law mandating that people be paid $15 and hour, ensuring the remaining people received a living wage. If the company didn't suck, it would have been able to afford to pay the employees a living wage before that.

Regardless, it's possible and not only that it's needed and it is a natural function of a capitalist society that relies on economic models that rely on government intervention for corrections.

“…rely on government intervention for corrections.” Yeah, we’ve seen how well those work and how, in many cases, the intervention dragged out economic recovery, or worse, caused the economic problems to worsen. He’s the type that I believe would have no problem mouthing the words “It’s not personal. It’s business,” as he destroys a business because he sees more worth in destroying it rather than letting it continue and provide jobs and chances for advancement by employees. That he can damage or destroy lives while doing so does not concern him. All his decisions are based on the spreadsheet. He’s a friggin’ bean counter and from my experience bean counters are the worst people to run any business. (Yes, I know it’s a bit off topic, but this particular bean counter pissed me off.)

It all boils down to this: Fifteen dollars an hour for a minimum wage will cause far more harm than it will ‘fix’. We’ve seen that harm everywhere it’s been implemented yet the proponents ignore it and assume it won’t happen when they do it.

I ‘m not sure whether that’s arrogance or hubris…if not both.

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Mark Robinson, a man who vigorously defended the Second Amendment before the Greensboro, NC city council back in 2018, announced his candidacy for Lt. Governor of North Carolina.

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More people should use Jon Gabriel’s response to offended snowflakes.

“You’re offended? So what?”

Here’s an interaction I had on Twitter, the Algonquin Round Table of the digital age. One interlocutor noted that vaccinations might cause autism. (They don’t.) Another wondered if a government can mandate immunization. (Sure.) But shouldn’t parents have the right to say no? (Not if they put the community at risk; at least that’s how I see it.)

All fair questions and a fine debate to have. And on it went until one person replied with what he felt was the trump card: “That really offends me!”

To which I said, “So what?”

A brusque response, but the anonymous stranger’s taking of offense is not my or anyone else’s concern; public health is. Harrumphing “that offends me!” has no bearing on any argument, pro or con. It’s a non sequitur revealing naught but a delicate constitution.

I don’t intend to argue the pros and cons of vaccination; that specific debate isn’t the point. As our culture has slid to the so-called “social justice warriors” of the left and the trolls of the “alt-right,” activists on all sides believe that their being offended carries some sort of moral authority as a victim. Does their sense of grievance make their arguments more compelling? It does no such thing.

I have never had problems offending people who so richly needed or deserved it. I have no problems making someone uncomfortable, particularly about something that no one in their right minds would ever be offended over. As Mr. Gabriel has stated, the Progressives and their snowflake dupes use the “I’m offended” line to shut down discussion or debate, particularly if it is about a subject that is near and dear to their alleged hearts. It is time we ignore their claims of offense and push the limit, get them to fess up about their true motives.

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I’ve always liked Scarlett Johansen, particularly in her roles as Black Widow in The Avengers movies and in Lucy. I like her even more now after her un-PC comment in regards to roles she should take, stating “You know, as an actor I should be allowed to play any person, or any tree, or any animal because that is my job and the requirements of my job.”

Her comment caused the meltdown of the Liberal Gliterati. It’s Hollyweird at its worst.

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Speaking of Hollyweird, and actually California, here’s one that really takes the cake when it comes to California weird: It is illegal to work on your own car in your own garage in Sacramento County, California.

What’s next? Will it soon be illegal to mow your own lawn with your own lawnmower?

I figure it will only be a matter of time.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather has been great, the seasonal food places have been doing a lot of business, and where Monday is yet again returning too soon.

Thoughts On A Sunday Wednesday

I don’t know what is happening, but I’ve been having problems posting to Blogger the past few days. I can enter text directly, but it hasn’t been taking the ‘copy and paste’ I usually use, and even then it seems to only take part of it. I have been working with Blogger to solve the problem.

In the mean time I have taken part of what I originally put together for a very abbreviated TOAS.

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The Fourth of July weekend is winding down, with long lines of traffic leaving the Lakes Region. (I can attest to the traffic, having witnessed heavy traffic on one of our state highways while trying to leave the diner where Deb and I had breakfast late this morning.) Most of the traffic had out of state plates – Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, along with a disproportionate number of cars bearing New York plates.

The weekend really started on Wednesday, with inbound traffic picking up starting around noon. There were a lot of summerfolk up for the Fourth, much of the evidence being seen on Lake Winnipesaukee as the number of boats plying its waters was huge. (Unfortunately the increased number of boats meant there were a proportionate number of Cap’n Boneheads skippering some of them.)

The restaurants were busy as were the ice cream stands and the beaches which was not surprising because it was hot and humid all week. The only ‘cool’ day was today, which meant it was only in the upper 70’s.

Not a bad way to end the holiday weekend.

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Is there nothing Donald Trump cannot do?

In this case he managed to get the Democrats/Socialists to protest against the Fourth of July, between Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley trashing the Declaration of Independence as sexist/racist/whateverist to Teen Vogue trashing patriotism as racist/sexist/whateverist to the Left trashing President Trump’s July 4th speech as racist/sexist/whateverist.

Thoughts On A Sunday - Uh Oh

I know I put my TOAS post somewhere, but I don't know where it ended up.

It appears my usual Sunday post ended up lost somewhere. Imagine my surprise when I checked it this morning and it wasn't there. Was there a hiccup at Blogger? Did I only dream that I put together my TOAS post and upload it?

I haven't a clue.

Since I am not at my usual 'compose and post' computer, I do not have the means to repost my thoughts until some time later today when I return home. (Yes, I am posting this from wor...uhh...not from home.)

Sorry for any inconveniences.

A Reminder On This Fourth Of July

It seems fitting to quote from the July 4th, 1926 Address by President Calvin Coolidge, particularly in light of the oppression we see coming to the forefront, committed by our countrymen who wish to see the freedoms we take for granted taken from us. Coolidge addressed this issue in a prescient fashion.

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

“If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people.” Isn’t that exactly what the Left has been working towards for over a century?

They do not believe in the tenets of the Declaration of Independence, do not believe in the Constitution, and specifically the Bill of Rights. This isn’t conjecture on my part. They have come right out and said it and done so in a million small ways.

Free speech may include hurtful and hateful speech? Get rid of it and that hurtful a hateful speech will disappear with it. The problem is that dissenting speech also disappears, meaning no one will be allowed to speak out against any wrong being done by our purported ‘betters’.

Guns can be used to kill people? Get rid of them and people won’t use them to kill people…except those people controlled by our purported ‘betters’, and they will kill those our ‘betters’ tell then to kill.

Freedom of religion? Gone.

Due process? Gone.

Protection against double jeopardy? Gone.

Right to be secure in your Private property? Gone.

Right to remain silent? Gone.

Right to not incriminate oneself? Gone.

Right to an attorney? Gone.

All of the things that make our nation great, but that we take for granted? GONE.

They want us to be serfs and they want to be the nobles. They won’t admit to it and will couch their language to hide their intent. By they want to take us back to the past, before the freedoms we enjoy were wrested from the tyrants that ruled us. They really want to be in charge and the won’t care what they have to do so they can be in charge. And they won’t care about those who made it possible as those who did so are nothing more than disposable NPCs to be eliminated and forgotten once they are no longer needed or wanted.

We can’t say we weren’t warned 93 years ago.

Thoughts On A Sunday

It was a farm wedding weekend here in the Lakes Region. The oldest son of the owners of the farm where BeezleBub makes his living got married yesterday. The ceremony was held in one of the meadows overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains, and the reception in a large tent in another field with a similar view. There was good food, good live music, and lots of good company.

A good time was had by all.

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Antifa strikes again in Portland. (No surprise.) They physically assaulted journalist Andy Ngo. The Portland Police stood by and did nothing. As I have seen elsewhere, Portland is now under control of Antifa just like Birmingham, Alabama was under the control of the KKK.

I think what will spark a general uprising against Antifa is when they finally kill someone “for the cause” and the normal folks will finally fight back. Or worse, the President declares that Portland is in insurrection and sends in the US Army to restore order. In either case I expect a lot of Antifa thugs will die should that happen.

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If the some of the Democrats presidential candidates get their way, we could see the return of busing as a means of decreasing racial imbalances in schools. The only problem?

It didn’t really work the last time it was tried.

It appears that once again the Dems want to ignore history and give it another go, expecting the results will be different this time. (It won’t.)

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I don’t think they thought this one through.

The St. Louis Park, Minnesota city council voted unanimously to do away with citing the Pledge of Allegiance because “it might offend Muslims”.

So, they kowtowed to a minority population while offending everyone else? Were they afraid someone within the Muslim community might kill them if they were offended? Or was it purely Leftist virtue signaling, and the consequences be damned?

If I had to guess, it’s both.

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Socialism: The True Gospel of Greed. Just as Churchill stated decades ago.

If anything, Churchill understated it.

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Once again, my home state has managed to avoid the Democrat-majority crafted tax-and-spend, deficit-ridden state budget due to Governor Sununu’s veto.

The budget made assumptions about revenues that anyone familiar taxes knew wouldn’t be there, increased state spending by a whopping 13% that revenues wouldn’t cover and used one-time revenues to fund programs that required annual funding to maintain, throwing the state into a position of deficit spending which contravenes the state constitution.

The governor also vetoed a stealth income tax that was to be used to fund a state family leave fund. The Democrats promised they would never raise that tax in the future. But that promise wouldn’t last and they’d find some reason to raise it, probably by promising property tax relief or more funding for education. As history has shown us, none of that tax money would go to property tax relief, the most recent examples being Connecticut and New Jersey. Also, any state education funds would come with huge strings attached, including loss of local control of schools, something history has shown always leads to a lower quality of education.

There are also several gun control bills passed by the New Hampshire House and Senate that severely restrict the Second Amendment rights of New Hampshire citizens that are also headed for vetoes. One such bill would allow town school boards to declare schools and school-owned/leased property as gun free zones. That would extend to school buses, even those on the road, which means that anyone carrying a firearm within 300 feet of a school bus would be violating a gun free zone. In effect, that would ban anyone carrying a firearm anywhere.

What’s ironic is that New Hampshire is a constitutional carry state, has the lowest violent crime in the nation, has had no mass shooting, gunfights like one at the OK Corral, or drive-by gang shootings, and a very high percentage of citizens owning and carrying firearms. Yet the Democrats are slinging around restrictive legislation like we were seeing shooting like the ones in Parkland, Florida and Virginia Beach, Virginia every week. These bills are merely feelgood measures that serve two purposes – to disarm law abiding citizens and to make the legislators feel good about themselves for having “done something” even though it was the wrong something.

The next election cycle cannot come soon enough to get these Leftists out of office.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where wedding bells have rung, everyone is preparing for Fourth of July, and where I am taking a few days off this coming week.

They Did Complete The Assignment...

There’s one in every bunch.

In this case the student did complete their homework as assigned, but with a twist as only a smartass (like me) would include.

I hope they got an ‘A’.

(H/T Knuckledraggin My Life Away)

Thoughts On A Sunday

It’s been another glorious weekend here at Lake Winnipesaukee, the weather being great. At least we haven’t had to deal with the weather Wirecutter has been dealing with down in Tennessee.

We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to deal with that kind of weather up here in New England, though the downside has been that we’ve been experiencing cooler and wetter weather than is the norm for this time of year. The growing season is running behind schedule and the lake water temps are below what we would normally see by now which has made swimming a bit of a dicey experience.

Still, I have no real complaints and am looking forward to the summer and early fall.

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By way of Granite Grok comes this timely joke:

A Democrat walks into a bar and asks “What is your most popular drink?”

The bartender replies “A Russian Collusion.” The Democrat orders one.

The bartender delivers an empty glass…

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The latest bit of outrage being displayed by the Democrats?

They’re angry that President Trump has the gall to defend himself against a ‘perfectly timed’ accusation that he committed rape many years ago.

Although none of us can be sure whether anything happened between President Trump and [author E. Jean] Carroll, we do know that high-level politicians are more often accused of such horrendous crimes, simply because their political enemies know that such an accusation in itself can destroy their careers. The president has just launched his reelection campaign. There can be little doubt about the timing of this attack on his character; it's purposefully timed to destroy his chances of winning a second term.

Furthermore, what we also know is that President Trump denies the allegations. He responded with tremendous anger to Carroll's accusation, which makes sense if he is indeed innocent. An innocent man obviously isn't happy to be accused of such a terrible crime and would fight back with all that's in him.

How dare he defend himself!! Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to quit and let the Democrats retake the White House and continue their conversion of the United States into a failed socialist state? Just who the hell does he think he is?

He’s the freakin’ President of the United States, that’s who he is.

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I don’t know if anyone else out there has noticed this, but I’ve been seeing a lot more incidents of distracted driving over the past month or so. Invariably it turns out the driver is fiddling with their smart phone, either texting, calling, and maybe using a navigation app.

I have been seeing this problem for some time, but it seems the problem has become more prevalent with the start of the summer season with more folks “from away” spending time up here. Even though we have a well-publicized Hands Free law (signs at the state border remind people of the law as well as the fact that recreational marijuana is not legal in this state), they still will use their phones in a manner that promoted distracted driving.

To illustrate just how much of a problem this can be, it has been suggested that a deadly pickup truck versus motorcycles accident up in northern New Hampshire on Saturday may have been due to the pickup’s 23-year old driver having been distracted by his phone. His pickup crossed over into oncoming traffic and collided with a group of 10 motorcycles, killing 7 riders and injuring 3 others. If this indeed the case, then it shows just how deadly distracted driving can be.

One has to wonder what’s so important that people are willing to put their lives and the lives of those around them into danger because they absolutely have to answer texts, comment on Facebook or SnapChat or Instagram, or select the next genre of music to play? Have those ‘indispensable’ smart phones become so addictive that people can’t put them down long enough to pay attention when they’re driving, something that is far more important?

Yes. Yes they have.

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What is the greatest cause of death for law enforcement officers in this country?

Suicide.

Your communities' finest have a better chance of taking their own life than being killed in the line of duty. That is not a misprint or misstatement. Police officers are two to three times more likely to kill themselves than to be killed in the line of duty. In 2018, at least 159 officers died by suicide, which is 10 percent more than the 144 line of duty deaths, which include felony assaults, patrol vehicle accidents, heart attacks, and duty-related illnesses.

Male officers are overwhelmingly more likely than female officers to commit suicide by a ratio of 151 to 8.

This has always been a problem and these days it’s been growing and becoming worse. Yet it is a quiet epidemic, one ignored by the public. It should not be.

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There’s a move afoot to decriminalize ‘magic’ mushrooms in California.

Despite what might be claimed, I think the real reason for the move is to further anesthetize the populace to the descent into socialist hell that California’s Progressive government has been working towards for so long.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather has been superb, the summerfolk have been here in droves, and where Monday has (again) returned to soon.

Farm Wisdom

Every so often we have to be reminded about ‘old’ wisdom that still applies here in the second decade of the 21st century.

Old Farmer's Advice:

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered... not yelled.

Meanness don't just happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about, ain't never gonna happen anyway.

Don't judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

Don't interfere with something' that ain't bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every morning'.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinking' you're a person of some influence, try ordering' somebody else's dog around.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and enjoy the ride.

Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just shoot you!

Thoughts On A Sunday

It is the last day of Motorcycle Week and the bikers have been making the best of it. While it wasn’t sunny today, we did manage to dodge most of the rain (it kept to the south of us for the most part). The weather over the past week was good, with only two days with any rain. The rest of the days have been warm and sunny. From what I’ve heard most of the bikers have enjoyed their time here.

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I have been keeping an eye on the responses to the $33 million in damages awarded to Gibson’s Bakery in the Gibson’s versus Oberlin College lawsuit. With only a few exceptions, most have been positive, with the general thread being “Oberlin is getting what it deserves. Other ‘woke’ colleges better pay attention lest they become another Oberlin.”

For once, the institutions of indoctrination once known as colleges and universities understand that actions have consequences and that they are not above the law, that they cannot ignore the Constitution, and that they are responsible for the actions of their administration, faculty, and students.

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Does anyone else out there believe the whole “Plastic straws are killing sea life everywhere” meme? While at first blush it seems logical, one quickly realizes that it is just so much bulls**t.

First, how many plastic straws are recycled? Just watching customers at local restaurants, both fast food and ‘sit down’, plastic drink straws end up in the trash, not in recycle bins. Even when they are included in takeout orders, most folks toss the wrappers, drink containers, and straws into the trash.

Second, how many people toss their plastic straws into streams, rivers, or the ocean? One, maybe two thousand out of 7.5 billion people on the Earth?

Third, it’s led restaurants and waitstaff to go ‘stupid’ in regard to straws.

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Considering the Gibson’s versus Oberlin College decision, Progressives need to consider any of their divisive actions before they take them. One that should heed the lesson of Oberlin College’s poor decision making is New Hampshire State Representative Jan Schmidt. Her mistake?

Lying about and disparaging a conservative New Hampshire blog, claiming that because of their posts and public forums that a few State Representatives have had to request police protection. A simple Right-To-Know request made to the police department ‘involved’ in providing such protection disclosed no such protective details existed or were requested.

I would consider that actionable as the State Rep in question tried to damage the reputation of a blog that did nothing but report happenings at various public functions and forums and by expressing opinions that differed from hers. She wanted to stifle their First Amendment rights by coming right out and saying they were inciting violence. She lied.

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Bernie Sanders has a bit of a problem, one he’s going to have a difficult time getting past.

His problem? His proposed “Economic Bill of Rights” was cribbed heavily from Stalin’s 1936 Soviet Constitution.

Does he really think he can get people to buy into recreating the old Soviet Union? Maybe. Then again, he is a fan boy of the Soviet Union and the Communist Party. He even took his honeymoon in the old Soviet Union.

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And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the rumble of motorcycle engines is slowly fading away, cash registers are full, and where we can finally get some rest on Monday.

Thoughts On A Sunday

It was the opening weekend of Motorcycle Week, the rumble of bikes being heard all throughout the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

With the weather forecast for the week looking good (with the exception of the possibility of showers or thundershowers on Tuesday), we expect to see between 250,000 to 300,000 motorcycle enthusiasts over the next 7 days.

Sections of Weirs Beach have been closed off to 4-wheeled traffic for the duration with other roads scheduled to be closed to anything other than motorcycle traffic starting Thursday.

Laconia Motorcycle Week is one of the Big Three motorcycle rallies in the US, with Daytona and Sturgis being the other two. Laconia is the oldest, celebrating its 96th year this year.

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It seems that Oberlin College has been doubling down on stupid, sending out a mass e-mailing criticizing the jurors decision in Gibson’s v Oberlin College, a suit that claimed that Oberlin College defamed, libeled, and slandered Gibson’s Bakery and damaged the business after the bakery had three Oberlin College students arrested for shoplifting wine from the shop. The jury found in favor of Gibson’s and awarded $11.2 million in compensatory damages.

As mentioned numerous times, “from the start of this case I have questioned the aggressive and demeaning attacks on the Gibsons as a defense strategy,” and “I’m still shaking my head at the tone-deafness of the defense in belittling this family business.” The jury seems to have agreed, rendering a combined $11.2 million compensatory damages verdict against Oberlin College and its Dean of Students, Meredith Raimondo.

The next stage is a punitive damages hearing, since the jury found the defendants acted with intent and malice. A separate punitive damages hearing is required under the Ohio Tort Reform legislation that passed several years ago. The point is to keep some of the more inflammatory evidence that does not go to liability or compensatory damages away from the jury during the initial deliberations. That additional evidence relevant to punitive damages could include information as to the wealth of the defendants, but also additional information supporting the need for punishment.

In this context, there is nothing more baffling than a statement sent to alumni after the verdict by Donica Thomas Varner, Oberlin College’s Vice President and General Counsel.

The statement was contained in a mass email sent to alumni (and possibly others) criticizing the jury verdict and repeating the same stale defenses that failed at trial…

Seems stupid of me to antagonize jurors who will be deciding how much additional damages may have to be paid to Gibson’s. Then again, we’re dealing with a ‘woke’ college who let uninformed, overly emotional know-nothing students go off on a crusade that wrongly accused the bakery of racism, canceled long-standing contracts with the bakery, and gave blatant support to the SJW students who protested and defamed the bakery.

Oberlin isn’t receiving a fraction of the punishment they deserve.

If I had to guess, I’d say that no one in the Oberlin administration is likely to lose their job despite their major screwup despite that fact that they should be fired and thrown out bag and baggage.

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John Ringo adds his take on the Oberlin matter:

One point that none of the commentors seem to be making/noticing is the ‘town/gown’ dynamic.

Oberlin is the classic small liberal college in a less liberal (though still very) town that exists entirely to support the small liberal college.

Thus the jury was made up of ‘townies’ who resent the college, the students and the administration and the college resented that the unwashed townies were ALLOWED to have any input on the actions and deportment of their superiors.

Throw in the many notable examples of the current ‘elites’ being both lacking in competence and unlacking in hubris and you get everything from the protests against an innocent (townie/unwashed/ignorant) baker through the hubristic email. Not to mention a jury that’s about to throw the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary at them.

I’m not getting why others aren’t getting this. The dynamic is obvious to me.

Indeed.

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Common Core has failed. Seven years of a liberal education experiment shows it doesn’t work.

How much damage has this “experiment” caused? A lot, damage from which our kids may never recover.

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Sometimes it take the viewpoint of a foreigner to teach us the American Dream.

Starr DeJesus admits she learned a lot about both the generosity of the American people and her own potential from an immigrant who spoke to her civics class.

--snip--

The larger lesson she and 100 or so other high school students here at East Allegheny High School learned was something they sheepishly admitted afterward that they had taken for granted: how lucky they are to be born in America.

Nick Adams, the immigrant from Australia who spoke to the students, appreciates this in a way a native may never truly understand.

Read The Whole Thing.

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And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where motorcycles abound, the lake waters are slowly getting warmer, and where the schools are closing for the summer over the next two weeks.