Better yet, a MAGA ‘riot’ that cleans up their yards, sweeps their driveways, leaves their neighborhoods spotless. I can see the MSM headlines now:‘Nuff said.
"Vicious Trump Supporters Riot In Upscale Neighborhoods. Rioters Remove All Evidence That Could Lead to Their Arrests..."
10/31/2020
By Way Of Disqus
From the comments to this post at Instapundit:
10/29/2020
The Crazy Years - Yet Another Example
Just when we thought we’ve heard it all, along comes a story that proves us wrong.
In this case, it seems two sisters visiting a store in the Chicago area didn’t like the idea that a security guard asked them to please wear masks while in the shop. Their response?
One sister grabbed a trash can and smashed the guard in the face, and the other sister pulled a “comb knife” with a hidden blade and stabbed the guard 27 times.
During their arraignment their defense attorney claimed they were being “overcharged” and that they were merely defending themselves. However, surveillance video tells a different story.
Assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon (a knife and a shod foot) with intent to do bodily harm and they are claiming self-defense?
Yeah, we’ll see how that plays out.
In this case, it seems two sisters visiting a store in the Chicago area didn’t like the idea that a security guard asked them to please wear masks while in the shop. Their response?
One sister grabbed a trash can and smashed the guard in the face, and the other sister pulled a “comb knife” with a hidden blade and stabbed the guard 27 times.
During their arraignment their defense attorney claimed they were being “overcharged” and that they were merely defending themselves. However, surveillance video tells a different story.
Assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon (a knife and a shod foot) with intent to do bodily harm and they are claiming self-defense?
Yeah, we’ll see how that plays out.
10/25/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
It was one of the last trips out on the lake of the boating season yesterday. I took a friend from work and his missus and his son out on the lake late yesterday as part of our end-of-the-boating-season outing(s). I might be able to squeeze in one more trip later today, with next weekend’s planned jaunt having the sole purpose of taking the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout out of the water and dropping it off at the boatyard that services it and stores it for the winter.
Is Oregon headed for a break-up?
It’s quite possible.
Should Trump win re-election it’s possible a drive by fifteen eastern counties in Oregon to separate from western Oregon could pick up steam. As the political demographics west of the Cascade Mountains has shifted far to the Left, perhaps even worse than what’s been seen in Coastal California, residents of eastern Oregon have felt ignored, if not denigrated by the condescending ‘woke’ populace on the other side of the mountains. Despite what these 15 counties are working towards, it is something different the western part of Oregon may try to do that has the eastern counties worried. Writes David Seminara:
One thing that amazes folks “from away” is just how much we folks from New England, and particularly northern New England, tend to be wary of newcomers, specifically folks who move here “from away”, worried that they’ll want to change things.
It’s not an unwarranted fear as we have seen that happen in some parts of New Hampshire as well as Maine and Vermont. We’ve seen the changes, and in most cases those changes are not for the better. They bring foolish notions with them that damaged the places they came from, and start pushing those same notions here, then they wonder why we won’t take them seriously. I’ve seen that here in the town I call home, as well as the other towns here in New Hampshire where I have lived in the past. I am not the only one that thinks this is so.
I think we can paraphrase the good Dr. Sowell to better explain the problem: “In the past five decades we have seen things that work well being replaced with things that sound good.”
Ayuh.
So Gropy Uncle Joe has a great “Voter Fraud Organization” going?
It isn’t as if we didn’t already now that. But now we have it on record, right?
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where we’re experiencing the last of the nice weather because we’ve got cooler temps and rain coming this week, preparations are being finalized for voting on November 3rd, and plans to pulling the boat out of the water have been made.
********************
Is Oregon headed for a break-up?
It’s quite possible.
Should Trump win re-election it’s possible a drive by fifteen eastern counties in Oregon to separate from western Oregon could pick up steam. As the political demographics west of the Cascade Mountains has shifted far to the Left, perhaps even worse than what’s been seen in Coastal California, residents of eastern Oregon have felt ignored, if not denigrated by the condescending ‘woke’ populace on the other side of the mountains. Despite what these 15 counties are working towards, it is something different the western part of Oregon may try to do that has the eastern counties worried. Writes David Seminara:
I lived in Oregon between 2014 and 2019 and love it dearly despite its dysfunction. It broke my heart to see this summer’s devastating wildfires tear through the state. I hope and expect that Oregon will remain in the Union, but I worry that Mr. Trump’s re-election could lead to a mass mental-health emergency. If Oregon’s blue cities try to secede, the gun-loving inland counties aren’t likely to go with them. Things could get ugly.Should such a break-up occur, the question becomes whether the eastern counties will join Idaho or join with some of the northern counties in California to create the new state of Jefferson. (The non-coastal counties of California have been suffering under the yoke of the increasing oppression of the ‘woke’ and ‘enlightened’ Progressives in Coastal California for decades now.)
********************
One thing that amazes folks “from away” is just how much we folks from New England, and particularly northern New England, tend to be wary of newcomers, specifically folks who move here “from away”, worried that they’ll want to change things.
It’s not an unwarranted fear as we have seen that happen in some parts of New Hampshire as well as Maine and Vermont. We’ve seen the changes, and in most cases those changes are not for the better. They bring foolish notions with them that damaged the places they came from, and start pushing those same notions here, then they wonder why we won’t take them seriously. I’ve seen that here in the town I call home, as well as the other towns here in New Hampshire where I have lived in the past. I am not the only one that thinks this is so.
We have historically always been a bunch of cold weather curmudgeons that worked hard and played harder. The longer you’ve been here, the more of this ya got in ya. This right here is our own vetting system, which does work pretty well, if you are like me and you practice this as you should. We don’t have a problem with certain people of certain colors, it’s just ALL people that are not from this region, if they don’t pass the sniff test.Folks from away talk about cultural appropriation, but you never hear them talk about the cultural destruction they are wreaking in our own nation.
--snip--
This is a very fierce loyalty to our own people and this is what it looks like.
I’m telling you all of this because I have gotten into tangles with people because they don’t get all of this. This mentality is very much a part of who we are here, we who are deeply rooted people here. If you’re not from here, I don’t think that they even get this.. but this is a very real thing and we don’t take kindly to people telling us to not be this way. It’s really a primal protective mechanism.. and when you look at the place now, it’s clear to see why the hair on our backs gets raised whenever we meet people that don’t know how to talk like we do..
--snip--
Look at the damage that “New People” have done to us up here.
And don’t misunderstand, I know you... are wonderful, and there are many good people here. BUT there are also many that are not and have done us no favors at all.
I just think that this stuff is something that has got to be understood because this is our culture.. and it’s really been largely diluted away. And sadly, people like me are shamed all the time for just being the way that all the old relatives are, the way they raised us. I’m not giving up my roots.
There is really very little interest in understanding all of this today because of course, we are a real thorn in their side. It’s pretty sad to watch.
I think we can paraphrase the good Dr. Sowell to better explain the problem: “In the past five decades we have seen things that work well being replaced with things that sound good.”
Ayuh.
********************
So Gropy Uncle Joe has a great “Voter Fraud Organization” going?
It isn’t as if we didn’t already now that. But now we have it on record, right?
********************
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where we’re experiencing the last of the nice weather because we’ve got cooler temps and rain coming this week, preparations are being finalized for voting on November 3rd, and plans to pulling the boat out of the water have been made.
10/24/2020
We Shouldn't Be Listening To Fauci
Though the US is seeing a surge in new Covid-19 cases, we aren’t seeing as many per capita that Italy is experiencing. Why is that? Here’s one possible explanation:
Italy is following the advice given by Dr. Anthony Fauci and the US isn’t.
So if one goes by the data, which path should we be following, Fauci’s or Sweden and South Dakota’s? I know which one I’d choose.
Italy is following the advice given by Dr. Anthony Fauci and the US isn’t.
What’s particularly troubling about the return of COVID in Italy is that the country has done everything experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci have been advising. Face masks in public places have been compulsory for months, social distancing is strongly enforced, nightclubs have never reopened, and sporting arenas are at less than a third of capacity. Children who are back at school are regularly tested and strictly social-distanced, and yet, the second wave seems completely unstoppable.Look at a place that did just the opposite, one of those places being Sweden, which didn’t take the precautions seen taken elsewhere and has not seen any resurgence. Nor did they see the long drawn out pandemic seen elsewhere. Another place, right here in the US, being South Dakota, has seen similar results as Sweden.
So if one goes by the data, which path should we be following, Fauci’s or Sweden and South Dakota’s? I know which one I’d choose.
10/18/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
We had a lot of rain Friday and into yesterday morning, getting almost two inches of rain, something we’ve desperately needed. Hopefully it’s made a dent in the drought we’ve been experiencing since this past May and will help arrest or even reverse the falling water level of the lake. If nothing else it means I won’t have to pull the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout out of the water early. That gives me two more weeks to enjoy the waning days of the boating season.
I keep reading about how “all” the polls are showing Biden ahead by a widening margin. Could this be why the Biden campaign has been having problems drawing people to their rallies and other events, being so far ahead that no one feels they need to show up anymore?
Yeah. Right.
It doesn’t seem there’s much enthusiasm by voters for the Biden ticket. Is that the sign of a candidate that’s a shoe-in for the White House?
I see lots of comments on various posts being made by Biden trolls, touting the polls as an indication that Biden has this election in the bag. These same polls had Hillary as all but President-elect right up to the day of the election. The actual election results showed those polls were more wishful thinking than a indicator of Hillary’s inevitable win.
One would think people would take any of the polls with a huge grain of salt, particularly after their less than stellar performance back in 2016.
Just when I thought the Hollywood elite couldn’t go any lower, they prove me wrong.
The Leftist thugs are showing their thuggery, this time by beating a young woman who was carrying a Trump 2020 flag during a march in DC.
This is the kind of event we can count in increasing the closer we get to the election, as we can see from this attack by antifa during a free speech demonstration in San Francisco.
As the Associated Press reported:
Is a Second American Civil War a possibility? Experienced war correspondent Michael Yon has headed to Portland to dig deeper as he’s seen this kind of unrest devolve into civil war before.
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where we’re seeing relief from this past summer’s drought, the local farm stands are busier than ever, and where our boating season is winding down.
********************
I keep reading about how “all” the polls are showing Biden ahead by a widening margin. Could this be why the Biden campaign has been having problems drawing people to their rallies and other events, being so far ahead that no one feels they need to show up anymore?
Yeah. Right.
It doesn’t seem there’s much enthusiasm by voters for the Biden ticket. Is that the sign of a candidate that’s a shoe-in for the White House?
I see lots of comments on various posts being made by Biden trolls, touting the polls as an indication that Biden has this election in the bag. These same polls had Hillary as all but President-elect right up to the day of the election. The actual election results showed those polls were more wishful thinking than a indicator of Hillary’s inevitable win.
One would think people would take any of the polls with a huge grain of salt, particularly after their less than stellar performance back in 2016.
********************
Just when I thought the Hollywood elite couldn’t go any lower, they prove me wrong.
********************
The Leftist thugs are showing their thuggery, this time by beating a young woman who was carrying a Trump 2020 flag during a march in DC.
This is the kind of event we can count in increasing the closer we get to the election, as we can see from this attack by antifa during a free speech demonstration in San Francisco.
As the Associated Press reported:
A free speech demonstration staged by conservative activists quickly fell apart in downtown San Francisco on Saturday after several hundred counterprotesters surged the area, outnumbering and attacking those gathered, including knocking one in the mouth.Violence used to silence speech is becoming the norm, something that should concern everyone. Once it becomes an accepted practice, it will happen more often and it will escalate up to and including murder. It would be the end of this nation. But then, that’s what many of the people supporting the use of violence to silence speech are working towards. Or at least that’s what history shows us will happen.
A photographer working for The Associated Press witnessed a Trump supporter being taken away in an ambulance and an injured San Francisco police officer on the ground by San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza.
Team Save America organized the rally to protest Twitter, which it said squelches conservative speech. Members of the group wore red “Make America Great Again” Trump campaign hats and carried pro-police “Thin Blue Line” flags and U.S. flags.
********************
Is a Second American Civil War a possibility? Experienced war correspondent Michael Yon has headed to Portland to dig deeper as he’s seen this kind of unrest devolve into civil war before.
********************
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where we’re seeing relief from this past summer’s drought, the local farm stands are busier than ever, and where our boating season is winding down.
10/17/2020
It's Getting Bad
I can tell we’re getting closer to the general election in a little over two weeks: We’re being flooded with TV ads and mail flyers urging us vote for this candidate or that candidate. Campaign signs that have been lining our roads since September have started multiplying. Some even list multiple candidates, usually for seats in the state legislature, as we tend to have more than a single representative for each House district. (The New Hampshire House has 400 seats and the state Senate has 24 seats for a total of 424 seats, making it one of the largest legislatures in the world behind only the UK Parliament with a total of 1447 seats and Congress with a total of 535 seats.)
TV ads are close to reaching saturation, with ads for Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Congressional candidates displacing ads for the local Tractor Supply Company store, John Deere dealership, new and used car dealers, and New Hampshire-based furniture stores. It makes me spend more time doing anything but watching TV. The ads at this point are annoying rather than informative, as most people have already made up their minds. The ads and flyers won’t change their minds. But we’ll still be swamped with both.
The number of campaign robocalls has also exploded, with the WP Mom receiving a couple of dozen calls a day. (She still has a landline, so it isn’t surprising. I have received a few on my cell phone, but it’s been sporadic. The robocalls I usually get are for extending the warranty on the trusty Ram 1500 or scammers trying to take my money.)
The other thing I have been avoiding like the proverbial plague has been the TV news, or at least the first 10 minutes or so because it is all politics all the time, particularly if it’s one of the network newscasts. They make we want to throw hard objects at the TV screen, something that would upset the WP Mom to no end. (That happens almost all the time, but more so during election season.
Election Day can’t come soon enough for me.
TV ads are close to reaching saturation, with ads for Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Congressional candidates displacing ads for the local Tractor Supply Company store, John Deere dealership, new and used car dealers, and New Hampshire-based furniture stores. It makes me spend more time doing anything but watching TV. The ads at this point are annoying rather than informative, as most people have already made up their minds. The ads and flyers won’t change their minds. But we’ll still be swamped with both.
The number of campaign robocalls has also exploded, with the WP Mom receiving a couple of dozen calls a day. (She still has a landline, so it isn’t surprising. I have received a few on my cell phone, but it’s been sporadic. The robocalls I usually get are for extending the warranty on the trusty Ram 1500 or scammers trying to take my money.)
The other thing I have been avoiding like the proverbial plague has been the TV news, or at least the first 10 minutes or so because it is all politics all the time, particularly if it’s one of the network newscasts. They make we want to throw hard objects at the TV screen, something that would upset the WP Mom to no end. (That happens almost all the time, but more so during election season.
Election Day can’t come soon enough for me.
10/11/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
It’s been a weird weekend weatherwise, with a warm (70ºF) and sunny Saturday morning and afternoon that devolved into heavy showers, high winds and thunderstorms in the evening. Today was sunny and in the upper 50’s, but Monday is forecast to be rainy most of the day. Still, it’s been a decent weekend which has certainly helped see more weekenders up here than we’ve seen since Labor Day.
A lot of summerfolk are hear to pull their boats out of the water and get them cleaned and winterized for storage. The boatyards in our town are quite busy, with their lots full of boats waiting for winterization. I called the boatyard that takes care of the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout and inquired about prepping and storing it for the winter. The owner, a good friend, asked if I’d be able to wait a couple of weeks before dropping it off because he’s booked solid until the end of the month. Even with a lot of summerfolk having pulled their boats from the water early because of the low water level of the lake, there are still a lot of boats that need to be removed and prepared. I don’t mind waiting to drop of my boat because I can still pull it from the water a couple of weeks beforehand. I think a lot of the folks living here at the lake are going to do likewise since they can keep using their boats as long as the weather holds out.
And so our boating season is slowly fading away.
Today’s Thoughts On A Sunday post is going to be a bit abbreviated as I have to go into work shortly. There’s lab work needing to be done and I’m on a short deadline, so spending the balance of the morning and this afternoon at work is necessary if I am to meet that deadline.
Do I like the fact that I need to do this? No. But it is necessary and I don’t like leaving jobs undone. Call it the Puritan Work Ethic that is part and parcel of being a New England Yankee.
So off to work I go.
It looks like the second debate between Trump and Biden scheduled for October 15th in Miami has been canceled.
If memory serves, the Biden campaign wanted to have a virtual debate, with the two candidates in separate venues, citing the possibility of Covid-19 exposure. This despite health professionals saying there should be no issue as long as social distancing is maintained. The Trump campaign balked, saying there was no reason not to have the two candidates face each other on the same stage.
I can certainly think of one reason why the Biden people would want it to be a virtual debate: They could be off-camera using a teleprompter to feed Joe the answers, something they couldn’t do if the two candidates were on the same stage.
Election fraud? There’s no election fraud here! Move along! Move along! There’s nothing to see here!
Seen elsewhere on the ‘Net: The first rule of 2021 is no one talks about 2020.
There’s just one problem...
(H/T Powerline)
Speaking of 2020 (Yes, I’m breaking the rule...but it isn’t 2021 yet), we have been seeing an upsurge in Covid-19 cases here in New Hampshire. While I can’t speak to other communities, ours has seen 4 new cases over the past two weeks. However, after contacting the state health officials it appears three of the four cases were asymptomatic and the fourth case was only mildly symptomatic. All cases were detected via regular testing, so this isn’t the same scenario as we were seeing this past spring.
The upsurge started when schools reopened, a not unexpected event. (While there is correlation, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s because our schools have reopened. Remember, correlation does not imply causality.) We didn’t see a lot of cases during the summer even with the large number of visitors we experienced during the tourist season.
Our cases per capita are minuscule compared to our neighboring state to the south. Massachusetts has a bit less than 6 times the population of New Hampshire, but has had 15 times the number of Covid-19 cases and 21 times the number of deaths. In fact, the number of Covid-19 deaths in the People’s Republic of Maskachusetts exceeds the total number of Covid-19 cases in New Hampshire.
There are advantages to living in a primarily rural state.
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where cooler weather is visiting for the next few days, a little more rain is on its way, and where some of us will be working on Columbus Day.
A lot of summerfolk are hear to pull their boats out of the water and get them cleaned and winterized for storage. The boatyards in our town are quite busy, with their lots full of boats waiting for winterization. I called the boatyard that takes care of the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout and inquired about prepping and storing it for the winter. The owner, a good friend, asked if I’d be able to wait a couple of weeks before dropping it off because he’s booked solid until the end of the month. Even with a lot of summerfolk having pulled their boats from the water early because of the low water level of the lake, there are still a lot of boats that need to be removed and prepared. I don’t mind waiting to drop of my boat because I can still pull it from the water a couple of weeks beforehand. I think a lot of the folks living here at the lake are going to do likewise since they can keep using their boats as long as the weather holds out.
And so our boating season is slowly fading away.
********************
Today’s Thoughts On A Sunday post is going to be a bit abbreviated as I have to go into work shortly. There’s lab work needing to be done and I’m on a short deadline, so spending the balance of the morning and this afternoon at work is necessary if I am to meet that deadline.
Do I like the fact that I need to do this? No. But it is necessary and I don’t like leaving jobs undone. Call it the Puritan Work Ethic that is part and parcel of being a New England Yankee.
So off to work I go.
********************
It looks like the second debate between Trump and Biden scheduled for October 15th in Miami has been canceled.
If memory serves, the Biden campaign wanted to have a virtual debate, with the two candidates in separate venues, citing the possibility of Covid-19 exposure. This despite health professionals saying there should be no issue as long as social distancing is maintained. The Trump campaign balked, saying there was no reason not to have the two candidates face each other on the same stage.
I can certainly think of one reason why the Biden people would want it to be a virtual debate: They could be off-camera using a teleprompter to feed Joe the answers, something they couldn’t do if the two candidates were on the same stage.
********************
Election fraud? There’s no election fraud here! Move along! Move along! There’s nothing to see here!
********************
Seen elsewhere on the ‘Net: The first rule of 2021 is no one talks about 2020.
There’s just one problem...
(H/T Powerline)
********************
Speaking of 2020 (Yes, I’m breaking the rule...but it isn’t 2021 yet), we have been seeing an upsurge in Covid-19 cases here in New Hampshire. While I can’t speak to other communities, ours has seen 4 new cases over the past two weeks. However, after contacting the state health officials it appears three of the four cases were asymptomatic and the fourth case was only mildly symptomatic. All cases were detected via regular testing, so this isn’t the same scenario as we were seeing this past spring.
The upsurge started when schools reopened, a not unexpected event. (While there is correlation, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s because our schools have reopened. Remember, correlation does not imply causality.) We didn’t see a lot of cases during the summer even with the large number of visitors we experienced during the tourist season.
Our cases per capita are minuscule compared to our neighboring state to the south. Massachusetts has a bit less than 6 times the population of New Hampshire, but has had 15 times the number of Covid-19 cases and 21 times the number of deaths. In fact, the number of Covid-19 deaths in the People’s Republic of Maskachusetts exceeds the total number of Covid-19 cases in New Hampshire.
There are advantages to living in a primarily rural state.
********************
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where cooler weather is visiting for the next few days, a little more rain is on its way, and where some of us will be working on Columbus Day.
10/10/2020
Is Hollywood Dead?
Is the Hollywood Era coming to an end?
Movie theater attendance has been on a downward trend for some time. Between increasingly bad movies, too damn many ‘woke’ “message movies”, too many poor remakes of classics, and too few movies with an original story, it’s no wonder fewer people have been going to the movies. Add on the shutdown due to Covid-19 and that downward trend turned into a fall off the edge of a cliff. This may have been the death knell for Hollywood.
I have seen great short films on YouTube that, if made into a full-length feature, would rival the offerings from Hollywood.
It’s possible that Hollywood as it exists now will go the way of Vaudeville. Maybe that’s reason enough for it to go away so it can be replaced with something that works better and produces a better product.
Movie theater attendance has been on a downward trend for some time. Between increasingly bad movies, too damn many ‘woke’ “message movies”, too many poor remakes of classics, and too few movies with an original story, it’s no wonder fewer people have been going to the movies. Add on the shutdown due to Covid-19 and that downward trend turned into a fall off the edge of a cliff. This may have been the death knell for Hollywood.
Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins expressed concern about the future of cinema in the aftermath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.The last time I went to the movies was last year to see the Downton Abbey movie with Deb, the both of us being fans of the TV series. Since then there’s been little that has created even a smidge of desire to make the 2-1/2 mile trip to our local movie theater. Hollywood has not created anything I’ve wanted to see in some time. I’ve seen plenty of TV and movie offerings from independent and foreign producers that were better than anything coming out of Hollywood. (Thanks Amazon Prime, Netflix, and BritBox!)
In an interview with Reuters, Jenkins stated that the shuttering of theaters "will not be a reversible process." She continued, "We could lose movie theater-going forever." She then expressed that she was wary of streaming as an option for big-budget action films, "It could be the kind of thing that happened to the music industry, where you could crumble the entire industry by making it something that can't be profitable." Jenkins added, "I don't think any of us want to live in a world where the only option is to take your kids to watch a movie in your own living room, and not have a place to go for a date."
--snip--
Studios are holding back other tentpole films for several months, with cascading consequences for theaters. The next James Bond film, No Time to Die, moved its release date from Thanksgiving weekend to April 2021, prompting Cineworld, parent company of Regal Cinemas, to announce this week it will temporarily shutter all of its locations in the United States and in the United Kingdom on Oct. 8, citing continued closings of theaters in New York and other large markets, and little guidance from the states on when they may resume.
I have seen great short films on YouTube that, if made into a full-length feature, would rival the offerings from Hollywood.
It’s possible that Hollywood as it exists now will go the way of Vaudeville. Maybe that’s reason enough for it to go away so it can be replaced with something that works better and produces a better product.
10/07/2020
Natural Occurance Or Biological Warfare?
I am not one for conspiracy theories, but this is something I’ve been thinking about since it was announced that the President, First Lady, and a number of White House staff and Republican leaders tested positive for Covid-19: Was it a natural infection or were they purposely infected by a party or parties unknown?
…as numerous Republicans in key positions also tested positive, the nature of the speculation began to change. The issue shifted from whether or not the president wore a mask to why so many important Republicans simultaneously got the virus.Is it just coincidence (most likely), or did someone try to cripple the President’s reelection bid by intentionally infecting him and others with Covid-19, or worse, try to take him out altogether? It wouldn’t take much, just a small spray bottle filled with a fluid that carried and supported the Covid-19 virus. Just a few sprays on door handles, water glasses, utensils, papers, or spraying a fine mist in the air prior to the ‘targets’ entering a room.
--snip--
Lin Wood, a high-profile lawyer representing Nick Sandmann and Kyle Rittenhouse, tweeted, "Many leaders in administration of @realDonaldTrump are quarantined by what almost appears to almost be targeted strike of Covid-19." He later tweeted, "There are no coincidences. Zero. None. Hard stop." Deanna Lorraine, who ran for Congress against Nancy Pelosi, also picked up the theme of a "targeted strike" in her tweet, "Does anyone else find it odd that no prominent Democrats have had the virus but the list of Republicans goes on and on?" And Omar Navarro, a Republican politician in California, developed the theme: "1.RBG dies. 2. Trump announces he will nominate new justice before election. 3. Pelosi makes "Arrow in our quivers" comment to stop him.' Week later Trump, his top aide, his campaign manager, two Senators all come down with COVID 5. Schumer immediately requests to delay nomination." He added, "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
Where did the infection occur? Attention turned to the Cleveland Clinic, where the presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden was held on September 29. On Friday, the city of Cleveland reported that 11 cases of COVID had been linked to the planning and set-up of the September 29 presidential debate. Some commenters on social media speculated that the Republican debate area had been saturated with the virus in a biological attack…
10/06/2020
10/05/2020
Math Is Racist - Again
From the “Just When I Thought They Couldn’t Get Any Stupider...Again” Department:
First, a math-education professor from the University of Illinois declares “Math is racist” back in 2017.
Others have made similar declarations since then.
The latest “Math is racist” declaration comes from the Mathematical Association of America.
The statement from the MAA states:
I find it curious that everything is being declared racist one thing at a time. Everything. If everything is racist, then nothing is racist.
It’s virtue signaling, plain and simple.
Did they figure that if they didn’t denounce something they would in turn be denounced, so decided to show how “woke” they are?
This crap is getting ridiculous.
First, a math-education professor from the University of Illinois declares “Math is racist” back in 2017.
Others have made similar declarations since then.
The latest “Math is racist” declaration comes from the Mathematical Association of America.
The statement from the MAA states:
"It is time for all members of our profession to acknowledge that mathematics is created by humans and therefore inherently carries human biases. Until this occurs, our community and our students cannot reach full potential."So is the MAA stating that 2+2=5?
The statement went on to disparage the “biases” that mathematics supposedly “inherently carries."Okay, so how does math become racist? Does race affect arithmetic, change the value of variables without anyone noticing, or change the value of universal constants? Does it also mean physics is racist? After all, physics is math, right? What about engineering? It’s also math. Is engineering racist because of it?
"It is time for all members of our profession to acknowledge that mathematics is created by humans and therefore inherently carries human biases. Until this occurs, our community and our students cannot reach full potential," wrote the group. "Reaching this potential in mathematics relies upon the academy and higher education engaging in critical, challenging, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about the detrimental effects of race and racism on our community. The time is now to move mathematics and education forward in pursuit of justice."
I find it curious that everything is being declared racist one thing at a time. Everything. If everything is racist, then nothing is racist.
It’s virtue signaling, plain and simple.
Did they figure that if they didn’t denounce something they would in turn be denounced, so decided to show how “woke” they are?
This crap is getting ridiculous.
10/04/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
I spent yesterday out and about parts of the lake and the surrounding towns, being a tour guide for two new New Hampshire residents. They escaped moved from San Francisco to Portsmouth and are still settling in.
Deb met them when she took a trip across the country with one of her girlfriends via Amtrak and was in San Francisco. She met them on a ferry, struck up a conversation, and a friendship was born.
They showed her around San Francisco and told her they were working to get out of the city and move to New Hampshire. (They had been doing their research, had even visited New Hampshire and decided Portsmouth was where they wanted to be. They also subscribed to Yankee Magazine to get more of a feel for New England.
So Deb invited them to come on up to the Lakes Region for a weekend so we could show ‘em around. We took them out onto the lake, visited one of the local farms and their farm stand to pick up some of the local farm fare (some honey, maple syrup, an apple pie, and some coconut/nut/fruit squares fresh from the farm stand’s bakery). We then took them to one of our favorite eateries last night – The Common Man in the town of Ashland – a restaurant they really enjoyed. Today Deb was showing them more of the Lakes Region, including some apple picking, a visit to The Old Country Store in Moultonborough, and the Gunstock Mountain Resort for a trip to the top of the mountain for scenic view of lake and the surrounding mountains, something spectacular this time of year now that the fall foliage is appearing.
Can anyone explain to me in logical and rational terms devoid of ‘feelz’ how the reopening of Boston University’s campus is driven by “white supremacy”?
OMG!! Look at all of these white supremacists, supporters of President Trump, gathered outside Walter Reed Hospital! They’re everywhere!!
Shocking! Shocking!!
Want to find out how antifa works and their ultimate aims, then this article in Reason may give you some insight.
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where fall has indeed arrived, we’re enjoying a brief respite before the leaf-peepers arrive in large numbers, and where returning to work on Monday will allow me to get some rest.
Deb met them when she took a trip across the country with one of her girlfriends via Amtrak and was in San Francisco. She met them on a ferry, struck up a conversation, and a friendship was born.
They showed her around San Francisco and told her they were working to get out of the city and move to New Hampshire. (They had been doing their research, had even visited New Hampshire and decided Portsmouth was where they wanted to be. They also subscribed to Yankee Magazine to get more of a feel for New England.
So Deb invited them to come on up to the Lakes Region for a weekend so we could show ‘em around. We took them out onto the lake, visited one of the local farms and their farm stand to pick up some of the local farm fare (some honey, maple syrup, an apple pie, and some coconut/nut/fruit squares fresh from the farm stand’s bakery). We then took them to one of our favorite eateries last night – The Common Man in the town of Ashland – a restaurant they really enjoyed. Today Deb was showing them more of the Lakes Region, including some apple picking, a visit to The Old Country Store in Moultonborough, and the Gunstock Mountain Resort for a trip to the top of the mountain for scenic view of lake and the surrounding mountains, something spectacular this time of year now that the fall foliage is appearing.
********************
Can anyone explain to me in logical and rational terms devoid of ‘feelz’ how the reopening of Boston University’s campus is driven by “white supremacy”?
Students and faculty at Boston University wrote a letter calling for the dismantling “of white supremacy culture” at the school, with a focus on campus reopening plans.Their ‘reasoning’ tries to sound logical, but to me it is emotion-driven, period. They are trying to push every emotional button they can in order to bolster their cause, whatever the heck it is this week.
--snip--
Within the declaration, the authors argue that many of BU’s practices and policies to allow for the campus to continue operations this fall significantly harm minority groups. Multiple groups on campus took part in writing the letter, including unionized faculty, the Black Student Union, Anti-Racist White Affinity Group Facilitators, Ph.D. Student Coalition, Student Curricula Committee, and others.
“By supporting and even encouraging a dense campus and the return of tens of thousands of inter-state and international students, BU also is increasing the health risk not only to its own campus community but also to the Greater Boston area,” the letter reads. “Pre-existing economic disparities – the result of systemic racism and discrimination – mean that COVID-19 has a disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities.”
********************
OMG!! Look at all of these white supremacists, supporters of President Trump, gathered outside Walter Reed Hospital! They’re everywhere!!
The media keeps telling us that President Donald Trump’s supporters are no-good racist white supremacists. So I decided to get down to Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Md., where the president is recovering from coronavirus, to find some.
Shocking! Shocking!!
********************
Want to find out how antifa works and their ultimate aims, then this article in Reason may give you some insight.
Erin Smith was at a GOP election watch party at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco on November 8, 2016. For the one-time deputy vice chair of communications for the city Republication Party, it should have been a time of jubilation.It is evident from reading Erin Smith’s observations that most folks haven’t a clue about antifa’s real goals. Those same folks would be horrified to find out.
--snip--
A trans woman, conservative, and former tugboat captain who says she's "a weird activist/analyst-type person right now," Smith soon became galvanized to find out more about a group that dressed as revolutionaries and took their fight to the streets. What was animating them? Trump animus? The romance of revolution? The boredom and frustration of COVID sequestration? An unfocused desire to fuck shit up?
It takes a special moral blindness to see setting fires, breaking windows, and threatening journalists as the road to justice. I've seen this moral blindness rise along with the violence in Portland. Young activists have told me frankly that they don't give a shit if someone working in the basement of the police station burns to death because, hey, she chose to work there. I've seen activists cheer the murder of a member of the conservative group Patriot Prayer. You cannot employ the violence of your perceived enemies and expect your revolution to end in peace.
********************
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where fall has indeed arrived, we’re enjoying a brief respite before the leaf-peepers arrive in large numbers, and where returning to work on Monday will allow me to get some rest.
10/02/2020
Democrat Reaction To Trump Covid-19 Diagnosis
There were a number of topics I could have covered today, but the only one seem to be talking about is the President and First Lady’s positive test results showing they have Covid-19. It was “Breaking News” on just about every TV news outlet this morning and again late this afternoon when it was announced the President was going to Walter Reed Hospital “as a precaution”.
One thing that didn’t make the news is the reaction of many Democrats to the news of the Trumps diagnoses: They were hoping, even praying he would die.
What. A. Bunch. Of. Dirtbags.
As Stephen Green reminds us, “If they’ll publicly call for the death of a president, imagine what they must privately think of you.”
At least one Democrat has shown she has class, that Democrat being Tulsi Gabbard.
When she was running for the Democrat nomination I had some hopes for her. But she was too moderate for the Progressives in the Democrat Party and they apparently didn’t like that. I figure with her tweet wishing the President and First Lady a swift recovery (linked above), she’s now all but dead to them.
And people wonder why more lifelong Democrats have been joining the #WalkAway campaign.
One thing that didn’t make the news is the reaction of many Democrats to the news of the Trumps diagnoses: They were hoping, even praying he would die.
What. A. Bunch. Of. Dirtbags.
As Stephen Green reminds us, “If they’ll publicly call for the death of a president, imagine what they must privately think of you.”
At least one Democrat has shown she has class, that Democrat being Tulsi Gabbard.
When she was running for the Democrat nomination I had some hopes for her. But she was too moderate for the Progressives in the Democrat Party and they apparently didn’t like that. I figure with her tweet wishing the President and First Lady a swift recovery (linked above), she’s now all but dead to them.
And people wonder why more lifelong Democrats have been joining the #WalkAway campaign.
10/01/2020
9/27/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
It’s been great weather here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with warm sunny days and cool nights. It has certainly allowed for continued boating out on the lake, something both BeezleBub and I have been doing as often as is practical. We were out Friday evening, enjoying the warm weather and sunset. We have been hoping the weather will hold out through the end of October, but one thing that may limit our season is not the weather so much as the lack of it.
As I mentioned in my previous post, we have experienced a summer-long drought, the drought resulting in a much lower lake level, about 19 inches lower than normal. This has created problems for a number of boaters who have found they can no longer use their docks because the lake level is so low the water isn’t deep enough to keep their boats from running aground. For those with a soft bottom at their docks, judicious use of a shovel or dredging tool can make it possible to get their boats in away from their docks. Others with boat lifts at their docks are finding the lifts leave the boats inches above the water, meaning the owners will have to find an alternate means of removing their boats from the lake for the coming winter. For some, that means use of a crane.
The thing that concerns me is if the water level gets so low that the ramps at our town docks become unusable, I will have problems removing the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout from the water. Hopefully it won’t come to that.
One has to wonder just how much abuse, innuendo, and outright fabricated “sins” the Left is going to heap upon Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett? Assuming they didn’t learn their lesson from the Kavanaugh nomination, I expect they’ll turn up that knob to “11” and show once again just how intolerant and blindly hypocritical they are. We already know many of the Left see anyone who is not “them” as someone not quite human. Goodness knows the worst of the Left sees anyone of faith as bitter gun and bible-clinging under-educated bumpkins, politically unenlightened, cruel, Nazi-like, cousin-marrying sub-humans fit only for lawn care, political re-education camps, or mass graves.
So what will they make of devout Catholic Judge Barrett?
I shudder to think how bad they will get seeing as how much s**t they’ve already thrown at her.
For someone who is supposedly so bad, she’s receiving support from a not-all-that-suprising quarter - Black Pentecostal leadership.
It seems the Democrats are willing to ignore Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution which states “...no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Barrett’s religious beliefs or lack thereof cannot be considered as part of her qualifications for a seat on the nation’s highest court.
It used to be our education system was supposed to provide equal opportunities for children to learn and succeed. Some kids did better than others, something that was just part of the human experience. Some did extremely well, those being a small percentage of all kids in our schools. It was understood that not all children learned the same way and that not all children were bound for college.
That’s been changing, with the most recent example being Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.. It is considered “one of the finest secondary schools in the world.” Their students come from all over the world because of its reputation for excellence. But apparently the educational Powers That Be complain the school isn’t diverse enough – it has too many Asians.
Remember all the celebrities who stated they would leave the US if Trump won the election? Of all those who made that promise/threat, how many actually left the country? As best I can tell, not one. It was all virtue signaling, bluff, and bluster.
So what are we seeing as we get closer to the 2020 election?
The same damn thing.
This time, John Legend has stated “he and his wife Chrissy Teigen have thought of leaving America if President Trump remains President of the United States.” Personally, I think he’s bluffing considering he just laid out $17.5 million for a new home in Beverly Hills. I don’t think he’ll go anywhere...unless California collapses under the leadership of its Progressive government. Only then would he and his missus bail, and then only from California.
I expect many of the Usual Suspects (Alyssa Milano, Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus, George Lopez, Amy Schumer, Cher, Lena Dunham, Bryan Cranston, Barbara Streisand, amongst others) will make the same promise this time around as well...and will keep their promises this time, too.
If you want to see the difference in media coverage when it comes to murder, take a look at the difference in coverage when a black man who is a known felon resists arrest and attacks police is shot versus a black man walking up to a white five-year old boy and killing him by shooting him in the head back in August or another black man killing a white four-year old boy just recently.
Nothing. Nada. Squat.
If it doesn’t fit the narrative the MSM will faithfully ignore it.
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summer weather has returned, rain may be on the way, and the acorns are falling from the oaks like raindrops.
As I mentioned in my previous post, we have experienced a summer-long drought, the drought resulting in a much lower lake level, about 19 inches lower than normal. This has created problems for a number of boaters who have found they can no longer use their docks because the lake level is so low the water isn’t deep enough to keep their boats from running aground. For those with a soft bottom at their docks, judicious use of a shovel or dredging tool can make it possible to get their boats in away from their docks. Others with boat lifts at their docks are finding the lifts leave the boats inches above the water, meaning the owners will have to find an alternate means of removing their boats from the lake for the coming winter. For some, that means use of a crane.
The thing that concerns me is if the water level gets so low that the ramps at our town docks become unusable, I will have problems removing the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout from the water. Hopefully it won’t come to that.
********************
One has to wonder just how much abuse, innuendo, and outright fabricated “sins” the Left is going to heap upon Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett? Assuming they didn’t learn their lesson from the Kavanaugh nomination, I expect they’ll turn up that knob to “11” and show once again just how intolerant and blindly hypocritical they are. We already know many of the Left see anyone who is not “them” as someone not quite human. Goodness knows the worst of the Left sees anyone of faith as bitter gun and bible-clinging under-educated bumpkins, politically unenlightened, cruel, Nazi-like, cousin-marrying sub-humans fit only for lawn care, political re-education camps, or mass graves.
So what will they make of devout Catholic Judge Barrett?
I shudder to think how bad they will get seeing as how much s**t they’ve already thrown at her.
For someone who is supposedly so bad, she’s receiving support from a not-all-that-suprising quarter - Black Pentecostal leadership.
It seems the Democrats are willing to ignore Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution which states “...no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” Barrett’s religious beliefs or lack thereof cannot be considered as part of her qualifications for a seat on the nation’s highest court.
********************
It used to be our education system was supposed to provide equal opportunities for children to learn and succeed. Some kids did better than others, something that was just part of the human experience. Some did extremely well, those being a small percentage of all kids in our schools. It was understood that not all children learned the same way and that not all children were bound for college.
That’s been changing, with the most recent example being Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.. It is considered “one of the finest secondary schools in the world.” Their students come from all over the world because of its reputation for excellence. But apparently the educational Powers That Be complain the school isn’t diverse enough – it has too many Asians.
TJ is a testament to American meritocracy’s melting pot—but last week, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand announced a plan to reduce the number of Asian students at this selective high school. In a four-hour online “work session” alongside the district’s all-Democratic school board, Brabrand laid out an initiative to eliminate TJ’s race-blind, merit-based admissions test and replace it with a “merit lottery” open to all eighth-graders with a minimum GPA of 3.5 in order to increase “equity of opportunity.”Are they pushing an equality-of-outcome based education? We all know the results of anything that demands equality of outcome – mediocrity and destruction of the very thing such equality of outcome brings. Is it any wonder more parents are looking at private schools and home-schooling?
The Left has redefined educational “equity” to mean not just lifting the bottom up but also tearing the top down. Two weeks ago, in a town hall with TJ students, Virginia Education secretary Atif Qarni compared students who study with private tutors to athletes who take illegal “performance enhancement drugs.” Last week’s TJ “work session” came on the heels of an afternoon session where [Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand] unveiled plans to implement an “anti-racism and anti-bias” curriculum in Fairfax County schools, including TJ. During the meeting on TJ admissions, Brabrand and school officials took repeated digs at TJ’s achievement-driven (and Asian-dominated) culture.
********************
Remember all the celebrities who stated they would leave the US if Trump won the election? Of all those who made that promise/threat, how many actually left the country? As best I can tell, not one. It was all virtue signaling, bluff, and bluster.
So what are we seeing as we get closer to the 2020 election?
The same damn thing.
This time, John Legend has stated “he and his wife Chrissy Teigen have thought of leaving America if President Trump remains President of the United States.” Personally, I think he’s bluffing considering he just laid out $17.5 million for a new home in Beverly Hills. I don’t think he’ll go anywhere...unless California collapses under the leadership of its Progressive government. Only then would he and his missus bail, and then only from California.
I expect many of the Usual Suspects (Alyssa Milano, Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus, George Lopez, Amy Schumer, Cher, Lena Dunham, Bryan Cranston, Barbara Streisand, amongst others) will make the same promise this time around as well...and will keep their promises this time, too.
********************
If you want to see the difference in media coverage when it comes to murder, take a look at the difference in coverage when a black man who is a known felon resists arrest and attacks police is shot versus a black man walking up to a white five-year old boy and killing him by shooting him in the head back in August or another black man killing a white four-year old boy just recently.
The media reacts quickly and with righteous indignation when a black person is shot by police, or by someone white, no matter what the facts of the case are.What did we hear from the DNC-MSM about these killings?
But far too often, even in the most heinous of cases, when the perpetrator is black and the victim or victims happen to be white, the headlines and reporting are not anywhere near the same.
We have seen it in the case of 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant, who was executed by a black man in August, and we are seeing it again in the death of a 4-year-old white child in a targeted attack by a black man, WKBN reported.
The shooting occurred in Struthers, Ohio, on Monday at around 1:55 a.m., Four adults were also shot and are hospitalized: Andre Stephon McCoy, Jr., 20, Yarnell Green Jr., 30, Cassandra Marsicola, 20, and Alexis Schneider, 22, of Struthers.
Nothing. Nada. Squat.
If it doesn’t fit the narrative the MSM will faithfully ignore it.
********************
And that’s the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summer weather has returned, rain may be on the way, and the acorns are falling from the oaks like raindrops.
9/26/2020
They're Here! They're Here!
We’ve been waiting for the fall foliage to arrive, something we usually see occurring starting a week before Columbus Day weekend. Imagine my surprise to see a splash of fall colors on my way into work yesterday. What made it so surprising is that the colors appeared overnight.
On my way home from work on Wednesday the only trees showing any color were the swamp maples as they are usually the first to turn and do so a few weeks before any of the trees turn. But on my way into work yesterday morning the reds, oranges, and yellows could be seen everywhere, usually in patches of color surrounded by wide areas of green. That isn’t usually how the foliage turns, so it makes me wonder if the lengthy drought we’ve experienced this summer has something to do with it
I thought the colors would be muted because of the aforementioned drought, but they have been spectacular so far. Here’s hoping that remains the case because it will mean an equally spectacular foliage season for the leaf-peepers to enjoy.
On my way home from work on Wednesday the only trees showing any color were the swamp maples as they are usually the first to turn and do so a few weeks before any of the trees turn. But on my way into work yesterday morning the reds, oranges, and yellows could be seen everywhere, usually in patches of color surrounded by wide areas of green. That isn’t usually how the foliage turns, so it makes me wonder if the lengthy drought we’ve experienced this summer has something to do with it
I thought the colors would be muted because of the aforementioned drought, but they have been spectacular so far. Here’s hoping that remains the case because it will mean an equally spectacular foliage season for the leaf-peepers to enjoy.
9/24/2020
A Much Needed Tip In These Contentious Times
Advice we should all keep in mind during these troubles times:
HehTM.
(H/T Knuckledraggin)
HehTM.
(H/T Knuckledraggin)
9/20/2020
Thoughts On A Sunday
We’ve been experiencing a bout of fall-like weather, with cool temps and sunny skies. Though still summer, at least according to the calendar, it feels more like late October/early November. I have no idea if this is a harbinger of a colder winter, but we will deal with it as we always do.
While the foliage has started to change colors, at least farther north, we don’t expect to see the leaf peepers in this part of New Hampshire for at least a couple of more weeks. I have seen a few of the swamp maples already making the change, their leaves sliding from green to bright crimson. The sugar maples will follow in a few weeks, with the bright oranges and yellows of the oak, ash, birch and beech accompanying them. While some expect the colors to be muted this year due to the drought we’ve been experiencing this summer, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference to the folks coming up to take in the scenery and fall colors.
I was talking with a number of my friends about the weather this morning and the subject of the wildfires out west came up, seeing as how the smoke from those fires has traveled across the US and have affected the sunrise and sunsets, giving them a reddish cast deeper than we usually see. At times there is also a hint of smoke in the air, something we usually only experience during the winter months when folks have their woodstoves fired up to keep their homes warm.
That the wildfires out west are as bad as they are because of poor forest management over the past two decades or so makes it even more tragic. Millions of acres burned, thousands of homes destroyed, and lives needlessly lost because pseudo-environmentalists decided they knew better. Their ‘better’ knowledge was not based upon science but upon what they ‘felt’ was better.
They were wrong.
With the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the speculation of who will replace her, and when, have been running rampant on both sides of the aisle. A number of Democrats have demanded no nomination take place until after the election. Nancy Pelosi has threatened to impeach Trump if he pushes forward with a nomination. (She seems to think that will be enough to stop Trump. Apparently she didn’t learn her lesson from the last time she tried that. Her last attempt made Trump even more popular. I have to wonder what the charges will be this time. Or is she just blowin’ smoke...again?)
Trump announced he would be making known his choice for Ginsberg’s replacement sometime this coming week.
What I find interesting is that former president Obama stated publicly that it is the President’s duty to fill Supreme Court vacancies and that there are no conditions laid out by the Constitution imposing limits on when he can do so.
Contrast and compare:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg passes away and there are condolences for her passing and praise for her years of service and opinions she’s authored coming from both sides of the aisle.
Justice Antonin Scalia passes away in 2016 and it’s a different story.
And therein lies the difference.
How dangerous is it being a conservative in the US today? It can be deadly...and some Democrats seem to be fine with that.
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where it’s been very cool at night, boating is still taking place in large numbers, and where we expect to start seeing fall colors appearing very soon.
While the foliage has started to change colors, at least farther north, we don’t expect to see the leaf peepers in this part of New Hampshire for at least a couple of more weeks. I have seen a few of the swamp maples already making the change, their leaves sliding from green to bright crimson. The sugar maples will follow in a few weeks, with the bright oranges and yellows of the oak, ash, birch and beech accompanying them. While some expect the colors to be muted this year due to the drought we’ve been experiencing this summer, I don’t think it’s going to make a difference to the folks coming up to take in the scenery and fall colors.
********************
I was talking with a number of my friends about the weather this morning and the subject of the wildfires out west came up, seeing as how the smoke from those fires has traveled across the US and have affected the sunrise and sunsets, giving them a reddish cast deeper than we usually see. At times there is also a hint of smoke in the air, something we usually only experience during the winter months when folks have their woodstoves fired up to keep their homes warm.
That the wildfires out west are as bad as they are because of poor forest management over the past two decades or so makes it even more tragic. Millions of acres burned, thousands of homes destroyed, and lives needlessly lost because pseudo-environmentalists decided they knew better. Their ‘better’ knowledge was not based upon science but upon what they ‘felt’ was better.
They were wrong.
********************
With the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the speculation of who will replace her, and when, have been running rampant on both sides of the aisle. A number of Democrats have demanded no nomination take place until after the election. Nancy Pelosi has threatened to impeach Trump if he pushes forward with a nomination. (She seems to think that will be enough to stop Trump. Apparently she didn’t learn her lesson from the last time she tried that. Her last attempt made Trump even more popular. I have to wonder what the charges will be this time. Or is she just blowin’ smoke...again?)
Trump announced he would be making known his choice for Ginsberg’s replacement sometime this coming week.
What I find interesting is that former president Obama stated publicly that it is the President’s duty to fill Supreme Court vacancies and that there are no conditions laid out by the Constitution imposing limits on when he can do so.
********************
Contrast and compare:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg passes away and there are condolences for her passing and praise for her years of service and opinions she’s authored coming from both sides of the aisle.
Justice Antonin Scalia passes away in 2016 and it’s a different story.
Nominated by Ronald Reagan, Justice Scalia was a diehard defender of the Constitution, and when he died during the last year of Obama’s presidency, many on the Left couldn’t contain their glee.There are plenty more examples of the hatred voiced by the Left after Scalia’s passing. Have you seen any such reaction to Ginsberg’s death from the Right? Not that I’ve seen, even from folks who disagreed with her opinions on cases heard by SCOTUS.
David Ehrlich of Rolling Stone asked, “How long do we have to wait till we can openly not be sad about it?”
Charles Finch, a contributor to the New York Times, Slate, and The Washington Post, wrote “I mean, if you don’t want your death politicized, don’t lead a repugnant and profoundly influential political life.”
And therein lies the difference.
********************
How dangerous is it being a conservative in the US today? It can be deadly...and some Democrats seem to be fine with that.
On Thursday, The First shared a street interview with one of their reporters. In the event, the reporter asked people around Portland their thoughts on the recent murder of a Trump supporter. Here’s what one lady had to say.That is a scary thought. This woman and others like her are already dehumanizing those who support Trump. That’s the first step towards these same people to consider a pogrom to eliminate them. (Every totalitarian state requires someone to hate.) Of course it wouldn’t come down to that if for no other reason that a lot of Trump supporters are armed and will shoot back.
“Tough luck. Don’t be a f**king Trump supporter in Portland.”
Yes, not one single person cares that a man lost his life. It is as if the left is saying he deserved to lose his life because he was a Trump supporter. Let me correct that statement; that is exactly what the left is saying.
********************
And that’s the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where it’s been very cool at night, boating is still taking place in large numbers, and where we expect to start seeing fall colors appearing very soon.
9/19/2020
There Are A Lot Of Angry (And Disappointed) People Out There
I will admit I have been spending quite a bit more time than usual perusing videos on YouTube. A good portion of the videos I have been watching are called “reaction videos” where someone watches a music video or movie or ‘reality’ video and gives their reaction(s) to what they saw. Some reactions are amusing. Some reactions are revealing. Some viewers are overcome by emotion in response to some of the more heart-rending music videos, particularly music videos by artists they’ve never heard of before. (One example of one such video is Brad Paisley’s Whiskey Lullaby with Alison Krauss. I haven’t come across anyone who hasn’t been affected while watching that video.)
Some of the other videos have been amusing, particularly those put together by the folks at Black Rifle Coffee Company (this one is my favorite). I’ve come across some videos of people “from away” trying to pronounce the names of towns in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire and failing miserably. Other videos have been made by folks in foreign countries talking about their experiences in the US have also been eye-opening and in many cases, funny as heck.
One particular topic that kept popping up in the Recommendations were videos referencing something called MGTOW, or Men Going Their Own Way. So, being the curious type, I decided to view some of them.
If even 10% of the videos on that topic I saw accurately relate the experiences of the men making them, there are a lot of angry and hurt men out there. On the other side, there are an equally large number of women posting videos asking “Where are all the good men?” and “Why don’t men want to commit?” and other related questions. That tells me there are also a lot of angry and hurt women out there too.
Which side is ‘right’? In this case, does it matter?
A lot of men are feeling put upon with Third Wave Feminists constantly demonizing men, marginalizing them, denigrating them, blaming them for all women’s ills. They’re shown in TV shows and movies as either being totally incompetent and idiotic dads - more clueless than their children – or malevolent, evil, and violent. There is no in-between. Laws were changed that put more of an onus on men, particularly in regard to family law. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) enhanced penalties for acts of violence against women, primarily for acts of violence committed by men against women. Women could commit acts of violence against men, yet not receive the same sentences for the same acts. The enhanced penalties only went one way. But men are victims of domestic violence in numbers roughly equal to that of women. (The FBI tracks those numbers and while reported incidents of domestic violence against men was about 35% of all such incidents, they estimate the number is closer to 50% because a large percentage of domestic violence assaults against men are not reported.) #MeToo added even more scrutiny to men’s actions, creating an atmosphere where an accusation of misconduct by a man towards a woman could end a career and destroy a life, all with no proof required. The backlash took the form of men following the so-called Mike Pence Rule which roughly stated says “men should never put themselves in a situation where they can be falsely accused of rape, sexual assault, or fraternization.”
Men increasingly see themselves as being marginalized in society, and worse, in their own families. Is it any wonder the suicide rate for men has skyrocketed?
Women are also on the losing side of this.
One of the biggest disservices ever perpetrated on young women is being told that they “can have it all”, meaning career, spouse, and family. What they weren’t told is that while they could certainly have the first, but the chances of them also having the second and third would shrink, particularly if they waited until they had established their careers and were financially secure. This usually means they are in their 30’s before they get serious about a family. The problem is that by then it may be too late.
It has nothing to do with discrimination or sexism, but more with biology, human nature, and mathematics. They have to face the fact that they are competing with younger women who want families and are in the peak years of their fertility. These younger women like the idea that older men (in their 30’s) who are financially secure want to be with them, marry them, and have children with them. Women in the 30’s (and even 40’s) are having a tough time competing against their younger rivals. There simply aren’t enough men to go around. Or should I say there aren’t enough men of the type they feel they deserve, those men having more money than them and are either 9’s or 10’s. The problem is that of all of the available men, those ‘unicorns’ are maybe 5-10% of the total. The second problem is that 80% of the available women are all after the same 5-10% of the available men. The math doesn’t work.
Then there’s the MGTOW factor working against them – a lot of men are no longer interested in dating seriously, if at all, or in settling down again. They’ve been burned one too many times and are reluctant to put themselves out there again. Instead they are focusing on their careers, their finances, their homes, their hobbies, and other interests. Even some of the 9’s and 10’s women are looking are MGTOW because they too were burned one too many times.
What’s the answer to these problems? For one thing, I think both men and women need to dial back their expectations, need to look at life as it is and not what they’ve been told life should be. They may have to reorder their priorities because right now their priorities and their expectations are not realistic. They need to stop listening to people who do not have their best interests at heart, but are pushing their own agendas that have done more harm than good.
Some of the other videos have been amusing, particularly those put together by the folks at Black Rifle Coffee Company (this one is my favorite). I’ve come across some videos of people “from away” trying to pronounce the names of towns in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire and failing miserably. Other videos have been made by folks in foreign countries talking about their experiences in the US have also been eye-opening and in many cases, funny as heck.
One particular topic that kept popping up in the Recommendations were videos referencing something called MGTOW, or Men Going Their Own Way. So, being the curious type, I decided to view some of them.
If even 10% of the videos on that topic I saw accurately relate the experiences of the men making them, there are a lot of angry and hurt men out there. On the other side, there are an equally large number of women posting videos asking “Where are all the good men?” and “Why don’t men want to commit?” and other related questions. That tells me there are also a lot of angry and hurt women out there too.
Which side is ‘right’? In this case, does it matter?
A lot of men are feeling put upon with Third Wave Feminists constantly demonizing men, marginalizing them, denigrating them, blaming them for all women’s ills. They’re shown in TV shows and movies as either being totally incompetent and idiotic dads - more clueless than their children – or malevolent, evil, and violent. There is no in-between. Laws were changed that put more of an onus on men, particularly in regard to family law. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) enhanced penalties for acts of violence against women, primarily for acts of violence committed by men against women. Women could commit acts of violence against men, yet not receive the same sentences for the same acts. The enhanced penalties only went one way. But men are victims of domestic violence in numbers roughly equal to that of women. (The FBI tracks those numbers and while reported incidents of domestic violence against men was about 35% of all such incidents, they estimate the number is closer to 50% because a large percentage of domestic violence assaults against men are not reported.) #MeToo added even more scrutiny to men’s actions, creating an atmosphere where an accusation of misconduct by a man towards a woman could end a career and destroy a life, all with no proof required. The backlash took the form of men following the so-called Mike Pence Rule which roughly stated says “men should never put themselves in a situation where they can be falsely accused of rape, sexual assault, or fraternization.”
Proving innocence is often difficult or impossible, so the easiest way to avoid false accusations is to avoid women altogether.This led to men not mentoring up and coming women in the business world, protecting themselves from even the appearance of impropriety. They wouldn’t allow closed door meetings, or would meet with women only if a third party was also present. Some saw this as an overreaction, but it is a reasonable reaction to the witch-hunt atmosphere that exists.
Men increasingly see themselves as being marginalized in society, and worse, in their own families. Is it any wonder the suicide rate for men has skyrocketed?
Women are also on the losing side of this.
One of the biggest disservices ever perpetrated on young women is being told that they “can have it all”, meaning career, spouse, and family. What they weren’t told is that while they could certainly have the first, but the chances of them also having the second and third would shrink, particularly if they waited until they had established their careers and were financially secure. This usually means they are in their 30’s before they get serious about a family. The problem is that by then it may be too late.
It has nothing to do with discrimination or sexism, but more with biology, human nature, and mathematics. They have to face the fact that they are competing with younger women who want families and are in the peak years of their fertility. These younger women like the idea that older men (in their 30’s) who are financially secure want to be with them, marry them, and have children with them. Women in the 30’s (and even 40’s) are having a tough time competing against their younger rivals. There simply aren’t enough men to go around. Or should I say there aren’t enough men of the type they feel they deserve, those men having more money than them and are either 9’s or 10’s. The problem is that of all of the available men, those ‘unicorns’ are maybe 5-10% of the total. The second problem is that 80% of the available women are all after the same 5-10% of the available men. The math doesn’t work.
Then there’s the MGTOW factor working against them – a lot of men are no longer interested in dating seriously, if at all, or in settling down again. They’ve been burned one too many times and are reluctant to put themselves out there again. Instead they are focusing on their careers, their finances, their homes, their hobbies, and other interests. Even some of the 9’s and 10’s women are looking are MGTOW because they too were burned one too many times.
What’s the answer to these problems? For one thing, I think both men and women need to dial back their expectations, need to look at life as it is and not what they’ve been told life should be. They may have to reorder their priorities because right now their priorities and their expectations are not realistic. They need to stop listening to people who do not have their best interests at heart, but are pushing their own agendas that have done more harm than good.
9/18/2020
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