Shaun King (below) is hardly the only source complaining that the
large cities claimed to have ‘police violence’ and ‘systemic racism’ problems have all been governed by Democrats for 50 years or more. Many are asking how is it that with city council majorities and mayors, and quite often with black police chiefs too, Democrat-run cities haven’t been able to solve those problems?
Surely they must have tried, but the verdict of the streets is that they have not succeeded. Can you argue that levels of government above them wouldn’t permit solutions? Even in cobalt blue states like MN and NY? No, no you can’t.
The Hoover Institution’s Shelby Steele has answers to the above questions, but his ideas aren’t going to be popular with those looking for solutions based on victimhood. His solutions tend to feature bootstrap-pulling and getting-our-house-in-order. People prefer to believe their problems are caused by others, it is so much easier.
Monday, June 8, 2020
Fun in the Rockies
Last night as we were preparing supper it was snowing, on the 7th of June. What fell last night is already gone, but there was no mistaking the big, fluffy flakes for rain.
It is supposed to snow some more tomorrow and maybe “stick” for a few hours. We’ve summered in this ‘alpine’ valley since the early 1990s and heard the claim that it can snow in any month. We’ve never seen it where we live in July and August, but June and September are another story.
On the other hand, we’ve built two new homes here and never installed air conditioning. A couple of evenings each summer it would be nice to have, but isn’t worth the cost for 2-3 hot nights, the ceiling fans can handle it.
The secret of the clement summer climate? An elevation of 6300 feet. And coming from near sea level, it takes us a couple of weeks to adjust to the thin air. No altitude sickness but stairs can leave us panting, ditto exercise.
It is supposed to snow some more tomorrow and maybe “stick” for a few hours. We’ve summered in this ‘alpine’ valley since the early 1990s and heard the claim that it can snow in any month. We’ve never seen it where we live in July and August, but June and September are another story.
On the other hand, we’ve built two new homes here and never installed air conditioning. A couple of evenings each summer it would be nice to have, but isn’t worth the cost for 2-3 hot nights, the ceiling fans can handle it.
The secret of the clement summer climate? An elevation of 6300 feet. And coming from near sea level, it takes us a couple of weeks to adjust to the thin air. No altitude sickness but stairs can leave us panting, ditto exercise.
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Placing Blame
The Daily Wire reproduces a Tweet by Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King. Here is the text of that Tweet.
STOP generically telling us to VOTE in response to all of the police brutality we have right now.King is of course correct. I'm not certain for whom he's suggesting his people vote instead. He probably doesn't mean Republicans.
Yes we should vote. But we have to be VERY specific.
Democrats, from top to bottom, are running the cities with the worst police brutality in America right now.
We voted for them.
The Questionable Future of Higher Ed
The Daily Wire notes a prediction that perhaps a quarter to a half of colleges and universities may go out of business in the next several years. This was already beginning before the corona virus arrived and accelerated the trend.
Students studying at home via the Internet, finishing up the spring term, may decide to stay there and not have to borrow the humongous money going away to school entails. Others will decide the limited offering on-campus doesn't look attractive and take a "gap year."
A question not addressed is of what value degrees from defunct schools will have in the future. One suspects at minimum the value will decline, perhaps dramatically.
How long before people who never finished will start claiming to have a degree from a school whose records are now gone or inaccessible You know that will further devalue such degrees.
We could be witnessing the very first toppling dominoes in a serious cascade. I am very glad I got in, and out, of higher education when I did. It looks like those were its glory years, perhaps never to return.
I'd hope that schools, or those parts of schools, that teach usable job skills would survive. We'll still need engineers, accountants, IT people, physicians, veterinarians, teachers and the like.
We've never needed people with degrees in women's studies, sociology, Russian literature, communications, and anthropology. Those are things people can read on their own time and meet in on-line groups to discuss, if they're so motivated.
Students studying at home via the Internet, finishing up the spring term, may decide to stay there and not have to borrow the humongous money going away to school entails. Others will decide the limited offering on-campus doesn't look attractive and take a "gap year."
A question not addressed is of what value degrees from defunct schools will have in the future. One suspects at minimum the value will decline, perhaps dramatically.
How long before people who never finished will start claiming to have a degree from a school whose records are now gone or inaccessible You know that will further devalue such degrees.
We could be witnessing the very first toppling dominoes in a serious cascade. I am very glad I got in, and out, of higher education when I did. It looks like those were its glory years, perhaps never to return.
I'd hope that schools, or those parts of schools, that teach usable job skills would survive. We'll still need engineers, accountants, IT people, physicians, veterinarians, teachers and the like.
We've never needed people with degrees in women's studies, sociology, Russian literature, communications, and anthropology. Those are things people can read on their own time and meet in on-line groups to discuss, if they're so motivated.
RINOs on Parade
Newsammo.com links to a Red State article which notes that former president Bush, Sen. Romney, and former JCS Chief Powell, all supposed Republicans, won't vote to reelect Trump. And the author asks, basically, "Who cares?"
I am in agreement. Do any of these individuals have a coterie of stalwart supporters, outside their immediate families, who follow their lead on anything at all? If so, I am unaware of it, their 'legions' have kept doggone quiet.
I expect you could assemble all the committed #NeverTrump Republicans nationwide in a single medium sized movie theater. Collectively they have roughly the same influence as poor Dan Quayle, effectively nada.
Later ... Sen. Tom Cotton (no known relation) says Colin Powell hasn't voted for a Republican in the past 16 years. That was my impression too, but I wasn't certain enough to allege it here. I'd be sort of surprised if any of the three voted for Trump in 2016.
Later still ... A spokesperson denies former president Bush has made a decision about for whom he will vote this November. The article reminds us the Bush brothers said in 2016 they would not vote for Trump. A betting person would guess he's not changed his mind since.
I am in agreement. Do any of these individuals have a coterie of stalwart supporters, outside their immediate families, who follow their lead on anything at all? If so, I am unaware of it, their 'legions' have kept doggone quiet.
I expect you could assemble all the committed #NeverTrump Republicans nationwide in a single medium sized movie theater. Collectively they have roughly the same influence as poor Dan Quayle, effectively nada.
Later ... Sen. Tom Cotton (no known relation) says Colin Powell hasn't voted for a Republican in the past 16 years. That was my impression too, but I wasn't certain enough to allege it here. I'd be sort of surprised if any of the three voted for Trump in 2016.
Later still ... A spokesperson denies former president Bush has made a decision about for whom he will vote this November. The article reminds us the Bush brothers said in 2016 they would not vote for Trump. A betting person would guess he's not changed his mind since.
The History of Antifa
With all the talk about Antifa and its involvement with the urban riots, it is useful to understand what it is and from whence it comes. Instapundit's Ed Driscoll links to an article at The American Mind, a publication of the Claremont Institute.
The original Antifaschisitsche Aktion was the name of the Communist bullyboys who fought the Nazi bullyboys. They flourished in the weak Weimar Republic after World War I before the Nazis eventually won and Hitler took over.
In the States Antifa has antecedents in the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army. It is an intentionally loosely coupled "affinity group" because experience has shown it makes them less vulnerable to law enforcement takedowns.
The original Antifaschisitsche Aktion was the name of the Communist bullyboys who fought the Nazi bullyboys. They flourished in the weak Weimar Republic after World War I before the Nazis eventually won and Hitler took over.
In the States Antifa has antecedents in the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army. It is an intentionally loosely coupled "affinity group" because experience has shown it makes them less vulnerable to law enforcement takedowns.
Antifa members are likely to have ties to political organizations with Antifa support committees such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), The International Workers of the World (Wobblies), the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), or any number of other local and regional radical Left organizations or collectives. Antifa draws resources and recruits from them all.The President is absolutely correct that Antifa is a domestic terror group and should be so designated.
And now, with the successful promulgation of the radical message of America as bastion of white supremacy by presidential candidates, cable news anchors, and generations of tenured professors, Antifa is unlikely to lack for recruits and support—rhetorical or otherwise—any time in the near future.
In all turbulent periods of revolutionary politics, whether the 1930s, 1970s, or today, the ability to project force on the streets to punish enemies is a valuable asset. For the Left today, Antifa is that force.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Outside the Box
My initial thought about "defunding the police" was to see it as ridiculous, preposterous even. As the idea percolated through my day's experiences, I begin seeing the possible emergence of one of those weird left-right coalitions that so often leads to extremely bad public policy.
We know the left thinks the police are racists and killers and would like them to "go away." What happens if all the shop owners and small business people whose establishments and merchandise were destroyed by looters decide to join them? They'd be thinking that since the police stood aside and allowed the looters to loot, paying good money to keep police employed is pointless.
It was just this sort of left-right coalition that "defunded" our former system of mental hospitals, why not the police? Shop owners gotta think the Mafia or local MS-13 chapter can do a better job of protecting their shops than police who get told to stand down by left-wing mayors who side with rioters.
After all, if you pay armed hoodlums under the table to protect your shop and they fail, you stop paying them because you've nothing left to lose. They'll kill rioters to protect their income source, which the police cannot be permitted to do.
I don't see this sort of left-right coalition as a high-probability outcome, but it isn't impossible.
We know the left thinks the police are racists and killers and would like them to "go away." What happens if all the shop owners and small business people whose establishments and merchandise were destroyed by looters decide to join them? They'd be thinking that since the police stood aside and allowed the looters to loot, paying good money to keep police employed is pointless.
It was just this sort of left-right coalition that "defunded" our former system of mental hospitals, why not the police? Shop owners gotta think the Mafia or local MS-13 chapter can do a better job of protecting their shops than police who get told to stand down by left-wing mayors who side with rioters.
After all, if you pay armed hoodlums under the table to protect your shop and they fail, you stop paying them because you've nothing left to lose. They'll kill rioters to protect their income source, which the police cannot be permitted to do.
I don't see this sort of left-right coalition as a high-probability outcome, but it isn't impossible.
Wind Long Sown, Whirlwind Arrives
At Breitbart, John Nolte writes a longish, funny-if-you're-conservative column with the general theme being urban unrest is Democrats beating up on Democrats, and that's a good thing. The more they destroy themselves, including defunding the police, the more abstract philosophical justice is served.
Though he never uses the term, schadenfreude is what he's celebrating. Democrat-run cities are getting what they voted for; as H.L. Mencken once cracked, "getting it good and hard."
It couldn't happen to a more deserving group. Folks should live with the consequences of their choices. Hat tip to Ed Driscoll at Instapundit for the link.
Though he never uses the term, schadenfreude is what he's celebrating. Democrat-run cities are getting what they voted for; as H.L. Mencken once cracked, "getting it good and hard."
It couldn't happen to a more deserving group. Folks should live with the consequences of their choices. Hat tip to Ed Driscoll at Instapundit for the link.
Counterintuitive Polling
John Hinderaker at Power Line cites data from a Rasmussen Reports poll of likely voters asking for their level of approval for the job performance of President Trump. Forty-eight percent of all likely voters approve.
41% of black likely voters approve which includes twenty-five percent of black voters who strongly approve; the poll was taken yesterday.
Are you astounded? I confess I am. Nothing in the media, including Fox News, would lead me to guess those findings. I mean, it is somewhat logical based on economics and his work on reducing incarceration, but it sure doesn't fit the current press narrative.
We are asked to believe anger at police doesn't translate into anger at POTUS when he has been crystal clear about his pro-police views. And yet Rasmussen Reports is no fly-by-night outfit, Power Line reproduces their Tweet with the findings. I'm going to need confirmatory polling from another source before I consider this finding credible.
41% of black likely voters approve which includes twenty-five percent of black voters who strongly approve; the poll was taken yesterday.
Are you astounded? I confess I am. Nothing in the media, including Fox News, would lead me to guess those findings. I mean, it is somewhat logical based on economics and his work on reducing incarceration, but it sure doesn't fit the current press narrative.
We are asked to believe anger at police doesn't translate into anger at POTUS when he has been crystal clear about his pro-police views. And yet Rasmussen Reports is no fly-by-night outfit, Power Line reproduces their Tweet with the findings. I'm going to need confirmatory polling from another source before I consider this finding credible.
D Day Remembered
Today we remember D Day, the Allied landings on the shores of Normandy and the successful invasion of Nazi-held Europe. It was the largest amphibious attack in history, a record it will probably hold for the foreseeable future.
U.S., British and Canadian troops participated in the landing, on beaches named Gold, Omaha, Sword, Juno, and Utah. Since there was no place to dock ships, much came ashore over the unsheltered beaches during the first few days. Allied control of the skies over the landing beaches was near-total and made a huge difference.
The Allies actually built a sheltered harbor on the coast by sinking on the relatively shallow bottom old ships and giant hollow concrete boxes code named "mulberries" to create an enclosed area. Remnants of this man-made 'harbor' can still be seen.
In addition to the troops who waded ashore, many paras and glider borne troops were dropped behind German lines to create chaos and interfere with enemy reinforcements reaching the front. These were intended to cooperate with the French resistance, and sometimes succeeded.
Airborne troops took heavy casualties as it was not possible to drop tanks to fight beside them. Those wading ashore were also badly mauled. We owe them all a great debt as their success shortened the war a lot and, indirectly, kept Western Europe from becoming Communist.
U.S., British and Canadian troops participated in the landing, on beaches named Gold, Omaha, Sword, Juno, and Utah. Since there was no place to dock ships, much came ashore over the unsheltered beaches during the first few days. Allied control of the skies over the landing beaches was near-total and made a huge difference.
The Allies actually built a sheltered harbor on the coast by sinking on the relatively shallow bottom old ships and giant hollow concrete boxes code named "mulberries" to create an enclosed area. Remnants of this man-made 'harbor' can still be seen.
In addition to the troops who waded ashore, many paras and glider borne troops were dropped behind German lines to create chaos and interfere with enemy reinforcements reaching the front. These were intended to cooperate with the French resistance, and sometimes succeeded.
Airborne troops took heavy casualties as it was not possible to drop tanks to fight beside them. Those wading ashore were also badly mauled. We owe them all a great debt as their success shortened the war a lot and, indirectly, kept Western Europe from becoming Communist.
Getting Gloomy
Rod Dreher, of Benedict Option fame, has taken up the task of describing the decline of Western society; he’s become an op-ed version of Edward Gibbons. Dreher does a great job, if you can handle the depression that follows reading one of his well-crafted columns, like this from The American Conservative.
In it he describes three families despairing of modern conditions and moving to what they hope are safer precincts. One intends to leave the “good” section of Washington, DC, but hasn’t decided where to go. Another, who learned Magyar as a child, has moved to Hungary. And a third was a med school prof who with his family, relocated to private practice in small town Wyoming. All seem happy with their decisions.
Apropos of this sentiment, join me for a rereading of parts of W.B. Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming.
When Louis XVI prophetically declaimed, “Apres moi le deluge,” his foresight wasn’t bad. Don’t you suppose President Trump has (or should have) those same feelings?
In it he describes three families despairing of modern conditions and moving to what they hope are safer precincts. One intends to leave the “good” section of Washington, DC, but hasn’t decided where to go. Another, who learned Magyar as a child, has moved to Hungary. And a third was a med school prof who with his family, relocated to private practice in small town Wyoming. All seem happy with their decisions.
Apropos of this sentiment, join me for a rereading of parts of W.B. Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;And Yeats concludes apocalyptically :
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Yeats wasn’t optimistic, Dreher isn’t either. I’m only slightly optimistic in the short-to-medium run (a few years), beyond that all I see is societal dysfunction and decay.
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
When Louis XVI prophetically declaimed, “Apres moi le deluge,” his foresight wasn’t bad. Don’t you suppose President Trump has (or should have) those same feelings?
Snark City
I haven’t reminded you recently to check out Saturday morning joy: Steven Hayward’s The Week in Pictures at Power Line.
It is particularly fine this week, many bitterly funny cartoons and snarkily captioned photos. And there are as many good ones in the comments as in Hayward’s compilation, don’t miss these.
It is particularly fine this week, many bitterly funny cartoons and snarkily captioned photos. And there are as many good ones in the comments as in Hayward’s compilation, don’t miss these.
Friday, June 5, 2020
No Shame
MSNBC just hired disgraced former FBI attorney Lisa Page as a National Security and Legal Affairs on-air analyst. It is widely agreed MSNBC has no shame.
Their morning show hosts should have fun asking her about what's involved in conducting an affair at the FBI; what the rules are and how you circumvent them. Their political analysts can celebrate her decision to conduct a political witch-hunt while on the Federal payroll.
People on the right are calling the network 'MSDNC' for its unwavering leftward slant and Trump hatred, the DNC standing for Democratic National Committee. They've earned the nickname.
Their morning show hosts should have fun asking her about what's involved in conducting an affair at the FBI; what the rules are and how you circumvent them. Their political analysts can celebrate her decision to conduct a political witch-hunt while on the Federal payroll.
People on the right are calling the network 'MSDNC' for its unwavering leftward slant and Trump hatred, the DNC standing for Democratic National Committee. They've earned the nickname.
Virtue Signaling
Reacting to the hypocrisy of many in positions of authority and influence, Instapundit observes wisely concerning virtue signaling.
So many of our institutions, from the New York Times to NYC government to higher education and even sports, are failing: The people running them care more about mugging for their peers than about the welfare of the institutions they are entrusted. That’s a species of corruption, and a highly destructive one.Amen, and it is far advanced.
A Dim Lightbulb
I just had one of those "Why did it take me so long to think of it?" moments. My 'great' insight this: it literally didn't matter which candidate won the presidency in 2012, Mitt Romney would have been as lame a president as Obama continued to be, and that was pathetic.
Hindsight is always 20-20. I suppose him being Governor of bright blue Massachusetts should have been a clue to his RINOness.
The saving grace of Obama's reelection is that the Republican Party doesn't have to shoulder the blame for a Romney presidency. Bush II is enough of an albatross.
Hindsight is always 20-20. I suppose him being Governor of bright blue Massachusetts should have been a clue to his RINOness.
The saving grace of Obama's reelection is that the Republican Party doesn't have to shoulder the blame for a Romney presidency. Bush II is enough of an albatross.
Right for the Wrong Reasons
The Washington Times reports the following Biden quote from the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee's appearance on a radio show:
Then I’d add Mrs. Clinton and her serially unfaithful husband Bill, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, both low-life, lying snakes, and virtually every Democrat officeholder and wannabe (including Joe himself) down to the city council level. How are we doing so far?
Then I’d add all the professional athletes who are wealthy but whine about how badly the country treats them, everybody with a felony conviction, the urban looters, most people in show business, the media, and the arts establishment. Plus 90% of academics, the snowflakes they teach, and all Karens (except my niece Karen, who’s nice). Are we getting close to 10% yet?
I have to confess I haven’t run the totals so ol’ Joe may exaggerate a tad but he’s basically correct, there are quite a few “not very good people.” Since he is part of the problem, I’m surprised he’d call attention to the fact. Perhaps like fish unaware of water, the old hair-sniffer doesn’t get that he’s describing himself.
There are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people.Putting aside the similarity to Hillary’s “basket of deplorables,” let’s agree with Joe Biden and identify some of those “not very good people.” I’d begin with his son Hunter, a druggie, father of a stripper’s illegitimate child, failed Navy officer, and exploiter of the family political connections to the tune of $50,000 per month.
Then I’d add Mrs. Clinton and her serially unfaithful husband Bill, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, both low-life, lying snakes, and virtually every Democrat officeholder and wannabe (including Joe himself) down to the city council level. How are we doing so far?
Then I’d add all the professional athletes who are wealthy but whine about how badly the country treats them, everybody with a felony conviction, the urban looters, most people in show business, the media, and the arts establishment. Plus 90% of academics, the snowflakes they teach, and all Karens (except my niece Karen, who’s nice). Are we getting close to 10% yet?
I have to confess I haven’t run the totals so ol’ Joe may exaggerate a tad but he’s basically correct, there are quite a few “not very good people.” Since he is part of the problem, I’m surprised he’d call attention to the fact. Perhaps like fish unaware of water, the old hair-sniffer doesn’t get that he’s describing himself.
Good News
NBC News, no friend of the President, reports employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May and the unemployment rate dropped to 13.3 percent. That’s down from 14.7 percent in April, according to the monthly employment report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Considering the impact of the corona virus shutdowns, that is excellent news indeed. CNBC adds:
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting payrolls to drop by 8.33 million and the unemployment rate to rise to 19.5% from April’s 14.7%. If Wall Street expectations had been accurate, it would have been the worst figure since the Great Depression.Let’s hope these numbers hold up, and the trend continues in June.
As it turned out, May’s numbers showed the U.S. may well be on the road to recovery after its fastest plunge in history.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Watch Joe Screw Up
Gateway Pundit has video (scroll down) of Joe Biden repeating himself over and over. He's saying (reading, actually) something about the act of protesting overshadowing the reason for the protest. He reads it once, a second time, and then a third time, each time very slightly different.
The program hosts with whom he was speaking were African Americans. My first thought was he was talking down to them, as though he believed they hadn't understood.
My second, and I believe accurate, thought was that he repeated it because he was trying to understand what someone else had written for him to say about the protests. I'm not certain he ever "got it."
His writers need to follow the KISS principle: "keep it simple, stupid." Joe isn't real quick these days. Hat tip to Lucianne.com for the link.
The program hosts with whom he was speaking were African Americans. My first thought was he was talking down to them, as though he believed they hadn't understood.
My second, and I believe accurate, thought was that he repeated it because he was trying to understand what someone else had written for him to say about the protests. I'm not certain he ever "got it."
His writers need to follow the KISS principle: "keep it simple, stupid." Joe isn't real quick these days. Hat tip to Lucianne.com for the link.
A Prediction
Defense Secretary Mark Esper disagreed with his boss, President Trump, about whether the riot conditions justified deploying troops, as Sen. Cotton recommended. Trump said "yes" while Esper said "no."
Asked if Esper still had the President's confidence, Press Secretary McEnany replied something like "he is still the Secretary." I'll make a prediction.
If Trump is reelected in November, Esper will be "exploring other career options and spending more time with his family" shortly thereafter. In other words, he will be out of the job within the year, regardless of who wins in November. I wonder if he understands this?
A real Machiavellian would say Esper believes Trump will lose big in November and is positioning himself to benefit in his next job search from having had a public rift with Trump. It's a scenario that would play on K Street.
Asked if Esper still had the President's confidence, Press Secretary McEnany replied something like "he is still the Secretary." I'll make a prediction.
If Trump is reelected in November, Esper will be "exploring other career options and spending more time with his family" shortly thereafter. In other words, he will be out of the job within the year, regardless of who wins in November. I wonder if he understands this?
A real Machiavellian would say Esper believes Trump will lose big in November and is positioning himself to benefit in his next job search from having had a public rift with Trump. It's a scenario that would play on K Street.
Super Snark
Here is some super snark from a conservative icon, the late William F. Buckley, posted at Instapundit by Ed Driscoll.
Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views.How one wishes this wasn't so true. Buckley died 12 years ago, when few were talking about microaggressions, but he definitely had the snowflakes' number.
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