Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Predictions of the First Trump-Biden Presidential Debate (posted before the debate)

Vice President Biden Won Tonight’s Debate The media has ordained, but not yet proclaimed, Biden the winner The media has ordained Vice President Joe Biden the overwhelming winner in advance. Not even a close call. President Trump was an underperforming disappointment. All Biden has to do is stand straight, not mumble his words, or say “Com’on man” for 90 minutes. He will exceed all expectations, which are low to begin with. People will be impressed by his presence, poise, control and empathy. They will be wowed by his pit bull, attack presence going for the Trump jugular vein. He can stand up to pressure. Conversely, President Trump will be an out-of-control bully. The “professional” fact checkers will count 534 factual errors by President Trump, but not one by the flawless, knowledgeable Vice President, who attended HBCU Delaware State (not the University of Delaware) and was arrested at a South Africa Airport while trying to see Nelson Mandela. The President will fall short of his lofty expectations. Biden will be the brightest of the two – not a dim bulb.. No more “Sleepy Joe”! His dynamism was mesmerizing! Conversely President Trump was sweating under the pressure. So ordains the media. The election is over. Instant polls show President Trump plunging to new lows. You heard it here first! Question: Did Vice President Biden have “brilliant” answers sent to him through a concealed listening device?

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Democratic Knives Are Sharpening for Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein: Husband Richard Blum UC's Admissions Imbroglio Doesn't Help

The Supreme Court is the Holy Grail for Democrats. A progressive Supreme Court gives the Democrats victories they cannot win at the ballot box. Roe v. Wade is the litmus test for Democrats. The Court has been divided 4-1-4 in the recent decades with Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, Justice Anthony Kennedy, and now Chief Justice John Roberts acting as a swing justice although all leaning conservative. Roe v. Wade has survived. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito did not change the overall balance. Judge Brett Kavanaugh threatened to tilt the scales to 5:4 by replacing Justice Kennedy on the Court - thus the vicious, unprincipled, defamatory attacks on his character. Democrats went ballistic on Judge Kavanaugh. The Court remained 4-1-4 with the Chief Justice usually, but not solely, being the swing vote. The replacement of the progressive Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by a conservative presumed hostile to Roe v. Wade is unacceptable to the Democrats. The balance will clearly change to 6-3, 5-1-3, or 5-4. Roe v. Wade is at greater risk than ever after since the 1973 decision. The numbers problem for Democrats is that the Republicans control 53 votes to the Democrats’ 47. The Democrats under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster for district court and appellate court judges. The Republicans under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell then ended it for Supreme Court appointees. The Democrats are apoplectic. The odds are the Republicans will not hold committee hearings on the appointment – a true political “in Your Face” move. It’s payback for Judges Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh. The democrats had no problems slinging mud from the gutter in despicable smear campaigns. They are now reaping where they sowed. Some Democratic senators are casting blame in advance for their impending defeat. Some are anonymously questioning if 87 year old Senator Dianne Feinstein is up to the job. An article in September 23’s Politico lay out the charges. 1) She has slowed; 2) She may not be able to lead the Democrats “aggressive” campaign; 3) She could mishandle the effort; 4) She could cost them Senate seats; 5) She’s confused by reporters’ questions; 6) She offers different answers to the same question; 7) She looks frail; and 8) She has a too gentle demeanor. One Senator said “She’s not sure what she’s doing.” Just as bad, Senator Feinstein has indicated she is opposed to ending filibusters. Senator Feinstein is also accused of sitting on the Christine Blasey Ford allegations of sexual harassment by Brett Kavanaugh in high school. Senator Feinstein held off until almost before the first vote. I submit it was strategic. The charges were weak and unverifiable even though the Democrats, media and feminists piled on. Senator Kamara Harris said, of course, she believed the accuser, but does not believe the more credible accusers of her running mate. It was a last resort gambit to block Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation. It succeeded in postponing the final vote. Other unbelievable accussers appeared, but their stories were bunk. The Senate confirmed the judge. Senator Susan Collins gave an impassioned, objective analysis of the false charges and voted “Yes.” Richard Blum, Senator Feinstein’s husband, is now in a mini scandal. We learned last year Rick Singer obtained admissions at prestigious universities through fraudulent tests, false applications, and bribing college officials in the Varsity Blues Scandal. The bribes and Singer’s fees were paid by affluent parents, many of whom have served, are serving, or will serve prison time. We understand that academic quality is not the only key to admissions. Contacts, legacy, demographics, athletes, and affirmative action play a role. Doors can open colleges. That is certainly true even at the nation’s most prestigious private universities. It’s not unknown for college presidents, provosts, and deans to have a few seats for admissions. Development offices can play a role. Public universities are not immune from outside pressures and powers, including from politicians. The University of Illinois was scandalized a decade ago when it was disclosed that Illinois legislators could force students onto the campus. The Chicago Tribune on May 29, 2009 published an article “Clout Goes To College.” Over 800 “sub-par” students were admitted. Graft was often involved. The president of the university, the chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana Champlain, and nine trustees resigned. A similar scandal occurred at the University of Texas. Now we have the campuses of the University of California’s Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego, and Santa Barbara campuses. Rick Singer got his tentacles into Berkeley and UCLA. The state audited the University of California admissions process. At least 64 students were admitted at 4 campuses in the six year period between 2013-14 and 2018-19 using “inappropriate factors” such as connections to donors, staff, and alumni. 55 were at Berkeley. The demographics of the 64 are unsurprising: mostly white with annual family incomes of at least $150,000. 14 had previously been denied while 14 others were on the waitlist. Richard Blum, a near billionaire investment banker, has been a regent of the University of California since 2002. He has reaped fortunes in American companies, but is also heavily invested in China at great profit. His wife, Senator Feinstein, has been a large booster of trade with China. She successfully pushed most favored nation status for China in 2000. She’s ignored clains of human rights violations by China and claimed “racism” for calling covid-19 the “China virus.’ She downplayed Tiananmen Square. She has criticized President Trump’s trade restrictions on China. Senator Feinstein’s driver for 20 years was a China spy for at least the most recent five years. She was Chair of the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence.” The Senator claims a “firewall” exists between her husband’s business dealings and her Senate activities. She’s in San Francisco otherwise I’m thinking of buying the Brooklyn Bridge. Former China Jiang Zemin is an old friend of Senator Feinstein. He had Thanksgiving Dinner at the Blum-Feinstein San Francisco house in 2015. The husband’s business successes in China rose with her rise in the Senate. That’s one way business is dome in China, but also in the United States. The audit disclosed Regent Blum forwarded an advocacy letter for a waitlisted student to the Chancellor of Berkeley, who then forwarded it to the development office, who then sent it to the admissions office. The objective risk of the applicant being admitted was 25%. Don’t worry about the odds when a regent who has contributed millions to U.C. U.C. policy allows regents to send recommendations to the University through the regular admissions office, but not seek to influence admissions decisions. Regent Blum does not remember the specific, but added he has written many letters of recommendations to U. C. chancellors for years. He added: “This is the first time I’ve heard that maybe I did something that wasn’t right. I think it’s a bunch of nonsense.” A 18 year Regent of the University of California claims ignorance of a stated policy for regents on admissions decisions. The potential for abuse is otherwise great. Retired chancellor George Blumenthal of Santa Barbara for 13 years explained his approach to those letters. He would send a form letter to the sender saying he “could not do anything to affect the admissions process” He then forwarded the recommendation to the admissions office telling them they should not let it influence their decision. The political reality is Senators Feinstein and Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Governor Newsom, and Blum are San Francisco Democrats. The double standard has protected the Senator so far, but Regent Blum’s recent act may doom both when Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed to the Supreme Court.

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020): R.I.P.; Let the Raw, Bloody Political Battles Begin

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away Friday from pancreatic cancer. Even her death is being viewed through harsh partisan prisms. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was to women’s rights the equivalent of Thurgood Marshall to African American rights. Both were prodigious litigators who changed America for the better before appointment to the Supreme Court. They fought in the courts for legal rights respectively for African Americans and women. Both were of their times, but both shaped their times. RBG became the core of the liberal bloc on the Supreme Court, always consistently on the left, being surpassed only by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. RBG was not bound by either the words of the Constitution or the intent of the Founding Fathers. Instead the Constitution to her was a living document to be judicially amended as five justices see fit. Her judicial philosophy was judicial activism contra to some views as a professor. She even recommended the South African Constitution as a model for a new Egyptian Constitution in 2012. Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg had mixed emotions on Roe v. Wade. She approved the result, but not the opinion itself: “Roe, I believe, would have been a more acceptable as a judicial decision if it had not gone beyond a ruling on the extreme statue before the court …. Heavy-handed judicial intervention was difficult to justify and appears to have provoked, not resolved, conflicts.” Justice Ginsburg was a political partisan, even unjudicially declaiming Donald Trump in 2016. So much for the veneer of judicial impartiality! RBG was a star and icon for Democrats. She brought unabashed partisanship to the Supreme Court in her opinions. Appointments had already become political slugfests. The makeup of the Court was 5:4 as of Wednesday. It is now 5:3, or occasionally 4-1-3. The vote to approve her nomination was 96-3. It would not be nearly so unanimous in today’s bitter partisan environment. Recent appointments prior to Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment have been closer, but the outcomes were agreed upon by both parties when the appointments were 1:1 political replacements. Sturm and Drang were for show. Judge Kavanaugh’s appointment was the first in a couple of decades to tilt the balance on the Court. Justice Kennedy was the swing vote, who often voted with the liberal majority on critical issues. Pro-life supporters felt Roe v. Wade was at risk. The result was a smear campaign, Borking, that exceeded that even against Justice Thomas. Democrats rely on the judiciary for judicial legislation on social issues voters and legislatures will not approve. They also fight any threat to Roe v. Wade. They eagerly turn to character assassination to destroy nominees. This nomination will set a new standard for the raw exercise of political power. Not even a respectful morning period; the politics have begun. The Constitution Gives the President to nominate federal judges with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Constitution does not bar appointments in election years. The President has the constitutional power to appoint and the Senate to vote on a Supreme Court appointment during an election year. 14 Justices have been confirmed during presidential election years. Elections have consequences. The voters elected President Trump in 2016 and provided the Republicans with Senate majorities in 2018. A major plank of the President and Senate Republicans campaigns was filling judicial vacancies with conservatives. The President and the Senate have the constitutional power to confirm a replacement for Justice Ginsberg. The Democrats are apoplectic, shedding crocodile tears. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid under President Obama ended the filibuster for lower court judges to stack the lower courts. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer as Majority Leader would not hesitate to confirm a progressive to the Supreme Court given the opportunity. The Democrats two years ago had no problem impeaching President Trump during the 2018 election year. It was a raw political act on their part. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markley threatened the Democrats will eliminate the filibuster and stack the Supreme Court if they gain the presidency and control of the Senate. Senator Schumer echoed that threat. A chorus now calls for stacking the Court. That is not a threat. They’ve already reached that decision. The outspoken Brian Fallon, press secretary for the unsuccessful Clinton campaign four years ago, says any Trump appointment to replace RBG would be “fundamentally illegitimate.” He also think Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are illegitimate. Even the Trump Campaign was illegitimate in his eyes because of Russian collusion. Hillary Clinton said a rush to confirm a replacement for Justice Ginsburg would a “monument to hypocrisy.” Speaker Pelosi is leaving open the option to impeach President Trump if he appoints a replacement for Justice Ginsburg. She also remarked “We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people.” Yes, the needs of the American people except for salon and saloon owners, bar tenders, wait staff, small business owners, employees et al. Senator Amy Klobuchar was more restrained. She appealed to the moral compass of Republican Senators to not move forward. “Moral compass” in raw partisanship politics? “Moral compass” is a strange concept for a Democratic Party that immorally, unethically tried to destroy Judge Brett Kavanaugh to keep him off the Court. The Senator said the opposite four years ago on the failed nomination of Judge Merrick Garland: “The constitution is clear. The Senate must consider the president’s nominee and then choose whether to vote yes or no. We must do our job, hold hearings and vote.” It's all political rhetorical hypocrisy. Vice President Biden said SCOTUS should not be subject to politics. Democrats are quoting the Justice’s words to her granddaughter. The replacement should be made by the next president. Justice Ginsburg’s wishes are not constitutional constraints. Nor is her comment in 2016 when she said “Nine is a good number.” She opposed increasing the Court’s size. Of course, it’s all politics! The pressure is on “moderate” or endangered Republicans, including Susan Collins (Maine), Martha McSally (Arizona), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah), and Cory Gardner (Colorado). Senator Collins is known for her independence. She has consistently trailed her opponent in the polls. She said today the new president should pick RBG’s replacement. That is either a brilliant political statement. It reinforces her image for independent thinking, much appreciated by Mainers. Or she may be pulling a Senator Kelly Aycock. The young, irrepressible Kelly Aycock was elected to the Senate from Vermont in 2010 as a conservative Republican. Republicans saw the a rising star in Senator Kelly Aycock. She lost reelection in 2016 by 1,017 votes. The theory was solid Trump supporters refused to vote for her. She said after Donald Trump’s sexist statements came out that she could not vote for him. 1,017 votes! Any Republican who votes against confirmation this year risks becoming the next Kelly Aycock. Senator Lisa Murkowski also said she would wait until after the election. She’s probably forgotten her near miss in her 2010 reelection campaign. She lost the Republican primary, but won the general election on write in votes. The result may be different in 2022.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Vote for the Harris-Biden-(Sanders) Ticket: A Multiple Choice Exam

Vote for the Harris-Biden-(Sanders) Ticket: A Multiple Choice Exam This blog is a multiple choice exam to test Vice President Biden’s competency for the Presidency. Both Presidential nominee Joe Biden and Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris touted the Harris-Biden ticket. The vice president candidate at a virtual roundtable Monday with Arizona small business owners: “A Harris Administration, together with Joe Biden as the president of the United States ….” For Senator Kamala it was undoubtedly a Freudian Slip. The Democratic poohbahs prop up Joe Biden as a placeholder for President Harris. They have the 25th Amendment on their brains. The Senator’s so chomping at the bit she can’t wait. Vice President Biden was so inspired by Senator Harris’ statement that he said at a Florida campaign event Tuesday: “It makes it so much harder for military spouses and veterans to find good jobs and build their careers. That has to change. A Harris-Biden administration is going to relaunch that effort ….” A. Joe Biden understands reality. Even if elected, his tenure in office will be short. He obviously realizes his job is to be second fiddle to the Vice President Harris. B. An second explanation is that it’s just another Biden gaffe. It eclipsed another gaffe when he confused Iran and Iraq by sating “U.S. troops died in Afghanistan and Iran.” C. A third possibility is that it’s the latest example of Joe Biden’s early onset dementia, of not knowing what he’s running for, where he is, and who he’s married to. He spoke at the William “Hicks” Anderson Community Center on July 28. He started “Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the Kingswood Community Center.” Opps! He continued “Actually that the one’s down there where I used to work. That’s a joke. I didn’t know where we were.” He was in Wilmington, Delaware, his home. The Vice President was at Wright State in Ohio on September 12. He talked about Wayne State, which is in Michigan. Wright State, Wayne State, Ohio, Michigan, it’s all flyover country to many. Then on August 22 he was in Keene, New Hampshire. He was asked what he thought of Keene. His answer was to extoll the beauty of Vermont. Presidential campaigns can be long and physically taxing. Politicians will misspeak. This explanation fails Vice President Biden. He has mostly stayed in his basement cocoon in Wilmington, Delaware. Joe Biden isn’t always sure of the office he’s seeking. Monday, February 24, Joe Biden gave a rousing speech in South Carolina: “You’re the ones who sent Barack Obama to the presidency, and I have a simple proposition here: I’m here to ask you for your help. Where I come from you don’t get far unless you ask. I’m a Democratic candidate for the United States Senate….” Vice President Biden at a victory speech in Los Angeles on Super Tuesday introduced Jill, his wife, as his sister Valerie. D. He’s not good without a teleprompter. No wonder Vice President Biden’s handler s wish to keep him cocooned in his Wilmington basement and will do whatever they can to prevent him from debating President Trump. The correct answer on our multiple choice exam is: A. 25th Amendment B. The Biden Gaffe-a-Minute Campaign C. Mental slippage D. Off teleprompter E. All of the above.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

$1 Million Bail for the Lancaster, Pennsylvania non-Peaceful Protestors

Lancaster Magisterial District Judge Bruce A. Roth Orders $1 Million Bail for Rioters: Great Idea, but Probably Unconstitutional Ricardo Munoz’s mother phoned 911 saying her son was posing a threat: domestic violence. Ricardo was a 27 year old suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who had gone off his meds. The officer’s body cam shows the officer approaching the door when Ricardo jumps out and starts running at the officer, wielding a sword. The officer resorted to deadly force to stop the felonious assault. The body can proves it was a legitimate exercise of self-defense and not excessive force as we have seen in many recent incidents. Doesn’t matter! The Antifa, BLM, woke mob soon emerged on Lancaster, attacking the police station. Their “peaceful” protest consisted of throwing bricks, water bottles, glass bottles, gallon jugs of liquids, part of road barricades, and flower planters at the police. Here we go again, déjà vu all over again. Not this time. The police made arrests for arson, criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct, institutional vandalism, and rioting. One of the arrestees was on probation while another illegally possessed a firearm. Those two aren’t going anywhere soon. Judge Roth assigned a bail of $1 million for most of the arrestees. Lancaster’s police, district attorney and Judge Wolf do not believe in the catch and release policies of Chicago, D.C., Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, St. Louis, and Seattle. Hundreds of so-called protestors were quickly released or had charges dropped in those cities by progressive prosecutors and sometimes judges. Philadelphia’s DA Lawrence Krasner dropped charges against the “protestors,” but criminally charged two police officers with the use of excessive force. The DA had earlier performed pro bono work for Black Lives Matter. Mike Schmidt, Portland’s newly elected District Attorney, dropped hundreds of charges such that they were free to again engage in the 105 days and counting Portland riots. New York City proves you can assault police officers and be out on the street the next day. Chanice attacked two NYPD officers on the Brooklyn Bridge during a “peaceful” protest., leaving them bleeding. Her attorney described Chanice “as a kind and generous young lady,” a full-time student at Queen’s College, and a BLM activist. Quran Campbell, another assailant, struck NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan and two other officers. Quran was released without bail on supervised release. These DA’s and a host of others are George Soros social justice DA’S elected with Soros Money. $1 million sends a message and keeps the arrestees of the streets for at least a few nights. Let then enjoy jail! Unfortunately it’s probably unconstitutional. The 8th Amendment begins “Excessive bails shall not be required ….” $1 million bail. 13 Biden staffers boasted on Twitter of donating funds to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to provide bail to the protestors/ rioters/looters/felons et al in Minneapolis. Senator Kamala Harris tweeted a request for others to contribute to the fund. Joe Biden opposes, at least for now, cash bail.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg: R.I.P Emma Peel (1965-67), Diana Rigg (1938-2020)

Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg: R.I.P Emma Peel (1965-67), Diana Rigg (1938-2020) Diana Rigg, best known to my generation as Emma Peel, died earlier today. Diana Rigg was a consummate actress, one of the greatest in the pantheon of magnificent British actresses. Young men fell in love, or more aptly lust, with Diana Rigg. She was alluring in a catsuit when not showing her legs in short skirts. Young girls idolized Emma Peel, the co-star of The Avengers. They looked up to her for her beauty, brains, and class, the classic BBC’s. There was more to Emma Peel. She was strong, bold, confident, independent, self-assured, a martial arts expert – an equal of any man. Emma Peel was skilled in archery, fencing, and nuclear physics. The widow was not the demure, submissive, stay-at-home housewife. She was an inspiration to young women. They aspired to be Emma Peel. Diana Rigg was a pioneer of equal pay. She was paid £150 pounds, substantially less than not only her fellow actors, but also the cameraman in 1965. She demanded and received £450/week. The Avengers became Must See TV on ABC. She didn’t receive much support in her demand for equal pay, but the show as so popular with ABC they met her demands. Diana Rigg said: “I was painted as this mercenary created by the press … when all I wanted was equality. It’s so depressing that we are still talking about the gender pay gap.” Claire Foy played the young Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown. Matt Smith played Prince Philip. She was paid $40,000/episode, which may seem high, but it was less than Matt Smith was paid. Numerous other example exist of the pay discrepancy in Hollywood, which professes social justice and equality. Emma Peel partnered with John Steed (Patrick Macnee) in the Avengers as two counter espionage agents for an unknown British Ministry. They constantly found themselves in implausible plots and perils, sometimes on the front edge of technology. The third episode, The Cybernauts, featured a solar powered robot programmed to kill. The show also foresaw watching TV on your wrist and used electronic keys. Other times the plots traded on Hollywood motifs. Emma Peel in the second episode was tied to train tracks with an approaching train such as the heroine in classic silent movies. The train and tracks were those of an operating mini train. She was filmed in Epic by a crazed movie mogul in a operating studio portraying her life, adventures, and fear as he and his crew lead her to her death. The mogul, Z. Z. von Schnerk, stuck Emma’s head in a setting like the lion in MGM films. I remember the Honey for the Prince episode when she performed the Dance of Six Veils in a glorified bikini. She uttered a classic phrase which stuck in my memory: “We don’t want to offend the effendi.” The classic was “A Touch of Brimstone” involving the Hellfire Club, based on the historic Hellfire Clubs known for their licentious behavior. Emma Peel appears in her famous “Queen of Sin” costume with a snake around her neck. Diana Rigg was born in Doncaster (Yorkshire), England, but spent her early years in India, where she learnt Hindi as a second language. She was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for six years. She was a stage actress before becoming famous in the Avengers. She often returned to the stage in her career. Stage and TV were her fortes. He predecessor in the Avengers was Honor Blackman, who played Dr. Cathy Gale with Patrick Macnee. Honor left the Avengers for the role of Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Diana Rigg left the Avengers after two years with 52 incredible episodes. She followed Honor Blackman’s lead in 1969 by playing the Contessa Teresa di Vincenzo Draco in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. She had the honor of being the only bond Girl to marry James Bond (George Lazenby), but the honor was short-lived as she was murdered shortly after. Diana Rigg performed in Abelard and Heloise in London and New York. The New York play involved a scene in which she and Keith Mitchell, her male co-star were naked – a pioneering act in those days. John Simon, a New York critic, wrote a scathing review. He described the actress as “built like a brick basilica with insufficient flying buttresses.” She responded by collecting worst reviews going back to the Greeks. She published the reviews in “No Turn Unstoned: The Worst Ever Theatrical Reviews.” She donated the proceeds from the book and speaking tours to a actors’ charity. I have a copy of the book, somewhere – probably buried in my office. She performed with Rachel Stirling, her daughter, in episodes of Doctor Who and the Detectorists. Her acting awards include two BAFTAs, two Evening Standards, an Emmy and a Tony. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1988 and a Dame Commander in 2006. Recent audiences know her as Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, but our generation knows Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. She stopped smoking in 2017, having been up to 20 cigarettes daily. To Dame Diana Rigg, I am binge-watching my complete 51 episodes Avengers DVD collection.

Friday, September 4, 2020

President Trump and Vice President Biden Go to Kenosha: Compare and Contrast

President Trump and Vice President Biden Went to Kenosha, Wisconsin: Compare and Contrast 29 year old Jacob Blake was shot 7 times in the back by a Kenosha, Wisconsin Police Officer while entering a car on Sunday, August 23. The optics are bad. Even if the police officer had probable cause to use deadly force, seven shots seem egregious. The police were responding to a domestic violence call. Jacob Blake may or may not have been reaching for a knife. He may or may not have fought with the officers before the video began. He had an outstanding warrant for domestic abuse. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a statement: “[W]hile we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or country.” The protests, riots, looting, and torching quickly ensued. Governor Evers called for calm on Tuesday, sorta: “We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue,” but “We also cannot continue down the path of damages and destruction.” The Governor, at least too his credit, was more willing than the governors in other states to call up the National Guard President Trump announced he would go to Kenosha. Wisconsin Governor Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian asked President Trump not to come to Wisconsin. Their protestations were echoed by Democrats and the media. MSNBC’s Joy Reid, outspoken even by MSNBC standards, said Trump’s “going to Kenosha to whip up more violence.” President Trump’s presence would inflame the tensions. In other words, President Trump would pour gasoline on the open flames of Kenosha. They also accused President trump of going to Kenosha for political reasons. Of course he did. That’s what politicians do. And then we get to Vice President Biden. His handlers were quarantining him in his basement until after Labor Day as he coasted to victory on his high poll numbers. The coronavirus recession will destroy the Trump Campaign. They also wanted to essentially keep Biden muzzled. Then came the protests, riots, lootings and torchings. Great cities were ablaze and lawless. The Democratic National Convention, Joe Biden, and Kamara Harris may have ignored the civil disorder, but the American public did not. President Trump started rising in the polls. Joe Biden didn’t look so electable. If Biden loses Minnesota and Wisconsin, then President Trump wins reelection. Thus Joe Biden emerged from the basement. He went to Kenosha for political reasons. First he called President Trump on Monday a “toxic presence.” He practiced the new big lie of the Democrats: President Trump is responsible for the riots and violence. President Trump’s visit to Kenosha was peaceful. He met with law enforcement and the victims of the riots and looting. He spoke to law enforcement, the people of Kenosha, and the American public. He told the embattled police “The people of our country love you.” He pointedly said he didn’t believe police violence is a systemic problem, but rather a matter of some officers “choking” under pressure. He called the violence “domestic terrorism,” noting “By and large, this is not peaceful protests.” President Trump brought with him federal funds for Kenosha: 1) $1 million in emergency support for Kenosha law enforcement, 2) $13 million for law enforcement statewide, and 3) $4 million for small business in Kenosha. Vice President Biden met with the Blake family and community leaders at Grace Lutheran Church. He was appealing to the new Democratic base. He said “We’re finally now getting to the point where we’re going to be addressing the original sin of this country, 400 years old …slavery and all the vestiges of it.” We can be sure Joe Biden didn’t think of that. It came from his writers and handlers, who have accepted the alternative history of the 1619 Project and Howard Zin as Gospel. Here’s why they wanted to keep Vice President Biden in the basement reading from a script. Biden started to lay out his tax policy, but then said he couldn’t go in more detail because “they’ll shoot me.” Who? His handlers? Even better on the light bulb: “People fear that which is different. We’ve got to, for example, why in God’s name don’t we teach history in history classes? A black man invented the light bulb, not a white guy named Edison.” The don’t teach in false history because it’s not true. It’s the alternative history of the left. Lewis Howard Lattimer, a black man, son of former slaves, did not invent the light bulb, but he deserves more credit for creating a longer lasting incandescent light bulb a year after Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb. Lewis Lattimer subsequently worked with Edison. Never forget that Joe Biden was a dim bulb as a student, graduating 76th out of 85, having been readmitted after expulsion for plagiarizing.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

From $4,000 Ice Cream Freezers to a Closed Hair Salon: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in a League of Her Own

Speaker Pelosi is the most powerful woman in the United States, indeed the world, not only as Speaker of the House but also third in line for the Presidency, following only he President and Vice President. If the Vice President is only a heartbeat away from the Presidency, then Speaker Pelosi is only two heartbeats away from becoming President. The rules do not apply to the Speaker. Yet she claims to have been set up by a San Francisco hair salon owner. The Speaker set up an appointment at the neighborhood ESalonSF in San Francisco for Monday. Hair salons have been ordered closed since March. She entered around 3:00PM through a door with a simple sign on it: “CLOSED.’ The Speaker is videoed by a security camera without her mask. The security tape was leaked to Fox, which ran with it. Her Deputy Chief of Staff explained “The Speaker always wears a mask and complies with local Covid requirements.” Do you believe what you saw with your eyes or what I tell you. Do you believe your own eyes, or the most powerful woman in the world? He added: “This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.” She fell back on the standard Democrat mantra of victimhood. The most powerful woman in the world is the victim of a set up by a hair stylist. Call it what she would. She is saying she was snookered, conned, duped, hoodwinked, bamboozled, tricked, entrapped by a hairdresser. Is the Speaker of the House that gullible? Is the self-described political genius that out of it? Is the Speaker not that smart? She said: “I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I have been to many times. When they said they could accommodate people one at a time, and we can set up that time, I trusted that. As it turns out it was a set up. So I take responsibility for falling for a set up.” The question is who set up the appointment? The Speaker is indignant. She demands an apology from the Salon: “The salon owes me an apology for setting me up.” What about an apology by the Speaker to the American people? She knows the media will protect her back. Thus no need to apologize. Speaker Pelosi said in August "Peple do what people do." Yes they do, Speaker Pelosi." She and Joe Biden would be quite a couple running the country should it come to pass? Nancy Pelosi, being Nancy Pelosi, is demanding an apology from Erica Kious for setting her up. Speaker Pelosi has spent too much time in the rarified air of the Capitol. The owner of the salon had not invited the Speaker to the closed salon. Erica Kious may own the salon, but she rents out the individual chairs to stylists, one of whom was involved. She said of the Speaker: “It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work. We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right? It’s just disturbing.” Here’s what else Erica said, typical of the millions of small business owners in the lockdowns: “I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen. I am a single mom, I have two small children, and I have no income.” No problem for Speaker Pelosi who represents the political party that purports to represent the American people. Speaker Pelosi threw Erica Kalios under the bus. My fear is that the state or city will attempt to yank Erica Kious’ license. Governor Gavin Newsom is Speaker Pelosi’s nephew. Last February 21 I posted a blog on Speaker’s Pelosi prodigious appetite for premium ice cream While American being unemployed because of the virus. I had her imitating Marie Antoinette by saying “Let them eat ice cream.” Speaker Pelosi who exults in premium ice scream in $4,000 freezers and personized treatment in salons, is holding up another coronavirus bill that would help struggling Americans because the President’s proposal does not include a billion dollar bail out for profligate cities and states essentially bankrupted by extravagant pensions. Remember Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some … are more equal than others.”

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Two Critical Lessons for Our Young Democratic Socialists, Marxists, Communists, and Woke Social Justice Warriors on their Road to a Socialist Utopia Of Equality for Alll

Two Critical Lessons for Our Young Democratic Socialists, Marxists, Socialists and Woke Social Justice Warriors on the Road to Their “Socialistic Utopia” of Equality for All First, read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Think deeply of the line: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Two sets of rules apply to the privileged versus the rest of the people, regardless of the society. Second, understand the meaning of President Nixon’s Attorney General John N. Mitchell’s statement: “Watch what we do instead of what we say.” The Bolsheviks killed and exiled the Russian Royal Family, aristocrats, capitalists, and kulaks. The Soviet leaders then used for dachas for their own use. They lived well, eat well and drank prodigiously while the people starved. Stalin’s favorite, murderous secret police chief Lavrenty Beria was a serial rapist, pedophile, and sexual predator with all the style of Harvey Weinstein. Stalin knew, but supported Beria because the mass murderer did Stalin’s dirty work. Chairman Mao liked his women young, sometimes very young. Democratic Senate House Majority Leader entered Congress poor but left a multi-millionaire in part due to sweetheart real estate transaction. Hugo Chavez turned the prosperous Venezuela with a large middle class into a destitute “socialist paradise.” His phrase “Being rich is bad; it’s inhumane” resonated with the barrios of Venezuela. Hugo Chavez died in 2013. His oldest daughter, Maria Gabriella, is estimated to be worth between $3-4 billion, dollars – not bolivares. Venezuela became rich with oil, one of the largest fields in the world. Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicholas Maduro have diverted billions of dollars out of the country with no accounting or transparency. The funds went to enrich their families, cronies and international allies – not the people of Venezuela. His successor Nicholas Maduro was taken Venezuela even further into the tank with his cohorts engaging in the international drug trade. Socialism was promised, but Animal Farm quickly took over. Turkey’s President Recip Erdogan never promised socialism to the Turkish people. He has a corrupt son, caught in a tape talking with Recip about hiding the money. Think of Hunter Biden with Ukraine and China. Alejandro Andrade, Venezuela Treasurer for 4 years under Hugo Chavez, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in the United States for receiving $1 billion in bribes for facilitating illicit foreign exchange transactions. Hugo Chavez’s former nurse Claudia Diaz acquired $9.5 million in gold bars. An estimated $300 billion was looted from Venezuela’s treasury in two decades of becoming a socialist paradise. Judge them by what they do – not what they espouse. Senator Bernie Sanders, the socialist icon of the woke youth, is worth an estimated $2.5 million, on the low side for Senators, but $2.5 million with three houses in Burlington, Vermont, Washington D.C., and a summer house in Vermont. He grew up poor and only worked occasionally in the private sector. He’s been an socialist and agitator since his college days. The Sanders 2018 adjusted gross income was $561,293 down from $1,131,925 in 2017. He attributes his income to book royalties and his Senate salary. Not bad for a poor kid from the Bronx who declaims capitalism, but hardly socialistic. The Senator has also never created a job in his adult life. Illinois locked down, including barbers and hairdressers. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot the next day went to her hairdresser. The state of Mayor Lightfoot’s hair has no impact on the rising shooting and homicide rates in Chicago. She explained “As an elected official and the public face of the city, I need to make sure that I am out there and visible through the city.” She also said “I’m the public face of this city. I’m on national media, and I’m out in the public eye.” Mayor Lightfoot’s good hair day will not reduce the escalating homicides and shootings in Chicago. Governor Cuomo announced the statewide closure of non-essential businesses, including gyms as of 8:00PM. Mayor De Blasio quickly rushed to his favorite YMCA gym A spokesperson for the Mayor explained he “wanted to visit a place that keeps him grounded one last time.” The Mayor said “I’m very comfortable with what I did.” Mayor De Blasio’s workout routine has not reduced the escalating homicides and shootings in New York City. Indoor dining in currently barred in Philadelphia restaurants. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney therefore spent Sunday dining indoors in a Maryland restaurant. Mayor Kenney justified his “transgression” (my word – not his): “I felt the risk was low because the county I visited has had fewer than 800 Covid-19 cases, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia.” Spealer Nancy Pelosi went into a hair saloon yesterday eventhough they are closed in San Francisco. The problem with Lightfoot, De Blasio, Kenney, and Pelosi is the poor optics. They are saying they are among the privileged of Animal Farm. Governor Gavin Newsom asked state workers in May to take a 10% pay cut, exempting the 8 statewide elected officials. He added he would voluntarily cut his own salary in solidarity with the state workers. That was May. The Sacramento Bee reported on August 20 that the Governor is still receiving his full pay. His office blamed it on an “administrative error.” Only state controller Betty Yee took the pay cut. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez two years ago campaigned on a populist plank. She declaimed luxury real estate developers who hiked up rent prices and pushing low-income out of their neighborhoods. She said after winning the election that she was worried she not afford and apartment in D.C. The bar maid’s $174,000 Congressional salary solved that problem. She soon found a a unit in a new high rise luxury apartment complex. The developed no affordable units under D.C.’s Affordable Dwelling Units program. The complex includes a rooftop infinity pool and 100,000 square feet of amenities including saunas, massage rooms, a 25 meter indoor lap pool, a Peloton cycling studio, and a foreside lounge with a Steinway piano. A Whole Foods Store and Starbucks are downstairs.. AOC’s Squad partner Ilhan Omar remarried in March 5 months after divorcing he rprevious husband. Her new husband is Tim Mynett, a political consultant. As of July she transferred $878,000 in campaign funds to her husband’s consulting firm. Democrats and the media cheered Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC. They did not comment on her virtual appearance bring from the $17 million house the Obamas bought on Martha Vineyard’s. Finally we get to New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio. The Mayor was born in Manhattan but lives in Park Slope in Brooklyn. The Dutch set up a trading post in 1624 and acquired the land in 1626. The city grew into the world’s financial center and cultural center. It survived wars, occupation, riots, gangs, strikes, blackouts, recessions and the Great Depression, the post-World War II exodus to the suburbs, 9/11, and a rodent infestation. The City has experienced great mayors and mediocre mayors, honest mayors and corrupt mayors, but no one like the incompetent Mayor De Blasio. The City will survive, but he has severely damaged the economy and spirit of the City. He announced a run for the Presidency in May 2019 but dropped out in September 2019. Even New Yorkers gave him a resounding Bronx Cheer. Mental health is a major issue today. He established in 2015 at a budget of $250 million per year, ThriveNYC, placing his wife Chirline McCray in charge. After $750 million the agency could not show what it has done, but it’s in its fourth year. The City does not track the individual programs in ThriveNYC. It lacks data on effectiveness. The City’s Controller noted 29 of the 41 listed programs “appear to have no or very little associated outcome measures.” His wife now has a staff of 14 at a cost to the city of $2 million annually. The Mayor announced that the city will have to lay off as many as 22,000 workers because of the budget crisis. His wife’s staff is apparently to essential to be cut. The belief is that the staff is a pre-campaign nucleolus and booster club for Ms. Who is eyeing the Bronx Borough presidency next year. $2 million compared to $750 million. Which is the greatest waste of taxpayer money? The First Amendment protects the “right of the people peaceably to assemble.” Thus the right to peaceful protests on public property. Protesters would occasionally in the past show up outside public officials residences. That practice is rapidly escalating in recent months, including the homes of governors (California, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Rhode Island), Mayors (Atlanta, Detroit, Lafayette, Lansing, Los Angeles, Louisville, Oak Park, Oakland, Pittsburg, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Ypsilanti), police chiefs (Los Angeles and Seattle), attorneys general (Kentucky), district attorneys (Los Angeles), and council members (Seattle). The protests may be peaceful sit-ins on the lawn. They more often include yelling, often far into the night, fireworks, and Vandalism. Mayor Lightfoot says no public protests by her house. She ordered the Chicago Police to cordon off the block by her house and keep police presence there. She already had police presence in and outside here house, but it clearly was not enough. Finally, the Minneapolis City Council is hell bent on defunding the police. It spent $152,400 on private security for three council members. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Watch what they do – not what they say.