Scattershots – 28jan20 (updated 2feb20)

George Rebane

Mizzou is tracking student class attendance in hopes of increasing academic standards.  This to me is mind boggling.  What kind of majors are today’s students pursuing that allows them to pass and graduate with spotty or no class attendance??  Don’t answer that.  This report on FN is no doubt unique; can’t see any lamestream outlet admitting to this kind of woke academics for whatever generation is now going through the progressive halls of ivy.  Another confirming factor as to why they come out dumb and compliant.  In my course of study, and I’m a lifetime student, I could not conceive of cutting class without getting detailed notes of the lecture and still expect to do well in the course.  None of the stuff that any of us studied in the bygone era could you skate to a decent grade by just cramming for the mid-term and final from some course text.  Every course had something unique (usually new research results) contributed by the professor that went beyond the text, and you could bet the ranch that one or more exam questions would require mastery of that special approach or technique.  The University of Missouri is now desperately tracking the whereabouts of students during their class hours in order to encourage regular class attendance.  What kind of majors are these pinheads pursuing?!

[29jan20 update] Trump’s Israeli/Palestine peace plan calls for a two-state solution.  The Palestinians are rejecting it on the basis of their not getting an authentic sovereign nation-state out of the deal.  Israel will not permit the new Palestine to have a military and the plan calls for the disarming of Hamas and Hezbollah.  Also Israel will have oversight of Palestine’s foreign policy and maintain control of a narrow band of territory immediately contiguous to its borders.  Given past history, the plan looks reasonable including its provision for a transportation tunnel connecting Gaza to the West Bank.  To me the sticking point in all these attempts has been the lack of an economic incentive for Palestinian Arabs to trade complete autonomy for riches.  For years I have argued that any proposed solution include making Gaza into a freeport.  Freeports come in various legal and operational configurations, but their main function is to cut red tape and taxes/fees so as to enable facile and free movement of goods between nations.  Gaza is conveniently located near the Mediterranean end of the Suez Canal, at one of the world’s trade crossroads.  Rebane Doctrine for world peace and prosperity calls for building a large harbor at Gaza (there are gazillions of tons of dirt, rocks, and sand nearby), and making that strip of land a cash cow for the Palestinian people.

Wanna see the turd in the pipe to progress in California?  The California Environmental Quality Act is one of the most egregious pieces of legislation that has proscribed property rights, free enterprise, liberty and progress in general in California.  All of it brought to you by the progressive socialists already successful in reducing California as one of the least desirable states in which working people, entrepreneurs, and job creators would want to put down roots.  Each successive study shows more self-reliant people leaving the state while the gimmes are pouring in.  Here's one of the more significant hurtles you have to clear if you want to build anything in California.

[30jan20 update]  ‘Civilization is History at Yale’ convincingly argues art critic and commentator Roger Kimball.  The university is drastically and dramatically changing its decades-long curriculum on western civilization that now has focused on the arts.  The claim of the progressive professors is that “great art is too white, straight, European and male”, so it’ll have to give way to the latest socialist cum communist agitprop.  Instead, as reported in the Yale Daily News, art history will now be taught from a wider perspective that emphasizes “Globalism, gender, class, race, capitalism, (and art’s) relationship with climate change will be a key theme.”  Given the mind-bending Orwellian tack already firmly ensconced in our public school curricula, it’s not a big leap to consider that our universities are now graduating people who embrace values and purposes that we used to connect with the Manchurian Candidate of yore.  And they are emerging by the thousands to begin careers in public institutions, politics, news media, education, and the entertainment industry.  'Lux et veritas' indeed.

[2feb20 update] ‘The Democrats May Have Lost – But They’re Still Smarter than You’ is a report on some analyses on the matter by Clarice Feldman in 2feb20 American Thinker.  Longtime readers know that our liberal commenters have touted their intellectual acumen viz us knuckle-dragging conservetarians et al.  Well, this article presents the opposite view, which “should not be too surprising. On the 22 General Surveys using the verbal ability scale since 1974, for every single one, conservative Republicans score significantly higher than the rest of the public combined. As for Republicans overall, they score significantly higher in verbal ability than democrats in all five decades, including the 2010’s combined. … In 1996, the GSS employed another module lifted from a standard 1Q test, one testing analogical reasoning. Again Republicans and conservative Republicans in 1996 performed significantly better on analogical reasoning than the rest of the public and significantly better than Democrats.”

Comments

[The Estonian Fox]

George, You made a good point. Money talks. It's been talking for thousands of years. Why hasn't something like this been proposed before? Practically, how does one ensure Hamas & Hezbollah can't get at the money generated from this port?

In 2006, when Israeli settlers gave up a number of working greenhouses in Gaza, certain Palestinians ransacked & destroyed them without producing anything. It seems that the little people don't have a lot of influence on their rulers. And besides, too many (potentially rich) people thinking independently might not conform to the rules of Islam. Rich people might want a democratic government of some sort.

[George Rebane]

EstonianF 253pm - All true. But my feeling is that when that kind of money promises to become available, a lot of belief systems will get upended, or at least get a more commodious makeover. The common and commercial Palestinians haven't put up opposition to their H&H terror groups because both provided their people with certain minimal amenities (clinics, schools, ...) and reminded them of a purpose that gave support to relevant lives. Besides there was no golden goose to be gained, only murder and mayhem by going up against well-armed and trained zealots. With an internationally sponsored and monitored freeport in the offing if they come to agreement and behave, things could well take an historical turn for the better - or as we Estonians say, 'Raha paneb rattaid käima.' (Money makes the wheels turn.)

[Don Bessee]

Mitt Romney had better watch his back if wants to hold his seat -

Speaking on "The Sean Hannity Show," the Fox News host was joined by two pollsters to discuss the "anger" Romney has for Trump and how that will play out in his upcoming bid to hold onto his Senate seat.

Hannity pointed to a recent poll conducted by the well-known pollster Matt Towery -- who stated in September 2015 that Trump could defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election -- which indicated that 68 percent of Republican respondents in Utah support an acquittal of President Trump while 64 percent oppose additional witnesses. Only 26 percent want to convict the president.

The poll also shows that 60 percent of Romney's constituents will be less likely to vote for him in the upcoming election if he does in fact vote to hear from additional witnesses.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/sean-hannity-warns-romney-as-poll-shows-pitfalls-of-impeachment-witness-drive

;-)

[Don Bessee]

Schiff for brains is not even trying to hide his double standards, the only standards he has -

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/29/schiff-claims-its-wrong-for-president-to-investigate-rival-after-defending-obama-investigating-trump/

;-)

[Don Bessee]

Game over -

A string of newly resurfaced video clips of former national security adviser John Bolton spurred President Trump and his supporters Wednesday to highlight what they described as serious credibility questions -- raised by both Democrats and Republicans -- amid the Senate impeachment trial, as the president tweeted, "GAME OVER!"

Trump linked to an interview of Bolton in August 2019 concerning Ukraine policy. In the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty interview clip, Bolton made no mention of any illicit quid pro quo, and acknowledged, as Republicans have claimed, that combating "corruption" in Ukraine was a "high priority" for the Trump administration.

Bolton also called Trump's communications with Ukraine's leader "cordial," without mentioning any misconduct. It seemingly contradicted reported assertions in Bolton's forthcoming book that Trump explicitly told him he wanted to tie military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of Joe Biden.

Separately, newly emerged clips of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., now the lead House impeachment manager, showed him saying Bolton had a distinct "lack of credibility" and was prone to "conspiracy theories." This week, Schiff said Bolton needed to testify in the trial as an important and believable witness.

"This is someone who's likely to exaggerate the dangerous impulses of the president toward belligerence, his proclivity to act without thinking, and his love of conspiracy theories," Schiff told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on March 22, 2018, when Trump named Bolton national security adviser.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/schiff-bolton-lack-credibility-senate-impeachment-trial

;-)

[Scott O]

ex-Gov Brown was quite a promoter of CEQA. He would constantly belittle anyone who complained that CEQA's mandates were over-bearing and excessive. Then Brown wanted a choo-choo train and need I let you all know how Brown then felt about CEQA?
Well, of course - the Brown Streak was 'different'. It was so full of good intentions and righteousness that surely it needn't sully itself with such bothersome details.
https://spectator.org/has-bullet-train-been-hoisted-on-its-own-petard/
The CHSRA is probably the largest con ever foisted on the public in modern times. The fact that the CA taxpayers are willing to put up with a $100 billion plus scam is all you need to know about the once-golden state.

[Bill Tozer]

Re: Palenstine-Israel Peace plan signing

If you get your news from the Wa Compost or Clinton News Network or VOX, you would think that the new peace plan is DOA and everybody hates it. It’s garbage. Omar and TIaib certainly hate it. Same for Hamas and Hezzbola. Add Ilhan’s beloved Muslim Brotherhood.

With all the above said, I was shocked to find out that Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed their tacit approval. They already have deals with Israel.

“Despite Palestinians’ rejection of the plan and boycott of Trump over perceived pro-Israel bias, three Gulf Arab states - Oman, Bahrain and the UAE - attended the White House gathering in a sign of changing times.”

The Arab League represented at the signing??? That’s a first.

Hell, some of those countries were calling for the destruction of Israel for forty years up until the signing, lol. New ground being broken as of today. We can rest assured that if it unravels, the Leftinista America Haters will be over here dancing with glee. Nasty bunch they are.

I see this as a regional alignment to shield against Iran’s aggression. I also see this as a possible trading block where everybody wins. Trump pushed the economic angle and he tried with North Korea. “Imagine the possibles and prosperities to your country. Think about how good that would be for you and the region.” Time will tell.

If you read the lamestream, you have already flushed the peace deal down the drain.

[George Rebane]

BillT 943pm - It's good to continue pointing out to our leftwing readers that they're being screwed by their lamestream outlets which both censor non-conforming news items, and also frequently misrepresent what they choose to report. Their deficits are loud and clear in their comments when they accuse RR and its readers of making up stuff that the rest of the world already knows.

Would love to hear of some reciprocal shortcoming where a lamestream outlet reports something material in an accurate and/or timely manner that is absent from, say, FN or WSJ or Daily Caller or ...; have been asking for that for years.

[Bill Tozer]

Re: Jan 30 update, Yale and civilization.

Minnesota college helps 'white students only' deal with 'the nasty little racist inside them'
https://campusreform.org/?ID=14272
—————
Public Schools Are Teaching The 1619 Project in Class, Despite Concerns From Historians
https://reason.com/2020/01/28/1619-project-new-york-times-public-schools/
————-
How Drag Queen Story Hour Expanded Across America
https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/26/drag-queen-story-hour-united-states/

[odlaw]

,,,Bill, George,,,you boys been getting your talking points from Mothership Fox again???

Bill...you need glasses???

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/gulf-arabs-back-trumps-mideast-efforts-but-not-peace-plan/2020/01/30/69d98f2c-4363-11ea-99c7-1dfd4241a2fe_story.html

'''U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the plan's release, said they expected negative responses from the Palestinians, but were hopeful that Jordan and Egypt, the only two Arab nations to have peace treaties with Israel, would not reject it outright.

Jordan gave the plan a cool reaction, saying it remained committed to a two-state solution based on Israel's pre-1967 lines. It also said it rejected any unilateral move by Israel, referring to the annexation plan.

The reaction of Jordan, which would retain its responsibilities over Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque under the plan, is particularly significant. Located next to the West Bank, Jordan also is home to a large Palestinian population.

Egypt, the first Arab country to reach a peace deal with Israel, urged Israelis and Palestinians to carefully study the plan. The European Union also said it needed to study it more closely.

Saudi Arabia, another key Arab country, said it appreciated the Trump administration's efforts and encouraged the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians “under the auspices of the United States.”'''

Trump Peace Plan Delights Israelis, Enrages Palestinians https://nyti.ms/36BzeUN

[Bill Tozer]

odlav @ 1:56.

Yeah, I probably do need glasses, but me thinks yours are fogged up. At least we know you can still fog a mirror. I was having by doubts. Surely this guy can’t be as dead as he sounds.
Now, mansplain to me what your glasses missed with my comment and your desperate need for rebuttal.

“If you get your news from the Wa Compost or Clinton News Network or VOX, you would think that the new peace plan is DOA and everybody hates it. It’s garbage. Omar and TIaib certainly hate it. Same for Hamas and Hezzbola. Add Ilhan’s beloved Muslim Brotherhood.”—Biker Bill

Look, the Wa Compost was been anti-Jew and Pro Islamic for years, so it comes to no surprise. That Khashoggi dude who they found $500,000 in uncashed checks in his Washington Apartment from the Qatar government (pronounced gutter) to write nasty things about Saudi Arabia. Oh, Khashoggi loved it in the House of Saud living the good life....until the Prince took over and locked up all the bankers and the Kingdom’s sovereign investors and took all their stuff. All their assets
. Must of been for Khashoggi just like those guys living high off the hog on the fruits of government graft under Batista in Cuba and then one day, it all ended rather abruptly. Your beloved journalist was a paid agent of Qatar to write anti-Saudi pieces in a friendly outlet...like WP.

Rebuttal on your rebuttal, odlav.

HISTORIC: Arab States Welcome Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plan
https://www.dailywire.com/news/historic-arab-states-welcome-trumps-israeli-palestinian-peace-plan

If you ever put the cotton in your mouth instead of your ears, you would see a bigger picture. Trump is gathering up all the Sunnis and they certainly do not want to see a radial Palestine State run by Hamas or Hezbollah...ie. Iran and the Shias. The Sunnis want a Israel state to counter the Shias.

All we are going is switching from being pro Iran to being pro-Sunni alliance.

And that pisses the libs off to no degree. And NYT, and the leftier you go, the more outraged they are. Turkey is enraged, but not as enraged as T

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10159171082318219&set=gm.864117600710018&type=3&theater&ifg=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206906310254390&set=gm.861717397616705&type=3&theater&ifg=1

[odlaw]

Posted by: Bill Tozer | 30 January 2020 at 02:39

Bill...you are babbling incoherently...

References substantiating your wild claims please...

'''Khashoggi dude who they found $500,000 in uncashed checks in his Washington Apartment from the Qatar government (pronounced gutter) to write nasty things about Saudi Arabia'''

[George Rebane]

odlaw 156pm - that news is bit long of tooth, and was covered thoroughly yesterday in the WSJ and on FN. The spin was a mite different since the approving cohort included additional Arab states, but at least you guys got the news that Trump did yet one more thing to push our mid-east national interests ahead. One more indication of the complete contrast with Obama's humble pie and hiatus years.

[Bill Tozer]

Re: Yale and civilization

Truth Is Being Replaced in American Colleges

“Unless our institutions of higher education can restore belief in the real value of what they do, real scholarship will decline and a cost-conscious divisive new identitarian religion will arise in its place.”

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/truth-being-replaced-american-colleges

[Bill Tozer]

Yale and jail.

Something Dr. Rebane is practiced in, which gives him the patience of Job.

“Read Your Enemies”

Intellectual genealogy is not a neatly drawn family tree—the way we imagine Aristotle descending from Plato, and Plato from Socrates—so much as it is a mess of estranged parents and bastard children separated by centuries and spread across a vast literary and scholarly landscape. Descartes’s notion of innate ideas finds its way into Chomskyan linguistics. Kant left his mark on 20th century thinkers as different as Jean-Paul Sartre and Karl Popper. Sometimes only a solitary family resemblance—a single argument, framework or notion—is passed from parent to progeny, yet the imprint is vivid enough. Influence seems to appear where one least expects it, yet these echoes from our early modern past would have gone unheard had they been dismissed as outside the scope of one’s interests, too antiquated, or too toxic to touch.

https://quillette.com/2020/01/31/read-your-enemies/

[Bill Tozer]

Yale and Chapman

ACADEMIC LUNACY TURNED UP TO 11

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/02/academic-lunacy-turned-up-to-11.php

[Bill Tozer]

VDH: The Cult of Western Shaming

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/01/30/the_cult_of_western_shaming_142266.html

[Bill Tozer]

Good update, Dr. Rebane

‘The Democrats May Have Lost – But They’re Still Smarter than you’....or ‘The Democrats May Have Lost – But They’re Still Don’t Know It.’

I have always considered Mazie the dumbest person in the Senate. Change my mind.

Dem Senator Mazie Hirono: ‘I Don’t Care’ About ‘Legal, Constitutional Defenses’ Trump Team Has“

https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-mazie-hirono-i-dont-care-about-legal-constitutional-defenses-trump-team-has

[Bill Tozer]

Re: 2/02/2020 update

Y’All Elitists Really ARE Dumb!

“Among other things, the Apologia testifies to the ubiquity of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. According to Wikipedia, the Dunning-Kruger Effect is “a cognitive bias in which people assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority.”

They might have added it also related to the cognitive bias of leftism.”.......

“My point is not that Trump voters are geniuses. My point is that leftist elites are fools. In the grips of the Dunning-Kruger effect, they have forgotten the wisdom of Socrates, if they ever possessed it at all.“

https://www.dailywire.com/news/klavan-yall-elitists-really-are-dumb?

[Bill Tozer]

Re: Two State Solution

‘Israeli Arabs Say No to Palestine’

“First, an overwhelming majority of Triangle residents prefer to stay in Israel, as shown by massive anecdotal evidence, politicians' statements, and survey research over 15 years. Some of them emphasize that Israel is their home, others focus on Israel's superior living conditions over that of the poorer, authoritarian PA.“

https://www.meforum.org/60382/israeli-arabs-say-no-to-palestine