Ruminations – 14sep21 (update 18sep21)

George Rebane

Government bureaucrats allocate capital better than private investors – fundamental tenet of the Left

Newsom's recall is opposed by another progressive dimwit in the 14sep21 Union (here) arguing that all of CA’s problems were there before he was elected.  The ‘gentleman’ does not understand that the recall is about his making all of the problems worse, and then adding on new ones.  And he also quotes a fictitious $70B “surplus”, having no idea that any such monies are long spoken for with the state’s over $1T in unfunded liabilities.

Europe’s electricity prices are going through the roof (here).  Why?  Well, the goddam wind is not blowing very much these days, and their having shut down their nuclear and fossil fuel plants without much consideration that the so-called sustainable sun/wind/water energy sources are sometime things, now they find their mammaries twixt the rollers.  Brings to mind the old Estonian saying about not crapping in the old well before the new one’s dug.  Here in CA, we haven’t learned a thing about that problem.

NIH investigates removal Covid genetic data per Chinese researcher request (here).  The agency removed C19 gene sequence data obtained from Wuhan patients in January/February 2020.  This data would be an important input to determining the source and type (manmade vs nature) of the virus.  The  portents of its compliant and rapid deletion from our database opens up more serious questions about the NIH/Wuhan lab relationship.  Chalk up another one for China.  Dr Fauci call your office.

[15sep21 update]  Newsom’s recall rejected by a landslide.  CA voters once again demonstrate that they know not how to select their political leaders as the state continues its downward plunge along every imaginable way – illegal alien and welfare recipient surge, rampaging homelessness, dilapidated infrastructure, exodus of productive workers, businesses, and retirees, overall population loss, increasing already high taxes, regulatory tsunami, continued growth of eco-fanatics, historic water mismanagement, historic power generation/distribution mismanagement, continued mismanagement of forests, fiscal corruption and incompetency, continued growth of record unfunded liabilities, … .  And perpetuating a never-ending, one party monopoly that only serves the takers and punishes the makers.

Gen Mark Milley’s phone calls to China promising to warn them of any pending US military action against them was one of several acts of treason our chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pulled off during the Trump administration.  He is part of the devastation in our flag officer ranks that Obama left behind in his politicization of the military.  Bob Woodward and Robert Costa outline this travesty in their Peril (2021).

SecState Blinken, who is particularly unsuited for his job, now claims to bring the Taliban to heel with his toothless diplomacy.  Echoing Stalin’s famous ‘How many divisions does the Pope have?’, after our precipitous and shameful retreat, the Taliban now ask, ‘How many divisions does Blinken have?’  Biden and Blinken have given new meaning to our shooting diplomatic blanks – Blinken Blanks?

C19 response mismanagement last year is laid bare in Uncontrolled Spread (2021) by former FDA commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb.  The good doctor documents the numerous and impactive screw-ups perpetrated by the CDC, FDA, and NIH which cry out for deep and penetrating investigations to better prepare us for the next pandemic.  Gottlieb highlights Warp Speed as the only government initiative undertaken correctly and against massive political opposition.

Facebook confirmed a sleazebag outfit, as demonstrated again by its corrupt censorship policy which selectively favors the high and mighty.

C19 ‘cases’ and hospitalization stats are grossly misleading and meant to support more government command and control mandates.  Both cases and hospitalizations have been overwhelmingly (positively tested) asymptomatic and mild when admitted.  Continuing to serve as the DNC trumpet, the lamestream has, of course, omitted mentioning any of this.

[17sep21 update] California voters got what they deserve, 'good and hard' (a la HL Mencken). Syndicated columnist Michael Barone lays out the particulars for us here.  And more and more of today’s college graduates reflect the socialist crap they were taught in universities by voting Democratic.

Democrats’ planned price controls on drugs will kill America’s innovative pharma industry and will be dangerous to your health. (more here and here)  The party of evil is hard at work taking the country down as fast as it can to a uniform level of misery (aka equity) that has been presaged by so many other nations adopting elitist autocratic regimes that have successfully sold central planning and control to their terminally benighted citizens.

[18sep21 update]  My essay 'America the Unnatural', originally posted here on 27 June 2021, finally appeared in today's print and online editions of The Union.  Unfortunately the print version was edited enough to change/omit several critical points in the submitted version.  However, they did kindly post the full submitted version in their online edition (here), for which I am grateful.

Comments

[Bill Tozer]

re: Europe’s electricity prices are going through the roof

'HA HA!'
This is the kind of “well, duh!” headline that sends me to the bar early:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/ha-ha.php

[Robert Cross]

I want to thank you for your viewpoints on all of the various issues. You are so far out in right field that it is impossible to respond in a sane manner thus saving me countless minutes. thanks again.

[Walt]

What we won't get from the Calif. Press.
Not a peep on the bad ballots.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/15/california-recall-leaves-unanswered-questions-about-errant-ballots/
"Some ineligible voters out of state received ballots; others received additional ballots — sometimes several of them — addressed to other people.

This reporter personally witnessed one such case, at the home of a friend who had received a ballot for another person who had not lived at that particular address for at least ten years. Upon further inquiry, I learned that others had received “ten to fifteen” such ballots.

There appeared to be no particular partisan pattern to the errant ballots, and in theory the laws against voter fraud should discourage most people from turning in other people’s ballots.

However, the fact that so many people seem to have received other people’s ballots, or ballots they themselves were not eligible to cast, has seemed to undermine public faith in elections. And it is unclear how big the problem is.

There are five states where vote-by-mail is already automatic, including conservative Utah (and California may soon make this system, adopted during the pandemic, permanent). But California is much larger, and its voter rolls are in a state of disrepair — the worst, perhaps, out of all 50 states. And California allows unvetted people to return unlimited numbers of other people’s ballots — so-called “ballot harvesting.”

The combination of errant voter rolls, a massive electorate, universal vote-by-mail, and ballot harvesting is a recipe for distrust. There is no evidence of large-scale fraud — but there are suspicions. Why, for example, did a man have 300 ballots in his car when arrested on gun and drug charges last month?

These concerns are going to linger long after the last ballots come in for the recall, as Democrats push California-style voting for the rest of the nation in the name of “voting rights.”"

[Bill Tozer]

re: Milley

GENERAL MILLEY: GUILTY AS CHARGED

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/general-milley-guilty-as-charged.php

[Don Bessee]

Creepy grampa joe and the socialists just love the covid caravan and dispersing them to red states -

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/15/democrats-reject-plan-to-mandate-coronavirus-vaccines-for-immigrants/

;-)

[Scott O]

Booby X 6:31 - "You are so far out in right field that it is impossible to respond in a sane manner..."
So?
Go on and give it a try, Booby.
The response you just gave wasn't sane.
If George is that far out in right field, it should be child's play to easily demolish his arguments.
There seems to be another actual reason you aren't able to argue against George's points.
But thanks for the amusement.

[scenes]

Cartoon of the day.

https://imgur.com/a/3aeFdNg

[Bill Tozer]

Man o man, are the dumb deranged ignoramus idiots circling the wagon protecting Thoroughly Modern Milley or what? They are praising him as a hero for having a General takeover and run the country and they think that is a swell idea!! What planet are they on? Unbelievable.

They believe (or pretend to believe) that Trump went off his rocker and was planning to nuke China...without one single shred of evidence. Trump is the only President since IKE that has not taken us into war. That spin is more wacky than anything I have heard them say, including the Pee Tape. Yellow was the color.

The legal spin is Milley ‘merely’ gave a headsup to China; he did not actually participate in an act of treason by notifying when the nukes would be launched.

Fun fact: Treason is the only crime in the Constitution where the penalty is spelled out: Death.

That Ted Lieu is so wacked he makes Adam Shiffilis good nice a decent fellow.

Democrats, Built That Wall around Thoroughly Modern Milley. Have him replace Dr. Fucie as the sexist man in America.

The whole hoax that Trump was going to nuke China came from the sliding face Botox Queen.

She, probably like Adam Shiffilis saw the evidence with her own bugged out eyeballs.
..................
Headline skimming, scroll down a bit. No clicks necessary.

https://www.newsbusters.org/

[Walt]

Seems like a good reason for another inser... uh protest at the Capitol.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/16/biden-administration-send-less-half-lifesaving-antibody-treatment-needed-florida/
"The Biden administration this week slashed the doses of lifesaving coronavirus antibody treatment to Florida, giving the state less than half of what is needed for a routine week, prioritizing “equitable distribution” — a move some suspect is a form of revenge against Republican governors whom the president vowed to get “out of the way.”"

[Scott O]

Bill 12:37 - You're forgetting the time Trump COULD have gone to war with Iran. Remember how the Dems and the LSM were just frightened out of their minds with the awful terrible calamity that Trump MIGHT have caused. Oh, they just wet themselves castigating Trump for what they thought that Trump might have been capable of.
And don't be too hard on Milley - you just know that he wouldn't mind one bit if a junior grade officer went behind his back to warn the higher ups about how everyone in the military needs to only follow legal orders and possibly not any from Milley.
My goodness - haven't we all seen Dr Strangelove?
Remember - as long as the Dems can say they are frightened of something - that makes it a real reality.
No other proof is necessary.
Ain't we livin' in a swell time?

[Bill Tozer]

Scott O @ 1:05 pm

Wow. Amazing. I was thinking earlier this morning that a younger (younger than now) George C. Scott would be the perfect fit to play the role of Miley The Rogue General. ‘I did it for my country ‘ as he is shooting it out with the military forces trying to extricate The Rogue General from his fortified bunker. The passing thought of Dr. Strangeglove as listened to the radio was the catalyst for seeing George C Scott as the The Rogue General.

[Bill Tozer]

Wind stopped blowing caused by Climate Change Catastrophe so we need more green energy, right? What do I win?

"CLIMATE SUMMIT IN JEOPARDY?
These ought to be the green salad days for the climatistas. They are within an ace of getting a cornucopia of “Green New Deal” spending enacted by Congress, but more importantly corporate America has thrown in the towel, and pledged its fealty to the Climate Catechism of “carbon net-neutrality” by mid-century if not sooner. This includes even major carbon-based energy companies like Exxon-Mobil, who have essentially announced their agreement to go out of business. Eventually.

Of course, there are embarrassing headlines reminding us of how reality intrudes on the green dreams:"

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/climate-summit-in-jeopardy.php

Maybe this Christmas I will put a lump of coal in the green stockings.

[scenes]

Speaking of Milley.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/16/alexander-vindman-calls-gen-milley-resign-over-china-calls/8360646002/

In Strangelovian terms, the good General doesn't appear to be lacking in precious bodily fluids.

[Bill Tozer]

Speaking of Miley........

Exit question: Did Nancy Pelosi participate in a coup?

[Don Bessee]

With the blood on his hands still wet from the bagram bungle he now plunges his arms into the blood in an ever bigger way. Death panels for red states, more will die just like the nursing home policies of the socialist dems. -

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/09/16/outrage-builds-as-biden-denies-life-saving-coronavirus-meds-in-feud-with-gop-governors/

;-)

[George Rebane]

Administrivia - please collect your continued C19 comments under 'The Canadian COVID Conspiracy ...'. Thanks.

[Don Bessee]

These guys lie so much they have no cred at all. But having a nuke sub repair facility on the west coast of Australia is too sweet as is them having a modern fleet of attack boats-

Austin assures China new partnership with UK, Australia 'not aimed at anyone'

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/austin-assures-china-partnership-uk-215911568.html

;-)

[Bill Tozer]

Milley:

Each time Milley recounts something, I flash on The Botox Queen. She said when the violent riots broke out in the Summer of Love that they were just using graffiti as an act of protest, no big deal. Nothing criminal. That is why when I read a take from Woodward's book, it sounds eerily familiar.

'General Milley told Trump the George Floyd protests were no big deal'

https://nypost.com/2021/09/17/milley-told-trump-the-george-floyd-protests-were-no-big-deal/

[Bill Tozer]

re: update. Dr. Rebane’s opinion piece in The Union.

Channeling Brother Todd, this is what I wrote in reply in the local fish wrapper. I am fully aware of the no link policy, thus awaiting moderation. I feel it’s one topic, but I could be wrong. Doubt it. :)

AWAITING MODERATION
“Interesting essay on civil rights and the post civil rights era. Whether this link ever sees the light of day makes no matter to me. MLK’s dream is not what what is desired no more. Moving past the legal and into a new post-legal realm.”

‘George Floyd and the Rise of the Rival Constitution’
https://quillette.com/2021/09/17/george-floyd-political-violence-and-the-rise-of-the-rival-constitution/

[Bill Tozer]

re: Milley, aka, My-lai

As Lt William Calley once said, “What, Me Lai?”

[Bill Tozer]

Buffalo Philharmonic: No White or Asian Conductors Need Apply

“The BPO’s posting is one of the most brazen attempts by an American orchestra to expunge classical music’s history of racism by using the tool of racism. It also might be the first to clearly contravene federal equal-employment-opportunity rules, which state that no job posting can discourage an applicant to apply because of his or her race. But without any apparent backlash forthcoming from orchestra members, board members, or audiences, this is unlikely to be the last.

How do orchestras like the BPO expect to get away with this if confronted? They may, again, contend that these positions are merely fellowships — not jobs — and therefore not subject to federal employment law. The position’s very description, however, belies this defense.”

https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/09/buffalo-philharmonic-no-white-or-asian-conductors-need-apply/

Exactly like Fauci’s adamant denial of funding Gain of Function research. It has every hallmark of Gain of Function, meets every single criteria for Gain of Function in application, but lets not call it Gain of Function. Or, if you prefer, CRT is not being taught in schools. Only it’s basic tenets are.

[Bill Tozer]

re: America the Unnatural. The Union column. And thoughts.

During the election run of 2016 and after the primaries, Cruz supporter Mark Levin looked out and saw that Trump was out there all by his lonesome duking it out with the Lefty Democrat Media and no support from the Republicans. He was being attacked on all sides, getting carpet bombed. Mark said to the radio audience Trump was not his choice (with Cruz being a devote Constitutionalist as written, so as is Levin) but said, “Hey, that’s our guy dangling alone in the wind. Do you want Hillary to win? Let’s give the man a hand”. At least get someone to go on cable shows and counter. Which, of course, the media labeled Trump’s few on TV “operatives’ as opposed to Hillary ‘supporters’.

For some unexplained reason Mark Levin’s words came to mind as I was reading the comments in response (reaction) to ‘America the Unnatural.’

Here is two articles. Both hit the same theme. One written before the Recall Election. one after. Both in their own way are a call to arms. I was reluctant to post these before, but after seeing Dr. Rebane dangling in the wind silent on his column, well....Dr. Rebane will never ask for help or defenders (like Hilary Hodge...”Help, Jeff, they are attacking me!”) and will take it all in in silence.

The only thing I can do is let the column’s words speak for itself, respond to that, and not bend a knee. Better than nothing. We got a country to save. Rally cries with prudence.

1) ‘What The Right Needs Now Is The Courage To Fight Even If It Costs Us’
All of a sudden, the conservative project is not a conservative one, so much as a counter-revolutionary one

https://thefederalist.com/2021/09/14/what-the-right-needs-now-is-the-courage-to-fight-even-if-it-costs-us/
—————————————
From one of my favorite short fat old Jewish ladies ; Ammo Grrrll, always a fun read.

THOUGHTS FROM THE AMMO LINE.
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/thoughts-from-the-ammo-line-394.php

Last paragraph
“One of the lessons of this very entertaining book is that in the fight against Goliath — Big Tech, greedy government, corporate fools, media morons, and academic asshats — a whole lot of ordinary Davids (and one Husky dog) can win enough skirmishes to fight another day. But like in poker, you “gotta be in to win.” Passive resistance is a start. But sooner or later, we have to take the fight to the liberty-haters. “Social Credit” points the way, and does so with a lot of laughs and nary a superhero in the bunch. Just ordinary people whose superpowers are mockery and grit.”

[Scott O]

BT 8:27 - There's such an opportunity for fun here.
Hire a bunch of white and Asian guys to show up for the job dressed to the 9's in tuxes with the old fashioned tails just like Toscanini.
Of course they're all in black face carrying slices of watermelon.
Maybe have signs around their neck proclaiming:
I voted for Biden, so you KNOW I'm black.
When they're all turned away, they can start screaming "racism" and burn the place to the ground.

[Bill Tozer]

Oh Scott. That is rather extreme, isn’t it?
Nay, just say they turned ‘away a tone deaf legend in his/her entitled mind ‘Flim-Flam’ Black Man/Woman for a Rachel Dolezal (American Instructor) and step far back and let them burn their own place to the ground. Not those in the orchestra, but the hordes and buses that will descend on the place and boy o boy, are they ever pissed and in no mood to talk about it. . That’s my fantasy. :)

Long, but in the mood. Orchestra stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enuOArEfqGo

Hey, anybody know if the Bidenmaniacs are tied of losing yet.? Talk about a rough time of it for two weeks straight.. Strike the two bad weeks in a row talk. Or is it 3.? They were all packed up and heading for a nice week long break when BOOM! It’s the 3 AM phone call and you blew it when it was your turn at the helm. Fail. Boom.

Long 8 months. Feels a heck of longer than that.

[Bill Tozer]

Mommie, I am hungry.

WILL “GREEN” ENERGY DESTROY EUROPE?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/09/will-green-energy-destroy-europe.php

[scenes]

Sweet. Got it in one. Things are rarely what they seem.

"LOL. I've never seen such a slickly engineered brand creation as this FB "whistleblower." While actual whistleblowers linger in prison, exile and bankruptcy, her star keeps rising. Catch her next on this Yale panel, where she'll urge more government control over the internet:"

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1446476833449463809