Scattershots – 8sep22 (updated 14sep22)

George Rebane

Accuse them of your own sins.  That longstanding advice to our Left comes from both Lenin and Alinsky.  Today no one knows that the Democrats were the first election deniers, seeking to overturn the 2004 election in favor of John Kerry by not certifying Ohio’s electoral votes on the House floor on 6 January 2005.  Fortunately, the 31 Democrats’ votes were not enough to carry the day and Bush2 remained our president.  One of those election deniers was James Clyburn (D-SC) whose last-minute endorsement of Biden flipped his faltering campaign just before the election.  Imagine what would have happened had the corrupt FBI also not helped mangle the 2020 election by keeping Hunter’s laptop under the rug.  (more here)

Economists are becoming more dismal than ever.  (Don’t even call it ‘the dismal science’, there is nothing scientific about that field of pseudo-sorcery.  Be especially wary when an economist argues with equations.)  The latest example comes from the “leadership” of the American Economic Association that announced the mandates for attendees at their January 2023 New Orleans conference.  All must have been vaccinated with one additional booster shot, and wear a mask that at least as good as the N-95.  Nowhere else at the hotel venue, in the city, or overwhelmingly in most of the country, are people still subjected to such unscientific protocols.  It’s hard to think of another ‘discipline’ in which its demonstrated error-prone practitioners are still accepted and continue to be cited. (more here)

One of Jo Ann’s ‘Hits & Misses’ in today’s Union was censored.  She has been one of the longest-serving members of the paper’s editorial board, and under previous publishers has never had any of her submissions rejected, even the occasional ones critical of the publication.  She submitted the following Miss regarding the recent treatment of RL Crabb’s cartoons, which have recently been printed in hard-to-read, washed out, black and white while other cartoons continue in their full color formats - Miss to The Union which demoted favorite, local political cartoonist RL Crabb’s offerings to a faded black and white format.  That’s no way to treat such talent. Please bring back his witty, vibrant political cartoons in color.  The times they are a-changin’.

Addendum - Please allow me to expand the reasonable basis on which one may conclude that Bob Crabb’s work has been discriminated against.  In an email exchange The Union’s leadership claims that they have no control over which pages the printer decides to print in black & white, to them it is a random process.  Now allow for a moment that we consider the last two months or nine weeks during which The Union has published 45 op-ed cartoons.  Bob submits two per week, and the rest are selected from a potpourri of syndicated cartoonists.  That means that Bob submitted 18 cartoons, all of which appeared in faded black and white.  While I don’t recollect any b/w syndicated printings, but to be generous, assume that one in ten of the 27, or between two and three of the syndicated ones also appeared in black and white.

With this understanding in hand, we know that the probability was 0.1 that the first Crabb cartoon happened to be black and white.  The probability that his second one was similarly b/w is 0.1 x 0.1 = 0.01.  In the same manner, the third b/w cartoon appeared with probability 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1 = 0.001, or a chance of one in a thousand.  Continuing this calculation for all 18 of Bob’s cartoons yields the mind boggling miniscule probability of 10^(-18) = 0.000,000,000,000,000,001 or one billionth of a billionth that such a run of b/w cartoons would have occurred from the claimed random process – talk about highly improbable.  It is clear that any reasonable person with a smidgen of understanding of the above would reject the The Union’s characterization of the process along with the claim of no bias against RL Crabb’s work.

As a coda to the above argument, I want to remind readers that RR has always supported the rights of private sector enterprises to manage their own relationships and conduct their business affairs as they see fit – subject as always to a minimum set of regulations and laws that prevent parties from doing gratuitous harm to each other.  In this case The Union and RL Crabb are both private sector parties, and are free to negotiate any mutually acceptable working relationship, including one that contains discriminatory provisions.  At the same time others, including the customers and consumers of products and services provided by a business, are always free to criticize the business for any reason or no reason at all.  In sum, I oppose the kinds of discrimination against RL Crabb and Jo Ann Rebane described above, and I do it without impugning The Union’s right to so discriminate.  The discriminating reader(sic) will understand that an instance of discrimination and the right to discriminate are independent notions/issues.

[11sep22 update]  Seattle has cracked the homeless problem.  They plan to spend $66.5M to build a “homeless megaplex” that will house 500 homeless to be maintained by 400 staffers costing in excess of $22M/yr to keep open, and the indigents and crazies from killing themselves and each other. (more here)  Fantastic!  That comes to costing more than $50K/yr for getting one homeless off the streets.  So let’s apply the Seattle solution to the national problem consisting today of about 575,000 homeless.  That will cost the country’s taxpayers about $76B to kick off the program and over $25B/yr to keep the nation’s streets clean of derelicts, needles, and feces.  Not sure who all are going to pay for the Seattle project.  I suspect they’re going to pass the hat to the rest of America to solve their problem in the Puget Sound area.  And, of course, if this template is applied nationwide, then we all pay.  But think of the extra benefit from such a public ‘investment’; it will require the training and hiring of about 460,000 low skilled (pre-homeless?) workers to take care of the 575,000 homeless, an almost one-for-one ratio of government keeper per bum.  Bum?  That was a popular label in less enlightened years that described “a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer, idler, tramp, hobo, or derelict.”  Bring on the megaplexes, one in every neighborhood.

 [14sep22 update]  Nevada County’s sales tax will be increased by 0.5% if a majority of voters approve Measure V in November.  The anticipated $12M annual take will go into the county’s general fund to be spent as the supervisors determine.  However, the tax is being sold under the guise that “the money would go toward fire prevention and mitigation efforts.”  A local judge ruled that the voters would not be confused by this double labeling of the new tax.  According to the unfathomable legal logic used in our corrupt legal system, the judge stated that “… this court is satisfied that should Measure V be adopted, the public would have been adequately informed that it was adopting a general tax.” (more here)  Experience advises otherwise – all will focus on the wildfire aspect and few will discern that it is really a general tax increase which depends on the promise of politicians to be spent as advertised.  Would it be correctly represented to the voters as a specific use tax, then it would require a 2/3 super-majority approval to pass it.  IMHO the tax passage requirements should be reversed – 2/3 to approve a general fund tax, and simple majority to approve a specific purpose tax.  Better yet, 2/3 to approve all tax increases.  Thoughts?

National Conservatives are a relatively new branch of the GOP and have some nuanced yet important differences with those who view themselves more as ‘Reagan conservatives’.  I find some tenets of their ideology attractive, and easily accepted by the conservetarian in me.  Since we’ll be talking more about national conservatives and national conservatism, I recommend that interested readers get acquainted with this version of conservatism.  (more here)

Comments

[Gregory]

Color is expensive and Crabbman isn't that great.

How about the washed out b&w in print and glorious color online?

[Gregory]

"You’ll have to trust Republicans to be the steward of your rights, because you won’t be allowed to choose your representatives. If anything, the red states will have free reign to pass any kind of repressive legislation that suits their purposes. They’ve already gerrymandered their way into a permanent statewide electoral majority and replaced many secretaries of state with political hacks. If you think the Supreme Court will stop them, think again. The Supremes believe the legislatures of the fifty states make the laws, and the court is only there to support them.

Scott O. and George don’t think there will be any armed resistance to their coup. Hardy har har. Americans are the most revolting people on earth, and it won’t just be the far left leading the charge. They’ll be facing a good chunk of real Republicans, the military and millions of independents who value their freedom more than the empty promises of traitorous politicians."

-R.L.Crabb

Crabb has all the political sense of punchy, and about the same amount of formal schooling.

[George Rebane]

The expense of color appears to afflict only Crabb. The other cartoonists get theirs printed in full glorious colors by Technicolor.

[Gregory]

gr 135p

So what? That's between them and The Union.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 342pm - Of course it is. (And these pages make clear of my take on the ideological content of Bob's cartoons.) But the whole point of Hits & Misses is to publish the opinions and attitudes of the contributors who are free to draw conclusions and comment. From the evidence of how the syndicated cartoons vs Crabb's offerings have been treated, it easy to draw a reasonable conclusion that he has somehow unfairly fallen in favor, and therefore object to such treatment. And just to put a bow on it, I'll make that assertion clear with a little bit of elementary probabilistics.

[Whole Foods]

False equivalence on Rove's part in his recent WSJ opinion piece.

Here is what happened,

"The move was not designed to overturn the re-election of President Bush, said Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and California Sen. Barbara Boxer, who filed the objection.

The objecting Democrats, most of whom are House members, said they wanted to draw attention to the need for aggressive election reform in the wake of what they said were widespread voter problems."

"The House of Representatives and Senate met Thursday afternoon in a constitutionally mandated session to count the electoral votes. Vice President Dick Cheney, in his role as president of the Senate, presided over the session.

The results from each state, read in alphabetical order, were ticked through quickly until Ohio was called, and a clerk read the letter of objection from Boxer and Tubbs Jones.

Cheney then ordered the lawmakers back to their respective chambers for two hours of debate on the merits of the challenge."

https://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/01/06/electoral.vote.1718/

There was no 5 month lead up by a candidate stating that if he lost, it was because "they" cheated. There was no conspiracy to derail the process, no storming the of Capitol.

A letter was politely read stating an objection.

More whataboutery.

[Gregory]

It's a matter between RL and TU and The Syndicate that TU didn't think appropriate for your missus' Miss missive.

It's just bidness.

[fish]

Oh my.....something appropriate for Scattershots!

Sanctuary Cities Seethe as Illegal Immigrants Actually Arrive.

HORSE LAUGH!!!

https://www.newsweek.com/sanctuary-cities-seethe-illegal-immigrants-actually-arrive-opinion-1734120

[Bill Tozer]

re: last sentence in this post

Please bring back his witty, vibrant political cartoons in color. The times they are a-changin’.

My my, doc…throwing a little Dylan on the end was a nice touch. It I read that correctly, it was your add-on to Jo Anne standing tall with principle and speaking out for the rights of the little guy, be he (he in this case) a community asset or not, being a libhole (old term discarded to add some class to my act) or not, BUT because he is a child of the universe, no less that the moon or the stars, he has a right to be here. Principles before personalities.

OTOH, I’m sure RL has thrown back a few bottles of Rebane’s cheapo red wine himself aon a comfortable couch in the firelight glow and soft comfort of home at the The Rebane Abode sometime in the past. Trying to saw RL when loaded comes out as Earl for some odd reason. :)

Darn, Jo Ann, you, Crabbman, and Punchy are all community assets.

Nothing wrong with Jo Anne bringing it to the editor’s attention. It’s not like Jo Anne fired off an angry nasty gram to the Union about it and got thrown in the circular file. Wait. Don’t matter if Jo Ann wrote a beautiful letter or not, devoid of snark and anger or not….she still got the boot, ROFLMAO.

Tells me the new owners have sent someone to GV that has thin skin. And that liberal lady
that co-oversees the whole company operations in the field out of Marysville or somewhere is one flaming lib. White Woman, ample sized wide big white lady. A flaming lib and proud of it.

Hey, the Union does not work for the Red Cross. So, the are already erasing Crabb, eh? Kind of ironic that it’s a cartoon by the artist that is a visual of RL being rubbed out. Next up is the fade to black. Or not.

[Scott O]

Crabb "You’ll have to trust Republicans to be the steward of your rights, because you won’t be allowed to choose your representatives."

Looks like poor Crabby is using some poor quality street drugs.
Who knows what they lace them with these days.

[Paul Emery]

Silly personal attack on Bob Crabb, a community treasure, by Scott who has nothing better to offer the conversation.

[psfish]

Posted by: psul Emery | 08 September 2022 at 08:17 PM

You’re whining again psul!

[Scott O]

Paul, the "community treasure" as you call him came up with a baseless and insane attack against me first if you wish to be accurate. His rant is mindless nonsense. There is no one he can quote to back that BS up with.
His "summary" of my thoughts are based on nothing but some kind of either drug induced brain fog or just hate fueled lies.
You will notice that Crabb provides zero links to what he claims I stand for.
Hmmmm...
And that sounds a lot like another lefty that attempts articulation here.

[Don Bessee]

Interesting that the nazis and soviets hated jews just like out dem socialist. Not knowing about history sets the stage to repeat in this case pograms from the old days -

Google workers in Durham protest company’s cloud partnership with Israel

https://www.yahoo.com/news/google-workers-durham-protest-company-235802324.html

;-)

[Don Bessee]

Talk about a lack of self-awareness -

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/09/08/d-c-council-member-blames-republican-govs-migrant-crisis-they-turned-us-into-border-town/

;-)

[Bill Tozer]

I don’t know about you, but just the visual of Crabbman with Dr. Rebane and his lovely bride tossing back champagne while basking in the warm glow of firelight warms to cockles of me hearth.

The times they are a changing.

[Gregory]

Jeeze, Louise, George, calm down.
I saw no reason to believe there was a nefarious selection process... something as simple as they'd like to have no strips in color but the 'toons under syndication were required to run in color while Crabby's had no contractual obligations, noble or otherwise, is perfectly possible.

Given it's between The Union and Crabbman, and I am neither, it's no skin off my knuckles. Not my business nor is it yours.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 454pm - While I admit a deficit in defining what is or not your business, I see that you have overcome that limitation with regard to others. How did you do it?

[Gregory]

gr 553p

You invited comment by posting here.

[George Rebane]

Gregory 955am - Indeed I did, and thank you. But what's interesting to most readers is how people who confidently know what's whose business come to such conclusions - i.e. what's their communicable basis for such decisions.

[Gregory]

You retorts seem to be variations of a charge of hypocrisy, which generally falls flat, and I don't "confidently know what's whose business", whatever that means.

[George Rebane]

To know 'what is whose business' is a straightforward concept. Hypocrisy doesn't enter into it. Some people claim to know it, many don't. I mostly fall into the latter category.

[Bill Tozer]

Re: Sept 11 update:

If you are going to San Francisco …don’t….stop! Visual aides:

‘Soft-touch' San Francisco leaders now call for 'IDEAS' to be given to them within 90 days to end open-air drug markets 'without anyone going to jail': Overdose deaths hit 1,700 since 2020 as users run rampant across the city

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11192227/Soft-touch-San-Francisco-leaders-call-IDEAS-end-open-air-drug-markets.html
——————————
Guess we all heard about the tech company in downtown Seattle that when the pandemic ended, the tech company told its employees to stay home and do remote working and do not come back to the office. Streets have become too dangerous, stay away until further notice.

Do you know what it does to a downtown in a bigger city when all the office workers and such leave? It leaves empty streets at lunch time, no bustling of activity, none of the energy and activity that gives a city its vibrant feel. Death of a downtown. Bordered up businesses. Big retailers closed down except maybe for their flagship store….then the Wal-Greens and Starbucks and ATMs start to go.

It’s the same argument that we hear here every time there is talk about moving the Courthouse out of downtown. What about all the businesses and lunch crowd?

If you think Seattle is nuts, I have been following Olympia and Tacoma. Heck, even outside the campus of Evergreen State College is a giant homeless dope area that has all these nice grounds that would be perfect for a “camp”. What possibly could go wrong with a homeless camp on campus? All that green space…

It can’t happen here.

‘Our View: Consider the campground’
Our View OUR-VIEW | August 26, 2022

The Union Editorial Board
It wasn’t that long ago when some Nevada County supervisors blanched at the thought of a campground designated for homeless people.

Times, like our county, have changed
———————-
If you are going to San Fransico….
The story is about the city’s new “soft touch” approach to drug addiction and homelessness. “Nobody’s going to jail,” city officials say. No, they’re going straight to the morgue.

[Bill Tozer]

‘The fall of Los Angeles’
The ‘progressive’ elites have run the city of the future into the dirt.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/09/10/the-fall-of-los-angeles/

[Bill Tozer]

re: accuse them of your own sins. Florida Man Bad.

‘Democrats Aren’t ‘Divisive,’ They’re Desperate’

Democrats grow increasingly desperate as they continue to fail, so they’re hysterically attempting to brand Republican leaders as “authoritarian.”

“That we got from Point A — DeSantis is an exceptionally skilled and popular policy executive — to Point B — DeSantis as president would turn America into an authoritarian hellscape — should leave everyone reading this with severe neck pain from straining to find the logic.

To call this talk “divisive” is to give it way too much credit. This is panicked. Democrats have surely spotted a threat, but not to our system of government. The threat is to them.”

https://thefederalist.com/2022/09/09/democrats-arent-divisive-theyre-desperate/

[Bill Tozer]

Accuse them of your own sins, Democrat style.

‘Achtung, Baby! Your Historical Proof the Democrats Are Using the Nazi Playbook’

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/kevindowneyjr/2022/09/11/achtung-baby-your-historical-proof-the-democrats-are-using-the-nazi-playbook-n1628417

[Whole Foods]

PG Media?

https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/storm-troopers-elite-guards-and-secret-police

Sounds more like MAGA insurrectionists because they were associated with a political party and a "leader" that they idolize, like Hitler or Trump.

[Gregory]

hole fool 1243p

"PG Media?"
No, it isn't.

Facinghistory.org is a relentlessly "Progressive" 501c3 that creates classroom drivel for children like the link you shared.

You must be a "Progressive" teacher, or teacher wannabee. Or retired against their will "Progressive" teacher, like Keach.

[Don Bessee]

Gee one might question the timing of this right as ballots are about to go in the mail -

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/gma/roughly-40-subpoenas-recently-issued-221300511.html

;-)

[Bill Tozer]

‘We’re Screwed’: Seattle Hemorrhages Police Officers Amid Massive Crime Spike‘

https://dailycaller.com/2022/09/12/crime-police-defund-seattle/

[Whole Foods]

Thanks for sharing your opinion Gregwhorey. And what of PJMedia, MAGA influencers?
Typical headline, "The Commies and Pedos Are Taking Over Our Schools. Now What?"
Are you just pissed at the world? You come off like an angry bitch.

[Bill Tozer]

H/T to Don B

‘Texas school board fires teacher who told students not to judge pedophiles’
"You're not allowed to label people like that. Stop it, Diego. We're not gonna call them that."…..

“In a viral TikTok video, 53-year-old El Paso Franklin High School teacher Amber Parker can be heard arguing with a student about the use of the term "minor attracted persons," a euphemistic term for individuals with a sexual preference toward minors, or pedophiles. Neither Parker, nor any of the students can be clearly viewed.

"You're not allowed to label people like that. Stop it, Diego. We're not gonna call them that," Parker can be heard to say. "We're gonna call them MAPs, minor attracted persons. So don't judge people just because they wanna have sex with a five-year-old."

Multiple students can be heard voicing opposition to Parker's comments. The 18-second clip ends as one individual, who appears to be the one recording the video says "what the fuck?!"
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/education/texas-school-board-fires-teacher-who-told-students-not-judge-pedophiles

Whole Fools equals Minor Attracted Person.

[Whole Foods]

Gregwhorey,

Here is another article that will drive you into a rage,

"Throughout history, idolizing major political figures and parties has led countries down paths of destruction and dictatorship. In the most extreme example, as Adolf Hitler rose to prominence in Nazi Germany, common citizens and supporters began to see him as a god, cleansing their world of so-called “sins.” Viewing humans as any more than what they are — mortal and flawed — gives them inordinate power and far too much control over the public. Particularly in 2020, the public’s perception of politicians’ power has become heavily slanted. Their power is meant to be kept in check by people who are able to see the flaws in every party and politician; people who are hard to find nowadays.

Politicians are fundamentally actors..."

https://lhsepic.com/8595/opinion/idolizing-politicians-the-destruction-of-democracy/

[Gregory]

hole fool 717a

Projecting much?

Sophomoric op eds written by high school juniors for their school papers don't impress me or send me into rages, "hole".

[Gregory]

Here's an interesting piece:
https://reason.org/commentary/its-time-to-end-the-covid-emergency-and-limit-newsoms-state-of-emergency-powers/

48 states of emergency are operational in California. Gavin craves power and is holding on to it.

Trump when faced with folks trying desperately to kiss their own asses goodbye didn't call a national emergency, leaving that to Governors as the Constitution didn't grant the Feds that power over medical issues. Imagine that.

[Gregory]

2/3 for all works for me.

And an automatic sunset provision... it should come back to the ballot every 8 years or so.

[Scott O]

re the Sept 11th update:
We just returned from a few days in the Emerald City - the main buzz about the "homeless resort and spa" is that it will be built in Seattle's Chinatown and the local residents are furious as it seems they were never informed or consulted until the vote was taken by the council. Per usual - put the undesirables someplace near the area where the folks hold the least sway in city politics.
Seattle will put up a little money and then they are expecting the feds to kick in most of the dosh to set it up. Everyone knows it will be a disaster but the promise of millions of new fed dollars over-rides common sense. I did notice the encampments along the 5 just north of the downtown were gone. Where our son and daughter-in-law live (Crown Hill) is pretty free of crime and the Fremont and Montlake areas where they work are mostly peaceful. We did venture to the danger zone on Sunday night downtown to catch a show at Jazz Alley (Gerald Albright). We were rewarded to reality as we left the venue after the show and saw at least 8 police cars at both ends of Lenora on the south east side of Bezo's Balls and yellow tape cordoning off the street. Nothing to see here, folks - just a guy shot in the head.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/man-shot-to-death-in-seattles-denny-triangle-neighborhood/
"The death continues Seattle’s rash of homicides in 2022, including four people killed in five days in late August."
Just a summer rash - maybe a little socialist ointment will clear it up?
We figured lightning wouldn't strike twice in 2 days, so we went back Tuesday night to see Billy Cobham. Great show - just try to not notice the sorry scenes of drug addiction and mental illness on the streets as you enter and exit the building.
Walking around the neighborhood near their home, I see all the usual virtue-signalling signs (in rainbow stripes) proclaiming such infinite wisdoms as: "love is love" and "science is real". Boy howdy, are these folks just the smartest bunch ever?