powerlineblog--2020-12-11--What’s in a name change?  Part Three

What’s in a name change?  Part Three

As I discussed last night , the Falls Church School Board voted to rename Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and George Mason High School .
The vote was unanimous .
However , it did not reflect the views of students , parents , school staff , and community members associated with these schools .
In fact , the vote ran contrary to those views .
We know this because the school system conducted a survey .
About 3,500 people responded .
They included 1,332 parents , 208 staff members , 1,005 students , and 943 community members .
All of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Mason High , the overall split was 56 percent “ no ” and 26 percent “ yes , ” with the remainder expressing no opinion .
Students were the most likely group to favor the name change .
But even among them , “ no ” prevailed over “ yes ” 38-26 .
On Thomas Jefferson Elementary , the results were nearly the same .
Overall , 56 percent said “ no ” to changing the name and only 23 percent said “ yes.
” Here are the four most common reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be changed : They were , indeed , and it ’ s great that the Falls Church community still thinks these facts are in Jefferson ’ s and Mason ’ s favor .
I doubt that , even with the name change , teachers will miss a chance to remind students of the misdeeds of Jefferson .
This rationale seems like a way for people who want to keep the names to sound politically correct .
I think it was in Virginia among people who could afford to .
If the school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had the money , there ’ s a good chance they would have owned slaves .
The Falls Church community demonstrated good sense in its responses to this survey .
Unfortunately , the school board ignored the community ’ s wishes .
Woke elites all over America are doing the same thing in various contexts .
By so doing , they are fueling resentments that , in a well-functioning democracy , would be unlikely to bubble up , much less boil over .

As I discussed last night, the Falls Church School Board voted to rename Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and George Mason High School. The vote was unanimous.
However, it did not reflect the views of students, parents, school staff, and community members associated with these schools. In fact, the vote ran contrary to those views.
We know this because the school system conducted a survey. About 3,500 people responded. They included 1,332 parents, 208 staff members, 1,005 students, and 943 community members.
All of these groups opposed renaming the schools. On George Mason High, the overall split was 56 percent “no” and 26 percent “yes,” with the remainder expressing no opinion.
Students were the most likely group to favor the name change. But even among them, “no” prevailed over “yes” 38-26.
On Thomas Jefferson Elementary, the results were nearly the same. Overall, 56 percent said “no” to changing the name and only 23 percent said “yes.”
Here are the four most common reasons why respondents believe the school names should not be changed:
George Mason and Thomas Jefferson were Founding Fathers who made significant contributions to the founding of both Virginia and the United States of America.
They were, indeed, and it’s great that the Falls Church community still thinks these facts are in Jefferson’s and Mason’s favor.
Keeping the names would allow the division to embrace the history of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson and provide a way for students to learn from past mistakes. Changing the names would erase the history and remove that
opportunity.
I doubt that, even with the name change, teachers will miss a chance to remind students of the misdeeds of Jefferson. This rationale seems like a way for people who want to keep the names to sound politically correct.
George Mason and Thomas Jefferson owning slaves was a norm at the time.
I think it was in Virginia among people who could afford to. If the school board members had been around back then and had the money, there’s a good chance they would have owned slaves.
Changing the school names would be a waste of resources that could be better allocated to enhancing students’ educational experience.
The Falls Church community demonstrated good sense in its responses to this survey. Unfortunately, the school board ignored the community’s wishes.
Woke elites all over America are doing the same thing in various contexts. By so doing, they are fueling resentments that, in a well-functioning democracy, would be unlikely to bubble up, much less boil over.


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--What’s In a Name Change? Part 2

What’s In a Name Change? Part 2

Paul wrote here about schools in Northern Virginia dropping the names of Thomas Jefferson and George Mason , now deemed politically incorrect .
Here in Minnesota , we are going through something similar , even if it will not be familiar to a national audience .
Henry Sibley High School in St. Paul , named after Minnesota ’ s first governor , has repudiated its heritage and will change its name : A local school board voted this week to change the name of Henry Sibley High School , which is named after Minnesota ’ s first governor .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began the renaming process in early November .
The board heard from community members , local historians and the district ’ s American Indian liaison , who shared the “ perspectives she gathered from our American Indian families and students.
” What ’ s it all about ?
It has to do with the Sioux uprising of 1862 .
Beginning with a series of spree killings , it turned into a mass slaughter of white settlers along the Minnesota River .
The details were gruesome : most victims were women and children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Henry Sibley led the troops that rode to the rescue of the civilians who were being massacred by Sioux warriors .
The American settlers won the war , happily , and in the aftermath 303 Sioux warriors were sentenced to be hanged for crimes of which they were convicted by a hastily-assembled military tribunal .
President Lincoln had the trial transcripts sent to him , and he reviewed them personally , most likely in the middle of the night as the Civil War was going badly at the time .
Lincoln applied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow Indians to be punished if there was clear evidence that they committed either murder ( not killing an opponent in battle , but murdering a civilian , usually a woman or child ) or rape .
On that basis , only 38 Sioux were eventually hanged in Mankato , Minnesota .
Lincoln gave strict orders that federal troops protect the remaining , vast majority of Indian warriors from the appropriately angry whites .
So Henry Sibley was not as magnanimous as Abraham Lincoln .
That may have something to do with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Sioux massacres , the tortured and decapitated women and the infants nailed to tree trunks .
Sibley was as distinguished as anyone in this part of the country , in his era : But that cuts no ice with today ’ s liberals and spineless school administrators , who probably know little or nothing of the actual history of the 1862 war .
All they know is , if it is anti-American , they are on board with it .
Years ago , Scott and I went to the Minnesota Historical Society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Sioux warriors .
As you can imagine , they were intensely interesting .
We wrote an op-ed about the war and the ensuing punishment of Sioux criminals that was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune .
Since then , the idea that the Sioux massacres represent a dark chapter not in Sioux history , but in American and Minnesota history , has become pretty much universal .
Ignorance of the past is dangerous .

Paul wrote here about schools in Northern Virginia dropping the names of Thomas Jefferson and George Mason, now deemed politically incorrect. Here in Minnesota, we are going through something similar, even if it will not be familiar to a national audience. Henry Sibley High School in St. Paul, named after Minnesota’s first governor, has repudiated its heritage and will change its name:
A local school board voted this week to change the name of Henry Sibley High School, which is named after Minnesota’s first governor. The West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area School Board began the renaming process in early November. The board heard from community members, local historians and the district’s American Indian liaison, who shared the “perspectives she gathered from our American Indian families and students.”
What’s it all about? It has to do with the Sioux uprising of 1862. Beginning with a series of spree killings, it turned into a mass slaughter of white settlers along the Minnesota River. The details were gruesome: most victims were women and children, murdered in ways too horrific to describe. Henry Sibley led the troops that rode to the rescue of the civilians who were being massacred by Sioux warriors.
The American settlers won the war, happily, and in the aftermath 303 Sioux warriors were sentenced to be hanged for crimes of which they were convicted by a hastily-assembled military tribunal. President Lincoln had the trial transcripts sent to him, and he reviewed them personally, most likely in the middle of the night as the Civil War was going badly at the time.
Lincoln applied a strict standard: he would only allow Indians to be punished if there was clear evidence that they committed either murder (not killing an opponent in battle, but murdering a civilian, usually a woman or child) or rape. On that basis, only 38 Sioux were eventually hanged in Mankato, Minnesota. Lincoln gave strict orders that federal troops protect the remaining, vast majority of Indian warriors from the appropriately angry whites.
So Henry Sibley was not as magnanimous as Abraham Lincoln. That may have something to do with the fact that he saw the results of the Sioux massacres, the tortured and decapitated women and the infants nailed to tree trunks.
Sibley was as distinguished as anyone in this part of the country, in his era:
In addition to being Minnesota’s first governor, Sibley was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota, a founding member of the Minnesota Historical Society, and a colonel during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.
But that cuts no ice with today’s liberals and spineless school administrators, who probably know little or nothing of the actual history of the 1862 war. All they know is, if it is anti-American, they are on board with it.
Years ago, Scott and I went to the Minnesota Historical Society and read the transcripts of the trials of the Sioux warriors. As you can imagine, they were intensely interesting. We wrote an op-ed about the war and the ensuing punishment of Sioux criminals that was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Since then, the idea that the Sioux massacres represent a dark chapter not in Sioux history, but in American and Minnesota history, has become pretty much universal. Ignorance of the past is dangerous.


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--That Was Then, This Is Now

That Was Then, This Is Now

Liberal hypocrisy and inconsistency are impossible to overestimate .
Here are two instances , both from today ’ s InstaPundit @ @ @ @ @ , I tend to assume that Power Line readers all read InstaPundit daily , but @ @ @ @ @ true .
If you aren ’ t checking Glenn Reynolds ’ site , now with @ @ @ @ @ , at least a couple of times a day , you should . )
We @ @ @ @ @ this kind of thing than usual as Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump in the White @ @ @ @ @ will be the size of a black hole .

Liberal hypocrisy and inconsistency are impossible to overestimate. Here are two instances, both from today’s InstaPundit. (By the way, I tend to assume that Power Line readers all read InstaPundit daily, but that probably isn’t true. If you aren’t checking Glenn Reynolds’ site, now with other contributors from PJ Media, at least a couple of times a day, you should.)
We will see even more of this kind of thing than usual as Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump in the White House. The memory hole will be the size of a black hole.


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--The Latest on the COVID Vaccine

The Latest on the COVID Vaccine

“ Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time.
” Winston Churchill “ Proclaim Liberty throughout @ @ @ @ @ the Inhabitants Thereof.
” Inscription on the Liberty Bell

“Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time.” Winston Churchill
“Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.” Inscription on the Liberty Bell


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--Kim Gardner disqualified from prosecuting Mark McCloskey

Readers will recall that Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia pointed guns at BLM protesters outside their home in St. Louis last July , and that Kim Gardner , the incompetent left-wing St. Louis circuit attorney , decided to prosecute the McCloskeys .
But thanks to a ruling by a St. Louis judge , Gardner will not be allowed to prosecute Mark McCloskey ; nor will her office be permitted to do so .
The reason ?
Gardner exploited the McCloskeys in fundraising emails during her reelection campaign .
Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II found that two of Gardner ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she “ initiated a criminal prosecution for political purposes.
” The emails , said Clark , were “ tailored to use the June 28 incident [ involving the McCloskey ’ s ] to solicit money by positioning her against defendant and her more vocal critics.
” I believe Gardner ’ s decision to prosecute the McCloskey ’ s was ideologically based , not the product of a desire to raise funds .
However , she did drag the McCloskeys into her fundraising effort , albeit not by name .
The first email , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCloskeys , states in relevant part : You might be familiar with the story of the couple who brandished guns during a peaceful protest outside of their mansion .
Well , today the Governor of Missouri weighed in , telling the press : President Trump understands the situation in .
.
.St .
Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to let violent criminals off .
.
.and try to attack law abiding citizens .
Instead of fighting for the millions of Americans affected by the pandemic .
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the two who pointed guns at peaceful protesters during the Black Lives Matter protests .
.
.
.
Kim needs your help to fight back .
And right now she ’ s under national security from our divisive president , the Republican establishment of Missouri , and the right-wing media .
.
.
.
Will you show Kim you stand with her and rush a donation today ?
St. Louis will have an opportunity to re-elect progressive circuit attorney Kim Gardner , who time and again has shown she isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accountable who are perpetuating a system of systemic racism and police brutality .
The second email , sent after the decision to prosecute was announced , states with regard to that prosecution : In the last 24 hours , there has been a lot of national attention surrounding Kim ’ s decision to press charges against a couple that brandished guns at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters .
For merely doing her job , Kim has received death threats , been attacked by Donald Trump , and berated by Missouri ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is what happens when leaders like Kim stand up against a system that elevates the privileged and powerful .
Does this kind of language warrant disqualification of a prosecutor ?
I don ’ t know .
Clearly Gardner , in addition to exploiting her unpopularity with President Trump and others , was exploiting the McCloskey situation , even though she didn ’ t mention their names .
However , the first email doesn ’ t say the McCloskeys will be prosecuted .
Does it imply this ?
Maybe .
The second email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , I imagine that other prosecutors running for office point to cases they have brought against defendants or types of defendants who are unpopular in the community .
That seems like fair game .
Frankly , I don ’ t know the law in this area well enough to say whether Judge Clark made the right decision .
In any event , the decision will have a salutary consequence .
It means that another , presumably less ideologically contaminated , prosecutor ’ s office will take a fresh look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Judge Clark ’ s decision applies only to Mark McCloskey .
The case against his wife is before another judge .
A motion to disqualify Gardner and her office is pending in that case .
Missouri ’ s governor has already said he will pardon the McCloskeys if they are convicted .
A prosecutor considering whether to pursue the case against one or both of the McCloskeys might see this as a reason to drop the matter if it ’ s a close call .

Readers will recall that Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia pointed guns at BLM protesters outside their home in St. Louis last July, and that Kim Gardner, the incompetent left-wing St. Louis circuit attorney, decided to prosecute the McCloskeys. But thanks to a ruling by a St. Louis judge, Gardner will not be allowed to prosecute Mark McCloskey; nor will her office be permitted to do so.
The reason? Gardner exploited the McCloskeys in fundraising emails during her reelection campaign.
Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II found that two of Gardner’s fundraising emails raise the appearance that she “initiated a criminal prosecution for political purposes.” The emails, said Clark, were “tailored to use the June 28 incident [involving the McCloskey’s] to solicit money by positioning her against defendant and her more vocal critics.”
I believe Gardner’s decision to prosecute the McCloskey’s was ideologically based, not the product of a desire to raise funds. However, she did drag the McCloskeys into her fundraising effort, albeit not by name.
The first email, sent before Gardner pressed charges against the McCloskeys, states in relevant part:
You might be familiar with the story of the couple who brandished guns during a peaceful protest outside of their mansion. Well, today the Governor of Missouri weighed in, telling the press: President Trump understands the situation in. . .St. Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to let violent criminals off. . .and try to attack law abiding citizens. Instead of fighting for the millions of Americans affected by the pandemic. . .President Trump and the Governor are fighting for the two who pointed guns at peaceful protesters during the Black Lives Matter protests. . . . Kim needs your help to fight back. And right now she’s under national security from our divisive president, the Republican establishment of Missouri, and the right-wing media. . . . Will you show Kim you stand with her and rush a donation today? St. Louis will have an opportunity to re-elect progressive circuit attorney Kim Gardner, who time and again has shown she isn’t afraid to stand up and hold those accountable who are perpetuating a system of systemic racism and police brutality.
(Emphasis in original)
The second email, sent after the decision to prosecute was announced, states with regard to that prosecution:
In the last 24 hours, there has been a lot of national attention surrounding Kim’s decision to press charges against a couple that brandished guns at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters. For merely doing her job, Kim has received death threats, been attacked by Donald Trump, and berated by Missouri’s Governor, Senator and Attorney General. This is what happens when leaders like Kim stand up against a system that elevates the privileged and powerful.
Does this kind of language warrant disqualification of a prosecutor? I don’t know.
Clearly Gardner, in addition to exploiting her unpopularity with President Trump and others, was exploiting the McCloskey situation, even though she didn’t mention their names.
However, the first email doesn’t say the McCloskeys will be prosecuted. Does it imply this? Maybe.
The second email touts the decision to prosecute the McCloskeys. However, I imagine that other prosecutors running for office point to cases they have brought against defendants or types of defendants who are unpopular in the community. That seems like fair game.
Frankly, I don’t know the law in this area well enough to say whether Judge Clark made the right decision.
In any event, the decision will have a salutary consequence. It means that another, presumably less ideologically contaminated, prosecutor’s office will take a fresh look at the case and decide whether prosecution is warranted.
Judge Clark’s decision applies only to Mark McCloskey. The case against his wife is before another judge. A motion to disqualify Gardner and her office is pending in that case.
Missouri’s governor has already said he will pardon the McCloskeys if they are convicted. A prosecutor considering whether to pursue the case against one or both of the McCloskeys might see this as a reason to drop the matter if it’s a close call.


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Laughter Is the Best Medicine


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--Sullivan’s last sally revisited

Sullivan’s last sally revisited

Judge Emmet Sullivan ’ s refusal to grant the government ’ s initial motion to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn commits a rank injustice that conflicts with the applicable law .
One would never know from his behavior in the case that he is bound by canons of judicial ethics intended to protect the integrity of our system of justice and to deter the disgrace he has brought on the judiciary .
Sullivan ’ s 43-page memorandum opinion dismissing the case on grounds of mootness now stands as the final chapter in the disgrace he has wrought .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my own way in “ Sullivan ’ s last sally.
” Professor Jonathan Turley makes the points I sought to make much more stylishly in the Hill column “ Flynn ’ s case finally ends — but not before Judge Sullivan flogs a corpse.
” Turley calls out Sullivan ’ s judicial misconduct , though he doesn ’ t put it quite that way .
Given the egregious nature of Sullivan ’ s misconduct , I am somewhat surprised it hasn ’ t attracted more comment .
Turley disturbs the silence in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still falls short of a full accounting of the extent of Sullivan ’ s misconduct .

Judge Emmet Sullivan’s refusal to grant the government’s initial motion to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn commits a rank injustice that conflicts with the applicable law. One would never know from his behavior in the case that he is bound by canons of judicial ethics intended to protect the integrity of our system of justice and to deter the disgrace he has brought on the judiciary.
Sullivan’s 43-page memorandum opinion dismissing the case on grounds of mootness now stands as the final chapter in the disgrace he has wrought. These are the points I sought to make in my own way in “Sullivan’s last sally.”
Professor Jonathan Turley makes the points I sought to make much more stylishly in the Hill column “Flynn’s case finally ends — but not before Judge Sullivan flogs a corpse.” Turley calls out Sullivan’s judicial misconduct, though he doesn’t put it quite that way.
Given the egregious nature of Sullivan’s misconduct, I am somewhat surprised it hasn’t attracted more comment. Turley disturbs the silence in this thoughtful column, which I believe still falls short of a full accounting of the extent of Sullivan’s misconduct.


powerlineblog--2020-12-11--Now it can be told

Now it can be told

We closely covered the New York Post stories on Hunter Biden ’ s laptop from hell in the run-up to the election .
Anyone who took a close look at the story could see a self-authenticating element in it and , indeed , every piece of additional reporting that followed up on the Post ’ s reporting corroborated it .
Yet the garbage media ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Post to NPR to CBS and CNN all rushed to suppress the story .
They suppressed the story to defeat Donald Trump and protect Joe Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the garbage media to suppress the story .
This week the Biden bidet comms team itself let on that Hunter Biden is the target of a criminal probe consistent with the Post ’ s reportage .
The bidet released statements crafted in the name of Hunter and his old man , emphasis on old .
In the interest of defusing coming attractions , the story must be intimated .
What a shock this must be to those who get their “ news ” from the garbage media .
The New York Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be learned from this turn of events .
Miranda Devine assesses that “ The Biden family put national security at risk.
” Devine , by the way , links to the just-released final draft of the Senate Homeland Security/Finance Majority Committee report Hunter Biden , Burisma , and Corruption : The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns .
Devine covers a lot of ground ( with links ) in this valuable column .
The Post took a lot of heat from the garbage media for breaking the story of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sohrab Ahmari looks back in “ Media disgraceful in trying to suppress Post ’ s Hunter Biden reporting.
” The Post also runs David Harsanyi ’ s column “ How the media covered up the Hunter Biden story — until after the election.
” The Post itself comments in the editorial “ Surprised by Hunter Biden criminal probe ?
Blame media collusion.
” Speaking of “ collusion , ” one key to the garbage media ’ s suppression of the story was the letter disseminated to the garbage media by more than 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , James Clapper , Michael Hayden , Michael Morell , et al .
— to assert that the laptop emails allegedly belonging to Joe Biden ’ s son “ ha [ d ] all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.
” “ Russian disinformation ” instantly became the party line of the garbage media .
The “ collusion ” of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the garbage media was of course instrumental in the Russia hoax perpetrated by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party over the past four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again for a sort of alumni reunion .
On Twitter Mollie Hemingway is having a field day dredging up the garbage media archives for students of ancient history , vintage October 2020 .
Here we have Lesley Stahl of of CBS News/60 Minutes condescending to the president of the United States as she instructs him on the falsity of the story .
Well done , Lesley .
Here we have CNN ’ s Christiane Amanpour patronizing a member of the Trump campaign to explain there ’ s no there there .
Well done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , CNN ’ s “ The anatomy of the New York Post ’ s dubious Hunter Biden story ” and the Post/Fox News story “ Ric Grenell calls out CNN ’ s Jake Tapper for belatedly covering Hunter Biden story.
” Thank you , Mr. Grenell .
Here we have a reminder for students of ancient history that the revelation of the criminal investigation is actually old news .
Here NR ’ s David Harsanyi compares and contrasts the garbage media ’ s suppression of the Biden story with their dissemination of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ garbage story for the garbage Atlantic on Trump calling deceased American soldiers “ suckers .
”

We closely covered the New York Post stories on Hunter Biden’s laptop from hell in the run-up to the election. Anyone who took a close look at the story could see a self-authenticating element in it and, indeed, every piece of additional reporting that followed up on the Post’s reporting corroborated it.
Yet the garbage media ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Post to NPR to CBS and CNN all rushed to suppress the story. They suppressed the story to defeat Donald Trump and protect Joe Biden. The social media giants worked in tandem with the garbage media to suppress the story.
This week the Biden bidet comms team itself let on that Hunter Biden is the target of a criminal probe consistent with the Post’s reportage. The bidet released statements crafted in the name of Hunter and his old man, emphasis on old. In the interest of defusing coming attractions, the story must be intimated. What a shock this must be to those who get their “news” from the garbage media.
The New York Post is the go-to newspaper to learn what can be learned from this turn of events. Miranda Devine assesses that “The Biden family put national security at risk.” Devine, by the way, links to the just-released final draft of the Senate Homeland Security/Finance Majority Committee report Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns. Devine covers a lot of ground (with links) in this valuable column.
The Post took a lot of heat from the garbage media for breaking the story of the laptop from hell. Post opinion editor Sohrab Ahmari looks back in “Media disgraceful in trying to suppress Post’s Hunter Biden reporting.” The Post also runs David Harsanyi’s column “How the media covered up the Hunter Biden story — until after the election.” The Post itself comments in the editorial “Surprised by Hunter Biden criminal probe? Blame media collusion.”
Speaking of “collusion,” one key to the garbage media’s suppression of the story was the letter disseminated to the garbage media by more than 50 former senior intelligence officials — John Brennan, James Clapper, Michael Hayden, Michael Morell, et al. — to assert that the laptop emails allegedly belonging to Joe Biden’s son “ha[d] all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
“Russian disinformation” instantly became the party line of the garbage media. The “collusion” of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the garbage media was of course instrumental in the Russia hoax perpetrated by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party over the past four years. The gang was back together again for a sort of alumni reunion.
On Twitter Mollie Hemingway is having a field day dredging up the garbage media archives for students of ancient history, vintage October 2020. Here we have Lesley Stahl of of CBS News/60 Minutes condescending to the president of the United States as she instructs him on the falsity of the story. Well done, Lesley.
Here’s Lesley Stahl insisting Joe Biden is not in the midst of a scandal at the exact moment that federal authorities were investigating his son and brother for their foreign business deals and potential money laundering https://t.co/Dm1prJxhlp — Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) December 11, 2020
Here we have CNN’s Christiane Amanpour patronizing a member of the Trump campaign to explain there’s no there there. Well done, Christine. See also, for example, CNN’s “The anatomy of the New York Post’s dubious Hunter Biden story” and the Post/Fox News story “Ric Grenell calls out CNN’s Jake Tapper for belatedly covering Hunter Biden story.” Thank you, Mr. Grenell.
Of all the media deceit and propagndizing disseminated in the lead-up to the election to justify their refusal to report on the Hunter Biden documents — despite knowing they were genuine and not from Russia — this on CNN from @camanpour may be the most amazing: pic.twitter.com/mkI4Jtd4SN — Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 10, 2020
Here we have a reminder for students of ancient history that the revelation of the criminal investigation is actually old news.
REMINDER: In October, @JamesRosenTV reported that Hunter Biden and his associates were under a Federal criminal investigation for money laundering. In light of today's news, it's worth pointing out that no one in the mainstream media ever followed up on Rosen's reporting. https://t.co/bBgtf8P7QV — Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) December 9, 2020
Here NR’s David Harsanyi compares and contrasts the garbage media’s suppression of the Biden story with their dissemination of garbage human being Jeffrey Goldberg’s garbage story for the garbage Atlantic on Trump calling deceased American soldiers “suckers.”


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--Today’s California Energy Embarrassment

Today’s California Energy Embarrassment

Yesterday we noted the embarrassment announced in understated fashion by the U.S. Department of Energy that California imported 25 percent of its electricity in 2019 .
It seems almost as if someone at the very excellent Energy Information Administration has a thing about California ’ s silliness , because today ’ s EIA “ Today in Energy ” brief has another understated but devastating smackdown for California ’ s energy pretensions .
In one sentence , today ’ s brief essentially says , “ Without lots of natural gas-fired power , California is screwed.
” Of course that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were talking about .
But it ’ s not hard to read between the lines .
Let ’ s start with the chart : Now let ’ s go to the text : In California wholesale electricity markets , natural gas-fired electricity generation helps to balance fluctuations in electricity demand with daily cycles in solar-powered electricity generation .
Natural gas and solar are the two most prevalent sources of electricity generation in California ; however , solar generation is non-dispatchable .
Grid operators in the state use natural gas and , to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from neighboring areas to balance changes in electricity demand .
Both demand for electricity and output from natural gas-fired power plants in California are often highest in the afternoon and early evening , between 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Output from solar power will peak and then plateau by midday , rapidly declining by the evening as the sun sets .
As solar output declines , natural gas-fired generators often have to ramp up , or increase their output , considerably .
The ramping effort in California is often greatest in the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand for electricity .
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration ’ s ( EIA ) Hourly Electric Grid Monitor , hourly natural gas-fired generation on a typical summer day ( based on the average of July and August 2020 ) went from 10 gigawatts ( GW ) for the hour ending at noon to 22 GW for the hour ending at 7:00 p.m .
Question : What will happen to natural gas “ peaking ” demand after California closes its last nuclear power plant in a couple years , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power ?
Good times for natural gas I suspect .
And the promises of carbon-free electricity by 2035 or 2050 will go poof faster than an Eric Swalwell emission on MSNBC .

Yesterday we noted the embarrassment announced in understated fashion by the U.S. Department of Energy that California imported 25 percent of its electricity in 2019. It seems almost as if someone at the very excellent Energy Information Administration has a thing about California’s silliness, because today’s EIA “Today in Energy” brief has another understated but devastating smackdown for California’s energy pretensions.
In one sentence, today’s brief essentially says, “Without lots of natural gas-fired power, California is screwed.” Of course that’s not the actual language—these are government analysts were talking about. But it’s not hard to read between the lines. Let’s start with the chart:
Now let’s go to the text:
In California wholesale electricity markets, natural gas-fired electricity generation helps to balance fluctuations in electricity demand with daily cycles in solar-powered electricity generation. Natural gas and solar are the two most prevalent sources of electricity generation in California; however, solar generation is non-dispatchable. Grid operators in the state use natural gas and, to a lesser extent, hydroelectricity and electricity imports from neighboring areas to balance changes in electricity demand. Both demand for electricity and output from natural gas-fired power plants in California are often highest in the afternoon and early evening, between 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Output from solar power will peak and then plateau by midday, rapidly declining by the evening as the sun sets. As solar output declines, natural gas-fired generators often have to ramp up, or increase their output, considerably. The ramping effort in California is often greatest in the summer months, when air conditioning use increases demand for electricity. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Hourly Electric Grid Monitor, hourly natural gas-fired generation on a typical summer day (based on the average of July and August 2020) went from 10 gigawatts (GW) for the hour ending at noon to 22 GW for the hour ending at 7:00 p.m.
Question: What will happen to natural gas “peaking” demand after California closes its last nuclear power plant in a couple years, and supposedly replaces it with wind and solar power? Good times for natural gas I suspect. And the promises of carbon-free electricity by 2035 or 2050 will go poof faster than an Eric Swalwell emission on MSNBC.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--Biden: Lie About Defunding Until After January 5!

Someone leaked a zoom call that Joe Biden had with “ civil rights leaders ” –i.e.
, grifters like Al Sharpton–on Tuesday .
It is interesting in several respects .
Here , Biden urges his audience to lie low in talking about the police until the Georgia Senate elections have been decided on January 5 , since “ That ’ s how they beat the living hell out of us across the country , saying that we ’ re talking about defunding the police.
” Yes , and it worked , because numerous Democratic Party leaders have said that when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” they mean “ Defund the police.
” Biden ’ s caution may not be surprising , but his explicit tying of the deception to January 5 would be big news if a Republican did it : I just raise it with you to think about how much do we push between now and January 5 — we need those two seats — about police reform .
But don ’ t worry , Biden says–once the Georgia elections are over , we can come out of the closet : Just don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Someone leaked a zoom call that Joe Biden had with “civil rights leaders”–i.e., grifters like Al Sharpton–on Tuesday. It is interesting in several respects. Here, Biden urges his audience to lie low in talking about the police until the Georgia Senate elections have been decided on January 5, since “That’s how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we’re talking about defunding the police.” Yes, and it worked, because numerous Democratic Party leaders have said that when they say “Defund the police,” they mean “Defund the police.”
Biden’s caution may not be surprising, but his explicit tying of the deception to January 5 would be big news if a Republican did it:
I just raise it with you to think about how much do we push between now and January 5 — we need those two seats — about police reform.
But don’t worry, Biden says–once the Georgia elections are over, we can come out of the closet:
But I guarantee you, there will be a full-blown commission. I guarantee you it’s a major, major, major element.
Just don’t talk about it until January 6.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--Biden’s strange staffing decisions

Biden’s strange staffing decisions

Susan Rice and Xavier Becerra were always likely to get plum appointments in a Biden administration .
Both are important figures in the Democratic Party and both check a race/ethnicity box .
But the appointments the two received are odd .
Rice , a foreign policy/national security hand , will be Biden ’ s domestic policy adviser .
Becerra , the Attorney General of California , is the nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services .
He has no experience working at HHS , no medical background , and has never been chief executive of a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general ’ s shop .
Biden ’ s odd selections don ’ t end with Rice and Becerra .
As Jim Geraghty notes , Denis McDonough , the pick for Secretary of Veterans Affairs , is not a veteran and has no experience focused specifically on veterans issues .
And Rep. Fudge , who stated she didn ’ t want to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development — traditionally a dumping ground for Black politicians , she said — has been selected to run that department .
Finally , there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor of a small city who has no foreign policy experience or experience with China , might be named U.S. ambassador to China .
That would probably be the oddest pick of all .
The Chinese will have a good laugh if Biden selects Buttigieg for this post .
Does it take experience in a subject matter to run a department charged with that area of policy ?
I guess it depends on a president ’ s theory of how a department should be run .
Republican presidents should want department heads who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees .
This requires some subject matter knowledge and an awful lot of spine .
That ’ s why selecting William Barr to run the Justice Department made great sense , and selecting Alex Acosta to run the Department of Labor was a disaster .
Biden , if he has thought the matter through , is likely content to have department heads who will ratify the leftist policies and preferences of sub-cabinet level appointees and career bureaucrats .
Thus , filling the Cabinet with a combination of cronies and diversity box checkers is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Similarly , if your intention is to appease China , maybe it makes sense to have a non-threatening representative in Beijing .
But sending someone as inexperienced and insubstantial as Buttigieg might be carrying the joke too far .

Susan Rice and Xavier Becerra were always likely to get plum appointments in a Biden administration. Both are important figures in the Democratic Party and both check a race/ethnicity box.
But the appointments the two received are odd. Rice, a foreign policy/national security hand, will be Biden’s domestic policy adviser.
Becerra, the Attorney General of California, is the nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services. He has no experience working at HHS, no medical background, and has never been chief executive of a state or any entity other than an attorney general’s shop.
Biden’s odd selections don’t end with Rice and Becerra. As Jim Geraghty notes, Denis McDonough, the pick for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is not a veteran and has no experience focused specifically on veterans issues. And Rep. Fudge, who stated she didn’t want to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development — traditionally a dumping ground for Black politicians, she said — has been selected to run that department.
Finally, there is talk that Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of a small city who has no foreign policy experience or experience with China, might be named U.S. ambassador to China. That would probably be the oddest pick of all. The Chinese will have a good laugh if Biden selects Buttigieg for this post.
Does it take experience in a subject matter to run a department charged with that area of policy? I guess it depends on a president’s theory of how a department should be run.
Republican presidents should want department heads who will curb the leftist tendencies of career employees. This requires some subject matter knowledge and an awful lot of spine. That’s why selecting William Barr to run the Justice Department made great sense, and selecting Alex Acosta to run the Department of Labor was a disaster.
Biden, if he has thought the matter through, is likely content to have department heads who will ratify the leftist policies and preferences of sub-cabinet level appointees and career bureaucrats. Thus, filling the Cabinet with a combination of cronies and diversity box checkers is fine for Biden’s purposes.
Similarly, if your intention is to appease China, maybe it makes sense to have a non-threatening representative in Beijing. But sending someone as inexperienced and insubstantial as Buttigieg might be carrying the joke too far.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--Supreme Court Turns Down Texas Election Case

This evening the Supreme Court denied the motion by the State of Texas , supported by 18 other states , to seek to overturn election results in four other states .
The vote was 7-2 ; Justices Alito and Thomas said that they would have granted Texas ’ s motion for leave to file a complaint , but denied any further relief .
The State of Texas ’ s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution .
Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its elections .
All other pending motions are dismissed as moot .
That result was easy to predict , and it is probably right .
It is easy to imagine nightmare scenarios if , in future elections , states rush to the Supreme Court to try to block other states ’ electoral votes on one theory or another .
The Court ’ s decision means that Joe Biden will be inaugurated as our next president , even though he may well not have won the election legitimately .
The factual question of whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debated for years to come .
In the meantime , the press will claim that the failure of various lawsuits challenging election results means that there was , in fact , no voter fraud .
That inference is obviously false , but no doubt will be accepted by some gullible consumers of the news .

This evening the Supreme Court denied the motion by the State of Texas, supported by 18 other states, to seek to overturn election results in four other states. The vote was 7-2; Justices Alito and Thomas said that they would have granted Texas’s motion for leave to file a complaint, but denied any further relief.
The State of Texas’s motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied for lack of standing under Article III of the Constitution. Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.
That result was easy to predict, and it is probably right. It is easy to imagine nightmare scenarios if, in future elections, states rush to the Supreme Court to try to block other states’ electoral votes on one theory or another.
The Court’s decision means that Joe Biden will be inaugurated as our next president, even though he may well not have won the election legitimately. The factual question of whether the Democrats stole the election will be debated for years to come. In the meantime, the press will claim that the failure of various lawsuits challenging election results means that there was, in fact, no voter fraud. That inference is obviously false, but no doubt will be accepted by some gullible consumers of the news.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--How Much Voter Fraud Was There?

How Much Voter Fraud Was There?

Over the next few years , books will be written about the 2020 presidential election .
Some will argue that @ @ @ @ @ through widespread voter fraud .
Others will argue that while safeguards were lax and there @ @ @ @ @ fraud , Joe Biden would have won the election anyway .
I doubt that anyone @ @ @ @ @ the sad shell of a man who at his best was a low-grade hack , @ @ @ @ @ legitimate votes .
Guest hosting the Dan Proft Show on Thursday , I interviewed Patrick @ @ @ @ @ the Democracy Institute , on the subject of voter fraud .
The interview runs around @ @ @ @ @ good , if incomplete , summary of what we know now .
Basham has a @ @ @ @ @ titled “ Overwhelming Evidence of Outcome-Altering Voting Irregularities .
”

Over the next few years, books will be written about the 2020 presidential election. Some will argue that the Democrats stole the election through widespread voter fraud. Others will argue that while safeguards were lax and there was a good bit of fraud, Joe Biden would have won the election anyway. I doubt that anyone will argue that Biden, the sad shell of a man who at his best was a low-grade hack, received more than 81 million legitimate votes.
Guest hosting the Dan Proft Show on Thursday, I interviewed Patrick Basham, Founding Director of the Democracy Institute, on the subject of voter fraud. The interview runs around 20 minutes and is a good, if incomplete, summary of what we know now. Basham has a piece in the Epoch Times titled “Overwhelming Evidence of Outcome-Altering Voting Irregularities.”


Bill Gates recommends…

The worst book I have ever read is probably Ta-Nehesi Coates ’ s Between the World and Me .
I wrote about Coates ’ s esteemed book for City Journal in “ An updated racial hustle ” and quoted enough of it that an intelligent reader can make his own assessment .
Coate ’ s book , however , is more of a pamphlet than a book .
It was published in miniature dimensions in hardcover so that it could be tricked out to 152 pages and priced at $ 24.00 .
Challenging Coates ’ s place on my all-time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New Jim Crow , which comes with the heft of a real book .
Unfortunately , Bill Gates has now included Alexander ’ s production on his list of 2020 favorites .
Silvia Ascarelli writes at MarketWatch : Gates says he picked up this book by Michelle Alexander , published in 2010 , as part of his own effort to deepen his understanding of systemic racism and calls it “ an eye-opening look into how the criminal justice system unfairly targets communities of color , ” especially through the War on Drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this summer ’ s Black Lives Matter protest in the wake of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor killings , and Gates is looking for more of her insights .
“ She ’ s so good at explaining the historical context behind the injustices that Black people experience every day , and I am eager to hear her thoughts on how this year might have moved us closer to a more equal society , ” he writes .
I wrote about Alexander ’ s book on Power Line in 2015 .
Though dated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is an abridged version of what I wrote then : If you ’ re trying to get a handle on the race-based assault on law enforcement , unfortunately , you must acquaint yourself with Michelle Alexander and The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness .
Published in paperback in 2012 , the book is now in its eighteenth printing with a new foreword by Cornel West .
In his foreword , West declares it “ the secular bible for a new social movement.
” This he believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about ?
It ’ s the one we ’ ve seen on display in Ferguson and Baltimore and elsewhere across the United States over the past year .
It ’ s a social movement that has taken root in the White House and the Department of Justice .
Alexander ’ s book represents the state of the art in the assault on law enforcement in the name of racial disparities .
The American Civil Liberties has placed itself at the heart of this movement for at least 20 years .
As with David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue originated in her work for the ACLU ; Alexander served as director of the ACLU ’ s Racial Justice Project in northern California .
Alexander now pursues her assault from within the academy as an associate professor of law at Ohio State University [ Alexander is now a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times ] .
She holds a joint appointment at the Kiran Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity .
She clerked for Abner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Appeals and for Harry Blackmun at the Supreme Court .
As you might expect given her background and her appointments , the book comes in a scholarly wrapping .
It footnotes assertions of facts and data with citations to sources in the traditional style of legal scholarship , but the footnotes frequently fail to support the text .
Moreover , and more to the point , basic scholarship that contradicts her theses goes missing .
Following David Harris ’ s tack in Profiles In Injustice , Alexander ’ s scholarship is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carter Mitchell Stewart — served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio from 2009-2016 [ Stewart is currently Managing Director at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation ] .
As such , he had first-hand experience in the operation of the criminal justice system .
If one were to take the book seriously , one would conclude that Alexander ’ s husband was instrumental to “ the new Jim Crow ” that she decries .
In her acknowledgements , Alexander graciously notes : “ As a federal prosecutor , he does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system.
” Alexander apparently doesn ’ t even take herself seriously .
Alexander cites none of the essential scholarship on race and crime rates .
She doesn ’ t mention Alfred Blumstein .
She doesn ’ t mention Michael Hindelag .
She doesn ’ t mention Patrick Langan .
She doesn ’ t mention James Q. Wilson , She doesn ’ t even even mention Michael Tonry ’ s scrupulous summary of the scholarship in Malign Neglect .
Alexander ’ s book is not itself a work of scholarship .
It is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a work of obfuscation in the service of political propaganda .
As propaganda , it is an unsavory piece of work at that .
If one attempts to take it seriously , one will find it a source of frustration .
Alexander announces in the first sentence of her preface : “ This is not a book for everyone.
” It is one of the few genuinely truthful sentence in the book .
Alexander ’ s book has gone mainstream .
It spent 35 weeks on the New York Times paperback best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical attention .
Some knowledgeable conservative scholar needs to attend to Alexander ’ s book .
It is a deeply false and pernicious work .
To my knowledge , however , the closest we have to such a necessary critique is the Spring 2008 City Journal essay by the invaluable Heather Mac Donald : “ Is the criminal justice system racist ?
” In her key chapter on crime rates and incarceration , I found Alexander deserving of recognition by one of James Taranto ’ s coveted “ Fox Butterfield , is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times Butterfield has expressed puzzlement over the “ paradox ” of falling crime rates and a growing prison population .
The possible cause-and-effect relationship between the two has escaped Butterfield .
Taranto recognizes such obtuseness with his recurring query .
In chapter 3 of her book , Alexander performs the full Butterfield : “ Today violent crime rates are at historically low levels , yet incarceration rates continue to climb .
”

The worst book I have ever read is probably Ta-Nehesi Coates’s Between the World and Me. I wrote about Coates’s esteemed book for City Journal in “An updated racial hustle” and quoted enough of it that an intelligent reader can make his own assessment. Coate’s book, however, is more of a pamphlet than a book. It was published in miniature dimensions in hardcover so that it could be tricked out to 152 pages and priced at $24.00.
Challenging Coates’s place on my all-time worst list is Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, which comes with the heft of a real book. Unfortunately, Bill Gates has now included Alexander’s production on his list of 2020 favorites. Silvia Ascarelli writes at MarketWatch:
Gates says he picked up this book by Michelle Alexander, published in 2010, as part of his own effort to deepen his understanding of systemic racism and calls it “an eye-opening look into how the criminal justice system unfairly targets communities of color,” especially through the War on Drugs. The 10th-anniversary edition was published before this summer’s Black Lives Matter protest in the wake of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor killings, and Gates is looking for more of her insights. “She’s so good at explaining the historical context behind the injustices that Black people experience every day, and I am eager to hear her thoughts on how this year might have moved us closer to a more equal society,” he writes.
I wrote about Alexander’s book on Power Line in 2015. Though dated, what I wrote still applies. This is an abridged version of what I wrote then:
If you’re trying to get a handle on the race-based assault on law enforcement, unfortunately, you must acquaint yourself with Michelle Alexander and The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Published in paperback in 2012, the book is now in its eighteenth printing with a new foreword by Cornel West. In his foreword, West declares it “the secular bible for a new social movement.” This he believes.
What social movement is West talking about? It’s the one we’ve seen on display in Ferguson and Baltimore and elsewhere across the United States over the past year. It’s a social movement that has taken root in the White House and the Department of Justice.
Alexander’s book represents the state of the art in the assault on law enforcement in the name of racial disparities. The American Civil Liberties has placed itself at the heart of this movement for at least 20 years. As with David Harris, Alexander’s work on the issue originated in her work for the ACLU; Alexander served as director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Project in northern California.
Alexander now pursues her assault from within the academy as an associate professor of law at Ohio State University [Alexander is now a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times]. She holds a joint appointment at the Kiran Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. She clerked for Abner Mikva on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and for Harry Blackmun at the Supreme Court.
As you might expect given her background and her appointments, the book comes in a scholarly wrapping. It footnotes assertions of facts and data with citations to sources in the traditional style of legal scholarship, but the footnotes frequently fail to support the text. Moreover, and more to the point, basic scholarship that contradicts her theses goes missing. Following David Harris’s tack in Profiles In Injustice, Alexander’s scholarship is a pretense.
Alexander’s husband — Carter Mitchell Stewart — served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio from 2009-2016 [Stewart is currently Managing Director at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation]. As such, he had first-hand experience in the operation of the criminal justice system. If one were to take the book seriously, one would conclude that Alexander’s husband was instrumental to “the new Jim Crow” that she decries. In her acknowledgements, Alexander graciously notes: “As a federal prosecutor, he does not share my views of the criminal justice system.” Alexander apparently doesn’t even take herself seriously.
Alexander cites none of the essential scholarship on race and crime rates. She doesn’t mention Alfred Blumstein. She doesn’t mention Michael Hindelag. She doesn’t mention Patrick Langan. She doesn’t mention James Q. Wilson, She doesn’t even even mention Michael Tonry’s scrupulous summary of the scholarship in Malign Neglect.
Alexander’s book is not itself a work of scholarship. It is a polemic. It is, more accurately, a work of obfuscation in the service of political propaganda. As propaganda, it is an unsavory piece of work at that.
If one attempts to take it seriously, one will find it a source of frustration. Alexander announces in the first sentence of her preface: “This is not a book for everyone.” It is one of the few genuinely truthful sentence in the book.
Alexander’s book has gone mainstream. It spent 35 weeks on the New York Times paperback best seller list. The book deserves serious critical attention.
Some knowledgeable conservative scholar needs to attend to Alexander’s book. It is a deeply false and pernicious work. To my knowledge, however, the closest we have to such a necessary critique is the Spring 2008 City Journal essay by the invaluable Heather Mac Donald: “Is the criminal justice system racist?”
In her key chapter on crime rates and incarceration, I found Alexander deserving of recognition by one of James Taranto’s coveted “Fox Butterfield, is that you?” queries. In the New York Times Butterfield has expressed puzzlement over the “paradox” of falling crime rates and a growing prison population. The possible cause-and-effect relationship between the two has escaped Butterfield. Taranto recognizes such obtuseness with his recurring query. In chapter 3 of her book, Alexander performs the full Butterfield: “Today violent crime rates are at historically low levels, yet incarceration rates continue to climb.”
Whole thing here.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--Coronavirus in one state (137)

Coronavirus in one state (137)

Governor Walz conducted another dog and pony show for the press yesterday afternoon .
I have posted the video below .
He produced two physicians ( Drs .
Kevin Croston and Peter Bornstein ) and a nurse ( Mimi Keeler ) to convey stories reflecting the stress produced on them and the health care system by the epidemic .
What was the point ?
We are to understand that we are not taking the epidemic sufficiently seriously .
If we understood how serious it is , we would quit bitching about the governor ’ s continued exercise of dictatorial powers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bars .
We would celebrate his sagacity .
Walz ’ s current shutdown order expires next week .
Walz ’ s profession of uncertainty regarding his intentions notwithstanding , this particular edition of the show must be a predicate to additional shutdown measures .
“ We ’ ve got work to do , ” he said .
Walz even contemplated limiting family holiday gatherings to the outdoors .
Are you kidding me ?
That might require campfires or portable outdoor heaters , he said .
Indeed , “ Those are things that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walz babbled in classic form before and after his invited guests told their sad stories .
He spoke at a slightly slower pace than the torrential outpouring to which we have grown accustomed .
The slower pace accommodated the expression of a chaotic stream of consciousness mixed uncomfortably with bogus cracker barrel philosophy .
KARE 11 ’ s John Croman gives a straight news account here , MPR here , and the Star Tribune here .
None of the straight news accounts captures the essential Walz bizarreries .
Musing on the damage done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walz distinguished it from a tornado .
If a tornado hits , “ we clean up and we do the things.
” By contrast , Walz explained , “ Unfortunately , with COVID you can ’ t see it and it doesn ’ t hit .
And unfortunately , it doesn ’ t hit all businesses equally .
It ’ s like a tornado that went through and hit restaurants and left other buildings standing .
That is horribly unfair and it causes immense economic pain for those folks .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s called neighborliness .
It ’ s a functioning society .
We share that.
” In this case , however , Walz is the tornado .
He evades responsibility by attributing the damage to the epidemic .
And the damage extends well beyond restaurants and bars .
Walz puts on these dog and pony shows to shift the blame and misdirect our attention .
Walz ’ s briefings are to us what bread and circuses were to the Romans .
The last question Walz took ( from Tom Hauser , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave of the epidemic would require use of the multimillion dollar overflow morgue Walz bought this past spring .
It ’ s a yes or no question .
At about 50:30 , Walz made the following 10 points : • All of the area medical examiners and funeral homes were anticipating a need for an overflow facility at the time .
• A few weeks ago a request was made .
( That ’ s what he said .
He offered no additional detail or explanation . )
• The equipment has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the facility is ready to go . )
• At the time he ordered the purchase it implicated “ the dignity of Minnesotans.
” • He likened the purchase to “ an insurance policy.
” • He anticipates that the federal government will reimburse the state for the cost of the purchase .
• The state “ moves ” a lot of property every year .
There will be an opportunity to “ move ” the property .
• He will go voluntarily take “ any amount of political bashing ” occasioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • If the facility is not needed it will be a success .
• He would make the same decision every single time again .
All this was to avoid answering the question .
The answer is no .
For the next few days Walz ’ s subjects await await word from on high whether we will be entrusted with the freedom to take responsibility for our own lives .

Governor Walz conducted another dog and pony show for the press yesterday afternoon. I have posted the video below. He produced two physicians (Drs. Kevin Croston and Peter Bornstein) and a nurse (Mimi Keeler) to convey stories reflecting the stress produced on them and the health care system by the epidemic.
What was the point?
We are to understand that we are not taking the epidemic sufficiently seriously. If we understood how serious it is, we would quit bitching about the governor’s continued exercise of dictatorial powers to shut down schools, restaurants, and bars. We would celebrate his sagacity.
Walz’s current shutdown order expires next week. Walz’s profession of uncertainty regarding his intentions notwithstanding, this particular edition of the show must be a predicate to additional shutdown measures. “We’ve got work to do,” he said.
Walz even contemplated limiting family holiday gatherings to the outdoors. Are you kidding me? That might require campfires or portable outdoor heaters, he said. Indeed, “Those are things that we are trying to look at.”
Walz babbled in classic form before and after his invited guests told their sad stories. He spoke at a slightly slower pace than the torrential outpouring to which we have grown accustomed. The slower pace accommodated the expression of a chaotic stream of consciousness mixed uncomfortably with bogus cracker barrel philosophy. KARE 11’s John Croman gives a straight news account here, MPR here, and the Star Tribune here.
None of the straight news accounts captures the essential Walz bizarreries. Musing on the damage done by the epidemic, for example, Walz distinguished it from a tornado. If a tornado hits, “we clean up and we do the things.” By contrast, Walz explained, “Unfortunately, with COVID you can’t see it and it doesn’t hit. And unfortunately, it doesn’t hit all businesses equally. It’s like a tornado that went through and hit restaurants and left other buildings standing. That is horribly unfair and it causes immense economic pain for those folks. That’s why we’re so many things. It’s called neighborliness. It’s a functioning society. We share that.”
In this case, however, Walz is the tornado. He evades responsibility by attributing the damage to the epidemic. And the damage extends well beyond restaurants and bars. Walz puts on these dog and pony shows to shift the blame and misdirect our attention. Walz’s briefings are to us what bread and circuses were to the Romans.
The last question Walz took (from Tom Hauser, I think) inquired whether the current wave of the epidemic would require use of the multimillion dollar overflow morgue Walz bought this past spring. It’s a yes or no question. At about 50:30, Walz made the following 10 points:
• All of the area medical examiners and funeral homes were anticipating a need for an overflow facility at the time.
• A few weeks ago a request was made. (That’s what he said. He offered no additional detail or explanation.)
• The equipment has been tested. (We are to infer that the facility is ready to go.)
• At the time he ordered the purchase it implicated “the dignity of Minnesotans.”
• He likened the purchase to “an insurance policy.”
• He anticipates that the federal government will reimburse the state for the cost of the purchase.
• The state “moves” a lot of property every year. There will be an opportunity to “move” the property.
• He will go voluntarily take “any amount of political bashing” occasioned by his purchase of the facility.
• If the facility is not needed it will be a success.
• He would make the same decision every single time again.
All this was to avoid answering the question. The answer is no.
For the next few days Walz’s subjects await await word from on high whether we will be entrusted with the freedom to take responsibility for our own lives.


powerlineblog--2020-12-12--The Week in Pictures: Timeout Edition

The Week in Pictures: Timeout Edition


Dem Diversity Blues

Forget Varsity Blues .
( Both the movie and the college admissions scandal . )
Right now the putative Biden Administration is suffering from what might be called the “ diversity blues.
” Democrats have brought this upon themselves with their opportunistic embrace of identity politics .
This story in the New York Times today reads like the Babylon Bee : Biden Faces Intense Pressure From All Sides as He Seeks Diverse Cabinet The pressure on the Democratic president-elect is intense , even as his efforts to ensure ethnic and gender diversity already go far beyond those of President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priority and often chose his top officials because they looked the part .
And it is coming from all sides .
Coming from “ all sides ” ?
Who could have predicted that an ideology that demands racial spoils would descend into infighting about .
.
.
racial spoils .
Do tell : When Mr. Biden nominated the first Black man to run the Pentagon this week , women cried foul .
L.G.B.T.Q .
advocates are disappointed that Mr. Biden has not yet named a prominent member of their community to his cabinet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some of the same jobs .
.
.
.
.
.
the rollout of Mr. Biden ’ s cabinet and White House picks has created angst among many elements of the party .
While some say he appears hamstrung by interest groups , others point out that his earliest choices included four white men who are close confidants to serve as chief of staff , secretary of state , national security adviser and his top political adviser , leaving the impression that for the administration ’ s most critical jobs Mr. Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of aides he has had for years .
“ Added consternation , ” the leader of one advocacy group in Washington said of Mr. Biden ’ s initial picks .
Glynda C. Carr , the president of Higher Heights for America , a political action committee dedicated to electing progressive Black women , said there was a feeling of defeat that Mr. Biden had not awarded key jobs in his cabinet to Black women , as the group had hoped .
.
.
It did not help Mr. Biden ’ s case with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the California attorney general , as the health and human services secretary over Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico , who was singled out as a likely candidate for the job just days before she was passed over .
Picking General Austin also did not assuage civil rights leaders like the Rev .
Al Sharpton , who is adamant about the need for a Black attorney general , or at least someone with a background on voting rights enforcement .
You mean picking Kamala wasn ’ t enough to appease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve been dreading the prospect that Biden will pick Mary Nichols to run the EPA .
Nichols , a longtime fixture in California ’ s green bureaucracy , is a committed environmental radical .
So this passage is too much fun : This month , a group of over 70 environmental justice groups wrote to the Biden transition team urging the president-elect not to appoint Mary Nichols , California ’ s climate change regulator and one of the nation ’ s most experienced climate change officials , to run the Environmental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to call your attention to Ms. Nichols ’ s bleak track record in addressing environmental racism , ” the groups wrote , saying that she pushed California ’ s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gases at the expense of local pollutants , which disproportionately affect minority communities .
Trump made big in-roads in Hispanic areas across the nation A big question was whether Trump ’ s improvement in Miami-Dade would be replicated in other majority Hispanic areas on the electoral map .
The answer from coast to coast is a definitive yes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 across an array of Hispanic areas .
.
.
the movement toward Trump was fairly consistent across the map .
.
.
One of the more surprising jumps to Trump came in notoriously anti-Trump California .
Biden won Imperial County by 24 points , a significant margin .
But it didn ’ t come close to replicating Clinton ’ s 42-point win in this county — where more than 80 % of residents are Hispanic .
Gee , I wonder why Hispanic voters are starting to defect from Democrats ?

Forget Varsity Blues. (Both the movie and the college admissions scandal.) Right now the putative Biden Administration is suffering from what might be called the “diversity blues.” Democrats have brought this upon themselves with their opportunistic embrace of identity politics.
This story in the New York Times today reads like the Babylon Bee:
Biden Faces Intense Pressure From All Sides as He Seeks Diverse Cabinet The pressure on the Democratic president-elect is intense, even as his efforts to ensure ethnic and gender diversity already go far beyond those of President Trump, who did not make diversity a priority and often chose his top officials because they looked the part. And it is coming from all sides.
Coming from “all sides”? Who could have predicted that an ideology that demands racial spoils would descend into infighting about . . . racial spoils. Do tell:
When Mr. Biden nominated the first Black man to run the Pentagon this week, women cried foul. L.G.B.T.Q. advocates are disappointed that Mr. Biden has not yet named a prominent member of their community to his cabinet. Latino and Asian groups are angling for some of the same jobs. . . . . . the rollout of Mr. Biden’s cabinet and White House picks has created angst among many elements of the party. While some say he appears hamstrung by interest groups, others point out that his earliest choices included four white men who are close confidants to serve as chief of staff, secretary of state, national security adviser and his top political adviser, leaving the impression that for the administration’s most critical jobs Mr. Biden planned to rely on the same cadre of aides he has had for years. “Added consternation,” the leader of one advocacy group in Washington said of Mr. Biden’s initial picks. Glynda C. Carr, the president of Higher Heights for America, a political action committee dedicated to electing progressive Black women, said there was a feeling of defeat that Mr. Biden had not awarded key jobs in his cabinet to Black women, as the group had hoped. . . It did not help Mr. Biden’s case with women that he also chose Xavier Becerra, the California attorney general, as the health and human services secretary over Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, who was singled out as a likely candidate for the job just days before she was passed over. Picking General Austin also did not assuage civil rights leaders like the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is adamant about the need for a Black attorney general, or at least someone with a background on voting rights enforcement.
You mean picking Kamala wasn’t enough to appease the identity politics machine?
P.S. I’ve been dreading the prospect that Biden will pick Mary Nichols to run the EPA. Nichols, a longtime fixture in California’s green bureaucracy, is a committed environmental radical. So this passage is too much fun:
This month, a group of over 70 environmental justice groups wrote to the Biden transition team urging the president-elect not to appoint Mary Nichols, California’s climate change regulator and one of the nation’s most experienced climate change officials, to run the Environmental Protection Agency. “We would like to call your attention to Ms. Nichols’s bleak track record in addressing environmental racism,” the groups wrote, saying that she pushed California’s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gases at the expense of local pollutants, which disproportionately affect minority communities.
Pass the popcorn.
Chaser—from CNN (!!) today:
Trump made big in-roads in Hispanic areas across the nation A big question was whether Trump’s improvement in Miami-Dade would be replicated in other majority Hispanic areas on the electoral map. The answer from coast to coast is a definitive yes. Trump did considerably better than he did in 2016 across an array of Hispanic areas. . . the movement toward Trump was fairly consistent across the map. . . One of the more surprising jumps to Trump came in notoriously anti-Trump California. Biden won Imperial County by 24 points, a significant margin. But it didn’t come close to replicating Clinton’s 42-point win in this county — where more than 80% of residents are Hispanic.
Gee, I wonder why Hispanic voters are starting to defect from Democrats?


powerlineblog--2020-12-13--Today’s Higher Ed Meltdown News

Today’s Higher Ed Meltdown News

Thus far college applications for next fall are off sharply—as much a 35 percent below where they usually are at this point in the school year .
Maybe there will be a surge after the first of the year and we get more visibility about whether campus life might return to normal by next fall , but I wouldn ’ t count on it .
Last week we reported on faculty cuts at the University of Colorado at Boulder , and at the University of Vermont .
Now comes news that Marquette University will cut 225 faculty and staff positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has to cut its “ academic expenses ” by 25 percent to remain solvent .
Faculty is not happy , naturally .
Among other things , critics point out Marquette currently has a $ 12 million surplus , but that would likely disappear in a hurry if the university continues business as usual .
The complete story from Wisconsin Public Radio sounds very familiar , especially this bit of meaningless drivel from a campus spokesperson : In response to a WPR request for comment on the Marquette University budget , campus spokesperson Kevin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been discussing “ smart investments in new growth and innovation strategies ” as it plans for a successful future , while maintaining a commitment to providing students with a “ transformative education.
” I can see one staff position that can be eliminated without any detriment to Marquette .
They actually pay someone to spout marketing cliches like this ?
No wonder universities are in financial trouble .

Thus far college applications for next fall are off sharply—as much a 35 percent below where they usually are at this point in the school year. Maybe there will be a surge after the first of the year and we get more visibility about whether campus life might return to normal by next fall, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Last week we reported on faculty cuts at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and at the University of Vermont. Now comes news that Marquette University will cut 225 faculty and staff positions starting in January. Marquette believes it has to cut its “academic expenses” by 25 percent to remain solvent.
Faculty is not happy, naturally. Among other things, critics point out Marquette currently has a $12 million surplus, but that would likely disappear in a hurry if the university continues business as usual. The complete story from Wisconsin Public Radio sounds very familiar, especially this bit of meaningless drivel from a campus spokesperson:
In response to a WPR request for comment on the Marquette University budget, campus spokesperson Kevin Conway said in an email that Marquette has been discussing “smart investments in new growth and innovation strategies” as it plans for a successful future, while maintaining a commitment to providing students with a “transformative education.”
I can see one staff position that can be eliminated without any detriment to Marquette. They actually pay someone to spout marketing cliches like this? No wonder universities are in financial trouble.


powerlineblog--2020-12-13--MLB sticks it to the minor leagues

MLB sticks it to the minor leagues

The greedy bastards who run major league baseball have executed a hostile takeover of minor league baseball .
As a result , at least 40 minor league teams are being deprived of affiliation with a major league team , while the remaining 120 will be forced to sign an unfavorable agreement with MLB if they wish to continue as affiliates .
The upshot is ( 1 ) a significant contraction of the minors and ( 2 ) MLB extending its control to nearly every nook and cranny of professional baseball .
Some of the towns losing their affiliation have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or independent leagues .
But 18 teams have been left out in the cold altogether .
One is the Burlington ( Iowa ) Bees , who were founded in 1889 and have been a member of the Midwest League since 1962 .
Of the fans , I will be among the hardest hit .
During the past several years , I have frequently attended minor league games in two Maryland towns — Frederick and Hagerstown — as well as in Woodbridge , Virginia .
The Woodbridge team , known as the Potomac Nationals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Virginia with or without the contraction .
However Hagerstown and Frederick will be without minor league baseball .
I will miss Hagerstown the most .
For me , nothing could be finer on a summer night than to be sitting right behind home plate as the sun went down watching Washington Nationals prospects .
It was there that I first saw Juan Soto and Victor Robles , among others who went on to play in the major leagues and many who will be arriving in the next few years .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to be a contraction , Hagerstown would lose out .
The stadium is ancient and the crowds were small .
To me these were features , not bugs , but they counted against Hagerstown from a business standpoint .
In addition , the Hagerstown fan base had little connection with Washington ( another feature for me ) .
If anything , this was Orioles country .
But the demise of minor league baseball in Frederick is baffling .
The Frederick Keys , an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles , had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base .
Moreover , attendance was excellent .
Last year , the Keys averaged 4,392 fans per game .
This was significantly more than the three Orioles affiliates below the AAA level that will have affiliated baseball this coming season — Bowie ( 3,256 ) , Aberdeen ( 3,119 ) , and Delmarva ( 3,264 ) .
Dropping Frederick makes no sense to me .
Frederick will have something called MLB Draft League ball .
As I understand it , this is basically a summer league for amateurs who are considered good prospects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s a short season of glorified college baseball .
No thank you .
There are a few cities and towns that will come out ahead on the deal .
I understand that St. Paul , Minnesota , which has had only an independent league team , will become the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins .
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will move up from AA to AAA ( personally , I prefer AA ball , but that ’ s just me ) .
The Aberdeen Ironbirds ( owned by Cal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball to advanced A ( up two steps ) .
But these moves could have been effectuated without the contraction .
Not all of the 120 teams “ invited ” to participate as affiliates in the contracted minor leagues have jumped at the opportunity .
The terms imposed by MLB are unfavorable , and some invitees have said they need time to consider their options .
According to this report , there is “ universal rage ” among minor league team owners .
Their options aren ’ t many , though .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also possible that some teams might decide to form their own independent league , outside the purview of MLB .
But I suspect that nearly all will knuckle under , agree to MLB ’ s terms , and try to make the best of it .
In any event , MLB ’ s power play means fewer opportunities for young ballplayers to pursue their dreams of professional careers , fewer employment opportunities for club employees in affected towns , and a diminution of enjoyment for baseball fans like me .

The greedy bastards who run major league baseball have executed a hostile takeover of minor league baseball. As a result, at least 40 minor league teams are being deprived of affiliation with a major league team, while the remaining 120 will be forced to sign an unfavorable agreement with MLB if they wish to continue as affiliates. The upshot is (1) a significant contraction of the minors and (2) MLB extending its control to nearly every nook and cranny of professional baseball.
Some of the towns losing their affiliation have been “assigned” by MLB to summer or independent leagues. But 18 teams have been left out in the cold altogether. One is the Burlington (Iowa) Bees, who were founded in 1889 and have been a member of the Midwest League since 1962.
Of the fans, I will be among the hardest hit. During the past several years, I have frequently attended minor league games in two Maryland towns — Frederick and Hagerstown — as well as in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Woodbridge team, known as the Potomac Nationals, was set to move to Fredericksburg, Virginia with or without the contraction. However Hagerstown and Frederick will be without minor league baseball.
I will miss Hagerstown the most. For me, nothing could be finer on a summer night than to be sitting right behind home plate as the sun went down watching Washington Nationals prospects. It was there that I first saw Juan Soto and Victor Robles, among others who went on to play in the major leagues and many who will be arriving in the next few years.
However, I can understand why, if there was going to be a contraction, Hagerstown would lose out. The stadium is ancient and the crowds were small. To me these were features, not bugs, but they counted against Hagerstown from a business standpoint. In addition, the Hagerstown fan base had little connection with Washington (another feature for me). If anything, this was Orioles country.
But the demise of minor league baseball in Frederick is baffling. The Frederick Keys, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, had a fine stadium and a rabid Orioles fan base.
Moreover, attendance was excellent. Last year, the Keys averaged 4,392 fans per game. This was significantly more than the three Orioles affiliates below the AAA level that will have affiliated baseball this coming season — Bowie (3,256), Aberdeen (3,119), and Delmarva (3,264).
Dropping Frederick makes no sense to me.
Frederick will have something called MLB Draft League ball. As I understand it, this is basically a summer league for amateurs who are considered good prospects for the draft. In other words, it’s a short season of glorified college baseball.
No thank you.
There are a few cities and towns that will come out ahead on the deal. I understand that St. Paul, Minnesota, which has had only an independent league team, will become the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will move up from AA to AAA (personally, I prefer AA ball, but that’s just me). The Aberdeen Ironbirds (owned by Cal Ripken) move from short season A ball to advanced A (up two steps).
But these moves could have been effectuated without the contraction.
Not all of the 120 teams “invited” to participate as affiliates in the contracted minor leagues have jumped at the opportunity. The terms imposed by MLB are unfavorable, and some invitees have said they need time to consider their options. According to this report, there is “universal rage” among minor league team owners.
Their options aren’t many, though. There is talk of a lawsuit. It’s also possible that some teams might decide to form their own independent league, outside the purview of MLB. But I suspect that nearly all will knuckle under, agree to MLB’s terms, and try to make the best of it.
In any event, MLB’s power play means fewer opportunities for young ballplayers to pursue their dreams of professional careers, fewer employment opportunities for club employees in affected towns, and a diminution of enjoyment for baseball fans like me.


powerlineblog--2020-12-13--Podcast: The Three Whisky Happy Hour—Our Pirate Ruling Class

So there we were , armed with a fresh bottle of 10-year-old Ardbeg Islay whisky ( not quite as peaty as Laphroaig or Talisker ) , and all set to plunge back into political philosophy again and escape yet another thrashing at the hands of Lucretia , but then the Supreme Court laid an egg , politicians acted stupidly again about COVID ( in other words , as they usually act ) , and news came out about the further adventures of our favorite fictional professor , the archeologist Indiana Jones , giving rise to speculation about whether a film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by now obligatory Title IX complaint .
And there went our game plan , though if Hollywood is going to remake old film franchises forever , how about a sequel to The Princess Bride , only this time with the villain being Dread Chief Justice Roberts ?
( The Princess Amicus Brief perhaps ? )
If I do say so myself , I think we both had our A-game Rants in action in this episode , for which no vaccine has been invented yet .
So settle in with a glass of your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over at Ricochet .
Though look out for the carom shots !

So there we were, armed with a fresh bottle of 10-year-old Ardbeg Islay whisky (not quite as peaty as Laphroaig or Talisker), and all set to plunge back into political philosophy again and escape yet another thrashing at the hands of Lucretia, but then the Supreme Court laid an egg, politicians acted stupidly again about COVID (in other words, as they usually act), and news came out about the further adventures of our favorite fictional professor, the archeologist Indiana Jones, giving rise to speculation about whether a film about the aging academic would include the by now obligatory Title IX complaint.
And there went our game plan, though if Hollywood is going to remake old film franchises forever, how about a sequel to The Princess Bride, only this time with the villain being Dread Chief Justice Roberts? (The Princess Amicus Brief perhaps?)
If I do say so myself, I think we both had our A-game Rants in action in this episode, for which no vaccine has been invented yet. So settle in with a glass of your favorite hootch.
Listen here, or over at Ricochet. Though look out for the carom shots!


powerlineblog--2020-12-13--I Preferred Whirled Peas [Updated]

I Preferred Whirled Peas [Updated]

Ben & Jerry ’ s ice cream company was bought by the European conglomerate Unilever 20 years ago , but the corporate suits have continued the founders ’ radical traditions .
It is good business , apparently .
On Thursday , the company announced a new non-dairy treat called “ Change the Whirled , ” in partnership with Colin Kaepernick .
Kaepernick tweeted about it : Has Kaepernick changed the “ whirled ” ?
He certainly contributed to mainstreaming radical leftism and anti-Americanism .
But his many far-left , anti-American statements are being memory holed by the corporate suits .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ expert on law enforcement and mental health : Sure .
Actually , I ’ ve never heard anyone say that police forces are “ the best way to [ sic ] handling of things like mental health crises and substance abuse , ” but the fact is that our society , having closed the mental hospitals and having no idea what to do about rampant drug abuse , has by default dumped these problems in the lap of law enforcement .
But there is no point in responding rationally to this kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be made , and apparently some people are eager to buy “ Change the Whirled ” even though it is a non-dairy , vegan confection .
Proceeds , by the way , go to Kaepernick ’ s Know Your Rights Camps .
These are not actually camps , but one-day affairs in various cities where young people are indoctrinated in the myths of “ systemic racism , ” and so forth .
The project appears to be an ego trip by the immensely wealthy Colin Kaepernick , who is now firmly within the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe ’ s ) corporate establishment .
In both precincts , anti-Americanism is popular .
Meanwhile , forget Ben & Jerry ’ s .
Superb ice cream abounds .
Wherever you live , there are dairies producing excellent products .
My favorite ice cream with national distribution is made by Tillamook , the cheese company .
Tillamook ’ s ice cream is , in my opinion , sensational , although I ’ m guessing it probably doesn ’ t fit well with your diet .
Still , if you see it in your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it a try .
There is no need to finance the far left when you buy a pint of ice cream .
UPDATE : You may wonder , as I often have , why so much of the corporate world is anti-American .
My wife answered my question in one word : “ China.
” Interesting .
I looked it up .
Unilever United States has sales of $ 3.83 billion .
On the other hand , Unilever ’ s sales in China are exploding , expected to grow by 400 % in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which translates to $ 7.9 billion .
Unilever , like so many companies–Nike and the NBA are obvious examples , but there are a great many others–doesn ’ t mind sponsoring anti-Americanism when their real money lies in China .
Especially since the Chinese Communists , unlike us Americans , actually pay attention to the political stances of the companies that do business there .
JOE adds : Not to self-promote , but John makes a great point — and explains why I and a few friends got together several years ago to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m happy to say Americans seem to like friendly , values-oriented , U.S.-based customer service — just as they like simple , full-fat , apolitical ice cream .

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company was bought by the European conglomerate Unilever 20 years ago, but the corporate suits have continued the founders’ radical traditions. It is good business, apparently. On Thursday, the company announced a new ice cream non-dairy treat called “Change the Whirled,” in partnership with Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick tweeted about it:
Has Kaepernick changed the “whirled”? He certainly contributed to mainstreaming radical leftism and anti-Americanism. But his many far-left, anti-American statements are being memory holed by the corporate suits. Thus, Unilever re-imagines Kaepernick as an expert on law enforcement and mental health:
Chris Miller, who is Ben & Jerry’s head of global activism strategy, told USA TODAY Sports, “It’s not a particularly radical notion to suggest that police forces and policing probably are not the best way to handling things like mental health crises and substance abuse, and contextualize them for people what a different vision of public safety looks like.”
Sure. Actually, I’ve never heard anyone say that police forces are “the best way to [sic] handling of things like mental health crises and substance abuse,” but the fact is that our society, having closed the mental hospitals and having no idea what to do about rampant drug abuse, has by default dumped these problems in the lap of law enforcement. But there is no point in responding rationally to this kind of corporate spin. There is money to be made, and apparently some people are eager to buy “Change the Whirled” even though it is a non-dairy, vegan confection.
Proceeds, by the way, go to Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camps. These are not actually camps, but one-day affairs in various cities where young people are indoctrinated in the myths of “systemic racism,” and so forth. The project appears to be an ego trip by the immensely wealthy Colin Kaepernick, who is now firmly within the embrace of America’s (and Europe’s) corporate establishment. In both precincts, anti-Americanism is popular.
Meanwhile, forget Ben & Jerry’s. Superb ice cream abounds. Wherever you live, there are dairies producing excellent products. My favorite ice cream with national distribution is made by Tillamook, the cheese company. Tillamook’s ice cream is, in my opinion, sensational, although I’m guessing it probably doesn’t fit well with your diet. Still, if you see it in your local grocery store, I recommend giving it a try. There is no need to finance the far left when you buy a pint of ice cream.
UPDATE: You may wonder, as I often have, why so much of the corporate world is anti-American. My wife answered my question in one word: “China.” Interesting. I looked it up. Unilever United States has sales of $3.83 billion. On the other hand, Unilever’s sales in China are exploding, expected to grow by 400% in the current decade, to RMB50bn, which translates to $7.9 billion.
Unilever, like so many companies–Nike and the NBA are obvious examples, but there are a great many others–doesn’t mind sponsoring anti-Americanism when their real money lies in China. Especially since the Chinese Communists, unlike us Americans, actually pay attention to the political stances of the companies that do business there.
JOE adds: Not to self-promote, but John makes a great point — and explains why I and a few friends got together several years ago to create Patriot Mobile. And I’m happy to say Americans seem to like friendly, values-oriented, U.S.-based customer service — just as they like simple, full-fat, apolitical ice cream.