hotair--2020-08-14--Austin City Council votes to defund police - and the vote wasn't even close

Austin City Council voted unanimously to defund the Austin Police Department on Thursday .
The vote was in favor of taking one-third of the police department ’ s funding away and moving that money to something called the Decouple and Reimagine Safety funds .
How very Austin-sounding this move is .
Sadly , this doesn ’ t come as a surprise .
When most people think of Texas , especially in political terms , they think of the country ’ s largest red state .
That is mostly true as far as statewide offices go .
But for local city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purple-leaning state .
The biggest cities and counties are now all run by Democrats .
Harris County ( Houston ) was the latest to fall into Democrat control and that happened in 2018 .
Austin , Texas is a very liberal university city .
It is the home of the University of Texas – Austin as well as the state capitol .
The city ’ s motto is “ Keep Austin Wierd ” , so that gives you an idea of the attitude in Austin .
Anything goes .
Too bad the motto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , right ?
After hearing public comments on Wednesday – more than 200 people signed up to speak – the city council voted on the city budget on Thursday .
That vote cuts $ 150M from police funding out of the city ’ s $ 4.2 billion budget .
About $ 20 million will be immediately removed from the department ’ s funding .
For months the anti-police left has been demanding this move in Austin .
The original budget called for about $ 434 million in funding .
The money taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reinvested ” .
As you will see in the following quote , the money will go to a typical liberal wish list – including abortion access .
Of the $ 150 million the council has earmarked for reinvestment , about $ 21.5 will be immediately cut from the department ’ s funding by canceling three upcoming cadet classes ; slashing overtime costs by nearly $ 3 million ; and pulling more than $ 3 million from commodities and contractuals , $ 1 million from records management and more than $ 220,000 combined from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department ’ s mounted patrol .
That money will be redirected instead to a wide variety of community programs and city departments , including Austin-Travis County EMS for COVID-19 response , mental health response , violence prevention , a family violence shelter and victim services .
Funds have also been shifted to parks and trails , abortion access , food access , substance abuse care and others .
About $ 128.8 million will be moved into two transitional funds .
One fund will remove primarily civilian functions from the department .
The second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to alternative forms of public safety over the next year .
What could possibly go wrong with any of this ?
Austin has enough problems with an explosion in the homeless population , for example , that strain the city resources .
These efforts in the city budget are for a more long-term effect .
City Manager Spencer Cronk directed the city council to hold meetings to work out specifics and return with a community engagement plan that would provide a budget amendment process .
Grassroots activists are not happy that the process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
In particular , they don ’ t want the possibility that the police department would still have access to the money until the budget is formalized .
Grassroots Leadership and Communities of Color United , which both called on the council to make $ 220 million in cuts to the department — about 50 % of the police budget — said the budget as approved did not “ meet the moment.
” Both groups pushed the council to take the larger sum from police and put $ 91 million into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund for individuals , $ 4 million into the city ’ s Equity Office , $ 10 million for Austin Public Health and $ 115 million for low-income housing .
While the groups said the $ 21.5 million in initials cuts include some worthy items , they said the remaining transition funds represent an accounting change that moves money to accounts outside of the department that the department may still access to perform the same functions .
The Austin Police Association released a statement , too .
It slams the city council ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fund abortions instead of the police department .
Police Chief Brian Manley said the cuts would not change patrol levels .
One councilman called the budget cuts “ a transformational change away from mass incarceration and toward real community safety.
” It is hard to see how it is a good thing for public safety , though , with the slashes that are being made .
The cuts include to the 911 center , traffic enforcement , 3 cadet classes , special investigations , and victim services .
The city council and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold criminals and lawbreakers over victims of crime .
Victims are abused a second time if they can ’ t find help or have their complaints properly investigated .
Former presidential candidate Julian Castro tweeted , “ Glad to see the Austin City Council leading the way to reimagine public safety .
This budget will enhance community safety and improve quality of life , without over-relying on armed police officers.
” When has he ever been right about public policy ?
The city council is busy “ reimagining ” public safety while Austin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities looking to punish law enforcement and put the public in jeopardy all in the name of social justice and racial equality .
That is not a good transformation at all .

Austin City Council voted unanimously to defund the Austin Police Department on Thursday. The vote was in favor of taking one-third of the police department’s funding away and moving that money to something called the Decouple and Reimagine Safety funds. How very Austin-sounding this move is. Sadly, this doesn’t come as a surprise.
When most people think of Texas, especially in political terms, they think of the country’s largest red state. That is mostly true as far as statewide offices go. But for local city and county elections, Texas is a purple-leaning state. The biggest cities and counties are now all run by Democrats. Harris County (Houston) was the latest to fall into Democrat control and that happened in 2018.
Austin, Texas is a very liberal university city. It is the home of the University of Texas – Austin as well as the state capitol. The city’s motto is “Keep Austin Wierd”, so that gives you an idea of the attitude in Austin. Anything goes. Too bad the motto isn’t “Keep Austin Safe”, right? After hearing public comments on Wednesday – more than 200 people signed up to speak – the city council voted on the city budget on Thursday. That vote cuts $150M from police funding out of the city’s $4.2 billion budget. About $20 million will be immediately removed from the department’s funding.
For months the anti-police left has been demanding this move in Austin. The original budget called for about $434 million in funding. The money taken from the police department will be “reinvested”. As you will see in the following quote, the money will go to a typical liberal wish list – including abortion access.
Of the $150 million the council has earmarked for reinvestment, about $21.5 will be immediately cut from the department’s funding by canceling three upcoming cadet classes; slashing overtime costs by nearly $3 million; and pulling more than $3 million from commodities and contractuals, $1 million from records management and more than $220,000 combined from license plate readers and vacancies to the department’s mounted patrol. That money will be redirected instead to a wide variety of community programs and city departments, including Austin-Travis County EMS for COVID-19 response, mental health response, violence prevention, a family violence shelter and victim services. Funds have also been shifted to parks and trails, abortion access, food access, substance abuse care and others.
About $128.8 million will be moved into two transitional funds. One fund will remove primarily civilian functions from the department. The second fund will divert dollars from the police to alternative forms of public safety over the next year.
The Decouple Fund includes about $80 million, separating forensics, communications, support services, strategic support, community partnerships and victim services out from under Austin police. The Reimagine Safety Fund contains $49 million from overtime, mounted patrol, K-9, explorers, traffic enforcement, intelligence, training, recruiting, park police, lake patrol and nuisance abatement.
What could possibly go wrong with any of this? Austin has enough problems with an explosion in the homeless population, for example, that strain the city resources. These efforts in the city budget are for a more long-term effect. City Manager Spencer Cronk directed the city council to hold meetings to work out specifics and return with a community engagement plan that would provide a budget amendment process. Grassroots activists are not happy that the process isn’t going quickly enough for them. In particular, they don’t want the possibility that the police department would still have access to the money until the budget is formalized.
Grassroots Leadership and Communities of Color United, which both called on the council to make $220 million in cuts to the department — about 50% of the police budget — said the budget as approved did not “meet the moment.” Both groups pushed the council to take the larger sum from police and put $91 million into the RISE Fund, the local COVID-19 relief fund for individuals, $4 million into the city’s Equity Office, $10 million for Austin Public Health and $115 million for low-income housing. While the groups said the $21.5 million in initials cuts include some worthy items, they said the remaining transition funds represent an accounting change that moves money to accounts outside of the department that the department may still access to perform the same functions.
Austin’s feckless Democrat mayor said:
“I think this is the most forward-looking budget in memory,” Mayor Steve Adler said Thursday. “This is really the budget where we launch our future … as a fairer, more just, equitable, more universally acceptable city. This budget is full of opportunity and hope. That includes regional rapid transit, especially focuses on mobility deserts, those underground and to the airport, and reimagines public safety in so many new ways.”
Governor Abbott released a statement.
“Some cities are more focused on political agendas than public safety,” said Governor Abbott. “Austin’s decision puts the brave men and women of the Austin Police Department and their families at greater risk, and paves the way for lawlessness. Public safety is job one, and Austin has abandoned that duty. The legislature will take this issue up next session, but in the meantime, the Texas Department of Public Safety will stand in the gap to protect our capital city.”
The Austin Police Association released a statement, too. It slams the city council’s vote as well as its preference to fund abortions instead of the police department.
Thank you for supporting the Austin Police Department. The council's budget proposals continue to become more ridiculous and unsafe for Austinites. They are going to ignore the majority who do not want the police defunded. The community will need help @ the Capitol. @gacc97 https://t.co/mBhDZRmWxT — Austin Police Association (@ATXPOA) August 13, 2020
Police Chief Brian Manley said the cuts would not change patrol levels.
One councilman called the budget cuts “a transformational change away from mass incarceration and toward real community safety.” It is hard to see how it is a good thing for public safety, though, with the slashes that are being made. The cuts include to the 911 center, traffic enforcement, 3 cadet classes, special investigations, and victim services. The city council and the social justice activists show that they hold criminals and lawbreakers over victims of crime. Victims are abused a second time if they can’t find help or have their complaints properly investigated.
Former presidential candidate Julian Castro tweeted, “Glad to see the Austin City Council leading the way to reimagine public safety. This budget will enhance community safety and improve quality of life, without over-relying on armed police officers.” When has he ever been right about public policy?
The city council is busy “reimagining” public safety while Austin goes the way of Seattle and other cities looking to punish law enforcement and put the public in jeopardy all in the name of social justice and racial equality. That is not a good transformation at all.


hotair--2020-08-14--Lecturegram about Mongo: HBO Max adds "proper social context" to Blazing Saddles

It ’ s often been said that Hollywood wouldn ’ t dare make Blazing Saddles in these days of political correctness .
Now they won ’ t even show it — at least , not without an opening paternalistic lecture about the “ social context ” of Mel Brooks ’ broad social satire against bigotry and racism .
HBO Max has given Blazing Saddles the Gone With The Wind treatment , the Hollywood Reporter related yesterday , even though the two films couldn ’ t be farther apart in messaging and “ social context ” : It is unclear exactly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1974 comedy classic starring the late Cleavon Little and the late Gene Wilder , but it was sometime after the film premiered on the streaming service in July .
“ The intro was added to ensure that the film was put into the proper social context , ” an HBO Max spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter .
The situation is similar to that of Gone with the Wind , which was pulled from HBO Max not long after the streaming service was introduced due to outcry over its outdated and racist story and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June with additional context and a disclaimer attached .
Harrumph !
There is nothing so subtle in Blazing Saddles that its overarching “ social context ” could possibly be missed .
Brooks clearly takes aim at all kinds of racist tropes in the film ( as well as Western movie tropes ) , and sets them up for maximum ridicule .
All of the bigots are either idiots or “ eeeeeeevil , ” as Harvey Korman describes himself and his allies in his hilarious monologue .
All of the good guys are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to confront their own bigotry and take in all sorts .
Even the Irish , in fact .
Now that ’ s enlightened .
Perhaps HBO Max has a big enough grip on cable entertainment that it can afford to treat its customers as though they are morons .
Apparently they think that these points will escape their paying audience unless it comes in a delivered lecture : A little more than three-minutes long , Stewart ’ s intro puts the bigotry and racist language in context , the host saying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of race is front and center in Blazing Saddles .
And racist language and attitudes pervade the film .
But those attitudes are espoused by characters who are portrayed here as explicitly small-minded , ignorant bigots .
The real , and much more enlightened perspective , is provided by the main characters played by Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder.
” That should prompt this reaction from HBO Max customers , who might say they ’ ve had enough of this kind of elite condescension : Audiences have “ put [ ] the bigotry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Blazing Saddles for forty-six years without ever once coming to the conclusion that it was advocating bigotry and racism .
We worried that political correctness might kill social satire ; now we have to conclude that political correctness has eclipsed social satire .
The real lesson taught by HBO Max is that people should buy their favorite movies on physical media , and watch them without interference from an industry that used to trust its audience a whole lot more 46 years ago than it does now .

It’s often been said that Hollywood wouldn’t dare make Blazing Saddles in these days of political correctness. Now they won’t even show it — at least, not without an opening paternalistic lecture about the “social context” of Mel Brooks’ broad social satire against bigotry and racism. HBO Max has given Blazing Saddles the Gone With The Wind treatment, the Hollywood Reporter related yesterday, even though the two films couldn’t be farther apart in messaging and “social context”:
It is unclear exactly when the intro was added to the 1974 comedy classic starring the late Cleavon Little and the late Gene Wilder, but it was sometime after the film premiered on the streaming service in July. “The intro was added to ensure that the film was put into the proper social context,” an HBO Max spokeswoman told The Hollywood Reporter. The situation is similar to that of Gone with the Wind, which was pulled from HBO Max not long after the streaming service was introduced due to outcry over its outdated and racist story and themes. The 1939 war classic returned in June with additional context and a disclaimer attached.
Harrumph! There is nothing so subtle in Blazing Saddles that its overarching “social context” could possibly be missed. Brooks clearly takes aim at all kinds of racist tropes in the film (as well as Western movie tropes), and sets them up for maximum ridicule. All of the bigots are either idiots or “eeeeeeevil,” as Harvey Korman describes himself and his allies in his hilarious monologue. All of the good guys are enlightened, and even the townspeople get forced to confront their own bigotry and take in all sorts.
Even the Irish, in fact. Now that’s enlightened.
Perhaps HBO Max has a big enough grip on cable entertainment that it can afford to treat its customers as though they are morons. Apparently they think that these points will escape their paying audience unless it comes in a delivered lecture:
A little more than three-minutes long, Stewart’s intro puts the bigotry and racist language in context, the host saying, “as the storyline implies the issue of race is front and center in Blazing Saddles. And racist language and attitudes pervade the film. But those attitudes are espoused by characters who are portrayed here as explicitly small-minded, ignorant bigots. The real, and much more enlightened perspective, is provided by the main characters played by Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder.”
That should prompt this reaction from HBO Max customers, who might say they’ve had enough of this kind of elite condescension:
Audiences have “put[] the bigotry and racist language in context” in Blazing Saddles for forty-six years without ever once coming to the conclusion that it was advocating bigotry and racism. We worried that political correctness might kill social satire; now we have to conclude that political correctness has eclipsed social satire.
The real lesson taught by HBO Max is that people should buy their favorite movies on physical media, and watch them without interference from an industry that used to trust its audience a whole lot more 46 years ago than it does now.


hotair--2020-08-14--Politico columnist: This sudden media crush on Kamala Harris sure is something, huh?

My favorite example of the media ’ s turnaround on her was the Times ’ s use of this photo for its front page reporting the news that she ’ d been chosen as VP .
She cuts a striking figure — outlined against a clear blue sky , gazing off in the distance at a promising future for America , sharply dressed in a natty scarf .
Quite heroic !
But a Twitter pal with a long memory remembered that that was the same photo the paper used for its story in November titled … “ How Kamala Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pic , which was horizontally oriented instead of vertically , the vacant space all around her makes her seem small and lonely , almost a little confused .
She ’ s not a visionary boldly charting a course there .
She ’ s wondering , “ How did I get here ?
Which way do I go ?
” Or at least , that ’ s what the photo editors wanted you to think .
Anyway , kudos to Jack Shafer for throwing a flag on his industry for an especially glaring effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m going throw a flag on him too by pointing out that the most obvious reason for their reversal isn ’ t mentioned in his piece .
He writes interestingly about the press , as always , but the fact that most reporters have a rooting interest this fall that ’ s even more intense than usual goes unnoticed .
The success of the Democratic Party now depends in part on convincing the American public to respect and admire Harris .
That ’ s the basic , basic reason why she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the span of nine months .
Remember Harris ’ inability to connect with Black voters ?
Never mind .
Now the New York Times reports “ that she could reinforce Mr. Biden ’ s appeal to Black voters and women without stirring particularly vehement opposition on the right or left.
” Harris has “ excited Democrats with a personal story ” of being the female offspring of two immigrants , the New York Times notes , one from India and one from Jamaica .
It ’ s true , she ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a pioneer in several ways .
It just omits to mention that this all somehow failed to register with Democrats the first time around .
“ In many ways , Harris , 55 , is a safe pick—broadly popular in the Democratic Party and well acquainted with the rigors of a national campaign , ” the Los Angeles Times now says .
But based on what ?
Her so-called broad popularity in the Democratic Party did not extend to donors , who gave her candidacy a bye , one of the main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign .
As for the rigors of campaigning , she usually performed well in the early minutes of an event but lacked staying power .
As the Washington Post ’ s Paul Waldman wrote when Harris left the race , she never conveyed a convincing reason for running for the presidency outside of simply wanting the job .
According to the New York Times ’ revisionist view , Harris possesses “ a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere , ” but neglects to mention in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her political electrocution when she went at Biden so hard on busing and race .
“ Yesterday , Harris was just another overbaked politician .
Today , she ’ s fresh as can be , and the press corps can ’ t stop salivating , ” Shafer writes , accurately .
He attributes that to several factors , all also accurate : The press is bored with the race and excited to have something new to write about ; they expect Biden to win and figure slobbering over Harris now will help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House later ; they have a “ sportswriters ’ approach ” to politics in which a player who loses is criticized for their flaws whereas a player who wins is praised for their strengths .
Harris went from loser to winner , and thus so did the coverage .
Oh — and the left also needs the electorate to like her or else they might end up stuck with four more years of Trump .
That ’ s another reason , one that didn ’ t make Shafer ’ s cut .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few days ago , though , about why slipperiness as a presidential candidate might be a liability whereas slipperiness as a VP nominee might be an asset .
The fact that no one could pin Harris down on policies like Medicare for All in the primary was a good reason for neither wing of the party to support her .
Whereas the fact that no one can pin her down on policies as the nominee ’ s running mate is a good reason for neither wing of the party to object to her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the balance of it thus far seems to find her acceptable precisely because she ’ s a weathervane who can be muscled if she ends up in the top job .
She ’ s a liberal , but whether she ends up as a fake Bernie-style progressive or a Biden-style pragmatist depends entirely on which direction she senses the electorate is moving .
The left thinks it has momentum ; if they ’ re right , President Kamala will be a leftist too .
The progressives I spoke with don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or motivated in part by politics .
They just want Harris to make more of them .
“ Her collaboration with AOC on the Climate Equity Act shows that she can take some fairly left-wing and justice-oriented conversations to the highest office in the land , and that ’ s a good thing , ” NoiseCat said .
Others framed her leftward shift more cynically : “ While her penchant for taking positions broadly palatable to the corporate donor class raises concerns about her dedication to progressive principles , her habit of aligning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gives us some hope , ” the leaders of RootsAction.org and Progressive Democrats of America said in a statement yesterday .
She ’ s not an ideologue , she ’ s a careerist .
Every faction of the party can work with a careerist .
Morning Consult ’ s new poll finds 85 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of self-described liberals at least somewhat approve of Harris ’ s selection .
Views of her have improved as well among suburbanites , a key bloc for both parties this fall .
Before she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 35/36 on whether they viewed her favorably or not .
Now they split 45/39 .
Maybe that ’ s a pure “ bounce ” effect , or maybe the reaction is more like “ I don ’ t know what she believes and I keep hearing conflicting things , so I guess she ’ s fine ?
Left , but not Bernie-esque ?
” This seems to bear that out : I suspect that ’ s about right in terms of where she and Biden *actually* stand .
In terms of where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political winds are blowing leftward , I ’ d place Harris considerably closer to 1 than Biden .
Biden ’ s an incrementalist .
Harris is a “ whatever wins ” -ist .
That ’ s why she became a phony DSA-er in the primaries to begin with , because she thought you couldn ’ t win over progressives and become the nominee in 2020 if you weren ’ t one .
Via David Rutz of the Free Beacon , here ’ s CNN proving Shafer ’ s point repeatedly .

My favorite example of the media’s turnaround on her was the Times’s use of this photo for its front page reporting the news that she’d been chosen as VP. She cuts a striking figure — outlined against a clear blue sky, gazing off in the distance at a promising future for America, sharply dressed in a natty scarf. Quite heroic!
I think they like it. pic.twitter.com/muR2QFRj1q — Byron York (@ByronYork) August 12, 2020
But a Twitter pal with a long memory remembered that that was the same photo the paper used for its story in November titled … “How Kamala Harris’s Campaign Unraveled.” In that pic, which was horizontally oriented instead of vertically, the vacant space all around her makes her seem small and lonely, almost a little confused. She’s not a visionary boldly charting a course there. She’s wondering, “How did I get here? Which way do I go?” Or at least, that’s what the photo editors wanted you to think.
Anyway, kudos to Jack Shafer for throwing a flag on his industry for an especially glaring effort to rehabilitate a failed politician. Although I’m going throw a flag on him too by pointing out that the most obvious reason for their reversal isn’t mentioned in his piece. He writes interestingly about the press, as always, but the fact that most reporters have a rooting interest this fall that’s even more intense than usual goes unnoticed. The success of the Democratic Party now depends in part on convincing the American public to respect and admire Harris. That’s the basic, basic reason why she’s gone from pathetic to heroic in the span of nine months.
Remember Harris’ inability to connect with Black voters? Never mind. Now the New York Times reports “that she could reinforce Mr. Biden’s appeal to Black voters and women without stirring particularly vehement opposition on the right or left.” Harris has “excited Democrats with a personal story” of being the female offspring of two immigrants, the New York Times notes, one from India and one from Jamaica. It’s true, she’s unquestionably a unique figure in American politics, a pioneer in several ways. It just omits to mention that this all somehow failed to register with Democrats the first time around. “In many ways, Harris, 55, is a safe pick—broadly popular in the Democratic Party and well acquainted with the rigors of a national campaign,” the Los Angeles Times now says. But based on what? Her so-called broad popularity in the Democratic Party did not extend to donors, who gave her candidacy a bye, one of the main reasons she gave for closing her presidential campaign. As for the rigors of campaigning, she usually performed well in the early minutes of an event but lacked staying power. As the Washington Post’s Paul Waldman wrote when Harris left the race, she never conveyed a convincing reason for running for the presidency outside of simply wanting the job. According to the New York Times’ revisionist view, Harris possesses “a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere,” but neglects to mention in that passage that her so-called gift contributed to her political electrocution when she went at Biden so hard on busing and race.
“Yesterday, Harris was just another overbaked politician. Today, she’s fresh as can be, and the press corps can’t stop salivating,” Shafer writes, accurately. He attributes that to several factors, all also accurate: The press is bored with the race and excited to have something new to write about; they expect Biden to win and figure slobbering over Harris now will help ensure their access to the next White House later; they have a “sportswriters’ approach” to politics in which a player who loses is criticized for their flaws whereas a player who wins is praised for their strengths. Harris went from loser to winner, and thus so did the coverage.
Oh — and the left also needs the electorate to like her or else they might end up stuck with four more years of Trump. That’s another reason, one that didn’t make Shafer’s cut.
I’ll repeat what I said a few days ago, though, about why slipperiness as a presidential candidate might be a liability whereas slipperiness as a VP nominee might be an asset. The fact that no one could pin Harris down on policies like Medicare for All in the primary was a good reason for neither wing of the party to support her. Whereas the fact that no one can pin her down on policies as the nominee’s running mate is a good reason for neither wing of the party to object to her. Progressive opinion about her varies, but the balance of it thus far seems to find her acceptable precisely because she’s a weathervane who can be muscled if she ends up in the top job. She’s a liberal, but whether she ends up as a fake Bernie-style progressive or a Biden-style pragmatist depends entirely on which direction she senses the electorate is moving. The left thinks it has momentum; if they’re right, President Kamala will be a leftist too.
The progressives I spoke with don’t really care if those moves were genuine or motivated in part by politics. They just want Harris to make more of them. “Her collaboration with AOC on the Climate Equity Act shows that she can take some fairly left-wing and justice-oriented conversations to the highest office in the land, and that’s a good thing,” NoiseCat said. Others framed her leftward shift more cynically: “While her penchant for taking positions broadly palatable to the corporate donor class raises concerns about her dedication to progressive principles, her habit of aligning her stance with the prevailing political winds gives us some hope,” the leaders of RootsAction.org and Progressive Democrats of America said in a statement yesterday.
She’s not an ideologue, she’s a careerist. Every faction of the party can work with a careerist. Morning Consult’s new poll finds 85 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of self-described liberals at least somewhat approve of Harris’s selection. Views of her have improved as well among suburbanites, a key bloc for both parties this fall. Before she was picked as VP, they split 35/36 on whether they viewed her favorably or not. Now they split 45/39. Maybe that’s a pure “bounce” effect, or maybe the reaction is more like “I don’t know what she believes and I keep hearing conflicting things, so I guess she’s fine? Left, but not Bernie-esque?” This seems to bear that out:
I suspect that’s about right in terms of where she and Biden *actually* stand. In terms of where they might end up if they sense the political winds are blowing leftward, I’d place Harris considerably closer to 1 than Biden. Biden’s an incrementalist. Harris is a “whatever wins”-ist. That’s why she became a phony DSA-er in the primaries to begin with, because she thought you couldn’t win over progressives and become the nominee in 2020 if you weren’t one.
Via David Rutz of the Free Beacon, here’s CNN proving Shafer’s point repeatedly.


hotair--2020-08-14--Exclusive: Dr. Jo Jorgensen on her bus tour, meeting with voters, BLM, and bats

I got the chance to speak with Libertarian Party presidential nominee Dr. Jo Jorgensen during a campaign spot in North Texas on Tuesday .
A transcript of the interview with minor edits for clarity is below .
Taylor Millard : Happy to be in North Texas given your history [ Jorgensen graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and worked at IBM in Fort Worth for several years ] ?
Millard : Are you finding that this bus tour is easier to do during a pandemic versus playing jet hopping ?
Jo Jorgensen : That ’ s a good question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really makes a difference .
I actually prefer the bus because the audiences come to me .
I got to a new city , they open the doors , and there ’ s an audience .
Get back on the bus , drive a couple hours , open the doors , and there ’ s another new audience .
I think it allows me to talk to more people than flying would .
Millard : Have you been seeing mostly mixed audiences : libertarians and non-libertarians ?
Jo Jorgensen : Yes .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometimes hand out Libertarian Party application forms to join the party .
And she ’ ll just have a couple on hand to see if maybe there are a few people who weren ’ t in the party .
So , we have had rallies where a majority people are not in the party .
So , we ’ ve been overwhelmed and also I ’ ve noticed that there are a lot of young people , as well .
Millard : You ’ ve been pretty open about supporting Black Lives Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kmele Foster from Free Think and Fifth Column podcast had some issues with your anti-racism tweet .
What is anti-racism and couldn ’ t you just say racism won ’ t be tolerated .
Jo Jorgensen : I could say , “ Racism won ’ t be tolerated.
” Let me just mention though , there was a lot of missed communication and part of that was on our campaign end because somebody inadvertently capitalized “ Black Lives Matter ” as opposed to keeping it small letters .
We , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party , the national Black Lives Matter movement…because they are a Marxist organization .
The people who I ’ ve been meeting with , however , are not part of the national party – the Marxist people .
They are people who agree with us that yes , we need to end qualified immunity .
Yes , we need to end no-knock raids .
Yes , we need to end the racist war on drugs .
In talking with them , I ’ ve been able to share some libertarian ideas .
One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a preacher , he ’ s head of a Black Lives Matter chapter , said that he did not realize that the bus that Rosa Parks was on was government-run , government-owned .
And so I was able to explain to him how the free market would do a much better job at preventing discrimination than the government ever could .
And he really liked what he was hearing , he said it was a completely different take on it , and he was going to look into it .
Millard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue too , isn ’ t it ?
The basic idea that black lives matter ?
Jo Jorgensen : Yeah , I don ’ t know why anybody would be against that .
Millard : Are you going to get the chance to meet Garrett Foster ’ s family at all ?
The LP activist who was killed down in Austin ?
Jo Jorgensen : I ’ m not sure .
We just came from Austin and we didn ’ t so I ’ m not sure if that would be on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so I got ta ask this .
How exactly did the bat thing happen and is this peak 2020 ?
Jo Jorgensen : Well , I hope that ‘ Peak 2020 ’ would be my being on the debate stage and then elected president .
That would be much better .
First of all , no , I did not get bitten .
I had an encounter and the bat flew into my neck and it scratched me on the chin .
However , it turns out that the bat is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually have to be bitten in order to get rabies .
So , that ’ s why I went to the hospital .
And they said that , yes , anytime there ’ s a bat encounter , even if you ’ re not sure if you got a bite or not that they still treat it as though you are bitten because you don ’ t need to be bitten .
And also they said that the bat bites are so small that you can ’ t always tell if you got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real answer is maybe I was bitten and I just don ’ t know it ( laughter ) .
Millard : Just happy to explain freedom and liberty wherever you go , right ?
Millard : Dr. Jorgensen , thank you so much .
Really appreciate it .

I got the chance to speak with Libertarian Party presidential nominee Dr. Jo Jorgensen during a campaign spot in North Texas on Tuesday. A transcript of the interview with minor edits for clarity is below.
Taylor Millard: Happy to be in North Texas given your history [Jorgensen graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and worked at IBM in Fort Worth for several years]?
Jo Jorgensen: Oh absolutely, I’m back home.
Millard: Are you finding that this bus tour is easier to do during a pandemic versus playing jet hopping?
Jo Jorgensen: That’s a good question, I’m not sure it really makes a difference. I actually prefer the bus because the audiences come to me. I got to a new city, they open the doors, and there’s an audience. Get back on the bus, drive a couple hours, open the doors, and there’s another new audience. I think it allows me to talk to more people than flying would.
Millard: Have you been seeing mostly mixed audiences: libertarians and non-libertarians?
Jo Jorgensen: Yes. We were surprised because my assistant here will sometimes hand out Libertarian Party application forms to join the party. And she’ll just have a couple on hand to see if maybe there are a few people who weren’t in the party. So, we have had rallies where a majority people are not in the party. So, we’ve been overwhelmed and also I’ve noticed that there are a lot of young people, as well.
Millard: You’ve been pretty open about supporting Black Lives Matter but you did get some criticism from Kmele Foster from Free Think and Fifth Column podcast had some issues with your anti-racism tweet. What is anti-racism and couldn’t you just say racism won’t be tolerated.
Jo Jorgensen: I could say, “Racism won’t be tolerated.” Let me just mention though, there was a lot of missed communication and part of that was on our campaign end because somebody inadvertently capitalized “Black Lives Matter” as opposed to keeping it small letters. We, of course, are at complete odds with the national party, the national Black Lives Matter movement…because they are a Marxist organization.
The people who I’ve been meeting with, however, are not part of the national party – the Marxist people. They are people who agree with us that yes, we need to end qualified immunity. Yes, we need to end no-knock raids. Yes, we need to end the racist war on drugs.
In talking with them, I’ve been able to share some libertarian ideas. One man, who…was incarcerated and now he’s a preacher, he’s head of a Black Lives Matter chapter, said that he did not realize that the bus that Rosa Parks was on was government-run, government-owned. And so I was able to explain to him how the free market would do a much better job at preventing discrimination than the government ever could. And he really liked what he was hearing, he said it was a completely different take on it, and he was going to look into it.
Millard: It’s a pretty transpartisan issue too, isn’t it? The basic idea that black lives matter?
Jo Jorgensen: Yeah, I don’t know why anybody would be against that.
Millard: Are you going to get the chance to meet Garrett Foster’s family at all? The LP activist who was killed down in Austin?
Jo Jorgensen: I’m not sure. We just came from Austin and we didn’t so I’m not sure if that would be on a future trip.
Millard: All right, so I gotta ask this. How exactly did the bat thing happen and is this peak 2020?
Jo Jorgensen: Well, I hope that ‘Peak 2020’ would be my being on the debate stage and then elected president. That would be much better.
First of all, no, I did not get bitten. I had an encounter and the bat flew into my neck and it scratched me on the chin. However, it turns out that the bat is the only animal that you don’t actually have to be bitten in order to get rabies.
So, that’s why I went to the hospital. And they said that, yes, anytime there’s a bat encounter, even if you’re not sure if you got a bite or not that they still treat it as though you are bitten because you don’t need to be bitten. And also they said that the bat bites are so small that you can’t always tell if you got bitten or not.
I guess the real answer is maybe I was bitten and I just don’t know it (laughter).
Millard: Just happy to explain freedom and liberty wherever you go, right?
Jo Jorgensen: Absolutely.
Millard: Dr. Jorgensen, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.


hotair--2020-08-14--NYC 9/11 organizers: "Street murals" and BLM protests are on, but 9/11 tribute lights must be cancel

NYC 9/11 organizers: "Street murals" and BLM protests are on, but 9/11 tribute lights must be canceled over COVID-19 worries

Seriously ?
The city allows hundreds if not thousands to gather in the streets to paint massive political slogans on the pavement and agitate for weeks on end .
Suddenly having a few dozen workers outside to install floodlights to celebrate one of the truly unifying events in New York City is the health risk ?
YGBKM : New York City ’ s annual light installation in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks has been canceled to help control the spread of the new coronavirus , organizers said Thursday .
The two beams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in lower Manhattan in the days leading up to the anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers .
But officials at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said Thursday that they wouldn ’ t have the installation this year out of fear that the virus could spread among the workers needed to create the display .
Instead of the installation , buildings across New York City will light their facades and spires in blue , according to Michael Frazier , a spokesman for the memorial and museum .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light regrettably will not shine over lower Manhattan as part of this year ’ s tributes to commemorate 9/11 , ” he said in a statement .
The big question here is whether the organizers themselves came to this conclusion , or whether the city or state leaned on them to cancel .
So far this morning , reports lay all of this on the organizers themselves .
They even went so far as to cancel the traditional public reading of the names of all the 9/11 victims , a very strange decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the constant stream of Black Lives Matter protests in NYC and in other cities since the George Floyd homicide at the end of May .
Another organization has stepped in to save that part of the annual commemoration : The decision to cancel the “ Tribute in Light ” memorial comes after the museum this year also scrapped the in-person reading of 9/11 victims at the annual Ground Zero ceremony .
But last week , a nonprofit , The Tunnel to Towers Foundation , announced their own separate Lower Manhattan ceremony where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be permitted to read the names of their loved ones .
The excuses for allowing mass protests in the time of COVID-19 are that ( a ) they ’ re outdoors , ( b ) many of the attendees wear masks , and ( c ) the message is too important to discourage .
How do those same conditions not apply to the 9/11 tribute lights tradition ?
In this case , the work would be conducted by no more than dozens of workers , primarily outdoors and presumably following social-distancing and mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ? )
No one questions the message and its unifying importance as well as its quality as an ongoing memorial for nearly 3,000 victims of terrorism … right ?
If the organizers made this decision on their own , then perhaps the families of the victims should start working with other organizations .
If the city leaned on them to cancel , then voters should consider voting for politicians with better priorities .

Seriously? The city allows hundreds if not thousands to gather in the streets to paint massive political slogans on the pavement and agitate for weeks on end. Suddenly having a few dozen workers outside to install floodlights to celebrate one of the truly unifying events in New York City is the health risk? YGBKM:
New York City’s annual light installation in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been canceled to help control the spread of the new coronavirus, organizers said Thursday. The two beams of vertical light have traditionally been set up in lower Manhattan in the days leading up to the anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers. But officials at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said Thursday that they wouldn’t have the installation this year out of fear that the virus could spread among the workers needed to create the display. Instead of the installation, buildings across New York City will light their facades and spires in blue, according to Michael Frazier, a spokesman for the memorial and museum. “The world’s beloved twin beams of light regrettably will not shine over lower Manhattan as part of this year’s tributes to commemorate 9/11,” he said in a statement.
The big question here is whether the organizers themselves came to this conclusion, or whether the city or state leaned on them to cancel. So far this morning, reports lay all of this on the organizers themselves. They even went so far as to cancel the traditional public reading of the names of all the 9/11 victims, a very strange decision as it would require far less density than the constant stream of Black Lives Matter protests in NYC and in other cities since the George Floyd homicide at the end of May.
Another organization has stepped in to save that part of the annual commemoration:
The decision to cancel the “Tribute in Light” memorial comes after the museum this year also scrapped the in-person reading of 9/11 victims at the annual Ground Zero ceremony. But last week, a nonprofit, The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, announced their own separate Lower Manhattan ceremony where select family members of 9/11 victims will be permitted to read the names of their loved ones.
The excuses for allowing mass protests in the time of COVID-19 are that (a) they’re outdoors, (b) many of the attendees wear masks, and (c) the message is too important to discourage. How do those same conditions not apply to the 9/11 tribute lights tradition? In this case, the work would be conducted by no more than dozens of workers, primarily outdoors and presumably following social-distancing and mask protocols. (Why wouldn’t they?) No one questions the message and its unifying importance as well as its quality as an ongoing memorial for nearly 3,000 victims of terrorism … right?
If the organizers made this decision on their own, then perhaps the families of the victims should start working with other organizations. If the city leaned on them to cancel, then voters should consider voting for politicians with better priorities.


hotair--2020-08-14--Oregon state police to Portland: If you're not prosecuting rioters, we're leaving

“ Certainly fighting words there , ” KOIN reporter Lisa Balick says without a hint of irony about the declaration from Oregon state police .
Their leadership has ordered a withdrawal from Portland despite their role as guarantor of security for the federal courthouse , allowing DHS to withdraw its own law-enforcement personnel .
The state police issued a statement saying they prefer to put their resources into areas where prosecutors take their jobs seriously , unlike Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt : “ The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority.
” Asked if OSP troopers would be pulling out of Portland immediately , officials told KOIN 6 News the answer is yes .
… There is growing concern by law enforcement that protest violence in Portland may escalate now that Schmidt said he will not pursue cases against those arrested for interfering with police , criminal trespass and disorderly conduct if they don ’ t involve deliberate property damage , theft or force .
Portland police are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are still arresting people under charges Schmidt said he will dismiss .
Fox affiliate KPTV reports that police chief Chuck Lovell announced that the police will enforce the law , and expects that Schmidt will do the same … eventually .
Multnomah sheriff Mike Reese sent Schmidt an e-mail asking him what the heck he ’ s thinking : “ The situation on the street is incredibly volatile , ” Reese wrote , “ with a really committed group of Antifa/anarchists starting fires , damaging property and assaulting police/community members .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reese warned Schmidt , “ if there is a public statement that appears to minimize their activities.
” Anger over prosecutors refusing to do their jobs isn ’ t limited to Portland either , ABC News notes this morning .
Police and politicians in Chicago have begun to point fingers at newly re-elected Cook County State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx , and people are getting unhappy with similarly lax treatment of criminals in New York City as well .
These problems predate the George Floyd riots , and originate in supposed criminal-justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminals back onto the streets : Several top prosecutors have faced pushback in recent weeks for what critics say has been too lenient a response to unrest , including looting .
The Cook County State ’ s attorney , Kim Foxx , was among the latest to face criticism after looting and violence overtook the streets of Downtown Chicago early Monday .
Several Chicago officials this week charged that Foxx ’ s progressive reforms , such as raising the bar for felony charges in retail theft , have led to repeat offenses in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy is akin to one rolled out in New York during the early days of the city ’ s protests against police brutality .
In early June , Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced he would decline to prosecute protesters arrested for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct .
The policy , his office said , was designed to preserve resources for more serious crimes and “ reduce racial disparities and collateral consequences in low-level offense prosecutions.
” Around that time , Vance ’ s office also faced pushback for not charging alleged looters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be released amid new bail reform measures .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo called on prosecutors to charge the looters with second-degree burglary and said that “ they should be held and set bail.
” In response , the district attorney ’ s office said there often wasn ’ t enough evidence for a more serious charge .
If this summer proves anything , it ’ s that elections matter — even down to the lowest level .
When voters put unserious people into office , bad things happen , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ councils that don ’ t take responsibility for their own policing policies , prosecutors who prefer posing to enforcing the law , and governors who like pandering rather than public peace are all part of the problem .
The only real solution is to vote all of them out of office and elect people who take law enforcement as seriously as protecting civil rights , rather than people who see theft as a protest against privilege and riots and arson as legitimate public conduct .

“Certainly fighting words there,” KOIN reporter Lisa Balick says without a hint of irony about the declaration from Oregon state police. Their leadership has ordered a withdrawal from Portland despite their role as guarantor of security for the federal courthouse, allowing DHS to withdraw its own law-enforcement personnel. The state police issued a statement saying they prefer to put their resources into areas where prosecutors take their jobs seriously, unlike Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt:
“The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority.” Asked if OSP troopers would be pulling out of Portland immediately, officials told KOIN 6 News the answer is yes. … There is growing concern by law enforcement that protest violence in Portland may escalate now that Schmidt said he will not pursue cases against those arrested for interfering with police, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct if they don’t involve deliberate property damage, theft or force.
Portland police are practically daring Schmidt not to prosecute. They are still arresting people under charges Schmidt said he will dismiss. Fox affiliate KPTV reports that police chief Chuck Lovell announced that the police will enforce the law, and expects that Schmidt will do the same … eventually. Multnomah sheriff Mike Reese sent Schmidt an e-mail asking him what the heck he’s thinking:
“The situation on the street is incredibly volatile,” Reese wrote, “with a really committed group of Antifa/anarchists starting fires, damaging property and assaulting police/community members. They may feel even more emboldened,” Reese warned Schmidt, “if there is a public statement that appears to minimize their activities.”
Ya think?
Anger over prosecutors refusing to do their jobs isn’t limited to Portland either, ABC News notes this morning. Police and politicians in Chicago have begun to point fingers at newly re-elected Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, and people are getting unhappy with similarly lax treatment of criminals in New York City as well. These problems predate the George Floyd riots, and originate in supposed criminal-justice reform efforts that have released thousands of criminals back onto the streets:
Several top prosecutors have faced pushback in recent weeks for what critics say has been too lenient a response to unrest, including looting. The Cook County State’s attorney, Kim Foxx, was among the latest to face criticism after looting and violence overtook the streets of Downtown Chicago early Monday. Several Chicago officials this week charged that Foxx’s progressive reforms, such as raising the bar for felony charges in retail theft, have led to repeat offenses in recent months. … Portland’s policy is akin to one rolled out in New York during the early days of the city’s protests against police brutality. In early June, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced he would decline to prosecute protesters arrested for unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct. The policy, his office said, was designed to preserve resources for more serious crimes and “reduce racial disparities and collateral consequences in low-level offense prosecutions.” Around that time, Vance’s office also faced pushback for not charging alleged looters with higher burglary offenses, allowing them to be released amid new bail reform measures. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on prosecutors to charge the looters with second-degree burglary and said that “they should be held and set bail.” In response, the district attorney’s office said there often wasn’t enough evidence for a more serious charge.
If this summer proves anything, it’s that elections matter — even down to the lowest level. When voters put unserious people into office, bad things happen, and then they start happening fast. City councils that don’t take responsibility for their own policing policies, prosecutors who prefer posing to enforcing the law, and governors who like pandering rather than public peace are all part of the problem. The only real solution is to vote all of them out of office and elect people who take law enforcement as seriously as protecting civil rights, rather than people who see theft as a protest against privilege and riots and arson as legitimate public conduct.


hotair--2020-08-15--U.S.-Canada-Mexico border restrictions extended

The United States is extending its border closures with Canada and Mexico for another month .
The current agreement between all three countries is set to expire on August 21 .
Blame the coronavirus .
In March , the borders were closed to non-essential travelers to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus .
Truck drivers and healthcare workers are the exceptions and allowed to cross the borders .
The acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security , made the announcement Friday .
The coronavirus outbreak remains worse in the United States than in either Canada or Mexico , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its own .
The Canadian Public Health Minister made the announcement for border closure for an additional 30 days in his country .
‘ We will continue to do what ’ s necessary to keep our communities safe.
” Canadians are , however , allowed to fly into the United States but travelers from the United States can not fly into Canada .
And , Canada is keeping a close eye on Americans traveling through to Alaska .
The federal government has also moved to curb the movement of Americans through Canada who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. travellers destined for the northern state have been limited to five crossings in Western Canada and they must commit to taking a direct route .
Dr. Theresa Tam , the chief public health officer of Canada , says the government will continue to monitor epidemiological data on both sides of the border before making a decision to open the country to more U.S. travellers .
Tam said she didn ’ t want to see a spike in cases related to the U.S. after Canada has been able to flatten the infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We want to keep up our good work and , as you ’ ve seen from the map , Canada is actually in quite a good position right now , ” she told reporters Friday .
The rules have loosened just a bit since March .
Travel exemptions apply to Americans who are returning to the U.S. and Canadians who are returning to Canada .
Immediate family members of Canadians are also allowed entry into Canada but must quarantine or self isolate for 14 days .
Naturally , a Democrat lawmaker from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quote to CBC to trash the Trump administration ’ s response to the coronavirus .
It ’ s an election year , you know , even if he ’ s playing to Canadians .
Brian Higgins , a Democratic congressman for the New York district that includes Buffalo and the Niagara area , said he was disappointed but not surprised that the border closure was extended .
“ I have been working with Canadian officials at the federal level for several months toward the goal of getting a mutually agreed-to plan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , expanding the category of who is an essential traveller , ” said Higgins , who was among nearly two dozen members of Congress to sign a letter in July calling for a plan to reopen the border .
“ But I have come to realize that the Canadian federal government response to COVID-19 was early , strong and united .
The American federal government response was slow , chaotic and adversarial.
” Higgins said he doesn ’ t think Washington wants to keep the border closed but doesn ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the border closure is having an impact on his district .
“ We have , in Buffalo and western New York , two professional sports franchises — the NFL Buffalo Bills , the NHL Buffalo Sabres — highly dependent on the Canadian season ticket-holders for those two franchises .
Forty-five percent of our business at the Buffalo-Niagara international airport is citizens from Canada — by and large from Ontario .
Our retail economy is highly dependent on the Canadian shopper .
Canadians spend $ 10 million a year on health care in western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The penalties for not following the quarantine requirements include a fine of up to $ 750,000 , 6 months of jail time , and being found inadmissible , removed from Canada , and banned from entering for 1 year .
The U.S. – Mexico border is normally busier than the border with Canada .
As a sign of the importance of social media in today ’ s world , all three countries announced the border closure extension via Twitter .
Mexico is number seven on the list of most confirmed cases and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico , travelers should carry evidence of the essential nature of their visit and evidence of their resident status in Mexico , if applicable .
This travel restriction does not prevent Americans from returning home .
Some of the restrictions seems tortured .
Flying into the countries is ok but not by automobile , for example .
I don ’ t quite understand how an air passenger is less threatening to the spread of the coronavirus than an automobile passenger .
Anyway , the restrictions have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the final word , the restrictions will remain in place through the end of 2020 .

The United States is extending its border closures with Canada and Mexico for another month. The current agreement between all three countries is set to expire on August 21. Blame the coronavirus.
In March, the borders were closed to non-essential travelers to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Truck drivers and healthcare workers are the exceptions and allowed to cross the borders. The acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, made the announcement Friday.
“We continue to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to slow the spread of #COVID19. Accordingly, we have agreed to extend the limitation of non-essential travel at our shared land ports of entry through September 21,” he said.
The coronavirus outbreak remains worse in the United States than in either Canada or Mexico, though Mexico is battling a significant outbreak of its own. The Canadian Public Health Minister made the announcement for border closure for an additional 30 days in his country. ‘We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.” Canadians are, however, allowed to fly into the United States but travelers from the United States cannot fly into Canada. And, Canada is keeping a close eye on Americans traveling through to Alaska.
The federal government has also moved to curb the movement of Americans through Canada who are ostensibly on their way to Alaska. U.S. travellers destined for the northern state have been limited to five crossings in Western Canada and they must commit to taking a direct route. Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer of Canada, says the government will continue to monitor epidemiological data on both sides of the border before making a decision to open the country to more U.S. travellers. Tam said she didn’t want to see a spike in cases related to the U.S. after Canada has been able to flatten the infection curve with aggressive public health measures. “We want to keep up our good work and, as you’ve seen from the map, Canada is actually in quite a good position right now,” she told reporters Friday.
The rules have loosened just a bit since March. Travel exemptions apply to Americans who are returning to the U.S. and Canadians who are returning to Canada. Immediate family members of Canadians are also allowed entry into Canada but must quarantine or self isolate for 14 days. Naturally, a Democrat lawmaker from New York took the opportunity to give a quote to CBC to trash the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus. It’s an election year, you know, even if he’s playing to Canadians.
Brian Higgins, a Democratic congressman for the New York district that includes Buffalo and the Niagara area, said he was disappointed but not surprised that the border closure was extended. “I have been working with Canadian officials at the federal level for several months toward the goal of getting a mutually agreed-to plan to open the border or, short of that, expanding the category of who is an essential traveller,” said Higgins, who was among nearly two dozen members of Congress to sign a letter in July calling for a plan to reopen the border. “But I have come to realize that the Canadian federal government response to COVID-19 was early, strong and united. The American federal government response was slow, chaotic and adversarial.” Higgins said he doesn’t think Washington wants to keep the border closed but doesn’t have much choice. Meanwhile, he said the border closure is having an impact on his district. “We have, in Buffalo and western New York, two professional sports franchises — the NFL Buffalo Bills, the NHL Buffalo Sabres — highly dependent on the Canadian season ticket-holders for those two franchises. Forty-five percent of our business at the Buffalo-Niagara international airport is citizens from Canada — by and large from Ontario. Our retail economy is highly dependent on the Canadian shopper. Canadians spend $10 million a year on health care in western New York,” he said.
The penalties for not following the quarantine requirements include a fine of up to $750,000, 6 months of jail time, and being found inadmissible, removed from Canada, and banned from entering for 1 year.
The U.S. – Mexico border is normally busier than the border with Canada. As a sign of the importance of social media in today’s world, all three countries announced the border closure extension via Twitter. Mexico is number seven on the list of most confirmed cases and the third with the most fatal coronavirus cases.
“Both countries will attempt to coordinate health measures in the border region that will be in effect until 23:59 hours on September 21, 2020,” Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said on Twitter. The Mexican Chancellery stated that the restrictions will remain “on the same terms” since their implementation on March 21, when they decided to close non-essential travel, but allow transit for commercial or medical reasons.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, travelers should carry evidence of the essential nature of their visit and evidence of their resident status in Mexico, if applicable. This travel restriction does not prevent Americans from returning home.
Some of the restrictions seems tortured. Flying into the countries is ok but not by automobile, for example. I don’t quite understand how an air passenger is less threatening to the spread of the coronavirus than an automobile passenger. Anyway, the restrictions have been renewed another month. If Canadians have the final word, the restrictions will remain in place through the end of 2020.


hotair--2020-08-15--A racial reckoning for... White vegans?

A racial reckoning for... White vegans?

I suppose that in a general sort of way I already knew that there isn ’ t anything that liberals can ’ t twist into some sort of a narrative on racism , but even I didn ’ t see this one coming .
The latest group finding themselves in the spotlight of potential accusations of racism probably falls into the category of circular firing squads .
We ’ re talking about… White vegans .
If you find yourself wonder where there ’ s any sort of intersection between racism and White people not eating meat , don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not alone .
But over at Vice , the accusations are flying and it ’ s enough to make my head spin .
When Afia Amoako became a vegan five years ago , she said she didn ’ t see herself reflected in the community , which was dominated by wealthy white women .
They often touted recipes— ” African peanut stew ” or “ Asian stir fry ” —that rely on racial stereotypes , said Amoako .
“ One , they don ’ t look like you , and , two , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are ways to turn racialized people away.
” So the field of veganism is dominated by wealthy White women ?
Who knew ?
Also , when did we start using the word “ racialized ” to describe non-White people ?
That sounds a bit more offensive than descriptive , doesn ’ t it ?
Anyway , there ’ s more to the case being made here .
Let ’ s read a bit more .
“ These white women , they are the gatekeepers of the vegan movement , ” Amoako said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this whole time.
” White women are starting to acknowledge Black and racialized vegans now , following a string of racial reckonings happening in several sectors and communities , Amoako said , but “ I ’ m not gon na lie to you , some of us are still skeptical.
” If I ’ m following these accusations correctly , it appears that the discussion is centering around social media “ influencers ” as they are called these days .
They are people who go out on YouTube , Instagram and other platforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turn out to be quite profitable for the ones who rise to the top of the field But in the case of influencers who specialize in vegan and vegetarian cuisine , it seems that the most popular ones are predominantly White women .
Critics focus on a couple of factors to make their case .
One is a survey showing that Black Americans are three times more likely than Whites to follow a vegetarian diet .
The other is that all of these annoying White women spend a lot of time featuring Asian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ cultural appropriation.
” As to why the most popular social media influencer accounts belong to White women , what exactly do you want them to do ?
Apologize for being successful ?
Nobody has a gun to their head and being forced to click the subscribe button .
If you want to complain to someone , you should take it up with all of the subscribers .
Why aren ’ t more of them following accounts like Amoako ’ s ?
As to the cultural appropriation nonsense , we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long already .
Nobody holds any sort of license on a particular style of food .
Anyone of any race , gender or religion can take up cooking whatever they like .
Arguments to the contrary are nonsense .
If you want to complain about non-Asians making General Tso ’ s chicken or non-Italians making pizza , that ’ s your right .
But it ’ s the right of the rest of us to laugh at you .
Do us all a favor and give it a rest .

I suppose that in a general sort of way I already knew that there isn’t anything that liberals can’t twist into some sort of a narrative on racism, but even I didn’t see this one coming. The latest group finding themselves in the spotlight of potential accusations of racism probably falls into the category of circular firing squads. We’re talking about… White vegans. If you find yourself wonder where there’s any sort of intersection between racism and White people not eating meat, don’t feel too bad. You’re not alone. But over at Vice, the accusations are flying and it’s enough to make my head spin.
When Afia Amoako became a vegan five years ago, she said she didn’t see herself reflected in the community, which was dominated by wealthy white women. They often touted recipes—”African peanut stew” or “Asian stir fry”—that rely on racial stereotypes, said Amoako. “One, they don’t look like you, and, two, they are appropriating your food. Those are ways to turn racialized people away.”
So the field of veganism is dominated by wealthy White women? Who knew? Also, when did we start using the word “racialized” to describe non-White people? That sounds a bit more offensive than descriptive, doesn’t it? Anyway, there’s more to the case being made here. Let’s read a bit more.
“These white women, they are the gatekeepers of the vegan movement,” Amoako said. “We Black creators have been here this whole time.” White women are starting to acknowledge Black and racialized vegans now, following a string of racial reckonings happening in several sectors and communities, Amoako said, but “I’m not gonna lie to you, some of us are still skeptical.”
If I’m following these accusations correctly, it appears that the discussion is centering around social media “influencers” as they are called these days. They are people who go out on YouTube, Instagram and other platforms and develop huge followings. This can turn out to be quite profitable for the ones who rise to the top of the field
But in the case of influencers who specialize in vegan and vegetarian cuisine, it seems that the most popular ones are predominantly White women. Critics focus on a couple of factors to make their case. One is a survey showing that Black Americans are three times more likely than Whites to follow a vegetarian diet. The other is that all of these annoying White women spend a lot of time featuring Asian or African dishes. This is described as “cultural appropriation.”
As to why the most popular social media influencer accounts belong to White women, what exactly do you want them to do? Apologize for being successful? Nobody has a gun to their head and being forced to click the subscribe button. If you want to complain to someone, you should take it up with all of the subscribers. Why aren’t more of them following accounts like Amoako’s?
As to the cultural appropriation nonsense, we’ve been dealing with this for far too long already. Nobody holds any sort of license on a particular style of food. Anyone of any race, gender or religion can take up cooking whatever they like. Arguments to the contrary are nonsense. If you want to complain about non-Asians making General Tso’s chicken or non-Italians making pizza, that’s your right. But it’s the right of the rest of us to laugh at you. Do us all a favor and give it a rest.


hotair--2020-08-15--Obama: Trump is trying to "actively kneecap" the Postal Service to discourage voting

Like I said on Thursday , it ’ s not so much that he ’ s trying to break the agency ’ s knees as that its knees are already broken and he refuses to hand it a crutch .
But yes , his motives for that are electoral .
By his own admission .
I ’ m curious to see the next round of polling .
The story has exploded since Trump linked his opposition to universal mail-in voting to his opposition to more money for the USPS in the next round of stimulus relief .
Every prominent Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every major media outlet in the country to the left of Fox News is digging in on it .
Maybe it won ’ t matter , as opinions of Trump are so hardened that his numbers barely move absent something as momentous as the mass demonstrations that followed George Floyd ’ s death .
But the lefty narrative of what ’ s going on here is a potentially potent cocktail , a story of cartoon villainy involving something as basic as delivering the mail .
Government scandals typically involve bureaucracy and self-dealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make them difficult to follow .
This one ’ s easy .
That might matter .
Obama and the rest of the party are going to milk it for all it ’ s worth .
“ What we ’ ve never seen before is a president say , ‘ I ’ m going to try to actively kneecap the Postal Service to [ discourage ] voting , and I will be explicit about the reason I ’ m doing it.
’ That ’ s sort of unheard of , ” Obama told David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longtime adviser , in an interview on Cadence13 ’ s Campaign HQ podcast released Friday… “ What are Republicans doing where you are so scared of people voting , that you are now willing to undermine what is part of the basic infrastructure of American life ?
” he said , adding that “ there have to be some basic shared assumptions that bind us together .
And one of those is that we don ’ t actively hurt people or undermine key parts of our lives just for partisan advantage.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , underscoring the soon-to-be universal Democratic claim that Americans need to vote as early as they can : I tried to cut through some of the noise around the USPS in yesterday ’ s post .
The fact that Trump would block money for the agency because he disapproves of a method of voting endorsed by various states speaks for itself .
He and the GOP will have to take their lumps on that .
But the claim that he and his new postmaster general , Louis DeJoy , are trying to sabotage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it so that it ’ s less efficient remains unproved .
Some measures that seem suspicious at first blush may have innocent explanations .
For instance , Vice reported yesterday that a number of huge mail-sorting machines have been moved lately from various facilities , but went on to note that that ’ s not unusual and might even improve efficiency depending on where the machines are moved to .
Business Insider notes today that DeJoy has been discouraging overtime and “ late trips ” by carriers , which means delays in delivery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is the ostensible purpose of the reorganization .
Of course , whether a reorganization should be top priority at this very moment , with an election bearing down and timely delivery of essentials like medicine in the thick of a pandemic being of utmost importance , is another matter .
Yesterday DeJoy sent an internal memo to Postal Service staff yesterday acknowledging that “ Unfortunately , this transformative initiative has had unintended consequences that impacted our overall service levels.
” This morning he woke up to find protesters outside his home in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump might be up to reached such a pitch yesterday that the Postal Service decided to suspend removal of redundant mailboxes in some U.S. cities .
Word got around that some boxes had been taken away in Portland , and suddenly that became part of the evil Trump/DeJoy plot to make it harder for people to vote .
To hell with it then , the USPS said last night .
We ’ ll just leave the unnecessary mailboxes in place if it ’ s going to freak people out this much to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dems are all-in on this : And not just the most left-wing ones either : Manchin usually treads lightly when crossing Trump , knowing that his home state of West Virginia produced one of the biggest Republican landslides in 2016 .
Not this time .
“ The Administration is launching an all-out war on the U.S .
Postal Service , ” he said in a statement .
Manchin ’ s a canny politician — he ’ d have to be to have his record of success in a deep red state — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the wrong side of a dispute over timely mail delivery than he does in pissing Trump off .
So he ’ s running away , fast .
Like I say , I ’ m curious to see the next polls .
It ’ s not just Democratic messaging that might make this issue potent either : Non-politicians with gigantic audiences are amplifying it too : Even if there ’ s no change in the Trump/Biden polling , it ’ s a cinch that public alarm over the USPS ’ s potential failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re sent in the final weeks of the campaign is going to lead to more early voting this year .
And given that Trump is the candidate who ’ s trailing right now , it ’ s hard to see how that benefits him .
Biden ’ s the one who wants a short campaign , Trump ’ s the one who wants , or should want , a long one since it gives him more time to pull off something game-changing before November 3 .
The scenario predicted by so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of business on Election Day only to have Biden whittle that lead via mail ballots in the days following , might not come to pass after all .
Dems may be so spooked by the Postal Service shenanigans that they ’ ll end up getting most of their ballots in well in advance of November 3 .
The president ’ s taking his own form of early action on the election , all but declaring that even if he loses he didn ’ t really lose : Encouraging Americans not to accept a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on-brand for modern American politics on both sides , but especially for the guy who got his start as a national figure questioning whether Obama was a natural-born U.S. citizen .
Inculcating suspicion of , and contempt for , democracy may be his most lasting and destructive presidential legacy .
I ’ ll leave you with this , which marks the second time in the span of a few weeks that some outlandish Biden prediction from earlier in the campaign of what Trump might do if he gets desperate about his electoral chances @ @ @ @ @

Like I said on Thursday, it’s not so much that he’s trying to break the agency’s knees as that its knees are already broken and he refuses to hand it a crutch.
But yes, his motives for that are electoral. By his own admission.
I’m curious to see the next round of polling. The story has exploded since Trump linked his opposition to universal mail-in voting to his opposition to more money for the USPS in the next round of stimulus relief. Every prominent Democrat in America is now focused on it, every major media outlet in the country to the left of Fox News is digging in on it. Maybe it won’t matter, as opinions of Trump are so hardened that his numbers barely move absent something as momentous as the mass demonstrations that followed George Floyd’s death. But the lefty narrative of what’s going on here is a potentially potent cocktail, a story of cartoon villainy involving something as basic as delivering the mail. Government scandals typically involve bureaucracy and self-dealing and all manner of legal niceties that make them difficult to follow. This one’s easy. That might matter.
Obama and the rest of the party are going to milk it for all it’s worth.
“What we’ve never seen before is a president say, ‘I’m going to try to actively kneecap the Postal Service to [discourage] voting, and I will be explicit about the reason I’m doing it.’ That’s sort of unheard of,” Obama told David Plouffe, his 2008 campaign manager and longtime adviser, in an interview on Cadence13’s Campaign HQ podcast released Friday… “What are Republicans doing where you are so scared of people voting, that you are now willing to undermine what is part of the basic infrastructure of American life?” he said, adding that “there have to be some basic shared assumptions that bind us together. And one of those is that we don’t actively hurt people or undermine key parts of our lives just for partisan advantage.”
He was at it yesterday on Twitter too, underscoring the soon-to-be universal Democratic claim that Americans need to vote as early as they can:
Everyone depends on the USPS. Seniors for their Social Security, veterans for their prescriptions, small businesses trying to keep their doors open. They can't be collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 14, 2020
If you're in a state where you have the option to vote early, do that now. The more votes in early, the less likely you're going to see a last minute crunch, both at polling places and in states where mail-in ballots are permitted. Then tell everyone you know. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 14, 2020
I tried to cut through some of the noise around the USPS in yesterday’s post. The fact that Trump would block money for the agency because he disapproves of a method of voting endorsed by various states speaks for itself. He and the GOP will have to take their lumps on that. But the claim that he and his new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, are trying to sabotage the Postal Service from within by reorganizing it so that it’s less efficient remains unproved. Some measures that seem suspicious at first blush may have innocent explanations. For instance, Vice reported yesterday that a number of huge mail-sorting machines have been moved lately from various facilities, but went on to note that that’s not unusual and might even improve efficiency depending on where the machines are moved to. Business Insider notes today that DeJoy has been discouraging overtime and “late trips” by carriers, which means delays in delivery — but also means saving money, which is the ostensible purpose of the reorganization.
Of course, whether a reorganization should be top priority at this very moment, with an election bearing down and timely delivery of essentials like medicine in the thick of a pandemic being of utmost importance, is another matter.
Yesterday DeJoy sent an internal memo to Postal Service staff yesterday acknowledging that “Unfortunately, this transformative initiative has had unintended consequences that impacted our overall service levels.” This morning he woke up to find protesters outside his home in Washington. Paranoia about what he and Trump might be up to reached such a pitch yesterday that the Postal Service decided to suspend removal of redundant mailboxes in some U.S. cities. Word got around that some boxes had been taken away in Portland, and suddenly that became part of the evil Trump/DeJoy plot to make it harder for people to vote. To hell with it then, the USPS said last night. We’ll just leave the unnecessary mailboxes in place if it’s going to freak people out this much to see them go.
As I say, Dems are all-in on this:
We cannot let Donald Trump destroy the United States Postal Service. Congress must step up to ensure our nation’s seniors can get their life-saving medicine on time and that people can safely cast their ballots. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 15, 2020
And not just the most left-wing ones either:
WATCH: I toured @USPS facilities across #WV today to thank our postal workers. People need their medicine, checks, & their ballots. That's why I filed the POST Act to prevent post office closures during the #COVID19 pandemic. Now is not the time to play politics with our mail. pic.twitter.com/0XtC2slxAD — Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) August 14, 2020
Manchin usually treads lightly when crossing Trump, knowing that his home state of West Virginia produced one of the biggest Republican landslides in 2016. Not this time. “The Administration is launching an all-out war on the U.S. Postal Service,” he said in a statement. Manchin’s a canny politician — he’d have to be to have his record of success in a deep red state — and he clearly sees more peril in being on the wrong side of a dispute over timely mail delivery than he does in pissing Trump off. So he’s running away, fast. Like I say, I’m curious to see the next polls.
It’s not just Democratic messaging that might make this issue potent either:
Per @playbookplus: These regional and local headlines on the Postal Service are brutal and surely now what the Trump campaign wants the focus to be on right now. pic.twitter.com/gWh60DnQvd — Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) August 15, 2020
Non-politicians with gigantic audiences are amplifying it too:
Donald Trump’s ineffective leadership gravely worsened the crisis that we are in and he is now taking advantage of it to subvert and destroy our right to vote and vote safely. Request a ballot early. Vote early. — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 15, 2020
Even if there’s no change in the Trump/Biden polling, it’s a cinch that public alarm over the USPS’s potential failure to deliver ballots on time if they’re sent in the final weeks of the campaign is going to lead to more early voting this year. And given that Trump is the candidate who’s trailing right now, it’s hard to see how that benefits him. Biden’s the one who wants a short campaign, Trump’s the one who wants, or should want, a long one since it gives him more time to pull off something game-changing before November 3. The scenario predicted by so many, that Trump will lead at close of business on Election Day only to have Biden whittle that lead via mail ballots in the days following, might not come to pass after all. Dems may be so spooked by the Postal Service shenanigans that they’ll end up getting most of their ballots in well in advance of November 3.
The president’s taking his own form of early action on the election, all but declaring that even if he loses he didn’t really lose:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1294601307068735488
Encouraging Americans not to accept a duly elected leader as legitimate is very on-brand for modern American politics on both sides, but especially for the guy who got his start as a national figure questioning whether Obama was a natural-born U.S. citizen. Inculcating suspicion of, and contempt for, democracy may be his most lasting and destructive presidential legacy.
I’ll leave you with this, which marks the second time in the span of a few weeks that some outlandish Biden prediction from earlier in the campaign of what Trump might do if he gets desperate about his electoral chances has eventually borne fruit.