hotair--2020-05-10--Finger-pointing begins in Ahmaud Arbery case

We ’ re now at the finger-pointing stage of the Ahmaud Arbery case where the so-called “ law enforcement ” officials need to come up with some explanation on why it was almost swept under the rug .
Glynn County Commissioners Allen Booker and Peter Murphy started the blame game by telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police wanted to arrest the suspects in Arbery ’ s murder but Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson said , “ No.
” Their theory was Johnson wanted to protect George and Travis McMichael because the former used to the work in her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Friday claiming she ’ s as innocent as freshly fallen snow because police buggered things up .
“ When two Assistant District Attorneys were contacted by the Glynn County Police Department on February 23 , 2020 , they immediately cited a conflict of interest and stated our office could not be involved , ” she said in a statement .
“ Our office offered to facilitate getting assistance from another District Attorney ’ s office .
At no time on February 23 , 2020 , did District Attorney Jackie Johnson have any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about this case .
Further , no Assistant District Attorney in the office directed any Glynn County police officer not to make an arrest.
” Glynn County further sought to absolve its department with a timeline of the events of February 23rd to prove , once and for all , police wanted to arrest the McMichaels but were denied .
“ Glynn County Police Officers sought the legal advice of the Brunswick District Attorney ’ s Office in reference to possible charges , ” Glenn County ’ s commentary proclaims while pointedly mentioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the investigation .
“ The DA ’ s office advised that there needed to be further follow up and the detectives would be contacted the following day by the DA from the Waycross Judicial Circuit .
The McMichaels were deemed not to be flight risks and officers were advised by the DA ’ s office that no arrests were necessary at the time .
Detectives met with DA George Barnhill , Sr. of the Waycross Judicial Circuit the following day and reviewed their findings with him .
DA Barnhill , Sr. advised detectives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the act was justifiable homicide and for detectives to continue their investigation and provide him with lab reports and any additional pertinent information.
” Why did Waycross DA George Barnhill Sr. rule it justifiable homicide , despite Glynn County ’ s ex post facto assertions of desiring the McMichaels behind bars ?
That ’ s a question for him to answer although the letter he sent to Glenn County shed some light on his decision making mainly the rather laughable claim the McMichaels and the man who filmed Arbery ’ s death were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25-year-old .
The video appeared to show otherwise .
The Glynn County Police incident report still raised questions on whether officers wanted to arrest the McMichaels and the narrative spun out of Arbery ’ s killing .
Officers failed to mention any video of the shooting .
The attorney for the man who took it claimed Friday to First Coast News in Jacksonville , Florida his client , “ disclosed the existence of the videotape , and invited a responding Glynn County Police Officer to sit with him in his truck where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think the video would be part of any report .
Questions remain on why Glynn County failed to ask the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ’ s help from the beginning given Greg McMichael ’ s history with the police department .
The county ’ s explanation left a bit to be desired .
“ [ I ] t was ultimately decided not to seek out the Georgia Bureau of Investigation ( GBI ) to review the case given that none of the officers involved in the case were employed with the Police Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greg McMichael was employed by the department and the officers involved in the case had little to no contact with Mr. McMichael when he was employed by the Brunswick District Attorney ’ s Office.
” Perhaps Glynn County and DA Johnson ’ s past sins are finally catching up with them and they ’ re trying to take everyone down with them .
Johnson enjoyed a cozy relationship with the police this past decade , including protecting two cops who shot an unarmed woman to death following a slow-speed chase .
One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later go on to murder his estranged wife causing Johnson and Glynn County police to clash on whether police gave the murderous cop information on his wife .
There are also questions on whether the former Glynn County police chief , who attempted to change the department ’ s culture , was charged with a crime when it ’ s possible all he did was violate department policy .
Whatever the case , it appears the entire peach is rotten with the disease of corruption .
Too bad it took the death of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a jog to bring all this to the national light .

We’re now at the finger-pointing stage of the Ahmaud Arbery case where the so-called “law enforcement” officials need to come up with some explanation on why it was almost swept under the rug.
Glynn County Commissioners Allen Booker and Peter Murphy started the blame game by telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that police wanted to arrest the suspects in Arbery’s murder but Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson said, “No.” Their theory was Johnson wanted to protect George and Travis McMichael because the former used to the work in her office.
Johnson stuck up for herself late Friday claiming she’s as innocent as freshly fallen snow because police buggered things up.
“When two Assistant District Attorneys were contacted by the Glynn County Police Department on February 23, 2020, they immediately cited a conflict of interest and stated our office could not be involved,” she said in a statement. “Our office offered to facilitate getting assistance from another District Attorney’s office. At no time on February 23, 2020, did District Attorney Jackie Johnson have any conversation with any Glynn County police officer about this case. Further, no Assistant District Attorney in the office directed any Glynn County police officer not to make an arrest.”
AllonGeorgia.com noted three police department employees disagree with Johnson’s assessment.
Glynn County further sought to absolve its department with a timeline of the events of February 23rd to prove, once and for all, police wanted to arrest the McMichaels but were denied.
“Glynn County Police Officers sought the legal advice of the Brunswick District Attorney’s Office in reference to possible charges,” Glenn County’s commentary proclaims while pointedly mentioning Johnson’s office was involved in the investigation. “The DA’s office advised that there needed to be further follow up and the detectives would be contacted the following day by the DA from the Waycross Judicial Circuit. The McMichaels were deemed not to be flight risks and officers were advised by the DA’s office that no arrests were necessary at the time. Detectives met with DA George Barnhill, Sr. of the Waycross Judicial Circuit the following day and reviewed their findings with him. DA Barnhill, Sr. advised detectives before noon on February, 24th that the act was justifiable homicide and for detectives to continue their investigation and provide him with lab reports and any additional pertinent information.”
Why did Waycross DA George Barnhill Sr. rule it justifiable homicide, despite Glynn County’s ex post facto assertions of desiring the McMichaels behind bars? That’s a question for him to answer although the letter he sent to Glenn County shed some light on his decision making mainly the rather laughable claim the McMichaels and the man who filmed Arbery’s death were in “hot pursuit” of the 25-year-old. The video appeared to show otherwise.
The Glynn County Police incident report still raised questions on whether officers wanted to arrest the McMichaels and the narrative spun out of Arbery’s killing. Officers failed to mention any video of the shooting. The attorney for the man who took it claimed Friday to First Coast News in Jacksonville, Florida his client, “disclosed the existence of the videotape, and invited a responding Glynn County Police Officer to sit with him in his truck where they watched the video together.” One would think the video would be part of any report.
Questions remain on why Glynn County failed to ask the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s help from the beginning given Greg McMichael’s history with the police department. The county’s explanation left a bit to be desired. “[I]t was ultimately decided not to seek out the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to review the case given that none of the officers involved in the case were employed with the Police Department, from 1982 to 1989, when Greg McMichael was employed by the department and the officers involved in the case had little to no contact with Mr. McMichael when he was employed by the Brunswick District Attorney’s Office.”
Uh-huh.
Perhaps Glynn County and DA Johnson’s past sins are finally catching up with them and they’re trying to take everyone down with them. Johnson enjoyed a cozy relationship with the police this past decade, including protecting two cops who shot an unarmed woman to death following a slow-speed chase. One of the officers involved in that chase would later go on to murder his estranged wife causing Johnson and Glynn County police to clash on whether police gave the murderous cop information on his wife. There are also questions on whether the former Glynn County police chief, who attempted to change the department’s culture, was charged with a crime when it’s possible all he did was violate department policy.
Whatever the case, it appears the entire peach is rotten with the disease of corruption. Too bad it took the death of an unarmed, 25-year-old black man out for a jog to bring all this to the national light.


hotair--2020-05-10--Happy Mother's Day - No hugging allowed

Happy Mother's Day - No hugging allowed

Happy Mother ’ s Day to all the moms today .
It ’ s the best job on earth .
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic , this year ’ s celebrations are different than those of previous years .
Communities across America are offering guidance to families , given social distancing restrictions in place .
As Mother ’ s Day approached , city officials In Pasadena , California released a news release that addressed a cluster of coronavirus cases that has been traced to a family birthday party .
One party-goer was coughing and not wearing a face mask .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks or practicing social distancing .
So , COVID-19 spread among some of the guests , and contact tracing shows that there were five confirmed coronavirus cases and many other guests who became ill from the party .
The party happened after the city issued a stay-at-home order in March .
“ This is an example of how good contact tracing can identify disease clusters and tell us more about the spread of disease in our community , ” said Dr. Matthew Feaster , PPHD epidemiologist .
“ We ’ re grateful to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , case investigators , and contact tracers who help track the virus and prevent the disease from spreading to other members of our community.
” “ Pasadena residents who stay home keep themselves and their loved ones protected from COVID-19 , ” said Dr. Ying-Ying Goh , director and health officer of PPHD .
“ Although we are moving forward with small modifications to the Safer at Home Order , gatherings of people who do not live in the same household are still prohibited .
The virus remains highly contagious .
Social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face coverings remain our best defenses against the further spread of COVID-19 in our community.
” It is still recommended that those with underlying medical conditions and those ages 65 and older do not participate in public recreation or retail curbside pickup , and continue to be safer at home .
You may remember that California was the first state to issue stay-at-home orders for all residents .
The City of Pasadena issued a similar order , allowing essential businesses to remain open if social distancing was practiced , as well as personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisiana , some suggestions for celebrating Mother ’ s Day were made by the Department of Public Health .
How about a virtual Mother ’ s Day Brunch ?
The tips for safe celebrations include virtually cooking together and then eating together , and ordering flowers online for mom or from your favorite florist , and request that the flowers are left on the front porch .
Also , don ’ t forget to stand six feet from your mother and don ’ t hug her if you are together .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
School graduations that would normally be scheduled for this month or next will be different , too .
Virtual commencements are planned by many schools and big-name celebrities and public figures are signing up to participate .
Proud parents and their graduating children can listen to the same group of mostly liberal speakers deliver commencement speeches online as they would be doing in-person if only there was not a pandemic going on .
YouTube is helping the Class of 2020 out with an event titled “ Dear Class of 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michelle Obama , South Korean pop group BTS , Lady Gaga , Malala Yousafzai , Condoleezza Rice , and others have signed up .
BTS is also playing for what is billed as a virtual graduation night afterparty .
On May 17 a full calendar of commencement events will be available on YouTube ’ s [ email protected ] site .
Participation by both Obamas is prominent in more than one event .
YouTube is partnering with Michelle Obama ’ s Reach Higher Initiative , Born This Way Foundation , Malala Fund , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world , including a crowd-sourced commencement speech .
Separately , on May 16 at 2 p.m. , Barack Obama will participate in “ Show Me Your Walk , HBCU Edition , ” a two-hour live-streaming event for historically black colleges and universities .
In addition , President Obama is set to deliver a commencement message during “ Graduate Together : America Honors the High School Class of 2020 , ” a one-hour multimedia event on May 16 hosted by XQ Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Entertainment Industry Foundation .
The event will feature appearances by LeBron James , Malala Yousafzai , the Jonas Brothers , Yara Shahidi , Bad Bunny , Lena Waithe , Pharrell Williams , Megan Rapinoe , H.E.R.
, Ben Platt and others .
It ’ s set to be simulcast on ABC , CBS , Fox , and NBC as well as via 20-plus other broadcast and digital streaming partners on May 16 , from 8-9 p.m .
ET .
Among other live-streaming grad celebrations , Facebook ’ s May 15 event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Winfrey and celebs including Miley Cyrus , Jennifer Garner , Lil Nas X , Awkwafina and Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles .
Lots of left-wing activism in many of those names , right ?
Some things don ’ t change , even during a pandemic .

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms today. It’s the best job on earth. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s celebrations are different than those of previous years.
Communities across America are offering guidance to families, given social distancing restrictions in place. As Mother’s Day approached, city officials In Pasadena, California released a news release that addressed a cluster of coronavirus cases that has been traced to a family birthday party. One party-goer was coughing and not wearing a face mask. Other party guests were not wearing face masks or practicing social distancing. So, COVID-19 spread among some of the guests, and contact tracing shows that there were five confirmed coronavirus cases and many other guests who became ill from the party. The party happened after the city issued a stay-at-home order in March.
“This is an example of how good contact tracing can identify disease clusters and tell us more about the spread of disease in our community,” said Dr. Matthew Feaster, PPHD epidemiologist. “We’re grateful to our large team of public health nurses, case investigators, and contact tracers who help track the virus and prevent the disease from spreading to other members of our community.” “Pasadena residents who stay home keep themselves and their loved ones protected from COVID-19,” said Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, director and health officer of PPHD. “Although we are moving forward with small modifications to the Safer at Home Order, gatherings of people who do not live in the same household are still prohibited. The virus remains highly contagious. Social distancing, frequent hand washing, and wearing face coverings remain our best defenses against the further spread of COVID-19 in our community.” It is still recommended that those with underlying medical conditions and those ages 65 and older do not participate in public recreation or retail curbside pickup, and continue to be safer at home.
You may remember that California was the first state to issue stay-at-home orders for all residents. The City of Pasadena issued a similar order, allowing essential businesses to remain open if social distancing was practiced, as well as personal hygiene like frequent hand washing.
In Louisiana, some suggestions for celebrating Mother’s Day were made by the Department of Public Health. How about a virtual Mother’s Day Brunch? The tips for safe celebrations include virtually cooking together and then eating together, and ordering flowers online for mom or from your favorite florist, and request that the flowers are left on the front porch. Also, don’t forget to stand six feet from your mother and don’t hug her if you are together. That’s about as good as it gets this year.
School graduations that would normally be scheduled for this month or next will be different, too. Virtual commencements are planned by many schools and big-name celebrities and public figures are signing up to participate. Proud parents and their graduating children can listen to the same group of mostly liberal speakers deliver commencement speeches online as they would be doing in-person if only there was not a pandemic going on. YouTube is helping the Class of 2020 out with an event titled “Dear Class of 2020” on June 6. Barack and Michelle Obama, South Korean pop group BTS, Lady Gaga, Malala Yousafzai, Condoleezza Rice, and others have signed up. BTS is also playing for what is billed as a virtual graduation night afterparty.
On May 17 a full calendar of commencement events will be available on YouTube’s Learn@Home site. Participation by both Obamas is prominent in more than one event.
YouTube is partnering with Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, NBC’s “Today,” and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. Separately, on May 16 at 2 p.m., Barack Obama will participate in “Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition,” a two-hour live-streaming event for historically black colleges and universities. In addition, President Obama is set to deliver a commencement message during “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,” a one-hour multimedia event on May 16 hosted by XQ Institute, the LeBron James Family Foundation, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The event will feature appearances by LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapinoe, H.E.R., Ben Platt and others. It’s set to be simulcast on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC as well as via 20-plus other broadcast and digital streaming partners on May 16, from 8-9 p.m. ET. Among other live-streaming grad celebrations, Facebook’s May 15 event will feature a commencement address by Oprah Winfrey and celebs including Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Awkwafina and Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles.
Lots of left-wing activism in many of those names, right? Some things don’t change, even during a pandemic.


hotair--2020-05-10--San Antonio's dumb anti-hate speech resolution doesn't violate First Amendment

Fear not people of the Alamo City !
The words ‘ Kung Fu Virus ’ and ‘ Chinese Virus ’ remain in the lexicon , for now .
One needn ’ t fear governmental reprisal , at the moment , although an online tongue-lashing or eye-roll may be in the future of those who use those rather ridiculous terms .
The San Antonio City Council passed a non-binding resolution last week scolding those ( think President Donald Trump ) who add a country of origin before coronavirus .
“ COVID-19 is a public health issue , not a racial , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliberate use of terms such as “ Chinese virus ” or “ Kung Fu virus ” to describe COVID-19 only encourages hate crimes and incidents against Asians and further spreads misinformation at a time when communities should be working together to get through this crisis , ” the resolution clucked before condemning conspiracy theorists who seek to pin the pandemic on the Jews .
“ [ I ] t is critical that the City of San Antonio take leadership and stand in solidarity with its Asian and Jewish communities to send a message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not be tolerated.
” “ The City of San Antonio will continue its efforts to protect residents and targets and victims of hate , and to prosecute and curb hate acts related to COVID-19 , ” the City Council vowed before calling on everyone in San Antonio to treat each other with respect .
“ The City of San Antonio urges residents to join us in calling attention to these harms and denouncing hate to help keep us all safe during this unprecedented pandemic and beyond.
” Typical politician speak found in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the world .
A rhetorical slap with no real power behind it since the uttering of rude and uncouth phrases is still allowed in this country although there ’ s a chance someone may be ‘ canceled , ’ to use the rather tired phrase , by society .
Blasé , at best .
The response was surprising for a rather bland resolution .
San Antonio talk show host Joe Pagliarulo called it a “ Gestapo or Soviet move , ” while Senator Ted Cruz deplored it as “ NUTS.
” Hot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City Council decided to “ stifle the First Amendment rights of San Antonio residents ” with a rather excellent quip on the Communist Chinese overlords being proud .
Yet , no First Amendment rights are being squelched .
A part of the confusion may be due to News 4 San Antonio reporter Jaie Avila ’ s failed attempt to connect the terms “ Chinese virus ” and “ Kung Fu virus ” with hate speech .
The resolution claimed the phrases encourage hate crimes but failed to splash any hate speech label on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fu virus.
” It ’ s doubtful anyone who wisecracks , “ I think I got the Wu Flu , ” on social media or in a public setting will end up with a police visit .
Nor should they , unless they follow it up with some sort of specific , violent threat .
The overreaction was unnecessary but so was the resolution .
Mayor Ron Nirenberg attempted to justify the resolution to San Antonio Express-News with a claim about rising racially-motivated crimes in San Antonio since the start of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of such essentially stealing the line from those who wish to justify the Patriot Act ’ s existence with vague claims of stopping terrorism without any proof .
The only ‘ controversial ’ sign in San Antonio was from Chester ’ s Burgers who briefly encouraged people to buy American , not Chinese .
The burger joint got called out by the Asian American Alliance of San Antonio on social media , changed their sign , and everyone went along their merry way .
Not exactly worth any sort of resolution from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Chinese virus ” or “ Kung Fu virus ” phrases and was pulled back by the City Attorney ’ s Office .
Perhaps the language was changed from one version of the resolution to the version voted upon by the City Council .
Whatever the case , the resolution does not violate the First Amendment .
It comes close , but does not go over the line .
No words are made illegal and no punishment is doled out to those who choose to utter the phrases “ Chinese virus ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it shows is the City Council cares for everyone , as long as you vote for them next municipal election .
The resolution is dumb and unnecessary .
So was the freakout .

Fear not people of the Alamo City! The words ‘Kung Fu Virus’ and ‘Chinese Virus’ remain in the lexicon, for now. One needn’t fear governmental reprisal, at the moment, although an online tongue-lashing or eye-roll may be in the future of those who use those rather ridiculous terms.
The San Antonio City Council passed a non-binding resolution last week scolding those (think President Donald Trump) who add a country of origin before coronavirus.
“COVID-19 is a public health issue, not a racial, religious or ethnic one, and the deliberate use of terms such as “Chinese virus” or “Kung Fu virus” to describe COVID-19 only encourages hate crimes and incidents against Asians and further spreads misinformation at a time when communities should be working together to get through this crisis,” the resolution clucked before condemning conspiracy theorists who seek to pin the pandemic on the Jews. “[I]t is critical that the City of San Antonio take leadership and stand in solidarity with its Asian and Jewish communities to send a message that discriminatory and hate-motivated behavior or violence will not be tolerated.”
Their solution?
“The City of San Antonio will continue its efforts to protect residents and targets and victims of hate, and to prosecute and curb hate acts related to COVID-19,” the City Council vowed before calling on everyone in San Antonio to treat each other with respect. “The City of San Antonio urges residents to join us in calling attention to these harms and denouncing hate to help keep us all safe during this unprecedented pandemic and beyond.”
Typical politician speak found in a variety of resolutions across the country and the world. A rhetorical slap with no real power behind it since the uttering of rude and uncouth phrases is still allowed in this country although there’s a chance someone may be ‘canceled,’ to use the rather tired phrase, by society. Blasé, at best.
The response was surprising for a rather bland resolution. San Antonio talk show host Joe Pagliarulo called it a “Gestapo or Soviet move,” while Senator Ted Cruz deplored it as “NUTS.” Hot Air’s Karen Townsend wrote the City Council decided to “stifle the First Amendment rights of San Antonio residents” with a rather excellent quip on the Communist Chinese overlords being proud.
Yet, no First Amendment rights are being squelched. A part of the confusion may be due to News 4 San Antonio reporter Jaie Avila’s failed attempt to connect the terms “Chinese virus” and “Kung Fu virus” with hate speech. The resolution claimed the phrases encourage hate crimes but failed to splash any hate speech label on “Chinese virus” or “Kung Fu virus.” It’s doubtful anyone who wisecracks, “I think I got the Wu Flu,” on social media or in a public setting will end up with a police visit. Nor should they, unless they follow it up with some sort of specific, violent threat.
The overreaction was unnecessary but so was the resolution. Mayor Ron Nirenberg attempted to justify the resolution to San Antonio Express-News with a claim about rising racially-motivated crimes in San Antonio since the start of the pandemic. He failed to provide any evidence of such essentially stealing the line from those who wish to justify the Patriot Act’s existence with vague claims of stopping terrorism without any proof. The only ‘controversial’ sign in San Antonio was from Chester’s Burgers who briefly encouraged people to buy American, not Chinese. The burger joint got called out by the Asian American Alliance of San Antonio on social media, changed their sign, and everyone went along their merry way. Not exactly worth any sort of resolution from the government.
Perhaps Nirenberg wanted to outlaw the “Chinese virus” or “Kung Fu virus” phrases and was pulled back by the City Attorney’s Office. Perhaps the language was changed from one version of the resolution to the version voted upon by the City Council. Whatever the case, the resolution does not violate the First Amendment. It comes close, but does not go over the line. No words are made illegal and no punishment is doled out to those who choose to utter the phrases “Chinese virus” or “Kung Fu virus.” All it shows is the City Council cares for everyone, as long as you vote for them next municipal election.
The resolution is dumb and unnecessary. So was the freakout.


hotair--2020-05-10--Um... Elon Musk moving Tesla out of California over shutdown?

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is mad as hell and he ’ s not going to take it anymore .
The “ it ” in this case is the decision by the Interim Health Officer of Alameda County to take a more cautious approach to reopening businesses than the course outlined by Governor Gavin Newsom and President Trump .
This means that Musk hasn ’ t been given the green light to reopen Tesla headquarters as he planned to do this week .
As a result , he claimed this weekend that he would be suing the county and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Nevada .
( The Daily Wire ) Tesla CEO Elon Musk , who has recently drawn national attention for his strong rebukes of government authority amidst the pandemic , revealed on Saturday morning that the company ’ s headquarters in Fremont , California , would immediately begin moving to either Texas or Nevada .
The CEO ’ s announcement , which took the form of a tweet response to someone who encouraged Tesla to file a lawsuit against Alameda County , called the local government barring the company from re-opening with reduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Musk responded to the individual by saying that his company would indeed file a lawsuit against the county , and that the decision on whether to completely remove manufacturing from the area — instead of just the headquarters and unnamed Tesla programs — would be dependent on how well the company is treated going forward .
I would have called this a “ thinly veiled threat ” but it ’ s not really veiled in the least .
Musk is basically saying that he ’ s already planning to move his administrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company isn ’ t “ treated better ” going forward he ’ ll take his manufacturing facilities elsewhere also .
Part of me wonders how he wasn ’ t already looking at fleeing the state given the skyrocketing taxes and regulatory burden imposed by Sacramento .
But is he serious ?
Let ’ s be honest… Musk has been known to tweet some rather curious things , particularly late in the evening when he might have been , er… “ partaking ” of some recreational treats .
But that tweet went out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was up and starting his work for the day .
I doubt he had a long time to consult with is lawyers before firing off that tweet , though .
Of course , Musk may have already been on his way out of the Golden State anyway .
In another strange series of tweets last week he vowed to sell off his homes and other possessions .
This was supposedly being done so people would stop attacking him for “ being a billionaire.
” Shortly thereafter , his two California homes showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you sell your mansions on Zillow for tens of millions of dollars each and keep the money , are you really any less of a billionaire ?
And you ’ re still going to need someplace to sleep , right ?
That ’ s particularly true when you consider that he just welcomed a new baby into the world with his girlfriend .
( The baby ’ s name is “ X Æ A-12 , ” by the way .
Yes , really . )
Of course , Musk ’ s business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter .
A couple of weeks ago he sent out a tweet saying that Tesla ’ s market value was “ too high.
” This prompted an immediate sell-off that eliminated $ 14B from the company ’ s total stock value .
Other examples abound .
Look , I wish the very best for Elon Musk .
I remain a big fan and hope he gets us to Mars sooner rather than later .
But events such as these do leave me wondering from time to time whether or not Elon has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pale moonlight for a bit too long .
Keep it together , Mr. Musk .
We ’ re counting on you .

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore. The “it” in this case is the decision by the Interim Health Officer of Alameda County to take a more cautious approach to reopening businesses than the course outlined by Governor Gavin Newsom and President Trump. This means that Musk hasn’t been given the green light to reopen Tesla headquarters as he planned to do this week. As a result, he claimed this weekend that he would be suing the county and also relocating his headquarters to either Texas or Nevada. (The Daily Wire)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has recently drawn national attention for his strong rebukes of government authority amidst the pandemic, revealed on Saturday morning that the company’s headquarters in Fremont, California, would immediately begin moving to either Texas or Nevada. The CEO’s announcement, which took the form of a tweet response to someone who encouraged Tesla to file a lawsuit against Alameda County, called the local government barring the company from re-opening with reduced capacity on Friday “the final straw.” Musk responded to the individual by saying that his company would indeed file a lawsuit against the county, and that the decision on whether to completely remove manufacturing from the area — instead of just the headquarters and unnamed Tesla programs — would be dependent on how well the company is treated going forward.
Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020
I would have called this a “thinly veiled threat” but it’s not really veiled in the least. Musk is basically saying that he’s already planning to move his administrative offices out of the state and if the company isn’t “treated better” going forward he’ll take his manufacturing facilities elsewhere also. Part of me wonders how he wasn’t already looking at fleeing the state given the skyrocketing taxes and regulatory burden imposed by Sacramento.
But is he serious? Let’s be honest… Musk has been known to tweet some rather curious things, particularly late in the evening when he might have been, er… “partaking” of some recreational treats. But that tweet went out on a Saturday morning, presumably when he was up and starting his work for the day. I doubt he had a long time to consult with is lawyers before firing off that tweet, though.
Of course, Musk may have already been on his way out of the Golden State anyway. In another strange series of tweets last week he vowed to sell off his homes and other possessions. This was supposedly being done so people would stop attacking him for “being a billionaire.” Shortly thereafter, his two California homes showed up as listings on Zillow.
But if you sell your mansions on Zillow for tens of millions of dollars each and keep the money, are you really any less of a billionaire? And you’re still going to need someplace to sleep, right? That’s particularly true when you consider that he just welcomed a new baby into the world with his girlfriend. (The baby’s name is “X Æ A-12,” by the way. Yes, really.)
Of course, Musk’s business partners are frequently dismayed by his activities on Twitter. A couple of weeks ago he sent out a tweet saying that Tesla’s market value was “too high.” This prompted an immediate sell-off that eliminated $14B from the company’s total stock value. Other examples abound.
Look, I wish the very best for Elon Musk. I remain a big fan and hope he gets us to Mars sooner rather than later. But events such as these do leave me wondering from time to time whether or not Elon has been dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight for a bit too long. Keep it together, Mr. Musk. We’re counting on you.


hotair--2020-05-10--Three pieces of good news on coronavirus

Let ’ s keep the content upbeat on a holiday .
Surely this site can manage a bad news/good news ratio in posts about the COVID-19 epidemic of no worse than 1,000 to one .
The first piece of good news has to do with antibodies .
One of the most consequential mysteries about the disease right now is whether getting sick and recovering means that you ’ re immune afterward ( at least for awhile ) .
Scientists are still working to nail that down , but there ’ s a preliminary question before we even reach the immunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting sick actually producing antibodies ?
There were some ominous studies out of Asia , remember , that suggested some people were being reinfected or the virus was “ reactivating ” inside them after they recovered .
That meant either that they were producing antibodies and the antibodies weren ’ t working to stave off new infections or they weren ’ t producing antibodies at all .
Bad , bad news either way .
Researchers in New York City have been running tests .
Results : Yes , virtually everyone who ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with mild cases .
You may not need to get very sick from COVID to beat it .
99.5 percent of people with confirmed infections had antibodies in their blood later — although in some cases it took three weeks or more after they began showing symptoms for the antibodies to be detectable .
As for the all-important question of whether antibodies provide immunity , the jury ’ s still out .
But early results are looking good : Another part of the same study found that the “ reinfected ” patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at all .
People who were still testing positive weeks after recovery likely didn ’ t have any live virus left in their system ; what was being picked up in testing were the remnants of dead virus whose genome was still present .
Researchers in South Korea who conducted a separate study came to that conclusion as well .
The second piece of good news has to do with testing .
Remember a few weeks ago when Deborah Birx said that we needed a “ breakthrough ” in order to scale up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need for an antigen test .
Right now most coronavirus testing is PCR testing , where you get your nose and swabbed and then the sample is sent away to the lab .
Results come back in a day … or two , or longer .
Abbott improved on that in late March with a test that could be performed on portable machines , with results in as soon as five minutes .
But at the time they were projecting producing “ only ” up to 50,000 tests a day that way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs .
Also , if I ’ m understanding the science correctly , their test looked for direct evidence of the virus in the form of its genome .
An antigen test can detect the virus ’ s presence based on circumstantial evidence , like proteins attached to it .
Antigen tests would be simpler than PCR lab tests , cheaper , capable of producing results within 15 minutes or so right in a doctor ’ s office , and scalable .
And now they ’ re here : The Food and Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corp. for the first antigen test for the Covid-19 virus—a step that could escalate the nation ’ s ability to test for the disease… San Diego-based Quidel , which specializes in tests for flu , strep and other infectious diseases , already has placed about 36,000 test-analyzer instruments around the U.S. in places like hospital labs , emergency departments and doctors ’ offices .
“ We are ramping up manufacturing to go from 200,000 tests next week ( week of May 11 ) to more than a million a week within several weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s chief executive .
We ’ re up to around 300,000 tests per day in the U.S. right now .
If Quidel ’ s true to its word , they could singlehandedly increase capacity by another 50 percent rapidly .
Other companies will doubtless follow soon with antigen tests of their own , further boosting capacity .
Technology is gradually solving our testing shortfall for us .
That said , there are wrinkles : Quidel ’ s test is “ only ” 85 percent accurate right now , which means patients will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labs in the short term while accuracy improves .
There ’ s also a question of whether doctors will want infected people coming through their offices in order to take the antigen test .
Scott Gottlieb told WaPo that if the CDC ’ s guidelines are too burdensome , requiring GPs to don full protective gear to perform the test , some physicians might decline to do it .
We ’ ll see .
The third bit of good news is straightforward .
Researchers in Hong Kong are tracking the results of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients and think they ’ ve hit on something .
Of those participating , 86 patients were given a two-week course of three medicines : interferon beta-1b , a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis ; HIV drugs lopinavir-ritonavir ; and ribavirin , used to treat hepatitis .
A randomly-assigned control group of 41 people was just given the lopinavir-ritonavir combination… They found that those taking all three medicines were able to clear the coronavirus in seven days on average ( between five and 11 days ) — “ significantly ” shorter than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Those on the three-drug regimen also saw a complete alleviation of their symptoms in an average of four days , compared to eight for the control group .
That ’ s the same sort of benefit that was seen from remdesivir in NIH ’ s recent clinical trial .
But there are wrinkles here too .
No one received a placebo so there ’ s no way to know how effective any of the individual drugs involved were relative to no drug at all .
And the study was “ open label @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which drugs were being used .
The promise of interferon is especially interesting , though , since that drug was identified years ago by scientists as potentially effective against COVID-19 ’ s cousin , SARS .
In this new study , researchers tested a small number of patients on lopinavir-ritonavir only and then another group of patients on a combination of lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin and found that both cleared the virus in equal lengths of time .
Only the group that received interferon along with the other drugs cleared it more quickly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , here ’ s an extra piece of good news for you .
I ’ ll leave you with Scott Gottlieb sounding excited about the new antigen test .

Let’s keep the content upbeat on a holiday. Surely this site can manage a bad news/good news ratio in posts about the COVID-19 epidemic of no worse than 1,000 to one.
2,000 to one, tops.
The first piece of good news has to do with antibodies. One of the most consequential mysteries about the disease right now is whether getting sick and recovering means that you’re immune afterward (at least for awhile). Scientists are still working to nail that down, but there’s a preliminary question before we even reach the immunity question. Is everyone who’s getting sick actually producing antibodies? There were some ominous studies out of Asia, remember, that suggested some people were being reinfected or the virus was “reactivating” inside them after they recovered. That meant either that they were producing antibodies and the antibodies weren’t working to stave off new infections or they weren’t producing antibodies at all. Bad, bad news either way.
Researchers in New York City have been running tests. Results: Yes, virtually everyone who’s being infected is producing antibodies, even people with mild cases. You may not need to get very sick from COVID to beat it.
3) The majority of these donors were mild cases. Now, almost all PCR-confirmed donors had antibodies, while the majority of the suspected COVID19 individuals did not. This tells us two things: a) the assay works and b) many people who think they had COVID19 might not have had it. pic.twitter.com/N86y2K9DRN — Florian Krammer (@florian_krammer) May 6, 2020
99.5 percent of people with confirmed infections had antibodies in their blood later — although in some cases it took three weeks or more after they began showing symptoms for the antibodies to be detectable. As for the all-important question of whether antibodies provide immunity, the jury’s still out. But early results are looking good:
In Dr. Krammer’s previous work, to be published in the journal Nature Medicine, his team tested whether the antibodies have neutralizing power. The researchers found that in about a dozen people, including some who had mild symptoms, the level of antibodies in the blood corresponded to the level of neutralizing activity. So everyone who makes antibodies is likely to have some immunity to the virus, Dr. Krammer said: “I’m fairly confident about this.”
Another part of the same study found that the “reinfected” patients in Asia probably weren’t reinfected at all. People who were still testing positive weeks after recovery likely didn’t have any live virus left in their system; what was being picked up in testing were the remnants of dead virus whose genome was still present. Researchers in South Korea who conducted a separate study came to that conclusion as well.
The second piece of good news has to do with testing. Remember a few weeks ago when Deborah Birx said that we needed a “breakthrough” in order to scale up testing dramatically? She was referring to the need for an antigen test. Right now most coronavirus testing is PCR testing, where you get your nose and swabbed and then the sample is sent away to the lab. Results come back in a day … or two, or longer. Abbott improved on that in late March with a test that could be performed on portable machines, with results in as soon as five minutes. But at the time they were projecting producing “only” up to 50,000 tests a day that way, a fraction of what the country needs. Also, if I’m understanding the science correctly, their test looked for direct evidence of the virus in the form of its genome. An antigen test can detect the virus’s presence based on circumstantial evidence, like proteins attached to it.
Antigen tests would be simpler than PCR lab tests, cheaper, capable of producing results within 15 minutes or so right in a doctor’s office, and scalable. And now they’re here:
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency-use authorization to Quidel Corp. for the first antigen test for the Covid-19 virus—a step that could escalate the nation’s ability to test for the disease… San Diego-based Quidel, which specializes in tests for flu, strep and other infectious diseases, already has placed about 36,000 test-analyzer instruments around the U.S. in places like hospital labs, emergency departments and doctors’ offices. “We are ramping up manufacturing to go from 200,000 tests next week (week of May 11) to more than a million a week within several weeks,” said Douglas Bryant, Quidel’s chief executive.
We’re up to around 300,000 tests per day in the U.S. right now. If Quidel’s true to its word, they could singlehandedly increase capacity by another 50 percent rapidly. Other companies will doubtless follow soon with antigen tests of their own, further boosting capacity. Technology is gradually solving our testing shortfall for us. That said, there are wrinkles: Quidel’s test is “only” 85 percent accurate right now, which means patients will probably also have to be tested via labs in the short term while accuracy improves. There’s also a question of whether doctors will want infected people coming through their offices in order to take the antigen test. Scott Gottlieb told WaPo that if the CDC’s guidelines are too burdensome, requiring GPs to don full protective gear to perform the test, some physicians might decline to do it. We’ll see.
The third bit of good news is straightforward. Researchers in Hong Kong are tracking the results of how different drugs are performing in treating COVID patients and think they’ve hit on something.
Of those participating, 86 patients were given a two-week course of three medicines: interferon beta-1b, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis; HIV drugs lopinavir-ritonavir; and ribavirin, used to treat hepatitis. A randomly-assigned control group of 41 people was just given the lopinavir-ritonavir combination… They found that those taking all three medicines were able to clear the coronavirus in seven days on average (between five and 11 days) — “significantly” shorter than the 12-day average for the control group. Those on the three-drug regimen also saw a complete alleviation of their symptoms in an average of four days, compared to eight for the control group.
That’s the same sort of benefit that was seen from remdesivir in NIH’s recent clinical trial. But there are wrinkles here too. No one received a placebo so there’s no way to know how effective any of the individual drugs involved were relative to no drug at all. And the study was “open label,” so doctors and patients knew which drugs were being used. The promise of interferon is especially interesting, though, since that drug was identified years ago by scientists as potentially effective against COVID-19’s cousin, SARS. In this new study, researchers tested a small number of patients on lopinavir-ritonavir only and then another group of patients on a combination of lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin and found that both cleared the virus in equal lengths of time. Only the group that received interferon along with the other drugs cleared it more quickly. Hmmmm.
If you missed it on Thursday, here’s an extra piece of good news for you. I’ll leave you with Scott Gottlieb sounding excited about the new antigen test.


hotair--2020-05-10--Obama rallies his former staffers for Biden:"The rule of law is at risk"

Barack Obama waited until his former vice-president Joe Biden was the last candidate standing in the Democrat field to endorse him .
It ’ s impossible not to notice the lack of enthusiasm from Democrat voters for Biden ’ s candidacy .
It looks as though Barack Obama is now trying to quietly rescue Joe Biden ’ s floundering campaign .
Even in the best of times , Joe Biden faces real challenges in rallying voters to his side .
He is getting the nomination from the Democrat Party , frankly , because establishment Democrats were scared that the Bernie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain defeat for Democrats in November against President Trump .
Joe is a safe choice .
Everyone knows Joe .
Biden is locked down in his basement , riding out the coronavirus pandemic , and is not going to emerge into the light of day to do public events any time soon .
He ’ s in a high-risk category due to his age , in particular , and that is no doubt the top concern for his campaign right now .
Biden just looks physically frail , especially in comparison to Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on and is emerging as a key consultant for the Biden campaign .
So , what is Obama doing ?
Obama is going back to his roots of community organizing .
He is rallying the troops , his supporters .
Friday he held a call with about 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association .
The goal is to mobilize 13,000 former administration officials and campaign veterans with the mission to save Joe ’ s campaign and work for victory against Trump .
Obama spoke for about 20 minutes on topics from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s successes as vice-president .
Clearly , the re-writing of the Obama years is underway .
The irony in Obama ’ s remarks on the Flynn case , as first reported by Yahoo News , is that he claims “ the rule of law ” is at risk now that the Department of Justice has dropped the charges against Michael Flynn .
Conservatives can counter that the Obama administration allowed corrupt federal employees at the highest levels to attempt to bring down a duly elected president purely for their own political reasons .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , including that Obama himself was well aware of the shenanigans going on in the Flynn case , and none of it bodes well for Obama ’ s place in history .
Obama attempted to use Flynn ’ s case as a reason that Biden must be elected president but while doing so , he “ misstated ” the charge to which Flynn pleaded guilty .
“ The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the Obama Alumni Association .
“ And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free .
That ’ s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk .
And when you start moving in those directions , it can accelerate pretty quickly as we ’ ve seen in other places.
” The Flynn case was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his former administration officials needed to make sure former Vice President Joe Biden wins the November election against President Trump .
“ So I am hoping that all of you feel the same sense of urgency that I do , ” he said .
“ Whenever I campaign , I ’ ve always said , ‘ Ah , this is the most important election.
’ Especially obviously when I was on the ballot , that always feels like it ’ s the most important election .
This one — I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am pretty darn invested .
We got to make this happen.
” Obama misstated the charge to which Flynn had previously pleaded guilty .
He was charged with false statements to the FBI , not perjury .
But the Justice Department , in a filing with a federal judge on Thursday , asked that the case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller be dismissed , arguing that FBI agents did not have a justifiable reason to question the then national security adviser about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak — talks FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had lied about .
It ’ s all a bit much , isn ’ t it ?
Obama dogs the DOJ about the Flynn case while the breathtaking corruption of the Obama administration is on full display .
From James Comey at the FBI to James Clapper , the former director of National Intelligence , and John Brennan , the former director of the CIA , the people Obama put in place at powerful federal agencies have all been exposed as bitterly partisan and they have all lied to Congress during hearings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the swamp .
For Barack Obama to act as though he hasn ’ t played a leading role in the Flynn drama is absurd .
He is a master gaslighter .
Missing from the conversation was Obama ’ s recognition that Flynn played a role in his own administration before he was fired .
Everything is always personal for the Obamas , though the former president is the first to say the same about Trump .
Obama also criticized the Trump administration ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
He spoke well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point person for the H1N1 and ebola pandemics , as well as the economic stimulus program .
Please .
Neither of those areas should be sources of pride for Joe Biden or Barack Obama .
Biden delegated the pandemic responses – which were both very slow – to Ron Klain , his chief of staff with no experience in such matters – and the economic stimulus packages that came out of the Obama administration produced a very slow , anemic recovery .
Mr. Obama devoted most of his remarks to praising Mr. Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseeing the administration ’ s economic stimulus program and its responses to the H1N1 and ebola outbreaks .
Mr. Obama described Mr. Biden as the right person to pull together the country in a moment of crisis .
“ This election that ’ s coming up on every level is so important because what we ’ re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party , ” Mr. Obama said , according to a brief audio excerpt posted online by Yahoo .
“ What we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where being selfish , being tribal , being divided and seeing others as an enemy .
That has become a stronger impulse in American life .
And by the way we ’ re seeing that internationally as well.
” “ It ’ s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty , ” Mr. Obama continued .
“ It would have been bad even with the best of governments .
It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mind-set — of ‘ what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ‘ to heck with everybody else ’ — when that mind-set is operationalized in our government.
” Barack Obama ’ s lack of self-awareness is as strong as ever .
His two terms as president brought about levels of political tribalism and vitriol like none of his predecessors in my lifetime .
He thrived in an atmosphere of hyper-partisanship and encouraged it .
He promises to come out of the shadows and campaign for Biden .
Obama is going to try and paint himself as the savior of Biden ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes .

Barack Obama waited until his former vice-president Joe Biden was the last candidate standing in the Democrat field to endorse him. It’s impossible not to notice the lack of enthusiasm from Democrat voters for Biden’s candidacy. It looks as though Barack Obama is now trying to quietly rescue Joe Biden’s floundering campaign.
Even in the best of times, Joe Biden faces real challenges in rallying voters to his side. He is getting the nomination from the Democrat Party, frankly, because establishment Democrats were scared that the Bernie Sanders wing of the party would bring certain defeat for Democrats in November against President Trump. Joe is a safe choice. Everyone knows Joe.
Biden is locked down in his basement, riding out the coronavirus pandemic, and is not going to emerge into the light of day to do public events any time soon. He’s in a high-risk category due to his age, in particular, and that is no doubt the top concern for his campaign right now. Biden just looks physically frail, especially in comparison to Trump. Barack Obama sees what is going on and is emerging as a key consultant for the Biden campaign. So, what is Obama doing?
Obama is going back to his roots of community organizing. He is rallying the troops, his supporters. Friday he held a call with about 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association. The goal is to mobilize 13,000 former administration officials and campaign veterans with the mission to save Joe’s campaign and work for victory against Trump. Obama spoke for about 20 minutes on topics from the Flynn case to talking about Biden’s successes as vice-president. Clearly, the re-writing of the Obama years is underway.
The irony in Obama’s remarks on the Flynn case, as first reported by Yahoo News, is that he claims “the rule of law” is at risk now that the Department of Justice has dropped the charges against Michael Flynn. Conservatives can counter that the Obama administration allowed corrupt federal employees at the highest levels to attempt to bring down a duly elected president purely for their own political reasons. Some of the evidence is finally coming out, including that Obama himself was well aware of the shenanigans going on in the Flynn case, and none of it bodes well for Obama’s place in history. Obama attempted to use Flynn’s case as a reason that Biden must be elected president but while doing so, he “misstated” the charge to which Flynn pleaded guilty.
“The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn,” Obama said in a web talk with members of the Obama Alumni Association. “And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free. That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk. And when you start moving in those directions, it can accelerate pretty quickly as we’ve seen in other places.” The Flynn case was invoked by Obama as a principal reason that his former administration officials needed to make sure former Vice President Joe Biden wins the November election against President Trump. “So I am hoping that all of you feel the same sense of urgency that I do,” he said. “Whenever I campaign, I’ve always said, ‘Ah, this is the most important election.’ Especially obviously when I was on the ballot, that always feels like it’s the most important election. This one — I’m not on the ballot — but I am pretty darn invested. We got to make this happen.” Obama misstated the charge to which Flynn had previously pleaded guilty. He was charged with false statements to the FBI, not perjury. But the Justice Department, in a filing with a federal judge on Thursday, asked that the case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller be dismissed, arguing that FBI agents did not have a justifiable reason to question the then national security adviser about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak — talks FBI agents and Mueller’s prosecutors concluded he had lied about.
It’s all a bit much, isn’t it? Obama dogs the DOJ about the Flynn case while the breathtaking corruption of the Obama administration is on full display. From James Comey at the FBI to James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence, and John Brennan, the former director of the CIA, the people Obama put in place at powerful federal agencies have all been exposed as bitterly partisan and they have all lied to Congress during hearings. The double standard is strong in the swamp. For Barack Obama to act as though he hasn’t played a leading role in the Flynn drama is absurd. He is a master gaslighter. Missing from the conversation was Obama’s recognition that Flynn played a role in his own administration before he was fired. Everything is always personal for the Obamas, though the former president is the first to say the same about Trump.
Obama also criticized the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. He spoke well of Biden’s time as the point person for the H1N1 and ebola pandemics, as well as the economic stimulus program. Please. Neither of those areas should be sources of pride for Joe Biden or Barack Obama. Biden delegated the pandemic responses – which were both very slow – to Ron Klain, his chief of staff with no experience in such matters – and the economic stimulus packages that came out of the Obama administration produced a very slow, anemic recovery.
Mr. Obama devoted most of his remarks to praising Mr. Biden, recalling his service as vice president overseeing the administration’s economic stimulus program and its responses to the H1N1 and ebola outbreaks. Mr. Obama described Mr. Biden as the right person to pull together the country in a moment of crisis. “This election that’s coming up on every level is so important because what we’re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party,” Mr. Obama said, according to a brief audio excerpt posted online by Yahoo. “What we’re fighting against is these long term trends where being selfish, being tribal, being divided and seeing others as an enemy. That has become a stronger impulse in American life. And by the way we’re seeing that internationally as well.” “It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty,” Mr. Obama continued. “It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mind-set — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ — when that mind-set is operationalized in our government.”
Barack Obama’s lack of self-awareness is as strong as ever. His two terms as president brought about levels of political tribalism and vitriol like none of his predecessors in my lifetime. He thrived in an atmosphere of hyper-partisanship and encouraged it. He promises to come out of the shadows and campaign for Biden.
“That’s why, I, by the way, am going to be spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden,” he added.
Obama is going to try and paint himself as the savior of Biden’s campaign. We’ll see how that goes.


hotair--2020-05-10--What is "enough for us"? Sunday reflection

Jesus said to his disciples : “ Do not let your hearts be troubled .
You have faith in God ; have faith also in me .
In my Father ’ s house there are many dwelling places .
If there were not , would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you ?
And if I go and prepare a place for you , I will come back again and take you to myself , so that where I am you also may be .
Where I am going you know the way.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Master , we do not know where you are going ; how can we know the way ?
” Jesus said to him , “ I am the way and the truth and the life .
No one comes to the Father except through me .
If you know me , then you will also know my Father .
From now on you do know him and have seen him.
” Philip said to him , “ Master , show us the Father , and that will be enough for us.
” Jesus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me , Philip ?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father .
How can you say , ‘ Show us the Father ’ ?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me ?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own .
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works .
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe because of the works themselves .
Amen , amen , I say to you , whoever believes in me will do the works that I do , and will do greater ones than these , because I am going to the Father.
” As we try to stumble our way through a once-in-a-century pandemic , one of the great challenges we face is sufficiency .
What exactly is “ enough ” ?
Our life in the material world requires sufficiency — we have to feed our families , put a roof over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those roofs , and make enough income to have some confidence in our ability to do all these things .
Those are normal concerns .
The extent and scope of our definition of sufficiency is what this crisis tests — in me , anyway .
How much food should be in the refrigerator for the two of us ?
Do we need to have more disinfectant strategies as the virulence of COVID-19 continues ?
How many rolls of toilet paper are truly sufficient ?
( Don ’ t worry , I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … ) Can we rely on what is truly sufficient , or do we demand more than sufficiency ?
In this kind of crisis , when production lines are shutting down and people are losing jobs left and right , our impulse is not to scale down our estimations of sufficiency but to scale them up .
I have not done any better than most people in falling prey to that kind of despair , as my basement stock recently revealed to me .
When we lose confidence in our world , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , dramatically .
In today ’ s Gospel reading , this question comes up just as the disciples truly grasp that Jesus will leave them as He prepares them at the Last Supper .
They are aghast at the news that Jesus will sacrifice Himself , and that “ where I am going , you can not come.
” By this time , they had all understood Jesus to be the Messiah , even if they had not completely realized the implications of what that meant .
The disciples had spent years with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in faith in Him .
Now , at this moment , Jesus presented them with what they saw as an existential crisis — a blow so profound that it might have alienated them in any other circumstance , and did alienate Judas Iscariot , who had just left the room in John ’ s telling .
The reaction to this news is telling .
First , Peter tries to stop the Passion even to the point of violence , promising to sacrifice himself for Jesus ’ sake .
Jesus rebukes Peter and predicts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than stand up for him in panic over this existential crisis .
( Peter does at first try violence later in the Garden of Gethsemane to stop Jesus ’ arrest as well . )
Thomas laments that all will be lost with Jesus ’ departure .
Finally , Philip redefines sufficiency to suit his own despair .
Show us God , Philip proposes , and “ that will be enough for us.
” That disclosed Philip ’ s crisis of faith in Jesus , who until that point had been accepted by all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on Jesus ’ words , works , and love .
Belief and faith were no longer sufficient in this crisis , and Philip ’ s request comes across as a desperate ultimatum , one to which Jesus responds kindly and with love , but firmly sets aside .
What does Jesus say in response ?
“ Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do.
” Philip wants proof rather than faith , even though the proof has been in front of his eyes for years .
He wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the old axiom , seeing is not believing .
Seeing is witnessing .
Philip has seen but not had complete faith , a point which demonstrates this lesson , and would not have complete faith until after the Resurrection and Pentecost .
The irony of this should be apparent to most Christians , who at one time or another fantasize about traveling to the time of the apostles and watching Christ in His earthly mission .
We believe , imperfectly of course , without having seen any of this for ourselves , only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His witnesses , and we find that sufficient .
Philip walked with Christ for three years and saw His works first-hand , and yet at the crisis does not find that sufficient .
I am not arguing that we are somehow superior in faith to the apostles — far from it , in fact .
We hear these stories through the witness of these apostles .
How else does Peter ’ s story of denying Jesus three times come to us but from the confession of Peter himself ?
How else does John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philip ’ s cooperation ?
We would never know the story of “ Doubting Thomas ” without Thomas ’ cooperation in making it an object lesson of faith over personal scrutiny , one that has overshadowed Thomas ’ full contribution to the early church .
In this way ( among others ) , these apostles sacrificed themselves for our sake .
They made themselves into cautionary tales at times because they knew we would face these same struggles , these same crises of faith , and the same despair .
They confess their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us that they were all flawed and frail human beings , too .
Even as close to Jesus as they were , they struggled with their own definitions of sufficiency in faith and trust , and they did not always make the right decisions .
These days , we struggle with these questions in a multitude of ways .
Our brothers who came before us offer their own experience to remind us that faith is stronger than despair , and that materiality does not answer the depths of the latter .
We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , made in God ’ s image , so the material can never been sufficient for our yearning .
Only the Father can fill that darkness — and if we focus on Him rather than our own despair , we can find that our definition of “ what is enough ” changes dramatically as well .
The front page image is a detail from “ Calling of the Apostles , ” a fresco by Domenico Ghirlandio , c. 1481 , in the Sistine Chapel .
Via Wikimedia Commons .
“ Sunday Reflection ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world .
The reflection represents only my own point of view , intended to help prepare myself for the Lord ’ s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .
For previous Green Room entries , click here .

This morning’s Gospel reading is John 14:1–12:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.”
As we try to stumble our way through a once-in-a-century pandemic, one of the great challenges we face is sufficiency. What exactly is “enough”? Our life in the material world requires sufficiency — we have to feed our families, put a roof over our heads, clean the homes under those roofs, and make enough income to have some confidence in our ability to do all these things. Those are normal concerns.
The extent and scope of our definition of sufficiency is what this crisis tests — in me, anyway. How much food should be in the refrigerator for the two of us? Do we need to have more disinfectant strategies as the virulence of COVID-19 continues? How many rolls of toilet paper are truly sufficient? (Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into detail here …)
Can we rely on what is truly sufficient, or do we demand more than sufficiency? In this kind of crisis, when production lines are shutting down and people are losing jobs left and right, our impulse is not to scale down our estimations of sufficiency but to scale them up. I have not done any better than most people in falling prey to that kind of despair, as my basement stock recently revealed to me. When we lose confidence in our world, our vision of sufficiency changes — at times, dramatically.
In today’s Gospel reading, this question comes up just as the disciples truly grasp that Jesus will leave them as He prepares them at the Last Supper. They are aghast at the news that Jesus will sacrifice Himself, and that “where I am going, you cannot come.” By this time, they had all understood Jesus to be the Messiah, even if they had not completely realized the implications of what that meant. The disciples had spent years with Jesus on His mission and had grown in faith in Him. Now, at this moment, Jesus presented them with what they saw as an existential crisis — a blow so profound that it might have alienated them in any other circumstance, and did alienate Judas Iscariot, who had just left the room in John’s telling.
The reaction to this news is telling. First, Peter tries to stop the Passion even to the point of violence, promising to sacrifice himself for Jesus’ sake. Jesus rebukes Peter and predicts he will deny Jesus three times rather than stand up for him in panic over this existential crisis. (Peter does at first try violence later in the Garden of Gethsemane to stop Jesus’ arrest as well.) Thomas laments that all will be lost with Jesus’ departure.
Finally, Philip redefines sufficiency to suit his own despair. Show us God, Philip proposes, and “that will be enough for us.” That disclosed Philip’s crisis of faith in Jesus, who until that point had been accepted by all the disciples as the Son of God based on Jesus’ words, works, and love. Belief and faith were no longer sufficient in this crisis, and Philip’s request comes across as a desperate ultimatum, one to which Jesus responds kindly and with love, but firmly sets aside.
What does Jesus say in response? “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do.” Philip wants proof rather than faith, even though the proof has been in front of his eyes for years. He wants to see to believe, but contrary to the old axiom, seeing is not believing. Seeing is witnessing. Philip has seen but not had complete faith, a point which demonstrates this lesson, and would not have complete faith until after the Resurrection and Pentecost.
The irony of this should be apparent to most Christians, who at one time or another fantasize about traveling to the time of the apostles and watching Christ in His earthly mission. We believe, imperfectly of course, without having seen any of this for ourselves, only reading about Christ’s works through His witnesses, and we find that sufficient. Philip walked with Christ for three years and saw His works first-hand, and yet at the crisis does not find that sufficient.
I am not arguing that we are somehow superior in faith to the apostles — far from it, in fact. We hear these stories through the witness of these apostles. How else does Peter’s story of denying Jesus three times come to us but from the confession of Peter himself? How else does John write this story of Philip except with Philip’s cooperation? We would never know the story of “Doubting Thomas” without Thomas’ cooperation in making it an object lesson of faith over personal scrutiny, one that has overshadowed Thomas’ full contribution to the early church.
In this way (among others), these apostles sacrificed themselves for our sake. They made themselves into cautionary tales at times because they knew we would face these same struggles, these same crises of faith, and the same despair. They confess their weaknesses and shortcomings to us to remind us that they were all flawed and frail human beings, too. Even as close to Jesus as they were, they struggled with their own definitions of sufficiency in faith and trust, and they did not always make the right decisions.
These days, we struggle with these questions in a multitude of ways. Our brothers who came before us offer their own experience to remind us that faith is stronger than despair, and that materiality does not answer the depths of the latter. We are beings of of both materiality and spirituality, made in God’s image, so the material can never been sufficient for our yearning. Only the Father can fill that darkness — and if we focus on Him rather than our own despair, we can find that our definition of “what is enough” changes dramatically as well.
The front page image is a detail from “Calling of the Apostles,” a fresco by Domenico Ghirlandio, c. 1481, in the Sistine Chapel. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here. For previous Green Room entries, click here.


hotair--2020-05-10--The new video of the Ahmaud Arbery shooting tells us nothing

There was a new twist this weekend in the story of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia .
After the original video of most of the shooting was released , this story looked bad enough , but there was still a lot of debate over the guilt of the father and son shooters on social media .
So when a new video surfaced yesterday , it was suggested that we might have a clearer picture of what happened .
Unfortunately , having reviewed it several times , I really don ’ t see how this significantly changes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the field .
According to the NY Post , the footage was recorded by a security camera only a few minutes before Arbery died .
But as you will see , the camera was not located on the property in question .
New video has emerged in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery .
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it obtained a copy of the tape , which it said appeared to come from a home security camera and show someone who looked like Arbery walking around a home construction site .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing .
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was examining the footage .
Before we dig into this , here ’ s the video so you can check it out for yourself .
There is no audio included on the track .
I hadn ’ t jumped on this story before now , mostly because Allahpundit did a fairly extensive review of both the original shooting and the subsequent arrest of Gregory and Travis McMichael .
But as I mentioned above , I don ’ t really see how this new footage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all , the footage might establish that Arbery was in the vicinity ( which we already knew by virtue of his corpse being splayed out on the road ) , along with the route he took to the scene of the shooting and his activities in the minutes preceding the event .
I say “ might ” because this isn ’ t particularly high-quality video and it was taken from a fair distance away .
We see someone who definitely could be Arbery , given the seemingly similar clothing and proximity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a much higher quality copy with better resolution , it could be tough to prove it definitively .
What was he doing there ?
The attorney for his family seems to be confirming that it was him and answering that question in a statement released after the new video emerged .
“ Our office has reviewed the surveillance video which appears to show a person , believed to be Ahmaud Arbery , entering a property under construction .
The individual remains on the property for under 3 minutes before continuing to jog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistent with the evidence already known to us .
Ahmaud Arbery was out for a jog .
He stopped by a property under construction where he engaged in no illegal activity and remained for only a brief period .
Ahmaud did not take anything from the construction site .
He did not cause any damage to the property .
He remained for a brief period of time and was not instructed by anyone to leave but rather left on his own accord to continue his jog .
Ahmaud ’ s actions at this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way a felony under Georgia law .
This video confirms that Mr. Arbery ’ s murder was not justified and the actions of the men who pursued him and ambushed him were unjustified .
We reiterate , Ahmaud Arbery did not take part in ANY felony , had no illegal substances in his system , was not armed yet was shot three times with a shotgun at close range.
” Assuming for now that it ’ s the same person , we see Arbery walking around for a few minutes on a property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He disappears at various points , leading some to believe that he might have been up to something suspicious .
But he winds up leaving the property without anything being seen in his hands .
Does this change anything vis-à-vis the subsequent shooting ?
Let ’ s look at this in the worst possible light in terms of Arbery ’ s behavior .
You can assume that while he was out for a run he decided to duck into the construction site , perhaps looking for something valuable to steal .
Even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a satchel full of power tools , does that somehow justify what happened next ?
The McMichaels and their friend who filmed the shooting supposedly suspected Arbery of being involved in some recent break-ins that took place in the neighborhood .
That means that they were trailing him over a matter of , at worst , burglary , or possibly even nothing more than trespassing .
The video presumably recorded by their friend “ Roddy ” has already caught up Greg McMichael in one lie .
He didn ’ t “ pull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to stop so they could talk to him .
The McMichaels had gotten ahead of him to cut off his path through the neighborhood .
At that point , even if you suspect the person is guilty of a nonviolent crime , you don ’ t jump out with weapons drawn to make a citizen ’ s arrest .
( Remember that the elder McMichaels is a former cop . )
If the person doesn ’ t seem inclined to talk to you and you really want to play private detective , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the actual cops on your cellphone to provide the location and details .
The guy was on foot .
It ’ s not like he was going to get away .
For those out there who are still trying to justify this shooting , you should probably give this one a pass .
The fact is that we have a dead Black man who was pursued by two white guys , one of whom was probably in tight with most of the local law enforcement officials .
The DA wasn ’ t “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months , despite having the same damning video we all watched in his hands .
In other words , the entire affair stinks on ice .
Yes , it ’ s true that we frequently see liberal activists crying racism and throwing around claims of excessive use of force in cases where a police shooting was probably fully justified .
But this wasn ’ t a police shooting .
It was a civilian shooting .
And the identities of the people involved and the details of the events that played out over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motives awfully hard to ignore .
If we ’ re going to defend legitimate cases where lethal force is used and push back against claims of racism , we do ourselves no favors by turning a blind eye to a case like this or , worse , trying to defend the shooters .
Unless and until some truly shocking exculpatory evidence emerges in the McMichaels ’ favor , this looks like a case of a very serious crime indeed , but not one committed by Ahmaud Arbery .

There was a new twist this weekend in the story of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. After the original video of most of the shooting was released, this story looked bad enough, but there was still a lot of debate over the guilt of the father and son shooters on social media. So when a new video surfaced yesterday, it was suggested that we might have a clearer picture of what happened. Unfortunately, having reviewed it several times, I really don’t see how this significantly changes the story or moves the ball further down the field.
According to the NY Post, the footage was recorded by a security camera only a few minutes before Arbery died. But as you will see, the camera was not located on the property in question.
New video has emerged in the February shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said it obtained a copy of the tape, which it said appeared to come from a home security camera and show someone who looked like Arbery walking around a home construction site. It was shot minutes before the Feb. 23 killing. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was examining the footage.
Before we dig into this, here’s the video so you can check it out for yourself. There is no audio included on the track.
I hadn’t jumped on this story before now, mostly because Allahpundit did a fairly extensive review of both the original shooting and the subsequent arrest of Gregory and Travis McMichael. But as I mentioned above, I don’t really see how this new footage changes the story very much.
First of all, the footage might establish that Arbery was in the vicinity (which we already knew by virtue of his corpse being splayed out on the road), along with the route he took to the scene of the shooting and his activities in the minutes preceding the event. I say “might” because this isn’t particularly high-quality video and it was taken from a fair distance away. We see someone who definitely could be Arbery, given the seemingly similar clothing and proximity to the shooting site, but unless they have a much higher quality copy with better resolution, it could be tough to prove it definitively.
What was he doing there? The attorney for his family seems to be confirming that it was him and answering that question in a statement released after the new video emerged.
“Our office has reviewed the surveillance video which appears to show a person, believed to be Ahmaud Arbery, entering a property under construction. The individual remains on the property for under 3 minutes before continuing to jog down the road. This video is consistent with the evidence already known to us. Ahmaud Arbery was out for a jog. He stopped by a property under construction where he engaged in no illegal activity and remained for only a brief period. Ahmaud did not take anything from the construction site. He did not cause any damage to the property. He remained for a brief period of time and was not instructed by anyone to leave but rather left on his own accord to continue his jog. Ahmaud’s actions at this empty home under construction were in no way a felony under Georgia law. This video confirms that Mr. Arbery’s murder was not justified and the actions of the men who pursued him and ambushed him were unjustified. We reiterate, Ahmaud Arbery did not take part in ANY felony, had no illegal substances in his system, was not armed yet was shot three times with a shotgun at close range.”
Assuming for now that it’s the same person, we see Arbery walking around for a few minutes on a property where a house is under construction. He disappears at various points, leading some to believe that he might have been up to something suspicious. But he winds up leaving the property without anything being seen in his hands.
Does this change anything vis-à-vis the subsequent shooting? Let’s look at this in the worst possible light in terms of Arbery’s behavior. You can assume that while he was out for a run he decided to duck into the construction site, perhaps looking for something valuable to steal. Even if he had come out of that house with a satchel full of power tools, does that somehow justify what happened next?
The McMichaels and their friend who filmed the shooting supposedly suspected Arbery of being involved in some recent break-ins that took place in the neighborhood. That means that they were trailing him over a matter of, at worst, burglary, or possibly even nothing more than trespassing. The video presumably recorded by their friend “Roddy” has already caught up Greg McMichael in one lie. He didn’t “pull up next to” Arbery and ask him to stop so they could talk to him. The McMichaels had gotten ahead of him to cut off his path through the neighborhood.
At that point, even if you suspect the person is guilty of a nonviolent crime, you don’t jump out with weapons drawn to make a citizen’s arrest. (Remember that the elder McMichaels is a former cop.) If the person doesn’t seem inclined to talk to you and you really want to play private detective, you proceed to follow him while calling the actual cops on your cellphone to provide the location and details. The guy was on foot. It’s not like he was going to get away.
For those out there who are still trying to justify this shooting, you should probably give this one a pass. The fact is that we have a dead Black man who was pursued by two white guys, one of whom was probably in tight with most of the local law enforcement officials. The DA wasn’t “inclined” to press charges for two months, despite having the same damning video we all watched in his hands. In other words, the entire affair stinks on ice.
Yes, it’s true that we frequently see liberal activists crying racism and throwing around claims of excessive use of force in cases where a police shooting was probably fully justified. But this wasn’t a police shooting. It was a civilian shooting. And the identities of the people involved and the details of the events that played out over the past two months make suggestions of racist motives awfully hard to ignore. If we’re going to defend legitimate cases where lethal force is used and push back against claims of racism, we do ourselves no favors by turning a blind eye to a case like this or, worse, trying to defend the shooters. Unless and until some truly shocking exculpatory evidence emerges in the McMichaels’ favor, this looks like a case of a very serious crime indeed, but not one committed by Ahmaud Arbery.