Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

So...John...you're going to make me look good. Right?"

"And the hat. I rock the hat. Don't forget!"

TGIF Morning News Dump (7/21/17)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Long time Morons know that your humble Cob detests John McCain, the politician. He has served his country basically all of his life. We've been advised that he is facing the fight of his life.

Opinion based sites can put forth their opinions about the man. But, the MSM is supposed to report news not make shit up on a man.
Nothing like a cheap shot against him via the MSM. Then they wonder why we hate their guts.

Fake news and a cheap shot against the least Republican of all Republicans.

Rant off. News Dump on.

• So, who let Liz off the Rez?
• John McCain continues to be wrong on the Middle East.
• 6 months of President Trump and 800+ Obama regs gone.
• Robert Mueller on a partisan witch Trump hunt.
• Misguided youth make mistake.
• Oh No!!!!! We're f*cking doomed!!!
• Bring it on Aunt Esther.
• Hey Fido we are from the government and here to help you.
• I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire.
• Feel Good Story of The Day.
• OJ to be free.
• Olive Garden vs. Blogger.
• She should have trained her eyes not the squirrels. Genius Award Winner.
• Don't drink the water or soda.

One Small Step for Thursday's ONT

—WeirdDave

On July 20th, 1969, the lunar module Eagle touched down on the moon, and mankind took their first steps off planet Earth. This is, in fact, my earliest memory. I was 2 ½ at the time, and I remember my mother sitting me down in front of the big old RCA console TV to watch grainy footage of Neil Armstrong descending the ladder. A half a billion other humans watched with me as the world held its collective breath.

Indeed.

M O O N, That Spells Moon

Here's a recap of that day from NASA

When it comes time to set Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong improvises, manually piloting the ship past an area littered with boulders. During the final seconds of descent, Eagle's computer is sounding alarms.

It turns out to be a simple case of the computer trying to do too many things at once, but as Aldrin will later point out, "unfortunately it came up when we did not want to be trying to solve these particular problems."

When the lunar module lands at 4:18 p.m EDT, only 30 seconds of fuel remain. Armstrong radios "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Mission control erupts in celebration as the tension breaks, and a controller tells the crew "You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again." (› Play Audio)

Armstrong will later confirm that landing was his biggest concern, saying "the unknowns were rampant," and "there were just a thousand things to worry about."

The flag they left is bleached white now, but, with apologies to General John J. Pershing, time will not dim the glory of their deeds. Because of these men, and all of the people standing behind them on the ground, my youthful eyes looked to the stars and saw not the unreachable firmament that had tantalized earlier generations, but a universe of possibility.

Unconscionable

If Apollo 11 gave us dreams of the sky, down here on Earth we still have to deal with all of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. This story incensed me. IQ costs Oregon parents their kids, but is that fair?

Seems the state has taken their kids away from this couple on the grounds that they are too stupid to raise kids. Note that there is no indication that they are incapable of caring for them, no accusation of harm to the children, nothing except the overreaching and crushing power of the state. This is why our Forefathers were determined that we would be citizens, not subjects. The state exists at our pleasure, to serve us. Bad things are going to happen if it keeps insisting that we exist to serve it. Very bad things.

Poetry

Do you like Kipling? I dunno, I've never kippled, but for some reason, the last story brings this poem to mind.

The Beginnings
by Rudyard Kipling

It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late
With long arrears to make good,
When the English began to hate.

They were not easily moved,
They were icy-willing to wait
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the English began to hate.

Their voices were even and low,
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show,
When the English began to hate.

It was not preached to the crowd,
It was not taught by the State.
No man spoke it aloud,
When the English began to hate.

It was not suddenly bred,
It will not swiftly abate,
Through the chill years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the English began to hate.

Not sure why that came to mind. No idea, really. It's a mystery.

ETA Special thanks to Moron pst314, who pointed out that I had originally posted this poem wrong. Not just wrong, but disastrously wrong. I remembered the poem, but when I Googled it up to get the full thing, I somehow got to a Stormfront-type site that had adjusted the words to fit their racist agenda, and I wasn't on the ball enough to realize this before I posted it. Apologies to the Horde and especially to Rudyard Kipling.

Musical Interlude

In honor of the opening story:

Round Up the Usual Suspects

Novelty Store Heist Suspect Remains At Large

Seems a tattooed man grabbed a couple of plastic dicks and ran off. He was last seen, according to the manager, “running north toward the grocery store with the two biggest dongs I sell.” Let's hope that when this miscreant is caught, he faces a stiff sentence. One hesitates to imagine the depths he intends to plumb with his ill-gotten merchandise, but we can be sure that they will cause some friction in his household. Even though his defense will undoubtedly be that he was just screwing around, police should be careful that justice doesn't get shafted and that he does hard time.

Wit

Know what I miss about President W Bush? His class, of course, but also his wit.

Clinton: The best thing for a politician "is to be consistently underestimated"

Bush: "I was pretty good at that" https://t.co/W1w5gtz3B4

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 13, 2017

Neat

These 30 GIFs PERFECTLY Explain Life’s Little Mysteries

Addendum

Remember last week when I referred to soccer players taking a dive? I've never seen a more perfect example than this:

He's lucky to be alive pic.twitter.com/LAbih4SMXH

— Football Fights (@footbalIfights) July 15, 2017

Should Have Stayed in Gotham City

America's Healthiest Grocery Store

When Whole Foods adopted the motto “Whole People Whole Planet”, I didn't realize they were talking about their supply chain.

I know that's a little light on content, but it's all I have for you tonight. The Ont is brought to you by a ship-shipping ship, shipping shipping ships:

The Yahoo Group is wondering if sex shops generally have video surveillance cameras.

Close it up

LGBT Megadonor Pouring Millions Into Campaign to Punish Christians for Refusing to Participate in Gay Weddings; "Punish the Wicked," Xe Advises

—Ace

Pretty soon you'll have to give same-sex oral sex on demand or face legal punishment.

Openly gay LGBT activist Tim Gill, who has poured $422 million into the homosexual movement since the 1990s, recently told Rolling Stone why he won't allow Christians to opt out of participating in same-sex weddings.

"We're going to punish the wicked," Gill told Rolling Stone. After the 2015 Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage across the country, Gill turned his activism apparatus against religious freedom restoration acts (RFRAs) and toward a legal mentality that would penalize Christians, and anyone else in business, who refuse to participate in a same-sex wedding.

He, and Rolling Stone, frame this as a heroic battle against those who would deny gays "public accommodations."

But it's a very limited sort of denial -- it's just people, Christian and otherwise, who don't want to be part of gay weddings:

The "public accommodations" push is exactly the line LGBT activists use to undercut Christians' freedom to opt out of serving same-sex weddings.

I'm not really kidding when I say the only way Gay Activists won't be #Triggered and #Oppressed is if everyone agrees to their demands to experiment with some light homosexuality themselves.

As evidence for this: a 20 year old quote from Dumb Actor Ben Affleck resurfaced. Back then, he said the "greatest challenge" for a male actor was having to kiss another man.

You know -- because straight men have -- get this! -- a real psychological and biological aversion to any intimate touching of another male.

But he's being hectored about it, because their idea of sexual freedom requires your sexual subjugation.

Samantha Power Is Now a Key Figure in Unmasking Probe

—Ace

She was the Ambassador to the UN. She wasn't an intelligence analyst and wasn't law enforcement.

She just didn't have any appropriate reason to be requesting the unmaskings she requested.

Power appears to be central to efforts by top Obama administration officials to identify individuals named in classified intelligence community reports related to Trump and his presidential transition team, according to multiple sources.

...

Power's role in this unmasking effort is believed to be particularly questionable given her position as the U.N. ambassador, a post that does not typically require such sensitive unmasking activities, according to former U.S. officials and other sources familiar with the matter.

"Unmasking is not a regular occurrence--absolutely not a weekly habit. It is rare, even at the National Security Council, and ought to be rarer still for a U.N. ambassador," according to one former senior U.S. official who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.

...

"That's just not the sort of thing that she should have been concerned about, unless she was playing the role of political operative with the help of the intelligence community," [a] source said. "It gives away what was actually going on: the Obama administration was operating in a pervasive culture of impunity and using the intelligence community against their political opponents."

Rep. DeSantis continues showing spine:

...

"I think Congress and some members on the Intelligence Committee can call Ben Rhodes to testify," DeSantis said. "He may be able to invoke executive privilege from when Obama was president, but he definitely can't do that in any interactions he's had since then."

Whether or not they subpeona him is up to Trent Gowdy -- and whether he has a spine, or just wants to get along with his Good Friends.

Al Gore, When Asked If We've Hit a Point of No Return Like He Previously Predicted We Would: Well, In Some Ways. But the Paris Accords Changed So Much!

—Ace

God's gonna take me home unless you donate $100,000 to my ministry.

Wait -- we're at $90,000. God now says you have a two week extension to donate, and if you donate now, He'll give you Heavenly Oven Mitts, free of charge. (Shipping costs extra.)

Back with a sequel to An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore reflected on his 2006 prediction that “the world would reach a point of no return within 10 years” if “drastic measures” were not taken to combat climate change.

Gore was asked why he made that prediction in the first film and if he has another prediction to make about climate change now 11 years later.

“First of all, we’ve seen a lot of progress since the first movie came out. We have the Paris agreement now. The cost of renewable energy has come down so quickly that people are switching over. Unfortunately, some levels of the Earth system have crossed a point of no return,” Gore said during an interview with PJM on the green carpet of the An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power screening Wednesday evening at the Newseum.

Video of a fat man sweating at the link.

Oh by the way: Science-denying transexual advocate Bill Nye says the only way now to save the earth is to hope for old people to die.

I assume he doesn't mean himself or Al Gore, who are old. And also, unattractive.

Just pointing that out.

"Climate change deniers, by way of example, are older. It's generational," Nye told the Los Angeles Times. Nye said that he is calling them out with "due respect," acknowledging that he is "now one of them."

"We're just going to have to wait for those people to 'age out,' as they say," Nye went on, adding that "age out" is a euphemism for "die." "But it'll happen, I guarantee you — that'll happen."

By the way -- remember that cringepocalypse "song" and "dance" number Bill Nye had on his show, celebrating transexualism and deviant sex of all varieties?

On a show that seems primarily interested in propagandizing to children? (Both of the "real children" type and Adult Baby Monster type?)

It was "sung" by Rachel Bloom, a "comedienne" chiefly famous for having big jugs, singing stupid children's songs about want to have nerd sex, and not being so attractive that nerds think they couldn't maybe have a shot with her.

“Sexuality’s a spectrum, everyone is on it. Even you might like it if you sit up on it,” Bloom sings on stage as Nye can be seen off-stage dancing. “Drag king, drag queen just do what feels right.”

Yeah -- he got an Emmy nomination for that shit.

Trust your betters.

Swamp Gonna Swamp: Official State Department Report Suggests Israel Is Responsible for Palestinian Murders of Israelis

—Ace

The Deep State doesn't care who the current president is, or what policies that democratically-elected person supports.

They have their own agenda, their own power sources, and a near-freedom from any consequences due to pretty-much guaranteed lifetime tenure and a political class too cowardly to put them in their places. Or better yet out of their places.

he State Department is facing harsh criticism for claiming in an official report that Israel is to blame for terrorism attacks committed by Palestinians and accusing the Jewish state of being largely responsible for an impasse in peace negotiations, according to a leading member of Congress who is calling on the State Department to correct its "inaccurate and harmful" characterization of Israel.

The State Department, in its latest annual report on the global terrorism situation, blames Israeli security policies for stalling the peace process and claims that Palestinians rarely incite terror attacks.

The claims are coming under fierce criticism from pro-Israel advocates and have prompted one leading member of Congress to formally call on the Trump administration to amend the report to more accurately reflect the situation.

McMasters, Tillerson, and Mattis should all be fired, in that order, with the possibility that the later two will learn from the first firing and correct themselves.

They're disasters. It's interesting that the Establishment GOPe took such comfort in the appointments of McMasters and Mattis, when most of the people I trust told me they were disasters from the moment they were named.

Dumber and Dumberer

—OregonMuse

Sally Kohn: I wonder how delusional I can get? I know, how about this:

Straightforward from here:
1. Impeach Trump & Pence
2. Constitutional crisis
3. Call special election
4. Ryan v Clinton
5. President Clinton

— Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) February 15, 2017

Allan Ishac: Hold my beer.

The Case For Making Hillary Clinton President--And Not Mike Pence--After Trump Is Impeached

And most of the comments are every bit as delusional as the actual article.

Update:

Kohn's idiocy inspired lots of parodies. Here's one of my favorites:

Straightforward from here:
1. 106 miles to Chicago
2. Full tank of gas
3. Half a pack of cigarettes
4. It’s dark
5. We’re wearing sunglasses

— brian feldman (@bafeldman) February 15, 2017

Close it up

OJ Simpson Granted Parole; Exuberantly Shouts "I'm Goin' to Disneyland and Killing Some Folks!"

—Ace

So, the Juice is loose again.

Testifying at his parole hearing, he said he'd lived a "conflict free" life and not a "criminal life."

He also said he intended to move back to Florida if granted parole, which sounds an awful lot like a threat.

Photo credit: The National Enquirer.

Based on that photo, OJ has finally found the Real Killer, and the real killer turns out to be pre-diabetic syndrome.

Louise Mensch is a Strange Bird

—Ace

Charles C. W. Cooke on the left's favorite conspiracy theorist, who doesn't get nearly the (negative) coverage that Alex Jones does.

Because the left likes its own conspiracy theories.

Mensch reads like a woman who speaks civics as a third or fourth language that she lost touch with long ago. She has a pidgin grasp on the American [systems of government and criminal justice], and an ersatz, bastardized relationship with reality.

One part novella-fantasy, one part hallway-hearsay, Mensch's world is one in which an ethereal "they" are omnipresent and omnipotent. "They," she tells us, are considering executing Steve Bannon, though he hasn’t been charged with so much as speeding in a school zone.

Executing? Did I read that right?

"They" have already "sentenced" Rudy Giuliani -- to what fate we will presumably find out when someone next mentions his name on television. "They" will soon overturn the election results, and are on the verge of making Orrin Hatch president.

Donald Trump, in turn, is perennially but a few steps from the gallows. On the 13th of April, Mensch promised that the "first arrests may be as soon as next week." Yesterday, she related that the president faced imminent "federal execution."

I'm not fantasizing this, right? She just said that two high ranking officials are facing "federal execution," right?

Presumably, "they" just needed some more time.

Usurpation abounds, at home and abroad, and seems never to be walled in by anything as prosaic as the law. Mensch’s Supreme Court has proactive police powers and a Bruce Willis–esque "marshal" who chases down helicopters and colludes heroically with the rogue justices. Her Congress acts primarily in camera [secretly, without the public being informed], and may already have informed Trump that he is no longer permitted to use his legal powers....

The America of Mensch’s imagination is a place in which the entire Republican party is imminently going to jail -- on RICO charges, no less -- because Paul Ryan is a partisan. What the Da Vinci Code was to Christian theology, Louise Mensch is to James Madison's handiwork. See how the symbols line up in the moonlight?

It is on the subject of Russia, however, that Mensch has really hit her stride.

I'll direct you to NRO to read Mensch's extensive research into Russia (KOMPROMAT!!!), and her suggestions as to how to deal with the Red Menace. (Hint: It involves bombs and lots of them.)

Will Megyn Kelly be interviewing Louise, or is NBC not terribly interested in putting their own fruitbats on display?

Cooke mentions that upon first seeing this teenage-girl fiction writer (no that was her previous gig, really) on a British news program, his father remarked that she was the "dullest" woman he'd ever seen (in the British sense -- dumb).

So now we see the sorts of fantasies the dull spin out: Not interesting fantasies, not compelling conspiracy theories which you may not quite believe but still think, "Man, that's kind of interesting, even if it is bonkers."

No, the dull spin out exceedingly stupid conspiracy theories that can't even be appreciated on a detached aesthetic level.

BTW: I wondered where the word "bonkers" derived from and was disappointed to see that there is no known etymology. Apparently it appeared in 1945 or so, and one of the first definitions claimed it came from British sailor slang meaning, at first, "slightly drunk," and speculates it might derive from the idea of being unsteady on one's feet from a bonk on the head.

That sounds like bullshit to me. It's too easy. Sounds like the guy asked his seven year old kid to come up with a guess and that's what the kid came up with after one second's thought.

My guess would be that it's derived from some pidgin language and has something to do with tropical insanity, like the Australian's "troppo."

My more specific guess, that it is related to "bonzo" (crazy, nuts), turns out to be wrong, as bonzo came later than bonkers, and might just be a mash-up of bonkers and gonzo.

Office of Special Counsel: US Postal Service Broke Campaign Laws By Permitting Workers Leave to Campaign for Hillary

—Ace

#ButRussia.

The United States Postal Service violated federal law by letting employees do union-funded work for Hillary Clinton's campaign and other Democratic candidates while on leave from the agency, according to an Office of Special Counsel report obtained by Fox News.

The OSC determined the USPS "engaged in systemic violations" of the Hatch Act, a federal law that limits certain political activities of federal employees. While employees are allowed to do some political work on leave, the report said the Postal Service showed a "bias" favoring the union's 2016 campaign operation.

The investigation was launched months ago after Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., brought constituent complaints to the OSC in October. The constituent, identified as a USPS employee, was concerned the Postal Service “incurred unnecessary overtime costs” and “improperly coordinated” with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) when it released members for several weeks of “union official” leave without pay to participate in campaign work.

“The Labor 2016 program sought to ‘elect Hillary Clinton and pro-worker candidates across the country,’” the report said...

BTW: Man, that last post by Oregon Muse (quoting Thomas Wictor).

If you haven't read it, do read it.

It's Much Worse Than We Feared

—OregonMuse

Interesting tweet-storm:

(1) Boy oh boy. Remember we said that after Obama left office, we'd find out the damage he did?

It's much worse than I imagined. pic.twitter.com/SohcTj9HcC

— Thomas Wictor (@ThomasWictor) June 30, 2017

Below the fold, I lifted the text out of the follow-up tweets to save load time. Prepare to be really depressed:

(2) Under Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, the Department of Justice pushed the states to pass new laws.

(3) The goal was to make it impossible to hold repeat offenders in jail before trial. Why?

(4) Because so many repeat offenders are black.

(5) The first step was to reclassify violent felonies as nonviolent misdemeanors. Look at California.

(6) Assault with a deadly weapon, harming a crime victim or witness, resisting arrest that injures a police officer...

(7) Violent elder or child abuse, arson with injury, and manslaughter are now nonviolent felonies.

(8 ) Proposition 47--passed in 2014--reclassified certain "nonviolent felonies" as misdemeanors.

(9) Therefore prisoners convicted of violent elder abuse were released because now their former violent felony was a misdemeanor.

(10) So the Democrats first changed violent felonies to misdemeanors. Then they changed the laws for bail.

(11) Washington DC Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier resigned because criminals were being arrested, released, and arrested again the same day.

(12)

(13) Federal authorities decide who stays in jail in DC. Under pressure from Holder and Lynch, they were releasing everyone.

(14) The crime rate spiked dramatically. The Democrats are pushing for "community rehabilitation programs" instead of prison.

(15) The most repulsive member of congress--@tedlieu, the guy who trolls Trump--has introduced a doozy of a bill.

(16) Lieu wants to ELIMINATE bail in the entire country.

(17) They point to the "success" of New Jersey, which eliminated bail earlier this year.

(18 ) In New Jersey, a person is evaluated with an eight-question form. Prior offenses are not taken into consideration.

(19) As a result almost nobody is held over until trial. Almost everyone is released.

(20) The state had to hire new staff and create new computer systems to manage the new system.

(21) Releasing everybody has so far cost New Jersey $400 million, and the crime rate is skyrocketing.

(22) Washington DC eliminated bail, and now the city pays $50 million a year to oversee almost no prisoners.

(23) Duane and Beth Chapman--He's better known as Dog the Bounty Hunter--testified in Sacramento about the new laws coming.

(24) The Chapmans pointed out every loophole they could: a guy who never shows up for trial, for example.

(25) They said that the Democrats then TWEAKED the laws to EXCLUDE any possible offender.

(26) The DC Police arrested a total of 219 violent protestors on Inauguration Day. Only 17 showed up for their trials.

(27) The Chapmans said that the Democratic party has made it a priority in 2017 to pass laws that make holding anyone in jail impossible.

(28 ) What I realized a long time ago is that Democrats' sole motivation is to piss off conservatives.

(29) So I'm not surprised that one of our two major parties now wants us to die at the hands of violent criminals.

(30) The end result of Democratic "reform" is that criminals now commit crimes with impunity, and people are too afraid to call the cops.

(31) There are no penalties for threatening witnesses and skipping your trial. Nobody comes looking for you.

(32) And if you get arrested, they immediately release you.

(33) You may have heard that more an more celebrities are having their mansions broken into.

(34) Alanis Morissette was robbed of $2 million worth of jewelry.

(35) This is a new crime, being committed by old gangs such and the Bloods and Crips. It's because there are no penalties.

(36) This is just one of the things Obama did to us. And the CURRENT Democrats want to make it even worse. The end.

One of Wictor's followers replied:

Not to be outdone by NJ, CA passed Prop 57 in Nov changing the definition of violent felonies. This list no longer considered "violent" ?? pic.twitter.com/PKWaYeKBYc

— SoCal Dez (@socal_dez) June 30, 2017

This is insane.

This is the kind of rot that starts at the top. The states are taking their cues from Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch.

"We have nothing to be scared of with Barack Obama in the White House".

And now for the final word on the subject, Gorillapundit:

"I always wondered why the Democrats were such mollycoddlers of the criminal class, and then the obvious answer dawned on me: crooks, grifters, rapists, thieves, con men, welfare cheats, burglars, wife beaters, flim flam artists, antifa scum, homicidal maniacs, gang bangers, terrorists, and child molesters are all natural Democratic constituencies, so they're just pandering to their voter base."

Close it up

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

How does one start a painting such as this?

"How many leaves do I need to paint? Screw it, I'm going to the café."

Thursday Morning News Dump (7/20/17)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

• A bright spot in Mosul.
  
• ICE sending more staff to 'uncooperative jurisdictions'.
  
• The Swamp enjoys spending.
  
• We support your 1st Amendment freedoms, just not here.
  
• Radiohead rocks Israel. Bigots hardest hit.
  
• Trump cancels arms to Syrian rebels.
  
• Thousands evacuated in CA.
  
• Why is Turkey still in NATO?
  
• Charlie Gard is the face of Single Payer Health Insurance.
  
• Chicago court makes life easier for criminals.
  
• Disdain for D.C. continues.
  
• SCOTUS lets circus continues.
  
• Exercise your constitutional rights, you may have to pay.
  
• OJ Simpson. Is freedom around the corner?
  
• We don't need more Republicans we need more conservatives.
  
• Tabloid news outshines The MSM?
  
• Genius Award Winner.
  
• Feel Good Story of The Day.

Wednesday Overnight Open Thread (7/19/17) Some Kind of An Edition

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

And I’ve learned from my experience that desire is 80% of achievement. That if you really, really want something, if you really, really, really want to do something, that the vast majority of achieving it is wanting it. I mean, really wanting it. Not a preference, and not, “Gee, I hope this.” I mean really wanting it. It is the desire that makes you do what you have to do to achieve. Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh commenting on the Quisling Senate GOP and their "effort" to repeal Obamacare.

Quote II

We all know that Social Security is one of this country's greatest success stories in the 20th century. Mitch McConnell

Brilliant!!!!

Quote III

Without question, the Red Ryder BB gun is the most important gun in the history of American weaponry. Ted Nugent

*****

National Hot Dog Day, YUMMY

*****

Everybody has given it their best shot. BULLSHIT!

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that despite the Republicans’ inability to get enough votes to repeal and replace Obamacare, GOP lawmakers have “given it their best shot.”

“This has been a very, very challenging experience for all of us,” McConnell said when asked on Tuesday if he believes his leadership has been damaged by the healthcare debate.

*****

The Women's March headed to Saudi Arabia. Nah, just kidding.

Islam > Women, crickets.

A woman in Saudi Arabia has been arrested after a short Snapchat video showed her wearing a skirt and crop top in the desert heat.

Her outfit would be unremarkable in the U.S., but it violated Saudi Arabia's strict, conservative dress code for women. The footage went viral online over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabian state TV announced via Twitter that the woman had been taken into custody by police and that the case had been referred to the general prosecutor.

*****

Guilty until proven innocent. At least when it comes to forfeiture laws. A.G. Jeff Sessions issues new directives for civil forfeitures.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Justice Department will issue new directives to increase the federal govenment's use of civil asset forfeiture, a controversial practice that allows law enforcement to seize property from suspected criminals without charging them with a crime.

Speaking at a National District Attorneys Association conference in Minneapolis Monday, Sessions said state and local law enforcement could expect changes from U.S. Attorneys in several areas: increased prosecution of gun crimes, immigration offenses, gang activity, and prescription drug abuse, as well as increased asset seizure by the federal government.

Sessions is just plain wrong on this. What was that movement we felt? Oh yeah, just the Founding Fathers rolling in their graves.

*****

San Francisco's KQED attacked by ransomware.

For the last month, San Francisco’s KQED has been recovering from a massive ransomware attack, the station revealed today to The San Francisco Chronicle. The infection began on June 15, but more than a month later, many crucial systems remain offline at the National Public Radio member-station.

“It’s like we’ve been bombed back to 20 years ago, technology-wise,” one senior editor told the Chronicle.

Guess they will need to have a couple more beg-a-thons.

*****

Freedom, the ability to move about as one pleases. What happens when you can't? Do you sue on the basis that human rights have been violated?

A disability rights group in New York City has filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, alleging the company doesn’t do enough to provide for riders who need wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

The suit, filed today, says that the few wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) available in New York aren’t enough to accommodate the large disabled population — there are less than 100 to serve all five boroughs. It was brought by Disability Rights Advocates on behalf of a number of local advocacy groups.

*****

The ONT guesses that Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and Erector Sets are not considered smart toys. The F.B.I warns parents about toys that spy.

The FBI yesterday released a public service announcement (PSA) alerting parents to the dangers potentially imposed by smart toys.

The document warns that connected toys with microphones, GPS tracking, Wi-Fi, and/or bluetooth connectivity could be giving criminals access to private information about children and their families. This could lead to identity theft or worse:

*****

The ONT Musical Interlude

July 19, 1944, Born on this day, Commander Cody, (George Frayne), piano, vocals, Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, country rock group. via thisdayinmusic.com

*****

July 19, 1981, It was Roy Orbison Day in Odessa, Texas. Orbison was given the keys to the city, and performed for the crowd, the first time in Odessa in 15 years. via thisdayinmusic.com

*****

Nitwit? The ONT begs to differ. They aren't nitwits. They are felons.

Tens of thousands of minks on a central Minnesota farm were set free from their cages, unleashing the prized fur-bearing creatures into the dark of night, authorities said.

“These nitwits think they are doing something good,” Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson said Monday, about a half-day after people he’s convinced are among militant animal rights advocates sneaked onto Lang Farms near Eden Valley sometime between 10:30 p.m. Sunday and 5:30 a.m. Monday.

The Sheriff’s Office put the value of the minks at more than $750,000.

*****

California continues to lead on "global warming". Cap & Trade.

California lawmakers voted to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program another 10 years on Monday night. The bill includes language that would gradually tighten restrictions on businesses, reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they’re allowed to put in the atmosphere by 40 percent by 2030.

California gov to work with China on clean energy tech, defying US reversal
California’s cap-and-trade market puts a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that companies are allowed to put into the atmosphere, and it allows companies to buy and sell GHG credits. That means that a company whose business requires additional GHG emissions over the limit would have to buy credits in an auction. The more polluting that companies are collectively, the more credits are in demand, and the more costly it is to do business individually as a polluter.

*****

Guess what happens when food stamp recipients have to work? Ding, ding, ding, you're a winner.

*****

We've heard about the exploding costs of higher education. US students may have nothing to pay.

Some lucky Americans are finding that their huge piles of student debt may not actually exist. All thanks to a fluke in paperwork, rather than politics or beneficence.
The National Collegiate Student Loan Trusts are a collection of trusts that together comprise one of the US’s biggest owners of private student loans, possessing around 800,000 different loans totaling $12 billion. They aggressively hound student borrowers who fall behind on their bills and have brought tens of thousands of lawsuits against defaulters in the past five years

*****

How to survive a shark encounter Sharknado.

*****

Guns & Progressives. How to experience lunacy? Discuss guns with the left.

A useful way to experience the lunacy of Progressives is to discuss guns with your local lefty. Most people understand that gun control is worthless as a tool to control crime or even reduce gun accidents. The people using guns in crime are by definition not the sort to obey gun laws. Similarly, the people inclined to shoot themselves or friends while playing William Tell will find some way to off themselves, no matter what you do. The only result of gun control is to harass honest citizens exercising their rights as citizens.

*****

So, Truth or Fake News?

*****

Enjoy hockey? Do you like to skate? The story behind the Zamboni.

It was the turn of the 20th century when Frank Zamboni was born to recent immigrant parents in a small town south of Salt Lake City, Utah. When Zamboni was a baby, his family bought a farm not too far way in Idaho. That’s where he got his first experiences in mechanical engineering. Frank Zamboni, his brothers and father spent long hours tinkering and fixing broken farm equipment. Frank also worked a local garage, repairing old pickup trucks. “While my father never got past the ninth grade in formal schooling, he always had an inquisitive mind in solving problems,” Frank’s son Richard Zamboni later told Popular Mechanics, “Whether it was electrical, mechanical, or business-related, he had the unique ability to get to the heart of issues.

*****

As summer draws to a close, what do you think of? Autumn colors? Cooler nights? College Football? An unlikely Heisman Trophy candidate let alone winner.

*****

Amusing newspaper headlines.

*****

Successful entrepreneurs learn to write things off. This entrepreneur is our Genius Award Winner.

*****

Putting their money where their ale is. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

*****

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Oh Shit!

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. The ONT may be habit forming.

Close it up

Heroic Dog Saves Drowning Fawn (But Then Kind of Won't Leave the Poor Terrified Thing Alone)

—Ace

The dog seems to want to make sure it's okay, and tries to nose it into playing, but the scared fawn is just trying to play dead and/or recover.

Still, nice doggie!

Pro-Jihad, Sharia-Supporting, Hamas-Backing Progressive Antihero Linda Sarsour Says Jake Tapper Has Joined the "Alt-Right" for Daring to Criticize the Women's March's Embrace of Terrorist Murderer Joanna Chesimond

—Ace

Red on red -- I'm just hoping for injuries.

And injuries were had:

Sarsour responded by saying that Tapper has joined “the ranks of the alt-right to target me online.” (There is no evidence to suggest that Tapper is a member of the alt-right.) “Welcome to the party,” she added.

Sarsour challenged Tapper to “please share” evidence of her ugly sentiments. “Unapologetically Muslim? Unapologetically Palestinian? Pro-immigrant? Pro-justice?” she asked. “Shame.”

Tapper responded by pointing to comments Sarsour made about activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who frequently speaks out against radical Islam. Sarsour expressed her desire to take Ali’s vagina away, saying she doesn’t deserve to be a woman. Ali is a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and has spoken out against the brutal practice.

I know a lot of people on the Cheap Date Right are praising Tapper for having the courage to offer a tepid criticism (on Twitter) about the Women's March's embrace of a terrorist murderer, but is that really the only crumbs we're demanding now?

Has he done a segment on his nationally available TV show about it? I honestly don't know. I haven't seen reference to that, just a CYA twitter mention.

Can we do more than endeavor to persevere?

Supreme Court Offers Muddled Response to Hawaiian Judge's Judicial-Fiat Rewriting of the Travel Ban

—Ace

The Hawaiian judge made a couple of rulings. First, he found that the government's definition of a "bona fide relationship" to a US citizen was too restrictive -- limited to parents, children, siblings and spouses -- and opened it up to... practically everyone.

Watson subsequently expanded the definition of "bona fide relationship" to include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, or siblings-in-law.

Then he claimed that the US could not limit immigrants who had a "formal assurance" from a refugee assistance group. Which seems to me to be something he just sorta made up on the spot.

The Supreme Court blocked that second ruling, but seems to have made no judgment on the first -- for now. The case will continue to be litigated at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has well-earned its nickname of the "Ninth Circus." After that, the Supreme Court will have the chance to review their ruling as well.

The Supreme Court did decline a DOJ request for a clarification of the Supreme Court order putting most of the travel ban into place -- about what they meant by a "bona fide relationship." What does that mean, exactly?

A lot of outlets are reporting this as some sort of victory for the left. I don't think so. I think the Supreme Court routinely declines to decide until the correct procedural moment for deciding, which in this case would be after the Ninth Circuit's review.

However, they could have struck the Hawaiian judge's order on this point down, but declined to do so.

But perhaps that's because they thought the issue was currently moot -- as the State Department, of course, has rewritten its rules of who is permitted in under the "bona fide relationship" exemption to include all the distant relations the Hawaiian judge ordered.

Thus, at this moment, there really isn't a bona fide dispute over the question, which is something essential for a Supreme Court ruling, particularly on an emergency basis (as such injunctions are).

All in all, basically a rap against the Hawaiian judge, with additional questions put off until the Ninth Circuit writes up its completely error-ridden opinion.

Claremont McKenna College Gives a Few Disruptive SJWs Suspensions for Shutting Down a Heather MacDonald Speech

—Ace

Some of these punishments are pretty decent and fit the crime -- a full year of suspension from college is a penalty that fits the crime, and is no joke.

But only three students got that penalty -- out of approximately 170 individuals who participated in the shut-down.

Four other students were penalized -- one barely. Three got a semester's suspension, which is barely a penalty. Another got probation -- which is not a penalty. It's a Formal Declaration of Getting a Strong Talking To.

The other 163 or so have walked with no penalty -- some because they couldn't be identified (and hey, I guess it's time to prohibit masks at demonstrations, huh, upon penalty of suspension or even expulsion...?).

There are two common suggestions for deterring crime:

1. Making the penalty so stiff no one thinks about breaking the law.

2. Increase detection/capture rates so that a much larger portion of law-breakers are sanctioned.

Studies prove that #2 works, and #1 barely works at all. A huge penalty is so huge that everyone assumes "That won't happen to me." Also, there are serious concerns of fairness -- a penalty should be based on the severity of the crime itself. You get into a dubious morality when you say you're going to penalize something much more harshly than the crime warrants, just to "send a message" to other law-breakers.

Penalties should be about individual justice, not "sending messages." It's not really fair if 99% of lawbreakers are not punished at all, and then 1% gets some outsized penalty to make up for all the non-penalties the ones you didn't catch got away with.

So a one year suspension for trying to shut down other students' right to hear a speaker -- sounds good.

But this isn't going to be any kind of deterrent if just 1.5% of the malefactors are punished. You need to catch, and suspend, 25% or more of them to restore order.

And I'm assuming the ones suspended did not commit actual crimes of violence. If they did, then a one year suspension is far too light -- they should be handed over to the police to get their criminal record colored up a bit, and maybe spend some time in the iron-bar college.

Trump to Senate: Cancel Your August Recess and Get Obamacare Repeal Done

—Ace

Yes, they should, but of course they won't.

President Trump told GOP senators at the White House on Wednesday that they should cancel their August recess and not leave town until acting to repeal ObamaCare.

"We shouldn't leave town until this is complete," he said during a lunch at the White House. "We should hammer this out and get it done."

Trump also said that repeal isn't enough, and that Republicans should also replace ObamaCare with new legislation.

Repeal makes sense strategically (as well as being the fulfillment of a campaign promise): Once Obamacare is gone (assuming with a 1 or 2 year grace period where it will still be in effect), Democrats will no longer be able to interpose Obamacare as an alternative to any new plan proposed. It will be gone. The choice will not be between Obamacare and some new reform, but between the new reform and nothing at all.

Which puts huge pressure on Democrats to play ball.

Imagine a finicky cat who won't eat the cat food. Well, take the cat food away for a day and he's going to become a whole lot less finicky about it.

You can't beat something with nothing, they say. A corollary to that is this: It's easy to beat nothing with something.

Right now the argument is between Obamacare and "Something Else," with a lot of people invested in protecting Obama's legacy.

We should make the argument between nothing and Something Else.

Easier fight to win, and would give us genuine leverage for our main reforms.

However, two Republican liars and charlatans -- Lisa Murvieski and Shelley Capoto -- have announced that they were lying all along and just want Obamacare. They will not agree to any repeal (with details of a new plan to be worked out later) because, I posit, they want the Democrats to always have the leverage of saying #ButObamacare and thereby defeating any alternative to it.

Patterico says it's time to put money into primary challengers for both of them, and I agree.

Charlie Gard Granted Permanent Legal Residence in US for Treatment, but UK Doctors Still Think He Should Be "Permitted to Die"

—Ace

The judge-appointed expert attempted to explain to his UK doctors why he thought treatment was viable and should be attempted-- but they still want to pull the plug without all that "first do no harm" baggage weighting them down.

The digest from the Daily Mail:

Charlie has been given permanent US residence so he can fly there for treatment

Connie Yates and Chris Gard release photo of Charlie 'looking' at a colourful toy

Charlie Gard's doctors are still convinced that he should be allowed to die

The medics failed to be persuaded by American neuroscientist Dr Michio Hirano

Dr Hirano had spent five and a half hours trying to talk round Charlie's doctors

Insane: New DOJ Directive Presses Forward with Unconstitutional Civil Asset Forfeiture Policy Even in States Where the Unconstitutional Practice is Banned by State Law

—Ace

The Return of Gorillapundit

—OregonMuse

"So Huffpo is going to be sending out a bunch of hipster doofus reporters on a 'listening tour' of flyover country in September. Sounds like a complete waste of time, because you know those clueless urban d-bags aren't going to get anything out of it that they haven't already brought with them, but who knows, maybe in some small town somewhere, they'll find a husband for Arianna who isn't a big homo."

Heh. According to this Derek Hunter article I pulled from the sidebar, the courageous HuffPo adventurers are limiting themselves to the blue enclaves of the American flyover counter.

This is like saying you're going to visit Texas to find out what *real* Texans are like by limiting your visit to Austin.

And below the fold, a progressive guy is made to live up to his own rules:

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

Wednesday Morning News Dump (7/19/17)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

• Huntsman to Russia. Katshit Kasich to Mars?
  
• RINOS to have their feet put to the fire?
  
• Meet one of the spineless "people" responsible for hatred of Washington D.C.
  
• Bad cable TV to worsen?
  
• No one ever claimed she was a rocket scientist or even a decent waitress.
  
• Old, stupid and hateful is no way to go through life.
  
• The wages of sin......
  
• House GOP acts tough now on drilling.
  
• Another Obama rule to be reversed.
  
• Surprise!!! The IRS not in compliance with Federal electronic records requirements and regulations"
  
• Harvey Atkin, RIP.
  
• La Raza changes its name.

  Continue reading

  
  

  
  

  Close it up

  Posted by Misanthropic Humanitarian at 07:00 AM Comments

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (7/18/17) Tasty Or Ho-Hum Edition?

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

It is better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie. Russian Proverb

Quote II

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

Quote III

The intoxication of power rapidly sobers off in the knowledge of its restrictions and under the prompt reminder of an ever-present and not always considerate press, as well as the kindly suggestions that not infrequently come from Congress. President William Howard Taft

Quote IV

Socialism is the theory that the desire of one man to get something he hasn’t got is more pleasing to a just God than the desire of some other man to keep what he has got. H.L. Mencken

On this day in history, July 18, 1969, Talk about War on Women.

The Lion The Drunk Driver of The Senate.Edward F. Kennedy.

Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy stood for sleaze. Bloated and drunken, he used his standing in the Kennedy clan to chase vulnerable women - which brought his dream of reaching the White House to a shameful end.
He was the youngest of the four Kennedy brothers, and by far the longest lived.
Incredibly, he was in line to inherit his brother John F. Kennedy's legendary presidency, but his chances were dashed following the drowning of the pretty, young campaign assistant Mary Jo Kopechne.

*****

Historian Story-teller Ken Burns and his enabler, PBS, are at it again.

PBS is planning to run a new documentary series this September on the Vietnam War, produced and written by Ken Burns. Burns is a left-wing "historian" and documentary film producer with a history of having his politics shape the narrative of the story he is telling, with a number of resulting inaccuracies.

Thank you to those who served. You were expected to serve and serve you did.

*****

How do you get around this BS? My chocolate milk identifies as sparkling water.

In the battle to provide nutritional choices for schoolchildren, isn’t chocolate milk better than no milk at all?

According to San Francisco legislators and school officials, the answer. apparently. is no.

Students from elementary through high school grades will no longer be able to enjoy this cafeteria staple in the coming school year, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

When is enough, ENOUGH?

*****

Will the Left take an honest look at Russia? Will they admit Mitt Romney was right in 2012?

f Trump’s most prominent liberal critics on the matter of Russia hope to maintain their credibility, they must cleanse themselves of their hypocrisy. In the pursuit of atonement, some prominent Democrats are starting to throw Barack Obama under the bus. “We Dems erred in ’12 by mocking Boot/Romney Russia worry,” declared Hillary Clinton’s former press secretary, Brian Fallon, last week. Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, agreed. “I’m willing to say that in 2012 when we all scoffed at Mitt for saying that, gee, Russia was our number one geopolitical foe, think we were a little off there.”

*****

President Trump is urged to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal. Former Ambassador John Bolton presents his case.

For the second time during the Trump administration, the State Department has reportedly decided to certify that Iran is complying with its 2015 nuclear deal with the Security Council's five permanent members and Germany, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

If true, it will be the administration's second unforced error regarding the JCPOA. Over the past two years, considerable information detailing Tehran's violations of the deal have become public, including: exceeding limits on uranium enrichment and production of heavy water; illicit efforts at international procurement of dual-use nuclear and missile technology; and obstructing international inspection efforts (which were insufficient to begin with).

Since international verification is fatally inadequate, and our own intelligence far from perfect, these violations undoubtedly only scratch the surface of the ayatollahs' inexhaustible mendaciousness.

*****

The ONT has good news. The ONT has bad news. Dems fundraising sucks. Obama is rolling in cash.

The Democratic National Committee has hit a record low in fundraising while the Obama Foundation reported millions in donations this year.

The DNC hit a record low in May of this year, raising only $4.29 million, the Washington Times reported. The total was the lowest amount for the month of May since 2003.

The DNC took in $4.7 million in April and $6.5 million in March. The committee also reported having $1.9 million in debt in May.

*****

Amazon believes if you stop moving they will throw dirt on top of you. Amazon entering the food biz.

Amazon has made no secret of its ambitions to expand into more fresh food services, from its own, homegrown efforts like AmazonFresh for groceries (first launched in 2013) and Amazon Restaurants for restaurant delivery (first launched in 2014), through to its most recent plan to acquire Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. In fact, the company has its sights set on a number of other culinary areas, such as the development of its own farm-to-table products, Blue Apron-style meal kits, and other food fixes to help it better tap the $800 billion grocery opportunity.

Last week, as we nosed around the various trademarks that have been registered by Amazon to see if we could find anything linked to a new messaging app we believe it is working on, we stumbled upon a number of food-related trademarks.

Amazon this month filed a trademark (serial number 87517760) for “We do the prep. You be the chef,” which relates to a meal-kit service similar to the kind offered by Blue Apron and others.

*****

Headed out on a vacation yet this summer? Is a National Park your destination? Rangers let you know what you should pack. High heels are a no-no.

Common sense items. But, is common sense so common anymore?

*****

The ONT Musical Interlude

July 18, 1972, Members from Sly and the Family Stone were arrested after police found two pounds of marijuana in the group's motor home. via thisdayinmusic.com

***

1988, Ike Turner was sentenced in Santa Monica, California to one year in jail for possessing and transporting cocaine. Police had stopped Turner, former husband of Tina Turner, in August 1987 for driving erratically and found about six grams of rock cocaine in his car. via thisdayinmusic.com

***

July 18, 1980, Billy Joel held the top position of both the US albums and singles charts. His album Glass Houses contained his first and biggest No.1 hit, 'It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me.' via thisdayinmusic.com

*****

It had one job to do. Robot fails.

"We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots."

That was the comment of Twitter user Bilal Farooqui who this afternoon surprised the social network with a bizarre image: a robot which "commited suicide" by drowning itself in a public fountain.

*****

The ends justify the means. Charles Schumer. As filthy as they come.

Last week, one of Washington’s leading Democrats made what should be considered a stunning admission, yet few in the media bothered to notice, or care. In response to comments from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) about a potential bailout of Obamacare insurers, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said: “Democrats are eager to work with Republicans to stabilize the markets and improve [Obamacare]. At the top of the list should be ensuring cost-sharing payments are permanent, which will protect health care for millions.”

Schumer’s statement contradicts the Obama administration, which argued in federal court that the cost-sharing reductions are already permanent. It’s also an implicit admission that the Obama administration violated both the U.S. Constitution and federal criminal statutes by spending funds without an appropriation.

*****

When you have some spare time, Mark Steyn: The biggest issue of our time.

*****

No word if the King of Shelving is the Master of The Floating Bed. Watch out home improvement centers.

*****

The Horde may have been born at night. But, we weren't born last night.

The former teacher now maintains that the 17-year-old victim tricked her into a sexual relationship, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Gunn told Judge Warren Davis that student with whom she began a sexual relationship "was like a used car salesman."

*****

The best song ever? No, it's not Toto's 'Africa'.

Obviously, all art—and taste—is subjective. But is there one song—or one kind of song—that’s generally more enjoyable? Recently, author Tom Cox tweeted some musings on the philosophy behind what makes the “best song ever.” A significant portion of the internet, however, argued that he was full of shit because the best song of all time is Toto’s classic 1982 hit, “Africa.”

What is your suggestion?

*****

Our weekly dose of Paul Joseph Watson. (NSFW)

*****

Gavin McInnes (NSFW)

*****

Horny youth. Genius Award Winner.

*****

A bad day of fishing is Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

*****

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Bathroom Humor.

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. Don't worry your complaints are not flushed away.

Close it up

USAToday: "Dunkirk" Movie is #Triggering In How Few Women and Minorities (and Probably Transgenders, Too) It Features

—Ace

Maybe they could have just said that the men being evacuated from Dunkirk were Timelords and they all spontaneously sex-changed.

BTW, the genius librarian who just complained of "racial exhaustion" from seeing too many white people has the same complaint, and also seems to believe that Dunkirk is where D-Day happened.

I guess because of the D.

Dunkirk happened before D-Day, dearheart. The British Expeditionary Forces had entered the war and were beaten badly and forced to attempt an impossible escape. D-Day -- the American invasion of the continent (with the British re-invading) happened later.

"Librarian."

And by the even more of the way, if you think that just making Amy Poehler play Group Captain Reginald St John would have satisfied them, you're wrong. #FakeFeminist Anita Sarkeesian is hoppin' mad that the new transgender Doctor Who (or Doctor What, as I will call xher) is a white and assumedly straight and cis Englishwoman instead of a a person of color or transgender.

Well, I mean, xhe is a transgender, but I guess xhe should be attempting gender reassignment surgery from xher already gender-swapped form.

Feminist critic Anita Sarkeesian, who harassed her critics during a recent panel at VidCon, took issue with the Doctor’s newest regeneration. Writing on the official Feminist Frequency account on Twitter, Sarkeesian condemned Doctor Who for being an “overwhelmingly white show” that simply isn’t doing enough to fix the issue of minority representation in the media–as if it is the show’s duty to address social problems.

“It needs to be said that [Doctor Who] is still an OVERWHELMINGLY white show and that issues of representation do not exist in isolation from each other,” she began. “It’s not as if you fix the ‘woman’ problem, THEN fix the ‘race’ problem, THEN the ‘queer/trans’ problem, etc. It all has to happen in tandem.”

More ranting below.

Evan Sayet: Donald Trump is America's first wartime president in the Culture War [Warden]

—Open Blogger

This article was published a few days ago, but it's so on the nose that I wanted to make sure no one missed it.

In it, Sayet lays out for the left and #NeverTrump why attempting to shame us for Trump's lack of dignity isn't having the effect they'd hoped it would.

My Leftist friends (as well as many ardent #NeverTrumpers) constantly ask me if I'm not bothered by Donald Trump's lack of decorum. They ask if I don't think his tweets are "beneath the dignity of the office." Here's my answer:

We Right-thinking people have tried dignity. There could not have been a man of more quiet dignity than George W. Bush as he suffered the outrageous lies and politically motivated hatreds that undermined his presidency. We tried statesmanship. Could there be another human being on this earth who so desperately prized "collegiality" as John McCain? We tried propriety - has there been a nicer human being ever than Mitt Romney? And the results were always the same.

Sayet continues with a list of outrages and abuses from the left and wraps up nicely with this blunt bit of political realism.

So, to my friends on the Left - and the #NeverTrumpers as well -- do I wish we lived in a time when our president could be "collegial" and "dignified" and "proper"? Of course I do. These aren't those times. This is war. And it's a war that the Left has been fighting without opposition for the past 50 years.

So, say anything you want about this president - I get it, he can be vulgar, he can be crude, he can be undignified at times. I don't care. I can't spare this man. He fights.

One thing that I'd like to add as a further refutation of the What about puh-puh-puh principles?!! line of thought (and frankly, this just occurred to me) is that not only have we been facing asymmetrical warfare from our domestic enemies, we are also facing it from an enemy that is stronger than us and growing more so by the day.

Who controls the institutions in this country? The left does. All of them--the media (both news and entertainment), the schools, the government bureaucracy, the upper ranks of our military, most of the politicians, Wall Street, and all of our corporations.

They've pretty much got it all except for some of our churches. Their power is a massive, widespread, and crushing.

Our military does a fine job fighting asymmetrical battles with ruthless terrorists, but that's because it has more money, better technology and superior training. Now imagine ISIS with its same vicious methods if it were both better funded and had more fighters than the United States.

That's what we're up against--terrorism from an opponent more powerful than us. And no, I'm not using that word rhetorically. They are literally engaging in terrorism, both physical and psychological to intimidate and silence opinions that they find disagreeable-- a list which, by the way, is ever changing and expanding.

Principles are fine things to have. I have them and they're important to me.
More important, however, is my survival and my stubborn will to not be treated as a second class citizen simply for having a mostly traditionalist and non-authoritarian mindset.

There is a now obsolete term that was used maybe as recently as 20 years ago in a derogatory manner by those on the right. That term is "bleeding heart liberal."

It's not an accident don't hear people say those words anymore. That word, you see, no longer applies. The people we attached it to, to the extent that they ever did exist, exist no longer. Gone are the days of the well-intentioned, do-gooder liberal who just doesn't understand economics or incentives, replaced with the bullying, loud-mouthed authoritarian who is happy to see you lose your livelihood for the crime of disagreeing with him.

Our avatar for the left used to be Meathead from All in the Family. Today it's the Antifa bike lock psycho--a university ethics lecturer mashing people on the head with a deadly weapon simply for expressing their God given right to peaceable assembly and free speech.

This is a different world now. Or maybe, we're finally just perceiving it correctly. As I said in an earlier post, it isn't one that I wish to live in.

But it's where we are and what we have.

And so, Trump--now, next week, next year, next election and without apology.

Update: Dignity, y'all. Dignity.

Nancy Pelosi and California Dems shout "f*ck Donald Trump" and flip him off. Rep. Barbara Lee was also on stage. pic.twitter.com/HznOPOza1l

— Based Monitored 🇺🇸 (@BasedMonitored) July 18, 2017

Kamala Harris Is "Definitely" Running for President, Donors Say

—Ace

And won't that be just wonderful?

Senator Kamala Harris is running for president. The Hill reports that’s the word coming from top donors who are excited about the possibility...

Last week the NY Post’s Page Six reported on the expectations as Harris headed to the Hamptons over the weekend with Hillary Clinton...

NRA Releases Blistering Attack Ad Against... the Washington Post

—Ace

I take some comfort in this.

More people are getting it that this is not business-as-usual any longer; the left is heartbroke and crazed over having lost an election they thought they'd fixed, and they don't intend to lose another one. Ever.

It's good that people are starting to understand this isn't politics any longer; this is about whether democracy will even be allowed to continue.

CNN Commentator Marc Lamont Hill Praises Convicted Murderer and Terrorist, Calling Her "My Queen"

—Ace

A blistering decades-long romance with murder.

The left loves murder. Murder is the left's love.

In actuality, Shakur is a convicted bank robber and murderer. In 1973, she and two other members of the Black Liberation Army opened fire on a pair of New Jersey state police officers, wounding one and killing the other execution-style. The fallen officer left behind a widow and two children.

Four years later, Shakur was found guilty of first degree murder, assault and battery of a police officer, armed robbery, and several other crimes. She was sentenced to life in prison.

In 1979, Shakur escaped prison and fled to Cuba. The FBI has placed her on its list of "Most Wanted Terrorists," offering a million dollars to anyone with information that leads to her recapture.

Marc Lamont Hill later explained that he thought this terrorist murderer was "framed:"

Prompting this in retur:

The "Women's March," that organization with the pussyhats, also tweeted out a happy birthday to the terrorist murderer. They too later clarified that she may or may not be a "criminal," but they tweeted their support to... stop the rightwing from "criminalizing" criminals.

HashtagGriswold asked if a single media organization not on the right had remarked upon the Women's March's embrace of terrorist murders. Since then, he found exactly one reference:

Note though the story isn't about their praise of a cop-killer -- but the "backlash" they're getting for it.

Fat Thumb-Shaped Girl Chris Cillizza Goes on Reddit's AMA and Gets Hazed

—Ace

In the below tweet, there are several screenshots, each which can be popped out of the tweet to a larger size. I suggest doing so.

About that feet thing: I thought maybe this was some random thing people began saying just to be impertinent, but apparently there's something about the foot that Chris Cillizza just can't quit:

Cillizza, who makes it a practice to post pictures of his colleagues’ feet and make weirdo feet references any chance he gets, could be described as the Nickelback of TV reporters. Other ways to think of him include the Gwyneth Paltrow of Washington media or the Ann Hathaway of the Washington press bubble. Even New York Mag’s Olivia Nuzzi fairly recently call him “so fucking dumb.” Deadspin also can’t stand him. Both lefties and righties think the folksy CNNer with the blue glasses is a tool.

That article quotes additional "questions" posed to Mxr. Footsie:

LeakyMcLeakFace: Are you willing to show the feet?

PissmansMustard: What that mouth do?

...

BillyHumphreys: Why are you such a dipshit? Post the feet sweetie.

TripleGYouSee: Hey Chris long time reader. Do you have any actual principles or are you fine with any policy as long as the discourse is respectable enough for your liking?

...

DrPhineasPhage: How do you balance being employed for your opinions despite being demonstrably wrong about everything all the time?

...

IRodC asks, “What’s with your unhealthy obsession with Ivanka Trump?”

FlightoftheGoblins is worried about Cillizza’s marriage. The person writes, “Does Mrs. Fix have any problems at all with you posting constant feet pics of your coworkers?”

...

Killthedogslowly writes, “Chris! Greetings! I’m obsessed with The Fix (my wife calls me a “Fix Fan”) and I think your writing is just so in depth and hilarious. Simply put, bravo! (I wish I could insert a gif here). My question is: boy wut that mouth do. Show me them feet.”

...

“Do you jerk off to womens’ feet?”

"Boy wut dat mouth do? Show me them feet" is my new favorite thing in the world. Obviously.

Mash-Up: Mouths and Feet.

Censored? I'm looking at the Reddit AMA now, and almost all the questions are from lefties asking Cillizza why he's so fair to Trump.

I'm not seeing any feet or "what that mouth do" comments.

Sean Hannity: Shep Smith Is "So Anti-Trump"

—Ace

"I like Shep," Hannity said. "But he's so anti-Trump. I mean, he went off on a rant last week." He appeared to be referencing a segment in which Smith criticized the Trump White House, asking why the administration continues to put out what he termed "lie after lie after lie" on the investigation into Russian election meddling.

Party of Fail: Senate Pulls Plug on Obamacare "Repeal"

—Ace

I'm having a hard time caring what party controls what any more. It's all really the same party.

House Republicans on Tuesday were seething with anger over the Senate GOP's late Monday decision to pull the plug on a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Lawmakers leaving the House GOP's weekly conference meeting said feelings of exasperation and anger have set in, now that the Senate has dropped plans to vote on an Obamacare replacement bill this month.

"There is a lot of frustration, borderline anger I guess, at what really has to be described as some level of incompetence to be able to get together and get something done," Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., who heads the conservative Republican Study Committee, told the Washington Examiner.

In a closed-door meeting that took place at the party's political headquarters near the Capitol, House Speaker Paul Ryan told Republicans they need to uphold a positive message, despite their frustration with the Senate and the feeling that the House GOP's struggle to pass their own repeal and replace bill earlier this year may have been wasted.

Backlash: Right Wing Twitter Begins Digging For Dirt On CNN Employees [Warden]

—Open Blogger

Over the weekend, the hashtag #CNNDirt popped up in my timeline. I clicked on it and found that a Trump operative named Jack Posobiec had come up with a very simple and cost-free method of digging up dirt on current CNN employees--punch CNN into the search function of Linked In, then sift through the personal Twitter accounts attached to CNN employees' Linked In accounts.

It didn't take him long to find a CNN editor who'd tweeted out rape jokes and comments about how watching the movie, Roots, made him hate white people. The editor quickly locked his account, but the tweets had, of course, been preserved with screen shots.

I'm not going to name the guy here. He's not an on-air personality. But I would like to point out that this is a natural and predictable outcome of the war on privacy and free speech that CNN journalists began when they decided to hunt down a Reddit user and threaten to expose him simply for posting a tweet that poked fun at their organization.

Low level, behind-the-scenes CNN employees now find themselves in exactly the position in which their management and on-air people have put conservative America--one of fear, frustration and worry that anything said on social media that could be construed as offensive will be used mercilessly by partisans to damage their careers and livelihoods.

This is not the world I want to live in. When I first saw that they'd embarrassed this guy, I laughed. I thought he was an on-air personality and at least a minor political player. After I realized he was just an editor, I cringed a little. I can't bring myself to endorse it, but neither can I condemn it. This is what they've done to time and time again us and they won't stop. What alternative is there?

Repeated appeals to reason, principle, and human decency have all been made. All have been in vain. The people who work in the media do not use the power that they wield--a power so great that it can drive every day citizens to suicide--with the care and thoughtfulness of adults.

They are ill-parented toddlers--self absorbed, thoughtless, careless, and happy to break anything that doesn't suit their immediate purpose. These toddlers have found a box of kitchen matches and are busy lighting their sibling's toys on fire out of spite, oblivious to the danger they've created for themselves.

Just as the toddler fails to realize that the fire he's using can also burn him, so, too, does the media overlook that the very techniques they use can be turned upon them, and quite easily.

This is only the beginning of an ever-growing pushback, one that's only going to get nastier and more ugly. And everything that happens is on them. This is the rotten, worm infested harvest they have sown and they're going to be choking on it for some time to come.

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

Commenter-- and host of the recent Texas Moron Meet-up -- Ben Had has asked me to tell you maniacs that another one is in the works if there is sufficient interest.

Tentatively scheduled for October 14, and located about 70 miles South of Dallas TX, anyone with interest or questions please contact: murphywong at peoplepc dot com.

******
And because your intrepid but forgetful coblogger did a cursory and incomplete check, this piece is a repeat. So here is another painting, suggested by commenter "Kris," who really does know a lot about art!

A Philosopher giving a Lecture on the Orrery
in which a lamp is put in place of the Sun
Joseph Wright

Close it up

Tuesday Morning News Dump (AKA) The Morning Report 7/18/17

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

• Black. Woman. Must be qualified to be POTUS.
  
• What part of R-E-P-E-A-L do they not understand?
  
• Some Trump news that isn't Russia related.
  
• A head scratcher.
  
• Minneapolis isn't burning. White Lives Don't Matter.
  
• Laugh now at the Global Warming Crowd. It will be another 50 years before your next chance.
  
• Demand your money back.
  
• Inmates continue to run the asylum.
  
• Chick-fil-A giving KFC a run for their money?
  
• Expensive sammich maker looking to reverse tide.
  
• Sleazy character won't be in D.C. today.
  
• They really are Democrat-Lite

h/t CBD

Close it up

Monday Overnight Open Thread (7/17/17) Monday. Bloody Monday Edition

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

I do not care whether you're a Democrat or you're a Republican or an independent. We must pull for the people who are wearing the uniform of the armed forces. These people weren't drafted. They enlisted, because they believe. Tommy Lasorda

Quote II

If you hear, day after day, liberals are rooting against armed forces, that is eventually going to have an effect on soldiers and troops who are actually going to believe that and it's wrong. It's just wrong. Al Franken

I guess Al never heard of this guy.

Quote III

To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace. George Washington

*****

Last night we covered Ann Coulter's Delta Airline fiasco. Delta Airline strikes back at Coulter.

"@AnnCoulter We're sorry you did not receive the preferred seat you paid for and will refund your $30," Delta tweeted.

"@AnnCoulter Additionally, your insults about our other customers and employees are unacceptable and unnecessary."

Hmmm, The ONT wonders if this is the last we will hear of this? Survey says?????

*****

The NYT, reveals that men like sex.

Yes, it’s true, the Times is running stories about men in Silicon Valley who hit on women who come to them asking for money. They’re calling it sexual harassment, even though the two people don’t work for the same company and so there’s no violation of EEOC rules.

So, first of all, people, let’s get your terminology straight—this is not employer/employee sexual harassment, as codified in federal regulations; this is a version of the old casting couch, perfected in Southern California, recently exported to NorCal in the form of venture capital firms that get pitches all day long from people trying to start tech companies. A woman comes in asking for, say, a million dollars, and the guy says, “Yeah, I might be able to do that. Wanna have dinner first?”—although, judging by the guys who got outed in the Times story, some of them don’t even bother with dinner.

*****

The Opioid Crisis, life and death decisions. Middletown, OH has this dilemma.

As their budgets strain, communities have begun questioning how much money and effort they should be spending to deal with overdoses, especially in cases involving people who have taken near-fatal overdoses multiple times. State and local officials say it might be time for “tough love”: pushing soaring medical costs onto drug abusers or even limiting how many times first responders can save an individual’s life.

“It’s not that I don’t want to treat overdose victims, it’s that the city cannot afford to treat overdose victims,” said Middletown Council Member Daniel Picard, noting this industrial town in northern Butler County might have to raise taxes in response to the crisis.

Often, the only thing separating whether an overdose victim goes to the hospital instead of the morgue is a dose of naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, a medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

*****

Do dealers care about their customers? Hmmmmm...........Well, do they?

*****

Rationalization, what can't it do?

Curt von Badinski, a mechanical engineer and co-founder of a San Francisco-based tech company, has a six-hour daily commute from Los Angeles – most of it by plane.

........

And, while von Badinski is aware that his flight comes with a significant carbon footprint, the Bay Area leg of his journey is more environmentally friendly. He keeps a plug-in hybrid vehicle at Oakland airport for the drive into San Francisco.

Isn't that special?

*****

Reportedly a contender for the 2020 Democratic POTUS nomination, VA Gov Terry McAuliffe is in a little hot water. Hint, had he been a Republican he would have been boiled and would have been a goner.

The American press obsession with Russia is leaving vital news on the cutting room floor.

For example, Judicial Watch is reporting that the state auditor of Mississippi is demanding that Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe’s former company, GreenTech, repay millions in public money because the electric vehicle company shut down and failed to deliver on its promises to create new jobs.

*****

So much for the survival of the fittest.

The Honolulu City Council has passed a law banning texting while walking.

If Mayor Kirk Caldwell signs it within the next 10 days, pedestrians in the Hawaiian city will be fined $15 to $99 for crossing the street while looking at their mobiles.

*****

Russia. Russia. Trump. Russia. Russia. Russia. Trump. More revelations that Hillary Clinton acted above the law.

Judicial Watch today released 448 pages of documents from the U.S. Department of State revealing new incidents of Huma Abedin, deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, providing special State Department treatment to major donors to the Clinton Foundation and political campaigns.

*****

Speaking of Hillary. How many trees died for her unfulfilled dream?

*****

Are you afflicted with Spatial injustice?

The University of California-Los Angeles is offering a technology class this summer examining how “car culture” contributes to “spatial injustice.”

The course, “LA Tech City: Digital Technologies and Spatial Injustice,” will be offered through the UCLA Digital Humanities department and will be taught by Professor Todd Presner and Professor Dana Cuff.

"The automobile has provided differential and territorial access to particular segments of [the] population."

“Students will investigate spatial justice and injustice in the multi-ethnic city through the lens of three thematic technologies,” the syllabus states, listing cars and highways, the Internet, and film and media as factors that contribute to spatial injustice.

The ONT is certainly happy that today's collegians have cured the common cold, settled the Ginger/Mary Ann debate, halted world hunger and instilled world peace between Yankee and Red Sox fans.

*****

Do you have a Bucket List? Is it Bucket List for night time activities?

*****

Just shut the fvck up you fat worthless P.O.S. Or how I really feel about Al Gore The Man Pig.

Gore said that when he met with Trump after he was elected president, he found Trump "attentive" and had a "pleasant exchange" with him when they spoke about the environment.

"I had hoped he would come to his senses on the Paris agreement, but I was wrong," said Gore, who has not spoken with Trump since the president's decision on the climate-change agreement.

His numerous prediction failures should block him from any sort of attention. Saying Al Gore will never be POTUS is almost as good as saying Hillary Clinton will never be POTUS.

*****

The ONT Musical Interlude

July 17, 1946, Petula Clark made her UK television debut appearing on the Cabaret TV series at the age of 13. Clark began with guest spots on radio when she was only 9 and made her first film a year later. ‘Put Your Shoes On Lucy’ was released as her debut release in 1949, her ‘The Little Shoemaker’ became her first U.K. hit in 1954. via thisdayinmusic.com

July 17, 1959, Billie Holiday died in a New York City hospital from cirrhosis of the liver after years of alcohol abuse, aged 43. (While under arrest for heroin possession, with Police officers stationed at the door to her room.) In the final years of her life, she had been progressively swindled out of her earnings, and she died with $0.70 in the bank. via thisdayinmusic.com

July 17, 1965, King Records released 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' by James Brown, which went on to sell over 2 million copies and receive the Grammy Award for best for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' is considered seminal in the emergence of funk music as a distinct style. via thisdayinmusic.com

*****

There is still some common sense left in Canada.

*****

The ONT finds this somewhat surprising. Medical marijuana preferred over opioids.

IN BRIEF

Patients managing pain vastly prefer using medical marijuana to opioid-based medications. They reported fewer side effects, and the majority found cannabis more effective.
A new study has investigated what patients themselves prefer when it comes to managing pain — opioids, which are widely distributed for intense pain relief, or medical marijuana.

The researchers found that the patients themselves much prefer medical marijuana, and many believe it is just as effective for their pain.

Your humble Cob has been on several opioids over the years. He has never had medical marijuana.

*****

Friendship prevents cat fights at work. The ONT didn't make the connection.

Summary: When employers foster an office environment that supports positive, social relationships between women coworkers, especially in primarily male dominated organizations, they are less likely to experience conflict among women employees, new research confirms.

*****

Pulled from the Misanthropic's closet of You can't make this SHIT up.

Students at the University of California San Diego staged a protest last week in the hopes that school administrators would cancel a planned appearance by that hard-line conservative commentator whose rhetoric is known to incite violence wherever he goes: the Dalai Lama.

For once, the complainers weren’t campus liberals, but Chinese students who claimed the Dalai Lama’s message of world peace was actually a cover for a campaign of violence, property damage, and death, which runs contrary to UCSD’s commitment to tolerance and equality.

“UCSD is a place for students to cultivate their minds and and enrich their knowledge,” the Chinese Students and Scholars Organization said in a statement. “Currently, the various actions undertaken by the university have contravened the spirit of respect, tolerance, equality, and earnestness—the ethos upon which the university is built.”

Seriously, WTF doesn't offend these asswipes?

*****

A "Hey you" would have sufficed. Genius Award Winner.

*****

Better to call it quits now instead of later. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

*****

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Calligraphy.

*****

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. The penmanship grade is 2/3 of your final grade.

Close it up

Carl Bernstein: The Country is in the Midst of a Civil War

—Ace

Ed Driscoll makes the case that Bernstein is late to the party on this, as the claim has persuasively been made before that the US has in fact entered a period of "Cold Civil War."

A sci-fi writer called a book "The Cool War," referring to Cold War with occasional bits of hotness (like, say, a partisan gunning down Republican Congressmen).

We might be in a Cold Civil War with some hotness from time to time.

Driscoll quotes a blogger called "The Hyacinth Girl" who spoke of Cold Civil War back in the relatively mild 2007:

At some point last month, I put down William Gibson’s newest tome and picked up something written by Victor Davis Hanson. I am only now getting back to Spook Country, and though I’m afraid that I know exactly where Gibson is going with this, I found his idea of this country being in a “cold civil war” to be fascinating. What would that entail, exactly? A cold war is a war without conflict, defined in one of several online dictionaries as “[a] state of rivalry and tension between two factions, groups, or individuals that stops short of open, violent confrontation.” In that respect, is the current political climate one of “cold civil war”? I think arguments could be made to that effect. My mother, not much of a political enthusiast, has made similar assessments since the 2000 election, concerned that the political climate (which has become increasingly acrimonious in the last 7 years) would indeed lead to some sort of lukewarm civil war–not hot, not cold, just divisive and destructive. Seven years ago, I laughed off her fears, secure in my naivete.Now, I’m not so sure.

I've previously said it and I believe it: 90% of your political stances right now flow directly from whether you think we're at a point of crisis, or you think, as some NeverTrumpers are currently giving to claiming, that everything's pretty much okay and it's all just business as usual.

OMG: Donald Trump Jr. Colluded With Russia to Make Susan Rice Suddenly Refuse to Testify Before Senate Panel

—Ace

Okay, the beginning of that headline isn't true, but I wrote it in a form that might cause Jake Tapper to maybe try reading it and to speculate about Rice's reasons to refuse to give honest answers to pertinent questions.

Fox News was initially told Rice would be giving closed-door testimony Tuesday before the Republican-led House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

But that session has apparently been postponed....

Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan last week told Fox News that he wants Rice to answer the basic question: "Did you unmask the names and if so why?"

I saw someone on Twitter ask if Trey Gowdy is going to issue a subpoena compelling her presence or if he's going to fold like a cheap suit.

We'll see.