One Citizen Speaking

Previous month:
February 2021

Next month:
April 2021

DEMOCRATS: THE COLLECTIVE GUILT OF WHITE GUN OWNERS

Once again, we see the progressive socialist democrats and their mainstream media propagandists suggesting that white male gun-owners are somehow collectively responsible for the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado. Ten individuals, including Eric Talley, 51, a Boulder police officer since 2010, were shot and killed by a lone gunman who opened fire at a King Soopers supermarket. The shooter’s motive remains unknown, but the word is that he used an “AR-style rifle” in the attack.

According to a police spokesperson, “The only person who suffered a significant injury was the suspect. The suspect was taken to Boulder Community Health’s Foothills Hospital. It is believed that this is a picture of the wounded shooter, although police refused to identify the person in the picture as the shooter.

The timing could not be better for the gun control crowd…

Can Colorado cities enact their own gun restrictions? A Boulder judge says no.

A judge blocked Boulder from enforcing its 2-year-old ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in the city, setting up the chance for the state Supreme Court to review whether Colorado cities can create their own restrictions on gun ownership.

Boulder County District Court Judge Andrew Hartman ruled Friday that the city can’t enforce its ordinance banning the possession, transfer or sale of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines because state law says local governments can’t prohibit the possession or sale of firearms.

“These provisions are invalid, and enforcement of them is enjoined,” Hartman wrote in his ruling. “The Court has determined that only Colorado state (or federal) law can prohibit the possession, sale and transfer of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.”

Boulder city attorneys will meet with outside counsel this week to decide how to move forward and whether they will appeal Hartman’s decision, city spokeswoman Shannon Aulabaugh said. The Boulder Police Department will not enforce the ordinance unless there is a later court ruling undoing Hartman’s decision, she said. <Source>

Look for a renewed push to strip citizens of their Second Amendment rights using emotion, not logic nor facts.

It’s beginning, the useful idiots in the social media are spinning the shooting into a political agenda…

Notice it is all about the weapon, rarely the individual pulling the trigger. But, then again, the prosecution and incarceration of individuals do not allow the progressive socialist democrats to disarm a law-abiding citizenry in violation of their God-given inalienable rights. Perhaps, necessary to make things easier on politicians and government entities moving leftward toward tyranny?

Justice?

According to Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, “This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County. These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice.”

In my opinion, there are no circumstances that suggest leniency -- and justice demands the death penalty – and not ten to twenty years later. Yet, we have the Biden Administration openly condemning the death penalty for the most clear-cut of cases. We will wait to see if Biden’s Attorney General fights to re-impose the death penalty on the Boston Marathon bomber in a case now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bottom line…

There is no law in the land that will prevent crazies, criminals, or terrorists from obtaining a weapon and committing a heinous act upon other individuals. To deny individuals, their God-given rights of self-defense is both immoral and unconstitutional.

And, to the progressive socialist democrats who want to defund the police and replace them with mental health counselors, which mental health professional wants to walk up to the shooter and talk him, face-to-face, into surrendering?

Sensationalism attracts an audience, and an audience attracts advertising revenues and political power. These things happen from time-to-time, and through the power of the mainstream media or social media platforms are amplified, repeated, and exploited on a near-endless loop – turning a local tragedy into a national disaster that can be federalized by power-hungry politicians seeking media attention and campaign contributions.

Violence has always been part of human nature since the dawn of civilization. We can suppress it with morality and civility, but we cannot eliminate it completely. Likewise, those inclined to violence will always find another means to carry out their heinous acts. To disarm a law-abiding citizenry is to encourage more thuggery, murder, and mayhem.

Look at any inner city governed by progressive socialist democrats with their repressive gun control laws and lax criminal prosecutions and ask why they don’t do more to curtail massive black-on-black shootings? Why do minority gangs still exist? And, why is the judicial industry, and the lawyers that make the laws, still profiting from drugs and serious crime?

We may be screwed. But, under the Second Amendment, we can choose to protect ourselves from being on our knees, sniveling, and begging for the lives of our family. That is American individualism, and a weapon is only an equalizer in a desperate fight.

Take a moment and say a prayer for the victims and their families. Especially for the officer who risked everything as he was first through the door.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (1)

REPUBLICAN INSANITY ON DISPLAY

In what universe does a Republican Senator threaten a majority-Democrat Senate with doing the right thing for the nation should the Democrats destroy the filibuster, a congressional tool against tyranny?

We are living in legislatively dangerous times where a thin-majority has allowed the Democrats to exhibit outrageous and unconstitutional behavior, including two bogus impeachments of a sitting president while excusing a massive coordinated Democrat conspiracy that should be considered prosecutable traitorous subversion.

Except for former President Ronald Reagan and former President Donald Trump, the Republicans have been corrupt, incompetent, inefficient, and feckless protectors of America. Including our Constitution, sovereignty, economy, culture, and the uniqueness of America and Americans. Or, as the saying goes, the Republicans seem to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when faced with a corrupt, vicious opponent willing to say or do anything to advance their agenda – eating the whole salami one piece at a time.

In front of their very eyes, those who do not wish America well, subverted education, the media, and the bureaucracies of most government agencies. So why am I not surprised when the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, threatens the Democrats who want to kill the legislative filibuster with doing the right things for America and Americans. Should this not be McConnell’s default position and goal?

McConnell’s threat in the Wall Street Journal editorial page…

If the Democrats kill the legislative filibuster, history would repeat itself, but more dramatically.

As soon as Republicans wound up back in control, we wouldn’t stop at erasing every liberal change that hurt the country. We’d strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero input from the other side.

[OCS: Huh? You are threatening to do what is required to repair the damage created by Democrat legislation passed by a slim majority and to implement legislation that would strengthen America? Since when is doing the right thing for America viewed as a THREAT. In my opinion, it should be a PROMISE.]

How about a nationwide right-to-work law? Defunding Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities on day one? A whole new era of domestic energy production. Sweeping new protections for conscience and the right to life of the unborn? Concealed-carry reciprocity in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Massive hardening of security on our southern border?

[OCS: Why didn’t the Republicans do this when they held the House, the Senate, and the Presidency – and could do it without resorting to easily cancelable Executive Orders?

(1) Considering that unions introduce costs, delays, inefficiencies, and friction into any system they touch, it appears that this is a commonsense reversal of European-style socialism with their restrictive and repressive guilds. Given that public employee unions are bankrupting our municipalities and states, and provide a clear link between unions and political corruption, public employee unions should be abolished.

(2) You cannot find abortion anywhere in the U.S. Constitution, and it seems unconstitutional to demand the federal government fund a particular aspect of healthcare.

(3) The leadership of sanctuary cities should be cited for violating their oath of office where they have sworn or affirmed they will “… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that they will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…” as well as being prosecuted, fined, and imprisoned for violating long-standing federal laws which protect our national sovereignty and the safety and security of America.

(4) Energy independence is not only an economic necessity, but it speaks to the national security of the United States and the ability to conduct foreign affairs without regard for the necessity to purchase foreign energy or arm those hostile to U.S. interests.

(5) Rights of conscience are enshrined in the Constitution’s First Amendment, providing for religious freedoms. As to the right to life of the unborn, this should not be negotiable after a certain point in the gestation process. I do not know what that point should be, so I will leave it up to medical ethicists and my fellow Americans.

(6) Concealed carry anywhere is a no-brainer as it is simply an expression of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The right to self-defense is a God-given inalienable right. As for being a response to a tyrannical government, one need only consider how nervous legislators appear when faced with unarmed protesters. Concealed carry should be coupled with initiatives supporting individual responsibility and the punishment of gun-related crime.

(7) Borders are what defines a nation and conveys value to citizenship. That borders should be protected is a historical imperative.]

Even now, we saw during amendment votes days ago that certain common-sense Republican positions enjoy more support in the current Senate than some of the Democratic committee chairmen’s priorities—and this is with them in the majority.

The pendulum would swing both ways, and it would swing hard.

Less than two months ago, two of our Democratic colleagues said they understand that. If they keep their word, we have a bipartisan majority that can put principle first and save the Senate.

[OCS: Trusting a Democrat to keep their word is like playing Russian Roulette with five of the six chambers of a revolver loaded with ammunition.]

Bottom line…

The vast majority of Americans intrinsically know and understand the difference between good and evil, right from wrong, and freedom and tyranny. So why do they continue to vote against their own core values and self-interest? Could it be that they are apathetic, lazy, or merely conditioned to believe that the Democrats are benign forces for good? Do they care that the Democrats and feckless Republicans are destroying the country?

The fact that the Democrats ran a communist, a corrupt lying Marxist, and a mentally incapacitated candidate for President of the United States should say it all.

This next election will tell.

Until then, we are majorly screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

GOP: DEATH BY DISTRACTION

The old political saying that "when everything is important, nothing is important" has never been truer.

It appears that the mainstream media moguls and tech tyrants have perfected the art of whipsawing Republicans into disarray, promoting division, distraction, denial, and delusions that lead the GOP down the proverbial rabbit hole.

If you were to analyze recent media coverage and social media chatter, it appears that the following subjects are of supreme importance to the progressive socialist democrats…

Trump supporters;
White nationalism and domestic terrorism;
Systemic racism and identity-based discrimination;
Gun violence;
Police brutality against minorities;
Voter suppression and manipulation;

…whereas Republicans appear to be concerned with…

Immigration and illegal aliens;
Election integrity;
The decline of law and order and tolerance for destructive and dangerous civil disobedience;
The economy, jobs, taxes, and the economic realities of inflation;
Media bias and censorship;
Abortion;

... and neither party has much interest in…

Political corruption and government waste, fraud, and abuse;
The rise of the self-serving "professional politician;"
Corrupt and self-serving congressional rules;
The laziness of Congress and the outsourcing of legislation to Executive branch agencies;
State’s rights; and
An increasingly timid and partisan Supreme Court.

The truth is that political parties and politicians deliberately withhold, for psychological reasons, the realities of living in today's world…

It’s much easier, popular, and profitable for the media moguls and tech tyrants to sell political myths to a semi-aware public than report the hard truths that lead to the conclusion that, while both parties are corrupt and self-serving, the root of most of our political problems can be attributed to the democrat party and the acquiescence of impotent Republicans.

Bottom line…

Did you work all year to feed, house, and clothe yourself and your family? Only to see “relief checks” given to prisoners and illegal aliens? Or to see “emergency powers” misused to further a progressive socialist democrat agenda that had nothing to do with providing relief to citizens suffering under inconsistent, illogical, and sometimes counterproductive pandemic edicts issued by local, state, and the federal government?

Now it is time to stand up and be counted.

To vote overwhelmingly for the GOP to ensure fair and honest elections at the heart of our republic, redress previous illegalities, reform the system to prevent a majority with a thin margin from taking over our nation and fundamentally transforming it into a socialist state like Venezuela – once the most prosperous country in South America.

Concentrate on the three most important measures and hit them hard, day-after-day, drawing comparisons with the destructive progressive socialist democrats and their unconstitutional and un-American agenda.

Election integrity to ensure a fair vote, provide transparency, prevent fraudulent tampering, and eliminate one-party bias. Without a secure election system, our Republic is doomed.
Immigration to ensure guest workers, visitors, and legitimate immigrants follow the rules and prevent hordes of illegals from overwhelming and crushing our economy, culture, and political system. Including our safety nets to which we have contributed to all of our lives.
The Rule of Law that holds individuals, not classes of individuals, accountable for their actions. Without holding individuals responsible for their actions they are incentivized to continue their unlawful activities.

It’s up to you whether the progressive socialist democrats divide and conquer our nation or we unite to restore our nation to its glory as a freedom-loving republic. Do not let anyone, the government, the media moguls, the tech tyrants, or any organization force you into self-censoring your observations and comments. It may be painful and you risk cancellation, but not as painful as living under authoritarian socialism.

Protect yourself and your family first. Politics is not a team sport and your current peers are unlikely to support you in hard times. Fight on.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

DOES THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS EXTEND TO DESTROYING AMERICA AND PROMINENT AMERICANS?

Protection of the press is enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. But the progressive socialist democrats are now arguing about how far should such protections extend? Especially when some information, propaganda, and disinformation is presented without context or comment? Or, when such comments openly challenge the truthfulness of the information and/or the credibility of the commenter?

Of course, like beauty, disinformation is in the eye of the beholder. It is often defined as any information that challenges the power structure, the orthodoxy, or the prevailing narrative of the day. Pretty much a valid argument for allowing information to be freely presented and argued in the realm of ideas.

Therefore, it is rare, indeed, to find a judge that first describes the essential truths about the current status of the mainstream media with such clarity and suggests that the media should be more liable for slander, libel, and the defamation of individuals who were rendered fair game for disinformation by their status or position, celebrity, or public persona.

So here we find Washington, D.C. Circuit Senior Judge Laurence Silberman, a Reagan appointee (1985) and a good friend of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, writing an extraordinary dissent in a libel case, “Christiana Tah and Randolph McClain, Appellants v. Global Witness Publishing, Inc. and Global Witness, Appellees” (Case 19-1732).

In this defamation action, two former Liberian officials allege that Global Witness, an international human rights organization, published a report falsely implying that they had accepted bribes in connection with the sale of an oil license for an offshore plot owned by Liberia. The district court dismissed the complaint for failing to plausibly allege actual malice. For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we affirm. The First Amendment provides broad protections for speech about public figures, and the former officials have failed to allege that Global Witness exceeded the bounds of those protections.

For all these reasons, Tah and McClain have failed to plausibly allege that Global Witness acted with actual malice. This deficiency proves fatal not only to their defamation claims but to their false light claims as well. We affirm the district court’s dismissal of the complaint, as well as its denial of the anti-SLAPP motion.

THE QUESTION: to what extent are public figures required to demonstrate “actual malice” to recover damages against a news organization for libel? Silberman quotes Clarence Thomas and argues that the press protection principle is not a constitutional matter but a “policy-driven” ruling that the Supreme Court invented without constitutional authority or precedent.

In writing his dissent, Judge Silberman noted the media's bias, the silencing of conservative voices and argued that the Supreme Court needs to revisit the press protections when defaming public figures.

Some of what the Judge wrote should resonate with every American fighting against increasing authoritarian government and the de facto control of the press by a single political party, media moguls, and tech tyrants.

It is well-accepted that viewpoint discrimination “raises the specter that the Government may effectively drive certain ideas or viewpoints from the marketplace. But ideological homogeneity in the media—or in the channels of information distribution—risks repressing certain ideas from the public consciousness just as surely as if access were restricted by the government.”

To be sure, there are a few notable exceptions to Democratic Party ideological control: Fox News, The New York Post, and The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page. It should be sobering for those concerned about news bias that these institutions are controlled by a single man and his son. Will a lone holdout remain in what is otherwise a frighteningly orthodox media culture? After all, there are serious efforts to muzzle Fox News. And although upstart (mainly online) conservative networks have emerged in recent years, their visibility has been decidedly curtailed by Social Media, either by direct bans or content-based censorship.

There can be little question that the overwhelming uniformity of news bias in the United States has an enormous political impact. That was empirically and persuasively demonstrated in Tim Groseclose’s insightful book, Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind (2011). Professor Groseclose showed that media bias is significantly to the left. And this distorted market has the effect, according to Groseclose, of aiding Democratic Party candidates by 8–10% in the typical election.

And now, a decade after this book’s publication, the press and media do not even pretend to be neutral news services.

It should be borne in mind that the first step taken by any potential authoritarian or dictatorial regime is to gain control of communications, particularly the delivery of news.

It is fair to conclude, therefore, that one-party control of the press and media is a threat to a viable democracy. It may even give rise to countervailing extremism. The First Amendment guarantees a free press to foster a vibrant trade in ideas. But a biased press can distort the marketplace. And when the media has proven its willingness—if not eagerness—to so distort, it is a profound mistake to stand by unjustified legal rules that serve only to enhance the press’ power.

After observing my colleagues’ efforts to stretch the actual malice rule like a rubber band, I am prompted to urge the overruling of New York Times v. Sullivan. Justice Thomas has already persuasively demonstrated that New York Times was a policy-driven decision masquerading as constitutional law. The holding has no relation to the text, history, or structure of the Constitution, and it baldly constitutionalized an area of law refined over centuries of common law adjudication. As with the rest of the opinion, the actual malice requirement was simply cut from whole cloth. New York Times should be overruled on these grounds alone.

Nevertheless, I recognize how difficult it will be to persuade the Supreme Court to overrule such a “landmark” decision. After all, doing so would incur the wrath of press and media.

An egregious example of the anti-Trump Washington Post reporting (since corrected with a small ‘mealy-mouth header) …

On January 9, 2021, the Washington Post reported that then-President Donald Trump, in a call with Frances Watson, Georgia’s lead elections investigator, had instructed her to “find the fraud.” He also reportedly mentioned that she could become a “national hero.” The information came from a single source described as “an individual familiar with the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversation.”

CORRECTION

Two months after publication of this story, the Georgia secretary of state released an audio recording of President Donald Trump’s December phone call with the state’s top elections investigator. The recording revealed that The Post misquoted Trump’s comments on the call, based on information provided by a source. Trump did not tell the investigator to “find the fraud” or say she would be “a national hero” if she did so. Instead, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize ballots in Fulton County, Ga., asserting she would find “dishonesty” there. He also told her that she had “the most important job in the country right now.” A story about the recording can be found here. The headline and text of this story have been corrected to remove quotes misattributed to Trump.

President Trump urged Georgia’s lead elections investigator to identify wrongdoing in the state’s vote in a December phone call, saying the official would be praised for doing so, according to an individual briefed on the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the conversation.

Trump placed the call to the investigations chief for the Georgia secretary of state’s office shortly before Christmas — while the individual was leading an inquiry into allegations of ballot fraud in Cobb County, in the suburbs of Atlanta, according to people familiar with the episode.

The president’s attempts to intervene in an ongoing investigation could amount to obstruction of justice or other criminal violations, legal experts said, though they cautioned a case could be difficult to prove. <Source>

This information was included in the Democrat’s second impeachment document…

[Page 12-13] President Trump’s campaign to reverse the election results—and to keep himself in the White House—lasted through the days immediately preceding the assault on the Capitol. On December 23, for instance, President Trump reportedly called one of Georgia’s lead election investigators, urging him to “find the fraud” and claiming that the official would be a “national hero” if he did so. [28] Footnote 28 referred to: “Amy Gardner, ‘Find the Fraud’: Trump Pressured a Georgia Elections Investigator in a Separate Call Legal Experts Say Could Amount to Obstruction, Wash. Post (Jan. 9, 2021).” <Source: House Trial Brief>

The underlying information and the source were wrong, as later proven by a deleted audio recording of the telephone call found in Watson’s computer’s trash bin. And, what was most disgusting is other mainstream media sources piled on, a number of them claiming to have independently confirmed the information with their own sources. An impossibility since the source created the comments attributed to Trump out of thin air.

Consider the harm that this has done to President Trump – and the nation.

Bottom line…

At issue is fundamental American fairness. Why should the press get a free pass to slander individuals, regardless of their position, if the information is knowingly false – especially information arising from leaks and other unauthorized disclosures?

The 2022 turnout must be massive and so decisive that the election results cannot be challenged. However, it is unknown (and rather doubtful) whether the GOP will have the cojones to investigate and prosecute the evildoers.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

DEMOCRATS, THE PARTY THAT OPENLY DISCRIMINATES AGAINST ASIANS IN EDUCATION, LIES AGAIN

With no proof and facts to the contrary, it appears that the progressive social democrats in the government and the mainstream media are now trying to connect racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, and Donald Trump for the recent killings at massage parlors…

From the New York Times…

8 Dead in Atlanta Spa Shootings, With Fears of Anti-Asian Bias

The man who police say went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area has been charged with eight counts of murder in connection with the attacks.

The brazen shootings, which took the lives of six women of Asian descent, stirred considerable outrage and fear in the Asian-American community. Investigators said they had not ruled out bias as a motivating factor even as the suspect denied such racial animus once in custody.

The suspect told the police that he had a “sexual addiction” and had carried out the shootings at the massage parlors to eliminate his “temptation,” the authorities said on Wednesday. He also said that he had frequented massage parlors in the past and launched the attacks as a form of vengeance. All but one of the victims were women, the police said.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta said that regardless of the determination about motive, the tragedy was clear. “Whatever the motivation was for this guy, we know that the majority of the victims were Asian,” Ms. Bottoms said. “We also know that this is an issue that is happening across the country. It is unacceptable, it is hateful and it has to stop.” <Source>

What kind of twisted race-baiting politician ignores the actual statements of the killer and goes on to say “regardless of the determination about motive” and then states the majority of the victims are Asian” as if that proves something? And, what kind of newspaper prints this ignorant, uninformed opinion – especially from someone who is a racist and sees everything through the prism of color and democrat party talking points?

From National Public Radio…

'Enough Is Enough': Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings Spur Debate Over Hate Crime Label

Asian Americans and their allies are calling for solidarity and a push against discrimination and racist violence after a gunman killed eight people at three Atlanta-area spas Tuesday. Most of the victims were women of Asian descent.

Authorities said it's too early to declare the attacks a hate crime – prompting a debate over when that label should be used and how to present the gunman's explanation. In an incident report filed by the Atlanta Police Department, officers checked "no" under whether the attacks were a suspected hate crime. But police said Thursday they are still investigating the attacker's motive.

The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, has confessed, according to police, who said Long denied being motivated by racial animus. Officials in Cherokee County cited sex addiction and a "bad day" as possible explanations for the crime. Police suspect Long was under the influence of alcohol, according to the Atlanta incident report. He is being held in Cherokee, the county northwest of Atlanta where the shootings started. <Source>

It appears the politicians and the mainstream media are trying to manufacture a “hate crime” where none exists.

From the trendy New York magazine, The Cut…

They’ll Call It Anything But Racism -- Law enforcement in Atlanta said a gunman’s attacks on Asian-owned massage parlors were “not racially motivated.”

“He claims that it was not racially motivated,” an official with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference. “He apparently has an issue … what he considers a sex addiction … and he sees these locations as a temptation that he wanted to eliminate.”

At the end of this gymnastic explanation, which the official seemed at pains to say carefully, even empathetically, the word “eliminate” dropped like an anvil — but reporters carried on, asking the official if the shooter had any “religious motivation.” No one, in the video footage of the press conference at least, immediately challenged him. Think about it again: The shooter wanted to “eliminate” the people who worked at specific businesses in an industry in which workers are predominantly Asian. His victims were predominantly Asian women. And yet it was not a “racially motivated” act, according to the perpetrator, and law enforcement was repeating his claim uncritically. The press conference only grew more ludicrous from there, and more sympathetic to the shooter. “Yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did,” the same official said at another point. The man was “at the end of his rope.” He was “fed up.”

This language is so vague and benign as to completely nullify its incredibly violent referent: The police officer could have been talking about this mass murderer who shot eight people to death in their places of work or about a guy who got pissed off and smashed a mailbox. In simply parroting the killer’s words, and treating them as the objective truth, he doled out a galling, incomprehensible kindness to the shooter and harm to the dead. By characterizing the killer’s actions as apolitical, he erased the identities of the people he killed. Describing massage parlors — which are overwhelmingly staffed by Asian women in vulnerable conditions — as “temptations” is a thin code clearly based in racist, sexist, fetishizing tropes. It extends back centuries in American history, to the Victorian era and beyond. Rather than indicating that the attack was “not racially motivated,” this faux-moralizing rhetoric does the exact opposite. These women were clearly targeted because of their race.

It is impossible to disentangle the enmeshed, oppressive factors of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and poverty at play in the shootings in Georgia. It is, accordingly, depressing to see media outlets and pundits delicately parsing what to call this event. The attack was racist; it was also misogynistic, xenophobic, and likely rooted in hatred of sex workers. It can be all these things at once. To unquestioningly repeat law enforcement’s claim that the shooter was “not racially motivated” — and so to echo the logic of a man accused of brutally murdering eight people — is to do real harm to communities that are vulnerable and grieving. To instead name what it really was is to take seriously the lives of the people who died, to consider their murders in the context of history and politics, and to comprehend the conditions in which they lived and struggled. It is an inadequate though not insignificant way to mitigate more pain. <Source>

This is pure progressive socialist democrat demagoguery. Faithfully recounting and reporting the killer’s words is not “a galling, incomprehensible kindness to the shooter.” And, there is no further harm you can inflict on the dead – no matter how they died. If anything, this is a blatant attempt to craft a race-based narrative to advance a political narrative.

How many people remember the Democrat’s reaction to President Donald Trump attempting to protect Americans from a rapidly spreading Chinese virus by denying entry to those traveling from disease-infected areas? When the Democrats openly accused Trump of racial bias against Asians?

The former vice president [now President] did accuse Trump of "xenophobia" in an Iowa campaign speech the same day, Jan. 31, that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced the administration's travel restrictions on people who were in China 14 days prior to their attempted entry into the U.S.

Biden said: "This is no time for Donald Trump's record of hysteria xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia, and fear-mongering to lead the way instead of science."

The Biden Administration favors Blacks over Asians and Whites…

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Yale University discriminates against Asian American and White applicants in undergraduate admissions. Claiming that Yale violates Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the DOJ accused the university of using race-based preferences in deciding which applicants to admit as students, hurting Asian American and White applicants and favoring African Americans. The DOJ demanded that Yale stop considering race and national origin in admissions decisions, which would effectively eliminate affirmative action. <Source>

In Biden administration reversal, Justice Dept. drops discrimination suit against Yale

The Justice Department told a federal judge Wednesday that it is dropping a high-profile discrimination lawsuit against Yale University that was brought by the Trump administration. A two-sentence filing in U.S. District Court in Connecticut gave notice of the government's "voluntary dismissal of this action."

The case had marked an escalation in the Trump Justice Department's attacks on affirmative action programs that many conservatives consider illegal. The lawsuit, which was filed in October, said a two-year investigation had determined that the Ivy League college illegally discriminated against Asian American and white students in admissions. It said they were only one-tenth to one-fourth as likely to be admitted as African American applicants with comparable academic records. <Source>

The simple truth is that they need the Blacks to vote in lockstep, or the progressive socialist democrats are doomed.

Biden's Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, shoots off her mouth, again...

“I think there’s no question that some of the damaging rhetoric that we saw during the prior administration, calling COVID the ‘Wuhan virus’ or other things, led to perceptions of the Asian American community that are inaccurate, unfair, … [It] has elevated threats against Asian Americans, and we’re seeing that around the country.” <Source>

Bottom line…

When the ends justify the means, fair or foul, the progressive socialist democrats will do or say anything to advance their agenda. Like former President Obama lying to the public about “keeping your doctor under Obamacare,” “more affordable healthcare and Benghazi was sparked by a video. Like President Biden saying pre-election that nobody making under $400,000 will see a penny of a tax increase – now to be told post-election that the real number is $200,000 and the $400,000 referred to a family.

THE FACTS ARE: The Democrats were the party of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, the KKK and fought hard against civil rights legislation. It was Joe Biden that feted an open KKK member in Congress. The Democrats are destroying America with their identity politics and race warfare.

They must be defeated in 2022, or we are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET THAT BINDS OUR ENEMIES TOGETHER

We all operate in a shared ecosystem where we pretend that we are operating in a free market economy where decisions are based on supply and demand, and the government is a beneficial facilitator providing security, safety, and marketplace fairness. A socio-economic system that exists nowhere on the planet except in textbooks authored by pointy-headed academic economics professors.

The truth is that while we are operating in a competitive environment, the forces acting on the market are not benign, well-defined, or even rational. To tell the truth, our present-day society is not voluntary but increasingly authoritarian.

And the dirty little secret that binds our enemies together is the knowledge that both socialism and fascism overlap…

That is, where the socialists and communists (the ultimate end of extreme socialism) want to control the means of production that will operate on behalf of the state, the fascists do not necessarily want to own the means of production; they want to control the means of production on behalf of the state and the oligarchs behind the scenes. In both scenarios, “We the People” are pawns that need to be managed by a cadre of elites, said to be individuals of superior intellect, education, training, and experience. A myth shattered by the reality of human nature. Or, as Lord Acton observed in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Be aware and afraid of the companies that openly assist the government in the extra-judicial enforcement of sanctions or limitations on individuals that the government is forbidden to execute. Consider that a number of media moguls and tech tyrants are actively censoring or denying certain free speech rights with impunity as they engage in the progressive socialist democrat's cancel culture.

So let’s take a simplified look at the current corporate ecosystem…

The sad truth is that it is no longer obvious whether the media is driving the government by fashioning narratives on behalf of its corporate ownership or the government is driving the media – with the media honestly reporting the effects of government on the public. To some degree, everyone in the circular firing squad is corrupt and trying to gain an advantage. The politicians are using the government to feather their own nests. Management is exploiting the corporation to feather their own nests. Both seek benefits by deploying special interest groups, and the public is paying the freight for the entire corrupt system.

The key to survival in this increasingly chaotic and dangerous world is awareness…

Today’s example illustrates how a Marxist front group is attempting to manipulate corporations to gain funding, political support for the un-American authoritarian desires, and a platform to widely distribute their “woke” message. More specifically, to destroy election integrity and promote a perpetually Democrat one-party system.

In a conversation, some say progressive advertisement, with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, we find LaTosha Brown representing Black Votes Matter urging Georgia corporations to “stand up for voting rights.”

Corporations Have A Responsibility: GA Firms Pressed To Stand Up For Voting Rights | Rachel Maddow

(If the video does not display correctly, it can be found here.)

LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, talks with Rachel Maddow about a new campaign to pressure corporations based in Georgia to make good on past ad campaigns about racial equality and use their political clout to defend democracy from Republican voting restrictions. Aired on 03/13/2021.

Maddow: So help me understand the strategic thinking here. This decision to engage the biggest of big businesses in Georgia to try to get them on your side on this.

Brown: You know, corporations have a responsibility. That they have a responsibility. We work there. We serve on their boards. We're actually consumers. The Black people in the State of Georgia, we consume 106 billion dollars, our part of the economy here. So we think they have a simple responsibility. This is an attack on Black voters, but this is also an attack on democracy. And so what we're saying is this is a prime opportunity.

Many of these top names like Coca-Cola ran campaigns last year saying they were standing with the Black community and Black Lives Matter Movement around racial equity and racial justice.

And, we're saying that this right here is a prime opportunity for them to stand up, use their leverage power, and really push and stop these deals that will roll back voting access up until and from reconstruction.

And so we're calling them to question if it should be an opportune time for them to really stand up, use their power, and stand for what they know is the right thing to do.

Maddow: And how open are their doors as you and your colleagues are starting to push on them now? As you say, a lot of these corporations have been trying to have a public face that is progressive, that is inclusive, that does identify with movements for justice, particularly around racial justice.
Does that mean that they are more receptive to this kind of message, to this kind of pressure? Are they hearing you?

Brown: No. We think that they need to respond much stronger. There have been a couple of comments, a couple of statements. That's not enough. We need to see action.

We know they have the political leverage. They have the leverage to really be able to put pressure. When we look at those bills and we look at the Senate bill that passed on Monday, ironically the same day we were celebrating the 56th anniversary and commemoration of Bloody Sunday, that literally when you look at, it only passed by one vote .

We know that Coca-Cola and asked UPS and Southern Company all of those companies have a tremendous amount of political access and leverage power. And so we're not seeing the kind of action, the kind of pressure we need to see, including the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to say that this is not going to really happen in our State because ultimately democracy is good for business.

Maddow: It's interesting to hear you push it down that many levels in terms of what you want to see from them because I think that we can see that they want the public relations credit for being on the right side of issues like this. But as you point out, just saying you're on one side of this isn't nearly enough in a fight like this which is going to be lost unless something changes in terms of the momentum.

You think that these businesses could become active participants in the process. They could bring their lobbying skill, strength and money to bear to really put political pressure here and it's it's not essentially that they are already willing to pay lip service. But in terms of actually doing the work to stop these bills you're not really getting anything from them yet. Is that fair?

-- End Partial Transcript --

Let us consider what corporations owe to the community…

(1) Above all, corporations have a fiduciary duty to their shareholders to produce an acceptable return on their invested funds. Notice that I said shareholders – not stakeholders who may not contribute to the company's profitability or may not wish the company well.

(2) Corporations have a duty to produce goods and services that can be profitably merchandised. Not to support controversial issues that introduce unneeded and unacceptable risk into company operations or alienate a large segment of the public.

(3) Corporations owe their employees a safe working environment that minimizes adverse outcomes and pays employees wages consistent with market norms. Employees are free to accept work and negotiate for better wages or different working conditions.

(4) Corporations have a duty to be good members of the community by following the rule of law and respecting everyone.

(5) To the extent a corporation voluntarily engages in community activities, it has a duty to do so without negative consequences to the company or its shareholders.

What is wrong with the above Black Voters Matter request for corporate assistance in their issues?

(1) The request itself is coercive, both in seeking donations and using the corporation’s name, assets, and goodwill in furtherance of partisan politics that seeks to convey political power to a single political party, the Democrats.

(2) The corporation is risking its name and future profitability by engaging in an attack on a large segment of the voting public.

(3) Georgia has a controversial and troubling history of election integrity, and the attempt of Black Voters Matter appears to perpetuate rather than reform the integrity of elections. Election integrity is maintained by transparency, positively identified voters, and enforced voting rules. Not by gaming the system.

(4) It is downright un-American and racist for any corporation to support any organization predicated on race rather than competence and capabilities.

(5) It seems downright foolish for any corporation to support any organization that seeks to destroy the very freedoms offered by the American capitalist system that permits the corporation to thrive and grow.

Bottom line…

It is time for American companies to stand up for America, to have the guts to say, “No Thanks,” we do not participate in partisan politics, especially when the party line is based on race and is anti-business. If the company feels pressured by their employees, perhaps it is time to seek different employees. If the company feels it is being coerced by its unions, it is time to file a formal grievance and possibly a lawsuit for damaged.

The answer to both un-American activities and racism is NO! Hell No!

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

ANOTHER REASON TO RECALL GAVIN NEWSOM: HE IS AN ELITE UN-AMERICAN RACIST

I find it absolutely outrageous and abhorrent that California’s Governor Gavin Newsom is willing to display his self-serving un-American racism for all to see…

Newsom pledges to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein if she retires

Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged Monday to nominate a Black woman to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein if the 87-year-old decides to retire before her term is up in 2024.

“I have multiple names in mind,” Newsom told MSNBC’s Joy Reid when she asked him whether he would name a Black woman to replace a retiring Feinstein.

Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman to replace Feinstein if she decides to retire came hours after California’s most prominent elected Black leaders, including Reps. Karen Bass and Barbara Lee, promised to organize Black voters to oppose the recall if it qualifies for the ballot. <Source>

Think about it…

How un-American is it to select color over competence?

How racist is it to exclude Whites, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and other Americans from representing “We the People” in the Senate?

How self-serving is it to pander to a specific identity group that will help organize against a recall as a quid pro quo?

Gavin Newsom represents everything America has struggled to overcome…

Elitism

Racism.

Political corruption.

Favoritism.

If you consider the two candidates mentioned in the article, Representatives Karen Bass and Barbara Lee, it appears that Governor Newsom is willing to consider the nomination of two radical, racist, anti-Semitic members of the Congressional Black Caucus who both support Democratic Socialists, aka the Communist Party. Both Bass and Lee come out of the Black Panther Party and have a record of supporting the radicals who hate the American way of life. In particular, Bass is a Castro-loving-loving sympathizer of the Cuban revolution.

The acid test…

How would you feel if Newsom had said that he wouldn’t appoint a Black individual as a California Senator? This is employment discrimination and should be prosecuted under the law.

WE DON’T DO THIS IN AMERICA!

Bottom line…

This elite progressive socialist democrat asswipe has done more to harm California and Californians than any other Governor in modern history. If you want to recall Gavin Newsom, you may wish to visit Recall California Governor Gavin Newsom (2020) (recallgavin2020.com) to sign the petition.

Newsolini has been wrong on the coronavirus, immigration, energy independence, taxation, forest management and wildfires, and the treatment of criminals. When you now say that it is the color of your skin that is the primary qualification for an important and influential position, you have gone too far. With this type of leadership, we are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

CAN YOU TRUST FAUCI AND HIS CRYSTAL BALL?

Never before in the history of the United States have unelected bureaucrats with scientific credentials been granted the power to supersede the constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms enshrined in the United States Constitution…

Yet, here we are, our lives being governed by arbitrary rules allegedly based on data-driven science. Or, if you listen to politicians, “The Science,” as if there was a single agreed-upon set of reliable facts.

At the intersection of politics and science, we find the almost-universally acclaimed interpreter of science, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the long-time Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to presidents Trump and Biden on the subject of Chinese Communist Party Coronavirus.

First, there was the mask controversy…

Mask, no mask, N95 masks, cloth masks, and double masks? No real science, just the analysis of aerosol mists from jury-rigged dummies as if these models were proxies for a real-world environment. Yet, with all the data gathered, there are no conclusive findings. Some research papers say masks work; others say they don’t work. And Fauci spews the latest non-replicated and un-validated findings with an unwarranted certitude. Along with the normal and customary weasel-words leaving sufficient wiggle-room should future prove what he says to be faulty.

Now comes the social distancing controversy…

Now the esteemed Dr. Fauci, who promoted the Centers for Disease Control’s six-foot spacing requirements, has reviewed a Massachusetts paper that suggests that a three-foot spacing interval may be sufficient for schools.

Responding to CNN's Jake Tapper about Massachusetts' study…

TAPPER: There's this new study from researchers in Massachusetts just out this week. It found no significant difference in coronavirus spreading in schools where there was six feet of distancing vs. three feet of distancing.

FAUCI: Right.

TAPPER: But that six-foot requirement, that's one of the main hurdles to reopening schools.

FAUCI: Right. Right. And...

TAPPER: Does this study suggest to you that three feet is good enough?

FAUCI: It does, indeed.

And that's exactly the point I'm making, Chuck (sic). What the CDC wants to do is, they want to accumulate data. And when the data shows that there is an ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly.

They have clearly noted those data. They are, in fact, doing studies themselves. And when the data are just analyzed -- and it's going to be soon. I mean, Jake, you're asking the right questions.

And the CDC is very well aware that data are accumulating making it look more like three feet or OK under certain circumstances. They're analyzing that.

And I can assure you, within a reasonable period of time, quite reasonable, they will be giving guidelines according to the data that they have.

<Source: CNN State of the Union with Jake Tapper - March 14, 2021>

What did the researchers actually say…

Effectiveness of three versus six feet of physical distancing for controlling spread of COVID-19 among primary and secondary students and staff: A retrospective, state-wide cohort study

Results

Among 251 eligible school districts, 537,336 students and 99,390 staff attended in-person instruction during the 16-week study period, representing 6,400,175 student learning weeks and 1,342,574 staff learning weeks. Student case rates were similar in the 242 districts with ≥3 feet versus ≥6 feet of physical distancing between students (IRR, 0.891, 95% CI, 0.594-1.335); results were similar after adjusting for community incidence (adjusted IRR, 0.904, 95% CI, 0.616-1.325). Cases among school staff in districts with ≥3 feet versus ≥6 feet of physical distancing were also similar (IRR, 1.015, 95% CI, 0.754-1.365).

Conclusions

Lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in school settings with masking mandates without negatively impacting student or staff safety.

Of course, school districts have spent millions of dollars reconfiguring classrooms, class sizes, and teacher workloads. Fauci had a comment on this also…

Fauci: Stimulus bill needs to be passed for schools to reopen

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said on Sunday that a stimulus bill needed to be passed in order for schools to safely reopen.

While appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Fauci spoke with host George Stephanopoulos about how schools could safely reopen, expanding on new guidelines that were recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“It's the first time that it’s been put down in a document based on scientific observations and data over the last several months to a year, both in the United States and elsewhere. Part of that is to indicate and to suggest strongly that a preference be given to teachers to get vaccinated,” Fauci said, though he added it was possible to reopen schools without having all teachers vaccinated beforehand.

When asked by Stephanopoulos if schools had the resources available to abide by the new CDC guidelines, Fauci said he did not believe so. “I think that the schools really do need more resources and that's the reason why the national relief act that we're talking about getting passed — we need that. The schools need more resources.” <Source>

But, the most important issue is the return of our God-given freedoms after an unconstitutional lockdown...

Here is Joe Biden telling us if we are good and follow the rules, we may be allowed to celebrate our heritage of freedom on July 4th – of course, in small groups.

"Fourth, in the coming weeks, we will issue further guidance on what you can and cannot do once fully vaccinated to lessen the confusion, to keep people safe, and encourage more people to get vaccinated. And, finally, fifth, and maybe most importantly, I promise I will do everything in my power. I will not relent until we beat this virus.

"But I need you, the American people. I need you. I need every American to do their part. And that's not hyperbole. I need you. I need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn and when you can find an opportunity. And to help your family, your friends, your neighbors get vaccinated as well. Because here's the point.

"If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4, there's a good chance you, your families and friends, will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day. That doesn't mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together. <Source: White House>

Screw Joe Biden and his cadre of communists and progressive socialist democrats.

Fauci playing both sides…

President Biden said Monday that local doctors and preachers are more influential than former President Donald Trump when it comes to persuading Mr. Trump’s vaccine-skeptical supporters to get their shots.

“I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preacher[s] — what the local people in the community say,” Mr. Biden said at a White House event. Mr. Biden had been asked whether Mr. Trump should promote the coronavirus vaccine among Republicans who are skeptical of getting their shots.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top medical adviser to Mr. Biden, said over the weekend it would make “all the difference in the world” if Mr. Trump led a public campaign to convince his supporters to take the vaccine. <Source>

No matter what Biden or Fauci says, President Donald Trump was following the advice of Dr. Fauci and the scientists. As is his management style, Trump set the goal, put others in charge, and stepped aside. Of course, he took credit for the accomplishments of others, as is the practice in every organization with a strong leader.

Bottom line…

When it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, the hypocrisy of the progressive socialist Democrats knows no bounds. When President Trump was in office, the progressive socialist democrats actively campaigned against any vaccine developed under the trump Administration. Now, capitalizing on the heavy-lifting that saw a number of vaccines and therapeutics developed in record time and a military-led plan for an aggressive roll-out of the drugs to the states, we now find the Administration taking credit for the Biden-vaccine and wrongly suggesting that Biden’s Administration had to rescue the shambles of the Trump distribution plan. Of course, it wasn't Trump, but the states, that botched the roll-out with their idiotic unscientific equity plans that ignored the most vulnerable among us.

Researchers developed working therapeutics in record time, conducted controlled studies, and rolled-out the results to the world. Why haven’t researchers been able to get a handle on the mechanical facts that are constraining our lives? Could it be politics and the billions of dollars flowing from the taxpayers to institutions, corporations, and individuals? Could it be the emergency powers granted to politicians who are reluctant to return our freedoms? Or could it be that we have been fed a load of SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guestimates) by bureaucrats winging it and speaking with a certitude that cannot be substantiated by the facts? Or "The Science."

I’ll bet it's all three.

To say we are being screwed is an understatement, especially with the World Health Organization and many Americans in the pocket of the Communist Party of China and big pharma.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

THE CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER OF SOCIAL MEDIA

If you do not sign on to the extreme right or left orthodoxy, you run the risk of being "canceled," the new name for the old concept of shunning.

Unfortunately, it is more malignant than passive action, and an individual can lose their family members, safety and security, friends, and employment to a social media pressure campaign.

We have all seen instances where a single aggrieved or “triggered” individual or a group of individuals posts something on a social media platform, and it goes viral – spread far and wide by those who amplify the message by re-posting and commenting. Sometimes with tragic consequences of threatening the safety, security, and employment of targeted individuals.

It takes one message, like a snowball starting to roll downhill, to create an avalanche of outrage…

It is not only individuals that are susceptible to real or reputational damage; it can be products, brands, or even entire companies and industries. In some cases, the damage is indirect, caused by the spread of erroneous medical misinformation that may cause individual harm. Let us not forget the realm of the political post, which can coerce, enflame, and create “flash mobs” to harm individuals, destroy public and private property, and even upset delicate diplomatic relations between agencies and nations.

In some cases, one does not even have to be the author or target of the post to be damaged by the original post's content. Simply “liking” or commenting is enough to cause the damage – the digital form of guilt by association.

Nobody is home at customer service…

Do not look for assistance from those who provide the platform for malicious posts. They are either trying to preserve their “Section 230 [47 U.S.C. § 230] rights under the Communication Decency Act which immunizes them from lawsuits over posted content (“No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider”) or attempting to influence political affairs by allegedly “fact-checking’ content or sanctioning selected, mainly conservative, posters using some non-specific amorphous violation of the platform’s terms of services. The platform owners will not proactively provide the true name and contact information for a poster without a court order. And, in most cases, they will not assist in removing offending or demonstrably false posts. They will not even provide specifics or a contact point if you are unfairly canceled.

How can one defend against malicious posts?

The short answer is nothing. Even assuming that you could prove malicious intent (malice) and proof of actual damages, the ordinary person does not have the time, money, and effort to pursue legal action to redress the injury—especially reputational damage. And, of course, most opinions, even those that are negative or mean-spirited, are often protected speech. Many harmful statements may not be provable to a legal standard, making any legal action a costly gamble.

Other than engaging in a flame war or suing an organization for wrongful termination, also difficult to prove, the best remedy is time – time for the brouhaha to pass and time to mount a robust social media counter-attack that floods the social media with your counter-statement.

However, short of doing and saying stupid things, the best defense is refusing to post on social media and find other ways to send a message. But, even emails, especially those that are archived locally or in the cloud, can prove to be problematic. Just ask the Obama-gate lovers, former F.B.I. Agent Peter Strzok and former F.B.I. Attorney Lisa Page.

Bottom line…

We live in perilous times, surrounded by petty and vicious people who have suddenly found a large platform for their vile comments. Even disaffected, unemployed, and unaccomplished teenagers in their mommy's basement can significantly impact individuals and organizations. Sometimes for giggles and sometimes just to belong to a crowd.

There are few defenses against evil other than living a virtuous life where you are at peace with yourself. Take responsibility for your own safety and security and insulate yourself from total dependence on your employer by developing multiple independent income streams.

Think before you write or like that post.

We are so screwed.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)

OUR COUNTRY WAS NOT BUILT BY RACISTS AND SNOWFLAKES LIVING IN A SOCIAL MEDIA BUBBLE

Have you ever considered what non-mainstream individuals with marginal or unmarketable skills do for a living in a commercial world?

If you have name recognition and can find backers, run for office and start building your fortune at the taxpayer’s expense.

If you have a limited amount of money, become a community organizer and/or affiliate yourself with an organization where you can pursue your personal agenda at the organization's expense.

If you have a little more money, purchase a beggar’s license, also known as a tax-exempt foundation, and attract a following of like-minded crazies, many of whom might be rich or have status-seeking rich friends.

Prerequisites:

(1) You must be prepared to spout progressive socialist, communist, and Democrat bullshit and bafflegab. You cannot come from the right side of the political spectrum. These adherents often use facts and logic, whereas people on the left side of the political spectrum use emotion that makes facts and logic irrelevant to their cause.

(2) You must “talk the talk.” It helps if you can string buzzwords together in a word-salad that means little or nothing.

“We are a 501c3 public service organization working at the intersection of Climate & Culture; building anti-racist community and growing climate-positive global movements.”

“…operating education, design and community initiatives in the fashion sector since 2013 working with partners including global brands, nonprofits, and academia.”

“International and interdisciplinary seminars from industry leaders, scientists, advocates, artists & elected officials. ... is an education initiative focused on climate & culture, using fashion as medium for social & environmental change. The cross-cultural, inter-disciplinary global conferences convene throughout the year, fostering partnerships and education around sustainability literacy in Fashion and beyond. Each event gathers hundreds of industry leaders, scientists, advocates & influencers. We prioritize and center the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous and other marginalized voices.”

(3) You need a media-grabbing hook, preferably one that goes viral on social media.

Provide a “celebrity hook”…

Bottom line…

You really must admire the audacity of grifters living on OPM (Other People’s Money) and the hypocrisy of the fashion industry that babbles about sustainability but relies on seasonal vanity trends rather than sustainable standards to drive profits.

There is little doubt in my mind that the progressives want to destroy free speech that pokes fun at them (Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals #5 ) or reveals their hypocrisy and dishonesty.

Enjoy your memes.

-- steve

“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

Permalink | Comments (0)