July 2, 2019

I was looking up "quick-drying cement"...

.... because left-wingers purportedly added it to milkshakes they threw at right-wingers at demonstration in Portland.

I really did wonder whether "quick-drying cement" is the name of a real product. It seems like a phrase that would be written on a package delivered to a Looney Tunes character. Ah, yes! Here:



So I googled the term, and I'm seeing a lot of packaging, and "quick-drying cement" doesn't seem to be the standard term. I'm seeing "fast-setting" and "rapid set." I do think "quick-drying cement" is the more comical way to put it.

But I'm pretty sure the most comical way to put it is "Quick-drying glue toothpaste adhesive plaster to stick a drill cement cell phone beauty nail diy material is special" — seen at AliExpress (part of the Chinese equivalent of Amazon)(click to enlarge and clarify to the point of readability):



I condemn assaults, including assaults with humorous-sounding objects like milkshakes (or, in the old days, pies). But let's get the facts straight. My link at the top of this post goes to "How a Dubious Claim of Cement Milkshakes in Portland Became a Right-Wing Meme/The police claimed that left-wing protesters were hurling cement drinks. There’s no evidence to back that up" at Mother Jones:

No one seems to have actually been burned by concrete—at least no one reported evidence of it to law enforcement. So where did this idea come from? It started with a tweet from the Portland Police Bureau on Saturday, stating that it had “received information that some of the milkshakes thrown…contained quick-drying cement.” The police later told Willamette Week reporter Katie Shepard that an officer at the protests had thought he noticed quick-drying cement on a milkshake cup, prompting the tweet. The police subsequently received an anonymous email claiming that Quick Rete Cement Mix had been added to the milkshakes, the bureau told Shepard.

Headlines in conservative media outlets highlighted the allegedly violent tactics of the milkshake-throwers. “Antifa, conservative protests turn violent as demonstrators throw milkshakes of quick-dry cement at police and onlookers,” Fox News reported Saturday. (It has since removed the mention of cement from the headline and rewritten its story to include less definitive language about the cement milkshakes.) “Conservative Journalist Andy Ngo Beaten Up and Hit With Cement,” read the headline of the conservative website PJ Media.

The stories spurred rage online against Antifa on the basis of something that very likely never happened....
Here's an idea how the rumor got started. Somebody was from Wisconsin, where we call certain ice-cream concoctions "concrete mixers." I see signs for these things all over our lovely chain restaurant Culver's:



Now that the idea is out there, it seems inevitable that people will start putting "quick-drying" cement in the milkshakes they hurl. But what's most important, in my view, is to maintain focus on the wrongness of throwing anything at other people. Stick to words, protesters. The milkshake itself is wrong. I'm with Ricky Gervais:

156 comments:

tim in vermont said...

Ricky Gervais is a sage for our age. I don’t mean that ironically either.

Kevin said...

Hate shakes.

rhhardin said...

Quick-drying airplane glue was a joy. Not only could you make balsa wood airplanes without having to hold the joints together for very long, but you could spread it on fingertips and have fun peeling it off like an old sunburn.

They outlawed it because other kids were sniffing it.

Danno said...

Apparently quick-drying cement burns your skin if touched. That's the reason antifa employs it.

Dude1394 said...

Clever democrat propagandists. Ignore the brain bleed, the 26 staples out in a mans head and instead do semantics about an offhand remark about quick drying cement. They are nothing if not clever propagandists.

Gilbert Pinfold said...

Cement of this type doesn't dry, it sets. Same thing with model airplane cement. Just because someone uses the wrong term doesn't mean that cement wasn't used in the assault.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

What right-wingers? There are NO right-wingers. There are normals, and there are leftwing totalitarian nazis.

jaydub said...

Okay, then why do they call it Portland cement?

Ann Althouse said...

"Quick-drying airplane glue was a joy. Not only could you make balsa wood airplanes without having to hold the joints together for very long, but you could spread it on fingertips and have fun peeling it off like an old sunburn."

We used Elmer's Glue for that.

Also real sunburns.

Dave Begley said...

"No one seems to have actually been burned by concrete—at least no one reported evidence of it to law enforcement."

Mother Jones? Now there's a reliable source!

That's like the narrative that "there is no evidence that illegal aliens voted." That's because no elected official in Dem states has ever investigated.

The cops were completely absent from the event. They told the guy who got beat up that he had to run the gauntlet again and walk over to the police department.

Over at National Review, David French has a piece on how to solve this problem. I have thought this for a long time. Make it a crime for people to assemble in masks (entertainment events excepted). There's a whole line of cases in constitutional law on this topic. It was used in the South against the KKK.

I find it astounding that masked people can roam the streets and beat up people at random and the police do nothing.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Kamala's core support. They all want to abolish US Immigrations and customs.

rehajm said...

Thank you Ricky Gervais. What's Mother Jones position on throwing regular milkshakes at people for political purposes? I suspect I know already.

Oso Negro said...

Let's be clear about one thing. Any political faction that wears hoods and masks to conceal their identities is up to no good. These celebrated young thugs of progressive university towns are more analogous to the Hitler Jugend or brownshirts than they are to the White Rose movement.

Ann Althouse said...

@David Begley That's why it's a distraction to talk about quick-drying cement. Throwing objects at people is bad, whether there's an additional harmful ingredient or not.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Watch this movie. At one point, the Antfia crowd, given full permission by the leftwing mayor, they beat an elderly man with a crowbar. Leftwing Antifa goons beat a gay man and they steal his stuff. Antifa thugs actually are allowed to direct traffic and attack people in their cars.

Portland Antifa - the movie.

What happens in Portland should be wall to wall news. But since Antifa are leftwing thugs, it's crickets.

Ann Althouse said...

"Cement of this type doesn't dry, it sets. Same thing with model airplane cement. Just because someone uses the wrong term doesn't mean that cement wasn't used in the assault."

True, but it is some evidence that the people who introduced the idea were not strongly reality-based.

George Grady said...

If local authorities repeatedly and deliberately turn their backs as mobs of thugs violate citizens' civil rights, maybe it's time to call in the National Guard, like in 1960s Mississippi.

Ann Althouse said...

"Mother Jones? Now there's a reliable source!... Over at National Review...."

If you don't see why this is funny...

One's a left-wing site, and you're right-wing, so it's not reliable. The other is a right-wing site, so you blithely present it as respectable.

Ann Althouse said...

In any case, does David French deal with the truth or falsity of the quick-drying cement rumor?

Fernandinande said...

"Ali Breland - Disinformation Reporter - Mother Jones | LinkedIn"

provides disinformation without evidence that talking about cement -

"birthed a right-wing internet movement based on a falsehood."

Ice Nine said...

>>There’s no evidence to back that up" at Mother Jones:...

Well hell, then, Q.E.D.

Narr said...

I saw some of the Fox coverage-the crowd was composed of typically cowardly lefties. You can see clearly that a few of them keep throwing things--like big rocks--at the guy as he's stumbling around bleeding.

To be fair, I also saw a few people kinda sorta trying to stop the violent ones, but you know how that goes.

Narr
I think they were jealous of the Chinese cops


Ann Althouse said...

Quick-drying cement really does get people's attention. Those who think a milkshake is just a funny thing to throw — (it isn't) — might become concerned to know there's an ingredient that you'd have to go out of your way to add and that would taint a food item.

rehajm said...

I find it astounding that masked people can roam the streets and beat up people at random and the police do nothing.

My nephew lives in NE Portland and takes light rail into work. He never sees any of this stuff even though some of the images seem to originate from a few blocks around Pioneer Square. Clearly there's coordination between these militant groups, the local police and politicians. Are they adding their own antagonists to their narratives? They are the good guys, of course...

Dave Begley said...

Ann:

Is my memory correct about SCOTUS cases affirming that the First Amendment was not violated for making it against the law for people in white sheets and hoods to run around in public?

Michael said...

Mother Jones proves that nothing at all bad happened because the cement angle may not be true. Love how they toss in the “allegedly “ in regard to the demonstrable documented violence. Plus Fox News!

buwaya said...

To be fair these people haven't changed. Thirty years ago I was hanging out with the SF Republicans, and the "activists" on the other side were doing similar things, with "bodily fluids" at the time.

That side attracts many seriously unstable characters, and their group dynamics just encourages them.

They are of little political consequence on their own. However, if their excesses give the right a bloody shirt to wave, then the right should wave it. Martyrs are a political gift.

Rick said...

The stories spurred rage online against Antifa on the basis of something that very likely never happened....

There is video of antifa punching him in the face. So Mother Jones and the left generally are pretending that an assault didn't happen by limiting their focus to one type of event and ignoring the complete set of circumstances. This shows their goal is to minimize antifa's culpability rather than fully report the facts.

This is how public relations functions. It is not a news operation.

Temujin said...

"No one seems to have actually been burned by concrete..."

Jeez, imagine being so in the bag for actual fascists that you blame their attacks on those they are attacking. There were a few people who were actually slammed over the head which opened their skulls. So while the milkshakes may not have done it, nor the pepper spray shot into their faces, blunt objects were clearly used to assault people. I don't think when you slam someone over the head with a blunt object you are looking to just warn them. Sure looks like they meant to kill people. Kinda reminds me of Nazi brownshirts...with masks.

The Mayor of Portland should be- here we go Ann- tarred and feathered. There was a reason for doing this to pols in the old days. I think we're there again, but...maybe the people of Portland just need to pull him out of office. A recount. Or just a demand for mid-term election. And he can take his police chief with him. The alternative is to just let Portland slide slowly into oblivion. I mean, aside from a few young people who live for tattooing themselves, who gives a shit about Portland anymore? If the citizens there don't care enough about it to do something, I can't see me caring more.

rehajm said...

When I lived in Portland there was more than a few cases of gun vigilantes taking things into their own hands. Surprising that they haven't done so in these scenarios. Perhaps they all moved away?

Wince said...

Well, there's Quickrete brand "Quick-setting" cement.

https://www.quikrete.com/productlines/fastsettingconcretemix.asp

Francisco D said...

My first house had water leaking through the basement walls. I bought quick drying cement (aka hydraulic cement) to patch the cracks. It sets very quickly and resists water.

If Antifa goons used quick drying cement in their milkshakes, they were essentially throwing large stones.

papper said...

"The stories spurred rage online against Antifa on the basis of something that very likely never happened" What happened is bad enough to spur outrage.

Antiantifa said...

EDH beat me to it. I used to use Quickrete quick setting concrete when i was a homeowner.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

David B. - I agree with "make it a crime to assemble in masks."

Why are they wearing masks anyway? Are they afraid? Are they leftwing pussies who can dish it but they cannot take it? Are they cowards or something? Are they supported by creep like Don Lemon at CNN? Why yes!

Only other group that wear masks -->>> ISIS. Antifa are leftwing terrorists.

These cowards need to show their creepy vile leftwing zit covered faces.

MountainMan said...

My older daughter and a few of her friends are headed to Portland next week to run in the Mt. Hood Marathon. I have advised her to not go anywhere near the downtown area. Their lives could be at risk. Portland is on the verge of anarchy, the mayor and police continue to ignore their basic responsibilities to the public. Both the mayor and police chief need to be removed.

Darrell said...

Mother Jones never gets a story wrong.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Republicans pounce! That's definitely the correct framing for this story.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Oh please. I'd bet some of the Antifa mask wearing cowards actually work at Mother Jones.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

There's a "Portland cement" joke to be made in here somewhere, I just know it.

MikeR said...

Fact check: "Contrary to some reports, there is no evidence that the Neo-Nazi at Charlottesville actually reversed and backed up over the woman he killed, he just ran her down once. Now Neo-Nazis are being criticized for something they didn't do."
Good thing Mother Jones is there for the important stuff.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ricky Gervias has it right.

These mask wearing thugs will beat you up and steal your stuff, all while they demand an end to YOUR access to freedom of speech. The entire shit show is granted by the powerful leftwinger totalitarians on top: Portland's vile totalitarian mayor.

Rick said...

Why are they wearing masks anyway? Are they afraid?

If we knew who they were their institutions would come under unwanted scrutiny. My plan would be to arrest them all for conspiracy to violate civil rights. Regardless of the outcome they could then be identified. If this happens we'll find out 2/3 of them are employed by the education system and the other third are employed (or quasi-employed) by NGOs drawing government funding. Then we could target the funding and leadership in those institutions.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rory said...

Again, a one pint milkshake weighs one pound.

Wince said...

Remember the Beverly Hillbillies called their pool the "Cement Pond".

When I was a kid I thought they were saying Seaman Pond, as in like a sea captain.

I had no idea but I'm sure adults at the time heard me say "Semen Pond".

Imagine that: quick-drying semen.

How did that old kid's parody song go... (Dirty Songs of Childhood)

"Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed, stripped his daughter Elly and tied her to the bed..."

Well, here's video of Elly May putting her pussy in the Semen, er, I mean Cement Pond.

"Ain't that somethin'?"

Xmas said...

I miss working in Minneapolis and being able to get a Culver's Butter Burger and some fried cheese curds for lunch.

narayanan said...

George Grady said...

If local authorities repeatedly and deliberately turn their backs as mobs of thugs violate citizens' civil rights, maybe it's time to call in the National Guard, like in 1960s Mississippi.

_____________

And The Governor is -

Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American attorney and politician who is the 38th governor of Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives, in the Oregon State Senate, and as Oregon Secretary of State. She became governor in February 2015 following the resignation of John Kitzhaber,[1][2][3] won the special election the following year, and was reelected in 2018. Brown is the first openly bisexual governor in the United States, the first openly LGBT person elected governor in the United States, and the second female governor of Oregon after Barbara Roberts.[4][5]

Rick said...

Imagine that: quick-drying semen.

But does it leave the body at 27 mph or more?

Leland said...

So the bruises that Andy Ngo suffered were just from a milkshake?

I don't care what was in cups; when you start throwing fists and kicking, it really doesn't matter that you started out throwing objects. It's assault.

The rest is simply a distraction.

Gilbert Pinfold said...

Rory said...
Again, a one pint milkshake weighs one pound.

"A pint's a pound the world around". Key reminder. I once save a UPenn lightweight eight (rowing) from disqualification for the coxswain not remembering to bring his make-up weight into the shell with him. A radio call to another referee revealed the necessary additional weight required, and I duct-taped the needed number of pint water bottles together and put it in the shell. They had trained for so long, and an easy fix allowed them to compete.

Dave Begley said...

Hypothetical.

A group of masked men in black roam the Madison campus and beat the hell out of black guys. Or they beat the hell out of guys wearing MAGA hats.

Could the Madison City Council pass an ordinance making it illegal for groups of people to roam around masked?

Fen said...

Throwing objects at people is bad, whether there's an additional harmful ingredient or not.

But that wasn't what pundits were saying *before* they had to address the prospect of harmful substances being thrown instead of milkshakes. They thought it harmelss and cute.

walter said...

This could inspire them to drop anvils.

George Grady said...

A statement from the Portland police includes:

Prior to the event, information was circulating that some participants planned to throw milkshakes on others. As the event progressed, officers learned from some participants that a substance similar to quick drying concrete was being added to some of the "milkshakes." A Lieutenant in the field observed some of the material and noted the texture and smell was consistent with concrete. The Portland Police Bureau sent a tweet out to bring attention to this potential hazard and to encourage victims to contact us. The act of throwing any substance on another person without that person's consent constitutes the crime of harassment (ORS 166.065). After the tweet was sent, an anonymous email was sent to Bureau members with a "Milkshake Recipe" (See attached).

That may not be conclusive evidence, but it's certainly not no evidence, regardless of what Mother Jones says.

Howard said...

red bag

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Watch at the 2:40 mark--> +



Joe Biden, America's Putin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

But that wasn't what pundits were saying *before* they had to address the prospect of harmful substances being thrown instead of milkshakes. They thought it harmless and cute.

Not only "harmless and cute".. some in media insisted it was .. DESERVED.

Howard said...

If you have ever handled cement, the quik drying aspect is not the threat, it's the high pH. Math is Hard

Narr said...

But we have been assured that 'milkshaking' is just a jolly, high-spirited form of speech!

Narr
I like vanilla

Fen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

If we knew who they were their institutions would come under unwanted scrutiny. My plan would be to arrest them all for conspiracy to violate civil rights

And like Eric Clanton the bicycle lock bandit, they would get 3 years probation and the more serious charges would be stricken from the record:

"The felony charges against him were dismissed, and an allegation that he had caused serious bodily injury was stricken. A misdemeanor charge that Clanton wore a mask during the commission of the crime also was dropped."

My plan is more simple. You find out who the people are that raised them and where they live.


Dust Bunny Queen said...

Quikrete Cement Quick setting cement. We use it all the time in our business. You can buy it at Lowes or Home Depot.

That stuff will burn you. Can blind you. Must use gloves. Safety glasses and other protective gear.

This isn't something to joke about. It is harmful. Calling it milkshakes is the MSMs way to diminish the violence and malevolence of the terrorist group Antifa.

Dave Begley said...

George Grady:

You mean Mother Jones was wrong? The same Mother Jones that was nearly bankrupted in a lawsuit brought by defamed students at the University of Virginia?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's time to unmask the Nazis.

Hagar said...

Once again.
Cement is Latin for glue - any kind of glue.

The Portland in Portland cement is Portland, England where it was first produced by grinding limestone into a very fine powder and subjecting it to extreme heat to drive away all moisture. Sort of an industrial process to make volcanic ash with cementitious properties. It is the grey powdery stuff added to stone aggregate and water to make Portland cement concrete.

There are such things as "cement trucks," but they are tank cars made to transport bulk Portland cement from the cement producing plant to the Portland cement concrete making plants, which then load their product into Portland cement "Ready Mix" trucks or "belly dump" trucks for delivery to construction sites.

traditionalguy said...

Concrete has sand and rock and sets as a rock. This additive was quick setting tile mortar. It’s feature was sticking to the head and face and blinding the target so he could be attacked and not see to ward off blows or find an escape rout. It works to weaken the target so beating him is easy.

Fen said...

I find it astounding that masked people can roam the streets and beat up people at random and the police do nothing.

It's incredibly short-sighted and stupid for three reasons:

1) There goes one lefty gun-control argument down the toilet - we've now had 3 high-profile cases of Democrats ordering police to stand down so the people with the "wrong" politics can be assaulted by nazi thugs. So much for "depend on the police with guns"

2) "When the responsible authorities fail to act, other forms of authority will assert themselves. They may not behave responsibly, but they will act" - Glenn Reynolds. I'm a former US Marine who can hit center mass at 500 yards and build IEDs in my sleep. Very unwise to radicalize people like me. We are trained to respond to threats pre-emptively and with disproportionate force.

3) (redacted on advice from counsel) Waves to Agent Garcia.

CapitalistRoader said...

Having poured a few sidewalks and having had to clean dogs' paws of wet cement, I've learned it's nothing to fool around with. From the National Precast Concrete Association:

When cement is dry it contains calcium oxide, which is not particularly dangerous. However, when water is added to cement, calcium hydroxide is formed, which is extremely alkaline with a pH of 12 to 13. Normal human skin has a pH of 5.5; therefore, wet cement can produce alkaline (caustic) skin burns which progress and get worse without more exposure. A worker may have wet concrete on his or her skin for hours without feeling any discomfort; however, the cement is damaging the skin microscopically. Early identification of changes to the skin is important so steps can be taken to treat the affected area.

Don’t assume the burn will not get worse. By the time a worker becomes aware of a burn, much damage has already occurred and further damage is difficult to stop.

Cement burns frequently produce discoloration of the skin, gradually changing to a deep purple-blue color, eventually progressing to painful burns, ulcerations and, in the worst cases, amputation. Some patients report red inflamed skin near the affected area followed by severe blistering.

traditionalguy said...

The next step in Soros thugs MO is throwing acid in the target’s eyes.They want to enjoy the power over us like Hitler’s SS enjoyed killing.

Fen said...

regardless of what Mother Jones says.

When Union Thugs promised Althouse "we'll leave our baseballs in your yard", Mother Jones insisted they only meant their pickup game might put her house in the foul line.

I'm disappointed that Althouse is soft-balling this one.

Michael K said...

Ann supports leftist. NO news.

Oh please. I'd bet some of the Antifa mask wearing cowards actually work at Mother Jones.

Here is why the reporting seems biased.

It is no secret that liberal Democrats have taken sides with Antifa and are more than willing to propagandize for them. Eoin Lenihan published the results of his research on which reporters have created a cozy relationship with Antifa, and for that, Twitter suspended his account. Twitter says that the truth is against their community standards, which is why conservatives get banned – and liberals and terrorists do not.

Here is the study that he published on Quillete, a responsible source.

Antifa often receives media coverage that is neutral or even favorable, with its members’ violence either being ignored by reporters or vaguely explained away as a product of right-wing provocation. What’s more, anecdotal evidence has suggested that many of the mainstream reporters who are most active in covering Antifa also tend to enthusiastically amplify Antifa’s claims on social media.

In October 2018, my research partner and I decided to investigate the truth of this impression by using a mix of network mapping and linguistic analysis to see which prominent journalists who covered Antifa also were closely connected to leading Antifa figures on social media. We then inspected the Antifa-related stories these journalists had written.

We created a data set of 58,254 Antifa or Antifa-associated Twitter accounts based on the follows of 16 verified Antifa seed accounts. Using a software tool that analyzed the number and nature of connections associated with each individual account, we winnowed the 58,254 Antifa or Antifa-associated Twitter accounts down to 962 accounts. This represents a core group of Twitter users who are connected in overlapping ways to the most influential and widely followed Antifa figures. Of these 962 accounts, 22 were found to be verified—of which 15 were journalists who work regularly with national-level news outlets.


Ann needs to get out more.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's time to unmask the Nazis.

Fen said...

"No one seems to have actually been burned by concrete", said the terrorist with a smirk.

Like saying the product of Kristallnacht was just some property damage.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The silence around the FACT that Antifa thugs brutally attacked a gay man, is deafening.

Fen said...

I cannot stress how important it is for Democrats to come out and unequivocally denounce this. If you instead white-wash it, cover it up, make excuses, stonewall...

Remember all those bad apocalypse movies where the protagonist looks back and says "if only we had talked it out, if only we had done something, if only we had taken advantage of that one singular moment we had to prevent all this..."

This is that moment.

Henry said...

How about "Slow drying freezing lactose bombs"

cubanbob said...

Like Obama, Trump has a pen and a phone. He should call AG Barr to have the DoJ look into the numerous federal civil rights and criminal law violations by the Mayor of Portland and the Portland PD. Then the shit will start to get real for these Leftist thugs. Put the Mayor and the cops involved in legal jeopardy will concentrate their minds wonderfully.

Gilbert Pinfold said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Riesel

This is where we're headed. Riesel was a commentator on Channel 5 in New York. I asked my dad why he was wearing sunglasses on TV.
As I said, this is where we're headed.

Fen said...

Why are they wearing masks anyway? Are they afraid?

Eric Clanton was a college professor.

Sidebet he will be employed by another college after his probation ends, just like Ayers and Dohrn were?

Matt said...

Quick set Cement would cause chemical burns, and if it were being used in the milkshakes we should know by now, right?

Dave Begley said...

Correction to me. It was Rolling Stone that got hit with the big judgment for defamation. Not Mother Jones.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Watch the movie I posted. Not really worthy of jokes. Serious stuff, people.

Leftist totalitarian Nazis are allowed to take over the streets of Portland and they are allowed to assault anyone they want, and steal anything they want.

This is tyranny, plain and simple.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

There are pics of Andy Ngo's attackers here https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/02/andy-ngo-antifa-attack-happened-pictures/. Blond boy needs a milkshake enema.

Rob said...

You want to know when throwing a milkshake will be regarded as a serious problem? When the first one gets thrown by a Trump supporter at a reporter from the mainstream media.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

"A pint's a pound the world around".

Wrong. A pint is 473.176 milliliters the world around.

Gilbert Pinfold said...

Blogger Bill, Republic of Texas said...
"A pint's a pound the world around".

Wrong. A pint is 473.176 milliliters the world around.

473.176 ml is 1.043 pounds at the standard density of water 1ml=1cc=1g.
That pesky metric/English measure thing. We scientists are used to it, though.

Balfegor said...

Re: BleachBit-and-Hammers:

Why are they wearing masks anyway? Are they afraid? Are they leftwing pussies who can dish it but they cannot take it? Are they cowards or something?

Because (1) some of them intend to commit violent crimes; (2) all of them know that some of them intend to commit violent crimes; and (3) if they all wear masks, it makes it harder for law enforcement to establish the requisite degree of proof that any particular individual committed the crime. I'm sure there's plausible deniability built in there, but assuming they read the news, they know what they're doing when they put on the mask.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

This Eric Clanton?

Eric Clanton is a Nazi.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

When you have an entire political Party in bed with Antifa, along with that Party's Hack-propaganda media, we have big problems, folks.

Anonymous said...

I live outside Portland. Was there on Saturday and Sunday but avoided downtown. The Mayor is completely in the tank for antifa. a year ago they blocked ICE in their building for two weeks. The PDX Police who the Mayor directly controls refused to respond to 911 calls. There was talk of the Feds bringing in troops.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/portland-police-failed-to-respond-to-911-calls-from-ice-agents-during-siege/

somebody is going to die soon.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

What does the local hive-minder Inga have to say about a radical leftist college professor who smashed a bike lock into the head of a Trump supporter.

Crickets.


Doug said...

Civil War 2.0 starts in Portland. Guess which side is better armed?

Bruce Hayden said...

“Why are they wearing masks anyway? Are they afraid?”

“If we knew who they were their institutions would come under unwanted scrutiny. My plan would be to arrest them all for conspiracy to violate civil rights. Regardless of the outcome they could then be identified. If this happens we'll find out 2/3 of them are employed by the education system and the other third are employed (or quasi-employed) by NGOs drawing government funding. Then we could target the funding and leadership in those institutions.”

I think that it is the anonymity. With everyone having cameras in their cell phones, I think that the fascist Antifa thugs are very realistic is believing that their masks are what keeps them out of jail, and, given the police inactivity when they are committing their violent felonies in front of them, they would be bankrupted by legal suits. Some, who were identified in Portland last weekend, are apparently being sued - but are very unlikely to be the actual perps involved. And, yes, even public school teachers would have problems keeping their jobs if identified in committing politically motivated violent crimes in public. Who wants someone like that entrusted with their kids? Imagine what they might do if they imagined that their parents might have once seen a MAGA hat.

bagoh20 said...

I don't think the milkshakes were the problem. It was the bruises, lacerations and brain bleed caused by kicks and punches to the journalist, becuase that's how you show your hatred of fascism. These people need to go to jail, and RICO should be applicable to Atifa. A criminal terrorist organization should be treated as such.

Bruce Hayden said...

“Because (1) some of them intend to commit violent crimes; (2) all of them know that some of them intend to commit violent crimes; and (3) if they all wear masks, it makes it harder for law enforcement to establish the requisite degree of proof that any particular individual committed the crime. I'm sure there's plausible deniability built in there, but assuming they read the news, they know what they're doing when they put on the mask.”

Sure sounds like a conspiracy to commit violent crimes for the purpose of political intimidation. Fortunately for them, OR apparently doesn’t have a Klan law on the books.

bagoh20 said...

"Why are they wearing masks anyway?"

People who wear masks like that always have the same reason. They intend to break laws and hurt people. Put those bitches in jail.

bagoh20 said...

What explains being willfully distracted by the the least harmful thing done to this man? It's like talking about whether or not the dress actually got dirty on a rape victim?

Anonymous said...

Bruce said... Sure sounds like a conspiracy to commit violent crimes for the purpose of political intimidation. Fortunately for them, OR apparently doesn’t have a Klan law on the books.

Aren't there Fed civil rights laws that can be used on both antifa and the Police?

...depriving people of their civil rights under the color of law?...seems like charging the Police Chief and Mayor might get some attention..

bagoh20 said...

I'm not criticizing our host for bringing up the milkshaking here, this is after all also a casual conversation blog. I'm asking why leftist at places like Mother Jones do, but of course, I already know the answer. Some journalists have apologized for taking it lightly at first, but most have not.

Known Unknown said...

The cement claim comes from the Portland Police. But it has not been verified.

Big Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

@Althouse, you are both right and very gullible. Where you are right is that it is wrong to throw things at people over political differences — not milkshakes, not water bottles filled with urine, not rocks, not Molotov cocktails, and certainly not globs of hot lead expelled from a gun muzzle.

Where you are wrong is when you uncritically accept the efforts of Mother Jones (and also now your beloved New York Times) to diminish the attack (and incidentally the extent of Mr. Ngo’s injuries) by claiming “ there is no evidence.” As if the absence of evidence is evidence of absence!

Mr. Grady, at 9:20, posted the statement put out by the Portland police. Do you you have any information that contradicts that report? Because as of when I started typing this comment the Porglanf PD has not backed down from this report in the slightest. I am not a lawyer nor a law professor, but I have sat on juries, and when the police say words to the effect that they received certain information, and acted on it in a certain way, we are expected to attach weight to that testimony.

But more to the point, throwing soda cans filled with dried cement is a known Antifa tactic, which has been used, notably, at UC Berkeley and elsewhere in California. You insinuate that we conservatives believe the report about cement because we want to believe it. What if we find it plausible because it fits a known pattern?

Really, all it would take is for someone to find a couple inches of dried cement in the bottom of the remains of a milkshake container at or near where Antifa staged their beat-down and Mother Jones and the New York Times to look very foolish. And you, too.

Yancey Ward said...

Wet cement can take the upper layers of your skin off if you expose yourself to it for more than 5 minutes. My father learned this the hard way the first time he poured a slab of concrete. I remember vividly the peeling of the skin on his lower legs and feet. By the time I helped him do such jobs, he had learned to use thigh-high rubber waders.

James K said...

Make it a crime for people to assemble in masks

Now do burkas.

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fen said...

Where you are wrong is when you uncritically accept the efforts of Mother Jones (and also now your beloved New York Times) to diminish the attack (and incidentally the extent of Mr. Ngo’s injuries) by claiming “ there is no evidence.”

To be fair, Althouse may still be assimilating the knowledge that she's been running with actual Nazis, or the Red Guard, whatever you want to liken them too.

I still don't understand how anyone can still publicly identify as a Democrat. No shame.

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rick said...

Bruce said... Sure sounds like a conspiracy to commit violent crimes for the purpose of political intimidation. Fortunately for them, OR apparently doesn’t have a Klan law on the books.

The problem isn't a lack of laws, it's the unwillingness to enforce them because doing so would make the left look bad.

bagoh20 said...

If you want to see how irrelevant the milkshakes were, read someone who was there with Ngo. It includes photos of the real things these assholes are doing to innocent people. Warning: graphic injuries. The cops refused to enter the park where people were being serious hurt as victims begged them for help.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/02/andy-ngo-antifa-attack-happened-pictures/?

Fen said...

Civil War 2.0 starts in Portland. Guess which side is better armed?

Nope. Conservatives have been saying "you better stop that or..." for the last 20 years.

They are cowards who will not commit violence to defend Liberty. It's not a unique problem:

And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family?

Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt!

If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.
― Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn , The Gulag Archipelago

James K said...

One's a left-wing site, and you're right-wing, so it's not reliable. The other is a right-wing site, so you blithely present it as respectable.

Not about politics, it's about track record, reputation. They aren't comparable.

at least no one reported evidence of it to law enforcement

Let's adopt the Mueller standard: There's no evidence for this crime, but no evidence against it either. So we can't conclusively prove that this crime wasn't committed.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Unmask the Nazis.

Michael K said...

even public school teachers would have problems keeping their jobs if identified in committing politically motivated violent crimes in public.

Not so sure about that. The Antifa head in Berkeley is a middle school teacher.

Berkeley: Yvette Felarca, one of the top leaders of BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) and a notoriously violent protester, was arrested on charges of battery and resisting arrest. She was arrested a few months ago for assault and inciting a riot in 2016. Felarca is a middle-school teacher. [Question: Why isn’t this woman behind bars? Who can be a serial thug and an inciter to mob violence and still be teaching in a public school and remain free to practice her craft? Do you think the judicial system might be a bit soft on Leftist agitators?] -GEG
An infamous “anti-fascist” teacher was arrested again Tuesday in Berkeley after an Antifa “Victory March.”


She never seems to land in jail or lose her job, however. Berkeley=Portland. Where civil rights go to die.

Howard said...

the worstest is breathing in the dry powder cloud.

Howard said...

Blogger Fen said...

Civil War 2.0 starts in Portland. Guess which side is better armed?

Nope. Conservatives have been saying "you better stop that or..." for the last 20 years.

They are cowards who will not commit violence to defend Liberty. It's not a unique problem:


exactly. it's the kooks who stay silent on the issue that are more likely to pull the pin.

Howard said...

I thought Eric Clanton was God once he joined the hyper-group Blind Faith

tim in vermont said...

“Authorities also posted an image of an alleged Antifa “milkshake recipe.” The recipe calls for soy milk, Quickrete cement mix, and “other chemical additives to cause long term injury and burns.”

“We hope the biggie officers and proud boys enjoyed the shake back!” the “recipe” said.

Ngo was so-called “milkshaked,” kicked, punched, and robbed during the attack.

“Prior to the event, information was circulating that some participants planned to throw milkshakes on others. As the event progressed, officers learned from some participants that a substance similar to quick drying concrete was being added to some of the ‘milkshakes,’” the press release said.

“A Lieutenant in the field observed some of the material and noted the texture and smell was consistent with concrete,” the post continued. “The Portland Police Bureau sent a tweet out to bring attention to this potential hazard and to encourage victims to contact us. The act of throwing any substance on another person without that person’s consent constitutes the crime of harassment (ORS 166.065).”

The image of the “milkshake recipe” was then anonymous sent via email to the bureau.” - via Instapundit

They sound closer to Molotov cocktails than “milkshakes."

tim in vermont said...

They wear masks for the exact same reason the KKK wore them. And what they did to Ngo was a modern lynching.

tim in vermont said...

It’s all about intimidating the political opposition, same as Hitler’s brownshirts, and the thugs that brought Apartheid to South Africa. What could go wrong?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

They wear masks for the exact same reason the KKK wore them. And what they did to Ngo was a modern lynching.

and ISIS.

Rocketeer said...

Well, that Mother Jones story died a rather quick death..

SDaly said...

Shorter Althouse:

"I'm going to nit-pick terminology despite the fact that everyone understood perfectly what was stated. I'm then going to compare the attack to humorous Chinese mistranslations and children's cartoons. But don't let anyone think I don't wholeheartedly condemn this attack"

tim in vermont said...

Kind of funny how anti KKK laws work so well when applied to Antifa

“We know that ‘public disguise is a particularly effective means of committing crimes of violence and intimidation. From the beginning of time the mask or hood has been the criminal’s dress. It conceals evidence, hinders apprehension and calms the criminal’s inward cowardly fear,’ ” the court said. “A nameless, faceless figure strikes terror in the human heart. But, remove the mask, and the nightmarish form is reduced to its true dimensions. The face betrays not only identity, but human frailty.”

Bruce Hayden said...

From the link by Ricketeer:
Benjamin Horgan
@Horgan777
Replying to
@AmandaPresto
and
@PortlandPolice
So they are admitting to attacking people with intent to cause long term injury? Those who conceal carry can thank them for giving a legit reason to protect themselves against “long term” harm. I’d think long and hard before throwing another milkshake...


Keep that in mind here. Self defense using deadly force is typically legally justified when done in reasonable fear of imminent loss of life or great bodily injury. Broken bones and brain bleeds typically qualify as great bodily injury. But, with the descriptions here, I would think that cement burns would also qualify. Knowing that fascist Antifa thugs are adding something like cement, that can cause significant burns, to their milkshakes, would seemingly go to reasonableness as to fear of being milkshaked. But then Antifa are arguably already in the territory of use of deadly force against them in self defense with their various weapons that they carry to beat people with, since those weapons can, and often do, break bones. Still, check with your local laws, because, for one thing, Retreat Doctrine maybe applicable in your state.

blnelson2 said...

SDaly - I agree wholeheartedly with your post.

Bruce Hayden said...

Let me add though to my point on self defense, that fascist Antifa thugs really only go masked to their beat downs in places where they will very likely have sympathetic juries. Would I want to try to defend myself for the use of deadly force against them in self defense in Portland? No way. Most of the country would probably accept such a defense, but the police in that same most of the country wouldn’t stand idly by as fascist Antifa thugs beat people with weapons in front of them.

Leora said...

The "rumor" about cement in the milkshakes came from a tweet from the Portland Police warning about it. As to quick-drying cement it was known as Portland Cement where I grew up and it was used for cosmetic repairs of foundations kind of like spackle for dry wall. It was very caustic and had to be primed befor you could paint over it.

Since the Antifa people were hitting other people with iron bars and padlocks in socks as well as knocking down and kicking Andy Ngo while destroying or stealing his property I'm not sure why the lack of cement milkshakes would be exculpatory.

We aren't even talking about the other people because they were there as part of a Proud Boys rally and they don't count as victims.


NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Wet cement will burn you after prolonged exposure, it's probably more of a problem to someone working with it than it is for someone getting hit wit a cup full of it.

So both sides are somewhat full of shit. I wouldn't put it past Antifa to make cement milkshakes in an attempt to cause mayhem because they are full of shit, too.

https://precast.org/2010/05/cement-burns/

https://www.poison.org/articles/2016-jun/cement

How to Treat Cement Burns

(I made the last one clickable for those too lazy to cut and paste.)

JAORE said...

Concrete doesn't "dry" as the process by which it gets hard. It's a chemical reaction.

Pet peeve. Like calling concrete cement.

brio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leland said...

Mother Jones makes claim without evidence.

In other related news, Portland Police tweets its evidence.

Henry said...

To be bloody-minded about this, the evidence for concrete is still remarkably thin. The evidence so far is:

1. Before the event, Portland police learned that 'some participants planned to throw milkshakes on others'
2. 'As the event progressed, officers learned from some participants that a substance similar to quick drying concrete was being added to some of the "milkshakes."'
3. A police lieutenant 'observed some of the material and noted the texture and smell was consistent with concrete'
4. 'The Portland Police Bureau sent a tweet out to bring attention to this potential hazard'
5. After the tweet was sent the police received the "milkshake recipe" from an anonymous source.

This leaves open a bunch of questions

From whom did the officers learn of the cement plot?

What does "some" mean, in relation to "some" participants and "some" milkshakes?

How was it that the unnamed police lieutenant observed but not retain any evidence?

Who was the anonymous source that sent the recipe?

Here are some things to consider:

1. Milkshakes have been used by thugs in the past because you can get them cheaply at fast food restaurants. You don't have to carry them from home or mix them on site.

2. Cement mix is heavy. 1 pint of water requires over 10 pounds of quikrete to be turned into something resembling concrete. For arguments sake, you could claim that antifa were just adding "some" powder to "some" liquid, which leaves us in pretty vague territory.

43. Soy milk? False flag?

Seems to me that the police have quite enough evidence to go after the thugs who were committing prosaic crimes like theft and assault.

Henry said...

Leora said...
Since the Antifa people were hitting other people with iron bars and padlocks in socks as well as knocking down and kicking Andy Ngo while destroying or stealing his property I'm not sure why the lack of cement milkshakes would be exculpatory.

Exactly. No milkshakes necessary. The milkshakes are for headlines.

Biff said...

Whether or not "quick dry cement" was used, now it's only a matter of time before it does, and if it was used, the fact that it didn't "quickly dry" is irrelevant.

Ever get dust in your eye? Even without the caustic calcium hydroxide, a single particle of grit in cement mix can do serious damage to an eye.

I'm reminded of how folks used to laugh when people threw glitter at conservatives. Ever get glitter in your eye? That's not funny, either.

narciso said...

Milkshakes began overseas with attacks on mostly Brexit figures like Farage, just about two months ago.

Brian said...

Evidence indicating something defective about Althouse:

1) Many instances of worshipful block-quoting of the Dilbert guy.

2) Addressing a journalist getting brain damage after getting attacked by domestic terrorists with what she imagines is a fun, whimsical post.



Jupiter said...

"Bruce Hayden said...
"Would I want to try to defend myself for the use of deadly force against them in self defense in Portland? No way. Most of the country would probably accept such a defense, but the police in that same most of the country wouldn’t stand idly by as fascist Antifa thugs beat people with weapons in front of them."

The Portland Police have already arrested a journalist for drawing a weapon -- not shooting, drawing a gun -- when menaced by Left Fascist "demonstrators".

https://www.oregonfirearms.org/pro-gun-journalist-faces-felony-counts-for-defending-himself

Bruce Hayden said...

The Federalist: Antifa Is Mostly Made Up Of Privileged White Dudes

Bruce Hayden said...

“The Portland Police have already arrested a journalist for drawing a weapon -- not shooting, drawing a gun -- when menaced by Left Fascist "demonstrators".”

And that is why Portlandia is an Antifa hotbed.

Bruce Hayden said...

From the Babylon Bee (via Instapundit): How to tell a modern day Nazi from an Antifa member

Leland said...

This leaves open a bunch of questions

For example, did you see the photos of signs that read "free vegan milkshakes" at the rally?

1. Milkshakes have been used by thugs in the past because you can get them cheaply at fast food restaurants. You don't have to carry them from home or mix them on site.

Sure, but they were giving them out at the protest. A friend of Andy does note that he also saw people drinking them, so he too believes they were just milkshakes. However, he also notes people could easily walk away and add ingredients. But they weren't purchased from a restaurant; they were made and served at the site.

2. Cement mix is heavy.

It is, but the bonding agent that causes the burning can be purchased in 1 gallon jugs weighing 3 lbs. To be fair to your point, the Portland Police tweet specifically calls out "quikrete cement mix". Shouldn't be hard to find scraps of bags if it were used. From personal experience, those bags tear easily.

43. Soy milk? False flag?

Are the Vegan milkshake signs also false flag? Soy would be a reasonable substitute to cow milk.

Narr said...

Let's try a new label for these goons--

Neofa!

Narr
FIFY

Henry said...

Shouldn't be hard to find scraps of bags if it were used.

That would be ... evidence.

JimT Utah said...

Portland cement is very alkaline. Working with it will leave your hands dry, cracked, and raw. Some kinds set up sloly, some more quickly. Very hard to remove once set.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

when this happens, weasels will say the pH wasnt low enough

NEW THREAT: Antifa Plans Acid Attack on D.C. Free Speech Rally, Promises To Blind Attendees

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/new-antifa-threatens-free-speech-rally-with-acid-attack-promises-to-blind-attendees/

tim in vermont said...

"In Italy the fascists are divided into two categories: the fascists and the anti-fascists." In America the division is a little more lop-sided: There is no organized fascist movement except for the so-called anti-fascist movement: Antifa wear uniforms and masks on the streets of American cities and perpetrate violence with the support and connivance of powerful Democrat politicians and their hideously politicized police departments. - Mark Steyn

Ficta said...

There [is] more truth than one would like to believe in Huey Long’s cynical observation that if fascism came to the United States it would be called Anti-fascism. W H Auden, 1946

wbfjrr2 said...

Althouse ignores the forest for the trees--several people, not just Ngo, almost got killed or maimed for life and she's doing her usual mental masturbation word games--which are always, by the way, boring and to be skipped.

As with her liberal democrat pals, she can't come close to condemning Antifa as the cowardly, terrorist thugs they are. Instead she's rather quibble over whether Mother Jones or National review is more credible--this coming from a woman who reads and believes the NYT.

No dummy like an academic dummy.

glacial erratic said...

I notice easterners tend to use "cement" when they mean "concrete". Cement ("Portland cement") was originally limestone and clay, burned and then ground to a powder. It is the adhesive part of concrete, which is cement, sand, and gravel, to which water is added.

Of course today there are plenty of other additives, but that was the original meaning. Logophiles should know the difference.

Michael K said...

Althouse will deplore the first deaths, having no idea how she encouraged them.

Big Mike said...

@Michael K., afraid you’re right. @Althouse, @Mesde, remember you read it here first.

SweatBee said...

Wrong. A pint is 473.176 milliliters the world around.

The British Imperial gallon is different from the U.S. Customary gallon, so the British pint is larger than a U.S. pint. It's 473.176 ml in one corner of the world.

Fernandinande said...

AliExpress

They are the Great Wall*Mart of China.

Bruce Hayden said...

“AliExpress”

“They are the Great Wall*Mart of China”

I am of several minds when it comes to them. On the one hand, some of their stuff is a real steal. On the other side, that may be literally true. Some white market, some gray market, and some black market. For example, a “Trijicon” red dot sight for <$20. It came with all the Trijicon markings, including US patent number. No documentation though, so I found the red dot sight on the Trijicon site, and downloaded the user manual. Worked like a dream. Some is sloppy though, and some takes the slow boat from China.