Althouse: New Year's dawn.

January 1, 2021

New Year's dawn.

7:33:

7:40:

143F0F05-9134-40CF-8F3B-5081BF30C211_1_201_a

7:46:

52E3715E-9061-4898-A9CB-3CB70B526F68_1_201_a

Open thread in the comments. Write about whatever you want.

142 comments:

Joe Smith said...: Bend over, America. 2021 is going to be painful.

It might not be rape-rape, but it's still going to be bad.; 1/1/21, 6:11 PM
tcrosse said...: Dont expect a reach-around, either.; 1/1/21, 6:17 PM
tcrosse said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/1/21, 6:23 PM
mockturtle said...: When two parties have irreconcilable differences, a divorce is preferable to, say, a civil war. Not a secession by one side but an amicable split along red/blue lines using counties rather than states to designate sides. I can't see any alternative, can you?; 1/1/21, 6:25 PM
tcrosse said...: Phyllis McGuire just died. She was at one time the girlfiend of Sam Giancana, and concurrently JFK. RIP.

This on-screen ipad keyboard sucks to the ultimate.; 1/1/21, 6:25 PM
Jupiter said...: Black Lives Really Do Matter; 1/1/21, 6:37 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "Not a secession by one side but an amicable split along red/blue lines using counties rather than states to designate sides."

From where I sit, the red side doesn't care that much what the blue side does as long as the reds are left alone to live as they choose while the blue side insists on forcing their preferences on the red side.

So- I don't see an amicable split happening.; 1/1/21, 6:48 PM
rhhardin said...: I haven't seen anything of what Scott Adams mentioned today, that Trump's cumulative vote count dropped (and Biden's rose) in the course of one voting machine's audit trail. That's something that cannot happen in non-fraud worlds.

And if one machine, then all can be presumed.

Bipartisan Georgia legislative committee recommends decertifying the Georgia electors as a result.; 1/1/21, 6:52 PM
DavidUW said...: Distribute the vaccine by age down to 65 and then first come first served.; 1/1/21, 6:56 PM
DavidUW said...: In positive news, pelosi house vandalized with commie graffiti.; 1/1/21, 6:58 PM
n.n said...: Bipartisan Georgia legislative committee recommends decertifying the Georgia electors as a result.

A bipartisan recommendation to decertify. This is one step closer to a resolution.; 1/1/21, 7:00 PM
mockturtle said...: I'm Not Sure: I'm sure you're right. ;-) The Blues will want to stop us from 'destroying the planet', for one thing. So I guess war is the only solution. Unless you have another.; 1/1/21, 7:00 PM
n.n said...: the red side doesn't care that much what the blue side does as long as the reds are left alone to live as they choose

The right-wing in the American context is libertarian. That said, when did the parties transpose colors?; 1/1/21, 7:03 PM
n.n said...: It might not be rape-rape, but it's still going to be bad.

It never was. Rape-rape was a semantic play to excuse social progress of a special and peculiar kind. Rape culture was spun to deny civil rights, an em-pathetic play, to normalize a religious/moral/ethical excuse of their wicked solution without reconciliation. The Communists' one-child. The Progressives' selective-child.; 1/1/21, 7:09 PM
Joe Smith said...: "Dont expect a reach-around, either."

Nor lube...; 1/1/21, 7:10 PM
wildswan said...: We're All Third World Now
"Where treason to the state is defined simply as opposition to the government in power, the political leader convicted of it will not necessarily lose credit with the people. Indeed, if he is respected or loved by them, his death at the hands of a tyrannical government may serve to give his life a dignity it did not before possess. In that event his enemies may in the end be faced not by the memory of a fallible human being but by a myth, more formidable than the real man could ever have been, and much less vulnerable. His trial, therefore, is no formality, but a ceremony of preparation and precaution. He must be discredited and destroyed as a man so that he may safely be dealt with as a criminal. Sometimes he is induced to confess abjectly to the crimes of which he is accused; but unless he has himself been a member of the party that now seeks to destroy him, such confessions are not always believed by the people; and when, for example, he is the leader of an unliquidated opposition party, it is better to observe outwardly the old legal forms, to bring witnesses, produce evidence, and let him try to defend himself."

Ambler, Eric. Judgment on Deltchev (pp. 6-7); 1/1/21, 7:10 PM
wildswan said...: The Unknown Constitution

14th Amendment Part 2
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.; 1/1/21, 7:14 PM
wildswan said...: Unknown Constitution Part 3
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.; 1/1/21, 7:16 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "The right-wing in the American context is libertarian. That said, when did the parties transpose colors?"

WAG, when the left realized that being identified with "red" wasn't a good look for them.; 1/1/21, 7:18 PM
wildswan said...: Unknown Constitution Part 4
But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States,

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void; 1/1/21, 7:19 PM
wildswan said...: So neither the US nor any state can pay any debts or bills coming from "autonomous zones."; 1/1/21, 7:22 PM
JML said...: I noticed some dove feathers scattered on my front porch this morning, so I reviewed my ring doorbell videos and watched a hawk get their New Year's Eve dinner. Happy New Year.; 1/1/21, 7:22 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I would love an amicable split - I have been arguing for this for years - but I don’t see it happening. It’s too easy to go along to get along. Who among us is willing to tear apart our lives over abstract concepts and, in the main, unpleasant but doable asks? They stole the election and what are Republicans doing? Going to work and paying taxes like we always have. I see no evidence that will ever change. What would a split or a war even look like? How would that begin?; 1/1/21, 7:23 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: *who among us ... his life

sorry for grammar lapse; 1/1/21, 7:23 PM
Joe Smith said...: "I noticed some dove feathers scattered on my front porch this morning, so I reviewed my ring doorbell videos and watched a hawk get their New Year's Eve dinner."

And that, my friend, is why dove's cry ; ); 1/1/21, 7:25 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Suppose I say “I’m not paying any more taxes for the Biden administration to hand out to their wokeism grifter friends.” Does the IRS say “it’s cool; you’re now a resident of the Red States of America so you’re off the hook?; 1/1/21, 7:25 PM
Andrew said...: Well, 2021 is off to a good start with an absurd example of cancel culture.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9105217/amp/Author-canceled-DROPPED-agent-defending-writer-Scarlet-Letter.html

An author who defended "The Scarlet Letter" from an anti-racist moron is being cancelled, including by her own publisher.

These anti-racists who hate Western civilization have contributed absolutely nothing in their own lives. They only know how to destroy and slander.

However, the accused "racist" here made a fatal mistake. She apologized for defending the classics. Never apologize. Tell them to screw off.; 1/1/21, 7:26 PM
Gahrie said...: What would a split or a war even look like? How would that begin?

The last time it was because half the country refused to accept the results of an election...; 1/1/21, 7:33 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Gahrie, you undoubtedly know lots of people who voted for Trump and lots who think the Democrats committed fraud and that Biden was not genuinely elected. Are any of them going to sacrifice everything in their lives over that? Or are they going to say “oh well” and keep living their lives?; 1/1/21, 7:36 PM
Andrew said...: On a different topic...

I have a family member who grew up in NYC. He knew a store manager in Brooklyn. This manager had two German shepherds who he kept in the basement of the store. They were unleashed and were trained to stay there and keep themselves occupied. If a robber came to the store, the manager would say loudly, "I've got most of my money downstairs in the boxes. Can I get the boxes for you?" The word "boxes" was the signal for the dogs to run up the stairs and attack whoever was on the other side of the counter.

So here's what I'm thinking. You live in NYC or some other large city. You keep a few German shepherds in your back seat. Or pit bulls, or whatever. You train them to be docile and enjoy the car ride. But if you encounter some peaceful protesters, or a group of youths, who start blocking your way or threatening you, you simply open the back doors and say "BLM!" or some other trigger words. Then you wait to see who wins the fight.

Needless to say, the media will equate this with dogs chasing the slaves, but at least a little fear will be restored to the streets.; 1/1/21, 7:37 PM
Gahrie said...: "The right-wing in the American context is libertarian. That said, when did the parties transpose colors?"

WAG, when the left realized that being identified with "red" wasn't a good look for them.

Originally it varied, from election to election, and channel to channel. I believe some of them alternated the colors year to year. Blue representing the Right, and red the Left was originally a European thing.

I heard it was Tim Russert at NBC who pushed to standardize the colors they way they are now, in part so as to disassociate the Democrats with communism.; 1/1/21, 7:38 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "They stole the election and what are Republicans doing? Going to work and paying taxes like we always have."

Not a Republican, but I am old enough to be retired. I haven't done so to this point because I like what I do, but I have begun the process to transition from being a tax payer to a tax eater. I'll be looking forward to those Biden supporters sending me a check every month, along with paying for my medical expenses.

It's the least I can do.; 1/1/21, 7:41 PM
Gahrie said...: Are any of them going to sacrifice everything in their lives over that? Or are they going to say “oh well” and keep living their lives?

It depends on how the Democrats behave. They were talking about perp walking Trump and blacklisting his supporters. That might get some of them angry enough to do something. If they come after the guns, there will be massive civil disobedience, and ultimately violence.

My only hope at this point is that the next four years are so fucking bad we can finally wake up some of the Althouses of the world.; 1/1/21, 7:41 PM
Owen said...: IHaveMisplacedMyPants @ 7:23: Exactly. Once we start testing all the hifalutin talk* against the pragmatics --and also a continuing strong sense of disbelief, that "this cannot be happening, we're caught in a bad movie"-- it gets really hard to see a plan, an organization, resources, training, trust networks, actual orders for actual people to do actual things in furtherance of the big idea. Is Montana going to commandeer heavy weapons from the Guard and march against Colorado?

*In calling it this I do not mean to denigrate. People live and die by, and for, ideas. And the Constitutional Republic is the biggest and best idea ever, in all history. ...What puzzles me is with what seeming ease it has been subverted. That strengthens the sense of disbelief...; 1/1/21, 7:42 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I think / hope that our best bet for freedom is for those of us who believe in it to quietly coalesce and drop out of the mainstream cultural norm and create pockets where we can raise our children to know the old ways, so they at least have some inspiration as opposed to those poor ignorant morons who are being raised by blue state Karens and have no idea how shitty their cultural, intellectual, spiritual and social upbringing has been. We have to be willing to be quietly countercultural within the larger unit that is the rest of the country and stop allowing the Uniparty Lizard People to infect our brains and our children’s brains via social media, entertainment, sports etc. Read your Bible, read books by old dead white guys, spend hours every day in nature and become physically and mentally and spiritually strong. Look for ways to strengthen your own community according to your beliefs and do what you can to affect your local day to day life and experience. DC can’t affect every one of us if we ignore them as much as we can and exercise control over what our children take for granted as normal.; 1/1/21, 7:44 PM
mockturtle said...: Andrew suggests: Never apologize. Tell them to screw off.

No, Andrew, please. Tell them to FUCK off!; 1/1/21, 7:44 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "I heard it was Tim Russert at NBC who pushed to standardize the colors they way they are now, in part so as to disassociate the Democrats with communism."

Why would the Democrats not want to be associated with the ideology they support? Rhetorical, I know.; 1/1/21, 7:44 PM
mockturtle said...: Pants, I could not agree more. Granted, it's easier for me, a widowed pensioner, to drop out of the blue slime culture. I would like to hear more from you and others as to how we might effectively do this as individuals and yet maintain at least a loose coalition of resisters. At least my children and grandchildren's heads and hearts are in the right place and are Bible-studying Christians. But they are also employed--by economic necessity--and obviously have more to sacrifice.; 1/1/21, 7:52 PM
Chuck said...: F.R.C.P. Rule 11, comin' up...

https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1345033081720287232

Brad Heath is the DC-based justice reporter for Reuters, and he's closely followed all of the pleadings in all of the Trump campaign post-election lawsuits. Graduate of Colgate (Poli Sci) and Georgetown Law.

I take particular interest in the Michigan cases of course. And Brad is actually treating these plaintiffs with every bit of respect anyone could reasonably muster. Which is about zero. There is much talk in Michigan legal circles right now about Rule 11 in these cases, and this one stands out.; 1/1/21, 7:53 PM
mockturtle said...: What puzzles me is with what seeming ease it has been subverted. That strengthens the sense of disbelief...

Owen, IMO it's the old frog-in-boiling-water theory. Anything gradual seems to be tolerated. It's quite shocking to see what we have tolerated in the past decade alone that would have been unthinkable two decades past.; 1/1/21, 7:55 PM
chuck said...: My ambition for 2021 is to be a happy grain of sand.; 1/1/21, 7:58 PM
steve uhr said...: So after the split if you live in a red county, will you still be allowed to vote for a Democrat? And if the democrats win, what happens then? Just trying to understand the logistics?; 1/1/21, 8:02 PM
Browndog said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I would love an amicable split - I have been arguing for this for years -

I'm so far past that I can't even find it on a globe, let alone the rear view mirror.

I need hard men to make hard choices, willing to sacrifice all that is dear in this world to be free. As they have done since the beginning of time.

There's a reason the U.S. army took down their ad campaign of "Army of One".; 1/1/21, 8:05 PM
mockturtle said...: Resolutions for 2021, myself and my family:

1. Never apologize for 'PC-offensive' speech or posts.
2. Never back down from a position you know is right.
3. Opt out of any and all 're-education' PC seminars, required or not. See if they fire you. If they do, then get another job. My bet is they won't.
4. Take your kids out of public school if at all possible. Teach them at home if you can. Heaven knows we need more affordable Christian schools. [The school I sent my grandkids to has raised their tuition so high now that only the rich can afford it. Sad.]
5. Less TV, more books, esp. the Bible. Teach your children history! They aren't learning it at school.
6. Aside from the above instances, be polite and considerate of others.; 1/1/21, 8:08 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: Caption Contest !

re: pic of shunned President-Ersatz Joe Biden; 1/1/21, 8:11 PM
mockturtle said...: So after the split if you live in a red county, will you still be allowed to vote for a Democrat? And if the democrats win, what happens then? Just trying to understand the logistics?

Steve, there wouldn't even be a Democrat Party in red counties. Just conservative parties.; 1/1/21, 8:11 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: So after the split if you live in a blue county, will you still be allowed to vote for a Republican? And if the Republicans win, what happens then?

The Democrats fake enough votes to eliminate the win.

Just trying to understand the logistics?

Been asleep for the past month, then?; 1/1/21, 8:12 PM
Browndog said...: mockturtle said...

Resolutions for 2021, myself and my family:

You're a good and decent turtle. Not mocking.

I wish you well.; 1/1/21, 8:12 PM
steve uhr said...: I see. So you’re going to throw out the whole democracy piece. State approved parties only. Cool; 1/1/21, 8:13 PM
Joe Smith said...: My wish for 2021 is that every blue city that caved to the 'defund the police' crowd does just that.

Fire all of the cops, or at least as many as possible.

Take the money that is saved and give it to Antifa and/or BLM.

And while they're at it, I want these mayors and city councils to pass draconian anti-gun ownership laws...even better, confiscation.

Then let the games begin.; 1/1/21, 8:15 PM
mockturtle said...: Thank you, Browndog. BTW, you and I were the only ones to mention To Sir With Love this morning. We must be about the same age. ;-); 1/1/21, 8:16 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Mock forgot one.

7) linger on and appreciate the love and joy in your life,; 1/1/21, 8:18 PM
Sprezzatura said...: And,

8) (optional) help others.; 1/1/21, 8:19 PM
mockturtle said...: My wish for 2021 is that every blue city that caved to the 'defund the police' crowd does just that.

Fire all of the cops, or at least as many as possible.

Joe, in Seattle, 200 police have resigned just in the past month. Most have gone to more cop-friendly locations. Some have just retired early. Can't blame them.; 1/1/21, 8:19 PM
Lawrence Person said...: Breaking news: Texas Supreme Court tells Austin mayor Steve Adler to get stuffed.; 1/1/21, 8:19 PM
mockturtle said...: Good news, LP!; 1/1/21, 8:21 PM
rhhardin said...: If the country divides, you want the red states to get the national debt, at least if you're a treasury bond holder.; 1/1/21, 8:21 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: encounter between average American and Mitch "Turtle McTurtleface"
caught on video; 1/1/21, 8:23 PM
Browndog said...: mockturtle said...

Thank you, Browndog. BTW, you and I were the only ones to mention To Sir With Love this morning. We must be about the same age. ;-)

heh- last I checked, I was hanging out to dry. 1962. Powerful movie, superb acting, stuck with me my entire life.; 1/1/21, 8:30 PM
Joe Smith said...: "...in Seattle, 200 police have resigned just in the past month. Most have gone to more cop-friendly locations. Some have just retired early."

A good start. I hope the positions stay open, and the money is spent on diversity training or transgender story hour at the local libraries.

Philadelphia broke a decades-old murder record in 2020 with 498.

Chicago still beat them, and are the reigning champions at 769.

Surely Philly isn't trying hard enough.

But getting rid of some cops should improve their odds to take the title this year.; 1/1/21, 8:35 PM
stevew said...: "Caption Contest !"

C'Mon Man!; 1/1/21, 8:47 PM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: I love the top photo as a composition of winter blue shades. If you painted that someone might accuse you of artificially limiting your pallet. But Nature does wonders with shade and tone within that monochromatic blue this time of year.; 1/1/21, 8:47 PM
readering said...: Pence has won his election lawsuit in Texas. Congrats Mr Vice President.; 1/1/21, 8:52 PM
stevew said...: Winter scenes.; 1/1/21, 8:59 PM
wild chicken said...: "Just trying to understand the logistics?"

Just cavalier talk by armchair revolutionaries, trying to goad others into fighting for them.; 1/1/21, 9:12 PM
Sprezzatura said...: “Just cavalier talk by armchair revolutionaries, trying to goad others into fighting for them.”

I hope so. My fear is that our country is full of people who are not very smart. So they derive mental satisfaction by sounding like a loon. Their brains are wired for lunacy, hence loon talk/typing feels good.

OTOH, I guess these folks could be nutty, but also smart.

OTOOH, if your brain gets off on crazyness, how can you be smart?

I dunno.; 1/1/21, 9:27 PM
walter said...: So who will play Ruby Freeman in the movie?; 1/1/21, 9:28 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: @stevew

Biden: "C'mon, man!"
Diner Guy: "Not today, Satan!"; 1/1/21, 9:29 PM
Jupiter said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/1/21, 9:36 PM
chuck said...: @Sprezzatura

Not all academics are like that.; 1/1/21, 9:37 PM
Jupiter said...: Jupiter said...
Blogger I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Gahrie, you undoubtedly know lots of people who voted for Trump and lots who think the Democrats committed fraud and that Biden was not genuinely elected. Are any of them going to sacrifice everything in their lives over that? Or are they going to say “oh well” and keep living their lives?

As General Patton put it, "I don't want you to die for your country. I want you to make the other guy die for his country."; 1/1/21, 9:38 PM
rcocean said...: Look, the Left has only one rule: " just win baby, just win". By any means necessary. Meanwhile the Center-right can't figure out whether they want to fight back, lose gracefully, or just give up.

who is going to secede? Who is going to fight a "civil war"? Who on the Left cares about your empty threats and bluster?

quit dreaming and wake up! Organize. Fight back.; 1/1/21, 9:51 PM
rcocean said...: trump has shown that the DC Republicans are in the same party as Schumer and Pelosi. They are one and the same. Voting for assholes like McConnell and McCarthy is a waste of time. they all get paid by the same paymasters.

Thune, McConnell, and McCarthy don't want to disappoint Zuckerberg and Google. Paid off. Bought off. Republican Senators are no different than Schumer.; 1/1/21, 9:54 PM
narciso said...: Keeping with an earlier thread about books

https://www.londonfictions.com/len-deighton-the-ipcress-file.html; 1/1/21, 9:55 PM
Joe Smith said...: "Republican Senators are no different than Schumer."

Agree...I will support individuals only. The 'Party' is dead to me.; 1/1/21, 9:59 PM
mockturtle said...: Yep. I like Tulsi Gabbard better than I like Kevin McCarthy.; 1/1/21, 10:14 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: Beautiful pictures. Glad I'm not there.; 1/1/21, 10:14 PM
Rusty said...: Jupiter said...
"Jupiter said...
Blogger I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Gahrie, you undoubtedly know lots of people who voted for Trump and lots who think the Democrats committed fraud and that Biden was not genuinely elected. Are any of them going to sacrifice everything in their lives over that? Or are they going to say “oh well” and keep living their lives?"
Depends on how much mischief I can get away with. You?; 1/1/21, 10:14 PM
Joe Smith said...: "Yep. I like Tulsi Gabbard better than I like Kevin McCarthy."

But I've never bought into the whole 'hot chick' thing.

Much better looking women at the local coffee shop...; 1/1/21, 10:16 PM
mockturtle said...: Well, as a woman, I'm not into the 'hot chick' thing, either. ;-); 1/1/21, 10:20 PM
mockturtle said...: BTW, we 'deplorables' are NOT the revolutionaries. Not by any means. It is we who are defending America and its Constitution. Those who would destroy them are the 'revolutionaries'. Think of them as the Vichy government in France and we are the Resistance.; 1/1/21, 10:22 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Mental healthcare should be free in America.

Yikes!; 1/1/21, 10:28 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: 5 more days

"Deus ex machina"? "Black Swan"??

suss pence; 1/1/21, 10:31 PM
Sprezzatura said...: It is I who is typing now.; 1/1/21, 10:36 PM
Sprezzatura said...: BTW, it’s not mean if it isn’t understood.

That’s basic math.

Duh.; 1/1/21, 10:37 PM
n.n said...: BTW, we 'deplorables' are NOT the revolutionaries. Not by any means. It is we who are defending America and its Constitution

Yes, been there, done that, ejected an imperial regime bent on sustaining single/central/monopoly capital and control schemes.; 1/1/21, 10:45 PM
Mutaman said...: Trump appointee Judge Kernodle just dismissed the latest suit by the Know Nothings to overturn the election. That makes the score 1-65.

pacer-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/167/203073/175111599398.pdf; 1/1/21, 10:52 PM
wildswan said...: It's my opinion that "Biden" will issue mean-spirited, vicious executive orders if "he" or the people pulling the strings ever gets to the WH. And there's nothing in pretending about how he won and legitimizing the meanness coming our way in the name of tranquility or stability. They will never come back except by a fair election.; 1/1/21, 10:52 PM
D. said...: Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ9Xk-VoGqo; 1/1/21, 11:12 PM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: mean-spirited, vicious executive orders

These are the kind of things that are difficult to enforce in the provinces.; 1/1/21, 11:19 PM
Big Mike said...: I want to see Kevin McCarthy assume the Speakership because I think he will dish it out to Democrats the way Pelosi dishes it out to Republicans.; 1/1/21, 11:19 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: GOP had a chance to address this, but noooo!

Facebook shuts down fundraising pages for both Republican Senate runoff campaigns in Georgia

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-facebook-shuts-down-fundraising-page-for-both-republican-senate-runoff-campaigns-in-georgia; 1/1/21, 11:23 PM
Ken B said...: “ My wish for 2021 is that every blue city that caved to the 'defund the police' crowd does just that.”

Amen. Blue voters must get blue governance, good and hard. And they must get it unremittingly until they vote otherwise.; 1/1/21, 11:23 PM
WK said...: Go Buckeyes!; 1/1/21, 11:28 PM
Oh Yea said...: WK said...
Go Buckeyes!

O-H!

Actually I’m only a lukewarm Buckeye fan but Dabo was such an ass I was loving the beat down.; 1/1/21, 11:39 PM
William said...: I lived through eight years of Obama. I don't think my life appreciably changed during those eight years. I found some of his speeches out of kilter and most of them boring, but life went on. I don't think my life will be upended by a Biden Presidency. He's never accomplished much in the past. Why should the next four years be any different. If you think any politician is going to significantly advance your chances of love, happiness, and fulfillment in this world or, alternately, seal your doom, then you're taking their ad campaigns way too seriously.; 1/1/21, 11:41 PM
William said...: The trick is not to watch cable news or, for that matter, any news. It's also possible to avoid the political correctness crap by burrowing deep into Amazon Prime old BBC series or old TCM movies....I saw the Ronald Colman version of A Tale of Two Cities. Ronald Colman with his plush accent was kind of corny, but I think that was all in keeping with the spirit of Dickens. "It's far, far better thing than anything I have ever done before...." That kind of ripeness sounds best with a plush Ronald Colman accent....The woman who played Madame Defarge really nailed the part. She looked like a combination of Marianne at the barricades and Ma Barker. She didn't go on to further fame and fortune, but she really was a great Defarge.....Anyway, Biden doesn't remind me of Robespierre. Harris could probably give off a Madame Defarge vibe, but she, except during debates, she keeps it hidden.; 1/1/21, 11:50 PM
Jupiter said...: "Amen. Blue voters must get blue governance, good and hard. And they must get it unremittingly until they vote otherwise."

I am starting to think we have been giving the Democrats too much credit. Have they been winning elections, or just stealing them? It's hard to believe that the property-owners of America have really been voting to have their homes burned down. Judging by the price of ammo, an awful lot of our fellow Americans are not real happy with the way things have been going.; 1/1/21, 11:55 PM
Sprezzatura said...: “I want to see Kevin McCarthy assume the Speakership because I think he will dish it out to Democrats the way Pelosi dishes it out to Republicans.”

Your brain is not expressing itself well.

I’m sure that your statement here is throwaway fluff. Presumably you mean to type that you support McCarthy because he will make sure that the job creators are freed up to expand growth on the supply side (or other good stuff), which will trickle down to all Americans.

The senseless kindergarten taunt that you typed is not representative of your mental capacity.

BTW, it’d be nice if you could be less sloppy in the future. Not everyone will understand that they should ignore what you type, and instead concoct an alternative statement that doesn’t make you look dopey.

Just sayin’; 1/1/21, 11:55 PM
Sprezzatura said...: “It's hard to believe that the property-owners of America have really been voting to have their homes burned down.”

Do you know why it’s hard to believe that property-owners of America have been voting to have their homes burned down?

This isn’t a trick question?; 1/1/21, 11:57 PM
MadTownGuy said...: Gabriel said...

"I heard it was Tim Russert at NBC who pushed to standardize the colors they way they are now, in part so as to disassociate the Democrats with communism.

Yes, as I recall. Same election where Dan Rather kept mispronouncing 'Kerry' as 'Kennedy.'; 1/2/21, 12:20 AM
CWJ said...: "I lived through eight years of Obama. I don't think my life appreciably changed during those eight years."

You must not have had individual health insurance among other things.; 1/2/21, 12:28 AM
Readering said...: Are we here to discuss health insurance under Trump? I better settle in.; 1/2/21, 1:26 AM
gadfly said...: rhhardin: WaPo sez:

"That’s why a growing movement over the past 20 years has pushed to replace paperless voting machines with devices that record votes on paper ballots. That transition is still in progress, but paperless machines have been eliminated in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the states Trump supporters have focused on since November. Wherever paper ballots are used, officials can check behind the machines with recounts and audits to find out whether the software was honest. The hand audits done in Georgia, plus recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties in Wisconsin and in Antrim County, Mich., found no evidence of hacking, and confirmed Biden wins (in Georgia and the [two] Wisconsin counties) as well as a Trump one (in Antrim County)."

Methinks that one of these days the paperless voting machines for all the precincts in Texas will finally be updated to permit the hand recounts that the Texas AG went to SCOTUS to complain about. Scott Adams has been wrong in blindly supporting our Septuagenarian Crybaby for four years so I am not surprised that he continues to look for love in all the wrong places.; 1/2/21, 1:39 AM
Clyde said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
I would love an amicable split - I have been arguing for this for years - but I don’t see it happening. It’s too easy to go along to get along. Who among us is willing to tear apart our lives over abstract concepts and, in the main, unpleasant but doable asks? They stole the election and what are Republicans doing? Going to work and paying taxes like we always have. I see no evidence that will ever change. What would a split or a war even look like? How would that begin?

The comfortable bourgeois is not going to be a revolutionary. It is the man who is backed into a corner and feels that he has nothing left to lose who is dangerous. If the Democrats win the two Georgia Senate seats and feel that they have carte blanche to do anything they want, they will create a lot of people who feel angry and cornered as their rights are taken away from them. When they start writing laws that slap extra taxes on guns and ammunition, tell you that you must spend exorbitant amounts of money to green up your house and replace your gasoline car with an electric one or else give up all of those things, you're going to get an angry response from a lot of people who might otherwise go along to get along. What would a war look like? Targeted assassinations of people on the other side deemed to be causing the problem.; 1/2/21, 3:11 AM
Oso Negro said...: Blogger mockturtle said...
When two parties have irreconcilable differences, a divorce is preferable to, say, a civil war. Not a secession by one side but an amicable split along red/blue lines using counties rather than states to designate sides. I can't see any alternative, can you?

And here are the sensible women on the blog speaking national dissolution to start the New Year. Dear Mockturtle, I would be delighted with a Texas secession at this point, joined by other sensible states or counties thereof. In Texas, we need to address Travis, Bexar, Dallas, and Harris counties. It has been such a relief to spend my Christmas holiday Tanzania. A poor country where poor people work to live as best they can and don't sit around mooching handouts (aside from the government and NGO types mooching off of foreign aid). Now I am in less poor, but definitely-over-socialism Ukraine. Another poor country where poor people work to live as best they can and don't sit around mooching handouts (aside from the government and NGO types mooching off of foreign aid). I think the kindest interpretation of the Uniparty's plans for we deplorables is to reduce us to poverty, but if we include the globalists I worry about darker possibilities, ala the totalitarians of the 20th century. I am 63, I love my life. But I am not married, my children are grown, and have lives of their own. I would prefer not to shoot anyone, especially not my friends and family. So amicable separation is preferable. One old man starting shit is basically the guy in Nashville. Lone kook? Revolutionary martyr? Who's to say? But the authorities closed that story up quickly, that's for sure. I am a chemical engineer and I work mainly in refineries these days. The vast majority of people there are serious, practical, and pissed off. If they simply become uncooperative, good luck getting gasoline in your town. If they become actively hostile, oh my my. I started my career with GAF Chemicals of Wayne, New Jersey. We had been the American Division of IG Farben, the German chemical conglomerate that introduced offensive gas weapons to WW1 and ran the work camp at Auschwitz in WW2. You really don't want the chemical engineers on the opposite team when the hostilities begin. But I guess the Chinese would swiftly reinforce the breakaway Pacific Coast counties. We will see where 2021 takes us.; 1/2/21, 5:36 AM
Big Mike said...: I’m sure that your statement here is throwaway fluff. Presumably you mean to type that you support McCarthy because he will make sure that the job creators are freed up to expand growth on the supply side (or other good stuff), which will trickle down to all Americans.

What’s weird is that Dumbocrats and their stupid enablers keep harping on “trickle down” even after it has been well publicized that the measurable benefits of the Trump economic boom, by every statistical measure, went to small businesses and to the working people at the the bottom of the wage scale. In contrast to Bush’s TARP and Obama’s “Stimulus” (which stimulated nothing) Trump’s policies gave hardly any financial benefit to the fat cats at the top — the 0.1% — and he made limousine liberals pay their fair share of taxes for the first time in many decades. Which, no doubt, is why the well to do hate him so much. These are not matters of opinion; they are measurable facts,

Of course it’s also true that Dumbocrats are generally innumerate, because math is hard. Rioting and looting and arson and beat-downs are easy.

But, yeah, we do need to dish it out. Stick it to the Dumbocrats and their enablers, and raise Hell generally. Some working man’s Ford gets keyed because of its Trump sticker? Key three or four Mercedes or Audis or Beemers with Biden stickers. That sort of thing.; 1/2/21, 5:53 AM
Big Mike said...: The comfortable bourgeois is not going to be a revolutionary.

The comfortable bourgeois are not Trump supporters.; 1/2/21, 6:00 AM
Gahrie said...: When two parties have irreconcilable differences, a divorce is preferable to, say, a civil war. Not a secession by one side but an amicable split along red/blue lines using counties rather than states to designate sides. I can't see any alternative, can you?

The answer is to escape the Leftist busybodies like our ancestors did in the past. The problem has been, there is no where to go anymore.

That is about to change. Like in the past, one of the big pushes for exploiting the next frontier (space) is going to be people trying to escape government and live on their own terms.

If I was a younger man (say my early twenties) I would be doing everything I could to maximize my chances of being an early space colonist.; 1/2/21, 6:04 AM
Gahrie said...: The comfortable bourgeois is not going to be a revolutionary.

It is not that the Right are "comfortable bourgeois", it's the fact that we aren't assholes who enjoy ruining other people's lives.; 1/2/21, 6:06 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I know Glenn Reynolds comes here. I know Rush Limbaugh comes here. Those two, alone, can make this the RW anthem we need to re-start a national dialogue and turn this shit around - if they play it LOUD. So, coming soon to Spotify, but making it's .MP3 .
debut here - to my fellow members of the Althouse salon - Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you "Deplorables" by The Crack Emcee:

[2016 Hillary Clinton “Deplorables” speech]

[Chorus x 2]

Y’all got Biden/‘cause you slippedy-slidin’
but y’all can’t hide/ all that lyin’ inside
So, come to Daddy/and start to confidin’
about how you was tryin’/to be so sly
Crack Emcee/the O.G. on the street
You can fool yourself/but you can’t fool me:
I know the okey-doke/I know the Clinton Machine
Ain’t shit been clean/since 2016

[Verse 1]

Attention!
Attention!
Got some politics
media can’t mention:
They got us hangin’ in
animated suspension
‘cause they know
Evil’s now in ascension

And they know it’s all the fault
of the Clintons
Don’t make me repeat
that damn sentence:
He’s a rapist and a liar
She makes people tired
and they make the rest of them
act demented

He spoke for Joe Biden
at the convention
Did you forget he did
Ricky Ray’s lynchin’?
Did you forget Paula Jones?
Juanita Broderick all alone?
Democrats know the truth
and how they bent it

Hunter Biden smokes
more crack than me
He should be known
as The Crack Emcee
except I’ve never ever slept
with my brother’s wife
with my Daddy walkin’ ‘round
sayin’ that’s alright

What the fuck
is wrong with you?
You rewarded them
for not bein’ true
You got Oprah Winfrey hangin’
with every quack and con artist
while all the rest of you fools
be actin’ retarded

Kamala Harris went
with Montel Williams
Now you KNOW truth
done left the buildin’
Now she’s Vice President
and y’all get the credit then
for helpin’ niggas
rippin’ off women

[Chorus x 2]

[President Trump 2020 “Election fraud” speech]

Prince Harry’s now
out there with Meghan
Runnin’ ‘round town
always beggin’
They said they wouldn’t live here
Now they in L.A..
What the fuck we got to do
to make these two go away?

I don’t need
their lecturing bit
If he ain’t a Prince
then she ain’t shit
but a former B-actress
TV number-turner
and they both
big ass hypocrites

Her Mom is a
yoga instructor
Alec Baldwin’s lying wife
should abduct her
They can take a boat to Spain
rearrange both their brains
and come back and do
something productive

I don’t know
where you think this is goin’
I think even
Hillary out hoin’
Chelsea don’t look like her
or Bill
A blood test?
Oh no she never will

They’re just
America’s Addam’s Family
Infecting our country
See?
She hangin’ with rapists
and even murderers
What the fuck did we do
to ever deserve her?

[Chorus x 2]

Let’s have a talk
about Obama
What the fuck is up
with Michelle’s Momma?
Didn’t she hear
his climate change speech?
How she let ‘em
buy a mansion on the beach?

Is that nigga
one of Oprah’s clowns?
Everybody knows the way
she get down
She be makin’ rapists
into innocent men
How the fuck is she
and him ever friends?

She be listenin’
to Shirley MacLaine
and I’m supposed to
believe this nigga got a brain?
James Arthur Ray?
John of God?
Where’s the President
come in here Y’all?

What the Hell
are you voting FOR?
It’s got a smell
I can’t ignore
but this media
certainly can
Every woman huh
Every man

They talk about
anything fucking else
but what they all keepin’
to themselves
is this NewAge Nazi shit
that’s corroding every bit
of the American way of life
I first noticed it in my wife

And now
it’s gotten to the nation
and we could take to
Battle Stations
we gotta head them off
at the pass
This Democrat cult
can kiss my ass
I ain’t goin’ for it
Y’all
Crack Emcee
Lick my balls

[Chorus x 2]

[More 2020 President Trump “Election fraud” speech]; 1/2/21, 6:09 AM
mockturtle said...: Go Buckeyes!

The only reason I was rooting for Ohio St. is because of all the hype over Trevor Lawrence/Clemson. The Buckeyes put on a clinic, didn't they?! I'll be pulling for them against the Tide.; 1/2/21, 7:15 AM
Big Mike said...: The only reason I was rooting for Ohio St. is because of all the hype over Trevor Lawrence/Clemson.

Trevor Lawrence surely lowered his draft stock when he showed he can’t protect the football while being sacked. Meanwhile the toughness Justin Fields displayed completing sixty yard passes is just amazing.; 1/2/21, 7:33 AM
virgil xenophon said...: The Crack Emcee@6:09AM/

My Man Crack! Some dope stuff (as they say) Time to get stupid (as they say) Go ahead on out!; 1/2/21, 7:35 AM
wild chicken said...: So, if a red state secedes in an amicable divorce, will the feds still pay social security? Asking for a friend.

Oh and Medicare too.; 1/2/21, 8:33 AM
mockturtle said...: Divorce, not secession, 'wild chicken'. Each side will have its own capital. Dallas for the reds. Our revenue will be collected from red counties only and spent on red counties only.; 1/2/21, 8:38 AM
campy said...: "I'll be looking forward to those Biden supporters sending me a check every month, along with paying for my medical expenses."

Wait until the dems start pegging benefits to your ChiCom-style Social Credit Score. No soup for you, Deplorable!; 1/2/21, 8:39 AM
wildswan said...: I'm not tired of winning.; 1/2/21, 8:39 AM
mockturtle said...: Here's what it might look like:
Red-Blue Partition Maps; 1/2/21, 8:41 AM
Lurker21 said...: Phyllis McGuire just died. She was at one time the girlfriend of Sam Giancana, and concurrently JFK. RIP.

Giancana, yes. Kennedy possibly (on the assumption that JFK had sex with everyone).

Judith Campbell was the woman they were definitely both involved with (and according to Phyllis, Marilyn Monroe was another).; 1/2/21, 8:45 AM
Iman said...: So after the split if you live in a red county, will you still be allowed to vote for a Democrat? And if the democrats win, what happens then

Pigs will fly.; 1/2/21, 8:47 AM
Curious George said...: " Big Mike said...
Trevor Lawrence surely lowered his draft stock when he showed he can’t protect the football while being sacked."

No. He will be the #1 pick.; 1/2/21, 8:50 AM
mockturtle said...: Curious George: I would guess DeVonta Smith.; 1/2/21, 9:01 AM
wildswan said...: It's said that flu activity is low this year as well as other respiratory viruses e.g., It’s thought that flu transmission has been suppressed by the precautions in place for COVID-19.

“It is possible that the mitigation measures for SARS-CoV-2 [such as social distancing, remote working, and mask wearing] will help curb the spread of flu [and] other respiratory viruses as well, since these viruses are transmitted in similar ways,” said Dr. Ellen F. Foxman, an immunologist and Yale Medicine Laboratory Medicine physician. Why Flu Cases are Down During a Massive Pandemic. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/covid19-is-surging-but-flu-cases-are-down. Yet flu is the largest underlying problems associated with covid deaths.
As of Dec. 26, 2020
Influenza and pneumonia 128,860
Average number of flu/pnuemonia deaths 68, 000

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR3-wrg3tTKK5-9tOHPGAHWFVO3DfslkJ0KsDEPQpWmPbKtp6EsoVV2Qs1Q#Comorbidities

The number of excess deaths in 2020 over 2019 was about 260,000 in November. So flu /covid deaths are making a very substantial contribution to excess deaths in the US. So you wonder how flu cases could be down.; 1/2/21, 9:37 AM
Curious George said...: "mockturtle said...
Curious George: I would guess DeVonta Smith."

Wide receiver #1? That hasn't happened since 1986 and won't this year and likely never again.. Receivers are easier to get than franchise QB's. Smith may go first round, but not #1. I wouldn't take a receiver first round ever, it's too easy to get great one's through trade or free agency. And the most important positions to pair with a good QB in this pass happy NFL are not receivers, but offensive lineman.; 1/2/21, 10:06 AM
mockturtle said...: Well, Curious, I know QBs usually win the Heisman and are #1 draft picks. However, look around the league and you will see a plethora of good quarterbacks and a shortage of good receivers [or RBs, for that matter]. This is just my guess. We'll see. :-); 1/2/21, 10:16 AM
mockturtle said...: Being the #1 draft pick is good and bad, of course. He'd end up playing for Jacksonville.; 1/2/21, 10:19 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: If y'all want to win an election, you better stop talking football and start promoting a song to move the cultural needle your way.

That's how liberals and leftists do it.

They don't have to be told or anything. It puts down the other side? Simple: promote it.

Nor do they have to put up with the bullshit I can you guys thinking: I'm just being self-serving,...WHEN THERE'S AN ELECTION TO STOP AND WIN BUT NO TIME FOR THAT BULLSHIT.

Fuck, I hate this.

I did my part. If you guys want to blow it, that's on you.; 1/2/21, 10:59 AM
Narr said...: Crack, good luck. I haven't listened but I like the lyrics.

Narr
It can't hurt!; 1/2/21, 11:00 AM
Iman said...: 1962. Powerful movie, superb acting, stuck with me my entire life.

1967.; 1/2/21, 11:18 AM
Big Mike said...: @Curious George, you could be right. But how many times did Lawrence put the ball on the ground? I think he only lost one, but I think he was stripped a total of four times. That’s a lot.; 1/2/21, 11:40 AM
Curious George said...: "Big Mike said...
@Curious George, you could be right. But how many times did Lawrence put the ball on the ground? I think he only lost one, but I think he was stripped a total of four times. That’s a lot."

Wasn't his best game, for sure. I think he was trying to do too much, seeing that they were getting the shit kicked out of them.

I think the Bucks will handle Bama. Of course I'm a big OSU fan so there's a big bit of "hope" in that.; 1/2/21, 1:10 PM
walter said...: Bowed down to Spotify to hear recent Rogan/Berenson episode.
Sounds like show is edited.
Meathead Rogan moment so far was him comparing Trump's response to reporters vs Obama's when reporters yelled at them. Obama made Joe want to be like Obama.
Reporters yelling at Obama? While they complained about access? While they were being spied on? While Obama admin spied on Trump?
To be fair, Joe's taken a few to the head.; 1/2/21, 1:26 PM
Iman said...: Great stuff, Crack, @6:09am!!!; 1/2/21, 2:24 PM
alan markus said...: @ Crack -

Always a pleasure to see you here. I like the song, not crazy about some of the language - kind of limits who I can share it with. Can't see all those gorgeous young drop-dead conservative Tik Tok girls dancing to this one.

Somehow it would make a great mashup on You Tube with the proper images.; 1/2/21, 2:31 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: alan markus said...
@ Crack -

"Always a pleasure to see you here."

Thank you.

"I like the song, not crazy about some of the language - kind of limits who I can share it with."

I'm sorry: I made it for folks who are pissed. I'm pissed. I think you should share it as an example of what's out there - no-one else is saying it that I can see.

"Can't see all those gorgeous young drop-dead conservative Tik Tok girls dancing to this one."

I'll make a song for them after we win.

"Somehow it would make a great mashup on You Tube with the proper images."

Get to work: you have my full p[ermission.; 1/2/21, 2:58 PM
Todd Roberson said...: For once the Hoosiers had a great team and were challenging the Buckeyes for the Big Ten.

Another goddam Covid casualty.; 1/2/21, 3:50 PM
Ken B said...: Mockturtle
“ My bet is they won't.”

My bet is they will, and in some states deny you unemployment. You underestimate how much they hate you.; 1/2/21, 5:08 PM
I'm Not Sure said...: "You underestimate how much they hate you."

When you're right, you're right.

The public in NYC was barred from gathering in Times Square on New Year's Eve. The NYC Mayor's Office twitter account (exhibiting no apparent shame) was proud to share the mayor dancing with his wife... in Times Square.

https://twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice/status/1344897547370954753?s=20; 1/2/21, 5:47 PM
mockturtle said...: Ken B, no, I don't underestimate their utter hatred for me and all Trump [and liberty] supporters. But many private companies that are required to have their employees re-educated along PC lines are not willing to fire them if they refuse. My husband and I both refused to attend some silly 'sensitivity training' sessions our company said were mandatory. Neither was fired nor even given a stern lecture. Most of the company managers knew it was crap. Now, it might be different if I worked for the state but, then, I wouldn't.

Christians should refuse LBGTQ re-education programs on the grounds that they violate their First Amendment rights. Too many people seem all too willing to give up their rights. Maybe we need a Rightist version of the ACLU.; 1/2/21, 7:17 PM
Curious George said...: "Todd Roberson said...
For once the Hoosiers had a great team and were challenging the Buckeyes for the Big Ten.

Another goddam Covid casualty."

They had a nice season, and looks like the program is on the upswing, but challenging the Buckeyes? No.; 1/2/21, 8:34 PM
Ice Nine said...: Sen. Ron Johnson should have smacked Todd down as the bug that he is. For his effrontery as well as his stupidity. But Johnson, though a good guy and a perseverant fighter, is not particularly articulate or forceful. Todd owned him and that should not have happened.; 1/3/21, 3:04 PM