WHY Did the Congress Have to Declare an Emergency?

 You need to read this. It lays out the case for the “Insurrection” having been a manufactured event, in order to stop the certification objections from having a way to reach the Supreme Court. 

Why Waste Time with the "News"?

It's getting to be pretty predictable.

Step 1:

Outrage about the horrors of the "Fascists" and "Something-Phobes"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

24/7 coverage of this "News". Nonstop and repetitive spewing of identical talking points.

Step 2:

Some non-conformist uncovers facts not supporting the Accepted Truth. Immediate, vicious pushback against this Heresy!

Deplatforming, Demonetizing, and Loss of Job/Privacy/Ability to appear in public/Complete ban from appearances to discuss the newly-uncovered facts.

Step 3:

LONG after the truth is unearthed, there is a TINY admission that the facts were, in fact, factual (usually admitted grudgingly, and with an absolute minimum of explanation). Insistence that the pseudo-facts of the Left were essentially correct, until MANY, MANY months later.

Step 4:

When the slandered and abused truth-teller attempts to resurrect his/her career, the Left still resists, saying that the full story is not known (and implying that they would be vindicated if it were), it's all "Old News", and that the story is simply a trope that the Fascist Haters use to avoid admitting their deep-seated hostility to the Side of Goodness and Light. And Blacks and LBGT&&&&&& (whether the whole issue even centered on them).

That Formerly Depersoned Non-Leftist will NEVER regain their position, their reputation, nor their ability to function in society. They are history.

But, now on to the Latest News:

McConnell has fallen! Doesn't that sound like the title of an action flick?

Well, that's to be expected - that a 80+ politician/public figure falls is actually NOT news. It's a common event. And, when the old geezer/geezette does so, their body usually takes a big hit - sprains, broken bones, concussions, bruises. Hospitalization is often necessary, in order to be able to rule out underlying causes for the fall.

In some cases, serious health issues are found. In others, it's just one more fall in a lifetime of clumsy movement (I've tripped since childhood, causing multiple sprains and bruising. As an old person, those falls caused ligament damage, broken bones, and need for a cane/brace to fully recover).

This is the norm for a society content to elect geriatric leaders. I'm with the folks who want EVERY over 75 candidate to take a mental functioning test. It should be the standard test that looks for evidence of strokes, mental slowing, and dementia, not one that considers non-adoption of Leftist ideals to be evidence of mental incompetence. Those results should be released, should the politician decide to continue his/her campaign.

That won't stop folks like Fetterman from being elected, but it will do a lot to clear out the deadwood.

Part of a Solution for Violent People with Mental Illnesses

I'm not generally a proponent of forcing people to take drugs. However, in the case of people who act violently (or, SERIOUSLY antisocially - throwing feces, screaming at strangers, exposing themselves or defecating in public, for example), I'm willing to compromise.

This suggestion is worthy of further exploration. Treat mental illness medications like you do drug tests - mandatory compliance if that person wants to be released from confinement and remain out of there.

Astroturf in Action

Namely, the DeSantis campaign to win the GOP nomination.

90% of the "News" and "Grassroots Excitement" is Astroturfed. Actual crowds that are motivated by organic excitement are rare - a substantial part of the Trump appeal is that voters believe the crowds are authentic. Whether all of them are (or are not, I have no evidence either way), they certainly seem to be honest supporters.

DeSantis is a PR person's Wet Dream. He is young, with a presentable wife and family, projects an earnest and honest persona, and has not had any of his failings hit the news. Do I think there is likely scandal in his past?

Of course! No human is perfect, and I suspect that he has committed the average number of either dumba$$ actions or shady sins. It's to be expected - as is the response by the news media to any suggestion of a problem, which is to sweep it under the rug.

For now. That's what October is for, silly! To bring out all of the dirt/rumor/outright lies/bought-and-paid-for media whores, and dump it all on the 6 pm News, complete with the talking heads spewing the planned and focus-group tested talking points.

For me, my plan is to vote Trump. He may be a scoundrel personally, but his ACTIONS when in office were solidly on the side of anti-Leftism. That's it, for me.

Is It Time to Use the Tools We Have Been Handed?

Like Congressional subpoena of Presidential tax records? The admission of Hunter Biden that the laptop was, indeed, his, gives us a reason. And the case against President Trump, that resulted in turning over tax records, is what lawyers call precedent.

Trust the Science! Or, maybe ask a few inconvenient questions about that "Science".

This should concern all of us who write, whether or not we are being paid for our work, or not. This blatant at TECHNICALLY Non-Censorship, as it is being undertaken by politically-linked groups, using the power of government to "nudge" non-governmental actors to deplatform, blacklist, and defund those opposing them (and, COMPLETELY COINCIDENTALLY, the party in power).

Check out other articles from The Federalist. They have some very well-written, and well-reasoned, commentary on our cultural and political life.

And, when the newly-Not-Leftist Congress does their investigative work, they need to make a point of releasing it to Non-Leftist sites, and reminding Americans just where they can find that Not-Leftist-Biased site.

The War Against the Left is NOT over; it's barely begun the fight. It will take YEARS to dislodge the Left from their tentacled government/NGO/Institutional nests.

But, short-term, one of the best ways to get them on the road is to cut off funding:

• Reduction of Government. Eliminate at least 10% of every agency, bureaucracy, and department. Start with Staff Functions (Line Functions are those that bring in money or are directly related to the mission of the organization's core function, Staff Functions are Operating Expenses, and COST the organization money, without bringing any in). Yes, this WILL hit women's jobs more severely - there are more women than men in staff jobs, more men than women in line jobs.
• IRS Over-reach.
• Have the head of the agency (once you've replaced the current holder of the job with someone Not-Left) put an immediate halt to Leftist NGOs claiming tax-exempt status. Take it back for as many years as they can, and put immediate tax liens on their bank accounts, material holdings, such as real estate, and all sources of income.
• Send out a directive that all NGOs doing "pass-along" with money - in essence, using tax-exempt cash to fund projects/organizations that don't qualify for tax-exempt status - will be audited. Subpoena their communications - mail, phone records, and texts. BEFORE doing so, archive their social history, and use it as additional evidence that they were colluding to evade taxes/help other organizations do so.
• Restraint of Trade - the case is pretty clear for some groups. Fine to have business competitors, okay to try to take their business from them, NOT acceptable to collude with others to drive them out of business. The abuses by NGOs should have the IRS re-examining whether they fit into the Tax-Exempt classification, and - for some - removing their status for good.

Society from the POV of Biologists

Surprisingly, Glenn Reynolds, a lawyer, had this essay - one that I strongly suggest you read.

The upper levels of American society used to get regular infusions of diversity, simply from the marriages of their offspring. The smart-but-poor young man who catches the attention of the owner of a business, due to his excellent work at the plant. The recent immigrants. Children of tradesmen who were sent to college.

The healthy and good-looking young girl, whose virtuous refusals of less-decent suggestions leads to a proposal. The woman who cares for the family members of the man - his parents, minor children, or disabled relatives - her tender attention to her patients/charges catches his attention, and leads to marriage.

This lead to increased fitness among offspring - what is called hybrid vigor. It widened the gene pool, and kept the culture of the leading classes from stultifying.

This seldom happens today. The upper classes generally mingle only with others at their SES level. Newer Americans (Mideast, Asian, Indian) mostly marry within their ancestral heritage groups (family pressure to do so is huge). After a while, the disconnect from average Americans becomes a chasm.

I'm the product of one of these cultural mixes. Mother was Irish/English Catholic, daughter of a man in the skilled trades, and homeowners in a stable neighborhood. Father was younger son from a widowed Appalachian family of strong Evangelical convictions, who quit school by 14 and ran with bootleggers until impending arrests led him to beat feet for Cleveland and stay with his older married sister. After meeting and marrying my mother, her family helped him attend college, eventually get training in technology, and retire as a junior engineer.

All of us attended college (I'm the only one with a 4 year degree - the 2 surviving sibs have Associate's level degrees), and worked for a living. It had been a point of pride for my father NOT to accept government charity, even if entitled. He had seen some of his relatives had sunk into that dependency position, which is difficult to escape. It's easier to Fall Down, than to Stay Upright.

Today's upper classes would often rather stay single than to marry someone of a lower class. With so many women being graduates of 4-year schools (or beyond) compared to men, the educational attainment imbalance makes spinsterhood the likely scenario for many. They may have children, but will not marry.

Raising children by yourself is a difficult job in ANY time. Prior generations had missing parents due to divorce (not that common at that time), death, and desertion - you might call them the 3 D's. Step-parenting isn't easy, either - particularly when one or more of the children is a teen/tween. At that age, they often drive their OWN parents nuts. Most people don't want to hear the phrase "You're not my Dad/Mom!" - even if true - whenever some disciplinary brakes on behavior are applied.

We aren't the only species that finds single parenthood hard. In many species, death or other loss of a pair-partner puts survival of the offspring in serious jeopardy. The prolonged dependency period of humans makes a two-parent household a virtual necessity.

Bi-Partisanship I Can Get Behind

THIS example of working together to get some answers from EPA.

Hope they do the same for some grilling of Buttigieg about the piss-poor response from DOT.