Saturday, July 31, 2021

Walk and Beach Report 7/31/21

A cool front came through last night, and dropped the temperatures into the low-mid 70s, so Skye and I decided to walk to the beach (instead of driving) and meet Georgia there. In a neighbors lawn I saw this pretty little flower. Leafsnap identified it as Virginia Buttonweed:
Virginia buttonweed, Diodia virginiana, is one of the most difficult weeds to manage in home lawns throughout Louisiana. It is a deep-rooted perennial plant with a spreading growth habit.
One of main reasons why Virginia buttonweed is so difficult to manage is because it can reproduce itself by seeds, roots, or stems. Regular mowing of the lawn has the potential to spread Virginia buttonweed around the yard because stem fragments can easily root and start new plants. Some homeowners often resort to hand pulling but this too can lead to the spread of root and stem pieces. The best approach to managing Virginia buttonweed in the home lawn is to take an integrated approach and combine several control methods together.

I hope it didn't follow me home.

Anyway, it was a pretty nice day at the beach, though fossil hunting was mediocre because of all the sand, and muddy water. Oh well, we only had 615 teeth for July (I counted the month jar after we got home).
I saw a set of sail on a double masted boat way across the Bay. The combination of the mirage, the Schlieren Effect, and the earths curvature rendered it quite a remarkable image.
With full magnification out of my camera. I had a suspicion, but Marinetraffic.com confirmed that it was, in fact, the Pride of Baltimore II, under sail.


Great Moments in Climate Hypocrisy

Still looking good
Breitbart, Climate Change Hardliners Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Vacation on $130 Million Carbon Spewing Super Yacht in Italy

Pop star Jennifer Lopez and actor Ben Affleck — members of the celebrity elite who’ve spent years browbeating Americans about the peril the planet faces lest we curtail our carbon footprint — are in the midst of a glamorous vacation around the Mediterranean, living on a $130 million carbon-spewing super yacht.

Jennifer Lopez is among the celebrities who have been deemed “super-emitters” by researchers, as she was estimated to have taken 77 flights, travelling 139,187 miles, and emitting 105 tons of carbon dioxide in 2017.

Now, in a seeming affront to their own sacrosanct environmental standards, Lopez and Affleck’s luxe European yacht trip has nevertheless taken them from Capri to Nerano, with a stop in St. Tropez, according to a report by Elle. The pair have been frolicking on the massive yacht for Lopez’s birthday getaway, which kicked off on Saturday in St Tropez, France, reports Us Weekly.

Ecowatch noted that “a superyacht with a permanent crew, helicopter pad, submarines and pools emits about 7,020 tons of CO2 a year.”

I guess I should include a pic of Affect, just for diversity: 

The “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer also posted photos of herself on the $130 million vessel, which showed off the pricy Foundrae jewelry Affleck reportedly got her for her birthday.
. . .
Lopez and Affleck are reportedly two months into rekindling their romance — a saga with a 19-year timeline attached to it. But Bennifer 2.0’s carbon-gushing cruise around the Mediterranean Sea may cast doubt on their commitment to fighting “climate change.

I don't really care what they do with their money, but don't ever attack me over my carbon footprint.  

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Crossing The Streams up on time and under budget.

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

Remember a couple of days ago I reported how a woman in Baltimore County was stopped in a car with two dead children in back? Yesterday, ruralcounsel remarked:

My guess is that the driver was a parent with serious mental problems. When they figure the cause of death of the children, charges may get filed. May not be competent to stand trial.
Close. The rest More of the story is out now at Da Sun, Aunt charged after Baltimore County police say she stashed bodies of niece, nephew in her car for months
Baltimore County Police charged Nicole Michelle Johnson, 33, with neglect; failure to report the death of Joshlyn Marie James Johnson, 7, and Larry Darnell O’Neal, 5; disposal of their bodies and child abuse that resulted in the death of the two children. The cause and manner of their deaths are pending, police said.

Johnson is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson after she waived her appearance at a brief bail review hearing Friday morning in district court.

Johnson had been caring for the two children since 2019 after their mother moved from Ohio to Maryland and could no longer care for the children, she told detectives, according to the court documents.

Dachelle Johnson wrote about the children in several social media posts after her sister’s arrest.

“I wish it was me instead. I wish I didn’t wake up tomorrow,” she posted on an Instagram page where she also shared a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to help bury her children.

I don't like to be judgmental, but I'm going to guess drugs and/or mental illness may have played a role in this tragedy. And the failure of the county government to follow up. 

Election 2020: Biden DOJ Moves to Cement Election Chaos

First, from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.30.21  at The Other McCain, The Geller Report cites Ron Paul on why the Kangaroo Court – The 1/6 Hearings Threaten All Of Us. David Marcus at NYPo reports Support for Jan. 6 Capitol riot probe slips after cops’ emotional testimony: poll. Grown men crying turns people off.  PM reminds us Two-thirds of voters want Congress to investigate the 2020 riots, but it's not gonna happen under Democrats. And David Harsanyi reiterates, Jan. 6 Was Deplorable. It Was Not a Coup. The use of the word "insurrection" in the special committee name is polemics. 

It would be one thing if the commission were principally concerned with figuring out how protesters breached security. But the central purpose of the commission -- whether Republicans cooperate or not -- is to create the impression that the GOP is in the midst of attempting to overturning "democracy." They want to use Jan. 6 to push their unconstitutional efforts to nationalize elections. And they definitely want to use it to make Trump the central topic of the 2022 midterms.

Also from the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.30.21 Julie Kelly was there when Ashli Babbitt’s Mom Speaks

“She didn’t have to be killed, there were other options,” Witthoeft said of her 110-pound, 5-foot-2 daughter. (Babbitt was unarmed.) “Then they dragged her out like an animal, cleaned up the mess, and went about their business.”

A few weeks after Ashli was killed, Witthoeft said she finally took her head off her pillow and started making calls. A staffer for Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) office at first hung up on her, insisting he didn’t know who Ashli Babbitt was. Witthoeft called again; the same staffer answered. She asked to speak with her senator for two minutes. “Ma’am, I am sorry for your unfortunate situation but if your daughter hadn’t stormed the Capitol, she wouldn’t have been shot,” Witthoeft said the staffer told her. “Dianne Feinstein will never have two minutes for you.”

Matt Mayer at Da Fed has a Report that Reveals Shocking Double Standards For Bringing U.S. Rioters To Justice "The sheer similarities and differences between the treatment of the 2020 rioters compared to the treatment of the January 6 riot rioters are shocking." And another from Julie Kelly (who has been a pit bull with this bone), ‘Unprecedented, Unreasonable, Unconstitutional, and Wrong’ "The Justice Department won’t have January 6 evidence ready until 2022 " by which time many of the protesters will have been in jail longer than any sentences they could serve on the misdemeanors for which they will likely be charged.

[Judge]McFadden scolded the government for its backwards process. “You would not arrest [someone] then gather evidence later. That’s not how this works.” When Fifield said full discovery is in the best interest of the defendant, McFadden shot back: “Freedom also is important to the defendant.” The Trump-appointed judge raised concerns over Sixth Amendment violations. “This does not feel what the Constitution [and] the Speedy Trial Act envisions.”

Also at Am Great Nice Deb reminds us Republican Lawmakers Barred From Entering D.C. Jail to Visit Jan. 6 Political Prisoners. What are they hiding? 

Paul Bedard at Wa Ex, Cheney in trouble: 77% GOP would not reelect, 53% call her ‘liberal’. That last may not be true, but she is certainly carrying their water. Spencer Linquist at Da Fed hears that the House Freedom Caucus Calls For Kicking Cheney, Kinzinger Out Of GOP Conference

Adam Mill at Am Great fills in how the FBI Relies on Monster to Prosecute Michigan Kidnapping Plot

Trask is the man the FBI made the public face of the Michigan kidnapping plot that played a role in the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Last fall, Trask helped gin up the anti-Trump publicity surrounding the Michigan kidnapping plot. He claimed the FBI “thwarted” a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer—a plot we now know the FBI itself hatched. One text message released inadvertently to the defense shows the FBI agent who was overseeing the plot (likely Trask) directed his confidential informants to solicit specific people, those targeted by Trask, so he could entice these targets into committing arrestable crimes.

In audit fever, Cronkite News (Arizona PBS) whines. No end in sight for Maricopa election audit, or for feuding over it, at Wa Ex, Arizona Senate liaison granted 'full access' to Maricopa audit. John Solomon at JTN reports Wisconsin Assembly Speaker names special counsel to expand probe of 2020 election, "Retired Supreme Court Justice will have resources and authority to conduct a "top to bottom" probe".

Final certified results declared Joe Biden defeated President Trump by about 20,600 votes, but since then Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruled tens of thousands of absentee ballots may not have been lawfully cast because state officials improperly exempted the voters from ID requirements.

Dan Payne at JTN, Cybersecurity? Democratic election officials claim that audited machines must be retired. "Routers, election machines allegedly can't be verified as secure following third-party audits." Apparently Dominion and Democratic officials are afraid that someone besides themselves know the cheat codes. 

Stacey Lennox at PJ Media tells how the Biden DOJ Sends a Warning to States Eliminating Pandemic Election Law Exceptions or, as Margot Cleveland womansplains Biden Department Of Justice Threatens To Sue To Lock In 2020 Election Chaos

Dave in Fla at Aces hears Historical Echoes. History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. 

The election of 1824 represented the end of the Era of Good Feelings, and the rise of the party system in Presidential elections. After the war of 1812, the Federalist Party had collapsed, and in its wake twelve years of political unity was expressed by all candidates being members of the Democratic-Republican Party. This period came to a sudden end due to the contested election of 1824.

Four candidates were running for President: Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. When the election was over, Andrew Jackson had won 41% of the popular vote, and 99 electoral votes, while Adams had 31% of the popular vote and 84 electoral votes. Despite having won a plurality, Jackson lost the election in the US House of Representatives. During the contingent election, Henry Clay used his influence to have delegates ignore the instructions of their states, and vote for Adams instead. Andrew Jackson is the only candidate ever to have won a plurality of the electoral college, but lose the election. When Clay was offered the Secretary of State position, Jackson and his supporters were incensed, believing that Clay had been offered the position in exchange for his influence.

Many of you learned about this election in your history classes. What you may not be aware of is the positions of Andrew Jackson and the platform he ran on. While he was an immensely popular figure after his military success in Florida and at the Battle of New Orleans, he was also a populist and champion of the working class. His major driving issue was the elimination of growing corruption in the Federal Government. He was a vocal opponent of the Second Bank of the United States, believing that the institution existed solely to enrich the elites of the country. The economic crises of 1819 and 1820 broadly harmed the working class, a voting block that strongly supported Jackson nationwide during the election. . . .

At HE Armando Simon warns Make No Mistake. You Are Living Under the Perfect Censorship, "We who have lived in communist countries recognize the signs: American freedom of speech and thought are hanging on by a thread. At Power Line, John Hineracker considers Censorship Is Here. What to Do About It? 

Our freedoms are under threat as they have not been in a very long time. The question is, what to do about it. Private action is appropriate; we should support non-leftist alternatives to platforms like Facebook and Twitter, for example. But that is not going to be good enough. The major platforms may be natural monopolies on account of network effects, and I don’t know how individual action can create alternatives to Amazon’s web hosting dominance or the Apple-Google duopoly.

Newsbusters,  GOP Fights Back: House Republicans Launch Massive Assault Against Big Tech, Unveil 32 Bills, but of course they won't go anywhere as long as the Democrats control Congress. 

'Bonchie' at Red State thinks Texas Democrats Finally Begin to Realize They Are Screwed.  Am Spec, Texas Democrats in DC Are Hurting the State’s Foster Care Crisis "Boycotting the special session is impacting legislation beyond the voting bill." But it's for the children! Bryan Preston at PJ Media, VIDEO: Watch Fleebagger Texas Democrat Get Destroyed by Simple Questions On Voter ID and Voting Rates


Fred Fleitz at Da Fed want to know Which Biden Official Asked The NSA To Unmask Tucker Carlson? So does the unsinkable Molly Hemingway, 

It's probably the same asshole who leaked the Flynn conversation.

Rule 5 Saturday - Yvonne Strahovski

We were desperately trying to fill the "show hole" the other night, and I remembered seeing ads for "Tomorrow War" on Prime. It was fine for a night, though probably not to to Georgia's tastes. Prominent in the cast was YvonneStrahovski:
Yvonne Jacqueline Strzechowski (born 30 July 1982), known professionally as Yvonne Strahovski, is an Australian actress of television, film, and theatre. Primarily noted for her roles in dramatic television, she has received numerous awards and nominations, including two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. 

Good enough for a Rule 5 post.  

She is best known for roles as CIA agent Sarah Walker in the NBC spy drama series Chuck (2007–2012), Hannah McKay in the Showtime drama series Dexter (2012–2013), and CIA Agent Kate Morgan in the Fox event series 24: Live Another Day (2014). She stars as Serena Joy Waterford in the Hulu drama series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present) . . .
Strahovski was born in Werrington Downs, New South Wales, Australia  the daughter of Piotr and Bożena Strzechowski; her parents emigrated from Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Poland. . . .Strahovski is fluent in Polish and English, and employed it in a brief exchange with a colleague in the Chuck episode "Chuck Versus the Wookiee" and again in the episodes "Chuck Versus the Three Words" and "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners".

Some NSFW pics.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Jodie Comer and FMJRA 2.0: I’d Rather Die Than Give You Control ready and waiting. Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at the Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. Linked by EBL in Friday the 13th Rule 5 😬🔪

Friday, July 30, 2021

Beach Report 7/30/21

Another mostly overcast, warm, sweaty day here in slower Maryland

Lightening struck twice for Georgia regarding fossils, when she picked up this second dolphin/whale ear bone.
It's not quite as big or elaborate as the previous one, and it's a mirror in general form, so it's from the other side of the animal.
Here they are together, lined up (more or less) so you can see the similarities and differences.
I posted it to the fossil group, and I'm waiting for the real pros to weigh in, but according to Paul, it's an entirely different species, and maybe a different group.

Otherwise, not an outstanding day for fossils, 13 teeth, 1 drum's tooth, a Tilly bone, and crab claw.

UPDATE: The expert has spoken:

"Certainly a large kentriodontid dolphin periotic - possibly Hadrodelphis or Macrokentriodon."



Election 2020: Insurrection Committee Fallout Continues

Fallout from Day 1 of the Jan 6. "Insurrection" Special Committee continues to rain down. How bad was it? Sean Davis, via Jordan Davidson at Da Fed says Pelosi’s Jan. 6 Committee Is A ‘Farce’ Run By ‘Shameless, Dishonest Partisans’, and that was the point. Raheem Kassam at TNP thinks it's A National Embarrassment. An Unadulterated Farce. The January 6th Committee Makes A Mockery Of America. Scott McKay at Am Spec calls it The Yawn 6 Committee, "Nancy Pelosi’s kangaroo court fails to impress the American people." Bookroom cites John Hayward who says what needs to be said about the Jan. 6 show trial 

The 1/6 rioters should be treated with the same severity as Black Lives Matter rioters. Since that is not remotely possible, all else is political theater and raw exercises of power, and I am weary of pretenses to the contrary.

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.29.21, C.S. Boddie at Am Think thinks he has Questions that Won't be Asked by the January 6 Commission. #1. Who killed Ashli Babbitt, which really isn't a question because they all know. They just aren't telling us officially. Vanity Fair is hoping; Will the 1/6 Committee Force Jared and Ivanka to Testify Against Donald Trump?. Tell them to piss off. Tim Graham is shocked that Networks Selectively Cover Select Committees. Why? That's their approach to all news. From Da Caller, ‘Pelosi Pawn’: Elise Stefanik Says Liz Cheney Doesn’t ‘Represent The Republican Conference’

At CNS News, U.S. Capitol Police Officer: Trump ‘Helped to Create’ Jan. 6; ‘We Should All Go to His House, Do the Same Thing to Him’. He walked it back, but the internet never forgets. Vicky Taft at PJ asks the Media to Release the Videos Showing Capitol Rioters Calling the Crying Police Officer the 'N Word'. Video or it didn't happen, as Insty notes. They're trying to smear Republicans   The Mythological White Supremacist (Emmett Tyrell, Am Spec)   And as Rick Moran at PJ Media notes Democrats Continue to Lie About the Death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He died a day after the riot from a stroke, with no detectable link to 1/6. But you could just make do with the first four words. WSJ cited at Hot Hair thinks there are Two false narratives about the January 6 riot. Only two? At Forbes, McCarthy Walks Back Saying Trump ‘Bears Responsibility’ For Capitol Riot. Well, he's had time to look at the evidence. 

Breitbart, GOP Lawmakers Demand Answers on January 6 Protesters: ‘Do We Have Political Prisoners Here in America?’ and at the Independent Chronicle, Rep. Gaetz, other GOP members locked out of detention center to view treatment of Jan 6 detainees. What are they trying to hide?

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.29.21, The Weasel Zippers, Project Veritas Leaks Documentary Where AOC Compares Jan 6th Riot To Being Raped…Drama queen.

And in another "insurrection" Karen Townsend at Hot Hair reports Sheila Jackson-Lee arrested during protest, House committee hears testimony from fleebaggers. Lock her up until all the 1/6 "protesters" are freed. 

From WaEx, Arizona auditors complete third ballot recount and ship materials back to Maricopa County, and WaPoo is still being pissy about it, Republican-led Arizona ballot review grinds to rocky conclusion, with results expected next monthGeorgia Republicans set process in motion for state takeover of Fulton County elections from Jake Dima at WaEx. Rueters, U.S. Justice Dept. warns states to tread carefully in auditing elections. ET, Department of Justice Warns States Against Violating Federal Law With Audits. Be careful not to discover anything that would discredit the election. 

The Wa Free Bee notes a Connecticut Dem Indicted for Voter Fraud committed in 2017. Note how long it takes to get a relatively simple case to the point of a trial. They also remember that Terry McAuliffe Championed Stolen Election Conspiracy Theory for Years. Althouse finds the NYT stumping for voting by illegal aliens "The strongest case for noncitizen voting today is representation: The more voters show up to the polls, the more accurately elections reflect peoples’ desires."

I&I thinks Texas Election Reforms Don’t Go Far Enough To Protect Against Fraud while Politico reports Texas Dems to huddle with Clintons, Abrams as they bid to regain momentum.

And speaking of Texas, Town Hall sees Fingers Pointed at Texas House Democrats as COVID-19 Cases Surge in Greater Washington, D.C. Area and Bryan Preston at PJ Media wonders Did the Texas Fleebagger Democrats Bring COVID to Washington From Biden's Unprotected Border? It's probably not fair, but what else in politics is fair?

At Da Wire, Susan Sarandon Seen Protesting Outside AOC’s Office: ‘We’re Losing Hope Here That You Represent Us’ and from 'Fuzzy Slippers' at LI, Susan Sarandon Protests Outside AOC’s Office: “We are losing hope that you represent us” “I’m here to say to the squad, and especially AOC, who, you know did make a lot of promises, that we still have faith in you and we would like to see if you have a better plan than we’ve been able to see, please share it” Not really election related, but who can resist a chance to post an old seminude picture of Susan (NSFW)?

Tyler O'Neil at PJ Media finds it Terrifying that The Big Tech Overlords Target Right-Wing 'Terrorism'. At the Wa Free Bee, PayPal and the ADL Are Hiding Their Partners in an Effort To Fight Extremism, "Coalition leaders say their goal is to deplatform groups they deem objectionable" That would be you and me. Althouse cites Nadine Strossen in "In some ways, I believe that these tech giants are more powerful than government officials.... take Donald Trump versus Mark Zuckerberg. Trump could be dis-elected..."
"... he could be sued, he can be impeached. And none of the above is true for Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, etc, no free speech rights against them, no due process rights against them. And... we've seen more and more of a coalescence between particular political and government leaders, putting increasingly overt pressure on the tech companies to censor speech that these politicians don't like and that they would be completely barred by the First Amendment from directly censoring themselves.... So from from a legal perspective... whether you call it collaboration or pressure, the interrelationship between the two is constitutionally significant, because even private sector actors are directly bound by constitutional norms, including the First Amendment free speech guarantee, if you can show that there is in the legal term to describe this is called entanglement, sufficient entanglement between the government officials and the nominally private sector actors, that if they are essentially conspiring with the government doing the government's bidding, the government can't do an end run around his own constitutional obligations that way....
At Da Fed, New Rubio Bill Would Force Big Tech Firms To Disclose Censorship Requests From Government Officials and at Da Wire, GOP Members Of Congress Draft Bill To Strip Section 230 Protections From Big Tech. You can have the ability to censor, or you can have protection, but you can't have both. 

WSJ, MyPillow to Pull Ads From Fox News in Disagreement With Network "Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, says Fox News refused to run ad promoting an event linked to claims of widespread election fraud" I'll kind of miss the ads, even though they're sort of corny. 

“Here we have a two-star General who spends his days on social media hyping a vaccine for an illness that poses minimal risk to his troops,” . . .  “When pressed on why America can’t win wars and why he embraces policies that treat healthy people like biohazards, his first response is to accuse his critics of treachery and then block them from view.”

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano takes a while off of being anti-Trump to examine What Happens When the Government Breaks its Own Laws?

In October of 2020, 14 people were arrested in Michigan and accused of being participants in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor had imposed draconian restrictions on religious, travel and commercial activities as a means, she claimed, to stem the spread of COVID-19. All of her restrictions were eventually found by courts to be unconstitutional under both the Michigan and the U.S. Constitutions.

Sixteen plotters were supposedly planning to try the governor in a makeshift court and, if convicted, to impose some sort of punishment. Before the plotters could spring into action, the FBI arrested 14 of them. Two plotters were not arrested since one of them was a paid FBI informant and the other was an undercover FBI agent.

In pleadings filed in federal court last week, the defendants revealed that the FBI enticed, cajoled and manipulated them into this plot, and even trained them and paid their expenses.

Can the government get away with planting the seeds of a crime in the minds of innocent folks, providing them with the means for the crime, arresting them before the crime takes place and then charging them with a crime that never occurred?

Probably. But not if the defendants can afford to take it to trial. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Jodie Comer and FMJRA 2.0: I’d Rather Die Than Give You Control ready and waiting.

Fish Pic Friday - Camryn Hobbs


Instagram, Facebook

Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Jodie Comer ready and waiting.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Coasties Bust Illegal Fishing Charter

Chesapeake Bay Mag: Illegal Fishing Charter Captain Arrested for Dangerous Boat Conditions

U.S. Coast Guard special agents arrested the operator of a unlicensed fishing charter boat out of Kent Island, saying he endangered 34 passengers through his gross negligence.

Terrance Dale Roy, operator of Fishing Lady, could face up to six years in prison for each of his two felony charges, plus up to one year in prison for his single misdemeanor charge.

Coast Guard Investigative Services say Roy violated a USCG Captain of the Port Order when he took 34 paying passengers out on the head boat Father’s Day weekend—despite the fact that he hadn’t made necessary repairs after Fishing Lady sunk at a Kent Narrows pier back in May.

The Captain of the Port Order banned the boat from operating commercially “until the vessel’s seaworthiness was determined by Coast Guard professionals.” Sure enough, on the Father’s Day weekend excursion, Fishing Lady began taking on water that couldn’t be emptied using the boat’s bilge pumps, USCG says. Grasonville and Kent Island volunteer fire department marine units rescued all three dozen people on board.
The unlicensed head boat Fishing Lady was taking on water June 19, after being banned
 from operating due to a previous sinking.  Grasonville Volunteer Fire Dept./Facebook
Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post on June 19, “At approximately 9:30 am Fire/Rescue Boats from the United Communities Volunteer Fire Department, Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department, Maryland Department of Natural Resources – Natural Resources Police and U.S. Coast Guard Station Annapolis, Maryland responded to the area of Tilghman Point in Eastern Bay for a Charter Boat that was taking on water…” The fire department went on to report that the people were safely offloaded to Wells Cove, and the captain got help in towing his boat there as well. One person was taken to the hospital for a cardiac evaluation.

As a result of the incident, Roy is accused of failing to properly report a hazardous condition as required and operating his boat in a “grossly negligent manner.” The Coast Guard also found additional violations, including operating without a license and without proper documentation for commercial service.

Apparently this charter boat has been in trouble with the Coast Guard before. According to a 2014 Coast Guard press release, the Fishing Lady was removed from service that year, too, after it was found to have numerous safety violations and was taking passengers despite another Coast Guard order.

“Illegal passenger vessel operators pose a significant danger to the public and adversely impact legitimate operators who comply with federal safety requirements,” said Cmdr. Baxter Smoak, chief of prevention for Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region.

They clearly need to seize the boat. 

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore!

The Sun, Two dead children found in car during Baltimore County traffic stop

The bodies of two children were found in a car during a traffic stop in Essex Wednesday night, Baltimore County police said in a news release.

Baltimore County officers pulled over a car on Eastern Boulevard near Wagners Lane around 11 p.m. July 28, police said. During the stop, officers found two dead children in the car.

The children were 5 and 7 years old, one boy and one girl, although Joy Stewart, director of public affairs for the department, could not confirm which child was older.

Stewart said there were “certain details about the car” that made officers “suspicious” and led to the stop.

The driver was taken into custody and the relationship between the driver and children remains under investigation, according to Stewart .

As of Thursday afternoon, no charges had been filed, according to Stewart.

I guess driving around with dead children in the back of the car is legal in Baltimore.

Go Team!

I haven't done much (anything yet) with the 2020 Olympics, being done here in 2021 thanks to the WuFlu, for a variety of reasons, including laziness, being pissed off at political statements, and just general lack of interest (and don't try to make me interested in having an opinion about Simone Biles), but I'll do this one: Da Caller, Amber English Sets New Olympic Record In Skeet Shooting, Brings Home Gold For USA

U.S. shooter and Army Lt. Amber English set a new Olympic record in skeet shooting and brought home the gold for Team USA during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 31-year-old olympian scored the gold with 56 hits and set a new record for the games, USA Today reported Monday.  


Good shooting, Lt. English. I doubt she will get much attention in the media.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Jodie Comer ready and waiting.

Doomed! The Bay is Doomed!

But aren't we all, in the long run? The talk of the bay newsfeed today is that the underwater grasses (aka submerged aquatic vegetation, SAV) underperformed expectations 2 years in a row. From MDE, Lingering Impacts from Extreme Weather Events Affect Chesapeake Bay Underwater Grasses in 2020

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports a third consecutive year of underwater grass loss in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay in 2020. During the annual survey, 34,882 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland, representing 44% of the state’s 2025 restoration target and 30% of the ultimate restoration goal of 114,065 acres.

Record high rainfall and stream flows into the Chesapeake Bay in 2018 and 2019 led to higher levels of nutrient and sediment pollution, changes in salinity, and poorer water clarity in many of Maryland’s waterways. Habitat conditions remained poor in 2020, and underwater grass abundance declined 13% overall from the previous year.

After years of significant gains, more than 3,000 acres of underwater grasses were lost in the mid-Bay region, specifically the lower Chester River, Eastern Bay, the mouth of Choptank River, and the Little Choptank River. These declines were primarily in widgeon grass, a species that can rapidly increase or decrease from year to year with changes in water quality.

As usual, we find that weather conditions exert the most influence over year to year variation in the seagrasses. 

Some areas of Maryland’s portion of the Bay showed improvements in underwater grass abundance. The iconic beds in Tangier Sound and the Susquehanna Flats, along with those on the Potomac River, including Mattawoman and Piscataway creeks, increased in 2020.

Underwater grasses were observed in the Wicomico River on the Eastern Shore for the first time since the survey began in 1984.

“Efforts underway by Maryland and our Bay partners to reduce nutrients in our waterways remain critical to our goal of increasing submerged aquatic vegetation in the Bay,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio said. “While extreme weather has had a real impact on our state’s underwater grasses, SAV are aiding in improving water quality and do provide important habitat in many of our waterways.”

“The improvements seen in Tangier Sound and on the Susquehanna Flats highlight the resilience of Maryland’s large, stable underwater grass beds, and emphasize the importance of protecting and preserving them,” said Becky Raves Golden, Living Resource Assessment Program Manager for DNR. “Many of the losses observed in 2020 were in areas where gains had been made in recent years, suggesting that recovering populations are more affected by the stress of poorer water quality than stable, resilient beds. There is still work to do to mitigate the impacts of multiple stressors on Maryland’s recovering underwater grasses.”

Despite the overall decline in statewide underwater grass abundance, underwater grasses in all or part of four Maryland rivers surpassed their restoration goals. These included the Northeast River at 122%; the Bush River at 127%; the middle Chester River at 287%; and the tidal fresh portion of the Chester River at 16,554% (the percentage of the goal attained is so high due to a very small segment restoration goal). An additional six river segments in Maryland reached 75% or more of their restoration goals, including the northern Chesapeake Bay, the upper Chesapeake Bay, Gunpowder River, Northeast River, Mattawoman Creek, and Wicomico River.

I also appreciate the recognition that because the weather conditions have differing local effects, and different species of seagrass respond differently, that there is substantial regional variation in the response.

Other flavors of coverage at Bay Journal - Chesapeake Bay grass beds decline for second year in a row, Baltimore Sun - Underwater grass abundance, 'critical' to the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystem, is down but may be stabilizing, Chesapeake Bay Program - Acreage of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay decline for second straight year

Beach Report 7/29/21

When we arrived at the beach, this was the first thing that caught my eye.
That's way too close to the jetty rocks for me, but it's his hull.
Very cloudy today, but thin clouds; you could still see shadows at least intermittently. It was also in the mid to upper 80s and very humid 
The best of 18 teeth, a nice Snaggletooth (aka Hemipristis) upper. We also got a couple of drum's teeth and decent piece of sting ray barb.
Georgia and Skye on the way home. The big guy in the blue shirt to Georgia's left is Paul Murdoch, a friend who also conducts fossil finding tours. He had a group with him today.


Election 2020: Too Much!

Way too much! OK, let's get down to it, starting the the Jan. 6 "truff" commission. At Am Think, Andrea Widburg thinks (no, not yet) America had its first show trial on Tuesday and it was loathsome. Tick Moran at PJ Media reports Democrats' Jan. 6 Soviet-Style Show Trial Begins.   Breitbart believes Joe Biden’s CDC Mask Announcement Overshadows Nancy Pelosi’s January 6 Commission Launch. Lucian K. Trusscott IV (that family has mean naming streak going) gives the Democrats game away with Democrats have a massive opportunity with Capitol riot committee: Shove it down the GOP's throat. 'Bonchie' at Red State details how Lies Pile up on Day One of the January 6th Hearings. A Fox, National Police Association slams Jan. 6 probe as ‘dog and pony show,' calls for investigation of Floyd riots. Mary Chastain at LI says "Give me a break" regarding Kinzinger, Schiff Fake Crying During January 6th Hearing. From Breitbart, Hollywood Celebrities Fawn over Adam Kinzinger, Rage at GOP During Pelosi’s January 6 Commission Hearing The Victory Girls reports  Liz Cheney saying January 6 Will Happen Every Four Years. Unless you legislate the calendar, it will happen every year.Tristan Justice at Da Fed, Liz Cheney Leading Pelosi’s Weaponized Jan. 6 Committee Tells All You Need To Know About The Partisan Probe. I didn't even need to know that. On the Da Hill, Cheney faces political storm in Wyoming, and it couldn't happen to a better person. 

 Nicholas Ballasy at JTN reports that McCarthy says GOP will 'do our own hearings' as alternative to Pelosi's Jan. 6 select committee and CNN whines that House Republicans pull out of another key select committee in a sign of 1/6 panel fallout "select committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth." Sounds like BS anyway. 

Via Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.28.21 the Shark Tank has Sabatini Blasts “Shameless” Murphy And 1/6 Committee. Matt Walsh, AOC says that she thought she was going to be raped on January 6. . . She was not in the Capitol building. She never encountered any rioters. . . Utterly shameless. Also from the Victory Girls,  Swalwell Attempts to Work Up a Media Frenzy, No One Falls for It . At Da Caller, ‘They Tortured Me’: Officer Michael Fanone Calls Jan. 6 Rioters ‘Terrorists’, and (also via the Wombat), Geller recalls that the Officer Who Testified that Trump Supporters on Jan. 6 Were Chanting the “N-Word” Is HUGE BLM Activist — Supported Mass Violence in Kenosha Riots. I guess you get to pick and choose whose violence you support. 

Matt Vespa at Town  remembers When Left-Wingers Bombed the Capitol Building In 1983...Yes, This Happened. And Clinton pardoned the bombers. CNS News,  Rep. Jordan: 'Democrats Normalized Anarchy, Normalized Political Violence'. And more insurrection from Da Caller, Jesse Jackson, 38 Others Arrested For Refusing To Leave Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s Office. I'll bet their charges have already been dropped. And ‘Equal Application Of The Law Is Dead’: Tucker Carlson Criticizes Disparity On How BLM And Capitol Rioters Were Treated.  At PJ Media Downey has another, Daily Dose of Downey: 5 Examples of Hypocrisy That Make It Impossible to Take Liberals Seriously. Among them "Jan. 6 vs. May 25, 2020-?"

By the left’s own standards, January 6 wasn’t mostly peaceful–it was almost completely peaceful. If, say, 300,000 people showed up to hear Trump speak, and 600 got violent, that’s 0.2% of the crowd (600 is a HUGE overstatement, as many of those arrested weren’t violent). When 1000 “protestors” showed up to demand justice for Saintly George Floyd, and 200 were violent members of BLM and their non-binary Ken doll sis-bros, that’s 20% of the crowd. That 20% proceeded to burn Portland for over 100 nights, sack Washington D.C. for a solid month, trash Chicago, and reduce Minneapolis to a burning rubble. Don’t forget Seattle, Atlanta, and everywhere else. Portions of cities were taken over. Black kids were shot and killed, and the lefty Pravda media introduced the most hypocritical phrase of the century: “mostly peaceful.” Biden referred to Antifa as “an idea,” and Jerry Nadler, in a spectacular display of deception, called them “a myth.” The grandparents being arrested for strolling the Capitol are labeled “insurrectionists,” while those Floyd-loving libs who attacked police and burned buildings, cars, and businesses were mostly ignored, if not rewarded. Antifa has made it clear that they want revenge. The January 6 protestors simply wanted to be heard.

At  Da Wire, Poll: More Americans Want ‘Black Lives Matter Riots’ Investigated Than January 6 Riot. Kevin Downey at PJ Media, Republicans Demand Answers About January 6 Detainees. Commies Heckle. TNP, WATCH as Crazed, Far-Left Activists Attack (GOP) Members Of Congress In Washington, D.C.  "They were not assisted by D.C., nor Capitol police, leaving just their staff and interns to provide protection against crazed leftists."

Atop Da Hill the GOP is up in arms over Cheney, Kinzinger. Nick Arama at Red State says Stefanik Levels Liz Cheney With a New Nickname That Perfectly Fits "Stefanik calls Cheney a “Pelosi pawn” Pretty good, but not outstanding, I affirm alliteration. At HE, Dissident Leader of Women for America First Issues Strong Statement re January 6th Commission “We demand that Leader McCarthy immediately strip Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger of their committee assignments and that he convenes his own commission to seek real answers about what happened on January 6th."

Ace has a tweet filled Show Trial Fallout post, e.g.

Anxious whines GOP doubters unswayed by Jan. 6 testimony. NYPo, DOJ won’t back GOP rep’s defense in Capitol riot suit from Swalwell. Swalwell sleeps with the enemy. Literally. 

Wa Ex reports Arizona Senate audit liaison flip flops on whether he will resign, some details from sundance at CTH, Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward Gives an Update on The Maricopa County Ballot Audit, While DOJ Publicizes 7-Page Audit Warning Memo. Insty, THE ELECTION WAS TOTALLY FREE AND FAIR, SO WE DON’T WANT YOU LOOKING INTO WHAT HAPPENED: DOJ fires warning shot against ‘unusual’ post-election ballot reviews. "It was an unusual election. Of course the reviews are going to be unusual, too."

Stacy McCain,  Georgia Democrats Admit They’re ‘F**ked’ "Without cheating, can Georgia Democrats win? They don’t think so. . . " Newsbusters, Politico: Georgia Democrats Say 'We're F***ed' With Voter ID Required, a 'Turnout Catastrophe'. Without the ability to find and fill in mail-in ballots. But Ed Kilgor at the NY Intelligencer warns 2022 Won’t Be Another 1994 Republican Tidal Wave.

Breitbart, Arrest Warrant Issued for Texas Democrat Who Fled to D.C. Only one? "Speaker Phelan issued a statement saying, in part, that Cortez had “irrevocably broken my trust and the trust of the chamber.” The speaker added that Cortez “represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas.”"

Twitter is no longer even pretending that it is banning these accounts because of some vague “community standard” that each violated. No, Twitter banned them simply because it is possible that the election audits going on in these states might actually uncover evidence of election fraud, and to allow honest and real news reporting can no longer be allowed, if that reporting might threaten the dominate leftist agenda and the Democratic Party politicians who are imposing it.

Jordan Davidson at Da Fed reports the United Nations Greenlights Big Tech Mega-Database To Censor Americans Deemed ‘Extremists’, and you know who they mean, and it isn't Antifa. Josh Hammer at CJ, How to Interpret Section 230? "The legal debate over tech firms’ right to censor has broader implications." Charles Glasser at Insty, ABOUT SECTION 230

In an Instapundit item below, John Tierney links to a City Journal article that frames up “Big Tech Censorship” as the the most “controversial” problem with Section 230, which provides immunity to “internet service providers” for content ostensibly created by third parties.

While I agree that the censorship problem has to be solved by either a judicial ruling that declares the web a “public space” or a re-write of the statute, I think the real problem is that the more common problem is an overly broad statute that allows virtual newsrooms to defame with impunity. The statute was passed in part to protect companies like AOL and CompuServe for content they didn’t create, particularly, kiddie porn.

I'm pretty simple, they can either censor, or the can have protection, not both.

TNP report how the China-Backed Harvard Center Fellow Luke O’Brien Engages In Targeted Harassment Against The National Pulse. China all in on Biden.  At Fox, NYT reporter deletes tweets urging Trump supporters to be called 'enemies of the state' amid backlash "Katie Benner claims her original tweets were 'unclearly worded'" At this point I have no problem calling the NYT enemies of the country (not the "state", which supports them). At NYPo, New York Times reporter deletes tweet calling Trump supporters ‘enemies of the state’ Oh My, sundance has Something About That New York Times Journalist Who Recently Called Trump Supporters “Enemies of The State”

Katie Benner (pictured left) used to write freelance for the Beijing Review, China’s only National news magazine in English, published by the Chinese Communist Party-owned China International Publishing Group.

Capt. Ed at Hot Hair hears I really do not like this harassment of Tucker Carlson, says ... Don Lemon? A belated realization that harassment can be a 2-way street. 

 Althouse catches the NYT saying something slightly sensible, "General Milley had no direct evidence of a coup plot. But in the days after Mr. Trump’s electoral defeat, as the president filled top military and intelligence posts..."

"... with people the general considered loyal mediocrities, General Milley got nervous. 'They may try,' but they would not succeed with any kind of plot, he told his aides, according to the book. 'You can’t do this without the military,' he went on. 'You can’t do this without the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. We’re the guys with the guns.' While some might greet such comments with relief, General Milley’s musings should give us pause. Americans have not usually looked to the military for help in regulating their civilian politics. And there is something grandiose about General Milley’s conception of his place in government. He told aides that a 'retired military buddy' had called him on election night to say, 'You represent the stability of this republic.' If there was not a coup underway, then General Milley’s comments may be cause more for worry than for relief. Were we really that close to a coup?... It was, instead, mayhem on behalf of what had started as a legitimate political position....

Speaking of loyal mediocrities, Twitchy catches a general losing a twitter war with a grad student. ‘Someone got a phone call’: Army general protects his account after losing Twitter battle to Hillsdale student

U.S. Army Major General Patrick Donahoe became a celebrity Tuesday night after Fox News’ Tucker Carlson did a piece on him picking fights on Twitter over the COVID vaccine. “Hillsdale, come get your boy” he tweeted in response to a Ph.D. student there.