Sunday, December 31, 2023

Flotsam and Jetsam - Picking up Where I left Off

Oh yes, where was I before I was distracted by events?  

HT/ Insty
PJM's Athena Thorne argues The New Rules Dictate That Biden Be Struck From the Ballot With the 25th Amendment

The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for removing a president who is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” That describes President Dustpuppet to a T.

Of course, the amendment also spells out the players who are authorized to make this decision and the process by which it must be done, but such considerations are part of the Old Rules. Remember New Rule #1: Expediency.

We’ve recently learned that a single actor can unilaterally invoke any clause or phrase she cherry-picks from the founding document, skip over the inconvenient bits, declare a candidate unfit, and strike him from the ballot. This is what Maine's childish Secretary of State did:

At Da Mail, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows met with Biden and called Electoral College 'white supremacy' before barring Trump from ballot - as she reveals her home was swatted. I invite her to call MTG to learn how to cope. Or Rick Scott, or maybe Jonathan Turley Legal scholar Jonathan Turley becomes latest ‘swatting’ victim after false report of shooting at his home (NYPo).  Mark Styne, Not with a Whimper but a Bellow... "Breaking News from Maine: Presidential hopeful banned from running in election. Oh, no, wait, sorry, my mistake - that's Russia. James Bovard at NYPo says Joe Biden and the left are putting the rule of law at risk. Kevin Downey  at PJM finds Leftists Would Rather Send Their Kids to War Than Vote for 'Orange Man Bad'.

Hat Hair's John Sexton notes NBC News is Worried Democrats Could Lose in 2024. From Da Caller, ‘Really Scary’: Former Obama Advisor Jennifer Palmieri Says It’s ‘Too Late’ For Biden’s 2024 Campaign. At WJ, Biden's Got a Huge Problem Brewing in His Home State, According to Recent Voter Registration Data. "According to State Department data first reported by Newsweek, over 35,000 Pennsylvania voters who were registered as Democrats changed their registration to the Republican Party this year. In contrast, only around 15,600 Republican voters switched to register as Democrats. Additionally, nearly 21,000 Democrats and 19,000 Republicans now have no party affiliation." At WaEx, Democrats are switching parties in Pennsylvania twice as fast as Republicans

Ace, Comer, Jordan: We Are Exploring Impeaching Joe Biden for Advising His Crackhead Bagman Son to Defy a Congressional Subpoena and Obstruct Justice. "Nice." The Free Bacon names their 2023 Man of the Year: The White House Cokehead, whoever it is. "For evading all scrutiny, investigation, and incarceration while retaining the ability to party within the world's most secure facility, we salute you, White House cokehead. You're a 2023 Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year."

At Hat Hair, John Sexton reports Another Record Month at the Border as Blinken Heads to Mexico to Beg for Relief, Jazz Shaw hears Blinken Talked to AMLO About "Normalizing" Illegal Aliens, KT is outraged that And Just Like That... DOJ Threatens to Sue Texas Over New Border Security Law and sees Northern Border Drama: ICE Returned an Iranian National with Terrorism Ties Back to Canada.

Sarah Arnold at TownHall, Biden Admin Targets Fridges, Freezers In Latest Slew of Appliance Crackdown. But, according to Jazz Shaw, The War on Gas Stoves Has Basically Failed, WaT claims Cutting-edge drugs could vanish under Biden’s unprecedented move to seize patents. Derek Hunter at TownHall sees Democrats Get Ready to Screw a Bunch of People

From Investing, word that Prosecutors Drop Additional Charges Against FTX Co-Founder Bankman-Fried. Hat Hair's Beege Welborn notes it Pays to Be a Dem Moneyman - Fed Dropping Remaining Charges Against SBF, "Well, if THAT doesn’t bolster faith in the inherent justice system, I don’t know what will."

From Althouse , "Trump’s victory is by no means assured...." "But the past few years of Trump, Trump, Trump have taught me, if nothing else, that hoping for the best is not necessarily a winning strategy. With American democracy on the line, I’m taking the only defensible position toward the New Year: full-scale dread. I plan to pull up the covers and hide under my pillow as long as possible come January. It’s going to be a long twelve months.  . . . Writes Susan B. Glasser, in "The Year We Stopped Being Able to Pretend About Trump/The story of 2023 wasn’t the search for another Republican leader—but the Party’s embrace of the one it already has" (The New Yorker). Dread as the alternative to hope. How could dread be a "winning strategy"? Are Democrats arriving at the belief that Trump is inevitable? What strange power that man has!" Silvio Canto at Am Think thinks The Trump comeback is the story of 2023. At Am Great Fred Fleitz worries the Upcoming U.S. Presidential Election Could Fuel Global Instability in 2024. Mark Tapscott at Insty, HIDDEN ‘TRUMP OR BUST’ VOTERS MAY DECIDE 2024: "Janice Hisle of The Epoch Times points to the millions of voters who only vote when Donald Trump is on the ballot as the key voting block in understanding the 2024 election. Quoting pollster Rich Baris, Hisle writes: “Many pollsters might label these people ‘unlikely’ or ‘less-likely’ voters and may discount their responses or weed them out, based on the assumption that they won’t cast ballots.“But Mr. Baris said that in the case of President Trump’s voters, that premise is flawed. He sees a pattern: These previously unmotivated, sporadic voters now seem to behave rather predictably.”"

PJM's Chris Queen says Nikki Haley Continues to Sabotage Herself. From Breitbart, Republicans Torch Nikki Haley for Failing to Say Slavery Caused Civil War. Not Quite Miss Congeniality Liz Mair has Some thoughts about Nikki Haley's Civil War flub "Everyone is talking about it, so screw it, I'll chime in, too." So does Stacy McCain, with some History You Probably Never Knew. Dan McLaughlin at NRO, cited at Hat Hair, thinks Haley Just Got Her Prime-Time Test ... and Likely Failed. USA Today, Christie says Haley is not racist after Civil War comments. Here's the problem he sees. Just go away, Chris. NYPo, Nikki Haley dissed by 9-year-old at NH town hall: You’re ‘the new John Kerry.’ Beege Welborn, 'Avoid Disappointment and Future Regret': Chris Sununu Has a Bad Case of Blinken Eyes.

PJM's Grayson Bakich explains how he thinks  DeSantis Can Be Viable in 2028. Charlotte Hazard at JTN reports DeSantis says he would fire Special Counsel Jack Smith if elected president "That goes to dealing with people who are violating constitutional rights at the state and local government area." Capt. Ed adds "I’d bet that this is one pledge that every Republican candidate could make at this point, and for good reason." From Reason, Vivek Ramaswamy Really, Really Wants You To Know He Thinks January 6 Was an 'Inside Job'.  Star Parker thinks Mazi Melesa Pilip would be A Fantastic Republican to Replace George Santos. 'Bonchie' at RedState hears  Lauren Boebert Calls It Quits in Her Colorado District, and will run in a friendlier one. Sarah Arnold at TownHall again, House Democrat Caught Using Taxpayer Funds for Her Own Advantage, and 'Wolf of Wall Street' Explains How Pelosi, Corrupt Politicians Get Rich In 'Rigged' Stock Market. "“So how does that… is Nancy Pelosi, do you think, a stock-picking genius?” Carlson asked. “No, she has to be operating on information that’s non-public,” Belfort replied."

From Da Wire Obama-Appointed Judge Rules In Favor Of Republicans In Georgia and upheld Republican drawn election map. "“The court finds that the general assembly fully complied with this court’s order requiring the creation of Black-majority districts in the regions of the state where vote dilution was found,” Jones wrote in his order. The decision makes it likely that the GOP will maintain their 9-5 advantage with the state’s 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Reuters reports." At Am Con, How Mass Mail-In Voting Changes Everything. Cato, Florida Counts Votes Quickly, Other States Should Too. At Am Spec, Deroy Murdock is making POLITICAL HAY How Do You Kill Democracy? Vote Democrat. "The Democrat Party and its supporters continue a frontal assault on democracy dating back to 2010." Twitchy thinks this is HILARIOUS! Bill Kristol Claims He Is Still a 'Reagan Republican' and Twitter Collapses In Giggles

Insty reads MATT TAIBBI: Democracy Dies in Daylight: Eight years ago the Washington Post pledged to save democracy, but now argues we need to be saved from it. At Mediaite, X Doesn’t Need Advertisers: Elon Musk Is Rich Enough to Fund Its Losses. Capt. Ed, "I’ve never been convinced otherwise. Musk bought Twitter for the same reasons Bezos bought the Post — influence rather than profit. Musk has already achieved far more relevance than Bezos in uncovering the Big Brother-esque combine of Big Tech and the federal government to suppress dissent. Musk will only run into trouble if his other businesses decline so far that he can’t carry Twitter’s debt without losing control of Tesla, SpaceX, and other holdings. But he has plenty of space and time to deal with that vulnerability." Jonathan Turley asks  Are You in an Anti-Free Speech State? We Now Have The Definitive List. Of course MD is on the list. 

At Front Page Michael Brown on The Ongoing Fight Against the Jewishness of Jesus "Was Jesus really a Palestinian freedom fighter?" Ummm, no. And Scott Johnson, Anti-Semitism: A Central Feature in Leftist Thought

Arnold Kling from In My Tribe thinks The Left had a difficult year "Its internal splits were pronounced." Stream asks Should We Gloat When the Woke Go Broke? Hell yes. PJM's Mark Tapscott sees The Left Just Can't Leave Chick-fil-A Alone. Lincoln Brown at PJM warns DEI by Any Other Name Would Smell as Rotten. Thomas J. Bruno at Am Think thinks DEI Matters, But Only If Less, And Inferior, Science Is The Goal. Roy Matthews at Da Fed reports Bates College Faculty Subjected To ‘Toxic’ DEI Struggle Sessions By Administrators. From Behind the Black, Today’s blacklisted American wins $185K settlement from college that fired him.  "A political science professor and former police officer effectively fired by St. Philip’s College earlier this year after allowing debate on topics such as gender ideology and police brutality has received a $185,000 settlement." At WaEx, Jesse Adams is Seeing through the Ivy. At Culturcidal, John Hawkins wonders How Many Load-Bearing Walls Have to Come Down Before America Collapses? Ed Driscoll at Insty, THE SUMMER OF LOVE CONCLUDES IN A DARK WINTER: Seattle dismantles BLM garden after rampant homelessness, drug use create ‘public health and … safety issues.’ "The city of Seattle has dismantled the Black Lives Matter Memorial Garden after rampant homelessness and drug use overran the area, posing significant risks to the public."

Ace has The New Years Resolutions of the Libs of TikTok "Obviously mentally-ill woman declares herself "non-binary," then says she's offended that her husband still calls himself straight. She demands that he identify himself as "queer" in a "queer marriage." She rants and raves that her husband isn't giving the "LGBT community" respect by admitting he's gay.  I got news for you: He's not going to be in this marriage, whatever you want to call it, for much longer." Breitbart, Idaho Judge Claims Parents Have Right to Allow Children to Get Sex Change Procedures. At Da Mail, Transgender Ohio girl, 10, fears she could lose access to gender-affirming treatment in her state as Governor Mike DeWine will announce his decision on possible BAN on Friday. Hat Hair, 10 Year-Old Can Rest Easy Now That DeWine Caved. Beege, "If this isn’t the creepiest, saddest thing ever, I don’t know what is. The whole thing just shrieks of a possible Munchhausen by Proxy victim, but it’s going to be too late in any event if the Ohio legislature can’t override what that squish did." Althouse, "My wife and I live in a country where we have a first amendment. We’re dealing with consensual adult sexuality. The regents are overreacting.” ""They’re certainly not adhering to their own commitment to free speech or the first amendment.... I got an email last night saying I was terminated. I wish I would have had the opportunity to have a hearing. When reasonable people understand what my wife and I are creating, it calms them down." Said Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor Joe Gow, quoted in "Wisconsin university chancellor claims he was fired for appearing in porn videos/Joe Gow says that his free speech rights were violated after the Universities of Wisconsin board of regents decided to fire him" (The Guardian)."

Stacy McCain, NYC Maniac Turned Loose So He Could Stab Two Girls in Grand Central Station. "Have I mentioned lately that Crazy People Are Dangerous?"

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee, please and FMJRA 2.0: I GOT NO FRIENDS ‘CAUSE THEY READ THE PAPERS up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 with Alexa Collins.

#5. Corona has tried to replace the commercial - It just couldn’t come up with a better idea, according to Jim Sabia, the chief marketing officer of Constellation Brands Inc.’s beer division.

“We’ve tried over the years to come up with another holiday ad, and every time we look at the storyboards and concepts we go back to this,” Sabia told the Wall Street Journal in 2015. It’s so simple, powerful and emotional. It’s extremely hard to beat.”

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Coffee, please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Bye, Skye

There comes a day every dog owner dreads, the day you have to say goodbye. It's no secret that Skye had been struggling a bit for the last several months. We think that she had a fall down stairs, and hurt something a few months ago. We had her to the vet, who couldn't find anything particular wrong besides pain and weakness in her rear legs. She prescribed some pain meds, and rest, and that helped enough that in a few weeks she was back to climbing stairs to get into the house, and taking walks on the beach with us, but it was pretty clear we were on a declining slope. 

Wednesday, I walked her on the beach, in the rain. It was a very high tide so we couldn't go too far, and she made the round trip, but not too excitedly. Thursday, the day I fished, Georgia reported she climbed the basement stairs, and basically collapsed on the kitchen floor, ate and drank a little, and headed back out to her favorite bed, a heap of leaves and cedar chips in the back. She had no interest in a nighttime walk. Yesterday, Friday, she barely stirred from the bed, and when I tried to get her up for beach walk, she refused. She did not eat, or drink, apparently all day. I gave her a pain pill in the evening. This morning, she had barely stirred, and  occasionally howled in apparent pain. I gave her another pain pill, and when that didn't have any effect, we made the arrangements at our local vet. We arrived at 11, said our goodbyes, petting her as she lay on the floor. It was quick and painless and we cried.

Skye was our third dog, and our second and a half husky. The first dog, of our children's youth was Sybil, half German Shepherd and half Siberian, by reports. We liked the husky side of her traits, except for the shedding, and our second adopted dog, after the kids were grown, was a full blooded Siberian, also named Skye, one blue eye, and one brown eye, and 20 lbs lighter than Skye II. She was the rare husky you could let off the leash at the beach. She suffered some kind of stroke or heart attack at the age of 14, while we were on a trip to California. It was not a shock as she had suffered some previous similar attacks. 

This Skye, or Skye II as we sometimes called her, was adopted on Halloween Day in 2015. She had been turned in to the local pound with a brother. A local rescue group took her out, but the brother was gone when they arrived. A friend told us about her, and when we came to see her, after finding out that we had a husky previously, they basically handed us the leash.

Skye was a good dog, not a great dog. She was strong and strong willed, and had a full measure of the worst Siberian traits. She pulled on the leash, up until the last week. She was famously an escape artist, digging holes under the back yard fence, until we buried 2 X 8s along the bottom and anchored them to the bottom. She would find a crack in a door, and be gone in a flash, a trick she once pulled at our sons house in Canonsburg PA. She also pulled the leash apart at the snap more than once. She was never gone long, not because she ever came home on her own, but because we had our phone numbers on her collar, and she went to visit the first willing person she could find. And she shed, a lot. There might have been some month that she didn't shed, but it wasn't a long period. She was definitely an outdoor dog, and needed a lot of exercise, and was willing to demand it. We needed the exercise so it was a good trade.

But on the good side, she was the world's friendliest dog. She assumed all people wanted to pet her, and all other dogs wanted to play (on her somewhat rambunctious terms), and she was often right. While we looked for fossils, she looked for people to give her pets, and other dogs to pester. She was well known on the Calvert Facebook fossil page, and people often identified us by her.  There was never any quit in her, up until the last week.

In the last year or so, she changed a bit. She was clearly mostly deaf, hearing only loud bangs, which tended to startle her. She gave up sleeping on our bed, and took up sleeping in the back yard, in a spot that turned into a mud pit in the rain. She didn't care, water didn't penetrate her fur, and there in no weather cold enough in slower Maryland to seriously challenge her. We wrote it off to advancing age, and a touch of senility.

If there's any truth to the rainbow bridge stuff, I expect Skye will check in now and then for a pet (and a treat), and then be off to the next adventure. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Back on Colorado Ballot, Off, On Maine's

The Babylon Bee, Colorado Bans Trump From Running Over Concerns Usual Election Rigging System Could Fail.  "I know we have all the normal rigging techniques available to us, but we're worried that Trump's lead could grow so much that those efforts will fail to protect our democracy as they did in 2020," said Justice Richard Gabriel. "Rest assured, we will not rest until we save democracy by making it completely illegal to vote for Trump. You're welcome, America!" At NYPo, Colorado puts Trump back on 2024 GOP primary ballot while ruling is appealed. James Lynch at Da Caller, Trump Will Remain On Colorado Primary Ballot Pending Supreme Court Ruling. From Da Caller, Jared Golden Makes His Case For Why Trump Should Be Left On Maine Ballot "until Trump is “found guilty” of “insurrection,” he should remain on the ballot" which is going to be hard, since he hasn't been charged with it. Twitchy says  CO SecState's Lecture About Trump and the Rule of Law Is 100 Percent Pure Projection. "Trump's not trying to put himself "above the law," but the Left is certainly trying to put him beneath it, all while constantly lecturing about the need to preserve the "rule of law" and "democracy"." At Da Caller Nicole Silvero reports the  Maine Secretary Of State Disqualifies Trump From Primary Ballot and James Lynch wants you to Meet The Left-Wing Activist Politician Who Kicked Trump Off The Maine Ballot. Nick Arama at Red States WATCH: Maine Sec of State Defends Move to Boot Trump, but Suspends Decision and Gets Blasted. Ace, Without Even Bothering With the Fig Leaf of a Trial, the Partisan Democrat Lunatic Maine Secretary of State Decrees, On Her Own Non-Existent Authority, That Trump is an Insurrectionist and Must Be Removed from the Primary Ballot. "Hopefully we'll soon see a lawsuit and that the Supreme Court takes up this matter immediately and adds it to the Colorado election-rigging. The left are insurrectionists and must be prosecuted as such." Matt Taibbi calls it The Mess in Maine "The 2024 presidential election is already an unprecedented political quagmire. . . . I must have missed that in AP Insane Legal Loopholes class. Is there any way this ends well? It feels harder and harder to imagine." Capt. Ed at Hat Hair responds "Nope. Even if the Supreme Court intervenes to put an end to this nonsense, it will set them up as the target of progressive ire once again. That will be especially true if such a decision comes down 6-3 or 5-4, rather than 9-0. This is an effort to dismantle representative democracy, largely by unelected officials in state judiciaries and executive branches. There is no way this ends well."   Brandon Morse at RedState thinks Maine, Colorado, and the Democrats May Have Just Handed Trump 2024.

NYPo, California secretary of state keeps Trump on 2024 ballot after Maine boots him. From TNP, ‘Louisiana Woman’ Suing to Keep Trump Off Ballot is Self-Described ‘Neo-Communist’ & Democrat Party Operative. E. Don Elliott at Am Spec, thinks the US Supreme Court Should Reverse Colorado Supreme Court 9–0, claiming "Trump’s acquittal by the Senate for “inciting insurrection” precludes disqualification." From the Conservative Brief, CNN Legal Analyst Rips Maine Secretary of State For Removing Trump From ’24 Ballot. Hayden Ludwig at Am Great details how Erasing Trump from 2024 Ballot Is an Inside-the-Beltway Job, "Here are the professional left-wing activists responsible for the Colorado Supreme Court’s undemocratic decision." "I think the Supreme Court is going to take this case and I think the Supreme Court is going to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court,” he said." Capt. Ed says "So do I. I’ve laid out several constitutional grounds for that too, including in today’s post. This is not an issue for states to enforce, a point Honig makes too. But as Honig says, we’re in unchartered territory now, and the Supreme Court will have political risks no matter which way they go."  Harold Hutchinson at Da Caller reports ‘They Will Stop At Nothing’: Tulsi Gabbard Slams Maine’s ‘Dangerous’ Removal Of Trump From Ballot. Althouse, Sooner than never? "A Daily Beast headline I didn't click on: "Why Trump May Find Himself in Jail Sooner Than He Thinks."" I didn't either. Paul Ingrassia at Am Great argues for Why Trump Is Correct About Presidential Immunity. "The media’s ridiculous construction of presidential immunity as applied to Donald Trump would, if taken to its logical conclusion, deny such protection altogether and implicate every single president."

That's enough for now.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. 

Rule 5 Saturday - Alexa Collins

When Alexa Collins dropped out of university at 21 to pursue a career in social media, she said she knew it was going to pay off.

She was right.

The now 25-year-old model is now a millionaire, living a luxurious lifestyle with her real estate boyfriend of two years, Tom Shields, 31, in Miami, Florida.

She was studying communications for three years, and after deciding to quit she earned her first million by 25.
Hi Alexa, please tell us a little about you?

My name is Alexa Nicole Collins and I’m a full time social media influencer. I’ve been doing this just a little over 6 years now and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve gotten the opportunity to travel all over the world, meet new people, and work with brands that I’ve always dreamed of working with.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! and FMJRA 2.0: (Like) There’s No Tomorrow ready at The Other McCain. Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Feds Fear Whale Deaths from Wind Power Projects

At Da Signal, Associated Press Got It Wrong: Wind Farm Contractors Acknowledge Turbines Harm Dolphins, Whales

When wind turbine companies seek permission to harm sea life, reporters for The Associated Press blame The Heritage Foundation (where I work) and The Heartland Institute, instead of reporting the facts.

It was a Chico Marx moment: “Who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?

The misleading AP article—carried by WBTS-TV in Boston; The Daily Star newspaper of Oneonta, New York; and WTFX-TV in Philadelphia, among others—stated that “scientists say there is no credible evidence linking offshore wind farms to whale deaths” and that “offshore wind opponents are using unsupported claims about harm to whales to try to stop projects, with some of the loudest opposition centered in New Jersey.

The article accuses opponents of causing “angst in coastal communities, where developers need to build shoreside infrastructure to operate a wind farm.”

If so, why are offshore wind farm companies asking Uncle Sam for permission to harm ocean mammals, and why are dead whales washing up on East Coast beaches?

According to AP reporters Christina Larson, Jennifer McDermott, Patrick Whittle, and Wayne Parry, “One vocal opponent of offshore wind is The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the foundation’s center for energy, climate and environment, wrote in November that Danish company Ørsted’s scrapped New Jersey wind project was “unsightly” and “a threat to wildlife.” (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)

If the four reporters had done their homework, they would have mentioned that in required environmental-impact filings with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, companies explain that sounds generated by their activities will harm ocean mammals.

For example, Atlantic Shores and Ørsted’s Ocean Winds both requested permission to harm ocean mammals in their applications for New Jersey offshore-wind projects. And, since boats ramped up offshore surveys in May 2022, 31 dead whales have washed up on New Jersey and surrounding beaches.

Ørsted, which in November pulled out of a proposed New Jersey offshore wind farm, requested permission to harm 30 whales, 3,231 dolphins, 82 porpoises, and eight seals through sound waves generated by its surveys—although the company claims that the damage would be negligible.

The precise numbers and detailed species can be found on the website of the NOAA, in Ørsted’s Application for Incidental Harassment Authorization (Table 9).

Atlantic Shores, owned by Dutch Shell oil and French EDF, is still seeking permission to locate an offshore wind farm in New Jersey. In its Request for Incidental Harassment (Table 6-3) it stated that acoustic waves associated with the siting of the wind turbines would likely affect 10 whales, 662 dolphins, 206 porpoises, and 546 seals (also termed a negligible amount). It received permission to harm these marine animals.

Although the companies describe effects as “negligible,” the NOAA website states that it’s difficult to measure the effects of manmade sounds on mammals.

“Acoustic trauma, which could result from close exposure to loud human-produced sounds, is very challenging to assess, particularly with any amount of decomposition,” or damage to the whale’s body, states NOAA on its website.

Sean Hayes, chief of protected species for the NOAA, wrote in a letter to Brian Hooker, lead biologist at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management: “The development of offshore wind poses risks to these species [right whales], which is magnified in southern New England waters due to species abundance and distribution … . However, unlike vessel traffic and noise, which can be mitigated to some extent, oceanographic impacts from installed and operating turbines cannot be mitigated for the 30-year life span of the project, unless they are decommissioned.”

In addition, the AP article made no mention that some of the companies that would install these wind farms are owned by Denmark, the Netherlands, and France—despite the fact that renewable energy tax credits in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act are aimed at stimulating domestic firms to produce renewable energy. And there was no mention that New Jersey offshore wind farms would have practically no effect on mitigating global temperatures, either now or by 2100.

I'm still not convinced that offshore wind power projects will harm marine mammals, but theories that they will are pretty well founded in what we know about their biology. It's going to be a very difficult thing to prove one way or another. 

Yes, They're Coming for Your Burgers

At PM, WHO head Tedros declares war on meat and traditional farming to fight ‘climate change’

A new declaration from the World Health Organization has revealed that it wants the masses to eat less meat and more plant-based foods in order to supposedly combat "climate change."

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a grave warning on the matter, saying in a video address, "Our food systems are harming the health of people and planet. Food systems contribute to over 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and account for almost one-third of the global burden of disease. Transforming food systems is therefore essential by shifting for this healthier, diversified and more plant-based diets."

"If food systems deliver healthy diets for all we could save 8 million lives per year," Tedros claimed, "WHO is committed to supporting countries to develop and implement policies to improve diets and fight climate change. I'm therefore very pleased that over 130 countries have signed the code 28 UAE Declaration on climate and health. Together, we can protect and promote the health of both people and planet. Thank you."

Leslie Eastman at LI notices the NYT Pushes “Groundwater Crisis” to Attack America’s Poultry and Dairy Industries

Watch for 2024 to be the Year of Water Crisis. As we head into the New Year, The New York Times has decided to push a story about a “groundwater crisis” created by the American love of poultry and dairy products.

America’s striking dietary shift in recent decades, toward far more chicken and cheese, has not only contributed to concerns about American health but has taken a major, undocumented toll on underground water supplies.

The effects are being felt in key agricultural regions nationwide as farmers have drained groundwater to grow animal feed.

In Arkansas for example, where cotton was once king, the land is now ruled by fields of soybeans to feed the chickens, a billion or so of them, that have come to dominate the region’s economy. And Idaho, long famous for potatoes, is now America’s largest producer of alfalfa to feed the cows that supply the state’s huge cheese factories.

Today alfalfa, a particularly water-intensive crop used largely for animal feed, covers 6 million acres of irrigated land, much of it in the driest parts of the American West.

These transformations are tied to the changing American diet.
This is a subject that will likely require even more attention in 2024. In early 2023, the World Economic Forum decided that the world wasn’t panicked enough about COVID-19 or carbon dioxide but began turning its attention to a “water crisis.”

From my cold, dead hand . . . 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! ready at The Other McCain.

Oregon, My Oregon

Post Millennial, Portland sees increase in diseases spread by human waste

Multnomah County is encouraging residents to watch their hygiene after a boost in shigella cases was observed in Old Town Portland.

Shigella is a bacteria that spreads via fecal matter, and creates symptoms that include fever, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. It can last anywhere from three to 10 days.

“Shigella spreads when one person’s infected poop gets into another person’s mouth through food or water, from objects or surfaces with shigella bacteria on them, or during sex,” Multnomah County said, according to KOIN 6. “Shigella spreads very easily. Even a very small amount is enough to make someone sick.”

Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties have reported 45 cases of the bacteria in December, with nine different strains observed in the Portland metro area since October.

The Portland Police Bureau’s Central Bike Squad also joined in on the calls for awareness, making a post about hygiene on Instagram on Dec. 22.

Previously, Multnomah County discovered a "cluster" of drug-resistant shigella cases in November, with 16 cases found in the Portland metro area since September.

A total of 218 cases have been reported in 2023, with the county saying that the majority of strains penetrate the region by way of international travelers and “social-sexual networks.”

“Local disease patterns suggest that fecal-oral spread through sexual contact may account for between half and more than two thirds of all cases without international travel. The rest are typically attributed to other types of person-to-person spread including outbreaks among populations with lack of hygiene, shelter, and sanitation, and among people who use illicit substances,” county officials explained to KOIN 6 News.

The county added that “during 2020 a single strain of Shigella caused multiple clusters among men who have sex with men, persons experiencing homelessness, as well as causing outbreaks at a food cart, and separately, a healthcare facility. Multnomah County epidemiology immediately identified these shifts into defined outbreaks and were successful in stopping illness spread from the food cart as well as within the healthcare facility.”

Civilization was sure was nice while it lasted. 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Post Fishing DIY Post

 Well, I didn't get around to yesterday's news, but I had a good excuse. I would have discarded it all an started over, but I would have missed some important developments:

Trump Troubles

Maine Secretary of State Determines Trump Ineligible for Primary Ballot Under the 14th Amendment
Michigan Supreme Court Rules to Keep Trump on 2024 Ballot - The Epoch Times
The Colorado Supreme Court vs. Trump - The American Spectator
Colorado Supreme Court Repeatedly Quotes Trump Out of Context to Ban People From Voting For Him - Just Facts Daily
‘Ivy League Judges Taking Trump Off the Ballot Would Cause This Country to Explode’
FBI looking into threats against Colorado justices following Trump ballot ruling - Washington Times
Democrats Want to Save Democracy by Eliminating Elections - Frontpage Mag
Jack Smith: Trump Shouldn't Be Allowed to Tell Jury Biden Targeted Him - Newsmax.com
Jack Smith Wants Judge to Exclude Trump’s January 6 Evidence From Trump’s January 6 Trial
Biden’s Lawfare Campaign is Crumbling - American Greatness
Come On, Man – HotAir

Biden Misdismal Administration

There’s a New Wrinkle in the Impeachment Investigation of Joe Biden – PJ Media
Federal Judge Rejects Press Freedom Claims by Project Veritas in Ashley Biden Diary Case - The Epoch Times
Gen X is Not Fond of President Biden – HotAir
More Bad News For Biden: Just 34% Of Americans Say They’re Better Off Than Four Years Ago: I&I/TIPP Poll – Issues & Insights
Althouse: "You're Joe Biden. Suppose your goals are to a) get reelected, b) in the process let in as many migrants as you can, because you..."
It’s Not Even An Election Year But The Clock Is Already Ticking For Joe Biden - The Daily Caller
Biden boasting about the economy makes him appear ‘out of touch’ with mainstream America: Economist
Joe Biden Thinks He’d Be More Popular If Media Reported On The Economy ‘The Right Way’ - The Daily Wire
As Bidenomics Screws the Private Sector, Biden Gives Federal Workers Big Raise – PJ Media
Three times Biden forgave student loan debt despite Supreme Court ruling - Washington Examiner
Biden’s DOJ Instructs Immigration Judges To Loosen Restrictions On Child Migrants — There’s Just One Problem - The Daily Caller
Your tax dollars fund US border crisis and 'rights for migrants'
Ace of Spades HQ Biden: You Know, the Ukrainians Will Probably Have to Cede Territory to Russia to End This War

Jan. 6 and the "Deep State" 

Samuel Lazar, Jan. 6 rioter who was sentenced in secret, provided information to authorities - Washington TimesClowns in Space: U.S. Space Force Officer Claims Troop Readiness Affected by Non-Existent Anti-LGBT Laws – PJ Media
Like Bud Light, Harvard discovers backlash - Don Surber
The Failure of Holocaust Education - Frontpage Mag
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Domestic Violence Prevention Group ‘Likens Israel to an Abuser’
Secretive Harvard Corporation That Backed Claudine Gay Facing Pressure - The Daily Wire
Pro-Palestine Activists Cancel Plan To Storm Holocaust Museum After Outcry | The Daily Caller
Washington Post: Federal Migration Policy Feeds Pro-Hamas Protests
The violent animals on the left who support Hamas – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman
You'd Be Surprised Which States Persecute Religious Groups
Crime Show Features 2009 Honor Murder in Arizona Without Daring to Name its Cause | Frontpage Mag
‘So Angry’: Chris Matthews Says Dealing With Rural Americans Is Like ‘Fighting Terrorism’ - The Daily Caller
2023 was a ‘dire’ year for freedom of speech on campus, says this organization. Will next year be any better?
Instapundit - TAKE A BOW TIKTOK: One in five young Americans has a positive view of Osama Bin Laden]
Ace of Spades HQ - An Angry, Deranged Man Berated a Delta Attendant for "Misgendering" Him, and the Delta Attendant Was Not Having It
Trans Activist Who Got Shut Down by a Delta Employee Over 'Misgendering' Is Identified, and Hoo Boy – RedState
Anti-Israel Protesters Stage Blockades of LAX, JFK Airports
Dissolve the Universities? – HotAir
Bud Light Boycott Leads to 25-Year Low in Brew Biz – HotAir
Racism 100 Years Ago: Republican vs. Democrat
Barack’s Lieutenant: The Racism, Revenge, and Ruin of Claudine Gay -
‘Blasphemous’: Here’s What Happened When a Church Installed a Same-Sex Nativity Scene
Calendar of Conservative Women Not About Conservative Values, Just Sex Appeal – Twitchy
Utah Governor: I'll Sign Bill Forbidding Diversity Pledges in Academia – HotAir
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Riot Near LA Airport, 36 Arrested – HotAir
Call a Woke Waahmbulance: DEI Programs Under the Knife at Tech Companies – HotAir
‘Corporate Profit’ and the Political Ideas That Are Driving America’s Crime Wave - The Other McCain

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: (Like) There’s No Tomorrow ready at The Other McCain.

Fish Pic Friday - Kristina Carlson


Kristina Carlson. Not a lot of information, but the fish certainly look like a Floridian assortment. Lot's of big fish, but not the most diversity I've seen.

Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! ready at The Other McCain.

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Fresh Lies

Tom and I hooked up on a walk-on trip with Walleye Pete out of Buzz's Marina, down in Ridge, MD, where, where he has been fishing to take advantage of the masses of fish, some big, that school near the mouth of the Potomac River this time of year. 

It was overcast and misty, but relatively warm for this time of year, in the low 50s on land, probably more like high 40s over the 45 F water.

My best today was this 44 inch Striper that took about 5 minutes to bring to boat.
Tom's best was this 38 inch fish. We did a lot of traveling, 95 miles on the boat, mostly in search of big gulls and Gannet birds marking the location of schools of fish. We found quite a lot, but they usually only lasted a few minutes/fish before moving away.

I also had this small bird (tern?) blunder into my line and get tangled. Pete wrapped it in a towel while we gently cut the line and freed the bird, allowing it to fly off apparently upset, but unhurt.

Gone Fishing'

 But not like this:

 

Back later with fresh lies.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! ready at The Other McCain.

Thursday Tanlines

Healthline, Is Tanning a Safe Way to Treat Psoriasis? Well, it might help, but healthcare professionals would prefer you rely on something they can make you pay for.

Linked as Blog of the Day at Pirates Cove in the daily If All You See… The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy New Year! ready at The Other McCain.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

 The Balmer Sun, Federal grant to support compost and food scrap sites at Baltimore universities

Baltimore City will spend a federal grant on new food scrap drop-off locations at universities.

The Department of Public Works received a $264,840 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the pilot programs designed to reduce and divert food waste from landfills and incineration.

The drop-off sites will be at the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland Baltimore, and Loyola University Maryland.

The goal of the program is to increase access to compost for agricultural producers, improve soil quality, and divert food waste from landfills, according to a news release Tuesday from the Department of Public Works.

The drop-off site at Hopkins’ Homewood Campus on Bowman Drive behind Mudd Hall will be open Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. while its site at 1651 E. Jefferson St. will be open Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

At the University of Maryland Baltimore, drop-off sites will be open at the campus center at 621 W.Lombard St. on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the community engagement center at 16 S. Poppleton St. on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Loyola University Maryland will open an offseason drop-off site at the Govans Farmers Market at 5104 York Road, where it hosts a drop-off site during the summer months.

The programs are funded by a two-year grant expiring in June 2025, according to the release, and the grant will also give $10,000 to nonprofits 4MyCity and Bmore Community Food to purchase recycled cardboard boxes and compostable food bags.

I'm a little curious about how the $265k will actually be spent. Staff salaries for the collection stations? That would buy a lot of interns, assuming interns would be interested in collecting food waste. Site rentals, materials for storage? 

Of course, there are other uses for composting. As the Peacock reported, Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend "Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970. Seven years later, police raided his closet and found the "composted" body of his ex-girlfriend inside a trunk."

Flotsam and Jetsam - Are GOP Congresscritters Being Blackmailed?

From Da Mail, Voters describe their 2024 choice between a Trump second term and a Biden second term as a choice between REVENGE or NOTHING in Daily Mail poll "JL Partners asked 1000 voters for a word to sum up Biden and Trump's plans." Leah Barkoukis at TownHall, The Top Words Voters Used to Describe Trump’s Second Term Plans Are… Althouse wonders Why did Trump share this word cloud? "I looked that up after seeing the Politico headline, "Trump shares cryptic ‘dictatorship’ word cloud on Truth Social/It’s not the first time Trump has called himself a dictator, but it’s the first time he’s said it via word cloud." For what it worth, I think that both results show that the predominant answer for both politicians is being driven by their opponents. Democrats fear Donald Trump's revenge motive, and Republican's see Joe as having no agenda other than to stay in power. Breitbart catches Salon projecting again, ‘Dictator’ Trump Has ‘Hitlerian’ Plans, Dangerous’ MAGA Culture ‘Corrupting’ Kids. Madeleine Hubbard at JTN reports Trump says it's 'hard to have a truly great Christmas' with Biden as president. "Trump said 2024 will be remembered "AS THE YEAR OF GREAT AND FULLY COORDINATED ILLEGAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE." Althouse again, "Trump augurs divisive year in angry Christmas rant" — as CNN sees it. Link. 
The article quotes this Truth Social post of Trump's:
“THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, LIED TO CONGRESS, CHEATED ON FISA, RIGGED A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ALLOWED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, MANY FROM PRISONS & MENTAL INSTITUTIONS, TO INVADE OUR COUNTRY, SCREWED UP IN AFGHANISTAN, & JOE BIDEN’S MISFITS & THUGS, LIKE DERANGED JACK SMITH, ARE COMING AFTER ME, AT LEVELS OF PERSECUTION NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN OUR COUNTRY??? IT’S CALLED ELECTION INTERFERENCE. MERRY CHRISTMAS!”
I don't like the all caps, but does that strike you as unjustifiably angry?

At ET, Trump Will ‘Either Be on the Ballot Everywhere or Nowhere’: Minnesota Secretary of State. "As several groups attempt to block President Trump from state ballots, the official believes the Supreme Court will make a ruling on the matter." At Hat Hair, Ben Shapiro argues Barring Trump From Ballots Is a Recipe for Violence. "All of which means that 2024 is going to be the most insane and ugly presidential election in American history. And that’s saying a lot, since 1968 and 2020 are both years that existed. Under what circumstances, precisely, would Democrats accept the result of a Trump election? Under what circumstances, precisely, would Republicans accept the result of a Biden election?The weaponization of the legal system creates an all-consuming fire, burning everything in its path. There is simply no 2024 result likely to result in anything but complete – and perhaps violent — chaos at this point." Ilya Somin at Reason argues No, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment Does Not Require a Criminal Conviction. Capt. Ed comments "I couldn’t disagree more, but read all of Somin’s argument anyway. Section 5 of the 14th Amendment gives Congress authority over its enforcement “by appropriate legislation.” Congress finally responded by making rebellion and/or insurrection a federal crime in 18 USC 2383 in 1948, which removed it from a civil consideration, at least in terms of disqualification. After that point, the only legitimate disqualification would come through a federal prosecution and conviction." Hat Hair's Beege Welborn catches CNN: Okay, So, CO Supreme Court Justices Weren't Actually Threatened But They're Still in Danger From You People

…“We are seeing significant violent language and threats being made against the Colorado justices and others perceived to be behind yesterday’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling,” Jones, a former FBI investigator and staffer for the Senate Intelligence Committee, told NBC News in a statement.
But a funny thing happened in the middle of the online bloodbath. As the CNN anchor notes, kind of in contrast to the point of the chyron, for all the digging the FBI’s rightly done into the explosion of vitriol, the Denver police have had to respond to:
“…what they said was a ‘hoax’ report at one of the justices’ residences. No specific threats to the justices in those forums, from what we understand. So, no specific threats at this time…”
Atop Da Hill, Trump vows to replace ObamaCare with his own alternative. How he'll do it without help from Congress (who won't help) isn't mentioned. At NYPo, Ryan King hears Don Jr. puts his dad on notice over buzz of Nikki Haley as VP pick, says he would intervene “Nikki Haley wants never-ending wars. She’s a puppet of the establishment in Washington, DC. She’s the new favorite candidate of the billionaire class because they want control— no different than academia and Harvard and using their billions to exercise influence.” NewsMax reports Haley Seeks Late Surge to Challenge DeSantis in Iowa. Hat Hair, Does It Matter Who Comes in Second in Iowa? 'Becca Downs at TownHall reports David Axelrod Makes Bold Prediction About Future of Ramaswamy Campaign. Drop out and endorse Trump before Iowa. 

At Hat Hair  John Sexton notes Two GOP Representatives were Swatted on Christmas Day, MTG and Rep. Brandon Williams and KT reports RFK, Jr. Denied Secret Service Protection Again. It's like Biden wants him assassinated or something. 'Streif' at RedState finds Rep. Tim Burchett Says Congressional Conservatives Fail Because of the Prevalence of Sexual Blackmail. “You’re visiting—you’re out of the country or out of town or you’re in a motel or at a bar in D.C.—and whatever you’re into—women or men or whatever—comes up and they’re very attractive, and they’re laughing at your jokes. And you’re buying them a drink. Next thing you know, you’re in the motel room with them naked. . . And the next thing, you're about to make a key vote an what happens? Some well-dressed person comes out and whispers in your ear, ‘Hey, man, there’s tapes out on you.’ Or, ‘Were you in a motel room or whatever with whoever?’ And then you’re like, ‘Uh-oh.’ And they say, ‘You really ought not be voting for this thing.’”
It would explain a lot.

At JTN Georgia’s top election official wants Legislature to get rid of runoffs "Georgia is one of the few remaining states using the General Election Runoff model, Brad Raffensperger says."

From the Mises Inst, 2024's Deficit Is Already on Track to Be the Worst Since Covid. Thanks Brandon! Hat Hair's Dave Strom thinks You Won't Believe Who Biden Just Gave $50 Million to Promote 'Climate Justice', the 'Climate Justice Alliance' who justified the Hamas Oct. 7 attack. I believe it. Breitbart lists 8 Times the Biden Administration Pushed the Transgender Agenda on Children. Hat Hair's KT cites Reuters: A Migrant Caravan is Coming and it is Spectacular, meanwhile, Dave Strom reports Terror Watchlist Encounters at Border Increasing.

BI, Jeff Fortenberry, the ex-GOP Congressman found guilty of lying to the FBI, had his conviction tossed by a California appeals court. Tried in LA instead of Nebraska, where the alleged crime occurred. Was the DOH jurisdiction shopping? "During the investigation into Fortenberry's actions, federal agents based out of LA interviewed him in Lincoln, Nebraska, and his lawyer's office in DC, according to the appeals ruling. In the end, Fortenberry was not charged with campaign finance allegations — in connection to the 2016 fundraising event in LA — but rather lying during that investigation."

Althouse finds "Harvard University faculty are calling for members of its governing board to step down as a way to reset the university as it struggles..." "... with historic reputational damage and demands for the resignation of its embattled president, Claudine Gay.... Faculty who fretted for years that the school is ceding ground on free speech to appease advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion feel newly empowered to raise their concerns...." From "As Pressure on Harvard President Increases, University Board Feels the Squeeze/Critics of Harvard Corporation call for resignations, fault the board’s insularity for recent missteps" (Wall Street Journal)." From Fox, Liberal Post columnist calls on Harvard president to resign: 'I take no joy in saying this' "Liberal Washington Post columnist and associate editor Ruth Marcus added to the pile up with her opinion column Saturday entitled, "Harvard’s Claudine Gay should resign." Christopher Brunet at The Dossier, These scholars asked Claudine Gay for her data. She said no. ''We were, however, unable to scrutinize Gay’s results because she would not release her dataset to us (personal communication with Claudine Gay, 2002)." Capt. Ed comments "Brunet takes this beyond Harvard. This relates to Gay’s grant of tenure by Stanford based on a wafer-thin record of scholastic work, and questions got raised almost immediately about one of her papers. Brunet makes a case that the incident got memory-holed for some reason, but Gay still has never provided her data set for that work for peer review."

Dave Strom says DEI and Antisemitism Go Together Like Peas and CarrotsHaley Cohen@HaleyCohen19, "Scoop: A University of Minnesota professor who denied that Hamas committed rape on Oct. 7 (and even said that saying so is racist!) is being considered for a top administrative position in the college’s DEI department." Ace, U. of Minnesota "Professor" Praises the Terrorism of 10/7, Calls for Violent "Decolonization" of America "Internet nobodies on the right can't question the 2020 election, but elite figures on the left can call for violent revolution and probably get endorsement deals with Nike and Apple. . . . How about we start scaring you? Oh no, now the FBI is surveilling me harder. Only their friends on the left are permitted to speak of violence and terror. We're all required to just repeat NPR's talking points verbatim." Also, Pro-Hamas Protesters Deliberately Disrupt Christmas, Proclaiming "NO XMAS AS USUAL" Until We All Collectively Support Hamas Terrorism "Isn't it great we've invited the barbarians of the world to bring their 5000 year old wars and vendettas to our once-peaceful shores? Diversity is our strength, dhimmis." NYPo, Depraved pro-terrorist protesters try to cancel Christmas as politicians coddle them. Dave Strom hears rumors of a Pro-Palestinian Protest at Holocaust Museum? They really want to turn Jews Republican, don't they? Power Line's John Hinderacker catches Minn Gov. Tim Walz Cheering For Mass Murder. From NYPo, Teen tourists stabbed by deranged stranger at Grand Central who shouted ‘I want all the white people dead’ on Christmas. "Hutcherson has 17 prior arrests on his rap sheet, sources said. He also has been classified as an “emotionally disturbed person” in prior brushes with police, according to the law enforcement sources." At Twitchy, Guy Tries To Mock 'Republican Christians', Shows Himself To Be An Idiot Instead.

Kevin Downey at PJM, sees Clowns in Space: U.S. Space Force Officer Claims Troop Readiness Affected by Non-Existent Anti-LGBT Laws Billboard Chris@BillboardChris "This Lt. General is saying that laws stopping the mutilation and sterilization of kids make certain military members feel unsafe. In the biggest stretch possible, she says that affects “the readiness of the force as a whole.” Ma’am, you are in a cult."