Oregon, My Oregon

 At Reason, Oregon Health Officials Delayed a Meeting Because 'Urgency Is a White Supremacy Value'

In an email obtained by Reason, Regional Health Equity Coalition Program Manager Danielle Droppers informed the community that a scheduled conversation between OHA officials and relevant members of the public would not take place as planned.

"Thank you for your interest in attending the community conversation between Regional Health Equity Coalitions (RHECs) and Community Advisory Councils (CACs) to discuss the Community Investment Collaboratives (CICs)," wrote Droppers. "We recognize that urgency is a white supremacy value that can get in the way of more intentional and thoughtful work, and we want to attend to this dynamic. Therefore, we will reach out at a later date to reschedule."

Droppers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The email was sent from Droppers' state government email address, and drew sharp rebukes from many who received it. One such community member replied that "as a person of color, I am calling BS!" Another recipient, a health equity manager at a medical group, said she was "thrown" by the claim.

"Please, educate me on what the state means by urgency is a white supremacy value," she wrote. "Also, I would like to know how this gets in the way of the RHEC/CAC work. I have struggled all morning with how to communicate the reason for the postponement to our CAC."

Droppers did not follow up on her initial email with an explanation. A county health official, however, responded that "I too was taken by surprise on the statement and decided to investigate it for further comprehension and wanted to share a link that I found."

The link redirects to a website that purportedly identifies aspects of white supremacy culture. The website was "conceived and designed" by Tema Okun, a white antiracist educator who has popularized the idea that several benign and widespread traits are actually characteristic of white supremacy. Among these are preferring quantity over quality, wanting things to be written down, perfectionism, becoming defensive, and yes, possessing a sense of urgency.

Okun's work makes frequent appearances in educational equity workshops; similar work by Judith Katz, also an antiracism expert, was included on the website for the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Droppers needs to be fired, and anyone who didn't object should have their salary reduced by 50%, because their job is clearly not important.

Joe Biden, Economy on the Killing Floor

From atop Da Hill, a poll that says 71 percent don’t want Biden to run for reelection and Capt. Ed at Haut Hair takes notice Seven in ten Americans to Biden: Get out

And Joe Biden thought his job approval numbers look bad. They do, of course, but according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, his re-elect numbers look worse. Seventy-one percent of respondents do not want Biden to run in 2024, leaving 29% — about nine points lower than his current RCP average — backing Biden’s re-election.

By golly, I think we found Biden’s floor. Maybe . . .

Paul Bedard at WaEx, White House Report Card: Zogby says Biden ‘in real trouble’

"To be down on the killing floor is to be feeling very depressed, according to guitar legend Hubert Sumlin, whose licks on Howlin’ Wolf’s legendary 1964 single “Killing Floor” are building blocks of electric blues guitar."

Rick Moran at PJ Media notes how David Axelrod Says the Really, Really Scary Part Out Loud "I mean, this is the lot that Biden finds himself in. There is this sense that things are kind of out of control and he’s not in command. And this lends to that.” And so does this video of Joe getting lost on stage. Joe Biden Looks Confused After Speech: "Which Way Am I Going?". I mean it could happen to anyone, but it happens to Joe in public a lot. It's not a good look. NYPo, Nervous Democrats pray for anyone but Kamala Harris as 2024 nominee

 'Bonchie' at Red State, New Hope and Cope Drops After Trump Announcement Is Teased. Althouse, "Trump] recently surprised some advisers by saying he might declare his candidacy on social media without warning even his own team..." "He "surprised some advisers by saying he might" surprise them. So much surprising. And it's all so predictable. Do you ever get tired of the tedium of surprise?" NBC hopes Trump’s ‘fear factor’ shows signs of waning as 2024 Republican hopefuls jockey, "Former appointees and allies of Trump test the waters for possible presidential bids by releasing ads and hitting early-voting states." Fine. 

NPR, These candidates lost badly, but now are claiming fraud, highlighting Republicans who refuse to concede but not Democrats. The Peacock whines about The Supreme Court case voting rights experts say could bring 'chaos' to elections "The high court agreed to take up a North Carolina redistricting case as Republicans seek to remove a major check on the power of partisans to reshape election rules." Mostly upsetting Democrats who want partisan hacks in black robes ruling for Democrats. Cited by Haut Hair, the NYT supports The perils of slow vote-counting and delayed election results Confusion makes elections ripe for fraud. 

Forbes writes U.S. Economy Shrank Worse-Than-Expected 1.6% Last Quarter As Recession Fears Grow. At Da Caller, There’s A Fat Red Flag That America Just Entered A Recession. "U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second quarter of 2022 fell to -1% based on available data for the current measured quarter, the Atlanta Fed reported."  At Ace's Quick Hits

Earlier this week, I reported that that the Atlanta Fed GDP tracker had put the Q2 GDP "growth" at -1.0, meaning contraction. Which mean we're in two back to back quarters of negative "growth," which is the classic definition of recession.

Well, they've revised that. They've revised the Q2 figure down.Way down.

Tne Q2 GDP growth is now negative 2.1%.

Jeff Carter, Stocks Worst 6 Months in 50 Years. Sundance at CTH, Wall Street Advocates Begin Admitting Demand Side Economy is in Free Fall. "The demand side claim for the origin of inflation was always a ruse, a con, a complete farce intended to backstop the claim that inflation would be “transitory” once consumer spending moderated." Noah Smith, Disinflation begins, "Prices are starting to decelerate, but the cause isn't yet clear." Desmond Lachman at NYPo fears The Fed’s hawkish policies risk are making the economy’s doom loop worse. At Da Wire, Federal Reserve Chairman Says Fixing Inflation ‘Highly Likely To Involve Some Pain’ For The American People. It usually does. Seth Carpenter at the Financial Times (cited at Haut Hair) warns The path ahead on inflation isn't rosy   At Based Politics, Biden Caught in Massive Lie About Inflation (Again) 

“America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been,” Biden claimed at a global summit Thursday morning. “We have the strongest economy in the world, our inflation rates are lower than other nations in the world.” “Inflation is higher in almost every other country,” he later added. “We’re better positioned to deal with this than anyone.”
. . .
The latest data show that average US consumer prices rose an astounding 8.6% over the last year, the biggest surge recorded since 1981. This is devastating for American families. And, while inflation is happening around the world, it’s actually particularly bad in the US. . . .

At Red State Mike Miller wants you WATCH as Team Biden Stoops to New Low, Blames Unvaccinated Americans for Inflation. Da Caller notes how a Tweet From White House Comes Back To Bite Them In The A** One Year Later "The White House gleefully touted on July 1, 2021, that the “cost of a 4th of July cookout in 2021 is down $0.16 from last year.”" From Fox Business, As 4th of July fireworks costs explode, expect shorter displays. "Some July 4th fireworks displays may be cut down by two or three minutes, James Baxter told 'Fox and Friends First'" Insty, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE JOINED THE “CABAL” THAT INSTALLED HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE, THEN: ‘One Of The Worst Downturns’: Mark Zuckerberg Blasts Biden’s Economy In Warning To Employees.

Breitbart reports on how WH’s National Economic Council Director Deese says Paying High Gas Prices ‘About the Future of the Liberal World Order’. Tristan Justice at Da Fed, Biden Regime Admits On Camera: Ushering In ‘Liberal World Order’ Is More Important Than Affordable Gas. At the Weasel Zippers, Biden: Americans Should Pay More For Gas To Protect Liberalism…. I'd like to believe he meant "classical liberalism", but I just can't give them that much credit. Insty, NO, IT’S ABOUT PUNISHING AMERICANS FOR BEING WEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE AND ENJOYING IT: Biden Admin To Families Suffering High Gas Costs: ‘This Is About The Future Of The Liberal World Order.’

At Twitchy, Biden tells gas station owners to lower gas prices and ‘do it now’ because it’s ‘time of war and global peril’ and to help Democrats in the mid-terms. Sundance, Someone Controlling the Twitter Account of Joe Biden is Demanding Gas Stations Lower Prices, Because He Said So. Roll Call reports Gas price gouging focus of new ads backing House Democrats, "Issue ads call for Senate to take up anti-price gouging legislation" Funny how they didn't price gouge while Trump was President.

At CNS News, Rep. Ro Khanna Urges Biden to Increase Domestic Oil Production. At Breitbart, Joe Biden Insists He Will Not Beg Saudi Arabia to Produce More Oil. Ace, Biden Refuses to Ask Saudi Arabia to Produce More Oil; Biden Advisor Declares We Will Pay $5 For Gas For As Long As It Takes to Defend "The Liberal World Order" (AKA Ukraine) "Biden doesn't want to risk the Saudis refusing his request -- it would make him look even weaker -- so he's not even going to ask. $7 gas, here we come!" As I&I notes Americans Are ‘Collateral Damage’ In Dems’ Insane War On Energy

At Da College Fix, Nearly 9 in 10 recent student loan borrowers bet on Biden bailing them out. I don't think it will be that many but there will be some more.

Vicky Taft at PJ Media sees Another 'Cassidy Blasey Ford' Claim Appears Headed to the January 6 Committee Dumpster

The latest inconsistency may be the most serious one. Hutchinson may have misidentified a Trump Administration DOJ attorney — whose house was subsequently tossed, and all of whose electronics were confiscated by the Department of Justice. All while he was forced to stand outside in his pajamas. Oopsie!

Mike Davis, a D.C. attorney, former Supreme Court clerk, and leader of the Article III Project, says he believes the aide mistook “J Clark” in the White House logs for DOJ Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark instead of Trump’s former campaign aide and White House public liaison, Justin Clark.

Stacey Matthews at LI reveals more 'hiding the J6 pickle'  Liz Cheney’s J6 Committee Show Trial Theatrics Are Further Exposed After ‘Concerning Messages’ Source Is Revealed. "“Cheney could have asked Hutchinson about [the messages] right then and there. But she instead chose to do the TV tease and leave everybody hanging.” – Byron York" Althouse, reads WaPoo, "Numerous people close to the committee’s work say the abrupt decision to go public with Hutchinson’s testimony, which surprised even some of its top aides..." "

I don't care whether "Trump was furious at being barred from proceeding to the Capitol." There's got to be more about what he believed would happen there. I'm stuck on the idea that what he wanted was a huge, attention-getting protest against resolving the election without more inquiry into whether the vote counts were accurate. If he had joined the crowd it would have been a stunning sight. But he didn't get his way. It was too dangerous. That he thought he could do it seems to be evidence that he was NOT picturing a violent scene. So what if he was "furious" that he didn't get to do his gigantic, historic photo-op?

Politico sides with Jan. 6 committee rallies around Hutchinson amid Trump World onslaught, "Several members of the panel say the former White House aide turned star witness isn't the one with credibility problems — it's her doubters." Or words to that effect. Lawfare, Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony Changed Our Minds About Indicting Donald Trump. I sincerely doubt that. AP prays Trump’s vulnerabilities for 2024 mount after new testimony

Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair laughs at  Politico's excuses for why Kavanaugh's would-be assassin didn't get much coverage. “potential violence and intimidation in Washington’s political world has stopped seeming quite so newsy.” Political violence, and the attempted murder of a Supreme Court Justice is just too mundane these days.  ABC reports Supreme Court marshal seeks to squash protests at justices' homes, "Supreme Court marshal Gail Curley is asking Maryland and Virginia officials to enforce state and local laws that prohibit picketing outside the homes of justices" since Merrick Garland won't enforce the federal ones. Fox, Maryland, Virginia govs respond to letter from Supreme Court marshal calling on them to protect justices. Kinda, sorta. 

Palm Sunday

Linked at Pirate's Cove in Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup – 4th Of July and links. The Wombat has Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Hailey Outland up and gathering clicks at The Other McCain.

Scientists Find Suitable Scapegoat for Covid

Randy the Neanderthal

Randy, the Neandertal. Randy NEANDERTHAL may be to blame for passing on the gene that caused up to a million people to die from Covid, scientist claims

A single amorous Neanderthal may be to blame for transmitting a genetic quirk to up to a million people who died from Covid.

To date, worldwide, around 6.3 million people have died from the coronavirus which caused the pandemic.

A huge number have lost their lives because they have a relatively common genetic quirk which makes the lungs more susceptible to infection.

Now the expert whose research identified the effect of the genetic difference on the lungs has said it came from just one single 'romantic liaison' between a Neanderthal and a member of our own human species.

Had this one sexual act not happened 60,000 years ago, many lives would have been saved from the deadly virus.

Professor James Davies, associate professor of genomics at Oxford University's Radcliffe Department of Medicine, told Cheltenham Science Festival: 'If you stop and think about it, this comes from a single interspecies relationship and a single child.

Randi the Neanderthal

 

'And if the dinner date between the human and the Neanderthal had gone wrong, we would have had a much better time in Covid, and had hundreds of thousands fewer deaths.'

Asked for a rough estimate of exactly how many people may have died from Covid as a result of the 60,000-year-old sex act, he said: 'It's in the hundreds of thousands to a million.'

The role of the Neanderthals in making humans more susceptible to Covid was first revealed in 2020.

But the one-off 'romantic liaison' behind it was revealed by careful analysis of 'letters' in our genetic code.

But people with the high-risk genetic quirk for Covid have exactly the same 28 differences in the letters of their genetic code.

That makes it almost certain they are all descended from the same two people, rather than the product of lots of Neanderthals having sex with many Homo sapiens.

It's already thought that Neanderthal genes are a cause of more severe symptoms of Covid.

A genetic variation is present in modern-day humans because our ancestors had sex with Neanderthals about 60,000 years ago.

People who have the variation, found on chromosome three, are up to three times more likely to need ventilation if they catch the virus.

 

Professor Davies told the science festival: 'We think it's a single romantic liaison, and the reason we know that is that it's inherited as this block with 28 single-letter changes, and you can track that all the way back and it has to be a single event.'

Simon Underdown, professor of biological anthropology at Oxford Brookes University, who also addressed the festival audience, said: 'I want you to keep in mind, when we start thinking about the time when Neanderthals and Homo sapiens bumped into each other and went on that dinner date, just how far back in time this was, and 60,000-odd years later, we are seeing the impact of that encounter in the world today in more severe forms of Covid.'

He added: 'The average Neanderthal group size is estimated to be about 20 to 25 individuals, so these are tiny, tiny little groups dotted across a continental scale.'

He described the chances of Neanderthals bumping into each other, let alone Homo sapiens, as 'unlikely', making the sexual encounter that introduced the Covid-related gene into modern humans remarkable.

Once the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens met, they are unlikely to have realised they were different species, so happily interbred.

The genetic variation which some people now have, and came from the Neanderthals, is linked to a gene called LZTFL1 and is believed to act on lung cells.

These cells develop more of an important protein on their surface, which the coronavirus is able to latch on to and spread through the lungs, causing more damage which can be deadly.

The genetic quirk is more common in people of south Asian origin, and could partially explain the high death toll in India during the pandemic.

Professor Davies said: 'If you stop and think about it, this comes from a single interspecies relationship and a single child.

If, indeed, a single cross event resulted in the transmission of this trait from Neandertals to "modern" humans (and think they should be careful extending their finding that far), I suspect it was more likely a case where a modern human tribe either  captured a Neandertal girl child and adopted her, or, captured a female Neandertal in a raid, kept her, and adopted the resulting children. Unlike the story being sold above, I suspect that the modern human side to the story was the randy party.

Biden Scores Higher than Congress, Supremes, Cassidy Crashes and Burns

 Althouse notes an oddity, "Biden With Higher Approval Than US Congress & Supreme Court."

"The latest Emerson College Polling national survey of US voters finds..."

....a majority disapprove of President Biden, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Biden has a 40% job approval, while 53% disapprove of the job he is doing as president. Since last month, Biden’s approval has increased two points. The US Congress has a 19% job approval, while 70% disapprove of the job they are doing. The Supreme Court has a 36% job approval; 54% disapprove.

That's a very nice way to deliver Biden's low approval rating. Everyone else is even less popular.

I believe any residual popularity for Biden is the result of the "sunk costs" fallacy. Congress deserves it's low approval, and, as for the Supreme Court, their job is not to please people. At RCP, David Axelrod: There Is This Sense That Things Are Out Of Control And Biden Isn’t In Command. At Haut Hair, AllahPundit whines about Axelrod: There's a sense that things are out of control and Biden's not in command. At Wa Free Bee, Who’s In Charge,? "Biden's drift and weakness." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.01.22, the Victory Girls wonder Are Democrats Losing Confidence In Biden? At Breitbart, Jon Voight Calls for Impeachment of Joe Biden: ‘He Has Wronged This Nation’s Glory. I don't put much stock in celebrities, but he has a point. Paul Bedard at WaEx thinks Voters are itching to punish Washington on border crisis, 67% fail Biden. David Harsany opines that Democrats Are Fooling Themselves on the Popularity of Abortion. Stephen Kapustka at Am Spec reports No Dem Bounce from Roe Repeal: Emerson Poll, "Voters continue to disapprove of Biden and favor Republicans." Capt. Ed at Haut Hair reports on Midterm blues: Greens about to abandon Beltway Democrats? "“We don’t have to pretend anymore,” said one activist." However, G Elliot Morris claims An analysis claiming one million voters switched to the GOP last year was fatally flawed

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 07.01.22, The Geller Reports Trump Still Winning Big In Polls Despite Jan. 6 ‘Witch Hunt.” At Election Central, Will Trump Launch His 2024 Presidential Campaign on July 4? "Unlikely, but anything's possible with Trump." AllahPundit wonders Are you ready for "Ready for Ron"? "It’s probably Mike Pence who’s behind it. You know how devious he is." OAN, Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis Gaining Popularity As Front Runner For Oval Office In 2024. Politico reports that the W.H. takes aim at DeSantis — even as Florida slips away from Dems, "And funds from national donor groups have dried up."

Wa Free Bee, These House Dems Are a Rubber Stamp for Biden’s Agenda. They’re Trying To Distance Themselves From the President Anyway. Capt. Ed cites a CBS/YouGov poll: Beto still doing about as well as you'd think after Uvalde stunt. At Da Caller, Rust Belt Democrats Silent On Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Endorsements. Sister Toldja at Red State thinks Liz Cheney’s Reputation Rehab Tour Flounders Badly During Stop at Reagan Library. At Da Caller, Dem State Senate Candidate Invites Republicans To Her Next Gyno Visit. Umm no, just post it on line. KT at Haut Hair reports on Democrat congresswoman among 180 arrested during D.C. abortion ruling protest. Judy Chu, Wash. Clearly a dangerous insurrectionist. Lock her up and throw away the key.

'Becca Downs at Town Hall on how Democrats Burned Money to Meddle in Republican Primaries in Colorado, and It Backfired Terribly.

On Tuesday, many primary races took place across the country, including in Colorado, where Democrats made news for meddling in Republican primaries, a move in violation of state and federal law, which backfired terribly. Overall, Democrats looked to have spent what looks to be $14 million, including an estimated $10 million in the Senate race.

Through several different channels, Democrats attempted to meddle in races for governor, as well as U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Each one of the candidates that they attempted to prop up lost.

I expect Merrick Garland, and his FBI and DOJ will get right on this. Tim Young @TimRunsHisMouth, "You know how I know Trump wasn't on Ghislaine Maxwell's list? It wasn't leaked." KMBC News, Missouri enacts photo voter ID law before November elections ""What you’re trying to do is take us back to Jim Crow,” Democratic Rep. LaKeySha Bosley said during debate last month."

What? Wrong Cassidy? Drew Allen at Town Hall claims The J6 Committee Promised a Bombshell But Delivered a Dud.  Jeff Lord at Am Spec, The Credibility of the January 6 Committee Implodes, "Secret Service refutes “star” witness Cassidy Hutchinson." The redoubtable Julie Kelly at Am Great, NeverTrump Hearts Cassidy, "NeverTrump is up to its old tricks: bashing Trump, berating his supporters, and cheering his latest nemeses who almost always end up as farcical as NeverTrumpers themselves. " I&I, When Small People (Like Cassidy Hutchison) Have Big Moments. Victory Girls covers how The Washington Post Runs Cover for Cassidy Hutchinson’s Trainwreck of Testimony. At Twitchy, ‘What a POOR justification’: Brit Hume goes SCORCHED EARTH on January 6 Committee Hearings and their defenders and just wow. Nick Arama at Red State, Adam Kinzinger Can’t Handle It When Brit Hume Serves up Some Truth About the J6 Committee and accuses the Secret Service of lying to protect Trump. It's a shame he'll be out of a job soon, amIright? AllahPundit proudly publishes The dubious "Trump reaching for the steering wheel on January 6" video. You can't see a damn thing. At WaEx, Former Trump staffer says she put Hutchinson in touch with Cheney Alyssa Farah Griffin. From Madeleine Hubbard at JTN, Donald Trump questions why Jan. 6 witness Hutchinson isn't prosecuted for lying under oath, "If I was so evil, why did she fight so hard to stay a part of the MAGA TEAM? This is all documented in writing!" Politico, New details of Jan. 6 panel's mystery messages emerge, Former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson told the committee she was contacted by an intermediary for Mark Meadows, according to a person familiar with her final deposition.   At WaPoo, cited by MSN, How Trump World pressures witnesses to deny his possible wrongdoing. At CNN, Hutchinson was one of the witnesses Trump world sought to influence, sources say, proposing to charge him with 'witness tampering.' But as Althouse questions Is it wrong to confront the witnesses against you?. 

Insty, IT’S A SHOW TRIAL, BUT THE SHOW HAS LOUSY WRITERS AND CHEAP PRODUCTION VALUES: Byron York: The Jan. 6 committee charade. “This is very serious, Cheney said, but I won’t tell you anything else. In what way is that the purpose of a congressional investigating committee?” I'm shocked the WaPoo published this opinion by Gary Abernathy, The Jan. 6 committee’s zeal to impugn Trump is in danger of backfiring

Never have we seen such a scripted production masquerading as a congressional hearing. Narration and questions are carefully read from a teleprompter. The witnesses even appear to have been coached to pause at specific points to await the next prepackaged query. While chair Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) and vice chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) do the heavy lifting, other committee members sit in zombie-like silence, unless it’s a day designated for one of them to perform, too.

The unsinkable Mollie Hemingway at Da Fed, The J6 Show Trial Is Lying About Election ‘Fraud’, "The January 6 show trial is partly about persecuting political opponents. But it’s also about covering up the truth of the 2020 election." Dan Gelernter at AM Great, Trump Is the Greatest Man Alive "What leftist, on the verge of losing his power in Washington, and yet possessed of the means of retaining it through violence, would have walked away as Trump did?" Chilton Williamson at Spec World (cited at Haut Hair thinks Liz Cheney is the GOP’s worst enemy "Yet in her unhinged, monomaniacal efforts to destroy Donald Trump Liz Cheney has probably gone too far even for the establishment wing of the GOP by aiding and abetting Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party in their months-long attempt to discredit the Republican Party as a whole — not Trump alone — by staging a very public partisan circus calculated to reverse the Republicans’ advantage in the coming midterm elections."

At NYPo, Pro-abortion protesters target Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home. Where is Merrick Garland? At HE, Jack Posobiec: Biden Has Weaponized the FBI and DOJ Against His Political Opponents— The GOP Needs To End It. Dan Greenfield at Front Page wonders Will the Antifa 11 Face Justice in San Diego? “Antifa is known to use force, fear, and violence” for the Democrats. Julie Kelly again, Whitmer Lawyer Seeks Recusal in ‘Kidnapping’ Retrial, "Totten’s recusal memo would shed light on what Whitmer and her office knew and when they knew it—which is why the Justice Department appears desperate to keep it under wraps."

Enough for now! On with the 4th of July weekend! Enjoy. 

Rule 5 Saturday - A Self Confessed Racist - Rachel Zegler

This Rule 5 post prompted by the article, Hunger Games Prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes’ Casts Self-Admitted Racist Rachel Zegler As Female Lead Lucy Gray Baird

Lionsgate has officially cast self-admitted racist and Shazam! Fury of the Gods actress Rachel Zegler as the female lead of their upcoming adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

In a May 2020 tweet, responding to a tweet criticizing her authoring of a thread discussing ways to help hijabi-clad women during protests, the actress declared, “If you think using my platform as any decent human being should is ‘barking orders’, hahaha. Ok. I have donated, shared, and will continue to educate myself on the never ending racism that I— and many other white/white passing people— am to blame for. Do the same. Be well.”

Yeah, she's young and woke.  Hopefully she'll grow out of it.

Rachel Anne Zegler  (born May 3, 2001)  is an American actress and singer. She made her film debut playing Maria Vasquez in the 2021 musical drama West Side Story, for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She was the first actress of Colombian descent to win the award and, at 20 years old, its youngest recipient. She was included on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list in 2022.

Zegler was born on May 3, 2001, in Hackensack, New Jersey at the Hackensack University Medical Center to Gina and Craig Zegler  She was named after the fictional character Rachel Green from the TV show Friends.  Her mother is of Colombian descent. Zegler's maternal grandmother immigrated from Colombia to the United States in the 1960s. Her father is of Polish descent.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup – 4th Of July and links. The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Ava Gardner and FMJRA 2.0: The Glorious Burden up and working at The Other McCain. Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

From The Cheap Seat - Send the Marines!

Colonel Andrew Dziengeleski

Ski, aka Colonel Andrew Dziengeleski (US Army, retired), has another missive, this time on the The Current Marine Corps Public Display of Discourse

The Marine Corps is currently enduring another round of a very public discourse about how the service should be structured, equipped and focused for the future. This is not a new stage for the Marines, in fact, this is just the most current emergence of a discussion that has been on-going since the 1970s. There have been a lot of Marines, currently serving and retired, who have taken up the quill or placed themselves in front of the camera and let the world know their opinion about the new focus of the Marines.
. . .
So this internal tension, and this absolutely mind-bogglingly difficult philosophical divide, is driving this discourse within the ranks of former, retired and current Marines. General Berger has already started changing the force structure of the Marine Corps, and as one of the more vocal and charismatic retired Generals, LtGen Paul Van Riper has stated, ““It will be a force shorn of all its tanks and 76% of its cannon artillery, and with 41% fewer Marines in its infantry battalions,” Van Riper wrote. “To make the situation even worse, there will be 33% fewer aircraft available to support riflemen on the ground.” This is being done in a belief that better communications, better concealment and deception efforts, and longer, more lethal weaponry will be required for the possible future fight in the Pacific against China. There is an old belief, and personally, I thought this was obsolete before Afghanistan and Iraq and those two wars made it even more obsolete, that if you structure, man, equip and train against your most dangerous enemy, you can do anything else relatively easily. At this point, the current Russia-Ukraine war should be placing a huge restrictor plate on the Marine force structure changes until a series of lessons-learned can be written, disbursed to the force, and understood by everyone from the Lance Corporal to the Commandant. I seriously, seriously hope that’s the case, but I am not certain it is actually in effect at the moment.
. . .
There is a real good news story to all of this, and I am being 100% dead serious when I write this next sentence. I am extremely happy that this discourse has bled into the public sphere. This happened with the post-Vietnam reform efforts in the Army and the Marines, and I think it’s fantastic. There is a great deal of truth about the old saw “Sunlight makes for the best disinfectant” and getting all of this into the public eye is critically important. What would be even nicer, and I am not getting my hopes up here, is that Congress would start taking a real and present oversight role in all of this, primarily out of the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, but everyone in Congress who cares about the future of one of the nation’s services should weigh in as they see fit.

I'm utterly unqualified to opine on this, so I won't.  

Beach Report 7/1/22

A very typical July day, 80 F, all but clear, not very windy, and a touch humid. Not many people on the beach either. A tough day for Skye (it ain't Siberia), so we drove to the beach to keep it a little shorter.

Not a great day for fossils, 10 teeth, a crab claw, and some rando bones.

The bad news is that the Sea Nettles have arrived. Only a few, but it only takes one to make you unhappy. Traditionally, we consider July 4 to be the expected date for the onslaught of nettles, so they're about on time.

Something to the Effect of, KBJ Sworn In, Wrong Way Biden, Bidencession Begins

Da Caller, Justice Breyer To Retire June 30 At Noon, Paving Way For Biden’s SCOTUS Pick. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition), Twitchy notes, Good Morning America claims Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first black Supreme Court justice in history. This may well be true. I believe Thurgood Marshall probably identified as a Negro (yes, children, that used to be the good word), and Clarence Thomas simply identifies as human. I just want to know if she will uphold  the Supreme Court tradition that the junior justice brings the coffee to the others at meetings.

Meanwhile in Bidenworld, from WaEx, Eighty-five percent of US adults feel country headed in wrong direction. Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition), from Mike LaChance at LI: Majority of Americans Believe Country is on Wrong Track, Including 78% of Democrats, “Since last month, the percentage of Democrats saying the country is headed in the wrong direction rose from 66%.” Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Devastating: 78% of *Democrats* think country is going in the wrong direction in new AP/NORC poll. At Breitbart a different Poll: 78% Believe Nation on Wrong Track, Up 27 Points Under Biden. Don't take too much comfort. As least half the Democrats think he's not effing us up enough. Bob Spencer at PJ Media, Wait—Why AREN’T Democrats Enthused About Biden for 2024?. At Da Caller, Here Are The Predictions Trump Got Right About Biden. "Trump accurately warned voters that Biden’s policies would attack free speech and the Second Amendment, cause illegal immigrants to flood the southern border, and consumers would suffer high gas prices and a failing economy."

If not Biden, then who from the Democrats? From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition), at Am Think, Joel Gilbert thinks Michelle Obama Is Running for President in 2024. I doubt it. Atop Da Hill, Enter Hillary Clinton? Trump, Roe prompt muted talk of White House run.  Capt. Ed,  Are you ready for ... the Hillary v Biden 2024 Dem primary fight? She's certainly circling like a vulture, ready to pick Biden's bones. But from the Wombat's  In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Afternoon Edition) Weasel Zippers finds Former Clinton Strategist Tells Hillary To Pack It In…America Still Hates Her. But are you ready to be Californicated? I&I warns Beware America, Gavin Newsom Is Running For President.

In the Congressional races,  Weasel Zippers (via Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition)) finds FiveThirtyEight predicating Republicans WILL Win House, Possibly Senate…. Now try something hard. At Da Wire, Alaska Congressional Race Down To Three As Palin Seeks Return To Politics. Mediaite, Dem Rep Doesn’t Want Biden Campaigning for Her: ‘I Intend to Do the Campaigning Myself’. Ace, Liz Cheney Makes Her Pitch To Democrats: " these days, for the most part, men are running the world, and it's really not going all that well", and AllahPundit at Haut Hair is happy to bring you the Live video: Cheney vs. MAGA (and Harriet Hageman) "My guess is that, if she has the debate of her life, she ends up losing in August by a mere 20 points instead of 40."

From Wombat's In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition) The Geller Reports: Google Intercepted 100% of RNC Donation Emails on Biggest Donation Days of Month, more evidence of Googles not-so-secret policy of election interference. At PJ Media, J Christian Adam has an EXCLUSIVE: FOIAs Reveal Progressive Money Fueling FBI, DOJ, Leftist Activist and Election Official Coordination. Hatch Act, anyone? 

At NYPo, Manhattan judge ends contempt order against Trump after lengthy legal battle. The process is the punishment. 

From the Wombat's  In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Afternoon Edition), Twitchy watches J6 Committee Member Jamie Raskin Falls Apart Under Jake Tapper’s Questioning. Summit News calls Cassidy Hutchinson Amber Heard 2.0 "The Democrats’ founding myth of January 6 takes another ludicrous plot twist." AllahPundit is bummed that the Jan. 6 committee hasn't corroborated Hutchinson testimony about Trump SUV incident. Ace, The Many, Many Tales of Madison Cornbread Are Disintegrating Like Toilet Paper In a Stream of Piss and Madison Cornbread Said Something to the Effect of a False Statement, "Below, Megyn Kelly points out Madison Cornbread's constant reflexive caveating of her claims of what other people said, always prefacing their words with "something to the effect of." 'Bonchie' at Red State, Cassidy Hutchinson's 'Bombshell' Testimony Takes Another Body Blow, “Multiple sources including one who was at the WH on Jan 6 tell me Cipollone was not there in the am when Hutchinson testified she spoke with him,” Julio Rosas at Town Hall,  J6 Committee Star Witness Caught Making Another 'False' Statement  

Mike Davis, Article 3 Project founder, said Hutchinson testified to the January 6 Committee that former senior Justice Department official Jeff Clark strategized at the White House with Giuliani and the Trump campaign to object to the 2020 election. According to Davis, that is not true because Clark and Giuliani had "never met or communicated." It appears to be a case of mistaken identity because Giuliani had met with a Justin Clark at the White House.    

Victory Girls say Believe Us Because We Tell You To. Hollywood in Toto, Late Night Pounces, Seizes on Jan. 6 Fake News Story "Colbert, Noah highlight Hutchinson's debunked anti-Trump testimony." From the Wombat's  In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Afternoon Edition), Weasel Zippers demand you Watch Bret Baier Make An Asshole Out Of Himself On Live TV. Twitchy has more memes and gifs, ‘OH NO! THEY RELEASED THE TAPE!’ Trump grabbing the steering wheel memes, gifs, etc. have BEGUN and LOL, here are the best

MSN whines Trump's security detail was 'aligned' with him and 'personally cheering for Biden to fail,' says author of book on the Secret Service. "There was a very large contingent of Donald Trump's detail, who were personally cheering for Biden to fail, and some of them even took to their personal media accounts to cheer on the insurrection and the individuals riding up to the Capitol as patriots," Leonnig said. "That is problematic." How dare Secret Service personnel support their president? At Off The Press, Pants Down Toobin Calls Republicans 'Cowards' Over J6 Hoax Testimony. Althouse reads the NYT so you don't have to, "The federal prosecutors working on the case watched [Cassidy Hutchinson's] appearance before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and were just as astonished..." Something doesn't fit together! The NYT says the reasons "are not entirely clear." That's putting it mildly! . . . Something's amiss. Let's brainstorm some less mushy reasons. I invite you to speculate about the motives and to put it as clearly as you can or as brutally as you wish. " At HE, POSOBIEC: Attempted 'Detrumpification' of US Underway as Biden Admin Runs J6 'Investigation in Search of a Crime'. Myra Adams, atop Da Hill thinks she has The compromise that could hold Trump accountable and save the republic. Althouse has a poll, Will Trump be charged with a crime?

This is your big chance to think about an array of options and rank them in order of likelihood. I'm sure I'm forgetting some possibilities and that you will tell me about them in comments. I'm deliberately leaving out the possibility that he could die before things are resolved. That's too morbid. I'm also leaving out the possibility that the United States itself could pass away. That's too remote, though perhaps not all that remote to those who are inclined to believe in coups.

Here are your options, identified by letter so you can use numbers to rank them. I'm putting them roughly in order of severity.

The LAT (cited at Haut Hair) whines The campaign to discredit Cassidy Hutchinson has begun. And going very well, thank you very much. WSJ (also cited at Haut Hair), “She is waking up to a different life” CNN+ contributor? Haut Hair also cites the NYTs Norm Eisen, Cassidy Hutchinson changes everything. Haut Hair promotes Annie Applebaum at the Slantic, If the January 6 hearings don't change minds, nothing will and finds The January 6 hearings changed my mind from Batya  Unger-Sargon at 'Common Sense.' At Da Fed John Davidson claims The Jan. 6 Committee Is Causing Never Trumpers To Lose Their Minds. Too late, they lost them when he was elected. AllahPundit at Haut Hair VIP wants you to know Jon Stewart says The real story of the Jan. 6 hearings is Republicans shifting towards DeSantis. I think that's fair to a limited extent. 

Rachel Alexander at Front Page says Move Over J6 Protesters, the Left is Back Outdoing You With Violence. Greg Byrnes at PJ Media reports the Anti-Dobbs Reign of Terror Gains Momentum. Bob Stilson at LI, The Radicals in Green Hats at the Dobbs Protests, "Legal Observers from the National Lawyers Guild attended Dobbs protests, making good on the group’s promise after the leak to stand “with all of you fighting this in the streets and the courtrooms.”"

At Da Fed, Tom Nash and Joe Cosby lay out how FBI Lies And Entrapment Result In Probation Sentence For Former Republican Congressman, "The FBI and the DOJ are guilty of doing exactly the things with which they charged Rep. Jeff Fortenberry."

Fox Business, Key Fed GDP tracker turns negative, signaling recession is here, "The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow model estimates -1.0% growth for Q2." Capt. Ed, Gulp: Atlanta Fed projects GDP contraction in Q2, "So does this mean we are on the cusp of a recession? Perhaps by the popular definition, which is two quarters of contraction in a row, but that’s not how recessions are defined." Ace, Atlanta Fed Tracker Finds Contraction in the Economy In the Second Quarter, Meaning the Economy Is Already In an Technical Recession 

Now here's why it's being called a "technical recession" -- because a council of economic wise men get to pronounce whether it's a recession-recession or not.

If further readings confirm that the economy did, indeed, shrink in Q2, the technical criteria for a recession -- which is defined by two consecutive quarters of negative growth w-- ill be met. However, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is the authority that makes the official determination.

I have a feeling they will avoid making that determination... until a week after the November midterms.

Matt Margolis at PJ Media notes CNN claims Recessions Are Racist. "So, what exactly is CNN’s problem? Well, it seems all but inevitable that the Biden Recession will soon be official, so to preempt this, CNN has declared this cabal of economists racist." Matt Vespa at Town Hall, CNN Had the Most Predictable Response to the Coming Biden Recession, "Everything is racism when things don’t go our way." At the Wa Free Bee, ‘Skipping Meals, Conserving Water’: Bidenflation Wreaks Havoc on Personal Spending, Poll Shows. Madeleine Hubbart at JTN reminds us Stock market tanks with worst first half year since 1970. 

CNS News reads Gallup: 67% of Americans Say Gas Prices Causing a 'Hardship,' 55% Altering Vacation Plans. At PJ Media VIP, VodkaPundit notes how Biden Climate Czar Brags That 'Fossil Fuels' Are 'Losing Jobs' Under Biden. Max Keating at Da Caller details how Biden’s EPA Has America’s Biggest Oil Field In Its Regulatory Crosshairs. Shirking all responsibility, Biden says drivers will pay more for gas 'as long as it takes' to counter Russia (WaEx). At NYPo, Biden: High gas prices to last ‘as long as it takes’ for Ukraine victory. Meanwhile, Cutie Pavlich at Town Hall helpfully reminds us The Baby Formula Crisis Is Still Raging

Bob Spencer at Front Page notes Twitter is Just Fine With Calls to Assassinate Justice Thomas, "What malicious inconsistency looks like." From the Atlanta J-Con, Following Dobbs decision, SCAD removes sign in front of building named for Justice Clarence Thomas. Savannah College of Art and Design. Thomas was from the Gullah culture near Savannah. But at least George Washington University Rejects Demand That Clarence Thomas’ Law Class Be Canceled (Da Caller). From the Wombat's  In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Afternoon Edition), Behind The Black: Today’s blacklisted American, "Lincoln bust and Gettysburg Address plaque removed from Cornell library because “someone complained”" Fuck 'em. KT at Haut Hair reports California school board member calls for boycott of July 4th celebrations. And him, too. Mike LaChance at LI, Florida Republicans Mobilizing to Win Local School Board Races, "‘Payback is coming in August’ when the school board elections are held” Also, Woke Military Struggling to Reach Recruitment Goals. At Da Wire, Arizona To Become The Nation’s ‘Gold Standard For School Choice,’ Passing Universal Bill For One Million Students. Front Page thinks Maine Enshrines Cultural Marxism as State Religion in K-12 Public Schools.

Hollywood in Toto says These ‘Gutfeld!’ Ratings Stats Should Scare Liberal Late Night Silly.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup – 4th Of July and links.

Fish Pic Friday - Murmaid Hunter Heather

Heather HUNT🗡LIFT💪🏽MURMAID 🧜🏼‍♀️REPEAT SoFlo☀️Certified Freediver🦈World Traveler🎒Ocean addict 🌊 Good vibes on the tides ✌🏽🤙🏽🌊

A free diver, who fishes with a spear gun, she must have a huge pair of lungs to wrestle down such large fish before she runs out of air.

Linked at Proof Positive in the weekly Best of the Web* and at the Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Supreme Court Rules Against EPA on CO2 Regulation

 WUWT, BOOM! Supreme Court ruling : EPA doesn’t have power to regulate carbon dioxide

This is a YUUUUGE win!

The court’s decision in the West Virginia v. EPA case decided that the EPA doesn’t have the power to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

The vote was 6 to 3, with the court’s three liberal members dissenting.

Chief Justice John Roberts, said that Congress had not explicitly given the EPA the authority to regulate emissions.

Excerpt from Justice Roberts:

But the only interpretive question before us, and the only one we answer, is more narrow: whether the “best system of emission reduction” identified by EPA in the Clean Power Plan was within the authority granted to the Agency in Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act. For the reasons given, the answer is no.

Here’s the final paragraph of the Opinion of the Court:

Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible “solution to the crisis of the day.” New York v. United States, 505 U. S. 144, 187 (1992). But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme in Section 111(d). A decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with Congress itself, or an agency acting pursuant to a clear delegation from that representative body. The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is reversed, and the cases are remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

As Joe Biden might say "This is a Big F*cking Deal!" 

Beach Report 6/30/22

A tad warmer, a tad stiller, and a tad bluer than yesteday.

Not an awesome day for teeth, but a good one, 21 teeth, including this massive Snaggletooth upper that Georgia found mostly buried, and recognized the root. It barely missed a space on the kitchen window sill by about an eighth of an inch

A T-storm building over Salisbury, according to the radar.