Election 2020: A Silly Fantasy Impeachment

At the Spec.US, Roger Kimball writes Impeachment 2.0 is another silly sham, "Sen. Rand Paul is right". I'd like to read it, but it's paywalled and I've used all my free views this month, and I don't want to read it that bad. Michael Goodwin at the NYPo says it for "free", Impeaching Trump gets more divisive by the minute: Goodwin. 

Fox, Senators mull censuring Trump as an alternative to impeachment trial, Jeff Charles at Red State, Democratic Senators Recognizing Impeachment Is a Fairy Tale Seek Other Options "It appears they are willing to settle for Diet Impeachment™ rather than the real thing." And the idea is starting to grow on AllahPundit at Hot Air, Actually, A Censure Resolution For Trump In Addition To Impeachment Isn’t A Bad Idea. A stupid and futile gesture that has absolutely no effect.

Breitbart, Jen Psaki: Biden Can Reach ‘Unity’ with Trump Supporters Even with Impeachment Trial. Fuck you and horse you rode in on. AllahPundit like Pierre Delecto, Romney: Don’t Talk To Me About Impeachment Being Divisive If You Won’t Say That Biden Was Fairly Elected. Him too. Althouse parses Pierre closely in "You know what, I was a big Trump supporter, I was really pulling for Donald Trump, but he lost fair and square." "Said... Mitt Romney." Looking carefully, he was attempting to put words in our mouths, not expressing his own opinion on Trump, whom he clearly hates for spiking the ball after he was elected and Romney wasn't.

I'm not seeing the whole transcript, but to really lean into the demonstration of honesty, Romney should acknowledge the dismissals that were for a lack of standing. I'd like to see him engage with what Rand Paul said last Sunday:

Most of the cases were thrown out for lack of standing, which is a procedural way of not actually hearing the question. There were several states in which the law was changed by the secretary of state and not the state legislature. To me, those are clearly unconstitutional and I think there’s still a chance that those actually do finally work their way up to the Supreme Court. Courts traditionally and historically don’t like to hear election questions.

I agree that the time for contesting the election has passed, but I don't think the way Romney is speaking will convince Trump supporters to give up their belief that something went wrong. Telling them the courts found it laughable, and they should give up and move on is going to make true believers more suspicious. And I'm sure they don't buy the assertion that Romney was ever "a big Trump supporter."

Sarah Longwell at the Peacock thinks GOP senators at Trump's impeachment trial are dooming the party. They need to repudiate him. She's entitled to he opinion, but I think she's wrong. Ace, Shock Poll: A New "Patriot Party" Would Become the Second Largest Political Party in the USA, Dropping the GOP to an Also-Ran Third Place

Is this really a shock, though?  . . . The trouble is, of course, that Democrats would trounce either party. But that would be a short-time problem, as people would naturally realign to support the party in the best position to beat the Democrats.

Meaning: bye-bye Severely Conservative Rombley, bye-bye China Mitch, bye-bye Corporate Ken Doll John Thune, and bye-bye sanctimonious schoolmarm and gaseous pansy Ben Sassypants.

But yeah, there will be some short-term pain.

Sundance at CTH,  JoeBama Administration Homeland Security Issues Terror Threat Alert Warning of Domestic Violent Extremists and by that, I doubt if they mean Antifa. And as if to prove it Feds Arrest Twitter Troll Ricky Vaughn For Posting LOL Memes, Biden Administration Claims Subversive Election Interference Via Twitter. Twitter meme urged blacks to vote via text. 

DOJ – […] Mackey allegedly tweeted an image that featured an African American woman standing in front of an “African Americans for [Hillary]” sign. The image included the following text: “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home. Text ‘[Hillary]’ to 59925[.] Vote for [Hillary] and be a part of history.” The fine print at the bottom of the image stated: “Must be 18 or older to vote. One vote per person. Must be a legal citizen of the United States. Voting by text not available in Guam, Puerto Rico, Alaska or Hawaii. Paid for by [Hillary] for President 2016.” The tweet included the typed hashtags “#Go [Hillary]” and another slogan frequently used by the Candidate.

Seems pretty silly, but 'Beca Rosenburg at NYPo is taking it seriously,  Alt-right Twitter troll ‘Ricky Vaughn’ busted for voter disinformation "Brooklynn prosecutors" so we know they're unbiased, right?

More than 4,900 people, encouraged by the misinformation campaign, cast their vote via text, officials said.

Just think of it as an intelligence test.

Ex-Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air is happy, DoJ: Sedition Charges In Capitol Riot Coming “Very Soon”

Normally, it might be tough to prove sedition. It still might prove difficult in some of these cases. Prosecutors would have to demonstrate that each person individually had a specific intent to stop Congress from conducting the business necessary to transition to a new administration for the purpose of illegitimately imposing their own choice of leader. For many if not most of these defendants, they could argue that they were only there for a legitimate protest and got caught up with a mob that sucked them into the Capitol, but that they had no seditious intent.

How do you prove the mens rea for sedition in those cases? Likely, prosecutors will need to do little more than subpoena the social-media accounts for these defendants, if they have not already done so.

And this from YaHoo!  Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was an FBI informant. I wonder how many undercover FBI informers or agents were involved in the Capitol incursion?

More at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 01.27.21 (Morning Edition), his In The Mailbox: 01.27.21 (Evening Edition) and at JJ Sefton's The Morning Report - 1/28/21.

Thursday Tanlines

 

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Jane Russell up and at 'em at The Other McCain. 

Election 2020: The Doomed Impeachment

Of course, the talk of the day is impeachment (again). Shockingly, Chuck Schumer is for it; Da Caller, Schumer Says Impeachment Trial Is Necessary To Bring Healing, and Biden is at least keeping his options open Biden Says Senate Impeachment Trial ‘Has To Happen’ Just wait until it's your turn in the barrel. Then we can impeach you for Ukraine corruption if and when we get the house back. AllahPundit at Hot Air, Hawley: Holding This Impeachment Trial Would Set A “Really, Really, Really Dangerous Precedent”. Insty, DOUBTFUL: Biden put on a show of ‘unity’ — will he stick to it? "Related: To move on, drop the Trump impeachment trial."

What passes for news is that Sen. Paul Rand moved to dismiss the charges based on lack of authority for the Senate to impeach a private citizen. At Da Caller Bob (not Bill) Barr  A Motion To Dismiss For Lack Of Jurisdiction Should Swiftly End The Senate Impeachment Farce. Should and will being entirely different words. Sundance at CTH,  Rand Paul Pushes Back Against Ridiculousness of Impeachment – Likely to Initiate Points of Order to Call Out Republican Idiots.  At Da Wire, Rand Paul’s Fiery Speech Denouncing Trump Impeachment. PM, Sen Rand Paul SLAMS impeachment attempt and 'incitement' of violence by Democrats.  Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Can Rand Paul Derail The Senate Trial Before It Begins? UPDATE: Fails, 55-45. There, that saved you some suspense didn't it. As expected the vast majority of Republicans voted in favor of dismissal, and all Democrats voted against. Jake the Snake Tapper tweeted 55-45 vote against Rand Paul's motion that the impeachment is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. Senate Minority Leader McConnell voted with Paul. At NR, McConnell Signals Support for Effort to Deem Trump Impeachment Trial ‘Unconstitutional’. NYT at MSN sobs that  Republicans Rally Against Impeachment Trial, Signaling Likely Acquittal for Trump while AP whines GOP largely sides against holding Trump impeachment trial. The point was never to win. The point was to demonstrate to Democrats that they don't have the votes to convict, and going through with the trial will be a waste of time. Althouse, 45 Senators just voted that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional, so it seems that acquittal is inevitable. Ace, Rand Paul Moves to Stop the Sham Impeachment Trial as Unconstitutional, but Five "Republicans" Defect to the Democrats -- And It's Not the Ones You'd Guess. "Just pulling your leg -- it is exactly the ones you'd guess. Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, the Abortion Twins, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, and liberal Pat Toomey." Highlight to see who. The title of this one would give it away (Sundance)

Even John Bolton atop Da Hill, currently no friend of Trump calls the  Second Trump Impeachment “Badly Conceived, Poorly Executed” well within his field of expertise. At Da Fed, John Davidson says Conservatives Should Stop Trying To Justify Impeaching Trump, and speaking of that, AllahPundit at Hot Air gleefully reports Rob Portman: I Might Still Vote To Convict Trump Despite Supporting Rand Paul’s Challenge Today. Talk about incoherent "It's unconstitutional, but I might do it anyway". Unless he has lots of followers, it's still not enough. AllahPundit prays, House Dems Wonder: Would Any Of Trump’s Former White House Aides Be Willing To Testify Against Him At The Trial?  The unsinkable Molly Hemingway at Da Fed, Liz Cheney Should Step Away From Leadership For The Sake Of GOP Voters.

The House Republican conference can tolerate a member who caters to the Democratic media complex in order to further her personal agenda. However, she can’t be in leadership. The party leadership must be unified in order to effectively fight against the left-wing assaults in the years to come.

also,  "FWIW, GOP voters aren't looking for senators who are merely against convicting the former president. That's easy. On the merits, on the Constitutional grounds, etc. They are looking for much more -- people who will fight HARD against the left-wing mobs and their falsehoods." (Tweet link).

With it becoming ever more obvious that conviction will fail, Bipartisan Senate Pitch: Let’s Censure Trump Instead Of An Impeachment Trial; Plus: A Bill Of Attainder Instead?. Good enuf for Greta, Why we need a bipartisan censure to deal with Trump, not another circus impeachment trial

A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of persons, guilty of some crime, and punishing them, often without a trial.

At Front Page, Fourteenth Amendment Follies "Desperate Democrats want to get medieval on Trump."

The constitutional provision itself, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the Disqualification Clause, reads:

“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

If Section 3 isn’t enough to bury Trump, Section 5 gives Congress the power to enforce the 14th Amendment through “appropriate legislation.”

Some very creative scholars claim this means a simple majority of both chambers of Congress could pass a law applying a ban on future political activities to a particular former president, like Donald Trump.

Althouse asks Do you believe that Donald Trump intended to incite an insurrection? No.

That's the question I'd like to see polled.

I think that the "yes" answer needs to be quite high — at least above 50% — for the impeachment trial to make sense.

Hours after swearing in the Senators, John Sexton at Hot Air reports, Sen. Patrick Leahy Hospitalized After Not Feeling Well, then Peacock Sen. Patrick Leahy, set to preside over Trump impeachment, returns home after brief hospitalization. No word if it is the dreaded WuFlu. Stephan Kruiser at PJ Media asks How Many People Will the Democrats' Impeachment Fetish Kill?. Using Democrat math, Gajillions. 

We were constantly told throughout last year that every moment President Trump and Republican leadership weren’t spending dealing with COVID-19 was directly responsible for people getting sick and dying. “Blood on their hands” was an oft-used phrase.

At Da Fed, Anonymous Claim Of Inauguration Violence Sends Wisconsin Police To Investigate Elderly Veteran "The 73-year-old was working at his home when three deputies questioned him on suspicion of being a domestic terrorist. Why? He had joined peaceful conservative protests." I know some mighty spry 73 year olds. At LI, Pennsylvania Teacher Suspended for Attending Trump Rally Says His Life Has Been Destroyed. Roll Call, After Capitol riot, a call to protect veterans from disinformation

"Foreign and domestic forces target veterans with disinformation on social media as they seek to undermine U.S. democracy." WSJ, via Hot Air, Video: Proud Boys Were Key Instigators In Capitol Riot. Proud Boys = Immanuel Goldstein. Da Caller, Capitol Rioter Charged After Threatening Rep. Ocasio-Cortez On Twitter. Calls for assassinations will get you charged every time, and banned from Twitter, unless you're a Democrat threatening a Republican. From Human Events, 5,000 National Guard Troops to Stay in DC Through March, Some Returning Home.

Jazz Shaw (the last conservative left at Hot Air?), Democrats Move To Ban Trump Supporters From Federal Jobs Or Joining The Military, but from WaEx, Tulsi Gabbard: Calls for Biden to embrace 'KGB-style' tactics in U.S. far scarier than Capitol riot "Democrat says ex-CIA head Brennan, allies 'much more powerful, and therefore dangerous'" I agree. 

From Da Caller, Virginia Rule Allowing Late Ballots Missing Postmark Was Illegal, Court Rules. Da Blaze, Judge rules Virginia elections board violated law with late absentee mail-in ballot rule. But it doesn't change the count because they were never counted due to an injunction. But it might affect races in the future. Julie Kelly at Am Great, GOP Election Fraud Deniers Face Reckoning "One cannot simultaneously defend the integrity of the 2020 election and demand new laws to ensure election integrity."

Maryland Balloon Ban Likely to Happen

Timothy B. Wheeler, Bay Journal News Service, Strong Support for Statewide Balloon Ban in Maryland.

Democrats and Republicans may not agree on much these days, but in the Maryland General Assembly lawmakers of both parties have come together to protect sea turtles, shorebirds and other wildlife.

One of the first bills to be heard during the 90-day legislative session that began Jan. 13 is a bipartisan measure that would impose a statewide ban on intentional releases of helium-filled balloons. A violation would be punishable by a fine of up to $250.

Backers said the legislation, HB391, is needed because what goes up eventually comes down, where it poses a pernicious threat to animals, particularly marine life.

 

“When a balloon is released, best case, it becomes litter. Oftentimes it’s much worse,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Del. Wayne Hartman, a Republican representing Wicomico and Worcester counties on the Eastern Shore. “Unfortunately, [balloons] are often confused as food for sea life,” he said, “and the ribbons and so forth attached can cause entanglement.” The outcome for marine life is often fatal, he pointed out.

Helium-filled latex balloons can drift for miles before coming to Earth — or, just as likely, to water. Helium-filled foil balloons (commonly known by the tradename Mylar) remain buoyant much longer and can stay aloft for weeks and drift for hundreds of miles, Hartman explained during a Jan. 15 hearing before the House Environment and Transportation Committee.

 

A recent survey by the nonprofit group Oceana tallied nearly 1,800 reports nationwide of 40 different species of animal either swallowing or becoming entangled in some type of plastic. Balloons were among the most frequent plastic items involved. Nearly half of the incidents involved sea turtles, and close to 90% of all the affected animals have been either endangered or threatened species, Oceana reported.

In Maryland, Bay Bulletin reported on a balloon “roundup” organized by a family from Berlin that collected more than 2,800 balloons in 19 months from the ocean and beaches. One youngster found 20 balloons in a single day on Assateague Island.

 

The bill—cosponsored by two other Eastern Shore Republicans and four Western Shore Democrats—has drawn enthusiastic support from a bevy of environmental and animal-welfare groups. Similar bills easily passed in the House and Senate last year but failed to get through both chambers before the legislative session shut down weeks early because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Three Maryland counties—Queen Anne’s, Wicomico and Montgomery—and the town of Ocean City already ban balloon releases. Advocates say a statewide ban is needed because airborne balloons frequently cross localities’ and even state borders. At least five other states, including Virginia, have similar bans.

 

Other balloon bans have outlawed intentional releases of multiple balloons, but the Maryland bill applies to the intentional release of even a single one. Releasing more than one multiplies the penalties. There are a handful of exemptions in the Maryland bill, including releases by anyone under 13 years of age or for scientific or educational purposes. The sponsor also agreed to exempt releases by ham radio operators when done as part of their hobby.

I can live with that.  

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Jane Russell up and at 'em at The Other McCain. 

Another Day with "y" In It

WaPoo tries to scare us again.  Sea-level rise is ‘the hidden threat’ for Anne Arundel waterfront homes. So hidden you can look it up on the internet:

Shady Side and southern Anne Arundel “are on fire with people buying. Prices are ramping up.”

But those dream homes could become a nightmare, according to scientists who say sea level rise is coming to flood homes and vital roads in areas such as Anne Arundel County. Stansfield didn’t know this because, like homeowners and real estate agents around the state, she wasn’t given information scientists say is vital to the future of homes like hers.

Real estate agents such as Stansfield use FEMA’s 100-year flood plain maps to determine whether homes are required to have flood insurance, which many interpret to mean they are safe from flooding. But climate scientists say FEMA’s maps shouldn’t be used to predict flooding.

Bill Sweet, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sea-level rise expert living in Annapolis, said that because FEMA only considers historical events when making its flood maps, they don’t take sea-level rise into account. “Past risk is not the best predictor of future risk,” Sweet said. “I think that’s sort of the hidden threat.”

Sea levels are even higher now than when FEMA’s Anne Arundel County maps were developed in 2015, he noted, and risks are only increasing. A storm with a one in 100 chance of occurring will have about a one in 10 chance by 2050, Sweet said. 

Yep, 3.67 mm per year times 5 years is about 18 cms or 0.7 inches. And that rise is not changing as time goes on. If your house can be threatened by 0.7 inches of sea level rise in 5 years, you live too damn close.

1/26/21 Beach Report

A generally unpleasant day at the beach. Temperatures in the low 30s (we had "wintery mix" last night), misty to the point that my jacket was damp by the time we finished the walk, and just to top it off, the tide was very high

Nevertheless, the one tooth I found, this Snaggletooth, was a pretty good one.

I also found this (poorly focused) bone, porous on one side, and smooth (and slightly patterned) on the other side.

Until someone corrects me, I'm going to call it turtle shell.

Election 2020: Impeachment 2.0 Slip Sliding Away

As promised, Nancy Pelosi and her band of merry pranksters delivered the second bill of impeachment to the Senate yesterday. NYPo, Trump article of impeachment over Capitol riot sent to Senate, Sundance at CTH, House Delivers Article of Impeachment, Trump Warns GOP of Primary Consequences. Mess with him, and you'll get a primary challenge. Seems fair to me. AllahPundit at Hot Air crows Pelosi, House Dems Deliver Article Of Impeachment To Senate

And in an interesting wrinkle that makes it even less likely to be a fair trial, Sen. Leahy, not Justice Roberts, to preside over impeachment trial (Da Hill). It's not entirely clear if Roberts said no because Trump was not longer President (and the constitution requires the CJ to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting President), or if Schumer figured that out on his own. At NR Britanny Berstein writes, Sen. Leahy Expected to Preside over Senate Impeachment Trial, Not Chief Justice Roberts  Allah Pundit at Hot Air whines (he does a lot of whining) Roberts Bails Out Of Impeachment Trial, Leaving Dem Sen. Pat Leahy To Preside Instead; Update: Unprecedented, Says Cornyn. Will he vote in the jury (Senate) too. Will he also be a prosecutor? Althouse wonders Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment? "I'm trying to understand "John Roberts ducks the spotlight by skipping the second Trump impeachment trial" by Joan Biskupic (CNN). Also "If the Chief Justice is required, then what Leahy is about to do is not a duty. Taking on a role that is not yours under the Constitution is an abuse of power."

I wrote, in my post yesterday, "Did Chief Justice John Roberts decline to preside over the Senate trial of the Trump impeachment?"

In the comments, Meade wrote: "Will Leahy be costumed in his horned animal skin shaman outfit?"

I said, "Can someone do a photoshop of this? I'd like to put it on the front page."

Breitbart, Growing Number of GOP Senators Oppose Impeachment Trial. David Catron at  Am Spec predicts Trump Impeachment DOA in Senate "He will be neither convicted nor barred from holding public office. RCP, Democrat Prospects of Convicting Trump in Senate Fade Away. Which inspires this musical intermission: 

Nice! Anyway, Byron York at WaEx writes of  The coming argument over whether Trump can be tried. From Da Hill, Rand Paul says Boycott the sham impeachment. Stacy Lennox at PJ Media (VIP), If You Thought the First Impeachment Was a Circus, Just Wait for Impeachment 2.0. Daniel Greenfield at Front Page wants to Impeach Obama for Inciting Black Lives Matter Riots. Well sure, but better, get Kamala Harris, and have her named as ineligible for the Presidency.

At the AtSlantic, The Trial Will Test Whether Senate Republicans Care Even About Themselves, and of course, the Democrats can always count on Pierre Delecto, Mitt Romney on board with post-departure impeachment trial of Trump, from Herr Professor Jacobsen at LI. Sundance announces Matt Gaetz Campaigns In Wyoming to Oust Liz Cheney From Republican Leadership over he pro-impeachment vote.

Hawley calls for ethics investigation into Dems who filed complaint against him. Fair is fair. Congratulations on his being able to ‘Bamboozle.’ his teachers at liberal teachers at Yale. Hawley mentors stunned by conduct, but early warning signs were there

On the occupation of Washington D.C. by federal troops, Chris Roach at Am Great calls it  Security Theater Redux "Far from being an exceptional response to an emergency, the sterile and militarized Washington, D.C. of Joe Biden’s inauguration was an effort at mass intimidation and a portent of things to come." At Am Think, Monica Showalter wonders Who ordered the National Guard troops stuffed into the icy underground parking garage? 

Whatever happened, it sounds like the doings of the Democrats, who used the Guard and then tried to bury them underground, out of sight, out of mind.  That sets a mighty interesting tone for the incoming Biden administration.  It might just be the first thing it's remembered for.

PM, Tulsi to Biden: 'let our troops get back home'

Ilana Mercer at Am Great, A Hardcore Libertarian Take on the Storming of the Capitol Building "Our country is not to be equated with our Capitol." Sundance reports Founder of #WalkAway Movement, Brandon Straka, Arrested For Participation in Capitol Hill Riot, and notes that as far as they know, he did not enter the Capitol itself, but encouraged others to do so. Should be an interesting trial.  

FBI Special Agent Jeremy Desor said that videos revealed that during the melee, Straka was part of a crowd pushing toward a Capitol doorway. Desor doesn’t contend that Straka went into the building, but says that as others tried to charge through the entrance, the activist shouted: “Go! Go!”

Desor said that as a Capitol police officer tried to make his way through the crowd with a riot shield over his head, Straka urged others to wrestle it from him. “Take it away from him,” Straka allegedly yelled. “Take it! Take it!” (read more)

NYT accidentally provides more evidence that Trump did not incited the rioters,  Son Tipped Off F.B.I. About His Father, Who Is Charged in Capitol Riot “I put my emotions behind me to do what I thought was right,” said Jackson Reffitt, who weeks before the siege alerted the F.B.I. that his father was planning “something big.” Disown the ungrateful wretch. But ABC holds to the narrative, ABC: U.S. Like Post-War Germany, Antifa and BLM Violence Is Morally Right (Newsbusters).

Sundance, DOJ Inspector General Announces Investigation into DOJ Effort to Influence the 2020 Election. Horowitz, who had a pretty hard time discerning bad motives in the Russiagate crowd. 

Yeah, you really cannot make this stuff up. After the DOJ, FBI, CIA and US Intelligence Apparatus writ large, went to extraordinary lengths to influence both the 2016 presidential election (Yates/Comey) against Donald Trump; and the 2018 mid-term election (Rosenstein/Mueller) against President Trump; with no accountability despite the overwhelming evidence…. Now the DOJ Office of Inspector General wants to investigate political pressure on the 2020 election.

Ex-Republican Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Here We Go: New Horowitz Probe Launched Over Allegations Justice Officials Tried To Overturn Election. Paul Mirengoff at Power Line, A DOJ coup attempt? No, an honest disagreement about the election.

At the American Mind, Setting the Record Straight on the POTUS “Ask "Vice President Pence was not asked to reject electoral votes."

Anxious reports Dominion files $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani, and Giuliani On Dominion Lawsuit: Yay! Now I Can Really Investigate Them! (Capt. Ed).

Ace, Remember: Abusing IRS Laws Regarding Non-Partisan Charities, Mark Zuckerberg Poured $350 Million Into Effort to Turn Out the (Extremely Democrat) Urban Vote "Strange that Mark Zuckerberg wasn't interested in promoting voting everywhere. Just in Democrat-controlled precincts." Remember, they got Al Capone on tax laws. WaT, Democrats question election results: 'We just trust the machines, and we shouldn't' "Discontent runs through a broad swath of voters from across the political spectrum." Jay Valentine at Am Think, You Know There Was Industrial-Scale Election Fraud. What Can Be Done?

Here's a story.

In December, my team was contacted by some data geeks with official election data from one of the swing states. It was a set of about 4 million records, mail-in and absentee ballots with all the supporting data. They asked if we could do anything with it.

We are not election guys, and we have day jobs doing pretty cutting-edge stuff in technology, but we do love to play with data. The bigger, the more complicated, the better.

We built a spreadsheet with about 4 million rows, one for each of the ballots. We saw a video some teenager did counting how many ballots were received before they were mailed out. That's not a typo.

The U.S. Postal Service, which still finds letters from World War II in its system and piles of mail under bridges, delivered the ballots back to the state officials before they were mailed. As tech guys, we did think this might be a new, disruptive technology, and we are still trying to recreate it.

So we ran the test on the data we were given.

Guess what! About 30,000 — more, I recall — ballots were received before they were sent. A bunch more, in the thousands, were sent and received the same day. You get the picture.

O.K., big deal. We took an analysis some kid performed, and we did it, too, but with the most cutting-edge software out there, one that could create a 4-million-row spreadsheet that responded in less than a second.

Right. Our analysis was not the eureka moment.

The eureka moment was when we created the SIMPLE BUTTON. We created a button that said "ballots received before being mailed." It is just a button on the screen!

Some of our team, who may not even vote and certainly do not care a bit about election fraud, were amazed at how much fraud they experienced — by seeing it in live data. They touched the hot stove!

So we built a couple of more queries. Ballots sent and received in 24 hours, 48 hours!

The effect was the same to everyone we let hit the SIMPLE BUTTON — everyone was blown away.

Now comes the fun part.

There are a lot of publicly available data out there, and there are many, too many for us to track down, excellent analyses of those data. It is evidence but not proof.

Josh Hawley at NYPo,  Sen. Hawley: It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America. Yep. Jim Treacher at PJ Media, House GOP: If the FBI Is Investigating Parler for the Capitol Riot, Let's Include Facebook and Twitter. Double yep.

Ex-Republican, Capt. Ed, As Expected, And Invited: Dems Make First Steps To Federalize Elections. I think it's unconstitutional, but when has that stopped the Democrats.

Also from Capt. Ed, BREAKING: SCOTUS Tosses Emoluments Clause Lawsuits Against Trump. Took 'em long enough to dispose of obvious nuisance suits. 

Tuesday Tune - Oh Well

HAIM:

Haim (/ˈhaɪ.ɪm/ HY-im, meaning "life" in Hebrew , stylized in all caps) is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles. The band consists of three sisters: Este Haim (bass guitar and vocals), Danielle Haim (lead vocals, guitar, and drums), and Alana Haim (guitars, keyboards, and vocals). In addition to their primary instruments, each member is also proficient in several others. The group's pop sound on their studio work stands in contrast to the more rock-based music of their live shows.

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Jane Russell up and at 'em at The Other McCain. 

A Modest Proposal

from Buck Throckmorton at Ace's: What If Deplorables Start “De-Platforming” Leftists From Receiving Skilled Trade Services?

If Monster Tech can aggressively de-platform businesses and individuals for expressing forbidden opinions, then maybe it’s time for skilled tradesmen to respond in kind against the woke left.

Leftists despise working class “deplorables” and seek to punish them for all their disapproved habits – you know - God, guns, motorized vehicles, and voting MAGA. Well, the tradesmen I know are swamped with business right now, so it might be a good time for them to establish their own “terms of service” enabling them to deny services to advocates of cancel culture. We’ve learned from Monster Tech that all you have to do is declare someone’s speech to be “hateful” or state that their speech might “incite violence” to banish someone from receiving service. If a deplorable can be targeted as hate-filled for simply supporting Trump, then a tradesman’s Terms of Service can in turn declare that any visible support for Democrats constitutes hate speech.

Broken down on the side of the road with a Bernie or Biden bumper sticker? Sorry – you’re going to have to find a wrecker that employs all 57 genders and declares all their pronouns. But Earl’s 24-Hour Wrecker won’t be towing your car today. Terms of service, you know.

Broken down furnace during a deep freeze? Too bad you advocated for a fracking ban on Facebook. That’s a violation of Smith HVAC’s terms of service. It looks like you’ll need to find yourself an HVAC company that can fix you up with 100% renewable energy if you want your heat back on.
. . .
Can such service be denied? The left is already doing it. My county is relaying updates about Covid vaccinations via Facebook. My town posts winter road updates on Facebook. I can’t express my political views on Facebook or else Mark Zuckerberg might deny me access to life-or-death info regarding roads and vaccines.

As the defenders of Monster Tech like to remind us, if I don’t want Facebook banishing me for having the wrong opinion, then I can just go start my own social media monopoly. Well then, it’s not asking too much for the left to go start their own skilled trade services.

It shouldn’t have to come to this, but we’re already seemingly here. In addition to the de-platformings by tech companies, some banks are refusing service to gun shop owners, retailers are banishing products from My Pillow, etc. If we can only buy products and services from those within our political tribe, leftists are really going to hate the new rules when they’re in critical need of a skilled tradesman.

Along the theme:  Rural America, Prepare for Biden's Newly-Proposed Tax. Pay by the mile. And from Ace, Joe Biden, the Establishment Pseudoright's Pick for a "Conservative" President, Signs Executive Order That Will Force All American Taxpayers to Pay for San Francisco's Homeless Hotels

Rural counties need to start imposing exorbitant taxes on exports of food, water and energy to urban centers. Make it part of the terms of service.

Bay States Scheme to Cover Conowingo Cleanup

 Bay Journal, Plan outlines strategy to pay for Conowingo cleanup

The Conowingo financing strategy calls for creating an independent financing authority that would receive funds and invest them in ways that would both accelerate the cleanup and reduce the cost.

The lynchpin of the strategy, completed in December, would be a pledge from Bay watershed states to fund the cleanup effort, which is expected to cost in excess of $53 million a year. But that’s something states in the Bay watershed have not committed to doing.

“One key issue is that a public commitment to investment is paramount, [their emphasis]” the financing strategy said. “The entire Conowingo … financing process is predicated on the responsibility of the public sector in general and the Bay states in particular to fund restoration activities.”

The strategy, prepared by the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability, says the proposed financing authority could leverage private funding, issue bonds to accelerate the cleanup and invest in innovative pollution control techniques.

But no one will buy bonds or make other cleanup-related investments unless the states will pay them back, said Daniel Nees, a senior fellow at the center and the lead author of the financing strategy.

“The obvious issue here is the states guaranteeing that they’re going to engage,” Nees said. “Everything else is kind of background after that.”

It’s unclear whether states are willing to pay to resolve the problem created by the 94-foot-high dam.

I really ain't seeing it. Everybody wants someone else to pay the bill. Or at least take out huge loans (as bonds) in hope of forcing someone else to pay it off after they're out of office.

The financing strategy suggests the proposed authority would be a catalyst to incentivize new technologies and market-based pollution control mechanisms that could accomplish the cleanup at less cost. For instance, it could promote pay-for-performance projects that would encourage the private sector to implement pollution control efforts, such as stream restoration, and then repay them for actual nutrient reductions — something that could produce more results at less cost than traditional grants or farm cost-share projects. The authority could also borrow money to speed implementation.

But the strategy emphasizes that investors need a financial commitment from the states to ensure they will be paid back.

The plan anticipates all states in the watershed would pay into the authority, though it would primarily fund projects in Pennsylvania, where they are the most cost-effective. States committed to jointly fund development of the plans but made no commitment to fund them.

When work on the plans began, the states expected that a settlement between Maryland and Exelon — the utility that owns the dam — would generate tens of millions of dollars a year for the work. The utility needs approval from the state before it can get a new federal license to continue operating the hydroelectric dam.

But last year, the state and Exelon struck a deal that committed just $19 million over the 50-year lifespan of the license for that purpose.

I've never understood the value of having the owners of the dam, which has protected the Bay for almost a century, be charged for the privilege.  

WuFlu Tough on Blue Tits . . .

. . . and other birds. With people staying home to avoid catching the communist crud, they're cleaning up the brush and other debris in their yards that contribute to bird habitat: From across the pond at Time UK, Beloved birds take flight from tidy gardens "Number of sightings has fallen during lockdown, although pigeons are thriving"

Sightings of some of Britain’s best-loved garden birds have fallen, a report suggests, blaming the reduction on fewer hedges and overly “tidy” gardening.

The annual review by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine found that blackbirds, starlings, blue tits and chaffinches were spotted less often than in previous years. Pigeons and seagulls, on the other hand, appeared to be thriving.

Common Chaffinch

 H/T to Althouse.

The survey requires more than 2,500 readers to report on which species they saw on their property. Overall, sightings of wildlife were up by 11 per cent, which the magazine’s editors said was not surprising given the extra time people had spent at home during the lockdowns.

The figures for several favourite garden species were “hugely worrying”, however, despite the greater opportunities for backyard birdwatching.

I can't say that the WuFlu has caused me to be extra diligent in cleaning our garden, but I haven't seen any Blue Tits or Chaffinches, either, although a flock of Cedar Waxwings breezed through the other day. 

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Jane Russell up and at 'em at The Other McCain. 

Oh OK, just one though.

Election 2020: Don't Let Your Guard Down

Military.com tells us  National Guard Plans to Ask Thousands of Troops to Remain in DC Until Mid-March. Stacy McCain wonders Why Are National Guard Still in D.C.? A show of force against the "deplorables" of course. Matt Vespa at Town Hall, Hey, Dems, You Won't Have to Dig Deep to Get to the Bottom of the National Guard's Eviction at US Capitol

Yet, it’s not going to be hard to figure out why this slap to the face occurred to our men and women in uniform. Democrats—you run this town. The commander-in-chief is a Democrat. You’re not going to have to dig deep on this one.

Karen Townsend at Hot Air, Governors To National Guard In D.C.: It’s Time To Come Home Now

Virginia Kruta at Da Caller, ‘We Don’t Have To Guess About Where This Goes’: Tulsi Gabbard Issues Warning About Domestic Terrorism BillAt PM, Tulsi Gabbard asks Biden to denounce the targeting of all Trump supporters. I'm guessing Joe will deny he's doing it, as he's doing it. What, being a domestic terrorist isn't illegal yet? Green Glenwalt warns The New Domestic War on Terror is Coming "No speculation is needed. Those who wield power are demanding it. The only question is how much opposition they will encounter." Sundance at CTH,  DIA Purchasing Smartphone User Location Data Without Search Warrants. WaPoo happily informs us that Police Chiefs vow to root out officers with extremist ties, or whoever the SPLC considers an extremist. Althouse alerts us Will Wilkinson, cancelled for tweeting, "If Biden really wanted unity, he'd lynch Mike Pence." I had no clue who Wilkinson was, and if he's on the left, he needs canceling. 

Of course, today is the day House to send article of impeachment to Senate (WaPoo). Senator Cornyn: Trump’s Second Impeachment Trial “Strikes Me As A Vindictive Move” (KT, Hot Air). No shit, Sherlock. Atop Da Hill Rubio says the  Trump impeachment trial is 'stupid' and from WaEx, Rand Paul: Trump Senate impeachment trial an 'illegitimate procedure' without John Roberts and asks Are They Going to Impeach Bernie Sanders for Inciting the Guy Who Shot Steve Scalise?  (Breitbart) Good question. And from across the pond at the Guardian, Senate Republican threatens impeachments of past Democratic presidents. Which reminds me of my plot to impeach Vice Preznit Biden on China and Ukraine the minute the GOP wins the House back in 2022. But the Senate would never convict. Althouse cite a dead white guy, "The President of the United States is impeachable at any time during his continuance in office." "Wrote James Madison in The Federalist Papers, Number 39."  Of, course, there's always Pierre Delecto, so the Democrats can claim bi-partisanship, Romney On Impeachment: “Unity” Requires Accountability "He said he will “do my best as a Senate juror to apply justice as well as I can understand it.”" The NYT whines (via Hot Air) that Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Face Swift Backlash as Sundance reminds us that Arizona Republicans Stand With Trump, Censure Cindy McCain, Jeff Flake and Doug Ducey.

The AP suggests Supporters’ Words May Haunt Trump At Impeachment Trial. Because people won't say anything to dodge Federal charges. 

Insty, COEXISTENCE: Coexistence Is the Only Option: Millions of Americans sympathize with the Capitol insurrection. Everyone else must figure out how to live alongside them.

Forget the patronizing language and the use of “seditionist” to refer to Trump supporters, and all the other lefty hysteria. She’s telling The Atlantic’s readers something they won’t hear many other places: You’re stuck with Trump supporters, and you can’t bully them into submission, however much you want to. You have to live with them.

And, you know, even Paul Krugman has noticed that all the sedition talk is bogus. . . .

 Althouse again,"We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation’s history behind us. But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability."

Said Chuck Schumer, quoted in "Schumer agrees to two-week delay of Trump’s impeachment trial/The ex-president's second trial is now set to begin the week of Feb. 8" (Politico).

Is there truth in those sentences?

Is there truth in Chuck Schumer?  Tyler O'Neil at PJ Media, Pelosi Strains to Pin More Crimes on Donald Trump for the Capitol Riot , “accessory” to “murder.” Beth Baumann at Town Hall, Dems Could Toss Impeachment Aside to Pursue Another Avenue to Keep Trump Out of Office

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment allows Congress to limit an elected official from being considered for office if they have taken part in insurrection or rebellion. Democrats have continually said President Trump encouraged his supporters to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, something they consider an act of insurrection. At least that's what they claim in their article of impeachment.

Here's what that section says:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

A handful of Democrats believe they stand on more solid footing if they pursue this avenue.

Fine, let's start actions against Joe and Kamala for given aid and comfort to the BL insurrection immediately. Smitty at The Other McCain, The Sanhedrin

But what we really need to do that is bigger than Trump, and can mitigate much of the Sanhedrin’s grip, is a Convention of States. Where neither the Tea Parties nor Trump alone could affect the Deep State or the Sanhedrin in any substantive way, the trifecta of Trump, backed by Tea Parties, and driving toward a Convention of States could work. If we demand it and protect it from hijacking.

So that’s the call to action: support the CoS and let’s target our 2037 anniversary of 250 years of American Exceptionalism for a triumphal, re-ratified rebirth. I want power, not wealth redistributed; I want Commies laughed out of office for their nonsensical “multiracial whiteness” garbage; and I want a country where I can dote on some grandchildren with a secure future before them.

And in today's quadruple dose of hypocrisy, Amazon Fights Against Mail-In Voting in Union Decision to Preserve ‘Vote Fidelity’ (Breitbart), Insty, EVERYONE IS CONSERVATIVE ABOUT WHAT HE KNOWS BEST: Jeff Bezos, Amazon Refuting Mail-in Votes For Unionization. Outkick, Jeff Bezos, Amazon Refuting Mail-In Votes For Unionization  and Sundance, Irony Meets Hypocrisy, Jeff Bezos Company Amazon Disputes Validity of Mail-in Ballots

From the memory hole, Insty, PUBLISHED THE DAY BEFORE THE ELECTION. HOW LONG UNTIL IT’S MEMORY-HOLED OR STEALTH-EDITED? Will your ballot be safe? Computer experts sound warnings on America’s voting machines. But now, to question the validity of the vote is unAmerican! (TM)

Althouse, Rand Paul versus George Stephanopoulos. A great confrontation, and I do not agree with the title on this video, that Rand Paul "melts down."

At Da Wire, ‘You Say We’re All Liars’: Rand Paul Has Fiery Debate With George Stephanopoulos

"You’re forgetting who you are as a journalist if you think there's only one side." As if George Stuffinenvelopes has ever really been a journalist. Sundance, Sunday Combat, George Stephanopoulos vs Rand Paul Regarding Election Fraud. 

Politico whines (via Hot Air) that State Republicans Push New Voting Restrictions After Trump’s Loss. Good. 

Your Monday Morning Stimulation

 

The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Jane Russell up and at 'em at The Other McCain. 

1/24/21 Beach Report

 Temperatures in the middle 30s, overcast, and a little windy:

It was really Georgia's day. She  got the good ones today, both shark verts, the nice Hemi, and the cow frag. I got the little teeny one, the stinger, and both crab claws.

Re-Revisiting Russiagate

I'm going to take this relatively slow day in election nonsense as an opportunity to clear out the Russiagate bin, quite a lot of which has been held in the digital fridge since before the inauguration of his fraudulency, China Joe Biden and is starting to grow green fuzz. 

Breaking 911, Trump Declassifies ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ Documents. Cutie Pavlich at Town Hall,  Trump Declassifies Crossfire Hurricane Documents. Chuck Ross at Da Caller informs us Trump Declassifies Russia Investigation Documents, Says He Accepted FBI Request To Keep Some Secret while according to John Solomon at JTN, Trump formally declassifies Russia documents over objections of FBI "Trump says he approved materials in a foot-tall binder of FBI documents "be declassified to the maximum extent possible." Of course there are secrets that need protection, but the FBI tends to overprotect, particularly when something could hurt their image, so I'm glad he took a nuanced stance on this. First revelation? From Jon Solomon again, 'A Trap?' Clinton's Russia collusion research started much earlier, made Steele nervous,"First dossier written in April 2016, efforts included buying possible foreign video footage, declassified FBI memos state." Shearer and Blumenthal at work.

Efforts by Hillary Clinton supporters to craft the Russia collusion narrative to vilify Donald Trump began earlier than previously reported and eventually involved an "indiscreet" effort to buy foreign video footage that made even dossier author Christopher Steele uncomfortable, according to newly declassified FBI memos.

Steele's own account to FBI agents in September 2017, obtained by Just the News, provides the clearest proof to date that Team Clinton built the now-debunked Trump-Russia storyline to distract from her own scandals over Russia money and mishandled classified secrets on her private email server.

Steele himself even admitted part of his motive for leaking the Russia collusion story in fall 2016 was to counteract the lingering email scandal he feared was hurting Clinton's chances of winning the election. He also pinpointed the earliest known research designed to tie Trump to a Russian plot ultimately proven not to exist.

Also, from Chuck Ross,  Trump Impeachment Witness Was Key Link Between Christopher Steele And His Dossier Source, FBI Notes Say

Fiona Hill, a top Russia expert in the Trump administration, was the person who introduced former British spy Christopher Steele to a former think tank analyst who would serve as the primary source for an infamous dossier he compiled on President Donald Trump, according to newly declassified FBI notes.

Ashe Schow at Da Wire, Federal Investigators Find No Wrongdoing In Leak Of Michael Flynn’s Phone Calls To Washington Post. It's still not clear to me whether this means they didn't find the leaker, (because we're pretty sure we know who it was), or that the decided it wasn't criminal for a leaker to leak that information. If it's the latter, we have right to be pissed. Yeah, the latter:

An investigation was opened into whether Obama officials illegally leaked Flynn’s classified phone call to the press. The investigation, code-named Operation Echo, was apparently closed recently without any consequences, The New York Times reported.

“Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington investigated whether the disclosures came from former Obama administration officials who had access to sensitive information about the phone calls, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The investigators ultimately found no wrongdoing, one of the people said,” the outlet wrote.

The leak of Flynn’s phone call may still be under investigation by special counsel John Durham, however.

Well, it's the NYT, so they can't be trusted to tell the truth. Chuck Ross again, Grassley Wants To Know How DOJ Found ‘No Wrongdoing’ In Michael Flynn Leak Probe. Because they didn't try very hard?

I guess Vlad's stopped picking up the phone when she calls; Clinton: I would love to see if Trump 'was talking to Putin the day that the insurgents invaded our Capitol' Ex-Republican Capt. Ed again, House Oversight Chair To FBI: Time For A “Robust Investigation” To Find The Russians Running Parler, Or Something. The new Administration will find a Russian under every bed.

Jordan Davidson at Da Fed, Rand Paul: I’m Not Going To Listen To Comey, He Should Be In Prison. Unlike most Senators, he's right more often than he's wrong.

Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Biden Decides To Stick With Wray At FBI. One can see why, he's never been one to release a secret that hurt the Democrats. Besides, aren't the new rules that you can impeach a Preznit for firing an FBI Director? However, it appears Gina Haspel is out at the CIA, Forbes, CIA Director Gina Haspel Announces Resignation

President-elect Joe Biden has named William Burns, a deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration, as his pick for CIA director, however, it’s currently unclear who will serve in the role until a new director is confirmed by the Senate.

All I know is that she wasn't as bad a John Brennan; but that's a low bar. David Harsanyi at Creator's, It's John Brennan's Authoritarianism That Threatens Democracy. WSJ, Military Intelligence Agency Says It Monitored U.S. Cellphone Movements Without Warrant "DIA says it buys commercially available geolocation data and has used it five times in recent years for authorized investigations" Probably legal, but unsavory.

Trump pardoned some people and since everything Trump ever did was wrong, people are upset, Fox, Trump pardons Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne, dozens of others; also commutes sentences "Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was among 70 to have sentence commuted" I was disappointed he didn't pardon Hunter Biden.