Snack van swiped?…

Jeremy Vajko is the driver of the van you see handing out food to Black Lives Matter people. He has  been arrested both in Portland and in D.C., and let go. Mr. Vajko doesn’t know where his van is, so he’s reporting it stolen to keep himself out of trouble. Is it stolen? Perhaps lost? Or maybe just strayed? But I have to ask: If the F.B.I. knocked on the door of his safe house, how could it be a safe house? I suspect he is under orders to do as he is doing to avoid providing anything traceable to authorities. Too late methinks…

Planned Parenthood…

Planned Parenthood just called an unborn baby a “son.” For decades they have tried to teach us that a fetus wasn’t really a baby and had no person-hood to offer. I don’t think this was a change in attitude. It seems more like a mistake to me.

Sandmann wins…

Lin Wood is the attorney representing former Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann in his defamation lawsuits against media organizations that smeared him last year. He announced Thursday that the New York Times, Rolling Stone, ABC, and CBS all filed motions to dismiss Sandmann’s defamation suit against them. NBC’s motion has previously been DENIED. The Gannett motion was briefed on a different time schedule , and a denial is expected in next few weeks.

I don’t expect the news outlets will learn a damned thing, but I sincerely hope Mr. Sandmann ends up a very rich young man, who spends a part of his fortune setting a good example for other young people. He is already off to an excellent start.

Satellite down…

Not nearly as dramatic as anything else, such as the President and First Lady testing positive for COVID-19, but that probably means no posts for a few days until the tree is removed and the satellite remounted.. We have had a LOT of rain in the past couple of weeks, and pine trees have a single tap root which is prone to letting go if the ground becomes saturated.

Chocolate for all!

The media is of course camped outside Walter Reed National Medical Center where President trump is undergoing treatment for COVID-19. Last night a flash mob of supporters assembled there as well. The President had Chief of Staff Mark Meadows deliver chocolates to everyone in the mob. And someone from California ordered Domino’s pizza delivered to the supporters. All decent people are praying for anyone with coronavirus. That so many progressives are wishing death to the President and First Lady should tell you all you need to know.

Hillary does stupid…

The real and quite unlovely Hillary Clinton showed  her ass  to Black Lives Matter activists and they did not like it.   She also displayed the tin ear she has always had,  but I am surprised that her pandering didn’t kick in.   Do watch the short video —  it’s Hillary! at very nearly her most horrid worst.

 

 

 

Last Tasmanian tiger?

This bit  of footage  was shot in 1935 and shows Benjamin,  the last thylacine on Earth.   He was on display at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania,  an island state of Australia.   Zoos were not very pleasant places for wild animals in those days,  and indeed in China and other nations they still aren’t.   The interesting thing is that over the years some tantalizing bits of  camera  and video footage and  reports  have emerged which suggest the Tasmanian tiger is not extinct.

 

 

 

 

Third Nobel nomination…

A group four Australian law professors  have nominated  Pres. Trump on the basis of   “the Trump Doctrine.”   That odd sound you’re hearing is progressive heads exploding all over the world.

Debate One, Part I…

Chris Wallace has become as liberal as his father Mike was.   He is also as partisan,  and  quite unable  to keep his fingers off the scales.   He was as combative as Trump and Biden and clearly had little control over either of them.    One of Trump’s best zingers was when he told Chris it seemed as if he were debating him as well,  which was fine.   In short,  Chris had no hope of being  as invisible  as possible.   I doubt he really wanted to be.

Did Trump  follow Larry  O’Connor’s advice?   Not strictly,  but well enough.  Biden got his living and dead sons confused and then lied his face off about Hunter’s criminal activities.   Isaac Schorr made some  logical predictions about the debate,  but neither candidate hewed strictly to them,  nor did the moderator.  I would note that Biden again refused to answer the court-packing query,  and again used the  feeble excuse  that his answer would become the issue.  Yeah,  it would,  and the fact that you have repeatedly refused to answer it actually tells us what your answer would be,  doesn’t it?

I thought trump was a bit clumsy in getting under Biden’s skin, but he managed it well enough to have Biden lose his temper and erupt with “Shut up, man”.   Of course, Biden repeatedly claimed Trump had no plan, was stupid, a fool and had no plans for anything.   Joe was always quite willing to use ad hominem attacks whenever he lacked a real answer, and we saw plenty of that last night.  It seemed to really get his goat when Trump would say that he had accomplished more in 47 months than Joe had in 47 years.  Joe made all sorts of wild claims and told enough lies to fill a 50-gallon bucket,  but he has done that for most of his life.   I was surprised when he claimed that he had been put in charge of recovering the economy and had done a fine job.  True,  he and Obama had inherited a bad economy,  but that team gave us the slowest recovery in history.   When Trump correctly pointed out that Obama had given up on bringing manufacturing back  Joe just resorted to lies and personal attacks again.

Chris Wallace was correct in that the interruptions were not helpful for viewers seeking policy information,  but they did learn some other useful things.  Trump looked at the end as if he could have gone on another two hours with ease.   About midway in the 90-minute debate,  Biden’s voice had lost its projection.  Had he not had a microphone, we could not have heard him in the first row.  The squint he began with worsened, and his voice became increasingly breathy.  About two-thirds of the way through he seemed to have trouble standing still,  shifting his weight side to side.   His feet weren’t visible, so I have no clue what they were doing.   I watched carefully,  and he did exhibit a lot of the Al Gore head shaking and muttering, but it was interspersed with strange crooked grins.   Did he think they made him look better,  or more truthful,  or less ill?

The wives?  Well,  Melania looked like a million bucks in her pin-striped suit.  I realize Jill is nearly 20 years older, but the fringe on her emerald green silk dress seemed an afterthought, and she isn’t trim enough to wear a sheath well.  The color was quite becoming, but why on earth did she still have her mask on when she came on stage?

I can’t find it at the moment, but someone at RedState wrote that it was two septuagenarians yelling at each other while a third tried to make them stop.   Tyler  O’Neil at PJ Media summed it up handily with  the title  of his article.   Be sure to read the comments below it.   Joe did better than I suspected he would,  but don’t expect to see hide nor hair of him for a week while he recovers.   What most appalls me is that the Democratic Party is willing to drag out this deficient old man and promote him as presidential material.  They really do think we are dumber than rocks,  and so what if we aren’t, because they can buy or steal or manufacture enough votes to make Biden the winner.   That looks less likely now that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s vote buying schemes have been exposed  (bless Project Veritas!)  and the Appeals Courts are in the process of staying or undoing the last-minute changes to state election laws to allow more time and less scrutiny to turn in ballots.

Remember the ancient Chinese curse:  May you live in interesting times!

Oregon governor insane…

Go. Kate Brown has seen Portland besieged by rioting,  arson,  looting,  and assaults for over 100 days.   On Friday,  the Governor declared a state of  emergency in  Portland,  making it clear that she was acting only because the Proud Boys, a controversial conservative group,  had said they intended to hold a rally in the city on Saturday.   They were planning an “End Domestic Terrorism” demonstration,  despite the city’s rejection of a permit for the event.    Counter-protesters were planning a simultaneous event,  according to an online flyer that reads: “Calling All Everyday Antifascists: Join Us At Bloom … No Proud Boys in the Rose City.”

“The Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer groups have come to Portland time and time again from out of state looking for a fight and the results are always tragic,” Gov. Brown also said.   Mayor Ted Wheeler  also denounced  the Proud Boys and proclaimed in a tweet:  “… alt-right groups and white nationalists are intent on coming into our community.  These groups empower racism, intolerance and hate.  Those are not Portland values, and they are not welcome.  Hate has no home in Portland.”   He failed to mention all the hate he has encouraged for over three months.

The Left and the media  (but I repeat myself)  routinely claim that Proud Boys are white nationalists.  They never explain the blacks and Hispanics who help make up their ranks.   Many of the Proud Boys are veterans.  They were happy to have a cross-section in their video announcing success in having the governor declare an emergency and permit the use of tear gas by Portland Police.   Also Portland’s Rapid Response Team have been deputized as Federal Marshals. This will allow federal prosecutors to charge allegations of assault on a federal officer to anyone who attacks Officers.

What happened on last Saturday?  Not very much.   Less than 800 Proud Boys showed up,  the Left-leaning counter-protesters were more numerous,  and the so-called extremists caused no trouble,  while,  despite Oregon Live’s best efforts to hide the truth,  the  lefties were  the ones who committed traffic offenses and threw rocks at troopers.   I would judge this as yet another win for the Proud Boys.   The Left has not yet grasped that the group’s members are not just proud,  but also quite tough.