You can't claim we haven't had a good run. After all, the country just celebrated its 244th birthday. That is a long time. As they say, all great civilizations come to an end. But America was different. It was a country based on an idea - that all men (and all people) are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These ideas, along with the founding documents upon which they are based, and the Founding Fathers who wrote those documents, are all out of vogue now. So, maybe it's time to let it all go. Let's take a look around.
Seattle. One City Council member said this: "We are coming for you (Amazon) and your rotten system. We are coming to dismantle this deeply oppressive, racist, sexist, violent, utterly bankrupt system of capitalism - this police state. We cannot and will not stop until we overthrow it and replace it with a world based on solidarity, genuine democracy and equality - a socialist world." Keep in mind that the speaker is an elected official in one of our country's major cities.
Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. In Baltimore, protesters tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the harbor. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is of Italian heritage; and her father and brother had been mayors of Baltimore. In D.C. she said that the taking down of the Columbus statue "doesn't diminish my pride in my Italian heritage." When asked if it would not be better to have a commission decide what statues should come down and where they should go, Pelosi replied with a brusque "people will do what they do." It should come as no surprise that the Speaker (next in line to the presidency after the Vice President) would not condemn the vandalism of public property. After all, she also refused to condemn Ilhan Omar for making one anti-Semitic remark after the next, making excuses for Omar instead. But, it's just property and Jews - nobody cares about them anyway.
Los Angeles. During the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, numerous Jewish shops and synagogues were vandalized. On the walls of one synagogue were the words "Free Palestine," and "fuck Israel." In the Fairfax area, a heavily Jewish area, numerous shops and Jewish schools and other synagogues were also vandalized. Said the area's City Council member: "As we watched the fires and looting, what we didn't get covered were the anti-Semitic hate crimes and incidents. Under the guise of protests, some advanced their anti-Semitic agenda." Had the council member asked me, I could have told him that Jews are not one of the favored minority groups of the left, nor of the media.
Everywhere. Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic owned company in the US. Its CEO, Robert Unanue, was recently at the White House with other Hispanic business and political leaders to help celebrate President Trump's "Hispanic Prosperity Initiative." The purpose of the executive order was to increase funding for charter schools and private schools, and provide tax benefits for "opportunity zones" in urban areas. The Goya CEO made the egregious offense of daring to say that the country is "truly blessed" to have Trump as a leader. In today's "cancel culture" any praise of the President is downright evil. Igor Volsky, a VP at the Center for American Progress, Tweeted what Unanue said, and added: "Make your shopping decisions accordingly." In supporting a boycott of Goya, AOC added "Oh look, it's the sound of me Googling 'how to make your own Adobo'" (a Goya product).
Piling on was none other than former presidential candidate Julian Castro, who was also the Secretary of HUD under President Obama. Castro encouraged his followers to reconsider the purchase of Goya products. This boycotting of those who do not adhere to a strict party line is one of the core principles of the left - and of the Democratic Party. Don't believe me? See my August 2, 2012 post discussing how big city mayors (all Democrats) across the country said they no longer wanted Chick fil-A in their cities. Why? Because the owner of Chick fil-A dared to say that he believed in the traditional definition of marriage. It should be clear to all that the left will seek to punish you for your words and thoughts. I should add that in the CNN story reporting on Goya, you would not learn that the company announced that they were donating one million cans of chickpeas and one million pounds of products to food banks across the US. CNN did not want to take the chance that anyone would think well of Goya Foods after the CEO praised the President.
New York, and wherever the paper reaches. Recall that The New York Times apologized for the offense of publishing an Op-Ed by US Senator Tom Cotton, because black staff said the mere publication of the article made them feel unsafe. Peter Beinart, a left-wing writer and columnist, had an Op-Ed in the Times titled "I No Longer Believe in a Jewish State." Now he says that there should be one state - called Israel-Palestine consisting of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Beinart asserts that Jews would still have a homeland, just not a state. But you know what, just like the Democrats don't need the USA, they also don't see a need for Israel. 191 members of the Democratic caucus in the House signed a letter to Israeli leaders warning of serious repercussions in relations if they were to annex the Israeli communities across the so-called 1967 borders. 23 of the 25 Jewish House members signed the letter. Peter Beinart is also Jewish. (But Jews who will not defend Israel or their own people is a topic for another day.)
CNN. Do black lives really matter? Don Lemon has his own show on CNN. Recently, former NFL player turned actor, Terry Crews, was a guest on the show. Lemon was quite unhappy with Crews for daring to suggest that all black lives matter, with this Tweet: "#ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER 9 black CHILDREN killed by violence in Chicago since June 20,2020." How dare Crews insert the word "ALL" in his Tweet. Lemon made it clear that Black Lives Matter is about police brutality. It is not all encompassing. Oh no? So including LGBTQ rights, the Green New Deal, Palestine, canceling rent, defunding the police and other matters can be included - but not the killing of black children. I guess Lemon sure told Crews (who is also black).
Across the country. We've seen police be verbally assaulted. We saw the police forced out of their own station in Seattle in the CHAZ/CHOP. Now, police officers are being physically attacked and shot at across the country. Here are just a couple examples. In New York City, one officer was put in a headlock by a perpetrator. As my friend, a retired officer, likes to remind me, the danger is not just the assault, but the risk that the perpetrator can get the officer's gun. In Aurora, Colorado, police were trapped in their own station when people put chains on the doors. It was subsequently discovered that nearby were cans filled with gasoline. The police were trapped inside for 7 hours, during which time 911 calls went unanswered.
The New York Times, again. On July 11, there was an Op-Ed by professor Amna Akbar. After discussing defunding the police, and also discussing the Green New Deal, the professor turned to rents. "So when organizers make the demand to cancel rent, they are conjuring up a state whose primary allegiance is to people's needs instead of profit. The demand raises the possibility of a world where housing is an entitlement rather than a commodity. It aims to shift power from landlords to tenants, in the service of housing for all." No obligation to pay rent is the equivalent of taking the landlord's/owner's property. So private property is gone, and all housing becomes government housing. As I explained above, private property ownership is not valued by the left. Although, do not expect all the liberal homeowners to voluntarily give their property to those in need.
New York City, again. The Mayor (I need to be polite and not call him a stupid nut job) decided it was a good idea to paint "Black Lives Matter" in large yellow letters on Fifth Avenue right in front of the Trump Tower. Mayor De Blasio told Trump: "Black people built Fifth Avenue and so much of this nation - we are honoring them." No you are not, you moron. You are honoring a far left group that has a far left agenda. This was nothing other than a stunt to stick it to Trump, while you are defunding the NYPD, the premier police force in the world. You want to honor black lives? Then how about honoring the most vulnerable - children - killed by violence in your city and across the country. But those deaths are often caused by other blacks, so the Mayor can't be bothered about them.
The polls show Biden has a large lead on Trump. If Biden wins, the Democrats will likely maintain control of the House, and win back the Senate. That puts Biden, Pelosi and Schumer in charge. Biden recently told us that we "won't just rebuild this nation - we'll transform it." I get it. Socialism. Political group think - think like us or else. Rewrite history. Anti-Israel. Shut down businesses who refuse to follow the party line. Never allow opposing viewpoints to be uttered. One might argue I gave isolated examples. That's what "liberals" always tell me. But I'm talking about elected officials. I'm talking about the premier paper in the country, The New York Times, and one of the premier media outlets, CNN. And I'm talking about the Speaker of the House. These are people who drive the agenda. If they take over all the branches of government...well, as I said, we had a good run.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Sunday, July 5, 2020
The Coronavirus Sixteen Weeks Later - I'm Done With the NFL and the NBA and the Democrats
Recall that in the June 7 post I quoted Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who, while criticizing Drew Brees, claimed that taking a knee was never about the national anthem. I don't know if Rodgers was being stupid or cowardly or both. But here is Kaepernick, the instigator of kneeling during the anthem, on this July 4th: "Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, and are expected to join your commemoration of 'independence,' while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy and look forward to liberation for all." Yes, America did terrible things to black people. But we fought a war over slavery and slavery was ended. Yes, blacks were treated badly still, and we passed civil rights laws. And America elected a black president. Twice.
What Kaepernick does not get is that the words of the Founders helped create the very equality that did not exist for all in 1776. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." What Kaepernick does not get is that America has continued to improve in extending rights for all. What Kaepernick does not get is that America continues to pursue "a more perfect union." What Kaepernick does not get is...everything! That the American system of government provides freedoms that others can only dream about. That American capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system created.
What Kaepernick does do is dishonor all those, white and non-white alike, who have fought and even died in order to defend his freedoms. And he does not get that people want to come to America from all over the world to be able to share in the American dream - to make a better life for themselves and their children. And, perhaps Kaepernick would be surprised to learn that black people continue to emigrate from Africa to come to the USA. Kaepernick clearly does not speak for all of black America.
It has been reported that National Football League commissioner, Roger Goodell, said this: "We, at the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country." And: "...the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality, and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff." Centuries of silence? Did Goodell also forget the Civil War and all the civil rights legislation? Does Russell Wilson's four year contract for $140 million dollars also qualify as oppression? Does the minimum NFL salary of $440,000 qualify as oppression?
The NFL apparently intends to play what has been referred to as the "Black National Anthem," called "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," (written in 1899) before all the first week's games of this season. If you believe in identity politics then you probably like the idea. But if you believe in E Pluribus Unum, (out of many, one) the unofficial motto of the USA, then you know that it is a bad idea. What will the NFL do if Mexican-Americans want to hear the Mexican anthem? How about "G-d Save the Queen?" Or the Italian anthem? Or Hatikvah, the Israeli/Jewish anthem? We have ONE national anthem - The Star Spangled Banner. But the Left is always seeking new ways to divide us. Rather ironic and hypocritical when they make the accusation against Trump.
It has also been reported that the National Basketball Association, in conjunction with the players' union, has announced a list of acceptable "social justice" messages that will be allowed to be worn on players' jerseys. Those permissible words and phrases include: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can't Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Si Se Puede, Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am a Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform and lastly, Mentor.
One person Tweeted: "Congrats to everyone who bravely displays an NBA approved message on the back of their jersey this season." Bravely? No, there is nothing brave about going along with the political correctness of the day. What would be brave is if a player had one of these messages: Trump 2020, Make America Great Again, E Pluribus Unum, In G-d We Trust, I Believe in the First and Second Amendments or Capitalism is Great. A responsive Tweet to the above Tweet said this: "Wonder if the NBA will kick out all the Chinese Americans wearing "Free Hong Kong" t-shirts. (Or does) social justice only matter when it's not hurting your pockets."
For those who don't know, and to otherwise refresh recollections, the General Manager (Daryl Morey) of the NBA team, Houston Rockets, caused quite a controversy last October with this Tweet: "Fight for Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong." The Chinese Communist government has been imposing harsh restrictions on the freedoms long enjoyed by the residents of Hong Kong. But the NBA, especially the Rockets with Yao Ming, has been quite popular in China; with the relationship also being a profitable one for the league. But defending other people's rights, especially when money is at stake, is apparently something the "brave" NBA players were not inclined to do. Rocket star, James Harden, offered a meek apology to China: "You know, we love China. We love playing there."
Commenting on the issue of Morey's free speech rights, superstar LeBron James said this: "Yes, we do have freedom of speech. But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself. So many people would have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually." It's easy to be "brave" when there are no negative consequences that will ensue. It is easy to support free speech when everyone agrees on what you are saying. But Morey's support of freedom for the people of Hong Kong did, in fact, affect players economically, as China sought to punish the Rockets and the league. When that happens, bravery and support for free speech, and for people's freedom, is far less important.
Here is a Tweet emanating from the official Democratic National Committee Twitter account: "President Trump will be at Mount Rushmore, where he'll be standing in front of a monument to two slave owners and on land wrestled away from Native Americans." Wow. I guess the Dems will take down Mount Rushmore (or at least the two visages of Washington and Jefferson) if they succeed in November. And, what's the plan - return all of the United States to Native Americans? Everyone should give up any property rights they have, and maybe they will be allowed to lease the land back for a period of years. I can't wait until all the wealthy liberals give up their properties. I'm for that.
Of course, when Sanders went to Mount Rushmore in 2016, the media was proud to report that Sanders called it "a monument to four great American presidents." And: "just the accomplishment and the beauty, it really does make one very proud to be an American." The mainstream media, aka the propaganda arm of the Democrat party, said Trump's speech "stoke(d) a culture war," (The LA Times), "a divisive culture war message," (The NY Times), "push(ing) racial division," (Associated Press) and "warns of 'left-wing cultural revolution' in dark speech ahead of Independence Day," (The Washington Post).
Here are a few quotes from Trump's "dark" speech. In attacking left-wing insistence on obedience to their ideology, Trump said this: "One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America." How refreshing to have a politician stand up to the mob. But if you want to live in a less free society, then Joe Biden is your man, as I have no doubt he lacks the courage to stand up for freedom.
But here is the most appropriate quote from the Trump speech for this July 4th weekend: "No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America and no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation. It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said, 'All men are created equal.' These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. Our founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights, given us by our Creator in Heaven, and that which G-d has given us, we will allow no one ever to take away..."
What Kaepernick does not get is that the words of the Founders helped create the very equality that did not exist for all in 1776. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." What Kaepernick does not get is that America has continued to improve in extending rights for all. What Kaepernick does not get is that America continues to pursue "a more perfect union." What Kaepernick does not get is...everything! That the American system of government provides freedoms that others can only dream about. That American capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any other system created.
What Kaepernick does do is dishonor all those, white and non-white alike, who have fought and even died in order to defend his freedoms. And he does not get that people want to come to America from all over the world to be able to share in the American dream - to make a better life for themselves and their children. And, perhaps Kaepernick would be surprised to learn that black people continue to emigrate from Africa to come to the USA. Kaepernick clearly does not speak for all of black America.
It has been reported that National Football League commissioner, Roger Goodell, said this: "We, at the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country." And: "...the protests around the country are emblematic of the centuries of silence, inequality, and oppression of black players, coaches, fans and staff." Centuries of silence? Did Goodell also forget the Civil War and all the civil rights legislation? Does Russell Wilson's four year contract for $140 million dollars also qualify as oppression? Does the minimum NFL salary of $440,000 qualify as oppression?
The NFL apparently intends to play what has been referred to as the "Black National Anthem," called "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," (written in 1899) before all the first week's games of this season. If you believe in identity politics then you probably like the idea. But if you believe in E Pluribus Unum, (out of many, one) the unofficial motto of the USA, then you know that it is a bad idea. What will the NFL do if Mexican-Americans want to hear the Mexican anthem? How about "G-d Save the Queen?" Or the Italian anthem? Or Hatikvah, the Israeli/Jewish anthem? We have ONE national anthem - The Star Spangled Banner. But the Left is always seeking new ways to divide us. Rather ironic and hypocritical when they make the accusation against Trump.
It has also been reported that the National Basketball Association, in conjunction with the players' union, has announced a list of acceptable "social justice" messages that will be allowed to be worn on players' jerseys. Those permissible words and phrases include: Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, Vote, I Can't Breathe, Justice, Peace, Equality, Freedom, Enough, Power to the People, Justice Now, Say Her Name, Si Se Puede, Liberation, See Us, Hear Us, Respect Us, Love Us, Listen, Listen to Us, Stand Up, Ally, Anti-Racist, I Am a Man, Speak Up, How Many More, Group Economics, Education Reform and lastly, Mentor.
One person Tweeted: "Congrats to everyone who bravely displays an NBA approved message on the back of their jersey this season." Bravely? No, there is nothing brave about going along with the political correctness of the day. What would be brave is if a player had one of these messages: Trump 2020, Make America Great Again, E Pluribus Unum, In G-d We Trust, I Believe in the First and Second Amendments or Capitalism is Great. A responsive Tweet to the above Tweet said this: "Wonder if the NBA will kick out all the Chinese Americans wearing "Free Hong Kong" t-shirts. (Or does) social justice only matter when it's not hurting your pockets."
For those who don't know, and to otherwise refresh recollections, the General Manager (Daryl Morey) of the NBA team, Houston Rockets, caused quite a controversy last October with this Tweet: "Fight for Freedom, Stand With Hong Kong." The Chinese Communist government has been imposing harsh restrictions on the freedoms long enjoyed by the residents of Hong Kong. But the NBA, especially the Rockets with Yao Ming, has been quite popular in China; with the relationship also being a profitable one for the league. But defending other people's rights, especially when money is at stake, is apparently something the "brave" NBA players were not inclined to do. Rocket star, James Harden, offered a meek apology to China: "You know, we love China. We love playing there."
Commenting on the issue of Morey's free speech rights, superstar LeBron James said this: "Yes, we do have freedom of speech. But at times, there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you're not thinking about others, when you only think about yourself. So many people would have been harmed, not only financially but physically, emotionally, spiritually." It's easy to be "brave" when there are no negative consequences that will ensue. It is easy to support free speech when everyone agrees on what you are saying. But Morey's support of freedom for the people of Hong Kong did, in fact, affect players economically, as China sought to punish the Rockets and the league. When that happens, bravery and support for free speech, and for people's freedom, is far less important.
Here is a Tweet emanating from the official Democratic National Committee Twitter account: "President Trump will be at Mount Rushmore, where he'll be standing in front of a monument to two slave owners and on land wrestled away from Native Americans." Wow. I guess the Dems will take down Mount Rushmore (or at least the two visages of Washington and Jefferson) if they succeed in November. And, what's the plan - return all of the United States to Native Americans? Everyone should give up any property rights they have, and maybe they will be allowed to lease the land back for a period of years. I can't wait until all the wealthy liberals give up their properties. I'm for that.
Of course, when Sanders went to Mount Rushmore in 2016, the media was proud to report that Sanders called it "a monument to four great American presidents." And: "just the accomplishment and the beauty, it really does make one very proud to be an American." The mainstream media, aka the propaganda arm of the Democrat party, said Trump's speech "stoke(d) a culture war," (The LA Times), "a divisive culture war message," (The NY Times), "push(ing) racial division," (Associated Press) and "warns of 'left-wing cultural revolution' in dark speech ahead of Independence Day," (The Washington Post).
Here are a few quotes from Trump's "dark" speech. In attacking left-wing insistence on obedience to their ideology, Trump said this: "One of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and to our values and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America." How refreshing to have a politician stand up to the mob. But if you want to live in a less free society, then Joe Biden is your man, as I have no doubt he lacks the courage to stand up for freedom.
But here is the most appropriate quote from the Trump speech for this July 4th weekend: "No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America and no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation. It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said, 'All men are created equal.' These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. Our founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights, given us by our Creator in Heaven, and that which G-d has given us, we will allow no one ever to take away..."
Sunday, June 28, 2020
The Coronavirus Fifteen Weeks Later - From Mob Rule and Chaos to Lunacy
We've seen the mob rule. We've seen the chaos. We learned that if you are upset it is perfectly permissible to destroy and deface public property and statues. At least, many Democratic mayors and governors seem to think so. We also learned that it is also permissible to take over part of a major US city, if you are distressed enough.
The City of Minneapolis has voted unanimously to get rid of their police department and replace it with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention. Meanwhile, the 6/26/20 New York Times reported that one neighborhood in Minneapolis, Powderhorn Park, are "wary of privilege" and "fight the habit of calling the police." The neighborhood is known as an area where "progressive" (leftist) activists live. Recently, hundreds of homeless people, with their tents, have moved into the neighborhood's local park. Sometimes, progressive attitudes butt up against reality.
One mother of two, said she did not feel comfortable with permitting her two children go into the park to play, "I'm not being judgmental." No, heaven forbid. We would never want to make any judgments about anything. (No, I am not blaming every homeless person for their situation.) "It's not personal. It's just not safe." Another woman said: "I am afraid. I know my neighbors are around, but I'm not feeling grounded in my city at all. Anything could happen." Yet, the move into lunacy was not far behind, as some of the women interviewed by the Times "agreed to let any property damage, including to their homes, go ignored." And, if there was a risk of harm to someone, they agreed to call the American Indian Movement, which has been policing their own community for some years.
But my "favorite" lunatic was a man (likely white, as the article tells us when someone is black) assaulted by two teenage boys. One pointed a gun at his chest, demanding his car keys. In his haste, he handed over his house keys. The two eventually stole another car. He called the police, but then: "Been thinking more about it. I regret calling the police. It was my instinct but I wish it hadn't been. I put those boys in danger of death by calling the cops." The numbers vary, but one site said that, in 2015, there were 53 million contacts between the police and civilians. Recently, the police shoot and kill about 1000 people yearly. 235 blacks were shot and killed by police in 2019. Yet, this man (like Chad Sanders in the June 7 post) seems to believe that all interactions between the police and blacks result in death.
The Times wanted to be sure their message could not go unnoticed by any reader. The article tells us that George Floyd's death "has awakened many white Americans to a reality that people of color have known their whole lives: The scores of police killings they have seen in the news in recent years were not one-off incidents, but part of a systemic problem of the dehumanization of black people by the police." Notice that the Times says "scores" of killings. Notice they don't say "hundreds" or "thousands" of deaths. Nor do they talk about the much higher number of whites killed by police. Nor do they tell us that men are 16 times more likely to die from police involvement than women. But they don't want you to actually think. They don't want you to ask why men have such a higher risk compared to women. Might it be that women are far less likely to have interactions with the police as compared to men?
Getting back to our armed robbery victim who regretted calling the police. I guess if I were to ask him, he would tell me it is better to let those two teenage boys continue to carry around a gun and rob people instead of involving the police, even if it means the next time things may get out of control and someone is shot or killed. Just imagine if the man was, in fact, shot and killed. I can hear the wife now: "I'm not about to cooperate with the police." The man did tell the Times "So I would have lost my car. So what? At least no one would have been killed." This is lunacy. Likely, this man, like many others, has white guilt. After all, we regularly hear that white people need to "check their privilege."
Who murdered George Floyd? Did you know that it was Senate Republicans? Nancy Pelosi told us. The House and Senate had two different bills dealing with police reform. The House, where Democrats control, passed their bill. Pelosi: "We're saying no choke holds. They're (Senate Republicans) not saying no choke holds." And: "So far they're trying to get away with murder, actually. The murder of George Floyd." A friend who is a retired cop, explained that choke holds are a very effective tool in controlling a dangerous situation. Often, batons will not work. Tasers will not always work. But a choke hold can incapacitate someone resisting arrest, giving the police precious seconds to be able to handcuff that person without having to use more deadly force. My friend was trained in the procedure and had it done on him as part of the training. What happened to George Floyd was not a choke hold. What happened to George Floyd was unacceptable, and likely unacceptable to the vast majority of police officers.
I was watching the local NBC News the other night. They reported on the passage of the House bill on police reform. They commented that the bill was not likely to pass in the Republican controlled Senate. What they did not tell their viewers was that the Democrats in the Senate blocked the Republican bill from coming to a vote. The Democrats were able to block the bill because it takes 60 votes (by tradition, it is not in the Constitution) to allow a measure to come to a floor vote. The measure then needs only a simple majority to pass. (Harry Reid, when he was Senate Majority Leader, was said to have used the "nuclear option" by doing away with the filibuster for confirming lower court judges. Then Mitch McConnell, as Majority Leader, returned the favor and did away with the 60 vote rule for Supreme Court Justices.) Had the Republican bill passed the Senate, the two bills would have gone to a joint committee to see if the they could work out their differences. But the Democrats did not want that. They wanted their way or nothing.
I actually wrote to NBC to complain about their one-sided reporting. Not surprisingly, I heard nothing back. But I am confident that NBC was comfortable in only presenting one side. After all, Fox News, commenting on a story by NewsBusters, reported that none of the major networks reported that evening on the Democrats blocking the Senate bill. They only reported the passage of the House bill. Yet, we all know people who rely entirely on the mainstream media for their understanding of the world. Even then, many absorb what they hear or read without further analysis.
Some numbers. Another nearly 1.5 million people filed for unemployment. That brings the fourteen week total to approximately 47,240,000 unemployment claims. As we know, Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate; and lately there has been increasing pressure to appoint a black woman. Yet, a NY Times poll found that 80% of registered voters said race should not be a factor in the selection of a VP. Even 75% of blacks agreed.
Worldwide, it is now being reported that there have been over 10 million cases and over 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus. In the US we have had 2,637,077 cases and 128,437 deaths. New York has 416,787 cases and 31,484 deaths. Then we have California with 216,089 cases and 5,935 deaths, New Jersey with 176,354 cases and 15,118 deaths, Texas with 153,175 cases and 2,416 deaths, and Illinois with 142,776 cases and 7,089 deaths. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania trail in cases but have more deaths than California and Texas. Los Angeles County has 97,894 cases and 3,305 deaths. Fox News noted how the mainstream media complains that the US (read Trump) is doing a worse job of controlling the virus than Europe. But, reporting on Johns Hopkins data, they show the rate of deaths per 100,000 people. Belgium leads with 85.15, then the UK with 65.14, Spain 60.63, Italy with 57.38, Sweden with 51.36 and France with 44.42. Then the US with 38.03 deaths per 100,000. But these numbers do not make the US (Trump) look bad enough.
Finally, if "qualified immunity" is no longer given to police, they have no reason to do things that will put their life savings, family and self at risk. Apparently, there is an email going around recommending that officers not get involved in active situations. "The officer that shows up to take the report and not prevent, the rape, the murder, the wife and child beatings, etc etc makes the same amount of money and does not subject himself and his family to all we see going on today, jail, lawsuits, violence, etc." I cannot confirm that this email is actually circulating among police. But my friend tells me that, for those who haven't decided to retire, many are thinking like this. Vigilantism can't help but be on the rise.
The City of Minneapolis has voted unanimously to get rid of their police department and replace it with a Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention. Meanwhile, the 6/26/20 New York Times reported that one neighborhood in Minneapolis, Powderhorn Park, are "wary of privilege" and "fight the habit of calling the police." The neighborhood is known as an area where "progressive" (leftist) activists live. Recently, hundreds of homeless people, with their tents, have moved into the neighborhood's local park. Sometimes, progressive attitudes butt up against reality.
One mother of two, said she did not feel comfortable with permitting her two children go into the park to play, "I'm not being judgmental." No, heaven forbid. We would never want to make any judgments about anything. (No, I am not blaming every homeless person for their situation.) "It's not personal. It's just not safe." Another woman said: "I am afraid. I know my neighbors are around, but I'm not feeling grounded in my city at all. Anything could happen." Yet, the move into lunacy was not far behind, as some of the women interviewed by the Times "agreed to let any property damage, including to their homes, go ignored." And, if there was a risk of harm to someone, they agreed to call the American Indian Movement, which has been policing their own community for some years.
But my "favorite" lunatic was a man (likely white, as the article tells us when someone is black) assaulted by two teenage boys. One pointed a gun at his chest, demanding his car keys. In his haste, he handed over his house keys. The two eventually stole another car. He called the police, but then: "Been thinking more about it. I regret calling the police. It was my instinct but I wish it hadn't been. I put those boys in danger of death by calling the cops." The numbers vary, but one site said that, in 2015, there were 53 million contacts between the police and civilians. Recently, the police shoot and kill about 1000 people yearly. 235 blacks were shot and killed by police in 2019. Yet, this man (like Chad Sanders in the June 7 post) seems to believe that all interactions between the police and blacks result in death.
The Times wanted to be sure their message could not go unnoticed by any reader. The article tells us that George Floyd's death "has awakened many white Americans to a reality that people of color have known their whole lives: The scores of police killings they have seen in the news in recent years were not one-off incidents, but part of a systemic problem of the dehumanization of black people by the police." Notice that the Times says "scores" of killings. Notice they don't say "hundreds" or "thousands" of deaths. Nor do they talk about the much higher number of whites killed by police. Nor do they tell us that men are 16 times more likely to die from police involvement than women. But they don't want you to actually think. They don't want you to ask why men have such a higher risk compared to women. Might it be that women are far less likely to have interactions with the police as compared to men?
Getting back to our armed robbery victim who regretted calling the police. I guess if I were to ask him, he would tell me it is better to let those two teenage boys continue to carry around a gun and rob people instead of involving the police, even if it means the next time things may get out of control and someone is shot or killed. Just imagine if the man was, in fact, shot and killed. I can hear the wife now: "I'm not about to cooperate with the police." The man did tell the Times "So I would have lost my car. So what? At least no one would have been killed." This is lunacy. Likely, this man, like many others, has white guilt. After all, we regularly hear that white people need to "check their privilege."
Who murdered George Floyd? Did you know that it was Senate Republicans? Nancy Pelosi told us. The House and Senate had two different bills dealing with police reform. The House, where Democrats control, passed their bill. Pelosi: "We're saying no choke holds. They're (Senate Republicans) not saying no choke holds." And: "So far they're trying to get away with murder, actually. The murder of George Floyd." A friend who is a retired cop, explained that choke holds are a very effective tool in controlling a dangerous situation. Often, batons will not work. Tasers will not always work. But a choke hold can incapacitate someone resisting arrest, giving the police precious seconds to be able to handcuff that person without having to use more deadly force. My friend was trained in the procedure and had it done on him as part of the training. What happened to George Floyd was not a choke hold. What happened to George Floyd was unacceptable, and likely unacceptable to the vast majority of police officers.
I was watching the local NBC News the other night. They reported on the passage of the House bill on police reform. They commented that the bill was not likely to pass in the Republican controlled Senate. What they did not tell their viewers was that the Democrats in the Senate blocked the Republican bill from coming to a vote. The Democrats were able to block the bill because it takes 60 votes (by tradition, it is not in the Constitution) to allow a measure to come to a floor vote. The measure then needs only a simple majority to pass. (Harry Reid, when he was Senate Majority Leader, was said to have used the "nuclear option" by doing away with the filibuster for confirming lower court judges. Then Mitch McConnell, as Majority Leader, returned the favor and did away with the 60 vote rule for Supreme Court Justices.) Had the Republican bill passed the Senate, the two bills would have gone to a joint committee to see if the they could work out their differences. But the Democrats did not want that. They wanted their way or nothing.
I actually wrote to NBC to complain about their one-sided reporting. Not surprisingly, I heard nothing back. But I am confident that NBC was comfortable in only presenting one side. After all, Fox News, commenting on a story by NewsBusters, reported that none of the major networks reported that evening on the Democrats blocking the Senate bill. They only reported the passage of the House bill. Yet, we all know people who rely entirely on the mainstream media for their understanding of the world. Even then, many absorb what they hear or read without further analysis.
Some numbers. Another nearly 1.5 million people filed for unemployment. That brings the fourteen week total to approximately 47,240,000 unemployment claims. As we know, Biden has committed to picking a woman as his running mate; and lately there has been increasing pressure to appoint a black woman. Yet, a NY Times poll found that 80% of registered voters said race should not be a factor in the selection of a VP. Even 75% of blacks agreed.
Worldwide, it is now being reported that there have been over 10 million cases and over 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus. In the US we have had 2,637,077 cases and 128,437 deaths. New York has 416,787 cases and 31,484 deaths. Then we have California with 216,089 cases and 5,935 deaths, New Jersey with 176,354 cases and 15,118 deaths, Texas with 153,175 cases and 2,416 deaths, and Illinois with 142,776 cases and 7,089 deaths. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania trail in cases but have more deaths than California and Texas. Los Angeles County has 97,894 cases and 3,305 deaths. Fox News noted how the mainstream media complains that the US (read Trump) is doing a worse job of controlling the virus than Europe. But, reporting on Johns Hopkins data, they show the rate of deaths per 100,000 people. Belgium leads with 85.15, then the UK with 65.14, Spain 60.63, Italy with 57.38, Sweden with 51.36 and France with 44.42. Then the US with 38.03 deaths per 100,000. But these numbers do not make the US (Trump) look bad enough.
Finally, if "qualified immunity" is no longer given to police, they have no reason to do things that will put their life savings, family and self at risk. Apparently, there is an email going around recommending that officers not get involved in active situations. "The officer that shows up to take the report and not prevent, the rape, the murder, the wife and child beatings, etc etc makes the same amount of money and does not subject himself and his family to all we see going on today, jail, lawsuits, violence, etc." I cannot confirm that this email is actually circulating among police. But my friend tells me that, for those who haven't decided to retire, many are thinking like this. Vigilantism can't help but be on the rise.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
The Coronavirus Fourteen Weeks Later - DACA, Statues and Other News
Once again, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the four liberal members of the Supreme Court in making a controversial decision. I recall when Roberts was testifying before the Senate, he described the job of a Justice as the "calling of balls and strikes." That approach dd not last very long. Recall that when he sided with the four liberal Justices in upholding the ACA (Obamacare), Roberts saw fit to rewrite the law to accomplish the goal of upholding its constitutionality. Although the law clearly stated that people would pay a "penalty" for failing to buy insurance, Roberts felt that a penalty for inaction could not be upheld under the Commerce Clause. Therefore, and notwithstanding the language of the statute and the comments by Obama calling it a penalty, Roberts found a way to uphold the law by calling the "penalty" a "tax," and upholding the ACA as part of the government's taxing power. Roberts rewrote the law in order to uphold its constitutionality. Of course, the four liberal justices were willing to uphold the law by calling the payment a "penalty" or "tax" or anything else.
Prior to signing his executive order on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Obama expressed his opinion that, as President, he had no authority to act alone on immigration matters. "I am not king. I can't do these things just by myself." And, with "respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations, through executive order, that's just not the case." Further: "I can't just bypass Congress and change the law myself...that's not how a democracy works." Of course, then he went ahead and did it on his own anyway. When Trump's Acting Secretary of Homeland Security declared that DACA was unlawful (as Obama even said before he did it), the Supreme Court said that was not good enough. Roberts, in writing the majority opinion, claimed that the Court was not deciding "whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies." Right.
Then why does Roberts tell us that these DACA individuals "enrolled in degree programs, embarked on careers, started businesses, purchased homes and even married and had children" based on the protections afforded by the DACA order. Roberts also discussed the economic consequences of rescinding DACA; and said the Homeland Security Secretary's failure to consider these issues made the Trump order "arbitrary and capricious." At this point I have no desire to uproot hundreds of thousands of people brought here illegally by their parents. But let's be honest. The issues that Roberts addressed are all within the purview of the Congress - not within an executive order, and certainly not within the power of a Court that is supposed to call "balls and strikes." As Justice Thomas said in his dissent: "The decision to rescind an unlawful agency action is per se lawful." And let's be clear about something else - lawlessness breeds lawlessness.
"Where does it stop?" That is what President Trump asked in 2017 with, at first, confederate statues being taken down. "I wonder, is it George Washington next week. And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?" Many of us asked the same questions. Now we know. After three weeks of protests in Portland, down came statues of both Jefferson and Washington. We will need to remove their names from the history books. We will need to rename Washington, D.C., our nation's capital. In London, someone defaced the base of Winston Churchill's statue, saying Churchill "was a racist." The BBC News reports that Churchill expressed beliefs in the superiority of certain races. But so what? Do we overlook the fact that Churchill, along with FDR and Stalin, led the fight to defeat the greatest racist and anti-Semite in history? These people protesting some of these statues are children, even if not chronologically so. Because they expect perfection in those we honor; and the standards by which they judge people are by today's standards, ignoring the times in which they lived. These naive people (children) expect perfection in people as they do in a society. The US is not perfect, so the US is no good. I would say to these people: Grow up!
Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host and author, made a video discussing the idea of "systemic racism." Elder is black. You want to get ahead, get into the middle class? It's simple, said Elder. Three simple steps towards the middle class. 1. Finish high school. 2. Get a full time job. 3. Do not have kids before age 21. These findings were supported by both the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and the Brookings Institute, a liberal think tank.
Apparently, the "summer of love" in the CHOP (formerly the CHAZ) in Seattle is not going as well as the idiot Mayor suggested. Two people were shot, including a 19 year old who died from his injuries. When a group of police officers attempted to enter the CHOP they were forced back by a much larger crowd of protesters. The Mayor has forbid the use of tear gas to disperse large crowds. The first job of government is protect the people they serve. The Mayor and Governor appear to be unwilling to do that. They should be prosecuted for willful neglect of their duties by the United States Attorney in Washington, and removed from their respective offices.
The most popular police show(s) ever are the various "Law & Order" series. Starting with the original "Law & Order," to "Law & Order - Criminal Intent," to now the longest running show of the series, "Law & Order - Special Victims Unit." Mariska Hargitay, playing Olivia Benson, started as a detective in the SVU, but eventually moved up to Captain, and now runs the unit. But Rolling Stone magazine is not happy. Bad cops are no good - we can all agree on that. But good cops are no good either. Rolling Stone: "No matter how much you love Olivia Benson, you have to be willing to grapple with the fact that she plays a major role in perpetuating the idea that cops are inherently trustworthy and heroic...and that many viewers are unable to distinguish between the gossamer fantasy of how justice should be handled, and how it actually is." Typical elitism. The Rolling Stone knows what's best for viewers, because the average person is unable to figure out real life on their own. I can only imagine what these people would say about "Father Knows Best," "The Donna Reed Show," "Ozzie and Harriet," or "The Cosby Show."
Susan Rice was Obama's Ambassador to the UN, and National Security Adviser. She is a contender for Biden's VP. She said this election was about removing Trump and getting Biden in the White House, and "consign(ing) those who supported him (Trump) in the Senate to the trash heap of history." So, Trump supporters are garbage. As happens with some frequency, Rice's son does not share her politics. He supports Trump, and was the President of the Stanford College Republicans. But Rice tells us: "we have made a very conscious decision to put what binds us - our love as a family, our history, our aspirations, far above our political and policy differences." Now, if she only felt the same way about her fellow Americans.
Some numbers. The latest week's unemployment numbers had 1,508,000 more people applying for benefits. The result is a 13 week total of 45,740,000 claims. I no longer know what to even say about that. A Gallup Poll (reported by CNN) found that only 42% of the respondents said they were "extremely proud" to be an American. Party differences were substantial, with 67% of Republicans being extremely proud, but only 24% of Democrats feeling extremely proud to be an American. In another poll by Fox, people were asked what is motivating them to vote for their candidate for president. Among Biden supporters, 63% said it was fear of Trump winning, with only 31% voicing enthusiasm for their candidate. But for Trump supporters it was the reverse, as 62% were enthusiastic in supporting him, with only 33% saying they were motivated by the fear of Biden winning.
The latest numbers (as of last night) showed a total of 2,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, with 121,000 deaths. New York had 387,000 cases and 24,710 deaths. California moved into second place with 169,000 (plus 3,893 new cases) and 5,424 deaths (plus 64 new fatalities). Then New Jersey with 169,000 cases and 12,857 deaths, Illinois with 136,000 cases and 6,625 deaths, and Texas with 108,000 cases and 2,165 deaths. Los Angeles County had 81,636 cases and 3,110 deaths, continuing to far exceed what might be expected based on the county's percentage of the state's population.
And, to end with a feel good story. This is out of London. A black man at a BLM protest carried a white man to safety, rather than let the surrounding mob beat the man. He and four other protesters surrounded the man so that he could be carried to safety. Said the hero: "We did what we had to do. We stopped somebody from being killed." He went on to say that if the three cops standing around George Floyd did the same thing, Floyd would be alive today. Amen to that.
Prior to signing his executive order on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Obama expressed his opinion that, as President, he had no authority to act alone on immigration matters. "I am not king. I can't do these things just by myself." And, with "respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations, through executive order, that's just not the case." Further: "I can't just bypass Congress and change the law myself...that's not how a democracy works." Of course, then he went ahead and did it on his own anyway. When Trump's Acting Secretary of Homeland Security declared that DACA was unlawful (as Obama even said before he did it), the Supreme Court said that was not good enough. Roberts, in writing the majority opinion, claimed that the Court was not deciding "whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies." Right.
Then why does Roberts tell us that these DACA individuals "enrolled in degree programs, embarked on careers, started businesses, purchased homes and even married and had children" based on the protections afforded by the DACA order. Roberts also discussed the economic consequences of rescinding DACA; and said the Homeland Security Secretary's failure to consider these issues made the Trump order "arbitrary and capricious." At this point I have no desire to uproot hundreds of thousands of people brought here illegally by their parents. But let's be honest. The issues that Roberts addressed are all within the purview of the Congress - not within an executive order, and certainly not within the power of a Court that is supposed to call "balls and strikes." As Justice Thomas said in his dissent: "The decision to rescind an unlawful agency action is per se lawful." And let's be clear about something else - lawlessness breeds lawlessness.
"Where does it stop?" That is what President Trump asked in 2017 with, at first, confederate statues being taken down. "I wonder, is it George Washington next week. And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after?" Many of us asked the same questions. Now we know. After three weeks of protests in Portland, down came statues of both Jefferson and Washington. We will need to remove their names from the history books. We will need to rename Washington, D.C., our nation's capital. In London, someone defaced the base of Winston Churchill's statue, saying Churchill "was a racist." The BBC News reports that Churchill expressed beliefs in the superiority of certain races. But so what? Do we overlook the fact that Churchill, along with FDR and Stalin, led the fight to defeat the greatest racist and anti-Semite in history? These people protesting some of these statues are children, even if not chronologically so. Because they expect perfection in those we honor; and the standards by which they judge people are by today's standards, ignoring the times in which they lived. These naive people (children) expect perfection in people as they do in a society. The US is not perfect, so the US is no good. I would say to these people: Grow up!
Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host and author, made a video discussing the idea of "systemic racism." Elder is black. You want to get ahead, get into the middle class? It's simple, said Elder. Three simple steps towards the middle class. 1. Finish high school. 2. Get a full time job. 3. Do not have kids before age 21. These findings were supported by both the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and the Brookings Institute, a liberal think tank.
Apparently, the "summer of love" in the CHOP (formerly the CHAZ) in Seattle is not going as well as the idiot Mayor suggested. Two people were shot, including a 19 year old who died from his injuries. When a group of police officers attempted to enter the CHOP they were forced back by a much larger crowd of protesters. The Mayor has forbid the use of tear gas to disperse large crowds. The first job of government is protect the people they serve. The Mayor and Governor appear to be unwilling to do that. They should be prosecuted for willful neglect of their duties by the United States Attorney in Washington, and removed from their respective offices.
The most popular police show(s) ever are the various "Law & Order" series. Starting with the original "Law & Order," to "Law & Order - Criminal Intent," to now the longest running show of the series, "Law & Order - Special Victims Unit." Mariska Hargitay, playing Olivia Benson, started as a detective in the SVU, but eventually moved up to Captain, and now runs the unit. But Rolling Stone magazine is not happy. Bad cops are no good - we can all agree on that. But good cops are no good either. Rolling Stone: "No matter how much you love Olivia Benson, you have to be willing to grapple with the fact that she plays a major role in perpetuating the idea that cops are inherently trustworthy and heroic...and that many viewers are unable to distinguish between the gossamer fantasy of how justice should be handled, and how it actually is." Typical elitism. The Rolling Stone knows what's best for viewers, because the average person is unable to figure out real life on their own. I can only imagine what these people would say about "Father Knows Best," "The Donna Reed Show," "Ozzie and Harriet," or "The Cosby Show."
Susan Rice was Obama's Ambassador to the UN, and National Security Adviser. She is a contender for Biden's VP. She said this election was about removing Trump and getting Biden in the White House, and "consign(ing) those who supported him (Trump) in the Senate to the trash heap of history." So, Trump supporters are garbage. As happens with some frequency, Rice's son does not share her politics. He supports Trump, and was the President of the Stanford College Republicans. But Rice tells us: "we have made a very conscious decision to put what binds us - our love as a family, our history, our aspirations, far above our political and policy differences." Now, if she only felt the same way about her fellow Americans.
Some numbers. The latest week's unemployment numbers had 1,508,000 more people applying for benefits. The result is a 13 week total of 45,740,000 claims. I no longer know what to even say about that. A Gallup Poll (reported by CNN) found that only 42% of the respondents said they were "extremely proud" to be an American. Party differences were substantial, with 67% of Republicans being extremely proud, but only 24% of Democrats feeling extremely proud to be an American. In another poll by Fox, people were asked what is motivating them to vote for their candidate for president. Among Biden supporters, 63% said it was fear of Trump winning, with only 31% voicing enthusiasm for their candidate. But for Trump supporters it was the reverse, as 62% were enthusiastic in supporting him, with only 33% saying they were motivated by the fear of Biden winning.
The latest numbers (as of last night) showed a total of 2,300,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, with 121,000 deaths. New York had 387,000 cases and 24,710 deaths. California moved into second place with 169,000 (plus 3,893 new cases) and 5,424 deaths (plus 64 new fatalities). Then New Jersey with 169,000 cases and 12,857 deaths, Illinois with 136,000 cases and 6,625 deaths, and Texas with 108,000 cases and 2,165 deaths. Los Angeles County had 81,636 cases and 3,110 deaths, continuing to far exceed what might be expected based on the county's percentage of the state's population.
And, to end with a feel good story. This is out of London. A black man at a BLM protest carried a white man to safety, rather than let the surrounding mob beat the man. He and four other protesters surrounded the man so that he could be carried to safety. Said the hero: "We did what we had to do. We stopped somebody from being killed." He went on to say that if the three cops standing around George Floyd did the same thing, Floyd would be alive today. Amen to that.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
The Coronavirus Thirteen Weeks Later - Welcome to the CHAZ
There was an interesting piece in the New York Times by their Seattle bureau chief, Mike Baker, discussing the newly formed "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)," that part of Seattle taken over by protesters either supporting, or part of, the Black Lives Matter movement. I hasten to add that CHAZ is now CHOP, although there does not appear to be a consensus as what the "O" stands for. I have seen "Capitol Hill Occupied Protest" and "Capitol Hill Organized Protest." Whatever, it is an approximate six block area of Seattle that the police have abandoned, with one banner over the now abandoned police station reading: "This space is now the property of the Seattle people." Is it now? The banner is reminiscent of a friend's favorite scene from Dr. Zhivago. When the good doctor returns to his home/mansion, after tending to wounded troops during the Russian Revolution, he finds that his home has been taken over by "the people."
Baker tells us: "The entire area was now a homeland for racial justice." Not so much for women, apparently, as the police declared there were reports of rapes (and robberies) in the CHAZ/CHOP. But no matter. Baker: "What has emerged is an experiment in life without police - part street festival, part commune. Hundreds have gathered to hear speeches, poetry and music." Said one occupier: "We are trying to prove through action and practice that we don't need them (police) and we can fulfill the community needs without them." Interesting that these protesters felt the need to put up barricades (a wall? like Trump's wall?) to control ingress and egress to and from the CHAZ/CHOP. And, lo and behold, there were armed people controlling the ingress and egress. Hmmm. Border Police?
I have a question. When did the people who live in, and own businesses in, the CHAZ/CHOP get to vote on this new arrangement? Did I miss the reporting of those election results? Or, as with the Communists in 1917 - "Election? We ain't got no election. We don't got to show you no stinking election." (Okay, I know. Now I'm mixing Dr. Zhivago with Treasure of the Sierra Madre.) But the Mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, had no problem with the CHAZ/CHOP, as she said: "Lawfully gathering and expressing First Amendment rights, demanding we do better as a society, and providing true equity for communities of color is not terrorism. It is patriotism." One woman living in the CHAZ/CHOP did not see things the same way: "I've lived on Capitol Hill for thirty years. The amount of graffiti, the amount of trash, the lack of respect to the small businesses that were here, it breaks my heart." Whiner.
Here is a Tweet from Her Honor, the Moron, I mean Mayor: "The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone #CHAZ is not a lawless wasteland of anarchist insurrection - it is a peaceful expression of our community's collective grief and their desire to build a better world." Just to be clear, according to the Mayor, any group that is grieving and desires a better world, can take over pretty much whatever they want? As I said, moron. Besides, the Chief of Police did not exactly agree with the Mayor. Chief Carmen Best: "Rapes, robberies and all sorts of violent acts have been occurring in the area and we're not able to get to (them)." I think that the Chief is missing the big picture, because, you know, the "speeches, poetry and music."
One reporter from Fox noted that 500 people live in the CHAZ/CHOP, with another 15 to 20 businesses in the area. Sadly, all but a couple of businesses were boarded up. But who cares about the business owners and their employees, when people are listening to "speeches, poetry and music." As Tom Bevan, president and co-founder of Real Clear Politics, said: "If a bunch of MAGAs took over a section of Seattle and declared their independence, the media would lose their marbles. And you know Jay Inslee (the Governor of Washington) would be preening in front of the cameras declaring a statewide emergency instead of pretending he knew nothing about it." (Two days into the CHAZ, Inslee claimed not to have heard about it.)
Meanwhile, it is easy to forget that we are in the midst of a presidential election year. The election is less than five months away, but with the coronavirus we have not seen the usual travel on the campaign trail. I would like to see at least three debates between Trump and Biden. One on domestic policy, one on foreign policy and one open to questions from average people. After the Democrats' attempted coup at removing Trump from office, it is quite amazing to see the lies being told by Biden about Trump and the election. In April, Biden said this: "This president, mark my words, I think he's going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with a rationale why it can't be held." Really? Based on what, Joe? But this is what Biden said just a few days ago: "My single greatest concern - this president's going to try and steal this election." Again, how would he do that, Joe? Ballots are counted at the local level. These are the same types of lies the media and the Dems have been saying about Trump since he took office - he's a dictator. Except, as previously shown in the May 24 post (The Coronavirus Ten Weeks Later - Back to Politics) it was Obama who regularly acted contrary to the Constitution.
But let us not forget how Biden went after Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign. While speaking to a largely black audience, and mocking Romney's idea of less regulations on banks, Biden said "unchain Wall Street?" "They're going to put y'all back in chains." Columnist Jonah Goldberg described Romney as a "transparently decent man." But that did not stop the Dems and the mainstream media from viciously attacking him. Goldberg: "The lesson many on the right took from all the Romney attacks was that a candidate can't win by being decent. 'At least he fights' became a kind of unofficial mantra of the Trump brigades." Which is not to say that President Trump has never disappointed me. My biggest disappointment during this turmoil is his failure to speak to the nation (not just on Twitter) and try to be a unifying voice when the country needs it.
Earlier this week it was reported that another 1.5 million people applied for unemployment benefits in the preceding week. That brought the 12 week total to 44.1 million people. As the country has begun reopening, there has been a spike in coronavirus cases, especially in the southern and western states. But I believe the pressure to stay open - both from businesses and the states themselves - will overcome the temptation to reintroduce another lock down.
The latest numbers I saw show the US has had a total of 2,150,772 cases of COVID 19, with 117,604 deaths. New York had 403,809 cases and 30,874 deaths. New Jersey 169,237 cases and 12,696 deaths; California 150,267 cases and 5,062 deaths; Illinois 131,871 cases and 6,289 deaths; and Massachusetts 105,395 cases and 7,576 deaths. Pennsylvania is seventh with 83,210 cases but has had 6,283 deaths. And Michigan is ninth with 65,836 cases but 6,013 deaths.
On June 8, the Chicago Sun Times reported that, over the prior weekend, 85 people were shot in Chicago, and 24 people were killed. On May 31, Chicago had the single most deadly day in about six decades, with 18 people killed that day. So I ask: who is mourning for those people? Who is out protesting and marching? The article told us that one of those killed was a 30 year old black woman, and another was only 18 years old and was in a college prep program, while a third black woman was a college student. Where is the outrage? We should all be outraged over these killings. But they were probably killed by other blacks. Cal Thomas had a piece on Fox in which he cited the FBI's crime data from 2018. He said that 2,925 blacks were murdered in the US that year, with blacks being the murderers about 2,600 times. Where is the outrage?
I will leave you all with this thought from the brilliant economist and thinker, Thomas Sowell: "Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?"
Baker tells us: "The entire area was now a homeland for racial justice." Not so much for women, apparently, as the police declared there were reports of rapes (and robberies) in the CHAZ/CHOP. But no matter. Baker: "What has emerged is an experiment in life without police - part street festival, part commune. Hundreds have gathered to hear speeches, poetry and music." Said one occupier: "We are trying to prove through action and practice that we don't need them (police) and we can fulfill the community needs without them." Interesting that these protesters felt the need to put up barricades (a wall? like Trump's wall?) to control ingress and egress to and from the CHAZ/CHOP. And, lo and behold, there were armed people controlling the ingress and egress. Hmmm. Border Police?
I have a question. When did the people who live in, and own businesses in, the CHAZ/CHOP get to vote on this new arrangement? Did I miss the reporting of those election results? Or, as with the Communists in 1917 - "Election? We ain't got no election. We don't got to show you no stinking election." (Okay, I know. Now I'm mixing Dr. Zhivago with Treasure of the Sierra Madre.) But the Mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, had no problem with the CHAZ/CHOP, as she said: "Lawfully gathering and expressing First Amendment rights, demanding we do better as a society, and providing true equity for communities of color is not terrorism. It is patriotism." One woman living in the CHAZ/CHOP did not see things the same way: "I've lived on Capitol Hill for thirty years. The amount of graffiti, the amount of trash, the lack of respect to the small businesses that were here, it breaks my heart." Whiner.
Here is a Tweet from Her Honor, the Moron, I mean Mayor: "The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone #CHAZ is not a lawless wasteland of anarchist insurrection - it is a peaceful expression of our community's collective grief and their desire to build a better world." Just to be clear, according to the Mayor, any group that is grieving and desires a better world, can take over pretty much whatever they want? As I said, moron. Besides, the Chief of Police did not exactly agree with the Mayor. Chief Carmen Best: "Rapes, robberies and all sorts of violent acts have been occurring in the area and we're not able to get to (them)." I think that the Chief is missing the big picture, because, you know, the "speeches, poetry and music."
One reporter from Fox noted that 500 people live in the CHAZ/CHOP, with another 15 to 20 businesses in the area. Sadly, all but a couple of businesses were boarded up. But who cares about the business owners and their employees, when people are listening to "speeches, poetry and music." As Tom Bevan, president and co-founder of Real Clear Politics, said: "If a bunch of MAGAs took over a section of Seattle and declared their independence, the media would lose their marbles. And you know Jay Inslee (the Governor of Washington) would be preening in front of the cameras declaring a statewide emergency instead of pretending he knew nothing about it." (Two days into the CHAZ, Inslee claimed not to have heard about it.)
Meanwhile, it is easy to forget that we are in the midst of a presidential election year. The election is less than five months away, but with the coronavirus we have not seen the usual travel on the campaign trail. I would like to see at least three debates between Trump and Biden. One on domestic policy, one on foreign policy and one open to questions from average people. After the Democrats' attempted coup at removing Trump from office, it is quite amazing to see the lies being told by Biden about Trump and the election. In April, Biden said this: "This president, mark my words, I think he's going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with a rationale why it can't be held." Really? Based on what, Joe? But this is what Biden said just a few days ago: "My single greatest concern - this president's going to try and steal this election." Again, how would he do that, Joe? Ballots are counted at the local level. These are the same types of lies the media and the Dems have been saying about Trump since he took office - he's a dictator. Except, as previously shown in the May 24 post (The Coronavirus Ten Weeks Later - Back to Politics) it was Obama who regularly acted contrary to the Constitution.
But let us not forget how Biden went after Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign. While speaking to a largely black audience, and mocking Romney's idea of less regulations on banks, Biden said "unchain Wall Street?" "They're going to put y'all back in chains." Columnist Jonah Goldberg described Romney as a "transparently decent man." But that did not stop the Dems and the mainstream media from viciously attacking him. Goldberg: "The lesson many on the right took from all the Romney attacks was that a candidate can't win by being decent. 'At least he fights' became a kind of unofficial mantra of the Trump brigades." Which is not to say that President Trump has never disappointed me. My biggest disappointment during this turmoil is his failure to speak to the nation (not just on Twitter) and try to be a unifying voice when the country needs it.
Earlier this week it was reported that another 1.5 million people applied for unemployment benefits in the preceding week. That brought the 12 week total to 44.1 million people. As the country has begun reopening, there has been a spike in coronavirus cases, especially in the southern and western states. But I believe the pressure to stay open - both from businesses and the states themselves - will overcome the temptation to reintroduce another lock down.
The latest numbers I saw show the US has had a total of 2,150,772 cases of COVID 19, with 117,604 deaths. New York had 403,809 cases and 30,874 deaths. New Jersey 169,237 cases and 12,696 deaths; California 150,267 cases and 5,062 deaths; Illinois 131,871 cases and 6,289 deaths; and Massachusetts 105,395 cases and 7,576 deaths. Pennsylvania is seventh with 83,210 cases but has had 6,283 deaths. And Michigan is ninth with 65,836 cases but 6,013 deaths.
On June 8, the Chicago Sun Times reported that, over the prior weekend, 85 people were shot in Chicago, and 24 people were killed. On May 31, Chicago had the single most deadly day in about six decades, with 18 people killed that day. So I ask: who is mourning for those people? Who is out protesting and marching? The article told us that one of those killed was a 30 year old black woman, and another was only 18 years old and was in a college prep program, while a third black woman was a college student. Where is the outrage? We should all be outraged over these killings. But they were probably killed by other blacks. Cal Thomas had a piece on Fox in which he cited the FBI's crime data from 2018. He said that 2,925 blacks were murdered in the US that year, with blacks being the murderers about 2,600 times. Where is the outrage?
I will leave you all with this thought from the brilliant economist and thinker, Thomas Sowell: "Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing today?"
Sunday, June 7, 2020
The Coronavirus Twelve Weeks Later - The Mob Rules
It has been quite a week of turmoil. Emotions, as they say, have been running high. But emotion without reason can result in bad things happening. And reason without compassion can lead to faulty logic and actions. Let me start with the obvious - again. The killing of George Floyd was horrible. We saw a police officer acting with no compassion for a fellow human being who could not breathe. In that moment, it was irrelevant that Mr. Floyd had a criminal history. The police were called because he was said to be passing a counterfeit twenty dollar bill - not a capital offense. Since that day, the mob - the left-wing politically correct mob - has been on the march.
Drew Brees is the long time quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. This is what got him in trouble with his fellow players: "I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country." He went on to acknowledge that the country has problems, but said that honoring the flag is a way to show "unity" and that "we are all in this together." But group think and group speak is required by the left, especially in this time of upheaval. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers attacked Brees: "It (taking a knee) has NEVER been about an anthem. Not then. Not now." Really? Then how come the only time I saw players kneel was during the playing of the national anthem? They weren't kneeling during halftime. Brees apologized. Twice. The pressure must have been too much. Shannon Sharpe, retired all-star, called the apology by Brees "meaningless." Sharpe said Brees "should just go ahead and retire now." Back in March, Brees and his wife said they were donating $5 million to provide 10,000 meals a day to help feed needy people throughout Louisiana. There is no doubt that many of those recipients are black. Yet, his fellow players did not come to his defense, and say he was a good man. I've said it before, if you don't adhere to the party line in your thoughts and speech, the left will come after you.
The New York Times published an Op-Ed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton. In the article, Cotton recommended sending in troops to quell the rioting going on across the country, and to help restore order. Many staffers at the Times Tweeted: "Running this puts Black @NYTimes staff in danger." How's that? The mere publishing of one man's opinion on the use of troops put their lives in danger? How? The Times, as could be expected, apologized to the left-wing mob. After initially defending the decision to publish the article, the Times said the article made it through a "rushed editorial process." And, to demonstrate the cowards that they are, not only did they apologize, they said they would reduce the number of Op-Eds in the future. Imagine that. A newspaper, often billed as the premier newspaper in the country, decided that less speech is better. So much for the First Amendment at the Times.
Kirsten Powers is a liberal opinion writer for the USA Today. In a recent Op-Ed she quoted her friend, Lisa Sharon Harper, a black woman, as follows: "The only course of action for white people now is repentance and repair." Is that group repentance? Does every white individual have to repent? For what exactly? Then Powers added: "I urge all white people to really search their conscience and take responsibility for how they benefited from not challenging white supremacy." Do whites who voted for Obama (which whites did in large numbers) also have to search their conscience and take responsibility? Or, is this all a ruse to persuade people to vote for democrats, who will follow the left-wing agenda? Do those of us who were born white now have to apologize for that?
Emily Watson is a white sociology professor at Dartmouth. She also had an Op-Ed in the USA Today, on 6/2/20. Walton: "All students should take an accessible course on race and ethnicity if racial equity is to be an achievable goal." If I thought taking a course would end racism, anti-Semitism and other religious and ethnic hatreds, I would be all for it. I am concerned, however, about the spin that a left-wing professor would put on it; and I fear such a class would quickly turn into an anti-American and anti-Israel class. After all, we know that many professors throughout the country are anti-Israel and anti-American. So, I think it is a reasonable concern.
Watson continued that white students must "understand that being a good person does not make them innocent but rather they, too, are implicated in a system of racial dominance." So, there you have it. Every white person, no matter how good, is bad. I would ask the professor if the blacks who have succeeded in this oppressive society owe repentance to poor whites who have not succeeded. I happen to think that being a good person is excellent. Think about it; what if every person lived by the Golden Rule (alternatively stated as "do unto others what you would like people to do to you," or "do not do to others that which you do not want done to you"). If officer Derek Chauvin was following the Golden Rule, Mr. Floyd would still be with us. If the people who were rioting, burning and looting followed the Golden Rule, they would not have done any of it, and many lives and businesses and jobs would have been saved. Just by being a good person.
Please do not mistake my comments for meaning that society cannot improve. No society, like no person, is perfect. But let's not start by attacking good people just because they are white. I'll take a good person of any race, religion or ethnicity over a white male Jew (such as myself) who is bad, any time.
Chad Sanders is a young black author. He had an Op-Ed online in the New York Times on 6/5/20. He started his piece with this: "My book is coming out in a few months, and I don't know if I'm going to be alive to see it, because I'm a black man." I truly feel bad for Mr. Sanders. The way the media depicts our society, I can understand why he might fear not living very long. But I have to ask. Does anyone, even those on the left, truly believe that the United States is engaging in a targeted genocide of blacks? While I will give some statistics, I truly encourage everyone to do their own research. If anyone finds evidence of mass genocide, a Holocaust, against black Americans, please forward the data to me.
Mr. Sanders then expresses his unhappiness with white friends: "many white people I know are spilling over with guilt and overzealous attempts to offer sympathy." He says: "Stop sending your thoughts." Instead he wants his white friends to: (1) give money to blacks running for office, or to legal defense funds for those unjustly arrested or imprisoned or killed. If I give money to black Republicans running for office, does that count? (2) He wants his white friends to text "relatives and loved ones telling them you will not be visiting them or answering phone calls until they take significant action in supporting black lives either through protest or financial contributions." I'm going to guess that Mr. Sanders is not religious, as he seems to be throwing out the biblical commandment of "honor thy father and mother." It is difficult to honor one's parents while ignoring them. Lastly, Mr. Sanders wants whites to (3) give protection "to fellow black protesters who are at greater risk of harm during demonstrations." I do not know if black demonstrators are at greater risk than whites, but what is he seeking? Vigilantism?
Some numbers. According to the site "Mapping Police Violence," which appears to be a left-wing site, police killed 1098 people in 2019. We are immediately told that, even though blacks were only 13% of the population, 24% of those killed by the police were black. That would be 263 (or 264) people. I could not immediately find the rate at which blacks commit crime within that article. Nor could I easily find the number of blacks who were killed in 2019 even though they were unarmed. Heather MacDonald reported in the 6/2/20 Wall Street Journal that in 2019 the police shot and killed 9 unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites. (Yes, not all killings done by the police are with the use of a gun. But this gives us some idea.) Politifact objected to those stats and said that as of June 3, 28 unarmed blacks and 51 unarmed whites were killed by the police. "Unarmed" included those with toy guns, BB guns, air soft guns and rocks. Ms. MacDonald also reported that, in 2018, blacks committed 53% of the murders and 60% of the robberies. That might account for blacks greater interaction with the police.
Here's a question. For those of you who can quickly recite the names of black people killed by the police in the recent past, can you name even three white people killed by the police recently? But if a black person is killed by a police officer, especially by a white police officer, that will be non-stop news all over the media. Then perception becomes reality, whether or not the numbers bear it out. Here's another stat - in 2019, 89 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty (per the FBI). Of those, 41 were accidental and 48 were from felonious acts. Of those 48, 7 were black, 1 was Asian and 40 were white. Again, none of this is to excuse the excessive use of force by police when it occurs. None of this is to excuse police who abuse the power they have been given. The purpose of this post is to try to give some balance.
In yet another Op-Ed in the USA Today, on 6/5/20, Kelly Lawler (a young white woman) bemoaned the number of cop shows on TV. Much of her beef seemed to be that the cops were always portrayed as the good guys. A couple of questions come to mind. Should they portray murderers and rapists as the good guys? If cops are portrayed as the bad guys, how might that affect young people's interactions with the police if they are stopped and/or arrested. I have seen plenty of movies where cops are portrayed as corrupt and evil. Some, like Serpico, are even based on true stories. But I fail to see the benefit of a weekly TV show where the bad guys either win, or the bad guys are the police. Remember, perception becomes reality.
Some more numbers. The numbers as of last night were 1,988,545 cases of coronavirus in the US, with 112,096 deaths. New York had 397,810 cases and 30,401 deaths, New Jersey 165,675 and 12,146 cases and deaths, California 128,947 and 4,624, Illinois 126,890 and 5,864, Massachusetts 103,132 and 7,289, and Pennsylvania 79,514 and 6,001. Los Angeles County as of last night had 62,338 cases and 2,620 deaths.
In the latest week's numbers an additional 1.9 million people filed for unemployment benefits. That brings the 11 week total to an astonishing 42.6 million people. On the good news front, the unemployment rate in May dipped to 13.3%, as the economy added 2.5 million jobs. That is certainly good news, as the economy starts to reopen from the pandemic.
Drew Brees is the long time quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. This is what got him in trouble with his fellow players: "I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country." He went on to acknowledge that the country has problems, but said that honoring the flag is a way to show "unity" and that "we are all in this together." But group think and group speak is required by the left, especially in this time of upheaval. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers attacked Brees: "It (taking a knee) has NEVER been about an anthem. Not then. Not now." Really? Then how come the only time I saw players kneel was during the playing of the national anthem? They weren't kneeling during halftime. Brees apologized. Twice. The pressure must have been too much. Shannon Sharpe, retired all-star, called the apology by Brees "meaningless." Sharpe said Brees "should just go ahead and retire now." Back in March, Brees and his wife said they were donating $5 million to provide 10,000 meals a day to help feed needy people throughout Louisiana. There is no doubt that many of those recipients are black. Yet, his fellow players did not come to his defense, and say he was a good man. I've said it before, if you don't adhere to the party line in your thoughts and speech, the left will come after you.
The New York Times published an Op-Ed by Republican Senator Tom Cotton. In the article, Cotton recommended sending in troops to quell the rioting going on across the country, and to help restore order. Many staffers at the Times Tweeted: "Running this puts Black @NYTimes staff in danger." How's that? The mere publishing of one man's opinion on the use of troops put their lives in danger? How? The Times, as could be expected, apologized to the left-wing mob. After initially defending the decision to publish the article, the Times said the article made it through a "rushed editorial process." And, to demonstrate the cowards that they are, not only did they apologize, they said they would reduce the number of Op-Eds in the future. Imagine that. A newspaper, often billed as the premier newspaper in the country, decided that less speech is better. So much for the First Amendment at the Times.
Kirsten Powers is a liberal opinion writer for the USA Today. In a recent Op-Ed she quoted her friend, Lisa Sharon Harper, a black woman, as follows: "The only course of action for white people now is repentance and repair." Is that group repentance? Does every white individual have to repent? For what exactly? Then Powers added: "I urge all white people to really search their conscience and take responsibility for how they benefited from not challenging white supremacy." Do whites who voted for Obama (which whites did in large numbers) also have to search their conscience and take responsibility? Or, is this all a ruse to persuade people to vote for democrats, who will follow the left-wing agenda? Do those of us who were born white now have to apologize for that?
Emily Watson is a white sociology professor at Dartmouth. She also had an Op-Ed in the USA Today, on 6/2/20. Walton: "All students should take an accessible course on race and ethnicity if racial equity is to be an achievable goal." If I thought taking a course would end racism, anti-Semitism and other religious and ethnic hatreds, I would be all for it. I am concerned, however, about the spin that a left-wing professor would put on it; and I fear such a class would quickly turn into an anti-American and anti-Israel class. After all, we know that many professors throughout the country are anti-Israel and anti-American. So, I think it is a reasonable concern.
Watson continued that white students must "understand that being a good person does not make them innocent but rather they, too, are implicated in a system of racial dominance." So, there you have it. Every white person, no matter how good, is bad. I would ask the professor if the blacks who have succeeded in this oppressive society owe repentance to poor whites who have not succeeded. I happen to think that being a good person is excellent. Think about it; what if every person lived by the Golden Rule (alternatively stated as "do unto others what you would like people to do to you," or "do not do to others that which you do not want done to you"). If officer Derek Chauvin was following the Golden Rule, Mr. Floyd would still be with us. If the people who were rioting, burning and looting followed the Golden Rule, they would not have done any of it, and many lives and businesses and jobs would have been saved. Just by being a good person.
Please do not mistake my comments for meaning that society cannot improve. No society, like no person, is perfect. But let's not start by attacking good people just because they are white. I'll take a good person of any race, religion or ethnicity over a white male Jew (such as myself) who is bad, any time.
Chad Sanders is a young black author. He had an Op-Ed online in the New York Times on 6/5/20. He started his piece with this: "My book is coming out in a few months, and I don't know if I'm going to be alive to see it, because I'm a black man." I truly feel bad for Mr. Sanders. The way the media depicts our society, I can understand why he might fear not living very long. But I have to ask. Does anyone, even those on the left, truly believe that the United States is engaging in a targeted genocide of blacks? While I will give some statistics, I truly encourage everyone to do their own research. If anyone finds evidence of mass genocide, a Holocaust, against black Americans, please forward the data to me.
Mr. Sanders then expresses his unhappiness with white friends: "many white people I know are spilling over with guilt and overzealous attempts to offer sympathy." He says: "Stop sending your thoughts." Instead he wants his white friends to: (1) give money to blacks running for office, or to legal defense funds for those unjustly arrested or imprisoned or killed. If I give money to black Republicans running for office, does that count? (2) He wants his white friends to text "relatives and loved ones telling them you will not be visiting them or answering phone calls until they take significant action in supporting black lives either through protest or financial contributions." I'm going to guess that Mr. Sanders is not religious, as he seems to be throwing out the biblical commandment of "honor thy father and mother." It is difficult to honor one's parents while ignoring them. Lastly, Mr. Sanders wants whites to (3) give protection "to fellow black protesters who are at greater risk of harm during demonstrations." I do not know if black demonstrators are at greater risk than whites, but what is he seeking? Vigilantism?
Some numbers. According to the site "Mapping Police Violence," which appears to be a left-wing site, police killed 1098 people in 2019. We are immediately told that, even though blacks were only 13% of the population, 24% of those killed by the police were black. That would be 263 (or 264) people. I could not immediately find the rate at which blacks commit crime within that article. Nor could I easily find the number of blacks who were killed in 2019 even though they were unarmed. Heather MacDonald reported in the 6/2/20 Wall Street Journal that in 2019 the police shot and killed 9 unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites. (Yes, not all killings done by the police are with the use of a gun. But this gives us some idea.) Politifact objected to those stats and said that as of June 3, 28 unarmed blacks and 51 unarmed whites were killed by the police. "Unarmed" included those with toy guns, BB guns, air soft guns and rocks. Ms. MacDonald also reported that, in 2018, blacks committed 53% of the murders and 60% of the robberies. That might account for blacks greater interaction with the police.
Here's a question. For those of you who can quickly recite the names of black people killed by the police in the recent past, can you name even three white people killed by the police recently? But if a black person is killed by a police officer, especially by a white police officer, that will be non-stop news all over the media. Then perception becomes reality, whether or not the numbers bear it out. Here's another stat - in 2019, 89 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty (per the FBI). Of those, 41 were accidental and 48 were from felonious acts. Of those 48, 7 were black, 1 was Asian and 40 were white. Again, none of this is to excuse the excessive use of force by police when it occurs. None of this is to excuse police who abuse the power they have been given. The purpose of this post is to try to give some balance.
In yet another Op-Ed in the USA Today, on 6/5/20, Kelly Lawler (a young white woman) bemoaned the number of cop shows on TV. Much of her beef seemed to be that the cops were always portrayed as the good guys. A couple of questions come to mind. Should they portray murderers and rapists as the good guys? If cops are portrayed as the bad guys, how might that affect young people's interactions with the police if they are stopped and/or arrested. I have seen plenty of movies where cops are portrayed as corrupt and evil. Some, like Serpico, are even based on true stories. But I fail to see the benefit of a weekly TV show where the bad guys either win, or the bad guys are the police. Remember, perception becomes reality.
Some more numbers. The numbers as of last night were 1,988,545 cases of coronavirus in the US, with 112,096 deaths. New York had 397,810 cases and 30,401 deaths, New Jersey 165,675 and 12,146 cases and deaths, California 128,947 and 4,624, Illinois 126,890 and 5,864, Massachusetts 103,132 and 7,289, and Pennsylvania 79,514 and 6,001. Los Angeles County as of last night had 62,338 cases and 2,620 deaths.
In the latest week's numbers an additional 1.9 million people filed for unemployment benefits. That brings the 11 week total to an astonishing 42.6 million people. On the good news front, the unemployment rate in May dipped to 13.3%, as the economy added 2.5 million jobs. That is certainly good news, as the economy starts to reopen from the pandemic.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
The Coronavirus Eleven Weeks Later - The George Floyd Story Dominates The News
It was difficult to watch. In Minneapolis, a video showed a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, as Floyd was laying face down on the ground. Pleading he could not breathe, the officer continued to kneel on his neck for over 8 minutes. Mr. Floyd died. Within four days the officer was charged with third degree murder under Minnesota law. It did not take long for the demonstrations to turn violent, with looting, burning and rioting in the streets of many cities across the country.
People of all races and all political persuasions were disgusted by what happened to Mr. Floyd. People of good will have also felt revulsion at the looting and burning and rioting. Burning and looting of businesses have nothing to do with happened to Mr. Floyd. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the protests were 'the result of so much built up anger and sadness." Frey: "If you're feeling that sadness, that anger, it's not only understandable, it's right. It's a reflection of the truth that our black community has lived." Well, Mr. Frey, you did not condemn the rioting and looting. And you neglected to say how that sadness, that anger, might be directed in a positive way. That was your job as Mayor.
Atlanta's Mayor is a black woman by the name of Keisha Lance Bottoms. Here is what she said about the looters and rioters: "You're not honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement...when you burn down this city, you're burning down our community." And: "You are disgracing this city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country."
It was reported that Minnesota's Governor received a call from a State Senator, complaining that her district was "on fire, no police, no firefighters, no social control, constituents locked in houses wondering what they were going to do." I watched in astonishment as a Minneapolis police station was attacked by a mob, and saw the police abandon the station and the neighborhood, as they drove away in one police cruiser after the next. I could not make a better argument for the right to keep and bear arms - no police, and a mob run amok. I also saw, after the state police and national guard were called out and were on the streets, continued looting and rioting. Did no one care about those shop owners whose stores were being damaged and destroyed?
Chrissy Teigen pledged $200,000 to bail out protesters who had been arrested. I was not impressed. It would have said far more if she had donated that money to minority owners of shops whose businesses were destroyed. And LeBron James Tweeted: "Why doesn't America Love US!!!!!????TOO." Does Mr. James really believe that most Americans carry a hatred of their fellow Americans who are black? No one is claiming there are not bad cops. No one is claiming that there is not racism. But just as Jews were murdered in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and at a Chabad House in Poway, California, and even though Jews remain by far the number one target of religious hate crimes, I do not believe that America is a fundamentally anti-Semitic country. Can we do better? Clearly. Do police need better training? Apparently. But let's not condemn every police officer; let's not condemn the entire country.
The agenda-driven New York Times ran with this headline online on 5/30/20: "What Top Conservatives Are Saying About George Floyd and Police Brutality." The implication, of course, is that conservatives were reluctant to criticize the white police officer who killed Mr. Floyd. Which is a total lie. People across the political spectrum were disgusted by what they saw. The Times: "The chilling circumstances of Mr. Floyd's death - particularly the graphic, indisputable video of his arrest - have, at least for now posed a political quandary among some conservative politicians, media stars and President Trump, whose usual instinct is to focus on blaming liberals for promoting lawlessness." A political quandary? What rubbish. But they do make a good point about how some left-wing mayors and governors are willing to look the other way when it's left-wing inspired violence. Recall in 2015, following the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore Mayor instructed the police to not only give space to peaceful protesters, but "we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well."
Another week and another 2.1 million people applied for unemployment. That gives us a ten week total of 40,767,000 people unemployed. A friend told me of eating at an opened restaurant and talking with the female server he knew. During the lock down, her mother died and the longtime family dog died. As a single mother of three she needed to work. But the restaurant could only afford to give her 20 hours a week. That day, this server only had two tables that were occupied when my friend and his wife were in - theirs and one other. The other table left a minimal tip, which my friend and his wife made up for with theirs. But there are 40 million of these stories.
The latest numbers as of last night were 1,816,820 cases in the US, with 105,557 deaths. New York had 378,951 cases and 29,829 deaths, New Jersey 160,916 cases and 11,637 deaths, Illinois 118,917 cases and 5,330 deaths, California 109,883 cases and 4,213 deaths, Massachusetts 96,301 cases and 6,768 deaths, and Pennsylvania 75,794 cases and 5,560 deaths. Later in the evening last night I saw that California had 110,100 cases and 4,214 deaths. Newly reopened Los Angeles County had 53,651 cases and 2,338 deaths. Now, however, with multiple cities in LA County suffering from rioting, the entire County is under a curfew from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday.
People of all races and all political persuasions were disgusted by what happened to Mr. Floyd. People of good will have also felt revulsion at the looting and burning and rioting. Burning and looting of businesses have nothing to do with happened to Mr. Floyd. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the protests were 'the result of so much built up anger and sadness." Frey: "If you're feeling that sadness, that anger, it's not only understandable, it's right. It's a reflection of the truth that our black community has lived." Well, Mr. Frey, you did not condemn the rioting and looting. And you neglected to say how that sadness, that anger, might be directed in a positive way. That was your job as Mayor.
Atlanta's Mayor is a black woman by the name of Keisha Lance Bottoms. Here is what she said about the looters and rioters: "You're not honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement...when you burn down this city, you're burning down our community." And: "You are disgracing this city, you are disgracing the life of George Floyd and every other person who has been killed in this country."
It was reported that Minnesota's Governor received a call from a State Senator, complaining that her district was "on fire, no police, no firefighters, no social control, constituents locked in houses wondering what they were going to do." I watched in astonishment as a Minneapolis police station was attacked by a mob, and saw the police abandon the station and the neighborhood, as they drove away in one police cruiser after the next. I could not make a better argument for the right to keep and bear arms - no police, and a mob run amok. I also saw, after the state police and national guard were called out and were on the streets, continued looting and rioting. Did no one care about those shop owners whose stores were being damaged and destroyed?
Chrissy Teigen pledged $200,000 to bail out protesters who had been arrested. I was not impressed. It would have said far more if she had donated that money to minority owners of shops whose businesses were destroyed. And LeBron James Tweeted: "Why doesn't America Love US!!!!!????TOO." Does Mr. James really believe that most Americans carry a hatred of their fellow Americans who are black? No one is claiming there are not bad cops. No one is claiming that there is not racism. But just as Jews were murdered in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and at a Chabad House in Poway, California, and even though Jews remain by far the number one target of religious hate crimes, I do not believe that America is a fundamentally anti-Semitic country. Can we do better? Clearly. Do police need better training? Apparently. But let's not condemn every police officer; let's not condemn the entire country.
The agenda-driven New York Times ran with this headline online on 5/30/20: "What Top Conservatives Are Saying About George Floyd and Police Brutality." The implication, of course, is that conservatives were reluctant to criticize the white police officer who killed Mr. Floyd. Which is a total lie. People across the political spectrum were disgusted by what they saw. The Times: "The chilling circumstances of Mr. Floyd's death - particularly the graphic, indisputable video of his arrest - have, at least for now posed a political quandary among some conservative politicians, media stars and President Trump, whose usual instinct is to focus on blaming liberals for promoting lawlessness." A political quandary? What rubbish. But they do make a good point about how some left-wing mayors and governors are willing to look the other way when it's left-wing inspired violence. Recall in 2015, following the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore Mayor instructed the police to not only give space to peaceful protesters, but "we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well."
Another week and another 2.1 million people applied for unemployment. That gives us a ten week total of 40,767,000 people unemployed. A friend told me of eating at an opened restaurant and talking with the female server he knew. During the lock down, her mother died and the longtime family dog died. As a single mother of three she needed to work. But the restaurant could only afford to give her 20 hours a week. That day, this server only had two tables that were occupied when my friend and his wife were in - theirs and one other. The other table left a minimal tip, which my friend and his wife made up for with theirs. But there are 40 million of these stories.
The latest numbers as of last night were 1,816,820 cases in the US, with 105,557 deaths. New York had 378,951 cases and 29,829 deaths, New Jersey 160,916 cases and 11,637 deaths, Illinois 118,917 cases and 5,330 deaths, California 109,883 cases and 4,213 deaths, Massachusetts 96,301 cases and 6,768 deaths, and Pennsylvania 75,794 cases and 5,560 deaths. Later in the evening last night I saw that California had 110,100 cases and 4,214 deaths. Newly reopened Los Angeles County had 53,651 cases and 2,338 deaths. Now, however, with multiple cities in LA County suffering from rioting, the entire County is under a curfew from 6 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday.
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