The Coronavirus Thirty Weeks Later - By The Numbers

3. The number of weeks since my last post. In between we had the Jewish High Holidays and I had an extremely busy couple of work weeks.

300. The approximate number of businesses, out of 700, now closed in Portland as a result of rioting, looting and burning. That is just one city. But the left-wing Op-Ed columnist Paul Krugman of the New York Times was minimizing the widespread damage across the country. "Trump and the Attack of the Invisible Anarchists" was the title of his piece. These "mostly peaceful" demonstrations across the country (as described by Krugman) resulted in between one and two billion dollars worth of damage. Imagine if the protests were not "peaceful."

661,000 and 837,000 and 840,000. The first number being the number of jobs added in September, with the unemployment rate falling to 7.9%. However, the second and third numbers are the new unemployment claims for the last two periods.

500 million infected, 50 million dead. No, those are not the numbers from the current coronavirus. Those numbers are the worldwide estimated totals for the 1918-19 flu pandemic, as reported by the CDC. That virus was a type of H1N1 flu. The estimated number of deaths in the US was 675,000. With the current coronavirus, there are 37,704,412 cases worldwide, and 1,080,600 deaths. The US currently has had 7,986,078 cases, 5,124,331 people who recovered, and 219,675 deaths. Again, we do not know if millions more got infected with minimal or no symptoms, and therefore never got reported.  In a UK study, 86% of those who tested positive for the virus had none of the core symptoms of "fever, cough, loss of taste and smell." 

4,800. The number of scientists and health care providers who have signed onto "The Great Barrington Declaration," which recommends that people go about their normal lives, while still protecting those more vulnerable. (As reported in the 10/7/20 Wall Street Journal.) The Journal reports that the Declaration discusses "collateral damage," which "include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health - leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice." Also, the Declaration states that the "vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the old and infirm than the young." If Biden wins the election, he has stated his readiness to shut down the country if the scientists recommend that. I do not believe a president has that authority, as the general police powers reside with the governors and the states. But just imagine the damage to an already weakened economy, if Biden won and got his way. 

61%. The percentage of people in a recent survey who agreed that the United States is "nearing a second civil war." 41% strongly agreed. And a majority - 52% - said they are stocking up on food and supplies. (Survey by Engagious, Sports and Leisure Research Group, and ROKK Solutions.) Part of the title in one of my 8/30/20 two posts was "...the Impending Civil War." I had no idea that so many people agreed.

6 to 3. With all the talk about Amy Coney Barrett being another conservative vote on the Supreme Court, the left is certain that the Court will overturn Roe v. Wade, assuming an abortion challenge reaches the Court. I don't see it. I could see possibly 3 votes to overturn Roe - Alito, Thomas and maybe Kavanaugh. Obviously, Kagen, Sotomayor and Breyer would not vote to overturn Roe. And I don't believe Roberts, Gorsuch or Barrett would vote to do so. They appear to be Justices who would adhere to precedent. But the talk will continue, if for no other reason than to keep the pressure on those 3 Justices.

20,000. The number of students polled on 55 college campuses regarding "free speech." 60% of students feared expressing an opinion because of the potential reaction from professors or other students. Tolerance for speakers with views opposing their own not surprisingly came from Republican and Independent students. 71% of "strong Republicans" supported Biden coming to their campus compared to only 49% of "strong Democrats" supporting Trump coming. Female students were reported to be less tolerant of speakers than male students. And students identifying as "extremely liberal" were more than twice as likely as students who were "extremely conservative," in agreeing that it is "always" or "sometimes" acceptable to use violence to shut down speakers (13% to 6%). (Poll taken by FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, along with Real Clear Education and College Pulse.)

Top 5. However, if you have children or grandchildren who will be attending college soon, these are the top 5 schools ranked on free speech: 1. The University of Chicago, 2. Kansas State University, 3. Texas A&M, 4. UCLA and 5. Arizona State.

$750.  The headline in the New York Times expose on Trump's taxes, making it sound as if that's all that Trump paid in taxes.  Much further down in the article we find that Trump paid the Alternative Minimum Tax - totaling $24.3 million in 7 years between 2000 and 2017.  In 2015 Trump paid $641,931.  In 2016 he paid $1 million and in 2017 he paid $4.2 million.  However, we are told that most of those payments were "washed away" when he eventually filed and "rolled forward" to cover potential future taxes.  Meanwhile, the government had that money.  And, of course, the left showed no concern for the fact that somebody illegally obtained and/or released the President's tax information.  

14.  When in 2016 President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, the Washington Post then wrote that there was nothing unusual about a president making a SCOTUS nomination in an election year.  The Post:  "14 presidents have appointed 21 justices during presidential election years."  Most importantly, the Post wrote that "a half dozen presidents filled Supreme Court seats even though their successors had been elected."  So, even lame-duck presidents have gotten their appointments.  

And finally, millions.  In a 10/10/20 Op-Ed in the New York Times, Paul Matzko told us that talk radio "is turning millions of Americans into conservatives."  He asserts that talk radio "has the potential to dominate the construction of a person's worldview in a way that other media simply cannot..."  It is entirely unclear why that would be the case.  One needs to go looking for talk radio.  But, just living in this society is likely to bombard you with the left-wing viewpoint from childhood through adulthood - in TV shows, movies, academia, social media and the mainstream media.  Although, I certainly hope that Matzko's assertion is correct. 

The Coronavirus Twenty-Seven Weeks Later - The Furor Over Replacing Justice Ginsburg, and More Reactions to the Mideast Peace Deals

Little time was spared in the war of words - and threats even - with regards to replacing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Before I get there, let me just say that before she became a Justice she was a fierce advocate for equality of the sexes. She was so motivated that she took on cases representing men as well as women when she saw any unfair discrimination within the law. Needless to say, I did not agree with her often on her Supreme Court decisions. But as I have said previously in the blog, it is important to give credit where credit is due.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised a floor vote on any nominee put forth by President Trump. He was immediately attacked as being a hypocrite, after not allowing a floor vote on Obama's pick of Merrick Garland in an election year. So, as I like to do, let's dispense with the nonsense early on. Yes, a good argument can be made that McConnell is being a hypocrite. But I've said it before, when a party is in power they say one thing, and when out of power they say another thing. In 1992, then Senator Biden said there would be no hearings on any Bush nominee to the Supreme Court in an election year. Fast forward to 2016 when he was Vice President and Obama nominated Garland in an election year: "I would go forward with a confirmation process as chairman, even a few months before a presidential election, if the nominee were chosen with the advice, and not merely the consent, of the Senate, just as the Constitution requires." So, Biden is a hypocrite too. Although, I do not think calling either McConnell or Biden a "hypocrite" gives us any great understanding of the system. It is power politics, pure and simple.

Think Democrats don't play the game? Just look at the picks of the last 4 presidents. Bill Clinton got Ginsburg approved with a vote of 96-3, and Stephen Breyer with a vote of 87-9. Overwhelming support by both parties. Even when times were more heated, Obama got Sonia Sotomayor approved by a 68-31 vote - over 2/3 of the Senators voted for her. And Elena Kagan got nearly 2/3 with a vote of 63-37. How did the two most recent Republican Presidents fare with their nominees? Bush nominee John Roberts won a large percentage of votes, 78-22. It was a closer vote for Samuel Alito, 58-42. And Trump's picks? Neil Gorsuch was confirmed with a tight 54-45 vote, and Brett Kavanaugh squeaked in with the barest of margins by 50-48. A quick glance reveals that Republicans are far more likely to vote based on the previously accepted perspective - as long as the nominee is well qualified, the sitting president gets to have his nominee approved. However, as the Democrats have increasingly looked to the Courts for results they could not get through legislation or votes, the confirmation process turned into a political battleground. Besides, the Democrats controlled the Courts for decades, and were unwillingly to cede what they saw as their right to Republicans.

Here is Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who also recently ran for president, in 2016 regarding the Garland nomination: "The Constitution is clear. The Senate must consider the president's nominee and then choose to vote yes or no. We must do our job, hold hearings and vote." The Senate must. Unless, the Republican Trump is president, then "They (the Republicans) set this precedent, and they can't mess around and use raw political power right in the middle of an election." Oh no? There is no such limitation in the Constitution. The president nominates, and the Senate votes. That's it. Everything else is, in fact, politics. "Raw political power?" Would that be when Obama and Pelosi and Reid pushed through the ACA (Obamacare) on a straight party line vote, with no interest in Republican input.

Here's Democratic Senator Ed Markey: "McConnell set the precedent (referring to Garland not getting a floor vote). No Supreme Court vacancies filled in an election year. If he violates it, when Democrats control the Senate in the next Congress (they assume they will take back the Senate in November), we must abolish the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court." Again, let's dispense with the nonsense. Even before Ginsburg died, the Democrats were talking about abolishing the filibuster, packing the Court (increasing the size of the Court from 9 Justices to 11 or 13) and adding Washington, D.C. as a state, in order to gain 2 more Democratic seats in the Senate. To borrow an old cliche, the Democrats are intent on gaining power by hook or by crook. If they don't win under the current system, that means the system is bad/corrupt and must be changed.

Here is commentator and author Reza Aslan: "If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire fucking thing down." And: "Over our dead bodies, literally." Here is writer Laura Bassett: "If McConnell jams someone through, which he will, there will be riots." No surprise. The Democrats are incensed that Trump gets 3 SCOTUS nominees in a single term. Like children who throw temper tantrums, their tantrums are riots. Here is a political science professor in Canada: "Burn Congress down before letting Trump try to appoint anyone to SCOTUS." It does not matter that the Constitution gives Trump the absolute right to name a nominee. If they don't get what they want - change the rules, riot and burn it down. As Republicans do not talk like this, tell me again who the fascists are. For some time now the Democrats have believed that governing is their right; and we saw that in the way they never accepted the results of the 2016 election, and spent 3 years trying to remove Trump through impeachment.

Republican Governor Phil Scott of Vermont opined that "we must also follow precedent, as well as her (Ginsburg's) dying wishes." According to Ginsburg's granddaughter, the Justice told her at the end that "my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." While I understand that the New England Republicans tend to be more liberal, Scott is completely wrong. We should honor Ginsburg's dying wish? Where is it written that a Justice should have any say in who their successor might be. Furthermore, if the quote is accurate, Ginsburg did not request waiting until after the election, but rather until a "new president" is installed. That would mean if Trump wins in November, no replacement until January, 2025. Just speaking for myself, I would hope that my most fervent dying wish would be for the well-being of my family.

We know that the Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media did not want to give any credit to Trump for the two recent Mideast peace deals. And, of course, as the Palestinians were not involved, blame Israel somehow. Here was the online headline from "Today": "Israeli jets attack targets in Gaza after Middle East peace deal signing." Disgusting! What happened was the Palestinians, rejecting the idea yet again of any peace with Israel, launched rockets from Gaza into Israel, as a way to show their displeasure with the deals. Only after being attacked did Israel retaliate. But for those who just glance at headlines, the point was made - Israel is bad. Here is the headline of the New York Times editorial of 9/16/20: "Trump's Middle East Deal is Good, But Not That Good." Of course not. Why wouldn't the normalization of relations between Israel and 2 Gulf Arab States be a very good thing - for peace and stability in the region. Just not to the New York Times.

The Times editorial told us: "The Abraham Accords (as the deal was called) offered no movement on this front (the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians) save the hope that an Israel at peace with the greater Arab world will eventually be more amenable to a just peace with its immediate neighbors." Here's another perspective: Maybe after the 84 year old Mahmoud Abbas is gone (Abbas having been elected to a 4 year term starting in January, 2005, yet is still PA President over 15 years later with no intervening elections), and when a new generation comes to power, the Palestinians will see that the world has moved on without them, and if they want to share in the peace and prosperity of all their neighbors that they will "be more amenable to a just peace." But the Times always prefers to blame Israel - no matter the number of times the Palestinians have rejected peace offers.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religion issued instructions to the mosques within their territory, expecting the Imams to say this: "There is nothing that harms Palestine and its holy sites more than making an alliance with the Jews, being connected to them, and relying on them." And Nancy Pelosi completely dismissed the deals as nothing other than a "distraction" for Trump: "Good for him for having a distraction on a day when the numbers of people who are affected and the number of people who are dying from this virus only increases." Then maybe, Madame Speaker, your House should have focused on the virus early on this year, instead of a purely political impeachment.

I would like to end on this note. It is well known that when they were alive, Antonin Scalia (the most conservative member of the Supreme Court, who often issued blistering dissents) was good friends with Ruth Bader Ginsburg (the most liberal member of the Court). Here is Ginsburg, explaining and quoting Scalia: "I attack ideas. I don't attack people. Some very good people have some very bad ideas." And Ginsburg, explaining her own affection for Scalia said: "How blessed I was to have a working colleague and dear friend of such captivating brilliance, high spirits and quick wit." Her comments made me think of those who stopped being friends with me because of my politics. At least I can say that I never stopped being friends with someone because of their politics.

The Coronavirus One Half Year Later - Another Mideast Peace Deal, A Return of Quotas, BLM "Protesters," The Coronavirus and Other News

The latest peace deal between Israel and another Arab country is with Bahrain, a small island country in the Persian Gulf which is allied with Saudi Arabia. On its face, Israel's deal with the UAE seems more significant, with the UAE having a population of 9.8 million people (Israel has 8.6 million), and Bahrain having only just under 1.7 million people. However, given that the Saudis would have had to okay this deal with Bahrain, it is likely of greater significance. The Saudis are now allowing Israeli flights over their airspace to these two Gulf countries. Once again, notwithstanding the involvement of Trump and Kushner, the mainstream media was reluctant to give any credit to the President. Also approving of the deal was Egypt. Iran, Turkey and the Palestinians continue to object to any peace with Israel.

Joe Biden was good for a few laughs when he claimed Trump's foreign policy was a danger to Israel. He really did. Biden: "Trump's put Israel in danger by tearing up the Iran nuclear deal and replaced it with nothing." Excuse me? That was Obama/Biden that shipped $150 billion to Iran, the world's leading state sponsor of terror. And all the recent explosions in Iran? Might it be the Trump Administration and Israel working together to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons, something that Obama/Biden was enabling? Biden: "He's allowed Israel's foes to take residence in Syria, a dangerous power vacuum has formed." It was Biden's boss who drew a red line for Syria, and when they crossed it Obama did nothing. True, Trump withdrew troops from Syria, which I opposed; but he is not enabling Iran's reach throughout the Middle East as Obama did.

Biden: "He's undermined the stability of self-determination for the Palestinians, undercutting hope for a viable two-state solution any chance that he gets." Typical left-wing analysis. The ones undercutting any hope for self-determination for the Palestinians are the Palestinians. That would include Hamas and Abbas. As the New York Times reported on a comment by one Arab government official: "...they did signal a deepening impatience with what they saw as a dysfunctional and intransigent Palestinian leadership." On the other hand, President Trump moved the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, their capital city since their founding in 1948. Other countries have followed Trump's lead. Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategic Golan Heights. He stopped sending US dollars to the Palestinians while they continue to reward those who kill Jews. And he helped broker the peace deals with the UAE and Bahrain, bringing greater stability to the region, and an acknowledgement by Arab countries that Israel is there to stay. Finally, he did not sell Israel out at the UN like Obama/Biden, when they refused to veto a Security Council resolution giving the Palestinians a state based on the so-called 1967 borders. And Biden wonders why the Palestinians will not negotiate when, under that resolution, Israel has nothing left to offer in return. Biden as President would be for Israel yet another example (as was his boss) of "with friends like these who needs enemies."

Quotas anyone? At Cornell University, dozens of faculty, staff, students and alumni signed off on a letter seeking faculty racial quotas. "...every 'colorblind' event, mechanism and process at the university - from new faculty orientations to selection of endowed positions - perpetuates racial disparities and reinforces an unjust status quo." (As reported by Fox.) As this blog recently pointed out, the idea of a "colorblind" society is now deemed to be racist. The letter seeks to ensure blacks make up 7% of the faculty by 2025 and 10% by 2030. The writers also seek to have people of color make up 20% of the faculty by 2025 and 25% by 2030. Some of us know the history - and the danger - of any quota system. During the first half of the last century quotas were often used to limit the number of Jewish students who were admitted to major universities. In Canada, they were used at McGill University through the 1960's. They were also used at the University of Montreal and the University of Toronto.

In the US, some of the Ivy League schools were notorious for their use of quotas to deny admission to Jews and others. In 1935, this was from the Dean at Yale: "Never admit more than 5 Jews, take only 2 Italian Catholics, and take no blacks at all." (As reported on Wikipedia.) While Yale gradually increased the number of Jews who could be admitted (up to 10%) they kept that 10% limit up to the 1960's. Elsewhere on our esteemed university campuses, a proposal at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, was for the establishment of two separate cafes - a POC (people of color) cafe and a non-POC cafe. The idea was for POC to have "a space for students from marginalized racial/ethnic/cultural communities to gather and to relate with one another and to discuss their experience as students on campus and as people of color in the world." The University claimed that both cafes would be open to everyone. Right. Here's an idea. For all those minorities who hate this country and just want to live with their "own kind," let's give them a piece of the US to have their own country. All the rest of us (minority or not) who think these ideas are nonsense and dangerous get to stay in the USA. At Stanford University they has sessions on ending "racial terror." And students were told: "white supremacy so permeates our institutions, policies, practices, and ways of knowing that it is nearly impossible to think outside it."

In Rochester, NY, BLM protesters trashed a restaurant while people were dining. They threw chairs and smashed plates and glasses. One "protester" pushed all the food and plates off of a table while people were sitting and eating. Meanwhile, the crowd was shouting "Black Lives Matter." One protester yelled: "If you don't give us our shit, we'll shut shit down." Said another: "We tired of it. Black lives do matter, okay? We tired of these police killing people...we gonna put matters into our own hands if justice don't come. I'm being honest with you. We got a 100,000 deep, ready. Y'all need to know that." In Pittsburgh, BLM protesters marched and yelled things like "fuck the white people that built the system." And "fuck the police." One "protester" gave the middle finger to an older white couple just sitting outside at a restaurant. Then, one of these "protesters" picked up the man's drink and took a sip, while wearing a shirt that said "Nazi Lives Don't Matter." Rather ironic for people who were acting as fascists.

In yet another "breaking news" story about Trump, Carl Woodward reported that Trump knew the coronavirus was easily spread and was dangerous. In his defense, Trump said he did not want to cause a national panic. I spent 4 paragraphs in the last post discussing what anonymous sources claim Trump said about fallen soldiers. As I expect a minimum of one anti-Trump "breaking news" story each week until the election, do not expect me to comment each time when I have other things I wish to discuss. However, I will briefly remind everyone that people were panicking. Recall the empty store shelves. Trump, acknowledging the danger, shut down air travel from China on January 31, 2020, which Biden called "hysterical xenophobia and fear-mongering." And on January 30, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel (former adviser to Obama and current adviser to Biden) opined "take a very big breath, slow down, and stop panicking and being hysterical." And the virus will "go down as spring comes up." And on February 20, Emanuel said "warm weather is going to come and, just like the flu, the coronavirus is going to go down." And on February 24, Nancy Pelosi was suggesting that tourists "come to Chinatown" in San Francisco. And in March, Biden had indoor rallies. Okay, I'm done with that.

Speaking of the coronavirus, the US has 6,705,405 cases and 198,464 deaths. New York City, with a population of over 8.5 million people, has 237,558 cases and 23,743 deaths. Across the country in Los Angeles County (with an estimated population of just over 10 million people) there are 253,176 cases and 6,197 deaths. When looking at the rate of cases per 100,000 population, California comes in at a distant 23rd (when also counting Washington, D.C.). In absolute numbers, California is number one with over 735,000 cases. When looking at the death rate per 100,000 population, California comes in at 25 (again, including D.C.). The latest week's unemployment numbers show 884,000 new claims.

You may recall that when Harry Reid was Senate Majority Leader during the Obama Administration, he eliminated the Senate filibuster rule with regards to Senate approval of all federal court judges, except for the Supreme Court. When Mitch McConnell became Majority Leader he returned the favor and got rid of the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations. The filibuster rule is not in the Constitution. Rather, it is a Senate rule requiring 60 affirmative votes to allow a mesure to be voted on for passage. Voting to end the filibuster simply means a Senator is agreeable to a floor vote, not that they will vote to pass the bill in question. Now, multiple left-wing/Democratic groups have banded together in order to strategize on how best to get support for ending the filibuster. Why? Because they believe the Democrats will take back control of the Senate in November. Here's the retired Reid: "If @President Biden wants to get things done, he can't play around with the filibuster." The result would be that a Democrat controlled Senate would no longer need bipartisan support to bring a bill to a floor vote. Think about it. If the Democrats keep control of the House and take the Senate, then with Biden in the White House there is no left-wing agenda item they will not be able to pass. Want to make Washington, D.C. a state, and add two more Democratic Senators? Done. Not happy with the make-up of the Supreme Court? Expand the Court to add 3 or 5 new justices. Whether you are for or against the filibuster one thing is certain - the already hyper-partisan Congress would be even more so, as the need for bipartisanship would be gone.

This past Friday was the nineteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America by Islamic terrorists. You might think that the NEW YORK Times, based in a city where nearly 3000 people lost their lives that day, might have a word or two in their Friday edition commemorating those lost. You would be wrong. That is a story that simply does not fit with their agenda. Islamic terrorists? No such thing. Besides, that's discriminatory. But, as we live in the era of many Democrats wanting to defund the police, it is a good reminder to us all that the people who rushed into those smoldering Towers were police and firefighters - heading into the danger in order to save lives while others ran the other way to save their own lives. Yesterday, 2 Los Angeles County Sheriffs were shot in cold blood while simply sitting in their patrol vehicle. They were rushed to the hospital and operated on, but both remain in critical condition, fighting for their lives. Incredibly, protesters showed up at the hospital in order to wish that these deputies die. These words could be heard: "Death to the police." "Kill the police." "I want to deliver a message to the family of the (inaudible) - I hope they fucking die." And: "Y'all gonna die one by one. This ain't gonna stop." Last night I prayed for the complete and speedy recovery of these deputies, and I will continue to do so. As for those pieces of garbage who showed up at the hospital wishing all police dead...well, you know what I am thinking.

The Coronavirus Twenty-Five Weeks Later - Did Trump Really Say That? And Other News

In a now well publicized article in The Atlantic, the latest allegations against President Trump are quite disturbing. But, are they true? The anonymous allegations are that, while on a trip to the American cemetery at Aisne-Marne in France in 2018, Trump said that the cemetery was filled with "losers" and "suckers." Clearly, if true, it is a despicable comment if made by any American, let alone a President. But does it pass the smell test? While Trump has had disagreements with individual members of the military, he has been very supportive of the military and troops overall. And the timing, coming 2 years after the fact, and only 2 months before the election, with Trump gaining in the polls, is very suspicious. The rebuttal would be that the sources, while anonymous, are said to be very credible.

What about the "credible" members of the Obama Administration who were willing to recommend violence and even a military coup within two months of Trump taking office. (See the 3/12/17 post, "The Deposing of an American President.") What about Comey, Strzok and Page, presumably all "credible" government officials until they weren't, once the truth came out about them. (Recall the Strzok-Page email exchange discussing the need to make sure Trump would not win in 2016, and what they would do about it if he did.) Recall Rep. Adam Schiff telling us that he had incontrovertible evidence of Trump collusion with Russia. Except, he never told us what that was - and nor did Mueller. I am certainly well aware of where we are as a country. Democrats do not believe a word Trump, or other Republicans, say - and the reverse is true for Republicans.

But I look at the context. I recall how the Democrats have never accepted the 2016 election results; and how determined they are to make sure that Trump does not win a second term. I know the hatred that people have for Trump, as I have eperienced that hatred myself. I consider that people who were there, such as Sarah Sanders and Hogan Gidley, did say on the record that it never happened - that Trump never said that about our fallen soldiers. And John Bolton, who has no love for this President, said "I didn't hear that." Bolton: "I'm not saying he didn't say them ("losers" and "suckers") later in the day or another time, but I was there for that discussion." So, at the pertinent time Bolton was there and never heard it. Obviously, no one is with the President 24/7, such that they could tell us every word uttered by any president. So, do I believe Trump said those terrible things about our fallen soldiers? No I do not. But, should our analysis end here?

We still need to ask, assuming for the sake of argument that Trump indeed said those awful words, then what? In other words, what influence, if any, should it have on our voting even if believed? My answer is - it should have no effect. As the expression goes, "actions speak louder than words." Trump has done his best to bolster the military. He makes the hard phone calls that presidents have to make to families of fallen soldiers. He visits our troops - on location overseas and in the hospitals. But the real issue is: so what? So what if he said those words in terms of his job performance. Yes, it would be despicable. Yes, I would think less of him as a person. But as they say about Richard Nixon, a man accused of frequent anti-Semitic remarks, yet who suppled the necessary war materiel to Israel to help them survive the surprise attack by the Arabs during the 1973 Yom Kippur war - his actions spoke far louder than his words.

What won't Democratic elected officials say about Trump? Here is yet another example, from San Francisco Mayor London Breed: "We have a terrorist, we have a dictator who is running this country..." Just another ad hominem attack. Those descriptions of Trump are absurd. And what won't Democrats and their allies do to help defeat Trump? Fox reports that unions with millions of members are threatening to walk off their jobs - just in time, again, to destabilize the country before the election, and hurt Trump's chances. The unions' statement is nothing other than Democratic talking points: "We echo the call to local and federal government to divest from the police, to redistribute the stolen wealth of the billionaire class, and to invest in what our people need to live in peace, dignity, and abundance: universal health care and housing, public jobs programs and cash assistance, and safe working conditions." Apparently they do not want safe neighborhoods with the police being defunded. Free health care, free housing, government jobs for all and best of all - cash money.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden had his second press conference just recently, after one month of staying in his house. Did the reporters grill Biden the way they do Trump? Here's one reporter's question to Biden, the reporter being from none other than the aforementioned The Atlantic: "When you hear these remarks - 'suckers,' 'losers,' recoiling from amputees, what does it tell you about President Trump's soul and the life he leads?" There you have it. No reason to challenge Biden on anything - not his policies, his condescending racist statements about blacks, and nothing about how he might work with the far left wing of his party. No. Instead, let's give Biden an apportunity to dump on Trump, to attack Trump's soul. Just another reason to question The Atlantic's claims about what Trump said.

What about the polls? They say Trump is trailing, but gaining. But this might be the most important poll - Bret Stephens reports that, according to Bloomberg, "nearly 12% of Republicans and 11% of independents say they're unlikely to give telephone pollsters their true opinion on how they'll vote in November because they think 'it's dangerous to express an opinion outside of the current liberal viewpoint.'" Don't I know it. Ironic that they call Trump "fascist" when conservatives know that to express an opinion contrary to the left-wing orthodoxy is to risk losing family and friends who are offended, and also risk one's livelihood and safety. The latest incident of a personal nature occurred just the other day. While getting an afternoon iced coffee, I ran into someone who I used to call "friend." He says he is a "moderate," but hates Trump. He was trying to dissuade me from supporting Trump in the blog, and from voting for him. As this man is Jewish, I pointed out that Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and the U.A.E., which is also good for America as it brings greater stability to an area that has seen much US involvement. I was told (more or less, I cannot be sure of the exact quote as I was rather startled because he was screaming at me): "Who cares about Israel? If you love Israel so much why don't you move there? I'm done with you!" And he stormed off. It should be no surprise the harm that left-wing fanatics are willing to do to businesses and people they don't know, when someone I have known for well over twenty years is willing to be so hostile to me.

We have gone from what was once thought to be a noble goal - a color-blind society (that concept is now considered racist) - to a focus on race all the time in every place. But somebody has to stand up for us, so I will ask again - what about the Jews? The context is Joe Biden going to Kenosha and speaking with Jacob Blake, Sr., the father of the man who was shot in the back, resulting in rioting and looting. According to the ZOA (Zionist Organization of America), the senior Blake had quite a few anti-Semitic comments on his Facebook page. Here are a few. "A Jew can't tell me shit period." "The same pink toe Jewish people that control the interest rate control the media they control Minds and money." "The Jewish media picks and chooses who is a terrorist and is not." And "I'm with Farrakhan 100(%)." I understand that the meeting with Blake Sr. could be justified on a human basis - father to father. But, just imagine if Trump happened to meet with a father of a victim of Antifa/BLM violence - and if that father was a white supremacist. We would never hear the end of it.

The professional football season is about to begin. The NFL has plans to deal with "racial justice." In the two end zones on every field you will see either "It Takes All Of Us," or "End Racism." Players and staff will also be allowed to their helmets or caps emblazened with those expressions, or with "Stop Hate" or "Black Lives Matter." Personally, I'm for the "Stop Hate," as maybe all those who "unfriended" me in real life would learn a little tolerance for others. During each game, the NFL plans on telling a story of a victim of racial injustice or police brutality. I am curious as to whether they will discuss the Michael Brown "murder," as Kamala Harris made up during her campaign for president. (See the very last post - "The Coronavirus Twenty-Four Weeks Later, Part II - A Few Words On The Candidates.")

If you want another reason to vote for Trump, here is one. Trump has put an end to the teaching of "critical race theory" across all government agencies. That's where they deal with things like "white privilege," and teaching that "virtually all white people contibute to racism." And saying that America is the "land of opportunity" is considered racist. As Trump directed, this so-called diversity training is really "training government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda." He called it a "sickness." I think that fairly accurately portrays a system that encourages people to focus only on race, and making one race (blacks) think poorly of another (whites). So much for the "content of one's character." Yep, that class is, indeed sick.

The Coronavirus Twenty-Four Weeks Later, Part II - A Few Words On The Candidates

President Trump got his turn as the Republicans had their convention this past week. I confess. Again, I did not watch most of this convention either. I did catch Nikki Haley's speech and thought that she would be a welcome candidate in 2024. I also saw Melania Trump's speech - good, but a little long. I did not see more than a few minutes of the President's speech, but I did read it. Here are a few highlights. "...We understand that America is not a land cloaked in darkness. America is the torch that enlightens the entire world." And: "What united generations past was an unshakeable confidence in America's destiny and an unbreakable faith in the American people." Of course, you would never know from the mainstream media that Trump's speech was in any way uplifting.

I have complained over the years about left-wing pundits and Democrats, and so-called Black leaders, who have delivered in their speeches an awful message to children. Essentially telling children that the system is rigged against them, that they'll never succeed. To discourage young children from trying to achieve their goals is evil. Therefore, my favorite line from Trump's speech was this: "I want every child in America to know that you are part of the most exciting and incredible adventure in human history. No matter where your family comes from, no matter your background in America, anyone can rise with hard work, devotion, and drive. You can reach any goal and achieve every ambition." So much better than Joe Biden's "knee on the neck."

In August of 2019, Kamala Harris reflected her party's desire to make sure that Blacks always feel victimized, when she said this: "Michael Brown's murder forever changed Ferguson and America. His tragic death sparked a desperately needed conversation and a nationwide movement." Elizabeth Warren said something similar. The problem, of course, is that Michael Brown was not murdered. Who said so? Obama's Department of Justice, which concluded there was no criminal wrongdoing in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

But Biden also had no problem in fanning the flames. Here he is on 8/9/20: "It's been six years since Michael Brown's life was taken in Ferguson - reigniting a movement. We must continue the work of tackling systemic racism and reforming policing." Except, the reigniting of a movement was based on a lie. The "hands up don't shoot" lie that suggested that Brown was murdered. Neither the state nor the Feds concluded that he was murdered. Does not matter. Just keep it going. I hope that, rather than the usual 5% of Blacks that vote Republican, that Trump is able to get 25% or more. That Blacks appreciate what Trump has done for their community - in terms of low unemployment, school choice, criminal justice reform and aid to the historically Black Colleges and Universities. And police reform? I have no problem with that - if it does not endanger the lives of the men and women who put on a uniform every day.

I'd like to end this short post with another line from President Trump's speech at the RNC. "In the left's backward view, they do not see America as the most free, just and exceptional nation on Earth. Instead, they see a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins." The focus in our schools should not be on the New York Times' "1619 Project," claiming that the country was born out of slavery. School age children should be taught that people came here for religious freedom. That the American Revolution was fought for political freedom. That the country has always strived to make that "more perfect union." That does not mean we do not teach about slavery - just let's not forget that America's deadliest war, the Civil War, brought an end to slavery. I find it ironic that the mainstream media always wants to paint Republicans and Trump as "dark," while the glass half-empty Democrats are seen as the bright light.

The Coronavirus Twenty-Four Weeks Later - Media Bias, a Few Words on the Blog and the Impending Civil War

First, as the attacks on me/the blog continue, I have a few comments. A recent criticism alleges my failure to ever condemn Trump. Twice in the last post I criticized Trump. But, I was told, not harshly enough. I was very harsh on Trump when he decided to remove troops from Syria, leaving the Kurds vulnerable. But that's not the point. I have a conservative viewpoint, and I see no reason to pile on, when the mainstream media is non-stop anti-Trump. I have said that if someone wants anti-Trump news and Op-Eds they can get 5 to 10 such pieces a day just from the New York Times alone. One day last week I decided to check to see if my claim about the Times was, indeed, correct. On 8/24/20 I went online to the Times to check out their Op-Eds. Sure enough, seven out of the eleven most recent pieces were anti-Trump. The rest were not pro-Trump, but rather discussed other issues. Here are just a couple: "Trump's Campaign of Chaos," and "Trump's Reality TV Show Would Like You to Forget About Reality for a While." The 7 anti-Trump opinion pieces do not include the so-called "hard news" pieces which are also often anti-Trump.

Howard Kurtz of Fox pointed out that CNN and MSNBC carried nearly every minute of the Democratic convention (about 520 out of about 580 minutes). But for the Republican convention, they kept breaking in with "fact-checking, criticism and punditry." About one hour into the Republican convention, the New York Times told us: "GOP Pushes Falsehoods and Fear at Convention." While one CNN newscaster was standing in front of an image of Kenosha burning, the chyron (the headline at the bottom of the screen) told us "FIERY BUT MOSTLY PEACEFUL PROTESTS AFTER POLICE SHOOTING." The irony was inescapable. As one comment said: "...Irresponsible clowns. It's not even funny. Months of enabling violence and destruction by ignoring and downplaying it, thereby eliminating any pressure on politicians to take action."

Meanwhile, at MSNBC, Rachel Maddow could not accept South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem's attack on Democrat run cities. Noem: "From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs." Maddow claimed that was "very wrong," and turned to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan for her take. You know, Seattle, with the "peaceful" CHOP/CHAZ. Too bad Maddow did not also have the Mayor of Portland, where they tried to burn down a police station with people locked inside, and where there have been violent "protests" for over 90 days.

Recall in the last post I mentioned the 8/21/20 front page headline in the New York Times: "BIDEN VOWS TO GUIDE THE U.S. OUT OF 'DARKNESS.'" That was the Times telling us that Trump's America is dark. Following Trump's speech, the Times' headline across the top of the front page was: "ACCEPTING BID, TRUMP PAINTS BIDEN AS UNSAFE." The subheadline was "Falsely Warning of Support for 'Anarchists' as He Shows His Grip on the G.O.P." In another story on the front page above the fold is this: "President is Unchastened by Time in Office, Even Impeachment." But the subheadline to the Biden speech was: "Accepting Nomination, He Rebukes Trump and Pledges to 'Draw on the Best of Us." Some of the language is subtle, but the bias is there. Trump "falsely" warns. Biden "rebukes," as a teacher does. And, Trump paints Biden as unsafe - as if Biden and the Dems have not constantly told us that Trump is a danger to democracy.

Here's Don Lemon of CNN, reflecting what Democrats have believed about Republicans since Hillary's "basket of deplorables." "They like what he (Trump) presents. They like the lies, one would have to. If you don't like the lies, then you're not a supporter. They like the shiny objects. They like the racism. They like the misogyny. They like all of it because if they didn't, they wouldn't support him." The Democrats who think (and I use the word loosely) like Lemon cannot conceive of any legitimate reason for preferring Trump over Biden. This helps to explain why they are perfectly at ease with shutting down opposing views - because such views cannot posibly be legitimate. If you think Lemon is alone, here is Elie Mystal writing for The Nation: "Most White Republican voters don't need permission for white supremacy. They're racist themselves and think being racist is just commonsense...The irreducible core of his base is white people who think being openly racist and violent toward Black people is an inalienable right that has been taken from them by 'cancel culture.'" And, talking about the black speakers at the RNC, Mystal said this: "What anger I have for this particular crop of Black tokens comes from the fact that so many of them volunteered..." To recap, whites who vote for Trump are evil, whites who vote for Biden (who once described the segregationist Strom Thurmond as one of his closest friends) are good. Any black who supports Trump is a token and worse I'm sure, because, as Biden told Black people: "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." This type of "thinking," this group-think, is rampant throughout the Democratic party and mainstream media and Hollywood and academia.

Here is some of the biggest bias not even recognized by many people (Democrats). What do you know about Brandon Stanley, Daniel Shaver or James Scott? Nothing, right? Because they are three White people who were shot and killed by police. Therefore, you did not read about them day after day after day in the mainstream media. (Before anyone starts to send me a nasty email, I continue to condemn the killing of George Floyd, and, absent some unknown exculpatory evidence on behalf of the police, I am also disturbed by the shooting of Jacob Blake.) But, according to the article by John McWhorter in the 7/14/16 Time magazine, Shaver had complied with police orders and was shot anyway. Scott was told to drop his gun, which he did, but did not raise his hands. And Stanley was trying to evade a warrant. No rioting, no looting, no burning down of businesses after they were killed. An opposing viewpoint might be - maybe there should have been. No. I am at a loss to understand why business owners should lose everything because of possible misconduct by the police. That's like saying "I'm angry at Smith so I'm going to take it out on Jones." McWhorter: "...all three were killed by police under circumstances that would almost surely have elicited indignant protests nationwide if they were black."

Here is some more information the mainstream media would not want you to know. From 1/1/17 to 8/6/20, a total of 3,545 people were shot and killed by police in the US, according to Statista. I think we can all agree that we would like to see less than 1000 people a year shot and killed by police. The statistic alone, however, does not tell us whether or not any police reforms might reduce those numbers, and to what extent. Of that total, Statista reports that 40.6% of those killed were white, 21.9% were black, 15.7% were hispanic, 3.8% were "other," and 17.9% were "unknown." Brookings reported that in 2019 in the US, 60.1% of the people were white, 12.1% were black (other sites say 13.4%), 18.5% were hispanic and 6% were Asian. But we know that blacks commit crimes at a significantly higher rate than their percentage of the population might predict. As previously reported in this blog, from 1980 to 2008, blacks accounted for 52.5% of the hoicides in the US, well in excess of their percentage of the population. (According to the US Department of Justice.) The point, which apparently needs repeating, the more crimes you commit the greater the liklihood of having interactions with the police. (Please do not email me to tell me perfectly innocent people have been shot and killed by police. I know. It's awful.)

I have watched the news and have seen that many of the "protesters" are white. That does not make it any better when we see businesses being looted or torched. Here are some more disturbing statistics (from Fox): Homicides are up 24% from the beginning of the year to early August in the 50 largest cities in the US. Murders in New York City are up 35% compared to the same period last year. Shootings are up 87% in New York City. In the City of Chicago alone, 2,700 people have been shot so far this year. As of early August, the largest cities have had a total of 3,600 homicides. The Mayors of New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Washington are all Democrats. Cities that have seen major lawlessness. This year, and breaking with the usual alliance between Democrats and unions, many police unions have announced their support for Donald Trump. If the politicians do not support the police, the police will be fearful of doing their jobs. When that happens, anarchy reigns. And when anarchy reigns, many citizens - armed citizens - are going to take action. (Again, no need for nasty emails. I am not voting for vigilantism. But, let's be real, if the "authorities" will not act, people will do what they need to do to protect themselves, their homes and their businesses.)

In Washington, DC, "protesters" approached people dining at a restaurant outdoors. They demanded that the white diners show solidarity with Black Lives Matter by raising their fists. The "protesters" shouted at them "White Silence is Violence." One couple refused to raise a fist. The "protesters" screamed and swore at them, and called the man a "pasty piece of shit." One woman, a supporter of BLM, who said she had marched with them, did not raise her fist. "I felt I was under attack, and being coerced - which felt wrong." To her credit, the DC Mayor said "What I saw in those videos was highly inappropriate." She asserted that DC residents won't be "bullied out of living their everyday lives." But how would people not feel bullied? How many of us would raise our fists out of fear of being assaulted or worse? This is all reminiscent of a Democratic talking point from 2018 by Maxine Waters (Rep.-CA): "If you see anybody from that (Trump) cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd, and you push back on them, and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere." What an excellent idea, because a mob can always be counted on to do the right thing.

Meanwhile, Rand Paul, a sitting United States Senator, could not safely cross the street from the White House to his hotel after leaving the last night of the RNC. Paul said he feared that he and his wife would have been severely beaten, if not killed, but for the police officers protecting them from the mob on the street. The irony is that Paul, as a libertarian, supports many of the police reforms that these "protesters" are supposedly seeking. In a bill called the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, Paul seeks an end to the no-knock policy of allowing police to enter homes without some notice or warning. And, in Kenosha, a 17 year old is charged with the murder of two people after carrying a rifle in the streets during the riots there. The charge seems excessive, and appears to have been made without a complete investigation. But I think the message is clear - perceived vigilantes will be dealt with harshly, "protesters" not so much.

To further illustrate the utter contempt and hatred that the left carries for those who disagree, we have actress Bette Midler. After hearing the speech by First Lady Melania Trump, Middler Tweeted this: "Oh, G-d. She still can't speak English. A UGE bore. She can speak several words in a few languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage." What class. Contrast that with the words of Julia Jackson, the mother of Jacao Blake, shortly after he was shot in Kenosha: "My family and I are very hurt. And quite frankly disgusted...please don't burn up property and cause havoc and tear your own homes down in my son's name...As I was riding through here, through the city, I noticed a lot of damage. It doesn't reflect my son or my family. If Jacob knew what was going on as far as that goes, the violence and the destruction, he would be very unpleased." We would all do well to take a step back and honor this Mother's words.

(Note: The following is a shameless plug on behalf of a friend and reader. Evan Sayet is a well known speaker, author and comedian within conservative circles. He has a new book out called "The Woke Supremacy - An Anti-Socialist Manifesto." It is on sale at Amazon for $9.99. I have already ordered my own copy. I receive no fees or kickbacks or any other remuneration for this plug. Evan previously authored "The KinderGarden of Eden: How the Modern Liberal Thinks And Why He's Convinced That Ignorance Is Bliss." Should you buy one or both of Evan's books I hope that you find them informative.)

The Coronavirus Twenty-Three Weeks Later - The Democrats Have Their Virtual Convention

It was different. Admittedly, I did not watch all that much, although I read the big speeches. Just not as exciting as having all the state delegates present, and having the news people on the floor able to catch attendees on the fly for a quick interview. My guess is that this will be the last convention in which the older generation of Democrats run the show - and the party. I don't expect Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders or Nancy Pelosi to have the same influence next time around. Rather, the younger, more radical, members of the party are likely to have greater sway. I did learn a few things. Mainly, for the Democrats this election is all about President Trump's personality and character. They felt no need to delve into policy issues. I also learned that Trump is personally resonsible for the over 5 million coronavirus cases and over 170,000 deaths in the US. Lastly, and as is predictable from the Dems, they are still living from 60 to 250 years ago, with no apparent cognizance of the present, save Trump. Let's take a look at some of their words.

The Dems touted Colin Powell as a Republican against Trump. If Powell is a Republican, then I'm a 7'5" center for the Los Angeles Lakers. This "Republican" could not bring himself to vote for John McCain or Mitt Romney. So, please. Here are some choice words from Powell's speech. "With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries - never the other way around." Right, because we saw that so clearly as part of the Obama-Biden administration. Had the "reset" button with Russia, and Russia then invaded the Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Drew a "red line" for Syria, warning them about the use of chemical weapons. Syria ignored the threat, and Obama did nothing. Gave Iran, the biggest state sponsor of terror, $150 billion. Yep, that's what we call standing up to our adversaries.

What about "standing with our friends?" In 2009, Obama gave his speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt. Egypt, under Mubarek, was considered an ally of the US. But Obama saw fit to invite members of the terrorist Muslim Botherhood, a group that was outlawed in Egypt. Mubarek was furious and refused to attend the speech. What about our allies of the Sunni Arab Gulf states? They were furious with Obama for making the Iran deal, Iran being a threat to the rest of the Middle East. And what about our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel? Obama clearly hated Netanyahu. And in his last full month in office, Obama gave the middle finger to Israel by having our UN Ambassador failing to veto an anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council. Recall that the resolution said Israel had no right to any land beyond the 1967 borders borders (those borders simply being a cease-fire line, with no actual agreement on borders), essentially rewarding the Palestinians for their decades of killing Jews, and giving the Palestinians the holiest sites in Judaism in so-called East Jerusalem. If that is standing by allies, then as the saying goes - with friends like these, who needs enemies.

Former President Obama broke protocol and precedent in bashing the current President. Although, it is not as if Trump adheres to protocol either. But the Dems tell us that they take the high road. Obama: "For close to four years now, he's (Trump) shown no interest in putting in the work; no interest in finding common ground - no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends..." Put in the work? He has more energy than most 74 year olds. He has met with numerous foreign leaders. He tried to make a deal with North Korea. He successfully brokered a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the first deal between an Arab country and Israel in 26 years. No interest in finding common ground? With the people who repeatedly called him an illegitimate president, and spent 2 1/2 years trying to oust him through impeachment. Would the "common ground" be like when Obama told the Republicans "I won" the election, in 2009? Or in 2010 when Obama said "we don't mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in the back." And, let's not forget Obama's "I've got a pen, and I've got a phone," explaining why he did not need to work with the Republican Congress. Trump only helped himself and his friends? Would that be like the 4% and lower unemployment rate from July, 2018 through January, 2020? The lowest unemployment rates for women and minorities in 50 years. Like that, Obama?

An aside for a moment. Recall, if you will, that in last week's post I mentioned the historic agreement between Israel and the UAE, which Trump and Kushner were instrumental in putting together. I pointed out that the New York Times did not deem it to be worthy of a full page headline. But, the Times on Friday did have an across the entire top of the front page headline. Was it a major international news story? A major national story? No, it wasn't a story at all, as in all caps they told us: "BIDEN VOWS TO GUIDE U.S. OUT OF 'DARKNESS.'" In other words, they gave us one of Biden's talking points from his speech. It wasn't a news story at all. Biden: "United we can, and will, overcome this season of darkness in America." Of course, it matters not that for conservatives and Republicans the "season of darkness" was during the Obama presidency. But the writers at the Times could not conceive of anyone thinking that way about Obama. They are no different than the soccer player, Reggie Cannon, discussed in the last post.

Back to Biden. "Character is on the ballot." I get it. And, in earlier time, it might be an issue for me and other conservatives. But not when faced with an onslaught of left-wing ideology from the Democrats. And, while I don't agree with Trump getting involved in a squabble with anyone who insults him, I have no problem with the way he stands up to the lying mainstream media and Democrats. After all, the media goes after every Republican president and presidential candidate; it's good to have one that is willing to fight back.

Biden: "Just judge this president on the facts. 5 million Americans infected with COVID-19. More than 170,000 Americans have died. By far the worst performance of any nation on earth." Yep, Trump is a mass murderer. But on January 31, Trump declared a public health emergency, and banned incoming flights from China of anyone who had been in China during the prior two weeks. Many on the left were offended. Sanders said he wouldn't close the borders to stop the virus from spreading. Here's Biden: "You know we have right now a crisis with the coronavirus, emanating from China...This is no time for Donald Trump's record of hysterical xenophobia and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science." Here's Biden in 2009 discussing the Swine flu: "If you're out in the middle of a field when someone sneezes, that's one thing." But "I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now...If you're in a closed aircraft or closed container or closed car or closed classroom, it's a different thing." So, the quick to panic Joe Biden would have effectively shut down the country. There were an estimated 60.8 million cases of the Swine flu from 4/12/09-4/10/10, but only 12,469 deaths - far less than the numbers of many seasonal flus. Would Biden shut down the country every flu season? And Biden says he is willing to shut the country down upon taking office in January, if he wins. That ought to put the weakened economy in the toilet. Biden says the US has the "worst" performance of any country. As of 8/5/20, and measuring the number of cases per 100,000 people, Johns Hopkins University said the US was eighth - not first - in the world, following Belgium, the UK, Peru, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Chile.

Biden, of course, also blamed Trump for the over 50 million unemployment claims during the pandemic. Again, judging this president "on the facts," Biden said: "More than 50 million people have filed for unemployment this year." Never mind that the unemployment rate was at historic lows under Trump until the pandemic. Never mind that 50 governors decided when and how much of their states should be shut down. California's governor was the first in the country to order a statewide shutdown, and did so on 3/19/20. So, does Biden hold Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom responsible for the millions of California residents who lost their jobs as a result of the state's shutdown?

Speaking of Governor Newsom, he was asked at a press conference a couple of days ago about how he's dealing with the fires throughout the state, and whether federal aid was forthcoming. After stating that he has maintained strong personal relationships with the President and Vice President, Newsom said this: "I can only say this...there's not one phone call that I have made to the President where he hasn't quickly responded and almost in every instance he's responded favorably in terms of addressing the needs - the emergency needs of this state - through COVID and over the course of the last year and a half that I've been Governor as it relates to these wildfires."

Back to Biden again. He explained what his winning the election would mean for people, and said this: "Winning it for those communities who have known the injustice of the 'knee on the neck.'" There it is. As I said in the first paragraph, nothing has changed for these Democrats in the last 250 years. One police officer put one knee on the neck of one black man - but no, blacks are enslaved in this country still. There was no Civil War, no 13th Amendment, no 14th Amendment, no civil rights legislation. We do not have successful blacks in all walks of American life. We do not have black millionaires, and even billionaires. Not really much different than Biden telling blacks during the 2012 campaign that Romney's policies would "put y'all back in chains." This is how the Democrats hold onto the black vote - by telling blacks how bad the country is, that they have "the knee on their neck," and that Democrats will be their salvation. It's all a lie, of course. Look what a good job Democratic mayors across the country are doing while their cities burn. Oh, that's right. There is no looting or rioting or burning going on. Hundreds and hundreds of stores are not boarded up in various cities. If any of that were happening we surely would have heard something from the Democrats when they had a nationwide audience. Nope, nothing to see here, please move along. These are today's Democrats - afraid to offend BLM or other radical groups - and so they will not even criticize the most violent among them.

On the other hand, the Dems have no issue with anti-Semites being part of their big tent. On various online meetings of different groups supporting Biden, were Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Imam Hussain, AOC, and others who have expressed anti-Semitic and anti-Israel views. But no surprise. Recall Nancy Pelosi called Ilhan Omar a "valuable member" of her caucus, and contributed $14,000 to help Omar's reelection campaign. Besides, in yet another recent poll (YouGov, as reported by the Economist) only 24% of Biden supporters view Israel as an ally. Only 24%! Here's one quote from Sarsour: "Nothing is creepier than Zionism." Yes, the Biden campaign disavowed Sarsour's comments. But so what? At this point the anti-Semites are firmly implanted within the Democratic Party. Tamika Mallory called Louis Farrakhan the G.O.A.T. - greatest of all time. He is certainly the greatest anti-Semite of our time in this country. After MoveOn.org pressured the Democratic candidates for president to not attend the annual AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington) convention, only Mike Bloomberg attended. To his credit, Biden at least attended via video. Kamala Harris refused to attend, but met with some AIPAC representatives in her office. This type of appeasement to the Israel haters got her nowhere, as she was harshly criticized for having anything to do with AIPAC. A potential vice president, and even president, who would not stand up publicly for our ally Israel is disturbing. But following the Obama-Biden mistreatment of Israel, hardly surprising.

Those who vote for Biden, who are they really voting for? According to a Rasmussen poll, 59% of likely voters think Harris will become president during Biden's first term if they win. That includes 49% of Democrats, 57% of independents and 73% of Republicans. That would certainly warrant the utmost scrutiny of Harris by the media. Just don't expect it.