Quote of the day—Ted Wheeler

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Lawlessness and anarchy come at great expense and great risk to the future of our community. It’s time to push back harder against those who are set on destroying our community, and take more risks fighting lawlessness.

…

These people need to hear, and to understand, the social and human consequences of their irresponsible actions. All of them should be requires to engage in public services like litter pick-up and graffiti abatement.

Ted Wheeler
Portland Oregon Mayor
January 2, 2021
Portland Mayor Committed to End Violence by ‘Antifa Radicals’ After New Year’s Eve Riot
[This is after:

At least two Molotov cocktail-style firebombs and large fireworks were hurled and launched at riot police, the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, and the Multnomah County Justice Center, police and video footage confirm.

The mayor it going to get tough on these thugs by having them talk to some of the victims, pick up litter, and clean up graffiti. Yeah. That would really show them he means business.

NOT!

I think this is further encouragement of their action. And I find it difficult to believe Wheeler isn’t actually on the side of Antifa.

The person, and anyone assisting them, that threw the first Molotov cocktail at the cops should have hit the street with a bullet in their brain before the Molotov cocktail landed. Portland police has snipers more than capable of doing this. I know because some of them have been to Boomershoot several times.

Throwing those sort of devices was the use of deadly force and should have been treated as such.—Joe]

Quote of the day—BJ Campbell

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How on earth is any of this possible? It certainly doesn’t fit the “it’s the guns” narrative. If it were “the guns,” then these hot spots would mostly overlap. There are a few overlaps (sorry Shreveport, sorry Coal Country) but most of the country exhibits the exact opposite behavior than we would expect from the “it’s the guns” hypothesis.

…

At this point, we’re inclined towards a simple explanation. Poor black folks have a gun homicide problem, while poor white folks have a gun suicide problem.

BJ Campbell
December 22, 2019
Geographic Evidence that Gun Deaths are Cultural
[Via brother Doug.

There is a lot more interesting information to pull from this article but it doesn’t lend itself to extracting an easy quote.—Joe]

Quote of the day—John R. Lott

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This study provides measures of vote fraud in the 2020 presidential election. It first compares Fulton county’s precincts that are adjacent to similar precincts in neighboring counties that had no allegations of fraud to isolate the impact of Fulton county’s vote-counting process (including potential fraud). In measuring the difference in President Trump’s vote share of the absentee ballots for these adjacent precincts, we account for the difference in his vote share of the in-person voting and the difference in registered voters’ demographics. The best estimate shows an unusual 7.81% drop in Trump’s percentage of the absentee ballots for Fulton County alone of 11,350 votes, or over 80% of Biden’s vote lead in Georgia. The same approach is applied to Allegheny County in Pennsylvania for both absentee and provisional ballots. The estimated number of fraudulent votes from those two sources is about 55,270 votes.

John R. Lott

US Department of Justice
A Simple Test for the Extent of Vote Fraud with Absentee Ballots in the 2020 Presidential Election: Georgia and Pennsylvania Data
December 21, 2020
[Even if the statistics make it look like an absolute certainty fraud was committed that doesn’t matter until someone confesses, there is video that can’t be explained away, or some other physical evidence of the fraud. Even if the odds are 1000:1 it was fraud, until the details of how the fraud occurred it’s going nowhere in the legal system.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Jovan Pulitzer

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We would be able to tell if they were folded, if they were counterfeit, whether they were filled out by a human hand, whether they were printed by a machine, whether they were batch-fed continually over and over, we can detect every bit of that.

…

All of these problems that you’ve heard today can be corrected and detected now by the simplest of things. It takes you days or weeks to recount votes. Give me these 500,000 ballots, we’ll have them done in two hours.

Jovan Pulitzer
December 30, 2020
Georgia Senate Panel Requests Forensic Audit of Fulton County Absentee Ballots
[This should settle this issue:

One of the county’s polling managers previously told state lawmakers that she opened a box of mail-in ballots with a batch of 110 that were “pristine” and not folded, indicating that they were never put in secrecy envelopes, as is required.

Pulitzer said that he and his team can detect if that’s the case.

I will feel a lot more comfortable about the next few months, perhaps years, being relatively peaceful if this issue is resolved to the satisfaction of the vast majority of people.—Joe]

Why the police didn’t search the RV in 2019

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To better answer the questions that come to mind after this comment I give you the following. From Police Say They Tried to Contact Nashville Bombing Suspect Anthony Warner After 2019 Warning:

Nashville police said Wednesday that they repeatedly tried to reach Anthony Warner, the deceased suspect in the city’s Christmas Day bombing, soon after being told in 2019 that he was making bombs inside an RV at his home.

…

Joel Siskovic, a spokesman for the FBI in Memphis, said Wednesday there was no allegation of a crime made at the time to the bureau or police.

“If we were going to take action like a search warrant, we would have had to have probable cause,” Mr. Siskovic said. “We weren’t even at the stage where a crime had been alleged.”

The person who told the police he was making the bombs was his girlfriend who told them this did so after the police were called to the home because she was making suicidal threats.That visit didn’t provide a solid enough basis to get a warrant:

The woman, who officers determined was in need of a psychological evaluation, identified herself as Mr. Warner’s girlfriend and warned police that her boyfriend “was building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence.”

Assuming all this is true, I have to give law enforcement a pass for not stopping the bomber much earlier.

Quote of the day—Natalie Andrews

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said they would get the Covid-19 vaccine within days to ensure the continuity of government during the pandemic.

In addition to the two leaders, all members of Congress will be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech SE in the coming days, according to a letter sent to lawmakers Thursday from congressional physician Brian Monahan. He said he was notified by the National Security Council that vaccines were available to members of Congress, the executive branch and the Supreme Court.

Natalie Andrews
December 17, 2020
Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell Plan to Get Covid-19 Vaccine in Coming Days
[Interesting. I guess ensuring “the continuity of government” is more important that ensuring the continuity of food, water, transportation, and communication.

This makes it extraordinarily clear they have a much higher opinion of themselves than I do. I would be inclined to put members of Congress and the executive branch priority in the vaccine queue just below Marxist Hollywood celebrities and just above prisoners on death row.—Joe]

Nashville bomber news

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This is one of the best reports I have read so far:

Authorities are exploring evidence that Nashville, Tennessee, bombing suspect Anthony Quinn Warner was interested in various conspiracy theories

…

Some writings found by investigators believed to be associated with Warner, who was killed in the Christmas Day RV explosion, contain ramblings about assorted conspiracy theories, sources said.

Multiple law enforcement sources also told ABC News earlier this week that investigators looked at whether Warner had paranoia about 5G cellular technology.

…

Investigators are continuing to analyze chemical residue from the scene and are working to narrow down the chemicals that were likely used to make the explosive device.

They are also looking into how the suspect allegedly acquired the bomb-making materials to ensure there were no accomplices.

Sources told ABC News that receipts and credit card account information indicates Warner allegedly purchased items that could be used to construct a bomb, though they cautioned that certain common chemicals have uses that could have nothing to do with bomb-making.

The 5G cellar theory as a motive seems to be the best match for the publicly available evidence.

Quote of the day—Pam Belluck

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A small number of Covid patients who had never experienced mental health problems are developing severe psychotic symptoms weeks after contracting the coronavirus.

Pam Belluck
December 28, 2020
Small Number of Covid Patients Develop Severe Psychotic Symptoms
[That’s scary stuff.

I know three people who have recovered from COVID. One was daughter Xenia.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Dangerous Liberty @DangerousLiber1

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It’s true. Self-reliance is the enemy of the State.

Dangerous Liberty @DangerousLiber1
Tweeted on December 27, 2020
[Via sacrebleu14 / SA Hinchcliffe.

If you want to decrease the power of the state encourage and enable self-reliance in others.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Patrick J. Buchanan

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American politics will be even more poisoned and polarized than it has been for the last four years. Tens of millions of Americans will see themselves as disfranchised and believe that the greatest champion they have had in decades was illegally driven from power by the same deep state-media conspiracy he fought for four years.

…

What lies ahead?

Some see secession. But though secession is unlikely, a secession of the heart has already taken place in America. We are two nations, two peoples seemingly separated indefinitely. Can a nation so divided as ours, racially, ideologically, religiously, still do great things together, as did the America of days gone by, to the amazement of the world?

Patrick J. Buchanan
December 10, 2020
Is Our Second Civil War — also a ‘Forever War’?
[Via email from Chet.

Good questions. I have no answers. I only have half-baked guesses.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Joshua Eaton

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Almost everyone agrees that the ATF is in trouble. But this obscure federal agency may be President-elect Joe Biden’s best chance at having a real impact on gun policy—if he takes the opportunity to restore the beleaguered agency’s reputation and revive its mission. In fact, experts told The New Republic that the ATF may be Biden’s best bet at leaving a mark on federal gun policy without having to rely on an intransigent Congress.

Joshua Eaton
December 25, 2020
This Beleaguered Federal Agency Is America’s Best Hope to Curb Guns
[I find it very telling the author and people quoted in the article don’t even suggest there might be something wrong with restrictions on a specific enumerated right. Let alone making such changes without going through the legislative process.

This is literally the encouragement of a single politician to be a tyrant and restrict the rights of hundreds of millions of people who have a written guarantee their rights would not be infringed.

Such people, and the tyrants they help create, should be prosecuted.—Joe].

Quote of the day—David Codrea

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Why citizens wanting to know what the rules are even had to ask – and why that was being evaded – only becomes clear when you come to grips with the obvious: ATF knows it doesn’t have a consistent set of standards by which to apply its evaluations. And it’s not like everyone hasn’t been aware of the problem for a long time.

David Codrea
December 23, 2020
ATF Rules Capricious, Arbitrary, Political, and Stupid
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Kevin Maxwell

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In my legal opinion the Rare Breed Triggers FRT is a perfectly legal, semi-automatic, drop-in trigger. And my opinion is further supported by the opinions of whom I believe to be two of the most significant subject matter experts in the industry.

Rare Breed Triggers FRT – Full Video from RARE BREED TRIGGERS on Vimeo.

Kevin Maxwell
December 2, 2020
[As Greg said in a private post on Facebook:

pretty genius, I doubt it will last long on the market.

If you’re into this type of fun then get them while they last!

FRT is an acronym standing for “Forced Reset Trigger”. And that tells you all you need to know to have your giggle box kicked over.

We live in interesting times.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Brad Smith

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As much as we appreciate the commitment and professionalism of so many dedicated public servants, it is apparent to us that the current state of information-sharing across the government is far from where it needs to be. It too often seems that federal agencies currently fail to act in a coordinated way or in accordance with a clearly defined national cybersecurity strategy. While parts of the federal government have been quick to seek input, information sharing with first responders in a position to act has been limited. During a cyber incident of national significance, we need to do more to prioritize the information-sharing and collaboration needed for swift and effective action. In many respects, we risk as a nation losing sight of some of the most important lessons identified by the 9/11 Commission.

One indicator of the current situation is reflected in the federal government’s insistence on restricting through its contracts our ability to let even one part of the federal government know what other part has been attacked. Instead of encouraging a “need to share,” this turns information sharing into a breach of contract. It literally has turned the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations upside down.

Brad Smith
December 17, 2020
A moment of reckoning: the need for a strong and global cybersecurity response
[Free markets have their faults. But if you want something really messed up then have a government do it. Why else do you think they are so good at war? You send your government to some other country and they mess up that country.—Joe]

Quote of the day—Egon von Greyerz

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It is quite ominous that 100 years after Weimar, the world is standing on the cusp of a  similar debt and currency collapse with hyperinflation as a consequence.

100 years ago it was primarily the problem of one country whose debt the world could afford to write off. Well they had no choice since it was worthless anyway.

But this time it is a global problem with every country in the same situation. There will be no one to save individual countries or the global financial system. Yes, all major central banks will print endless amounts of money. But that will only exacerbate the situation.

A debt problem can never be solved with more debt. And a dying currency cannot be resurrected.

So the world is in for a major shock in the next few years. The problems will be at all levels – financial, social, political and geopolitical.

Egon von Greyerz
December 2020
Gold Vs Bitcoin & The Death Of Money
[Chet and I used to discuss this sort of thing for hours back in the 2009 to 2010 timeframe. It was impossible for us to put a due date on the implosion we imagined we saw coming. One could claim that since it hasn’t happened yet that we were wrong about it happening at all.

Perhaps.

Still, it seems to be impossible that the national debt can ever be paid off. And from a political standpoint I doubt it can even be reduced. And that has to have consequences, doesn’t it? I keep seeing a reset of some sort in the future. And no matter how the reset goes down I see rough times for a lot of people.

We live in interesting times.—Joe]

Quote of the day—NRA @NRA

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[Or just have an honest relationship with your spouse and put the gun you want on your wish list.—Joe]

Transparent aluminum

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Interesting. I didn’t know transparent aluminum has been around since 1980. And I always thought it was science fiction in 1986:

Still, it’s very cool stuff. 1.6” (4 cm) can stop a .50 BMG AP round.

Franklin ghost town

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Yesterday I had to deliver a simple, homemade Christmas gift which the local UPS refused to accept. Barb agreed to come with me and found a hike we could go on which was fairly close to our gift delivery route. It was Franklin Ghost Town. It was short enough that we could delivery the gift and complete the hike before the heavy rain forecast for the afternoon hit. It didn’t include any stunning views but it was interesting enough and had excellent trail conditions.

First a clue about the simple homemade gift:

image

And on to the trail and the ghost town:

20201219_102839The area used to be the site of a coal mine and small town. At the peak the town population was 1,100 people.Over the course of over 100 years the mine produced over 4 million tons of coal.

20201219_110851

The number 2 shaft was over 1,300 feet deep and went 500 feet below sea level:

20201219_105405

You could see as deep into the mine as you had enough light for:

20201219_105450

image

I found it odd that there was an obvious “vein” of coal left in plain sight. I have never seen coal in nature before but close examination convinced me the dark patch just above and to the right of center in this picture is the real thing:

image

We didn’t really see anything we could imagine was part of the town. We found this which I image to be a filled in mine shaft:

20201219_103059

20201219_103317

IMG-20201219-WA0000

20201219_103347

It was a pleasant, short, hike for a somewhat dreary December day.

This is what they think of you

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Via Hank Archer and Matthew Bracken @Matt_Bracken.

From the Washington Post:

RepublicansAsRats

Toastrider comments:

Once again, WaPo dives in where even Occasional Cortex fears to tread.

Not the sharpest tools in the toolbox, are they?

Bracken comments:

So now the Washington Amazon Bezos Post is printing propaganda cartoons comparing Republicans to Rats.

Anybody remember what followed this kind of propaganda in Germany in the 1930s?

If you don’t remember here are some clues:

jewrat

“udryd den” is Danish for “eradicate it”.

nazi-germany-rats-cartoon

“deutschland den deutschen” is German for “Germany for the Germans”.

“demokratische lander” is German for “democratic countries”. I’m not sure about the rest of the text. But you should be able to get the idea.

One has to wonder if the Washington Post cartoonist has a final solution to the problem of the Republicans.

Quote of the day—Thomas Sowell

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If the election goes to Biden there’s a good chance that the Democrats will then control the two branches of Congress and the White House. And considering the kinds of things that they’re proposing, that could well be the point of no return for this country.

Thomas Sowell
July 13, 2020
[H/T Kevin Baker.—Joe]