reddit Pic

Exquisite bonsai ...

Powerline Pic

Headlines

Judge may hold Mueller-ensnared Russian firm in contempt

Experts toil in dangerous conditions to restore fire-ravaged Notre Dame

First case of unknown origin confirmed in northern California ...

Poll: Biden takes lead in Florida

Poll: Biden crushing Sanders in South Carolina

Coronavirus live update: Facebook cancels conference, Iran outbreak could get worse

Federal appeals court rules tech platforms can censor content ...

Trump admin insiders: Pentagon house cleaning of never Trumpers

‘I didn’t write them, but Bernie did’: Warren slams Sanders over delegate rules

Coronavirus is threatening to end the world air traffic boom

Infects Iranian vice president, kills ambassador to Vatican ..

Appeals court: Trump can withhold funding from sanctuary cities

Today’s Poser

What was the benefit of the Commies raising the literacy rate in Cuba (according to Bernie) ... when there were hardly any good books to read?

Panic!

“Never let a crisis go to waste” — Rahm Emanuel

Pandemic! World health crisis! The Trump virus is coming here! Many will die! The stock market is crashing! The Democrats are fanning the flames of panic to try to blame the spread of the coronavirus on President Trump. In a way this reaction, however despicable, is to be expected.

Obviously, Trump has had nothing to do with the origin or spread of this disease. In fact, he stopped flights in from China early on ... and was called a racist in the process. The stock market is in correction territory. And Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, taking their cue from Rahm Emanuel, have castigated Trump for his “inaction.” Bernie Sanders says that the president’s response is ‘disgusting!’ The New Yorker says Trump has blinders on. What?

I guess this anti-Trump meme is responsible for anything bad. And anything good was Obama’s legacy. Do Democrats have ay idea how silly they look with this puckish childishness?

Be prepared dear reader ... when next we learn that Trump, not Hillary, killed Epstein!

For an update see: The Latest Virus Numbers.

Fractured Definition

Mumbo Jumbo — a very large ... and silent  ... boyfriend.

Headlines

White House considers appointing coronavirus czar

Coronavirus  live update: Brazil confirms 1st case in Latin America, Italy cases triple over 2 days

Poll: Biden set for big SC win

Donald Trump blames CNN and ‘MSDNC’ for hyping coronavirus fears

Boston Globe endorses Warren a year after urging her not to tun

Coronavirus cuts Trump’s Dow gains since election to 48% from 61%

Trump campaign sues New York Times for libel ...

Greenwald: CIA election  ‘interference’ worse than Russian

2 Florida Democrats sue to keep Sanders off the primary ballot

Zoom has added more users this year than all of 2019 thanks to coronavirus, Bernstein says

In last days of campaign Netanyahu stops shaking hands

Nancy Pelosi: ‘Too late’ for Trump admin to stem coronavirus

Not Shocked

From daily timewaster

Another ANTIFA recruit ...

reddit Pic

Pineapple plantation

Headlines

Trump calls for Sotomayor, Ginsberg to recuse themselves from cases dealing with his administration

Coronavirus live update: US confirms 53 cases, CDC outlines pandemic planning

Sanders see onslaught at debate ... Only a week to stop him?

Bernie pivots, signs on to repealing lawsuit protection for gunmakers

Egypt state TV: Ex-President Mubarak has died at 91

10-year Treasury yield drops to record low of 1.32% as coronavirus hits the global economy

Herpes-infected monkeys rampage in Florida as humans infected ...

Rahm Emanuel: Going after Obama ‘not exactly the way to the nomination’

NRCChair: House will flip with Sanders atop Dem ticket

US health secretary Azar says more coronavirus cases likely, seeks more funding

Pentagon preps nuclear moon rocket ...

Weinstein in hospital with chest pains after conviction

Today’s Poser

Is Harvey Weinstein not going to kill himself too?

Bernie’s Flaw

Bernie Sanders has a compelling message for America’s youth — Fidel Castro overthrew the evil Batista regime in Cuba and brought the bright benefits of Socialism to the downtrodden there. And this is what Sanders is promising for America ... and he won’t be a totalatarian like Castro turned out to be.

Sounds good to our naive snowflakes, right? And Bernie has a way of convincing them that he will bring them the upsides of Socialism without the firing squads. A difficult argument for Trump to thwart.

But, what Bernie’s Democrat opponents have neglected to point out ... but, I suspect, Trump will not ignore ... is the following — the United States today is not what Cuba was under Batista ... very far from it. In fact, Trump has moved America dramatically away from this possibility ... reducing our income disparity, bringing employment back onshore  and dramatically reducing federal regulations ... which were Obama’s authoritarian instincts.

So Sander’s campaign promises are, in reality, a solution looking for what is no longer a problem.

Unglued!

“The center will not hold.”

Ads Work

“For the best sleep in the whole wide world ...”

The persistent advertising on TV works. I just bought ten My Pillows ... and six sets of Giza cotton “Dream” sheets, switched my car insurance to Liberty Mutual ... and sent $500 to the Tunnel to Towers charity. Now will they leave me alone?

You know the answer ...

Headlines

Sanders sends Democrat establishment into panic mode

Coronavirus live update: WHO calls Iran and Italy ‘deeply concerning,’ Goldman cuts GDP forecast

Harvey guilt of sex crimes ... Straight to jail ... Faces 5 to 29 years ...

Jussie Smollett to be indicted on 6 new charges

Harvey Weinstein found guilty in landmark #MeToo moment

Coronavirus could push mortgage rates past 4-year low

Will Obamas move to stop Bernie? Buffet boosts Bloomberg ...

Poll: Sanders, Bloomberg leapfrog Biden in New York

Global markets fall sharply as virus cases spread past Asia

Bloomberg’s $400 million bet looks headed for a Super Tuesday flop

Trump speaks to 110,000 at raucous India rally ...

Judge Judy vows to ‘fight to the death’ against Bernie Sanders

Bernie vs. Bloomberg

Trump has indicated that he would rather face Bloomberg in November ... other than Bernie.  This flies in the face of conventional wisdom ... that Bloomberg in many respects is the more difficult opponent ... with his many billions and more moderate positions.

Then why might Trump prefer Bloomberg as an opponent?

Very simple ... it’s a choice between positive and negative political messages. Bloomberg would be running with a “I’m not Trump” message. Whereas Bernie has a transformative message, however poisonous to many ... “We need to become more like Socialist Sweden ...  with free healthcare, free college, free housing, open borders, voting from prison, Green New Deal, etc.”

Bloomberg would be Diet Trump ... many of his same policies except for climate change, gun control and open borders ...  but without the tweets ... too easy a switchover. Whereas Sanders is leading a “movement” ... a movement backed by change ... however distasteful to many of us.

Trump recognizes that a passionate positive message is a tougher challenge than a squishy negative one.

Today’s Poser

Has the Trump administration started weaponizing its intelligence agencies and the FISA court in order to thwart Bernie Sanders’ election ... or, if elected in November, linking him to colluding with Cuba (and maybe Russia?) in order to get elected ... and thus using this to get him impeached?

Wouldn’t that be special?

This is Your FBI

Saw this interview with K.T. McFarland the other day on Fox Business. It was a personal look inside how the FBI treated those targeted Trump aides during the Mueller investigation. This woman seems sincere and believable about her ham-handed treatment by the FBI, a group I once respected. See if you agree: Fox Business Interview.

She was lucky. She was never charged with a process crime.

Headlines

Steyer will return to the debate stage in South Carolina

Coronavirus live updates: Turkey closes its border with Iran, South Korea on high alert

Carville: Those who think Sanders can beat Trump are stupid ...

Joe Biden’s South Carolina firewall is on fire

National security adviser dismisses claims of Russian 2020 interference

‘Tesla killers’ aren’t killing Tesla at all

Harry and Meghan: Queen doesn’t own the word ‘royal’ ...

JP Morgan: We’re all going to die of  climate change!

Coronavirus cases spike in Italy

Sanders’ ‘very, very different’ economic plan no match for Trump’s, Mnuchin claims

DHS whistleblower during Obama administration found dead ...

Swedish population growth overwhelming driven by mass migration

Sanders vs.Trump

On a Zoom video call with my old fraternity brothers today, the question was posed, “ If the contest this November is between Sanders and Trump, which one would you vote for?” Except for two of us ever-Trumpers, there was a lot of embarrassed silence.

This is a looming conundrum facing many liberals today ...  as Crazy Bernie builds up a head of steam on the campaign trail. The realization that this Democrat Socialist may indeed be the Dem presidential nominee is sending shivers up the spines of many of the not-that-far lefties.

In this contest, voting for Sanders would be suicidal ... and many Democrats, including James Carville, agree. So what’s the option? Sitting it out ... or writing in Mayor Pete? Neither of which will keep the Orangeman out of office for another term.

My advice to you dear reader liberals ... you can always claim you voted for the loser. That’s why we have a secret ballot.

Demographics

“Demographics are the future.” Someone once said this basic truism which one would be wise to study and use as the basis for understanding our changing destiny.

China has roughly three times the population of the United States and the United States has roughly three times the population of Russia. This comparison , by itself, explains much of the jockeying in international relations. Now, fast forward to the year 2100 ... and China will have only twice the population of the U.S. and India will have many more people than China. Is this why the Orangeman is now in New Delhi?

Anyway, demographics are a fascinating study .... and, if I have peaked you’re interest, I have found a fascinating website that is chock full of compelling  demographics ... by gender ... by age ...by country ... and, by one and five year increments, 80 years into the future ... see  Population Pyramid.

If you can’t spend an afternoon running barefoot through these numbers ... and thinking about the implications ... you have no curiosity.

Today’s Poser

How many “climate scientists”would give 20 years off of their lives if their global warming projections did not come true? 10 years?  5 years? Even 1 year?

Obvious Truth

As has been demonstrated over and over again ... free-market capitalism creates wealth ... whereas socialism ... modified by any squishy adjective ... destroys wealth. Arm-waving rhetoric denying this obvious truth is not believable ... it is diabolical.

Headlines

Biden claims comeback despite distant second finish to Sanders

Sanders wins Nevada caucuses, takes National Democratic lead

Undocumented immigrants helped him [Sanders] win [in Nevada] ...

Bernie Sanders says U.S. is worse than Communist China in jailing people

Trump loves a big crowd, he’ll get one of his biggest in India.

Economic impact of coronavirus will be clearer in ‘three or four weeks, ‘ Mnuchin says

It’s the Socialist Democrats now ... Trump congratulates ‘crazy Bernie’

Three migrants from Yemen apprehended in human smuggling in CA

Erdogan says he will meet Putin, Merkel and Macron to discuss Syria

Coronavirus Live updates: South Korea alert level on max, Italy and Iran cases spie

Can’t [Eastwood] for Mike [Bloomberg] ...

[Susan] Rice: Acting DNI Grenell a ‘hack and a shill’

Army Boots

“Your mother wears army boots!”— a common bygone slur

Have any of you, dear readers, noticed that, often taking a lead from our current president, political discussions often degenerate into petty insults. Although, to be fair, many of Trump’s slurs often save themselves from banality with on-the-mark humor.

Nevertheless, cable television commentary is replete with gratuitous slams and specious insults, mostly directed at Trump and other Republicans, taking the place of thoughtful arguments ... “Just another of his lies,” “Putin’s lapdog,” “racist dog whistle,” “schoolyard bully,”  “yes, but he eats his steak well-done,”  etc. .... usually irrelevant to the issue being discussed.

Vilifying your opponent is not a antidote for sloppy rhetoric ... a lesson likely to be learned too late for Democrats in November.

Plagues

Swarms of locusts devastating East Africa ... and now entering China, the coronavirus approaching a pandemic ... and the African Swine Fever killing hundreds of million pigs in China. These are three of at least eight plagues threatening our world order (I don’t consider earthquakes and volcanoes as plagues) ... see: 10 Plagues for deeper explanations.

So far we haven’t seen a plague of frogs (in a biblical sense) ... but China seems to be suffering the brunt of these catastrophes. For the latest on the coronavirus see: Latest Numbers.

I wish I could predict how all this all was going to turn out ... but in the meantime I am keeping my head down.

English Lit

And about the only job for those majoring in Gender Studies is ... teaching Gender Studies ...

Oil on the Water

One sure way to reduce the level of poison in our public discourse is to put an eight-hour delay and required confirmation on the publishing of any “reply all” emails ... Facebook, Twitter or other social-media communications.

Bullies

People become bullies often in a vain attempt to short-circuit success. — Anon.

Afterthought: Many of you, dear readers, will claim that Trump is a bully. But, in truth, he seems much more a noodge.

reddit Pics

They were master marble sculpters ...

Headlines

Warren, Biden and Buttigieg dangerously close to going broke

Facebook considers making clearer that pro-Bloomberg posts come from staffers

Weekend: A.I. Picks Sanders to win big in Nevada: Biden voters shifting to Buttigieg ...

Tim Scott predicts black support for Trump to increase by 50 percent

Down-ball or Republicans watch with glee as Sanders gains steam

WHO officials say coronavirus outbreak in Iran ‘very worrisome’

Poll: Satisfaction with USA highest since 2005 ...

Coronavirus drag on U.S. economy appears bigger than expected

Pompeo announces ‘understanding’ between U.S. and Taliban

Larry Kudlow says falling bond yields don’t reflect the U.S. fundamentals

NYT: Russia backs Trump re-election, and he fears Dems will exploit ... ‘Hoax number 7!’

Elizabeth Warren claims transgender athletes ‘not a threat’

Legacy

The death of a close friend has inspired these musings:

When I’m gone and buried, why should I care if I am lauded or mocked? I doubt if I will know of such feelings ... or, if I might, I would be able to fix things ... obviously it’ll be much, much too late.

However, a good life does benefit those you leave behind ... enough reason to be honorable. It’s your legacy ... not to your possible afterlife ... but to your friends and family ... to enable them to remember you fondly ... proud of their relationship with you ... and to use it as a model to play it all forward.

You lived such a good life. It’s your legacy. RIP, David.

Little Blue Marble

Egomania is a term used to describe one who is totally absorbed with oneself.

For this blog post I have invented “anthromania,” a term using the Greek word for mankind, to describe our often illogical insistence that we humans can insure our existence by totally controlling our environment. Does anyone with a brain believe we can survive for the next hundred years without burning some hydrocarbons ... even if we have to melt our frozen poles in doing so? You too AOC and Greta ...

This notion that humans are the masters of the universe is biblical in its origin and continually reinforced by our remarkable scientific discoveries. However, Mother Nature allows us to persist in this anthromania until she decides to destroy an island with a hurricane unleashing the energy of a hundred hydrogen bombs ... just to remind us who is boss.

I know people like Elon Musk have imagined us inhabiting other planets before we destroy our own spaceship Earth. (I, myself, do not think this outcome is that pressing.) But, when one realizes the quality of life that would exist on these alien planets ... like a fish out of water ... the appeal seems only to be one of survival. For myself, I am just as happy to (hopefully) spend my remaining time on our little blue marble.

Powerline Pic

reddit Pic

In Greenland ...

Headlines

Bloomberg campaign manager: ‘Mike needs to get his legs under him’

Coronavirus update: US hospitals brace for possible pandemic, Air France tallies ‘brutal’ cost

Bolton see his testimony wouldn’t have affected Trump acquittal ...

Sanders wins backing of top Muslim political group

Bloomberg nails Socialist Sanders as millionaire with 3 houses

Gold surges to 7-year high as investors seek safety trade

Spielberg daughter comes out as porn star ...

Rod Blagojevich: ‘I’m a Trumpocrat’

Trump, RNC announce $10 million plan to battle Dems on voting lawsuits

Bloomberg’s debate debacle might be the ‘beginning of the end’ of his 2020 run, pollster says

‘Nazi terrorist’ massacres 9 at hookah bars near Frankfurt ...

George Soros calls for removal of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Russian Operative

Here we go again ...

See: Trump accusation redux 

Human Nature

Life is full of trade-offs. One stays another 15 minutes on the exercise bike in order to work off last night’s dessert. Or, one spends an extra $10 to drive to work instead of taking the bus in order to listen to the drive-time news.

And trade-offs are even more complex when weighed by governments. Can citizens tolerate much higher utility bills in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity? Or can road maintenance be short-changed so that retired pensioners can continue to be paid?

These are economic trade-offs ... but there are also social trade-offs. Can abortion be encouraged at the cost of having to hype immigration to maintain a nation’s population? Or, more topical, can a city insult its minority population with a stop-and-frisk policy in order to save many of their lives and many more wounded? Would one rather be insulted or shot? Strangely, today, many politicians maintain that their minority populations prefer the latter.

So, kind reader, when one sees political trade-offs being made, be they economic or social, that seem illogical ... one can assume that there are other motivations beneath the surface that are influencing these silly decisions.

Such is human nature.

Don Jr.

Everything is relative ...

Leadership

When measuring leadership, winning covers a lot of sins. — Anon.

Headlines

Bloomberg in 2016: ‘Yes, Donald, I do love you’

Coronavirus Live update: Iran confirms two deaths, IMF chief issues warning on global growt

[Trump)] Goes on clemency spree, and list is long ...

Sanders: ‘I don’t think’ I’ll release more medical records

Andrew Yang joins CNN as political commentator

It’s never been this hard for companies to find qualified workers

Barr warns: I’ll walk if you keep tweeting ...

Report: Top NSC official could be reassigned amid speculation she is ‘anonymous’

Trump campaign hires alum of controversial data company

AG Barr takes aim at a key legal protection for Big Tech companies

Beijing expels three Wa Street Journal reporters ...

Fenton: Judicial Watch subpoenas FBI’s. Seth Rich records

reddit Pic

Easing my buddy’s punishment ...

The Debate

One would think, watching the Democrat debate last night, that our world revolves around free stuff for everyone, climate change, sexism and racism. Non-issues: world trade inequities, our growing national debt, coronavirus, Chinese hegemony, North Korean nukes, immigration reform, economic growth, national defense, impeachment and patriotism.

I’m not sure if this was because of the candidates’ myopia or cable new’s desire to stir things up.

Afterthought: Bloomberg has said he would back whomever wins the Democrat nomination ... now, except possibly Liz Warren...

History

“History is written by the winners.” — George Orwell

Historians have an interesting way of sanding most of the sinister sharp edges off of their look-back narratives.

Headlines

Mike Bloomberg just made the debate, can he keep his cool?

Coronavirus updates: Gottlieb says Japan on cusp of outbreak, France warns of pandemic risk

Bloomberg set for debate ... surges in poll

Wire — one thing unites establishment Dems: fear of Sanders

Trump threatens lawsuits over Mueller probe

‘Chernobyl like response’ by China means ‘worst is yet to come’ for coronavirus, Raymond James says

Bernie draws 17,000 to rally in Tacoma ...

Indie rock band plays for Bernie Sanders Tacoma rally

Mike Pompeo starts tour of Africa

Coronavirus scare leads fund managers to slash China outlook

Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits ...

Bloomberg belittled farmers, mechanist as dumb in viral video ...

American Gulag

It seems clear to me, kind reader, that the United States had, during the last four or five years, moved dangerously close to creating the old Soviet Union gulags... in that it was trying to (and did) imprison people solely for their political opinions. By that I mean prison time was obviously being handed out for no legal reason other than whether this person is a Trump supporter. George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn, and Roger Stone have been mousetrapped by dirty FBI cops and a sympathetic legal system as a way of punishing them for their support of the Orangeman.

Their actual ‘process crimes’ (primarily inconsequential lying under oath) feel very much like set-ups wherein they and their families were crushed financially by the sheer power and perfidy of a corrupt and politicized Obama FBI and Justice Department ... organizations that Attorney General Barr is doing his best to restore to dignity and fairness. (Notice I have not included in this list Trump’s old lawyer, Michael Cohen, or his former brief campaign manager, Paul Manafort ... bot of whom were convicted of serious felonies: money laundering, tax evasion and corruption ... unconnected to the Trump campaign.)

And an even more disturbing aspect of this politicalization of crimes in the Washington, DC swamp is that known perjurers such as Comey, McCabe, Clapper, Brennan, Sally Yates, Susan Rice and maybe higher-ups ... are still walking free ... and under no legal jeopardy (that we know of currently). And, if they are being investigated and found guilty, is this political persecution too?

Nah!

Perhaps, it’s a good thing that we have no Siberia equivalent?

Milking a Bull

Farmer Mike, that milk won’t go through the separator ...

Today’s Poser

When will our national media (and some readers here) start clamoring for Bloomberg’s tax returns ... and maybe for Bernie’s medical records?

Quotable Quote

"There are pro-life Democrats, and they are part of our party. We need to build a big tent. We need to bring people in instead of shutting them out." — Amy Klobuchar

Choice

a headache

between

an upset stomach