In The Mailbox: 02.03.20

Sitting here this morning with the TV in my home office tuned to the closing arguments in the impeachment trial, and while I actually tried to ignore this noise — the whole damned Ukraine mess just makes me angry — I could not help overhearing the endless repetition involved. We have heard over and over a handful of phrases: President Trump “violated his oath of office,” and “our democracy” is jeopardized by “foreign interference in our elections.” Indeed, the Democrats claim, “our national security” is endangered because . . .

Well, Vladimir Putin is a dictator and Russia is our enemy — or such is the essence the Democratic argument implies.

Let us cede the point that Putin is a bad guy who has done bad things, and still we are faced with the question of whether a realignment of U.S. foreign policy in Europe is overdue. We can simultaneously (a) favor the independence of Ukraine and other former Warsaw Pact nations without (b) believing that Russia is the greatest threat to those nations. In fact, I believe Stephen Miller and other key Trump advisers would argue, the greater danger to Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, etc., is from the kind of “globalism” advocated by George Soros. The minute you say “Soros,” of course, you’ll be accused of endorsing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and, perhaps also, repeating Russian propaganda. However, it’s possible to think that Hungary’s Viktor Orban and other Eastern European nationalists could be valuable American allies without embracing any kind of paranoid theory, much less anti-Semitism.

Isn’t it the case, after all, that the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe is a direct consequence of increased Islamic immigration to Europe? Why do Jews feel threatened in Paris? It’s not because of any neo-Nazi menace, but rather because Paris is being overrun by Arabs. And who is supporting this influx of Muslims into Europe? Not Russia. Go back to the “Arab Spring” of 2011, which inaugurated the civil war in Syria, which in turn led to the “refugee crisis” of 2015. At every point of that timeline, the Obama administration and the Left in Europe were supporting the forces of political instability and demographic chaos. Let anyone investigate what policies George Soros’s network of tax-exempt advocacy organizations were advancing doing at that time, and see whether it’s a “conspiracy theory” to criticize his influence.

It is a fact — a matter of public record — that four of the House Democrat impeachment managers voted against military aid to Ukraine. How is it, then, they can assert that President Trump is guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors” because he briefly delayed this aid, when if it were up to them, Ukraine never would have gotten any such aid? It’s almost as if Democrats really don’t care about “our national security,” but are merely manufacturing this concern for political advantage.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am deeply cynical, and you’d have to be a damned fool to believe that Democrats care more about America’s national security than does President Trump. Democrats seem to think that all they have to do is assert that Trump is guilty, and that their mere assertion is tantamount to proof of his guilt. This is the only plausible explanation for why they keep repeating the same phrases, as if they believe repetition will give their assertions the force of argument.

This is not how actual arguments work, however, and preaching to the partisan choir — Democrats telling their own dimwit supporters that their hatred of Trump is justified — will not persuade anyone who understand the Constitution, which gives the President nearly unlimited authority (for good or ill) in conducting our foreign policy.

Category: Donald Trump, Ukraine

Terrorist in London Stabbing Attack Had Just Been Released From Prison

Posted on | February 3, 2020 | Comments Off on Terrorist in London Stabbing Attack Had Just Been Released From Prison

Just another random coincidence:

A man shot dead by police after he stabbed people in south London had been released from prison in January.
Sudesh Amman, 20, was released about a week ago after serving half of his sentence of three years and four months for terror offences.
He was under active police surveillance at the time of the attack on Streatham High Road, which police believe to be an Islamist-related terrorist incident. . . .
Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said: “He [Amman] was under surveillance quite soon after being released which begs the question, why was he released so soon?”
Treasury minister Rishi Sunak said “the police are obviously doing absolutely everything they can to keep people safe”.
He said new measures to toughen terrorism laws — already announced by the PM after last November’s attack near London Bridge — will give the police “more powers and resources to do that as well”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would announce further plans for “fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences” on Monday. . . .
Sudesh Amman pleaded guilty in November 2018 to six charges of possessing documents containing terrorist information and seven of disseminating terrorist publications. . . .
Amman was first arrested in north London in May 2018 by armed officers on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.

Here’s the thing: Under our Constitution, any American has a First Amendment right to possess “documents containing terrorist information.” The British have no such protection, and are suppressing liberty in the name of security. Why? Because they don’t have a Second Amendment that would allow citizens to defend themselves. You see how these two basic liberties are related. There will always be bad people in the world who wish to do harm to the innocent, but it is foolish — indeed, dangerous — to seek protection against bad people by disarming the law-abiding citizen and forbidding the publication of bad ideas.

Consider that the principle that would allow prohibition of radical Islamic “terrorist information” could also be used to criminalize any expression of “Islamophobia.” Indeed, there are many in America who would prohibit “hate speech” critical of U.S. immigration policy. If disagreeing with liberals is “racist,” then liberals would be able to destroy our First Amendment freedom in the name of suppressing “hate speech.”

The knife attacker’s parents are from Sri Lanka, and while it may be true that the vast majority of Sri Lankan immigrants to the U.K. are decent hard-working people, it is predictable that some of their children will grow up to be alienated and anti-social, prone to radicalization:

Sudesh Amman, the man shot dead by police in what officials described as a terrorism incident in south London, had been jailed for promoting violent Islamist material and had encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents. . . .
He was 17 and living at home with his mother and younger siblings when he first began committing terrorism offenses, according to authorities. Police became aware of his activities in April 2018 and he was arrested by armed officers in a north London street a month later.
When officers examined his computers and phone, they found he had downloaded material about making explosives and carrying out terrorist attacks, according to police.
Messages showed that he had discussed with his family, friends and girlfriend his extreme views and desire to carry out an attack, often focused on using a knife, police said.
In December 2017 Amman posted a picture of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed during a U.S. raid in Syria in October, and told his brother in a message that “the Islamic State is here to stay.”
He also described Yazidi women as slaves and said the Koran made it permissible to rape them, and in another message he encouraged his girlfriend to behead her parents.
Police said he had shared an online al-Qaeda magazine with his family and while in a discussion about school with a sibling he wrote he would “rather blow myself up”.

British immigration policy has caused this terrorist problem, yet in England, as in America, those who criticize immigration policy are accused of promoting “hate.” However, the preservation of liberty requires that a nation must defend its borders against foreign invasion.

Category: Great Britain, Immigration, Islam, Sri Lanka, Terrorism

Chiefs Come Back to Win Super Bowl; Halftime Show Unexpectedly Goes NC-17

Posted on | February 3, 2020 | Comments Off on Chiefs Come Back to Win Super Bowl; Halftime Show Unexpectedly Goes NC-17

Does America want to see a middle-aged Puerto Rican woman shake her rump and climb a stripper pole? Like it or not, that’s what millions of Americans watched in the Super Bowl halftime show. Jennifer Lopez, age 50, starred in the show, and Todd Starnes was not amused:

“Mommy, what’s a stripper pole?”
I suspect many parents across the fruited plain were faced with that awkward question after letting their youngsters watch the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira starred in what can only be described as an NC-17 softcore porn production that featured a stripper pole, lots of crotch shots and simulated sex.
“We were disgusted with the raunchy show, provocative gestures, pole dancing, lack of modesty,” one outraged mom wrote on Twitter.
They were doing things that would have made the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah blush.

OK, maybe Starnes is a bit too puritanical, but there was a general agreement on Twitter that this was not suitable for children.

?Did you see this? pic.twitter.com/qKaRabefJ6

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) February 3, 2020

#PepsiHalftime what a disappointing example to set forth as an example for our daughters and young women. Stripper poles and half nakedness…

— sarah (@SarahSoldierMom) February 3, 2020

That is one way to show empowerment for woman. Have 2 women acting like strippers and flashing them selves all over national TV. BOOOOOOOO Terrible music #PepsiHalftime

— Nicholas Carter (@Lee_VanCleeF_) February 3, 2020

Here’s the #PepsiHalftime show that the NFL thought was great for all ages! It featured stripper poles, butt shots with kids standing behind them, adults grinding & gyrating, rope to tie yourself with and plenty of crotch shots! What a wholesome show for little kids to watch. ? pic.twitter.com/k31U8FD0Yg

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 3, 2020

J-Lo is still kind of sexy for a middle-aged Puerto Rican, but I never cared much for her, even back in the day when she was half of “Bennifer” and got a $2-million engagement ring from Ben Affleck. I suppose we should be grateful, however, that the halftime show didn’t go “woke” and lecture us about “rape culture.” Meanwhile, there was a football game:

Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, 31-20.
Mahomes and the Chiefs were down 20-10 heading into the fourth quarter. The quarterback threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 6:13 left to cut the score. Then, with 2:44 left, Mahomes found Damien Williams on a 5-yard touchdown pass to put the Chiefs ahead.
Williams would then put the dagger into the hearts of the 49ers with a 38-yard rushing touchdown to put the game out of reach.
It’s the first Super Bowl victory for the Chiefs in 50 years. Kansas City hadn’t won since Super Bowl IV.

This was the outcome I had expected: The way the Chiefs defeated the Tennessee Titans in the AFC title game showed them to be formidable, and then there is the matter of values. Kansas City represents the American heartland — Missouri has two Republican senators and a Republican governor — whereas San Francisco is home to Nancy Pelosi, and is a crime-riddled dystopia where drug addicts defecate in the streets.

Category: Football

FMJRA 2.0: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

Posted on | February 2, 2020 | 1 Comment

— compiled by Wombat-socho

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In The Mailbox: 01.31.20
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Top linkers for the week ending January 31:

EBL (23)
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Thanks to everyone for all the links!

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Category: FMJRA Award

‘Blade Runner’ in San Francisco

Posted on | February 2, 2020 | 2 Comments

San Francisco shop owner Gilles Desaulniers:

“Our society is falling apart. . . . If people do not play by some rules, society does not function. But it feels like there is no order, there is no shame. . . . Living here feels like A Clockwork Orange and Blade Runner have both come true.”

That’s just one quote from a mind-blowing Daily Mail article by Ian Birrell about what has happened to San Francisco, a Democrat-controlled city in a Democrat-controlled state. Say what you will about San Francisco’s problems, you can’t blame their mess on right-wing Republicans, yet the people living in that urban nightmare still cling to the same left-wing beliefs that got them into their current predicament.

Liberalism is about using taxpayer money to subsidize irresponsible behavior, and then blaming the predicably bad consequences on scapegoats: The “rich,” the “racists,” the Republicans.

The problem is that, in cities like San Francisco — or Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, etc. — there simply aren’t enough of those evil white Republicans around to shoulder the blame. Because the disastrous consequences of liberal policy cannot be plausibly explained by liberal theories of what causes social problems, the explanations they offer become increasingly implausible, and the demonization of their chosen scapegoats becomes ever more extreme. If you were to ask to the average Democrat voter in San Francisco what has gone wrong in their city, however, they would excoriate the “greedy” rich people of the high-tech industry, and probably also blame Donald Trump, although the city’s problems pre-date Trump’s election, and nearly all the big-money guys in Silicon Valley give their money to Democrats. Liberals like to think of themselves as “open-minded,” but in fact their worldview is simplistic and rigid in this way. It is impossible ever to get a liberal to admit that liberalism cannot solve the problems which are caused by liberalism.

If you could go back to 1964 — the last time San Francisco had a Republican mayor — you might find problems in the city to complain about, but it wouldn’t be a dystopian nightmare of rampant drugs and crime, because people who vote Republican simply won’t tolerate that. Democrats, on the other hand, have this idea that drug addicts, psychotics and criminals are “victims of society,” and therefore they will support policies that make society more “inclusive” and “equal” for the dangerous scum who have taken over the streets of San Francisco.

Category: California

DNC Sold Out to Bloomberg ‘Because He’s Got a Billion F***ing Dollars!’

Posted on | February 2, 2020 | Comments Off on DNC Sold Out to Bloomberg ‘Because He’s Got a Billion F***ing Dollars!’

Michael Moore at a Bernie Sanders rally Friday in Iowa:

They are removing the rule to be on the debate stage, where it says you have to have so many people donating to you — otherwise instead of 27 people on the stage we’d have 270 people on the stage. You had to show you had a certain number of Americans that would give you a buck, that’s all the rule said, to show you have support. And that’s how they determine who would be on the debate stage.
Today they removed that rule because Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire, the Republican Mayor of New York City . . . They removed it so that he could be in the next debate. He doesn’t have to show he has any support among the American people, he can just buy his way onto the debate stage, and I’m going to tell you what’s so disgusting about this.
I watched the debate in Iowa here two weeks ago — the all-white debate — and the fact that . . . the DNC will not allow Cory Booker on that stage, will not allow Julian Castro on that stage, but they are going to allow Mike Bloomberg on the stage? Because he’s got a billion f***ing dollars!
I’m sorry. Those days are over. Those days are over.

The question of why the DNC suddenly decided to change its debate rules has a couple of answers: First, and most obviously, Bloomberg has given big money to the DNC and has promised to spend as much a billion dollars of his own money to beat Trump, no matter who gets the Democratic nomination. Allahpundit explains the second answer:

There’s a chance that Bernie wins easily in Iowa and New Hampshire, with Biden underperforming dismally. If that happens the media will be ruthless in attacking Biden as a chronic underachiever in presidential contests, the guy who just can’t get it done. The stink of campaign death will be on him even though he’ll limp on to Nevada and South Carolina. But establishment Dems will be panicking and looking for a longshot centrist option who might somehow be able to hold off Sanders. That’s Bloomberg, a guy who’s already bought his way into the top tier nationally and who seems willing to pay any price to promote himself. He may well be the only Democrat who can outspend the Sanders money machine, and he can do it by an order of magnitude. If Biden flames out early Bloomy may be the only game in town for centrist Democrats on Super Tuesday. Go figure that the DNC wants to start introducing him to the primary electorate as soon as possible at the debates.

In other words, Bloomberg is the fallback candidate for the “Anybody But Bernie” Democrats, who cheated Sanders out of the 2016 nomination, and are determined to cheat him again in 2020. As we discussed Saturday night on The Other Podcast, there is a parallel between the left-wing populism of Sanders and the right-wing populism of Trump. Both candidates ran against the party establishment — Bernie against the Clinton machine, Trump against the Bush/RINO/neoconservative crowd — and it’s possible that some “Bernie bros” hated Clinton so much they actually voted for Trump in November 2016.

Populism, rooted in a belief that the elite are decadent and depraved, is a powerful force in a society where political authority appears to be controlled by a corrupt cabal of insiders. As much as I abhor Sanders’ socialism, I am very sympathetic to his supporters in their resentment of the DNC establishment. Really, what are Democrat insiders so afraid of? Is it just because they think Sanders will lose? As if Biden would win? The idea that Creepy Uncle Joe would be a formidable opponent to Trump is a dubious proposition, and I think Democrats are more afraid that nominating Sanders would cost them the support of the fat-cat lobbyists who provide so much of the DNC’s revenues.

(Hat-tip: Instapundit.)

Category: Bernie Sanders, Debates, Iowa, Michael Moore

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In The Mailbox: 02.03.20

Rule 5 Monday: A Fine Pair

Argument by Assertion

Terrorist in London Stabbing Attack Had Just Been Released From Prison

Chiefs Come Back to Win Super Bowl; Halftime Show Unexpectedly Goes NC-17

FMJRA 2.0: As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

‘Blade Runner’ in San Francisco

DNC Sold Out to Bloomberg ‘Because He’s Got a Billion F***ing Dollars!’

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