Friday, May 28, 2021

Debra Burlingame: The Travesty of Comparing the January 6th Capitol Seige to the September 11th Terrorist Attacks

The amazing Debra Burlingame is back up at WSJ, in top form.

At WSJ, "It’s a Travesty to Compare the Capitol Siege to 9/11":


Democratic lawmakers want to establish a “9/11-style commission” to investigate the siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6. “I would like to see Jan. 6 burned into the American mind as firmly as 9/11, because it was that scale of a shock to the system,” commentator George Will said recently. The attempt to reconfigure the “domestic terrorist” narrative to fit the horrifying story of Sept. 11 is profoundly disheartening. These two events are fundamentally different in nature, scope and consequences. Mentioning them in the same breath not only diminishes the horror of what happened on 9/11; it tells a false story to the generation of Americans who are too young to remember that day nearly 20 years ago.

My brother, Charles “Chic” Burlingame, was the pilot of American Airlines flight 77. He was murdered in his cockpit at age 51 in a 6½-minute struggle for control of the airplane. Here is what I want these young people to know:

Members of Congress might have had a frightening day on Jan. 6, but on 9/11 some 200 people in the World Trade Center towers chose to jump from 80 to 100 floors above the ground rather than be consumed by fire. A woman waiting at a lobby elevator bank was burned over 82% of her body when jet fuel from the first plane sent a ball of fire down the elevator shaft and into the lobby. She spent three months in a hospital burn unit and was permanently disfigured.

There are countless harrowing stories like this—of death, destruction and heartbreaking loss. More than 3,000 children lost parents. Eight young children were killed on the planes. Recovery personnel found 19,000 human remains scattered all over lower Manhattan from river to river, including on rooftops and window ledges. Victims’ remains were still being recovered years later by utility workers and construction crews. Some families received so many notifications of remains that they couldn’t take it any more and asked for them to stop. More than 1,100 families received nothing. Their loved ones went to work that morning and disappeared.

The attack brought down our nationwide aviation system, shut down the New York Stock Exchange for days, destroyed or rendered uninhabitable 16 acres of Lower Manhattan including underground subway and commuter train lines and destroyed a section of the Pentagon. Rebuilding at ground zero is still incomplete, and U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan.

On Jan. 6, Congress resumed its session that evening.

It is deeply offensive and sad that the brutal and harrowing memories of the worst terrorist attack in American history are being deployed by political partisans. They are using 9/11 not as an example of what the American people endured and overcame together, but explicitly to divide, to stoke hatred and to further a political agenda aimed at stigmatizing the other party and marginalizing ordinary Americans from participating in the political process. That is the real threat to democracy.

It should matter that the vast majority of the people who went to the Capitol protest that day didn’t believe they were there to overthrow the U.S. government, or, it must now be said, to kill anyone.

There have been real terrorist attacks on the Capitol. But those must be forgotten because they came from the political left...

We are living in perilous times. When a modern democracy deploys forces of intimidation—whether government, corporate media or cultural institutions—to promote the ruling majority’s propaganda, it is time for good people to stand up and object. The world-changing attack of Sept. 11, 2001 shouldn’t be used, either as precedent or moral authority, to create a commission whose sole purpose is to turn a straightforward law-enforcement failure into destructive political theater.

RTWT. 

Infrastructure! Infrastructure! Infrastructure! (VIDEO)

The statistics are truly mind-boggling!

Portland's seen an 800 percent increase in homicides since last year --- 800 percent! --- and polls are showing that voters are rejecting the soft-on-crime policies of the morally-bankrupt leadership in America's Democrat-run cities. It's pretty freaky, actually. I mean, gearing up for the 2022 election, I can't imagine Democrats having the slightest chance of hanging onto their slim congressional majorities. 

It's gonna be great, and even better if Donald J. Trump is in the running in 2024, even if just for the G.O.P. nomination. Should Trump opt out, Governor Ron DeSantis is looking like the man to beat at this point. I have no idea if Trump could prevail in the general election, but I won't be surprised if Kamala Harris steps aside for Joe Biden because of health reasons. Then the general election, pitting Trump vs. Harris, will be lit! 

Various reports indicate the Dems are in for an epic shellacking, and I'm here for it, lol.

See, "Surging crime rate spells trouble for Democrats in 2022 elections."

A roundup, at LAT, "L.A. cut millions from the LAPD after George Floyd. Here’s where that money is going," and "Biden’s infrastructure plan: Where does the money go, and where does it come from?"

And New York Mag, "Democrats’ Odds of Keeping the House Are Slimming Fast."

At NYT, "The Persistent Grip of Social Class on College Admissions."

As WaPo, "White House to propose $6 trillion budget plan, as administration seeks to reshape economy, safety net."

And USA Today, "Biden declares his 'economic plan is working,' pushes infrastructure plan as the next step."

I'd link WSJ but it's behind the paywall, "Cities Reverse Defunding the Police Amid Rising Crime."

See also, Heather Mac Donald, "Mostly Peaceful Mayhem: Turning a blind eye to violence in Miami Beach, the New York Times previews its post-Floyd-trial coverage."



Thursday, May 27, 2021

Shop Amazon

Here, Today's Deals: New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

Also, Pinty Ghillie Suit 3D 4-Piece with Bag Camouflage Camo Tactical Hunting Forest Woodland.

Plus, YAKEDA Tactical Vest Outdoor Ultra-Light Breathable Combat Training Vest Adjustable for Adults 600D Encryption Polyester-VT-1063.

And, Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator with Remote Electric Start - 7500 Rated Watts & 9500 Peak Watts - Gas Powered - CARB Compliant - Transfer Switch Ready.

Still more, Mr. Heater Corporation MH18B Portable Propane Heater, Red.

Here, 10x15 Multi-Purpose Silver/Brown Heavy Duty DRY TOP Poly Tarp (10'x15').

BONUS: John 'Lofty' Wiseman, SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere.

Arrest Made in 91 Freeway BB Gun Shootings (VIDEO)

It's hard to keep up with all the crime around here lately. 

A six-year-old boy was shot and killed on the 55 freeway last week. When my wife first told me about it I thought this was the same situation with the bb gun shootings on the 91, which are separate incidents. 

It's possible that the suspect had been shooting up cars up and down the 91. The suspect has no license plates, so it's almost like he wanted to get caught.

At ABC 7 Eyewitness News Los Angeles:




Bella Thorne Above and Beyond

At Egotastic!, "Bella Thorne Breaks The Internet."

Also, "Alexis Ren Posing in the Surf in a Wet Sundress."

BONUS: "Wednesday Weed Wenches." 


'Back in the U.S.S.R.'

Heard a few minutes ago on satellite radio, while out running a quick errand.

Always loved the song, though I didn't know it was a parody. Also didn't know that Ringo Starr walked out during recording after getting tired of John Lennon ragging on his drumming --- and this was supposed to be a permanent split, two years before the band actually broke up.

Interesting.




USS Theodore Roosevelt Returns to San Diego (VIDEO)

The crew of the Roosevelt endured a massive coronavirus outbreak while deployed. The skipper, Admiral Brett Crozier, was relieved of his duties. 

See, "In a Reversal by Navy, Sacked Captain of USS Roosevelt Will Not Be Reinstated."

At ABC 10 News San Diego:



9 Dead in San Jose Mass Shooting (VIDEO)

That's nine dead not counting the shooter. 

At the San Jose Mercury News, "Victims, shooter identified in Bay Area’s deadliest mass shooting: Ten people, including the alleged gunman, were killed at a San Jose VTA light rail yard early Wednesday":


SAN JOSE — In what is now the Bay Area’s deadliest mass shooting, a Valley Transportation Authority employee known for nursing grievances and a hot temper opened fire early Wednesday morning at a VTA light rail yard building, fatally wounding nine people before taking his own life, authorities said.

“I was running so fast, I just ran for my life,” she said. “I would hope everyone would just pray for the VTA family. Just pray for us.”

On Wednesday evening, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office identified the nine victims as 42-year-old Paul Delacruz Megia, 36-year-old Taptejdeep Singh, 29-year-old Adrian Balleza, 35-year-old Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 49-year-old Timothy Michael Romo, 40-year-old Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 63-year-old Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63-year-old Lars Kepler Lane and 49-year-old Alex Ward Fritch. Fritch was initially taken to a hospital in critical condition but later died of his injuries.

The gunman was identified by multiple sources as Samuel Cassidy, a 57-year-old VTA maintenance worker. Authorities would not say what might have led to the rampage, what type of weapon was used or whether he obtained it legally.

Sheriff Laurie Smith, whose office headquarters are near the rail yard, said deputies entered the building as shots were still being fired, but did not exchange gunfire with the gunman.

“We have some very brave officers and deputies,” Smith said.

In a news release Wednesday evening, the sheriff’s office said deputies found the suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Still more.

 

Birding While White

*Shrug.*

This lady is a real character. 

At NYT, "Amy Cooper, White Woman Who Called 911 on Black Birder, Sues Over Firing."

Ms. Cooper, who made the call after a man asked her to leash her dog in Central Park, says that she was discriminated against because of her race.


 

Fox News Poll: Voters Want More U.S. Aid to Israel

At Hot Air, "New poll on Israel a red flag for Democrats?":

The Squad might get headlines for its attacks on Israel during conflicts with Hamas, but they might end up marginalizing their party. A new Fox poll shows Americans back Israel by well over a 2:1 margin over the Palestinians, even while progressives in Congress accuse Israel of running an “apartheid state.” Majorities of respondents also favor military aid and direct sales of weaponry to Israel, too...


 

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Gaza Conflict May Help Netanyahu Keep Power (VIDEO)

I'm actually struggling to keep up with politics right now. I'm burnt out from teaching and I can't wait for the semester to end, first week of June. Then it's who knows what? I ain't got that big federal stimulus cash this summer, so my big Vegas vacations are definitely on hold. I might be chillin' in the O.C. till August, cruising the bookstores and libraries, and that's if they're gonna be open at all, sheesh.

Here's to hoping. I'll at least get to hit some local happy hours if Vegas ain't happening, so there's that. 

At the video, longtime hottie Holly Williams reports for CBS News, and at L.A.T., "Israel’s Netanyahu, master of political survival, tested by conflict with Gaza":


TEL AVIV — Few politicians have quite the knack for turning adversity to advantage as does Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Before fighting erupted May 10 between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the country’s longest-serving prime minister looked set for a spectacular fall from grace. His political opponents were putting the finishing touches on a coalition agreement that would likely have seen him finally ejected from office after 12 years, and left him even more vulnerable to the criminal corruption charges he is currently battling in court.

But the 71-year-old prime minister, famed for his Houdini-like ability to wriggle out of tight spots, now looks positioned to possibly remain in power — even though his hardline base is angry that the government agreed to a cease-fire rather than pressing ahead with the military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Before a cease-fire took hold early Friday, 11 days of intense cross-border aerial bombardment between Israel and Hamas left nearly 250 Palestinians dead, more than 60 of them children, and 12 deaths on the Israeli side.

“The fire always breaks out just when it’s most convenient for the prime minister,” Netanyahu’s exasperated chief rival, opposition leader Yair Lapid, wrote on Facebook last week.

Lapid had reason to be irate: The outbreak of conflict seemingly crippled his prospects for assembling a ruling majority in the Knesset, or parliament, perhaps the closest yet a rival has come to unseating Netanyahu.

The crumbling of Lapid’s envisioned coalition came in part because a political party in the grouping represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, and what would have been its historic participation in an Israeli government is less feasible after the worst bout of violence in decades between the country’s Arab nationals and its Jewish majority. Far-right politician Naftali Bennett, another key partner in the odd-bedfellows opposition coalition, also backed away from talks after the conflict started.

“The fire always breaks out just when it’s most convenient for the prime minister,” Netanyahu’s exasperated chief rival, opposition leader Yair Lapid, wrote on Facebook last week.

Lapid had reason to be irate: The outbreak of conflict seemingly crippled his prospects for assembling a ruling majority in the Knesset, or parliament, perhaps the closest yet a rival has come to unseating Netanyahu.

The crumbling of Lapid’s envisioned coalition came in part because a political party in the grouping represents Palestinian citizens of Israel, and what would have been its historic participation in an Israeli government is less feasible after the worst bout of violence in decades between the country’s Arab nationals and its Jewish majority. Far-right politician Naftali Bennett, another key partner in the odd-bedfellows opposition coalition, also backed away from talks after the conflict started.

As Israel moved to a war footing, Netanyahu, with his background as an elite army commander, found himself on favorable turf: projecting toughness in the face of an external threat. The hail of Hamas rocket fire on Israeli towns and cities made it critical to degrade Hamas’ military capabilities, the prime minister and his military chiefs declared.

“What helps Netanyahu is that it’s always good to be prime minister in time of war,” said veteran political analyst and former journalist Chemi Shalev. “The war rearranged the political map, and the woes hanging over his head have been removed. It opens up new opportunities for him.”

Netanyahu has always been most comfortable branding himself as a leader who will risk world opprobrium in order to defend Israel. The Gaza conflict, the worst fighting in seven years between Israel and Hamas, drew sharp international criticism that was fueled to some extent by Palestinians’ growing place in a worldwide racial-justice movement that grew out of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, made it clear to the prime minister last week that civilian carnage in Gaza due to bombardment — the Israeli military’s thunderous response to more than 4,000 rockets fired by Hamas since May 10 — had to stop, and the cease-fire took effect early Friday. But Netanyahu made certain to not acquiesce too quickly to President Biden’s truce call...

More.

 

Monday, May 24, 2021

'Both Sides Now'

I woke up singing this song. I don't know why. I also don't remember Mama Cass having her own show, but I was only 8-years-old in 1969, so I'ma cut myself some slack there, heh.

Joni Mitchell. What a beauty:



David S. Reynolds, John Brown, Abolitionist

David S. Reynolds, John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights.



All-American Girls

Very nice!

Some wonderful all-American amateur nude

More, "On/Off Flasher Friday."

And on Twitter:




Saturday, May 22, 2021

PolitiFact Has Egg on Its Face

Here's a great piece, debunking the biggest fool in the debunking business. At the Washington Examiner, "PolitiFact retracts Wuhan lab theory ‘fact-check’" (via Memeorandum).


Friday, May 21, 2021

The War on Jews at Home (VIDEO)

I no longer go out to cover these so-called "protests" for the blog. It was getting too dangerous. The war against the Jews comes back home every time violence flares in the Middle East. It's bad enough what's happening in Israel. What's happening here is sickening. I almost can't comprehend it. Almost. At least I understand what's happening, though I still shake me head. 

At ABC News 7 Los Angeles:

Also, at CBS News 2 New York, "Tensions High as Protesters Clash Over Middle East Violence." 

Added: At Instapundit, "IN THE BIDEN/DE BLASIO ERA, ANTISEMITIC MOBS RUN WILD: Unlawful assembly declared in Manhattan, pro-Palestinian caravan throws firework at Jews."