July 2020 Archives

High speed photography has always intrigued me. The price on the cameras has been coming down steadily - decent high-speed video cameras are now about $3-5K. When they hit $1K, I will be placing an order. These will shoot video at around 1000+ frames per second with decent (HD) resolution. Chronos and edgertronic are the two main players in this market. There are the bleeding edge cameras from Phantom and Photron that can do 40K/second up to 120K/second but these puppies start at around $40,000 and quickly go up in price.

And then, there is this announcement from the Swiss mega-university / research facility École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

MegaX, the first camera to capture the smallest particles of light
“It’s something I’d been dreaming of for a long time,” says Edoardo Charbon, an EPFL professor and head of the Advanced Quantum Architecture Laboratory in EPFL’s School of Engineering. “MegaX is the culmination of over 15 years of research on single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), which are photodetectors used in next-generation image-sensor technology.” And Charbon has good reason to be proud, since he and his research team have developed the world’s first million-pixel camera. Their findings have just been published in Optica.

A shooting star
What makes their camera different is that it can capture and count the very smallest form of light particle: the photon. Photons are invisible to the human eye; we can see only continuous beams of photons, like those used in laser pointers. But MegaX can film the trajectories of individual photons in rays of light. When shown in video form, they look like shooting stars. “We had to slow the film speed by a factor of 300 million to see individual photons move,” says Charbon.

And, they have video:

My inner geek is all a-twitter with the possibilities. When I was going to school in Boston, I started working at the local public aquarium there and Doc Edgerton was one of the trustees and came around to explore frequently. I got to know him and he loaned me some of his strobe lights as I have always been into photography. He developed the modern photoflash and pioneered many techniques for high-speed photography. Always had this wonderful twinkle in his eyes - he loved what he was doing.

Mayor Beetlejuice will not lift a finger but the Federales are doing a bang-up job.
From the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office - Northern District of Illinois

Alleged Chicago Gang Leader Among 23 Defendants Charged in Federal Drug and Gun Investigation
CHICAGO — The alleged leader of the Black Disciples street gang in Chicago is among 23 individuals facing criminal charges as part of a federal investigation into drug and gun trafficking on the city’s South Side.

During the multi-year investigation, law enforcement seized 24 firearms, more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, more than a kilogram of heroin, approximately 1,350 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, approximately 750 grams of fentanyl or fentanyl analogue, approximately 378 grams of crack cocaine, $52,595 in suspected illicit cash proceeds, and distribution quantities of suspected MDMA pills. Much of the alleged drug and gun trafficking occurred in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.

Indictments and criminal complaints unsealed this week in U.S. District Court in Chicago charge 22 of the defendants with various drug or firearm offenses, while one defendant faces bank fraud charges. The defendants were arrested Tuesday and have begun making initial appearances in federal court.

Included among the defendants is DARNELL MCMILLER, also known as “Murder,” who is described in the charges as the current leader of the Black Disciples street gang in Chicago. Several other alleged high-ranking members of the Black Disciples were also charged and arrested, including CLARENCE JANUARY, who allegedly leads the gang’s “Dog Pound” faction, and KENNETH BROWN, who allegedly supplied the gang with drugs for distribution in Chicago. CHARLES KNIGHT, an alleged high-ranking member of the Gangster Disciples street gang, is charged as part of the probe with supplying narcotics to McMiller’s crew.

Good - get the scum off the streets and behind bars for a long long time. Why didn't President Obama do any of this? He could have so easily cleaned up the cities. That would have been an incredible legacy.

Six minutes of video - shows what 30 years of Pelosi's leadership looks like:

Tip of the hat to Vanderleun

I had noticed that the State of Washington's authority for the COVID lockdown sunsetted on November 5th, 2020. Here is a screen cap of the document:

This is taken from the bottom of the first page of this document. It is now different. It now starts on July 28th and ends November 25th, 2020:

Wonder why? What are they planning?

They are staying on point:

Los Angeles from The London Daily Mail:

Four men admit to paying homeless people in LA's Skid Row cash and cigarettes in exchange for forged signatures on ballots and voter registration forms
Four men have admitted to paying homeless people cash and cigarettes in exchange for forged signatures on ballot petitions and voter registration forms in Los Angeles' Skid Row neighborhood.

Richard Howard, Louis Thomas Wise, Christopher Joseph Williams and Nickey Demelvin were arrested in November 2018 for their participation in the voter fraud scheme during the election that year and in 2016.

The LA County District Attorney's Office on Wednesday announced that Howard, 64, and Wise, 37, pleaded no contest to one felony count each of registration of a fictitious person and subscribing a fictitious name or the name of another to an initiative petition.

Williams, 41, and Huntley, 45, likewise pleaded no contest to one felony count of circulating an initiative or petition containing false, forged or fictitious names.

And how many others are there pulling the same crap. The Democrats have nothing to offer so they have to cheat to gain power and control.

From The Washington Free Beacon:

Poll: Unfavorable Views of China at All-Time High
A new poll from the Pew Research Center revealed a surge in anti-China sentiment, with American animosity toward China at an all-time high.

Today, 73 percent of American adults have a negative view of the communist country, a 26-percent increase since 2018, according to the survey results. Two-thirds of respondents said China has done a bad job handling COVID-19, while 78 percent said China is at least somewhat to blame for the spread of the pandemic. More than one in four Americans consider China an "enemy," while nearly 60 percent see it as a "competitor."

The major dip in Chinese favorability comes after a historic month in Sino-American relations. China imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong and looks to constrain Taiwan. Meanwhile, new revelations about forced labor camps for Uyghur minorities have infuriated House and Senate Republicans.

The article also references this speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

"If the free world doesn't change communist China, communist China will surely change us," Pompeo said. "Securing our freedoms from the Chinese Communist Party is the mission of our time, and America is perfectly positioned to lead it because our founding principles give us that opportunity."

Matching the secretary's tough rhetoric, Washington has upped its sanctions regime against China, closed a Chinese consulate, and started to reposition itself to make a stand in the South China Sea.

Good. President Nixon was brilliant in opening up China to the rest of the world. The idea was that their tyrannical government would "soften" as it came into contact with the other democratic nations. They did not and now it is time to isolate them again.

Out the door. Drop off my ballot at the county office, dump run, coffee, some errands.

The farmer's market is later this afternoon. Need to get salad fixin's.

Apparently he has some kind of book out. From Breitbart:

U.S. Seeks to Seize Bolton’s $2M Book Advance and Profits for Violating Clearance Procedures
The U.S. government has asked a federal judge in Washington to seize the $2 million book advance and any royalties paid to former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton, who published a tell-all memoir about the Trump administration allegedly without clearing it first with the government for classified material.

The government said in a court filing Thursday that Bolton violated nondisclosure agreements when he released his memoir, The Room Where It Happened, without finishing a National Security Council (NSC) review process to make sure the book did not contain any classified material that could put U.S. national security at risk.

Hit him where it hurts. President Trump did not trust him and would not put him in a position of responsibility. He turns around and fabricates this tell-all book, garners a nice fat advance and laughs all the way to the bank. Sour grapes - no facts, just sour grapes.

She is delusional. From PJ Media:

Seattle Mayor Again Blames Trump After Rioters Blew Open a Police Station Using a Van Full of Explosives
Days after antifa rioters terrorized Seattle, driving a van full of weapons and explosives with the mob in order to set fires and attempt to blow up police departments, Mayor Jenny Durkan focused her attention squarely on President Donald Trump, accusing him of running a “dress rehearsal for martial law.” She claimed that Trump’s efforts to bolster local law enforcement to combat a rising tide of crime and violence have “decreased public safety.” In a press conference addressing the antifa riots, Durkan claimed “the president wants” the violence.

The riots on Saturday followed a protest in support of the antifa rioters in Portland, who have attempted to burn down the federal courthouse and Justice Center in nearly two straight months of violent riots. Seattle rioters used a van packed with fireworks, smoke bombs, stun guns, bear and pepper spray, gas masks, and more. At one point, rioters set off an explosive that blew an 8-inch hole through a wall of the Police Department’s East Precinct, the Seattle Times reported. Rioters injured 59 police officers.

Durkan focused her ire on Trump.

“I hate to say it, but it looks like this president is doing a dress rehearsal for martial law, sending in federal forces to take over police duties in city after city for political purposes,” the mayor told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Monday. “It is frightening and it’s making things worse. It has not improved public safety, it has decreased public safety.”

There is no other word for it - she is delusional. No leadership. No responsibility for her actions. She is pandering to the rioters because she does not have the stones to stop them. Hoping that they will come for her last.

President Trump is quietly doing his job. From The Daily Caller:

Trump Recovers Taxpayer Cash On A $1 Billion Obama-Backed Solar Plant That Was Obsolete Before Ever Going Online
The Department of Energy reached a settlement Thursday to recover $200 million in taxpayer funds from a loan the Obama administration distributed in 2011 to finance a $1 billion solar power plant that was deemed obsolete before it could officially go online.

The settlement between DOE and Tonopah Solar Energy must now be approved by a bankruptcy court, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported.

The DOE provided a $737 million loan to Tonopah in September 2011 for the purposes of financing the $1.1 billion Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Nevada. The agency disbursed funds for the plant in 2011 and 2013 before the project experienced problems requiring improvements, rendering the Crescent Dunes obsolete by 2015, Bloomberg reported in January.

Yeah - he does stuff like this every day and the mainstream media? Crickets...

Sorting through crap I brought down from the farm. Doing a dump run this morning and then stopping for coffee.

The fun never stops around here...

Great news from Science:

Fifty-four scientists have lost their jobs as a result of NIH probe into foreign ties
Some 54 scientists have resigned or been fired as a result of an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health into the failure of NIH grantees to disclose financial ties to foreign governments. For 93% of the 189 scientists whom NIH has investigated to date, China was the source of their undisclosed support.

The new numbers come from Michael Lauer, NIH’s head of extramural research. Lauer had previously provided some information on the scope of NIH’s investigation, which had targeted 189 scientists at 87 institutions. But his presentation today to a senior advisory panel offered by far the most detailed breakout of an effort NIH launched in August 2018 that has roiled the U.S. biomedical community, and resulted in criminal charges against some prominent researchers, including Charles Lieber, chair of Harvard University’s department of chemistry and chemical biology.

“It’s not what we had hoped, and it’s not a fun task,” NIH Director Francis Collins said in characterizing the ongoing investigation. He called the data “sobering.”

We are distancing ourselves from the evil empire. Communism is antithetical to American values. The sooner it is removed, the better off the whole world will be.

What I was seeing yesterday was smoke from a wildfire. Cliff Mass points to this website: WA State Dept. of Ecology: Wildfire Information

Cooler today - slight overcast / cloudy and have some marine air moving in. Nice break from the heat.

This is going to be fun - from Zero Hedge:

Here Are The Top Highlights From Ghislaine Maxwell's Unsealed Court Records
Dozens of exhibits related to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein were unsealed Thursday evening, providing insight into allegations against the financier and his purported 'madam,' as well as other high-profile individuals, including Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and several other people whose names one can only guess (and the internet has).

The documents, related to a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, were ordered to be released on July 23 by US District Judge Loretta Preska - which also included flight logs from Epstein's private jets, as well as police reports from the multiple locations where Epstein maintained residences.

Tyler has just a sampling of the goodies - lots to read. Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, etc... Also, just as damning, the FBI had many of these documents in 2014 but they did nothing. They were protecting their masters. Time to clean house.

What the Antifa kiddies really really really want in their black little hearts:

In other words:

The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses.
--Vladimir Lenin

Good riddance - a two-fer:

SHOT: from Townhall:

Missouri AG Intervenes to Drop Charges Against St. Louis Couple Who Fended off Mob With AR-15
In June, St. Louis couple Mark and Patricia McCloskey defended their home when a roving band of leftist rioters broke down the gate to their home and ventured onto their property. Both are lawyers. They defended themselves with their legally acquired firearms. Of course, this set off a firestorm among liberal media types. It’s as if they just ignored the weeks of riots, arson, looting, and violence against police in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May. 

And:

The McCloskey response was not illegal. It was not out of control. It was right. And yet, they faced the legal wrath of God from St. Louis Prosecutor Kim Gardner who charged them with brandishing. Their weapons were seized by police. Well, now Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt is stepping to stop what pretty much is a politically motivated legal action against the McCloskeys. 

There is a lot more that is not in this article - some of the rioters were carrying firearms themselves. They broke down the gate to a gated community, not just the McCloskey's own home and Mrs. McCloskey's pistol was tampered with while in police custody. And then we get this:

CHASER: from The Blaze:

Soros-backed St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner allegedly busted flying around the globe on a progressive organization's dime — without reporting it
George Soros-backed St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has come under fire recently for allegedly traveling across the country and world on a criminal justice reform organization's dime without reporting it, in apparent violation of city and state law.

According to an investigation into the matter by local news station KMOV-TV, the progressive attorney embarked on numerous trips in 2018 and 2019 that were "paid for in full, or in part, by an organization called Fair and Just Prosecution, a group that professes to support progressive prosecutors," yet she did not disclose the trips on travel reports.

Billionaire philanthropist George Soros has also contributed to Fair and Just Prosecution, the report said.

Gardner, who has risen to the national spotlight in recent weeks after filing charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey for brandishing guns while defending their home from Black Lives Matter protesters, was also allegedly unresponsive on trips, causing work to be back-logged.

Sources reportedly told KMOV that Gardner's traveling was "prolific and problematic," and that she was often "unreachable."

Heh - what is it with Democrats not being able to keep their fscking pie-holes out of the special-interest trough. As Elon Musk tweeted: Gib me dat for free. She is up for reelection this November - hope the citizens of St. Louis have better sense this time around.

Remember this quote from President Obama: "turns out, I'm really good at killing people"
Fast forward to today - from Irons in the Fire:

Dr. Holthaus is a meteorologist and global warming promoter. From his Twitter account:

I saved a screen-cap as this will probably get taken down pretty soon. Must not weaken the narrative.

Let's have some real fun:

Some numbers for WA State - minor really:

It will be a piece of cake they said. Two headlines from New York State showing what a fuster-cluck their most recent Primary Election was:

• • New York Board Of Elections Finishes Counting Absentee Ballots Over A Month After June Primary
  • NY Mail-In Voting Deluge Fuels Uncounted Ballots, Confusion

And, for those of you who think that I am citing "right-wing" websites, these two links are to CBS and NBC respectively. If the mainstream media thinks that mail-in elections have problems, then, they really do have problems. It's why the dems want them - they need every avenue for cheating. They will never get their placeholder Joe Biden elected but there are many lesser offices that they are trying to swing. The individual Secretary of State positions are a prime target for them as the SecState runs the States voting processes.

Done - time for a quick surf and then to work. So glad I did not try to make it to the farm today - too much other stuff down here.

Nice warm day but hazy - Mt. Baker is visible but salmon colored. Do not know if this is from wildfires or just general particulates. Should be a good looking sunset tonight.

Errands - coffee first though. Got my priorities.

Getting hot and dry over there - Cliff Mass has the details:

Extreme Heat and Super Heat Low in Eastern Washington
Tomorrow should be a record-breaking day in eastern Washington with temperatures surging above 105F in a number of locations, accompanied skin-cracking low humidities and even moderate winds.

The forecast surface temperatures for tomorrow are simply stunning, with the Columbia Basin being ground zero for the warmth (the white areas are above 104F!),

More at the site - very dry too.

Great fundraising idea from America's Newspaper of Record - The Babylon Bee:

Portland Police Raise Millions By Letting Citizens Throw Tear Gas At Antifa For $5 A Pop
Facing massive budget cuts, the Portland Police Bureau has come up with an exciting new way to fund their department. Upstanding citizens can now pay 5 dollars to throw tear gas at communist protesters. People from across the country are lining up to live their lifelong dreams of blasting dirty commies with tear gas.

"Getting bathed in tear gas is the closest my son Fidel has been to taking a shower in weeks," said a local Portland mom after paying her five bucks and chucking a canister at the crowd. "I'm hoping our basement will smell a little better now. I used to think that all police were evil fascists, but my time gassing commies has opened my eyes. That was the most fun I've had in ages. Thanks, Portland Police!"

"Take this, commies!"

Antifa rioters have condemned the PPD's actions as "a criminal fascist attempt to protect the protectors of white capitalist power structures from being hit in the face with bricks." They have promised to retaliate with a barrage of water balloons, super soakers, and explosive mortars which they will peacefully hurl at officers' heads.

Sources are reporting that using this new tear gas initiative, the PPD recovered its entire 15 million dollar budget cut in just two days.

Let me hit up the ATM on my way out for coffee and I can be in Portland in six hours. Brilliant idea.

Another proof that the Chinese Flu is actually a pretty minor problem - from Townhall:

CDC Director Compares Rate of Suicides to COVID-19 Deaths
Center for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield said in a Buck Institute webinar that suicides and drug overdoses have surpassed the death rate for COVID-19 among high school students. Redfield argued that lockdowns and lack of public schooling constituted a disproportionally negative impact on young peoples’ mental health.

"But there has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high schools," Redfield said. "We’re seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID. We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID. So this is why I keep coming back for the overall social being of individuals, is let’s all work together and find out how we can find common ground to get these schools open in a way that people are comfortable and their safe."

Roughly 146,000 people have died from COVID or COVID-related causes in the U.S., according to CDC data.

Only 146K deaths? About 0.05% of the population. You still have more to go to match the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic. Remember the lockdowns then? Remember the masks? Neither do I. This is even though the World Health Organization issued its first-ever Public Health Emergency of International Concern in April of 2009. Remember all of the criticism on how President Obama handled the crisis.

Just the headline - it says it all. From The Oregonian:

Man shot and injured at memorial for fatal shooting victim in NE Portland

I know that President Trump will win and he will win in a landslide. My concern is that people elect conservative Congressmen to represent themselves. The whole of D.C. as well as the whole of the State Governments need to be cleaned out and reset back to the Constitution. I can not imagine that Democrats want more of crap like this. It makes no sense.

Got one of them - from National File:

Feds Identify Shirtless Antifa Arson Suspect Identified by Tattoo of Last Name on His Back
Police arrested a suspected a shirtless Antifa arsonist, who they identified after the suspect revealed a distinct tattoo on his back containing his unique surname, Schinzing, while setting fire to the Portland Justice Center in May.

Edward Thomas Schinzing, 32, faces up to 20 years in federal prison after taking part in an arson attack to the Portland Justice Center. He was given away by his self identifying tattoo.

Priors? Why... Funny you should ask:

At the time of the incident, the suspect was on probation for battering his girlfriend in front of her 8-year-old son.

Just the man to take home to meet the parents. Or maybe not:

Schinzing was reportedly homeless for the past two years, and has racked up seven misdemeanor and two felony charges.

A real peach. There were 30 civilian employees inside the building trying to shelter when he set it on fire. 20 years in the slammer is a good start.

From Newsmax:

Herman Cain Dies From Coronavirus at 74
Herman Cain — the maverick American business czar and Republican presidential candidate who campaigned for a sweeping tax reform plan called 9-9-9 — died Thursday morning after a monthlong battle with the coronavirus. He was 74.

Cain, who recently joined Newsmax TV and was set to launch a weekly show, died in an Atlanta-area hospital where he had been critically ill for several weeks.

He was admitted on July 1, two days after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Quite the life - the 9-9-9 plan is genius:

According to Cain, 9-9-9 would replace the current imbalanced, unfair tax code with three flat taxes: 9-percent business transactions tax, a 9-percent personal income tax, and a 9-percent federal sales tax — a switch that would trigger a great savings to taxpayers.

Simple. Zero loopholes - everyone pays. He was polling much higher than Mittens for the 2012 election. His exit was - by now - a familiar story:

Cain’s meteoric political rise was cut short when he was forced to suspend his campaign in December 2011, after two women accused him of sexual harassment during his stint as CEO of the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999.

Lies - the Dems discovered that this technique works so they keep trying it. Cain would have been an excellent two-term President and America would have been restored to the right path a lot sooner. He was one of the really good ones - will be missed.

Looks to be nice weather in the offing so not going to the farm today - up this coming weekend.

Spending this morning finishing off the countertop - one more coat of poly and a finish sanding. Looking gorgeous - did not use any stain - birch butcherblock with really nice grain so looks good with just a natural finish on it.

Got a couple of errands to run later - Costco and picking up some metal for a rolling stand I want to build.

I was expecting nothing less but the way these people beclowned themselves goes beyond satire.
The Media Research Council did a wonderful distillation of the proceedings:

Three hours and not letting the guy speak. I am embarrassed for the State of Washington as Rep. Pramila Jayapal came across as a harridan. A shrew. She represents downtown Seattle, Seattle North of Lake Union and Vashon Island. Her time is up. I really hope the voters wise up in November - needs to be sent home.

Struggle session? Here: A Few Tips In Case You Find Yourself In A Mandatory "Anti-Racism" Struggle Session
The "struggle session" technique is used for many things - 99.999% of them are just plain evil.
Some good information in the post - worth reading. Yes people, we ARE there.

More at the site: Woodsterman:

Disagree? Change my mind.

The Mayor of New York City - from the New York Post:

Mayor de Blasio forced to defend his grasp on reality of New York City
The only reality Mayor de Blasio accepts is his own.

A Post reporter asked Hizzoner during a virtual City Hall press briefing Wednesday about his tendency to challenge the premise of reporters questions as factually inaccurate instead of answering them.

“Do you think that maybe you simply have a very different perception of reality in this city than most New Yorkers?” The Post asked.

“No. I think I have a perception of life in this city because I’ve spent so much time with my fellow New Yorkers,” the mayor answered.

“If I think something’s not factually correct or a misinterpretation of reality my job is to tell people the truth as I know it,” he explained.

Emphasis mine. That about sums it up. His version of reality. The "truth" as he knows it. Clueless and happy - must be nice to go through life so stupid. Shit doesn't stick.

From The History Blog:

Anglo-Saxon eyesalve cuts swath through bacterial biofilms
One of my all-time favorite stories has an update. In 2015, microbiologists at the University of Nottingham collaborated with an Anglo-Saxon expert from the university’s English department to recreate a 10th century recipe for a salve purported to treat eye infections. The combination of onion, garlic, wine and bovine bile steeped together in a bronze or brass vessel was then tested on flourishing cultures of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and found to be a MRSA-killing machine. The individual ingredients did nothing; the control batch minus the vegetable ingredients did nothing. The full salve obliterated 999 Staphylococcus cells in 1,000, both for in vitro cultures and in vivo on infected mice. Even a diluted version of the salve was a powerful weapon. It couldn’t kill MRSA, but it blocked the bacterial cell-cell communication it needs to damage tissue.

The results were exciting but the research was in its infancy five years ago. Now the team has published a new paper on the use of Bald’s eyesalve on a range of pathogens in biofilms, communities of bacteria that form a protective shield that is to all intents and purposes impossible to destroy no matter how many antimicrobials you launch at it. Most pharmacological studies of plant ingredients focus on isolating active compounds and using them against planktonic (free-living) bacteria cells which are easier to kill than biofilms. This study explored the antimicrobial properties of the mixture

This is major and the chemicals involved (bovine bile) are available as standard reagents from a chemical supply house (Sigma Aldrich - $50 for 25 grams) Links to the two papers (as well as the original 10th century source) are in the post and the first two are very readable and give the proceedure for making the salve. Interesting. I can see an order to Aldrich in the offing - something to keep in the prepper's arsenal.

President Trump dropped a MOAB on Google &c. with an Executive Order - from The White House:

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Implementation of President Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship
On Monday, the Department of Commerce, as directed by President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship, filed a petition to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The petition requests that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarify that Section 230 does not permit social media companies that alter or editorialize users’ speech to escape civil liability. The petition also requests that the FCC clarify when an online platform curates content in “good faith,” and requests transparency requirements on their moderation practices, similar to requirements imposed on broadband service providers under Title I of the Communications Act.  President Trump will continue to fight back against unfair, un-American, and politically biased censorship of Americans online.

There will be some waffling on what constitutes "good faith" but a Judicial decision should make things very clear for parties involved. Make it hurt.

Back home from grocery deliveries. Went out for Thai food - yummy as always.

Surf for a bit. Changed my mind about going to the farm tomorrow - head up there over the weekend. Got a couple things I want to finish down here first.

Unpack the van - Costco and food coop as well as dinner.

Heading out to deliver groceries. Nice day - temps in the low 80's - not too hot.

Quiet day on the internets. Did some work on the countertop and getting ready to head out for coffee. Grocery deliveries later this afternoon.

Back to the farm tomorrow for the day.

He had everything going for him - what happened? From FOX News:

Chicago deputy police chief dead in apparent suicide soon after promotion, officials say
A newly promoted Chicago police officer was found dead at a police facility Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, a 30-year veteran, had been promoted less than two weeks ago. He was found dead at the department's Homan Square facility on the city's West Side.

“I am extremely saddened to share with you today the loss of a respected member of our command staff to suicide,” Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said from police headquarters Tuesday afternoon. “We are shocked, saddened at the loss, and it’s deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Dion Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career.”

Saying prayers for his family. Chicago is not an easy city to work for:

If his death is ruled a suicide, Boyd would be the 10th Chicago police officer to die by suicide in two years. A 2017 review of the department by the Justice Department found its suicide rate was 60 percent higher than the national average.

Democratic leadership at its finest.

Prescient:

Thanks to Red Pilled Girl

From Breitbart - they have an undercover video from 2016:

THE GOOGLE TAPE: Google Global Affairs VP Kent Walker — ‘History Is on Our Side’
Speaking to Google employees a few days after the 2016 election, Google VP for Global Affairs Kent Walker assured the company that despite Trump’s election, history was “on [their] side” but that they must work to ensure that “populism [and] nationalism” around the world is nothing more than a “blip” and a “hiccup” in the march towards progress.

Sick puppies. They have no clue as to what they are doing. Google would have never gotten off the ground in Venezuela or Cuba. Why do they persist in trying to turn America into one of those shitholes.

There is a three minute video with the money quote as well as the full one hour video of the event at the site - well worth watching the short one. These are our self-styled "elites".

Quite the bust - from the Everett, WA  Herald:

Officers find $19 million worth of fentanyl in Lynnwood home
Officers discovered about 1,900 grams of fentanyl worth an estimated $19 million when they arrested a Lynnwood couple Saturday morning, according to documents filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Investigators also reportedly found around 808 grams of heroin, 12 grams of methamphetamine, $14,000 in cash, and equipment that suggested the couple had planned to package and sell the drugs. The man and woman were arrested by the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.

A judge set bail for both suspects Monday afternoon — $1.5 million for him and $750,000 for her. Neither appeared in front of the judge because of medical reasons. The Daily Herald does not typically name suspects unless they have been charged with a crime.

Good - nasty stuff. A very small dose is fatal. It is what killed George Floyd - that and his heart attack. Of course, the media will never tell you that and yes, being held down for so long while in obvious distress was a very bad move on the part of Officer Chauvin.

Yet another reason to distance ourselves from China - the Fentanyl comes from there. Dark web - shipped to anyone with bitcoin.

Breaking at Breitbart - this is crazy. It dwarfs any kind of foreign interference (Russia, China, etc...)

Election Interference: Google Purges Breitbart from Search Results
A few days after the 2016 election, at an internal meeting later leaked to Breitbart News, top Google executives, including Sundar Pichai, Sergey Brin, and Kent Walker lamented Trump’s victory, comparing Trump voters to “extremists,” and discussing their desire to make the Trump’s election and the populist movement a “blip” in history.”

True to their word, four years later, Google is deliberately working to interfere with the reelection of President Trump in 2020.

There are several ways in which Google is interfering in the 2020 election, but this article will focus primarily on one of them: political search bias.

Google Has Been Purging Breitbart Content from Search Results Since the 2016 Election
Search visibility is a key industry measure of how findable a publisher’s content is in Google search.  New data shows that Google has suppressed Breitbart’s search visibility by 99.7 percent since 2016.

On April 4, 2016, Breitbart ranked in the top ten search positions (i.e., on the first page of Google search results) for 355 key search terms; but now, as of July 20, 2020, Breitbart ranks in the top ten search position for only one search term.  And, on April 4, 2016, Breitbart ranked in the top 100 search positions for 16,820 key search terms; but now, as of July 20, 2020, Breitbart ranks in the top 10 search positions for only 55 search terms.

Moreover, organic Google search traffic to Breitbart (measured by unique visitors) is down 63% when comparing the first half of 2016 with the first half of 2020.

Much more at the site. They deny of course but the numbers do not lie. There are a lot of independent web metric sites out there that are independent of both Google and Breitbart. They bear this out with the same exact numbers. Time to use DuckDuckGo and leave the Goolag. The Brave browser is really good and very privacy oriented.

Not good at all - he is not the saviour of the world. Not by a long shot.

From CD Media:

“The Next One”: A Truly Creepy Bill Gates Moment
Everyone’s favorite non-scientist is back in a new interview. Bill Gates, the cutthroat businessman who magically turned into a nice guy philanthropist, has something on his mind. Yes, the man whose many investments in pharmaceutical companies that are somehow all related to COVID-19 has spoken.

The interview is from June 28th, 2020. Gates and his handsome wife Melinda spoke to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and in a long-ranging interview, shared their thoughts about pandemic preparation, what we’ve learned, and what to expect.

“We’ll have to prepare for the next one,” Gates says as he fails to fight off a coy smirk, “That, you know, I’d say is, will get attention this time.”

Gates has dismissed the “conspiracy theories” surrounding his overnight rise to the role of vaccine specialist, despite not having a medical degree or even a PhD in virology (like his friend Tedros Ghebreyesus of the WHO). But these are trivial concerns to Gates.

In the accompanying clip from the video above, Stephen Colbert interviews Gates, who floats a vision of a bio-terror attack. He then says, “Most the work we’re going to do to be ready for Pandemic Two–I, I call this Pandemic One…”

Wait, what? So the man who stands to profit greatly from a vaccine that he has been instrumental in developing, the man who gave presentations last year on how a coronavirus might affect the globe…is now predicting a bio-terror attack that he has already named?

 Must have read The Foundation Trilogy as a kid and nobody told him it was science-FICTION

BillG and BillC - a comparison:

Planning to watch the Bill Barr hearing tonight - looks like he is ripping them a new one. Just a few headlines:

• • Barr Rebukes Pelosi for Referring to Federal Officers as ‘Stormtroopers’
  • ‘Is That Ok?’: Barr Slams Democrats Downplaying Rioters Using ‘Projectiles That Have Penetrated Marshals To The Bone’
  • Jim Jordan Opens AG Barr Hearing with DEVASTATING VIDEO on Leftist Violence, Looting and Rioting in the Streets of America
  • AG Barr: Nightly riots cannot be called protests, ‘it is, by any objective measure, an assault’ on US gov
  • “You’re A Real Class Act” – AG Barr Says What Americans Have Been Thinking for Years about Democrat House Chairman Nadler
  • AG Barr Calls Out Democrats for Not Condemning Mob Violence

A much needed breath of fresh air. This is just more of the same Russian Collusion / Impeachment / Mueller crap that they have been trying to push for the last four years. Got nothing then, got nothing now.

Not as hot as the last two days - small pleasures.

Errands done - I left Bear here as the places do not really have shady parking spots but taking him with me for some local stuff. Farmer's market and some groceries. Mailbox too.

Back in another hour or two - going to dive the tri-tip, mix it with the mashed potatoes and pick up some cabbage at the market. Have a sort-of Colcannon for dinner tonight. Irish comfort food. Throw in a few pieces of bacon to go with. My new double boiler will be perfect for heating it up without overcooking the meat.

Out the door - run a few errands and back home around 2PM or so.

Here is the perfect example of why China does so much industrial spying. Actions have consequences and one of the unintended consequences of a totalitarian communist society is that innovation is squashed. Free thought is not conducive to totalitarian rule so it is not allowed. Unfortunatly, this sort of "correct thought" and "political science" spills over in to engineering and manufacturing. A perfect example from The Washington Post - January 18th, 2017:

Finally, China manufactures a ballpoint pen all by itself
Chinese President Xi Jinping made headlines this week with a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that passionately defended free trade in the face of a worldwide surge in anti-globalism populism. But closer to home, a less dramatic story may paint a more complicated and nuanced picture of China's role in the global economy.

This story involves something as simple as the ballpoint pen — yes, that humble device you may well have lying around your desk or collecting dust at the bottom of your bag — and China's long and frustrating quest to manufacture it domestically.

This month, that quest has finally been fulfilled, and Chinese state media is all over it.

A bit more - crucial technology:

To anyone outside of the ballpoint pen manufacturing world, it might seem hard to understand what, exactly, is so surprising about this development. China already produces 38 billion ballpoint pens a year, according to China Daily, which is about 80 percent of all ballpoint pens in the world. That's a lot of pens, but there was a catch: China had long been unable to produce a high-quality version of the most important part of the pen, its tip.

And more:

Li's comments apparently sparked action, however, and this week, after a reported five years of research and development, the state-owned company Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group (TISCO) announced that it would begin mass-producing ballpoint pen tips and replace imports within two years. Here, you can see the technology:

More at the site - this is why China has to steal the technology. They have no ability to innovate for themselves. They copy, they do not create. The joys of a single big centralized government and one way of thinking. Mao's legacy propped up by hundreds of thousands of party apparatchicks who do not want to lose their cushy positions and their nice rice bowls. This is the reality that Antifa want to bring to America.

Video only, no transcript but Seattle's Mayor - from Spokane, WA station KHQ:

Seattle mayor on Trump: We are seeing a dry run for martial law
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin speaks out after demonstrations in her city against police violence and the presence of federal law enforcement in cities like Portland, Oregon left 59 police officers injured.

Do not see a way to embed the video from CNN - the only videos from CNN on YouTube are much older. Just go and watch. She is not understanding the problem - still thinks these are peaceful protests. She is being a useful idiot for these marxists.

Again, just go and watch - less than four minutes. Chilling.

Chris Lynch has five ideas for reforming the universities. One of them I have already thought about but the rest of his ideas are new to me and brilliant. Nothing to really excerpt so here it is in its entirety:

Top 5 - Changes to Colleges and Universities
If I were put in charge - here's my Top 5 Changes I'd make to higher ed.

1. Get rid of any classes that need to have either "Science" or "Studies" added to the course title. It's not "Political Science" - it's "Politics." You don't say "History Science." And any course that adds "Studies" is not really giving you an education for the most part it's giving you an indoctrination instead.

2. If a person goes to a college or university for a minimum of three-years and four years after leaving college that person is not making at least triple the poverty line ($12,760 - so $38,280 total) then that person gets to declare Education Bankruptcy and wipe out any student debt. The college or university would have to then cover that debt out of their endowment fund. Only colleges or universities with a big enough endowment would be eligible for federal student aid. The goal is for the university to want to give the students something tangibly valuable for society not just a degree that's not worth the paper its printed on in the real world.

3. Any revenue associated with college sports would be taxable. No reason why those big TV contracts aren't taxable. If that opens up the athletes getting paid as employees - fantastic!

4. I would make four-years served in the US military with an honorable discharge equal to a liberal arts degree for all Federal employment opportunities with the edge given to those who served for any job where the candidates are otherwise equal. The person coming out of the military probably has more practical skills and a better ability to follow instruction - why not reward them?

5. With the idea of Education Bankruptcy from above in mind - there's a whole group of people where many if not most have at least triple the poverty level in guaranteed income. These are retirees. Why not craft programs for these folks. Many retirees have free time and interests they would have loved to pursue - perhaps archaeology, geology, history of the American Revolution, etc. Why not come up and market Associate Degrees that would be of interest to retirees?    

#1) is something I have always been saying. I love #2) and #5) and #3) and #4) make total sense. These ideas would change the landscape for the better and would be very simple and cheap  to implement. Brilliant ideas.

So very true:

Looking to be another hot one. Slept in (food coma again) for a bit - been puttering around the house waiting for the driveway to be in sunshine. Sanding it and putting another coat of poly on and then heading up North for a few errands. Quick coffee first. Back in the afternoon. Surf first.

Sitting here chortling. Elon Musk's twitter account:

The guy is no dummy.

Sure looks like that. Great observation of his cognitive abilities too. From the New York Post:

Lincoln Project co-founder met with Trump for campaign role in 2016
Well, this is a little awkward.

Steve Schmidt, one of the co-founders of anti-Trump political action group the Lincoln Project, met with then-candidate Donald Trump and tried to join his campaign during a 2016 Manhattan meeting, sources with knowledge of the conversation told The Post.

But the Republican operative — best known for his work on John McCain’s failed presidential bid before becoming one of the faces of the “Never Trump” movement — failed to get the gig because Trump thought he was a “total idiot,” one of the sources said.

And a bit more:

Fast forward to today and Schmidt and his Lincoln Project pals are some of the most vociferous opponents of Trump — a profitable gig for a group of people whose eyebrow-raising legal woes have sparked questions about motive and were documented by The Post last week.

In a buzzworthy New York Times op-ed last December, the band of conservatives painted themselves as noble crusaders against a “bogus prophet,” and their splashy ads deliberately designed to bait the president have raked in $20 million in fundraising cash.

Perhaps no one in the group has been more critical of the president than Schmidt who has described Trump as a “con man,” “idiot,” “imbecile,” “rancid and wretched fool,” “lethally stupid,” “grotesque,” and a “racist disgrace.”

But it wasn’t always this way.

More at the site. Glad that Schmidt never got hired. Right now, he is causing damage to Trump's election for the sole purpose of sour grapes and personal gain. This is without any morals or conscience. He is a spoiled little six-year-old throwing a tantrum. Veruca Salt comes to mind if you want a cultural reference. Fscking Paaaaathetic...

Tri-tip was delicious. Cooking sous vide is the way to go for meats. You do not need any equipment to start - I did this for two years with a small six-pack cooler and some zip-lock baggies. You do need a decent probe thermometer ($10 - $30) but you need one anyway for most cooking so you are not getting yet another @#$% kitchen unitasker.

Gravy came out perfect - drippings out of the sous vide bag mixed with some decent boxed beef gravy, some base and reduced lightly. Pinch of flour and butter at the beginning for a roux. Mashed potatoes are to die for - a nice earthy mineral taste to them. Very rich.

Bear approved.

Felt like a beer after so went out to one of my favorite locals. Picked up the new Tom Clancy book from the library this morning so started in on that.

Weather is supposed to moderate tomorrow - got some marine air starting to move in. Starting to get significant wildfire threat in Eastern Washington though. Very dry and lots of vegetation what with the damp long spring.

Quick surf and then YouTube and then bed.

Got the BBQ ripping hot, the tri-tip is out of the sous vide bag and ready to be seared and then sliced. Got to make the mashed potatoes - trying a trick I read. Instead of boiling them in water and then draining and then adding cream to mash, boil them in half-and-half (cheap at Costco) and add that back to the drained potatoes when mashing. You lose a lot of flavor in the cooking process and this traps it and returns it.

60 days of higher than usual rain. Here are some videos from Hubei Province - no word as to which city.

Hubei Province is downstream from the Three Gorges Dam - its capitol city is Wuhan

Riffing on the cult classic movie: They Live
Chicago Mayor Beetlejuice and her husband:

Tip of the hat to Vanderleun's back channel.

From his twitter account:

Mr. Wood's website: Attorney for the Damned

Who We Are
L. Lin Wood, P.C. is a dynamic Atlanta-based litigation boutique with a national reputation and practice. With over 43 years of experience, L. Lin Wood, P.C. has the expertise to handle any civil matter from inception through trial and appeal. The firm is dedicated to aggressive representation, combined with delivering excellent work product and living up to a full commitment to the causes of its clients. The firm strives to achieve the legal ideal of fighting to obtain justice for its clients who have been falsely accused, seek vindication for the American taxpayers, have suffered serious personal injuries or are embroiled in significant, complex business or estate litigation.

The Firm was initially founded in 1983 in Atlanta by L. Lin Wood to focus on medical malpractice cases for victims. Mr. Wood soon established a reputation in the State of Georgia and beyond as a trial lawyer who could win large verdicts and settlements. Mr. Wood’s first defamation client was Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. Mr. Wood then went on to represent many other high profile individuals falsely accused by the media and in the Court of Public Opinion, including the parents of JonBenét Ramsey, John and the late Patsy Ramsey, and their son, Burke. Over the next two decades, Mr. Wood established his reputation as one of the nation’s most feared and respected defamation lawyers. In recent years, the Firm has also established itself as a national leader in the litigation of False Claims Act cases, obtaining record-setting recoveries in cases of Medicare fraud.

I would not bet against this man - a legal pit-bull to put it mildly.

From Legal Insurrection:

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Blames States With ‘Virtually No Gun Control’ For Violence in the City
Ah, yes. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot spewing the Democratic rhetoric on guns to deflect blame on others for the rising shooting and homicide numbers in the city.

Lightfoot claimed Chicago is “being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons.”

Her full quote: “The fact of the matter is, our gun problem is related to the fact that we have too many illegal guns on our street, 60 percent of which, 60 percent of which come from states outside of Illinois. We are being inundated with guns from states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons. That is hurting cities like Chicago.”

She forgot this part: “More than two of every five traceable crime guns recovered in Chicago originate with their first point of sale at an Illinois dealer.”

And of course, the quote: "states that have virtually no gun control, no background checks, no ban on assault weapons" has a couple of problems. Three in fact.

states that have virtually no gun control - then why do these states not have as bad or worse gun violence problem as Chicago

no background checks - everyone, repeat, everyone who buys a gun in the United States has to fill out a ATF form 4473 and that information is telephoned by the gun seller to the local office of the BATFE for lookup in a database. Only after that is cleared can the gun actually be purchased.

no ban on assault weapons - there is no such thing as an assault weapon. This is a nonsense term coined by the gun-fearing idiots. The "evil black" color of most guns is because the steel is prone to rust and is Parkerized to prevent this. The Parkerizing Process is simple to do, it is cheap, it is effective and it is environmentally benign. And to channel my inner Henry Ford, it comes in any color he wants so long as it is black

From Gateway Pundit:

We Asked Our Readers to Send Photos of the Democrat Party Sanctioned Destruction and Rioting in their Community — We Were Shocked at What They Sent In

And here are just two - stunning. This is not a protest, this is anarchy and fascism trying to get control of America.

The Democrat Party - turning successful communities into third-world shitholes since 1960

From his twitter account:

Visit the link and read the replies - a fun range from spontaneous combustion to atta-boy.

Getting up to the mid-80's - even by the water. I hate to think of what it is like at the farm. Seattle will be melting and Portland is supposed to get even hotter.

Break for lunch - get the tri-tip ready for four hours Sous Vide. Too hot to apply any finish or to sand (doing this work outside) so waiting until evening when it cools down.

The house is very well insulated so inside temps are not bad. I have a heat pump available if it gets too hot.

Run a few errands - take the van to the storage locker and drop off some of yesterday's haul.

Coffee and hang out and read for an hour. Working on the countertop later this afternoon if it is not too hot. Time to sand it. Third coat of poly this evening when it cools down.

Probably do a steak tonight for dinner - been a while. Sous vide some tri-tip. Mashed potatoes and make some pan gravy. Bear approves.

Taken out and shot. All Most of them. Two headlines:
Muriel Bowser is the Democrat (natch) Mayor of District of Columbia - AKA Washington.

• • Bowser issues order for D.C. making masks mandatory when leaving the house
  • D.C. Exempts Lawmakers, Government Employees From New Mask Order

Thanks Knuckledraggin for the links.

Swiped from Chris Lynch:

Actions have consequences - looks like some people are just learning this.
From Breitbart:

Democrats Start to Worry Support for Portland Riots Will Help Trump
The first signs of worry emerged early Monday as some opponents of Trump, surveying the damage after a weekend of nationwide riots, began to worry openly if supporting “peaceful protests” in Portland, Oregon, would hurt Democrats.

Led by former Vice President Joe Biden, Democrats have insisted that the riots targeting a federal courthouse and federal law enforcement officers in Portland are actually “peaceful.” They have been supported by media that downplays violence committed by the “protesters” and highlights anything the officers do to defend themselves or to disperse the crowd. The Democrats have also demonized federal law enforcement for merely doing what local authorities have refused to do.

Last week, Biden accused federal law enforcement of “brutally attacking peaceful protesters” in Portland. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called the officers “stormtroopers” and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) called them “Gestapo.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that the demonstrators “represent the best of our democratic ideals.”

But after a weekend of violence across the nation in “solidarity” with Portland, some Democrats are thinking twice.

Over 3,000 comments to this post - worth skimming to see the range of responses. I would say that it hit a nerve.
Wonderful.  Sitting here grinning into my cornflakes...

We are actually dealing with a very small group of people. We are also dealing with a complicit media.
From Peter writing at Bayou Renaissance Man:

The rioters are a tiny minority of society
I'm astonished at how people who should know better are getting worked up about the "mass protests" on US streets at present.  They're not "mass" protests at all - just very vocal, very noisy, and sometimes very violent.  Multiple news reports about the Portland riots, which are currently the most violent that the media is covering, indicate that there are about 2,000 protesters on the street every night - many of them from elsewhere, as is Antifa's and BLM's habit.  2,000 protesters, out of an estimated Portland population (according to Wikipedia) of 654,741 in 2019, equates to 0.3% of the city's residents.  That's less than one-third of one percent.  Hardly a "mass" protest, is it?  I'm pretty sure similar proportions apply to most other cities plagued with mob violence at present.

There's also the physical area covered by the riots and protests.  I understand that in Portland, it's no more than ten city blocks - rather less than one square mile - and usually less than that.  The city covers a land area of 133.42 square miles, making the "protest area", once again, a lot less than 1% of the total.  So much for "big".

Of course, you wouldn't know that from the news media coverage.  As always with the Fourth Estate, "If it bleeds, it leads".  They make money out of covering crimes and incidents that grab and hold reader/viewer attention.  They're making a great deal of money out of coverage of these incidents, so they're going to emphasize and re-emphasize them, irrespective of whether or not they deserve such extensive coverage.  Besides, it fits their political narrative.

It's obvious that the rioters are very organized and very determined.  They've established production lines for shields;  they're bringing molotov cocktails, high-powered lasers and other potentially highly injurious weapons to protests;  and they're also bringing portable power tools to attack barriers and other defenses erected to keep them out.  These aren't "protests".  They're organized mayhem.  There's nothing spontaneous at all about them.

Lots more links at the site.

Democrat riots? They bought it - they need to own it. Wear it around their necks like the albatross.

He built that:

Van unpacked mostly - taking some things to the storage locker tomorrow so those are still in. Immediate use stuff is unpacked.

A certain dear little thing is experiencing fresh catnip for the first time. I have some corrugated cardboard scratching pads and rubbed a few leaves on one of them. It is being shredded by a very stoned kitty. I think that he is a lot younger than the animal shelter led me to believe - guessing about six months and they said three years. I was looking for a more settled and quieter critter but he is a sweetheart and has wormed his way into my heart.

Cracked open a beer and heading to YouTube for now.

Interesting timeline and leave it to President Trump to call it for what it is and to shut it down. From The Washington Free Beacon:

Chinese Officials at Houston Consulate Engaged in Espionage and Cyber Theft, Senior Officials Say
Chinese Communist Party officials operating at a consulate building in Houston, Texas, engaged in espionage operations on Beijing’s behalf and waged cyberattacks across the United States for at least a decade in one of the most sophisticated operations of its nature, according to senior law enforcement and State Department officials.

The Chinese consulate in Houston was ordered by the Trump administration to shutter its operations as of Friday, though it is unclear if China will heed this order. Communist Party officials have been caught shredding documents and other materials since the order was handed down earlier this week in what American officials say is an attempt to destroy evidence of these espionage operations.

The Houston facility is one of 25 known locations across the United States in which China installed undercover operatives to spy on the American government, U.S. businesses, and academic research institutions, according to multiple senior Trump administration officials familiar with the activities. From these outposts, Chinese officials "facilitated covert activity by instructing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) members to purposefully violate U.S. laws by making false statements on their visa applications and lying about their affiliation with the PLA," according to information provided by the State Department. The Houston consulate served as a central base of operations and "targeted more than 50 Houston-area researchers, professors, and academics for participation in Chinese talent plans," which enlist Americans to steal sensitive research on behalf of the Communist Party.

President Obama had the same information that President Trump did. Did nothing except take money from them.

He loves to troll the media and I totally missed this one - from Andrea Widburg at American Thinker:

Trump's troll trap for Biden's brain test is working against other leftists
When President Trump had his interview last Sunday with Chris Wallace, he made two points: the first was that Joe Biden's brain is running on empty.  The second was that Trump had taken a test of his cognitive ability and passed, but it was "very hard."  Leftists fell over themselves laughing because, as they repeatedly claimed, the test is a dead easy one intended to prove minimal mental functioning.

I wrote that Trump (of course) wasn't the fool the leftists thought he was.  Instead, Trump was baiting a trap for Biden.  If leftists are correct that the test is so easy, Biden shouldn't have a problem taking it.  That is, the test shouldn't be a problem for him if he is, as his supporters insist, cognitively intact.

The Biden campaign is now in a corner.  If Biden doesn't take the test, he looks as if he's hiding because he can't pass.  And if he takes the test, few in America would be surprised if he were to fail and fail badly.

It was a perfect Trump maneuver, one that saw him bait a Demo-rat trap and have the left gallop into it.  I'm betting, though, that Trump didn't expect that he'd catch more rats than Biden himself.  On Thursday, though, a second rat walked right into the trap and had it snap shut on him.

Fun story - more at the site. No wonder the media can not stand him.

That heat wave that was forecast materialized like gangbusters - got over 86°F this afternoon. Checked it at the farm just before 1PM and it got hotter as I was there.

Got a lot done but not everything - was planning to bring down a couple of the bigger tools - large (floor standing) drill press and my dual bandsaw (cuts both wood and metal) as well as my good anvil but it was just too hot to want to move 400 pound chunks of metal. Wait until it cools off a bit first. Cleaned out the safe. It held the last of what would have been my gun collection if I had not had that terrible fire / boating accident / robbery / three-year bout of amnesia / fissure opening in the ground and swallowing all of them back in 1984. Guns? Me?

If I did own any guns, I would be planning to sell about half of them and buy two really nice ones (AR platform and a Les Baer 1911). But that is only if I did own any guns. Don't any more...

Unpack some of the van tonight and settle in with a nice cold beer and get some fresh water for Bear. He got a little hot at the farm with all the running around. Too excited to stop for water.

Butcherblock is dry so sand it tomorrow and another coat of polyurethane. Final coat on Tuesday and get it set up. Going to look gorgeous in the music room. Been going with light wood for window trim as well as flooring so a birch counter will fit in just well.  Woo hoo!!! Getting color coordinated in my dotage.

Puttering around at home this morning. Got another coat of poly on the countertop and ready to head out for coffee and then the farm.

A friend of mine is keeping some horses there and he said that one of the doors was open?¿?¿ Got some cameras scattered through the house and the property so might have some photos to print  out and hand to the police...

Gorgeous day - lots of traffic out on the water.

Just did a U Haul index for leaving Seattle and the numbers are pretty spectacular.

First off, I did Seattle to Bellingham. I was not expecting a big difference as there is probably about $80+ basic administrative costs for a rental that will not be affected by the "desirability" of the route. But, there is a difference:

It is when we look out of state at a conservative part of the Nation that the numbers really show themselves - I chose Coeur D'alene, Idaho. Let's look at the two:

Holy crap - a 367% difference between the two routes. So many more people want to move from Seattle to Coeur D'alene that U Haul can charge a premium. They need 10' trucks in Seattle so bad that they offer a huge discount to people driving the other way.

Things keep getting crazier - the baby marxists have no end to their demands. If you eat a bowl of shit for them, your reward is a bigger bowl for next time. From PJ Media:

If You Thought 'Defund the Police' Was Insane You'll Love 'Abolish Prisons' in Seattle
You would think after the insanity that was CHAZ/CHOP, Seattle might have taken a hard look at their relationship with law and order. You would be wrong.

Seattle is in King County, and the County Executive’s Office is moving ahead with plans to “abolish prisons.” A leaked email published by Christopher F. Rufo, contributing editor at City Journal, shows active plans to reduce both adult and juvenile detention and close the county jail in Seattle. The juvenile detention center would be converted to house other programs by 2025. According to Rufo, this plan will eliminate 60% of the county’s jail capacity.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s City Council has majority support—at least seven of the nine members—to slash the police department budget by 50%. Mayor Jenny Durkan has said she would veto this drastic cut, supporting Police Chief Carmen Best. Durkan has committed to cutting $76 million of the $400 million budget,” however. Oddly, the “Summer of Love” mayor may be the only bulwark against complete insanity.

Rolfe has posted more documents from the County Executive’s office. They appear to be for training or other meetings to discuss dismantling the criminal justice system. The woke county leaders would probably call it “reimagining” criminal justice. Others may call it managing a descent into chaos.

That the city council is buying into this shows just how bad things have gotten. Looking forward to the day when people wake up.

From FOX News:

Baltimore pro-police crowd attends #WalkAway rally at city's war memorial
A crowd of people who support local police gathered for a rally Saturday at the Baltimore War Memorial.

The event, organized by a group called #WalkAway, was held as police departments in many communities across the nation deal with frequent rioting and protests – as well as efforts to slash their operational budgets or even disband their departments.

Images posted on social media showed many at the Baltimore event carrying America flags or wearing patriotic apparel as they listened to speakers and watched entertainers.

And from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Defend the Police rally in Grant Park met by protesters
A Defend the Police rally Saturday in Grant Park that drew counter protesters featured heated rhetoric between the two sides, but remained largely peaceful.

Rally organizers said they wanted to show support for police officers and push back against protests that have followed the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“Not only do [police officers] have to deal with the protesters who have absolutely no respect for them whatsoever, but then they have to deal with the elected officials that throw them under the bus,” organizer Tina McGrath said.

Good - some grass-roots pushback is needed. Let these kiddies know that they are outnumbered and that they need to go back to their momma's basement.

The driveway outside my garage is in the shade during the first part of the morning so waiting for the sun to get a bit higher before working on the butcherblock countertop. Got one coat of poly on it last evening - want to get a second coat before I head out for coffee and then to the farm.

Fake News strikes again - from the Media Research Center's NewsBusters site:

After 59 Days of Riots in Portland, ABC Claims 'Weeks' Since Protests Were Violence
As NewsBusters has extensively documented, the broadcast newscasts have done everything they could to downplay and cover-up the extreme leftist violence at protests happening in cities across the country. But during ABC’s Good Morning America on Sunday, the network, via correspondent Janai Norman, attempted some revisionist history, claiming it had been “weeks” since protests had turned violent.

Norman’s lie came just as she was wrapping up her report, falsely telling viewers: “And no one seriously injured in that shooting at that protest in Colorado. But it's been weeks we have seen protests like these turn violent in multiple cities around the country, as we have this weekend.”

Not only has it not been “weeks” since protests turned violent, but it also hasn’t been “weeks” since there has been protest-linked violence in multiple cities at the same time.

While there has been violence in Portland for 59 days, last week saw riots in Seattle targeting local businesses, which the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) blacked out and hid from viewers. And two weeks ago, ABC actually noted (though only briefly) that Black Lives Matter assaulted New York City police officers (including the chief of police) during a peaceful, interfaith march to support law enforcement.

Yeah - about that.  Does not fit the narrative so we will just ignore it. Fake News.

More at the site - links to ABC News "Reports" as well as some video. Right there in black and white.

From the London Daily Mail:

EXPLOSIVES are used against feds and cops in Seattle, Portland and Atlanta while BLM protester is shot dead during Austin march on night of nationwide unrest - as angry Trump vents on Twitter after deploying federal agents in bid to quell violence

• • A protester was shot and killed in a shooting at a protest in Texas Saturday night
  • Shocking footage showed people marching in downtown Austin when gunfire rang out
  • In Seattle, cops declared the protests 'riots' Saturday afternoon after unrest broke out in the city
  • People vandalized and set fire to the East Police Precinct and a juvenile detention facility
  • Other protesters threw rocks, bottles, fireworks and other explosives at cops
  • Portland demonstrators chanted 'feds get out' outside the Marriott, where they believe officers are staying
  • Tensions mounted in Chicago, with protests taking place all across the Windy City Saturday
  • Federal agents have so far been sent to Portland, Chicago and Seattle as part of Trump's law and order sweep
  • Cities that have so far avoided the wrath of the feds also ramped up protests Saturday night
  • New Yorkers clashed with NYPD officers in the Big Apple and several were arrested in downtown LA

Black Lives Matter protests erupted into violence across the country last night as 'explosive devices' were used against federal officers in Seattle and Portland, and a demonstrator was shot dead during a march in Austin.

One protester was shot and killed when gunshots were fired during a protest in downtown Austin, Texas, Saturday night.

Shocking footage showed people marching along the street holding banners demanding an end to police brutality and racism when loud shots rang out.

This comes as protests gathered steam across several US cities Saturday, two months on from the Memorial Day 'murder' of George Floyd and in a show of solidarity for Portland where demonstrators and federal agents have clashed ever since Trump sent federal troops in.

The president has so far deployed federal agents to Portland, Seattle and Chicago. On Sunday morning he retweeted a series of posts, one which cited Antifa to be a 'racist terror-group', and another, authored by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, who fumed at demonstrators in Portland for assaulting 'FEDERAL officers on FEDERAL property, while the city 'did nothing'.

The streets of Seattle turned violent Saturday when protesters set fire to a youth detention center and a police precinct. Other protesters threw rocks, bottles, fireworks and other explosives at cops, with the unrest leading local authorities to declare protests had turned into 'riots that afternoon'.

Portland geared up for its 59th night of unrest Saturday with swathes of demonstrators marching from the federal building to the Portland Marriott where they believe federal officers are staying, in the wake of a violent night Friday that ended with at least one person stabbed.

We have to look across the pond for reporting on this. The mainstream media does not cover it as it reflects badly on the Democrat party.

The follow-up tweets are what make this fun so go read here and then here.

As one of the commenters says: Life comes at you fast. Chill dawg.

Could not be more succinct:

Going to clean and refill the hummingbird feeders, get food out for Bear (ran his dishes through the dishwasher this afternoon) and harass Cat for a while.

Gorgeous sunset and supposed to be just as wonderful tomorrow. Heading up to the farm to check on things there and bring back another load of crap to sort through and take to the dump. I do bring a lot to the thrift store but some things just have no value.

Watch some videos and that will be it - nice to sleep in this morning. Need my eight hours.

From Billlls Idle Mind:

And President Trump Lifted Up His Eyes And Prayed:
Oh Lord, I Thank Thee That Thou Hast Made Mine Enemies the Sorriest Collection
of Incompetent Boobs and Ass-Clowns That Could Ever Be Imagined.
Thou Couldst Not Possibly Make Them More Weak, Foolish, and Corrupt.

And The Lord God Saith Unto President Trump, Holdest Thou My Beer

Finally did the dump run - felt good to get the crap out of the van. Picked up a nice butcherblock countertop at Home Despot. Need to head up to the farm tomorrow but will get a coat of poly on it before I leave. Finish the finishing on Monday.

Was going to have Thai food for dinner but they were closed. Checked their website and they are now only open from 12-5PM on Saturday. Usually, they would close at 3PM and then re-open from 5-8. Chinese was just as good but not what I was expecting.

Very clear skies tonight - I can see the antennas on the top of Mt. Constitution which is not always the case. Saw Neowise last night - only visible through binocs. Will be looking again tonight. Maybe drag the scope out for a peek.

Surf for a bit and then maybe a couple of beers before sleeping.

From Breitbart:

Chinese Researcher Charged with U.S. Visa Fraud is in Custody
A Chinese researcher accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military on a visa application she submitted so she could work in the U.S. was booked Friday into a Northern California jail and was expected to appear in federal court Monday.

Sacramento County jail records show Juan Tang, 37, was being held on behalf of federal authorities after she was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was unclear if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced charges against Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., saying they lied about their status as members of China’s People’s Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud.

Tang was the last of the four to be arrested, after the justice department accused the Chinese consulate in San Francisco of harboring a known fugitive. The consulate did not immediately respond to email and Facebook messages seeking comment and it was not possible to leave a telephone message.

She was working as a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology at UC Davis.

Hypocracy in two headlines:

• • Peace-loving black Trump super-supporter shot dead hours after giving pro-Trump interview
  • A Black Man Was Stabbed During The “Peaceful Portland Protests” And The Alleged Perpetrator Of The Stabbing Is ANTIFA

You really want Antifa running this country? They are a communist front organization trying to take over and using mob tactics.

They need to be driven into the river. Mocked. Laughed at. Squashed into a bloody pulp.

Just a modest little house. From RedState:

Gavin Newsom’s $3.7 Million Estate Was Gifted to Him in 2019; 3 Months Later He Got a $2.7 Million Tax Free Cash-Out

• • Gavin Newsom’s $3.7 million, 12,000 square foot mansion, on 8+ acres along the American River in Sacramento, was the area’s most expensive home sale in 2018
  • The gated estate consists of a 6 bedroom/10 bath home, a guest house, a pool, a tennis court, and a wine cave
  • An LLC registered to and SOLELY OWNED BY Newsom’s cousin, long-time business partner, and Co-President of PlumpJack, Jeremy Scherer, paid cash for the estate in December 2018
  • Newsom’s spox, though, claimed in Jan 2019 that it was Newsom who’d paid cash for the home – puzzling, since Newsom still carried a $3.2 million mortgage on his prior home
  • In Oct 2019 the LLC gifted the home to the Newsoms free and clear, falsely claiming Newsom was a member of the LLC to avoid a $4,000 Transfer Tax
  • In January 2020 the Newsoms received $2.7 million tax-free when they obtained a cash-out refinance
  • Newsom’s financial disclosure forms don’t mention the LLC or the gifts, which far exceed the $500 limit
  • In 2003, Newsom was cited for failing to disclose $11 million in real estate and business loans

One thing that’s become extraordinarily clear to Californians in 2020 is that there’s one set of rules for Gov. Gavin Newsom, and there’s another set of rules for the rest of us. He preaches that we’re all in this together and that we have to sacrifice to “meet this moment,” yet he’s not missing a paycheck.

As California businesses struggle, he sends a $1 billion contract for masks to a Chinese company. When he shut down wineries throughout 80 percent of California, he kept his open.

While the dream of owning a home is increasingly out of reach for California’s families, it appears that Newsom received a $3.7 million estate from an LLC owned by his cousin then, a few months later took out a $2.695 million (tax-free) cash-out mortgage on it — and didn’t report the gift on any of his financial disclosure forms.

Rules are for thee and not for me. Tell me again Newsom's connection with We The People?

She sent out a letter yesterday - from Legal Insurrection:

Seattle Police Chief To Residents: We No Longer Can “Preserve Property in the Midst of a Large, Violent Crowd”
Seattle police cannot use any crowd-control devices and must, effectively, let the violent, lawless rioters run free.

Seattle’s police chief alerted residents that they are on their own now.

The left has a long track record of getting everything wrong, so it’s of no surprise to anyone that Americans of all races, genders, religious, ideological, and etc. backgrounds are scrambling to get guns to protect themselves because the police have been neutralized.

Price of ammunition has gone up quite a bit too. Availability is down. Mob rule anyone? I do not think that this is the message that the Democrats were trying to promote. Interesting times ahead.

From CNS News:

Trump’s Executive Order Will Drop the Price of Insulin Down to Pennies a Day
President Donald Trump signed four executive orders on Friday aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs, the first of which will lead to the cost of insulin dropping to “just pennies a day.”

“The four orders I’m signing today will be on the prescription drug market in terms of pricing and everything else to make these medications affordable and accessible for all Americans.

In a rational world, this would be headline news at the NY Times; CNN would have it on their chyron all through prime time; etc. etc. etc.

Found at Ace of Spades:

That is it for me for tonight. 

Pecos Hank as well as being a great storm chaser is a good friend of animals - they feature in his videos from time to time and today, he uploaded a collection of ones that he has seen on his travels. Check it out - great photography and some fun critters:

Thawed out a couple large shrimp for dinner and a certain little black-furred creature is in ecstasy. Over the moon. Best thing in the world. Cute.

If I need to get Cat's attention at anytime, I now know what to use.

Going to have to cook steak sometime soon or Bear will get jealous.

Dr. David Bohm is one of my favorite thinkers - a Physicist whose work was on the inter-connectedness of the universe.

The documentary is available here for free for a limited time: Infinite Potential: The Life and Ideas of David Bohm

Here is the trailer to give you a taste. The channel has a bunch of other videos - interviews, panel discussions, etc...

Simple tonight - soup from a can and a sandwich. Don't feel like cooking and a bit tired. Long day today too.

Sleep in tomorrow though.

Weather is getting over its cold/overcast/wet spell - sky is clearing up and the sun is out. Cool temps. Very nice outside. Going to make some more hummingbird nectar tonight - feeders are getting really low. Forecast for lots of sun in the next few days but more moisture is lurking for the latter part of this coming week. Cliff Mass has the details.

Only thing on the agenda for tomorrow is the dump run (finally) and picking up the butcherblock counter top for a project. Get some finish on it and get the keyboard and monitor mounts installed. This is for the workstation in the music room. The old countertop is really chipped and beaten up - formica over particle-board furniture and have had it for 20+ years. Time for a refresh.

Quite the line of t-storms in the midwest today - from the Lightning Map

Wish I was there - I love a good thunderstorm. One bad aspect to living on the coast...

If you visit the map and scroll down, Mexico is getting hit quite spectacularly as well - whatever this is, it is a really big one. Aliens?

Unreal - from the London Daily Mail:

What planet are we on? Britain gives £71m to China in aid - even though they’re on the warpath over Huawei... and yesterday blasted a rocket to Mars. But now, if you can stomach it, read where those tax millions are going
You could be forgiven for thinking that given China’s GDP is almost five times greater than the UK’s, they should be sending us aid.

And yet in 2018, almost £100million was carved out to finance the Department for International Trade’s China Prosperity Fund over four years.

Despite China being a financial superpower, the fund is designed ‘to address market failures and weaknesses that impede China’s inclusive economic growth and will help China’s ongoing transition to an inclusive, sustainable and productive economy’.

So far, £6million has been spent. After the devastation wreaked by the Covid19 pandemic on the UK economy, that money will be sorely missed.

One such example:

Between April 2018 and April 2019, £559,554 of taxpayers’ money was spent on ‘supporting human rights, democracy and the rules-based international system in China’.

Yet shortly after it received the money, China imposed an unprecedented security law on Hong Kong which has undermined its citizens’ democratic rights to protest and free speech.

Meanwhile, footage on the BBC at the weekend appeared to confirm that the Chinese government has built concentration campstyle institutions to imprison its Uighur Muslim population.

Much more at the site. Cut this off now before any more money is wasted. Is there anything like this happening in the United States? How much is the United Nations giving to China? Follow the money.

Just the thing for the times that I have to visit Seattle:

Great idea for a COVID mask too...

He would be wonderful - from his website:

Sen. Cruz in Wall Street Journal: A Way to Take Back Portland
In his latest op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today outlined a plan to take America's cities back from violent rioters. Sen. Cruz's RECLAIM Act would hold local officials accountable for failing to protect their constituents.

In the op-ed, Sen. Cruz wrote:

"These radicals hate the police, reject the rule of law, and are intent on terrorizing their communities. In Seattle, police were forced to abandon the precinct building in 'CHAZ' and city officials told the police they could respond to calls for help only in the event of mass casualties. Families and business owners were left to fend for themselves.

"In Portland's antifa-occupied land, Fox News reports, 'businesses have racked up millions in property damage and lost sales, and hundreds of thousands of Portland residents have stayed off the streets for six weeks.'"

He continued:

"This is not the American way. Local leaders who allow rioters to destroy lives and businesses need to be held accountable. That's why I'm introducing the Restitution for Economic losses Caused by Leaders who Allow Insurrection and Mayhem Act-Reclaim for short. The bill would hold state and local officials liable when they abdicate their legal duty to protect the public in cases where death, serious bodily harm or significant property damage have occurred."

A wonderful idea - actions have consequences but our Democratic "leaders" live in a bubble and are not affected by their bad decisions. Time to make it hurt. Make them see the reality of what is happening out there. Full OpEd is here: A Way to Take Back Portland

They keep on doing it - from West Palm Beach, Florida CBS affiliate:

I-Team: Deaths incorrectly attributed to COVID-19 in Palm Beach County
A 60-year-old man who died from a gun shot wound to the head.

A 90-year-old man who fell and died from complications of a hip fracture.

A 77-year-old woman who died of Parkinson's disease.

These are some of the deaths in Palm Beach County recently, and incorrectly, attributed to COVID-19 in medical examiner records.

The CBS12 News I-Team uncovered several examples in Medical Examiner reports of people counted as a COVID death who did not die of COVID.

We requested a list of all COVID-19 deaths in Palm Beach County from the Medical Examiner's office and received a spread sheet of 581 cases.

They were carrying the COVID virus but their death was caused by very specific other means. Still, a COVID death. Got to have those numbers to justify taking over the populace. They can't panic the proles if they don't have the numbers.

Chicago Mayor Groot (or Beetlejuice - take your pick of nicknames), is totally out of her depth and is locking antlers with the Chicago Police.
From Legal Insurrection:

Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Calls Police Union Chief ‘Cartoon Character,’ ‘Clown’ in Texts
I think I’ll be writing about Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for awhile because a new story about her comes out every day.

Now the mayor found herself on the front pages because of text messages between her and the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Union President John Catanzara.

Catanzara wrote a letter to President Donald Trump because Chicago has gone off the rails since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Murders have doubled since last year. The city saw its deadliest 24 hours during the last weekend in May. It had a bloody Father’s Day.

The letter did not mention federal agents, but Catanzara wanted to discuss with Trump on “how to ‘bring back civility to the streets of Chicago.”

The texts between Catanzara and Lightfoot happened on that same day.

Catanzara did not appreciate Lightfoot “encouraging people to report officers who may have crossed the line.” She called him a clown three times in the exchange. From WGN:

“It tells my members you care more about rioters than injured police” Catanzara texted the mayor Saturday.

Four minutes later she responded:

“I made a very strong statement about the planned attack on our officers. You are better than the cartoon character that you allow yourself to become.”

She also texted the police union president “apparently you are officially a clown.”

“Class act mayor,” he responded.

The two texted for a bit on Saturday:

At one point he told her: “99.9% of the department has zero respect for you, what you say, what you stand for and even less confidence you give a rat’s a** for their well-being.”

Catanzara urged Lightfoot to allow police to respond in riot gear and shut down protests occurring without permits.

The texts ended just before 8 p.m. on Saturday night.

“Right back at you, clown. So sad you are so desperate for relevance and publicity that you are comfortable with lying. You will be exposed as the total fraud that you clearly are,” the mayor texted Catanzara.

Much more at the site - this goes on for quite a while. She is beclowning herself, her administration and her legacy. She does not see this. She is out of her depth.

Been through Chicago several times and it is a gorgeous city. Sad that it has become so much of a third-world shithole - it's citizens deserve a lot better. Catanzara should run for Mayor.

They are trying to push mail-in voting (as opposed to absentee ballots where security checks are made).
Here is a simple question:

Heh - some fun goings-on at the Sierra Club as the WOKE organization tries to reconcile its founder's thoughts with the current social justice foolishness. I bet John would have a few very choice words about these people - he was not a man to suffer idiots. From The Daily Wire:

Sierra Club Apologizes For ‘Deeply Harmful Racist Stereotypes’ Of Founder John Muir
The executive director of the Sierra Club apologized on Wednesday for the “substantial role” the group played in perpetuating white supremacy, and also condemned its founder John Muir for friendships and views he had.

Michael Brune, who has been executive director of the Sierra Club for more than a decade, issued a lengthy statement titled “Pulling Down Our Monuments,” in which he confessed the collective guilt of the conservationist organization that was founded in 1892. He also laid out designs for how the organization plans to evolve in an effort to atone.

A bit more - the statement:

“The Sierra Club is a 128-year-old organization with a complex history, some of which has caused significant and immeasurable harm,” Brune began. “As defenders of Black life pull down Confederate monuments across the country, we must also take this moment to reexamine our past and our substantial role in perpetuating white supremacy.”

More:

“The most monumental figure in the Sierra Club’s past is John Muir,” said Brune. “Beloved by many of our members, his writings taught generations of people to see the sacredness of nature.” Nevertheless, Brune explained, Muir and the Sierra Club had connections to problematic figures such as Henry Fairfield Osborn, Joseph LeConte, and David Starr Jordan. All were prominent scientists in their day who adhered to Darwinian evolution and used the theory to advocate for eugenics, some of which influenced Nazi legislation.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda... And, of course, the Dane-geld must be paid:

“For all the harms the Sierra Club has caused, and continues to cause, to Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color, I am deeply sorry,” Brune concluded, and presented the Club’s plan to rectify its past. In addition to allocating $5 million “to make long-overdue investments in our staff of color and our environmental and racial justice work,” the Club will also implement more HR training, as well as ensure that people of color make up “the majority of the team making top-level organization decisions.”

Dane-geld is from the Rudyard Kipling poem. In Kipling's words: "if once you have paid him the Dane-geld, you never get rid of the Dane". In other words - blackmail.

From FOX News:

Washington Post settles Nicholas Sandmann defamation lawsuit in Covington Catholic High School controversy
The Washington Post is the latest news organization to settle a defamation lawsuit launched by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann over its botched coverage of a viral confrontation with a Native American elder that had portrayed the Kentucky teen as the aggressor.

Sandmann announced the victory on Twitter.

"On 2/19/19, I filed $250M defamation lawsuit against Washington Post. Today, I turned 18 & WaPo settled my lawsuit. Thanks to @ToddMcMurtry & @LLinWood for their advocacy. Thanks to my family & millions of you who have stood your ground by supporting me. I still have more to do," Sandmann wrote on Friday.

CNN settled first in January. Two down, six to go. Teach the media a lesson about accurate reporting.
Punch back twice as hard.

Explained at its deepest level:

Tip of the hat to Vanderleun. Be sure to click on the link above and read the follow-up comments

Took a Costco OTC sleep aid (those puppies work great but their effects last for too long - groggy mornings) and ready to hit the sack. Watch a video or three before then but very early bedtime.

Short day tomorrow - early start but should be back here around Noonish or so...

Just ran into this video and it is exactly what I have been thinking regarding organizing the house here.  I have gone through so many revisions that people I talk with think that I am crazy. Maybe I am - like a fox. The spaces I have completed (video editing and office) are very efficient and occupy minimal space. The garage is getting there. The music room and the ham radio setup are almost there and very functional.

A new way of thinking and it is nice to get the affirmation that other people think it is a good way to think as well:

Very true words:

Ran into this link at Knuckledraggin - some fun reading at the London Daily Mail:

Epstein floodgates open as judge rules explosive docs detailing Ghislaine Maxwell's sex life can be UNSEALED in Virginia Giuffre's defamation case within a week

• • Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan ruled on Thursday to unseal more than 80 documents that Ghislaine Maxwell had wanted to keep under wraps
  • Preska said the documents - which will run to hundreds of pages - should be made public within a week
  • They include flight logs from Epstein's jets, a deposition in 2016 in which Maxwell's lawyers said she was asked 'intrusive' questions about her sex life
  • The documents also include police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home
  • It will include communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 when Virginia Roberts Giuffre made allegations about them in court papers
  • In the papers Giuffre claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was just 17 at Epstein’s command
  • The documents were part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Giuffre against Maxwell, which was confidentially settled in 2017
  • The case is separate from the criminal proceedings against Maxwell, who is accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse

A judge today has ordered the unsealing of a vast tranche of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, which could shed light on his friendship with powerful men accused of having sex with his victims.

Judge Loretta Preska said that 80 documents - which will run to hundreds of pages - should be made public within a week.

The documents will include depositions from Ghislaine Maxwell, which could explain her alleged role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

Heh - a bunch of our 'elites' are ordering new underware right now. That is one stain that will not launder out.

If the people who hung out with them were so stupid and focused in the moment of immediate sex with very young and very good looking women without thinking that something might be up? They deserve whatever revelations might happen. Might explain a few supreme court decisions (on the so-far declassified flight logs, there are two entries for a Mr. John Roberts)

Own a piece of history - from TMZ:

JEFFREY EPSTEIN - Infamous Palm Beach Pad HITS THE MARKET FOR $22 MILLION
Jeffrey Epstein's infamous compound where he sexually assaulted many of his young victims is now on the market ... if anyone actually wants it, at any price.

The late, disgraced financier and convicted sex offender's Palm Beach crib is up for sale at a whopping $21,995,000. The mansion, of course, is heavily featured in the Netflix docuseries, "Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich" ... but not in a good way.

And a bit more:

...this is the house where Epstein recruited girls for the sole purpose of sexually assaulting them. He initially pled guilty in 2007 to state prostitution charges, and though he was sentenced to 13 months in jail, critics say he got off easy considering the trove of evidence found at the Palm Beach compound.

Proceeds from the sale are subject to claims against Epstein's estate, including those from the alleged victims.

He had the goods on too many people to live - I would love to see a wikileaks. Talk about bringing down our elites a couple of notches. This really needs to be done - they are too full of themselves.

Wondering what leadership looks like? Don Surber has the story - just go and read the whole thing.

Simple as that.

Finished at 2PM, went up north to Walmart, a wonderful used bookstore and the coop for some groceries and then stopped for a bowl of pasta at a local pizzeria.

Feeling downright nappish so surf for a little bit, harrass Cat and then be down for the count. Got an early morning tomorrow too.

Heading out the door now - had breakfast, played with cat. Got a bite to eat for lunch packed and ready to roll. Leaving a bit early because coffee.

Event runs until 2:00PM so back in a couple of hours.

The Center is holding another open-air thrift market so volunteering there tomorrow. Early start to the day so not staying up too late tonight.

Thai food really hit the spot - nice sunset too. Good end to a productive day (still did not get to the dump yet though - that island time is a real devil)

Some hardware came in from Amazon today so finishing off the botcherblock (freudian slip while typing? Love it) countertop desk - now I have the hardware to mount it so will go out Friday to buy it and finish that project.

Been using the MinWax wipe-on polyurethane finish for the last 20 years or so and only recently discovered to my chagrin that this is just regular poly that has been thinned 50% with mineral spirits. Making my own now for much cheaper and it works and seems to last just as well. DOH!

Been playing with alternative finishes for the blacksmithing - using metalic oil pastels as a base for a DIY rub and buff highlighting wax - fun stuff to play with and fun to branch out into other mediums.

Anyway, YouTube, maybe a beer or two and then an early bedtime.

The whole system is plagued with rot. From Seattle station Q13:

Dozens of King County prosecutors want office to ignore some burglary, drug and assault cases
A group of King County prosecutors who are part of a working group on race and social justice has a long list of crimes they believe the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office should decline to file charges on, including in some cases when officers are assaulted.

According to a letter obtained by Q13 News and signed by dozens of current King County deputy prosecutors, the group also wants to change the influence and input law enforcement has on criminal cases.

“We are committed to being servants of our community, and our community is crying out for a new vision of justice, now more than ever,” reads the letter, a proposal from the King County DPAA Equity & Justice Workgroup. “We join those cries wholeheartedly, and we urge you not to miss this moment.”

The letter is at the Q13 website and it is well written with nice measured words but what it expresses is beyond contempt. It suggests that the King County Prosecuting Attorneys abrogate their charter to prosecute crimes equitably and lawfully. It calls for instances where the law can be set aside for someone who is a special case. They call this a "new vision of justice".

I have this idea that colleges and universities should eliminate any class that contains the word "Studies" in its course description. These are useless to a good education and are generally a cover word for indoctrination and an easy A.

I would like to suggest that any time anyone introduces the word "justice" into a legal discussion, that person and their thesis be tossed out immediately and they be mocked and reviled. The world would be a much better place for this and the healing process would be a lot of fun. Time to bring back the pillory.

Deserve to have the book thrown at them. Locked up for 20 years or more. From FOX News:

Federal officers in Portland may have been permanently blinded by lasers, officials say
At least three federal officers in Portland may not recover their vision after earlier this week demonstrators, who have shown up in crowds of over 1,000 for more than 50 consecutive nights, shined lasers in their eyes and threw fireworks at a federal courthouse, officials said.

And this example of a nice, quiet, peaceful demonstration - holding signs and singing kumbyah:

Federal Protective Service (FPS) Deputy Director of Operations Richard “Kriss” Cline said at a press conference on Tuesday that a crowd of more than 1,000 “rioters” surrounded the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and began removing plywood coverings before attempting to throw objects – some of them incendiary – through the windows at federal officers inside.

They also vandalized the building with spray paint, blocked adjacent intersections and set several fires.

“When officers responded to put out these fires, glass bottles were thrown and lasers – which can cause permanent blindness – were shined in their eyes,” Cline said. “We have three officers who currently have eye injuries and they may not recover sight in those eyes from those laser attacks.”

Lasers are most definitely not a toy. I have three high power units and these are treated with the utmost respect. I do not tell people about them as the chance for an accident while "playing" with one is simply too great. Something as simple as shining it through a window - the reflection off the glass would still be more than enough to cause permanent retinal damage if it bounced across someone's eyeball. When I got the first one (for laser engraving), I tossed out the chinese "protective" goggles and spent $300 on two sets of certified protective eyewear.

The city of Portland may choose to have their police stand down during the rioting but the Federal buildings in that city are Federal property, not Municipal. The Federal cops have every right to defend and protect them.

The Department of Homeland Security has more:

Portland Riots Read-Out: July 21
Bottom line: As they have for the past 50+ days, on the evening of Monday, July 20th violent anarchists targeted the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and federal law enforcement officers in Portland.

Attacks on federal personnel and property over the previous several days have included violent attacks on federal officers with weapons as well as efforts to start fires at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse with federal law enforcement officers inside the building. The rioting continued through Monday, when seven individuals were arrested on suspicion of federal crimes including assaulting federal officers.

Much more at the site. These people are out of control. I have zero doubt that the federales are logging all sorts of data and will round up the ringleaders with impeccable evidence but still - this is annoying as hell to see our country being torn apart by stupid children bent on having their way. Annoying as hell too to see the supposed leadership of a great city fold over and accede to their demands. We need some adults in the room stat.

Heading North for some Thai takeout - have a nice dinner down by the river. Still need to bring the van up there and take a photo - channeling my inner Matt Foley.

From Woodsterman - speaking truth to power:

Things to think about...

For a short while, Google was blacklisting a number of conservative websites. This has been completely documented at various places and Google publicly apologized for it. An interesting (and ominous) thought at The Federalist:

Google Appears To Test Its Ability To Blacklist Conservative Media Ahead Of Election
Google appeared to test its ability to blacklist conservative media Tuesday from its monopolized search engine which garners at least 3.5 billion online searches everyday making up 94 percent of the internet’s search share.

Websites targeted, according to NewsBusters which itself was temporarily de-platformed, included the Washington Free Beacon, The Blaze, Townhall, The Daily Wire, PragerU, LifeNews, Project Veritas, Judicial Watch, The Resurgent, Breitbart, the Media Research Center, and CNSNews among others.

Chuck Ross, a reporter with the Daily Caller News Foundation discovered that his outlet was also included in Google’s Tuesday blackout when searching for stories related to Stefan Halper, an FBI informant who spied on the Trump campaign over the course of Crossfire Hurricane and was unmasked by Ross at the Caller.

And Google's explanation:

“Today we became aware of an issue that impacted some navigational and site: operator queries. We investigated and have since fixed the issue,” said a Google spokesperson. “This affected a number of sites representing a range of different content and viewpoints. This issue was a technical error unrelated to the content or ideology of the sites affected.”

The author's thesis is chilling - was this a dry run for the upcoming election? Sure could be.

Crap like this is why I have been using DuckDuckGo as my search engine and Brave as my browser. Both are free in every single sense of the word.

We shut down their Houston Embassy - Don Surber has a very good post:

Trump takes on Red China. Boy howdy
Officials at Red China's consulate in Houston spent the night burning documents after President Donald John Trump ordered the consulate closed.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted, "Houston consulate is a massive spy center, forcing it to close is long overdue.

"China’s consulate in Houston is not a diplomatic facility. It is the central node of the Communist Party’s vast network of spies & influence operations in the United States. Now that building must close & the spies have 72 hours to leave or face arrest.

"This needed to happen."

This is the latest in the Trump administration's crackdown on Red China's spying in the United States.

Don then proceeds to list four of the most recent examples of spying - this has to stop. They do not develop their own technology, they have to steal it from us. This is a perfect demonstration of the superiority of communism. Their educational system is worse than ours which is saying a lot.

Quiet news day - heading out in a bit for coffee and finally, the dump run.

Woke up to sprinkling rain and cool temps - low overcast now and more of the same forecast for the next couple of days. Summer was nice while it lasted.

Grocery deliveries this afternoon - we are now just doing one day/week. Try to wean people off the service.

Cat is turning into a real pest love - comes up in my lap for cuddles whenever I am at the computer. Fitting in very well here.

Glad to see the leadership finally having the stones to stand up to these entitled kiddies - from the NYC NBC affiliate:

NYPD Cops With Riot Shields Clear Out City Hall Protest Encampment Overnight
Nearly a month after protesters started camping out outside New York City Hall to call for defunding of the police department, uniformed officers with riot shields moved in to clear out tents and people early Wednesday in a planned operation.

Lines of officers in heavy gear were seen at Lafayette Street and Leonard near the criminal courthouses. Some were telling protesters and others on the street to move back as the swarm of cops moved in. Officials said those in the encampment were given a ten-minute warning before the clear-out began sometime before 4 a.m. .

And of course, the business owners affected by the encampment will be reimbursed by the city in 3... 2... 1...

No "after" photos but I bet the "protesters" left a huge mess just like in Seattle. Children these days.

From Asia Times:

Three Gorges Dam deformed but safe, say operators
In a rare revelation, Beijing has admitted that its 2.4-kilometer Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River in Hubei province “deformed slightly” after record flooding.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted the operator of the the world’s largest hydroelectric gravity dam as saying that some nonstructural, peripheral parts of the dam had buckled.

The dam was a pet project of the late Premier Li Peng and a monumental pride of the nation when it blocked and diverted Asia’s largest river in 1997.

The deformation occurred last Saturday when the flood from western provinces including Sichuan and Chongqing along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River peaked at a record-setting 61,000 cubic meters per second, according to China Three Gorges Corporation, a state-owned enterprise that manages the dam and the sprawling power plant underneath it.

The company noted that parts of the dam had “deformed slightly,” displacing some external structures, and seepage into the main outlet walls had also been reported throughout the 18 hours on Saturday and Sunday when water was discharged though its outlets.

Well -  it IS made in china after all...

Here is the instructional video:

From Squirrel Monkey - they have nailed the 80's computer vibe perfectly

Earlier, I had mentioned that my two favorite storm chasers are Mike Olbinski and Pecos Hank. Ran into this video that Hank did six years ago when he was feeling a little less than serious. Love the ancient VHS camcorder they are 'using' - got to be 25 years old at least:

Some headlines - they are having a hell of a time over there. This is seriously impacting their primary agricultural area. Clickable headlines:

• • China Floods Call Into Question Sustainability Of Massive Three Gorges Dam
  • Chinese authorities blow up dam to release floodwaters
  • Yangtze River's No. 2 flood passes Three Gorges Dam
  • Three Gorges Dam Scrutinized for Structural Flaws as China is Ravaged by Flooding
  • China fears more devastating floods as Yangtze River’s levels rise again  from yesterday - water rising again
  • Upper reaches of local river in Hubei at risk of dam-breaking and flooding at any time
  • China flood alert at highest despite key dam's safety assurance
  • China in Focus (July 20): Three Gorges Dam ‘Leaked, Distorted’

This is a 100 year storm - China is in a world of hurt right now with the run on the banks, their sweetheart deals on international trade coming to a close, increased focus on Hong Kong and their horrible human rights problems and now this. They will be needing to import a lot of food this winter.

From Newsday:

Dozens of Long Island residents tested for coronavirus got false positives
Seventy-four Long Island residents tested for COVID-19 over a five-day period earlier this month received false positive results, according to Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Sunrise Medical Laboratories in Hicksville said in a statement that the “isolated incident does not impact any patients who received a negative result during that time or testing performed at any other time or by any other facility.”

The impacted patients were tested between July 9 and July 14, according to the lab, which added that about 1.5% of patients tested in that period were affected. Sunrise did not say which doctors or urgent care centers use their labs. It added that there was a "possible COVID-19 specimen contamination issue."

Sunrise didn’t disclose how many tests it runs in week, or how many tests in total were impacted by the false positives.

The Dems need high numbers so they can keep the lockdown going and crash the economy. Must get rid of Orange Man this November.

As with everything else, they have nothing to offer so they have to cheat.

They are finally memory-holing that vile white-supremicist eugenicist Margaret Sanger from their roster.
Margaret Sanger? Planned Parenthood's founder. From Breitbart:

Planned Parenthood to Remove Eugenicist Margaret Sanger’s Name from Flagship Abortion Clinic
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) announced Tuesday it plans to remove the name of the organization’s founder, Margaret Sanger, from its flagship abortion facility in New York City because of her “harmful connections to the eugenics movement.”

The announcement also indicated the organization would be working with city officials to “rename an honorary street sign that marks the ‘Margaret Sanger Square’ at the intersection of Bleecker and Mott Streets in Manhattan.”

“The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color,” said Karen Seltzer, PPGNY board chair, in a statement.

“Margaret Sanger’s concerns and advocacy for reproductive health have been clearly documented, but so too has her racist legacy,” she added. “There is overwhelming evidence for Sanger’s deep belief in eugenic ideology, which runs completely counter to our values at PPGNY.”

Her quotes are well documented. Here are a couple of them:

• • The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.
  • We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.
  • Today eugenics is suggested by the most diverse minds as the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political and social problems.
  • Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.
  • No woman shall have the legal right to bear a child, and no man shall have the right to become a father, without a permit for parenthood.
  • We are paying for, and even submitting to, the dictates of an ever-increasing, unceasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all.

Although that last one certainly sums up some of the problems we are having in D.C. right now. A great number of people currently in office would be great cantidates for retroactive birth control. Ditto the kiddies acting out in Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland, NYC, etc...

So glad I do not live in an urban environment. From City Journal:

Underground, a Pandemic of Lawlessness
New York’s subways are suffering from an old, familiar plague: broken windows. For the first half of the year, the Daily News reports, the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has recorded 485 smashed windows, costing nearly $300,000—including 47 destroyed on just one July day. The MTA has also lost $1.2 million worth of digital-screen property to vandalism this year. Old-time New Yorkers who rode the trains before their mid-1980s renaissance will remember spider-vein windows and doors as a ubiquitous part of commuting—along with something grimmer: the threat of violent crime. It’s no surprise, then, that a bloom of broken windows is coinciding with a surge in criminal attacks on people riding on or working in subways.

The pandemic’s first five weeks saw three murders in the subway system; now comes a fourth, the gruesome death of 57-year old Dwayne “Bilal” Brown, pushed to the subway tracks and killed by a train as he tried to break up a fight on a Harlem platform earlier this month. The last time New York’s subway system saw four murders in one year was in 2007—and 2020 is barely half over. Moreover, 2007 was an aberration. Over the past 23 years, the subways have seen an average of just over two people murdered each year.

New York has been roiled by pandemic for three full months now. The risk of being a crime victim on any given trip is low—well below 1 percent—just as it was, incidentally, during the highest-crime days of the 1980s and 1990. But the statistical probability has skyrocketed. In June, an essential worker riding the trains, or working among in the public in the transit system, faced six times the risk, relative to last June, of being robbed, and more than five times the risk of being assaulted. One emergency-room nurse has been assaulted twice on her commute this year, the first time getting hit in the face by an assailant and the second time being repeatedly beaten with a cane.

Low ridership, and fewer eyes on platforms and trains, has emboldened criminals. In June, only 905,000 passengers rode the subways, compared with more than 5.6 million in June 2019. Yet the number of robberies went down by only one, compared with last June, to 46, and the number of assaults by just three, to 19. The raw number of robberies has increased over the past three months, from 35 in May and 44 in April. The surge in violence is particularly remarkable considering that since the first week in May, subways have been shuttered to riders—for the first time ever—from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., hardly the safest hours to ride even during normal times.

And these morons want to defund the police? Cuomo and De Blasio are the poster children for progressive leadership.
All narrative and no leadership. All hat and no cattle.

And the World Health Organization fell for it. Or, maybe they just really really want to believe... From The Washington Free Beacon:

WHO Official Promotes Conspiracy Theory Website to Bolster China’s Coronavirus Disinformation Campaign
A top World Health Organization official promoted a report from a website that traffics in conspiracy theories to bolster China's false claim that the communist regime was the first to report the existence of the coronavirus.

WHO communications director Gabby Stern tweeted on Monday false claims that "Taiwan never provided any warning" to the organization "about the novel coronavirus or its transmissibility." Her tweet linked to an article published by the fringe website The Grayzone. The site is run by Max Blumenthal, the son of Hillary Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal. Max Blumenthal is known for his pro-Iran, anti-Israel stance, and his website routinely publishes conspiracy theories that adopt China’s false rhetoric about the coronavirus pandemic.

The article, headlined, "With US support, Taiwan planted deception about warning World Health Org of Covid," says Taiwan never informed the WHO about the emerging virus in the early days of the pandemic. This contradicts evidence provided by Taiwan and later the United States showing that the WHO was alerted by colleagues in Taiwan in late December that a new virus was spreading.

The official’s promotion of a fringe website raises fresh questions about the embattled health organization's judgment, particularly given The Grayzone’s pro-China bent. The WHO is already under fire from the United States and other nations for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, which they view as overly deferential to China.

Much more at the site - lots of links and screen-caps of tweets. Well researched and WHO shows itself for the incompetent bloated bureaucracy that it is. Time for us to cut our funding - it serves no purpose to America.

I am familiar with the Gray Zone - it purports to be an "edgy" "alternative" news organization but they are very light on fact checking and very heavy on progressive and communist (but I repeat myself) narratives. Fifteen minutes spent with the site will tell you all you need to know.

From The National Pulse:

Google Appears To Blacklist Non-Mainstream News Sites, Calls It ‘Technical Issue’
The search engine powerhouse, which lamented President Trump’s election in 2016 and published a document entitled “The Good Censor”, was – for a period of time – not showing results for sites like The National Pulse, Breitbart, Citizen Free Press, the Daily Caller, Red State, The Bongino Report and more.

The search engine reached out to the National Pulse following publication of this story and insisted that the affects of this “technical issue” were also affecting left wing websites such as DailyKos and OccupyDemocrats.

The issue appears to have been resolved, as of 1:30pm EST.

When a Google user tried to find Breitbart.com for example, the site delivered stories about Breitbart, but not a link to the Breitbart homepage.

Conversely, when searching for the racist New York Times, Google returned a whole suite of options for the user to find the Times homepage, and also browse their sections, and search for keywords.

Google issued an update via its Twitter account which read: “We are aware of an issue with the site: command that may fail to show some or any indexed pages from a website. We are investigating this and any potentially related issues.”

Sounds like some moron SJW had an idea and implemented it without checking with their bosses. Hope that they are working at McDonalds flipping burgers but they probably got suspended for a month or two and will be quietly rehired to a different position with a modest pay raise. Happens all the time.

Been using DuckDuckGo for my search engine for the last couple of years and very happy with it. I also use the Brave Browser for my web work. Stay safe and keep your head down.

Little kiddies - from Dinesh D'Souza:

Heading out - pick up some berries if they still have them. Some fresh potatoes would be awesome too. Got a couple of books to go back to the library and swing by and check the mail.

Have not made it to the dump (or butcherblock countertop) yet. Maybe today? Maybe tomorrow? Running on island time.

First, they create the damn illness, now, they try to steal our vaccine research. From The United States Department of Justice:

Two Chinese Hackers Working with the Ministry of State Security Charged with Global Computer Intrusion Campaign Targeting Intellectual Property and Confidential Business Information, Including COVID-19 Research
A federal grand jury in Spokane, Washington, returned an indictment earlier this month charging two hackers, both nationals and residents of the People’s Republic of China (China), with hacking into the computer systems of hundreds of victim companies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individual dissidents, clergy, and democratic and human rights activists in the United States and abroad, including Hong Kong and China. The defendants in some instances acted for their own personal financial gain, and in others for the benefit of the MSS or other Chinese government agencies. The hackers stole terabytes of data which comprised a sophisticated and prolific threat to U.S. networks.

The 11-count indictment alleges LI Xiaoyu (李啸宇), 34, and DONG Jiazhi (董家志), 33, who were trained in computer applications technologies at the same Chinese university, conducted a hacking campaign lasting more than ten years to the present, targeting companies in countries with high technology industries, including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Targeted industries included, among others, high tech manufacturing; medical device, civil, and industrial engineering; business, educational, and gaming software; solar energy; pharmaceuticals; defense. In at least one instance, the hackers sought to extort cryptocurrency from a victim entity, by threatening to release the victim’s stolen source code on the Internet. More recently, the defendants probed for vulnerabilities in computer networks of companies developing COVID-19 vaccines, testing technology, and treatments.

Wonderful people. China is asshoe loud and clear.

So true - the Overton Window. From Ben Garrison:

I had posted before how COVID test results were bogus (100% tested / 100% infected) - now this from Sarasota, FL station WWSB:

Concerns arise as some receive positive COVID-19 results but never got tested
Coronavirus continues to spread quickly across the state. Plus, now, on the Suncoast, although testing has been made more available, many say there are some problems in really getting a handle on how much the virus is in our community.

It has nothing to do with being able to get tested, but instead the results. The quickest turnaround is about 48 hours, and the majority of the time, it can take about a week of finding out if you’re infected our not. However, the most recent issue is getting back results that aren’t even yours.

“I got a call asking for me, and they told me that I had tested positive. I was like, ‘Positive for what?” Then, the lady said for COVID, and I said, ‘That’s impossible. I never got tested, Ma’am,’” Mindy Clark said.

Clark had gone to the drive thru testing sight at Manatee Rural Health, but before she was able to get swabbed, she left the line because she realized it was for people with symptoms only.

“I told them they needed to take this off my record, and they said I had to prove it to them that I wasn’t positive,” Clark continued.

She tested negative just two days later, and also tested negative for the antibodies. Plus, according to many of our viewers, this hasn’t only happened to her.

Clark says if she and many others have been incorrectly identified as positive in the state’s system so easily, how accurate are the numbers that are released daily?

Yeah - the deep state needs high numbers if they want to perpetuate this scam. Lots of useful idiots out there in state government.

Quick surf before heading out. Never got to the dump run yesterday so that is on the agenda for today. Picking up the butcherblock countertop too.

Another really nice day so far - cloudy in the morning but cleared off and temps in the low 70's for now - got up to 86°F yesterday afternoon and expecting the same today.

A couple more things here and then out for coffee and some errands.

There is nothing out there tonight.

Watching some more of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - started back up with series five - seven is not out on Netflix yet and I had not seen the last two so catching up. Introducing space and time travel into the storyline - fun stuff. Binge on that for a week or so. The human body needs fiber and roughage to stay healthy. This is the same stuff but for the brain.

Ran a bit long but covered a lot of ground. We have a couple of major events each year and the Wuhan Flu is impacting all of them - fund raising has been impacted and the uncertainty is making planning for 2021 a bit tenuous. Guess this is why they pay us the big bucks...

From FOX News:

Kayleigh McEnany: Portland mayor refusing to 'admit that he lost control of his city'
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Monday that though other officials have requested the help of federal law enforcement to deter violence, Portland, Ore., is lagging in that respect.

“What we’ve seen in Portland, however, is a mayor who is unwilling to admit that he lost control of his city,” McEnany told “Outnumbered Overtime.”

McEnany continued, “A mayor who is saying, I don’t need the help of federal law enforcement, while you have these rioters trying to burn down a courthouse, set a police building on fire, hurl pigs feet, attack officers and threaten police officers and citizens alike,” McEnany said.

The city commissioner in Portland, Ore., has called on Mayor Ted Wheeler to surrender authority over the police department, accusing him “putting our community in danger.”

One continuing theme with these Democrat shitholes is that there is no leadership. No recognizing that there is a problem and then digging in a fixing it. They think that they can appease the kiddies but that only encourages them to ask for more. James Woods had it right:

A lesson about kneeling to your oppressors: the only thing you get from eating shit is a bigger bowl of it the second time around.

An inconvenient truth.

This is back when America was trying the Volstead Act. Another case of the nattering activists getting the upper hand. They stopped the commercial sale of alcohol but enabled the big crime families and opened up the US to smuggling. These morons never learn.

When the left goes so far, even the radicals are fed up:

So true:

Perfect soundtrack too:

Getting rid of the rot at the top. From the London Daily Mail:

Trump-supporting Austrian Red Bull boss fired top US executive team for 'leaking internal documents showing some employees are furious at the company's failure to address Black Lives Matter'
Red Bull has fired two top executives in the US who had lobbied for more diversity in the company and were blamed for the leak of a letter that criticized its 'public silence' on Black Lives Matter.

North America chief executive Stefan Kozak and North America president and chief marketing officer Amy Taylor were let go, the energy drink company said Tuesday.

They are not opposed to diversity:

Taylor and Kozak are said to have worked together over the last several years on efforts to increase diversity at Red Bull.

Taylor wanted the company to speak out about racism and was working on a project to increase black representation but the company leadership was 'not interested', sources claim.

The Red Bull F1 team did put a statement out on June 22 speaking of its 'determination to tackle the challenges that we as a sport, but also society, are facing', saying that racism 'has no place in our modern world'.

But Taylor and Kozak were wanting to go full social justice warrior - great way to kill a company and murder a brand. Good that they were shut down and the rot nipped in the bud. This is a fad and will pass soon enough - no need to poison the whole company.

Things just got interesting - from the New York City ABC affiliate:

Federal judge's son killed, husband shot in New Jersey; suspect found dead
The son of a federal judge in New Jersey was killed and her husband injured in a shooting at their home in North Brunswick on Sunday, and the man believed to be the suspect was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday.

Judge Esther Salas' 20-year-old son Daniel was shot multiple times and died at the scene, while her husband -- criminal defense Attorney Mark Anderl -- is in critical but stable condition at the hospital after undergoing surgery, North Brunswick Mayor Francis Womack said.

A body later found at Campsite and Berry Brook roads in Sullivan County, New York, is believed to be the suspect. He was identified as Roy Hollander, a Manhattan lawyer and self-described anti-feminist, multiple law enforcement sources briefed on the case told ABC News.

Hollander's body was discovered by a municipal employee in the town of Rockland. New York State Police were on scene, and the FBI was called.

A bit more:

Police said the gunman was wearing a face covering and a FedEx uniform, posing as a delivery driver when he arrived at the family home around 5 p.m. Sunday. Authorities say Daniel Anderl opened the door and was immediately shot, with the gunman then wounding Mark Anderl before fleeing the scene.

There was no FedEx truck involved, and the suspect used an ordinary car to make a getaway, sources said.

And Judge Salas:

Just last week, Salas was appointed to hear an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor "high-risk" customers including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

There is a lot happening beneath the surface. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Got nothing this morning. A murder of interest - a lawyer connected to the Epstein case but no details as yet.

Heading out for a little bit - coffee and dump run. Busy morning loading up the van.

Nice day today and had a great clear view of Neowise last night. Faint but plainly visible to the dark-adapted eye. Gorgeous.

Done for the day.

Online meeting tomorrow - going back to Zoom until some of the bugs with Google Meet can be worked out (some members have very old equipment).

Going to check out Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight. Got to watching it a few years ago - first three seasons were really MEH but it got really good really fast and kept me very entertained. The last season (Seven) is out so checking that out.

Forecast is for nice weather tomorrow - clouds and wet weather moving in Wednesday so working outside while I have the rays. Was putting together a desktop and decided to spring for a nice piece of butcherblock for the countertop. Picking that up tomorrow after the dump run. Had a formica top for the last 20 years so time for a bit of an upgrade. Chipped and nasty.

Looks like the liberal bycott of Goya food products did not go as they planned. From PJ Media:

Bodega Owners Reject Goya Boycott, AOC Hardest Hit
Following Goya CEO Robert Unanue’s praise for President Trump at a White House event, social media was alight with calls to boycott the food maker. Leading the fight was Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Proving that Twitter isn’t real life, the boycott has already proven to be a failure and it took yet another hit today. The United Bodegas of America (UBA) said it will keep stocking Goya products.

Members gathered to reject the boycott in a public statement. According to UBA spokesman Fernando Mateo:

“Goya Foods employs over 5,000 people in the Tristate area, these are 5000 of our family members that Goya is supporting. Goya is not just a brand, they’re an institutional family member. We will never turn our backs on those that have been there for all Latin America. Let’s raise and commend Goya Foods for all the good they have done, let’s NOT allow anyone to tell us what we can or can’t buy, Si Es Goya Tiene Que Ser Bueno. Let’s leave it at that.”

The group also highlighted Goya’s record of social responsibility. As an example, the company is donating 2 million pounds of food to those in need during the pandemic.

And the reason why this is so wonderful:

First, Unanue rejected calls to apologize and infuriated the mob. The mob doubled down and ended up looking foolish as stores emptied of Goya products. A man based in Arlington, Va., ran a successful GoFundMe, which raised $200,000 to buy Goya products to donate to food pantries.

Now an entire business owners’ association is rejecting the mob. There is an important lesson here about community. Goya brings jobs and charitable giving to the communities it serves. As such, the community will support Goya when push comes to shove.

The position of the UBA could not be clearer. Not only will the business owners continue to stock Goya products. They will also advocate for people to purchase them. This is a kind of brand loyalty many companies can only dream of.

The UBA is also highlighting another important effect of boycotts. They have the potential to hurt frontline employees and their families. If the boycott had been successful, employees could have lost hours or even their jobs. AOC says she represents the working class, but she will actually hurt them to own Trump. Clearly, she is willing to place politics over people when it suits her resistance agenda.

And this is not the first time she has shown a lack of concern for the economic gain of a community. AOC was key to chasing Amazon out of a Queens, N.Y., location because she doesn’t understand how taxes work. Amazon eventually made plans to place 3,500 jobs in the city, but this was far less than the originally proposed 25,000.

In the age of cancel culture, the left is focused on high profile individuals. It seems leftists do not care about how this affects people downstream of their targets. Employees and their families are generally going to be hit much harder economically than a CEO or another prominent individual. And leftists want you to believe they are for the little guy.

The kiddies do not think ahead. They do not comprehend that actions have consequences. They do not see that this is not just a long now, this is a timeline with history, with the present and with a future. Everything is interconnected. They may vent their rage. They may get their fifteen minutes of fame. But... They will fail. Actions of this sort have always failed and will always fail.

It did not take long for this meme to show up:

Quiet news day - went out and had a wonderful conversation with a friend over coffee and met up with a couple other people. Love this island.

Cloudy but nice weather - working in the garage and doing a bit more with the ham radio stuff. Planning a dump run for tomorrow.

Doing another baked potato for dinner with some steamed veggies. Been eating them a lot but they are good food - cheap and nutritious.

The gift that keeps on giving - long since deleted but still relevant:

Do not forget that the draconian restrictions for Washington State expire on November 5th, 2020 - two days after the election and plenty of time to count votes in a close race. Wonder what their Plan B is if they do not win? Hate to imagine.

When they pull shit like this - from National Public Broadcasting:

Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged that it is mixing the results of two different kinds of tests in the agency's tally of testing for the coronavirus, raising concerns among some scientists that it could be creating an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic in the United States.

The CDC combines the results of genetic tests that spot people who are actively infected, mostly by using a process known as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, with results from another, known as serology testing, which looks for antibodies in people's blood. Antibody testing is used to identify people who were previously infected.

The CDC's practice was first reported by Miami public radio station WLRN on Wednesday and was confirmed by the agency in a subsequent email to NPR.

Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, expressed concern that adding the two types of tests together could leave the impression that more testing of active cases had been conducted than was actually the case.

Serology is also not as accurate and it generally errors on the false positive side. Serology will throw a positive if you were exposed to it in January but never came down with symptoms. More on this at The Atlantic:

‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conflating the results of two different types of coronavirus tests, distorting several important metrics and providing the country with an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic. We’ve learned that the CDC is making, at best, a debilitating mistake: combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus. The upshot is that the government’s disease-fighting agency is overstating the country’s ability to test people who are sick with COVID-19. The agency confirmed to The Atlantic on Wednesday that it is mixing the results of viral and antibody tests, even though the two tests reveal different information and are used for different reasons.

This is not merely a technical error. States have set quantitative guidelines for reopening their economies based on these flawed data points.

One reaction:

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ashish Jha, the K. T. Li Professor of Global Health at Harvard and the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told us when we described what the CDC was doing. “How could the CDC make that mistake? This is a mess.”

What he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has one job to do and they are failing miserably. Time to cut their funding 40% and move their headquarters to Flint, Michigan.

Politics in three panels:

Heh - the tactics in Portland are getting very effective. I posted about it yesterday but this tweet has a video:

One of the comments sums it up best:

To your point I’m wondering whether DHS spun up the entire intel apparatus after Barr declared Antifa terrorists. Electronic surveillance, the whole shebang as it’s called technically. We laughed at the ease of moving in and lifting out specific people.

That is it - they are not hoovering up anyone they can get, they are looking for specific people.

When you target a Federal property - be it a building, a person or a vehicle - whatever...  the response is not going to be from the local constabulary. The response is going to be from Federal law enforcement officers and they operate under an entirely different set of rules. The penalties are usually a lot harsher. The Federal government learned its lesson 40 years ago when it never really prosecuted our domestic terrorists.

Now? The gloves are off. Good riddance. Actions have consequences.

The water levels are only now just peaking - from Canada's Global News/Associated Press:

At least 14 killed by flooding in China as water peaks at Three Gorges Dam
At least 14 people have died in the latest round of seasonal rains and flooding in southern China, as soldiers and workers built makeshift barriers with sandbags and rocks Saturday to keep the Yangtze River and its tributaries at bay.

Three floodgates of the Three Gorges Dam that spans the Yangtze were opened as the water level behind the massive dam rose more than 15 meters above flood level, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

And some trouble downstream:

Downriver, firefighters and others finished filling in a 188-meter (620-foot) break in a dike on Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, Xinhua said.

The dike gave way nine days ago, flooding 15 villages and agricultural fields in Jiangxi province, the news agency said. More than 14,000 people were evacuated.

Floodwaters are forecast to peak today (Saturday) but more rain is forecast for this coming Tuesday. China is in a world of hurt for feeding its people as well as any agricultural export revenue.

Talk about a toxic corporate culture - from Disrn:

Out of 8,000 federal contributions from CDC employees since 2015, only 5 went to Republican causes, FEC records show
More than 550 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made over 8,000 contributions totaling more than $285,000 to Democratic causes since 2015. In that time, only five contributions have been made toward Republican causes, Federal Election Commission records indicate.

Out of those five contributions, which totaled slightly more than $1,000, three sent money to President Trump's 2016 campaign.

The contributions came from nurses, technology personnel, epidemiologists, and the CDC's chief financial officer.

Common recipients of CDC contributions:

• • ActBlue - an online fundraising platform for Democratic and left-leaning organizations
  • Bernie 2020
  • Biden for President
  • Hillary for America
  • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
  • Warren for President, Inc.
  • Indivisible Action — a progressive organization which seeks to "elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda."

Soon after W.H.O. declared coronavirus a global pandemic in early March, the amount of money contributed by CDC employees to left-leaning causes by the end of the month was three-times higher than the previous five-year average.

Additionally, the total number of contributions more than doubled compared to the previous five-year monthly average.

Political contributions are closely monitored by several agencies and are a matter of public record so this information is not hard to track down and is as accurate as you are going to get. The swamp is deep at that organization. No wonder they were so quick to jump on the bullshit pandemic bandwagon and no wonder that President Trump is cutting them out of the loop.

Heh - not surprised on bit - from Breitbart:

World Health Organization Hires PR Firm to Find Celebrity Influencers to Counter Negative Publicity
Under fire from President Trump for its botched handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has reached out to a high powered PR firm with the mission to find celebrity influencers who can sing the praises of the embattled United Nations agency and boost its public image.

The WHO signed a $135,000 contract on May 1 with Hill + Knowlton Strategies to reach out to influencers of all stripes, including celebrities with more than 1 million followers on social media, according to documents filed this week to the Justice Department.

Hill + Knowlton outlined a plan of action in its proposal that was included in the filing.

“There has been criticism and assertions leveled against the World Health Organization (WHO) and media coverage that could undermine WHO as a trusted and critical information source on global public health issues,” the PR firm wrote. The objective is to “ensure there is trust in the WHO’s advice and that public health guidance is followed.”

Of course they would hire social media "influencers". They stopped doing science and medicine 60 years ago (hint: they were founded 72 years ago). They are a political organization that sells out to the highest bidder and hews to the progressive narrative. They have nothing to do with Health or Medicine or Science.

The whole of the United Nations are about as useful as tits on a boar hog and they should be defunded and their prime real-estate in Manhattan should be reclaimed. They could put up a palatial headquarters in Mogadishu or somewhere appropriate. They could probably get a decent price on one of Saddam Hussain's palaces. (here, here, or here) I still think that a Trump Tower would be a perfect replacement for the Manhattan HQ. Poke them in the eye a little bit 🙂

Got a lot of stuff done. Productive day. Working in the garage this afternoon and thawing out a tuna steak for dinner - that with some chard and a pot of rice. Go Hawai'ian for the night. Checking out the online meeting software too.

Points North - Bellingham, Mt. Vernon and then back to the island. Grab a coffee on the way.

From James Woods:

Speaking the truth.

Woke up to a nice bright sunrise - rolled over and went back to nap for another two hours as I had been up late last night finally seeing Neowise. Needed binoculars but it was gorgeous. Faintly visible to the naked eye.

Heading up to Bellingham this morning for a few things and then stop off at the food coop, pick up some more fresh corn tortillas (they freeze really well) and then visiting the farm. Still want to check out the baby alpacas.

The local arts group I am involved with has been using Zoom for its online meetings - I will be spending this afternoon looking at Google Meetings - a free alternative. We have a board meeting coming up this Monday so looking for alternatives to running our data through ChiCom servers.

Forecast looks good for the next couple of days. Might be having a summer after all.

...not surprising:

A two-fer. First this - from NTD - China in Focus:

China Bank Collapse Rumors Spark Bank Runs
A new round of flooding has emerged in upstream Yangtze River and is moving downstream, fast. An expert says this is creating a dilemma for the Three Gorges Dam.

Rumors of Chinese banks collapsing are flooding social media in China. Worried customers have descended on several banks to withdraw their money. Police took people into custody, accusing them of spreading rumors.

Half of China’s important agricultural provinces have been impacted by the biggest flooding in decades. Peasants and the authorities are giving different pictures about food supply for this year.

And then this - from Nikkei Asian Review:

China warns of 'stronger flood' as Three Gorges Dam faces swell
Chinese authorities warned on Friday of the arrival of a "stronger" flood at the Three Gorges Dam and issued new alerts in downstream cities, as more rains are expected in the coming days.

Cities in the country's central region along the Yangtze River -- China's longest river -- have been inundated in the past week amid the annual monsoon season, with the worst flooding since 1998. Across the country, 433 rivers have flooded, and 141 people have died or are missing.

Heavy downpours have been lashing the region since last month, pushing average rainfall 12% higher than last year. The economic damage from flooding is expected to reach 86.2 billion yuan ($12 billion), according to some estimates.

FIrst the flooding. The agricultural problems are a no-brainer as the flooding is in China's breadbasket. The bank runs are unexpected but also not surprising. Could not be happening to a nicer government.

Found on the internet:

...they are using COVID to do it. From the first page of this document from the WA State Department of Labor and Industries. I will use some screen caps as this is a 100+ page PDF document.

Top of page one - blah, blah, blah...

And bottom of page one - where it gets interesting:

Specifically: 

Note: Emergency rule WAC 296-800-14035 - "2019 Novel coronavirus prohibited business activities and compliance with conditions for operations" effective July 8, 2020 through November 5, 2020, is appended to the end of this book.

I love how they use the words "compliance with conditions for" - this is not about your health and safety, this is about their control of you.

So, the General Election is on Tuesday, November 3rd of this year and the "Emergency rulings" expire that next Thursday - two days later? This timing seems to be a wee bit opportunistic to me. It is like they need to keep the rulings in place until the election is over and they have a day or two until enough votes are counted to be certain. If things go their way, the rules are dropped and it is back to tyranny business as usual. If things do not go their way, they probably have a new set of rules waiting in the wings ready to make life easy street for you and me.

And stop feeding off the taxpayer trough. From Business Insider:

EPA staffers warn of a huge exodus if Trump wins again. 'We can't do four more years of this.'
Career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency were devastated when Donald Trump became president.Nearly four years later, EPA staff and former officials said Trump has politicized and dismantled the agency beyond recognition. According to them, industry interests now have an "overriding voice" there. "I think many of the long-term employees will be able to exhale and get back to business," a longtime EPA official said of the prospect of a Joe Biden win in November.In an exclusive interview, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said he planned to lead the agency "for at least the next two to three years."Environmentalists and ex-EPA staffers are thinking about ways to revive the agency but say it's going to be a monumental task. "You have to get this agency from a fetal position into Superman," a union official said.

When Donald Trump clinched the presidency in 2016, employees at the Environmental Protection Agency wept. They'd watched as Trump pledged on the campaign trail to slash their agency. Staffers feared their jobs would be cut and that eight years of work drafting environmental policies for the Obama administration would be flushed down the drain. "We had tears when this man won the election," said Gary Morton, a 26-year EPA veteran who retired last year and now leads a union representing about 7,500 agency employees nationwide. "He ran on a platform of killing the Environmental Protection Agency. Three and a half years later, EPA staff and former leaders who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents said Trump and his team have dismantled the agency charged with safeguarding the nation's air, water, and public health even further than they expected. Beyond the administration trashing former President Barack Obama's signature environmental policies, Trump's critics say it has sidelined scientists, sent veteran staffers packing, and blocked meaningful action on climate change.It has all taken a toll on staff, said an EPA employee who spoke with Insider on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the press. Workers inside the agency are looking toward the November presidential election thinking, "Holy s---, we can't do four more years of this," the employee said. Staff said they've held on by hoping that Trump would serve only a single term.They said they've felt left out of the agency's inner circle and distrusted by political appointees. For a while, they were even physically blocked from getting anywhere close to the administrator's office. Another EPA employee said for the career staff at the agency those who aren't political appointees "unquestionably, people are holding on and looking forward and counting the days." If Trump is reelected, staffers said, they're expecting many of their colleagues to leave the agency.

For now, EPA employees are quietly discussing how the agency might be overhauled if presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ousts Trump in November - a prospect many of them would embrace, according to a dozen interviews with current and former staffers and former EPA administrators who served under presidents from both parties. If there's a change in administration, "I think many of the long-term employees will be able to exhale and get back to business," a longtime EPA official said.

Heh - the EPA needs to stick to its charter. When it was founded in 1970 (Executive Order from President Richard M. Nixon), it was sorely needed. We had major air, water and soil pollution. We had a river in Ohio that caught fire. We had sewerage being dumped from our cities into our rivers. We had Tetra-ethyl Lead used in our gasoline (it makes engines run a lot better).

BUT. They did their work and they got us cleaned up and got us understanding that it is better to stay clean than to go back to our polluting ways. So... What do they do? They grow and metastasize and creep and become this huge bureaucracy that can never shrink, it can never be downsized and it will never die.

The EPA does fill a need but a greatly reduced one. They should have their funding cut by 80% and they should move their headquarters to Kansas City and get out of the D.C. swamp. Anything else is a waste of our hard-earned money.

From Oregon Public Broadcasting:

Federal Law Enforcement Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab Protesters Off Portland Streets
In the early hours of July 15, after a night spent protesting at the Multnomah County Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, Mark Pettibone and his friend Conner O’Shea decided to head home.

It had been a calm night compared to most protesting downtown. By 2 a.m. law enforcement hadn’t used any tear gas and, with only a few exceptions, both the Portland Police Bureau and federal law enforcement officers had stayed out of sight.

A block west of Chapman Square, Pettibone and O’Shea bumped into a group of people who warned them that people in camouflage were driving around the area in unmarked minivans grabbing people off the street.

“So that was terrifying to hear,” Pettibone said.

They had barely made it half a block when an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them.

“I see guys in camo,” O’Shea said. “Four or five of them pop out, open the door and it was just like, ‘Oh shit. I don’t know who you are or what you want with us.’”

Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least July 14. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested, and driving off.

The kiddies are causing damage to Federal property - buildings, etc...  Only legal and fitting that they be rounded up by the Federal authorities. I am betting that there is a mountain of documentation sitting on some hard drives - video, cell phone transcripts, GPS tracking. Ironclad. Say goodbye for ten years kiddos... Makes me smile.

Most people are but they are not being as vocal. Wait until they get into the privacy of a voting booth. From Pop Culture:

Bubba Wallace Booed at NASCAR All-Star Open, Cheered After Crash
Bubba Wallace took some heat before he competed in the NASCAR All-Star Open, which was the race to qualify for the main event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday. AP Sports reporter Jenna Fryer covered the event and wrote on Twitter that fans booed Wallace when he was introduced. And when he crashed 17 laps into the race, the crowd began cheering.

People are just plain tired of the manufactured outrage and the phony acts of racism. This bullshit has gone on long enough. Bubba lied to his fan base when he claimed that there was a noose in his garage.

In the last month or two, strongly conservative states seem to have disproportionally higher cases of COVID than places like New York or California. This is due to fraud plain and simple. First Florida and now Texas - from San Antonio station WOAI:

Discrepancy in COVID-19 numbers arises due to 'probable' cases
Right now there’s a discrepancy in the numbers reported by Metro Health and those reported by the State Health Department.

The State Health Department has removed more than 3,000 cases classified as ‘probable’ from the Bexar County and state totals, which puts our local cases at over 17,000.

And then, there is this recent gem from Florida - BizPac Review:

Fla health official shocks reporter when he says man in 20s listed as Covid death died in motorcycle accident
A Florida health official sparked more questions about the state’s COVID-19 data after revealing that a recent victim of the virus actually died in a motorcycle crash.

The Democrats are desperate so they are cooking the numbers to get states shut down. There are always fifth-columnists in even the most conservative of states. They have nothing to offer so they cheat.

They didn't have anything then, they do not have anything now, they never had anything. From the National Review:

Declassified Strzok Notes Debunk 2017 New York Times Article on Trump Campaign Russia Collusion
Former FBI agent Peter Strzok debunked a February 14, 2017, article in The New York Times on possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence, noting that the agency had seen no evidence of connections between campaign officials and Russian officers.

Strzok’s type-written comments on the Times article were declassified by the FBI on Thursday, along with several other documents that are currently available on the website of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is not clear exactly when Strzok typed those comments.

“The comments of Peter Strzok regarding the February 14 New York Times article are devastating in that they are an admission that there was no reliable evidence that anyone from the Trump Campaign was working with Russian Intelligence Agencies in any form,” Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said in a statement.

The Times article asserts that “phone records and intercepted calls” showed that Trump campaign officials had contact with members of the Russian intelligence services.

“This statement is misleading and inaccurate as written,” Strzok wrote of the passage. “We have not seen evidence of any individuals affiliated with the Trump team in contact with [intelligence officers].”

Heh - this is going to be a fun couple of months leading up to November 3rd.

China is asshoe for sure. From Legal Insurrection:

China, Iran Close to Signing $400 Billion Trade and Military Pact
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Communist China are close to signing a $400 billion strategic deal. Both regimes are working on a 25-year “Cooperation Roadmap” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, China will invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the oil-rich nation, giving it control over the country’s natural resources and access to Iranian military and air bases, recent news reports say. China will initially station 5000 “security personnel” to “protect” its investment, the Indian business daily Financial Express revealed on Monday.

Europe-based Radio Farda reported on the ongoing negotiations, citing official Iranian news agencies:

The Islamic Republic and China are holding talks on finalizing their 25-year “Cooperation Roadmap” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted on Tuesday, July 14.

Meanwhile, Zarif claimed that Beijing initially submitted a “draft” of the agreement in March 2020, based on an earlier copy presented by Iran. (…)

In the meantime, Tabnak, a website close to the Islamic Republic Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has published an eighteen-page text of the draft, which has no details and contains general statements of optimal cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides are negotiating on having the two drafts finalized, Zarif asserted, noting that the document should then be ratified by the responsible bodies of the two countries.

The pact opens up the country to economic exploration by Communist China, Iranian dissidents warn.

“The regime dominating our country is seeking to sign a despicable 25-year agreement with China to plunder Iran’s natural resources and accepting a foreign army in our homeland, ” Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi said earlier this month.

The pact with China has strong backing from Iran’s ruling Islamic establishment, including that of the regime’s military wing and the U.S. designated terrorist group, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is “a pact between the lion and the dragon,” the IRGC-affiliated newspaper Javan  declared.

The current regime - the islamist tyrants and sponsors of global terror - see the writing on the wall. They are getting huge personal payments from China in exchange for prostituting the nation of Iran for the next generation. At the end of 25 years, the Chinese will own them 100%. Yet another reason to divest from China - China is not our friend.

In the Southwest. From the Arizona Department of Agriculture:

RABBIT HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE FACT SHEET
On March 25, the Arizona State Veterinarian's Office received Information from the State Veterinarian in New Mexico that they had a confirmed case of RHDV2 in a domestic rabbit and were seeing a die off of wild rabbits as well.  On April 2, New Mexico reported that since the March 24, 2020 diagnosis of RHDV2 in pet rabbits was confirmed at Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL), 5 additional detections on premises in 5 counties have been confirmed, and this investigation is ongoing. On April 2, they confirmed RHDV2 in a wild black-tailed jackrabbit and wild cottontails, representing the first detection of this virus in wild rabbits in the United States.

And: 

Origin of the disease
The RHD virus was first diagnosed in 1984 in China. It spread widely throughout the world and is well established in some countries.

Just wonderful - Ebola is a hemorrhagic disease. Nasty stuff. Problems in Colorado too.

Did more shopping than I was planning. The farmer's market was great - got food for next week. Picked up some stuff for Cat as well as general household items.

Surf for a while - doing another baked potato and the rest of the beans, waiting for that to heat up.

Went out to get a washer and dryer this morning - Nextdoor website deal. My existing washer had a bad water level sensor and that would have been $140 for the part. I paid under $500 for the washer and the set that I got today was a mid-range Kenmore for $100 for the pair. I will sell the old dryer (works great) and scrap the old washer. I have seen articles on how to reuse the motors - try that and then take the sheet metal to the dump for scrap. Maybe make a nice outdoor firepit with the drum.

Heading out for coffee. The Center has cut the grocery deliveries back to Wednesday only so I am a free man today. The big Farmer's Market is in town today so heading out to that. Pick up some more tea and maybe a run up to Costco.

Was really cloudy and lightly raining this morning when I woke up. Clearing off and mid 70's now - nice day.

Back in a while.

From Big League Politics:

Defund the Police Activist Arrested, Charged With Six Counts of Child Pornography
A prominent New Hampshire Defund the Police and Black Lives Matter activist was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography last week. Chris DeVries is also being charged for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms and falsification of physical evidence, which Jackson, New Hampshire police claim is a result of the progressive activist attempting to chuck away his cell phone when law enforcement arrived at his residence.

He is going to have fun in prison - other inmates do not like child molesters. Scum - all of them.

Armed robbery gone right - from Houston, TX station KHOU

I love how nonchalant the shopkeeper was - shepherding the other customers out of the store and then locking the door. Perfect.

My two favorite storm chasers are Pecos Hank and Mike Olbinski. Two very different styles but both are incredible.

Mike's newest one is out - watch full screen with the sound turned up - simply delightful:

This is from May 30th of this year. Where is the Queen? Royal Family?

Fallout from Prince Harry? COVID? The Epstein/Maxwell scandal about to break? The Royal Seal being removed means that the Royal Family is not in residence.

From British YouTuber John Lovell

From The Vancouver Sun:

Travelling animatronic dinosaur exhibit going under the hammer in Langley next month
Don’t be surprised if you spot a 72-foot roaring brontosaurus, a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex or a fearsome velociraptor outside a Metro Vancouver home or business over the next few months.

On Aug. 6, Langley’s Able Auctions will be selling an enormous animatronic dinosaur and fossil collection that was at one point part of an international touring exhibition.

“There’s just about every type of dinosaur,” said Jeremy Dodd, CEO of Able Auctions. “We also have a whole pile of authentic and original fossils and all the equipment that’s related to putting on a show like this.”

Dodd said there were between 70 and 80 of the animatronic dinos, which move and make sounds.

Do not have room for a full Tyrannosaurus but maybe a smaller one would be nice to greet the tourists as they scream along our 35MPH country road at double the limit.

Some of the other stuff is gorgeous - nice fossils. Auction site.

Great news and President Trump at his most direct - get it done and screw the whingers. From Borepatch:

HHS cuts CDC out of Covid data reporting loop
In news from the war against the Deep State, this is really interesting:

A new directive from the Trump administration has cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention out of the loop for data from hospitals treating patients with COVID-19, a move which could have significant effects on what information about the pandemic is made public and how it is presented and used.

It's pretty clear that the White House does not trust the CDC.  They have good reason not to ("Don't wear a mask"/"You have to wear a mask"/"Don't take HCQ"/"Maybe take HCQ").

The instructions also explicitly bar hospitals from reporting to the CDC in addition to HHS: "As of July 15, 2020, hospitals should no longer report the COVID-19 information in this document to the National Healthcare Safety Network site," the document explains, referring to the CDC's system.

...

In other words, for hospitals to receive federal aid, including access to one of the few known beneficial drugs for treating COVID-19, they will have to comply with the administration's data directive.

Like I said, this is really interesting.  Of course, the Usual Suspects are complaining.  I guess they haven't caught on how that's not a bug, it's a feature.

Heh - bet that the CDC is going to have a really hard time justifying its budget appropriations next time these roll around. Not defunded but put on serious caloric restriction until they get rid of the dead-wood and shape up and do their fscking jobs.

Great routine from Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live back (1984) when they used to do comedy and entertainment:

Tip of the hat to Don Surber for finding this gem.

Doing a baked potato with some beans along with a salad for dinner tonight. Cheap, delicious and good for you.

Wish I could virtue-signal that I am now on the Goya BUY-cott bandwagon but I've been buying their products by the case from the local restaurant supply store for more than the last ten years. Good  and tasty products, reasonable prices. Sauteed them with some onions, seasonings and a bit of BBQ sauce for tonight (and the next day or two).

Got mine in the mail today - 36 people running for the office of Governor. I thought the Democratic Presidential Primary was a clown car with 14. This is unreal.

Some of the parties are a hoot: StandupAmerica, the Trump Republican Party, of course we have a few honest Marxists with the Socialist Workers Party and the Cascadia Labour Party, Green Party, Propertairanist Party, Independent, No Party, American Patriot Party, Fifth Republic Party, Pre2016 Republican Party, and the New Liberty Party. Some of these are just NeverTrump RINOs masquerading as conservative. Some are just the usual shopworn Marxist/Socialist radicals trying on some camouflage. I will leave you to your own DuckDuckGo fu to figure out which is which.

Some pretty simple choices really.

I posted an infographic about building your immune system yesterday. Here is another option - been there, done that:

Tip of the hat to Daily Timewaster

From Chris Lynch:

Democratic National Convention
The 2020 Democratic National Convention is supposed to start on Monday August 17th and end on Thursday August 20th in Milwaukee. How long before it is announced that the convention will be "cancelled"?

COVID-19 will surely be blamed and the DNC will try to turn this into a virtual event but how many people will want to tune in to watch that?

The DNC probably wants to avoid having Joe Biden speak for any length of time at all costs but at the same time they need a national stage and a big audience to launch the Party's VP pick. That VP pick may be the DNC's only hope at avoiding a down-ticket bloodbath in November.

At the same time cancelling the event makes sense in that the DNC also knows an in-person event will devolve quickly into a BLM, Defund the Police, Green New Deal orgy broadcast on national TV with most likely a sideshow of protests and violence. Chicago 1968 anyone?

Get the popcorn out. This will be interesting to watch.

Interesting to watch indeed. The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was very interesting - this was the first time that television cameras had low-light level capabilities so the news media (back when they were real journalists) was able to broadcast the police brutality and the rioting. Inside the convention hall, Dan Rather was grabbed by security guards and roughed up while on a live microphone. And then this happened:

August 28, 1968 came to be known as the day a "police riot" took place. The title of "police riot" came out of the Walker Report, which amassed a great deal of information and eyewitness accounts to determine what happened in Chicago. At approximately 3:30 p.m., a young man lowered the American flag at a legal rally taking place at Grant Park. The demonstration was made up of 10,000 protesters. The police broke through the crowd and began beating the boy, while the crowd pelted the police with food, rocks, and chunks of concrete. Police fought with the protesters and vice versa. The chants of the protesters shifted from "Hell no, we won't go" to "Pigs are whores". Tom Hayden, one of the leaders of Students for a Democratic Society, encouraged protesters to move out of the park to ensure that if they were to be tear gassed, the whole city would be tear gassed, and made sure that if blood were spilled in Chicago it would happen throughout the city. The amount of tear gas used to suppress the protesters was so great that it eventually made its way to the Hilton Hotel, where it disturbed Hubert Humphrey while in his shower. The police were taunted by the protesters with chants of "Kill, kill, kill". They sprayed demonstrators and bystanders indiscriminately with mace. The police assault in front of the Hilton Hotel the evening of August 28 became the most famous image of the Chicago demonstrations of 1968. The entire event took place live under the T.V. lights for seventeen minutes with the crowd shouting, "The whole world is watching".

Meanwhile, in the convention hall, Connecticut Senator Abraham Ribicoff used his nominating speech for George McGovern to tell of the violence going on outside the convention hall, saying that "And, with George McGovern as President of the United States, we wouldn't have to have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago!" Mayor Daley responded to his remark with something that the television sound was not able to pick up. Whatever Daley said, Ribicoff replied, "How hard it is to accept the truth!" That night, NBC News had been switching back and forth between the demonstrators being beaten by the police to the festivities over Humphrey's victory in the convention hall, making it clear to the nation that the Democratic party was sorely divided.

After the Chicago protests, the demonstrators were confident that the majority of Americans would side with them over what had happened in Chicago, especially because of police behavior. They were shocked to learn that controversy over the war in Vietnam overshadowed their cause. Daley shared he had received 135,000 letters supporting his actions and only 5000 condemning them. Public opinion polls demonstrated that the majority of Americans supported the Mayor's tactics. It was often commented through the popular media that on that evening, America decided to vote for Richard Nixon.

I was in my Junior year at High School and involved in the anti-Vietnam war. It seems that a lot of the culture from this era has been dusted off and is being recycled. Here we go again...

Coffee and read for a bit.

Did cleaning all morning - place looks better. Still a ways to go. Made some more nectar for the hummingbird feeders last evening and that is cool enough to refill the feeders - do that when I get back home.

Partly cloudy and cooler - Summer was nice dammit.

I had mentioned before that I signed up for emails from a WA State candidate for governor who I think would be good for the state.

Every. Single. Email. that I get from his campaign is put into my gmail SPAM folder. I open the email, hit the Not Spam button but still, the next email from that address - into the SPAM it goes.

If this is not bias, I do not know what is. A lot of people simply clear out their SPAM folders without checking. Google is trying to down-vote this candidate.

Some wonderful deep-fake work:

From Power Tie - added to my YouTube rotation

Uncomfortable words. Inconvenient words; but true nonetheless:

Uncomfortable words. Inconvenient words; but true nonetheless:

Looks like decades of Democrat rule have taken their toll on a once-great city - from Baltimore, MD station WMAR:

New Book Details Activities of Corrupt Baltimore City Police Squad
The rise and fall of the Baltimore City Police Department's "Gun Trace Task Force" is almost too unbelievable to be true.

The now-former police officers are all in federal prison, when just a few years ago they were winning commendations from the police department's leaders.

Former "City Paper" collaborators Baynard Woods and Brandon Soderberg, have written a new book called “I Got a Monster.” They call the Gun Trace Task Force "America's most corrupt police squad.”

And a bit more:

Soderberg and Woods compiled years of illegal car stops, blatant burglaries of homes, thefts of 10's of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs, and lies about working overtime, into a devastating narrative.

“When you put it in order you start to understand the magnitude of it in the way you don't always understand when you're just sort of saying 'Today this happened; today this happened; today this happened,’” Woods said.

Members of the GTTF operated without fear of being arrested themselves, especially after the death of Freddie Gray back in 2015. Gray died after being arrested in West Baltimore. Six other city police officers were arrested, and violence across Baltimore City spiked:

“That's when these Task Force officers really took advantage of the fact that there was a lot of chaos, a lot of shootings, a lot of violence,” Soderberg said. “If they could help get those guns off the street that they could get on a desk for a news camera, then they could kind of get away with all this other stuff.”

The last time Baltimore had a Republican mayor was from 1963 to 1967. It is interesting to note that the name D'Alesandro is listed twice - from here:

Thomas Ludwig John D'Alesandro III (born July 24, 1929) – known as Tommy D'Alesandro – is an American attorney and former politician who was Mayor of Baltimore from 1967 to 1971. He is the brother of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and son of former Baltimore Mayor Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., who served from 1947 to 1959.

Now we knows where she gets her corruption - a long established Baltimore political family.

Tried to view Neowise last night around 11:00 and a few times after that. There were some thin clouds and enough light pollution coming from Whidbey Island to obscure it. I could make it out in binoculars - gorgeous and big but only caught glimpses with the naked eye and only then by using averted vision. Set the alarm for 3:00AM and the clouds were fully socked in.

Slept in a bit this morning so just starting my day. Low lying clouds obscuring Whidbey and the sky is filled with cirrocumulus which indicate a front moving in. Forecast calls for 10% chance of rain today with 20% tonight and tomorrow. We will see. Sigh. Our short summer was really nice. 

Working around the house this morning - needs some serious cleaning. They may not be high but I do have some standards...

Looks like tonight is optimal for seeing Neowise - from Cliff Mass:

Tonight will be Optimal for Viewing Comet Neowise
If you want to see one of the brightest comets of the past several decades, the viewing will be excellent tonight over the Northwest for comet Neowise.

Our skies are clear or nearly clear today over nearly all the land area of the region, with the exception of the coast. There is no wildfire smoke to contend with.

And the latest model cloud forecast suggests that excellent viewing conditions without clouds will continue for most areas tonight (see forecast for 11 PM tonight below).  Only the coast will be an issue.

It will be getting closer to the Earth and therefore larger but it will also be going farther from the sun and therefore fainter. Going to stay up until about 11PM to look. Skies look nice and clear so far. Staying up until 11PM - getting the camera and tripod ready.

This should make things perfectly clear:

So so true - the people who obsess about cleanliness and sanitation are the ones who are always coming down with something. Never fails. Going through college and starting up several businesses, I worked in food service (usually cooking) at night. There are some basic practices that are iron-clad. Beyond that, too many people fall into the trap of neurosis and obsession - a compulsive disorder and it is not making them safer, quite the opposite. The fact that they are always marginally ill with one thing or another does not wake them up, it drives them deeper.

Tip of the hat to Vern's Stories

Iran has had three explosions of unknown origin in some of their sooper sekreet nuke factories. Nobody knows what happened...  Now this - from United With Israel

7 Iranian Ships Catch Fire, Burn
Seven ships have caught fire in the latest of a string of explosions in recent weeks in Iran.

At least seven ships have caught fire in the Port of Bushehr in southern Iran Wednesday afternoon, local news sites reported.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is located 17 kilometers southeast of the city of Bushehr, along the Persian Gulf.

The circumstances of the incident were not reported.

The incident is the latest in a string of explosions in Iran in recent weeks, including at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Well dagnabbit - looks like 2020 is turning out just as bad for them as it is for us. Sure sucks to be them - wonder when they will come to their senses and stop being a state sponsor of terrorism.

Seattle didn't do squat until the rioters showed up at the Mayor's own home. Then, CHAZ was gone in 48 hours.
Wonder what it will take for Portland's mayor. From BizPac Review:

Portland mayor refuses help, tells federal officers to ‘stay inside’ or ‘leave’ his city
Following weeks of continued protests and unrest in Oregon, Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler is thumbing his nose at any offers of federal assistance to restore order.

The defiant Democrat rebuffed the Department of Homeland Security’s offer to help quell violent demonstrations, declaring that his “immediate concern” is actually with the violence by federal officers. Wheeler declined the offer and told federal agents to “stay inside” or “leave” the city.

Wheeler continued his criticism of federal officers and the “life-threatening tactics” they use in messages on Twitter Tuesday, following the intervention of federal law enforcement agencies which dispatched officers to protect federal buildings and personnel as unrest in Portland continues since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Is he that willfully stupid or is he just blind - so wrapped up in the liberal narrative that he fails to realize it is a web of lies.

Also, the transcript from the George Floyd arrest has been released and he was videotaped complaining about shortness of breath well before he came out of the car and was put on the ground. That and the lethal dose of Fentanyl in his bloodstream and his pre-existing heart condition. Once again, the facts do not jive with the narrative. Seldom do.

From FOX News:

National Association of Police Organizations endorses Trump, after backing Biden as VP in '08, '12
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) endorsed President Trump’s reelection Wednesday, praising his “steadfast and very public support” for law enforcement.

NAPO did not endorse a candidate in the 2016 election but endorsed former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden in both the 2008 and 2012 elections.

NAPO President Michael McHale said Trump's support is needed “during this time of unfair and inaccurate opprobrium being directed at our members by so many.”

“We particularly value your directing the Attorney General to aggressively prosecute those who attack our officers,” McHale wrote in a letter.

The Endorsement letter is embedded in the tweet. Nicely written.

Some testing facilities in Florida are reporting a 100% infection rate for COVID-19. To rephrase that, for 100 people walking in to be tested, 100 of them are testing positive. Impossible. I posted about that here and here.

Why would they be doing this? My Pensieve has one very probable reason with this infographic:

Makes sense to me...

A couple of headlines:

• • 'Grim': China battles record flooding after torrential downpours

And the Dam:

• • Devastating China flooding puts controversial Three Gorges Dam under new scrutiny

And the Dam - historical:

• • Integrity of China’s Three Gorges Dam questioned despite officials dismissing it as safe - July 10, 2019
  • Danger from Three Gorges Dam may force out 100,000 - November 20, 2014
  • China's Three Gorges Dam handles record flow - also November 20, 2014

Did not make it to the farm but planning to go there Saturday - things ran late for pickup so did not get done in time. The farm likes to close at 3:00PM - understandable as this is a working farm and they need to prep for dinner.

Thai food sounds really good tonight - heading North for that.

"These people don't see that if you encourage totalitarian methods, the time may come when they will be used against you instead of for you."
--George Orwell

From Woodsterman:

This has been covered before (here and here for starters) but Branco encapsulates it perfectly in this cartoon:

Some great words from someone who was plowed under by the deep state. From CNS News:

Jeff Sessions: ‘It’s Time For This Republican Party to Listen to the Donald Trump Agenda’
Former Sen. Jeff Session (R.-Ala.), who lost a primary runoff yesterday to former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, said in his concession speech that it “is time for this Republican Party to listen to the Donald Trump agenda.”

“My view about things at this point in history is the political parties have not been sufficiently sensitive to, understanding of, and responsive to the legitimate wishes of the American people, and I have come to that belief more strongly in recent years,” Session said.

Those words should be carved into the foreheads of every person in political office: "the political parties have not been sufficiently sensitive to, understanding of, and responsive to the legitimate wishes of the American people" So true. Some more:

“It is really why I chose to make this race,” he said.

Sessions then talked specifically about immigration, trade and unnecessary wars.

“The American people are not against immigration, but they want a lawful system and they want the kind of immigration that serves the national interest, and does not become a mechanism by which their wages are pulled down and their ability to find a decent job is reduced substantially,” Sessions said.

“They are right about that,” he said.

Much more at the site. He is a good man who, as Attorney General, was in over his head. We may never know why he recused himself during the Fake News Russian Collusion scam but he did and rolled over for the deep state. What did they have on him?

He is speaking truth and needs to be remembered for that. Again:

Quite the auction closing in a few days at Christie's:

Eureka! Scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century
Eureka! is a journey through the scientific and technological breakthroughs that have formed the modern world, and the brilliant minds that lay behind them. Browse and bid on Edison’s designs for the lightbulb, a World War 2 Enigma Machine, property from the estate of the late Professor Stephen Hawking, or the Nobel Prize medal awarded for the invention of IVF.

My choice would be these: Tesla patents : an archive of inventive genius

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)
Collection of 50 original patents. Washington DC: Norris-Peters Co. for the USPTO, 1886-1914. In a modern black morocco-backed cloth clamshell box.

Fifty separate patents, each of 3-7 pages with at least one drawing with schematics. The vast majority has an annotated note in a contemporary hand on the front blank leaf indicating the patent holder (Tesla), the patent number, and often the date the application was filed, date of issuance and date of expiration. Some have underlining in the text.

An extraordinary collection of Tesla’s patents, including those for the invention of radio (disputed by Marconi), the ‘Tesla coil’ and power transmissions systems, remote-controlled devices, AC motors, generators, incandescent and arc-lighting, transformers, and many others.

These are the original copies sent from the US Patent Office back to Tesla's attorneys. Tesla's patent for the invention of radio was upheld by the United States Supreme Court - Tesla publically demonstrated working radio several years before Marconi ever sent the dots across the Atlantic Ocean.

Got a gorgeous day in the forecast for today and then two cloudy days but minimal precip and the rest of the week looks amazing.

Working outside for the next couple of days.

Coffee in about an hour and then grocery deliveries. Check in at the farm to cuddle a baby alpaca.

From Chris Lynch:

They could not be upstaged by their less whacko neighbor to the North. From Freedom First Network:

The ‘CLAT’ forms in Portland
Awful memories of murders and lawlessness are still on the minds of many in Seattle following the debacle of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) which eventually came to be known as the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP). Now that The CHOP has been dismantled, a new autonomous zone has popped up in Portland, Oregon. This one is called the Chinook Land Autonomous Territory (CLAT). Yes, I’m serious.

There are no indications coming from media or government sources as to whether it will be allowed to stay up, but overnight chatter was strong on Twitter. Barricades have been erected. At least on its first night of existence, law enforcement pushback was limited or non-existent. As far as those talking about it on Twitter are concerned, it’s here to stay.

Lots of photos and video at the site - looks like they are digging in for a long occupation. I wonder what the cost to the legal taxpayers will be - of course, these kiddies will never have to pay. How many people will have to be murdered before the city asks for Federal help. I love how President Trump is standing back and letting these mayors and governors dig their own holes.

Speaking truth to power:

A state of society where men may not speak their minds, where children denounce their parents to the police, where a business man or small shopkeeper ruins his competitor by telling tales about his private opinions; such a state of society cannot long endure if brought into contact with the healthy outside world. The light of civilized progress with its tolerances and co-operation, with its dignities and joys, has often in the past been blotted out. But I hold the belief that we have now at last got far enough ahead of barbarism to control it, and to avert it, if only we realize what is afoot and make up our minds in time. We shall do it in the end. But how much harder our toil for every day’s delay!

The Lights are Going Out 
Winston Churchill
Broadcast to the United States from London
October 16, 1938

Got a hair cut, shopped the farmer's market and then Mexican for dinner.

Tomorrow looks like an amazing day. Summer at last?

Working at home tomorrow morning, grocery deliveries in the afternoon and then visiting a local farm to check out two Alpaca crias.

Videos and bed.

Words of wisdom:

Google should be ashamed of themselves...

I have signed up for email from a Conservative alternative to WA State's current Governor. I use gmail for my email. Every single email from this candidate that comes in, gets automatically put into the gmail SPAM folder. Every. Single. One.

This is despite my flagging   Every. Single. One.  and telling gmail that this is not SPAM.

Today's example:

This is blatant tampering with my email. Political bias of the worst order. I emailed the campaign but have not heard back from them as yet. Here is my post from the last time this happened.

Dennis Ritchie? One of the underlying gods of modern computing - he was instrumental in developing the first practical operating system (UNIX) as well as the programming language (C) that accounts for over 80% of all software development - Unix, Linux, Windows and Mac operating systems were written in it. The story of his PhD dissertation is a fun one and typically Dennis.
From the Computer History Museum:

DISCOVERING DENNIS RITCHIE’S LOST DISSERTATION
Many of you, dear readers, will have heard of Dennis Ritchie. In the late 1960s, he left graduate studies in applied mathematics at Harvard for a position at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he spent the entirety of his career. Not long after joining the Labs, Ritchie linked arms with Ken Thompson in efforts that would create a fundamental dyad of the digital world that followed: the operating system Unix and the programming language C. Thompson led the development of the system, while Ritchie was lead in the creation of C, in which Thompson rewrote Unix. In time, Unix became the basis for most of the operating systems on which our digital world is built, while C became—and remains—one of the most popular languages for creating the software that animates this world.

On Ritchie’s personal web pages at the Labs (still maintained by Nokia, the current owner), he writes with characteristic dry deprecation of his educational journey into computing:

“I . . . received Bachelor’s and advanced degrees from Harvard University, where as an undergraduate I concentrated in Physics and as a graduate student in Applied Mathematics . . . The subject of my 1968 doctoral thesis was subrecursive hierarchies of functions. My undergraduate experience convinced me that I was not smart enough to be a physicist, and that computers were quite neat. My graduate school experience convinced me that I was not smart enough to be an expert in the theory of algorithms and also that I liked procedural languages better than functional ones.”

Whatever the actual merits of these self-evaluations, his path certainly did lead him into a field and an environment in which he made extraordinary contributions.

Thus begins a fun read and a wonderful insight into the mind of one of the smarter people to ever walk the face of this Earth.

Get some coffee and hang out for a little while and read. Been doing some paperwork this morning - working on the ham radio setup later today and clean and organize the garage a bit too. Maybe a dump run later - getting close to another load...

Farmer's market this afternoon. Strawberry season is about over but the raspberries are coming into their own. Got some salad greens doing well here.

Looks like we might be having our summer at long last - already in the 70's and gorgeous day. Mt. Baker is shining across the bay.

Thinking that I will keep Cristobal's name - Merlin doesn't quite fit his personality. I will do what thoroughbred breeders do and have the birth name and a second "call" name. His call name is Cat. Short, to the point and phonetically different enough from Bear that the two critters will not confuse the two. Besides, the name has quite the established history in science fiction Cat, Catkind, Kitty Pryde as well as computing cat.

About an hour ago I posted this: Slap on the wrist - Portland

In this article we see the kind of thinking that makes up liberal leadership - from PJ Media:

Portland Mayor Blames Trump for 'Escalating' Antifa and BLM Riots
For 46 nights, downtown Portland has been the scene out of a post-apocalyptic graphic novel with shadowy black-clad, tattooed antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters taking hammers and skateboards to bash-in the windows of banks, public buildings, and the heads of federal officers. But now the Portland mayor says the riots are President Trump’s fault.

The Mark O. Hatfield Justice Center, Portland’s federal courthouse, has been under siege nearly every night by rioters attempting to bash in the doors, set fires, and loot it.

President Trump sent in extra federal agents to defend the building.

The Portland Police Officers Association, which itself has become a target for antifa, has issued a no-confidence vote in political Portland.

But but but...

But, sure, Mayor Ted Wheeler says it’s all President Donald Trump’s fault for “escalating” the already-occurring riots because he was “heavy-handed” in keeping the federal courthouse from getting sacked.

Much more at the site. I seriously do not know what is wrong with these people. Are they that stupid or are they simply afraid and hope that by pandering to the mob, they will be the last people to be smashed by it. This is not leadership. That is feckless cowardice. Time to grow a pair and be an adult. Get these kiddies out of their mommies basements and put them in their place - jail for ten years. The time for acting out is over.

Two days ago I posted this: Keep an eye out - playing with the numbers - COVID

Today, we have this from the Orlando, Florida FOX affiliate:

FOX 35 INVESTIGATES: Hospitals confirm mistakes in Florida’s COVID-19 report
The Florida Department of Health released its daily coronavirus testing report showing a statewide positivity rate of 11 percent, but FOX 35 News investigated and quickly noticed some shocking positivity rates.

Countless labs have reported a 100 percent positivity rate, which means every single person tested was positive. Other labs had very high positivity rates. FOX 35 found that testing sites like Centra Care reported that 83 people were tested and all tested positive. Then, NCF Diagnostics in Alachua reported 88 percent of tests were positive.

How could that be? FOX 35 News investigated these astronomical numbers, contacting every local location mentioned in the report.

The report showed that Orlando Health had a 98 percent positivity rate. However, when FOX 35 News contacted the hospital, they confirmed errors in the report. Orlando Health's positivity rate is only 9.4 percent, not 98 percent as in the report.

Much more at the site - there is also a 2:30 video with additional reporting.

The numbers do not fit the narrative so do they change the narrative? No, they change the numbers.

Take all COVID reporting with a grain of salt.

Abject morons. From Portland station KGW:

Criminal charges against dozens of Portland protesters dropped
Dozens of protesters arrested during mass demonstrations in downtown Portland have had their criminal charges dropped and cases closed.

KGW analysis of police and court records shows the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office dropped charges against at least 59 of the roughly 400 protesters arrested since mass demonstrations started in Portland in late May.

An example:

In one case, Portland police arrested a 25-year-old protester for allegedly setting fire to a Chase Bank in downtown Portland on May 30, the second night of large-scale protests in the city. The Portland resident was charged with arson, criminal mischief and riot. KGW is not naming the person because charges have been dismissed.

A Multnomah County prosecutor described in a probable cause affidavit how the person bragged about using a Molotov cocktail to start the fire and talked about plans to go "out on another mission and the goal would be to set another fire.” When confronted by detectives, the person admitted being present when the fire started but denied setting it, according to the court documents.

A Multnomah County grand jury heard evidence in the case and declined to return an indictment. All charges were dropped.

More at the site including this:

Over the past two months, Portland police have provided almost daily accounts of alleged criminal activity surrounding demonstrations, including a list of names of people arrested, their ages and charges.

KGW’s review of court and jail records found most of those suspects do not spend any time in jail; instead, they’re often given a citation or booked and released.

On June 15, Portland police issued a press release detailing the arrest of 14 adults related to overnight demonstrations. The protesters ranged in age from 19 to 52 years old. The charges listed by Portland police included disorderly conduct, interfering with a police officer resisting arrest, escape in the third degree.

Court records indicate charges against all 14 defendants have been dropped and their cases are closed.

“What that does is it makes arrests meaningless,” said Josh Marquis, former Clatsop County District Attorney.

This kind of treatment guarantees that you will have more of these "protests", rioting and looting. If crime pays, criminals will act out. The inmates are in charge of the asylum - they need some adults.

Of course not - from England's The Independent:

Wuhan lab that researches Covid-19 will not be visited by WHO investigators looking into origin of virus
A coronavirus research lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid-19 first emerged, will not be visited by World Health Organisation (WHO) investigators looking into the origins of the pandemic.

WHO is sending a mission to Wuhan, in Hubei province, but has said investigators will be there only to “advance the understanding of animal hosts for Covid-19 and ascertain how the disease jumped between animals and humans”. ⁠

Any remaining thought that the World Health Organization is an independent investigative body should be completely quashed with this news. They are a bunch of partisan hacks doing the bidding of their masters. Covering for the Communist Chinese. And the WHO is just one arm of the United Nations - talk about partisan hacks. We need to defund them and move them out of Manhattan. I seriously would love to see a Trump Tower go up in its place.

A good analogy:

Thanks to this video, we now know the thinking behind the dictates of the lockdown and social distancing.
From J. P. Sears:

His other videos here: AwakenWithJP

2020 is just being a real prick of a year - from The Hollywood Reporter:

Grant Imahara, Host of 'MythBusters' and 'White Rabbit Project,' Dies at 49
Imahara died suddenly following a brain aneurysm, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. "We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family," a representative for Discovery said in a statement on Monday.

An electrical engineer and roboticist by training, he joined Discovery's MythBusters in its third season, replacing Scottie Chapman and was with the show until 2014 when he left with co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci. The trio would reunite in 2016 for Netflix's White Rabbit Project which lasted for one season. On MythBusters, Imahara used his technical expertise to design and build robots for the show and also operated the computers and electronics needed to test myths. 

While part of the Mythbusters team, he sky-dived and drove stunt cars, on film sets he came into contact with some of the most iconic characters in screen history, installing lights onto Star Wars' R2-D2, creating the robot Geoff Peterson for The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson and working on the Energizer Bunny.

Had not heard of The White Rabbit Project - will have to watch it. 49 is way too young to go.

But we have this photo from: Astronomy Picture of the Day

Gorgeous - I will be trying again tonight. Cloudless sky now and the forecast is calling for a few afternoon clouds and sunny tomorrow.

Made dinner with some fresh pasta from the coop so it was extra tasty. In a decent food coma now - feeling quite good.

Nothing much happening on the web so heading over to watch some YouTube and calling it a night. Weather is forecast for good tomorrow but rain moving in Wednesday. Working at home.

Comet NEOWISE is supposed to be visible after sunset so going to check - nice and clear skies today. Here is a map for tonight:

SpaceWeather has more maps here:

Morning sky maps: July 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; Evening sky maps: July 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.

Looking really pretty from the photographs. 2020 is not all bad.

All from the English Language Taiwan News:

• • Dam in China's Hangzhou opens all 9 floodgates for first time in history - not 3 Gorges but same watershed
  • Expert warns China's Three Gorges Dam in danger of collapse
  • Satellite images show Three Gorges Dam opening all floodgates
  • Xi Jinping admits flooding in China is 'grim'

Re: the last item.

 After being mute on the matter for over a month, the Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Xi Jinping (習近平) was cited by state-run media as describing the flooding across central and southern China as "grim."

Face is important to the Chinese culture and for anyone to admit problems is very very big.

Liberals are running around with their hair on fire because President Trump granted clemency to an innocent man.
These people need to take a look at their own - this article is dated January 19th, 2017 - from FiveThirtyEight:

Obama Granted Clemency Unlike Any Other President In History
In one more end-of-presidency act of clemency aimed at prisoners serving long sentences for drug-related offenses, President Obama announced Thursday that he is commuting the sentences of 330 prisoners. He has granted clemency to more people than any president since Harry S. Truman, and Thursday’s announcement was typical of how Obama’s approach to clemency has differed from that of his predecessors: Obama’s clemency is almost always given by freeing people from prison with commuted sentences, not pardoning people after their release.

And the final butcher's bill?

...his total number of commutations is now 1,715, more than any other president in history

Yeah... About those....

From the London Daily Mail:

Scientists from the Wuhan virus lab have 'defected' to the West, reveals senior Trump ally Steve Bannon - as FBI gathers evidence that coronavirus pandemic was caused by an accidental leak
Experts from the Chinese laboratory at the centre of global suspicion over the coronavirus pandemic have ‘defected’ and are in the hands of Western intelligence, the architect of Donald Trump’s presidential victory claimed last night.

Steve Bannon, who was Trump’s White House chief strategist and retains close links to the administration, told The Mail on Sunday that spies were building a case against Beijing on the basis that the global pandemic had been caused by a leak from the Institute of Virology in Wuhan and that the subsequent cover-up had amounted to ‘pre-meditated murder’.

In an exclusive interview, Mr Bannon also urged Boris Johnson to scrap plans to allow the Chinese communications firm Huawei to play a role in the UK’s new 5G network.

Quoting Mr. Bannon:

 ‘They are not talking to the media yet, but there are people out of the Wuhan lab and other labs that have come to the West and are turning over evidence of the culpability of the Chinese Communist Party. I think people are going to be shocked’.

And this:

‘You essentially had a biological Chernobyl in Wuhan, but the centre of gravity, the Ground Zero, was round the Wuhan lab, in terms of the casualty rates. And like Chernobyl, you also had the cover-up – the state apparatus reports to itself and just protects itself.’

I do not agree with Steve Bannon on a lot of things but if he says something is a fact, it is a fact. His politics may differ from mine but he is ethical and does not yield to popular narratives.

to Madame Guillotine. From Town Hall:

Progressive Mob Comes for Nancy: Pelosi Must Go!
It's fun to be a mob leader until the mob turns on you, as Nancy Pelosi is finding out. A socialist challenger is gunning for her San Francisco district and got #PelosiMustGo to trend on Twitter all day Sunday. Trending on Twitter is a big deal when you're trying to influence the Left's low-information voters. 

Pelosi's opponent, Shahid Buttar, is a left-wing activist, lawyer, DJ and poet. Among other impressive things, Buttar boasts about his trips to Burning Man, his "socially conscious music" and "outdoor poetry" jams. Buttar finished second in the primary and represents Pelosi's first general election challenger from within the Democratic Party in 30 years. If you think the Muslim immigrant can't outflank Nancy from the left, I point to the recent election of District Attorney Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, radical son of cop-killing Weather Underground terrorists, and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), an anti-Semite who wants to dismantle America.

According to Buttar, Pelosi stands in the way of progressive-agenda items like Defunding the Police, canceling rent, the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, to name a few. Buttar has already earned the coveted endorsement of Hollywood idiot Susan Sarandon. 

The far-left tweets in support of Pelosi's challenger show just how crazy the Democratic Party has become. They're not attacking her for letting her district become a homeless shelter, ignoring the coronavirus while dragging the nation through a futile impeachment hoax, or eating gourmet ice cream while the lockdowns forced millions out of work. They're attacking Pelosi for not being a socialist. 

Jacobins? Here: The Jacobin Club  Historical significance escapes you? These were the deep left, deep state core of the French Revolution. They out Mao-ed Mao. Out Lenin-ed Lenin. Those who fail to learn or remember their history are condemned to repeat it. There is a reason they called it The Terror.

Got an email from the center that they only had two grocery orders for today. They have three (including yours truly) regular drivers so I got to play hooky today. Spent a lot more time in Bellingham working on the Condo getting it ready for market.

Surf for a bit and then fix some vege pasta for dinner tonight - using another can of the San Marzano tomatos.

Democrats want to have as many COVID cases as possible between now and November so they can keep the Nation locked down. There are all kinds of statistical ways to play the numbers. The classic book on the subject was written in 1954: How to Lie with Statistics. 

The Ethical Skeptic cautions us about the upcoming COVID numbers - from their twitter account:

Replies would indicate that this process is already being implemented for some states. Follow the link to read for yourself - the facts do not lie. The narrative does. There is a big difference between the two.

Dinner was left-over rice and beans. Picked up two ears of corn at the store this morning so had that too. Yummy. Rice and Beans are always better the second day.

Surf for a bit - got a good bit done today. Spent way too much time dickin' around too (see previous cartoon) but who is going to fire me?

I had all the doors open to air out the house so Cristobal was locked in the back bedroom (the West Wing if I was putting on airs). Closing up for the evening - still keeping the windows open but no doors so letting the little monster out. He is supposed to be three years old according to the shelter but he sure has a lot of kitten in him. Great little cat.

From station KOMO:

Petition to allow recall election for Mayor Jenny Durkan can proceed
A King County judge has ruled that a recall petition filed against Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan over her handling of recent police brutality claims can proceed.

The decision, handed down on Friday, gives petitioners the green light to start gathering the signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot. The plaintiffs behind the request will have to gather more than 50,000 signatures in order to force the election.

A spokesperson for the mayor on Saturday rejected the claims.

Heh - population of Seattle is a bit more than 750,000 people - 50K is only about 6.6%. There should be well more than enough pissed off people to make that vote a slam dunk. Now to work on the city council - they are the real troublemakers; Durkan is just a dummy front for the money and the deep state interests. A puppet. A stooge. A useful idiot.

Door. Ass. Bang.

From Knuckledraggin:

From Busted Knuckles:

Looks like things are getting interesting - from the New York Post:

GOP voter registrations outpace Dems in swing states
The Republican Party has edged out the Democrats in the race to sign up new voters — and coronavirus lockdowns are to blame, a new report says.

New registrations cratered in the last three months, says TargetSmart, a Democratic data firm. In May of this year, 194,596 new voters were registered nationwide, according to TargetSmart’s report. That’s just 13 percent of the 1,490,631 who registered in May 2016.

In at least five battleground states, Democrats appear to have borne the brunt of the damage during the COVID-shutdown period.

In Maine, for example, 59 percent of new voters registered as Dems pre-coronavirus — but only 40 percent have done so in the months since.

Dem declines were also seen in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, TargetSmart found.

I love it and I think that the covid lockdown is a major component of this. The Democrats were planning to instill fear in people's hearts and to pave the way for vote by mail (quite different from Absentee Voting). Vote by mail makes fraud a lot simpler for them to accomplish. Unfortunately, us deplorables can see through this quite easily and are making our voices heard.

We The People baby! Loud and clear now and even louder in November.

Now this is more like it - 76°F and sunny. Some clouds in the sky for visual interest but decorative, not oppressive. Forecast now has three partly cloudy days and then rain on Thursday - let's hope that this pushes back even further. November would be a good time for the rains to start again. Been a cold and wet spring.

Got back home around 1PM, been working in the garage and piddling around with the ham radio setup - moving some equipment around the rack and the desk. Sort of like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I am sure the configuration will change as I start to use it but figuring out where stuff works best for now.

Surf for a bit.

Cristobal the cat has been an absolute pest this morning - getting into everything. I love it - he is feeling very comfortable here and I love the bit of chaos he is bringing to the house. Bear and he get along really well. Working upstairs on the radio stuff - looking good.

Was raining early this morning but stopped and is threatening to clear up a bit. Got two days of "partly cloudy" in the forecast and then back to rain.

Time for some go-juice, sit and read for a while and get some groceries. Have the last of yesterday's beans and rice for dinner - salad too. Never made it up to Bellingham last week so quick trip tomorrow before deliveries.

From Law Enforcement Today:

Feds: Four hit with federal arson charges after torching police cars in New York, vandalizing city
The feds aren’t messing around – and if local prosecutors won’t go after the criminals… they will.

On May 30, Black Lives Protestors gathered in the streets of Rochester to protest the killing of George Floyd and police operations as we know it. They protested to “Defund the Police” and End Police Brutality.

The march and protest started out peaceful. But later in the day into the evening chaos was unleashed. Police cars were vandalized, tear gas deployed, cars lit on fire, looting and more vandalism ensued. The BLM protest route was from Exchange Blvd. down Main St. to Fitzhugh St.

The article describes what happened and who did it and has this to say:

These charges amount to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each protestor.

Sitting here with a big smile on my face. Grinning in fact. The kiddies have gotten away with acting out for too long. Time for them to learn that actions have consequences.

Screen cap - no information as to when but...

Tip of the hat to 90 Miles.

This is my shocked face - a paper from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology:

Signaling Virtuous Victimhood as Indicators of Dark Triad Personalities
Ekin Ok, Yi Qian, Brendan Strejcek, and Karl Aquino
University of British Columbia
We investigate the consequences and predictors of emitting signals of victimhood and virtue. In our first three studies, we show that the virtuous victim signal can facilitate nonreciprocal resource transfer from others to the signaler. Next, we develop and validate a victim signaling scale that we combine with an established measure of virtue signaling to operationalize the virtuous victim construct. We show that individuals with Dark Triad traits—Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy—more frequently signal virtuous victimhood, controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables that are commonly associated with victimization in Western societies. In Study 5, we show that a specific dimension of Machiavellianism—amoral manipulation—and a form of narcissism that reflects a person’s belief in their superior prosociality predict more frequent virtuous victim signaling. Studies 3, 4, and 6 test our hypothesis that the frequency of emitting virtuous victim signal predicts a person’s willingness to engage in and endorse ethically questionable behaviors, such as lying to earn a bonus, intention to purchase counterfeit products and moral judgments of counterfeiters, and making exaggerated claims about being harmed in an organizational context.

They talk about Virtue Signalling and quote the OED (alas, behind a paywall):

Virtue signaling is defined as “the conspicuous expression of moral values, done primarily with the intent of enhancing one’s standing within a social group” (Oxford English Dictionary)

And a nice writeup on the paper and on current society in general over at Reason:

Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Manipulators Are More Likely To Engage in 'Virtuous Victim Signaling,' Says Study
New study links virtue signaling to "Dark Triad" traits. Being accused of "virtue signaling" might sound nice to the uninitiated, but spend much time on social media and you know that it's actually an accusation of insincerity. Virtue signalers are, essentially, phonies and showoffs—folks who adopt opinions and postures solely to garner praise and sympathy or whose good deeds are tainted by their need for everyone to see just how good they are. Combined with a culture that says only victimhood confers a right to comment on certain issues, it's a big factor in online pile-ons and one that certainly contributes to social media platforms being such a bummer sometimes.

I am not in the least bit surprised - the people acting out; the "peaceful protesters"; are people with serious behavioral pathologies. These are not adults. These are infantilized people in adult bodies. This is the legacy of our educational system for the last 20 years.

And another item in my SPAM folder. This is getting disgusting - Google? Your bias is a little too blatant for my tastes.

Every single email from Joshua Freed to my gmail account has been put into my SPAM folder and not my inbox.

Message in folder:

Message opened:

Every single time I hit the Report not spam button and it gets automatically moved to my inbox but every subsequent email I get arrives in my SPAM folder. Someone who routinely deletes the contents of their folder would never get the emails even though they subscribed to Joshua's list.

I mentioned that here on July 9th: Interesting - Google, gMail and SPAM This has happened several times since then and I am now planning to take a screen cap as well as a dump of the message header and forward these on to the Freed campaign. This is out and out tampering with the mail.

Apologies to Gary Larson:

Looks like the governor is not going to be able to suck at the Federal teat for the damage. From Red State:

Trump Tells Minnesota Governor to Go Jump In a Lake, Denies Request for ‘Disaster’ Relief After Riots
Some weeks ago, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota made a request for federal disaster relief after hundreds of millions of dollars in destruction occurred in Minneapolis. That damage came at the hands of rioting and looting in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.

Those cities burned because Walz and the local leadership refused to stop the carnage, even as people were injured and killed in the chaos. The President had urged Minnesota to deploy troops early on, something that wouldn’t happen until later, after the damage was already done. Instead of accepting Trump’s offering of active duty troops, Walz refused while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey trashed the President’s urging to get tough and stop the anarchy.

Now, these two figures want taxpayers from other states to help pay for their political cowardice and Trump has given them an answer that I’ll summarize – Go jump in a lake.

Heh - they were asking for half a billion dollars. 1,500 buildings sustained damage. They could have stopped it by showing some leadership and shutting down the professional activists. Their responsibility, their loss, their burden.

And, the rains held off until a short while ago. We had about 600 people come through by my guess - lots of items were sold and people were happy.

Did a quick run up to the food coop and the rain started in on my way back - supposed to shower through tomorrow morning.

Fixing some rice and beans for dinner - feeling very tired so early bedtime.

The local community center is having a thrift sale - there is a nice store but that is closed due to the Wuhan bug.

Directing traffic and people. Stopping off for some coffee first. Cristobal was downright playful last night - he nipped at me a couple times but we got that sorted out easy enough.

Forecast is calling for rain later this afternoon. Nice sunrise this morning but high clouds. The sale shuts down at 2:00PM so hopefully we can dodge the raindrops.

Just say Non.  Wonderful news - from Breitbart:

No Glass Spire or Swimming Pool: Notre Dame Cathedral to be Rebuilt Properly Without Modernist Vandalism
Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, which was nearly totally lost to fire in April 2019, will be rebuilt as it was, the French government says, defying the calls of modernist architects to seize the opportunity to give the medieval masterpiece a glass and steel overhaul.

The French government has condoned a 3,000-page report by the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture calling for a full and faithful rebuild of Notre Dame cathedral, in a move which French newspaper Le Monde notes will annoy “the concrete lobby and iron lovers”.

Within days of the enormous fire that engulfed the landmark Paris building, architects were vying to release audacious design concepts for a potential modernist redesign of the cathedral, given its roof and interior had been totally stripped out by the blaze. The possibility that this insult could be added to the injury of the fire was made greater when French president Emmanuel Macron — himself given to grandiose and even absurd ideas — said he wanted the cathedral to have an “inventive reconstruction” with a “contemporary architectural gesture”.

The level of craftsmanship from 1,000 years ago needs to be honored and preserved. This is a monument for the ages, not a token of passing fancy. 

Christus vincit

President Trump loves to troll people on Twitter - his latest is epic

With a few hundred characters, he made hundreds of lefties' hair spontaneously combust. I do not think that there is anything he can actually do about changing the curricula but he certainly has highlighted the problem and is bringing the Long march through the institutions into the public eye which is NOT what the liberals want.

Visit the link to see the what these few words have brought scurrying - looking to find another dank hole to hide in. There are some sick and deluded people out there - November is going to be interesting to say the least. Be prepared as these people will be playing for keeps.

For anyone looking to get one, there is an auction in Portland, Oregon with several hundred large industrial sewing machines up for bid. Here is the listing: NEWPORT LAYTON - DAY 1 - ONLINE ONLY. The auction is online only. There is only one day for physical preview: Wednesday, July 15th and the auction ends that following day on the 16th. All items sold where-is, as-is so no gripes if you did not look at it first.

The company made bed pillows - there are a lot of other things being sold. Very large work tables, fabric handling equipment, label printers, shipping and receiving equipment, pallet racking and warehouse stuff (hand trucks, pallet jacks, etc...), tools, repair parts, spares. 

2,300 items the first day and 810 items the second day (raw fabric, finished pillows and bedding)

If you know anyone in the Pacific Northwest that might be interested, this kind of sale does not come around every day...

Sun is shining so working outside.

May have someone fun starting to work with me next week - see what happens...

From Business Insider:

Navy SEAL who oversaw bin Laden raid says America's biggest national security issue is the K-12 education system
While some former US military leaders have had offered witty one-liners when asked which national security threat keeps them up at night, one former commander had an unconventional answer: "K-12 education."

Retired Adm. William McRaven, a former US Navy SEAL commander and head of US Special Operations Command, said he was "the biggest fan" of the younger generation of Americans and that education in grade school played a broader role in national security.

"When I was chancellor, I would have a lot of town hall meetings, or meetings with our alumni, and that question always came up," McRaven, who was chancellor of the University of Texas System, said at the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 29. "And they would always ask ... 'What's your No. 1 national security issue?'"

"I think my answer always surprised them," he added.

No Shit Sherlock - there is this ideology called The long march through the institutions. 

Read up on it if you have not heard of it. Well worth your time and it goes a long long way to explain the current state of our educational system in this country. The schools and colleges have been marched through by the socialist idealogues. They are very careful not to espouse out-and-out Marxism or Communism but look at what they say and look at what Communism advocates and the coorelation is starkly similar. 98% overlap. The kids engaged in "peaceful protests" these days grew up being indoctrinated by these rejects from the 1960's.

Gorgeous weather today and the forecast for precip tomorrow is now down to 50% from this morning's 60% and yesterday's 80%

Back in a couple of hours.

Liar liar, pants on fire. From The Federalist:

NBC Contributor Reveals He Never Tested Positive For COVID After Network Followed His Alleged Recovery
After NBC News extensively followed the COVID-19 case of its own on-air contributor Dr. Joseph Fair, the virologist and epidemiologist revealed he tested negative for coronavirus as well as negative for the WuFlu antibodies, meaning he never had the virus.

“Joining me now [is] virologist Joseph Fair, who recently recovered from COVID-19 himself,” the network’s Chuck Todd said introducing the doctors on a June episode of “Meet the Press.”

“Dr. Fair, let me start with  you because I would like you to share a little bit about your recovery from COVID-19. What should Americans take away from your experience?” Todd asked.

After telling viewers he was a healthy 42-year-old absent of any underlying conditions, Fair characterized the illness as “the worst I’ve ever felt.”

“I probably spent 23 our of 24 hours in bed,” said Fair. “Those people that are young and think they’re invincible or people that just don’t think it’s going to affect them that greatly even if they do get it, I can say that my own experience was the complete opposite.”

What you just read was their narrative. Here is the reality:

Fair however, had already tested negative for the virus at least five times according to Steve Krakauer of the Fourth Watch Newsletter and said this week his illness from two months ago “remains an undiagnosed mystery” following the results of a negative antibody test.

A classic case of red pill v/s blue pill. The news media is practicing Taqiyya to spread the progressive narrative and to keep us subdued (wearing masks, not congregating in groups, opening the path to mail-in voting and voter fraud).

Interesting - from FOX News:

Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: 'I know how they treat whistleblowers'
Li-Meng Yan told Fox News that she believes China knew about the coronavirus well before it claimed it did. She says her supervisors also ignored research she was doing that she believes could have saved lives.

Hours before she boarded an April 28 Cathay Pacific flight to the United States, the respected doctor who specialized in virology and immunology at the Hong Kong School of Public Health had plotted her escape, packing her bag and sneaking past the censors and video cameras on campus.

She had her passport and her purse and was about to leave all of her loved ones behind. If she was caught, she knew she could be thrown in jail -- or, worse, rendered one of the "disappeared."

Yan told Fox News in an exclusive interview that she believes the Chinese government knew about the novel coronavirus well before it claimed it did. She says her supervisors, renowned as some of the top experts in the field, also ignored research she was doing at the onset of the pandemic that she believes could have saved lives.

Lots more at the site - a good timeline as well as a telling story of how totalitarian states operate when things to not play out according to the narrative. An object lesson for us here at home.

Strange that this island of peace and quiet is only 60 miles to the North of Seattle. There is only one road that comes on the island and people I talk with are semi-seriously talking about defense. No plans, just "what if". Shit is going to go down the tubes real soon now - from Hot Air:

What Could Go Wrong? “Decriminalize Seattle” Lines Up Majority Council Support For 50% Cut In Police Budget
Didn’t we just see this movie? “It is the institution of policing itself that must be dismantled,” one Seattle city council member declared as a majority announced its support for cutting the police budget by 50%. That would create a reduction of 1,000 personnel, with the council mulling ways in which the funding could be redirected to “community organizations” rather than policing.

Would that be more “community organizations” like the CHAZ Patrol?

Much more at the site. People are going with the narrative and not with the facts. This is downright stupid. The community organizations they are talking about are like the much vaunted Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) which was shown to be a cess-pit of corruption by Project Veritas in 2009 and subsequently had its federal aid cut and was disbanded. The party hacks that populated the warm chairs at ACORN are still out there and still looking for their place at the trough.

Two videos - one from now and one from many years ago:

Once a liar, always a liar. This is the man who would be king.

Woke up feeling really good so sleep schedule seems to have been reset back to normal. Try to keep it this way.

Clear skies this morning but still forecast for precip tomorrow - looking at 60%. I am volunteering at our local community center then - they are holding another outdoor thrift shop as a fund-raiser. An unusual spring. Seriously looking at getting another cord of firewood laid in for this winter. Entering a cooling cycle.

Nothing much on the internet - heading out for the usual in about an hour. Cristobal the Cat is feeling very comfortable here - he is up on the bed from time to time. Loves his cat tree - he can look out at the water and the sea birds. No attempts to go outside which is good as I live on a busy street. Fitting in very well. Bear and I still miss Grace a lot. Five weeks since she passed - a good chunk of my life with her. Some fun times.

Nothing much on the internet today. Worked on the ham radio setup a bit more this evening. Planning to be on the air Monday for our local network. Got a dedicated computer booting both Windows and Linux to handle various digital communications modes as well as HRD for my HF tranciever - excellent software. Still need to build some antennas for HF work - looking at building a magnetic loop as well as a couple of dipoles for now (I love my place but I do not have the real-estate for a large antenna farm). Purchase a big vertical sometime this fall - just in time for the winter storms...

Was feeling napish all day - an artifact of the sleepytime tea I had last night so held off until now to go to sleep. Try to get back to a normal sleep schedule. The rain stopped in the afternoon and it is actually rather nice out albeit a bit cool and overcast. Forecast is 10% for precip tomorrow but back to 40% for Saturday - the rainy weekend curse.

Grocery deliveries and farmer's market tomorrow.

Watch a few videos and then to sleep.

Was outside checking and the coolant reserve tank is only about an inch or two down from the top line. Nothing jumped out at me from the engine compartment so will monitor closely and see what happens. Googled the year and the engine model and no major failure mode on any of the Ford forums either. An anomaly for now.

Just the headline is all you need:

De Blasio to ban all large gatherings in NYC except Black Lives Matter protests

Video at this tweet - Mayor Waffle:

Wore a mask? [CHECK]
Instituted a quarantine? [CHECK]
Cancelled sporting events? [CHECK]
Root of the problem was bat? [CHECK]

But we have all been liberated. The city now belongs to us. Our leader told us this.

A blast from the past - broadcast sometime on or before 2007 - dated but timeless:

Tip of the hat to Grouchy Old Cripple for the link.

From the Taiwan News:

• Dam in China's Hangzhou opens all 9 floodgates for first time in history
• Earthquake sparks fears of landslides above Three Gorges Dam
• Red alert issued in Wuhan as floodwaters rise
• Expert warns China's Three Gorges Dam in danger of collapse

Some sobering photos and video at the first link - water is a very powerful medium for change.

The Taiwanese government does censor the news to any appreciable degree. Unlike their neighbors.

Two videos from YouTube:

From around the web:

Kind of hard to argue with the last one. Numbers are numbers and they do not lie. Narrative on the other hand...

Was leaving the coffeehouse and noticed a largish puddle on the ground under the front of the van. It smelled a bit like radiator fluid and as I was driving home, the engine came up to temp much quicker than normal. It did not overheat but I only had three miles to drive. Going to dive under the hood later this afternoon. Had a similar problem with a 2008 Ford truck - the van is 2012. Only 45K miles though so this is a bit early to be having engine problems - hoping it is just a hose.

A three-fer:

• China’s flood defence network put to the test as it braces for more storms
• China Flooding: Heaviest Rains in Decades Continues, 20 Million People Affected
• China Focus: Relocation protects public from floods

The last one is pretty bad - 22,107 people having to evacuate in one village alone. A 100-year storm.

Quiet sun? Cooler weather and more precipitation.

I live in Washington State and there is a conservative candidate for Governor - Joshua Freed - that I like a lot. Much more than the current Governor of Gates, Bezos, etc...

About a month ago, I signed up for his newsletter. What is interesting is that every single email from his campaign account has gone into my gMail SPAM folder despite my going there, highlighting it and telling gMail that this is NOT SPAM.

Bias much? This is pretty blatant.

Cliff Mass notes the much cooler weather as well:

A Cold Start for the Summer Season
OK....we need a new name.

Julanuary?

Julember?

Whatever the name, the last week has been mainly cloudy and well below normal in our area.

According the maximum temperature anomaly map (difference from normal ) for Washington for the first seven days of July, the high temperatures in most of western Washington have been 6-12F below normal. Even eastern WA has been generally cool.

Got a static high-pressure zone off the coast keeping things chill. Much more at Cliff's site.

A couple of things caught my eye but nothing enough to write about.

Back to work for an hour or two and then some go-juice.

Good for them - show some spine. From The Oregonian:

Police union president announces ‘no confidence’ vote in Portland’s City Council
The executive board of the Portland police rank-and-file union voted “no confidence'' in Portland’s City Council, questioning why city commissioners aren’t condemning the violence, fires and damage to businesses occurring in the city at the hands of some demonstrators.

Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, on Wednesday repeated a criticism he has made in the last week that “a small number of people have hijacked'' important calls for social justice and racial equity and “used the cover of peaceful protests to burn and loot our City.”

Good - put them on notice that their actions have consequences.

Been sleeping 8-9 hours a night for the last couple days. Feel fine, just sleeping a lot.

Doing the Bellingham run Saturday. Working around the house this morning, out for coffee and stuff in about an hour and then back home to work more.

Cool rainy day with more in the forecast. The year without summer?

Got the second coat on the tabletop and it is now dry enough to handle. Moving it indoors and that is it for the night.

Full day tomorrow - quick run to Bellingham, a Craigslist deal in the afternoon and working on the ham radio setup (got some parts tonight from Home Depot). Forecast went from 80% precip down to 70% but still looks cold and wet - clouding over now.

Nothing much happening on the internets - some video and then to bed. Making some sleepytime tea.

Started in Hawaii but they are looking to spread to the mainland. Check out their Hawaiian page.

ABOUT VEDGECO
As Hawaii’s plant-based distributor, we find the most innovative plant-based specialty food brands, and distribute to foodservice, retailers, and individuals. We hope to inspire others to “Go Vedge!” by making specialty plant-based foods accessible and affordable, and by supporting our local community.

I am not 100% vegetarian but I would sure shop there if there was one nearby. Even worth the occasional drive to Seattle. Quite the selection.

Run into people like this every so often - toxic. Make a good case for retroactive birth control.

A direct quote from Rahm Emanuel. A very good look at the current crises and how the Democrat party is manipulating them for their profit - from Christopher Bedford writing at The Federalist:

The Anti-American Pattern Of Elites’ Coronavirus Restrictions
In a crisis, whether real or imagined, the elites’ priorities and suspicions take precedent and are very often laid bare. We see it in wartime, in longer-rolling natural disasters, in civil disorder, and in widespread disease.

Coronavirus is no different, and over the spring and early summer a pattern appeared amid the different virus restrictions enforced around the country. They all, it seems, roll downhill from America’s elites, and in 2020, downhill from the elite means against the aspects of our society the left is indifferent toward or actively opposes.

That isn’t to suggest the virus doesn’t exist, or that its existence is some kind of intentional or vast conspiracy. It doesn’t need to be when you’re in charge.

July 4 saw saw this borne out plainly. In Lewes, Delaware, a truck going the speed limit, decorated with Independence Day flare, was ticketed by an unmasked police officer for carrying a patriotic woman waving from the back. No “activities associated with” Independence Day would be permitted, Mayor Ted Becker declared, “out of concern for everyone’s safety.”

Christopher's thesis:

This is just a sampling of the corporate-backed outpouring of anti-American feeling — and coronavirus concern-trolling followed along, as it does for all American activities either not valued or actively opposed by American elites.

And this bon mot:

When virus panic first hit the country, closing its borders, shuttering its economy, and destroying the livelihoods of countless citizens, Pelosi’s Democrat whip, Jim Clyburn, told his colleagues it was “a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.” While largely forgotten in the constantly shifting news cycle of the following months, his honest comments must be remembered and repeated.

Well worth reading - this is not a matter of police action and/or public health. This is a Palace Coup. They are trying to get rid of President Trump by any means possible. He is upsetting their little scam and they do not like it.

Looks like the United States does not have a monopoly on corruption in politics - looks like Canada has a bit of rot at the top. From The Post Millenial:

BREAKING: Trudeau busted for lying about WE scandal—cabinet made decision
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told media Wednesday morning that cabinet was responsible for making the final decision on awarding WE Charity—a youth charity with clear ties to Sophie Gregoire Trudeau—a government contract to administer the student grants, despite the Trudeau's family ties to the charity, that he "did not" recuse himself from the decision.

"We've long worked on youth issues, both as before I got into politics and since I've been in politics as youth critic, getting young people involved in serving their country, recognizing their desire to build a bigger, better Canada, particularly through this time of crisis, is something I believe in deeply," said Trudeau.

The office of the ethics commissioner announced late Friday afternoon that it will be investigating Trudeau for the awarding the $900 million to a charity with close ties to his family.

Trudeau, rather than take responsibility for the charity grant, is instead framing the decision as a passive one made by his cabinet, rather than one that he had direct involvement in.

Perfect response to this too - he deflects responsibility for his actions. Blames the board instead of having the cojones to step up and take the blame himself. A lot of that going around these days - actually, it always has been going around, we have just been made aware of the degree and the scope. Thank you President Trump. Bringing the rats out of the woodwork since 2016.

Done with the deliveries and heading back out to get some things at Home Depot and some Thai food for dinner tonight.

Turned into a nice day but 80% chance of precip is in the works for tomorrow so making hay while the sun shines. Finish off a tabletop when I get back home - sand and a second coat of poly.

Quick surf first...

Looking for a new washing machine - the old one is out of warranty. Coffee, etc...  Grocery deliveries this afternoon.

Spent the morning working on the music room and some stuff on my ham radio area.

Getting worse - from American Thinker:

China floods threaten collapse of world's largest dam
The China Meteorological Administration issued a "No. 1 Flood" warning as a second month of rain and earthquakes risks collapse of Three Gorges Dam and the safety of 400 million.  

Southern China in June suffered its worst flooding since 1940 with the overflowing of 250 rivers impacting 15 million residents and causing at least 121 people dead or missing.  The world's largest hydroelectric dam, the 1.4-mile-wide and 630-foot-high Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtse River with a 5-trillion-gallon capacity, fully opened its seven massive outlets to begin discharging a record 28 acre-feet per second.

But after thirty-one days of rain, a record 16.8 inches falling between Sunday and Monday morning, and inflows running at 40 acre-feet per second after, CMA on July 4 issued an 80-percent risk of thundershowers for each of the next 11 days.

Lots of links - prayers go out for the people living there. This is a 100-year flood and there are legitimate questions about the safety of the dam.

Some real rot at the top of the FBI as pieced together by sundance at The Last Refuge:

Why Did The DOJ Declassify and Release the FISA Application on July 21, 2018?….
On July 21, 2018, amid the apex of all things Trump-Russia being carefully narrated by the special counsel team, why did the DOJ release the Top Secret Classified Intelligence document known as the Carter Page FISA application?

At the time it happened everyone was so consumed with the content of the release, almost no-one stopped to ask that question. Except, well, me.

Put yourself back into that 2018 time-frame: the Trump-Russia collusion hoax was being pushed hard; the Nunes memo -vs- the Schiff memo was being argued and the media was writing furiously about leaks from anonymous sources “with knowledge of the investigation” etc. Congress was being blocked from all their document requests and their bucket lists for declassification. Rod Rosenstein was refusing to testify to the House Intel Committee led by Devin Nunes. The DOJ was blocking documents related to surveillance of President Trump. The media was saying there was no surveillance of Trump. Congress was desperate to break the stonewalling and asked President Trump to declassify a list of documents they provided. Rod Rosenstein threatened Trump that if he declassified documents it would be adding to a potential obstruction investigation and claim. Etc. Etc.

Hell, despite his recusal from these matters, AG Sessions was getting major heat over the blockage from DOJ… the battle was intense. Sessions announced an Illinois USAO John Laush to try and mediate the issues. Laush was a major fail.

Then, amid all of that stonewalling, blocking, redacting of documents, failure to unredact, and refusal to declassify…. suddenly, all of a sudden, presto, here’s the most top secret classified document release ever.

To fulfill a FOIA request by Judicial Watch and the New York Times.

A FOIA request?

Seriously?

Sundance does an excellent job of connecting the dots and establishing a timeline. Some really fascinating reading. The FBI was taken over by partisan hacks.

From The Post Millennial:

City of Seattle teaches white employees to 'undo their whiteness' in bizarre 'diversity training' sessions
Seattle conducted a training session for the city’s white employees, titled "Interrupting Internalized Racial Superiority and Whiteness."

Christopher Rufo, a City Journal editor, investigated the city’s internal agenda through a public records request.

Rufo found out that Seattle’s "diversity trainers" inform white participants that "objectivity," "individualism," "and intellectualization" are all subconscious indications of “internalized racial oppression.”

He pointed out the self-defeating contradictions white employees face if they concede to this segregated list of affirmations. If a white employee speaks too much, that’s "imposition" or "paternalism." If a white employee speaks too little, "silence" is also "violence."

Classic Maoist "struggle session" - the people to be educated indoctrinated are so harassed and confused that they will believe anything after a few days. These people in Seattle are not doing anything new - this crap has been the standard operating procedure for communists since day one.

Sounds like the Seattle voters need to wake up or stand a good chance of losing their city for a long long time. Communism is voted in but it can take guns to get rid of it.

From the United States Attorney's Office - District of Oregon:

Seven Arrested, Facing Federal Charges After Weekend Riots at Hatfield Federal Courthouse
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that seven people have been arrested and face federal charges for their roles in weekend riots at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland.

According to court documents, since May 26, 2020, protests in downtown Portland have regularly been followed by nightly criminal activity including assaults on law enforcement officers, destruction of property, looting, arson, and vandalism.

Rowan Olsen, 19, of Portland, is charged with disorderly conduct, creating a hazard on federal property, and failing to obey a lawful order; Shant Singh Ahuja, 28, of Oceanside, California, is charged with destruction of federal property; and Andrew Steven Faulkner, 24, of Beaverton, Oregon; Gretchen Margaret Blank, 29, of Seattle, Washington; Christopher Fellini, 31, of Portland; Cody Porter, 28, of Portland; and Taimane Jame Teo, 24, of Eugene, Oregon, are charged with assaulting federal officers.

The Hatfield Federal Courthouse has been a repeated target of vandalism, sustaining extensive damage. U.S. Marshals Service deputies and officers from the Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection working to protect the courthouse have been subjected to threats; aerial fireworks including mortars; high intensity lasers targeting officers’ eyes; thrown rocks, bottles, and balloons filled with paint from demonstrators while performing their duties.

And it is not just the Attorney's office:

These cases are being investigated jointly by the U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Federal Protective Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Homeland Security Investigations.

Good - throw the book at them. The one problem I see:

All seven defendants made their first appearances in federal court on July 6, 2020 and were released pending trial.

I seriously doubt that these mokes will show up for their trials. Still, when they are picked up later for some other reason, this will allow even more charges to be pressed.

Putting two and two together from Wayne DuPree:

Just 9 Days Before Ghisliane’s Capture, Hollywood Mogul and Clinton/Epstein Close Pal Jumped From His 27th-Floor Apartment
They say “timing is everything.” And the timing of this man’s supposed “suicide” is very strange indeed.

By now, we all know it’s dangerous to be a good pal or an enemy of the Clintons.

It seems so many of their friends and foes meet untimely deaths, doesn’t it?

That’s the reason why the “Clinton Bodycount” is an urban legend.

He was a Hollywood writer/producer, real estate heir and mogul, and a dear friend to the Clintons, a flyer on the “Lolita Express” and a massive Clinton Foundation donor.

Mr. Bing plunged to his death when he “jumped” from the 27th floor of his luxury apartment in Century City.

And his connection with the Clinton crime family?

Mr. Bing was more than just a friend – it’s been said that Mr. Bing was paying. 2.5 million a year to the Clinton Foundation in order to be an “advisor” to the former president.

Shouldn’t that be the other way around? The guy who needs to be advised should be paying for the advisor, no?

I found this article from 2010 that talks about how Mr. Bing was “bought” his way into politics via the Clinton family.

Curious - much more at the site. Arkancide? Here

Moving away. From FOX News:

US officially withdraws from World Health Organization
President Donald Trump has officially withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organization.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., tweeted Congress had received the notification Tuesday afternoon.

Menendez issued his usual half-truths and vitriol but the fact is there - we are withdrawing from the WHO. A great move. That organization is useless. They are partisan and not at all in the business of public health. WHO totally screwed the pooch on the Wuhan Flu and they did nothing but point fingers. They are in the pocket of Communist China.

Yet another fake race hoax - from BizPac Review:

Another hate crime hoax: Oregon commission candidate admits he wrote ‘racist’ letter to himself
An Oregon man gunning for a seat at the political table has joined the ranks of now notorious hate crime ‘hoaxers’ Jussie Smollett and Bubba Wallace.

A Hispanic candidate for an Oregon county commission seat has admitted he faked a ‘racist’ letter to himself, though he now says he never meant to “mislead” anyone.

Jonathan Lopez, who ran an unsuccessful primary campaign for a seat on the Umatilla County commission in May, had initially claimed that a racially-tinged letter had been left in his mailbox.

But in an email to the press on Monday, Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said Lopez admitted to law enforcement that he wrote the letter.

The racists have to invent racism. They try to divide us - they try to tell us that we are racist. We are not - they are. Big difference.

From My Pensieve - a fun site

Some interesting measurements from Cliff Mass:

The Jury is In: Personal Fireworks Alone Can Cause Dangerous Air Pollution
This July Fourth we answered an important question: if most U.S. community fireworks displays are cancelled (because of COVID-19) might July 4th air quality be substantially improved?

We now know the answer: air quality was very poor the evening of July 4th and the immediate morning hours, in some locations as bad or worse than previous years. Personal fireworks are clearly the mainstay of the air quality disaster of July 4th.

Curious - not surprised. Also, the numbers this year need to reflect the fact that if people usually did fireworks on the 4th, they went seriously overboard this year so a lot more personal fireworks were lit off than usual. Very large fireworks are sold on tribal lands - we have a lot of these in the Pacific Northwest. The good stuff 😁

Errands, coffee first, the usual stuff...

Hypocrite. From The Washington Free Beacon:

NC Dem Takes Millions From Coronavirus Program He Criticized
North Carolina Democratic Senate nominee Cal Cunningham's company collected up to $2 million in taxpayer dollars in coronavirus relief even as the candidate said that the Paycheck Protection Program "harms communities."

WasteZero, a Raleigh-based environmentalist trash service, obtained between $1 and $2 million in PPP funding on May 3, data released by the Small Business Administration on Monday show. Cunningham earned about $400,000 in 2019 in his role as the company's general counsel and vice president. He has repeatedly criticized the federal program, which aims to support small businesses struggling with coronavirus shutdowns. Just two months after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican effort to bankroll the depleting fund in April, Cunningham called the program "unacceptable," saying it "harms communities."

Yeah - do one thing, say something else. Yawn...

Of course she has an insurance policy - from the London Daily Mail:

'She has copies of everything Epstein had.' Ghislaine Maxwell 'has secret stash of pedophile's sex tapes' that could implicate world's most powerful and 'will try to use them to save herself'
Ghislaine Maxwell has a secret stash of Jeffrey Epstein's twisted sex tapes and will use the footage as an insurance policy to save herself, a former friend exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com.

Maxwell, 58, was arrested at her hideout in Bradford, New Hampshire last Thursday. She was charged with six federal crimes, including enticement of minors, sex trafficking and perjury.

A bit more - the brains of the outfit:

Maxwell's former friend explained: 'Ghislaine has always been as cunning as they come. She wasn't going to be with Epstein all those years and not have some insurance.

'The secret stash of sex tapes I believe Ghislaine has squirreled away could end up being her get out of jail card if the authorities are willing to trade. She has copies of everything Epstein had. They could implicate some twisted movers and shakers.'

They added: 'If Ghislaine goes down, she's going to take the whole damn lot of them with her.'

Heh... Somewhere out there is a server with an encrypted file. All that is needed is the URL and the passkey and everyone has it - the genie will be out of the bottle.

From the Whidbey Island News-Times:

COVID-19 uptick deemed no cause for alarm
Thirteen additional people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Island County in the last two weeks, putting the total at 195 since the start of the pandemic, according to Island County Public Health.

The number of deaths is still at 12 people.

Keith Higman, director of Island County Public Health, said the increase isn’t cause for panic.

The county isn’t investigating any clusters. Some of the cases were within families and some were associated with travel to other parts of the state.

“Our numbers look good,” he said, “compared to other places across the state and compared to other states.”

Higman said he believes nobody is currently hospitalized in the county with COVID-19.

Running the numbers, the US Census estimates Island County as having 85,141 citizens as of July 1st, 2019. Assuming for modest growth, let's make that 90K for now. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center puts the US at 2,936,007 Confirmed with 39.82 Deaths per 100K population. Island County has 10.8 Deaths per 100K population so we are doing pretty well.

The US Census estimates the United States population at 329,920,000. The number of Confirmed cases (2,936,007) is 0.889% of the total population. Island County Confirmed is 0.216% of the total population.

We are doing just fine - isolation really helps but the majority of the people here are just going about their daily lives. I travel to the mainland several times/week shopping at Costco and WalMart and I know many other people who do the same. Yes, the overall Confirmed numbers are up but that is an artifact of the enhanced testing. The critical numbers - mortality and hospitalization - are way down. Falling since April.

This thing is so overblown - political and not medical.

What a difference 82 days makes. The bias at CNN in two pictures:

100% overcast and light rainfall. Bleagh.

Doing a ham radio net in about an hour - I usually use the station at the local fire hall but they are still locked down so operating from home.

Heading out to the laundromat and coffee, etc... after. Cristobal the new cat is still really shy - he is hiding somewhere but he does come out and is very friendly when he does. Zero problem with Bear. He is getting used to this household on his terms and I am totally OK with that.

Nice day today but starting to cloud over.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow. Just wunnerful...

Atomic Fungus has this observation about professional sports - NASCAR specifically:

NASCAR's ratings crumble. The big mistake made by sports organizations in particular seems to be that their leaders don't understand who watches their sports. The people wandering around with the BLM signs etc aren't the ones who watch NASCAR, or car racing at all.

Very true. What gets me is that the "professional athletes" who are pulling this crap are always ones with very marginal performance on the field. Bubba Wallace has a very lackluster performance record.

The standing joke is that there was no noose in Bubba's garage. Know what else was missing? A trophy.

Ditto Colin Kaepernick's record as a Quarterback - also lackluster. Nothing to recommend him. None of the major teams wanted to sign him. This was how he chose to stand out in the crowd. Enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame Colin - they are about half over.

I predict that one year from now, it will be Bubba and Colin who?

Of course they are craven assholes, they are Democrats. You were seriously expecting something different?
From Breitbart:

Top Biden Donors Bailed Out by Trump’s Coronavirus Relief Program
While Joe Biden has been criticizing President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, some of the presumptive Democrat nominee’s top donors have been bailed out by the administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Funding disbursement data for the program unveiled on Monday by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin indicates that a number of individuals who have bankrolled Biden’s campaign have also benefited from PPP loans in recent months.

The article lists and links to financial data for the top couple offenders.

Nancy Pelosi's husband also had his hand out according to the New York Post:

Nancy Pelosi’s husband among lawmaker-linked PPP loan recipients

Given the choice between dollars and ethics, they choose dollars every single time. Every time.

The Canadian Premier is throwing a tantrum - from the UK Guardian:

Justin Trudeau snubs Nafta meeting with Trump in Washington
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has declined an invitation to visit the White House this week to celebrate a new North American free trade deal, amid worsening coronavirus figures in the US and lingering tensions with Donald Trump.

Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is due to meet Trump in Washington on Wednesday, and had urged Trudeau to attend the meeting.

But in a statement on Monday, Trudeau’s office said: “We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday’s meeting. While there were recent discussions about the possible participation of Canada, the prime minister will be in Ottawa this week for scheduled cabinet meetings and the long-planned sitting of parliament.”

Sheesh - the ink is not even dry on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and already, Canada is trying to weasel. They sat down and negotiated this thing, they need to honor their side of the bargain. Going to be fun to see what President Trump will do in retaliation - he will not let this pass unnoticed...

An excellent essay from one of my favorite thinkers. From American Greatness:

An Industry of Untruth
The current revolution is based on a series of lies, misrepresentations, and distortions, whose weight will soon sink it.

Viral confusion
Unfortunately few in authority have been more wrong, and yet more self-righteously wrong, than the esteemed Dr. Anthony Fauci. Given his long service as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and his stature during the AIDS crisis, he has rightly been held up by the media as the gold standard of coronavirus information. The media has constructed Fauci as a constant corrective of Trump’s supposed “lies” about the utility of travel bans, analogies with a bad flu year, and logical endorsement of hydroxychloroquine as a “what do you have to lose” possible therapy.

But the omnipresent Fauci himself unfortunately has now lost credibility. The reason is that he has offered authoritative advice about facts, which either were not known or could not have been known at the time of his declarations.

Since January, Fauci has variously advised the nation both that the coronavirus probably was unlikely to cause a major health crisis in the United States and later that it might yet kill 240,000 Americans. In January, he praised China for its transparent handling of the coronavirus epidemic, not much later he conceded that perhaps they’d done a poor job of that. He has cautioned that the virus both poses low risks and, later, high risks, for Americans. Wearing masks, Fauci warned, was both of little utility and yet, later, essential. Hydroxychloroquine, he huffed, had little utility; when studies showed that it did, he still has kept mostly silent.

At various times, he emphasized that social distancing and avoiding optional activities were mandatory, but earlier that blind dating and going on cruise ships were permissible. Fauci weighed in on the inadvisability of restarting businesses prematurely, but he has displayed less certainty about the millions of demonstrators and rioters in the streets for a month violating quarantines. The point is not that he is human like all of us, but that in each of these cases he asserted such contradictions with near-divine certainty—and further confused the public in extremis.

Much more at the site - Dr. Hanson specifically addresses: Racial Violence, Iconoclasm and the constant Media Lies. A wide ranging look at what is going on here and how the media are trying (and with some low-information voters, succeeding) to pull the wool over our eyes. Well worth the 5-10 minutes to read. Dr. Hanson is a National Treasure.

My favorite burger place - also, my activities right now. Back home from grocery deliveries and was thinking about Chinese takeout all afternoon. Heading up North to get some Ho Fun. This year has been No Fun so need something to balance it out every so often.

Looks like New York City is going down the tubes - it does this every few decades. They elect a Republican mayor who cleans things up and then they go back to Democrats until it hits bottom. No memory. From the London Daily Mail:

Nightmare in New York: How Covid-19, BLM protests and a liberal mayor are turning the city into a no-go zone as murders skyrocket, shops are looted and 500,000 middle-class residents flee
Two bullet-ridden bodies lay sprawled on bloodstained concrete steps. Alongside, relatives of the victims are wailing and collapse to the ground. In another part of the city, a gang of youths use spray paint to disable security cameras before robbing a corner store. Later, video footage captures police officers sitting helplessly in their patrol car as a baying crowd hurls glass bottles at them.

This is lawless New York – a city that was once America’s glittering crown jewel but which risks descending into mob rule.

And some more:

According to figures released by the New York Police Department, for the first six months of this year, there were 176 murders, an increase of 23 per cent on the 143 killed during the same period last year.

The number of shooting victims has gone up 51 per cent to 616 this year. In June alone, there were 250 shootings compared to 97 in the same month last year. Month-on-month, burglaries are up 119 per cent and car thefts up 48 per cent.

Many blame New York’s liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio, who has slashed police funding by $1 billion (£800 million), ended the NYPD’s controversial ‘stop-and-frisk’ policy (which allowed police to stop and search anyone solely on the basis of ‘reasonable suspicion’) and who last week vowed to paint a huge Black Lives Matter sign outside President Trump’s flagship Trump Tower.

De Blasio has also introduced criminal justice reforms, including changes to bail for dozens of offences, which has meant violent criminals released on to the streets.

Much more at the site. Stunningly poor management and zero leadership.

For grins, here is the UHaul Index for moving between New York City and Key Biscayne, Florida

So many trucks are leaving NYC for Florida that UHaul is able to charge a 140% premium. They need these trucks brought back for the next people to flee so they offer greatly reduced rates for people coming into NYC.

They have nothing of substance so they have to resort to cheating and Balkanizing us.

Branco puts it succinctly:

The current "spike" in covid Wuhan Flu infections?

Dump run, coffee, sit and read for a bit.

Washing machine is not working correctly so will gather a bunch of stuff and hang out at the laundromat tomorrow. The machine is not much more than one year old so should be under warranty.

The fun never stops...

First Ennio Morricone and now Charlie Daniels - from the Tennessean:

Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Daniels dies at 83
Charlie Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame best known for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," died Monday morning after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 83.

Daniels' death was confirmed by his publicist, Don Murry Grubbs. He is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son Charlie Daniels Jr.

By the time the Charlie Daniels Band topped the charts with “Devil” in 1979, the instrumentalist, singer and songwriter had long established a remarkable, multifaceted career in Music City. As a session musician, he played on three of Bob Dylan’s albums — including the revolutionary “Nashville Skyline” — as well as recordings for Ringo Starr and Leonard Cohen.

In 1974, he launched the first “Volunteer Jam,” a regun all-star concert that has continued for nearly 50 years. Daniels joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Crap - 2019 was a rough year for me and I was looking forward to 2020. Dammit. Six more months to go.

One of my absolute favorite contemporary composers. From the New York Times:

Ennio Morricone, Oscar-Winning Composer of Film Scores, Dies at 91
Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer whose atmospheric scores for spaghetti westerns and some 500 films by a Who’s Who of international directors made him one of the world’s most versatile and influential creators of music for the modern cinema, died on Monday in Rome. He was 91.

His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his lawyer, Giorgio Assumma, who said that Mr. Morricone was admitted there last week after falling and fracturing a femur.

One example of his work:

91 is a good run but still. Damn.

Very true:

From Peter

Feeling a bit sleepy and nothing much happening out there.

Got a pot of tea - no beer for me for a while. Full day tomorrow so getting an early night.

Gorgeous sunset and tomorrow is forecast for decent weather. See what happens. Grocery deliveries, dump run, bills and paperwork and laundry. Got a ham radio network (the Western Washington one I participate in every couple of weeks - we rotate) on Tuesday and the place we usually use (a firehall) is still on lockdown so operating from home.

YouTube and bed.

Looks like President Trump is building ice breakers - ships rated for sailing through pack ice in the arctic.
From Defense News:

The US Navy returns to an increasingly militarized Arctic
The U.S. Navy’s Barents Sea patrol is the latest sojourn into an increasingly militarized Arctic, where questions of international law are proliferating.

For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. Navy is making regular trips to the Arctic Circle, with the four-ship patrol sailing in the Barents Sea. Three of the four ships, which sailed alongside the British Royal Navy frigate Kent, were destroyers based in Rota, Spain, as part of an operation spearheaded by the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet.

The trip into Russia’s backyard was the latest in what the U.S. Navy has made clear will become a habit in the frigid waters of the Arctic. And that it was carried out by Europe-based destroyers could herald even more operations in the High North as the service plans to grow to six destroyers forward-deployed there from today’s four.

The patrol in the Barents Sea, much of which is part of Russia exclusive economic zone, follows high-profile patrols by the American aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in 2018 and a surface action group patrol in 2019. And while a Naval Forces Europe news release made clear Russia was given advance notice of the patrol to avoid confusion, the message is still pointed: The U.S. Navy is back in the Arctic Circle after being gone for 30 years.

A lot of mineral and oil wealth up there and no clear "owners".

Also, maritime activities will be impacted by the climate either way - I am seeing a coming cold period of 50-300 years duration. These have happened before. Our sun is at a very low output - lowest since 1913. 1913 was when the Modern Warm Period started. The 1960's through the 1980's were a time of major solar activity and are the times when our climate warmed the most. Now, things are cooling off again. Either way and for whatever reason, we need to maintain an enhanced presense up there and it looks like our President is laying the groundwork for just that.

Right there with you:

From Knuckledraggin

Got his a** arrested and was bawling like a baby:

The economy has been doing pretty well despite the Wuhan Flu manufactured panic. The employment numbers are up higher than forecast and things are getting back on track again. Here are some numbers that I really like - from CNS News:

Government Employment Down 1,469,000 Since February
There were 1,469,000 fewer people working for government in the United States in June than there were in February, according to the employment numbers released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Can you say Non-Essential Employee? I knew you could. Let us hope that this is the start of something wonderful.

From the United States Department of Justice:

Chinese National Guilty of Laundering Millions for Mexican Drug Cartels
A Chinese national pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with laundering more than $4 million in drug proceeds generated by large-scale cocaine trafficking in the United States.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia; Special Agent in Charge Wendy C. Woolcock of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Special Operations Division and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey T. Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Jason Crosby, Chief of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and Special Agent in Charge James Gibbons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago, Illinois, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.

According to court documents, Xueyong Wu, 40, cultivated relationships with Latin American drug trafficking organizations to transport and launder their United States-based drug proceeds. Wu is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29.

Much of this money was repatriated to Mexico through a complex series of international financial transactions. Wu received a percentage of the money involved in these transactions as compensation for organizing these laundering activities. Much of this money was generated through movement of cocaine or payment for cocaine that took place within the Eastern District of Virginia.

Got to keep that sweet drug money flowing - Chuck and Nancy need their anonymous campaign contributions. Why else do they work so hard to keep the border open? Good work guys!

From My Pensieve:

But then, thinking was never these people's strong suit. Academics go out of their way to avoid thinking. Indoctrination über alles

New York City in fact. From the Foundation for Economic Education:

New York City’s Pension Debt Is Driving It to Bankruptcy
New York City is in dire straits. You might not know it, but the city is staring bankruptcy in the face. Stakeholders are scrambling for answers to this issue, but there’s been little talk about one of the main causes of the city’s growing debt: public employee pensions. As of today, nearly 75 percent of the city’s $197.8 billion deficit is due to pension and other retirement liabilities.

What will happen if the city goes bankrupt?

Pension and Public Service
Currently, NYC offers five different pension plans to its municipal employees, from teachers to members of the school board. These pensions serve as a source of retirement income to former city employees and are defined benefit plans, meaning that benefits are guaranteed by the employer. The employer is making investment decisions and managing investments for the plan so that when employees retire, they receive the promised benefit. For that to happen, all the actuarial assumptions need to be correct in their predictions about investment returns, demographic trends, and other variables.

Much more at the site. A good analysis. The unions seriously misjudged the rate of return on the principal. Asking Uncle Sam for a bail-out in 3... 2... 1...

F*ck them. These are the voices of 0.001% of the US population. Their dream will never ever come to pass, Thank God.

President Trump is not on the ballot this November. America is.

There must be no outdoor Fourth of July celebrations. Some drone footage from Los Angeles last night:

Looks like We The People are speaking back pretty loudly. I love it.

As a reminder, Chicago has some of the most draconian gun laws in the nation. From FOX News:

67 shot, 13 fatally, over Fourth of July weekend in Chicago so far
Thirteen people have been killed and at least 54 others injured in shootings across Chicago so far over the Fourth of July weekend.

Nine of the weekend’s victims were minors, and two of the children died from their injuries.

And we still have Sunday (today) to go. Great leadership there Groot...

Woke up as usual around 6:30 but rolled right over and slept in for a couple more hours. A bit hung-over - had more than a few beers last night. More than I have drunk since fall of last year. Why I used to do this is beyond my comprehension.

Gorgeous day - a few clouds but sunny and warm. Working outside after coffee and stuff.

The neighbors displays were pretty large the last two years.

This year, they are gargantuan.  I only know of one municipal display (about 20 miles South of here) - I used to see bits of the Whidbey Island and Anacortes municipal displays. They are silent this year but the personal ones? Ho. Li. Crap. All over and huge. Eleven o'clock and no sign of slowing down.

Doing the grocery deliveries for the last couple months, I have gotten to know the people at the local store really well. They know about my own store in Maple Falls and we trade grocery stories from time to time. Heard from one of the floor managers that yesterday was their biggest day ever.

People are tired of this bullshit. They want to go back to living their lives and they are fed up with being "minded". There is nothing wrong with our Nation that a good dose of chemicals in the gene pool would not fix.

We did horribly - the whole world did. Too many people politicized it or told their political masters what they wanted to hear with computer models of the death estimates ranging 100's of times higher than the actual numbers.

Seattle weather guru Cliff Mass takes them to the woodshed:

Weather Forecasting is Fifty Years Ahead of Epidemiological Prediction: That Must Change
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy approached New York from off the Atlantic. Seven days before, a near perfect track forecast was made by the European Center and two days later the U.S. model (the GFS), run by the National Weather Service's Environmental Modeling Center, has locked on as well.

The stunningly accurate prediction of an extremely unusual event, saved countless lives, with only about 100 deaths in a region of tens of millions of people (and most who died made a bad decision to ignore the forecast).

He looks at the factors going in to this and compares it to our dealings with the Wuhan Flu:

Stunningly, U.S. epidemiological modeling has almost NONE of the above components or systems, and the performance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is poor.    Consider:

• • There is no large, permanent epidemiological prediction center in the U.S. government analogous to the NOAA/NWS.   U.S. response to COVID had to depend on a hodgepodge of university forecasting efforts, some spun up for this event.  Untested, unverified, and often very wrong.
  • Unlike weather prediction, U.S. epidemiologists do not have an accurate description of what is happening NOW.  Testing was slow to begin, in fact, the CDC made serious errors in test development.  Even today, six months into the pandemic there are not enough tests.  There is no attempt being made to randomly sample the population to understand how many folks have or were infected.  Unbelievable.
  • Unlike the comprehensive and smoothly running weather observational system, there is poor organization to the data collection by CDC. There are not even standard reporting approaches.
  • The epidemiological models are generally primitive affairs, many of which do not consider the complex, variable transmission properties of a heterogeneous population, and lack clear information of what is occurring right now (called the initialization in weather prediction).
  • Communication by CDC of both the threat and how to deal with the disease has been inconsistent and often wrong.  For example, they initially discouraged the use of masks, before reversing their guidance 180 degrees.  Similarly, CDC downplayed the threat in January and February, before reserving in March.  The NWS works very hard to start with reliable forecasts, to communicate the uncertainties, and not to go back and forth in their warnings.  They are masters at this.

Cliff is not a fan of President Trump but he offers this come-to-Jesus moment for the TDS sufferers:

The Political Opportunists
There are some folks and many media pundits who are claiming this COVID disaster is all the fault of President Trump and that things would have been much better under a Democratic President.

This is either very naive or very cynical.

There is no doubt that the President and his administration has been startlingly misinformed and ineffective. His abysmal leadership has made things much worse.

But the problems noted above are not recent developments and have been allowed to fester in recent administrations, including the 8-years of President Obama. I suspect we would not have been in much better place if Hilary Clinton would have won, because the basic institutional infrastructure was not put in place.

That is what we must do together as a nation, following the example of the weather prediction community. And speaking as one of them, we would be glad to help.

A very wise heads-up. Let us hope that President Trump has some advisers that think along the same lines. This bit of nastiness escaped from the Chinese lab despite their protestations to the contrary. Stuff like this will happen again and the sooner we can mobilize, the better.

Someone has some fun toys out there. There are fireworks going off all the time now but every so often, there is more of a very large and low   ___CRUMP___   rather than a bang.

Played with explosives in my childhood (still have all ten fingers!) and this is a lot more substantial than any M-80. Lower pitched too so guessing something homemade with black powder or some slow-burning blasting explosive. Came from neither a fireworks stand nor the Tribal lands.

Title? Marvin the Martian of course.

With Lee Greenwood - a wonderful rendition of a Lee's great song:

Today's Dilbert hit close to home:

Hung out with a new person to the island - she was working for Jack. We have a lot of common interests - music and metalworking. A fun 20-minute conversation.

Picked up a 1950's style Dazor fluorescent desk lamp. Perfect for my electronics bench - I will re-wire with LED bulbs.

The photo is not mine - eBay listing. They usualy go for around $150+ and I paid $15 so happy with the deal. Do not care if it works as I am relamping it anyway. These were THE desk lamps to have when growing up. My Dad taught Physics and everyone at the department had them. I had one on my desk at home - did many an hour of homework under that light. Dazor is still in business.

Turned into a really nice day - lots of puffy white clouds in the sky. Temps in the 70's and the forecast for tomorrow is more of the same. Lots of people playing in the water - a neighbor one house away from me had even more people pull up so tonight is going to be a big party. The neighbor a few hundred yards further to the East is the one who buys several $K worth of fireworks every year so looking forward to a fun display. Sit outside on my deck chair and watch.

The Founding of our nation was something very very rare and special.  President Reagan had it right:

Back in a couple hours. Cat is back in the bathroom - he and Bear are getting along great.

They decided to change the name of their team. From America's Newspaper of Record, The Babylon Bee:

Redskins Change Name To 'Lizard People' To Better Represent Population Of Washington, D.C.
There has been much talk about renaming the Washington Redskins, since their offensive name has no place in our modern, enlightened society that has done away with all other immorality and sin.

The District of Columbia informed the team that they cannot return to playing within the district until they have a name that is more fitting for a team representing the capital of our country. To that end, the team officially announced today they would be renaming themselves to "The Washington Lizard People."

"This is a much better name, far more reflective of the great city of Washington, D.C.," said Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s representative. "All the politicians, bureaucrats, and leaders here in the district felt the name had great appeal."

Politicians immediately expressed their support for the name change, saying they can relate to a team called the Lizard People. "I see a name like Lizard People, and I know that's a team I can be proud of," said Adam Schiff, his eyes hungrily following a fly buzzing around the room. He licked his lips. "Much better than that Redskins nonsense. Hey, look over there, is that Vladimir Putin?" As reporters turned to look, Schiff shot a long tongue out of his mouth, lightning-quick, and nabbed the fly. "Oh, must have been mistaken," he said, shrugging.

"I pushed for 'The Turtles,'" said Mitch McConnell. "But Lizard People is acceptable, I suppose. It implies patriotism, good football, and a reptilian conspiracy to enslave puny, meaningless humanity beneath the glorious, scaly claws of lizardkind, humans forever in subjugation to their cosmic superiors, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I mean, um... can you believe how bad Nancy Pelosi is?"

From Natural News:

If you cancel your 4th of July plans because the government forces you to, then you’re missing the whole point of Independence Day

They link to this video:

Some excellent questions.

Interesting report from The Daily Telegraph:

How Ghislaine Maxwell and Kevin Spacey relaxed at Buckingham Palace 'as guests of Prince Andrew'
Sitting on the Queen’s throne in Buckingham Palace, Ghislaine Maxwell gives a regal wave for the camera.

Seated next to her in the place normally occupied by the Duke of Edinburgh is Kevin Spacey, the Hollywood actor accused but never convicted of multiple sexual offences.

The Daily Telegraph has been told the pair were invited into the throne room on a private tour of the Palace organised by the Duke of York, a close friend of Ms Maxwell’s.

Obtained exclusively by The Telegraph, the photo was taken in 2002 and shows Maxwell in a mock royal pose with Spacey pretending to be Prince Philip. It is a far cry from Ms Maxwell’s current predicament.

This is going to be fun. The timing could not be better for the upcoming elections. Now if they can keep her alive long enough to testify. A lot of nervous people out there.

Shades of The Picture of Dorian Gray. These people have become so corrupted internally, so morally bankrupt, that it manifests to the rest of the world:

It is like this creature; this thing;  was only half-formed in the womb but managed to survive. They would not last 15 minutes in the real world without their constant support system around them. The Nation of Eloi.

When people talk about draining the swamp, they are being literal. Absolutely 100% literal - the swamp.

Senator Ted Cruz introduced some new legislation. Doubt that it will pass but the idea is great - from The Daily Caller:

Ted Cruz To Introduce Legislation Holding City Officials Accountable For Injuries From Rioting
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz will “soon” introduce legislation that will hold city officials financially responsible for damaged property and injuries sustained from rioting.

“Sen. Cruz is working on a legislative proposal that will hold city officials financially responsible for the property damages and personal injuries that result from their decision to allow autonomous zones and/or order officers to stand down in the midst of rioting and looting,” A spokesperson for Cruz’s office told The Daily Caller.

A bit more:

“Sen. Cruz believes that government officials’ first responsibility is to protect the American people. We’ve seen violent rioters take to the streets in Minneapolis, New York City, and Seattle – where they’ve burned businesses and communities to the ground, toppled and defaced statues, and taken the lives of their fellow citizens,” added the Cruz spokesperson.

“Officials in these Democrat-run states are not exempt from that important duty, and they need to be held accountable for the destruction that has been allowed to occur.”

Exactly - let them know that there are responsibilities for their decisions. If they want to enjoy a Summer of Love, let them but they need to know that they will foot the bill. They will not be able to count on bailouts from Uncle Sam. Sending a really good message.

My friend's yard sale starts this morning.

Turning into a nice day - sun is shining, some clouds but not the oppressive gray pall hanging over everything.

Watched President Trump deliver an amazing speech last night - great idea to visit Mt. Rushmore. The crybabies are fixated on ignoring our history and tearing down statues. President Trump gives them a yuuuge finger in front of the biggest statues we have. Troll level: EPIC

Lady Liberty

A really lovely idea but...

From the Washington Examiner:

Sixty arrested in Seattle as protesters feud with police after demise of CHOP
Protesters continue to clash with law enforcement in Seattle days after the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone was dismantled.

Police said they arrested 10 people between Thursday night and Friday morning for property destruction, assault, harassment, and failure to disperse. The Seattle Police Department also reported bottles, rocks, and fireworks being thrown at officers. All those who were arrested were booked into the King County Jail.

Local law enforcement officials began clearing out the area early Wednesday after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an executive order mandating that people vacate due to violence and public safety issues. Since then, more than 60 arrests have been made, according to KING-TV, a local NBC affiliate.

One of the arrests on Thursday was of a prominent protester from the CHOP zone who led police in a high-speed chase. Police say the man was wanted for a felony.

More at the site - lots of links to various stories about kiddies behaving poorly. They need to go back to their mommies basement and crawl back under their Darth Vader blankie. They are failing as adults.

Got the cat tree assembled. Cristobal is perched on it surveying his domain. Fitting in very well so far.

Dinner was good - feel like a beer or two but do not feel like going out for it. Reading at the coffee house this morning was enough socalization for one day.

An artist friend of mine is doing a major downsize this weekend - heading over to his place tomorrow morning to see what he has. Not many tools but he has interesting and eclectic tastes so it should be fun just to wander around.

Firecrackers going off. Even more boats moored out in the bay and more cars parked along the road. Lots of people in the area. The grocery store was jammed when I went there at 3:45 to get the cat tree.

She was done in by the 'rona:

Found over at Busted Knuckles - this is a parody (check the publication date:  11, July 2020) but still... Prescient?

No deliveries for me today. Spent a good bit of time at the farmer's market talking with some friends and hanging out in general.

Heading over to pick up the cat tree - put that together this evening. Going to do some ham and bean soup for dinner - a cold and miserable day, perfect for soup.

Cristobal is out of the bathroom - he is spending most of his time in there but the door is now open and he is free to wander the house. The cat tree came in yesterday so picking it up today and will assemble it - the puppy is big so it should provide some fun. Or, he will show zero interest in it and have a world of fun playing with the empty box. Either way...

Heading out for coffee and to read for a little while - grocery deliveries this afternoon.

Rainy day - dull gray overcast and intermittent showers. It would be really nice to get some decent weather this summer. I was driving through some of the Skagit Valley farmland yesterday and the corn was only about 6" high. The saying is that it needs to be "Knee High by the Fourth of July" - that is at least a month away what with current cool and cloudiness (not just here: Iowa, Michigan). This Low Solar Output/Global Cooling is getting to be a real drag. Thinking about getting another cord of wood delivered for this winter.

From 90 Miles From Tyranny:

Feel much better now.

This is not a pandemic, this is a manipulation of data. A short video at Conservative Treehouse:

And the link to the document that she is citing. What used to be one confirmed case (by medical test) can now be up to 17 probable cases which are counted as ongoing COVID infections. Serious fudging of numbers. There is also a place in the document where it instructs Coroners on how to fill out Death Certificates - a possible COVID infection at the time of death (by Leukimia in their example) is counted as a COVID fatality.

Much more at the site.

From Summit News:

Victim’s Attorney: Ghislaine Maxwell Could Reveal ‘Bigger Names’ Involved in Epstein Pedo Network as Part of Plea Deal
Victim’s attorney Lisa Bloom says that Ghislaine Maxwell could reveal a “bigger name” involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophile network in order to secure a plea deal.

Appearing on UK radio show LBC, Bloom stated, “I’m sure that Ghislaine’s attorneys will try to make a deal where she speaks out about a bigger name to get reduced charges for herself.”

That was my immediate thought when I heard of her arrest. She has the resources to totally disappear - she came in because she was offered a deal. This is going to be fun if she doesn't suicide first. Poor Ghislaine - it was all too much for her.

Our Nation's Birthday (yes, it was voted by Congress today, the 2nd, but it was not ratified and signed until the 4th). Many of the neighbors are having friends camp over for the long weekend - lots of boats anchored out in the bay and many cars and campers parked along the road. The liquor distributor was at our local grocery story filling up the beer cave - much business this weekend.

Fireworks are starting to be lit off - should be a fun weekend.

Having a beer or three and watching some video.

There have been enough murders and "odd" suicides around the Clintons that the term Arkancide has come into the public lexicon. Website here: Arkancide

Now, with Ms. Maxwell being arrested...