Israel Knesset declares Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
It took nearly 70 years for this to be recognized by the United States. President Donald Trump (R-USA) made if official on December 6, 2017.
23 January, 2021
Freedom of Speech vs. the First Amendment
I am very careful on this blog to make a distinction between the two. Many people try to conflate them, and say that companies like Twitter are free to shut you down, because they’re a private company, and not the government. And the First Amendment only talks about the government.
Yes, that’s technically true, and it’s why I make the distinction. But there’s still a flaw in that reasoning.
Let me give you an example.
Let’s say you’re holding some sort of big political rally, or a protest. You are doing well, the crowd there is completely with you. You’re broadcasting on your YouTube channel and people all over the world are watching.
You are exercising your freedom of speech.
Now, let’s say I’m the head of the local branch of the power company. I don’t like what you’re saying. In fact, I think it’s “hate speech”. I cut your power mid-speech. No one at the rally can hear you anymore. You’re no longer broadcasting on YouTube. Your fans around the world are cut off.
I have just attacked your freedom of speech. I’m a private company, right? You have other ways of getting your message out. What? You didn’t bring backup generators? This is essentially the argument that people make about Twitter.
And it’s essentially true, for what it’s worth. I think this example makes it clear that the argument is ridiculous, though.
And here’s where it gets worse. What if the government looks into it, trying to determine if I have acted unjustly to you? And what if the government decides then that your speech was in fact “hate speech” and sides with me. You’re not going to like that much, are you?
And now at this point, the government has gotten involved and ruled against freedom of speech.
And that, my friend, is an attack on the First Amendment.
This is Truly Frightening
In what can only be seen as private sector political persecution, a Florida bank has become the latest financial institution to dissolve its relationship with former-President Donald Trump over incendiary narratives floated by his detractors.
If they can do it to Donald Trump, they can do it to you.
Who Didn’t See This Coming?
Oh, that’s right. 80 million of you didn’t.
I used to say this about Obama, but P.T. Barnum would have loved President Joe Biden (D-USA).
Steven Hayward Gets It on the Keystone XL Pipeline
Over at Power Line Blog, Steven Hayward delivers an ominous message:
[T]he Keystone pipeline was entirely a private sector project that had obtained its legal permits. I’ll skip over for now whether Keystone may have legal remedies to be brought against Biden’s decision. The point is: I can’t think of another example of a president crushing thousands of private sector jobs at a stroke in the absence of a genuine legal reason. Biden offered no legal reason, such as defects of the permit or violations of the permit conditions. He just doesn’t like it.
If you don’t think that’s a problem, then you really don’t understand America.
This is what you voted for. #IToldYouSo.
22 January, 2021
January 22, 2021
Hammerin’ Hank passes.
The picture above is of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run and passing Babe Ruth as the (at the time) all-time home run leader.
Great man. Great player. The world is a lesser place without him.
Mitch McConnell is Playing a Dangerous Game
I think he feels it’s the only thing he can do, though. You can only play with the cards you’re dealt.
When earlier reports surfaced that Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) supported impeachment, I was skeptical. None of the reports include any actual quotes from McConnell or his press team.
Read that carefully. It’s important.
There were no quotes whatsoever. No confirmations or denials.
This sounded like a deliberate leak as a trial balloon. Find out what the response is from within his party and his constituents. Notice, this is much smarter than what Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY-AL) did. She voiced her opinion loudly and voted to impeach. And is now paying the price.
But, you say, what about reports that he’s working with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on how the trial will be run in the Senate and that he intends to “listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate”.
Again, you have to understand McConnell. You don’t get to the position he holds and hold it for so long without some intelligence. He is “misunderestimated” even more often than GWB was.
McConnell is trying desperately to work out a power sharing agreement in the Senate with Schumer and desperately wants to hold on to the “filibuster” as it is currently defined.
This means that he has to give Schumer something, both publicly and privately.
Despite the Constitutional ambiguities (to say the least), there will be a trial in the Senate.
I don’t believe that McConnell will vote to convict. He’s too smart for that. He will end up saying that while he disagrees with what Trump did and said, that it doesn’t rise to the level that impeachment requires and that he can’t vote to convict on that.
The only way McConnell votes to convict is if it is already a foregone conclusion that Trump will be convicted. Which won’t be the case.
This is high risk for McConnell. He is going to tick off some of the members of the Republican caucus in the Senate, and he’s going to tick off many of his constituents. But the only thing that might make those happy would be to stand firm and fight it tooth and nail. In which case, he knows he can say goodbye to power sharing and goodbye to the filibuster, and the Democrats will just ram through whatever they want in the Senate.
Fauci debunks CNN reporting, says Biden's vaccine rollout not 'starting from scratch'
This was a deliberate lie spread by the Biden team in a desperate attempt to make Trump look bad, and they got caught. I’m sure it worked though. They spread the lie, and the rebuttal of it will be spread far less widely.
Fauci debunks CNN reporting, says Biden's vaccine rollout not 'starting from scratch' | Fox News
"We certainly are not starting from scratch because there is activity going on in the distribution," Fauci responded before elaborating on the Biden administration's own plan.
Indeed. How about some cold hard facts?
2) In the past week, @business says 912,497 vaccine doses were administered per day — or 91% of Biden’s goal of 1M Americans per day.
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) January 21, 2021
Either the situation on the ground is better than team Biden acknowledges, or Biden’s target is less ambitious than it seems. pic.twitter.com/z7TDdHC4i1
Starting from scratch, my a**.
21 January, 2021
January 21, 1921
One hundred years ago today.
Hercule Poirot arrives on the scene in Dame Agatha Christie’s first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Poirot would later return to Styles in his last case, Curtain.
Well, this Won’t Help the Economy Either
Biden nixes Keystone XL permit, halts Arctic refuge leasing | TheHill
During President Trump’s (R-USA) administration, the U.S. became a net exporter of fossil fuels. Biden wants to make us more dependent on others again and increase the cost of energy. Note that nothing he is doing is reducing energy demand, just availability.
When you decrease supply, and don’t do anything about demand, prices go up. That will be just great.
And as I’ve already pointed out, shutting down Keystone XL accomplishes no good whatsoever and has the wonderful side effect of p*ssing off our neighbors to the North.
One day in office, and already I can’t wait for this administration to end.
1,460 more days until January 20, 2025.
This is what you voted for. #IToldYouSo.
UPDATE: Right on cue: ‘Incredibly Troubling,’ ‘Deeply Disturbed’: Canadian Lawmakers React To Biden Energy Policy | The Daily Wire
“While we welcome the President’s commitment to fight climate change, we are disappointed but acknowledge the President’s decision to fulfill his election campaign promise on Keystone XL,” Trudeau said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
“Canada is the single-largest supplier of energy to the United States, contributing to U.S. energy security and economic competitiveness, and supporting thousands of jobs on both sides of the border,” he continued. “Workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and across Canada will always have our support.”
No matter. The idiot has spoken and he has used his crayon to put this into effect.
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