Thursday morning links

This is a great time of year to watch movies, and BD's link to Hamilton: An American Musical is a good one! What a year 2020 has been: impeachment, covid, lockdowns, George Floyd riots, the 2020 election. Hamilton speaks to many of these issues. How should leaders behave? Is America racist? Just for fun, compare the elections of 2020 and 1800. Plus Hamilton is great entertainment! Thank you, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney+. More thoughts here.

#4 The Switchel Philosopher (Link) on 2020-12-24 09:37 (Reply)

Re: Andrew Yang

He’s supposed to be a genius. He’ll certainly look like one in comparison to his predecessor. He’ll also have the advantage of having a much smaller city to run.

#5 mudbug on 2020-12-24 09:41 (Reply)

I think he has the capacity to keep learning, which is even better.

#5.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-12-24 22:43 (Reply)

So the question is will he use that capacity to keep learning and if so, what will he use that capacity to learn?

#5.1.1 mudbug on 2020-12-24 23:58 (Reply)

Re: Confused or Dishonest? Biden Claims Hunter Stories Are 'Russian Disinformation,'

Both.

#6 mudbug on 2020-12-24 09:43 (Reply)

The Democrats and GOPe will never be able to re-set their Middle East foreign policy back to their old scam of stirring up fake trouble and greasing the wheels of terrorists to keep a full-time battleground at ready. That's how we should see it - it was a vast desert theme park, Disneyland for Defense Contractors, run to keep our troops busy and entertained.

Trump and Jared Kushner have fundamentally changed the tone by finally re-locating the American embassy to its proper location and by stepping back and taking the role of facilitator. Many other countries have followed the lead and re-located their embassies, too.

For all their empty talk about America no longer 'leading the world', Democrats will find this a bitter, ironic pill. The rest of the Arab / Israeli world sees this as true and thanks the Trump Administration for getting the hell out of the way and giving them what they need, when asked, to help them mind their regional business.

They will do just fine, thank you, and they are already making quick work of the so-called sectarian terrorists. That pompous pr*ck John Kerry may try to resurrect the Iran deal, but he'll find himself in bed with the Chinese, and that's not a good look, even for Lurch. The Chinese don't care who they embarrass. And the Saudis under bin Salman will simply not take instruction like the old days - they're all grown up now. Middle East policy will go down as one of Trump's signature accomplishments.

#7 Aggie on 2020-12-24 10:04 (Reply)

Well stated! Amen.

#7.1 Stargazer on 2020-12-24 11:01 (Reply)

Re: California’s wealth tax

Exactly how are they going to determine a person’s net worth? Are they going to subpoena everybody’s bank records? What about assets in other states or countries?

We may get to find out how much $120,000 (on top of all the taxes they already pay) is worth to those upper crusties.

#8 mudbug on 2020-12-24 10:06 (Reply)

BD, your first link is fascinating: the story of that iconic photo, the photographer (Slim Aarons), and the woman in the photo - his wife Rita Aarons. Toward the end of the article we learn that “Slim was a man of three worlds” and that his wife knew of two of those worlds, but she did not learn about world #3 until after he died. The parallels to Alexander Hamilton are striking. No, I don't mean Hamilton's affair with Maria Reynolds. Nothing like that. I mean what life was like for Hamilton and Aarons growing up. They both grew up with nothing, and yet made a productive life that people are talking about long after their deaths. Most inspiring. That is America.

#9 The Switchel Philosopher (Link) on 2020-12-24 10:20 (Reply)

Both Hamilton and Aarons grew up effectively orphaned and with nothing.

#9.1 The Switchel Philosopher (Link) on 2020-12-24 10:27 (Reply)

If I remember correctly many years ago Greyhound was trying to get the government to allow it to connect with AMTRAK to provide rides to their final destination. For some reason the government decided to create their own bus line and push Greyhound out. I always suspected that Greyhound failed to cross the right palms with silver.

#10 OneGuy on 2020-12-24 10:32 (Reply)

Re: Rush Limbaugh

Rush is a hugely lucky man. He’s made a visibly positive impact on millions of people and he’s gotten personal feedback (advance obituary?) of affection and appreciation from many of them. Not many people have that kind of impact and I’m guessing very few of them personally receive the affection and appreciation they deserve. How many people are considered to be one’s best friend they’ve never met?

Of course, he’s also terribly unlucky to have contracted lung cancer. Can we hold out hope that the prayers of millions of people will be answered and he gets over it? I will. I continue to pray and I continue to hope. To do otherwise is to underestimate his value to me. That value not only includes his political and cultural insights, but also showing us how to be courageously honest and dignified (eg. drug addiction and cancer). Those values seem to be in short supply lately.

#11 mudbug on 2020-12-24 11:13 (Reply)

Most of the media, talking heads, blogs and literati have stopped talking about the biggest crime in history except to maybe acknowledge on occasion that the guy in the white house still pushes his conspiracy theories. I honestly find it odd. Is someone threatening them? For the blogs and bloggers that is 100% true. Many blogs were deplatformed for reporting on the great crime. It would appear to be true for the media too as people are fired or simply disappear from the TV if they cross that line. Why? Are we all going to go quietly into that goodnight? Do not forget that the left didn't steal the election from Trump they stole it from the 80 million or so Trump voters. They stole it from the U.S. But we sit on our hands and allow it and perhaps even worse allow the people in powere to prevent us from even discussing it.

There is no way on earth that Biden and the Democrats should be allowed to benefit from this great steal. NO WAY. This will come back to bite you all. History will mark Nov 3rd 2020 as the day America fell. You laugh! Soon you will cry. You are giving away your children's freedom.

#12 OneGuy on 2020-12-24 11:22 (Reply)

I suspected at first they stole it.

But they didn't. Not any more than usual, anyway.

The accusations weren't ignored or hidden, they turned out to have little substance. I don't really care that your feelings tell you otherwise. that's for liberals, not us.

#12.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-12-24 22:47 (Reply)

I’m still trying to come up with a benign reason to stop counting, to kick Republican observers out of the counting areas, or keeping them far enough away that they couldn’t read a ballot, and when they got a court order to be allowed back in, that order wasn’t obeyed.

I’m trying to figure out why a water main break was used as an excuse to “shut down counting” but no problem, water or otherwise was found. And if counting was supposed to be suspended, why did it continue.

I’m trying to wrap my head around why voting machines and tabulators were connected to the internet. And why votes were counted using floating point variables.

I’m having a hard time understanding why there were much more adjudicated ballots than usual and much fewer mail in ballots than usual.

I wonder why mail in ballot signatures were not checked. Why were mail in ballots backdated?

I wonder if the people who signed depositions that they saw boxes of ballots unloaded from vans.

#12.1.1 mudbug on 2020-12-25 00:21 (Reply)

You have a hard time understanding them because you choose not to go find the explanations, which in most cases are fairly simple and understandable. As long as you don't have all the data, everything will seem puzzling to you, as with any subject.

Swallow your pride and go over and read Dan McLaughlin and Andrew McCarthy at National Review.

#12.1.1.1 Assistant Village Idiot on 2020-12-25 15:21 (Reply)

I will admit that I didn't read all of McCarthy's articles but I skimmed several of them and most of them seemed to address procedural issues or chiding lawyers like Wood and Powell that algorithms don't break. I didn't see any that addressed evidence like the depositions of witnesses, some who received threats or were subsequently fired ostensibly for coming forward. I didn't see any that addressed the fact that the Dominion systems used floating point values for counting (something necessary if you are going to "weight" votes). Maybe I missed where he discussed that mail in votes were ordered to be backdated. I must have also missed where he said it was Constitutional for a state Supreme Court to make election law or for signature verification on mail in voting to be relaxed or eliminated. I also did not see where he addressed the issue of poll observers not being allowed appropriate access to the counting process.

Maybe you can provide a reference or a link.

#12.1.1.1.1 mudbug on 2020-12-25 16:33 (Reply)

"National Review" LOL Seriously? They should change their name to Never Trumpers.

The election fraud/theft was massive. It was much bigger than they planned for because Trumps landslide was much bigger than they anticipated. The evidence is clear and even never Trumpers know it. At this point there are only three possibilities:
1. You know that the election was stolen and the evidence is massive.
2. You simply don't know; you are ignorant of the facts.
3. You know the election was stolen and you are now part of the effort to throw out Trump at any cost so you are lying about it.

Simple as that.

#12.1.1.1.2 OneGuy on 2020-12-25 16:41 (Reply)

Regarding the National Review and Republican CUCKS:

https://gab.com/Matt_Bracken/posts/105435457703303591

#12.1.1.1.3 Saul on 2020-12-25 17:17 (Reply)

The recent Covid bill that Congress passed almost unanimously and Trump Vetoed is what Democrats and Republicans really want to get back to. Giving away our taxpayers money to foreign entities and excursions and lavishly rewarding illegal immigrants while simultaneously poking taxpaying Americans in the eye. The Swamp is getting too big for their britches and I do sincerely hope American rise up and smite them. Actually the word 'smite' isn't forceful enough I am hoping for bringing the guillotine back and showing it on TV. Start with the FBI, CIA, DOJ and for the season ending finale congress. I would pay to watch that.

#12.1.1.1.4 IdahoBob on 2020-12-25 17:35 (Reply)

Also re: Hamilton: An American Musical (2nd link)

When Disney+ released the movie in July, BD linked to this column by Andrew Klavan at The Daily Wire: ‘Hamilton’ Is The Anti-1619 Project. Klavan:

QUOTE:

We need more conservatives [and libertarians] who recognize what “Hamilton” is.

I agree. More thoughts here.

#13 The Switchel Philosopher (Link) on 2020-12-24 11:23 (Reply)

Liberal Education and Politics: Politics UBER ALLES.

WHO Deletes Naturally Acquired Immunity from Its Website: I had the flu yearrrrrrrrrrrrs ago, Junior High, IIRC, lost 10 pounds and took the rest of that year getting them back. Haven't had it since. My wife did, thought it might be Covid, but it was just the flu.

Contrast Between New York And Florida: It helps that UV helps kill Covid, and FLOW-RID_A has lotsa UV.

San Francisco mayor: Newsom’s Senate pick “a real blow to the African-American community” and to “women in general”: Democrat "food fight". I am sooooo not bummed...

Confused or Dishonest? Biden Claims Hunter Stories Are 'Russian Disinformation,' Calls Reporter a Weird Name for Asking About Them: NO CONTEST: Dishonest for the WIN!!

Even as Democrats become more anti-Israel, the Middle East is changing: Dems are soooooo stuck in the past. This is gonna "hurt so bad".

#14 Sam L. on 2020-12-24 11:45 (Reply)

Re: Wheels Come Off For Bus Companies

This is an interesting article, but it doesn't contain an ounce of truth. Greyhound is famous for being a unionized monopoly.
https://atu1700.org/

There is a service available in Europe called BlaBalCar.com
https://www.blablacar.com/ This company matches riders with cars that have empty seats. It's a long-distance ride-sharing application. You just enter your destination, and the website shows you which cars are available.

But the Greyhound Union doesn't want people to find a cheaper or safer alternative. They want to maintain the monopoly which they've held for decades. So blablacar is not available in the United States. And what's most interesting about this is that the American Bus Association has lots of data, but they don't mention the Union. https://www.buses.org/

#15 Ron Liebermann on 2020-12-24 12:51 (Reply)

Today I don't feel like paying any attention to the news, we're preparing for our usual Christmas Eve dinner and get-together and thinking of family and friends. Merry Christmas to you and yours and God bless us everyone.

#16 Jerryskids on 2020-12-24 14:00 (Reply)

Biden discussing plans with Mexico already? The democrats were barking that this behavior is a direct violation of the Logan Act when Trump’s folks did it.

And yes, I’m completely prepared to be the vindictive ass that the left acted like for four years.

#17 Hoss on 2020-12-24 16:35 (Reply)

Re: Israel

Israel was created as a homeland for the Jewish people. But the Jews who moved to Israel after the war brought the infection of communism with them. First they built the Kibbutz's, then they created Labor Unions, then they started "granting" apartments to loyalists. Just like they do in Russia.
The country is such a mess that you can't even call it Israel anymore. It's becoming Palestine again. The streets are dangerous at night, there are criminals everywhere, and the unions block any attempt at modernization.

The only way to help Israel is to cut-off all foreign aid. It's American money which is causing so much mischief. Those girls in the Knesset have big dreams of bringing communism to America, and Africa, and Egypt. So what Israel needs is a wake-up call. If they have to really earn the right to live in Israel, they will place much more value on it.

#18 Ron Liebermann on 2020-12-24 17:36 (Reply)

re The pool & tree picture

That's weird, because my wife emailed the article from Vogue and I saw it prior to my first visit to MF Thrs. a.m.

#19 feeblemind on 2020-12-25 13:11 (Reply)

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Thursday, December 24. 2020

Thursday morning links