Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page

Much Sorry with Delays
Birth, Death and All That Stuff in Between
How to Honor Labor Day, Every Day
My Yom Kippur Miracle (Repost from 2010)
Good intro to fly casting
Peach update, with pie
NYC update
Easy for you to say: To the elites on mass immigration
For NYC on 9/11, Sailors' Snug Harbor
Pickled Peaches
Water Shoes
Labor Costs in U.S.
Your "identity"
Good news about The Great Courses
Uses of Hot Pepper Jelly/Sauce, Chutneys, and Jams
A Saturday Drive to Litchfield County, CT
How to Pick a Kayak
Civilized: Fruit forks and knives
Loads of kayaking on Cape Cod
Psychology Experiments' Questionable Results

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Tuesday, August 27. 2024

Tuesday morning links

What the Freshman Class Needs to Read by Niall Ferguson


Where were sharks spotted off Cape Cod since July 12?


Can the Captain of the Sunken Super-Yacht Be Charged?


 Does Reality Still Bite?


 BMA members resign in revolt over transgender children stance


 Path and Pathology: Some Philosophic Aspects of Psychotherapy


 Finding a therapist who takes insurance can feel impossible.


 Personality: HEXACO vs. Big Five


 Demographic Suicide


 Is Joe Okay? “Visibly Shaking” Biden Needed Help Getting in SUV Again (But Reporter Held Story for a Week)


 Zuckerberg: Biden-Harris ‘Repeatedly Pressured’ Us To Censor Free Speech

Posted by Bird Dog at 08:00 | Comments (25) | Trackbacks (0)

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QUOTE:
Zuckerberg: Biden-Harris ‘Repeatedly Pressured’ Us To Censor Free Speech

Unless it threatens punitive action, then the executive branch has the right to voice their opinion. Notably, Zuckerberg also said, "Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we own our decisions".
#1 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 09:46 (Reply)
But do they? Under color of law and with the threat of legal action and retribution if you fail to comply. Do they have that right? OR do they have an absolute responsibility to the citizens to protect all our rights and be totally open about any official actions they take?

Let's just paly that game that the government has the right to coerce private businesses to do their bidding. Let's make believe that is acceptable. At the least than the government must be 100% open about what they are doing. Not secretive, not private meetings, not visits by armed officers in secret. In fact the government would have the responsibility to advise the nation of their intent well ahead of their actions and perhaps get explicit permission/legislation from congress. Lets call the bill "permission to influence opinion against the citizens best interest by using threats and the full power of the government against news and opinion outlets". Write that bill, debate it openly in congress and vote for it AND make it effective two months after the next congressional election. THEN I might agree that they have that right.
#1.1 OneGuy on 2024-08-27 10:16 (Reply)
OneGuy: Under color of law and with the threat of legal action and retribution if you fail to comply. Do they have that right?

Not under color of law. That's why federal law enforcement is largely independent of the president.

OneGuy: Let's just paly that game that the government has the right to coerce private businesses to do their bidding.

No, the government does not have the right to coerce concerning speech (with exceptions such as incitement).

OneGuy: In fact the government would have the responsibility to advise the nation of their intent well ahead of their actions and perhaps get explicit permission/legislation from congress.

The president and the executive branch acting on his behalf does not need permission from Congress to use the bully pulpit. Nor does Congress have the constitutional power to authorize the president to use coercion to stifle free speech.
#1.2 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 10:37 (Reply)
Then, why the secrecy??? What are they hiding from the very people that they took an oath to protect and serve?
#1.2.1 OneGuy on 2024-08-27 10:58 (Reply)
QUOTE:
Quibble-DickZ: That's why federal law enforcement is largely independent of the president.


Largely?

STFU and go away. You're annoying the adults with your stupid little qualifiers.
#1.2.2 Zachinoff on 2024-08-27 11:34 (Reply)
OneGuy: Then, why the secrecy???

What secrecy? They explicitly acknowledged that they communicated their views to social media companies, just like they do to the traditional press.

QUOTE:
White House Press Briefing (7-16-2021): Well, I would say first, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that we’re in regular touch with social media platforms — just like we’re in regular touch with all of you and your media outlets . . . So we are regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans seeing — are seeing across all of social and traditional media.

An argument can be made that they used too much pressure so as to be coercive, or that there was an implied level of force, but not that they don't have the right to make their views known, especially using a social media's own mechanism for reporting misinformation. The president telling a reporter they will have "egg on their face" if they report a particular story isn't a violation of the First Amendment.
#1.2.3 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 13:59 (Reply)
But a threat nonetheless, Quibble-DickZ .
Such a weasel.

STFU and go away. You're annoying the adults with your repeated nonsense.
#1.2.3.1 Zachinoff on 2024-08-27 14:10 (Reply)
"No, the government does not have the right to coerce concerning speech." Wow. How nice of you to notice. Yet you persist in defending government bureaucrats who did exactly that. The emails have been made public. A reasonable person would have taken what multiple members of the Biden administration said as a potential implied threat of finical harm both to the company and the individual Your insistence on defending that behavior is very on brand.

"That's why federal law enforcement is largely independent of the president." That turns out to unfortunately true de facto if the president has any instinct what-so-ever to challenge the establishment. Other than that, much of the federal LE infrastructure will gladly abuse the average citizen on the flimsiest pretext. De jure, you are transparently completely wrong. One can quibble about a few departments like the Capitol Police and the small police force SCOTUS maintains, Otherwise, every single appointee or employee of federal law enforcement is under the authority of the president. As he can give them orders to do anything that does not violate the law and can fire them with or without cause or explanation. You wanting unelected bureaucrats to be independent of the elected government is another illustration of your tyrannical impulses and also very on brand for you.
#1.2.4 James4HJ on 2024-08-27 17:24 (Reply)
James4HJ: The emails have been made public.

This would have been a good place to provide evidence for your assertion.

James4HJ: As he can give them orders to do anything that does not violate the law and can fire them with or without cause or explanation.

That is incorrect. While political appointees can be removed without cause, most federal employees are protected by statute under Title 5. While the president is the head of government, the civil service is a creation of Congress, which regulates their actions under statutes and regulations.

James4HJ: [i]
#1.2.5 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 20:07 (Reply)
Hahahahaha!

QUOTE:
Donald Trump: "Zuckerberg admits that the White House pushed to SUPPRESS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY (& much more!). IN OTHER WORDS, THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED."
#1.3 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 14:30 (Reply)
Is that supposed to be a response to my comment?

BTW, Zuckerberg said that they would not have censored the people they did without the government pressure. And that they won't do it again.
#1.3.1 James4HJ on 2024-08-27 17:44 (Reply)
James4HJ: Is that supposed to be a response to my comment?

Please check your timestamps.

James4HJ: Zuckerberg said that they would not have censored the people they did without the government pressure. And that they won't do it again.

Which implies they had a choice then, and they have a choice now. Again, the executive branch can express their views, even with strong language. However, it cannot use or threaten the use of government power to coerce. An argument can be made that they used too much pressure so as to be coercive, or that there was an implied level of force, but not that they don't have the right to make their views known even in strong terms. It’s called the bully pulpit.
#1.3.2 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 20:15 (Reply)
QUOTE:
Does Reality Still Bite?Even the Biden administration has been leaning on social media to suppress stories it does not like. You have no right to disagree, lest you want to be thrown in jail.

No social media barons were thrown in jail for publishing or not publishing content.

QUOTE:
You will be charged with inciting to riot.

Inciting a riot is a crime. See 18 U.S.C. § 2101.

QUOTE:
You will be denounced as a Holocaust denier

That's not a crime in the United States, but can be a crime in Germany and some other European countries for reasons.
#2 Zachriel on 2024-08-27 10:00 (Reply)
QUOTE:
No social media barons were thrown in jail for publishing or not publishing content.


The threat itself from the WH was all that was needed.

STFU and go away. Your nonsense is annoying the adults.
#2.1 Zachinoff on 2024-08-27 11:45 (Reply)
Thanks for dealing with the paid troll. I just skim through looking for your's or OneGuy's remarks, ignoring Z troll. would imagine many others do the same.
#2.1.1 grant1863 on 2024-08-27 17:43 (Reply)
No problem and thanks, buddy.
#2.1.1.1 Zachinoff on 2024-08-27 19:47 (Reply)
Another inexplicable mystery https://jewishworldreview.com/0824/steyn082624.php
I promise this will make your spidey senses tingle
#3 Anon on 2024-08-27 10:56 (Reply)
Thanks for the link Anon.

Wow.
#3.1 feeblemind on 2024-08-27 15:27 (Reply)
'Demographic Suicide'

People are reading the headlines. Bringing kids into the world as it is now is pure lunacy.
#4 Maniac on 2024-08-27 11:05 (Reply)
Well, turning them over to left for education and upbringing is the lunacy part. It’s child endangerment. Cruelty.
#4.1 B. Hammer on 2024-08-27 11:26 (Reply)
The Hot Air link is paid, and the People Magazine doesn’t offer much explanation on why the Captain of the yacht should be charged. Negligence for not keeping up to date on weather? The People article states that the passengers shouldn’t have been in their cabin. What?

Now, go to the comments, from the People article and you finally discover some good information. The Yacht has a movable keel. It can be retracted for shallow harbors. Journalists are terrible at their job. Knowing this, it begins to make sense why the ship went down so quickly, and why the CEO of the firm that built the yacht, Giovanni Costantino, is so upset.

The storm didn’t come up suddenly. The Captain should have been keeping better track of a potentially violent storm. He knew that with the keel raised his ship would be very unstable in heavy seas. The risk of capsizing was very high. Reluctance of telling your passengers, no matter how wealthy, to stop the party and go to your emergency station, batten down the hatches and prepare for violent weather, is the job of an incompetent Captain.
#5 B. Hammer on 2024-08-27 11:24 (Reply)
Matt Bracken commented on the fact that modern sailboats have masts that are about 50 percent higher than traditional sailboats of the same size. As a result, when they are hit by a wind, even with the sails furled, they will easily go over and once the mast and sails are in the water there is not enough keel weight for them to recover. They stay down and people can easily drown.
I am not familiar with sailboats of that size as I have always stayed at the under 30 ft size and not of carbon fiber with tall masts.
#5.1 indyjonesouthere on 2024-08-27 11:51 (Reply)
I fully expect Joe Biden is going to die in his sleep before the election, and I don't say that out of malice. He just seems like he's got one foot in the grave already, and since they've basically shoved him out of politics, they've taken away the only purpose he's ever had in life.
#6 RebeccaH on 2024-08-27 13:01 (Reply)
They'll keep him alive by hook or crook until after the election. The pardons they need him to issue would look bad if done before then.
#6.1 John Fisher on 2024-08-27 13:32 (Reply)
If collapsing populations are the result of the expense of having children and low wages, a declining population will result in:

1) surplus housing, lowering rents and house prices
2) labor shortages, raising wages.

Both of these effects will make it easier to have and raise children.
#7 Whitehall on 2024-08-28 00:59 (Reply)

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