
More below the fold
Over at A View From The Beach (which has a great morning post on swimming), Fritz has a long running series on Reasons Trump Was Elected, like this one. Many of them revolved around shoddy, idiotic, unhinged, Trump Derangement Syndrome media reports. Like this one by Excitable Noah Berlatsky at NBC News
The Trump effect: New study connects white American intolerance and support for authoritarianism
Since the founding of the United States, politicians and pundits have warned that partisanship is a danger to democracy. George Washington, in his Farewell Address, worried that political parties, or factions, could “allow cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men” to rise to power and subvert democracy. More recently, many political observers are concerned that increasing political polarization on left and right makes compromise impossible, and leads to the destruction of democratic norms and institutions.
A new study, however, suggests that the main threat to our democracy may not be the hardening of political ideology, but rather the hardening of one particular political ideology. Political scientists Steven V. Miller of Clemson and Nicholas T. Davis of Texas A&M have released a working paper titled “White Outgroup Intolerance and Declining Support for American Democracy.” Their study finds a correlation between white American’s intolerance, and support for authoritarian rule. In other words, when intolerant white people fear democracy may benefit marginalized people, they abandon their commitment to democracy.
Miller and Davis used information from the World Values Survey, a research project organized by a worldwide network of social scientists which polls individuals in numerous countries on a wide range of beliefs and values. Based on surveys from the United States, the authors found that white people who did not want to have immigrants or people of different races living next door to them were more likely to be supportive of authoritarianism. For instance, people who said they did not want to live next door to immigrants or to people of another race were more supportive of the idea of military rule, or of a strongman-type leader who could ignore legislatures and election results.
You can see kinda where this is going, right? Part of it is that if you do not want illegal aliens in the U.S., well, then you support authoritarianism and white nationalism. But, hey, I wonder if their survey includes anything on gentrification, which is really about “minority” racists not wanting whites to move into their neighborhoods and rehabilitate them.
Anyhow, you know this is All About Trump, right?
The World Values Survey data used is from the period 1995 to 2011 — well before Donald Trump’s 2016 run for president. It suggests, though, that Trump’s bigotry and his authoritarianism are not separate problems, but are intertwined. When Trump calls Mexicans “rapists,” and when he praises authoritarian leaders, he is appealing to the same voters.

So, a meager 17 years of data, take during the time of two Democrat presidents and one Republican one, long before Trump, but, this is about Trump? Sigh
“Social intolerance isn’t just leading to GOP support as we know it and see it now,” Miller says. “It’s leading to preferences in favor of the kind of candidate the GOP ultimately nominated and supported for president.” In embracing the politics of white identity, then, the GOP made a Trump possible — and is likely to make more Trump-like candidates successful in the future.
Another meme running around the Right-O-Sphere is “this is why Trump won in 2016 and will win in 2020”. And this type of TDS article is exactly why Trump will win in 2020.
Read: New Study Links Trump With White American Intolerance And Authoritarianism Or Something »
The UK has already pretty much banned most privately owned firearms, but, they’ve never had anything like a 2nd Amendment (and Britain is rather the reason the U.S. has said Amendment). Now they are working hard on knife control
A judge has called for a drastic rethink on the way we use knives in kitchens in a bid to reduce the number of young men dying on our streets because of knife crime.
And he has come up with an idea for a scheme that could be rolled out across the UK where members of the public could take their kitchen knives to be ‘modified’ and the points ground down into rounded ends.
This comes from Judge Nic Madge, who last month jailed Jordon Worth, of Stewartby, Bedfordshire, for seven-and-a-half years after she inflicted a catalogue of injuries on her boyfriend Alex Skeel.
Judge Madge has now come out to say that the use of headline grabbing Rambo knives and samurai swords was relatively rare and it was was the points of ordinary kitchen knives that was causing the soaring loss of life among youngsters.
‘But why we do need 8′ or 10′ kitchen knives with points? Butchers and fishmongers do, but how often, if at all, does a domestic chef use the point of an 8′ or 10′ knife? Rarely, if at all,’ he said.
At the moment police forces hold ‘amnesties’ where bins are placed outside police station and members of the public can get rid of lethal weapons – no questions asked.
I mean, seriously, people, do you actually need a long pointed knife for your home kitchen? If you’re like me, you usually use one of the smaller knives when you need a point to cut something open. And you just know that you feel a little bit of the old Jack the Ripper when you’re holding that long, pointed, knife, and that you could go on a stabbing spree at anytime. Because it’s obviously the fault of the knife.
Judge Madge’s idea is for everyone to be able to take the knives from their kitchen drawers to centres where the points could be filed down.
‘I would urge all those with any role in relation to knives – manufacturers, shops, the police, local authorities, the government – to consider preventing the sale of long pointed knives, except in rare, defined, circumstances, and replacing such knives with rounded ends,’ he said.
Of course, the ones who are using the knives to stab other people aren’t going to do this. And, this being the UK, where they arrest, detain, and even jail people for things like words and reporting on pedophole grooming gangs (but the same government tends to overlook Muslim violence and crimes), you might actually see the government pass a law against pointed kitchen knives, banning them from manufacture and importation.
Because no one could possibly sharpen one. So, things like wet-stones would have to be banned, too.
(graphic from Edward Dentzel)
Read: Knife Control: UK Judge Wants 10 Inch Knife Points Ground Down »
And this is all your fault for driving a fossil fueled vehicle not suing fossil fueled companies for making you drive a fossil fueled vehicle
Warming UK seas may spell end of wetsuits
They are Britain’s most crucial item of beachwear — but wetsuits could eventually become unnecessary as sea temperatures are predicted to rise by 4C.
Scientists found that sea temperatures around the UK have already risen by 1C and will jump 3C more as greenhouse gases take effect. It means that the unusual warmth forecast for this bank holiday weekend may one day become the norm.
“We expect 3C-4C increases in sea temperatures by the 2080s around the southern UK, from Yorkshire down through the Channel and up to south Wales,†said Richard Wood, head of oceans and dangerous climate change research at the Met Office. “If you went to the beach in summer you could stay in the water for longer and often not need…
Sadly, the rest is behind the paywall, but, you get the idea. Manufacture an issue to push Progress (nice Fascism) policies, then manufacture “data” to support it. Create all sorts of talking points based on scaring people. Then link every damned thing you can think of. Like wetsuits.
Read: Things Of Great Concern: ‘Climate Change’ (scam) Could Maybe Cause End Of Wetsuits In U.K. »
…is a horrible fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Legal Insurrection, with a post on the anti-Trump media beclowing itself for Memorial Day.
It’s ladies in camo week!
Read: If All You See… »

Happy Sunday! Another fine day in America. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, the official start of the summer season is here. This pinup is by Art Frahm, with a wee bit of help.
What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15
As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets†calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me
Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!
Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list.
Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »
Remember, the Washington Post, by virtue of being the main newspaper for America’s capital city, is one of the leading newspapers in the world. And they paid someone to write this and allowed it to be published (via Twitchy)
The most unexpected (and welcome) guest at your next cookout: Carrot dogs https://t.co/PQryRev9gs
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 25, 2018
I’m not going to even bother excerpting anything on this lunacy.
This is why #Trump won…
— Shelby County AL GOP ???????? (@ShelbyCountyGOP) May 26, 2018
There is plenty of mockery. Like, 99.9% of the replies are mocking. This one is funny, though, if your remember the story on the lady in Oakland, Ca., who called the cops on people grilling in the wrong area
— It's Not Ken (@KennyEarlz) May 26, 2018
Read: Washington Post: Carrot Dogs Are The Next Big Thing At Cookouts »
…is a field soon to be destroyed by flooddrought, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Chicks On The Right, with a post on Publix bowing to King Hogg.
Read: If All You See… »
There’s no final tally yet on the actual vote for repealing the 8th Amendment in Ireland, which bans the murder of the unborn, but the exit polls look promising for the baby killers. This, though, is one of the sickest takes on what amounts to baby murder, and you know I usually avoid getting into the abortion debate. Here’s Reuters
Ireland To End Abortion Ban In Historic Vote
Ireland is set to liberalize some of the world’s most restrictive abortion laws after exit polls suggested a landslide vote for change in what was until recently one of Europe’s most socially conservative countries. (snip)
If confirmed, the outcome will be the latest milestone on a path of change for a country which only legalized divorce by a razor thin majority in 1995 before becoming the first in the world to adopt gay marriage by popular vote three years ago.
Voters were asked if they wish to scrap the eighth amendment to the constitution, which gives an unborn child and its mother equal rights to life. The consequent prohibition on abortion was partly lifted in 2013 for cases where the mother’s life was in danger.
“It’s looking like we will make history tomorrow,†Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who was in favor of change, said on Friday night on Twitter.
Historic. Milestone. History. This is about killing the unborn, all because adults got pregnant because of poor life decisions. And these sick people are celebrating it.
Read: Sick: Irish Referendum To End Abortion Ban Looks Like It May Succeed »