Big Changes To WordPress – Everything Look OK?

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 3:30 pm

There was a big update to WordPress. I don’t see any issues in in Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer (interestingly, I can see the Live Traffic widget on IE). Everything look fine on y’all end? My concern is about some code in core files that could have been automatically changed.

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The GOP Tax Bill Shows Contempt For Democracy Or Something

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 3:02 pm

Is there a Prozac shortage or something?

The Tax Bill Shows the G.O.P.’s Contempt for Democracy

The Republican Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is notably generous to corporations, high earners, inheritors of large estates and the owners of private jets. Taken as a whole, the bill will add about $1.4 trillion to the deficit in the next decade and trigger automatic cuts to Medicare and other safety net programs unless Congress steps in to stop them.

To most observers on the left, the Republican tax bill looks like sheer mercenary cupidity. “This is a brazen expression of money power,” Jesse Jackson wrote in The Chicago Tribune, “an example of American plutocracy — a government of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy.”

Mr. Jackson is right to worry about the wealthy lording it over the rest of us, but the open contempt for democracy displayed in the Senate’s slapdash rush to pass the tax bill ought to trouble us as much as, if not more than, what’s in it.

In its great haste, the “world’s greatest deliberative body” held no hearings or debate on tax reform. The Senate’s Republicans made sloppy math mistakes, crossed out and rewrote whole sections of the bill by hand at the 11th hour and forced a vote on it before anyone could conceivably read it.

The link between the heedlessly negligent style and anti-redistributive substance of recent Republican lawmaking is easy to overlook. The key is the libertarian idea, woven into the right’s ideological DNA, that redistribution is the exploitation of the “makers” by the “takers.” It immediately follows that democracy, which enables and legitimizes this exploitation, is itself an engine of injustice. As the novelist Ayn Rand put it, under democracy “one’s work, one’s property, one’s mind, and one’s life are at the mercy of any gang that may muster the vote of a majority.”

In other words, refusing to take from the producers and give to the moochers is against Democracy. Funny how these same complainers refuse to stroke a check to the IRS to uphold their beliefs. They always want Someone Else to pony up by government force.

Regardless, this bill is going through. It will be signed into law. Everyone will be able to keep more of their own money, the money they worked hard for. And, if Democrats do not like it, tough. They jammed through the Stimulus and Obamacare, along with others like Dodd-Frank. When people start seeing themselves keep more of their own money, well, how’s that going to work for Democrats, who were 100% against citizens keeping more of their own money?

Oh, and

https://twitter.com/SteveKopack/status/943559547578470400

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is a world turning to desert from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Bizzy Blog, with a post on the NY Times mounting a sexist attack against Susan Collins.

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Good Grief: CNN Pimps Children’s Book About Santa And His Husband

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 10:43 am

If you thought that is was just Warmists, Progressive nutbags (who still demand their paid day off), and hardcore-athiests who try and ruin Christmas, well, nope. (via Twitchy)

From Newsbusters

On CNN’s New Day Sunday, the show devoted a four-minute segment to the new children’s book, Santa’s Husband, which portrays Santa Claus as a gay man who gets married to another man. The segment included as guests the author, Daniel Kibblesmith, and illustrator Ashley Quach, with Kibblesmith recalling that he was partially inspired to write the book because of the complaints that are made each year about a “war on Christmas.”

At 6:12 a.m. ET, CNN co-anchor Christi Paul plugged the interview: “There’s a new children’s book out this Christmas — takes us inside Santa’s wedding. We meet Santa’s husband David. We’re going to talk to the author and illustrator ahead.”

And it included this segment, where co-host Victor Blackwell makes a point

You know this is a lot for some parents — some people may not agree with it. Let me read one of the criticisms here.

“I’m a gay man, and honestly the book is pretty patronizing and obviously meant to take two sweet things, the image of Santa Claus and love between two adults, and use them as a tool to express a political opinion in a polarizing way — especially the news anchor scene — in the guise of a children’s book. I find it overall patronizing, and I’m a little disgusted that the authors obviously used homosexuality as a political weapon to make a political statement under the cover of children.”

Listen, the elves have health care coverage, they settle labor disputes, you address climate change, Rudolph and Frosty attend Santa and David’s wedding. I mean, are you using a children’s book to push a political ideology, Daniel?

It is patronizing, and does use kids.

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Surprise: Warmists Blame Heavy Heat Snow On Global Warming

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 8:10 am

And people wonder why I refer to it as Hotcoldwetdry? No matter what happens, the Cult of Climastrology will claim some sort of link to global warming/climate change

From the Washington Times

Climate change has been blamed for causing higher temperatures, drought, wildfires and hurricanes — and now it’s being credited with generating record snow.

A study released Tuesday in the journal Scientific Reports found that snowfall on the highest peak in the Alaska Range has more than doubled since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century, which researchers attribute to climate change.

How? The study linked the heavy snow accumulation to “warmer waters thousands of miles away in the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans,” driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Dartmouth College press release.

“We were shocked when we first saw how much snowfall has increased,” said Erich Osterberg, an assistant professor of earth sciences who led the investigation with researchers from Dartmouth, the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire.

Of course! It’s so simple. You, dear reader, got up with your alarm clock on your evil electricity sucking smartphone, took more than a 2 minute shower and used more than 2 pieces of toilet paper, made coffee in your evil coffee maker, may have used an evil hair dryer, drove to work in your evil fossil fueled vehicle to your office which uses evil air conditioning and evil natural gas for heat, got ice from the evil ice maker in the breakroom, had an evil fast food meal for lunch, then drove home in your evil fossil fueled vehicle. It’s all your fault for all this heat snow.

Quipped Climate Depot’s Marc Morano, “Why not? Less snow used to ‘prove’ global warming. Snow used to be ‘a thing of the past’ according to climate activists. Now more snow ‘proves’ global warming. No matter the weather, they can claim it is consistent with global warming theory.”

“Man-made global warming has become unfalsifiable,” said Mr. Morano, author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change,” slated for release Feb. 26 by Regnery.

That’s because it is a cult, not science.

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Blackburn To Introduce Freedom Loving Net Neutrality Bill

By William Teach December 20, 2017 – 7:54 am

Marsha Blackburn isn’t attempting to turn the Internet into a government run utility

(Engadget) Last week, the FCC repealed net neutrality protections put in place in 2015 and returned broadband to a Title I classification. There were many voices expressing concern over the proposal and frustration once the FCC voted to enact it and a few members of Congress on both sides of the aisle stated that legislation, which would be more permanent than an FCC ruling, would ultimately be the best way forward when it comes to net neutrality. Now, less than a week after the FCC’s vote, Republican Representative Marsha Blackburn has introduced a net neutrality bill.

Blackburn is saying this legislation will “settle the net neutrality debate” and that she’s hopeful about its prospects in Congress. “Let’s stop the ping-ponging from one FCC commission to another,” Blackburn told Variety. “This is something where the Congress should act.”

She’s right: this is the type of thing that belongs in the hands of Congress, rather than unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. Realistically, though, the Internet really doesn’t need anymore regulation. Which is good, because

The bill, however, varies little from the FCC’s order. It would still classify broadband as a Title I service and it would still allow for internet service providers to practice paid prioritization. It would also keep in place the 2010 transparency rules reinstituted last week. Pretty much the only difference is that it would ban blocking and throttling. “A lot of our innovators are saying, ‘Let’s go with things we have agreement on, and other things can be addressed later,'” Blackburn told Variety.

The proposed bill, the Open Internet Preservation Act, not only stops blocking and throttling, but restricts the implementation of any rules in the future from bureaucrats, like the one instituted by Obama’s FCC. And it would allow providers to offer specialized services, such as making someone go to a more expensive plan because they’re streaming way more content than others.

Obviously, Democrats will object, because they want the government in charge of American’s use of the Internet.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Bummer: No Amnesty For Illegal Aliens This Christmas

By William Teach December 19, 2017 – 3:50 pm

Perhaps instead of Demanding that the United States give them legal status and that we enact absolutely no enforcement nor deterrent measures, do away with chain migration of people who don’t speak the language, have different values, and not only do not want to assimilate, they demand we change for them, the illegals should try saying “please” and “thank you”

(Breitbart) Senate GOP whip John Cornyn told reporters on Monday that an amnesty for younger illegals won’t be debated in the Senate this month, but will be considered in January.

According to Reuters:

The U.S. Senate will not consider an immigration bill as part of year-end legislation but will turn to a measure protecting immigrant youths known as “Dreamers” in January, No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn said on Monday …

“The president has given us enough time to deal with this before March and so I think that’s plenty of time and I expect us to meet it,” Cornyn told reporters, adding, “If we can’t, then the president could extend the deadline if he chose to do so. But this is something we’re going to turn to, I’m sure, in January.”

The statement comes after Democratic leaders tried to intimidate GOP leaders with an unpopular and unlikely threat to block a government budget bill if the GOP did not agree to a no-strings amnesty for 3.24 million illegals.

Oh, well. If the illegal alien Dreamers really love this country, then perhaps they can apply for the lawfully enacted pathway to citizenship like everyone else does.

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 19, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is horrendous carbon pollution created heat snow, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Political Clown Parade, with a post on Obama’s Iran deal.

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New Warmist Idea: Envirowackos Should Take Over Christmas Or Something

By William Teach December 19, 2017 – 10:30 am

Tom Nelson has his Twitter tagline as “Climate change is the religion of people who think they’re too smart for religion.” The hardcore enviroweenies/members of the Cult of Climastrology are typically the same people who complain about seeing anything religious …well, when it comes to Christianity/Judaism… in public spaces. And, of course, the Cultists have to link their cult to everything, including Christmas

The True Meaning of Christmas

My partner, Amy Gustin, had a great idea the other day. This is not at all unusual for her. A lot of my columns begin with one of her great ideas, and this is one of them. The other day, Amy was perusing some books about the cave paintings at Lascaux and Chauvet while contemplating the flora and fauna of Ice Age Europe, and speculating about the Paleolithic origins of certain pagan European Christmas symbols, when she said this: “Environmentalists should take over Christmas.”

“What?” I replied. She explained that a lot of European pagan Christmas symbols celebrate the Boreal Forest and an arctic climate. We have Christmas trees. Christmas is the only time of year when snow is popular, and Santa lives at the North Pole and gets around on a sled pulled by caribou. All of these things remind us of the arctic, and they should remind us that the arctic is undergoing dramatic changes due to global climate change.

Can you think of a better symbol for global climate change than Santa Claus? First, he drives a zero-emission, carbon-neutral vehicle, and he’s been doing it for centuries. Second, everything Santa owns faces imminent destruction, unless we can stop the sea ice from shrinking. Santa, Mrs. Claus, all of the elves and the whole toy factory are headed straight for a watery grave at the bottom of the ocean unless we stop global warming now.

Coca-Cola has done a great job of making the polar bear into a symbol of Christmas, and we should adopt that symbol wholeheartedly. Instead of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, put a mother polar bear and her two cubs in your nativity scene. I’m all for wise men, if you can find any, but how wise can your men be if they’re standing next to a hungry polar bear?

And, yes, the rest of the screed is just as cringe-inducing.

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Posted in AGW Idiocy, Christmas, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

New Excuse: “Insurance Policy” Really Truly Totally Meant Aggressive Investigation Or Something

By William Teach December 19, 2017 – 8:26 am

Previously, the texts between rogue, partisan FBI employees involved in investigating the fake Russian collusion were blamed on the agents having an illicit affair. And there are plenty of other defenses. Now we get

In FBI Agent’s Account, ‘Insurance Policy’ Text Referred to Russia Probe

An FBI agent’s reference to “an insurance policy” in a much-debated text message was meant to convey that the bureau needed to aggressively investigate allegations of collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, according to people familiar with his account.

The text came after a meeting involving Ms. Page, Mr. Strzok and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to people close to the pair and familiar with their version of events. At the meeting, Ms. Page suggested they could take their time investigating the alleged collusion because Mrs. Clinton was likely to win, the people said.

If they moved more deliberately, she argued, they could reduce the risk of burning sensitive sources.

Mr. Strzok felt otherwise, according to these people.

His text was meant to convey his belief that the investigation couldn’t afford to take a more measured approach because Mr. Trump could very well win the election, they said. It would be better to be aggressive and gather evidence quickly, he believed, because some of Mr. Trump’s associates could land administration jobs and it was important to know if they had colluded with Russia.

Remember, one of the texts referred to not being able to “take that risk”, and this defense really doesn’t help the narrative that these FBI employees were just doing their jobs. It reads almost as if they were trying to rush things through, just looking for something that could defeat Trump and give Hillary the Oval Office. It’s rogue partisanship. Especially when you connect the dots in terms of how Mr. Strzok was involved in spiking the Hillary investigation, one which would have put you or I in front of a jury.

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