If All You See…

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil gas fired stove causing heat snow, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Diogenes’ Middle Finger, with a post on TV shows reaching peak gay.

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The Oceans Will Soon Turn Into A Frothing Cauldron Of Death Or Something

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 10:30 am

Just when I was about to give up on perusing Google News using the search term “climate change” and check a few other things, well…

Oceans are about to turn into a frothing cauldron of death.

Under the influence of climate change, huge patches of ocean will grow hot, acidic, and barren in coming decades according to new projections published in Nature Communications. If life goes on as usual, climate change will disrupt more than half of the world’s ocean habitat in the next 15 years, and 86 percent by 2050.

That means more coral death and more extinctions. It also threatens the fish — the primary source of protein for a billion people. Some fish are already moving, searching out cooler water.

Of course, the study itself (unsurprisingly based on computer models. Snicker) doesn’t really say this in those terms, and, includes lots of mays, mights, coulds, possiblys, and other means of hedging bets despite being rather doomy.

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Republican Resistance To Ryan Repeal And Replace Bill Grows

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 8:19 am

The new Obamacare repeal and replace bill has passed it’s first hurdle in the House, but, many, many, many Republicans are not happy

(The Hill) The House bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare is facing growing opposition from Senate Republicans.

The plan, titled the American Health Care Act, is taking fire from both conservative and moderate factions of the Senate GOP caucus — underscoring the legislation’s perilous path in the upper chamber.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) expressed skepticism Wednesday that the measure would be able to win enough support among Senate Republicans to pass.

“The House bill is a beginning, but the House bill as drafted, I do not believe, would pass the United States Senate,” the conservative firebrand told reporters.

He said the House bill doesn’t do enough to lower the cost of insurance and pointed out “significant challenges” stemming from its provision to end Medicaid expansion.

Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Tom Cotten also have big problems with the bill.

(NY Times) ..as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets, incensed talk radio hosts and online agitators is again assuming its posture of aggression toward the House Republican leadership.

“Swampcare,” the writer and radio personality Erick Erickson scoffed at the new American Health Care Act, the culmination of seven years of promises to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. “Obamacare 2.0,” declared Breitbart.com. “RINOCARE,” Mark Levin wrote on Twitter, using the acronym for Republican in Name Only.

Political groups backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch and other powerful players on the right, such as Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America, have come out quickly and strongly against the bill. Some have threatened to punish lawmakers by docking their conservative ratings on the influential “scorecards” they distribute to voters. Activists are already swarming Capitol Hill and demanding that Congress take a harder line and pass a repeal measure that would leave no trace of the Affordable Care Act.

“I feel lied to,” said Anna Beavon Gravely, the deputy state director of the North Carolina chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-backed group that is funding a grass-roots push against Republicans in Congress who want to stop short of an outright repeal.

There will obviously be much debate and discussion, along with tweeking of the bill. That’s what happens. The problem with the replacement plan is that it seems far, far off from Conservative ideas. This has been discussed ad naseum. Sundance at The Last Refuge notes something I brought up the other day

Additionally, despite claims to the contrary, the GOP has never passed an Obamacare “repeal bill”. Ever. What they did previously pass was a “defund bill” using the lower vote reconciliation process. President Obama vetoed it. A defunding bill was possible because of the financial pathway which falls under reconciliation rules. The current Ryan bill is almost identical to the 2016 defunding bill everyone is mistakenly calling a prior “repeal bill”.

A complete independent repeal bill of ObamaCare is currently impossible.

The only bill that can pass the Senate is a bill that can utilize the process of reconciliation, which has a lower vote threshold of 51 votes. A reconciliation bill is a budgetary bill designed around the financial drivers of ObamaCare. This is what HHS Secretary Tom Price, Speaker Ryan and President Trump are attempting to do.

The Ryan bill is one meant to be able to pass through reconciliation, in a similar fashion to the way Obamacare was passed in the first place, after the Democrats lost their 60th Senate seat with the election of Scott Brown. Sundance offers 3 pathways, and suggests that only #2 would work

Option #2 – We can Repeal and Replace using the three-phase approach being proposed by Tom Price, Paul Ryan and Donald Trump:

  • 1. Pass reconciliation legislation targeting the financial mechanisms.
  • 2. HHS rewrites rules.
  • 3. New laws are proposed by a full congress to adjust ObamaCare and add to it, and laws debated/passed.

Yes, this has it’s risks. No guarantee you’ll get the cookie you want in phase three.

The concerning part is that repealing Ocare without methods to make sure people keep their current plans, among other issues, will certainly be scary to many people. We see the way the media has come unglued over this bill already. They trotted out their disingenuous “tax cuts for the rich” mantra, without noting that a full repeal just resets back to the previous status quo. Republicans should just stand up and say “this is a method to ditch Ocare that gets around the 60 vote threshhold, then we’ll have the real replacement plan.”

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Illegal Border Crossings Down 40 Percent In February

By William Teach March 9, 2017 – 7:53 am

So……it looks like President Trump’s immigration policies, which put the fear of deportation in those who would be caught illegally in the United States, are working

(AP) The number of people illegally crossing the U.S. southern border has dropped 40 percent in President Trump’s first full month in office, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Wednesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported that the number of illegal border crossings dropped from 31,578 to 18,762 persons. Kelly said border agents usually see a 10 to 20 percent increase in illegal immigrant apprehensions from January to February.

“The drop in apprehensions shows a marked change in trends,” Kelly said. “Since the administration’s implementation of executive orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years.” (snip)

“We will remain vigilant to respond to any changes in these trends, as numbers of illegal crossings typically increase between March and May,” Kelly said. “However, the early results show that enforcement matters, deterrence matters, and that comprehensive immigration enforcement can make an impact.”

It has been noted time and again that the point of getting tough on those who are unlawfully present in the U.S. is not to just deport those who are here illegally but to also make those who would think of coming illegally/overstaying their visas think hard about doing so. If the flow of illegals dries up to sustainable levels, at that point we could think of some sort of pathway to legalization (not necessarily citizenship) for those who are here now.

This is the second straight month that crossing are down, having dropped 39% for January. Of course, Trump wasn’t president till January 20, but, obviously, the threat of him taking office and implementing tougher measures made a difference. Quite frankly, tougher enforcement policies, quicker deportations, and going after those who hire illegals would do more than a wall, when coupled with Trump wanting to hire 5,000 more border patrol agents and 10,000 ICE employees.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Winning: Fearful Illegals Crossing Into Canada

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 4:40 pm

So……Trump’s immigration plans are working

Fearful immigrants in U.S. make perilous winter crossing to seek protection in Canada

The migrants staggered into this sleeping border town before dawn, cold and exhausted.

They had struggled through farm fields for hours in knee-deep snow, hoping to evade detection by the U.S. Border Patrol. A man cradling a baby wrapped in a puffy parka and gray blanket peered anxiously at the darkened clapboard homes.

“Is this Canada?” he asked.

The tiny community of Emerson — population less than 700 — has seen its share of U.S. “border jumpers” over the years, but nothing like this. Until last year, residents might spot five or six strangers passing through town over the odd weekend, carrying backpacks and looking disheveled.

But since President Trump was elected last year on promises to crack down on illegal immigration and conduct “extreme vetting” of Muslims, the numbers have surged. Recently, at least 22 people sneaked across the border near Emerson in a single night, including the man with the baby, who said he was from Djibouti.

Canada is welcome to them. They can then learn what it’s like for crime to spike, identities to be stolen and lives ruined, emergency rooms overrun and unable to help legal citizens, wages deflated, money for citizens going to take care of illegals who demand education, welfare, healthcare, places to live, and citizenship, all while refusing to assimilate and learn the language and customs.

Of course, there are more than enough sob stories, including two who came from Ghanna

But after making treacherous overland journeys to the U.S. from Brazil, they did not receive the welcome they expected. They were both detained the moment they showed up without passports at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana.

Iyal was placed in handcuffs and chains — standard procedure — for the flight to a detention facility in Arizona. “I was crying, ‘What is going on?’” he said. “Am I a criminal, or am I a terrorist or what?”

Yes, you are a criminal. You came here illegally intentionally. You weren’t asked. You weren’t invited. You didn’t attempt to come legally and apply for legal status. Lots of people have lots of sob stories when they break the law, but, oh well. They made a choice.

You know, a few here and there is fine and dandy. Then the numbers keep growing, and suddenly there are millions living outside the law causing problems.

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If All You See…

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible appliance plugged in and drawing vampire electricity which causes sea rise, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Blazing Cat Fur, with a post on feminism at its worst.

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Good News: Scott Pruitt Stacking EPA With Climate Skeptics

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 10:21 am

This has made the NY Times very upset, along with many EPA employees/activists

In the days since, Mr. Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general who built a career out of suing the agency he now leads, has moved to stock the top offices of the agency with like-minded conservatives — many of them skeptics of climate change and all of them intent on rolling back environmental regulations that they see as overly intrusive and harmful to business.

Mr. Pruitt has drawn heavily from the staff of his friend and fellow Oklahoma Republican, Senator James Inhofe, long known as Congress’s most prominent skeptic of climate science. A former Inhofe chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, will be Mr. Pruitt’s chief of staff. Another former Inhofe staff member, Byron Brown, will serve as Mr. Jackson’s deputy. Andrew Wheeler, a fossil fuel lobbyist and a former Inhofe chief of staff, is a finalist to be Mr. Pruitt’s deputy, although he requires confirmation to the position by the Senate.

To friends and critics, Mr. Pruitt seems intent on building an E.P.A. leadership that is fundamentally at odds with the career officials, scientists and employees who carry out the agency’s missions. That might be a recipe for strife and gridlock at the federal agency tasked to keep safe the nation’s clean air and water while safeguarding the planet’s future.

‘Climate change’ has nothing to do with keeping the air and water clean, and Pruitt has no intention of rolling back actual real environmental regulations. But, hey, it wouldn’t be the NY Times without some activist scaremongering, would it?

Gina McCarthy, who headed the E.P.A. under former President Barack Obama, said she too saw Mr. Pruitt as unique. “It’s fine to have differing opinions on how to meet the mission of the agency. Many Republican administrators have had that,” she said. “But here, for the first time, I see someone who has no commitment to the mission of the agency.”

The EPA wasn’t actually established to be a climate activist agency, just to protect the environment. It’s long forgotten that mission.

Agency employees say morale has already been damaged. After working for years to draft climate change regulations under the Obama administration, many of those same career scientists and lawyers will be ordered to go back and undo them.

Well, they can go work in the private sector. This happens in the private sector all the time. Someone new comes in to change the direction of a company, and, people can either go with the flow or leave.

Tony Heller, ie, Steven Goddard of The Deplorable Climate Science Blog, was mentioned in the article, and has a few thoughts.

Steven Milloy of Junk Science is also mentioned

Trump won. He and the people he appoints now get to set the direction.

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Wikileaks Drops Massive Trove Of CIA Spying Documents: Guess What’s Missing

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 8:01 am

So, this happened yesterday

(UK Guardian) The US intelligence agencies are facing fresh embarrassment after WikiLeaks published what it described as the biggest ever leak of confidential documents from the CIA detailing the tools it uses to break into phones, communication apps and other electronic devices.

The thousands of leaked documents focus mainly on techniques for hacking and reveal how the CIA cooperated with British intelligence to engineer a way to compromise smart televisions and turn them into improvised surveillance devices.

The leak, named “Vault 7” by WikiLeaks, will once again raise questions about the inability of US spy agencies to protect secret documents in the digital age. It follows disclosures about Afghanistan and Iraq by army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010 and about the National Security Agency and Britain’s GCHQ by Edward Snowden in 2013.

This involved 8,761 documents that show just how the CIA was spying. Going after smartphones, computers, and even using the apps in your Samsung TV to spy. Of course, if the CIA is doing this against foreign nations, well, that’s rather their job, is it not? If the documents are real, it represents a pretty big embarrassment to the CIA, and, don’t forget, this happened to the NSA already.

Of course, article after article are rather hysterical over the CIA doing what the CIA is supposed to do. One big question is whether the CIA did this on domestic soil. Regardless, if this happened during George W. Bush’s term, how would the media react? Lots of blame and condemnation, yes?

  • The Guardian article mentions Trump’s name 5 times. Obama’s? Zero. It’s like the guy wasn’t president the past 8 years while this was occurring.
  • NY Times front page article: Obama not mentioned.
  • Washington Post article #1: Obama not mentioned. Trump mentioned twice. WP article #2: Obama not mentioned. Article #3: is all about Trump.
  • Engadget: Obama mentioned zero times. Trump 2x.
  • The Hill: Obama zero, Trump 2x.
  • NBC News: Zero Obama mentions.
  • CBS News: No Obama mentions.

This is repeated again and again and again by left leaning media outlets, from the big news papers, magazines, and networks, to blogs and such. Really, the only big news here is that the CIA is unable to keep its methods secret. But, again, if this happened under Bush, can you imagine the apoplexy from the media? Or, say, this happened 2-3 years from now. Can you imagine how the media would assault Trump over this spying?

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Just Another Wonderful Illegal Alien Decapitating His Mother

By William Teach March 8, 2017 – 7:32 am

Will Democrats, who seem to love illegal aliens, look to hold up this guy as a paragon, like they’ve done with so many others?

(WTVD) The Franklin County District Attorney said Tuesday that 18-year-old Oliver Mauricio Funes Machada will be moved to Central Prison because it’s “more appropriate for any special needs he may have.”

Machada is being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge after deputies say he decapitated his mother at their home on Morgan Drive near Stonehill Drive just south of U.S. Highway 64 Monday afternoon. The area is east of Zebulon – near the Wake County line.

At a a preliminary hearing Tuesday, both the prosecution and defense said they expect mental health to be an issue in the case. According to court documents, Machada took four different medications for psychosis and schizophrenia.

Federal officials also said Tuesday that Machada is in the country illegally and they’ve issued an immigration detainer for him.

“ICE is focused on identifying, arresting and removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told ABC11.

What did he do? He cut his mother’s head off with a large butcher knife, after stabbing her numerous times in front of two young children. When that was done, he called 911 himself, essentially admitting to the crime. When law enforcement showed up at the residence, he was holding the knife. And his mother’s head.

This part of Zebulon is less than 30 miles away from me, and is an area replete with lots of illegal aliens. It has also had a problem with Hispanic gangs, including MS-13. Whether that has anything to do with this, no one really knows why Machada did this. But, now we have one more illegal alien, who would have been eligible for Obama’s deferred action program.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Billboards Troll Feminists, Get The Response They Were Looking For

By William Teach March 7, 2017 – 3:46 pm

I never did get around to posting this billboard a bit ago

Obviously, it sent 3rd Wave Feminists, and liberals in general, into Apoplexy. So, then the people who put that one up followed up with

This is Troll Level Einstein. So, what happened next?

(WTVD) A pair of Raleigh women are going to great lengths to send a message of their own.

“There’s no place for this in North Carolina today,” said Kathryn Rende. “People not thinking this is about gender equality or even if they admit that it is saying that there’s nothing wrong with it, it does make me take a step back and think maybe we are not as progressive of a state as we thought we were.”

She and a friend started their own GoFundME campaign and have raised $5,401 in the past week.

The money will be used to buy a billboard in Raleigh with the counter message: “Gender Equality Benefits Everyone”.

“We wanted to put something up that was all-inclusive, gender neutral and had a really positive message,” said Rende.

The duo plans to take their fight for women’s rights to the national level and buy as many billboards as possible.

In other words, the first sent Special Snowflakes in moonbattery. The second should have been a clue that they were being intentionally played (it’s written right there!), and most would have said “ha ha, ok, you got me” and moved on. Instead, the 2nd has caused the exact Special Snowflake response one would expect. I hope whoever is doing this trots out a 3rd one, but, they really made their point.

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