…are trees cut down to make an evil carbon sucking house, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Bookworm Room, with a post on Leftists always getting it wrong.
No theme this week, just cleaning out the picture folder.
Read: If All You See… »
The New American’s Christian Gomez gives it a shot in explaining
The world leaders and activists who attended the UN Climate Summit in Paris last December are all about saving the world, saving the environment, right? That’s the standard narrative, isn’t it?
Well, critics, ourselves included, have insisted that the UN climate agenda is really about power and wealth. More precisely, it is about getting the power to redistribute global wealth — through carbon taxes, carbon pricing, carbon trading, and carbon regulation, etc. But don’t take our word for it; the top climateers have said so themselves.
Take, for instance, Dr. Ottmar Edenhoefer — not exactly a household name in America, however, Dr. Edenhofer is a big name in climate policy circles. He says, “We redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy.â€
From 2008 to 2015 Dr. Edenhofer was co-chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working group on “Mitigation of Climate Change.” He is also deputy director and chief economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, one of the climate centers helping write climate policy for the EU, the UN, and the World Bank, and one of the most-cited sources on climate in the mainstream media. During an interview in 2010, Dr. Edenhofer candidly declared, “One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with the environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole.â€
And, he added this shocking admission: “We redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy.â€
That’s definitely one portion of it, power and redistribution of wealth, or, should I say, Other People’s wealth, because Warmists never seem very enthused to give up their own money in order to “solve” Hotcoldwetdry. They want power over others, controlling their lives and the private sector. And it’s not just the United Nations, but Leftist leaders and peons around the world.
Read: “What’s The Real Agenda Behind Climate Change Alarmism?” »
While an overall good article by the NY Times’ Matt Apuzzo, which highlights that Government is often barking up the wrong tree, it does miss the point
Who Will Become a Terrorist? Research Yields Few Clues
The brothers who carried out suicide bombings in Brussels last week had long, violent criminal records and had been regarded internationally as potential terrorists. But in San Bernardino, Calif., last year, one of the attackers was a county health inspector who lived a life of apparent suburban normality.
And then there are the dozens of other young American men and women who have been arrested over the past year for trying to help the Islamic State. Their backgrounds are so diverse that they defy a single profile.
What turns people toward violence — and whether they can be steered away from it — are questions that have bedeviled governments around the world for generations. Those questions have taken on fresh urgency with the rise of the Islamic State and the string of attacks in Europe and the United States. Despite millions of dollars of government-sponsored research, and a much-publicized White House pledge to find answers, there is still nothing close to a consensus on why someone becomes a terrorist.
“After all this funding and this flurry of publications, with each new terrorist incident we realize that we are no closer to answering our original question about what leads people to turn to political violence,†Marc Sageman, a psychologist and a longtime government consultant, wrote in the journal Terrorism and Political Violence in 2014. “The same worn-out questions are raised over and over again, and we still have no compelling answers.â€
Mr. Apuzzo goes on to note research that shows it’s not really poverty and money problems that create terrorists, but that the government still acts as if that is the problem. Other factors have been checked, but none seems to be the answer, and some are worried that this could all be intrusive on communities, meaning Muslims, and cast suspicion.
Researching terrorism is admittedly difficult. It involves tough questions about who qualifies as a terrorist, or as a rebel or a soldier. Nelson Mandela? Palestinian suicide bombers? The Taliban of today? The Afghan mujahedeen when the C.I.A. supported them?
Researchers seldom have access to terrorists, and scientific methods, such as control groups, are rare. In 2005, Jeff Victoroff, a University of Southern California psychologist, concluded that the leading terrorism research was mostly just political theory and anecdotes. “A lack of systematic scholarly investigation has left policy makers to design counterterrorism strategies without the benefit of facts,†he wrote in The Journal of Conflict Resolution.
All in all, it’s a fascinating article, an actual bit of journalism rather than advocacy, and worth the read. And, it does beg the question, “how is a terrorist created?” Of course, the answer is dependent on what kind of terrorist. With Islam, the answer is simple: Islam. If, as studies have stated, 10-15% of Muslims are radical jihadis, why not look to see how they are created? Many of them learn this ideology at home, others at Islamic schools, and others at their mosques. They are being taught in one or more about the hardcore version of Islam. It spreads. Their friends and compatriots become more and more radical, as do the individuals. They chat with people on-line, who slowly indoctrinate them into the radical viewpoint. Anger and “righteousness” is instilled in them, and some will move into being a jihadi, willing to perpetrate violent action.
Some studies show that anywhere from 25-40% of Muslims worldwide hold radical Islam views. How do those move into being a fighter? There’s another question. Islam has a problem, and they practitioners need to stamp it out. When the Catholic Church had a big problem with pedophile priests, the entire religion was blamed, and Catholics worked to stamp the pedophilia out. It’s time for Islam to either embrace the Islamist viewpoint, the hardcore, regressive viewpoint, or to stamp it out.
Read: Say, Who Will Become A Terrorist? Research Has Little Clue »
Yes, they are still super upset over the North Carolina law that requires people to use the bathroom of their physical sex
(WNCN) The American Civil Liberties Union, as well as other gay-rights advocates, will announce a federal lawsuit challenging HB2 after Gov. Pat McCrory signed the bill into law Wednesday night. (snip)
The new law requires public schools, colleges and government agencies to designate bathrooms for people based on their biological sex.
The ACLU, ACLU of North Carolina, Lambda Legal and Equality NC will hold a press conference Monday morning at 10 a.m. at the LGBT Canter of Raleigh.
Interestingly, that reads like a press release, does it not? We aren’t getting any more details from WRAL, the News and Observer, and many other NC news outlets. So, what’s it really about? I found this from WWAYTV, out of Wilmington, which is also in the gay on-line outlet Advocate
In their background on HB 2, the groups take aim at the legislation — which strikes down LGBT-inclusive municipal antidiscrimination ordinances and prohibits cities from adopting any new ones — for not only being discriminatory, but financially improper.
“The North Carolina General Assembly convened a $42,000 special session on Wednesday to pass into law a sweeping measure that prevents local governments in the state from extending nondiscrimination policies to LGBT people and requires restroom access in public facilities, including schools, based on birth assigned sex regardless of a person’s gender identity and lived gender. It also jeopardizes the more than $4.5 billion in federal funding that North Carolina receives for secondary and post-secondary schools under Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions receiving Federal funding, including discrimination against transgender individuals.”
So, what’s the lawsuit about? Will it be over the requirement that people use the bathroom of their biological sex? I’m doubting that The People are going to side with biological males entering the bathroom, changing room, or shower with their underage daughters (and visa versa for their underage sons). Will it be about the State reiterating that it has primacy, and that cities and counties cannot pass laws that are out of line with State law? All 50 states have this, and, considering that liberals argued that the federal government has primacy over state law, as argued regarding Arizona’s illegal immigration law (and other state’s laws), they don’t have a leg to stand on.
What the ACLU most likely wants is to threaten to litigate this to death, forcing the NC General Assembly to vote to do away with the law. This is the ACLU’s M.O., threats of lawsuits to force compliance, basically, Lawfare.
Regardless of which they try to litigate, the law does have severability. But, seriously, this is what these people are worried about: a tiny minority of citizens who want to use the bathroom of the other biological sex, potentially exposing children to this deviancy. As Jacob Smith says in the comments at WRAL “Geez, What have we come to if a law requiring people to use a public bathroom matching their sex causes such a broohaha.” Yes, what indeed.
More: we find out from Buzzfeed where this suit is head
“By singling out LGBT people for disfavored treatment and explicitly writing discrimination against transgender people into state law, H.B. 2 violates the most basic guarantees of equal treatment and the U.S. Constitution,†the lawsuit argues.
The complaint argues the law violates people’s equal protection, privacy, and liberty rights under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and their civil rights under Title IX of the Education Act of 1972.
The lawsuit is asking for a declaratory judgment that the law violates the Constitution and Title IX and an injunction against enforcement of the law.
So, we’ve apparently come to the point where telling people they cannot use the bathroom of the opposite biological gender is discrimination and violates the 14th Amendment and stuff. The suit is going after both the bathrooms and the ability of States to say that state law trumps local law
This lawsuit challenges a sweeping North Carolina law, House Bill 2 (“H.B. 2â€), which bans transgender people from accessing restrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity and blocks local governments from protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (“LGBTâ€) people against discrimination in a wide variety of settings. By singling out LGBT people for disfavored treatment and explicitly writing discrimination against transgender people into state law, H.B. 2 violates the most basic guarantees of equal treatment and the U.S. Constitution.
Yes, the ACLU and the others are having hissy fits over bathrooms. And, no, this is not similar to the fight for equal access to bathrooms by Blacks, as many idiotic liberals have argued. Black men were not allowed in men’s bathrooms set for White people, and Black women were not allowed in women’s bathrooms set for White people. That was wrong. And they were given their equal rights. This is about people who have a fantasy, for right or wrong, that they are the opposite sex and want to use the bathroom of a sex that they aren’t biologically. And, as Governor McCrory points out, HB2 doesn’t allow for discrimination against “transgenders”.
But, this all looks rather political and manufactured, as we go back to the Buzzfeed screed
The case was filed overnight in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on behalf of JoaquÃn Carcaño, a transgender man who works at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Payton Grey McGarry, a transgender man who is a student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro; and Angela Gilmore, a lesbian who is the associate dean for academic affairs at North Carolina Central University. Also named as plaintiffs are the ACLU of North Carolina and Equality North Carolina.
So, why is a lesbian part of the suit? She is not identified as a transgender: is she just wanting to use the men’s bathroom at will? What is her standing?
But, yeah, this is what Liberals are worried about. Not rising health costs, not diminished health care, not the threat from Islamic radicalism, not the collapse of the middle class, not the ever increasing portion of low wage jobs, nope, they are worried about bathroom access for deviants.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Social Bathroom Warriors To File Federal Lawsuit Against N.C. Transgendered Bathroom Law (Updated) »
Happy Easter Sunday, everyone. It’s a gorgeous day here in America, and a time to celebrate the Rise of Jesus. This pinup is by Bill Randall, with a wee bit of help with a double bunny.
BTW, if you have yet to see the mini-series The Bible, it is showing on History right now. The segment that begins Jesus’ journey starts during the 11am episode.
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. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.
Regardless of any criticism one might have of Donald Trump, and I have quite a few criticism, the man has consistently put America first, even at the expense of others. He’s been unapologetically an America First candidate, and he’ll let you know about it on a constant basis. Bernie Sanders makes you know he cares about Socialism. Hillary makes you know she cares about …… well, Hillary. Donald? America First. This has seemingly given the NY Times a sad
In Donald Trump’s Worldview, America Comes First, and Everybody Else Pays
….
In Mr. Trump’s worldview, the United States has become a diluted power, and the main mechanism by which he would re-establish its central role in the world is economic bargaining. He approached almost every current international conflict through the prism of a negotiation, even when he was imprecise about the strategic goals he sought. He again faulted the Obama administration’s handling of the negotiations with Iran last year — “It would have been so much better if they had walked away a few times,†he said — but offered only one new idea about how he would change its content: Ban Iran’s trade with North Korea.
Mr. Trump struck similar themes when he discussed the future of NATO, which he called “unfair, economically, to us,†and said he was open to an alternative organization focused on counterterrorism. He argued that the best way to halt China’s placement of military airfields and antiaircraft batteries on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea was to threaten its access to American markets.
“We have tremendous economic power over China,†he argued. “And that’s the power of trade.†He did not mention Beijing’s ability for economic.
I’m not comparing Trump to Ronald Reagan, but, let’s not forget that what seemed a military buildup to combat the Soviet Union was in fact an economic war, forcing the USSR to go bankrupt, to spend themselves into oblivion. There’s obviously more too it than that, but the economics were a major part.
Mr. Trump’s views, as he explained them, fit nowhere into the recent history of the Republican Party: He is not in the internationalist camp of President George Bush, nor does he favor President George W. Bush’s call to make it the United States’ mission to spread democracy around the world. He agreed with a suggestion that his ideas might be summed up as “America First.â€
“Not isolationist, but I am America First,†he said. “I like the expression.†He said he was willing to reconsider traditional American alliances if partners were not willing to pay, in cash or troop commitments, for the presence of American forces around the world. “We will not be ripped off anymore,†he said.
Is it any wonder Trump is doing so well at the polls, when combined with his supposed outsider status, anti-illegal alien ideas, and refusal to be politically correct?
Mr. Trump explained his thoughts in concrete and easily digestible terms, but they appeared to reflect little consideration for potential consequences. Much the same way he treats political rivals and interviewers, he personalized how he would engage foreign nations, suggesting his approach would depend partly on “how friendly they’ve been toward us,†not just on national interests or alliances.
Trump has perhaps hit on something most politicians have forgotten here in the United States: we need to be looking at things in a way that helps America first. Ann Althouse thinks the article shows the NY Times treating Trump with respect, and, she could be correct: Maggie Haberman, one of the writers, is generally very good, but, one does get the idea that the NY Times itself is Very Concerned with Trump’s belief in America First. Althouse highlights a few comments
Here’s one of the most up-voted comments over there: “We can quibble about details, but this approach is long overdue. Why even have a country if its citizens are not the primary concern of those in power?” And: “Have to agree that it’s time to play hardball with Saudi Arabia.” And:
You can head over to read the “and”. The full transcript of the interview is here. Perhaps it is high time to put America, and the average American, rather than allies, enemies, and the American political class, first.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: NY Times Seems Upset That Donald Trump Puts America First And Foremost, Regardless Of Others »
Of course, facts do not really matter to Progressives, it’s all about the feelings. Oh, and patronizing an interest group. Here’s what I got in my email (not using the blockquotes, for brevity)
Here’s what the New York Times, Huffington Post and other media outlets aren’t telling you about the common-sense privacy law we signed this week.Â
1. Does the new bill limit or prohibit private sector companies from adopting their own nondiscrimination policies or practices?
2. Does this bill take away existing protections for individuals in North Carolina?
3. Can businesses and private facilities still offer reasonable accommodations for transgender people, like single occupancy bathrooms for instance?
The rest is in the more tag below
Read: Gov. McCrory: Myths Vs Facts On “Transgender” Bathroom Law »
…is a world flooding from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is The First Street Journal, with a post on ending the solar welfare for the well to do.
There’s also another photo below the more tag, which I uploaded but considered a bit too risque after reflection. Any recommendations for next week’s theme?
Read: If All You See… »
This one comes via Jenny North at Victory Girls Blog
The NRA has rewritten childhood classics by inserting armed protagonists – the children have guns! And predictably, some “well-meaningâ€Â gun grabbers are not happy:
Critics accuse the NRA of undertaking a “campaign to arm children.â€
“The NRA continues to stoop to new lows in the hopes of shoving guns into America’s youngest hands,†Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said in a statement.
The gist of the modern twist on the fairy tales is that the children involved have been taught gun safety and are able to protect themselves from evil witches and Big Bad Wolves. The two fairy tales that have been transformed in stories supporting the Second Amendment are Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood (NRA versions at the links).
Looking back on these stories, even sans firearms, they are quite terrifying! Small children lost in dark woods, with no food or heat, perhaps even abandoned by their parents, and facing insurmountable odds against cannibal old ladies and ravenous wild animals. That alone should be reason enough for trigger warnings galore! But giving a gun to a child is supposedly a new low.
Ms. North makes a good point. Those fairy tales are terrifying for children, or should be. Many of them are simply parables meant to teach children, and creating that situation of fear worked, for the most part. And the NRA version removes the typical messy ends for the bad guys in the stories
The NRA rewrites also exclude any horrific demise of the antagonists – the witch is locked up and taken away, and the wolf is taken away by the huntsman, not stuffed with rocks after being cut open. No one gets eaten or burned alive. The new stories are far more benign than the original versions.
This is all about pushing for responsible gun safety at a young age. Of course, leftist gun-grabbers would prefer to leave the population unarmed, dependent on Government to show up after the crime.
Read: NRA Arms The Cute Little Buggers In Fairy Tales Rewrite »
Why, yes, Warmists do manage to infiltrate their insane message of planetary doom into everything. Now they’ve managed to include it into a Good Friday cross walk, and, no, I won’t lay off religious leaders who buy into the claptrap of Hotcoldwetdry
(Billings Gazette) Jesus was condemned to die Friday afternoon just outside the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office in downtown Billings.
Simon of Cyrene was recruited to carry Jesus’ cross next to Stella’s Kitchen and Bakery. Jesus died on the cross in the alleyway near the Downtown Billings Alliance, and then rose from the dead on the steps of Billings First Church.
During the second annual Stations of the Cross Sacred Walk, about 35 people representing three faith traditions walked downtown, stopping at points along the way to recall Christ’s journey of suffering toward his death on the cross, and then his resurrection.
They switched up who was holding the cross and read scripture, the Good News. And then it all went pear shaped
Woven into the script were snippets from “Laudato Si,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
“We’re centering on the Passion of Christ, and in that passion we’re working to understand or listening to understand the tragedy of climate change in our time,†said the Rev. Steve Gordon, pastor of Mayflower Congregational Church, as he walked down First Avenue North.
In the same way Jesus Christ suffered on Good Friday, the Earth suffers today, added Sister Mary Dostal, founder and one of the directors of Angela’s Piazza.
At the third station, Kim Harris, of First Church, read out loud that Jesus fell three times in the Way of the Cross, and with each successive fall, he grew weaker and struggled to get back on his feet.
“People who suffer most from climate change disasters are those who are poor already and have little recourse to defend themselves or to get back on their feet,†she said.
Good news! The “solutions” to solving Hotcoldwetdry will negatively affect the lives of the poor in many ways while doing virtually nothing to solve the problem the Warmists say exist.
That said, they do have a point about over-consumption and over-use of resources, which is a real environmental issue, just not a ‘climate change’ issue. Strangely, most Warmists refuse to give up their over-consumption lifestyles.
Read: Billings Incorporates ‘Climate Change’ Into Good Friday Cross Walk »
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