Important Things: Deep Purple Elected To Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

By William Teach December 17, 2015 – 7:34 am

Put this one in the category of Things That Really Matter To Me

(USA Today) Straight outta Compton and into the Rock Hall.

N.W.A is joining the 31st class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The legendary hip-hop group will be inducted alongside Cheap Trick, Chicago, Steve Miller and Deep Purple on April 8 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. (snip)

In the online fan vote, conducted on multiple sites including USATODAY.com, Chicago led with 23.4%, followed by Yes, The Cars, Deep Purple and Miller. The aggregate of the fan vote counted as a ballot in the official voting. Winners of the past two fan votes — Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble for the 2015 class, and Kiss for 2014 — subsequently made it into the Hall.

It’s about darned time that these groups, particularly Deep Purple, have not been inducted before. I once placed Deep Purple as my #2 heavy metal/hard rock groups of all time, just ahead of Led Zeppelin, and I stand by that. They are one of the most influential rock groups of all. If you know rock, you know Smoke On the Water. When it comes on the radio, your brain says “Smoke On The Water” after the first note. They’ve sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They were one of the original bands to hit Japan, and their album Made In Japan is one of the greatest live albums ever. This leads to Deep Purple, in any lineup, being a tremendous live band, something that is Important to election to the RRHOFF. Yes, they were, and still are, one of the best. No one left disappointed by the quality of the music.

Drummer Ian Pace stated, right before the announcement, that he wondered which members, exactly, would be inducted, what with the lineup changes. Also

“The Hall Of Fame should be embarrassed for not inducting us already. Look at some of the non-entities who’ve got in. I won’t name them, but just have a look at some of those names, and you’ll know who I mean. What have they ever done for rock ‘n’ roll? Nothing. Having these artists in before DEEP PURPLE undermines what it is supposed to represent.”

Singer Ian Gillan had previously had some rather unkind words for the idiots at the RRHOF. And he’s right. How is that Chicago, Cheap Trick, and Steve Miller had never been elected before? All three have been making music forever. They are tremendous live in concert. They have songs that are staples of Classic Rock stations, and you know the name of the song and group the minute they come on the radio. But, how do they not have Yes? Judas Priest? Bad Company? The Cars? Doobie Brothers? ELO? Iron Maiden? Jethro Tull? Journey? Moody Blues? Motley Crue? Pat Benatar? Thin Lizzy? And many others?

Yet, N.W.A. just go elected. They aren’t even close to a rock and roll group. There are lots of non-R&R groups. Aretha Franklin? Ray Charles? The Supremes? Run DMC? Public Enemy? A few others? Granted, there aren’t as many non-rock acts as one thinks, many are Motown, R&B and soul, and, yes, are all time great acts, no doubt. Do they belong in the RRHOF? Do any rap groups belong in the least? Do country acts belong, such as Johnny Cash? And then there are rock groups who aren’t that good that are in, and well ahead of ones who deserved it.

But, anyhow, Deep Purple is finally in. So, there’s that.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Oops: Gavin Schmidt Makes Inconvenient Admission On Satellite Data

By William Teach December 16, 2015 – 4:12 pm

Via Watts Up With That?

No worries: Cultists will find a way to fix this, either through Excuse Making or changing the data.

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 16, 2015 – 1:00 pm

…is an evil carbon polluting truck causing clouds of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Moonbattery, with a post on Leftist’s latest idea, pee powered socks.

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House Democrats To Push Legislation On Scary Looking Weapons

By William Teach December 16, 2015 – 10:26 am

Why, yes, yes they are going to attempt to push another “assault weapons” ban

(The Hill) Assault weapons would be banned under new legislation from House Democrats.

Following a string of recent mass shootings, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) is looking to renew the assault weapons ban that was originally signed by former President Bill Clinton but expired more than a decade ago.

The Assault Weapons Ban of 2015, which Cicilline will introduce Wednesday afternoon, would ensure that no such guns are manufactured while placing new restrictions on the sale of already existing assault weapons.
The bill has about 90 Democratic co-sponsors, including House Minority WHIP Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.).

It has no hope of passing through Congress, however, given opposition from Republicans.

“Assault weapons are designed for the sole purpose of killing as many people as quickly as possible,” Cicilline said in a statement to The Hill. “We need to do everything we can to reduce the toll of gun violence by keeping these weapons out of our communities.”

At best, the original ban reduced “gun violence” a tiny bit. The vast majority of buyers are purchasing for sport, hunting, or defense. I’ll put this up again

Those weapons are essentially identical. They shoot the same round. They can both take the same magazines. They both have relatively the same accuracy. They both shoot just as many bullets in the same amount of time: one trigger pull, one round expelled. Yet, the top one is lighter and more compact, making it easier for women to use it for self defense. Why do the anti-gunnites want to make it harder for women to defend themselves?

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Guardian Provides Reasons To Be Sad And Gloomy Over Paris Climahysteric Agreement

By William Teach December 16, 2015 – 9:26 am

This just goes to show, Warmists are never satisfied, and second, that this agreement is idiotic, not “historic”

Climate change deal: five reasons to be glad, five to be gloomy

Why we should be glad
1 If temperatures can be held to a rise of 1.5C, catastrophe may be averted (these people sound like the same who stand on corners with “Repent: the end is nigh” signs)

2 Targets are set, and governments can be held to account (alas, no, as this is non-binding with no force of law)

3 Air pollution and the importance of preserving forests are now under the spotlight (sadly, they’re more worried about “carbon pollution” rather than real air pollutants. Furthermore, “green” initiatives have increased the use of wood for heating, particularly in Europe)

4 Much greater investment in renewable technology is promised (this would be great, if it wasn’t being used to reward political donors, who rarely seem to create anything new and/or usable)

5 Vulnerable countries will get $100bn a year to help adapt to climate change (essentially, this is a redistribution scheme. But, hey, maybe the US can stop being the provider of money round the world now)

Then we have

Why we should be gloomy
1 Countries will wriggle out of their commitments (again, non-binding, voluntary, no force of law, and countries can give a 1 year notice that they are pulling out. Not that Kyoto worked in the least previously)

2 The agreement buys us time, but will it be enough? (the agreement actually does nothing to get to 2C number that was picked out of a hat)

3 Most agreements benefit big business over small landholders (Surprise!!!! Politicians favoring their donor class)

4 Climate change assistance may be funded by diverting aid (taking from useful programs to fund this politically motivated boondoggle)

5 There is no legal responsibility for rich countries to help poorer ones with adapting to climate change (there’s no legal responsibility whatsoever. But, the US has done more to help people in other countries than any other country since the end of WWII, and all we get is hatred)

At the end of the day, what we see is a political document that does nothing, is unworkable, is non-binding, voluntary, has no force of law, but, it does allow a bunch of politicians to say they’re Doing Something with their sound-bites. Meanwhile, there are real environmental and other issues out there in the world. Poverty, terrorism, horrendous treatment of women in many countries, Islamic extremism, slavery, child labor, the list goes on an on. And these morons are worried about a tiny increase in global temperatures in over 160, which, whether it’s mostly/solely anthropogenic or mostly/solely natural, should be of little concern. But, Warmists are concerned because they are part of the overall Progressive movement (nice fascism), designed to put more and more power in the hands of these same people, along with higher and higher taxes.

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Washington Post Poll Shows Collapsing Support For Gun Bans

By William Teach December 16, 2015 – 8:56 am

The WP’s Scott Clement highlights a few other things in the poll prior to the information on guns

Over three-quarters of Americans doubt the nation’s ability to stop “lone wolf” terrorist attacks by individuals acting on their own, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Despite widespread doubts about security, the poll finds fears of a family member being a victim of terrorism have not risen since a shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., killed 14 and attacks in Paris last month that left 130 people dead.

An interesting dichotomy. As to the first, when citizens learn that the Department Of Homeland Security refuses to actually vet people coming to the U.S. via their social media accounts because it might Offend them and other silly notions, including people from areas known to be hotbeds of Islamic terrorism, they realize that the government is full of politically correct idiots, led by an overall idiot. Doesn’t inspire much confidence in stopping terrorists. As to the second, perhaps it’s because more citizens are armed?

President Obama, who addressed the nation in a rare Oval Office speech following the shootings, continues to receive negative marks for handling terrorism and dealing with Islamic State militants. Despite his call for greater gun restrictions aimed at keeping high-powered guns out of terrorist hands, the Post-ABC poll finds record high opposition to a ban on assault weapons.

The poll finds that 51% disapprove of Obama’s overall handling of his job, along with 53% disapproving of his handling of terrorism and 59% against his handling of ISIS. Then we get

That’s right, more want citizens to be armed. We can’t quite dig into the numbers, as it seems those questions have been embargoed for the moment in the poll data.

On a specific policy, 53 percent of Americans now oppose a national ban on assault weapons, with opposition rising 11 percentage points from 2013 to its highest level in Post-ABC polling since 1994.

Huh. Democrats have been yammering for more and more gun control, and citizen support against Democrat proposals keeps rising.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Climahysteric Weenies Are Totally Just Warming Up

By William Teach December 15, 2015 – 2:45 pm

The Paris agreement is so historic and meaningful that Warmists are going to continue spreading awareness

(LA Times) Even as it became clear that a historic climate agreement could be reached in France, activists were organizing protests deep into next year, some liberal political leaders were pledging to go beyond whatever goals the agreement might yield and diplomats, scientists and consultants were planning the next global summit.

In the final days of COP21, as the 21st Conference of Parties came to be called, a hashtag briefly came to life on Twitter: #COP22.

That would be the 22nd Conference of Parties, scheduled for next November in Morocco. (snip)

While many questions remain about the agreement — Will it truly help solve the problem? Will nations honor their commitments? Will investors move away from fossil fuels? — it appears to include at least one guarantee: The century ahead will be filled with more conflict, progress, protests, ambition and intransigence about climate change.

And more conferences.

Huh. Sounds more like a political movement rather than anything based on science. I’d be impressed if these climactivists were pushing others to walk the talk, and doing so themselves.

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If All You See…

By William Teach December 15, 2015 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible fossil fuels sucking truck, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is A View From The Beach, with a post on the EPA breaking the law.

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Gizmodo Bravely Stands Up For Hardcore Islam

By William Teach December 15, 2015 – 7:15 am

This comes via James Taranto

From the article

The State Department’s anti-ISIS social media campaign, Think Again Turn Away, took its inept hearts and minds mission a step further in the wrong direction this morning by promoting an anti-Islam advocate as a human rights hero.

In honor of #HumanRightsDay, Think Again Turn Away tweeted this fact sheet highlighting the accomplishments of Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

https://twitter.com/ThinkAgain_DOS/status/676386846486765571

It looks like Ms. Ali went through quite a rough patch as a member of Islam, and stands against the worst segments of Islam. Obviously, Gizmodo, like the good little Progressive drone it is, as written by Kate Knibbs, has a problem with standing against hardcore Islam.

The problem? Ayaan Hirsi Ali espouses a worldview where Islam is different from other religions, in that it is an inherently violent “cult of death.” She supports the proposed ban of face veils in France, and of minarets in Switzerland. In 2007, she called for the West to defeat Islam using military force.

She also stands against female genital mutilation, forced marriages, marrying off girls as young as 6, stoning women for being raped, not allowing women to drive, not allowing women out of the house without a male family member, and treating women like 2nd class citizens, among others. One would think Kate, as a woman, would have a problem with the way women are treated in hardcore Islam. Negative. The Narrative about Islam comes before women. It’s amazing that Progressives, who say they’re all for Women, would go after Ali, among others, for standing up for women’s rights

By highlighting Ali, the State Department is highlighting the belief that radicalism and violence are woven into Islam, and that “good” Muslims must open their eyes and reject many of the underpinnings of their beliefs. Instead of excoriating ISIS for perverting Islam, the stance treats ISIS as a natural extension of the religion.

ISIS is an extension of Islam. They’re practicing it as Mohammad did. Radicalism and violence are woven into political Islam. If the violence and radicalism is rejected, this would be a rejection of Mohammad, the “perfect man”. If liberals are standing against people like Ms. Ali, doesn’t this mean, going by liberal absolutist talking points, that liberals are standing for the way women are treated in Islam?

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Newtown Police Chief Calls For Other Gun Owners To Be Forced To Carry Smart Guns

By William Teach December 15, 2015 – 6:52 am

When not attempting to force outright bans on guns and gun ownership, anti-gunnites attempt to force stealth bans. Forcing the use of technology that barely works, and makes guns about as useful as a paperweight when needed for self defense is a stealth ban

(Breitbart) On December 14, Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said police departments and the various branches of the military need to use the leverage of purchase contracts to pressure firearm makers into building smart guns.

Kehoe did not say his officers would carry smart guns nor did he express an opinion that military personnel should carry them. But he believes gun manufacturers should be making such weapons.

His officers would rebel if he attempted to make them carry smart guns, first, because they are all low caliber, and second, because they very often do not work correctly. Some reports have the failure rate up to 20%. They can be slow in reading your fingerprints or connecting with the watch. Sounds exactly what LEOs need when facing a crazed nutjob charging with a knife, right?

Some tests show them failing just 1% of the time: do you want to bet your life or that of your family on that 1%? If your smartphone failed 1% of the time when trying to unlock it, you’d return it. Of course, rarely is a smartphone involved in life or death situations. Think about how slow using the fingerprint to unlock it can be.

According to CNN’s Deborah Feyerick, Kehoe suggests we “leverage gun buying power” to force gun manufacturers to fall in line. She said Kehoe believes this is possible “because the biggest consumers of U.S. firearms are the U.S. military, U.S. law enforcement, along with civilians.”

Neither would ever use the technology. Will Chief Kehoe carry one himself?

Breitbart News reported Washington state Sheriff John Urquhart’s January 28 contention that smart guns are still too dumb to be trusted. According to the Homeland Security News Wire, Urquhart told attendees at the Washington Technology Industry Association that “[Smart gun technology] is not ready for my officers yet.” He added, “If it worked 110 percent of the time, I’d be interested.” But as it stands right now, he is not.

Smart guns will one day be perfected, where they are manufactured in higher calibers, and not only work 100% of the time, but work as immediately as a standard gun. That time is not now.

This doesn’t even address all the other issues, such as having the electronic pairing signal blocked, the ability of the computer processor to being hacked, government shutting off the gun, government tracking the gun (ya think?), criminals stealing the gun and the watch, criminals stealing the gun and hacking the biometric reader, and others.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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