Suddenly, Salon Is Very Concerned With An Authoritarian President

By William Teach August 18, 2015 – 7:50 am

For years, Mr. Obama has been more than willing to use his pen and phone, well, really, just his pen, to enact his personal agenda via executive authority, particularly since Republicans took the House in 2010. Salon, like most Leftists, has been cheerleading this push. But, what about a potential Donald Trump presidency?

The dark side of Donald Trump: How gridlock leads to dangerous populism & authoritarian zeal

Of the many ways Donald Trump has distinguished himself from his fellow Republican presidential candidates, his flamboyant xenophobia and protectionism have garnered the most attention. And that was still the case this past weekend, when the billionaire real estate mogul, reality television star and “cherisher” of women went on “Meet the Press” to tell host Chuck Todd that a President Trump would work hard to deport more than 11 million people. “We’re going to keep the families together,” Trump promised. But only so long as they understood that regardless of what the 14th Amendment might say, these American-born children of immigrations would “have to go,” too.

As my colleague Joan Walsh has pointed out already, this is a prescription for turning the entire country into a charnel house for civil rights that would make today’s Arizona seem comparatively benign. If the policy were truly enforced with the kind of rigor that Trump promises and his supporters crave, the result would be “a massive police state,” as Walsh puts it. The number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would increase three-fold under Trump; and anyone who still failed to understand President Trump’s message would be encouraged to look no further than the southern border, where a giant wall would stand and carry on the Berlin and West Bank tradition.

A police state!!!!!!!!!

The racial hue of Trump’s vision is obvious, and it’s understandable that commentators are inclined to see Trumpism through that lens. But there was another important Trump-related media development over the weekend. It was a stellar piece by the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel, who recently spent some time in Flint, Michigan, talking to some of “the Donald’s” biggest fans. And while nostalgia for an era when whiteness meant more than it does today was common, Weigel’s piece suggests that racial anxiety isn’t the main reason these folks are embracing Trump. What they like about him, it appears, is that he is a more convincing authoritarian.

“I don’t think he’d go to Congress and ask,” one supporter said to Weigel about a hypothetical President Trump. “I think he’d just do it.” A dutiful student of high school civics knows that the framers of the Constitution took great pains to keep such a sentiment from governing the country. But for the voters Weigel spoke to, such a display of presidential “strength” (a favored word of Trump and his believers) is badly needed. “He lets people know what he’s going to do, not what to ask for,” a 51-year-old named Bob Parsons said of Trump, approvingly. He then compared the former host of “The Apprentice” to Ronald Reagan.

Suddenly, the President making things happen would be a Bad Thing. No such complaints have ever been leveled on the pages of Salon. But, hey, because Trump would, according mostly to supporters, not Trump himself, mind you, make things happen

The authoritarian mind-set doesn’t have much patience for nuance or complication, however. It prefers to see the world as comprehensible, bordering on self-evident. And whenever it is confronted with a reality too opaque and intricate to be easily simplified, that’s when a kind of flattening mysticism — or “romance,” as Weigel calls it — steps in to abolish complexity and sand away rough edges. Channeled as it currently is in Trump’s direction, this free-floating rage at the status quo and this authoritarian desire for a great leader to enact justice through force of will is relatively harmless. What should worry the rest of us, though, is the prospect that Trump isn’t a one-off but rather a sign of things to come.

Was that about Trump, or Obama? This is a typical unhinged rant about the super duper concern over a Republican being the next Hitler, with no self-reflection that Lefties have actually been supporting the guy who meets the description for years.

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Now That Carly Fiorina Is Rising In The Polls, NY Times Takes Sexist Shots At Her

By William Teach August 18, 2015 – 7:29 am

Can we declare this sexist? If an article was aimed at a Democratic woman, we all know it would be deemed misogynistic

Carly Fiorina’s Record in Business Is Not So Sterling

“I come from a world outside of politics, where track records and accomplishments count.”

Those were the words of Carly Fiorina, a Republican candidate for president, earlier this year. Readers of the business pages know her as the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

For much of this early campaign season, in the crowded field of Republican candidates, Mrs. Fiorina didn’t look as if she had much of a chance at the White House. But recently, in the afterglow of her impressive performance in the first Republican debate, Mrs. Fiorina has begun to make significant gains in the polls that have made her a more formidable candidate. She has attracted attention for her sharply articulated pro-market policies and broadsides against both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald J. Trump.

And that’s the reason for this opinion piece in the business section. She’s rising, she’s running as a Republican, so she must be hit

And so it is curious to those of us who have reported on her business career that there has not been a greater focus in recent days on her “track records and accomplishments,” as she suggested she should be measured by.

So, of course, writer Andrew Ross Sorkin goes into her time at HP, without mentioning all her other successful time in the business world, and ends with

But as the campaign goes on, Mrs. Fiorina will have difficulty arguing that her time as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard should be viewed as an asset, and not a liability.

That’s interesting. Perhaps we can discuss Obama’s vast experience in the private sector? Oh. Right. None. How about his time as Chief Executive? Record numbers who’ve dropped out of the jobs market in despair. High Black unemployment. High under-employment. The worst recovery since the Great Depression. Wealth gap rising. Middle and lower class wages stagnant. Household income down. Allies don’t trust us. An ambassador was killed by Islamists. Enemies take advantage of us. He sets red lines and does nothing when they are crossed. He starts a war in Libya, then leaves the country to slowly be taken over by hardcore Islamists. His EO agencies have been hacked numerous times, putting American citizens at risk, and he’s done nothing. The list of failure goes on and on.

What of Hillary’s record? She supposedly practiced law back in the 1970’s. Then became 1st Wife to a serial cheater, and not only looked the other way, was complicit in defending Bill Clinton from the numerous and credible sexual assault claims. Her time in the Senate? Even the Huffington Post admitted it was a time of nothingness. No major legislation. Most of her minor pieces had no cosigners. She was ineffective.

How about as Secretary of State? Will the NY Times tell us her record? Of course not, because it was even more dismal. Last time I checked, Carly! didn’t start a war in Libya, and leave people to die, along with leaving a country to devolve into utter chaos. Russia on the rise after her “reset button” fiasco. Blowing of the Iranian Green Revolution and the Arab Spring. Calling Syrian leader Asad a reformer. Several embassies attacked. ISIS has risen. China became even more belicose. There’s nothing in her record that’s a win, other than some tiny things of little consequence. Of course, then we have all her server issues.

Other than being Hillary Clinton, what, exactly, in her record makes her a good choice?

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Good Grief: Joe Romm Links “Godzilla” El Nino With “Climate Change”

By William Teach August 17, 2015 – 3:43 pm

Warmists just can’t help themselves. In this case, it’s George Soros funded climate monkey Joe Romm

‘Godzilla El Niño’ Plus Carbon Pollution Equals Global Warming Speed-Up

NASA oceanographer Bill Patzert called the intensifying El Niño, “Godzilla.” A NOAA research scientist called it “Bruce Lee” in July, and, by August, she said that what’s coming is “Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious.”

Whatever you call it, the short-term burst of regional warming in the tropical Pacific (from the monster El Niño) combined with the strong underlying long-term global warming trend means that 2015 will easily be the hottest year on record — blowing past the record just set in 2014. And if the global temperature pattern repeats that of the last super El Niño (1997-1998), then 2016 could well top 2015 record. Here’s why.

It’s the part about “blowing past 2014” that’s the most important, as linking the two issues, the first, completely natural, the latter another mostly natural issue that has been turned into a fictional man-made horror story, creates a way for Warmists to continue to blame mankind. They’ll likely say “well, sure, we’ve had El Nino’s before, but this one was much, much, much, much worse because of carbon pollution, and we are all doomed”. It’s a pre-emptive strike against people and scientists who will rightly point out that El Nino’s cause increased temperatures.

The authors warned that, by 2020, human-caused warming will move the Earth’s climate system into a regime of rapid multi-decadal rates of warming — with Arctic warming rising a stunning 1°F per decade by the 2020s. They project that within the next few years, “there is an increased likelihood of accelerated global warming associated with release of heat from the sub-surface ocean and a reversal of the phase of decadal variability in the Pacific Ocean.”

That accelerated warming appears to starting now.

The notion that the Arctic will warm 1F per decade is laughable, and completely outside the realm of reality. There’s only been a 1.4F increase in global temps since 1850, for goodness sake. The last line is the one that will dominate Cult of Climastrology talking points, of course.

And, yet, Warmists still won’t give up their own fossil fueled lifestyles and big carbon footprints. Go figure.

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If All You See…

By William Teach August 17, 2015 – 1:00 pm

…is wasting water on an evil fossil fueled machine, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is And So It Goes In Shreveport, with a post wondering what the appeal of Donald Trump is.

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Weird: Downgrading Certain Felonies To Misdemeanors Leads To Increased Crime

By William Teach August 17, 2015 – 10:25 am

What happens when the Social Justice Warriors decide to treat drug offenses and property crimes as lower level crimes in the Progressive Utopia Of California? Debra Saunders tells us

(Real Clear Politics)  “The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” isn’t living up to its promise. Also known as Proposition 47, the California ballot initiative, which was approved in November 2014 with 60 percent of the vote, downgraded drug possession and many property crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. Proponents argued that lesser punishment for low-level offenders would enhance public safety. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon was the rare prosecutor who pushed for its approval. He told the San Francisco Chronicle, “What we have been doing hasn’t worked, frankly.”

Gascon spokesman Alex Bastian told me, “The voters indicated that possessing small amounts of narcotics” should not constitute a felony. Californians don’t want three-year sentences for drug possession. I don’t, either, but on the ground, the legal fix is not living up to its hype. Prop 47 has made it easier for drug offenders to avoid mandated treatment programs. The measure reduced penalties for the theft of goods worth less than $950. Habitual offenders know that, critics say, and they’ve changed their habits to avoid hard time. The measure’s approval also prompted the state to free some 3,700 inmates.

Instead of hard time, I’d prefer to see other measures, like serious community service which also teaches valuable work skills, while keeping lower level offenders in minimum security. And work programs where convicts go out and actually work hard on roads and stuff. California preferred to give them tickets, including for property crimes. And, how about mandatory treatment? Oh, wait, because of Prop 47, there’s been a big drop in treatment. What’s interesting is that California actually had a property crime rate slightly below national average, especially for burglary and theft, though motor vehicle theft is almost double the US rate. Even their violent crime rate is barely above US average.

Anyhow, what happened after Prop 47 was implemented?

In San Francisco, theft from cars is up 47 percent this year over the same period in 2014. Auto theft is up by 17 percent. Robberies are up 23 percent. And aggravated assaults are up 2 percent, according to San Francisco police spokesman Carlos Manfredi. Burglaries are down 5 percent.

The City of Angels saw a 12.7 percent increase in overall crime this year, according to the Los Angeles Times; violent offenses rose 20.6 percent, while property crime rose by 11 percent. Mayor Eric Garcetti says Prop 47 may explain Los Angeles’ change in course from crime reduction to crime increases.

These are some of the areas that see the highest crime to start with. If criminals are now paying tickets equivalent to a speeding ticket, there’s no real need for criminals to worry.

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Latest “Climate Change” Scary Story: We Might Run Out Of Food!

By William Teach August 17, 2015 – 7:18 am

We’re doomed, I tell you, doomed!!!!!!1!!!!

WE MIGHT RUN OUT OF FOOD DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

We believe our planet is a place of infinite resources that is going to sustain and feed us forever. We often take it for granted that the production of food is never going to be seriously affected by any external factor.

However, experts have been warning us for a long time that climate change is a serious matter and we need to put an end to harmful activity in order to keep those resources intact. Studies have shown that many species of insects and animals have already been affected by extreme weather.

With the population on Earth increasing exponentially it is very unlikely that the planet is going to be able to sustain us for a long time. It is estimated that there will be nine billion people inhabiting the planet in 2050, which is almost two billion more than the number recorded now. This number will probably be doubled by the end of this century.

So, because of “extreme weather” (which, in Reality Land, is actually not happening more than before) caused by “climate change”, and all those pesky Others being born, we’ll apparently all starve to death. Interestingly, people did pretty darned well during the previous Holocene warm periods, which were warmer than the current warm period. The big famines occurred during the cool periods.

Food Shortages Expected by 2040 Due to Climate Change

While we are really only now starting to understand the drastic effect of climate change, a new study warns that there is even more to worry about as it seems our food supply might run out (or might reach prices too high for most of us to afford) by 2040.

“It is likely that the effects of climate change will be felt most strongly through the increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves and floods and their impact on the production and distribution of food – something we almost take for granted,” explains Tim Benton, the acting ambassador and spokesperson for the UK Champion for Global Food Security, who focuses mostly on food and food security.

He goes on to say, “This study presents a plausible scenario for how the food system might be impacted by extreme weather, alongside a series of recommendations that should help policy and business plan for the future. Action is urgently needed to understand risks better, improve the resilience of the global food system to weather-related shocks and to mitigate their impact on people.”

Interestingly, the policy proposals look to more governmental control of food systems, and changing the world economies. Imagine that.

Can the earth feed 11 billion people?

Humanity is on course for a population greater than 11 billion by the end of this century, according to the latest analysis from the UN’s population division.

In a simple sense, population is the root cause of all sustainability issues. Clearly if there were no humans there would be no human impacts. Assuming you don’t wish to see the complete end of the human race – a desire that is shared by some deep green thinkers and Bond super-villians– then the issue is whether there is an optimal number of humans on the planet.

And here we get more of the notion of population reduction.

This all reads as some type of science fiction, as predicted in fiction books since the 1930’s. Those ramblings have failed to come to fruition, the same way the scary fables of future doom from the Cult of Climastrology will fail.

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Surprise: $15 Minimum Wage Could Speed Arrival Of Robot Powered Fast Food Joints

By William Teach August 17, 2015 – 6:50 am

The vastly Right Wing, worker hating Washington Post provides a glimpse of the future

Minimum-wage offensive could speed arrival of robot-powered restaurants

Crowded. That’s how Ed Rensi remembers what life was like working at McDonald’s back in 1966. There were about double the number of people working in the store — 70 or 80, as opposed to the 30 or 40 there today — because preparing the food just took a lot more doing.

“When I first started at McDonald’s making 85 cents an hour, everything we made was by hand,” Rensi said — from cutting the shortcakes to stirring syrups into the milk for shakes. Over the years, though, ingredients started to arrive packaged and pre-mixed, ready to be heated up, bagged and handed out the window.

“More and more of the labor was pushed back up the chain,” said Rensi, who went on to become chief executive of the company in the 1990s. The company kept employing more grill cooks and cashiers as it expanded, but each one of them accounted for more of each store’s revenue as more sophisticated cooking techniques allowed each to become more productive.

The industry could be ready for another jolt as a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour nears in the District and as other campaigns to boost wages gain traction around the country. About 30 percent of the restaurant industry’s costs come from salaries, so burger-flipping robots — or at least super-fast ovens that expedite the process — become that much more cost-competitive if the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is doubled.

As the article points out, there are several factors which have been driving “robot restaurant” already. Too go with the ones mentioned in the excerpt, you have increasing costs of land, food costs, and plain old innovation. Much of that goes right into increased costs paid by the consumers. However, when you add a doubling of the wage required to be paid for low skill jobs, labor costs explode, meaning a cut-back in hours and personnel, and replacing them with machines.

As the old saying goes “be careful what you wish for. You might get it.”

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Bummer: “Climate Change” Has Reached The Point Of No Return, But Here’s What You Can Do(?)

By William Teach August 16, 2015 – 3:09 pm

Once again we are treated to an apocalyptic fable on Hotcoldwetdry. Here’s the actual headline from One Green Planet

Scientists Say Climate Change Has Reached the ‘Point of No Return’ – 5 Things You Can Do Today

If we’ve reached the point of no return, why bother doing anything?

Rolling Stone recently released a sobering article on the state of the planet in regards to climate change. It would appear that quite a few signs are supporting the conclusion that climate change is approaching, or, has even passed the “point of no return.”

OK, so, it seems that the headline might be a bit, shall we see, over-the-top. We’ll skip the standard and obligatory doomsaying, and go straight to what you can do!

1. Push For A Planet That Is Free From Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuel use is contributing massively to the imbalance of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and oceans. In addition to finding your own ways to reduce reliance on fossil fuels at home (mass transit, more efficient personal vehicles, walking or biking, etc), you can also pressure major fossil fuel users like the United States and China to take a drastic stance in reducing their fossil fuel output. A carbon tax in these two countries alone could stand to have dramatic positive impacts, and may encourage other countries to take a similar stance.

I’m actually impressed that there was even a hint at pushing Warmists to stop using fossil fuels. Notice, though, that paragraph doesn’t quite match lead.

2. Plant A Tree!

And give your own use of fossil fuels!

3. Boost The Organic and Local Food In Your Life

Make sure you walk, don’t take a fossil fueled vehicle. Heck, you can’t even bike, because fossil fuels are used for lubrication. And no sneakers, because they have fossil fuels.

4. Trim Your Waste-Line

Garbage in landfills releases methane which is a greenhouse gas. With a little forethought and effort, you can eliminate some of those emissions. First, let less waste enter your life. Aim for less packaging where you can, and use reusable water bottles and shopping bags. Then address the waste you can’t avoid. Direct organic waste to a composting system, whether it is municipal or one you keep at home. Make sure anything and everything that can be recycled ends up in the recycling bin.

They take wise environmental issues, along with personal health, and stick them under the banner of their idiotic cult.

5. Most Importantly … Choose More Plant-Based Foods

Stop eating meat, Cultists! And stop using fossil fuels! And live like it’s 1399.

Think any Warmists will listen? Or just expect Other People to Do This?

Read: Bummer: “Climate Change” Has Reached The Point Of No Return, But Here’s What You Can Do(?) »

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If All You See…

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

…is evil carbon pollution causing ice cream which comes from evil climate unfriendly cows, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is A View From The Beach, with a post on the latest thing the SJWers are freaking out about: hoop skirts.

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach August 16, 2015 – 9:42 am

Patriotic Pinup

Happy Sunday! A great day to be an American. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, preseason football is back! I’m not sure who did this pinup, found it out and about on the ‘net.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Alan Colmes notes AT&T offering to help the NSA spy on Americans
  2. The People’s Cube wonders about racist pizza
  3. The Last Tradition notes how few trust Obama on Iran
  4. The Jawa Report covers ISIS crossing a red line
  5. The Daley Gator highlights a WTF? moment
  6. The Camp Of The Saints notes Sarah Palin ripping Erick Erickson
  7. The Astute Bloggers covers something that should be a warning to all Leftists
  8. Protein Wisdom notes the anti-human green movement
  9. Powerline discusses those who wish to wipe Israel off the map
  10. Pamela Geller notes more gays being thrown off roofs by Islamists
  11. neo-neocon covers Carly! Fiorina on illegal immigration
  12. Lady Liberty 1885 notes Jeb Bush in full retreat on Common Core
  13. Flopping Aces has an interesting take on Sharia compliant mortgages in Seattle
  14. Evil Blogger Lady notes what silly feminists are actually worried about
  15. And last, but not least, Da Tech Guy notes what the the Iran Deal might really be about

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.

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