Author Archives: William Teach

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NY Times: Overturning Roe Isn’t Conservative Or Something

We’ve had plenty of unhinged Hot Takes over the leaked SCOTUS document on Roe v Wade. Then, we get the folks who are supposed to be allies. Here’s the NY Times’ resident Republican (who’s really a necon and inflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome)

Overturning Roe Is a Radical, Not Conservative, Choice

Dear Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Thomas:

As you’ll no doubt agree, Roe v. Wade was an ill-judged decision when it was handed down on Jan. 22, 1973.

It stood on the legal principle of a right to privacy found, at the time, mainly in the penumbras of the Constitution. It arrogated to the least democratic branch of government the power to settle a question that would have been better decided by Congress or state legislatures. It set off a culture war that polarized the country, radicalized its edges and made compromise more difficult. It helped turn confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court into the unholy death matches they are now. It diminished the standing of the court by turning it into an ever-more political branch of government.

So, it was a horrible, terrible, no good decision? Let’s get rid of it

But a half-century is a long time. America is a different place, with most of its population born after Roe was decided. And a decision to overturn Roe — which the court seems poised to do, according to the leak of a draft of a majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito — would do more to replicate Roe’s damage than to reverse it.

That means nothing. The Constitution is the Constitution. If you do not like the words, try and change it with a Constitutional convention

It would be a radical, not conservative, choice.

What is conservative? It is, above all, the conviction that abrupt and profound changes to established laws and common expectations are utterly destructive to respect for the law and the institutions established to uphold it — especially when those changes are instigated from above, with neither democratic consent nor broad consensus.

Well, that’s the neocon view. The real view, based on the Classical Liberal/Federalist beliefs is that the Constitution is the Constitution, that the federal government’s powers should be limited to what the Constitution grants them, and everything else is held by the States and The People. Do we care if it can “cause damage”? We either do The Right Thing, the constitutional thing, or, we abandon our beliefs. Stephens continues with his idiotic pandering to the left by claiming keeping Roe would be Conservative for awhile, you’re welcome to read it.

And, then, of course we have Squishy Susan Collins

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Tuesday that if a report suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade is accurate, she was misled in her conversations with two justices who had told her that the landmark 1973 abortion ruling was settled law. (snip)

“If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office,” Collins said in a statement. “Obviously, we won’t know each justice’s decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case.”

I highly doubt either said it was settled law, because it is not law. Obviously, the argument made in the case that has SCOTUS considering overturning Roe was better than the argument in favor of keeping Roe. Here’s David Harsanyi

Senator Susan Collins says that Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade is “completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.” Ramesh and Ed have debunked this claim. Conceding that long-established precedents should be treated with more weight does not preclude the possibility that those decisions were wrongly decided and should be overturned. Plessy was on the books for over 60 years. As Chuck Schumer noted at the time, “this is not as simple as Judge Kavanaugh saying that Roe is settled law. Everything the Supreme Court decides is settled law until it unsettles it. Saying a case is settled law is not the same thing as saying a case was correctly decided.”

With friends like Collins and Stephens, who needs enemies? And, of course

Yup, Trump broke them so much they can’t even stick with American Conservative principles and stand up for doing away with killing the unborn.

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Around $31 Trillion At Risk From Climate Emergency (scam) Or Something

I’m actually surprised the big players in the Credentialed Media aren’t talking this up. They’re usually down with running scary fables of climate doom

Cities can lessen economic impact of climate change with green infrastructure

The loss of natural areas and declining biodiversity are putting the economies of many cities around the globe at risk. That’s according to a new report from the World Economic Forum, the organization behind the annual meeting of world leaders in Davos, Switzerland.

According to the report, about 44% of GDP in cities around the world is at risk of environmental disruption by flooding, drought, intense heat and pollution. That’s some $31 trillion dollars.

Notice there’s no timeline provided.

Over hundreds of years, humans have paved over streams and wetlands and cut down forests to build cities. Todd Gartner, who directs the Cities4Forests initiative at the World Resources Institute, said cities are now feeling the impact of that.

“More floods, worse air quality, food insecurity and higher unemployment,” said Gartner. In 2019, the World Economic Forum found that flooding alone cost cities more than $46 billion dollars.

That sounds like it has everything to do with land use, not global warming, natural or anthropogenic.

Many cities around the world are trying to change that trajectory by investing more in “green infrastructure” or “nature-based solutions.”

“We used to just call it nature before it was largely decimated,” said Kate Orff, a professor at Columbia University and the founder of the landscape architecture firm SCAPE.

“So, trees to clean our air, low points, woodland forests and floodplain forests to help absorb floodwaters, etc.,” Orff said.

How about tearing down parts of big cities? Oh, right, they’d rather take more money in taxes and fees, along with more control of citizens.

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WHO: Chinese Coronavirus Pandemic Could Maybe Be Over By End Of Year

But only if nations go full Woke

COVID-19 health emergency could be over this year, WHO says

The worst of the coronavirus pandemic — deaths, hospitalizations and lockdowns — could be over this year if huge inequities in vaccinations and medicines are addressed quickly, the head of emergencies at the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

Dr. Michael Ryan, speaking during a panel discussion on vaccine inequity hosted by the World Economic Forum, said “we may never end the virus” because such pandemic viruses “end up becoming part of the ecosystem.”

But “we have a chance to end the public health emergency this year if we do the things that we’ve been talking about,” he said.

WHO has slammed the imbalance in COVID-19 vaccinations between rich and poor countries as a catastrophic moral failure. Fewer than 10% of people in lower-income countries have received even one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ryan told the virtual gathering of world and business leaders that if vaccines and other tools aren’t shared fairly, the tragedy of the virus, which has so far killed more than 5.5 million people worldwide, would continue.

See, it’s so easy. All these rich countries which spent oodles of money developing vaccines, and already give a lot of aid in money, goods, and services, should simply give up their vaccines (which are already being sent in quantity to 3rd world shitholes developing nations). Further, it’s mostly 1st world nations, and some 2nd world ones, that are getting nailed with Omicron right now, and the vaccines have been shown to not stop infections. The 3rd world is mostly safe.

Ryan also waded into the growing debate about whether COVID-19 should be considered endemic, a label some countries like Spain have called for to better help live with the virus, or still a pandemic — involving intensified measures that many countries have taken to fight the spread.

“Endemic malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people; endemic HIV; endemic violence in our inner cities. Endemic in itself does not mean good. Endemic just means it’s here forever,” he said.

But, being still in pandemic gives some in government more power to control citizens.

Fellow panelist Gabriela Bucher, executive director of the anti-poverty organization Oxfam International, cited the “enormous urgency” of fairer distribution of vaccines and the need for large-scale production. She said resources to fight the pandemic were being “hoarded by a few companies and a few shareholders.”

You know, it’s interesting that none of them are aiming any barbs at China, which released this virus, and is putting out completely BS reports on infections, hospitalizations, and deaths among their citizens.

In a separate press briefing Tuesday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the omicron variant “continues to sweep the world,” adding there were 18 million new COVID-19 cases reported last week.

China is simply absolved. How about demanding China gives their vaccines to the developing world?

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Why Are Capitol Police Arresting Protesters?

OK, they’re Very Stupid people, but,  regardless of my opinion of their politics, they are engaged in their 1st Amendment Right to protest peaceably and petition for redress of grievance. On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, pretty much the main point of those provisions. Protesting government. Especially Congress.

There’s a quote at the top of my blog saying “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all,” which is, interestingly, from super-leftist Noam Chomsky (who doesn’t really practice what he says). Perhaps it should be “If we don’t believe in the 1st Amendment for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” Who are they bothering? Are they really doing anything but sitting there and singing and calling out? And freezing, but, that’s their problem. Let them protest. If I was in D.C. I’d be tempted to go sit with them just to get arrested and say “I don’t agree with them, but, they have the Right to do this.”

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Climate Cult: Forget The Electric Vehicles You Can’t Afford. People Need To Drive Less

Or, the climate cultists could simply mind their own business and stop trying to force everyone to Comply. Maybe stop using fossil fueled vehicles in their own lives

Letters to the Editor: Electric cars aren’t a climate change panacea. We need to drive less

To the editor: Electric cars shouldn’t be regarded as the silver-bullet solution to lowering automobile emissions. While they don’t run on gas, their batteries create their own set of environmental problems. (“California isn’t on pace to meet its climate targets. Here are 3 ways to cut pollution faster,” editorial, Dec. 19)

What we need is to use our cars less. We have to stop looking at cars as the only viable option to get from Point A to Point B. We can start by carpooling to work, taking the bus to run an errand and riding a bike for short trips.

A few tweaks in our driving habits can go a long way toward reducing our carbon footprint, electric or not.

What’s this “we”, Sparky? I do not see many Warmists doing this in their own lives. I haven’t met many EV owners who are doing it due to ‘climate change’. I mean, good grief, they have barely rolled out pushing for everyone to be forced to drive an EV (which most cannot afford) and now we have to get rid of them.

To the editor: There seems to be a delusion among those who formulate climate policy that if they set a pollution reduction mandate, it will surely happen.

The mandates and targets never have the supporting, well-conceived, detailed plan for how to reach the goals. Broad guidelines like “increasing the percentage of zero-emission vehicles sold” are made, but they rarely have the how-to specifics.

The populace gives lip service to climate goals while legislators avoid the draconian measures that would be required.

Let’s face it: There is no way that California will meet its legal mandate to cut emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.

Where are the concrete, specific goals from Warmists in their own lives to cut their own emissions? But, really, this person’s point is correct: most in government do not have real plans, probably because even the most hardcore realize they can’t make them happen.

Meanwhile, here are 22 of the “most anticipated” EVs (you have to look at the Canoo Lifestyle vehicle. Very silly looking). For those with pricing, the least is $34470. Most are way, way more. That’s affordable, right? And, while stocks soared in 2021, they’re expected to go way down in 2022. Because anticipation is not the same as people actually buying them. They’re toys for the upper middle class and rich.

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Surprise: NPR Says Cloth Masks Don’t Protect People From Chinese Coronavirus

The media has been telling us for over a year and a half that masks are awesome, just wear a mask. Any mask. Once in a while they’ll do a study that shows the effectiveness of most masks is barely better than not wearing a mask at all, but, those are minimized. And now NPR is really letting the cat out of the bag

From the screed

With another coronavirus variant racing across the U.S., once again health authorities are urging people to mask up indoors. Yes, you’ve heard it all before. But given how contagious omicron is, experts say, it’s seriously time to upgrade to an N95 or similar high-filtration respirator when you’re in public indoor spaces.

“Cloth masks are not going to cut it with omicron,” says Linsey Marr, a researcher at Virginia Tech who studies how viruses transmit in the air.

Omicron is so much more transmissible than coronavirus variants that have come before it. It spreads at least three times faster than delta. One person is infecting at least three others at a time on average, based on data from other countries. (snip)

True, a cloth mask can be a “marginally OK to maybe a decent filter,” Marr says. But with something as highly transmissible as omicron, just “OK” isn’t good enough. (snip)

Given all this, you want a mask that means business when it comes to blocking viral particles. Unlike cloth masks, N95, KN95 and KF94 respirators are all made out of material with an electrostatic charge, which “actually pulls these particles in as they’re floating around and prevents you from inhaling those particles,” Karan notes. “And that really is key” — because if you don’t inhale virus particles, they can’t multiply in your respiratory tract.

The material in surgical masks also has an electrostatic charge. But surgical masks tend to fit loosely, and a snug fit — with no gaps around nose, cheeks or chin — “really makes a big difference,” says Marr, who has studied mask efficacy.

Omicron may be more transmittable, but, it is also way less dangerous, way less deadly, than previous variants, especially Delta. But, we already knew that cloth masks had around a 10% effectiveness rate at stopping any version last year. Now they want everyone to wear higher end masks, which are not in abundance. All while few areas and states are requiring masks. It is very weird being in NJ and there is no mask mandate, most people are walking around without one in stores.

Wachter says he’s also covering up indoors with small groups of friends and family unless everyone is vaccinated and boosted. If they’re not boosted, he says, “I consider them to be somewhere between vaccinated and unvaccinated, and I act appropriately if I’m going to be around them.” That means he either has everyone mask up, or he has everyone take a rapid test to make sure no one is infectious at that moment. “One or the other.” This is especially important if anyone attending is high-risk.

And then it’ll be “if you haven’t had a second booster, you’re somewhere between vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Marr says that with omicron surging, she’d have kids wear respirators if possible when they’re indoors in public spaces. Parents searching for good respirator options for their children can check out the work of Aaron Collins, aka “Mask Nerd,” a mechanical engineer with a background in aerosol science. He’s been testing the filtration efficiencies of hundreds of masks and respirators on the market. You can find his reviews on his YouTube channel. (This spreadsheet on kids’ masks may also be helpful.)

And they want to drag kids into their mask hysteria.

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Brandon Makes Holders Of Student Loan Debt Mad

Biden is just working hard to make everyone mad

Biden says Americans must be ready to resume student loan payments next year, clashing with Democrats like AOC urging him to cancel the debt

President Joe Biden on Wednesday extended a pause on student loan payments that was set to expire on February 1, a decision praised by Democratic lawmakers who pressured him to make the move as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt American lives.

But at the same time, Biden signaled that he wants borrowers to resume paying off their loans once the new moratorium ends on May 1, placing him at odds with Democrats who have demanded that debt be wiped out.

“[We] know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments,” Biden said in a statement. “Given these considerations, today my Administration is extending the pause on federal student loan repayments for an additional 90 days — through May 1, 2022 — as we manage the ongoing pandemic and further strengthen our economic recovery.”

No one is pausing you and I having to pay our mortgages, car loans, and other stuff. Loans we took out voluntarily. Same with student loans. They knew they had to pay them, yet, they often took them and either got a degree not worth the paper or obtained too much debt to repay properly. That’s their problem. Of course, you can’t simply repossess the degree. Provided they even obtained it. Why should they be given relief? Get a job? Work two. There should be no extension. Biden is correct that they should start paying. He shouldn’t extend this. Because you know the loan recipients will next get him to further extend it.

Under what statutory authority is there to extend the pause on repaying legal debt to creditors? Perhaps if the loans are from the federal government, not just the ones backed by Los Federales but owned by private companies.

“Meanwhile, the Department of Education will continue working with borrowers to ensure they have the support they need to transition smoothly back into repayment and advance economic stability for their own households and for our nation,” the president continued. “As we are taking this action, I’m asking all student loan borrowers to do their part as well: take full advantage of the Department of Education’s resources to help you prepare for payments to resume; look at options to lower your payments through income-based repayment plans; explore public service loan forgiveness; and make sure you are vaccinated and boosted when eligible.”

Wait, what was that last part? Did that need to be there?

Biden’s comments put him on a collision course with progressive lawmakers vowing to increase pressure on the administration to cancel student-loan debt for millions of borrowers. Americans owe an estimated $1.7 trillion in student loans, a record-breaking total, according to Federal Reserve data.

“Thank you! Next step: cancellation,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted along with a video of Biden’s announcement.

“I applaud President Biden for once again pausing federal student loan payments for 45 million Americans. Now let’s cancel it. All of it,” Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont tweeted.

A government of Men, not law.

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AOC, NY Dems Unhappy Over “Peaker” Power Plants

See, these types of plants are rather necessary for peak power loads, especially as efficient, effective, low cost, reliable power plants are shuttered

Three House Democrats ask watchdog to probe ‘peaker’ power plant pollution

Three House Democrats from New York on Tuesday called on a federal watchdog to investigate pollution generated by “peaker” power plants, or those that only generate electricity during periods of high demand.

House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) in calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the effects of such plants on local communities.

The lawmakers noted that the plants are both less energy-efficient than standard power plants and are frequently located in lower-income or predominantly minority neighborhoods.

“Addressing the use of peaker plants, which can emit twice the carbon and up to 20 times the nitrous oxides of a typical plant while operating significantly less efficiently, represents a high-impact opportunity to reduce climate risks and tackle a life-threatening environmental justice issue,” they wrote. “We request GAO’s assistance in reporting on key data to assess damage, uncover health burdens, calculate economic costs, and identify alternative solutions to the use of peaker power plants.”

A couple points here. First, why is this the business of the federal government in the first place? This is clearly a state issue, regardless of Los Federales wanting to make ‘climate change’ a thing. This is all about New Yorkers having the power necessary to Do Life. Second, here are 3 federal representatives wanting to make sure that their constituents, along with all the other residents of NY, are short on power. All while they spend most of their time in D.C. How about investigating peaker plants in D.C.? Or would that be inconvenient for AOC, Maloney, and Clarke?

There are 89 peaker plants in New York City alone, including 28 in or near Maloney’s district and 16 in Ocasio-Cortez’s district. An area in western Queens with a number of such plants has become known as “Asthma Alley” due to its disproportionate rates of the respiratory condition.

Wwll, hey, y’all in NYC voted for these Socialist lunatics, so, you’re willing to give up all that power generation, right?