News of the Week (March 3rd, 2019)

Posted on March 3, 2019 by The Political Hat

 

News of the Week for Mar. 3rd, 2019


 

Gun Rights

 

Top 9 Reasons House Democrats’ Latest Gun Control Bill Is A Terrible Idea
House Democrats are set to pass a bill requiring so-called “universal background checks” at the federal level, which would effectively outlaw private sales throughout the country.

Second Amendment Foundation sues over mental health ‘holds’ and suspension of gun rights
The Second Amendment Foundation filed a lawsuit this week in federal court in California on behalf of individuals the gun-rights group says have been improperly denied their Second Amendment rights over mental health issues.

Oklahoma Becomes 15th Permitless Gun-Carry State
Second state this year to drop permits

More Pointless Virtue Signaling On Guns
The House has passed H.R. 8, which purports to require “universal background checks.” Section 2 of H.R. 8 boldly states the Act’s purpose

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

Harris: Of course we can afford the Green New Deal
2020 Presidential hopeful speaks

The Greatest Scientific Fraud Of All Time– Part XXI
Just a few days ago (February 19), I posted part XX of this series. The subject of that post was a new compilation of historical temperatures for Australia (going back to 1910), known as ACORN2, just out from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The effect of ACORN2 was to increase the reported rate of climatic warming in Australia by 0.2 deg C per century over the previous compilation known as ACORN1, which had only been issued about 6+ years ago and had itself also increased the reported rate of warming as against the previous official records by about 0.2 deg C per century. The increased rate of warming is entirely accomplished by adjusting earlier-year temperatures downward.

Going Nuclear
A committed, lifelong Green pounds the table for nuclear power. People familiar with the baseload problem and the unreliable nature of wind and solar won’t find the plot surprising, but the detailed studies of California’s seasonal use and generation from wind and solar were new to me. And no, batteries are not right around the corner. No mention of electrolysis, hydrogen and fuel cell batteries, however, so lots of room for follow-up.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Meanwhile, at the MVNHS©
So about that bending the cost curve down by way of nationalized health “care”

 

War & Terror

 

Despite Putin’s swagger, Russia struggles to modernize its navy
President Vladimir Putin calls improving the Russian navy’s combat capabilities a priority. The unfinished husks of three guided-missile frigates that have languished for three years at a Baltic shipyard show that is easier said than done.

Swiss Punish Citizen Who Helped Syrian Christian Community Fight ISIS
The Christian fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces praised a suspended sentence and separate acquittal handed down to a former Swiss army officer credited with bringing together the militia to fight ISIS.

India Pakistan: Kashmir fighting sees Indian aircraft downed
Pakistan says it has shot down two Indian military jets and captured a pilot in a major escalation between the nuclear powers over Kashmir.

India, Pakistan claim to down each other’s jets as Kashmir conflict heats up
India and Pakistan both said they shot down each other’s fighter jets on Wednesday, with Pakistan capturing an Indian pilot a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a 1971 war, prompting world powers to urge restraint.

India-Pakistan crisis disrupts international flights
All international commercial flights to Pakistan are suspended with some airlines forced to reroute transit flights.

China’s military build-up just starting – a lot more to come, expert warns
Military watchers can expect “something new” at this year’s National Day parade in October, Professor Jin Canrong tells forum in Hong Kong

Why Ending US-South Korea Joint Exercises Was the Wrong Move
The Trump administration made a decision that could weaken U.S. and South Korean readiness in a conflict with North Korea.

 

National

 

Bioethicist: Block Transgender Puberty Even If Parents Say No
The American Journal of Bioethics is a mainstream professional publication with wide distribution among members of the bioethics movement and within the medical intelligentsia. If advocacy appears in AJOB, it is considered respectable; it is considered defendable; it is considered justifiable.

Senate Fails to Pass Born-Alive Bill
By a vote of 53-44, the Senate has failed to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have required doctors to provide medical care to infants born alive after an attempted abortion procedure. The bill needed 60 votes to overcome the legislative filibuster.

A Witch-Hunt on Instagram
“Knitting is just so white. Let’s hope it gets better.” I overheard this puzzling remark in my local yarn store in Edinburgh, Scotland, last week. The store is in the affluent area of Marchmont, just outside the city centre. Its Edwardian and Victorian tenement flats, adjacent to huge green spaces, are popular with students and families alike. Two customers were chatting to the store owner: “It’s about time we had the conversation,” one of them offered. Her companion nodded in solemn agreement.

“Federal Judges Are Appointed for Life, Not for Eternity”
From today’s Supreme Court opinion holding that a judge’s vote may not be counted in an opinion released two weeks after his death.

WHOA! PayPal Working With SPLC to Enforce Ideological Conformity?
This is very troubling in many ways

Poll: 49% of Democrats say U.S. economy should be a “mostly socialist” one
Don’t worry, I’m sure we can scrape together $93 trillion.

After a big privacy backlash, Google’s Nest explains which of its products have microphones and why
Last week, Google told Business Insider that the microphone in its Nest Guard security device was “never intended to be a secret,” but had been erroneously omitted from the tech specs.

California keeps a secret list of criminal cops, but says you can’t have it
Attorney General warns reporters it’s illegal to possess list of thousands of cop convictions

MSNBC’s Joy Reid Show On Kamala Harris: White Husband Won’t Do, She Needs “Strong Black Man”
Just a tad racist.

Cory Booker: The US Is Not “The Top Country” To Be Born Into Today
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) claimed that the U.S. is not “the top country” to be born into today during an interview with Nick Hanauer and David Goldstein on an episode of the “Pitchfork Economics” podcast released on 2/26/19.

Dem Representative Compares Border Security Officials To Nazis
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) compared border security officials to Nazis “back in Germany” during a hearing on the border in the House Judiciary Committee on 2/26/19.

Sen. Tim Scott’s Powerful Speech On Senate Floor After Democrats Refuse To Protect Born-Alive Babies
The day after Senate Democrats blocked a bill designed to protect babies born alive from botched abortion, Republican Sen. Tim Scott (SC) took to the Senate floor to address his Democrat counterparts about the intrinsic value of every child’s life.

Virginia first lady under fire for handing cotton to African American students on mansion tour
A Virginia state employee has complained that her eighth-grade daughter was upset during a tour of the historic governor’s residence when first lady Pam Northam handed raw cotton to her and another African American child and asked them to imagine being enslaved and having to pick the crop.

Judicial Activism Alert: Wake Superior Court Judge Declares NC’s Legislature “Illegal”
A Democrat judge manages to unite North Carolina conservatives and liberals, who are otherwise bitterly divided over everything.

3-year-old girl thrown across room by St. Louis day care employee
Relatives of a 3-year-old Missouri girl injured at a day care center say they were initially told she was hurt in a fall, but surveillance video shows a woman throwing the girl against a cabinet.

Ex-transgender man now wants to live as sexless ALIEN and has had nipples removed
Jareth Nebula, 33, has shuned human genders and wants to be accepted as a being from another planet

Bernie Sanders hires an illegal alien as new campaign spokesperson
2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is way more woke than 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. To prove it he’s hired a new deputy national press secretary who is an illegal alien. She’s covered under DACA protection but she won’t be eligible to vote for Sanders. How very 2019 is this? She has a history with Bernie, though.

Illinois Considers Another Terrifying Law Allowing Infanticide
Illinois is climbing on the infanticide bandwagon with a bill that removes any limits on abortion. It is sponsored by one-third of the state House. This bill is terrifying in its scope.

Planned Parenthood President Warns of the Harm of ‘Forcibly Removing a Child From Their Parent’
Planned Parenthood president Leana Wen tweeted a warning Friday about the “physical and emotional harm to the child’s well-being” caused by “forcibly removing a child from their parent or guardian.”

Los Angles County now hit with outbreak of Whooping Cough
At least one cluster reports that all of the children who came down with whooping cough were vaccinated.

Gab browser extension puts a far-right comments section on every site
‘Dissenter’ is the controversial platform’s latest attempt at attracting fringe voices.

Federal Government Has Shared Watchlist Info with 1,400 Private Groups
Due Process Concerns Abound

 

Economy & Taxes

 

Impact of India-Pakistan tensions spreads from Asia to Europe
Global stocks traded lower on Wednesday after fresh hostilities between India and Pakistan led Asian assets to slip and investors sought “safe havens” such as the yen and Swiss franc.

China Rushes to Dominate Global Supply of Lithium
Beijing’s race to control supplies of lithium, used in powering electric cars, is leaving its rivals far behind.

The Cayman Islands: A Role Model for Harmony and Prosperity
I’m currently in the Cayman Islands, which is one of my favorite places since – like Bermuda, Monaco, Vanuatu, Antigua and Barbuda, and a few other lucky places in the world – it has no income tax.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs nation’s first statewide rent control law
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed into law a first-in-the-nation rent control bill Thursday and called on the Legislature to turn its attention to funding new housing initiatives.

Democrats Keep Their Promise to Tax The Crap Out of New Hampshire
Democrats are raising your taxes. I know, I know, water is wet, the sky is blue, and Democrats raise taxes. We warned New Hampshire. We have reported on some of the committee sessions that pushed out tax increases. And this week the full House voted on five of them.

 

International

 

How China Exports Repression to Africa
China’s “techno-dystopian expansionism” is undermining democracy in African countries.

China’s “social credit” system is already blacklisting many citizens
It was only a couple of months ago when we looked at China’s creepy new “social credit score” system, which they claimed would be ready to put into effect in the next two years. Under that program, the government would be able to keep tabs on all of the activities and speech of its citizens, singling out bad actors with the “wrong sort of ideas” for blacklisting and repression.

Venezuela is Burning, Useful Idiots Don’t Care
Venezuela is burning, and its people are rioting against Maduro’s socialist regime. They have little food, no medicine, and no hope for their future unless Maduro leaves office. Moreover, their immediate survival may depend upon trucks from neighboring Colombia and Brazil bearing humanitarian aid.

After Venezuelan troops block aid, Maduro faces ‘diplomatic siege’
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro faced growing regional pressure on Sunday after his troops repelled foreign aid convoys, with the United States threatening new sanctions and Brazil urging allies to join a “liberation effort”.

Fight to free 6 Citgo executives held in Venezuela intensifies amid new turmoil in the country
Cristina Vadell, Daughter of Citgo executive jailed in Venezuela, speaks out about the chaos in the country.

Angry About Video of Starving Venezuelans, Maduro Detains Jorge Ramos
Venezuela’s dictator detained Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, an American citizen, for hours Monday after Nicolas Maduro was angered by the journalist playing a video of Venezuelans forced to find food in the garbage.

Facebook found liable for hosting links to unlicensed content
For the first time under Italian law a platform (Facebook) has been found liable for hosting third-party links to unlicensed content.

Delaying Brexit risks a surge in right-wing extremism, warns Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that delaying Brexit beyond the European elections risks a surge in right-wing extremism.

Maduro released prisoners to massacre Pemon Indians
Armed paramilitary forces and released prisoners have the mission to repress the indigenous peoples who have resisted Maduro’s control over humanitarian aid

European Parliament Mandates Speed Limiters on All New Cars
Since speed limits were introduced, people who don’t really “get” driving have wondered why a car’s power isn’t restricted so it can’t exceed those selfsame speed limits. For most drivers, that’s a nightmare scenario, but it appears to becoming reality for European drivers.

Siberia’s ancient ghost clan starts to surrender its secrets
A mysterious group of extinct humans known as Denisovans is helping to rewrite our understanding of human evolution. Who were they?

Justin Trudeau’s days as PM may be numbered
Remember when Justin Trudeau was the new, liberal golden boy of international politics? He’s been somewhat pushed off the stage by Emmanuel Macron in recent years, but following his Liberal Party’s stunning election victory in 2015, he was on top of the world. He’s also made a habit of verbally crossing swords with President Trump from time to time, just to keep his liberal bona fides in proper order. His approval ratings in the Great White North have traditionally been well above water.

Canadian Court Rules Parents Can’t Stop 14-Year-Old From Taking Trans Hormones
The Supreme Court of British Columbia thinks it’s okay for doctors to override a parent’s wishes and administer trans hormones to his child.

The Harper government passed a measure 13 years ago to catch Liberal scandals. It worked perfectly
Literally, the first action of the new Conservative government in 2006 was to inaugurate an independent prosecutor’s office to prevent future Sponsorship Scandals

Chavista Collectives: The Forces of Terror in Venezuela
The Chavista collectives act as the storm troopers of the Maduro regime, and have been linked to extorsion, robbery, drug trafficking, torture, and kidnapping.

United States Sanctions Four Venezuelan Governors For Blocking Humanitarian Aid
The United States has sanctioned four Chavista governors for helping Nicolas Maduro to block the arrival of humanitarian aid into Venezuela.

Meghan Markle Has Told Friends She Wants to Avoid Gender Stereotypes with Baby Sussex
It’s not entirely clear if Meghan and Prince Harry know whether they are having a boy or a girl, but either way, Meghan plans to pursue an empowering, modern parenting style.

When the Anti-Racists are the Racists: The Case of British Left-Wing Anti-Semitism
The far left acknowledges Jewish corporate existence only when Jews rely on memories of collective oppression to aid left-wing “liberation” movements.

 

Opinion

 

“Gender” and the Question: Why?
One of the problems that has long handicapped conservative opposition to the LGBT movement is that so many conservatives publicly engage in speculative or theoretical discussions of the “why” of sexual perversion, which is easily caricatured as ignorant bigotry. No matter how well-informed your generalizations may be as to the causes of deviant sexual behavior, such discussions will always be deemed “offensive” by LGBT activists, and there is thus nothing to be gained by addressing questions of etiology.

What’s the Endgame of Trumpism?
Not everything turns on the next political cycle.

Pro-Wall Republicans Should Reject Trump’s Emergency
The president is right about border security. But he is wrong to abuse his legal power to take action.

How Forcing Michael Cohen To Divulge Attorney-Client Communications Damages The Rule Of Law
This cooked-up pretext to invade the president’s attorney-client privilege is a stain of shame on the rule of law and tramples on a 500-year-old rule that protects our common law tradition.

Stay-Puft Socialism, Luxurious Infanticide
Old evils continue to reinvent themselves.

The Supreme Court As House of Lords
Radical Democrats have begun demanding that their party’s nominees pledge to “pack” the Supreme Court, if elected, by appointing left-wing judges to offset the current conservative majority. An obvious precedent for this strategy is Franklin Roosevelt’s threat to pack the court in the 1930s, which seemingly caused some justices to begin approving constitutionally questionable New Deal measures.

Is Dan Crenshaw the Future of the GOP?
The right’s newest young star in Congress offers a vision for the party somewhere between Trumpism and NeverTrumpism. But it’s not easy walking the line in Washington.

Should We Invade Venezuela?
Are we about to invade Venezuela? There’s a lot of talk about it at the moment, with my old office suite-mate John Bolton invoking the Monroe Doctrine on TV this morning. The odious Maduro regime, and especially its Cuban, Russian, and Hezbollah (yes, Hezbollah) mercenaries, richly deserve every bit of hot lead American soldiers might wish to deal out to them, but I hope we don’t. I can think of few things that might disrupt Trump’s political momentum for the election next year more than another large-scale American invasion and occupation.

The Collapse Of Complex Societies
I have been reading a very interesting book published in 1987. The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter. It discusses the nature of complex societies and why they fail

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