…is heatsnow from people keeping their heat above 58F, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Not A Lot Of People Know That, with a post on the West’s humiliating EV climbdown beginning.
Read: If All You See… »
…is heatsnow from people keeping their heat above 58F, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Not A Lot Of People Know That, with a post on the West’s humiliating EV climbdown beginning.
Read: If All You See… »
While it might have a few good things in it, there are too many bad things
‘This bill is even worse than we expected’: House Speaker reacts to Senate immigration proposal
In a scathing new statement Sunday night, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Senate bipartisan bill to overhaul the immigration system along with providing aid to Israel and Ukraine was dead on arrival if it makes it to the House.
“I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, “the border never closes.” If this bill reaches the House, it will be dead on arrival,” Johnson said in a statement on X, echoing comments he made before the bill’s release.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the legislation, which includes millions of dollars in new foreign aid and is the first major overhaul of the country’s immigration system in years, will not even receive a vote in the House.
“Let me be clear: The Senate Border Bill will NOT receive a vote in the House. Here’s what the people pushing this “deal” aren’t telling you: It accepts 5,000 illegal immigrants a day and gives automatic work permits to asylum recipients—a magnet for more illegal immigration,” Scalise said in a statement on X.
That’s a pretty big bad thing. Any border bill should disincentivize people from coming illegally/demanding asylum.
(Washington Examiner) The package includes more than $60 billion to Ukraine to fight off Russia’s invasion, $20 billion to address the border crisis, $14.1 billion in security assistance to Israel, $10 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine, $4.8 billion to help Taiwan and Indo-Pacific allies, and an additional $2.4 billion to support U.S. Central Command operations in the Red Sea, according to details from the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Three times more for Ukraine than the border crisis.
The legislation would shorten the time it takes to determine migrants’ asylum claims to no longer than six months and create a higher standard for the initial screening, to take place within 90 days. The bill also includes the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide a process for permanent legal status for Afghans who fled during the 2021 withdrawal, as well as the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which empowers the administration to target entities that produce or smuggle fentanyl.
The shortening of time is great. Can it be done? Will it be done? If it’s Biden doing it, well, he has already pretty much blown off any restrictions on immigration now. Will the process for the Afghans require the same measures as the naturalization process, or, will the U.S. be left with another community, like the Somalis, which hate America and want to practice Islamic extremism? The FEND act is great. Why can’t it be passed separately?
The border shutdown rule is actually optional. Biden loves this bill: do we think he will shut it down at any point if he wins re-election? The bill also spends on $650 million on maintaining and securing the border wall. $60 million to Ukraine.
The House is reportedly going to vote on an Israel funding bill this week. They should do the same for Ukraine. And then take the Senate bill and strip out the bad things
(Daily Caller) “The border security bill will put a huge number of new enforcement tools in the hands of a future administration and push the current Administration to finally stop the illegal flow. The bill provides funding to build the wall, increase technology at the border, and add more detention beds, more agents, and more deportation flights,” wrote Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the chief GOP negotiator of the bill, in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The border security bill ends the abuse of parole on our southwest border that has waived in over a million people. It dramatically changes our ambiguous asylum laws by conducting fast screenings at a higher standard of evidence, limited appeals, and fast deportation.”
See, it sounds good. And they jammed lots of good things in, so that people won’t notice the bad things. And the bad things are bad. Rip the bill apart and dump them.
Read: Senate Releases Their “Immigration Overhaul” Bill, DOA In House »
We were told that 15 minute cities, as expressed at Elite meetings like Davos, were simply conspiracy theories
An email blast confirmed that Edmonton will move on to next steps for its proposed 15-minute communities. City Council will consider all public feedback and likely approve the policy this fall.
READ: https://t.co/HlCHyiqsBX. pic.twitter.com/14aYNDiVng
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) February 3, 2024
From the link
An email blast confirmed that Edmonton will move on to next steps for its proposed 15-minute communities.
“District plans are key in bringing The City Plan’s ‘Community of Communities’ vision to life by laying the foundation for 15-minute communities,” the email explained.
Last February, the city announced it would divide its 400 neighborhoods into many 15-minute cities, calling it a “necessary tool.”
According to the District Planning Guide, building a “community of communities — small towns in our big city” is a multi-year project to accommodate people.
“This vision is for new and current residents to enjoy more housing, recreation, education and employment opportunities in all of Edmonton’s districts and to have more travel options within and across districts,” reads the email.
What’s the point of a 15 minute city?
City planners openly defend 15-minute communities, claiming their aim is to make cities more livable by ensuring all essential services — think schools, medical care, and shops — are within the distance of a short walk or bicycle ride.
There are many reasons to do this, one being it is a lot easier for government to keep track of citizens and control their movement. It’s not like Canada has been a bastion of freedom this century, and, especially during COVID time. This is also a big thing for the climate cult
(NPR) My former Paris street and much of the neighborhood were built in this dense way more than 150 years ago. But this old idea of areas with many amenities close by has now evolved into an urban planning model gaining popularity with politicians around the world. Moreno says that’s because it not only improves quality of life, but 15-minute cities can also reduce cars’ planet-warming greenhouse gases. Transportation accounts for about 20% of global energy-related carbon dioxide pollution, with cars making up almost 10%, according to the International Energy Agency.
The cult Elites can keep you pesky plebes from moving around much, reducing your carbon footprint. Not theirs, of course
The ‘15-Minute City’ concept can shape a net-zero urban future
It’s a big policy paper at Nature, with giant paragraphs. Oh, and
Read: You Know Those 15 Minute Cities That Were A Conspiracy Theory? About That »
The media keeps telling us that the economy is great, but, we see it when we go to the grocery store, when we open our power and water bills, when we see our auto insurance rates skyrocket (there are actually valid reasons for this.) When we see our property assessments skyrocket, which means our property taxes and homeowners insurance skyrocket. When we see interest rates for homes, autos, boats, motorcycles, and other things be roughly 4 points higher. The media think you’re all stupid fools for not realizing how awesome Biden’s policies are
Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden’s struggles against Trump
Despite a growing economy and little opposition for his party’s nomination, President Joe Biden confronts a dissatisfied electorate and a challenging political climate nine months before he faces re-election, according to a new national NBC News poll.
See? Growing economy! Which should be expected after the worldwide meltdown thanks to the Chinese/Fauci Coronavirus, then the stupid policies of mostly Leftists. Even Biden couldn’t screw growth up. Twenty points is huge, and, the issues with the economy are not abstract. We see them. If I go to Chili’s the lunch specials have risen several dollars. The really good hot bar at Harris Teeter went from $7.99 a pound for lunch to $11.99 per pound. The two cheeseburger meal at McDonald’s was $4.99 in 2019, it’s now around $7.99. Here in Raleigh, anyhow. All those $1 specials are gone. Small fries are over $2 now. Strings for my guitar are up a couple bucks.
We see it. It’s in front of us almost every day. Maybe multiple times
Biden trails GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on major policy and personal comparisons, including by more than 20 points on which candidate would better handle the economy. And Biden’s deficit versus Trump on handling immigration and the border is greater than 30 points.
The poll also shows Trump holding a 16-point advantage over Biden on being competent and effective, a reversal from 2020, when Biden was ahead of Trump on this quality by 9 points before defeating him in that election.
Trump continued to be Trump in 2020, instead of explaining everything competently. People have seen Biden in action, and know he really doesn’t care. They watched Afghanistan, followed by Ukraine, Israel, and they see the potential for China invading Taiwan. People are witnessing the fallout from Biden’s horrible border policies, and know that any pivot is just election year BS. If he wins the border will be thrown wide open in 2025.
And Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency in NBC News polling — to 37% — while fewer than 3 in 10 voters approve of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
I’ll admit, I mostly approve of his handling, since he mostly has taken Israel’s side, despite his unhinged Hamas loving and Jew hating base.
All together, these numbers explain why the poll shows Trump leading Biden by 5 points among registered voters in a hypothetical 2024 general-election matchup, 47% to 42%. While the result is within the poll’s margin of error, the last year of polling shows a clear shift.
Of course, that is meaningless unless Trump can win enough swing states to hit 270. Do I want Trump? No. But, in politics, you sometimes have to vote for the least worst. With Trump, he’s not the best of people, but, his policies are a damned sight better than Biden’s.
…is horrible heatsnow because Other People drive fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Grist, with a post on the promise and perils of Hawaii’s renewable energy revolution (yeah, I know Grist is a Warmist site, and will probably be upset with the link, but, it is an interesting article. If there is one state that needs renewables, as long as they can kept clean, it’s Hawaii.)
It’s snow week.
Read: If All You See… »
Happy Sunday! Another fine day in the Once And Future Nation of America. The Sun is shining, the ducks are quacking, and the second half of the NHL season is almost here. This pinup is by Edward Runci, with a wee bit of help.
Can you believe this is the 1,000th Patriotic Pinup post? Wild
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 (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014, so, most are hosted internally). 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. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader
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. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?
Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.
Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »
What could have possibly precipitated this change in illegal alien behavior?
Large majority of illegal border crossings shift to Arizona and California, pivoting away from Texas
A large majority of illegal crossings at the southern border are now happening in Arizona and California, shifting away from Texas counties.
Sources with U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Fox News that over the last week of January, Border Patrol apprehended 32,809 illegal immigrants.
Per CBP sources, 23,576 of them – 71.8% – were in Arizona and California. Notably, the numbers in Texas’ Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass, have fallen off a cliff. In December, the sector saw days of 3,000-4,000 illegal crossings per day. Over the last week, it has averaged around just 200.
The shift could be attributed to two reasons.
Is it because of the food in California and Arizona? Perhaps they prefer the climates? Maybe the Grand Canyon and Yosemite?
Texas has locked things down on their side of the border, and Mexico has increased enforcement against migrants arriving in the Mexican state of Coahuila following Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Mexico in December.
Mexico is now suddenly stopping migrants from boarding trains, and is removing migrants from their northern border down to their southern border following that meeting.
And the migrants who do cross there now find a very unwelcoming posture from the state of Texas with legions of soldiers, troopers and razor wire, as well as the threat of arrest. It is unknown what the U.S. offered Mexico in return for this cooperation.
Weird. It’s almost like deterrence works. Like telling illegals “don’t come here” and blocking them makes them change what they’re doing. Now, imagine doing this from Texas through California. And telling any other illegals that if they come by boat or plane anywhere else they will be sent packing and we’ll take any of their assets to pay for it. That they are not getting healthcare, money, housing, food, education, or anything else.
Read: Weird: Illegals Shift Crossing From Texas To California And Arizona »
Sigh. This again? I wonder if the NY Times consulted with all the rich folks, like Barack Obama and Al Gore, who’ve purchased homes in low lying coastal areas, and seem to be in no hurry to sell them
Coastal Cities Brace for Climate Change
Over the past few weeks, flooding from storms has battered cities in the South and the East Coast, from Louisiana to New Jersey. Overlapping atmospheric rivers over the West Coast have brought heavy rains that are likely to come back in the next few days.
So far this week, Californians have not seen the kinds of weather-generated disasters that struck last winter, with flooding in Ventura County in December and in San Diego in January, my colleague Jill Cowan reports.
Storms are part of the natural cycle that replenishes the water supplies that several states will rely on during the drier months to come, Judson Jones, The Times’s meteorologist, told me.
Buuuuuuut, cult
“The problem comes when there’s too much at one time,” he said.
Climate change makes that a lot more likely. Warmer air holds more moisture, which means storms in many parts of the world are getting wetter and more intense, as my colleague Ray Zhong explained during deluges last year.
Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to climate change, not just because of storms and floods, but from rising seas and erosion. These factors put a tenth of the world’s population, the 896 million people who live near the oceans, at risk. That includes one-fifth of Americans.
And t’s all your fault. But, we can fix this with lots and lots of taxpayer money
The good news is that there is a lot we can do. Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank that promotes environmental policies for coastal cities, has designed a framework that lays out dozens of solutions that governments and communities can implement.
See? And lots and lots of “legislative and regulatory options”, as that link shows. All for a mostly mythical problem. The natural part would be around simply because warm periods happen. If the anthropogenic part, and, heck, the natural part, were so concerning you wouldn’t have so many rich people building/buying homes in low lying areas.
…is a river turned muddy from Bad Weather, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Hot Air, with a post on CNN being stunned over illegal alien crime in NY vs Florida.
Read: If All You See… »
Well, give him credit for allowing the strikes. There are probably a lot of people who lost money in the betting pools that there would be no retaliatory strikes
US hits hard at militias in Iraq and Syria, retaliating for fatal drone attack
The U.S. military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Friday, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.
The massive barrage of strikes hit more than 85 targets at seven locations, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias. And President Joe Biden made it clear in a statement that there will be more to come.
The U.S. strikes appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders, as the U.S. tries to prevent the conflict from escalating even further. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan attack.
It was unclear what the impact will be of the strikes. Days of U.S. warnings may have sent militia members scattering into hiding. With multiple groups operating at various locations in several countries, a knockout blow is unlikely.
And therein lies the issue: did the strikes hit anything of consequence and did they kill the Iranian backed terrorists, or, did they amscray with their weapons? And, really, if Iran wants to get frisky the U.S. needs to strike them back directly. The only thing they know is Islamic extremism and nations pushing their power. And the U.S. can do way more damage to Iran then then go do back.
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” Biden warned, adding, “let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.” He and other top U.S. leaders had been saying for days that any American response wouldn’t be just one hit but a “tiered response” over time.
Of course, he did this while taking an early weekend, spending time in Delaware again since Thursday, then heading off to Los Angeles today.
Double of course, the naysayers who are upset that Biden used the military to strike back are Concerned
Biden’s retaliatory strikes in Middle East come with significant political risk: Experts
With U.S. retaliatory strikes underway Friday after three American troops were killed in a drone attack by an Iran-backed militant group, President Joe Biden faces a turning point in the Middle East conflict that carries significant risks of escalation and heavy election-year political consequences.
Yeah, well, if Iran doesn’t want some they shouldn’t start some. Now it’s time to wait for Biden’s wacko base, including the crazies like those in The Squad, to decry the airstrikes as they protect Iran, Islamic terrorists, and all those who hate Israel and Jews.
But, I will give Biden credit for ordering the large scale airstrikes.
Read: Biden Finally Orders Strikes On Iran Backed Terrorist Groups »