House Passes “Controversial” NDAA

By William Teach July 15, 2023 – 10:30 am

Why is the National Defense Authorization Act controversial?

House passes defense bill after adopting controversial amendments targeting abortion policy and other issues

The House voted Friday to pass a sweeping defense policy bill following contentious debate and the adoption of controversial amendments that touched on hot-button social issues.

The addition of amendments pushed by conservative hardliners related to abortion policy and transgender health care access as well as targeting diversity and inclusion programs infuriated Democrats and led to push back from some moderate Republicans – and will now set up a clash with the Democratic-controlled Senate.

The bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, sets the policy agenda and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and is considered critical, must-pass legislation.

It authorizes $886 billion for national defense programs as well as a 5.2% pay increase for servicemembers, according to a fact sheet from the House Armed Services Committee. The bill includes provisions to counter China’s influence, improve overall military readiness and missile defense capabilities and promote technological innovation.

The vote was mostly on party lines, with 4 Dems voting for it and 4 idiot Republicans voting against it. What’s so controversial about the taxpayers not paying for abortions and transgender medical services for military members? Trans shouldn’t even be in the military, as they have serious mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. Not a good combination around military grade weapons and machines. The military should not be run on far left wackadoodle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles

Another high-profile amendment that was adopted by the House earlier Thursday evening would prohibit the secretary of defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services.

Many Democrats made clear ahead of the vote that if the amendment was included as part of the defense bill, they would be unlikely to support final passage.

The House also passed an amendment that would bar a health care program for service members from covering hormone treatments for transgender individuals and gender confirmation surgeries.

Colorado conservative Rep. Lauren Boebert’s amendment to block military schools from purchasing or having “pornographic and radical gender ideology books” in their libraries also passed.

I’m not sure of the last one, if it applies to military schools where the attendees are adults. It would be better if it stated that attendees cannot be forced to read them and cannot be punished for refusing to read them. Interestingly, an amendment that would block cluster bombs to Ukraine failed 147-276.

White House: ‘Very Difficult to See’ Biden Signing NDAA that Doesn’t Fund DEI, Abortion, Gender Transition

On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN This Morning,” White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said “It’s very difficult to see” President Joe Biden signing the current National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the House due to its restrictions on Pentagon DEI programs and taxpayer funding of gender reassignment treatment and abortion.

Co-host Kate Bolduan asked, “Do you see the President signing a National Defense Authorization Act that limits transgender rights, that rips out diversity training, and does exactly the opposite of what you said the President supports when it comes to access to reproductive rights?”

Kirby answered, “It’s very difficult to see the President supporting legislation that would make it harder for Americans to serve in uniform and to not be able to do so with dignity, to not be able to do so with the proper care that they need, both medical and mental care. It’s very difficult to see that the President would ever, ever sign legislation that would put our troops at greater risk or put our readiness at risk.”

“Transgender rights”? The military not paying for hormone treatments and medical procedures where their genitals are cut off are “rights”? How many join the military simply for these “rights”? How many are able to actually stay in shape and do military jobs? Instead of paying for abortions members should be provided with contraception and be disciplined if they get pregnant. You know it’s mostly the younger ones having this happen.

The military is already having recruitment and retention issues, and the readiness is low. The military is not meant to be a breeding ground for left wing nuttbaggery. It needs to protect the U.S., and anything that doesn’t help the mission hurts the mission.

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Your Fault: Climate Doom Threatens US Nuclear Strike Capability

By William Teach July 15, 2023 – 7:15 am

Is this a bad thing, since it would cause issues with the nuclear strike capability of Russia, the UK, France, China, Israel, Pakistan, India, and North Korea, as well as those like Iran who are trying to get nukes?

Climate Change Threatens U.S. Nuclear Strike Capability

Flooding, rising seas and extreme heat from climate change threaten the nation’s ability to launch some of its nuclear weapons, according to a new report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The report warns that climate change could undermine U.S. efforts to stop adversaries from using nuclear weapons by interfering with the military’s operation and maintenance of missile launch systems that are a key part of nuclear deterrence.

Missile systems at a Navy submarine base in Georgia and at a launch field in North Dakota face increasing flood threats from climate change that could inundate for weeks at a time access roads that are used to transport missiles and maintenance equipment to the sites. (snip)

“Each leg of the U.S. nuclear triad could be detrimentally affected by climate change,” Kwong said. “We need to recognize and diagnose these climate vulnerabilities now, to make sure that we’re adequately prepared to mitigate these risks where possible and adapt where necessary.”

Would it be better if the climate flipped back to a cool period (it will happen in the next few hundred years, just like always)? There’s always some sort of doomy prognostication with these people.

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Uh Oh: Costco May Be Considering Ditching Bud Light

By William Teach July 15, 2023 – 7:00 am

This is 100% a self-inflicted wound

Costco just planted the ‘death star’ on Bud Light cases — a sign that it won’t restock the beer amid controversy, plummeting sales. Wild speculation or 1 more devastating blow to the brand?

Shoppers at Costco have noticed an asterisk on the price tag for Bud Light beer across the beverage aisle. Experienced Kirkland members have seen the sign before and call it the “death star.” It could be an indication that one of the largest retailers in the country may be considering not restocking the troubled beer brand.

Here’s a closer look.

Casual shoppers would barely notice a small asterisk on a price display above a shelf. These days most of the attention is on the price. However, Kirkland members believe the asterisk has special significance for Costco’s supply chain decisions. The asterisk is often associated with items that are being discontinued.

These items are usually marked down to get rid of supply on the shelves. It’s a subtle sign to Costco employees not to restock an item after the inventory is depleted. Devoted shoppers look for the asterisk to spot deals and have even nicknamed it the “death star” on the Facebook page Costco Fans.

Now the star is being spotted over cans of Bud Light. “Is it just me…Or am I the only one who noticed that Costco has applied their infamous ‘Star of Death’ on Bud Light being sold!” said one Twitter user.

Why would they keep it on the shelf if it fails to sell? Why would they restock something that with poor sales? Something that will sit so long it “goes skunk”? Something like beer depends on volume sales. Without volume, it goes goodbye. Why would they stock something consumers do not really want?

A former Anheuser-Busch exec has become one of the Bud Light maker’s fiercest critics

…

Meanwhile, former Anheuser-Busch sales and distribution president Anson Frericks, a vocal critic of corporate ESG, or environmental, social, and governance policies, is now calling for Whitworth to resign. (snip)

Frericks’ comments added to the barrage of criticism he’s leveled at the beer brand since April. Frericks wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, opining the brand was focused on “stakeholder capitalism,” which he wrote “prioritizes broad social issues over shareholder value.” He’s made appearances on Fox News, and he recently wrote a column for the Daily Mail, in which he called for Whitworth to step down.

Frericks was president of sales and distribution at Anheuser-Busch from October 2021 until he left the company in April 2022 after nearly 11 years there. He is now the president of Strive Asset Management. Strive is an anti-ESG investing firm whose stated mission is “to restore the voices of everyday citizens in the American economy by leading companies to focus on excellence over politics.”

Again, the problem is not Bud Light’s support of LGBT: it started with the one can for a wackjob denigrating real women, then the comments of the idiot marketing head who denigrated the core base of Bud Light. Then Bud’s wishy washy yammerings which pissed of the LGBT folks, not they were probably buying a lot of Bud Light. And Bud’s continued failure to address this, stupid ads, they just kept digging their own grave. Seriously, Alissa Heinerscheid and the marketing department for Bud Light deserve an award for how much they’ve killed a brand.

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Third Of Student Borrowers Spent Money They Didn’t Have, Expecting Loan Relief

By William Teach July 14, 2023 – 3:50 pm

Now, let’s say the federal government was going to give you $10k or $20k, depending on your type of mortgage, to help reduce you loan amount. You owed $100k, now you owe $90k. You still have your monthly payment, though, so, you don’t actually have $10k/$20 (regular student loan/pell grant loan) to spend, right? That money is never in your hands, right?

A third of student borrowers spent money they thought would be forgiven: poll

More than a third of student loan borrowers spent money they otherwise would not have when they believed a portion of their debt would be forgiven by the Biden administration, according to a new poll.

Most borrowers surveyed by Intellingent.com were confident they would receive some student debt relief as part of the Biden administration’s plan to forgive at least $10,000 for federal borrowers and up to $20,000 for those who received a federal Pell Grant while in school.

The Supreme Court struck down the president’s forgiveness plan at the end of June.

You mean Brandon’s bribery for votes scheme, which would be paid for on the backs of the working and middle class for upper middle class and rich folks

The survey conducted from July 6 to July 10 measured the responses of 977 respondents who qualified for Biden’s student loan forgiveness program

Among borrowers who spent additional money expecting some debt relief, 9 percent spent between $5,000 and $7,501 extra, while another 17 percent spent $5,000 more than they would have had they not expected forgiveness, the poll found.

Borrowers used what they believed would amount to extra money in their pockets on a range of items, though 37 percent said they paid off other debts. Others used the funds on home repairs and rent payments. The survey conducted from July 6 to July 10 measured the responses of 977 respondents who qualified for Biden’s student loan forgiveness program

About 20 percent of borrowers polled said they spent the money on vacation, while fewer than 10 percent said they spent it on alcohol and drugs or gambling.

So, they spent money they didn’t know if they would actually get it, and wouldn’t actually get it if Brandon’s plan was allowed to stand because it would go directly to the loan companies on other things, including vacations and other debt, which is why they’re in this bad situation in the first place. They would not have had extra money now, just maybe in the future.

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If All You See…

By William Teach July 14, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is horrible ice cream created with milk from carbon spewing moo cows, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Da Techguy’s Blog, with a post on US troops being called up over Ukraine.

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Learn To Code: Hollywood Actors Join Writers Strike, Say They Can’t Make Money

By William Teach July 14, 2023 – 10:30 am

So the actors guild have joined the writers strike, and many have failed to learn the lesson from the fast food folks who pushed for $15 an hour (then $18, $21, $25)

‘It’s a constant hustle’: Hollywood actors join writers on the picket line

It’s been a hot, frustrating summer on the picket lines in Los Angeles, where film and TV writers have been striking for more than two months, no deal in sight.

But outside of the Netflix building on Sunset Boulevard on Thursday, the striking writers finally got some news they wanted to hear. “Sag is going on strike!” someone called, and the crowd of picketing writers roared their approval.

Both writers and actors say that technological changes in the industry are forcing them to negotiate hard for major changes in their contracts. The new era of digital streaming has led to a dramatic decrease in how much money they make, they say. The rise of new artificial intelligence technologies is only adding to their concern.

“You really can’t make a living any more,” said actor Felicia Day, who has been working in the industry for more than two decades. Day, who showed up at the Sag-Aftra headquarters for the official announcement of the strike on this sweltering Thursday, said she gets bigger checks for television residuals for roles she played back in 2004 than she does for much more recent performances. “People are having a harder and harder time just supporting themselves and staying in the industry,” she said.

Well, looks like it’s time to take up coding. This is an industry they chose, and, like many, times change and measures will come into place that reduce the need to pay workers as much. And if they continue demanding more money, well, it means there will be fewer hired and more technology used. Just like fast food has replaced so many workers with automation and touchscreens for ordering.

As pay for individual roles declines, Day said, actors have to secure twice as much work just to make rent – even though auditioning for and obtaining roles has not become any easier. A few years ago, four to five guest star roles on television shows would be enough to get an actor through a year, she said. Now, it takes double that number of roles to make the same amount of money: “It’s a constant hustle and it’s very demoralizing,” she said.

OMG, have to work more? That’s awful! All the average citizens working 50+ hours a week 52 weeks a year feel sorry for you.

Inside Sag-Aftra’s headquarters, union president Fran Drescher made it clear that actors were fed up and fired up, saying, “We are the victims,” and telling studio executives: “You’re sitting on the wrong side of history.”

Perhaps the highly paid actors like Fran can take less money per role and give it to the low level actors.

With artificial intelligence, [Danny Hogan, actor] added, “Are you going to take my image and my voice, replicate that, and then I’m expendable?”

Yes, yes, that is what they’re going to do. Otherwise the companies are going to have to charge more for their services. And AI created characters are less temperamental and can hit their lines on the first take.

There has to be some sort of middle ground to this, but, I love these folks being primadonnas, when so many need to learn to write better stories, because Hollywood really doesn’t have many ideas these days.

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Hey, All We Need To Stop Climate Doom Is 139 Billion Gallons Of White Paint

By William Teach July 14, 2023 – 7:15 am

As far as ideas go, this is not the worst

Turns out all we may need to stop climate change is 139 billion gallons of super-duper white paint

I hope Purdue University is ready for this incoming order.

In 2021, researchers at Purdue University announced that they had developed the whitest paint on Earth. The color is so white that it can reflect over 98% of light. This is particularly useful because light generates heat — and we here on Earth are running a bit hot these days.

If used on a building, the researchers say, the paint would reduce the temperature on the surface, lowering the temps inside and decreasing the need for air conditioning. But what if there was an even bigger application, like reducing the temperature of the entire planet?

According to Jeremy Munday, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, who researches clean technology, if a material like Purdue’s paint covered 1-2% of the Earth’s surface, the amount of light being bounced back into space would reduce the amount of heat being absorbed by the planet enough to stabilize global temperatures. In other words, it could do a lot to solve climate change. Plus, Munday told the New York Times, the amount of light being bounced back into space wouldn’t harm the cosmos very much. “It’d be like pouring a cup of regular water into the ocean,” he told the Times.

Essentially, it means 139 billion gallons. The most interesting part here is that it is painting (sorry) any man-caused global warming as an issue of land use and urban heat island effect. Which are real. I do not have to explain why, right? You know this. If more dark colored asphalt could be painted white, paint dark shingles white, and so forth, mostly in urban and suburban areas, it could significantly reduce the temperatures in those areas. Of course, you’re still left with heat trapping buildings and the inability of the ground to soak up heat. It would help.

But, how long would the paint last? How often would it require re-application? Better would be roadways made with very light colors going forward.

Oh, and then this schmuck

Yeah, about that

Read More »

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Surprise: Secret Service Also Found Marijuana In Biden’s White House

By William Teach July 14, 2023 – 7:00 am

This comes after

All those cameras and such, and absolutely nothing. But, hey, it’s not the first time

Not just cocaine: Secret Service reveals another banned substance was found in Biden’s White House

The Secret Service found marijuana twice in the White House in 2022, long before cocaine was located in the West Wing.

The Secret Service revealed the information to members of Congress during a classified briefing on the investigation into cocaine found in the West Wing over the Fourth of July weekend, and confirmed the pot discoveries to Fox News Digital.

Possessing less than two ounces of marijuana is not a crime in Washington, D.C., but the substance is still not allowed on federal property — including the White House.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service told Fox News Digital that agents had found “small amounts of marijuana” on two separate occasions, in July and September of last year.

Um, it’s the District Of Columbia, an area set aside to be the seat of the U.S. federal government. Per federal law, regardless of D.C. “law”, marijuana is a Schedule I drug. It matters not at all the amount size. And it damned shouldn’t be in the White House. Imagine the furor if it had been found while Trump was in the WH. The news media would be in an uproar. It’s not that big a deal in today’s society, but, it is interesting that they covered it up. And how the Secret Service has been compromised.

“No one was arrested in these incidents, because the weight of the marijuana confiscated did not meet the legal threshold for federal charges or D.C. misdemeanor criminal charges, as the District of Columbia had decriminalized possession,” the Secret Service spokesperson said. “The marijuana was collected by officers and destroyed.”

Are the agents aware of federal law superseding state and local laws in this? Really, as long as it is grown in a state and stays in a state, it should be a state issue, per the 10th Amendment, however, this is D.C., and federal law is primary.

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Your Fault: ‘Climate Change’ Is Making Oceans Greener

By William Teach July 13, 2023 – 3:00 pm

I had been meaning to discuss this wacko man-child

and some other loony gender confused stuff (say, what’s the carbon footprint of a trip to Peru?), but, this

Climate Change Is Literally Changing the Ocean’s Color

“Ocean blue” may no longer be the most accurate way to describe the planet’s waters. A new study published in Nature on Wednesday finds that the color of the ocean has changed significantly over the last 20 years—all due to climate change.

The color shifts, according to the new study, can’t be explained by natural factors alone. These changes have occurred across 56 percent of the world’s ocean, turning the waters greener over time (especially near the equator).

That color change seems to be the result of changes in the marine ecosystems—driven by climate change.

“I’ve been running simulations that have been telling me for years that these changes in ocean color are going to happen,” study co-author Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist at MIT, said in a press release. “To actually see it happening for real is not surprising, but frightening. And these changes are consistent with man-induced changes to our climate.”

How horrible!

Greener waters occur when there’s more life in the ocean—particularly phytoplankton, which grow abundantly in the upper ocean depths. That might sound good, but it’s actually a grim indicator. Phytoplankton play an essential role in capturing and storing carbon dioxide—so increases in carbon dioxide inevitably give rise to phytoplankton blooms. These explosions in population mean greener waters.

Got that? It’s bad to have more plankton, which is actually the number one thing for photosynthesis, more than ground based plant life. It’s actually a good thing, as it means there is less ocean pollution, which had gotten bad during the 20th Century, but, started getting cleaning in the 1990s. But, you know anything and everything is Bad in Climate Cult world. And they continue to scaremonger in the article, and all the other articles in various Credentialed Media outlets because they got their talking point memos. Nothing can ever be good, and it’s always 100% the fault of Mankind

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Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach July 13, 2023 – 1:00 pm

…is a rising sea because Other People take fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Climate Depot, with a post on the deadly heatwave of 1936.

Read: If All You See… »

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