Conundrum: Should Republicans Vote In Favor Of Respect For Marriage Act?

By William Teach November 25, 2022 – 10:30 am

Right off the bat, voting for it is politically smart. Sure, you might annoy Conservatives and Conservative groups, but, come on, they’ll still vote GOP. But, as a sense of the nation, you’ll be showing those squishy Republicans, Democrats, and those in the Independent group that the GOP is not stuck in the 1940’s. However, should there even be a vote? This is not a power assigned to the federal government by the Constitution. It is up to the States. And any legislation passed by the federal Congress has the potential to force states, via the 14th Amendment

Same-sex marriage legislation divides conservatives ahead of vote next week

The Senate has advanced the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) past a key obstacle, overcoming the filibuster with 62 votes last week, including from 12 Republicans. The legislation is expected to receive a final vote next week.

There is some complaining on the left about the bill from voices with large audiences on social media. But by and large, the major LGBTQ advocacy groups back the bill.

And even among those who have criticized the RFMA, there is general agreement that they want the legislation to become law.

A big problem with the legislation is that it would allow the federal government to discriminate against those groups, such as churches and religious schools, who are against same sex marriage.

But on the right, opinions of the legislation are split. There is a coalition of religious groups that back the bill, or that back the religious liberty provisions and want the bill to pass despite their belief that their faith teachings do not allow them to support gay marriage.

This group includes the National Association of Evangelicals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the And Campaign and the 1st Amendment Partnership.

Really, this is America, and if 2 adults want to get married, I do not care what their sexual orientation. Why do I care? Doesn’t harm my life

And in fact there is vociferous resistance to the marriage legislation from a number of prominent social conservatives, and the opposition of many is absolute. This group includes the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Al Mohler of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ryan T. Anderson at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Missouri Baptist Convention and other figures who work for institutions like the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom and World magazine, an evangelical publication.

Anderson outlined the absolutist case against the Senate bill last week.

“Marriage is a natural and supernatural institution before it is a political institution. Human law should reflect the natural law and eternal law. No Senator should vote to allow the government to redefine what marriage is,” Anderson tweeted.

Good point. Marriage is a religious institution. Now, there is civil unions, which is a government institution, and government should allow it.

When Anderson was asked on Twitter if he would support a bill with even more expansive protections for religious freedom along the lines of an amendment proposed by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, he said he would not, even though he favored the Lee amendment and said it offered “meaningful religious liberty protections.”

The Lee amendment, actually called the First Amendment Defense Act, which notes

What is FADA?
The First Amendment Defense Act would prevent the federal government from discriminating against individuals and institutions based on their definition of marriage or beliefs about premarital sex.

Why is FADA needed?
Without FADA, federal bureaucrats are free to punish individuals or institutions that have a different definition of marriage than they do. For example, during oral argument in Obergefell v. Hodges, President Obama’s Solicitor General admitted that, if the Court found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, the IRS might subsequently deny tax-exempt status to any religious school that wanted to continue operating in accordance with their belief in the traditional definition of marriage. Just as Congress protected people from being punished for declining to participate in abortions after Roe v Wade, the First Amendment Defense Act prevents people from being punished for their beliefs about marriage.

In other words, it supports the federal government recognizing same sex marriage, but, will not allow the federal government to punish those who do not agree. Also, the text seems to focus on this all only applying to the federal government operations, not those of the States. Of course Democrats do not like this.

Anyhow, it is a very long piece, worth the read. It should be noted that

Polls show more than 70% of Americans now support marriage equality — an inverse from the 70% who opposed when the Defense of Marriage Act first passed.

So, should Republicans vote for this? Interestingly, Democrats were freaked out and started pushing this legislation again over what Justice Thomas wrote about revisiting the previous Court ruling on gay marriage, unwinding previous over-reaches of the 14th Amendment, and, come on, the chances of seeing it argued and overturning that ruling are slim. But, by passing the RFMA, it could lead to lawsuits that actually make it to the Court since it would violate the 1st Amendment religious beliefs of many Americans and groups.

Read: Conundrum: Should Republicans Vote In Favor Of Respect For Marriage Act? »

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Climate Cultists Attacking Paintings Surprised People Oppose Them

By William Teach November 25, 2022 – 7:15 am

It’s rather hard to attract supporters when you’re acting like an unhinged wackadoodle nutjob

Activist attacks on famous paintings decrease support for addressing climate change, study finds

The recent spate of high-profile protests by young climate change activists, such as throwing soup at famous paintings in museums or stopping traffic on busy roadways, makes the public less likely to support action to address climate change, according to a new survey conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Republicans, Democrats, independents: In every case, people reported that these actions made them less likely to support climate action,” Michael Mann, a professor of earth and environmental science at Penn and a co-author of the study, told Yahoo News. “People are turned off by it, and as a result they’re less likely to support the cause of the people doing the protests.”

The researchers asked more than 1,000 Americans whether they approve of using tactics like shutting down traffic or gluing oneself to a painting. “A plurality of respondents (46%) report that these tactics decrease their support for efforts to address climate change,” the researchers wrote. “Only 13% report increasing support.” Forty percent said such protests had no effect on their views.

They think they’re helping, but, nope.

Although there is no direct connection between these works of art and climate change, activists have used the paintings in an apparent bid to raise awareness about rising global temperatures. But protests have drawn criticism from many in the art world, and even some in the climate community.

Last week, the directors of 92 prominent art museums, including New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, signed a joint statement condemning the attacks on artwork and asking activists to stop. Although none of the works have been harmed as of yet, the directors warned that they could be. “The activists responsible underestimate the fragility of this irreplaceable work, which should be preserved as a world cultural heritage,” they wrote. “As museum directors who are entrusted with the works, we were deeply shocked by their risky endangerment.”

Sooner or later they will damage a painting. Because they are batshit crazy. Amazingly, this is what makes people be less likely to support climate scam action, not the huge number of Elite Warmists being complete hypocrites. Meanwhile

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Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Vaccinated Account For Majority Of Wuhan Flu Deaths

By William Teach November 25, 2022 – 7:00 am

Obviously, some caveats need be mentioned, such as not having vaccines really through 2020, and it took a while to get a large chunk vaccinated in 2021

Vaccinated Americans a majority of COVID deaths for first time in August: analysis

For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, a majority of Americans dying from the coronavirus were at least partially vaccinated, according to a new analysis of federal and state data.

The waning efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and increasingly contagious strains of the virus being spread to elderly and immunocompromised people have resulted in more deaths among those who have taken at least one vaccine dose, a Washington Post analysis published Wednesday finds.

“Fifty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in August were people who were vaccinated or boosted,” the Post reported.

The paper described a “troubling trend” as the share of deaths of people who were vaccinated has been “steadily rising” over the past year.

So, the vaccines and boosters aren’t working that well?

“In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 percent of coronavirus fatalities. In January and February this year, it was up to 42 percent,” the Washington Post’s Fenit Nirappil and Dan Keating wrote.

Huh. How many had pre-existing conditions, and how many didn’t? How many did it keep from getting bad covid? Meanwhile

Piss off. They don’t even know what men and women are. And here’s Forbes

Gee, with Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza cases on the rise, what would be a simple way to protect yourself and other people? How about that thing that rhymes with simple ask, meaning wear a face mask? Well, the hashtags #MaskUp and #BringBackMasks have been trending on Twitter with health professionals, scientists, and others urging everyone to wear face masks.

Piss off. You want to wear one, wear one. Stop trying to force everyone else into your cult, especially when I see a goodly chunk of you maskers pulling down below your nose.

Read: Vaccinated Account For Majority Of Wuhan Flu Deaths »

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If All You See…

By William Teach November 24, 2022 – 1:04 pm

…is a representation of a holiday bad for ‘climate change’, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The First Street Journal, with a post on holding them all accountable.

Still white tops.

Read: If All You See… »

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Bummer: Wild Turkeys Could Be In Danger From Climate Apocalypse

By William Teach November 24, 2022 – 8:28 am

The members of the climate cult really just can’t help doing this stuff

Can wild turkeys survive climate change?

How long does it take to cook a wild turkey? It depends who you ask.

A chef will suggest popping that bird in the oven for about two hours. Scientists, on the other hand, say it could be decades before North American turkeys are climatologically cooked.

“We know climate change will impact all of our game bird species,” Tim Lyons, an upland game researcher with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told me for this story.

“What we don’t know is what these habitats are going to look like in 40 to 60 years,” he said. “We should probably be thinking about that now instead of waiting until something happens.”

The same people cannot accurately give us a 10 day forecast but will be able to predict Doom in 40-60 years. Their climate models do not really even work while looking at the past.

Is climate change coming for Thanksgiving turkeys?

Across the nation this year, an almost record-breaking 49 million wild and domestic birds either died as a result of the virus or were killed to limit spread, including more than 8 million turkeys, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

There’s evidence that climate change could increase avian flu’s transmission in the future. So as the planet continues to warm, outbreaks of this severity might become more common.

Sigh.

How to talk about politics with family this Thanksgiving

My post on this would be one word after the headline: don’t. Maybe 6 more: change the subject if brought up. And “don’t try and start fights.”

Your Thanksgiving dinner is a climate killer

Here’s some food for thought: Americans will waste more than 305 million pounds of food this Thanksgiving, or nearly one pound per person nationwide.

That’s according to the nonprofit ReFED, which estimates the production of this year’s never-eaten turkey legs, gravy-smothered potatoes and stuffing scraps will add over a million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere — a heavy toll for a single holiday.

Food waste remains one of the major drivers of climate change worldwide, representing around 8% of annual global emissions, according to the United Nations. “If we rank greenhouse gas emissions by country, food loss and waste would be the third largest country, behind the U.S. and before India and Russia,” said Jackie Suggitt, director of capital, innovation and engagement at ReFED, an organization that combats food waste. “It definitely is a massive piece of the puzzle.”

Food waste is a problem, but, it’s environmental, not ‘climate change’. The cultists have to drag everything under their banner. And there are many, many, many more Credentialed Media articles. Because they’re nuts.

Read: Bummer: Wild Turkeys Could Be In Danger From Climate Apocalypse »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming, Holidays | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Happy Thanksgiving! (sticky for day)

By William Teach November 24, 2022 – 7:57 am

A Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you enjoy your day with your family and friends, and I thank you all for popping by this little blog.

Read More »

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It’s Thanksgiving, Which Means Liberals Are Losing Their Minds, Wanting To End The Holiday

By William Teach November 24, 2022 – 7:00 am

For people who say they always look at the bright side of things, they sure are miserable and always try and look at the worst possible thing, then make it worse

The true story behind Thanksgiving is a bloody one, and some people say it’s time to cancel the holiday

Thanksgiving in the US is traditionally a time for family and food.

American schoolchildren typically learn that the tradition dates back to the Pilgrims, who helped establish Plymouth Colony in 1620 in what is now Massachusetts.

As the story goes, friendly Native Americans taught the struggling colonists how to survive in what the Europeans called the New World. Then everyone got together to celebrate with a feast in 1621.

Thanksgiving 2022 would mark the 401st anniversary of that “first” American Thanksgiving. But, in reality, Thanksgiving feasts predate Plymouth, and the peace celebrated that day was tenuous.

The real story behind the holiday is so dark, in fact, that some people are rethinking how they celebrate the holiday, or whether they should at all.

This Insider bit of moonbattery delves into good things and bad things that happened, forgetting that that’s life. That’s history for the U.S. and all other nations. These nuts will always focus on the Bad, so

The focus on racial justice in the US has some people saying that reevaluating the meaning and celebration of Thanksgiving is long overdue.

Teachers, professors, and Native Americans told The New York Times in 2020 that they were rethinking the holiday that has marginalized the US’s violence and cruelty against Native Americans, giving it names like “Takesgiving” and “The Thanksgiving Massacre.”

Well, if the liberal moonbats do not want to celebrate, then go hide. Quit whining. Leave the rest of us alone. But, no, they want to force their Beliefs on everyone else in their attempt to Cancel Thanksgiving, which is a day to gather together with friends and family and give thanks.

Read: It’s Thanksgiving, Which Means Liberals Are Losing Their Minds, Wanting To End The Holiday »

Posted in Barking Moonbats, Holidays | 13 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Local Temps Could Rise For Years After Solar Engineering

By William Teach November 23, 2022 – 3:00 pm

This definitely is not any sort of scam, totally science

Solar geoengineering might work, but local temperatures could keep rising for years

Imagine a future where, despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly, parts of the world have become unbearably hot. Some governments might decide to “geoengineer” the planet by spraying substances into the upper atmosphere to form fine reflective aerosols – a process known as stratospheric aerosol injection.

Theoretically, those tiny particles would reflect a little more sunlight back to space, dampening the effects of global warming. Some people envision it having the effect of a volcanic eruption, like Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which cooled the planet by about half a degree Celsius on average for many months. However, like that eruption, the effects could vary widely across the surface of the globe.

How quickly might you expect to notice your local temperatures falling? One year? Five years? Ten years?

And how much will you pay in taxes for this? And what could be other unexpected issues?

What if your local temperatures seem to be going up?

As it turns out, that is exactly what could happen. While modeling studies show that stratospheric aerosol injection could stop global temperatures from increasing further, our research shows that temperatures locally or regionally might continue to increase over the following few years. This insight is essential for the general public and policymakers to understand so that climate policies are evaluated fairly and interpreted based on the best available science.

So, kinda like everything else the climate cult says to do. They never seem to be able to tell us what the results will be and when. In this case, things will continue to get hotter?

In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Sept. 27, 2022, we explore how the effectiveness of stratospheric aerosol injection could be hidden by the natural variability of Earth’s climate.

Oh, so natural variability will mess with the cult’s solar engineering to reduce Mankind’s temperature increase? Huh.

And these same people cannot even tell the difference between men and women anymore.

Read: Bummer: Local Temps Could Rise For Years After Solar Engineering »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach November 23, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a field perfect for solar panels, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post on Disney planning to go more Woke.

Read: If All You See… »

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World Leaders Pushing For Chinese Coronavirus Passports

By William Teach November 23, 2022 – 10:30 am

COVID is mostly over. It’s been shown, scientifically and medically, that the COVID vaccines mostly do not prevent people from getting COVID. At best, they simply keep any contagion from getting really bad. At worse, well

  • Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis
  • Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (blood clots)
  • Guillain-Barré Syndrome
  • Myocarditis and pericarditis

The CDC says these are rare. But, they keep happening. They can also cause long COVID-like symptoms. The problem here is that the vaccines were emergency use and did not go through extensive testing. I’m still not against them, if a version was raging that they could help stop me from getting bad COVID, I’d get another booster. But, the current variants are evading the vaccines and boosters. So, of course

World Leaders Sign Declaration to Introduce COVID Vaccine Passports

At this year’s G20 Summit in Indonesia, the twenty participating world leaders signed a declaration to introduce vaccine passports for their respective jurisdictions, with the stated intention of creating a global verification system to facilitate safe international travel. (snip)

In a statement, the leaders affirmed their respective countries’ support of the World Health Organization mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer hub, which aims to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries to produce mRNA vaccines.

The leaders said they welcome joint production and research of vaccines and acknowledge the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods.

They also agreed to a globalised ‘vaccination passport’.

This shouldn’t cause any problems for the working/poor and middle classes, right?

While the details are scant at this stage, the statement says this will be done under the framework of the International Health Regulations to “facilitate seamless international travel, interoperability, and recognizing digital solutions and non-digital solutions, including proof of vaccinations.”

Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that a Digital Health Certificate using World Health Organization standards would be introduced during the next World Health Assembly in Geneva, in May next year.

“If you have been vaccinated or tested properly, you can move around. So for the next pandemic, instead of stopping the movement of people 100%, you can still provide some movement of the people,” Mr Sadikin said.

Is this for the current Wuhan Flu pandemic, or control of the next pandemic (probably caused by the Chinese screwing around with viruses with lax security measures)?

So, it’s somewhat alarming that governments – and of those belonging to the G20, the majority represent democracies – would consider introducing a passport that, since it was first mooted by individual countries, been widely condemned as medical discrimination as well as a violation of privacy with serious ethical implications.

Of more concern are reports that the vaccine won’t just apply to Covid vaccinations, but also to any vaccination that WHO recommends is required for international travel.

Some it makes sense, mostly done on a country by country basis. There’s a long list of vaccinations required to enter the U.S., including polio, hepatitis A and B, mumps, and so much more. And they still require a COVID vaccination. A world-wide vax passport for COVID sounds like a massive overreach.

Read: World Leaders Pushing For Chinese Coronavirus Passports »

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