Republicans Make Compromise On Getting Rid Of Military Vaccine Mandate

By William Teach December 7, 2022 – 7:00 am

The Hill positions this as if the Democrats are giving something up, but, this is mostly them throwing a bone to Republicans

Democrats make major concession on vaccine mandate

Congress is poised to use the annual defense policy bill to eliminate the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate — a major concession by President Biden’s Democratic allies that helps clear the way to passing the sweeping package before year’s end.

In a compromise with Republicans, House Democrats are allowing language into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that repeals the coronavirus vaccine mandate for U.S. service members a year after it was enacted, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) confirmed to The Hill Tuesday.

The bill, which lays out how an $847 billion Defense Department top line will be allocated in fiscal 2023, is tentatively set to be released as early as Tuesday evening and voted on by the House Thursday, Rogers said. (snip)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is vying for the Speaker’s gavel in the next Congress, said on Sunday that the NDAA “will not move” unless the mandate for the military is lifted through the bill. (snip)

The compromise is effectively a loss for the White House and Pentagon, which have both opposed using the NDAA to repeal the vaccine mandate.

But

One thing not expected in the bill, however, is language to reinstate troops, sailors and airmen who were discharged or received penalties for declining the vaccine, a provision GOP lawmakers hoped to insert in the legislation.

So, Democrats get a massive bill full of lots of left wing garbage attached to a Defense bill in exchange for getting rid of a vaccine mandate, which Biden and Lloyd will most likely ignore, all while throwing all the military folks who were thrown out (and usually support Conservatives) to the trash heap.

Democrats Attempting to Pack Defense Bill with ‘Grab Bag’ of Unrelated Policies

“The real inside story here is what Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are doing to try to hold this defense bill hostage. We pass it every year,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Fox News on Tuesday.

“We pass it every year for 60 years. It’s vital for our national security and for our troops. They want to add on all kinds of extraneous non defense measures like a payoff for liberal media companies to form a cartel to work with Big Tech that’ll hurt center-right media outlets, or allowing marijuana distributors to engage in the banking system, or paying off Joe Manchin for his vote for their trillion dollar bill spending bill this summer,” he added. (snip)

It has passed for 62 years without fail — one of the rare pieces of legislation to do so. However, this year, Democrats see the bill as a last-ditch vehicle to push through policies and reforms it will not be able to once Republicans take the House beginning January 3, 2023.

Will Republicans stand strong in the face of Democrats and the Credentialed Media smearing them, not telling the whole truth? LOL, made myself laugh with that.

Read: Republicans Make Compromise On Getting Rid Of Military Vaccine Mandate »

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Unintended Consequences Alert: California To “Punish” Fossil Fuels Companies Over High Prices

By William Teach December 6, 2022 – 3:00 pm

Why are gas prices so high in the People’s Republik Of California?

(Forbes) California’s astronomical retail gasoline prices have been caused by two issues: refinery shutdowns and California’s strict environmental laws, which require special gas blends.

California has its own unique gas market, according to Mark Agerton, assistant professor in the department of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis. “California is an island for gas—we make it all here,” he says.

So, of course

‘Sick and tired’ of high gas prices, California seeks to punish oil companies with new penalty

California lawmakers on Monday introduced legislation to penalize oil companies for alleged price gouging, setting up a showdown with an industry that has long wielded political influence in the Golden State.

At the urging of Gov. Gavin Newsom, California Senate Budget Chair Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, proposed a new bill that would levy a penalty on oil companies when their profits exceeded a legally-established threshold. The money raised by the penalty would then be placed in a fund that would be directed back to taxpayers in the form of rebates.

But the initial bill language is vague, failing to define the profit threshold that oil companies would be penalized for exceeding and lacking an explanation of who would be eligible for the rebates. Newsom said those specifics will be sorted out over the course of the special session. (snip)

These guys have been gaming the system for decades,” Newsom said Monday about the oil and gas industry. “… I think we’ve got a lot of remarkable legislative leaders here that get it and they’re sick and tired of paying the price in terms of dirty air.”

Gaming the system? You mean the system the PRC set up? Fossil fuels are one of the most highly regulated industries in the PRC. If the state could prove gouging they would have already published that information. The system with all those regulations and restrictions? What can possibly go wrong with going this route? Less oil production? Less refining? Independent retailers, which is most, having to close shop?

Read: Unintended Consequences Alert: California To “Punish” Fossil Fuels Companies Over High Prices »

Posted in Democrats, Energy, Global Warming | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 6, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is overly bright sunshine caused by atmospheric changes from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Victory Girls Blog, with a post on Harry and Meghan publicly whining about their privileged lives.

Made a mistake yesterday, it’s long legs week, not redheads.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

You Too Can Be A Good Little Member Of Society By Voting, Getting Vaxxed, Supporting ‘Climate Change’ Action

By William Teach December 6, 2022 – 10:30 am

These people sound fun. Essentially, they’ve turned all of life into the realm of politics (non-paywalled here)

Do you want to be a good member of society? Voting, climate change efforts are a start, survey says

You go to work. You pay your taxes. You vote, and you may even go to a place of worship regularly. But which of these actions, if any, make you a good citizen?

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, voting is a huge part of it.

The center did a survey this spring in 19 countries, presenting respondents with a list of actions to find out just what makes someone a good citizen in the public eye. Countries included the U.S., Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore.

Respondents were asked how much they consider the following actions an important part of being a good member of society:

  • Voting
  • Making choices that help reduce the effects of climate change
  • Keeping up with current events in other countries
  • Keeping up with politics in your own country
  • Getting a coronavirus vaccine
  • Joining demonstrations about issues important to you
  • Attending religious services regularly

Nothing along the lines of limiting government? Being true to yourself? Being yourself? Taking care of your family? I’m sure you can think of a bunch not related to politics. Nice to see they put something non-political in their poll, the religious aspect. Here are the results

I’m guessing most who answered were leftists. Heck, perhaps most asked were leftists.

Anyhow, the USA Today digs deep into the numbers. I’m not going to cover it all, but

U.S. numbers showed the largest difference in this category; 64% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said vaccines are very important, while 20% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said it is very important.

Interesting. I guess not all Democrats are that brainwashed.

Being vaccinated and boosted didn’t stop Ted from getting it, eh?

Read: You Too Can Be A Good Little Member Of Society By Voting, Getting Vaxxed, Supporting ‘Climate Change’ Action »

Posted in Barking Moonbats, Bat Soup Virus | 15 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Youths Feel Betrayed On Government’s Inaction On Climate Crisis (scam)

By William Teach December 6, 2022 – 7:00 am

These are the same people purchasing lots of disposable items and clothes to take fossil fueled trips for a few selfies and TikTok videos, streaming tons of content, and getting food and coffee delivered in fossil fueled vehicles

Young people feel betrayed by government inaction on climate change — we must take action

With the impacts of climate change accelerating, it’s worth remembering that young people have the most to lose. Seventy five percent of young people in the U.S. have indicated a moderate to extreme worry about climate change, while reporting feelings of betrayal and distrust with our government’s long delayed climate action. With Congress divided for the next two years, the best opportunity to remedy this now lies with the Biden administration.

The good news is that we have a powerful tool to combat climate change — the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As former leaders of federal agencies, we know that the success of meeting the IRA emissions reductions potential rests in effective implementation. Luckily, the most just implementation strategy is also effective.

We can seek to repair young people’s justified distrust and reduce eco-anxiety with implementation of the IRA by advancing solutions that touch the lived experience of today’s young people. In a 2019 Washington Post poll, only 14 percent of teens indicated they had the opportunity to learn a lot about climate solutions in school. Now, with the IRA we can deploy clean energy solutions across America’s public schools enabling students to engage with climate solutions firsthand.

I suggest we ban them from uploading and watching all those carbon pollution intensive videos. No more food delivery. Install smart thermostats in their domiciles, keep the heat at 62, the AC at 82.

With nearly 100,000 schools across the country, public schools are among the largest consumers of energy in the public sector, and they operate the largest mass transit fleet in the country with 480,000 primarily diesel school buses. Currently only 9% of schools utilize solar, and less than 1 percent of America’s school bus fleet is electric. Yet, the demand for clean energy in schools is increasing. The Environmental Protection Agency recently doubled its first round of funding for the Clean School Bus program due to avid demand, with applicants in every state. Advancing climate solutions in schools has the potential to improve student health and learning while reducing annual costs for energy, maintenance, and operations.

Why can’t they walk or ride a bike instead, just cut the carbon footprint to almost zero.

Leaders of federal agencies can help our school systems understand their opportunities. For example, the IRS can provide guidance about how schools can take advantage of the clean energy tax incentives. Schools, like many other non-taxable organizations, will be able to access funding through the direct pay provisions. This can lower the upfront cost to install clean technology like geothermal heat pumps. Schools can still spend American Rescue Plan funding to replace HVAC systems—they need to understand how the credits in the IRA can make clean technology the most cost-effective option. For electric school buses, the clean commercial vehicle credits could help schools save up to $40,000 per bus.

Um, what? Public schools getting tax credits on the backs of the taxpayers? Plus, all those other measures come from the pockets of taxpayers.

The IRA gives young people a direct and effective conduit for activism and change. Students in cities like Salt Lake and Denver have pushed their school boards to pass resolutions to transition school districts to 100 percent clean energy. The funding opportunities the act provides can help students make their case for action even stronger.

Why don’t they start by making their own lives carbon neutral? Or is it just for Other People?

Read: Bummer: Youths Feel Betrayed On Government’s Inaction On Climate Crisis (scam) »

Posted in Climahypocrites, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Hilarious: Brandon Admin Wants US Oil Companies To Help Ukrainian Infrastructure

By William Teach December 6, 2022 – 6:45 am

All while the Brandon admin and their Democrat Comrades are trying to kill off the US fossil fuels infrastructure

White House to ask oil and gas execs to support Ukraine energy infrastructure

The Biden administration is convening a virtual meeting on Thursday with oil and gas executives to discuss how the United States can support Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The meeting comes as Russia seeks to cut off Ukraine’s energy supplies and destroy infrastructure as winter approaches with missile attacks.

“As you know Ukrainian energy assets are being aggressively targeted in an effort to take advantage of the winter’s coldest temperatures and harshest weather conditions. Together, we can help to boost Ukrainian resilience,” wrote David Turk, U.S. deputy secretary of energy, in a letter to oil and gas executives.

The meeting is being convened by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response. It involves members of the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council, which includes 26 trade associations.

They should ask for authorization to build new next generation refineries and fast track drilling permits in exchange. Seriously, Biden is trying to get rid of fossil fuels here and replace them with wind and solar. Is that not good enough for Ukraine? Why not build that stuff in Ukraine? It works to provide tons of energy for heating homes in the cold, right? So we’ve been told. If it’s good enough for the U.S. it should be good enough for Ukraine.

I wonder how much Hunter will make off of any project, kicking a bunch back to Joe. Meanwhile in Ukraine

Read: Hilarious: Brandon Admin Wants US Oil Companies To Help Ukrainian Infrastructure »

Posted in Current Affairs, Joe Biden | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Army Starts Testing On Little Buggy Electric Vehicle Truck

By William Teach December 5, 2022 – 4:25 pm

“Excuse me, Mr. Enemy, do you mind pausing operations for a few hours so we can charge our vehicles up?” Maybe they could carry a whole bunch of swapable batteries with them. Just as easy to replace as a simple fuel truck of it is hit by enemy fire, right?

US Army starts testing a modified version of Canoo’s electric pickup truck

Earlier this year, electric vehicle startup Canoo warned it was running low on cash. Since then, the company’s prospects have taken a turn for the better. Over the span of two days in July, Canoo announced separate agreements to provide Walmart with 4,500 EVs and the US Army with a test vehicle. This week, the company shared an update on its Pentagon contract, announcing it had delivered a prototype of its new Light Tactical Vehicle to the army.

The LTV looks like a modified version of Canoo’s pickup truck. According to the company, it incorporated carbon Kevlar to make the vehicle more durable without increasing its weight. The LTV can be converted from a pickup to a flatbed truck, allowing it to carry construction material and tactical equipment. It even includes a stealth configuration. Canoo says the all-wheel drive LTV can produce up to 600 horsepower. It also features air springs, a raised suspension system and 32-inch tires to make it fit for traversing difficult terrain.

The US military is among the biggest polluters on the planet. It has a larger carbon footprint than about 140 nations, including first-world countries like Sweden and Denmark. At the start of 2022, the Defense Department announced a net-zero emissions plan that, among other tactics, called for the army to electrify its combat and support vehicles. While there’s no guarantee Canoo will be part of that initiative, securing the US Army as a customer would be a significant boon for the startup.

It’s like the size of a small, small pickup truck. I guess if they do not mind use 3-4 of them where one big truck will suffice to deliver supplies. The question is, do these help the mission? If not, they then hurt. The idea is to be able to project force to stop an enemy, not be part of a cult. One day the military might be able to operate on EVs and such, but, that time isn’t even close, especially since there just isn’t enough metal to make the batteries. Also, what are they being charged with?

A few of the comments at the article

  • The article forgot to mention that the reason the US Army has such a big carbon footprint is because it has to carry the weight to defend countries like Denmark and Sweden as well as the rest of Europe and the Pacific.
  • If the Army will “electrify its combat and support vehicles” it makes you wonder just how much more dangerous taking fire in a tank would be – when you are atop a very large lithium battery. Comes a time when Theory gives way to Reality.
  • I’m sure the enemy will put in lots of charging stations before a battle starts.
  • They better lift that thing up if the Army plans to buy it. It’s too low for anything other than residential base duty (MP’s for example).
  • So basically they are looking at expensive golf carts to run errands on base.
  • Someone explain how these EV’s are going to replace something as big and heavy as a rhino, abrams, or even an armored humvee? Those ev vehicles look great for playing simulations on base where you can do an AAR and re-charge the battery afterwards at the barracks.
  • Can’t go yet sarge. It’ll be another 45 minutes for my truck to charge.

Who wants to bet that someone has some money invested in Canoo? Meanwhile

Recommended Reading: The environmental cost of China’s EV boom

The rise of electric vehicles in China is causing devastating environmental impacts in nearby Indonesia, including rising ocean temperatures as a byproduct of coal plants. Upper respiratory infections are also one of the main health issues for people who live near nickel-processing factories and the main water sources for some areas are increasingly polluted and prone to flooding.

This leads to this story, which is very long article, explaining the dangers and environmental degradation caused by the push for EVs.

Read: Army Starts Testing On Little Buggy Electric Vehicle Truck »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 13 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach December 5, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a park that would be perfect for solar panels, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is This ain’t Hell…, with a post on the Secretary of Defense wanting to keep the vaccine mandate.

I forget to mention yesterday that it is redheads week.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Supreme Court To Hear Case On Freedom Of Speech

By William Teach December 5, 2022 – 10:30 am

The Supreme Court already ruled back in 2018 that there is religious freedom in the People’s Republic Of Colorado, when they ruled in favor of a religious baker who did not agree with gay marriage. Colorado apparently did not listen

Supreme Court to Hear Case of Web Designer Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday over whether a graphic designer in Colorado has a First Amendment right to refuse to create websites celebrating same-sex weddings based on her Christian faith despite a state law that forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The case, a sequel to one from 2018 involving a Colorado baker that failed to yield a definitive ruling, is likely to settle the question of whether businesses open to the public and engaged in expression can refuse to provide services to potential customers based on their religious or other convictions.

The case concerns Lorie Smith, who owns a design company that says it serves gay customers but intends to limit a proposed wedding-related service to celebrations of heterosexual unions. She argued that requiring her to provide those services to gay and lesbian couples violates her right to free speech.

“If a client who identifies as gay asked her to design graphics for his animal rescue shelter or to promote an organization serving children with disabilities, Smith would happily do so,” Ms. Smith’s lawyers told the justices in a brief. “But Smith will decline any request — no matter who makes it — to create content that contradicts the truths of the Bible, demeans or disparages someone, promotes atheism or gambling, endorses the taking of unborn life, incites violence, or promotes a concept of marriage that is not solely the union of one man and one woman.”

A Colorado law forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation by businesses open to the public as well as statements announcing such discrimination. Ms. Smith, who has not begun the wedding business or posted such a statement for fear of running afoul of the law, sued to challenge it.

Interestingly, the Court only accepted this on a free speech basis, not religious. Also

(CNN) On one side of the dispute is the designer, Lorie Smith, whose business is called 303 Creative. She says she has not yet moved forward with an expansion into wedding websites because she is worried about violating a Colorado public accommodations law. She says the law compels her to express messages that are inconsistent with her beliefs. The state and supporters of LGBTQ rights respond that Smith is simply seeking a license to discriminate in the marketplace. (snip)

When the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in February, the justices sidestepped whether the law violated Smith’s free exercise of religion. Instead, the court said it would look at the dispute through the lens of free speech and decide whether applying the public accommodations law “to compel an artist to speak or stay silent” violates the free speech clause of the First Amendment.

The suit is pre-emptively going after the state, which might not be a bad idea, since you know that the Usual Subjects will attempt to ask her to make designs for gay weddings, and the state would most likely go after her.

In court papers, Smith’s lawyer, Kristen K. Waggoner, said that the law works to “compel speech the government favors and silence speech the government dislikes” in violation of the First Amendment. She said the state could interpret its law to allow speakers “who serve all people to decline specific projects based on their message” such a move, she contended, would stop status discrimination “without coercing or suppressing speech.”

It looks like the suit is coming after the law itself, since it allows no public accommodation. And Free Speech is Free Speech.

Read: Supreme Court To Hear Case On Freedom Of Speech »

Posted in Constitution | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Brandon Admin Blocks Geothermal Plant With Designation Of Toad As Endangered

By William Teach December 5, 2022 – 7:15 am

Climate cultists: we love green energy! We need to have lots and lots of it replacing fossil fuels, coal, and nuclear! Also climate cultists: how dare you build green energy projects!

Biden admin. names Nevada toad endangered, hampering construction of geothermal plant

Not the actual type of amphibian

Nevada’s Dixie Valley toad has been declared an endangered species.

Last spring, wildlife officials had temporarily listed the speckled, black-eyed toad on a rarely used emergency basis.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday that the ruling makes the final listing.

The amphibian is at risk of extinction mainly due to the approval and commencement of geothermal development, but other threats include groundwater pumping, agriculture, climate change, chytrid fungus, disease and predation from invasive bullfrogs.

“Due to the imminent development of a geothermal project in Dixie Meadows, Nevada, and the potential resulting effects to the geothermal springs relied upon by the Dixie Valley toad, there is a significant risk to the well-being of the species,” the agency said then. “We find that emergency listing is necessary in order to provide the protective measures afforded by the Act to the Dixie Valley toad.”

Environmentalists who filed a lawsuit in January to block construction of the geothermal plant east of Reno – the only place the toad is known to exist on Earth – applauded the Biden administration.

“We’re pleased that the Biden administration is taking this essential step to prevent the extinction of an irreplaceable piece of Nevada’s special biodiversity,” Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin regional director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told The Associated Press.

Why does it seem as if the enviro-weenies sue to block almost every single “green” energy project? There always seems to be some Reason. How is it possible to replace coal with solar, wind, geothermal, and hydrothermal if they block it? Where do they think power comes from? Unicorn farts and jelly beans?

Read: Brandon Admin Blocks Geothermal Plant With Designation Of Toad As Endangered »

Posted in Energy, Global Warming | 27 Comments | Trackback URL
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