If All You See…

By William Teach November 22, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is what looks like a smokey sunset from carbon pollution wildfires, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Lid, with a post on Republicans hinting at running for 2024.

Read: If All You See… »

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Democrats Whine About McCarthy Planning To Boot Several Wackos From Committees

By William Teach November 22, 2022 – 10:30 am

What is it that Democrats keep saying? Oh, right, “elections have consequences”

McCarthy’s planned expulsions of Intel Democrats prompts howls

A GOP promise to expel two Democrats from the House Intelligence Committee would dramatically escalate partisan warfare over panel assignments, potentially ending the intelligence career of Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) while increasing fears that the new majority intends to trample on minority rights.

The vow by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is busily seeking support for the Speakership in the new House, would diminish the power of two of the most vocal critics of former President Trump in Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) just as the former president has launched a reelection bid.

It is drawing howls of protest from Democrats and also comes as McCarthy promises to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Why would he want them gone?

McCarthy has accused Schiff of lying to the public, both about President Trump’s ties to Moscow and Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine. And he’s gone after Swalwell for his ties to a Chinese spy who had targeted California politicians.

“Eric Swalwell cannot get a security clearance in the public sector. Why would we ever give him a security clearance in the secrets to America? So I will not allow him to be on Intel,” McCarthy told Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo.

“You have Adam Schiff, who had lied to the American public time and again,” McCarthy continued. “We will not allow him to be on the Intel Committee either.“

Has Schiff ever released the information he promised multiple times to release that would show Trump colluded with Russia in 2016? No. Swalwell also stated he had evidence. And, yeah, the whole Fang Fang stuff.

Omar, a former Somali refugee who is one of three Muslims in Congress, is frequently critical of the Israeli government on issues of human rights. Omar’s detractors, including McCarthy, say her comments have at times crossed a line into antisemitism.

Her comments are pure Jew and Israel hatred. There’s no doubt about that. She fully embraces the extremist Muslim viewpoint about Israel and Jews.

The removals, which still require approval of the full House, would mark a sharp escalation in the impassioned partisan debate over who controls the levers of power when it comes to committee assignments — and what sorts of behaviors merit expulsion. Typically, party leaders assign committee seats to their respective members independent of the opposing party.

The GOP has control. They get a say. Pelosi and her Comrades out their pet Republicans, like Cheney and Kinzinger, on the J6 partisan inquiry committee, and removed Republicans from others. Welcome to Politics 101. McCarthy should go scorched earth on Democrats and their committee assignments.

Read: Democrats Whine About McCarthy Planning To Boot Several Wackos From Committees »

Posted in Democrats, GOP, Politics | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Say, What Will The GOP House Do To Stop Biden’s Climate Crisis (scam) Agenda?

By William Teach November 22, 2022 – 7:15 am

Well, really, knowing the GOPe, they’ll probably cave

Will the GOP House halt action on climate change?

Climate change activists and experts fear that the United States may lose its momentum on cutting climate-change-causing greenhouse gases after the new Republican-majority House of Representatives takes control in January.

But, they say, if the Biden administration can protect its signature achievement — the Inflation Reduction Act, which will spend $369 billion over 10 years on deploying electric vehicles and clean energy — and swiftly enact new regulations on pollution from fossil fuels, the United States can meet its pledge to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50% from a 2005 baseline by the end of the decade.

Republican control “very likely means we’re at the end of climate legislating for the first term of the Biden administration,” Jamal Raad, executive director of Evergreen Action, a climate policy advocacy group, told Yahoo News. “Luckily, we’ve already passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the most bold and vast climate investment in American history.”

I have some recommendations. The House should pass legislation requiring Biden to only travel in EVs, to limit his flights to government business only, eliminating Biden’s trips to Delaware. Unless he wants to take the train. End the use of big gas guzzling SUVs for all Executive Office agency heads and advisors. EVs, the bus, trains, bikes. They aren’t smart enough to really put out that kind of bill, which will never pass the Senate, but, would highlight what climahypocrites Democrats are.

In an early sign of how the incoming Republican House majority will approach climate change, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will be eliminated. Rep. Garret Graves, the Louisiana Republican who was his party’s highest-ranking member on the committee, said Republicans will focus their energy agenda on increasing U.S. fossil fuel production and exportation.

They really should pass legislation authorizing fast tracking construction of next gen refineries. But, dumping the climate scam committee is a good start.

This would seem to confirm the pre-election prediction of environmental activists that a Republican Congress would be uninterested in passing legislation to address the climate crisis. “I think the fact that every single Republican voted against the Inflation Reduction Act … tells you everything you need to know about where Republicans stand when it comes to climate change,” Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior vice president of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, told Yahoo News last month.

Well, yeah, it had nothing to do with inflation and everything to do with the climate scam and other far left priorities.

“House Republicans will fight to unleash American energy production, protect our energy security so that we are not reliant on hostile foreign nations, and ensure that our energy sources are clean, affordable and reliable for American families,” Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Republican caucus’s Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force, said in a statement. “A Republican-controlled House will advance policies that invest in clean energy and utilize all energy sources including natural gas, nuclear energy, hydrogen, solar, wind and clean coal.”

It’s a very, very long piece, and, really, there is very little the GOP can do unless the Democrat controlled Senate is willing to play ball on increasing energy. Which they won’t. But, they can stymie Biden and his Democrat Comrades. If they have any fortitude.

Read: Say, What Will The GOP House Do To Stop Biden’s Climate Crisis (scam) Agenda? »

Posted in Democrats, Global Warming, GOP, Joe Biden | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

Surprise: Biden Admin Blames High Price Of Thanksgiving On Russia

By William Teach November 22, 2022 – 7:00 am

In fairness, not everything is really Biden’s fault, or, heck, even China’s for releasing Wuhan Flu. Avian flu has caused a pretty big problem with turkeys. However, for so many other things, starting with eggs, butter, and so much more, Biden has done absolutely nothing to help, and even much to hurt

USDA blames Russia for rising price of Thanksgiving dinner

The Department of Agriculture says Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine is one reason why your Thanksgiving dinner costs more than it did last year.

A USDA memo this month said turkey prices will be higher because of this year’s outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which led to the death of 8 million turkeys in 2022. But USDA also said “Russia’s war on Ukraine and drought across the United States” are other factors that are “pushing up the price of Thanksgiving staples.”

USDA did not respond to questions from Fox News Digital about how Russia’s war against Ukraine is affecting turkey prices. President Biden and his administration have often blamed Russia for the broad increase in inflation and has referred to higher food and energy prices as “Putin’s price hike.”

We get pretty much zero turkeys from Russia. The war in Ukraine has zero effect on turkeys produced in the U.S. We do not get grain from there: the U.S. produces more than enough. Same with potatoes, corn, cranberries (yuck), pumpkins, apples, and everything else on your table.

The Biden administration’s own data, however, shows that inflation began ratcheting up almost immediately after Biden took office in February 2021.

Just before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, the Biden administration reported that consumer prices were up 7.5% in the year ending in January 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Inflation would rise as high as 9.1% in the year ending June 2022, but sharp increases were seen well before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Surprise?

That memo also downplayed the impact that inflation is having on the cost of Thanksgiving dinner compared to non-government estimates. It said the average cost of Thanksgiving retail staples like a fresh turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and green beans will only cost about 1% more this year compared to last year, and that substituting in a frozen turkey means a 6% increase.

But the American Farm Bureau Federation says the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is up 20% compared to last year. The cost of stuffing mix, frozen pie crusts, whipping cream, frozen peas and dinner rolls have all increased by more than 20%, the Farm Bureau said.

I got all my stuff last Tuesday, when I was off (and hobbling around on what might be a broken pinky toe. Nailed on track of sliding shower door, which is getting yanked out and replaced with shower curtain, something I’ve been meaning to do for years). Everything was a bit more expensive. The big jumps really were last year, but, still up more this year. Consider Biden’s war on energy: if it costs more for fuel, those increased shipping costs will be passed on. And that’s just one issue.

Read: Surprise: Biden Admin Blames High Price Of Thanksgiving On Russia »

Posted in Economy, Holidays, Joe Biden | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Is Patagonia’s “Effective Altruism” For Climate Crisis The End Game Of Business Models?

By William Teach November 21, 2022 – 3:00 pm

Well, hey, if a company wants to give away all it’s profits, feel free. What could possibly go wrong?

Is Patagonia the end game for profits in a world of climate change?

Many brands are aligning profits with purpose, but Patagonia’s decision in September to convert its for-profit business to one under which all the profits flow through to fighting climate change is the most complex move yet by a U.S.-based company in the realm of sustainable capitalism. Is it a model for other companies to pursue in the future?

For the family founded firm, it’s in some ways a natural evolution. Patagonia has long been on the vanguard of responsible business practices. As far back as 1985, Patagonia deployed portions of its profits to the environment, via an “Earth tax.”

It’s far from the only well-known U.S. brand to be structured in a way that allows profits to be donated to charitable causes. Newman’s Own, the food brand founded by Hollywood icon Paul Newman, is perhaps the most familiar. Since 1982, Newman’s Own has given 100% of profits to charity, now totaling half a billion dollars in contributions. But that business, with a pure non-profit structure, was more of a “first generation” model for sustainable business, says Tensie Whelan, founding director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. “The Patagonia model is a little more sophisticated.”

Yet while Patagonia made headlines in the U.S. for being a novel marriage of capitalism and charity, similar corporate structures are already in use with several large family-controlled European companies, from Carlsberg to Ikea and Novo Nordisk. “Nothing new in this model,” said Morten Bennedsen, professor of family enterprise at INSEAD and the academic director of the Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise.

It’s all well and good until the sh*t hits the fan and they have no backend money to cover it. And lots of these “effective altruism” companies have a lot of issues with controlling where that money goes. Consider crypotcurrency company FTX, though, admittedly, that is an extreme case.

There are less extreme options for values-driven founders than the paths chosen by Yvon Chouinard and Paul Newman. “Most founders like to maintain control and have for-profit (less altruistic) sensibilities,” Whelan said.

B-Corp status, employee-ownership, and mutual organizations and cooperatives are all models that allow more focus on creating stakeholder value, in addition to shareholder value.

“We are seeing significant growth in these alternative models,” Whelan said.

We’ll see how long it lasts. And, how much of this altruistic money gets pissed away. Who’s going to audit them?

“The tension between growth and environmental impact is one we know well,” Curtis said. “We would be ignoring our commitment to responsible growth if we just maxed out sales for the purpose of giving away more money.  Further, it is important to resist the assumption that our value comes from the money we give away. We don’t think about it like that,” he said. “Our value comes from being a for-profit business and a Benefit Corporation.”

Yet, interestingly, they still have a lot of operations that use a lot of oil. Weird, right?

Yes, that’s North Face, but, Patagonia is the same.

Read: Is Patagonia’s “Effective Altruism” For Climate Crisis The End Game Of Business Models? »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach November 21, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a desert flooded by carbon pollution Bad Weather, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Weasel Zippers, with a post on the UN chief calling for more online censorship.

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Trudeau To Attempt To Justify His Anti-Freedom Truckers Emergency Orders

By William Teach November 21, 2022 – 10:30 am

What, if any, consequences are there if the hearing finds that Trudeau over-stepped his use of powers?

Trudeau went all in against the Freedom Convoy. This week, it’s on him to explain why.

In a rare showing this week, Canada’s prime minister will publicly defend his decision to invoke never-before-used emergency powers to end a weekslong occupation of the nation’s capital last winter.

Justin Trudeau’s highly anticipated testimony will cap six weeks of hearings at a public inquiry that has witnessed extraordinary disclosures of the inner workings of police and government during the protest, which culminated in the Feb. 14 invocation of the Emergencies Act.

The act gave authorities broad new powers they used to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, ban travel to protest sites, prohibit people from bringing children to protests and compel tow trucks to clear out vehicles blocking Ottawa streets. Officials have said those measures, especially the ability to freeze accounts, also helped deter blockades at Canada-U.S. border crossings.

The public inquiry must determine whether Trudeau was justified in using the act. To date, it has heard and seen considerable evidence casting doubt on the Liberal government’s decision.

Police agencies have testified the emergency powers weren’t necessary to end the protest of pandemic public health measures. Senior government officials were shown to have harbored doubts. And perhaps most damaging to the government’s case was a revelation last week that Canada’s national intelligence agency did not find the protests posed a threat to Canada’s security.

In the final week of hearings, it will fall to Trudeau and several of his ministers and senior staff to prove their case: that they needed unprecedented measures to deal with an unprecedented situation.

Everyone pretty much knew that what Trudeau did was unnecessary, and was pretty much authoritarian, measures enacted because those darned peasants dared to defy Trudeau and his vaccine mandates. Sure, the hard-left media tried to morph it into more, but, it really wasn’t, except some others demanding that all the COVID-tyranny rules get dumped.

The border blockades raised concerns about Canada’s reputation as a reliable trading partner, and Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden about the situation on Feb. 11. Three days later, with the Ottawa protests entering their third week, Trudeau employed the Emergencies Act.

The act, passed in 1988, had never been used and is intended only for national emergencies that can’t be resolved by other means. Its predecessor, the War Measures Act, was most recently used by Trudeau’s father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, in response to a series of terrorist attacks by a militant Quebec independence movement in 1970.

Progressives (nice Fascists) will use anything to enforce their Beliefs.

The public inquiry to scrutinize the government’s decision was triggered by use of the act, but it’s unclear what consequences Trudeau will face if the commission finds he didn’t meet the requirements for its invocation. The inquiry is a fact-finding mission rather than a legal trial. (snip)

One recent poll found a majority of Canadians are paying at least some attention to the hearings. But it also found most people’s minds were already made up about the Emergencies Act, and a majority believe the government “made the best choice it could” in deciding to use it.

After all the spin, and time since, yes, perhaps people are feeling different. They should remember that the next person shut down could be themselves. It wasn’t that long ago that Canada was using emergency powers to keep them home, shut down their businesses, and force them to get the vaccine, and it wouldn’t take much to get the power mad leaders to do it again. Once they get power and use it with nary a pushback, well, they’ll feel free to do it again. Most COVID tyrants have paid no price at all. People just accept that government is dominant.

Read: Trudeau To Attempt To Justify His Anti-Freedom Truckers Emergency Orders »

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U.S. Is On The Hook To Pay For Its “Carbon Pollution” Or Something

By William Teach November 21, 2022 – 7:15 am

Yeah, that only works if the relevant documents are submitted to the United States Senate and ratified, and the Carolina Panthers have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl this year then of getting two-thirds votes for it

COP27 wins and losses: U.S. on the hook to pay for its pollution; natural gas gets nod as transition fuel

For the first time ever, rich nations, including a top-polluting U.S., will pay for the climate-change damage inflicted upon poorer nations.

These smaller economies are often the source of the fossil fuels, minerals and other raw materials behind the developed world’s modern conveniences and technologicial advancement, including many practices responsible for the Earth-warming emisisons. And yet the developing world shoulders the worst of the droughts, deadly heat, ruined crops and eroding coastlines that take lives and eat into economic growth.

The deal, called “loss and damage” in summit shorthand, was struck as the U.N.’s Conference of Parties, or COP27, gaveled to a close near dawn Sunday in Egypt. Official talks ended Friday, but negotiations extended into the weekend.

Should have charged the 40,000+ in attendance a huge fee for loss and damage, what with all their fossil fuels usage

It was a big win for poorer nations which have long sought money — sometimes viewed as reparations — because they are often the victims of climate-worsened floods, famines and storms despite contributing little directly to the pollution that heats up the globe. It took last-minute, pre-summit negotiations to even get the topic on the official agenda.

Again, it’s 1st world money transferred to 3rd world nations with zero strings, so those 3rd world nations can continue building coal fired power plants, airports, and enriching the lives of the elites. How much will all those who flew in on private jets paying?

According to many conference participants, the U.S. was a late-stage roadblock to establishing this official payout language, though it signed off in the end. U.S. participation was also impacted once chief climate negotiator John Kerry tested positive for COVID-19, although he continued to work from his hotel.

What are China and India paying?

According to the agreement, the fund would initially draw on contributions from developed countries and other private and public sources such as international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

And where is the authorization from the duly elected Legislative Branch to give this money away?

While major emerging economies such as China wouldn’t automatically have to contribute, that option remains on the table. This is a key demand by the European Union and the U.S., who argue that China and other large polluters currently classified as “developing” countries have the financial clout and responsibility to pay their way.

Oh, there’s China. Pretty much not going to have to give anything, all while they build coal power plants, both in China and in African nations.

Read: U.S. Is On The Hook To Pay For Its “Carbon Pollution” Or Something »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 18 Comments | Trackback URL

Surprise: Senator Warner Says Trump Was Right About TikTok

By William Teach November 21, 2022 – 7:00 am

This had to hurt to say

Dem Sen. Warner says ‘Trump was right’ about banning China’s TikTok, warns parents against letting kids on app

surprise surprise surpriseSen. Mark Warner, D-Va., says former President Donald Trump “was right” to go after the China-owned video-sharing app TikTok.

Warner made the comments during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, telling host Shannon Bream that the app represents a major threat to Americans’ privacy. He also warned parents against allowing their children to download the app on their phones.

“Well, I think Donald Trump was right. I mean, TikTok is an enormous threat,” Warner told Bream. “So, if you’re a parent, and you’ve got a kid on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned. All of that data that your child is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing.”

Warner is only the most recent in a series of U.S. politicians and officials to call for a crackdown on TikTok. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called on regulators to ban the app in the U.S., and FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that it contributes to China’s status as the No. 1 thief of U.S. data in the world.

“China’s vast hacking program is the world’s largest, and they have stolen more Americans’ personal and business data than every other nation combined,” Wray told lawmakers last week, adding specifically of TikTok: “[Dangers] include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations if they so chose or to control software on millions of devices, which gives the opportunity to potentially tactically compromise personal devices.”

For all Trump’s bombastic behavior, he was usually right. And he wasn’t the only one saying it. One of my favorite fun sites, Bored Panda, had a post years ago saying how dangerous it is. But, I’m not going to scroll back to find it, because BP keeps using TikTok posts. Wired says it’s a national security threat. The NY Times said it was dangerous (before taking the opposite view because Trump said it was dangerous). The FCC under Biden says it’s dangerous, especially for kids. Here’s VPN Overview, a site which is all about using VPN, for work, security, and to block

TikTok’s user base mostly consists of children and adolescents, which many consider to be vulnerable groups. This is a main reason for different authorities to express their worries. However, it isn’t just the youth that might be in danger from TikTok. From December 2019 onwards, U.S. military personnel were no longer allowed to use TikTok, as the app was considered a ‘cyber threat’. Privacy regulators from the EU also decided to study TikTok’s privacy policy, and even Reddit’s CEO harshly condemned TikTok’s practices.

VPNOverview took a close look at TikTok and included the most recent research in its analysis. The findings are disturbing. The privacy and security risks that come with TikTok are serious. So, what can you do to limit those risks as much as possible?

That’s right, the US military bans the use of TikTok.

Read: Surprise: Senator Warner Says Trump Was Right About TikTok »

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If All You See…

By William Teach November 20, 2022 – 1:05 pm

…are horrible fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Victory Girls Blog, with a post on Marxists saying misgendering kids is an act of violence.

It’s white tops week!

Read: If All You See… »

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