NY Times: American Democracy Is In Crisis From Republicans Adhering To The Constitution

Of course, this is playing to their unhinged, bat guano insane base, but, it is also reckless in that it whips those same barking moonbats into a frenzy towards violence (non-paywalled Yahoo version here)

‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy

The United States has experienced deep political turmoil several times before over the past century. The Great Depression caused Americans to doubt the country’s economic system. World War II and the Cold War presented threats from global totalitarian movements. The 1960s and ’70s were marred by assassinations, riots, a losing war and a disgraced president.

Riots? Like all the BLM/Antifa ones in 2020? Like Leftists declaring the CHOP zone of Seattle as no longer part of the United States? Taking over police stations? Invading people’s homes and businesses?

These earlier periods were each more alarming in some ways than anything that has happened in the United States recently. Yet during each of those previous times of tumult, the basic dynamics of American democracy held firm. Candidates who won the most votes were able to take power and attempt to address the country’s problems.

The current period is different. As a result, the United States today finds itself in a situation with little historical precedent. American democracy is facing two distinct threats, which together represent the most serious challenge to the country’s governing ideals in decades.

This should be good

The first threat is acute: a growing movement inside one of the country’s two major parties — the Republican Party — to refuse to accept defeat in an election.

J6, blah blah blah. No mention of Democrats still caterwauling over the 2000 election, saying Bush stole it with the help of the Supreme Court. And 2004, Diebold voting machines in Ohio. And Russia Russia Russia for 2016. Weird, right?

The second threat to democracy is chronic but also growing: The power to set government policy is becoming increasingly disconnected from public opinion.

The run of recent Supreme Court decisions — both sweeping and, according to polls, unpopular — highlights this disconnect. Although the Democratic Party has won the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections, a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees seems poised to shape American politics for years, if not decades. And the court is only one of the means through which policy outcomes are becoming less closely tied to the popular will.

Does it need mentioning that we are not a Democracy, ie, mob rule, at the Federal level? That 1. the minority has safeguards from majority tyranny, and 2. we have a Constitution which sets the rules, regardless of public sentiment? Unless that majority can get an Amendment through the process. Or that Democrats will sue when the majority votes, such as California’s ban on gay marriage? And gay marriage bans in other states?

Two of the past four presidents have taken office despite losing the popular vote. Senators representing a majority of Americans are often unable to pass bills, partly because of the increasing use of the filibuster. Even the House, intended as the branch of the government that most reflects the popular will, does not always do so because of the way districts are drawn.

Hmm, that seems to be denying the rules as laid out by the Constitution for presidential election.

“We are far and away the most countermajoritarian democracy in the world,” said Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University and a co-author of the book “How Democracies Die,” with Daniel Ziblatt.

That’s a good thing. The Minority has rights and safeguards. The same Constitutional rules the NY Times is whining about as the second threat keeps Democrats from getting run over in Republican run states. Anyhow, it is a long, wackadoodle piece, ending with

The makeup of the federal government reflects public opinion less closely than it once did. And the chance of a true constitutional crisis — in which the rightful winner of an election cannot take office — has risen substantially. That combination shows that American democracy has never faced a threat quite like the current one.

Yes, the bureaucracy is heavily Democratic Party voters, well above the Republican/Independent/Democrat split. They do not serve the country, they serve their Beliefs. And, as the comment at the Yahoo piece with the most upvotes notes

The biggest threat to the American Democracy is the people that are elected to serve in the House and Senate that do not do the job of representing the people that elected them while at the same time setting themselves up as a pseudo-aristocracy whose only goal is to remain in power. If they would start doing the jobs they were elected to perform there would not be this amount of frustration and dissatisfaction.

Things we could do

  1. Repeal the 17th Amendment, allowing state general assemblies to appoint senators to represent the will of the state, ambassadors to the federal government, as intended. They will do what their states say, not what the big money donors.
  2. Term limits for Representatives. Eight years
  3. Federally elected positions and appointed administrators will not be allowed to trade stock while in office. Period. No trading stock for any federal employee if it is related to the agency they work for
  4. Balanced budget amendment
  5. Those running for the House may not take in more than 10% of their campaign donations from outside of their district. How does it help the people of that district when a goodly chunk comes from outside?
  6. Allocation to federal agencies will be based on what the agencies need, not what they want, reducing overspending, just like at private sector companies
  7. No more allowing cost over-runs when contracting something, unless the agency requests it. If the contractor is running late and over-budget, tough. Fulfill your contract, eat the money.
  8. Fed govt needs to stop funding everything local. Which gives them power over the towns and cities. Such as all the money to police depts, giving the feds power over the police
  9. Lower taxation. Money should be going to your town and state, not so much to feds

Reduce the power of the federal government, returning it to the states. And cities. Where it belongs. People would not need to care that much what is going on in D.C., but, in their town halls and general assemblies. Which are closer to The People. This is not what Progressives, like the folks at the NY Times want. They want a massively powerful federal government which can mandate how citizens live their lives. Yet, they never seem to realize this will apply to their own lives.

Read: NY Times: American Democracy Is In Crisis From Republicans Adhering To The Constitution »

Climate Cultists Already Advocating Moving On From EVs

They’re super excited to force Other People onto buses, trains, and bikes. Of course, one major thing missing is Michael Schneider, founder of Streets for All, explaining how he only uses mass transit and bikes (also available at Yahoo News not behind paywall)

Op-Ed: Think bigger. Switching to electric cars isn’t enough

It might feel like the easy solution — just replace your gas-guzzling SUV with an electric SUV, and if everyone does that, eventually we’ll solve climate change. You can see why California regulators decided last month that by 2035, all new cars sold in the state must be electric. After all, car exhaust is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, so surely switching gas-powered cars to electric ones will make a huge dent in fighting climate change.

Except it doesn’t. For starters, electric cars still pollute. They don’t have tailpipe emissions, but the process of producing and transporting them creates pollution. According to the International Energy Agency, the average gas-powered car will create 41.9 tons of CO2 emissions from the point it’s manufactured until it’s retired, in contrast to 21.1 tons of CO2 from an EV. In other words, while the average EV will pollute about 50% less compared with a gas-powered car, it’s still highly polluting.

There’s also pollution, and other harms, that come before the manufacturing stage, especially in the intensifying global competition to procure rare earth materials (concentrated in China) for EV batteries. In the past, we have often been dependent on the Middle East for oil. Do we want to create a future in which we’re again dependent on countries that may not be aligned with our values for required materials for our transportation system?

In fairness, Michael is correct, however, we would be cutting out the smog produced from internal combustion engines. To hell with CO2, cleaner air would be nice, right? Remember how nice it was for air quality during lockdown? Still doesn’t mean you should be forced into an EV, though

The second issue is power capacity. During the first week in September, California faced a historic heat wave, and alerts were issued asking EV owners to not charge their vehicles during peak times. And this is at a time when only 1.9% of cars operating in California are EVs. What happens when that number is 5%? Or 20%? Without a dramatic increase in power production from clean sources, it won’t be possible to supply power to all the EVs without ramping up use of coal and natural gas for electricity generation, increasing emissions from fossil fuels.

So, wait, EVs aren’t the solution? Weird. Has he told People’s Republik of California governor Gavin Newsom and President Brandon?

If all cars were electric, we would still spend a disproportionate amount of money building and maintaining car infrastructure, with little left over to build world-class high-speed rail, bus or bike infrastructure inside and between our cities. We would still have outdated parking requirements for developers — which drive up the cost of housing and aggravate sprawl. And because EVs typically weigh more than their gas-powered counterparts, and heavier vehicles wear down the road faster, we will need to spend even more money on maintenance over the long term.

Electric cars aren’t a panacea to solve climate change. They can be part of the solution, but a myopic focus on electric cars as the solution prevents us from seeing so many other ideas. We need a future with fewer cars (electric or not) and much more public transit and bike usage. We need a complete rethink of how we use our public space, and better infrastructure so people can take short trips without using a car.

And there we go, the climate cult is already pushing away from EVs. At least for you peasants.

Read: Climate Cultists Already Advocating Moving On From EVs »

If All You See…

…is an evil fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Jihad Watch, with a post on an activist nutritionist saying eating right is raaaaacist.

Second photo below the fold, so, check out Pacific Pundit, with a post on MSNBC showing migrants thanking DeSantis for sending them to Martha’s Vineyard.

Read More »

Read: If All You See… »

White House Says Surging Resources To Border Or Something

Good thing we have a press that is going to press the Biden administration for answers, eh?

White House says it’s ‘surging’ resources to Texas to address migrant influx but offers no details

The Biden administration says it is “surging” resources to El Paso, where migrants with nowhere else to go are sleeping in the streets while they scrape together bus money or await immigration proceedings.

Pressed to say what the administration is doing to help migrants, with homeless shelters mostly overwhelmed in Texas’ sixth-largest city, the White House did not elaborate and deferred to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to request for comment.

“They’ve been surging resources to the region and working to quickly decompress the area,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

Migrants not immediately expelled are screened and processed to have their asylum claims heard by immigration judges in removal proceedings, Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre should have been pressed to answer exactly what the Biden admin is doing. If your friend made a dubious claim, you’d press them, would you not? Or your kids? A coworker or subordinate? But, the media just lets it go, probably sent an email over to Homeland, then moved on. Nor did they ask how many are being allowed to hang in the U.S. vs immediate deportation. Nor should any be allowed to simply roam free and clear till their asylum claim hearing, which most will not qualify for.

Border Patrol Chief in El Paso addresses migrant concerns from law enforcement, lawmakers

El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief, Gloria Chavez, said agents didn’t release any migrants into the streets.

Chavez said the Border Patrol is making changes to the way it’s handing this latest surge while they deal with a harsh reality.

“As the chief of the Border Patrol in this region, I don’t want to release people into the community. That is something that is not ok with us,” Chavez said. “The reality is that my central processing center is at capacity. I am holding right now, 2,700 people in a facility that is authorize to hold 1,040.

She explained the overflow lot is holding 500 people who are waiting to be processed at the moment.

Still no Kamala at the border to view an area overrun with migrants

During the intake, agents review fingerprints, photograph migrants for biometrics.

“We want to know who they are. If we have any criminals within these groups coming in, they are not going to be released into that community,” Chavez said.

Released? Why not immediately deported?

Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents a portion of El Paso, shared his concerns about the surge.

“Right now, the Border Patrol is getting about 1,300 migrants a day and the city of El Paso is getting further behind,” Gonzales said.

Yet, Martha’s Vineyard declared an emergency over 50

Gonzales said a handful of Border Patrol agents are able to patrol the border due to the time spent processing migrants.

“On any shift, in El Paso, you have about eight Border Patrol agents in the field. Everyone else is processing. Essentially, there is nobody out in the field to cover this. Meanwhile there is no end in sight,” Gonzales said.

Does that look like a surge?

Read: White House Says Surging Resources To Border Or Something »

Brandon Really Excited To Push Floating Wind Turbines

I can think of the perfect place for the first ones

Biden plans floating platforms to expand offshore wind power

The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to develop floating platforms in the deep ocean for wind towers that could power millions of homes and vastly expand offshore wind in the United States.

The plan would target sites in the Pacific Ocean off the California and Oregon coasts, as well as in the Atlantic in the Gulf of Maine.

President Joe Biden hopes to deploy up to 15 gigawatts of electricity through floating sites by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes. The administration has previously set a goal of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the ocean floor. (snip)

The Biden administration “is all-in on making floating offshore wind a real part of our of our energy mix and winning the global race to lead in this space,” Granholm said. ”And that’s why we set this big, hairy audacious goal” of 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2035.

It’s not quiet deep water, but, how about

Think he’d be good with a bunch of floating wind turbines right there? Or regular ones? Or, will he try and block them like John Kerry and Ted Kennedy did for the Cape Wind project?

Understand, I’m not against this. I’m for it. I think it’s a great idea. We have to account for rough seas and storms and running the power lines, along with upkeep, but, sure, take advantage of the wind which is free without ruining the view. And not having massive concrete pads like for onshore ones. But, you know the Elite climate cultists will not want to see them. And, if they’d stop pushing this stuff because of ‘climate change’, they’d get more support.

 

Read: Brandon Really Excited To Push Floating Wind Turbines »

Daily Beast Demonizes Half The Country, Calling MAGAs Violent And Hateful

No mention of the BLM/Antifa riots, looting, pillaging, arson, attempted murder, much of which still continues, but, the Left has control of the media, so, this is looking much like 1930’s Germany and Italy

It’s Time to Call MAGA a National Security Threat

Former President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement’s full-throated embrace of violent extremism and hateful conspiracy theories has given President Joe Biden and Democrats a perfect opening to officially declare MAGA and its allies as an active terror threat.

Ideally, President Biden would have made this announcement at the United We Stand Summit held at the White House, attended by diverse community leaders from across the nation to discuss best strategies and practices to counter hate-fueled violence affecting our democracy and public safety. But the opportunity remains.

If we are to be blunt and honest, this “hate-fueled violence” that is threatening all of our communities is primarily coming from a single source: an incestuous network of MAGA actors, promoted by the GOP and right-wing media, who have increasingly threatened law enforcement, Democrats, educators, poll watchers, doctors, Republicans who don’t support Trump, and anyone and every institution that stands in the way of their white Christian nationalist utopia.

Look, if they want to start a civil war, keep it up. If we wanted to really be what they’re accusing us of, well, we own way more guns than the left does, and we know how to use them. The piece continues to demonize Republicans, including name Libs Of TikTok, who simply posts videos made by insane leftists

One would think these revelations in light of the recent violence would be leading the news cycle. However, since Trump is a white man, and the criminal suspects aren’t Muslim, there is no War on Terror. Instead, some media outlets are bending over backward to court Republican viewers and criticize President Biden for speaking in front of U.S. marines, like Republican and Democratic presidents have done many times before him.

Well, I didn’t see the raaaaacism aspect coming in, did you? Not really that surprising, since the left likes to stoke the flames of racial animosity.

According to the FBI, domestic terrorism is defined as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” In case you’ve forgotten, thousands of Trump’s supporters were, in part, incited by him to attack the nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6 as part of his failed coup attempt to overthrow our democracy. They were armed with guns, baseball bats, stun guns, flagpoles wielded as clubs, pepper spray, rope, and one suspect allegedly planted bombs. Their actions fit the FBI’s definition to a T.

We can’t dismiss them as outliers. They are not the exception. They are the GOP’s base.

See, if you believe in things like the Constitution, freedom, low taxes, limited government, personal responsibility, working hard, and aren’t a Woke nutjob, you’re a terrorist. Why not just split the country now? The compact has been broken.

Read: Daily Beast Demonizes Half The Country, Calling MAGAs Violent And Hateful »

Mass. Sends National Guard To Martha’s Vineyard Over Migrants

They really are freaking out

Massachusetts Activates 125 National Guardsmen To Support 50 Illegal Migrants In Martha’s Vineyard

Massachusetts is activating 125 national guardsmen to help transport the 50 illegal immigrants who recently arrived at the island of Martha’s Vineyard late Wednesday off the island, Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday.

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday as part of the state’s program transporting illegal migrants to sanctuary cities. Massachusetts is now activating its national guard and offering to transport the migrants to Joint Base Cape Cod, Baker announced.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is coordinating with state and local officials to provide food and shelter, according to CBS. Baker said locals had provided temporary shelter to the migrants but were unable to help them long-term.

One of the richest cities in America cannot take care of 50 illegals? Oh, right, they do not want The Poors around the high class and fancy-todo area of Martha’s Vineyard. Diversity is for those Other Areas.

The move to the military base will be voluntary, according to Baker, who noted that Joint Base Cape Cod has previously housed people fleeing Hurricane Katrina and served as a medical site during for COVID-19. It will now offer food and shelter, healthcare and legal services to the 50 migrants, according to Baker.

Voluntary, huh?

I’m sure it’s voluntary when they see the NG decked out in full uniform and carrying weapons, right?

Read: Mass. Sends National Guard To Martha’s Vineyard Over Migrants »

If All You See…

…is a horrible Rich Person pool causing climate change, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Powerline, with a post wondering when a protest is a stunt.

Read: If All You See… »

Important Information: Grading Toilet Paper For Climate (scam) Impacts

How many different ways are there to say that these people are nuts? This is some serious 7 beers short of a 6 pack stuff

Scorecard grades toilet paper brands in terms of climate change impact

Americans use an estimated 36.5 billion rolls of toilet paper every year and the average consumer will go through the equivalent of 384 trees just for toilet paper in the course of a lifetime. Deforestation causes a range of environmental problems, including loss of wildlife habitats and biodiversity. It also contributes to climate change, since trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, which is the most common greenhouse gas.

If only the toilet paper companies would do things like replant trees. Oh, and when are Warmists giving up their own use of toilet paper?

Amid a growing interest in which brands use the best sustainability practices, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental advocacy organization, analyzed the sourcing of the largest brands of toilet paper, facial tissue and paper towels on the U.S. market. Its resulting scorecard, released on Wednesday, gives failing sustainability grades to most of the biggest household names.

The four-largest name brands in the country — Angel Soft, Charmin, Cottonelle, and Quilted Northern — all received an F.

Will this stop anyone from using them? How about you Warmists, will you switch?

“As this year’s scorecard shows, the largest tissue brands in America are failing the climate, communities, and biodiversity by continuing to create their products from forests like the Canadian boreal, which stores more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem,” wrote NRDC’s Ashley Jordan in a blog post explaining the ratings. The largest brands, she added, are made “almost exclusively from virgin forest fiber and fail to avoid sourcing from primary forests.”

And your bum thanks them, especially the morning after a spicy dinner

Of the 58 types of toilet paper scored by NRDC, 12 received either an A or A+ because they are made from post-consumer recycled paper. The vast majority of those are specifically eco-conscious products, including Green Forest, Natural Value, Nature’s Promise, Seventh Generation Soft and Strong, and Marcal 100% Recycled.

Most of those tend to be either more expensive, fall apart too easy, or not as soft. Or all three.

Some environmental experts say that replanting is not an adequate substitute for preserving existing trees. Cutting down trees can destroy wildlife habitats, which are not immediately replaced by a much younger and smaller tree in its place. A 2019 study also found that new trees have less nutrients, due to the effect of logging on soil. Replanted trees are often also all of the same species, creating a less rich ecosystem than what is found in nature and making the forest more susceptible to infestation by fungus or invasive species.

Aren’t carbon credits and offsets based on planting trees? Sigh. Anyhow, these people are just wackadoodle for grading toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissues. They really are. These are people who’s lives are so good that they can waste time like this.

Read: Important Information: Grading Toilet Paper For Climate (scam) Impacts »

Fog Could Maybe Possibly Be Disappearing From San Francisco Due To Climate Doom

This is all your fault, you know

Behind the paywall link, which I’m reading using Pocket

It was the first morning of summer, the start of fog season. But the sky above the Golden Gate Bridge remained clear and blue.

Chris Dzierman, a bridge painter and foreman, looked to the west. Near the horizon, where water usually meets sky, a thick fog bank lurked. He wondered if and when it would roll in, as fog usually does on summer afternoons, smothering the bridge and beyond in wind and whiteness.

“It could last three minutes or three hours,” Mr. Dzierman said. “It’s fog. It’s got a mind of its own.”

Every summer, fog breathes life into the Bay Area. But people who pay attention to its finer points, from scientists to sailors, city residents to real estate agents, gardeners to bridge painters, debate whether there is less fog than there used to be, as both science and general sentiment suggest.

“Suggest” is not science.

The ecological, economic and social effects of fog are profound, perhaps no more than in Northern California. Changes would be life-altering. But understanding fog is one of science’s toughest tricks. Quantifying the changes and determining possible causes, including global warming, is climatology’s version of chasing ghosts.

So, they really do not know? They’re going to prognosticate doom on chasing ghosts. Skipping way deep

Otto Klemm, a professor of climatology at the University of Münster in Germany, is more certain. He has studied data from airports all over the world.

“Fog has decreased, more or less everywhere,” he said, attributing the link both to climate change and to lower levels of air pollution, as water droplets have fewer particulates to cling to. “Of about 1,000 stations, 600 or 700 show a statistically significant decrease. All over Europe, all over North America, South America — everywhere.”

So, cleaner air is reducing fog? Huh. You need to pay penance for this.

Read: Fog Could Maybe Possibly Be Disappearing From San Francisco Due To Climate Doom »

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