…are pieces of land now separated due to a rising sea, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Pacific Pundit, with a post on Wimbledon going Woke.
Doubleshot below the fold, check out neo-neocon with a post on Biden’s new record approval rating.
Read: If All You See… »
This is really all for show. The GOP controls the general assembly. Will they go for it? Or are the Democrats simply attempting to say “look, we’re offering up A Plan”?
NC democrats discuss potential gas refund for drivers
Senate Democrats are proposing sending a rebate check to drivers across the state to help with the rising cost of gas.
Under a bill filed this week, all adults with a valid North Carolina driver’s license as of March 31 would get a check or debit card for $200.
“The top, top issue we’re hearing is about food prices, gas prices, that they cannot afford anything. So, I think we would really be doing a disservice to the people of North Carolina if we gaveled out of this short session and do absolutely nothing about it,” said Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham County).
Democrats propose using $1.3 billion of the state’s anticipated $4.2 billion surplus this year to pay for their plan.
“We know that this is something the state can afford,” Murdock said. “I just think it’s very difficult to deny folks the funding they need to feed their families and to survive when we have such a great surplus.”
It would equate to, at the moment, about 46 gallons of gas. Many economists say this is better than suspending the state gas tax, which pays for the roads (our roads are actually pretty good). The better option would be to build more energy sources, including regular and natural gas wells. How about authorizing a refinery and nuclear energy? Of course, because the federal government is way too involved in state affairs, they would, at best, take forever to authorize. Most likely they would simply nix any attempt.
Lauren Horsch, a spokesperson for Republican Senate leader Phil Berger, was critical of the rebate idea.
“A one-time rebate that doesn’t cover the average additional monthly cost of Biden’s inflation is nothing more than a band-aid. If we want to help North Carolinians afford their everyday expenses, we should focus on real long-term, permanent tax relief,” she wrote in an email.
I’ll be honest, tax relief can only go so far with Brandonflation.
In his budget proposal earlier this month, Gov. Cooper did not suggest any tax cuts. He did call for additional raises for state workers, putting more money into reserve funds and various other changes to the budget.
So, Cooper is basically looking to hook up a bunch of his donors and voters. In fairness, the average salary for a NC government worker is $46,910, while the private sector is $56,518. In a lot of states, and with the federal government, the public sector employees typically make more than the private sector. But, really, should government workers be making more than private sector? Anyhow, if Democrats want to do something like a rebate, and Republicans agree, make it $400 if there is going to be that much of a budget surplus. Cut the gas tax, which is $0.385 per gallon for regular and diesel, in half. Heck, how about this: cut the tax for diesel for work vehicles for the rest of the year, which would help alleviate some of the costs associated with deliveries.
Read: NC Democrats Trot Out Plan To Send Drivers $200 For Gas »
Hey, Democrats couldn’t defund the military in the 70’s, so, why not destroy it from within? They’re doing a great job, with all the Woke, social justice, CRT, calling every white person a white supremacist, forcing out competent and capable service members, letting in the gender confused, putting people with serious mental health issues and suicidal thoughts around military grade weapons, giving them trans services, and so on. This would be the final straw in making it worthless in defending the U.S.
Senator Wants DoD Climate Change Goals Locked into Law
As the military services roll out their climate change plans, a key senator is pushing to ensure the goals are met by enshrining them in law.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and an Army National Guard veteran, is introducing a bill Thursday that would set renewable energy goals for the Defense Department that match targets the military services have announced in recent months.
It’s important to codify the goals, Duckworth said, “so that it isn’t dependent on who happens to be secretary of defense.”
“We don’t want a project to get underway and then for it to wane,” Duckworth added in a phone interview with Military.com. “One of the things that needs to happen in order for the pivot away from fossil fuels to be effective is a long-term investment.”
In other words, she wants it baked in so a Republican president can’t say “to hell with this doomsday cult crap, we aren’t doing it.” Of course, Biden is completely ignoring all the laws on the border. Oh, and the Constitution, which requires the President and the Congress to protect the nation from invasion.
The bill would also codify goals to reduce emissions from Defense Department operations by at least 65% by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050; from installations procurement by 20% by 2024 and net-zero emissions by 2050; and from buildings on installations by 50% by 2032 and net-zero by 2045.
It would also set a goal of buying only zero-emission non-tactical vehicles by 2035, including zero-emission light-duty vehicles by 2027, and to work toward buying only zero-emission tactical vehicles by 2045.
China is loving this bill, along with other U.S. enemies.
Read: Who’s Up For Climate Cult Being Locked In By Law For Military? »
They could investigate why a door was left open. Why the police response was so messed up. Why no one reported all the threats and violence from the Texas shooter, the danger. Same as in oh so many cases. Nope, Democrats want to use the time of the U.S. Congress to score points to whip up their unhinged base
House Oversight investigating gun manufacturers after Uvalde mass shooting
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has opened an investigation into five gun manufacturers in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school earlier this week that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Driving the news: Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), who chairs the committee, sent letters to the companies Thursday. She requested information regarding the manufacturing, sale and marketing of semi-automatic rifles that have been used in many of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history. (snip)
What they’re saying: “Our country faces an epidemic of gun violence, which is now the leading cause of death for children in the United States,” Maloney said in a statement Friday.
“I am deeply concerned that gun manufacturers continue to profit from the sale of weapons of war, including the AR-15- style assault rifle that a white supremacist used to murder ten people last week in Buffalo, New York, and the AR-15-style assault rifle that was reportedly used this week in the massacre of at least 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas,” she added.
They continue to profit because people are willing to purchase the firearms. The gun manufacturers sure profit from selling firearms to the U.S. government, for, say, protection of members of Congress.
The big picture: Maloney sent the letters to Daniel Defense, Bushmaster, Sig Sauer, Smith &Wesson Brands and Sturm, Ruger & Company on Thursday, requesting they respond to several questions by June 2.
She’s skirting very close to the line of accusing them of criminal activity, and could be defamation. She might find herself on the wrong side of lawsuits. The letters include these questions
She also wants a ton of other private company documents, such as marketing, analyses, and others. Hopefully, the companies either tell her to pound sand, explaining that she’s a public servant, not an Inquisitor, or show up without any requested material and tell her to pound sand, explaining she’s overstepped her boundary as a public servant. Because what Maloney really wants to do is create a soundbyte and thunder circus for the news and gun grabbers. What does any of this have to do with stopping nutjobs?
Read: House Democrats To Investigate….Gun Makers In Wake Of Texas Shooting »
If only you had agreed to give up you money, freedom, and life choices to the climate cult this wouldn’t happened. Because elephants never attacked humans ever
Elephants Are Attacking Humans As Climate Change Pushes Them to the Brink
Elephants are known for being gentle giants. But climate change is beginning to take its toll, with attacks on humans increasing as global temperatures rise.
In India, 500 people are thought to be killed by elephants every year, mainly in crop-raiding incidents. In 2021, India Today reported that 3,310 people had died from elephant attacks in the last 7 years. As incidents like this increase, so has retaliation from villagers. In 2001, 60 elephants were found dead across North East India and Sumatra as crop poisoning became a popular form of retaliation.
In parts of Africa, elephants are increasingly entering farmlands in search of food and water, particularly during harvesting seasons. In 2018, a herd of 28 elephants destroyed 18 homesteads and fences, in Namibia village, Otjorute. Another notable incident in 2021 saw a group of elephants invading farms in Ngaremara, Northern Kenya. At the time, farmers threatened to kill the elephants, before animal welfare groups intervened.
Sounds more like people are encroaching on the elephants terrain, and elephants not putting up with this.
Elephants are known for their gentle nature, but they can become aggressive when they feel harassed, vulnerable or threatened. And climate change appears to be creating these conditions more and more frequently.
Niki Rust, an environmental social scientist specializing in human and wildlife conflict, told Newsweek that elephants do become more aggressive when temperatures increase—and last year saw some of the most extreme heatwaves across the globe, particularly in their native countries.
So, studies were done, checking the veracity of the claim? Oh, right, no, this is a doomsday cult, hence, they will jump right into blaming anthropogenic climate change. This whole piece is anecdotal, offers zero scientific proof. But, they do not care, because there are enough mushy headed climate cultists to caterwaul about the plight of the elephants.
Read: Your Fault: ‘Climate Change’ Causing Elephants To Attack Humans »
…are homes in the mountains to avoid the coming devastating sea rise, you might just be a Warmist
The blog of the day is Sultan Knish, with a post on Biden’s terror exemption for the blind Sheik’s terror group.
Read: If All You See… »
People always talk about the Biden admin reacting to everything happening, rather than getting ahead of the curve. Of course, government getting ahead of the curve is difficult in any government. That’s just the setup. What is it called when an administration is not just reacting, but, reacting months and months and months behind? Even a year behind?
White House Eyes Restarting Idle Refineries to Tame Fuel Prices
The Biden administration is reaching out to the oil industry to inquire about restarting shuttered refineries, as the White House scrambles to address record high-gasoline prices that are setting off political alarm bells ahead of the midterm elections.
Members of the National Economic Council and other officials have inquired within the industry about factors that led some refining operations to be curtailed and if plans are underway to restart capacity, a person familiar with the matter said. The person, who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record, added no direct ask to restart operations was made.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The administration’s efforts come as the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline stood at a record $4.60 Wednesday, just as the summer driving season is set to begin. In California, prices are more than $6 a gallon, according to AAA.
The pandemic shut down capacity by 4.5%. Doesn’t seem like much, but, it can make a difference. Many that closed due to the pandemic never reopened. Those that can reopen can take quite a bit of time to restart. The demand erosion created an issue with the refineries in the U.S. and around the world. Many do not want to restart, having shifted production to something else. Even if crude oil production was at full capacity, it is a matter of shipping it to the refineries, which are in short supply.
And Biden is a year behind on this. Really, though, you should expect the Biden admin to not want them online. They want high gas prices.
More than 1 million barrels a day of the country’s oil refining capacity — or about 5% overall — has shut since the beginning of the pandemic. Elsewhere in the world, capacity has shrunk by 2.13 million additional barrels a day, energy consultancy Turner, Mason & Co. estimates. And with no plans to bring new US plants online, even though refiners are reaping record profits, the supply squeeze is only going to get worse.
Remember, Democrats were not allowing new refineries to come online over the past 30-40 years, so, then we do have to rely on overseas refineries, who were also shuttered.
Read: Team Brandon Slow Walks Restarting Shuttered Refineries »
This is very upsetting for Jacobin Magazine. Yes, the pure, ultra-Socialist magazine. They tell you what they want. They tell you they are Socialists. Even Biden’s actions are good enough for them
Biden Is Aiming to Destroy a Historic Climate Change Lawsuit
Any day now, a federal circuit court is expected to deliver a ruling that would allow a historic climate change lawsuit to proceed to trial.
If and when the case moves forward, however, it faces a major obstacle: President Joe Biden’s Justice Department.
The lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, was brought by twenty-one young plaintiffs in 2015 and seeks to establish a federal, constitutional right to a livable planet. If the case is successful, any federal policies that enable more fossil fuel development could be challenged as unconstitutional.
But the Obama and Trump administrations both vehemently fought the lawsuit, and now those close to the case say that Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicated it will also use every procedural tool at its disposal to prevent the lawsuit from ever getting a trial.
“I have asked [them] very directly, if we win this motion, and we can move forward with the case, do you intend to go to trial?” Julia Olson, the lead plaintiff’s lawyer, told us. “Their response has always been something along the lines of, ‘It is our position that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction and that this case should never go to trial.’”
Well, the court really doesn’t have jurisdiction, hence why Obama’s DOJ worked to block it.
Juliana v. United States was ambitious from the start. The plaintiffs are asking a federal court system, stacked with right-wing judges backed by the fossil fuel industry, to enshrine a constitutional right to a livable climate. But the plaintiffs point to what they’ve pulled off thus far as evidence it’s achievable.
The courts have no standing to determine this. Period.
For example, Oregon district court judge Ann Aiken wrote in a procedural ruling on the case in 2016, “I have no doubt that the right to a climate system capable of sustaining human life is fundamental to a free and ordered society.” That was the first time a federal US judge declared that such a constitutional right existed.
And, the loopy climate cult judge is 100% wrong. But, it does beg the question “what are the conditions of this climate system?” What is the proper temperature? Weather systems? And how do we think we can control this when we’ve seen multiple cool periods during the Holocene, and multiple warm periods, many of which were warmer than today?
If it makes it to the Supreme Court, it will be shot down.
Read: Biden’s DOJ Messing Up A “Historic” Climate Crisis (scam) Lawsuit Or Something »
It’s all about appearing to Do Something and getting the votes
Democrats aim for modest deal on guns
Senate Democrats say they are ready to accept a modest deal on gun-control legislation as they are eager to get something done in response to mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, even if it falls below their ambitions of previous years.
A bipartisan group of nine senators met Thursday afternoon to chart out a path for negotiations.
They say their top priorities are proposals to expand background checks and encourage states to set up red-flag laws to prohibit people deemed dangerous to themselves or others from owning firearms.
Democrats acknowledged from the outset that whatever deal they get is likely to be modest since it needs at least 10 Republican votes to overcome a filibuster. (big snip)
Nineteen states already have red flag laws on the books, including New York, where a 18-year-old shooter killed 10 people with an AR-15 assault rifle at a Buffalo supermarket. Connecticut enacted the nation’s first red flag law in 1999 but that didn’t stop a 20-year-old shooter from killing 26 people at Sandy Hook with a Bushmaster assault-style rifle.
Even though Texas really doesn’t have one, it wouldn’t have stopped that nutter as well. The kid was apparently violent and abusive and threatening. And “expanded background checks” wouldn’t have caught that, either, nor, potentially, the others. Laws only work if people pay attention to them, if law enforcement enforces them. How many people will you see who blow off stop signs today and face no consequences?
The question here is, “what happens if they get these laws?” Will Democrats attempt to implement a death by a thousand papercuts process to get even more and strong restrictions? The devil is in the details of the background checks proposal: does it require registration of all firearms with the government? Do the Democrats then want even tougher then tougher then tougher gun control which primarily hits the law abiding, rather than the criminals?
How about this proposal: if someone wants to sell their firearm privately, they should be required to fill out a form that shows the ID number of the gun, notes that the buyer must go get a background check within 2 days, and it be notarized and filed at either a county/city clerk office, police station, or Sheriff’s office. That puts the burden on the buyer, not the seller. It means someone has the papers, and can follow through.
How about locking the doors for entry into schools? Having armed security at the main entrance?
The Blumenthal-Graham bill would empower law enforcement officers to file a petition with a federal court requesting that someone deemed to be danger be prohibited from owning a firearm. Their proposal would allow that person a speedy hearing to protest the order.
“It’s a grant program,” said Graham. “We’re not federalizing this. We’re trying to incentivize best business practices at the state level.”
Yeah, they’re federalizing this, and, there’s no way it is speedy.
Read: Democrats Aim For Modest Gun Control Measures That Wouldn’t Have Stopped Shootings »
It’s always something with this crowd, isn’t it?
Activists fear a new threat to biodiversity—renewable energy
A small Nevada wildflower named Tiehm’s buckwheat might still be living in obscurity if it had not happened to grow in soil full of lithium. As it is, that could prove its downfall.
Lithium is needed to make the high-powered batteries that are helping the world transition to electric vehicles. Demand is soaring, and mining companies are eager to take it out of the ground at several new sites in Nevada, already home to the only existing lithium mine in the U.S.
But Tiehm’s buckwheat is rarer than lithium. It grows only on approximately 10 acres of land at Rhyolite Ridge in southwestern Nevada—right where one of the new lithium mines is planned.
“One guy on a bulldozer could drive it extinct in one afternoon,” says Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin Director for the Center for Biological Diversity and one of the flower’s biggest advocates.
He and some other conservationists see the flower and the mine as emblematic of a broad and disturbing trend: There is a growing conflict, they say, between efforts to address two environmental crises—a rapidly warming climate on the one hand, and a staggering rise in extinction on the other.
Mining isn’t the only way the renewable energy revolution is affecting landscapes, in the desert and elsewhere. In the past decade, solar- and wind-powered electricity generation has quadrupled in the U.S.— and that’s just the beginning of what experts say we need to do to transition away from fossil fuels and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. By 2030, Nevada plans to get half its electricity from renewable energy, in line with the Biden Administration’s goal to decarbonize the economy completely by 2050.
The result is what some activists describe as a renewable energy land rush putting rare species and untouched desert ecosystems at risk.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. How about we keep the good migrants who just want a better life and to be part of the American dream and deport the eco and climate wackos?
Read: Bummer: Renewable Energy Is A Threat To Biodiversity Or Something »
All posts here are my views. None represent my employer. If ye can prove me wrong, so be it. Ye can rant and rave at me, but be mostly polite to any other commentors. I will put up with quite a bit, but be mostly respectful to others.
NOTICE In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some material on this web site is provided without permission from the copyright owner, only for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use" non-profit educational purposes, without permission of the copyright owner.
Pirate's Cove by Pirate's Cove is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
