New Zealand Threatens To Crack Down On COVID Protesters

By William Teach February 16, 2022 – 8:18 am

See, the problem here is that the protesters are protesting against government authority at a government building, the Parliament. The Powers That Be do not like when their Subjects use their Constitutional Rights to protest government to actually protest government

New Zealand’s PM signals harsher stance on vaccine protest

New Zealand’s prime minister on Monday said protesters who oppose coronavirus mandates were using “intimidation and harassment,” as authorities appeared to take a harsher stance toward the convoy of demonstrators that has disrupted the capital of Wellington for nearly a week.

Police initially let the protesters set up tents and camp on the grounds of New Zealand’s Parliament before arresting 122 people on Thursday and then backing off again. The size of the protest dropped to a few hundred last week but increased again to around 3,000 over the weekend.

Speaking with reporters, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern signaled the thinning patience of authorities.

“I very clearly have a view on the protesters and the way that they’ve conducted their protest because it has moved beyond sharing a view to intimidation and harassment of the people around central Wellington,” she said. “That cannot be tolerated.”

Notice that not one shred of evidence is offered for this “intimidation and harassment.” No stories, no anectodes, nothing. Nor did the press ask her (it’s an AP article). Which means that the elected officials, including Ardern, are simply annoyed that the plebes would dare protest government. Remember, it was the government that started getting frisky first, what with arresting people engaged in protesting peaceably, free speech, and association, then loudly playing songs people do not like, then turning the sprinklers on. Much like in Canada, she’s attempting to label the protesters as something they’re not in order to squelch their Constitutional Rights.

Ardern said the timing of the mass camp out couldn’t be worse.

“At the very point where we are seeing an increase in cases, and an increase in risk to the public health and wellbeing of New Zealand, they want to see removed the very measures that have kept us safe, well and alive,” she said.

So what? They have the right to protest. Of freedom of expression.

(MSN) Copycat demonstrations have already cropped up in countries around the world, from the United States and France to Israel and New Zealand. Each has taken aim at vaccine mandates and other pandemic-related restrictions and sought to challenge elected governments. So far the immediate political effect has been fairly limited because the people protesting constitute a minority just about everywhere (though sometimes a fairly robust one).

But that doesn’t diminish the potency of this specific act of dissent, which has already proven quite effective at delivering a swift kick in the Achilles’ heel of the center-left politicians and parties the world over. The trucker protests have gone a long way toward demonstrating the limits of the progressive capacity to represent the interests and outlook of the working class. (snip)

But this isn’t at all the way progressives have responded to the trucker protests in Canada and elsewhere. From elected officials to commentators in the media, the tone of the reaction has been closer to outright contempt. And the reason why is obvious: The truckers aren’t pursuing progressive aims. They’re taking a stand against public health regulations and restrictions imposed by progressive governments, and that has angered the powers that be.

They’re protesting directly against government authority, including against authority the government has taken which it doesn’t really have. They were fine with the BLM/Antifa protests, even with the violence, property damage, ruined businesses, etc, because those were asking for more government. Nor does it matter if any of these protests are popular: Rights are Rights. Either support them or admit you are for a Fascist government.

Read: New Zealand Threatens To Crack Down On COVID Protesters »

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Most Common Excuses For Not Buy An EV Are Debunked Or Something

By William Teach February 15, 2022 – 3:00 pm

The funny part about these types of articles is that the author almost never says they bought and drive an EV themselves

The most common excuses for not buying an electric vehicle are mostly unfounded

Electric vehicleThis article is reprinted by permission from NerdWallet. 

As more Americans consider an electric car, many shoppers still have questions and concerns — some of which are actually outdated or unfounded.

This year will see the release of more electric cars — and even pickup trucks — prompting 27% of likely shoppers to say they would consider buying an electric car in the next four years, according to a study by J.D. Power. And the popularity of EVs continues to rise. While auto sales were down 21% year over year in the final quarter of 2021, mostly due to parts shortages, sales of electric vehicles rose 72%, according to Kelley Blue Book analysts.

Despite a surge in popularity and improved capability, the common objections to buying an EV continue to be “all the usual suspects,” says Stewart Stropp, senior director of automotive retail at J.D. Power.

Popularity? With whom? The upper middle class and the rich? There are 5 excuses, the first being “Limited range.” Yes, range is better the more expensive you go. Then

Few charging stations

Nearly half of respondents in the J.D. Power study cited doubts about the charging infrastructure. Stropp again sees a disconnect because nearly all EV owners charge at home.

The typical driver would make as few as six stops at a public charging station every year, Stropp says. “But a more robust network of fast charging stations would help alleviate buyers’ concerns.”

Huh what? 6? Are these people driving 700-1000 miles a year? What do people in apartments do? How about those with townhomes in NYC who park on the streets? Is there a way to keep hooligans from disconnecting and messing up chargers?

Then “limited selection and utility.” Well, how well would they work to replace, say, a minivan? And “lack of information.” Perhaps they should have said “media who lies”, because we get quite a bit of that, especially about the tax credits. And here’s the biggie

4. Too expensive

The extra expense of getting an electric car was cited as an obstacle by 43% of respondents in a 2020 survey conducted by Consumer Reports. While the purchase price of EVs looks higher than gas cars, that perspective ignores the big picture. In fact, “consumers can save a lot of money in the long run by switching to an EV,” according to Chris Harto, Consumer Reports’ senior sustainability policy analyst.

Once all savings are factored in — leasing incentives, tax breaks, fuel and repair savings — “the typical total ownership savings over the life of most EVs ranges from $6,000 to $10,000,” Consumer Reports states.

How long is this ownership? These EV cultists think we’re all going to keep them for 10-20 years. A $7,500 tax credit doesn’t mean you save $7,500, it means a reduction, one time, in your net earnings on your W2. Who says there will be leasing incentives? Especially now. And, the residual value, ie, what the manufacturer thinks the vehicle will be worth in 3 years, is one of two major factors. It took a long, long time for people to start believing that a 3 year old hybrid had value. How about with EVs?

(Clean Technica) iSeeCars is a website that specializes in collecting data about the new and used car markets. In its latest report, it says electric cars in general experience far higher depreciation after three years than conventional cars — 52% versus 39.1% for sedans, 39.7% for SUVs, and 34.3% for trucks. However, Tesla vehicles outperform the market. The Model S depreciates 36.3% at the end of a 3 year lease while the Model X depreciates 33.9.% over the same period.

So, not as bad as you’d expect, but, still not good for most. Think people are going to trust GM and Ford EVs? And, then there’s the issue of the consumer saying “nah, that used price is way too much, I won’t pay that.” And, again, government will have to implement one or more types of taxes – road miles tax, property tax, purchase tax, etc – to make up for the loss of the gas taxes. How about repair costs? We don’t really know what they will be yet.

The Powers That Be keep trying to force this on people. People who are not clamoring for them.

Read: Most Common Excuses For Not Buy An EV Are Debunked Or Something »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach February 15, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible parking lot for horrible fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is DC Clothesline, with a post on Ontario backing down from COVID passport scheme.

Read: If All You See… »

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Trudeau Declares National Emergency, Overriding Civil Rights Because People Are Expressing Their Civil Rights

By William Teach February 15, 2022 – 10:30 am

This is pretty damned wild. You have people engaged in their civil right of peaceable protest, as allowed by their Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but, since they are protesting against government, Fuhrer Trudeau doesn’t like that

Trudeau declares national emergency over Canadian trucker protests, allowing government to override civil rights

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national emergency over ongoing trucker protests, allowing the nation’s government to temporarily override civil rights.

“The scope of these measures will be time-limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address,” Trudeau said at a press conference on Monday.

The far-reaching Emergencies Act gives the Canadian government the ability to prohibit public assembly, restrict travel, and force businesses — such as towing companies — to act, with compensation.

Trudeau said Canada’s 1998 Emergencies Act will be used to “strengthen and support law enforcement agencies at all levels across the country.”

You good with this, Canada? Could it be your Rights suspended next? What do you call it when the government takes away rights because people are using those rights?

But, see, those protests were asking for more government (and other stuff), they weren’t against government tyranny.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association wrote

The federal government has not met the threshold necessary to invoke the Emergencies Act. This law creates a high and clear standard for good reason: the Act allows government to bypass ordinary democratic processes. This standard has not been met. 1/3

The Emergencies Act can only be invoked when a situation “seriously threatens the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Canada” & when the situation “cannot be effectively dealt with under any other law of Canada.”

Governments regularly deal with difficult situations, and do so using powers granted to them by democratically elected representatives. Emergency legislation should not be normalized. It threatens our democracy and our civil liberties.

Might this create more protest?

More under the more tag

Read More »

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Your Fault: SW Drought Worst In 1,200 Years (or something)

By William Teach February 15, 2022 – 7:15 am

We can fix this with a tax and forcing all of you to take out 10 year loans for an EV, you know

Western drought fueled by climate change is the worst in 1,200 years, scientists say

The megadrought gripping the American West has generated the driest two decades in the region in at least 1,200 years, and human-caused climate change has fueled the problem, scientists said on Monday.

In their research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, scientists analyzed droughts in southwestern North America dating back to the year 800 and found that conditions during this century are more severe than the megadrought in the late 1500s.

Researchers also warned that the conditions will likely continue through 2022 and persist for years. A megadrought is defined as a prolonged and severe drought spanning two decades or longer, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Interesting. They have direct measurements to compare from 1,200 years ago, right? Can you also guess what was happening 1,200 years ago? That would be the Medieval Warm Period. What caused that, and why can’t nature by mostly responsible now? Regardless, the Talking Points Memo to Blame Mankind went out

As of the time of writing, there are 7 pages at Google News for this, all pimping the same thing

While researchers said the U.S. West would be in drought regardless of climate change, they calculated that 42% of its severity can be attributed to higher temperatures due to human-related causes, citing greenhouse gas emissions trapping heat in the atmosphere.

OK, so, just 42%. Everyone who believes in anthropogenic climate change should give up their modern lifestyles to stop it.

Read: Your Fault: SW Drought Worst In 1,200 Years (or something) »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Will Important People Finally Be Prosecuted For Russia Hoax?

By William Teach February 15, 2022 – 7:00 am

I won’t hold my breath, but, you never know

Durham probe has ‘accelerated,’ with more people ‘cooperating,’ coming before grand jury

Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation has “accelerated,” and more people are “cooperating” and coming before the federal grand jury than has previously been reported, a source familiar with the probe told Fox News.

The source told Fox News Monday that Durham has run his investigation “very professionally,” and, unlike Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, his activities, and witness information and cooperation status are rarely, if ever, leaked.

“Durham does this right and keeps it a secret,” the source said, adding that there has been “much more activity” in Durham’s investigation “than has been visible to the public.”

The closest look Durham has given with regard to grand jury witnesses came in a federal court filing last month, outlining materials that had been provided by the special counsel’s office to defense attorneys for former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann.

Sussmann has been charged making a false statement to a federal agent. Sussmann has pleaded not guilty.

There are lots and lots of names mentioned in the article, kinda guessing as to whom the Durham documents are referencing. Will any of them be prosecuted, even if it’s just for lying to the government agents? January 6th protesters have been prosecuted for less. These are people who were trying to use the power of government to destroy a duly elected president. Who made stuff up, who attempted to plant false information. Who kept this whole Russia got Trump elected and he’s a Russian asset BS going. Too bad the liars in the media can’t be prosecuted.

Could we even see Hillary prosecuted? She was the head of the snake. There’s no way she didn’t know about a lot of this stuff.

Read: Will Important People Finally Be Prosecuted For Russia Hoax? »

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Without Smart Charging For EVs The Power Grid Will Collapse

By William Teach February 14, 2022 – 3:00 pm

Here’s the thing: it may seem like I’m against EVs, but, actually no. I’ve never been a fan of the pollutants, which doesn’t include CO2, from the use of fossil fuels. Remember how clean the air was during lockdown in 2020? It was wonderful. No smell of exhaust. No smog. But, the problem here, besides EVs being unaffordable to the middle and working classes, is that the power grid can’t handle them

Smart charging may be key to saving power grid in world of EVs

As electric vehicle (EV) sales rise, the big question for power grid operators, charging companies and governments is how to run tens of millions of vehicles without crashing local networks or spending billions on grid upgrades.

The answer: smart charging.

Simply put, smart charging software allows EV owners to plug in during expensive peak hours, without the vehicle drawing power until cheap off-peak hours. This eases strain on the electric grid, makes better use of renewable energy and saves drivers money.

Without it, millions of EV owners plugging in after work – auditing firm EY estimates Europe will have 65 million EVs by 2030 and 130 million by 2035 – could overload local grids, causing blackouts.

“The shift to electric will be nigh on impossible without smart charging,” Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of British EV charger company Connected Kerb, told Reuters while demonstrating a pilot project on public chargers in Hackney, a London borough.

Well, good thing the Powers That Be want to force everyone into an EV, right? While getting rid of coal and natural gas, and being dead set against nuclear. This should end well.

BTW, here’s something that isn’t being discussed: what about the gas tax? There’s a lot of money coming into the local, state, and federal coffers to pay for all types of road services, right? That dries up with EVs. So, time to implement another tax, which would blow the whole “it’s cheaper to charge and EV than fill a gas vehicle” argument away. They’ll either have to do a road miles tax or raise property taxes. Maybe registration fees? Or purchase fees? Or all of the above?

Joe helping out his upper middle class and rich donors, because this sure doesn’t help the middle and working classes. BTW, when’s Joe going to trade in the limo for an EV?

Read: Without Smart Charging For EVs The Power Grid Will Collapse »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 11 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach February 14, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrible 1%er pool sucking up vital resources, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Green Jihad, with a post on politicians panicked over Freedom Truckers.

Read: If All You See… »

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Brandon Not A Fan Of Lifting Masking Rules

By William Teach February 14, 2022 – 10:30 am

This is the same guy who’s been caught not wearing a mask inside, who sometimes wears one sometimes doesn’t outside, doesn’t castigate Jen Psaki or others who are speaking inside while not wearing a mask in contradiction to his executive order

Biden acknowledges frustration with Covid rules, but says lifting mask mandates is ‘premature.’

President Biden responded to American frustration with pandemic restrictions, saying that it was still too soon to lift indoor mask mandates, while suggesting that other restrictions may soon be able to end.

In the roughly 22-minute interview, some of which was previewed before Sunday, Mr. Biden said that decisions by some state governors last week to begin lifting indoor mask mandates were “probably premature,” but acknowledged that it was a “tough call.”

Most mandates will not expire immediately, though some, like Nevada’s, did. New York’s requirement that businesses ask customers for proof of vaccination or require mask wearing expired on Thursday.

A CBS poll taken last week found that a majority of Americans still support mask mandates, including in schools, but that many are exhausted and frustrated by the pandemic. Public health experts agree that mask requirements in schools should not last forever, but some experts say that lifting school mask mandates too early could jeopardize the progress made over the last few weeks as cases declined.

Is anyone in the news asking a rather relevant question, namely, if masks work so well, why was there this huge spike of Delta, and one of Omicron? They’re saying that masks are ending the Omicron, but, Omicron still happened despite masks.

Lester Holt, who hosted the NBC interview with Mr. Biden, said that many of the people in the audience of this year’s Super Bowl would not be wearing masks, in violation of local law in Inglewood, Calif.

“I love how people talk about personal freedom,” Mr. Biden said in response. “If your exercising personal freedom puts someone else in jeopardy, their health in jeopardy. I don’t consider that being very dealing with freedom.”

Said interview was inside, and, while Holt and Brandon were nicely distanced, neither is wearing a mask. But, Brandon wants you to wear a mask inside. And, no, he doesn’t like people having personal freedom.

There are lots and lots of photos and video of celebs and politicians not wearing masks, which is fine for them, because they aren’t school kids who have to wear them all day in LA public schools, right?

While there’s no school or city wide mask mandate in his city, there is one for being in government buildings.

Read: Brandon Not A Fan Of Lifting Masking Rules »

Posted in Bat Soup Virus, Joe Biden | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Your Fault: Winter Storms Caused By Heat Trapping Gases (part lots)

By William Teach February 14, 2022 – 7:00 am

The climate cult just won’t give up

How extreme winter storms are connected to climate change and hurting businesses

The second powerful winter storm of 2022 hit a large swath of the country in early February. It dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of New York and New England, brought a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow to our region, and frigid conditions all the way to Texas.

The storm impacted all kinds of businesses, like ProSource of Akron, Ohio, which sells wholesale flooring.

“The largest thing for us was our deliveries. People just don’t run a lot of semi-trucks when it’s storming like that,” said store manager John Reinart.

Business at ProSource slowed way down. Deliveries got pushed into the next week, few customers visited the showroom, and employees couldn’t get to work one morning. “This has been crazy,” Reinart said. “I’m turning 30 in April, and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

You wouldn’t be surprised that this comes from government funded NPR, would you?

Several cities in the Northeastern US have seen record-setting snow in recent years.

It might seem contradictory to think that “global warming” will create historic snowfalls. But not to Jessica Spaccio, a climatologist with the Northeast Regional Climate Center,  managed by NOAA.

“We’re seeing not just even warming. What we’re seeing [is] more extreme events and changes and variability in our weather,” she said.

Does this mean there was no snow during the Little Ice Age? That the last glacial age was super warm? Anyhow, the piece continues to attempt to Justify the cult beliefs that cold and heavy snow is caused by carbon pollution.

Michigan ski resort chiefs call for climate action, reduce own emissions

Leaders at two up north ski resorts recently called for faster climate action – even federal carbon taxes – to stave off the effects of the escalating climate crisis on Michigan’s signature four seasons.

Chief executives at both Crystal Mountain and Boyne Mountain resorts in northern Lower Michigan said sustainability efforts at the all-seasons resorts may help offset their operational carbon footprints, but argued bigger, systems-wide actions are needed to prevent an irreparable intensification of the effects of climate change – effects that will impact not just resort operations, but everyone on the planet.

They could start by giving up the use of fossil fuels to heat, run, and maintain the resorts, and tell all skiers they are not allowed to arrive in fossil fueled vehicles. Let’s see how that goes.

Read: Your Fault: Winter Storms Caused By Heat Trapping Gases (part lots) »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 7 Comments | Trackback URL
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