If All You See…

…is a giant arena using lots of energy causing the seas to rise dozens of feet, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is 357 Magnum, with a post on a failure of the victim selection process.

Double shot below the fold, check out Chicks On The Right, with a post on the COVID statistics in un-masked Florida.

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Read: If All You See… »

Bummer: Texas Abortion Case At SCOTUS Could Give States More Power

This has seemed to make Time Magazine’s Abigail Abrams rather upset

The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Case Could Give States More Power Than Ever

Bill Of RightsThat’s the way it’s supposed to be. Any powers not expressly assigned to the federal government are reserved for the States and the People.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined for the second time to immediately block Texas’ six-week abortion ban, but said it will hear two separate challenges to the law from the Biden Administration and Texas abortion providers on Nov. 1.

The high court will not examine the question of whether the Texas law, known as SB 8, violates the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade. Rather, it will consider the legality of the law’s unusual private enforcement mechanism and whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) and abortion providers can sue to challenge the law.

Except, there is no constitutional right, as it is not written in the Constitution. Further, no one in Texas is being blocked, they just need to do it early or go to another state.

If the Supreme Court rules that DOJ and abortion providers cannot challenge the Texas law, the outcome would be “earth shaking,” says Mary Ziegler, a Florida State University law professor and author of Abortion and the Law in America. “If there’s no way to challenge SB 8-style laws, then there’s no reason for other states not to try to use a similar model.”

Los Federales need to stay out of state decisions that do not violate the U.S. Constitution.

Until the Supreme Court weighs in, SB 8 will remain in effect in Texas, severely limiting abortion access for millions of people. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the only member of the Court to dissent from her colleagues’ decision to leave the law in place on Friday. “There are women in Texas who became pregnant on or around the day that S. B. 8 took effect,” she wrote. “Women seeking abortion care in Texas are entitled to relief from this Court now. Because of the Court’s failure to act today, that relief, if it comes, will be too late for many.”

Wait, there are millions of women in Texas who want abortions? Huh?

The article itself rather fails to substantiate the headline. Regardless, the power should be in the states except where assigned by the federal constitution. Period.

Read: Bummer: Texas Abortion Case At SCOTUS Could Give States More Power »

Poll: Majority Of Republicans And Independents Do Not View ‘Climate Change’ As Existential Threat

Thirty plus years of spreading awareness, scaremongering, prognostications of doom, constant articles and broadcasts in the media which fail to take a skeptical eye, and are simply cheerleaders, all to go with Warmists refusing to practice what they preach, and this is the best they can do

Poll: More than two-thirds of Republicans say climate change is ‘not an emergency’

As President Biden pushes Congress to pass his climate agenda just days before world powers gather in Scotland to hash out a new international accord, more than two-thirds of Republicans (67 percent) continue to insist that climate change is “not an emergency,” according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll.

Coming on the heels of a summer that featured record-setting heat waves, wildfires and floods — all exacerbated by climate change — the result is a stark example of how U.S. politics imperils global progress on the issue.

The survey of 1,704 U.S. adults, which was conducted from Oct. 19 to 21, found that nearly all Democrats (78 percent) and a plurality of independents (45 percent) view climate change as “an existential threat that must be addressed now with major legislation.”

Yet less than one-quarter of Republicans (24 percent) agree. Instead, more than 6 in 10 believe, falsely, that global warming is either “not a real threat” (38 percent) or a threat that “the government has already done enough to address” (24 percent).

Plurality is a strange word to use, meant to obscure that a majority of Independents do not find ‘climate change’ to be an existential threat. And, really, for all the yammering from Joe and other Warmists, their actions in their own lives show they do not think it is an existential threat.

The poll underscores the challenge facing Biden as he aims to slash U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2005 levels by the end of the decade and set an example for other countries to follow. Both the public at large and all but one Democrat on Capitol Hill — centrist West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — favor Biden’s plan to transition the economy to sustainable sources of energy. But Republicans do not.

We do? Huh. Joe sure doesn’t seem to believe, since he jumps in a fossil fueled helicopter to the airport for a fossil fueled flight, then a large fossil fueled convoy, almost every weekend, either to his Delaware home or Camp David. Later in the article, you read that the numbers to Do Something to do not rise above 48% for any measure

In little more than a week, leaders and representatives from nearly every country in the world will gather in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has called the conference the world’s “last best hope” of keeping global temperature rise from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels in an effort to avert a cascade of devastating consequences for the planet.

Ten thousand plus taking fossil fueled trips to Scotland, quite a few in private jets.

Yet even that fact is disputed by Republicans. According to the Yahoo News/YouGov poll, more Republicans continue to believe that human activity is not causing climate change (47 percent) than believe it is (34 percent). In contrast, just 4 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents deny the role of human activity in global warming.

The question is never asked in terms of how much Mankind contributes. I, and most skeptics, will say that humanity contributes, just not mostly/solely. Most say 50% or less. And a goodly chunk is simply land use and the Urban Heat Island effect. Here’s where it gets really fun

There are limits to how much Americans are willing to personally spend to combat global warming. Without a rebate, support for a carbon tax falls (to 36 percent) and opposition rises (also to 36 percent). When asked to select “changes you would be willing to make” to help solve the problem, far more say they’d be willing to buy an electric car or solar panels with a government rebate (35 percent and 42 percent, respectively) than without (15 percent and 18 percent). And the most popular changes are the ones that require others to pay more, such as raising taxes on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year (42 percent) or on corporations earning more than $5 million (40 percent). Very few Americans are ready to pay more for gas (14 percent) or meat (15 percent).

We’ve seen this again and again, Americans aren’t willing to pay more themselves, nor make changes in their own lives. They want Other People forced to bear the brunt of their beliefs.

The message seems to be that government, not individuals, should bear the brunt of climate action — which is why Biden has proposed rebates for most Americans, along with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. Yet while a majority of Democrats (73 percent) and a plurality of independents (40 percent) agree with the president that “the U.S. cannot afford to wait any longer to pass major climate change legislation,” most Republicans (59 percent) say “the U.S. cannot afford to pass major climate change legislation right now.”

Those in support fail to realize that if government is bearing the brunt then they themselves will be bearing the brunt. But, that’s what indoctrination and brainwashing does.

Read: Poll: Majority Of Republicans And Independents Do Not View ‘Climate Change’ As Existential Threat »

Irony: Let’s Go Brandon Builds Taxpayer Funded Fence Around His Delaware House

Wait, fences work? Huh

Report: Joe Biden Builds ‘Wall’ Around His Delaware Beach House, Makes America Pay for It

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly shelled out $456,548 to a construction company in Delaware to install a fence around President Biden’s Delaware beach house, according to newly-released records.

A federal contract, reported by the local Cape Gazette on Thursday and by the New York Post on Friday,  shows that DHS awarded $456,548 to the recipient, Turnstone Holdings, LLC, according to USA Spending, a website that tracks federal spending.

The description of the contract reads, “PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF SECURITY FENCING AT 32 FARVIEW, REHOBOTH DELAWARE.”

The contract’s “start date” is September 21, 2021. The “potential end date” and “current end date” are both listed as December 31, 2021.

This is a property Surrender Joe paid $2.7 million for (that’s a lot of money for a career politician, eh?). He couldn’t buy the fencing himself? And that is one hell of a fence for $456k, eh? It’ll be interesting to see how big it is and what it’s made of, and what kind of electronic security is present.

Also on Friday, White House press secretary called former President Donald Trump’s wall project on the southern U.S. border “feckless,” noting that it cost “billions of dollars for taxpayers.” She struggled to explain why Biden had not visited the border since the 2008 presidential campaign, 13 years ago, on a road trip in which he simply “drove through.”

See, fencing at the border, which is required by federal law, is bad. Fencing at Biden’s house, not required by law, but because Joe spends a lot of weekends there, including this one, is good.

Of course, most of the border wall would be unnecessary if the immigration law and rules was revamped to discourage illegals, rather than how it, and Democrats, encourage people to come illegally/just show up demanding “amnesty”, knowing that even if they don’t get it they will be released into the U.S.

Read: Irony: Let’s Go Brandon Builds Taxpayer Funded Fence Around His Delaware House »

Tech Stuff: New Firestick 4K, TV Helpers

I’ve had my regular Firestick for quite some time now, but, when it comes to certain broadcasts, I’ve been using my uber-smart Hisense TV for more and more. For some programming, especially TV shows from IMDB, I get these little stutters, and then have to restart and restart because the audio gets out of sync with the video. This will also happen with stuff from Amazon, Tubi, Peacock, and others. The NHL app would be a mess, with lots of buffering, even though I have a cable running straight from the modem to the Firestick. I do not have these issues with the TV itself.

And the ESPN app, which I have for the NHL package (the NHL moved the broadcasts to ESPN from NHL.tv in the US, and it’s less expensive), while it loads quick, still buffers. Further, you can’t switch from what you are watching on the Android TV to a video input and back, because the app from the TV will close. So, if I wanted to switch back and forth between the Devils game and the Dodgers game (I did), that would not work. But, will work between the Firestick, using the ESPN app, and the cable box. So, was time for a new Firestick.

I purchased the 4K, which was on sale for $34.99, down from regular price of $49.99. I couldn’t see the value of the 4K Ultra, mostly just getting a 1.8mhz processor vs 1.7 in the 4K (other firesticks run around 1.5. My old one may have been a 1.3), for $54. Nor the Cube, which is a 1.9, but, does have 16gb of memory, vs 8 in other Firesticks, for the sale price of $95. The speed and memory is nice, but, not that nice, and I have zero need of another Alexa device, since I have a Dot in the living room. The remote is nice, as it now can turn the TV on and off, plus control the volume. The Hisense remote can also control the Firestick.

Nice thing is it has Dolby Vision, so, it attempts to upscale the video, much like a Bluray attempts to upscale regular DVDs, even when there is no DV (few programs use it). Stuff with HDR10+ will switch to that, which I’m noticing in the picture settings for the TV. The TV will do this, as well. Those are video codecs, haven’t tried something with Dolby Atmos for audio yet, there’s no more than 10, probably less, shows/movies on Amazon that have that. Netflix is reportedly about the same. I’ll leave it up to you to see what those mean.

Interestingly, I did notice that stuff that claims to be 4K is not really 4k. I picked 47 Meters Down Uncaged to check 4k on the Firestick, and was wondering why it was 1920×1080, not 3840×2160, which is the resolution for 4k. Sure, it looked better, especially with HDR10+, but, not 4k like, say, The Expanse and the 2006 The Omen, among others.

How do you tell? Many TVs will have an “info” button which will let you see. Switching between inputs will often pop up a message on a TV (for instance, you’ll notice most ESPN is in 720p, not 1080). Some, like Hisense, require you to go into the Help menu, or About, and look for something like Signal Information.

If this matters to you. It’s information I like to know, because that’s the techie in me. Heck, I sat there comparing Pirates of the Caribbean 2 between the Bluray and regular DVD. Yes, it makes a big difference.

Also, I’ve had my JVC receiver since the late 80’s, with Bose 301 speakers. Friends, my mom, also ask why I don’t replace it. Why would I? I don’t use it that much, and, it works. But, the TV, like so many, doesn’t have an RCA output. It does have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but, that sounds not good, overly bassy. Since I use HDMI ARC to run audio from TV to soundbar, I have a free Optical cable output. I ran that to a Mosou Digital converter, can convert either optical or coaxial cable to RCA. Now I get great sound from receiver, can use Bluray as a DVD player (one of the people who’ve done work on my AC in the attic to my CD player). Problem solved. I try to avoid using the stereo with horror movies with lots of screaming, at least while my neighbor is at home.

More: was playing around, and I could have sworn I was getting 4k on the Firestick, but, anyhow, went into some settings, and you are supposed to change some video settings to get 4K. It would be nice if the setup or instructions would tell you. Hit this link for it. Only difference is the 4k Firesticks can do 12 bit color setting, might as well save that.

I also noted that some programs take longer to flip into 4k. The aforementioned 47 Meters did flip into 4K after about 20 seconds.

Read: Tech Stuff: New Firestick 4K, TV Helpers »

Climate Crisis (scam) Is Damaging US Military Readiness Or Something

See, now, I was going to go with this laugh-riot

After Manchin nixes clean energy budget provision, youth climate change activists go on hunger strike in front of White House

Five young activists began a hunger strike in front of the White House on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to preserve the most important measures to combat climate change in President Biden’s Build Back Better infrastructure investment proposal.

The protest arose in response to recent news that Democrats are reluctantly scrapping a plan that would have set a national standard for utilities transitioning to clean energy sources, in order to win the support of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a centrist Democrat from a coal- and gas-heavy state whose vote is key to passing the budget bill in the evenly divided Senate.

What’s the over/under on their mom or dad dropping them off in a fossil fueled vehicle? I say, let the little buggers practice what they preach. Start with taking away their smartphones, Internet, and sweets like cookies and cakes.

But, I ran across this insane bit of cult moonbattery

Climate Change Is Damaging Troop Readiness, Pentagon Official Says

Climate change is already affecting the combat readiness of the U.S. military and providing opportunities for China to exploit, the Pentagon’s No. 2 official said on Friday.

“Climate change and extreme weather events caused by climate change affect everything from the number of days we can be flying in the air and training” to the ability to use military installations as sea levels rise or drought sets in, Kathleen Hicks, the deputy defense secretary, said in an interview with host Joe Mathieu on Bloomberg Radio’s “Sound On” program.

Climate change could affect the military’s fuel lines and even the ability of its planes to “loiter in the air,” she said.

Hicks’ commented after the Pentagon published a new climate risk analysis, which warned of “worsening implications” for U.S. national security, including the danger that China will try to take advantage of climate hazards in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sherman Potter Bull Cookies

This actually looks more like the Let’s Go Brandon admin is blaming ‘climate change’ to deflect from how Democrats are destroying the US military, turning it into an effeminate SJW virtue signaling organization, which empowers China, which is ramping up their own military. We never used to have to worry about the military preparedness, eh? One which has fought in hot and cold areas and periods.

Hicks said that in areas such as the Arctic, “we’re starting to see much more competition from Russia and China in and around strategic minerals and strategic reserves and resources.” She said there was a need to protect scientific missions in these areas and to manage potential “conflicts and miscalculations” with China and Russia.

It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Democrats being weak on nation defense, could it? That Russia and China see Biden, with his dementia and bad policies (see Afghanistan), as weak, during his short time in the White House and his 8 years as VP, could it?

Victor David Hansen is asking what happened to our military. He makes some interesting points, but, misses something integral that I’ve mentioned before. Progressive have very long term plans of control. Early on in the 1900’s they went after education. Then government bureaucracies. The news and entertainment sectors. Unions. Over time things like the sports figures (who rarely practice what they preach). Lawyer and medical guilds, though, again, few practice what they preach. AARP. During the late 60’s into 70’s they wanted to eliminate the FBI, CIA, and military. That was not going to happen. So, they infiltrated, changing the organizations from the inside. That’s how we end up with the military letting in transgenders, who are a danger to themselves and the people are them, as they have a much higher level of self harm, depression, and suicide. That the military worries more about ‘climate change’ than protecting the U.S. Lowering training standards. You name it.

Read: Climate Crisis (scam) Is Damaging US Military Readiness Or Something »

If All You See…

…is a big sports team which uses lots of energy and fossil fuels, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Sultan Knish, with a post on Kellogg’s going Woke.

Read: If All You See… »

COVID Today: Boosters And Supply Chain

Despite what you might think from posts, I’m very much pro-vaccine. I’m anti-mandate. I got the vaccine the minute I was eligible to protect myself. And I will get the booster to continue protecting myself, so, this is good news, as I’d like something different from Pfizer if possible

Pick any vaccine: CDC OKs COVID boosters – even mixing and matching – beginning as soon as Friday

Americans are now free to get a free booster dose of all three COVID-19 vaccines, and can even choose to mix and match their vaccines, after the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on new recommendations Thursday night.

At the same time, CDC recommended boosters for certain people who got Moderna vaccine and all 15 million Americans who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Clinics, doctors and pharmacies can begin giving boosters as soon as Friday.

“The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC’s director, said in a statement.

Pfizer seems low at 88.8% effectiveness, so, perhaps a Moderna, if they have it in my area. I’m going to check with Wake County next week, see what’s possible. Lest people go “I thought all it would take was the 1 or 2 shots required, depending on vaccine? No? It doesn’t work?”, many vaccines require more than 1 to 2 shots. Smallpox is like 5 shots over a period of time, and then you are virtually 100% safe.

Get the vaccine because it protects you.

Oh, then there’s

Biden’s vaccine mandate has cargo giants in a pre-holiday panic

A trade group for air cargo giants like UPS and FedEx is sounding the alarm over an impending Dec. 8 vaccine deadline imposed by President Joe Biden, complaining it threatens to wreak havoc at the busiest time of the year — and add yet another kink to the supply chain.

“We have significant concerns with the employer mandates announced on Sept. 9, 2021, and the ability of industry members to implement the required employee vaccinations by Dec. 8, 2021,” Stephen Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, wrote in a letter sent the Biden administration and obtained by POLITICO.

The letter, sent to the Office of Management and Budget , asks the administration to postpone the deadline until “the first half of 2022.” At issue is the requirement by the Biden administration that federal workers be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8. Unlike private businesses, companies that act as federal contractors cannot opt out by instead submitting their workforces to frequent Covid testing.

So, great, Let’s Go Brandon is going to make the supply chain issues even worse. It also goes to show that the federal government is way, way, way to involved in the economy and the workforce.

Read: COVID Today: Boosters And Supply Chain »

Warmists Scaremonger Over A Flooded DC, People Wonder Why This Would Be Bad

The cult is at it again with their un-scientific photoshops

From the cult screed

The Lincoln Memorial, on an island surrounded by churning Potomac waters; Nationals Park, a bathtub surrounded by mid-rise office buildings flooded by the Anacostia River; the Pentagon, accessible by boat, with State Route 110 and the George Washington Memorial Parkway underwater.

These are images of the possible climate-change-induced future in D.C., if the world continues on its current trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision that we’re all making right now is which trajectory we’re going to take,” says Andrew Pershing, director of climate science with the nonprofit Climate Central. The group published a peer-reviewed research paper documenting the longterm threat that sea-level rise poses to the world’s coastal cities. As part of the project, the group generated images of at-risk cities around the globe, with projections of future sea-level rise, depending on emissions trajectories. (snip)

D.C. doesn’t face the same sort of risk from sea-level rise as cities closer to the ocean, but the District’s two rivers, the Potomac and the Anacostia, are both tidal within the city limits, meaning they are directly influenced by the ocean’s tides and level.

OK, so this is from the same silly project I mentioned last week, which is still silly and unscientific, but, DCist is attempting to scare the citizens in D.C. and the surrounding areas. The article included the Pentago

The Pentagon is 24 meters above sea level, which is 78 feet. This is not science. You can check the topographic map yourself.

This didn’t get the response they thought, with ones like

  • Can we get all of DC submerged? Because I’m all for that.
  • Promise?
  • See there is good news about Washington DC
  • …I’m rooting for climate change now.
  • I mean…..I’m cool with this.
  • I won’t stop burning tires until I see Nancy Pelosi dog-paddling to the Capitol building

Well, that would be difficult, since the Capitol Building is 141 feet above sea level, plus height of building to submerge. The White House is 75 feet plus HOB. IRS Building just a little lower than the White House. DC is 419 feet at its highest. This is all just cultish pseudoscience with some doomsday thrown in.

Read: Warmists Scaremonger Over A Flooded DC, People Wonder Why This Would Be Bad »

Let’s Go Brandon: Biden Wants Unvaccinated Police Officers Fired

What a great idea, make the cops at war with cities, and even states, over vaccination mandates include the White House in that war. This might play well with the police haters in the Democratic Party, but, not so well with the regular citizens who want police around in case something bad happens to them

Biden says police officers, first responders should be fired for refusing jab

President Biden on Thursday said police officers and first responders who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine should stay home and be fired.

Speaking during a presidential CNN town hall, moderator Anderson Cooper noted that as many as one in three emergency responders in some major cities are refusing to comply with city vaccine mandates.

“I’m wondering where you stand on that,” Cooper said. “Should police officers, first responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be mandated to stay at home, let go?”

“Yes and yes,” Biden replied, going on to suggest that he implemented his controversial vaccine mandate only as a last resort.

Yes, during the totally scripted “town hall” in a friendly atmosphere where Joe can get short, easy answers. Might police officers decide that if he wants them and their brothers and sisters in blue fired that there’s no need to provide protection for Joe when he comes to town? That their time would better be spent protecting citizens?

Biden went on to say that those who oppose vaccine mandates are attempting to make vaccines “a political issue.”

The president also scoffed at those who oppose vaccine mandates on the basis of “freedom.”

“I have the freedom to kill you with my COVID,” Biden said, mocking what he sees as the attitude of mandate opponents. “No, I mean, come on, freedom.”

Freedom is pretty much what Democrats hate. They like government force. This kind of talk actually harms the push for vaccination, as it says that the vaccine really doesn’t protect individuals from getting COVID, that it doesn’t work unless everyone else gets it. Or is forced to get it. Because it’s so good that booster shots are now recommended. And they want kids, the safest group, to be forced to be vaccinated.

In Chicago, seemingly the ground center for the fight, we see

A group of dozens of Chicago firefighters and water department workers are asking a federal judge for a temporary restraining order against Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s vaccine mandate, the latest salvo in a battle over city rules.

And their police?

With thousands of Chicago police officers at odds with the city’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandates, officials in the neighboring state of Indiana are trying to recruit disgruntled cops, some of whom are being punished for not complying.

As of Oct. 15, all of Chicago Police Department’s roughly 12,000 officers are required to share their vaccination status, outlets report, and those who aren’t vaccinated must get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly.

“Hey Chicago police officers, we’re hiring!” an Indiana State Police spokesman said in a tweet on Thursday. “No vaccine mandate … lower taxes, great schools, welcoming communities.”

How many will leave? Better working conditions that the crazy and crime ridden city of Chicago, right? So far, 21 officers have been placed on leave. This will come to a head by the end of the month/end of November in Chicago, along with New York City, Philadelphia, and so many cities. How many officers will leave/retire?

Read: Let’s Go Brandon: Biden Wants Unvaccinated Police Officers Fired »

Pirate's Cove