Update: I decided we needed a less pokey version, so now we have Leonard Bernstein’s, and the whole thing. THAT should cheer you up…
Boy, am I sick of everyone telling me how depressed they are.
1. Translation: “I’m an idiot.” Now Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is saying that the city will close the so-called “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.” It turned out to be exactly what anyone with any sense predicted it would be, with three shootings so far and a rape, along with a leader ( war lord?) who had the gall to complain when the Seattle EMTs didn’t immediately respond when shots rang out. The mayor had said that the anarchist outpost would lead to a “summer of love,” marking her as a Sixties-romanticizing dolt, but now she says she was obviously joking-–yes, the Joke Excuse. She never said it was “in jest” before the completely predictable violence broke out.
I apologize for not highlighting her as an Incompetent Elected Official of the Month, but she was competing with Bill De Blasio.
2. Fearmongering. It should be apparent by now that the news media does not want the country to re-open, does not want the economy to begin recovering before the election, and is pushing its anti-reopening goal through fearmongering, in part by focusing on isolated cases of individuals getting hit by the Wuhan virus particularly hard.
This morning HLN kept repeating a long feature about a thirtyish Broadway star who has been disabled by the virus for 80 days, and another man not in a high-risk group who has been suffering for 100 days. The Times and the Washington Post are full of apocalyptic reports about the number of cases rising. Another news outlet said, “The U.S. reported more than 33,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday – the highest total since May 1 – while the surge of infections in several states is outpacing growth in coronavirus testing.” ARRRGH! We;re DOOOMED!
One commentator called this “needless” frightening the public. Wrong. It is needed because it is a part of the ongoing effort to defeat President Trump.
The Centers for Disease Control predicted that cases would increase as the country reopened, not that it has much credibility at this point. Remember? The lock down was never intended to stop the spread of the disease, but to slow it down, flatten the curve, stock up on supplies, fix the CDC’s testing botch, and find treatments. That was mostly accomplished. The nation cannot continue to let the economy deteriorate: depressions kill people too.
Meanwhile, the death rate is declining even as the number of cases spike, and there’s a reason for that. In all outbreaks, a disease claims the most vulnerable first. This is known as Farr’s Law, named after William Farr, a British epidemiologist and early statistician who recognized the importance of death statistics and identifying causation. Not only has the current epidemic claimed many of the most vulnerable in the U.S., thanks in great part to the catastrophic decision of states like New York to send infected seniors to nursing homes, millions of Americans have antibodies.
The combination means that even if there are lots of new cases going forward, the death toll is likely to be far less severe than it has been. Do not hold your breath waiting for the media to explain this.
Just for fun, check and see how many news organizations have mentioned Farr’s Law.
3. From the conflict of interest files: Fulton Country District Attorney Paul Howard charged Officer Garrett Rolfe with felony murder in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks by the McDonald’s even before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) had finished its investigation. Other than its timing, taking place in the middle of the George Floyd protests, it is doubtful whether the officer would have been charged in the past. I’m not even certain he deserved to be fired. A fleeing man resisting arrest stole the officer’s weapon and turned to fire it at him.
But A.G. Howard, an African American, is facing re-election in November. This is almost certainly grandstanding.
4. GEICO, making Americans more ignorant…GEICO is again running its silly TV ad showing a puzzled Marco Polo in a swimming pool with a bunch of kids who are playing “Marco Polo.” Behind him, outside the pool, we see a llama (or an alpaca…it’s hard to tell). Marco Polo was a 13th Century Italian explorer and writer who traveled through Asia. Alpacas and llamas are South American animals. The commercial misleads viewers about both the beast and the historical figure, and there’s no reason for it.
And if you write back that geckos don’t talk, either, I might just spam the comment.
5. The intimidation continues and speech suppression continues. MIT’s chaplain, Daniel Moloney, sent June 7th email to the university’s Catholic students, denouncing the killing of George Floyd and “systemic racism.” He also referred to Floyd’s criminal record and the drugs in his system at the time of the arrest. The chaplain wrote, “We do not kill such people. He committed sins, but we root for sinners to change their lives and convert to the Gospel.” Moloney also observed that we still do not know if the killing was based on racism or whether racism is a “major problem in police forces. I don’t think we know that.”
Suzy Nelson,MIT’s Dean for Student Life, declared that Moloney’s message “contradicted the Institute’s values …by devaluing and disparaging George Floyd’s character.” Moloney apologized but was ordered to resign as chaplain anyway. The Archdiocese of Boston declared that Moloney’s comments “were wrong and by his resignation he accepts the hurt they have caused.”
Observations:
- People have to start standing up to this. Lots of people. Quickly.
- Gee, he was forced to resign for writing what I have here, more than once….
- What was wrong about what he wrote? There is a false narrative being pushed to misrepresent Floyd’s background in order to inflame the public and Africa-Americans particularly. In addition, the message being communicated is that Floyd’s death is more outrageous because he was such a great guy. That’s nonsense, and not because he wasn’t such a great guy. It makes no difference whether George Floyd was a good man or not, and that’s what the Chaplain was saying. It needs to be said. The chaplain was also correct that we do not know that racism was involved in his killing.
- Moloney should not have apologized, because he did nothing wrong….and he should know by now that groveling does no good. It just encourages more suppression of thought and speech.
- Writing about the case, Professor Turley says, “I do not agree with the email and I can see why many found it upsetting.” What doesn’t the professor agree with? It was factually correct, and the facts in the email are being deliberately distorted or ignored. Yeah, I can see why many “found it upsetting” too: right now, facts don’t matter. The intention is to demonize the police and sanctify Floyd in order to trigger as much civil unrest as possible.
Ethics Alarms 
Yesterday was the first time I noticed the llalpaca and I was very confused.
But who the hell knows who Marco Polo was anymore.
Hey didn’t he bring pasta to Italy from China? Cultural appropriation! It’s just like rape! Cancel him!
I saw that commercial and wondered if children still do the “Marco Polo” thing anymore. I know for a fact they don’t know who the explorer was, but we can probably add cultural ignorance of the game to the commercial’s flaw, too.
They do: I’ve seen and heard it. I’ve always wondered about why the game is called that, but didn’t care enough to research it.
Just did. Apparently no one has a clue why it’s called Marco Polo, just theories.
I have never found an explanation for it either…maybe connected to water polo…in some way?
I doubt that there is much more how the game got it’s name than Polo being a water sport, and “Marco Polo” being fun to say.
I also wondered about the Llama. I didn’t pick up on the South American part, but did note they showed a saddle on the Llama (and I am pretty sure you cannot actually ride a Llama).
I didn’t notice the saddle, which makes it even worse.
No, pasta of some kind was on the menu in the Italian city-states soon after the end of Rome, long before he (and his dad Niccolo and uncle Maffeo) went to China in 1271. However, there is a tasty recipe that honors his name if you are tired of paste with tomato sauce and want something different.
Spaghetti Marco Polo (as made by Julia Child)
8 oz. spaghetti
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup red pimento (no vinegar flavor)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup chopped, fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pureed
Directions
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti.
Make the sauce by mixing together in a bowl the walnuts, olives, pimento, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In the cooking pan put the olive oil and garlic. Stir over moderate heat. Return spaghetti to pan and toss with the oil & garlic.
Transfer to serving plate and top with the “sauce”. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
I like to also throw in a can of tuna (in this case you should probably drain it because you don’t need more oil and you don’t want the taste to get watered down) to make sure there’s enough protein in the meal.
Would llama meat work?
No idea. Alpaca up and go down to the Andes to see. Honk! Honk! Wocka! Wocka!
That’s another aspect of the commercial that makes it work so well. Polo is so earnest and genteel and Italian. He’s not a Marx Brothers Paisan. “Scusa. Scusa.”
I too was mystified by the llama or alpaca (I’m putting my money on llama given its height) outside the pool. But I just love that commercial to death. Our kids played Marco Polo in the pool at our house in Phoenix in the ’80s, aged 5 and 7 and on up. Goofy game but it kept them busy for hours and out of the heat and out of the house. So it’s funny in that regard. Plus, keep in mind, that’s a re-issue of an old commercial. I think it’s intended to get the attention of the demographic that played it as kids who are now in their thirties and forties and buying insurance for their SUVs. But the guy who plays Signor Polo is great. Great lines. Great costume. Great makeup. Great delivery. And the entire pretext is just really funny. By the way, as our daughter who spent a few years in Peru will gladly tell you, llamas are NASTY animals. They’ll spit at you.
I like to also throw in a can of tuna . . .
Heaven help us. 🙂
Well, then there was the scuba diver who was checking out the wreck of the liner. He swam into the ballroom and saw a fish plunking away on the piano with its fins. Amazed, he watched for several minutes, until the fish turned to him and said, “What, you never seen a piano tuna before?”
Honk! Honk! Wocka! Wocka!
This must be something only Americans understand? Is it a cultural reference? A 70s TeeVee program? “Piano tuna” doesn’t strike any chords with me (that was an unintended joke I guess).
I have been agonizing over the tuna thing with the Marco Polo sauce. What would Julia Child have recommended I wonder? It is hard to work out a combination with the walnuts given their oily heaviness and with the sweet red peppers. A marinated tuna could work. But sea bass might be better?
But then I thought that Italian salsiccia would work quite nicely. Something from a local market or boutique food shop?
The joke was a play on the phrase that “you can tune a piano but you can’t tuna fish.” it’s kind of a quirky Americanistic* word play.
jvb
Ed. Note*: I just made up a new word! I wonder if Merriam – Webster would define it as “of or pertaining to Americanism.
jvb
Ah, now I get it. And ‘wocka wocka’?
Not sure. That may be a northeast thing.
jvb
Google result: https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Wocka_Wocka
Exactly right. I think saying “Wocka! Wocka!” after a joke is sort of providing your own rim-shot when there is no drummer in the house.
In honor of Mayor Jenny, this rendition of the overture would seem to be more appropriate:
(yes, I know – some things can’t be unseen. Or unheard)
4. From my time in Florida, I know geckos don’t talk. They do make a guttural sound, or is it the predator’s lip-smacking I hear? Egrets can say, “Yum, tastes like chicken” in egret speak.
This is a test. This is only a test. I want to see if I get banned for saying geckos don’t talk. 😉
No, because you didn’t use that as an excuse for GEICO suggesting that Asia has llamas.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/seattle-mayor-wants-to-dismantle-chop-zone-without-resorting-to-police/ar-BB15SakG?ocid=spartandhp
1. The stupidity rolls on. The mayor of Seattle thinks she can dismantle CHOP WITHOUT resorting to the police. I know Occupy was a long time ago, but I don’t remember a single one of those settlements being ousted without at least some involvement by law enforcement. Maybe some of the folks can be persuaded out, but there are always a few hard-core types who you then have to remove the hard way. If there were more time now I’d talk about the Nika riots and Kristallnacht and a few other times when civilization was getting trashed, but that might have to wait till tonight.
2. Of course. Never let a good crisis go to waste. Now, if we had someone like Jacinda Ahern in power the media would be right in her corner, saying we didn’t just flatten the curve, we CRUSHED it. Unfortunately there’s still five years to go till AOC can run for president.
3. Grandstanding, overcharging, and sending some disturbing messages. The first message is to the police, and it’s, “we DON’T have your back. The presumption is AGAINST you now, and that’s especially if a black man is involved.” The second is to ordinary people and it’s, “the authorities cannot be counted on to protect you, your family, or your property, because they are too busy sucking up to the SJWs.”
4. Did not do the research. Oh well. Maybe old Marco can swap in for Columbus.
5. They threw him under the bus, plain and simple. This comes as no surprise. Unfortunately, again, this is all about sucking up to the SJWs and the mob, who are demonstrating the temperaments of three-year-olds, who will screech and destroy things the moment you say something they don’t like. Apparently facts at this point are the equivalent of saying it’s time for a nap, now, or no, you can’t have an ice cream cone, or no, you can’t wear that stupid pink tiara everywhere, or now it’s someone else’s turn with the toy. My cousin and his wife were real clear on this with their kids when they were toddlers, and they rather quickly grasped that when Daddy said “this is not a request, this is a requirement,” that he was drawing a line in the sand and they’d better do as he said. The wave of statue destruction finally broke yesterday when the mob tried to bring down the statue of Andrew Jackson by the White House. Unfortunately for them, it’s too massive to pull down, and the US Park Police took poorly to the idea. Yet the Secretary of the Interior is cast as a villain for saying that anarchists would not prevail, and the police are cast as stormtroopers for doing their jobs against “peaceful protesters.” A peaceful protest does not involve destruction of public property, and the police stepping up should be the rule, not the exception.
What would be the reaction if schools named for Malcolm X in Americas major cities suddenly found disparaging words like Racist or Separatist painted on their exteriors.
That is what I would like to ask those deranged white girls who are shouting l8ke banshees at thw cops. I have learned that increasing your amplitude is often inversely related to a willingness of others to come to an agreement with you.
To ask that question is to answer it. I used to think it might be better to be liberal, since those protest groups in college had a female to male ratio of about 5:1, and the girls seemed to dig male feminists or peaceniks. In reality those male feminists or peaceniks didn’t give a damn, they were just there to see how much you-know-what they could score. Some even dispensed with the coeds’ views on the issue, but of course that never came to light, as lefty professors or wealthy parents intervened.
On 2:
Related to Farr’s Law, but slightly different is that more than 80% of COVID deaths have happened in Nursing homes. This is especially important seeing as how some governors, like Andrew Cuomo, forced COVID-positive patients back into nursing homes for care to free up hospital beds. Nothing says “I’m taking this pandemic seriously” like forcing people infected with COVID back into a building stocked full of vulnerable people, and equipped with a shared ventilation system.
But that was Trump’s fault.
“Nothing says “I’m taking this pandemic seriously” like forcing people infected with COVID back into a building stocked full of vulnerable people, and equipped with a shared ventilation system.”
And that is why only the most progressive and enlightened governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Michigan did that. Those other governors just didn’t care enough.
Add the Dem PA gov, we’ve been too contaminated by NY and NJ to open up. Wolf has been fighting opening up, tooth and nail, smacking down areas in distress.
On 4:
Why is it, do we think, that causes like BLM seem to go out of their way to choose shitty case studies to build their causes on? Instead of hearing about cases like John Crawford III (Who was shot by police without warning while carrying a pellet gun in the Wal-Mart he was going to buy the “gun” from, in a state where you can legally carry a shotgun around.) or Tamir Rice (Who was shot without warning while playing with a toy gun in a playground.) We hear cases of people actively committing assault, or attempting to steal an officer’s weapon, or have successfully stolen an officer’s weapon, or has a rap sheet as long as my desk, or is intoxicated and belligerent at the time of contact.
I have a theory that part of the issue is that these situations are media driven, and the media is most interested in their coin-purses to the detriment of everything else, which includes their political narrative, even though they strive to keep the two purposes in lock step. I think the purpose is to generate anger. I think the media purposefully chooses marginal cases because those cases will dredge up the most disagreement and engagement (read: clicks and views) from their consumers, and facts be damned.
5, not 4.
I could not agree more. A few years ago I was sent am essay from a marketing publication about “Rage” marketing and how capitalizing on rage can stimulate sales. My response to that email was be careful what you wish for. I went on to say exploiting another’s anger is counterproductive in the long run. One day the sentiment will shift and you will have a history of advocacy for the side no longer in favor.
5. Here’s a link to the letter Fr. Moloney wrote:
https://newbostonpost.com/2020/06/19/heres-what-the-m-i-t-catholic-chaplain-got-fired-over/
I suspect the next phase in this “summer of love” is attempts at dismantling religion, specifically any Christian type (for now). Apparently the has been a dog whistle call for statues of “white Jesus” to come down. What fun these people are.
Moloney pointed out only what is true. He also makes the point that all these problems, from racism to sexism to police brutality, stems from the same source – sin. When all fall short then all are accountable and all also have access to reconciliation and mercy. Guess that’s just too controversial for MIT.
Unfortunately, those ideas (speaking as a Catholic) just don’t fly with the current generation, who don’t believe in anything but their own opinions, yelled as loudly as possible.
Talcum X (Sorry, I can’t help myself), I mean, Shaun King, the white man with a funny haircut who’s parents are both white, but he says he’s black because he insists that his mother cucked his father with a black man, giving him the thin veneer of deniability more than Rachel Dolezal, is actively calling for the tearing down of statues of Jesus and the destruction of stained glass murals.
The irony is that Shaun is literally whiter than Jesus.
Nobody even knows what color Jesus’s skin was; Isreal is right next to Syria and just south of Turkey, areas not known for naturally dark skin. Further, first Century Egyptians look like this:
so there is no reason a fair skinned Holy Family wouldn’t blend in.
Yes…he…is an interesting…guy.
Thanks for posting the statement. I am shocked (not really) that the Diocese called for his resignation. I wonder if they would have stood with Jesus during his Passion? I mean, Jesus did some pretty awful things, too, such as throwing the money changers out of the temple and prayed with tax collectors and other sinners. That might have angered the Diocese.
jvb
When all fall short then all are accountable and all also have access to reconciliation and mercy.
I don’t know how long it would take, but at some point, I believe that the statue-toppling and cancellations will eventually culminate in rabid self-destruction, because everyone will have been found guilty for some wrongthink or another. I have some vague hope that this frenzy will ultimately lead people back to the conclusion we’ve tried so hard to jettison, namely that we’re all sinners in need of a savior.
Yet what you assert — something that many assert of course and especially those who have come face-to-face with the profundity of their own errors — also must include Absolute Opposition by *the world*. And absolute refusal. An absolute decision to destroy even that which *gently suggests* that the course chosen (by this *them*) is mistaken. It is the suggestion itself that insults. It is the suggestion itself that can’t be tolerated.
We live within a time — a temporal modality — that is circumscribed by Christian mythology. I don’t use that word to imply something false or unreal. What I mean is that even The Rebellion, or a giant social rebellion, and a civilizational rebellion, takes form within the mythic structure.
So, at one moment or another (here comes the mythological assertion) Skynet becomes self-aware. We our self construct the Machine that enslaves us.
Strictly from a somewhat removed *philosophical Christian* perspective all signs, or many signs, or many mythological indicators, point to anti-Christ. But what does that mean?
Like it or not, or whether it is true or false, these lines (within perception) are forming.
What *turning* or *salvation* is . . . is rather difficult to imagine and define.
Here is an example, if you will, of the encompassing mythological structure. The Machine objects! 😉
[ https://youtu.be/qFy2HBuXrOE ]
Mrs Q wrote: “I suspect the next phase in this “summer of love” is attempts at dismantling religion, specifically any Christian type (for now). Apparently the has been a dog whistle call for statues of “white Jesus” to come down. What fun these people are.”
It is curious to consider that there was a rebellion among Nordic-Teutons against the Roman-Christian belief-system which can be understood to be a ‘necessary’ rejection of a mode of worship that is simply too foreign. The Protestant mind (or spirit as it were) seems to naturally take issue with Mediterranean religious forms which clash with their sensibilities.
In the general rebellion which is taking shape today — a very strange and unprecedented social movement whose symbol is violent rioting and burning — there are many signs of neo-paganism. And I suppose that these neo-pagans feel their mission is to recover the territory that Christianity conquered from the indigenous and all others who came under the Christian yoke. So Christianity becomes a symbol of their historical subjugation and therefore an object worthy of being torn down.
These are unprecedented times.
Geckos aside, I am still here, so now I will try to be more serious.
1. Jenny Durkan resorts to the excuse I have heard from a number of progressives when their idiocy is exposed to the extent they can no longer live with it – ‘I was only kidding’.
No. She was not.
She either (a) believed this indeed would be a summer of love, and given what I know about a few Seattleites, this is not as unreasonable as it sounds. They would do their thing for a few weeks, people would get along, and it would all come out okay. Keep in mind that progressives (okay, and some others) do not always think rationally.
Or, (b), she supported it as part of the re-making of America, which might just as well start in Seattle,
Or, (c), she’s an idiot.
I tend toward (a) which includes a good bit of (c) anyway. But, who knows. Gotta wonder what kind of people help elect someone like this. Maybe she’s got some good stuff going for her, and nobody is all one thing, but, she has failed in her primary job of protecting the citizens of Seattle. We are led to believe that Seattleites are a pretty smart crowd, but, they elected her, so, … .
5. I am sickened and frustrated that the thought control police have the upper hand, as exemplified by the cancel culture, the desecration and toppling of monuments, and the ongoing insults to intelligence and free speech, such as the forced resignation of MIT’s chaplain.
Speaking out against this squelching of free speech does not seem to be productive.
I know why people oppose free speech. It’s the same whether the repression comes from the left or the right; they fear their thoughts cannot succeed in the marketplace of ideas. I fear for a nation which cannot tolerate differing opinions.
It’s been amazing to watch the media’s transformation on this message. In late march, the explanation was as you say. I distinctly remember the ubiquitous graphic showing the early, high-peaked “unflattened” curve versus the lower, delayed, drawn-out, “flattened” curve.
Then New York got absolutely walloped, hard and fast, with New Jersey close at its heels. They got past these early, high peaks and are now on the downward slope. So now the meaning of “flatten the curve” has morphed so it’s synonymous with reaching declining infection rates as quickly as possible. That this completely inverts the meaning of that original graphic is completely ignored.
3. I thought the DA brought these outrageous charges as a legal defense. He is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation himself for corruption. If he can set up an adversarial situation (they recommend no charges or discipline against the officers and he wants the death penalty), he can portray his investigation as a witch hunt to remove him.
Yeah, charging the second officer with aggravated assault is possibly the more damaging charge for overall police morale. It tells the police that if they struggle with a suspect, they can be charged with a felony. Who wants to work as a cop with that hanging over your head?
A rather sleepy rendition of the William Tell … but still one of my favorite pieces of music. It always makes me happy. (Or happier…)
Which reminds me of one of my favorite stories. I don’t know if it’s apocryphal or not, but if it isn’t true, it should be.
Legend has it that Leopold Stokowski was conducting the William Tell at the Hollywood Bowl and when he finished, the entire audience sang out as one: “Hi-Yo Silver, Away!”
Stokowski, who had never heard of the Lone Ranger, was not amused…..
You’re right though, that version is too slow. I’ll see if Lenny’s is online…
It is, and it’s up. Thanks for the critique.
This one is superb.
On 5: The Archdiocese of Boston went Bishop Foy on the MIT chaplain. It makes him look foolish, the church foolish, hypocrites, and cafeteria Catholics. BLM is an unapologetic supporter of abortion. This past Sunday’s first reading at Mass very much spoke to our times:
Jeremiah said:
“I hear the whisperings of many:
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!’
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.’
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
for he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!”
Jeremiah 20:10-13
Amen.
A few comments
Such a confusion of narratives! The down-trodden, the oppressed, the impoverished, the abused along with their *white allies* rise up against the oppressive system under a banner of declared self-righteousness — these must be God’s people who clamor for justice, mustn’t they? — but in this particular movie, or this particular scene in this strange and long movie, it is they who denounce unjustly. The Just Man — the one who hears the prophesy of God — watches in righteous horror as the barbarians invade the public square.
Think of that surreal scene with the lunatic Black activist religious group and the American Indian activist with his drum bringing their historical complaint right into the faces of the lovely Covington Catholic boys (all with *roses in their cheeks*). Here the roles are reversed in postmodern asymmetry: the supposed oppressed has become the oppressor. The one said to be the oppressor is oppressed and abused.
God’s children watch in horror as the barbarians tear their victims to shreds.
The notion of vengeance — vengeful retribution, punishment and pay-back — is especially interesting since it seems that this is a large part of the mood animating these groups. You thought you’d escape the historical debt but they will not let you forget nor can you slip away, guiltless. You are going to pay and pay dearly . . .
I admit that I am working odd angles here — to demonstrate how convoluted and inverted the categories of justice have become — but only to show that *interpretation* is very very difficult.
But fear not! “for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”
Again, confusion of narratives.
Re: Not Really Sure, but it Seemed Related to this Piece; The Racist NASCAR Garage Door Pull Rope.
Apparently there was a racist incident at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. It appears that Bubba Wallace, a Black car driver was assigned to Garage No. 4 last week in preparation for some important NASCAR race. Unbeknownst to him and the world, a noose was found hanging in the garage – clearly a racial and racists threat against Wallace (because Black NASCAR Lives Matter) by someone irked that NASCAR banned a flag at its events forever, sparking worldwide outrage, gnashing of teeth, rending of a garment or two, many lovely displays of unity and brotherhood betwixt and between NASCAR enthusiasts, with fellow drivers and pit crews celebrating Bubba’s NASCARHOOD and declaring that he was a righteous dude. It went all the way up the flagpole from the race coordinators, to the directors, to the NASCAR president, to the Talladega mayor and a whole host of politicians declaring that racism has no place in NASCAR, especially after having banned the Stars and Bars from ever appearing at another NASCAR-sponsored event, whereupon world peace and racial harmony broke out.
Well, not really. It seems that the Department of Justice and the FBI sent a joint task force of 15 (!!!!) specially trained agents to Garage 4 to get to the bottom of the whole sordid incident. After exhaustive research, topnotch field investigator interrogation of eyewitnesses, and studying hours and hours and hours of archval video tape, the Joint DOJ/FBI Racial Noose Hanging Task Force issued a statement today. They declared that “[t]he FBI learned that garage number 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week. The investigation also revealed evidence, including authentic video confirmed by NASCAR, that the noose found in garage number 4 was in that garage as early as October 2019. Although the noose is now known to have been in garage number 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage number 4 last week.”
What that beautifully written statement did not include was this little tidbit: the noose in question was actually a rope tied to the garage door, with the gripping end bunched up to help the garage door puller person pull on the rope when opening and closing the garage door. Facts Matter, I guess.
So, to clarify, the nefarious racist noose was not, in fact, a racial threat to the only full-time Black NASCAR driver, but a harmless rope tied to the door handle. All for the cause, right? I guess that’s why Stevie Ray Vaughn’s statue in Austin was vandalized over the weekend. Which razor is it that requires the most evil interpretation of an incident instead of logic or facts? You can read about the whole ridiculous thing here:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8453051/FBI-says-noose-Bubba-Wallaces-garage-misunderstanding.html?fbclid=IwAR2N6d7B2H_5xnEHzuNPsPrmPy9IJsdVB7VHT-9k2kjBzUQjv9Blq6qA2zc
jvb
This spasm of fake news earns the title of Emily Litella Freak-Out of the month. (“Violins on television?…[rant]…Never mind.”)
Cue the muted trumpet and the 3 notes: WAH-WAH-WAHHH
But the Feds can’t investigate any of these statue-toppling incidents that potentially have hate crime or treasonous undertones.
If a statue toppling can be prosecuted as a hate crime, that validates my objection to the whole concept of hate crimes
Spin is one thing; delusion is a whole different level of crazy. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. The new mainstream media news slant, courtesy of Don Lemons and some guy from the LA Times, is that this whole noose incident was caused by NASCAR reporting the matter to the feds and the media to discredit Wallace, who apparently was the driving force behind removing Confederacy imagery from the sport.
According to Lemons and LA Times guy, NASCAR wanted to pressure Wallace into dropping the issue because the racist NASCAR fans were pissed that they couldn’t have any more good old fashioned pre-race cross burnings in the race track parking lots. They said race fans don’t tailgate but rather gather in large circles dressed in flowing white gowns and pointy hats, singing old timey songs about the South and Dixie, reminiscing about the glory days of yore when white males watched over their vast agricultural estates while slaves worked the fields. Wallace, with dark skin came along and messed up a good thing, so they had to get rid of him. Therefore, they say, Wallace had to go. So, the garage puller qua noose was “found,” the media was alerted, and CNN scheduled an interview with Wallace with their only African-American on-air personality, that abject genius and highly talented Don Lemons. Light fuse, sit back and watch the fireworks. Bright Guy Don asked Bubba if nooses were common in NASCAR garages. Bubba doubled down and called it a “straight up noose.” Whatever that means . . . MSNBC declared that Blacks are tired of proving to whites that the hell they are receiving is real.
Yet, as we now know, the FBI dispatched 15 of its best agents to get to the bottom of the matter and prosecute all involved for a hate crime. The FBI determined that the noose was not a noose but a door pull, not unlike the cords used on every other garage door at Talladega super raceway. But, what actually happened, though, was that NASCAR joined together and rallied behind Wallace in a strange display of unity rejecting racism. Contrary to popular belief, NASCAR fans are not universally racists – they just like watching cars go around an oval really fast and occasionally crash spectacularly. Who knew? Crosses were saved, people weren’t lynched, and peace broke out across the land.
jvb
” In addition, the message being communicated is that Floyd’s death is more outrageous because he was such a great guy. That’s nonsense, and not because he wasn’t such a great guy. It makes no difference whether George Floyd was a good man or not, and that’s what the Chaplain was saying. It needs to be said.”
If anything, the ongoing sanctification of George Floyd weakens the argument, even as it maximizes the outrage, and not just because of loss of credibility. It’s not much of a statement to say that such a fine, upstanding citizen as the fictionalized George Floyd should not suffer police brutality. We would all agree with that. It’s a much stronger statement to say that no one should suffer police brutality, not even the actual George Floyd, a drug abusing lifelong criminal who once pointed a gun at the belly of a pregnant woman. That is to say that the right to be free from police brutality is absolute and inviolate. Of course, that’s a statement in support of individual liberty, which might explain why the totalitarian left has no interest in making it.
Precisely. It is the same for speech. Everybody would agree that lively, sweet comments are protected by the First Amendment; it’s the nasty, unpopular stuff that needs protection, too.
jvb
I don’t know if this Twitter link belongs on this post, but I am going to do it anyway. Sen. Rand Paul questioned the propriety of shuttering schools for the rest of eternity in response to COVID-19. He seems to be the only one in Congress willing to challenge the experts on their pontifications, especially the Esteemed Dr. Fauci. He did a nice job in this clip suggesting that the experts have no idea what they are talking about and have no business making policy based on their opinions. Here is a link:
Which is another reason why I’m polling on whether the narrative about Trump botching the virus response belongs in the Big Lie list.