The Morning Report — 4/22/24

Good erev Pesach morning, kids. Passover eve, for those not of the Tribe. What an ironically appropriate holiday for all of us, all things considered. But, it's also Earth Day! So happy Earth day, or more accurately happy Brutally-murder-and-compost-your-girlfriend-then-flee-to-France-for-23-years Day!

Speaking of compost, I give you a batch of it to start off the week, either with a laugh or as an emetic:

Although Joe Biden is a lifelong Democrat, his political career was long defined by bipartisan compromises and reaching out to the Republican Party with legislative compromises, budget battle solutions, foreign policy consensus, and, notably, personal friendships.

Now it’s time for him to make U.S. history by announcing, prior to the Democratic Party nominating convention, that he will name a bipartisan Cabinet and policy advisers and work with congressional Republican conservative leaders as well as progressive Democrats to find common ground on the issues Americans care about most, starting with border security, inflation, criminal justice, climate change, and support for democracy and the rule of law.

Beyond these problems that Americans want addressed with across-the-aisle cooperation, the issue of partisanship itself is one of voters’ biggest concerns. They tell this to pollsters constantly. Polarization and extremism ranked third across a list of 20 issues asked about in a poll taken in May-June 2023 – just after border security and inflation.

I can see you all alternately trying to laugh through your vomitus, hurtling out of your gullets like a firehose. But wait, there's more:

As many of these conservative anti-Trump Republicans and independents tell me in my travels, despite their serious concerns about Trump’s anti-democratic views and support for Valdmir Putin and other autocrats, they won’t vote for Biden’s reelection because they consider him to ideologically “liberal” and, worse, too “partisan.”

This is not the Joe Biden I have known since he was first elected as a moderate Democrat from the then-Republican-leaning state of Delaware. This is someone who during six terms in the Senate was popular among his GOP colleagues who appreciated his knack for finding the sweet spot between left and right for legislative compromises; he’s a man who ran as a moderate in the Democratic presidential field as recently as 2020.

So, there is an opportunity here for Biden to win over these Biden-skeptical anti-Trump voters. One way to do it would be to hit a dramatic re-set button for his campaign – to make history (and good government) by committing to a bipartisan presidency in his second term if reelected. . .

. . . There are many credible Republican leaders with strong anti-Trump views who are obvious candidates, if they are willing, to serve in an historic bipartisan Cabinet and second term Biden administration. The list includes Sen. Mitt Romney, former Rep. Liz Cheney, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former GOP governors Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie along with former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and other GOP congressional leaders who opposed Trump’s election denialism. They recognize the reality of Trump’s complicity in an attempted insurrection to stop the counting of votes in 2021, and are repulsed by Trump’s pro-Putin and pro-autocratic foreign policy. . .

. . . Biden is fortunate to be able to call upon former presidents and top leaders of prior Democratic and Republican administrations to serve on a newly created official Presidential Senior Advisory Council. The first co-chairs could be ex-presidents (and personal friends) Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, with Barack Obama waiting in the wings. On foreign policy, Biden could tap the expertise of luminaries ranging from former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice, John Kerry, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mrs. Clinton could do double duty on a committee of former first ladies, with Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. A domestic policy bipartisan counterpart could be co-chaired by Vice President Mike Pence and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and could include former House Republican Speaker (and now anti-Trump conservative) Paul Ryan and former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Perhaps even Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could be part of the bipartisan team, too. Beyond her articulate expression of progressive views, AOC has been a constructive force in Congress for pragmatic compromise.

And the purveyor of this multi-trillion dollar ton of absolute horseshit is . . . Lanny Davis. Yup, the very same Lanny Davis who went to Yale Law School with Hilary Clinton and later served in the Clinton crime family during their stint at the White House as consigliere, er, special counsel (same thing) defending his sagging rapist ass from multiple scandals. After that, he's represented a virtual rogue's gallery of other scum and tyrants, with the cherry on the parfait now of being the mouthpiece for Michael Cohen. Perfect.

There are a couple of things to note with this inane waste of pixels that are nevertheless quite instructive. At first glance, Davis appears to be under the same delusion/illusion that the American citizenry as a whole, while divided on a few issues are nevertheless united in a common culture that seeks at a minimum tolerance if not accommodation. Given who he cites as "conservative," or that each side of the divide share a common enemy, Donald Trump and everyone who supports him, the entire gravamen of this discourse is a patently obvious lie.

Every individual he cites as a veritable "Lincoln's cabinet of rivals" all share the same goal: the fundamental transformation of America as founded from a nation where a limited government serves the will of the individual citizen by respecting his inalienable rights to that of a government that lords over an enslaved mass populace.

Why write this insulting, tedious, irksome piffle? FEAR. Davis et al have a very deep, nagging fear that no matter what they do to rig the 2024 election in every state they can, and that no matter what happens in the debasement of American jurisprudence that are these kangaroo court persecutions against Donald Trump, that at the end of the day he and we shall overcome them.

His notion that common ground exists in this country would be laughable were it not for the fact that not only are their political prisoners still having their lives ruined and rotting in jail as a result of the staged fake Democrat/DOJ/Deep State "insurrection" of 1/6/21, that a massive anarcho-terrorist crime wave is sweeping the nation as a result of Leftist anti-cop pro-criminal policies, and made even worse by an 8-million-strong invasion of illegal aliens that includes hardened criminals and even terrorists, and that Jews and Christians are being targeted and attacked on campuses as well as in churches and synagogues as a result of Islam and godless heathen secularism, the tip of the spear being the transexual mass-psychosis inflicted on us.

And all of the aforementioned inflicted on us by his anti-American party, political movement and the RINO scum who profit off of it.

On the latest podcast with friend and friend of the blog Jim Lakely of the Heartland Institute, I asserted that America today is probably more divided than it was at the time of the Civil War. Regardless of the issues of slavery and states rights as well as other factors such as economics, at least there was some common ground and heritage that was shared by both North and South, regardless of the aforementioned issues.

In point of fact, I believe we are now no longer one people. We are two very different nations occupying the same territory. The Left hate us, everything we stand for, and America itself. There is no common ground, and like Israel, there can be no two-state solution vis a vis some sort of national divorce, even if it could be engineered. Our very existence is anathema to their own. It would negate everything they stand for, insane as it is.

It's us or them:

Any political prediction for the remainder of 2024 must, to be taken seriously, account for one overbearing fact:  neither side can afford to lose.  For one side or the other, it will be game over.  Political power will thereafter be denied forever to the defeated party. . .

. . . There are other factors that will spell the end of constitutional democracy, the end of the rule of law, and the bastardization of our culture but government-funded lawbreaking will be sufficient to do its intended job. . .

. . . The only reason Clinton lost in 2016 was because the Left lied, cheated, stole, but not enough.  In 2020, the limits came undone, and the left pulled off the greatest fraud in history.

They fully expect to do it again, but on an even grander scale. 

Only this time, even fraud will not be enough.  If the leftist candidate officially “wins” in a historic landslide, nobody will believe it.  The ordinary American, shocked into inaction since the January 6 incident, is in no mood to hand over his country to yet another blatant, obvious theft. State legislators are on notice.  In order to certify their electors, there must be no reasonable doubt that the vote was conducted within the requirements of the law.  The legislators now know, as many of them did not in 2020, that no one can require them to certify an elector until they have performed their due diligence.  That power is theirs alone, not the secretaries of state.

But the Left is also aware of this.  Their game plan will factor that in.  Some Democrats in Congress have already stated, in advance, that they will refuse to count electoral votes which would cause their party to lose the presidency.  They can’t surrender.  A leftist defeat will be utterly unacceptable to them. 

How, then, will the deadlock be broken?

Quite a good essay but the fact is that even elections, that is even elections wherein a now massive margin of institutional fraud can be overcome will still leave in place an entirely corrupt government, bureaucracy and courts that will not allow anyone, even a Donald Trump on steroids, to denude them of even the tiniest scintilla of their illegitimate power.

It is a sad state of affairs that owing to 100 years of the overturning of the Constitution because of the will-to-power of several generations of our so-called elites, as well as the societal dissolution that has erased morality and ethics of not only the aforementioned but at far too many of our now-erstwhile fellow citizens, we must now fundamentally re-transform America. Either back to the way it was or to some other state wherein those who destroyed it in the first place are never ever in a position to do it again.

As Allen Ludden might say, the password is Revolution.

The discussion during the podcast and Heartland's latest poll are, no pun, disheartening in the extreme. Recall that their earlier poll showed an alarming percentage of respondents admitting to cheating in 2020, which led to the conclusion that 2020 was indeed severely compromised if not for sure stolen. This latest poll is even more alarming in that a majority of respondents when asked are willing to cheat and break the law again if it means ensuring their candidate wins.

Yes, the other side are fully amoral and corrupt, but because they are true believers who see us as an existential evil, "by any means necessary" is in their view perfectly justified if not demanded. And what of us? If the whole damned shit house is corrupt, then where is the sin in doing exactly what they do to prevent them from stealing the election?

Look how far we have sunk when contemplating guerrilla tactics in our own country, such as it was, is not beyond the pale.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY
• David Solway: "The American political model, as envisioned by the founding fathers, provides the clue to what constitutes not only a viable nation but a good marriage as well: a presidential husband supported by the power of a Congressional wife."
  The Paradox of the Good Marriage
  
• "The enormously destructive influence of leftist billionaires on our civic life goes largely unnoticed."
  Arabella Advisors: the Dark Money Incubator for Leftist Billionaires
  
• Roger Kimball: "We remember the past. Are we still condemned to repeat it?"
  Socialism’s Survival: The Endurance of an Ideological Paradox
  
• The ordeal of the J6ers began when the Department of Justice adopted Lavrentiy Beria’s Law: Show me the man, and I will show you the crime. Rather than arresting those who may have committed a crime, Biden’s FBI obtained “geo-fence” warrants. These warrants compelled Google, AT&T, Verizon and other cell service providers to identify everyone near the Capitol on January 6 via cell phone tracking.
  What About America's Political Prisoners?
  
• Victor Davis Hanson: "In the American Left’s vision of contemporary war, the West brings too many advantages in science, technology, and wealth."
  War By Affirmative Action?

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:45 AM | Comments (408) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 22 April 2024

Top Story

• Is the Minisforum V3 any good? Yes. (Notebook Check)
  
  It looks good on paper, and it also looks good in actual use.
  
  The one shortcoming is the battery life, which is only around six hours due the the high idle power draw - about twice that of a Microsoft Surface tablet.
  
  That's likely to be an issue with the BIOS on the review model not putting the CPU into the proper sleep state, but as of today it is something you need to be concerned about.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:13 AM | Comments (211) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread (4/21/24)

*****

The Quotes of The Day

Quote I

“I did not stop dancing. Nothing gets through my happiness.” City Councilmember Raúl Ureña,

Quote II

“Even when the game is over, you don’t know if they’re waiting for you, so even if the cops kicked them out, it may not be over. So we just all agreed, this is too dangerous,” Erik Johansson, the coach of the Manhattan Kickers 17-year-old boys travel team

Quote III

"I feel sorry for him. I’m not angry at him. He’s just stupid. It’s not stupidity in the derogatory way; it’s stupidity in the sense of […] he doesn’t understand the Catholic faith.”Bishop Robert Gruss of the Diocese of Saginaw

*****

The Comments of The Week

Once again I'm happy to showcase the best commenters on the webz.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:00 PM | Comments (375) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: NoVAMoMe Registration is Open Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Celebratory Shitballs! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be 2024 NoVAMoMe Registration time?

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (442) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: Old Blighty And Older Holiday Edition

Passover! It's a remembrance of 400 years of slavery in Egypt, and our ultimate liberation, courtesy of God. That led to all sorts of interesting things, like monotheism, the 10 Commandments, Judaism, the creation of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the building and destruction of two temples in Jerusalem, Christianity, the Jewish Diaspora, the founding of the modern state of Israel, and of course Matzoh Brei!

But the Passover Seder also requires a meal, and I'll be prepping one for 12 people, so this Food Thread^TM will be long on photos and short on snappy commentary.

I don't have much time (you'll see why down below), so I have planned a meal with as little prep as possible, but still...12 people eat a lot, especially since there will be five documented trenchermen at the table.

And there are traditional foods that are a requirement. The big one is Matzoh Ball Soup. That's actually easy to make, but it does take a fair amount of time, and even more refrigerator space! Luckily I have more than a gallon of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, plus more than a quart of "Glace de Viande," which is a concentrated meat stock that packs an incredible punch. I use it to fortify the chicken stock and make it intense and satisfying (Pro tip...if you want to make it, try to find chicken feet and put them in the stock pot. They are loaded with collagen, which really helps).

There is also the traditional fish course, usually in the form of an amazingly unappetizing food called "gefilte fish." I have omitted it, and usually replace it with something more pleasant, like a salmon tartare. Bu that requires a fair amount of prep, so I am cheating this year and serving salmon sushi rolls. The rice is problematic for Askenazi Jews, but I have Sephardic blood in me so I will happily adhere to the tradition that rice is just fine for Passover!

Then, a large amount of beef, a potato gratin, some roasted green beans with shallots, and a superb flourless chocolate cake (PDF), whose recipe is courtesy of shivmaster Bluebell.

That's it. Although now that I look at it I realize that there is a fair amount of prep to be done, so off to the pictures!

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (261) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First-World Problems...

That is a Shabbat candle-holder. Two identical candles, lighted at the same time, yet one leaves a lot of wax at the base while the other burns perfectly.

This is the agony of Chez Dildo!

What can be done? Symmetry is apparently a thing of the past in our post-modern world. The fabric of the universe is torn!

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (185) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Freedom Ratchet Only Goes One Way, And It's The Wrong Way

Facial Recognition. Digital IDs. Electronic Funds. License Plate Readers. Surveillance Cameras. Internet Usage Tracking. National Gun Database.

You name the technology program, and the odds are that it will reduce individual freedom. Where are the robust safeguards against government misuse of all of these data? They do not exist, except as a throwaway comment from a back-bencher to pacify the stoners over at Reason Magazine (even they don't believe it). The surveillance state is here, and it is by no means spectacular.

I went through two passport controls last week, and both used facial recognition to identify me. That's chilling, and not because of the reasonable need in the interest of national security at a border. It's that the data are instantly available to every department of our bloated, deep-state-controlled Leviathan. Sure, the Department of Agriculture probably won't use the data, but what's to prevent them if they just sort of feel like it?

Cops can now cruise around the streets while using automated license plate readers that will pick out all sorts of potential violations. But that sounds like unreasonable search! I thought there had to be an articulatable reason for a policeman to pull me over. And a search of my data for no reason other than he can does not satisfy that requirement.

How long until the Deep State^TM sets up facial recognition systems outside of Trump rallies? Or NRA meetings? Or the local range? Or the "Anytown Citizens For Limited Government" meeting?

Oh...our staunch defenders of freedom in the United States Senate just renewed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and it wasn't along party lines. 60-34 means there are at least 60 senators who dream about jack boots and kicking down doors. Of course they were just following the lead of the House of Representatives!

This is all about power and control. Our government wants as much of it as they can accumulate, and its purpose is to make us obedient, and subservient to their needs and desires.

The United States of America was created because of exactly the same thing emanating from London, rather than Washington. We now have parliament and King George, only it is Congress and King Joseph.

Where is our Samuel Adams?

[crossposted at CutJibNewsletter]

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (257) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 04-21-2024 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (April is National Poetry Month). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

NOTE: I'm helping out at church again this morning, so the Saturday Morning Coffee Break comment rules are now in effect...Have a great day!

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (295) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 21 April 2024

Top Story

• Workers installing a light pole in Missouri dug into a fiber cable and cut off 911 services in Nebraska - I forgot Missouri has a border with Nebraska, South Dakota, which borders on Nebraska, and, somehow, Nevada. (AP News)
  
  Nevada is three states away from Missouri three different ways, and routing your emergency calls that distance to a single service provider is not the way I personally would choose to set things up.
  
  I've seen worse things - like the time a mail server couldn't send emails more than 500 miles - but not many.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (330) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Overnight Open Thread (4/20/24)

*****

The Saturday Night Joke

An old hillbilly farmer had a wife who nagged him unmercifully. From morning till night (and sometimes later), she was always complaining about something. The only time he got any relief was when he was out plowing with his old mule. He tried to plow a lot.

One day, when he was out plowing, his wife brought him lunch in the field. He drove the old mule into the shade, sat down on a stump, and began to eat his lunch. Immediately, his wife began haranguing him again. Complain, nag, nag; it just went on and on. All of a sudden, the old mule lashed out with both hind feet; caught her smack in the back of the head. Killed her dead on the spot.

At the funeral several days later, the minister noticed something rather odd. When a woman mourner would approach the old farmer, he would listen for a minute, then nod his head in agreement; but when a man mourner approached him, he would listen for a minute, then shake his head in disagreement. This was so consistent, the minister decided to ask the old farmer about it.

Following the funeral, the clergyman approached the elderly farmer and inquired why he nodded in accord with the women but consistently shook his head in disagreement with the men.

The old farmer said: "Well, the women would come up and say something about how nice my wife looked, or how pretty her dress was, so I'd nod my head in agreement."

"And what about the men?" the minister asked.

"They wanted to know if the mule was for sale." (H/T Hadrian the Seventh)

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:04 PM | Comments (350) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Music Thread: Have We Reached Peak Croc?

[Even Garrett would be embarrassed]

The Allman Brothers Band is one of the few bands that always catches my ear. They were great for a very long time, quintessentially American and, sadly, left with only one original member.

RIP Dickey Betts

***

Posted by: CBD at 07:30 PM | Comments (328) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Weekend Hobby Thread (Presented By TRex)

*****

Welcome hobbyists. Do not adjust your interweb. A spin of the Ace of Spades “wheel of hobbies” has come up with automobiles. If our four legged friends can have a home in the pet thread, then four wheeled friends can have a home in the hobby thread.
Looking forward to silliness and shenanigans until CDB releases a fresh music thread.
As usual, keep this thread limited to hobbies. Politics and current events can wait for other threads. Don’t make me turn this car around.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 05:30 PM | Comments (185) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, April 20

* * *

Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

* * *

It all started with a pet parrot

Posted by: K.T. at 03:20 PM | Comments (80) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, April 20

Well, we have definitely seen some warm weather here now. The Lady Banks' roses have finally faded. But it is going to cool down again for a few days in the south-central San Joaquin. This is a change from recent drought years. How is the weather in your yard, garden and neighborhood?

We have some interesting stories and photos coming in from The Horde!

I love the Brugmansia photos from Neal in Israel.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:26 PM | Comments (55) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Demons in K-12

Who saw this coming? Screwtape, that's who.

Yesterday, Ace wrote a great post: California School District Implements "Equity Grading" -- A Students Will Become B Students, and D and F Students Will Become C Students

Even if you read it once, the details are almost unbelievable, so you might want to read it again (but don't comment on old threads).

Also included in Ace's post:

Related: Renegade anti-woke former teacher Chalkboard Heresy explains why it's impossible to get woke teachers to stick to the curriculum and leave their politics at home.

There is no reasoning with them. They are on a mission. Might as well understand it and maybe find a way around it.

And this:

Why can't a middle school in Utah deal with kids presenting as "furries"? Why are other students and parents motivated to protest?

Don't worry, though: A local media propaganda outlet interviews a furry calling themself (yes, themself) "Strudel" who says this is all overblown.

And if you can't trust a nonbinary that dresses up like a cartoon dog and calls themself "Strudel," who can you trust?

* * * * *

C.S. Lewis Saw All This Coming

Posted by: K.T. at 11:05 AM | Comments (263) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival (4/20/24)

*****

Good morning Horde. Before we get into the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters (Rulz for those of you in Kaukauna) to go over......

1) Open thread, so feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate away until KT arrives with fresh thread goodness.
2) Be kind to one another and for the last time, no jumping off the couch.
3) No running with sharp objects when you jump off the couch which you aren't suppose to do.
4) Have a nice weekend.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 07:58 AM | Comments (350) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 20 April 2024

Top Story

• Half of China's major cities are sinking. (NPR)
  
  Everyone said I was mad to build a city in a swamp, but I built it all the same.
  
  It sank into the swamp.
  
  

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (285) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The ONT Heard 'Round The World

Hello Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea!

Posted by: WeirdDave at 09:51 PM | Comments (434) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Cleveland Balloon Disaster Cafe

Sycamore Canyon, Arizona

Paraglider "flaps his wings" to get airborne. It works! (Though he has a lot of wind to work with.)

Baby rhino, frolicking.

Resilience pays.

The Cleveland Balloon disaster of 1996. It's like the saw the Turkey Drop episode of WKRP in Cincinnati and thought, "We can't let Cincinnati win the Stupid Derby."

What did you say to me...?

Meeting a shoebill stork. The rat-a-tat beak clicking is real.

Avalanche, as viewed from the bury zone.

Some kind of Dutch sport.

Claim: Absent air resistance, a bowling ball and a feather will fall at the same speed. Status: Confirmed.

Based on the screams of terror, I'd say he really liked his first bungi jump.

Cannonball!

"The Stairway to Heaven."

Now this is pod-racing! (No it's not. Why do you think everything is pod-racing?)

Got a paint-job for you -- it pays $20,000. There is a catch.

Capybara walking in water.

A sneak peek at "the Pink City," if you know what I mean.

Bug racing.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:21 PM | Comments (235) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Instead of Looking at The Real Reasons for Police Shootings, the Democrat-Media Complex Chooses to Gaslight the Public

James Varney and Abigail Degnan write that when you study police shootings, you'll tend to find a disproportionate number of black men being shot.

Not because of racism.

But because black men commit a disproportionate amount of crime.

The Democrat-Media Complex absolutely will not admit that basic fact, and will in fact punish anyone who mentions it.

Leaving the only possible reason for a disproportionate amount of black men being shot by police "Because racism."

Numerous professional criminologists told RealClearInvestigations that the problem isn't racist or trigger-happy police officers. Instead, a handful of intertwined factors are at work: the almost immutable math of crime and demographics; media sensationalism; distorted public perceptions about race and guns; and the inability of inertia-bound police departments to adapt in ways to make a difference.

The first lie pushed by the Regime is that there are a huge number of bad shootings. In fact, 0.002% of police interactions with civilians result in lethal gunfire.

This is such a tiny number that it's hard to even talk about statistics at this level.

...

What's more, police aren't exaggerating the lethal threats they face. In 2023, the Washington Post database showed 83% of people killed by police bullets were armed -- 62% with a gun and another 15% with a knife -- percentages that criminologists said have held steady over the years. In other cases, officers are facing potentially lethal situations with vehicles, or even deranged people charging them with swords, hatchets, or garden tools.

-- Second, media coverage distorts the circumstances of most fatal police shootings. Several criminal justice professors stressed that the overwhelming majority of lethal shootings by police involve clear justification. Nevertheless, the media and its audience tend to focus on those deaths where there is no clear justification, or where the claim of justification appears dubious.

If the media wanted to report reality accurately -- which we know they don't -- they'd also report all the well-justified shootings.

(But of course they take well-justified shootings and claim they're unjustified, as we're currently seeing with the Dexter Reed shooting.)

All of the media's attention is on what cops did wrong to wind up in a shooting incident.

They never bother to ask: What did the suspect do wrong to wind up in a shooting incident?

You know -- like resisting arrest, grabbing a cop's gun or taser, etc.

The fatal Reed shooting is an illustration. Overlooked by many in the furor over the heavy fire poured out by Chicago Police Department officers -- 96 shots -- is the fact Reed deliberately disobeyed repeated orders from increasingly nervous police officers, then opened fire and wounded one of them, precipitating the bloody ending.

And then there is the fact you're never allowed to mention: Black men commit more crime than any other group and therefore we should not be surprised to find that black men are being arrested at higher rates than any other group, or are involved in more police-involved shootings than any other group.

In 2023, The Guardian newspaper published a dataset -- Mapping Police Violence -- including not just shootings but all lethal encounters involving police. It concludes that black people "were killed at a rate 2.6 times higher than white people."

But such raw numbers ignore the fact that blacks are more likely to commit crimes. In a seminal study of Houston police that echoes other findings, Roland Fryer, a black economist at Harvard University, reported, "On the most extreme use of force -- officer-involved shootings -- we find no racial differences in either the raw data or when contextual factors are taken into account." Once the number of police encounters was factored in, Fryer found, police were markedly less likely to shoot at blacks and Hispanics than at whites. After publishing his paper -- whose conclusions he found so surprising that he ran the numbers twice -- Fryer said, "all hell broke loose." He told Bari Weiss of the Free Press, "I had colleagues take me to the side and say, 'Don't publish this. You'll ruin your career.'"

The article then looks at the possibility that better training could reduce the number of shooting incidents.

But I don't buy this:

Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) is one who believes "business as usual" can change. At its core, this involves abandoning the ancient mantra of cops beginning a shift -- get home safely -- to "the sanctity of human life." Wexler said it will be "much more challenging" to shift the numbers on the 60% of lethal shootings that involve a suspect with a gun, "but with the other 40%, that's where I believe we can make a difference."

"Instead of 'get home safe' we should be thinking, 'everyone gets home alive' -- arrested, in custody, but alive," he told RCI.

So you're saying that police should adopt the mentality that it doesn't matter so much if they themselves survive the shift? That it's just as important that violent arrestees survive too?

I don't see many police adopting this "my life is less valuable than this violent criminal's life" mentality.

I think we could slash the number of police shootings if the media would propagate the rule that police orders should be respected during an arrest, and any problems with the arrest should be sorted out later in front of judge, instead of a perp deciding "I'm not going to be arrested today because I'm a Bad M*****f*****." I think that establishing that resisting arrest is itself a crime and that people shouldn't do it would do a lot more to reduce officer-involved shooting than telling cops "Some nights you're just going to have to eat a bullet, because it's the perp's life that matters."

Somewhat related:

The media is determined to take all facts and bend them to fit their narratives.

And they're doing this to stoke war, strife, and revolution.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:20 PM | Comments (204) | Trackbacks (Suck)