Asylum

Silverfiddle Rant!

I was mistaken. I thought foreigners could apply for asylum at any US embassy or consulate. They cannot. They must do so in the US.  I think this is one of the roots of the current crisis.

According to NOLO...

Asylum is a form of legal protection available to certain people who cannot or would not feel safe if they tried to live in their home country, because of past persecution or the danger of future persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

But you can only seek asylum in the US...

Unfortunately, U.S. embassies and consulates cannot process requests for this form of protection because, under U.S. law, asylum seekers can apply only if they are physically present in the United States (or at least at a U.S. border or other point of entry).

DHS Websites say the same. Go here to see the process for making an asylum claim.

Our immigration laws are insane and designed to encourage one and all to show up, surrender at the border, see the judge, receive your taxpayer-funded bus tickets to whichever US city the rest of your family resides illegally, and never be molested again by the cruel and racist Tio Sam...

The Skeptic Tradition

By Sam Huntington

Here we are in the 21st Century —an age so advanced in science and technology that most of us can’t get our heads around it. Add to this, again for most of us, the real problem of information overload. These days, there’s simply too much to know; the mass of information that we do have doesn’t allow much room for adding in more. As a result, we’ve become quite selective about what we want to know. The United States of America may host one of the world’s most specialized societies. I can’t say that this is either a good or bad thing ... but I can say that specialization has a fragmenting effect on society overall. Bio-specialists are not known to hang-out with welders. It is no longer adequate to consult with a lawyer; you have to consult with a lawyer that specializes in your particular problem. In the medical profession, all I can say is thank goodness for general practitioners who serve us as our conduit to specialized medicine.

I was reading a magazine the other day, an article written by one of the so-called earth scientists, who was complaining about the American skeptic. Why, he moaned, do Americans continue to question the wisdom, authority, or expertise of scientists? He wrote, “We live in an age when all manner of scientific knowledge —from the safety of fluoride and vaccines to the reality of climate change— faces organized and often furious opposition. Empowered by their own sources of information and their own interpretations of research, doubters have declared war on the consensus of experts. There are so many of these controversies these days, you’d think a diabolical agency had put something in the water to make people argumentative. And there’s so much talk about the trend these days —in books, articles, and academic conferences— that science doubt itself has become a pop-culture meme.”

It didn’t take long for the writer to arrive at the conclusion that the problem is really that Americans are foolishly skeptical. Yes, our lives are permeated by science and technology; American society is more complicated and unsettling. And, he continued, “We face risks that we can’t easily analyze.” Well, I think this is true. What does a welder know, or understand, or even care about bio-research (until it affects him or her personally)? It leads me to conclude that American society is far more complicated than we realize and our penchant for classifying people as either wealthy, middle class, or poor is merely a matter of convenience to journalists who actually know less than the welder does about bio-science (unless they’re specialized journalists, of course).

But why are Americans so skeptical? I think that generally, we distrust science and technology because of the way it has been used in the past to confuse us, and then to use that confusion —that lack of knowledge or understanding— to take advantage of society as a whole. I last wrote about climate science; I can use that as my leading example of society’s distrust of the scientific community. There are many other examples. Who were the nimrods in science that gave us the notion of nuclear energy without considering what ought to be done with spent fuel rods? Oh, we found a solution to this, of course, after the mother of necessity resulted in the expenditure of billions of dollars in land requisition and the creation of underground storage facilities. That story, by the way, is far from over. Here are a few more scientific blunders that cause us to question science:

Veterans Day 2018

(For politics, please scroll down)

Please read: 5 Facts to Know About Veterans Day (from the US Department of Defense).

Post-Election Perspective

Two of my recent Facebook finds....Click on each graphic to enlarge it.

Another graphic below the fold.

Quotation Of The Day

Some post-election thoughts....

Comment from my good friend Mustang of Old West Tales and Fix Bayonets! (emphases mine):

Nancy Pelosi said that the Democratic win of the House was “All about stopping the GOP.” Perhaps. I think it was all about stopping the will of half of the American people from realizing their hopes for our future. For those on the left who claim that their agenda was about healthcare, it is pure eyewash. The healthcare system we have now is the healthcare system adopted unilaterally by the Democrats in 2008. I should note that it was mere moments after the close of elections that Pelosi stepped to the microphone and began lying —which is something she does without batting an eye. There are unresolved issues —most of these as a result of a RINO House the day before yesterday. We won’t see a wall any time soon; we will not have a solution to the immigration problem, we will not solve the question of birthright citizenship. The can gets kicked down the lane a bit further.

There are a few things that we should remember about our political system. First, America has a very large political tent with room for all kinds of people; even a place for idiots like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. The second thing to remember is that the founding fathers set up the House of Representatives as a place where the voice of the people could be heard, but one in which, given the passions of politics, turns over every two years. In other words, the people can rid themselves of House idiots rather quickly. The founders intended that the Senate is a more mature, reasoned, less emotional chamber. There are snakes in the senate, of course, but they are less viperous than those in the House.

Still, I think it is interesting to note that the top of the Democratic Party in the Senate consists of Harris, Feinstein, Gillibrand, Warren, Sanders, Menendez, and Schumer. We should conclude these people represent the new face of the Democratic Party: progressive communists all.

One quick note about the Georgia gubernatorial contest. Did any of Stacy Abram’s supporters understand her platform, and did they support her for her high-taxes, anti-gun, pro-illegal immigration, sanctuary state positions? No one will support higher taxes unless they personally benefit from it. Abram’s base of support was Atlanta; they voted for her because she’s black; it is a corruption of our political system. Most black people in Atlanta, or so it seems, have forgotten what Martin Luther King, Jr., had to say about character.

Well, Trump will have his hands full, but he’s up for it … and I think he actually relishes the challenges of a radically leftist House. In fact, I think these mid-term election results suit Mr. Trump just fine. So now we begin the road to the general election in 2020. Politics, it seems, never goes away … 

Already, the mainstream media's 2020 agenda is apparent as evidenced by President Trump's press conference on November 7, 2018 (the day after the 2018 midterm elections).

Related reading: CNN's Jim Acosta has press pass suspended by White House, Sarah Sanders announces.

Flashbacks

Two short years ago today.  It remains to be seen if Donald Trump can repeat this success in the General Election of 2020...







As my father used to say: "You can never predict the outcome of an election. And you can never tell how a jury might decide."

Election Day 2018

As my father used to say: "You can never predict the outcome of an election. And you can never tell how a jury might decide."

And remember...

Caravan Truth

One of my Facebook finds:

Related reading: Official Says Majority of Caravan Made Up of Single, Adult Males.

My own personal gripe about the presence of illegal aliens in the United States:

You better believe that I vote against any and all who support the concept of sanctuary cities or the concept of taking illegal "migrants" — caravan or no caravan!

My personal story....

In my early 50's and without my having any pre-existing condition including any previous spinal injury, one horrible morning, as I was driving to work (I owned my own business at the time), I sustained a permanently-disabling spinal injury resulting in Neurogenic Pain Syndrome (aka Neuropathic Pain Syndrome) because of an illegal alien under deportation order and driving a Yellow Cab. This cab driver ran a 4-way stop sign and rear-ended me as he was going about 35 MPH.

Before you say, "The cab company is responsible," think again. These cab drivers, most with few assets and little insurance, are not covered by the cab company's insurance.

I sued for less than the insurance amount that the cab driver had — and his insurance policy was for only $100,000 coverage. He was supposed to be carrying a policy of $300,000 coverage.

How did I fare in court?

Not well!

Upon the pittance of a settlement (Think of a low amount, then think of a much lower amount), the officer of the court told me in words that will echo in my mind until I go to my grave:

"The sympathies of the court lie with the poor immigrant. If the situation were reversed, you'd be taken to the cleaners'.

NO JUSTICE FOR ME!

The so-called settlement I received didn't begin to cover my out-of-pocket medical expenses. Those expenses -- and this tormenting pain -- still continue to this day. 24/7/365!

The pain I have suffered since May 2005 is much akin to the nerve pain caused by shingles.

Come live my life, and see how much you love sanctuary cities and illegal aliens! Especially, but not limited to, behind the wheel.

Sooner or later, something like what happened to me will happen to you or to — God forbid! — your child or significant other.

I urge any and all who read this commentary to reconsider favoring sanctuary cities and the admission of caravans of "migrants." The outcome will be even worse that the situation with which I have to deal.

Musical Interlude

(For politics, please scroll down)

Enjoy Paris: Song of a Great City by Frederick Delius (1862-1934):

About the above piece:

Ending Birthright Citizenship

Silverfiddle Rant!

President Trump intends to end birthright citizenship by executive order. Senator Lindsay Graham will introduce legislation ending this stupid and suicidal practice of permitting foreigners to create little US citizens.

Progressives are screaming, but at this point, their screams are drowning out their other screams, so let's cut to the chase.

What US law says:

The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(a) a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof; Source: 8 USC 1401

What the US Constitution Says:

Amendment XIV
Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.

Source: 14th Amendment, US Constitution

What 14th Amendment drafter U.S. Senator Jacob Howard said in floor debate:

“This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons.”
Source: Congressional Globe

What the Supreme Court Said in 1873:

The phrase, "subject to its jurisdiction" was intended to exclude from its operation children of ministers, consuls, and citizens or subjects of foreign States born within the United States.
Source: Slaughterhouse Cases

What the Supreme Court Said in 1884:

The persons declared to be citizens are 'all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.' The evident meaning of these last words is, not merely subject in some respect or degree to the jurisdiction of the United States, but completely subject to their political jurisdiction, and owing them direct and immediate allegiance.
Source: Elk v. Wilkins

Congressman Steve King has a short treatise on this issue posted at his website.  Please take five minutes to read it:

Ending Birthright Citizenship Does Not Require A Constitutional Amendment

Andrew McCarthy makes a similar argument regarding "Jurisdiction:"

Constitution Does Not Require Birthright Citizenship

Finally, Tony Mecia at the never-Trumper outhouse The Weakly Standard, makes a weak case for the opposition, citing a case of an American man of Chinese descent who had to fight for his citizenship all the way to the Supreme Court.  His parents were from China, but wait for it...  They were permanent legal residents of the US at the time of his birth.  That's the best they got, folks.

The Supreme Court Case That Dooms Trump’s Citizenship Plan

What say you?

See Also:

Revoking Birthright Citizenship Enforces the Constitution

Birthright Citizenship and its Allies

Halloween Musical Treat

(For politics, please scroll down)

With thanks to FJ, who posted this gem in 2017:

With thanks to Midnight Rider, who posted this a few days ago:

This Is The Left

With Mr. AOW returning home after being in medical facilities since September 19, I have time to post only a link. And what a doozie this link is!

Read and watch this:

UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE: Protesters heckle Marsha Blackburn during moment of silence for Tree of Life victims.

This is 21st Century America? Sheesh.

What A Round Of Agony!

(For politics, please scroll down)

For any of regular readers who might not know, Mr. AOW has been in a medical facility since September 19, on which date he was taken by ambulance to the emergency room for kidney failure.  Underlying diagnosis?  Pancreatitis of unknown cause.

Mr. AOW remained in the hospital until October 6, at which point he was transferred to a nursing and rehab center one mile from our front door.  He has remained at the center since then.

But Mr. AOW is coming home tomorrow!  We would have liked that he spend another week at the nursing home so as to get more rehab, but the Managed Medicare plan pulled the plug.

We are grateful to the nursing home for tending the sores which he developed in less that ten days in the hospital. Indeed, the sores are very nearly healed now.  Furthermore, the nutrition choices at the nursing home were outstanding.  I wouldn't mind eating there on any given day.

Best of all, Mr. AOW is back on his feet — and off and running on his mobility scooter.  When admitted to the nursing home, he was so weak that he couldn't even hold up his head!

"Fake" Bombs

As of this posting's time/date stamp, the count has reached twelve.

What's happening?

From the 1982 film Poltergeist:

How does this end?

Silverfiddle Rant!

Nancy Jacobson observes...

For decades now, both parties have worked to ratchet up the pressure and widen the divide, needling their adversaries when they were in power, and acting as obstructionists when they were out. Slowly, it’s gotten worse and worse.

Then she asks the money question:

When does it end and what’s the way out?

Her answer, "a unity ticket," doesn't satisfy.

What is your answer?  How does this end?

Tales From The Classroom

(For politics, please scroll down)

("Tales from the Classroom" is a feature posted occasionally here at this blog.  All tales are true and present matters about which I have personal knowledge. The following blog post relates to a particular aspect of teacher training: that of communicating with parents)

From School Reports - What Teachers Really Mean:

1. Your son has a remarkable ability in gathering needed information from his classmates.
(He was caught cheating on a test).

2. Karen is an endless fund of energy and viability.
(The hyperactive monster can't stay seated for five minutes).

3. Fantastic imagination! Unmatched in his capacity for blending fact with fiction.
(He's definitely one of the biggest liars I have ever met).

4. Margie exhibits a casual, relaxed attitude to school, indicating that high expectations don't intimidate her.
(The lazy thing hasn't done one assignment all term).

5. Her athletic ability is marvelous. Superior hand-eye coordination.
(The little creep stung me with a rubber band from 15 feet away).

6. Nick thrives on interaction with his peers.
(Your son needs to stop socializing and start working).

7. Your daughter's greatest asset is her demonstrative public discussions.
(Classroom lawyer! Why is it that every time I explain an assignment she creates a class argument).

8. John enjoys the thrill of engaging challenges with his peers.
(He's a bully).

9. An adventurous nature lover who rarely misses opportunities to explore new territory.
(Your daughter was caught skipping school at the fishing pond).

10. I am amazed at her tenacity in retaining her youthful personality.
(She's so immature that we've run out of diapers).

11. Unlike some students who hide their emotion, Charles is very expressive and open.
(He must have written the Whiner's Guide).

12. I firmly believe that her intellectual and emotional progress would be enhanced through a year's repetition of her learning environment.
(Regretfully, we believe that she is not ready for high school and must repeat the 8th grade).

13. Her exuberant verbosity is awesome!
(A mouth that never stops yacking OR Is able to imaginatively express his thoughts in various media.
(Caught writing on bathroom walls.)

14. Displays leadership ability.
(Bossy.)

15. Has potential to stand out from his peers.
(Headed for America's Most Wanted.)

16. Technologically proficient.
(Hacked into school computer system.)

17. Handwriting is excellent.
(Forges parents' signatures.)

18. Creatively expresses himself.
(Uses profanity.)

19. Has materials available at all times.
(Desk overflowing with crap.)

20. Talented artist.
(Draws pictures in class.)

21. Meticulous worker.
(Never completes assignments.)

22. Independent thinker.
(Does not follow directions.)

23. Others look to her for guidance.
(Bad influence.)

24. Excellent multi-tasking abilities.
(Does not pay attention.)

25. Finishes all assignments quickly.
(Sloppy, careless work.)

26. Maintains constant cheerful attitude.
(Nothing phases him.)

Yes, we teachers actually receive training in how to use certain euphemisms. Mustn't freak out the parents or damage Little Johnny's self-esteem, you know.

Sunday Funnies

(For more politics, please scroll down. Blog team member Sam Huntington published a post on Friday, October 19)

Yep!

One of my Facebook finds:

Related: Cherokee Nation responds to Senator Warren’s DNA test. Full statement below the fold.  Also link to more funnies will be found below the fold.

Desert Tribalism

By Sam Huntington

I was reading earlier about Arabian history. The periodical suggests that while human beings lived in this region of the world up to 125,000 years ago, its primary migration originated from Africa around 75,000 years ago. As the human population evolved, the area of present-day Saudi Arabia became the epicenter of animal domestication, particularly horses, sheep, goats, dogs, ostriches, and falcons. It was a tribal culture, which is not the same thing as being a civilization. I do admit that the area has an interesting history but wonder where all the humans went.

The Saudis don’t act very humane, nor do they appear civilized as most people understand that term. Saudi Arabia today continues to engage in slavery (although it’s cleverly concealed and therefore hard to detect), public killings are common, and there continues to exist a society that is comfortable with torture and summary execution. Saudi Arabia is not alone in this depravity, since a casual look at almost every Arab population in the Middle East reveals near-identical barbaric behaviors.

The world may be justified looking upon the disappearance (and suspected murder) of Jamal Khashoggi with abhorrence and disgust, but no one with an ounce of brains should be shocked. The Saudis may be rich beyond our imaginations, but they certainly are not a civilized people. But before we all break out our crying towels, a closer look at Jamal Khashoggi is appropriate.

John R. Bradly, writing for Spectator, tells us that the dissident’s fate tells us a lot about Saudi Arabia and the rise of the mobster state. His article is titled, “What the media aren’t telling you about Jamal Khashoggi.” It is a worthy read.

I certainly do not think we should be cutting people into pieces, but neither do I think that we should be attempting to portray this man as an innocent victim of Saudi mobsterism. He was far from innocent and I am bothered that he was so easily accepted as an ordinary journalist by any American, much less his employer, The Washington Post. More than this, and completely unrelated to the barbarism associated with the alleged criminal activity, why on earth are we selling advanced military technology to the Saudis?

Democrat Party: Home of Leftwing Mob Violence

Silverfiddle Rant!

"And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere."
-- Maxine Waters


"When they go low, we kick them."
-- Eric Holder

“You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about,” Clinton said. “That’s why I believe, if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and/or the Senate, that’s when civility can start again.”
-- Hillary Clinton

Her Heinous just summed up the Democrat Party in a nutshell: Give us what we want or we will scream, lie, cheat, steal, riot, burn, beat you up and threaten your very life.

Democrat street thugs are heeding the call. Just ask Kirstjen Nielsen, Ted Cruz and his wife, Sarah Sanders and her family...

Want more street violence? Vote Democrat

The Climate Scare

By Sam Huntington

There appear to be only two camps in this debate: those who swear that climate change will destroy all human life on earth, and the skeptics who simply want to see the data that supports such claims. It doesn’t help when both sides of this issue denigrate the discussion into name calling or character assassination. Of course, two scientists in the same field who agree on anything are as rare as the pale colored unicorn. In this regard, scientists appear not too far removed from cannibals: they are happy to serve one another up for dinner. 

It is also not helpful when a PhD in animal husbandry goes on record supporting the climate change argument when he (or she) is no more qualified to do so than is a PhD in education or someone who drives a city bus. As citizens, we should be looking for a consensus among persons who actually are qualified to render an opinion about climate change.

Here's something else that doesn’t help: junk science. We define junk science as scientific data, research, or analysis that is spurious or fraudulent. In other words, arriving at scientific theories outside of the generally accepted scientific method of investigation. I have two examples of this:

Musical Interlude

(For politics, please scroll down)

Enjoy Les Caractères De La Guerre, composed by Jean-François Dandrieu (c. 1682 – 1739), a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist, and organist:

Recommended Reading: Mob Violence And Harrassment

See Rap Sheet: ***583** Acts of Media-Approved Violence and Harassment Against Trump Supporters (with thanks to Warren, who alerted me to this list).

The above acts of violence and threats, a list of acts from September 2015 to the present, are propagated by the Dems and other Leftistas, of course. They sense defeat and can no longer maintain the mask. We are seeing what they are at heart — and what they have always been.

Additional reading...Eric Holder: ‘When They Go Low, We Kick Them’ (dated October 10, 2018)

and

A truck with ‘Trump 2020’ bumper stickers was left at a bar overnight. Someone set it on fire (Washington Post dated October 10, 2018):

Check this video out! A Vancouver man believes his car was set on fire because if his @realDonaldTrump bumper stickers: "If you say anything that someone doesn't like you are ultimately a target. You're automatically the enemy and they have to hurt you." #KOIN6News pic.twitter.com/gIa24VyDzp

— Velena Jones (@velenajones) October 9, 2018

Liar's Veto

Silverfiddle Rant!

"Prove you're not guilty!" 

Who wants to put their fate in the hands of an unhinged mob? (or a capricious government hostile to your beliefs?)



Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Our justice system--as imperfect as it is--is based upon the bedrock constitutional principle of innocent until proven guilty, and indeed, that is the standard at every level of reasoned human interaction, including workplace hiring and firing and workplace and school evaluations and discipline. If you want someone punished, you must present proof.

Anything below that standard is a Liar's Veto and un-American:  Salem Witch Trials, Inquisition, Lynchings of black men, McCarthy Investigation...

Contemporary media-stoked mass hysteria brought us Court of Public Opinion false guilty verdicts in cases such as Tawana Brawley, McMartin Preschool, Duke rape case, Richard Jewell...

Here are two articles that disagree.  They are weak and riddled with conflation, lazy stereotypes, and trite clichés. Worse, they present no workable solutions for evaluating uncorroborated claims other than "Believe all women." Tell that to Emmett Till.

Why the male fear of false rape accusations should worry all of us

Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation reveals the moral rot that allows America to ignore so many assault survivors 

Rod Dreher speaks in opposition to such activists:  After Kavanaugh’s Destruction, Who Is Safe?

What's the Solution?

So, what shall we do when an accusation does not fit the bounds of facts and evidence, but takes place in the realm of intuition, emotion, and heuristically evaluating veracity?

At root of this conundrum may be the psychological theory that tells us men tend towards the logical and linear; women tend to be more intuitive and adept at detecting undercurrents and hidden connections. It is natural that so many women activists choose the arena of intuition and emotion to stage their public gladiatorial spectacles.

Having said that, how do we evaluate such accusations as Dr. Ford's?

See Also:
John Nolte - Winners and Losers

Listverse - Wrongly Accused 

The Left Drops The Mask

(Please scroll down to the blog post below this one. Active thread there)

From Powerline Blog comes this (hat tip to Warren for alerting me to this information)...

One can hardly write a post on the mean-spiritedness of today’s liberals without mentioning the fallout from the Democrats’ failed effort to bully Brett Kavanaugh out of a seat on the Supreme Court. Here the choice is almost limitless, but let’s go with this one: a writer for the Stephen Colbert show seeks solace in having ruined Judge Kavanaugh’s life:

The hatred will intensify. Watch for it.

Thank You

Silverfiddle Rant!

El Donaldo Leads the Reconquista

Thank you President Trump for injecting some of your brass balls, steel spine, and reactive armor into the Grand Old Party.

Any other GOP president would have caved halfway through the Kavanaugh smear, and the GOP rank and file would have wet themselves and scurried to the tall grass to figure out how to ingratiate themselves with CNN.

Thank you Justice Kavanaugh and family for bravely facing the lies and calumny and refusing to cave to the frightful pressure from the baying mobs. You have struck a mighty blow for the truth, and your victorious stand may end up being the high water mark of the uncorroborated, unsubstantiated, fact-free public square condemnations fueled by #MeToo hysteria.

The Democrat Scam That Failed

Thank you arrogant Democrats, for overplaying your hand in such an operatic fashion.  You were so cocky, from so many years of of flogging and de-pantsing crouching Republicans, that you got sloppy. The Kavanaugh smear was as amateurish as it was diabolical. You just motivated millions of good middle-America people to go out and vote for Republicans this November.

A New GOP Dawn

Thank you Mitch McConnell for politely invoking the Biden Rule and allowing the 2016 voters to decide whether to send Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Despite the leftwing screaming propaganda attacks, you held firm, and you did so with grace and dignity.

Thank you Charles Grassley for conducting a straight-up hearing despite Democrat dirty tricks, leftwing hysteria, ham-fisted histrionics and circus clown antics. You and all the GOP senators showed America what sober, adult leadership looks like. You surprised me by handling the delicate Dr Ford accusations with fairness and sensitivity, and when no corroborating evidence surfaced, you stood up for the American principle of Innocent until Proven Guilty

Finally, the GOP stood on principle and fought, and--mirabile dictu--WON!

The Republicans have brought us a hard-won triumph of facts, logic and reason, and they have dealt a defeat to hysteria, media manipulation, and emotion-based propaganda.

Well done, Senate Republicans. America thanks you.

Graphic added by AOW:

Brett Kavanaugh sworn in as SCOTUS justice (October 6, 2018)

Recommended Reading

See #MeToo's Contempt for Due Process: "Presumption of innocence" and "misogyny" have become interchangeable concepts by Arnold Ahlert at the Patriot Post (dated October, 2018).

Conclusion of the essay (emphases mine):

Nonetheless, if the #MeToo movement insists on embracing score-keeping, let’s look at the entire scorecard. Does anyone still remember which side of the ideological divide celebrated the sexual revolution of the ‘60s and the unrestrained hedonism immortalized by the adage “if it feels good do it”? How about the “liberated” woman, part of whose liberation consisted of her being as sexually promiscuous as her male counterparts — and part insisting she was every bit as strong and capable as any man?

How times have “evolved.” “Democrats believe that we women are weak, mewling, helpless creatures who are defined by our interactions with men,” writes Bonnie Ramthun. “If we are touched, insulted, groped, or otherwise not treated as delicate flowers, we’re supposed to react by making our entire lives revolve about that horrible moment that ruined us forever.”

Democrats and the #MeToo movement are far more interested in ruining forever anyone who opposes their agenda....

Read the entire essay HERE.

In my view, regardless of the Kavanaugh vote, in 21st Century America we are seeing a dangerous shift along the lines of the above essay.

And the Left is leading this charge just as the Left led the charge into the Sexual Revolution.

Malcolm X's Condemnation Of The Nation Of Islam. And Much More!

A stunner in that I was previously aware of the following, in which Malcolm X, murdered on February 21, 1965, called the Nation of Islam a "criminal organization" (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance).  There are more stunners in the video below.  Please watch:


The YouTube blurb for the above (emphases mine):

In this 15th February 1965 press conference at the Audubon Ballroom (one day after his home was firebombed by the Nation of Islam and seven days before they assassinated him), Malcolm X exposed an alliance that Elijah Muhammad had entered into with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the American Nazi Party. Malcolm also described a vicious assault on an associate, Leon 4X Ameer, which was carried out by members of Louis Farrakhan’s Boston Mosque #11. In addition, Malcolm provides details of an effort to assassinate him that was to have been carried out by the Captain of Mosque #11, Clarence 2X Gill....

Hypocrisy On Full Display

(Please scroll down for other material.  Active thread below)

Proverb: "those living in glass houses should not throw stones":

Related: Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote 'this week' on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (dated October 1, 2018).

Also see: Five Devastating Hits on Christine Blasey Ford's Credibility from Rachel Mitchell's Memo. Important read!

The gods That Failed

Silverfiddle Rant!

Many of the myriad McCain paeans took a fin de siècle tone: McCain was the last of the greats, etc.  Other pundits rebutted that, reminding us how McCain and his generation of global gods wrecked the world and couldn't do anything right: Korea and Vietnam were losses, the big financial crash in Bush the Dumber's last year, the rise of militant Islam, most of the globe still mired in poverty and misery...

The Cold War was the west's singular post-WW II victory, and had it not been for the triumvirate of Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan putting the spurs to the timid, yapping UN diplomacy class, that might have never happened.

It's been ten years since the big financial crash of 2008. Joel Kotkin makes some observations in The Daily Beast...

"nine million jobs and nearly $20 trillion in household wealth were lost"

The financial collapse of 2008 is one of the elites' crowning achievement, up there with the Iraq and Afghanistan fiascos. People at the bottom lost everything, while people at the top lost nothing. Government gave us all an extra kick in the balls when they looted the treasury to bail out the malefactors. It was a gratuitous and unnecessary act of shameless malfeasance.

Bush the Dumber's great failure was not making the banksters eat their losses.

Now, according to Professor Kotkin, the economy is recovered, unevenly...

"Obama’s recovery was arguably the most unequal in American history, with 95 percent of all gains through 2013 going to the top one percent."

But President Trump is bringing some good news...

"Middle America is making a major comeback... Industrial employment reversed declines that were hitting at the end of the Obama years, growing by 327,000 jobs over the past year, the best performance since 1995."

"Trump may have shifted the geography of economic growth. The share of growth now taking place in non-metropolitan area America has increased fourfold. …"

"Meanwhile the states of the Resistance, New York and California, are now experiencing increasing domestic out-migration. The rate of population growth in California is among the country’s lowest—less than half that of Texas."

More Housing Bubbles...

"Median house prices in many deep blue enclaves areas have shot past their 2008 bubble peaks. In Portland, Seattle and San Francisco, prices are up 30 percent over the decade. In Denver, prices are up more than 80 percent. They have risen 60 percent in San Jose, where the median price for houses is now a staggering $1.4 million."

What have we learned?

Governments learned nothing. They failed to punish the guilty and they continue to sponsor private gains and socialized losses for the moneyed class and global corporations.

Booming urban housing markets have learned there's a sucker born every minute.

The rich elites who control global finance learned they can perpetrate economic catastrophes, pocket the loot, and leave the rest of us to crawl out from under the rubble.

The American people learned a few lessons. Per capita household debt is down, but millions of us have also learned how to live a transient life, chasing crappy low-paying jobs while living out of our cars.

Brett Kavanaugh: A Life And A Family Destroyed

A tragedy playing out before our very eyes:

Corollary: Lindsay Graham at the September 27, 2018 Kavanaugh hearings...

Personal Update (Updated)

(Sticky post.  Please scroll down for new material)

This blog will be on pause for an undetermined amount of time.

Mr. AOW was hospitalized on Wednesday, September 19, because of intense belly pain.

Tentative diagnosis: pancreatitis, cause unknown at this point. More scans are scheduled for today.

This blog post will be updated as the situation warrants.

UPDATE(S) below the fold....

Liar's Veto

Silverfiddle Rant!

Anti-constitution Democrats have a burning determination to punish their enemies with Soviet-Style Kangaroo Courts:

 "Prove you're not guilty!" 

How many rabid leftwing haters would put their own fate in the hands of an unhinged mob? Do any of those man-hating females have a beloved man in her life? Can they imagine this vengeful hysteria and frenzied rage destroying the good name and career of a son, brother or father?

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Our justice system--as imperfect as it is--is based upon the bedrock constitutional principle of innocent until proven guilty, and indeed, that is the standard at every level of reasoned human interaction. People who reject this standard are unhinged loonies who belong in a totalitarian regime, or in a rabble of libertines turning on one another like in the violent post-French revolution reign of terror.

You want to accuse someone? Block them from advancement? Present dispositive information that can be proven or disproven, and do so in an open, adversarial forum where evidence and testimony can be tested by examination and logic.

Liar's Veto

Anything below that standard is a Liar's Veto. If the BAMN* Democrats succeed in derailing this nomination based on an allegation unsupported by witnesses or evidence, they will have set a horrible precedent where any liar can defeat a hated political enemy.

Democrats, blood boiling, rage in their eyes, want revenge. 

Revenge for Anita Hill, but more importantly, revenge for Republicans' refusal to consider Judge Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. Revenge at any cost. 

Democrats have a right to be angry, but consider: Republicans, unlike the vindictive, rage-filled Democrats, did not smear Judge Garland. They plainly stated it would be a matter for the voters, leaving the good judge unsullied, and presumably ascending to the Supreme Court had Hillary not blown her sure thing. Contrast that to the shameless smears and non-stop barrage of mudballs Democrats have unleashed on Judge Kavanaugh. Shame on them.

Soviet-style Democrats want a Liars Veto.

* - By Any Means Necessary

What Matters To The GOP?

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video:

So, what does the GOP care about?

Absurdity!

How stupid can this delay of Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the SCOTUS get?

Here's how absurd...

PIRRO: "...Delay becomes more absurd when she needs to drive across the country to Washington because she won’t or can’t fly. She was an intern in Hawaii a few years ago. How did she make that trip? Did she drive or surf across the ocean from California to Hawaii...."

This nonsense from the Democratic Party is transparent to anyone who takes even a cursory look.

Recommended Reading

See Why Trump's Record Trumps the Media's Spin: The media is determined to prove that Donald Trump is unfit to be president by Christian Whiton at The National Interest.

Last three paragraphs of the above-cited essay:

No matter how many outraged opinion pieces or news articles (but I repeat myself) the New York Times produces, no matter how many smarter-than-thou analysts with non-prescription eyeglasses mope about sadly on CNN, no matter how many Obama fan boys and girls left in the White House press corps shriek at the president whenever in earshot, it just doesn’t matter anymore.

The economy hums. Trump keeps us out of foreign entanglements. Wages increase. America’s traditional meritocracy replaces the Democrats’ grievance-based society. Life happens.

And while the New York Times op-ed was a nice try by the media, they must on some level, deep down, grasp the new reality: no one hears their screams.

Read the rest HERE.

The results of the 2018 midterm elections will prove whether the above essay is accurate or inaccurate. In my view, we'll see either a red wave or a blue wave.

Liberalism as Imperialism

Silverfiddle Rant!

Tolerance... Diversity... Conformity...  

What do these words mean in today's Western society? Yoram Hazony detects a "dogmatic utopianism" gripping the West, hostile to dissent, stifling freedom of expression, and threatening rational discourse. 

"One of the most striking features of public life in contemporary America and Europe is the way that the Western nations are now afflicted by public-shaming campaigns and heresy hunts whose purpose is to stigmatize and render illegitimate one or another person or group of people, opinion or policy, that is perceived as having the ability to mount any kind of meaningful resistance to liberal doctrine.

[…]

"These increasingly insistent demands for conformity to a single universal standard in speech and religion are the predictable outcome of the transition away from the Protestant construction of the West, with its fundamental principle of national independence and self-determination.

"This principle, had, after all, mandated a diversity of constitutional and religious standpoints within the order of nation states, which entailed a toleration of profoundly divergent views:

"Catholics had to tolerate the existence of Protestant regimes, monarchists had to tolerate republican regimes, and rulers concerned with tightly regulating their subjects’ affairs had to tolerate regimes affording more extensive liberties — and in each case, the reverse was true as well. This formal grant of legitimacy to political and religious diversity among the nations then became the basis for the toleration of dissenting communities within the state as well."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has Western society become more tolerant over the past few decades? Or less?

The Goal Of The Demon-Rats

One of my Facebook finds (thanks, Ed):

And this:

Feinstein Blows #MeToo Dog Whistle on Kavanaugh: Democrats employ dirty tactics in their last-ditch attempts to derail Trump's nominee.

Remember the above when you go to the polls on November 6.

Oligarchic Socialism

Silverfiddle Rant!

It's been fascinating watching the shifting sands and crazy political cross-currents over these past few years. The GOP could become the party of working people.  Democrats are attracting the moneyed class...

A emerging phenomenon that intrigues and unsettles me is the push for socialism by the Silicon Valley Robber Barons. What the hell are they up to???

Professor and social scientist Joel Kotkin explains.  In the vast sewer of toxic lies and partisanship the Infotainment Media Complex has become, he is a rare fresh breath of unbiased reporting.

"There’s surely a compelling logic for oligarchic socialism. The tech moguls get to remain wealthy beyond the most extreme dreams of avarice, while their allies in progressive circles and the media, which they increasingly own, continue to hector everyone else about giving up their own aspirations."

I do think it is as simple as that. What say you?

9/11: Never Forget

Image credit: graphic by Stogie

Don't be a dhimmi! Never forget that Quran-thumping Muslims did — and do — all these things in the name of Allah.

Click directly on the graphic to enlarge it:

Article: Ripon College bans 9/11 Never Forget posters for fear of offending Muslims (hat tip to Jihad Watch). Excerpt:

Citing bias reports filed during last year’s 9/11: Never Forget Project, administrators at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, ruled that YAF’s 9/11: Never Forget Project posters are creating an “environment” where “students from a Muslim background would feel singled out and/or harassed.” As a result, Ripon administrators will not allow the Ripon Young Americans for Freedom to hang the flyers as part of their work to remember the victims of September 11 or other victims of radical Islamist terrorism.

[...]

Administrators further—and falsely—claim that one of their objections is because radical Islamist terrorism “represents a small percentage of the terrorist attacks that happened to this country, and they don’t represent the full gamut, and they show a very small picture of a specific religion or nationality instead of the larger viewpoint.” From 1992 to 2017, Islamists were responsible for 92% of deaths caused by terrorism in the United States, and are “far and away, the deadliest group of terrorists by ideology.”...

Read the rest HERE.

Stealth Jihad!

These images from that Tuesday morning seventeen years ago are seared into my memory, and I have zero tolerance for the whitewash of Islam and the fear of offending Muslims:

Dateline: Paris

Eurabia rising

Paris attack – Two Brits ‘stabbed in head and chest’ by rampaging Afghan knifeman ‘who posed as child migrant’ before injuring seven

The police say it's not terrorism. [head/desk]

Musical Interlude

(For politics, please scroll down)

Enjoy A Song before Sunrise by Frederick Delius (1862-1934):

About this piece:

Extreme Makeovers (AOW Addendum: Live Updates for Sweden Elections 2018)

Silverfiddle Rant!

NBC News reports on elections in Sweden scheduled for September 9th...

SÖLVESBORG, Sweden — Around 4,000 far-right supporters gathered on the grounds of a ruined castle last weekend to plot the downfall of the socialist ideas that have come to define their progressive country.

Their views — anti-immigration, anti-establishment and often anti-Muslim — are not new amid the populist tsunami that's crashed into much of the West.

But this is Sweden, where socialists have dominated every election for the past 101 years, making the Nordic nation something of a lodestar for leftists around the world.

Some polls predict that the supporters' favored party, the Sweden Democrats, with roots in neo-Nazism and white nationalism, will win as much as 25 percent of the vote in an election scheduled for Sept. 9.

Go read the whole article and understand why so many people are rejecting the Establishmentarian Globalists and their propagandists in the Infotainment Media Complex.

Why do we never hear press reports of "far-left" supporters of Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders "plotting the downfall of free speech and western free-market capitalism?"

Why no articles leading in with editorial glosses about "the American Democrat Party, with roots in progressive dictator worship, eugenics, KKK and Communist sympathizers?"  

Congratulations, Progressives.  You've so abused the language, screamed "RACIST!" so many times, refused reasoned debate on immigration...  Your credibility is shot and your name-calling no longer herds us back into the progressive paddock.

Refusing extreme makeovers on our nation and our culture is not racist. Preferring our culture over others is not bigotry. Wanting to preserve and protect what we have is common sense. Nationalism is not a dirty word.

Related:  Poll of Polls: Sweden Election.

ADDENDUM FROM AOW (hat tip to Mustang)

Sweden elections 2018 — live updates

BAM

BAM = By Any Means Necessary.

Please watch the video below. Worth your time (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance).

All public schools systems are now in session for the 2018-2019 term.

Who are your child's or grandchild's teachers?

What is being taught in your child's or grandchild's classroom?

Related: Stop K-12 Indoctrination.

Musical Interlude

 (For politics, please scroll down)

This Labor Day Weekend 2018, enjoy the tone poem Summer Evening by Frederick Delius (1862-1934):