Echoes of the Past

First, read this. I can't embed it.

Done?

Sure, Homan's mass roundup will be legal. So, what? Rounding up Jews and stuffing them into boxcars was legal, once. Hiding Jews was illegal and subject to harsh penalties (like being dragged out back and shot.)

Legal is one question. Moral and humane are different questions. American history provides lots of examples, for those of a mind to enquire.

Don't Vaccinate Yourself and Your Kids. See If I Care.

Anti-vaxxers have been outright lying about COVID vaccines, and all of the others, so far as I know. That addlepated Kennedy manchild is one of the self-proclaimed leaders of the antivaxxers.

I know that the antivaxxers don't care about anyone else. They are intellectual babies, people who believe in freedom with no responsibilities or consequences. And you can bet the farm that they deny the reality that in states where people haven't been vaccinated for Covid have higher death rates.

The problem, of course, is that they themselves aren't footing the costs for their conspiracy-thory-based resistance to vaccines. When they or their kids go to the doctor, the walk-in clinic or the hospital because they've gotten sick from a communicable disease, the rest of us have to foot the cost. Whether its from higher medical insurance premiums or higher costs to the hospitals (which get reflected in insurance) or draining state Medicaid funds, we all pay for it.

And if polio returns to any extent and people start ending up in iron lungs again, we are all going to be paying for it.

Which is the basis of my objection: If you want to be stupid and run the risk of getting sick from communicable diseases, then the rest of us should not have to backstop you. If, it is found that you contracted a communicable disease that was preventable (or mitigatable) by inoculation and you didn't bother, then it should be the law that all of the costs should be recoverable from you, with a denial of bankruptcy or homestead laws as safe harbors.

Baby Kennedy can afford to be a medical moron. Can you?
H/T

In Texas, Lessons in Astronomy Must Also Offer the View That the Earth is the Center of the Universe

That would align with this:

A Texas school district administrator told teachers that if they have books about the Holocaust in their classrooms, they should also have books that offer “opposing” or “other” viewpoints on the subject.

Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction for the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, which is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, issued the directive last week during a training session about which books teachers can have in their classroom libraries. A staff member secretly made an audio recording of the training session and shared it with NBC News, which broke the story.

In the recording, Peddy told the teachers to remember a new Texas law that requires teachers to present multiple perspectives when discussing “widely debated and currently controversial” issues. She said: “And make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives.”

There are lots of things that there are "alternate views" of that have no basis in reality. The Moon landing was faked. the Earth is flat. The African slaves were guest workers. There were Irish slaves in the American colonies. 9-11 was an inside job. Jewish space lasers control the weather. Chemtrails. Paul McCarthy died in 1966. Jade Helm was a rehearsal for invading the United States. the COVID vaccine has microchips so Bill Gates can track everyone. But just because some part of the population believes some whackaloon ideas does not mean they should be taught in schools as alternative views.

This is all because Republicans are having a cow over the idea that schools should even mention the fact that the European settlement of the Americas meant the near-extirpation of the people who were already there, or that the economy of the South was built on slave labor.

Beyond Snark at This Point; Trumpistas Ed.

Yesterday, Independence Day, NPR began tweeting the Declaration of Independence.

Trump supporters began losing their shit.

Getting to Genocide

A post about how to get from a tolerant society to one that closes its eyes to state-sanctioned brutality.

I could clip a paragraph or two from it, but that would not really be fair. You should read the entire thing.

And then maybe you might understand why a lot of people are pushing back, now, and not heeding the exhortation of "Be reasonable and give Trump a chance."

Because we've heard this tune before, only with different musicians.

(German word of the day: Die Lügenführer- "Lying leader".)

Senatorial Musing

I wonder if the Democrats in the Senate will have the spine to be as obstructionist as the Senate Republicans have been.

Damn the Democratic Party. Damn Everyone Who Won't Damn the Democratic Party. Damn Everyone Who Won't Sit Up All Night, Damning the Democratic Party.

In an election cycle in which the Republicans nominated their most beatable candidate since Alf Landon, something that was fairly clear since February, you had to nominate Hillary Rodham Fucking Clinton.

How good a candidate was Clinton? She had more baggage than the Queen Mary 2. Vilified by the Right since the 1980s, Clinton's reputation was of one of the most secretive and untrustworthy politicians since Richard Nixon. Two years before the election, it was clear to the most casual observer that she had more negatives than the Life Magazine photo archive. But no, the party couldn't see that. Led by Debbie Wasserman Schulz, a hardcore Clinton ally, the party did everything possible to ensure that Clinton would not see any competition for the nomination. When a challenger did arise, the party elites did everything possible to hamstring him.

So, Democratic elites, this is, in part, on you.

America has given a large "fuck you" to the rest of the world and global stability will weaken, if not collapse outright. Expect the Chinese and the Russians to move to expand their spheres of influences. By mid-2017, don't be surprised if the Russians have Ukraine or the Baltics and that the South China Sea has become, de facto, Chinese waters. We've elected a man who has no concept of honoring agreements. His entire business career has been a pattern of breaking his word and sticking others with the bill. The leaders of other nations, if they don't know this already, will be briefed on that by their respective intelligence services before the week is out. They will know that America's word is no longer any good, that only a fool will rely on past American assurances or treaties in the event of a conflict.

In short, the American nuclear umbrella will be furled.

Do not be astonished if the number of nuclear nations increases by at least two by 2020, with South Korea and Japan topping the probables list. It's not too far-fetched to suppose that Mexico may begin to arm and train its military for doing more traditional tasks than acting as an internal security force. In doing that, Mexico may look for a counterweight ally; basing rights may be granted in Mexican ports and military airports may be constructed.

At home, we've chosen a man to be president who based his campaign on misogyny, racism, antisemitism and xenophobia, appealing to the worst in Americans. Expect that the racist hate groups will begin to take actions on the belief that the Trump Administration* will turn a blind eye to such things.

If you're a member of any sort of minority, life is about to get harder. If you're Muslim, wager that Trump's promise to be "a president for all Americans" doesn't include you.

And finally, if you voted in this election, do not be overly shocked if you don't soon have another opportunity to cast your ballot.
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* I just threw up in my mouth.

I Got Yer 2016 Election Simile Right Here

I'm going to bed.

No Matter Who Wins, Some of You Will Be Feeling This Way Tonight

Personally, I am swamped. I took a long weekend for a family visit and now I'm digging out, professionally speaking. The TV will be off tonight so that I can read reports for tomorrow.

And it's not as though I can do anything about it, either way.

The nice thing is that today is the first day in weeks that the mail hasn't brought political flyers from one side alleging that the other guy is so crooked that even the shade of Al Capone is saying "really, bud?"

Dear The Economist: Save Your Time and Money

Donald Trump winning the US presidency is considered one of the top 10 risks facing the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The research firm warns he could disrupt the global economy and heighten political and security risks in the US.

Nobody who would vote for The Donald will give a rat's ass what some Limey eggheads think. So if you're trying to persuade Americans not to vote for Trump, well, good luck with that.

"It's a Dirty Trick to Arrest People Who Are Committing Felonies!"-- Militia Fine Whines Ed.

That's the line from one of the self-styled "militiamen" in Oregon, following the arrest of a bunch of them (and the shooting of two of them).

Interesting world that clown lives in. Who does he think he is, Richard Nixon?

More to the point: At least in a moral sense, the Feds brought this on themselves. They didn't bring any charges against the militia assholes following the `14 standoff in Nevada. That probably gave the militants the idea that they could break Federal and state laws with impunity.

Bundy Père said, of the Feds arresting his sons for committing felonies: "We are tired of the abuse." If Bundy and his clan aren't the poster children for "white privilege", then they are among the top runners-up for the job.

The remaining Y'all Qaeda clown are vowing to die. They should follow the example of Yukio Mishima.

About Frelling Time, Oregon Edition

Ammon and Ryan Bundy, the brothers leading anti-government protesters occupying Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and three other people were arrested Tuesday in a confrontation with authorities, the FBI said. One person was dead, the FBI said.

Shots were fired about 4:25 p.m. (7:25 ET) when the FBI and Oregon State Police began an "enforcement action" at the wildlife refuge, the FBI said. It didn't identify the victim.

Except for the part about somebody getting shot.

CNN (Our Motto: "Air First, Fact-Check Later") is saying that it happened at a "traffic stop".

Most thugs who hole up somewhere then don't go gallivanting around town.

More later, obviously, as this is what they call a "developing story".

The Love-a-Thon of the Reality Show Whores

Donald Trump's Republican presidential bid has received the backing of Sarah Palin, the populist ex-governor of Alaska who was the Republican vice-presidential candidate in 2008.

Or "Trade Guild Members' Mutual Protection Society". Which ever works for you. Both have (or had) their own "reality" television shows. Palin has/had a show where she showed that she knew about as much about the outdoors as your typical Manhattan socialite. Trump had a long-running show that basically showcased the fact that he's a dick.

Still, they got the description wrong of Palin's last semi-honest job: she was "the former half-term governor of Alaska".

More to the point, I don't see Bible Spice convincing too many people who were not already included to back The Donald. Though it might take some votes away from one of the other two whack-jobs running, namely, Ted Cruz.*

But gads, it must frost her that Trump is where he is, right now. He's basically doing the shtick that she pioneered eight years ago of just saying flat-out outrageous shit and bad-faced lies and, whenever anyone called her on it, she blamed "liberals in the lamestream media" for catching her distortions and fibs. He's doing her bit, only better and yes, smarter. And he may ride it all the way to a win at the convention, while the best Palin could manage was some appearances on Faux News and a reality show on a cable channel that nobody would ever pay to watch if a la carte pricing were in effect.
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* The other whack-job is still waiting for marching orders.

Ramping Up the Oregon Asshole Magnet

Members of self-styled militia groups met on Friday with armed protesters occupying a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, pledging support for their cause, if not their methods, and offering to act as a peace-keeping force in the week-long standoff over land rights.

How did that ceasing the monitoring of domestic extremist groups work out for everyone?

During the Bundy Nevada standoff, those clowns were pointing guns at cops. And not a one was ever charged with anything that I know of. So now they seem to feel pretty much bulletproof.

Spawn of Bundy Hates the Federal Government. Unless They Can do Something For Him. Then That's Just Peachy.

A company that said Spawn of Bundy owns got a $530,000 loan from the Feds. So while he says that he hates Uncle Sam, he has no problem with taking Uncle Sam's gelt.

Meanwhile, the men he's supposed to be helping reported to prison on Monday. They are likely all too aware that any hopes of obtaining clemency evaporated when the Spawn and His Ilk occupied that building in a bird sanctuary.

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. I've heard that the government expanded it by buying up failing ranches during the Great Depression. Whether or not those ranchers were happy to sell out, they did, and, given the tenor of the times, they likely got well above market value for their land.

By the way, if anybody has a claim for being dispossessed by the government from that land, it's the Paiute Indians.

Y'all Qaeda in Oregon

Armed protesters, who police say are coming from outside the area, took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns on Saturday after participating in a peaceful rally over the prison sentences of local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond.

What these lunatics want is to provoke another Federal overreaction, like at Waco back in 1993. They hope that'll lead to other people striking at the Federal government.

Like those assholes who blew up the Federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

As for their unstated goals, they are no different from the various and sundry assholes who have gone around killing minorities (mostly African-Americans) in the hopes of sparking a race war. People have occupied buildings before as a form of protest, but one doesn't do with with lots of guns unless one is itching for a fight.

These guys do have some similarities with al Qaeda: Both groups want to have martyrs for their causes. And both seek to provoke an overreaction from the U.S. government in order to recruit more followers.

By the way, it's a safe bet that the people who are cheering on those guys would be calling for airstrikes if a bunch of hippies had done the same thing.

Unclear on the Concept; Caribou Barbie Edition

Sarah Palin seems to be a little unclear as to what is the name of her native language:

It is to John McCain's eternal damnation that he wanted to put her a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

"Hey, the Bride and Groom are Ni-" CLANG!

A planned wedding in a Baptist Church in Mississippi had to be relocated to another church because members of the congregation got upset when the found out that the bride and the groom to be wed were Black folks. The good folks of the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, or some of them, threatened to have the preacher fired if he went ahead and married the couple in the church.

The wedding party moved their ceremony to another church. Presumably one that believes that the admonition to "love thy neighbor" is color-blind.

Ah, good old Mississippi. Even in Alabama, they're scratching their heads over this story and asking "no shit, you clowns really did that?"

(For the three people who didn't understand the title reference, click here.)

Hmmm. How'd That Work Out for You, Little Dubya?

April, 2011:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has declared "the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas."

September, 2011:

Firefighters southeast of Austin, Texas, battled strong winds Monday as they struggled to gain ground against a fast-moving wildfire that has so far scorched some 25,000 acres and destroyed close to 500 homes. ... Dozens of fires are burning across the parched state, the Texas Forest Service said Monday. ... At least 63 new fires across Texas on Sunday burned nearly 33,000 acres, the state's fire service said. Fires were reported in at least 17 counties.

I find it rather odd that none of the "natural disasters are a message from G-d" crowd are flapping their gums about the Texan wildfires. Oh, they had plenty to say after Hurricane Katrina smacked New Orleans and when Hurricane Irene marched up the East Coast, just after a minor earthquake hit the D.C. area.

But for the wildfires, zip, nada, nichevo.

Curious, no?

If You Believe in That Astrological Claptrap, Then You May Want to Know This:

Astrologers for hundreds of years have been screwing up the astrological signs, because they have not accounted for precession of Earth's axis.

Even worse, there were originally 13 signs. Scorpio's period is only six days long.  Leo, on the other hand, is about a six-week period.

This isn't exactly new, this story is from 2008 and it quoted form one in 2007. But some reporter recently glommed onto it, so here we go.

(H/T)