Roll, Beto Roll

Beto has re-booted his campaign and now I'm booting too:

The Daily 202: The newest purity test for Democrats is whether to mandate assault weapons buybacks

Oh, brother.

Former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke unveiled a detailed gun-control proposal this morning that calls for a “mandatory buyback program for assault weapons and a voluntary buyback program for handguns.” Critics say this would amount to government confiscation of firearms that people have bought legally. O’Rourke proposes an increase in the excise tax on gun manufacturers and stiff fines on gun traffickers to enable the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to purchase all the assault weapons he wants to ban. Individuals who fail to sell their assault rifles would then face fines.

O’Rourke is taking this hard line as he restarts his campaign nearly two weeks after 22 people were massacred at a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso, the deadliest attack against the Latino community in American history. The former congressman’s plan also calls for creating a nationwide gun licensing system. “If at this moment we do not wake up to this threat, then we, as a country, will die in our sleep,” O’Rourke said in an emotional half-hour speech yesterday.

Oh, brother brother.

First, as a matter of rhetoric I hate his speechwriter's decision to go with 'If we don't wake up to this threat, we will die in our sleep from gun violence'. Sure, sleep, wake, got it. But its a clash of imagery - what, I'm going to get shot while I'm asleep? How? During a home invasion? Why would I agree to disarm after having that idea put in my head?

And anyway, dying in one's sleep is an aspiration! What's the old folk wisdom? "I want to die in my sleep like my uncle, not screaming like terror like the passengers in his car".

As to the politics, this proposal ranks up their with open borders and free health café for undocumented future Democrats. Do Beto, Liz Warren and others think they can win the Presidency (and hold the House) by boosting their support in California, New York and Massachusetts while cratering it in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? Do they even remember the idea of "swing states" or are they moving left so fast they think they've already abolished the Electoral College?

The crazy is coming faster then ever in the Dem nominating process. And wait until a few of the moderates drop out and the rest (like Beto) reposition. Hang on!

Comments

[GUS]

Thank you TLG, I appreciate your love and concern.
I'm doing better every day, but, it will take a few more months until I am back to normal/ or fully healed. I'm keeping my chin up, and I'm grateful for the love and concerns of my friends, including you. GOD BLESS YOU TLG. You are awesome.

[Another Bob]

Clarice, I have no doubt Yon has wandered about talking to people. I’ve no doubt there’s a motivated cadre of demonstrators. But we haven’t seen general strikes, no mass protests across the territory, no attempts to neutralize the HK government.

Thiessen’s experience isn’t geopolitics or HK/China, its been speechwriting and PR flacking.

Rebellion and independence may come, but it’s nowhere in sight right now.

[rich]

Posted by: clarice | August 17, 2019 at 11:16 PM

the same people yammering on about the facebook revolution in egypt and the arab dumpster fire ...

... the chinese haven't even sent in their paramilitary police.

and why is it our business?

the chinese, with overwhelming force will put the protest down, round up (with the help of google and apple) the troublemakers, and be open for business before the cme opens.

the us, as it always does, will betray anyone who might have been helpful and coddle china as it does things 'it doesn't want to do' ...

[jimmyk]

Joan, I don't think you're "supposed to" root for the Giamatti character vs. Damian Lewis. They're both evil (from what I've seen)--which is part of the problem. There's no one who's particularly likable or sympathetic.

[Melinda]

Gus-

Did China say that, or did Carrie Lam, or did the NYSlimes?

Unfortunately, details now matter just when the Press decides to accept faxes instead of asking questions.

[GUS]

Great points Melinda.

[Manuel Transmission]

CH, EC married a gal from Westerville on the NE side of Cowlumbus a couple decades ago. They supposedly ended up in a place on the NW side of town somewhere near our shop, but never got more than rumors about the specific location. It wouldn’t surprise me if they moved further out towards Powell where we used to live and Buckeye now lives. Lots of open space there to make whatever kind of ‘compound’ they might want. That’s not too far from Ann’s stomping ground.

[jim nj]

Considering Michael Yon's past reporting I think he does have a good feel for what's going on in Hong Kong.

It's no longer about the extradition treaty. It never was. It was just a trigger. Or last straw.

The goal now is to take down the local government. That was the original goal.

The local government is too heavily influenced by Beijing. The locals know it and want them out before they give away any more of HK's freedoms.

[Melinda]

And televised live.

Also, they threaten with heavy police presence, all the while warning it will not end up like Tiannemen.

The problem with that story line?

They’re now willing to admit that Tiannemen actually happened to their own citizens, for the first time, ever.

So something very different is happening.

[Another Bob]

“😮 This paper is mind blowing. Will tweet my reading soon. I highly recommend everyone to read it. It is worse than you think. Much worse. And they are right in their thesis - the whole point of this is just to empower central banks or shall I say a manual on a CB takeover. Urgh”

https://twitter.com/trinhnomics/status/1162305276436836353?s=21

[Captain Hate]

It wouldn’t surprise me if they moved further out towards Powell where we used to live and Buckeye now lives. Lots of open space there to make whatever kind of ‘compound’ they might want. That’s not too far from Ann’s stomping ground.

I thought Ann was around there. I haven't heard from her for a while, including unresponded emails, which has me worried. She is a ferocious MAGA warrior and deserves to bask in the winning.

Back to Clapton, whichever member of the Horde posted that sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

--and why is it our business?--

Because China is our enemy and a dangerous and aggressive one.

[Melinda]

Could it be that certain “Princes” view us as the enemy and maybe not the entire country? Would they pay unscrupulous US politicians for moar access?

I can go there in a heartbeat.

[GUS]

Rich, are you still watching this Monstrosity??

[Narciso]

Well the princelings are likr the counterpart in the other kingdom, the one 2,000 miles away.

[GUS]

Mel, the Chinese promising that this will NOT end like TIANENAMEN is RIDICULOUS.

Who on EARTH has ANY IDEA what TIANEMAMEN ended as??? We know it was a massacre, but we do not know to what extent.

[Melinda]

I became a reluctant Damian Lewis fan for two reasons. One, his wife.

Two, his supremely detestable character in “The Forsyte Saga”.

Unmatched in its depravity.

[Melinda]

Gus-

Until today, according to the CCP, Tiannemen Square never happened.

We know it. They know it. But per their propaganda, it never happened.

Now they alert Hong Kong that what “never happened” won’t happen to them.

So where’s the lie?

[Narciso]

Oh he was also in wolf hall as the young henry xv111, mark (lne) did steal the show but je seeved as a good rival.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

The entire Soviet Union didn't us consider us an enemy either, but the princes run the party which runs the country and until that changes it doesn't matter what anyone besides the princes say or do.

[Melinda]

The lie?

The prior government was telling you the truth.

That’s math that can’t be spun.

[Melinda]

Exactly Ig,

Now think what’s happened to the Huawei prince. That’s the public one.

[Melinda]

G’night all!

This is a lot of fun to watch!

[jim nj]

That NYT town hall is still bothering me/ They traded in the original 3 R's - Reading, wRiting and ARythmatic - for Russia, Recession and Racism.

[The Infamous Ignatz]

I can't even pronounce Huawei and can barely spell it.

[jim nj]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9745142/cabinets-leaked-no-deal-brexit-plan/

AFTERSHOCKS Leaked Whitehall plans for No Deal Brexit warn Britain will be hit by fuel, food and medicine shortages and border jams

I question the timing of this leak. I also find it hard to believe that only the UK would be impacted by a "no-deal Brexit."

[Narciso]

Its a teansliteration so who could say, but the front man is former?? PlA sgt ren zhe fe and if you believe that...its been involved in mamy projects, from providinf technical aupport for the taliban to surveilance in uganda.

[Narciso]

Its just operation fear, a rearguard remainer cabal in the bureaucracy

[Narciso]

Transliteration, whoever they are, time and carlos slims, think the worls of it. I guess one cam compare it with soathenes behns itt and colonel sarnoffs rca but those were mostly honoraty ranks

[Narciso]

Shirley he cant be serious:

https://nypost.com/2019/08/17/chris-cuomo-fredo-flap-exposes-ridicule-italian-americans-face-every-day/

[GUS]

Brewers win in 14 .

Yay!!

[Pinandpuller]

@vonkettler

The tyrant and the Leftist have defenses for every situation, except one. They are completely useless against laughter and mockery.

They hate the sound of people laughing. It infuriates them.

[Pinandpuller]

She’s a strong armed black woman of color as well

@TheRalphReto

Wait, the chief of police in Portland is named Danielle OUTLAW?!

[Pinandpuller]

@TheRalphRetort that is.

[Narciso]

Things are beyond parody and pinnettes fork:
https://mobile.twitter.com/alimhaider/status/1162784579306119168

[Narciso]

Interesting the last job ren had befirs he went private was working for shenzen oil.

[Pinandpuller]

If you want some dance music does anyone know The Rose of Alabama?

“You see, in this world, there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who are dead.

You are dead, Peter.” – 

"So I win." #PeterFonda

[jim nj]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-latest-police-china-carrie-lam-a9063796.html

I think the longer this goes on the local government and the police lose the majority of the people.

“I am protesting because I just cannot tolerate what the police has done. It’s not right,” said Franco Fung during a march through the district of Kowloon earlier on Saturday.

“There have been multiple instances in which police have used obvious excessive force and inhumane actions to force us protesters away and justice is not given. The government is not willing to give us an individual investigation committee.”

"Another demonstrator, Paul Siew, accused Hong Kong of becoming a “police state,” a refrain which has been repeated by democracy activists like Joshua Wong."

The active protestors have non-active supporters.

So my current thinking is that I don't foresee a Tiananmen solution in HK.

Tiananmen Square was a one off event accomplished in one long night in an enclosed place that held all the leaders of the movements. Think of it as a two dimensional battle-space. No where to run. Nowhere to hide. Arrayed against you are many automatic weapons and tanks.

Now think of Hong Kong as a three dimensional battle-space. You are not hemmed in by an enclosed space. In fact you have readily available mass transit, roads and alleys that locals understand better than anyone else, and buildings to hide in.

Your protests are free-range and you can get away quickly. Some may die, or be captured, but they become heroes, while the others drift away to safety.

For that matter, you don't even need to show up for a protest. You can go underground and play whack-a-mole with the authorities.

There is no simple surgical solution for the Mainland. It will have to be an occupation over months or years while the whole world takes exception to the action.

Trade deal? Not a chance. Most countries have laws on their books treating HK as a separate entity from China. Watch them all be repealed.

Mainland China can do whatever it want's to do, this is true, but the price they pay will be large. Mainland China does not hold all the cards, nor does it have the upper hand.

[Pinandpuller]

“I’ve been a parasite three times: a prince under Feudalism, a professor under Capitalism and a journalist under Communism.”- Miersky

[Pinandpuller]

Norman Stone has a lovely accent https://youtu.be/MwbB_J-5IEo

[Pinandpuller]

Here’s an important question: can you tell the difference between Hong Kong and Portland ?

[Pinandpuller]

Is Michael Yon the guy running for President or the guy who got beat up in Portland?

[Dave (in MA)]

“Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.
Wealthy kids.
Black kids.
Asian kids.
Fat kids.
Skinny kids.
Kids who climb on rocks.
Tough kids.
Sissy kids.
Even kids with chicken pox."

[jim nj]

via Insty,

https://www.wired.com/story/null-license-plate-landed-one-hacker-ticket-hell/

How a 'NULL' License Plate Landed One Hacker in Ticket Hell

“The idea was I’d get VOID for my wife’s car, so our driveway would be NULL and VOID,” Tartaro says.

The joke had layers, though. As Tartaro well knew, and as he explained in a recent talk at the Defcon hacker conference, “null” is also a text string that in many programming languages signifies a value that is empty or undefined. To many computers, null is the void.

That setup also has a brutal punch line—one that left Tartaro at one point facing $12,049 of traffic fines wrongly sent his way. He’s still not sure if he’ll be able to renew his auto registration this year without paying someone else's tickets. And thanks to the Kafkaesque loop he’s caught in, it’s not clear if the citations will ever stop coming."

Too clever, by half.

[jim nj]

I noticed some of the comments on the sale of the Nets basketball team, there is an interesting back-story.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news/alibaba-billionaire-buys-barclays-center-for-dollar700m-reports/ar-AAFUbXy

Sold by a Russian billionaire to a Chinese billionaire. Who just bought the building also.

So the Alibaba founder now owns the team and the building they play in. Did he do this to get money out of China?

[jim nj]

"Tsai, who already owns 49 percent of the Brooklyn Nets, will get the 51 percent controlling interest in the team and the arena. Both Barclays Center and the basketball team will cost him more than $3 billion, the Post says."

Is he really a BB fan, or did he just want to get money out of China?

[Pinandpuller]

Brennan was a communist, but Comey as well? Was he being cute?

https://spectator.org/comey-was-a-commie/

[Pinandpuller]

Some gamer claims to be running for President. He said the average teacher gets paid 58k a year but his administration would raise it to 69k. I said why don’t you make it a billion a year since it’s make believe.

No point in talking about how teacher pay isn’t nationalized.

[anonamom]

clarice, thank you for Yon's transcript re: HK at 10:48.
Exactly what I wanted to know.

[anonamom]

There's no one who's particularly likable or sympathetic.

Watching Billions and finding it interesting.
True that above though--no "favorite" character at all among protagonists.

Same w Big Little Lies--which we stopped not once, but twice, thinking our problem was that we were "too old" as we really didn't care what was happening with any of the leads--but finished the first season when my eight years older friend binge watched and said we had to watch the final two episodes of Season One. She was right! On to Season Two!

[Pinandpuller]

If Kamela Harris had a case of prosecutorial malfeasance he might look like Darren Wilson.

[hoyden]

Epstein and the Public Loss of Faith
By Clarice Feldman

[Pinandpuller]

@CardsAgainstTW

In 1,000 years, when paper money is but a distant memory, Pabst Blue Ribbon will be our currency.

[anonamom]

From this commenter at Althouse:

Atlantic article from about 2000 called “A New Way to Be Mad” is worth looking up. It draws prescient parallels between so-called transgenderism (gender dysphoria), apotemnophilia (a subset of body dysmorphic disorder), and the social forces empowering these constructs.

I found this:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2000/12/a-new-way-to-be-mad/304671/

For anyone interested in the on-going attempt to comprehend transgenderism.

[clarice]

You're welcome anonamom. One of the reasons I knew Trump would win was viewing the rallies MM posted. People who wait in liens for hours to attend would vote for him and rbing others to the polls. Yon 's videos from HK made me optimistic for the protest.
Thank you Hoyden, Good morning, JOM!

[anonamom]

clarice wants me to believe the "official proceedings" about Epstein's suicide, because not doing so means we are a third world country (I think we may be, Jim Comey et al and HRC emails as proof), but writes this a bit further down:

As curious as that is the fact that our press, which should by now have lost all credibility, continues to destroy itself with propagandizing foolishness to assist the failing Democrats.

So, it is OK to question the press, but not the medical examiner's report under the "failing Democrats?"

Why don't we then believe the 2016 FBI/DOJ findings on her emails too? Or the Russia, Russia, Russia FISA request?

Why does questioning those official proceedings not make us Third World?

[clarice]

s/b Lines and bring. Time for coffee.

[clarice]

anonamom, because the autopsy was done under observation of JE's own team. Because there's no reason to believe the coroner and medical examiner have a motive to dissemble.(They aren't on the MCC or Bureau of Prisons payroll after all and there's no indication they had any interest in discarding the homicide possibility.)

[anonamom]

Clarice-- watch The Wire, Billions and The Sopranos, then get back to me about who to trust in government, and assessing who is on whose team. ;-)

(As I said earlier, from my reaction to all this--the Russians, with a whole lot of help from the Leftists and corrupt Ds here, have won.
I have no trust in any existing institution or process.)

[jim nj]

Anon,

I understand your concerns, but I was willing to wait for the autopsy report and I believe it.

If you are considering the circumstance of the event. On how easy it was for Epstein to do himself in, then I can adopt your your concerns.

I believe he committed suicide, but the circumstances are such that he seemed to benefit from conditions that should not have occurred.

[jim nj]

Having said that I don't think Epstein's suicide was part of a conspiracy. It's probably useful for that rumor to fester.

[anonamom]

I don't think he was actively killed.
He was allowed to die.

[MissMarple3]

Good morning!

Got caught up and read Clarice's Pieces, too!

clarice, you put far more of your own writing in your column this week, and it's quite good. You made an excellent case for accepting the medical examiner's report.

I have noticed some of the lefties on Twitter pushing the idea of shoving the blame for this up to Barr, which indicates to me they want to get rid of him or discredit him through endless investigation.

[jim nj]

I don't think he was actively killed.
He was allowed to die.

Posted by: anonamom | August 18, 2019 at 07:50 AM
------
Yes, that's what I was getting at.

There is no longer, in my mind, any question about who killed Jeffrey Epstein. He did it himself.

The question that remains is how did they make it so easy for him to accomplish his goal?

[jim nj]

nytol

Excellent pieces Clarice. I saw some of my own thoughts in there. I didn't read the article you cited, but it echoes my thoughts.

China does not have the upper hand here. It has choices - all of them bad.

[clarice]

Thanks.

[Jack is Back!]

Having traveled to our Hong Kong office for extended periods of time back in the early to late 90's I can attest to the fact that most 'Kongers do not consider themselves Chinese but Asians in an independent country. Our local staff spoke English with a distinct British accent, enjoyed tea time, played rugby and cricket in schools modeled on the British public school system. [Public meaning private in the British vernacular]. In other words, they are about as Chinese as a 4th generation living in San Francisco.

I am with Yon - this is a rebellion not a protest.

Great Pieces, Clarice. We are living in interesting times. Notice not a peep of Spygate in the last few weeks. I wonder where that story went?

[MissMarple3]

Here's something interesting. This guy is the editor of the English edition of Haaretz. Maps at link.

Jordan king's two glf6 bizjets back amman from
sioux fall + fargo
summer vacay??
vq-bnz + vq-bmz pic.twitter.com/jR1cTCoyoj

— avi scharf (@avischarf) August 18, 2019

[MissMarple3]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-18/china-to-boost-shenzhen-s-role-in-greater-bay-area-innovation

I have used up my free subscriptions and am not going to give Bloomberg any money. This does seem to me a way for Xi to both save face and perhaps grant some concessions to Hong Kong thereby defusing the situation.

[MissMarple3]

I cannot imagine this. How could you NOT know?

https://www.wthr.com/article/woman-thought-she-had-kidney-stones-gave-birth-triplets

[MissMarple3]

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump · 3m3 minutes ago

The Failing New York Times, in one of the most devastating portrayals of bad journalism in history, got caught by a leaker that they are shifting from their Phony Russian Collusion Narrative (the Mueller Report & his testimony were a total disaster), to a Racism Witch Hunt.....

.....”Journalism” has reached a new low in the history of our Country. It is nothing more than an evil propaganda machine for the Democrat Party. The reporting is so false, biased and evil that it has now become a very sick joke...But the public is aware! #CROOKEDJOURNALISM

[MissMarple3]

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump · 2m2 minutes ago

With all that this Administration has accomplished, think what my Poll Numbers would be if we had an honest Media, which we do not!

[MissMarple3]

This woman is an evil lunatic and an embarrassment. Video at link. I didn't know she showed up there and made a scene.

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1162484740664041477

[MissMarple3]

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump · 29s29 seconds ago

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

[MissMarple3]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/457827-lewandowski-on-potential-nh-senate-run-if-i-run-im-going-to-win

[MissMarple3]

NEW!

[henry]

Leaky gut, IGA, and diabetes:

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2019/08/13/Obesity-linked-to-loss-of-gut-antibody-increased-insulin-resistance/8431565709495/