Thursday, December 30, 2021
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Sociologist writing for TIME Magazine caricatures First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, but doesn't interview a single actual member of the church
Attending the event in person allowed me to appreciate how central Trump remains to white evangelicalism. ...
Standing in line 2.5 hours before the event, I chatted with a group of five elderly women who all came together. All were committed churchgoers in the Dallas area, but none were members at First Baptist. ...
There was Bill, a repairman who had taken public transportation to get to First Baptist. He was not a member either, but had always been a huge fan of Trump and was eager to see him in person. ...
And there was Carlos. Like Bill, Carlos was visiting First Baptist from elsewhere in the city along with a friend. ...
Trump’s appeal Sunday morning extends far beyond the First Baptist faithful. Evangelical visitors from around the city had come to cheer for their President. They were convinced he’d been treated unfairly. And they pined to see him back in office. ...
For the vast majority of white evangelicals in the U.S., like those visiting First Baptist Dallas on Sunday, Trump is still their warrior. ... over two-thirds of white evangelicals felt the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump.
More.
This guy should get out more and document the adulation directed at Democrats visiting America's black churches and insinuate in a column about how 92% of the nation's blacks voted for Joe Biden in 2020 because they're duped by religion or something.
Monday, December 27, 2021
Biden promised to shut down the virus, now says there's no federal solution
Which is even more odd since he has mandated vaccines for the employees of large companies.
The guy is obviously too old upstairs for the job.
"There is no federal solution. This gets solved at the state level,"
Biden responded, before mentioning another Republican governor.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
John Tamny remains as confused as a thinker and as obtuse as a writer as he has ever been
John Tamny has made some progress, however.
He now admits that some of his views are "fringe".
Which is amusing, since we've known that since Russell Kirk demonstrated long ago how the libertarians have always been "chirping sectarians".
A case in point of the continuing confusion:
Tamny expresses fawning admiration for George Will's latest collection of his columns, which opens asserting the priority of the study of history.
But Tamny later avers without the slightest awareness of self-contradiction that "The talented people, the unequal people, have a tendency to run from the present and past."
Nostalgia is "dangerous".
Do make up your mind for once, John.
The seemingly interminable review is here.
Friday, December 24, 2021
Tennessee is the latest state to report a massive backlog of COVID-19 deaths, over 2,000 yesterday, badly skewing the curve
Tennessee joins Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas in the last three months making big backfills, distorting the graphs we try to make.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Because our better selves are optimists, we're musing today that COVID-19 will soon be a thing of the past, along with Donald Trump, his warp speed vaccines, and that clown Joe Biden
Christmas wishes do come true. You only have to believe.
US Army's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research near Silver Spring, MD, announces single shot Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle COVID-19 vaccine
Phase 1 human trials have been completed on non-vaccinated, never infected individuals, with Phases 2 and 3 forthcoming on vaccinated or previously sick people.
From the story:
Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide.
Merry Christmas.
FDA finally grants emergency use authorization to Pfizer's Paxlovid, a protease inhibitor which may dramatically reduce hospitalizations for people diagnosed with COVID-19
From the story:
The U.S. has purchased 10 million courses of Pfizer’s treatment, Paxlovid, in a $5 billion deal. President Joe Biden said in November that his administration is working to ensure that the treatments are free and accessible. Biden said last month that delivery would start by the New Year and continue through 2022.
Merry Christmas.
Another woke general crawls out from under his retirement rock, wants FOX News banned from all US military bases
Paul D. Eaton, here.
Hillary supporter, critic of Bush 43's Iraq War.
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Michael Anton doesn't have a clue about the immense value of the periphery
Taiwan is "peripheral" to our interests, Michael Anton says over and over again, here.
Well then, so is Hawaii.
Keep thinking like that and eventually Catalina Island becomes peripheral, too.
If you want to legitimize China's nine-dash line, something he never mentions, giving up Taiwan is the fastest way to do it.
There is MUCH more at stake than Taiwan's relative freedom and independence. All of southeast Asia is at risk if China retakes Taiwan.
The answer isn't to accept the fact, as Anton does, that our Navy is rotten to the core and unable to defend Taiwan. The answer is to reform the Navy before it's too late.
If the Chicoms kill all our woke Navy in a battle over Taiwan, that wouldn't be the start we want, but it would be a start to the reform we most need.
CEO of Pfizer partner BioNTech says the boostered "are likely to transmit" COVID-19
"We must be aware that even triple-vaccinated are likely to transmit the disease…It is obvious we are far from 95 per cent effectiveness that we obtained against the initial virus," Ugur Sahin told the French daily Le Monde in an interview published on Monday.
More.
Monday, December 20, 2021
So far in 26% fully-vaccinated South Africa, Omicron is turning out to be a giant nothing burger
The seven day average of daily new deaths was 20 on Nov 24th when Omicron was first identified.
As of Dec 19th, it's 30.
Big whoop.
No supply chain issues observed this morning at Sam's Club
The place was brimming with everything I usually buy and need.
LOL Trump brags about the same vaccines which are failing spectacularly in Canada in Dallas, gets unenthusiastic response
A good sign.
Mediaite LOVES Trump now!
... kudos to the former president for not pussy-footing around in answering, and receiving the smattering of boos with some grace and laughter.
Sunday, December 19, 2021
Climate update for KGRR: November 2021
Climate Update for KGRR: November 2021
Max T 65, Mean 66 since 1892
Min T 18, Mean 17
Avg T 38.5, Mean 39.1
Rain 2.22, Mean 2.83
Snow 9.7, Mean 6.3
HDD 789, Mean 771
CDD 0, Mean 0
Boringly normal.
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Egads, you knew it was coming: 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel rules 2-1 that Biden's employer vaccine mandate, previously paused, can take effect
Earlier this week, the circuit’s active judges rejected a move to have the entire panel consider the case, on an 8-8 vote.
More.
Supreme Court next, which will allow the mandate.
They can make you buy Obamacare, right?
Friday, December 17, 2021
Hysteria check, first 16 days of December 2021 vs. 2020: US COVID-19 deaths are 46% fewer per day in 2021 than in 2020
First 16 days of December:
21,346 deaths in 2021 vs. 39,621 deaths in 2020
1334/day in 2021 vs. 2476/day in 2020.
I'll take 2021.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
Nancy Pelosi, who has to pass bills to find out what's in them, wonders where the attitude of lawlessness in America comes from
Maybe from being "not a serious country"?
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
The US House passed the $2.5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling in the dead of night with just one, unneeded, Republican vote
The bill, which lawmakers passed 221-209, with one Republican voting yes, raises the federal debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion to increase the limit to close to $31 trillion.
More.
Adam Kinzinger was the lone Republican vote in the House:
Representative Adam Kinzinger was the only Republican lawmaker who voted with Democrats in the House to raise the debt ceiling, staving off a potentially disastrous federal default.
Last week, Kinzinger was also the only Republican to back the Democrats over the plan struck by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) allowing Senate Democrats to lift the ceiling through a simple majority vote.
The Illinois congressman, one of 10 Republicans to vote for the second impeachment of ex-President Donald Trump after the Capitol insurrection and one of only two GOP lawmakers on the January 6 committee investigating the riots that day, will not be standing for re-election in the 2022 midterms.
LOL lunatic New York City to ban natural gas connections after 2027 to reduce CO2 emissions by 0.036% by 2040
The commie Mayor Bill de BlowMyNoseio calls this a critical step to fight back against climate change on the local level and guarantee a green city for generations to come.
North America emitted 5.78 BILLION tons in 2020. The NYC reduction over 12 years will come to just 2.1 MILLION tons.
No projection was given for the reduction in population this will produce in NYC.
However, states like Texas and Arizona have barred cities from implementing such changes, citing that consumers have the right to pick their energy sources.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
US Senate Democrats passed a $2.5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling 50-49 this afternoon without a single Republican vote after 14 Republicans voted to allow a one time simple majority arrangement
Seems like there's not much wiggle room between a $2.5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling and a proposed Democrat reconciliation spending bill now coming in at $1.75 trillion.
Monday, December 13, 2021
First 12 days of December: 15,074 US COVID deaths in 2021 vs. 29,950 in 2020
The down trend for deaths, 13% down Apr-Nov year over year, continues down very strongly in December.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Booster protection against Omicron is four times lower than against Delta, and basically non-existent if you've had only two shots
Those who received the second dose did not have any neutralization ability against the variant, while they continued to have some ability against Delta and even the original Wuhan strain.
“There was no neutralization ability whatsoever, and that is very worrisome,” said Dr. Gili Regev-Yochay, director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit at the hospital, in a briefing on Saturday night, adding that these people might also be exposed to serious disease. ...
On the other hand, the Sheba study found that the booster dose does increase the ability of the vaccine to work against Omicron by about 100-fold, meaning that there is “significant protection,” Regev Yochay said. “It is lower than the neutralizing ability against the Delta – about four times lower. But it is very optimistic.”
Kinda hard for the country to have a sense of urgency about 800k COVID-19 deaths when we kill that many and more unborn every year
Americans are inured to death.
“Sometime in the next two days we’re going to pass a terrible milestone in this country, when the 800,000th person in this country dies of this virus,” Reiner said. “This virus killed more people in this country than any single war has. The Civil War killed 655,000 Americans, we’re about to pass 800,000. But I don’t see a war footing. Where is the war footing? Where is the sense of urgency in this country?”
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LOL Chris Wallace leaves FOX for CNN after development of recent big opening
I hope they do a better job of vetting his producer than they did for Fredo.
This is CNN: Fredo's Connecticut pal with the Pope doll has been indicted for unlawful sexual activity with a female minor from Nevada (and her mother apparently), aka pedophilia and child-sex-trafficking
Fredo was fired from CNN a week ago for violating the standards of JoUrNoMaLiSm.
But The Atlantic, December 9, 2021, wants you to know it is THE GREAT (FAKE) CHILD-SEX-TRAFFICKING EPIDEMIC.
Omicron variant is roundly defeating the fully-vaccinated in statistically robust Denmark, AND THE BOOSTED
The first Omicron infection in Denmark was detected in a sample from Nov 22. Since then, 1,280 cases have been recorded, and Omicron represented 4.5-5 per cent of all Covid-19 infections in the country in the beginning of this week. ... almost 75 per cent of those infected by Omicron had received 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. ... the Danish data shows more than 100 Omicron cases were discovered among the 19.3 per cent of Danes who have received booster shots.
Denmark was 70% fully-vaccinated by August 24th.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have actually fallen slightly in Denmark since November 22.
The case fatality rate in the world to date is 3.6 times higher than it is in Denmark, in the USA to date almost 3 times higher than it is in Denmark.
Vaccinologist more worried about fakers spreading C19 than the New Zealander who was paid by them to get the C19 jab 10 TIMES in their stead
Vaccinologist and associate professor Helen Petousis-Harris called the behavior “unbelievably selfish” and taking advantage of somebody who needs some money. It could cause serious harm from the people who are not vaccinated, saying they are, and spreading the virus, she said. Prof Petousis-Harris said the man who took multiple doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely to come to any serious harm, but likely to feel crap the next day from a general immune response. “We know that people have in error been given the whole five doses in a vial instead of it being diluted, we know that has happened overseas, and we know with other vaccines errors have occurred and there has been no long-term problems,” she said. But Prof Petousis-Harris said receiving multiple doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is not ideal, saying when people get given higher doses, they get more fever, pains and headaches.
Oh those evil people who say they are vaccinated when they are not! They are the spreaders, not us!
Warped.
Friday, December 10, 2021
Jim Dover, president and CEO of Sparrow Health in Michigan, makes a preposterous claim, says Michigan "continues to have variant after variant grow and expand across the state" when only Delta dominates
CNN:
"Michigan is not one of the highest vaccination states in the nation. So it continues to have variant after variant grow and expand across the state," he said.
Check the Axios Variant Tracker for yourself. It shows not a single variant registering in Michigan save for the Delta variant, not even a little bit.
Multiple variants aren't the problem ANYWHERE in the country right now. Delta dominates everywhere, and has since the summer.
It's shocking that a health professional makes such a demonstrably false claim.
Dover's false claim is simply part of the narrative which is designed to blame the unvaccinated for the pandemic and bully them into vaccination with a product which at best quickly wears out, and at worst actually harms some people while giving the false hope that it stops the spread.
We've known since July 27th that the vaccines do not stop the spread.
The virus is spreading because vaccinated people, who have been in the majority in the US since May 18th, are spreading it.
And a potential spreader is easy to spot, too. He's maskless.
They move the goalposts so fast with these C19 vaccine recommendations it's hard even for Fauci to keep up: "Fully-vaccinated" to disappear in favor of annual shots
Just as with Trump, if you don't test you don't have cases!
Amid criticism from global health officials, Fauci argued that the COVID-19 vaccines should have been viewed as a three-shot regimen from the "get-go."
Three months later and Fauci is now hedging on that. He shape-shifts faster than a Terminator.
Fauci said the official definition of “fully vaccinated” is in some ways semantic, but important as a guidepost for the various vaccination requirements that employers, businesses, and other organizations have implemented. ... “As a public health person, I just say get your third shot,” Fauci said. “Forget about what the definition is. I just want to see people be optimally protected.”
The reason?
Some health experts are less sure — especially with the emergence of omicron — predicting it will be more like a flu vaccine where the shots are typically recommended on an annual basis.
“If that becomes the case, then ‘fully vaccinated’ becomes a term that’s sort of less useful, because there is no ‘fully vaccinated,'” Stephen Kissler, a Harvard infectious disease researcher, told reporters on a conference call this week. “Basically, how recently have you been vaccinated becomes the question.”
Here's a news flash for ya:
No one's going to get 3 shots every year.
You can hardly get people to take the one for influenza. The average for adults in the last decade was barely 42%.
They are going to have to come up with something else, something that actually works and doesn't come with terrible side-effects.
Or maybe Omicron is a sign the virus will just save us all the trouble, by becoming less deadly over time.
The answer to COVID-19 is not 42.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Tucker Carlson is another one who thinks America will be to blame for a Russian invasion of Ukraine, omitting certain uncomfortable truths
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2021/12/08/tucker_carlson_ukrainian_lobbyists_have_all_of_washington_heading_for_war.html
Tucker omits that Russia lost the Sevastopol naval base to Ukraine from 1991-2014 after the fall of the USSR, after which Putin took it back by force in the annexation of Crimea, an act of aggression unanswered by Obama. But Russia had paid rent to Ukraine for use of the base during that intervening period. It's not like they were or are entitled to it, Tucker.
George W. Bush set the precedent for all that in the first place by not answering Russia's aggression in South Ossetia in 2008.
Tucker also omits that Germany is hostage to Russian natural gas by choice, having embraced the madness of green ideology and abandoning their own sources of energy.
This spirit and habit of appeasement shouldn't be continued or encouraged, especially one in the service of a banal, libertarian, materialistic understanding of "American interests".
Sean Davis of The Federalist only pretends that wars in Ukraine and Taiwan will be wars of our choosing
We can bolster the defenses of these nominally free states in order to prevent Russia and China from attacking them, or we can do what he says and do nothing, inviting their demise.
He is profoundly mistaken.
https://thefederalist.com/2021/12/09/following-debacles-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-failed-interventionists-are-now-agitating-for-wars-in-ukraine-and-taiwan/
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