Opuscula Trump-Biden debate: Barroom brawl reflects Mood of the nation

THE FIRST DEBATE BETWEEN presidential contenders was a disgrace. It was akin to a couple of kindergarten boys tussling on the playground.

It might have been seemly in England’s House of Commons where shouting down those with opposing opinions and calling each other names — “clown” was the Biden favorite — are common practices (ergo, House of Commons).

America showed its worst side.

 

Who won the debate?

That is open to debate.

Who LOST the debate is clear: the American people lost the debate.

I watched the fiasco.

Before the next debate

1. Equip the moderator with
a gavel to gavel the unruly opponents
microphone cut-off switch so the opponents won’t
(1) talk over each other
(2) their railings won’t be heard by the suffering audience

2. Get a moderator with authority.

Chris Wallace¹ seems a nice enough guy, but he was overwhelmed by the combatants.

3. Establish penalties for name calling and interruptions.

I’m not sure how this would work; perhaps a PENALTY SCORE on the front of each candidate’s podium.

4. Insist that before ranting off topic, the candidate answer the moderator’s question.

Both combatants were guilty of going off on tangents rather than addressing the question.

Ban “cheat sheets”

Biden was constantly referring to a “cheat sheet” and apparently checking off categories.

I believe Wallace when he said the two blusterers were not given a list of categories or questions in the categories, but it was painfully obvious that Biden used a cheat sheet as a crutch to form his responses to Wallace’s queries. Question: Is Biden ambidextrous? I noted he kept moving his pen from right hand to left and back again.

When Trump attacked him, Biden responded sans a peek at the cheat sheet — that, too, was obvious because he stumbled over his words, going off on several false starts.

Advice for Trump

Stop interrupting and behaving like a spoiled two-year-old.

The country already is suffering from a lack of civility.

Much of this can be laid at the feet of Hilary Clinton and her party.

But a goodly portion of the blame lies with Trump, particularly his knee-jerk tweets.

During the first “debate,” he continually interrupted Biden and frequently the moderator, too.

This is not the image a leader should present and it will do Trump no good at the polls.

Let Biden speak; his false starts will do Trump more good than Trump’s interrupting.

Advice for Biden

Stop the name calling and the personal attacks on the president.

Your loyalists might cheer you on, but your loyalists are not all the voters.

Attack Trump on his record. Attack Trump on his tweets and Executive Orders.

Stay away from attacks on his family — yours is highly venerable to a counter-attack.

You might want to avoid bringing up The Wall since Democrats are the ones who prevent it from being built.

Media: Fact check everything or nothing

I don’t recall which network I was forcing myself to watch, but the “fact checker” seemed — seemed — to give more “passes” to Biden.

One Biden “fact” that needed to be challenged was Trump’s taxes.

The former VP cited a New York Times article, since debunked multiple times, that Trump only paid $750 — not thousands or millions, dollars — in federal taxes.

Trump did counter that his benefits were gifts from Biden’s former boss. Trump also admitted that, as any businessman (or, I add, politician) would, he took full advantage of loopholes in the law.

Biden repeated said he intends to heavily tax anyone with an income in excess of US$400,000 and levy heavy taxes on Big Business.

An aside: The Trump administration did not put those loopholes into the tax law. Biden had 47 years to close them but did not.

Compare records

While Biden attacked Trump for what the challenger suggested was a late start to battle the pandemic, Trump countered that Biden objected to closing the doors to Chinese visitors and, Trump suggested, Biden did no better when facing H1N1 swine flu pandemic. Biden’s reaction as vice president was to hunker down, despite his president’s position that there “was no need to panic even as he declared a national health emergency.“²

Trump’s refrain of the evening was a challenge to Biden: “What have you done in your 47 years in office?” Trump’s challenge went unanswered.

Extremists

Biden challenged Trump to state that he does not support “white supremacist” and Trump failed to address the issue. The president reminded that, in his opinion, extremists are found not just in Antifa, but from the left as well.

Interestingly, Biden only was concerned with white extremists; people of color apparently get a pass from the former vice president.

A Trump insider later told one of the networks that Trump has often said he does not support white supremacists. Because certain people support Trump does not mean Trump supports them.

Family connections

Biden made a remark about Trump being in bed with Russia’s dictator.

Trump immediately denied any association and attacked Biden’s son, Hunter, for his connection to Ukrainian power bosses and tried to get Biden to admit his son made millions on the Ukrainian deals. Trump also chided Biden that this same son also worked closely with the Chinese.

Trump claimed Hunter Biden was dishonorably discharged from the Navy reserves. The Navy claims Biden received an “administrative” discharge. Perhaps the president peeked at the Navy files, but for public knowledge, Biden’s separation type is secret.

As a vice-president’s son, the separation probably was “for the good of the service.” A person sans “pull” probably would have received, at best, a Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD). This based on the author’s experience in the U.S. military.

Will Trump retire gracefully?

Biden asked Trump if he will go quietly if Biden wins the election.

Trump failed to answer the question (as he has dodged it before) and said he will see what the ballots decide. Trump then proceeded to challenge the way mail in ballots are being handled, citing cases where unsolicited ballots have been mailed to people with the wrong name or at the wrong address. ^{3, 4}

Some states, such as Florida, only send ballots to registered voters who request them; these are known as “solicited” ballots, and Trump has stated he has no issue with solicited ballots.

Biden mis-spoke when he said that all ballots must be delivered by election day. Overseas voters, e.g., U.S. military and ex-pat ballots must be received not later than 10 days after the election day and must be postmarked on or before election day.

Still, given the controversy about the way the ballots are being handled, it seems likely that it could be mid-December before the election is validated.

The LA Times⁵, a paper that already decided Biden will win, foretells how Trump will fight to remain in office. The paper never considers that Trump will defeat Biden even with the Democrats’ ballot stuffing efforts.

Only two more “debates” to go. At this point, is there anyone who has not decided for whom to vote?

I heard that at least one debate will take questions from the audience.

I think that is a mistake. The parties can pack the audience and the moderators, if the questions are written and submitted, can selectively ask questions to suit their political position.

Are you still beating your wife?

---

Sources

1. Chris Wallace: https://tinyurl.com/z74ryzg

2. Biden and H1N1: https://tinyurl.com/yyfyq95n

3. The Hill: https://tinyurl.com/y7syk5gr

4. Washington Post: https://tinyurl.com/y4qhp6qw

5. LA Times: https://tinyurl.com/y9z8vx42

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on First Debate

Opuscula Santayana Was Right

JORGE AGUSTÍN NICOLÁS RUIZ DE SANTAYANA Y BORRÁS was correct when he allegedly wrote Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.¹

The Santayana quote, on of this scrivener’s favorites, came to mind as I read an article titled The Kishinev Pogrom as a Catalyst to the Russo-Japanese War²

 

According to the article’s author, Col (Res.) Dr. Raphael G. Bouchnik-Chen,

The Japanese surprise assault was launched just before midnight on April 8, 1904, when Japanese destroyers fired torpedoes without warning at a line of Russian battleships lying at anchor in the Port Arthur road stead on the China coast. Ten Japanese destroyers caught the Russians unprepared, badly damaging three of their largest battleships. A declaration of war was issued a few hours later.

December 7, 1941

What immediately came to mind was December 7, 1941, a/k/a Pearl Harbor Day, when the Japanese attacked U.S. military installations in the Pacific and then —after the fact — declared war on the U.S.

There has been, since that day that was to “live in infamy,” suspicion that Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then president, knew of the impending attack well before the attack and failed to alert U.S. personnel. In other words, FDR must share in the responsibility for the deaths and injuries of U.S. men and women.

The fact that the Japanese had a well-documented history of “sneak attacks” apparently was ignored by FDR and his lackeys or else they were ignorant of 20th Century politics and warfare.

Pearl Harbor was a repeat of the attack on Russia vessels moored at Port Arthur, China.

The Japanese followed up with the Port Arthur massacre took place during the First Sino-Japanese War from 21 November 1894 for two or three days, when advance elements of the First Division of the Japanese Second Army under the command of General Yamaji Motoharu (1841–1897) killed somewhere between 1,000 and 20,000 Chinese servicemen and civilians in the Chinese coastal city of Port Arthur (now Lüshunkou). The battle is notable for its divergent coverage by foreign journalists and soldiers, with contemporaneous reports both supporting and denying narratives of a massacre by the Japanese military.³

No, that’s not racist on the part of this scrivener; it’s history.

Vietnam

The Vietnamese kicked out the French invaders who were less than brilliant rulers.⁴

It took the Vietnamese decades to send the French packing, but the Vietnamese knew their land better than the invaders.

The Vietnamese promptly divided the country into a Communist-leaning north and a non-Communist south.

The U.S., under Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower, sent in a few thousand troops in Military Advisor Groups (MAGs) to help train and equipment the south’s military.

The purported reason was to counter a threatened Communist takeover (that eventually occurred).

Democrats John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson added thousands of U.S. troops, replacing Americans killed or wounded with new soldiers, mostly conscripts.

Republican President Richard M. Nixon extracted the U.S. from the morass.

President Nixon also opened trade with China; THAT did not go so well.

Afghanistan: Vietnam deux

Not learning its lesson in Vietnam, the U.S. tried to help the Afghans find peace.

Like Vietnam, the environment is different, the language is different, and the mentality is different than in the U.S.

At one point — and the alleged reason the U.S. got involved in Afghanistan — the then Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the U.S. CIA stepped in to support Afghan resistance with training and materiel. The Afghans prevailed and the Soviets were ousted.

Enter the Taliban.

Armed with U.S. provided weapons and captured Soviet weapons — notably Mikhail Kalashnikov’s highly reliable AK-47 rifle — the Afghans bit the hand that fed them and turned on the U.S.

UNlike the Soviets, American administrations would not admit Afghanistan is another Vietnam and withdraw before more Americans were killed.

U.S. troops still are being murdered in Afghanistan in a war the U.S. cannot win.

Iraq

The U.S. twice invaded Iraq to protect its allies in the Gulf region.

The Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991), was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. The war consisted of two phases the first was code named Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia. And the second was Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) was the combat phase. ⁵

Although Desert Storm wound down in 1991, on May 1, 2003, standing directly under a "Mission Accomplished" banner, George W. Bush declared, "In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." Bush's claim of victory in what became known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech drew criticism as the war in Iraq continued for several years thereafter.⁶

Bush managed to avoid the Vietnam conflict by joining his state’s Air National Guard.

U.S. troops still are in Iraq and falling victim to Iranian-backed Iraqi snipers and bombers.

If, like the Afghans, the Iraqis cannot resolve their own issues years after the U.S. removed Saddam Hussein, the U.S. should consider abandoning these countries to their own devices. Like Vietnam — with which the U.S. now has trade relations — Afghanistan and Iraq will survive sans U.S. military presence, and (fewer) American soldiers will return home in caskets.

Wars of attrition

Wars of attrition generally are not welcomed by Americans, particularly when, as in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is no end in sight.

If President Trump wins re-election, and riding high on the “normalization” agreements between Israel and several Muslim-dominated countries, perhaps he will join President Nixon in extracting the U.S. from no-win wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

War mongers will object mightily if Trump pulls the troops out, and complain that the U.S. cannot be trusted. Allies who feel that way are invited to send their troops to replace U.S. forces.

In U.S. politics, it would be interesting to see and hear who complains the loudest about “abandoning our allies.”

On the other hand, President Trump has shown that he can achieve what no president before him — neither Democrat nor Republican — has achieved, viz “normalization” between Israel and several Muslim-dominated states.

President Trump’s predecessor (and his vice president, now candidate for president) only managed to bring on the “Arab Spring” and, despite warnings, the murder of four Americans at the U.S. consulate in what the then-secretary of state claimed was a “spontaneous” attack, albeit it was later proven that the “spontaneous” attack was well organized.

Neither President Trump’s predecessor nor the current Democrat candidate managed to accomplish anything toward peace in the Middle East while they encouraged the terrorists of the PLO/PFLP and Hamas/Islamic Jihad by funding and encouraging the terrorists’ intransigence.

CAVEAT

This scrivener is not anti-war; there are wars that are justified.

Unlike Bush (ibid.) this writer spent time in the real Air Force (as a medic) and took his chances on being sent to either Korea or Vietnam.

---

Sources

1. Santayana: https://tinyurl.com/y4zxsbml

2. Kishinev Pogrom: https://tinyurl.com/y4nfq3na

3. Port Arthur massacre: https://tinyurl.com/ycvd6qrs

4. France & Vietnam: https://tinyurl.com/yyku47mk

5. Gulf War: https://tinyurl.com/yyqc25h9

6. Bush’s faux pas: https://tinyurl.com/yxv2mvku

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Those who forget

Opuscula Saudis, UAE, Bahrain Must push PLO, Hamas To negotiation table

SEVERAL MUSLIM-DOMINATED COUNTRIES, in particular Saudia Arabia, suggest they would “normalize” relations with Israel once there is a deal between Israel and the “Palestinians.”

The only problem is: self-defined “Palestinians” won’t negotiate with Israel.

 

IF SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHER Muslim-dominated countries want to enjoy the benefits of normalization with Israel, they must push, drag, or otherwise coerce the PLO/PFLP to the negotiating table.

Always before, the PLO/PFLP had “conditions” before it would even consider negotiations. Weak Israeli “leaders” backed by pro-Arab U.S. administrations from both parties assured the terrorists got what they wanted in exchange for quickly broken promises.

The chief PLO terrorist, Yasser Arafat, and Rabin — infamous for killing fellow Jews disembarking from the Altalena^{1, 2} — and Peres shared the Nobel Peace prize³. To be fair to Rabin, he was following orders from Ben Gurion, his boss. (Was Ben Gurion really hoping to murder Began who brought the arms and volunteers to Israel?)

Both Rabin and Peres were willing to bow to all PLO/PFLP demands to achieve a promised peace that never come to fruition until the regime in Washington strongly backed Israel.

The current chief terrorist, Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) — who “claimed Zionist agitation had been the cause of the Holocaust”⁴ — refuses any cooperation with Israel, including accepting tax money Israel collects for the PLO/PFLP because Israel withholds an amount equal to the money Abu Mazen et al pays murders of Israelis as part of the “slay for pay” plan.

Abu Mazen cares nothing for the people under the thumb of the PLO/PFLP; he even rejected two (2!) planeloads of medicine and protective clothing the UAE sent simply because the UAE plane landed at Israel’s main international airport sans Abu Mazen’s permission — as if he has any control over the activities at the airport. (The PLO/PFLP lacks an airport capable of accommodating anything more than a Piper Cub.)

According to Aljazeera⁵, In a news conference on Thursday, Mai Kaila said her country refused to receive the medical aid as the Emirati side ignored to coordinate with them.

"The UAE has not coordinated with us regarding the medical aid, and we reject to receive it without coordination," said the minister.

"We are a sovereign country, and they should have coordinated with us first."

The PLO/PFLP’s objection was that the UAE flight — with aid for the “Palestinians” — was because it seemed to be a step toward “normalization” with Israel — a process that officially happened a few months later in Washington at the Trump White House.

With intransigence shown by Abu Mazen & Friends, the leadership of countries such as Saudi Arabia will have a hard time convincing the PLO/PFLP to negotiate with Israel, especially when Israel seems to hold all the cards.

Perhaps the “Palestinians” are waiting for November to see if President Trump will be defeated by Kamala Harris Emhoff for the presidency.

Both Biden and Emhoff have talked about Harris Emhoff as president. Who really will wear the trousers in the White House if the Democrats prevail?

If Trump is returned for a second four years, the PLO/PFLP will have to re-examine its obstinacy.

Likewise, countries such as Saudia Arabia may re-examine their position vis-a-vis the “Palestinians.”

The PLO/PFLP only has two solid friends: Iran and Turkey. Granted, as long as Europe is controlled by liberals, Europeans will pay lip service to the PLO/PFLP, but little more. Meanwhile, since both Iran and Turkey want to be the center of the Muslim world, the caliphate, eventually these two may well be combatants in the next all-Muslim war.

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Sources

1. Altalena: https://tinyurl.com/y69w4yrp

2. Altalena: https://tinyurl.com/y2ffwz3j

3. Nobel: https://tinyurl.com/y5y9efcg

4. Abu Mazen: https://tinyurl.com/y4nqreph

5. Aljazeera: https://tinyurl.com/yakqlwxj

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Negotiations

Opuscula What is it With hoodies In 90o heat?

IT IS 90^o OUTSIDE AND A TEENAGER IS WALKING AROUND WITH A HOODIE PULLED OVER HIS HEAD.

I don’t think “Mad dogs and Englishmen”¹; rather I think “Is the person a criminal trying to hide to his appearance?”

Nothing racist about this: it makes no difference the color of the person’s skin.

 

I understand that some people who work outside need to cover their head and neck. A kepi (right) would do nicely, but I suppose kepis are hard to find outside of the French Foreign Legion. A baseball cap with a handkerchief also would work.

Most hoodies are made for chilly weather.

Why wear a hoodie in the summer — unless you are trying to hide something?

I see school age children going to class in hoodies — and even wearing the hoodie in the classroom.

Birds of a feather

There is an old saying the “Birds of a feather flock together.” Put another way, “affinity groups.”

Maybe is just me, but hoodies worn in the summer suggest something threatening.

Perhaps I’ve seen too many images of hoodie-wearing juveniles destroying property or burglarizing retail outlets.

I know, deep down, that a hoodie-wearing young person is not necessarily a criminal.

Still, to me, a youth wearing a hoodie in summer’s heat suggests to me that the person is a “punk,” someone I normally want to avoid.

Granted, it may not be “fair,” but it IS my “gut feeling.”

Not all criminals wear hoodies in the summer.

Not all hoodie-wearers are criminals.

Perhaps wearing a hoodie in summer’s heat is just a fad. Back in “my” day, the mark of a rebellious teenager was DA-styled hair. James Dean and Rebel without a Cause and Blackboard Jungle were the style-setters and many adults felt about “DAs” as I do about hoodies. Much later, “Fonzi” of Happy Days, made the DA tolerable, if not acceptable.

Perhaps in another 20 years hoodies in summer also will be a “ho hum” non-issue.

But today …

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Sources

1. Noel Coward: https://tinyurl.com/y63b6vxf

Advertisement by Humberside PD, UK
(Source: https://tinyurl.com/y4myxsd4)

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on Hoodies

Opuscula BLM is a lie: Blacks kill blacks, Where are protests

IF BLACK LIVES REALLY MATTERED, blacks and their non-black supporters would be hitting the streets and demanding that governments increase police funding !

I don’t know about other areas of the U.S., but where I live blacks are murdering blacks on an almost daily basis.

It is not “just” gang warfare. Innocents are slaughtered in drive-by shootings. Children. Seniors.

Going outside is a gamble. Even staying inside is becoming a gamble.

 

SO WHERE ARE THE BLM PEOPLE?

Why aren’t they marching and demanding that municipalities add additional police to protect black citizens.

Where are Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? No tv cameras = no Sharpton, no Jackson.

Where are the Democrats in congress loudly protesting deaths of blacks? Silence.

Where are the BLM protesters when the anarchists in their midst slander the movement by destroying property — property that may be providing incomes to the people BLM claims to support?

BLM should be protesting that there are too few “police of color” rather than parroting the Democrats “defund the police” mantra.

Anarchy already reigns in several states — Washington and Oregon to name two. Governors and mayors fail to do what they were elected to do: PROTECT THE PEOPLE.

Call out the Guard

Don’t blame the president — any president — for failing to “send in the Army” to quell what obviously is an insurrection. The Posse Comitatus Act¹ prevents that.

Governors, however, may activate the National Guard for their state; governors are, after all, the Guards’ Commander in Chief.

The Posse Comitatus Act does offer a loophole in which U.S. military personnel may be sent in to put down an insurrection.

The Insurrection Act, Chapter 13 of Title 10 (10 USC Sections 251-255) allows the President to use U.S. military personnel at the request of a state legislature or governor to suppress insurrections. It also allows the president to use federal troops to enforce federal laws when rebellion against the authority of the U.S. makes it impracticable to enforce the laws of the U.S. by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings.

Governors whose mayors are calling to “defund” the police won’t call out the Guard let alone ask for military intervention; they are political animals who want to be popular with the nosiest citizens — EVEN if the “citizens” are citizens of somewhere else.

Sad, but true

There are bad cops.

There are stupid criminals.

Bad cops often react badly to stupid criminal behavior.

That’s when people die.

In another blog entry², people are told that the safest way to deal with cops, rogue or otherwise, is to do as the cops tell them. Do not resist. Go to jail. Make a call. Get an attorney. Let a judge decide. Then, when charges are dropped, SUE THE COP AND THE MUNICIPALITY, it could result in a good payday for the person illegally arrested and, since it will cost the municipality cash, it might get the offending cop fired.

Cops are not trained to debate. They are trained to act. Debates are for the lawyers in the courts.

Bad cops plus stupid criminal behavior equal needless injury or death.

Carefully look at the recent events that gave an excuse to the anarchists to riot.

Was the person who died a recidivistic criminal? Yes or No.

Was the person who died in control of his/her facilities or was he or she drunk or on drugs?

It would be nice if

a. People did NOT jump to conclusions based on partial evidence

b. The cops and the media would release ALL the relevant information and images

Never mind that the media already lost the respect of many Americans due to its “slanting” of the news. Social media is no better, but at least most posters do not pretend to be professional (that means “paid”) journalists.

For the record, I was a professional (paid) reporter and editor on small, medium, and large newspapers around the country for more than a decade. I tried very hard to be the Sergeant Friday³ of reporters: “Just the facts.”

As a reporter, I learned to withhold judgment until ALL the facts were on display.

I covered too many cases where, when the prosecutor presented the case I was sure the defendant was guilty, guilty, guilty.

Then the defense presented its case, and my confidence in my “guilty” decision was shaken.

Sometimes the defendant WAS guilty; many times the defendant was innocent. (As a real journalist, we know to write “innocent” rather than “not guilty” since sometimes the word “not” is accidentally omitted or overlooked by a reader or listener.)

No one, not cops, not politicians, not preachers, not agitators should be above the law.

At the same time, we need to let the law — the cops to the courts — do its job.

Unrelated thought

If the Democrat socialists billionaires in high tech and real estate really want to help the poor, let them distribute their wealth to the needy, to the masses. That’s socialism in action. Distribute the wealth. Put up or shut up. Talk the talk and walk the walk — and other cliches.

Rebuild the ghettos and rebuild the barrios.

Tear down the crime-generating slums and build single-family houses or, if land cannot be found — there is plenty of open space in the Intermountain West — then low-rise condos. Follow up by making these new towns “company towns” similar to those owned by companies, such as Kennecott Copper in Nevada.⁴ The Company owned the property and maintained the property. Need a light bulb changed? Call the Company. Someone will show up and change the bulb. (Unions put an end to that and the residents had to buy and maintain their homes.)

The problem with non-Company towns, especially high-rise condos, is that some residents allow the property to deteriorate and crime to invade. Not everyone, but too many.

Don’t expect the billionaire socialists to construct housing on their land. When a state needed to build a new prison to incarcerate its growing prisoner population, the citizens were all for it … “but just not in MY neighborhood.”

The word “hypocrites” comes to mind, but I shall refrain.

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Sources

1. Posse Comitatus Act: https://tinyurl.com/yaqoxfvm

2. Run to Court: https://tinyurl.com/y3a6q7tv

3. Sgt. Friday: https://tinyurl.com/y4gn2wrw

4. Company town: https://tinyurl.com/y2nadmcm

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

Comment on BLM lies

Opuscula Whose NationalAnthem?

ACCORDING TO THIS MORNING’S TV “NEWS,” THE Black National Anthem will be heard before each basketball and football game.

I may be simple, but for a national anthem to be played at a sporting event, the anthem

* must have a nation

* one of the contestants (teams) must represent that nation.

America does it all the time when a Canadian team comes south. The Canadians likewise play the U.S. national anthem when a U.S. team plays north of the border. The U.S. also does this when (most) foreign dignitaries visit.

 

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF “black” nations, or, more correctly, nations in which black people are the majority or in control.

As a matter of fact, the U.S. acquired land¹ for the American Colonization Society (ACS) that intended the land as a new home for freed black slaves. The land became the nation of Liberia.

There ARE a number of predominately black-populated states, mostly in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, commonly referred to as the “sub-Saharan Africa.” The term has been criticized by late Professor Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, on Pambazuka as being a racist word ²

For all that, blacks always have been a minority in the United States, ergo, the U.S., by definition, cannot be considered a “black nation” and the Black National Anthem is inappropriate at best and racist at worst.

U.S. absorbs, integrates people from around the world

The U.S. has successfully integrated peoples from many different countries with different ethno­ cultures, and different races. The Black National Anthem is just the opposite; it is intended to divide people.

The WORDS³ to the so-called Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing, are linked from the Black Culture Collection web site, are exclusionary.

The words also are a bit confusing; the last stanza reads:

May we forever stand.

True to our God,

True to our native land

If the Black National Anthem is referring to the U.S. as “our native land,” then why are so many blacks supporting organizations that want to destroy the U.S.?

If the Black National Anthem is referring to the lands from which their ancestors were abducted — by fellow blacks and sold to Muslim traders who eventually sold them to slavers — then perhaps another American Colonization Society is needed to help blacks return to their “native land.”

Before anyone claims this is racist, consider that some countries provide relocation assistance to encourage people to settle there. Educated American blacks probably would be welcome in “black Africa” for their knowledge and abilities.

Some people, such as African American Dr. Obadele Kambon⁴ relocated to Ghana in 2008.

The Condé Nast Traveler web site ⁵ includes an article For Black Americans, Moving Abroad Has a Different Appeal that suggests blacks are able to relocate to a number of countries. Ghana, has an open invitation for Africa’s displaced descendants to visit “home.”

If Africa is not a person’s “cup of tea,” there are many other countries that welcome Americans.

I don’t know if it’s fair, but do other countries encourage and welcome uneducated blacks?

Do other nations offer less, the same as, or more opportunity than the U.S.?

(And if the U.S. is so bad, why do people clamor to cross the border and work towards citizenship? Illegals come to America because Americans employ them at sub-standard wages for jobs Americans deign to do.)

Not easy to sing but also not divisive

Granted, the U.S. National Anthem is hard to sing and, sometimes, painful to hear some artist interpretations. For all that, it IS the United States national anthem and it is the ONLY “national anthem” that should be played at an intra-country event, e.g., NY Yankees vs. The LA (nee New York) Giants, the Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I would vote to replace the U.S. National Anthem with something more “sing-able.” America the Beautiful is nice.

I used to love sports.

Now, when a game comes on the tube, I change channels or pick up a book.

I quit watching football when the players started “taking a knee” during the anthem.

Freedom of speech is one thing; disrespecting country and fellow citizens is another.

You want to protest, do it off the clock and off the field/court/diamond, whatever.

Playing the Black National Anthem, either before or after the U.S. National Anthem may make a few BLMers rejoice, but I suggest that it could turn a number of people into unwilling racists.

If a group is bullied long enough — and that is what Black Lives Matter is doing to anyone daring to disagree or even suggest that ALL lives matter — the bullied person/people eventually will have enough and respond in kind.

Black Lives DON’T Matter

It is patently obvious that Black Lives DO NOT Matter to the people behind BLM.

If black lives mattered, then the black-on-black murders — often of innocent children and seniors — would:

Cease; drive-bys and casual shootings would be a thing of the past

The streets would be crowded with people protesting, albeit not destroying, black-on-black crime

There would be demands to support the police and fund additional police

Governors would be forced to “call out the Guard” to put down insurrection

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

If black lives mattered,, BLM leaders would tell their followers to obey the cops’ orders. It’s better to spend a night in jail than eternity in a grave. Besides, an illegally arrested person might sue the cops and the cop’s municipality for “Big Bucks.

---

Sources

1. Liberia: https://tinyurl.com/y23xcr2q

2. Sub-Sahara: https://tinyurl.com/d2cpeuf

3. Anthem words: https://tinyurl.com/yh2yr4tt

4. Dr. Kambon: https://tinyurl.com/y2w3ouax

5. Condé Nast:https://tinyurl.com/y43edrqh

PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

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Opuscula When they came for … And I did not speak out Then they came for me

I AM NOT A SUPPORTER OF “BLACK LIVES MATTER” (BLM).

Not because they don’t matter. They do. But so do ALL lives.

I am not a supporter of BLM because I see too many — far, far too many — BLM supporters who are using the movement as a front for anarchism, an excuse to abuse, destroy, and cause death.

 

I DO NOT AGREE THAT a black person cannot achieve greatness — many have.

I do not agree that our governments continue to discriminate against blacks, or Jews, or Orientals, or Latinos. Statistics, and opening the eyes, confirms that there are many blacks, Jews, etc. working in federal, state, and municipal jobs.

I do not accept that women, regardless of “color,” cannot advance in our society.

I DO believe that with diligence, hard work, and occasional encouragement, any citizen can not only aim high but arrive at a higher position in life.

I admit there are exceptions to all of the above, but in general

Discrimination

Yes, there has been discrimination. It came with the earliest European immigrants.

The Europeans, more than anyone else, came with a superior attitude, even when there was no justification for it. They did it in America. They did it on the Indian sub-continent. They did it in Africa. They did it in the Middle East.

English, Dutch, Germans, even the French and Italians left home so they could feel good about themselves, if only at the expense of others who were “different.”

Granted, most blacks in the U.S. today are descendants of slaves.

Slaves that were captured by other blacks.

Slaves that were sold to (mostly) European slavers by Muslims.

That’s history. It can be argued. But the facts will remain.

Jews faced discrimination in the U.S.

The Irish faced discrimination.

The Italians faced discrimination.

All of the above overcame, primarily through their own group efforts, discrimination.

They valued education and hard work.

They did NOT survive on welfare — government handouts were non-existent.

They went to night school, often after working a 10-hour shift, to learn English.

If the Jews, the Irish, the Italians, etc., managed to overcome discrimination, why not blacks? They have had more than enough time to overcome any discrimination.

About the only people who (still) are discriminated against in America are the natives; Indians.

White anarchists

Look at the people rioting, destroying property and injuring people.

Many are black, but count the number of white faces (most sans masks), running to destroy, to injure.

Most of the rioters are between 18 and 25 years of age.

Most are products of “progressive” parents, and many learned to hate at university.

Anarchists are not restricted to Democrat-controlled cities, but in those cities — often “sanctuary cities” — protecting citizens and their property seems to be secondary to “making a statement.”

My way or the highway

If you are not like me, even if you support my cause, you are less than me.

This is not the era of the “hippie” with flowers and love beads.

This is not an era when a person’s uniqueness is celebrated.

This is the era of mob violence; mob control.

This is the era when governments abrogate their primary responsibility: to protect the citizens.

This is the era when politicians not only sway with the prevailing winds, but bow down to those who make the most noise; common sense and reason be damned.

This is the era when privileged white “progressives” align themselves with anarchists to destroy communities. The “progressives” don’t necessarily destroy, but they protect the anarchists while they do their work.

This is the era when Black Lives Matter — ONLY black lives matter. Never mind others lives. Never mind that some blacks may not agree — they are just Oreos anyway.

This is the era when all minorities save one are the darlings of “privileged progressives.”

This is the era when JINOs condemn Israel and rally in support of the PLO/PFLP, Hamas/Islamic Jihad that are trying hard to destroy Israel — with a little help from the UN and leftist politicians.

This is the era when college and universities compete to see what institution can teach that democracy is the bane of the world; that Marxism is the panacea for all the world’s ills.

This is the era when history is rewritten; Santayana’s comment about history forgotten will someday come to haunt these revisionists.

This is the era when civility disappeared; few hear and fewer listen. Eyes that do not see; ears that do not hear.

This is the era of entitlement and privilege.

This is the era of my embarrassment.

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

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Opuscula Advisen FPN, More than just Insurance news

I love Advisen Front Page News (FPN). Advisen focuses on things of interest to the insurance industry.

I was a subscriber for many years when I worked as an enterprise risk management practitioner. Insurance always was part of my plans.

I’m now retired, but my weekday is not complete sans Advisen FPN in my in-box.

There almost always is something worth sharing. Today (4 SEP 2020) there are several.

Sometimes the articles are amusing. Sometimes they are scary. Always they are interesting.

The following are snippets, excerpts, from the full articles. All original sources are identified.

 

From the Advisen FPN email for 4 September 2020:

INSURANCE: If you buy it, READ THE SMALL PRINT

Florida federal court upholds virus exclusion in COVID-19 BI case

By Erin Ayers, Advisen

A Florida federal court ruled that the virus exclusion of commercial property policy bars recovery for COVID-19 business interruption claims by a dental practice in a switch from other cases that have focused on the lack of physical damage.

In Mauricio Martinez DMD v. Allied Insurance Company of America, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the insurer’s motion to dismiss because “the insurance policy expressly excludes coverage from damages caused by a virus.” Allied Insurance is a subsidiary of Nationwide.

Source: Advisen FPN @ https://tinyurl.com/yyddv7no

The Gap Hit with Board Diversity Derivative Lawsuit

By Kevin M. LaCroix, RT ProExec

This post was originally published on LaCroix’s The D&O Diary.

On September 1, 2020, a plaintiff shareholder filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit in the Northern District of California against the fourteen members of the board of directors of The Gap, as well as against the company itself as nominal defendant. The gist of the complaint is that despite numerous public statements about the company’s commitment to diversity, “Gap failed to create any meaningful diversity at the very top of the Company,” as the company’s board “lacks a single African American director.”

In the latest in a series of lawsuits against high-profile companies alleging that the companies’ boards lack African-American directors, a plaintiff shareholder has filed a shareholder derivative lawsuit against the board of directors of the clothing retailer, The Gap. The lawsuit is substantially similar to the lawsuits filed by the same plaintiffs’ law firm against Oracle (here), Facebook (here), Qualcomm (here), and NortonLifeLock (here). A copy of the lawsuit against The Gap’s board can be found here.

(To see the “here” links above, you must go to the Advisen or The D&O Diary site.)

Source: Advisen FPN @ https://tinyurl.com/yy96fcen

Shareholder sues Tribune Publishing and its board, alleges 'poison pill' takeover defense plan is 'overreach of corporate power'

Publication Date 09/03/2020

Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)

A Tribune Publishing shareholder is suing the Chicago-based newspaper company and its board, alleging the adoption in July of a so-called poison pill is “an extremely aggressive overreach of corporate power.”

The provisions are “so draconian as to … severely hobble or shut down the ability of any stockholder or group of stockholders to seek to influence the direction of the company,” the lawsuit alleges

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Delaware Chancery Court on behalf of the Vladimir Gusinsky Revocable Trust, seeks class-action status and a court order preventing Tribune Publishing from invoking the plan.

The same family trust filed a separate lawsuit Friday against suburban Chicago-based aviation services company AAR, challenging its poison pill plan. Bloomberg Law was first to report on the lawsuits.

Source: Advisen FPN @ https://tinyurl.com/y2xpdpkr

Saks Fifth Avenue countersues Bal Harbour Shops after eviction proceedings

Publication Date 09/03/2020

Source: Miami Herald (FL)

Sep. 3--Saks Fifth Avenue has filed a lawsuit against Bal Harbour Shops and its CEO, Matthew Whitman Lazenby, claiming the mall broke confidentiality agreements and defamed the upscale chain after filing eviction proceedings in August for $1.9 million in unpaid rent.

The complaint, filed Sept. 1 in Miami-Dade civil court, argues that Lazenby breached a confidentiality contract in the store's lease by revealing the dollar amount Saks owes in back rent in an interview with Women's Wear Daily. The store's rent is determined using a percentage rate of its monthly sales.

The lawsuit also argues that Lazenby made defamatory statements that damaged the chain's reputation and sales by claiming Saks used the pandemic "as a convenient excuse to evade their financial obligations."

Source: Advisen FPN @ https://tinyurl.com/y2a9okc3

Legal bunfight: McDonald's accuses Hungry Jack's of ripping off Big Mac

Publication Date 09/03/2020

Source: Guardian Web

The Hungry Jack’s chain controlled by billionaire Jack Cowin is in a legal pickle – on a sesame seed bun – after rival burger group McDonald’s accused it of ripping off the famous Big Mac.

In a federal court lawsuit filed on Monday, companies in the McDonald’s group claim Hungry Jack’s “deliberately adopted or imitated” the “distinctive appearance or build” of the Big Mac, as well as its ingredients and the advertising tagline “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun”, which has been used to promote the greasy treat since at least 1974.

Hungry Jack’s Big Jack burger is promoted online as containing “two flame-grilled 100% Aussie beef patties, topped with melted cheese, special sauce, fresh lettuce, pickles and onions on a toasted sesame seed bun”.

Source: Advisen FPN @ https://tinyurl.com/yyv5jm3v

NOTE: If a provided SOURCE link fails, search the internet for the headline (e.g., Legal bunfight)

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

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Opuscula Joe Biden ads Show he plans To clone Trump

ONE OF “SLEEPY JOE’S” tv ads has him telling us that when elected (not “if” but “when”) he will restore America to its former greatness.

Does he mean the “greatness” of the Obama-Biden administration or the “greatness” of the Trump administration before the Chinese virus?

He speaks of buying American.

His president bought a campaign bus, not from a U.S. company, but one in Canada.

He says he will have U.S. firms make Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Trump already did that.

He talks of reducing Chinese influence.

Trump already is doing that.

He promises to help small businesses.

Trump already is doing that.

Never mind that he also promises to raise taxes.

 

JOE’S AD WRITERS must either have a sense of humor OR they are unusually stupid.

While President Donald Trump is hardly a shining example of leadership — at least he IS awake and his speech coherent — he managed to convince U.S. manufacturers to make PPE and to revamp production lines to make ventilators.

This in itself supports businesses both large and small.

He “encouraged” U.S. manufacturers to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Ghost factories are now coming back to life.

He has — if you take a negative (a/k/a Democratic) approach — fired the first shots in a “trade war” with China. In reality, he is trying to put both trading partners on an equal footing.

Trump has not promised to raise taxes. On that Biden stands alone.

Biden insists that everyone in the U.S. must wear a mask. So much for States Rights. Washington under the Democrats has consistently whittled away at the rights of states to make their own laws.

To be fair, Biden promises citizenship to 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. while Trump still is trying to build a wall. These people will be entitled to all the benefits of America’s legal citizens without paying into the system (Social Security, Medicare, state Medicaid).

Biden complains that Trump has “divided America with his divisiveness.”

The gentleman should hold up a mirror to his own party — starting with Mrs. Clinton.

The divisiveness started with her behavior after the 2016 election.

Even in bitterly fought campaigns, losers — until Mrs. Clinton — congratulated their opponent.

The divisiveness is magnified by the Democrat “progressives” in congress: The Squad, Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler in the House and Schumer in the Senate.

Biden was Obama’s VP when the U.S. allowed the liberal and Muslim-dominated UN screed on Israel. He also was part of the administration that sent billions of dollar to the terrorists' intransigent PLO “leader” Abu Mazen on Obama’s last day in power.

Biden, who claims to be a Catholic, is in bed with Planned Parenthood abortion advocates. Planned Parenthood is anathema to the church.

Biden claims he will leave the U.S. embassy in Israel’s capital. However, during the Obama-Biden rule, the progressives kowtowed to Abu Mazen. For all their support of the terrorist, they could not — or perhaps did not want — to bring the PLO to the table with Israel.

Trump, on the other hand, moved the embassy and canceled U.S. payments to the PLO for its “slay for pay” programs.

The Obama-Biden administration gave the Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East the so-called “Arab Spring” that destabilized the region.

It was during the Obama-Biden administration than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton allowed a “spontaneous” attack on the consulate in Benghazi that resulted in Americans’ murder. There is proof that Clinton knew the Americans were in danger but refused to send defenders.

This is the same Hillary Clinton kept illegal servers on which she kept classified emails; the servers were not secure. Trump gave her a pass and kept Justice from bringing her up on charges.

Neither Biden nor his boss could get Abu Mazen’s cooperation, even after giving the terrorists billions of taxpayer dollars. They didn’t learn from past administrations that put away the “stick” and only offered the “carrot.”

Trump took a different approach. He stopped the “carrot” to the PLO and offered carrots to other Muslim states in the area, e.g., UAE.

Admittedly, Iran is playing a large part in weaning the PLO’s benefactors from Abu Mazen. Iran is about the only Muslim country solidly behind the PLO and Hamas in Gaza. Qatar still funds the terrorists, but will that continue for much longer? Hamas is demanding that Qatar deliver ever more money — money that somehow rarely reaches the average Mahmud and Aisha of Gaza.

Trump’s moves have not brought the PLO to the table, but his actions HAVE gotten other Muslim nations to consider the benefits of an economic peace with Israel that already is costing Abu Mazen support. That is a great deal more than accomplished by the Obama-Biden administration. Again, credit must be shared with the PLO and Hamas one steady friend: Iran.

Biden is in the mold of his mentor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

It was said of English prime minister Winston Churchill that his sign was two fingers raised in a “V for victory” sign.

FDR’s sign was a wet raised finger, testing which way the (political) wind was blowing.

Both Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris Emhoff, are said to be in FDR’s mold. If the far left makes the most noise, they will bow to the far left and its demands.

Four words and a date about riots.

Chicago, Democratic National Convention, 1968

Talk about divisive.

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PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.

Web sites (URLs) beginning https://tinyurl.com/ are generated by the free Tiny URL utility and reduce lengthy URLs to manageable size.

 

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