COME SEE THE ANTISEMITISM INHERENT IN THE LEFTISM: 3 Synagogue Arsons in 1 Month in the Most Progressive US Cities.
Author Archive: Stephen Green
September 15, 2020
I HAD BEEN ASSURED THIS WAS JUST A CONSPIRACY THEORY: Deputies investigating ‘suspicious fires’ in Linn County. “Deputies and fire crews responded to eight small fires within a two-hour period.”
Previously: Oregon man, freed after using Molotov cocktail to start fire, set six more.
PEACEMONGER: How Trump Made It Happen: The Abraham Accords Peace Deal. “Trump correctly figured out that many of the moderate Arab States were tiring of the Palestinians refusal to even try to make peace. They were tired of having to carry the Palestinians and were already dealing with Israel behind the scenes. The ones already working with Israel were the Sunni-led states like UAE and Bahrain (and the Saudis), because of their fear of Shia Iran.”
I had similar thoughts on this last month:
That’s not to say that peace and love and happiness will break out throughout the Middle East, or that the peace will last forever. Trump is a dealmaker, not a miracle worker.
But the theater we just witnessed — which will create genuine benefits for Arabs and Israelis alike — was a very stable genius bit of kabuki theater:
• Launch a peace initiative designed to induce the Palestinian leadership to indulge in their usual bad behavior
• Give Israel the backing it needed to ostensibly take dramatic action in the Jordan River Valley
• Watch as Israel and Arab governments practically fall over themselves to “give up” the land Israel never annexed in exchange for the peace the Arabs need in order to face Iran
Nobody actually gave up anything, and everybody is getting what they wanted.
Well, except for the Palestinians, but yet again, they have only themselves to blame for that.
Maybe Trump just lucked out, somehow bumbling his stupid way into peace.
Maybe the Bolshoi Ballet is just an infinite number of hyperactive spider monkeys in leotards.
Nothing this well-orchestrated happens by happenstance.
The art of the deal, you could say.
IF JOE CAN DO IT, ANYONE CAN: Joe Biden Votes In Person, Wrecks the Democrats’ ‘We Need Mail-In Voting’ Narrative.
VODKAPUNDIT PRESENTS YOUR DAILY INSANITY WRAP: Crazy Antifa Goes Full T.J. Hooker on Cop Car.
Insanity Wrap needs to know: When is it smart to jump on a moving police cruiser?
Answer: Never. It is never smart to jump on a moving police cruiser, unless you’re trying out for Stupid Antifa Tricks.
Before we get to the sordid details, a quick preview of today’s Wrap.
Pennsylvania proves antifa can be beaten (and we don’t mean with nightsticks.)
Joe Biden pushes fake Russian Collusion narrative.
David Frum defends tween sexploitation to own the cons.
And so much more at the link, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.
JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE: Wildfires Will Get Worse Under Decades-Old Liberal Policies, Veteran Forester Says.
UPDATE: According to Climate Feedback, the Daily Signal article “oversimplifies drivers of wildfires and downplays role of climate change.” Read Climate Feedback’s full fact-check here.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: Kamala Harris Accidentally Reveals Her Dagger for Biden’s Back. “In a move that no doubt got spit takes from everyone on Team Biden, Kamala Harris let fly with the Mother of all Freudian slips on Monday when she referred to the ‘Harris administration,’ and then — because it’s 2020 and this election — made things even more awkward with her bumbling correction.”
See also: Kinsley Gaffe.
THE TOWN SO NICE THEY HAD TO CLOSE IT TWICE: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to be virtual this year.
ANDREW LATHAM: China as a Faltering Contender.
The conventional wisdom has long been that, if there is to be a major war involving China and the U.S., it will be the result of either of a rising China initiating war to displace the failing U.S. hegemon, or a declining U.S. initiating a war to stymie a rising China. But this ignores the possibility that systemic or hegemonic war between China and the U.S. may not have anything to do with a rising power. It ignores the possibility that such a war might be initiated by what I will call a faltering contender, a once-rising power whose ascent is running out of steam and whose leaders believe that it must decisively reshape the global order now while it still can.
The logic linking a faltering bid for hegemony to systemic war is simple enough. Faced with the prospect that it is losing the demographic or developmental race with other potential challengers, or merely with non-hegemonic rivals, a faltering contender will sometimes launch what might be thought of as a war of desperation. In this kind of war, a faltering contender will initiate hostilities because, having realized that it has reached the peak of its relative power, it decides it must initiate war now, even under unfavorable circumstances, because if it doesn’t, it will not only fail to achieve predominance but will face the prospect of catastrophic defeat in the near future. Such wars are not caused by states leaping through open windows of opportunity created by the military advantage they enjoy over their potential rivals. Instead, they are caused by stalled rising powers, at a current or imminent military disadvantage, attacking despite this disadvantage because it is the least bad of several very bad options open to them.
An interesting piece and well worth your time.
Exit thought: “As historian David Fromkin put it succinctly in his book Europe’s Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914?: ‘Germany deliberately started a European war to keep from being overtaken by Russia’.”
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK: Feds proudly announce seizure of ‘counterfeit Apple AirPods’ that are actually OnePlus Buds.
It can be hard to tell a difference between AirPods and the many earbuds that resemble them, but checking the box is always a good start. US Customs and Border Protection tonight tweeted that its officers had “recently seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods from Hong Kong, valued at $398K had they been genuine.” There’s also this press release on the situation, which praises CBP officers for “protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis” and says that “the interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP officers daily.”
The only problem is, based on the agency’s own photos, the seized products appear to be legitimate OnePlus Buds — transported in a box that plainly says as much.
Good grief.
HAVEN’T WE BEEN HEARING THIS EVERY FIVE YEARS FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS? Quantum startup CEO suggests we are only five years away from a quantum desktop computer.
September 14, 2020
NOT THE BEE: Donald Trump Agrees to Debate Against Biden Moderated by Joe Rogan.
Well, Mr. Biden?
IT IS UNWISE TO CHALLENGE THE NARRATIVE, COMRADE: Oregon Sheriff’s Deputy Investigating Fires Pays Price for Saying Unkind Words About Antifa.
PROGRESS: F-35 Stealth Fighter Now Costs Less Than Boeing’s F-15EX. “Moreover, the aircraft’s maker, Lockheed Martin, has also done its part to bring the sustainability cost per flying hour down by some 40 percent—meaning that the F-35 costs less to fly per hour, which is notable as the hours flown each year are set to increase.”
WHO? BidenWatch for September 14, 2020. “Biden loses Hispanic voters to Trump in Florida (and elsewhere), prompting Bloomberg to promise to airdrop money into the state on his behalf, how Biden has screwed up everything he’s ever tried, and proof positive Slow Joe needs a teleprompter for even the most friendly basement interviews.”
PLAY STUPID GAMES, WIN STUPID RIOTS: Cop Shoots Latino Man in Self-Defense. BLM Rioters’ Response: ‘Death to Cops.’
VODKAPUNDIT PRESENTS YOUR DAILY INSANITY WRAP: Mostly Peaceful Rioters Attempt to Peacefully Burn Down Police Station.
Insanity Wrap needs to know: What’s wrong with young people in our military today?
Answer: It’s that they’re acting like young people in the military, according to the Puritan Progressives.
Before we get to the sordid details, a quick preview of today’s Wrap.
Learn what it takes to get a riot thrown in your stupid honor.
Communism comes to San Francisco (and takes charge).
Communism comes to Colorado Springs (and promptly goes to jail).
And so much more at the link, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.
Update: Link was broken before — sorry! All fixed now.
A SANE REACTION TO AN INSANE YEAR: Swing States See Gun Sales Boon, Activists Look to Capitalize. “A broader look at monthly sales data, as measured by FBI background checks, confirms swing state voters’ eagerness to arm themselves in 2020. The nine states at the epicenter of the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden each saw historic seasonally adjusted gun sales in June—larger in all cases than the record-setting sales of March—a sign of surging demand for firearms in the wake of rioting and protests that have turned violent.”
Related: Joe Biden promises to put Beto O’Rourke in charge of gun control.
Vote accordingly, first-time gun-owners.