DOUBLE STANDARDS ARE THE BEST STANDARDS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TWICE AS MANY AS LESS-PRINCIPLED PEOPLE DO: Jake Tapper Exposes the False Nature of Double Standard Used Against Brett Kavanaugh.
Author Archive: Stephen Green
May 5, 2020
GOVERNMENT REPORTS ON CORONAVIRUS HAVEN’T EXACTLY BEEN PRESCIENT: White House Rejects Government Report Projecting Rising Coronavirus Death Toll.
CHOOSE… WISELY: The coronavirus pandemic makes it clear: Europe must decide between the US and China.
The big mistake was to expose democratic market economies to a non-democratic state capitalism that exploits easier trading and competitive conditions without subjecting itself to the same rules. Asymmetry instead of reciprocity was the result.
The process of “change through trade” actually did take place. However, not quite in the way expected by the West. China has become even more authoritarian and economically stronger, while the West has become weaker.
What is our conclusion from all this? America has clearly decided to pursue a policy of ‘decoupling’ from China. If Europe does not want to see its freedom subverted by Beijing, it must decide which of the two countries to ally with, and it must do so soon.
Europe in recent decades has earned a reputation for being feckless about foreign policy, but when backed up against the wall, Europeans have historically proven to be notoriously tough. Maybe that attitude is gone now, but regarding China, I certainly hope not.
TWO WEEKS SEEMS GENEROUS: Harvard University’s Lousy Two Weeks. “They had a professor rail against homeschooling during the China Virus crisis when parents across America were homeschooling because all schools were canceled. They applied for and received $8.7 million in federal grant/loans meant for small businesses. They returned the money after it was revealed they took the funds even though the school has a $40 [billion] endowment to play with. And now we learn the school maintained a relationship with child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein even after his 2008 sex crime conviction.”
BED, MADE AND LAID IN: ‘Sanctuary’ California Begs Trump for Help After Illegal Aliens Spill Into U.S. COVID Units.
I NEEDED THIS: Come enjoy some high quality quarantine memes.
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: Here It Comes: The Move to Remove Gropey Joe. “Democratic women know that Biden is a creepy guy who is often condescending or even disdainful to women who challenge him, as any lying dog-face pony soldier could tell you. Democrats had hoped that Biden would be electable because he was a nice, decent fellow who would return us to normalcy after that crazy Trump and his mean tweets. Instead, even Democrats are forced to admit that Biden is at best a serial groper. At worst, he’s as shameless a coverup artist as Hillary Clinton when it comes to misdeeds against women.”
This one is just for our VIP members, and I hope you’ll use that VODKAPUNDIT discount code if you’ve been thinking of becoming a supporter.
TYLER O’NEIL: What’s the Real Story Behind Continuing Lockdowns? “While the lockdowns began as a public health measure, their continued extension appears to have more to do with power than safety.”
Lots of good stuff here from Tyler, well put together.
ANNE APPLEBAUM: The Rest of the World Is Laughing at Trump.
There’s really no need to click this one. I just wanted to point out that Applebaum, a one-time Soviet hawk, opened her column quoting Communist Chinese propaganda as though it’s a valid point demanding our credence.
LET’S GET BACK TO WORK: Nobel Prize-winning scientist shares COVID-19 data showing strict lockdowns were an overreaction. “…the damage done by lockdown will exceed any saving of lives by a huge factor.”
DECOUPLE. NEXT QUESTION? China was in violation of International Health Regulations. What do we do now?
DO NOT TRUST CHINA. CHINA IS ASSHOLE. Beijing Covered Up Severity of Wuhan Virus to Hoard Medical Supplies for Themselves. “One of the near-miracles of the response to the Wuhan virus in this country was how quickly American businesses, large and small, mobilized to meet the challenge of producing large quantities of respirators and face masks on short notice. But the reason notice was so short was because Communist China and the World Health Organization lied to the world. The reason supplies were so short is that Beijing’s lies were intended to lull the world while the PRC hoovered up the global supplies of PPE.”
PRIVATE GET-TOGETHERS NOW VERBOTEN IN CHICAGO: No, It’s Not Heinrich Himmler; It’s Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Issuing a Warning to Constituents. “I’ve directed Superintendent Brown to order all police districts to give special attention to these parties and this is how it’s going to be. We will shut you down. We will cite you and if we need to, we will arrest you and we take you to jail. Period. There should be nothing ambiguous about that. Don’t make us treat you like a criminal. But if you act like a criminal and you violate the law, and you refuse to do what’s necessary to save lives in the city in the middle of a pandemic, we will take you to jail. Period.”
UGH: Biden Delegate Resigns After Making Shocking Claim That Reade’s Allegations Required Her ‘Cooperation.’ “A Democratic National Convention delegate and supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden resigned from his post in the New Hampshire legislature late Saturday after making a host of shocking and horrifying claims about Tara Reade, the woman who has accused Biden of sexual assault, including that the sex act in question, which Reade described in detail in her allegations, required Reade to ‘cooperate,’ meaning she lied about the alleged attack.”
Her skirt was too short, too.
BATTLESWARM BLOG: BidenWatch for May 4, 2020.
Is the Tara Reade rape allegation going to be the silver bullet that drops Biden? It seemed unlikely when the story first broke, but just enough supporting evidence has come to light, and just enough Democrats not acting like total hypocrites and supporting an investigation into the charges, that the scandal won’t go away.
Oh, and New York just threw Bernie Sanders off the ballot. Funny how things like that happen when you cross the DNC.
They’ll indulge in most anything other than democracy.
THAT’S DIFFERENT BECAUSE SHUT UP: Whitmer, Who Rushed to Condemn Kavanaugh, Now Says, ‘I Really Resent’ Having to Talk About Biden.
Also, I doubt the people of Michigan give a damn right now about Whitmer’s resentments.
AMERICAN STASI: Why I Didn’t Rat On My Neighbor For Cutting Hair. “I caught my neighbor selling illegal haircuts, so I did what any good person would do. I kept my mouth shut.”
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: The Longer This Goes On, the Worse China Looks. “We here at the Morning Briefing have long been advocates of blaming China for all things bat flu, even way back when our betters were assuring us that it was totally racist to do so. Some of us are funny, and were skeptical that a secretive communist dictatorship was being forthcoming with the rest of the world. Others are liberals, and tend to default to believing commies.”
USMC: Marine Littoral Combat Regiment? “All this seems both forward-looking and also very amorphous. It suggests ‘we’re adjusting our force mix to better face off against China, but we’re not sure quite how yet.’ But China is just one part of the equation; the furious pace of technological change, budget pressures, and long simmering doctrinal debates all seem to be additional change drivers.”
FLASHBACK: In Defense of Naked Joe Biden.
He gets a pass for most anything, because Democrats.
GOOD LORD: NASA will pay a staggering $146 million for each SLS rocket engine. “The rocket needs four engines, and it is expendable.”
There are a lot of things one could buy in the aerospace industry for $146 million. One might, for example, buy at least six RD-180 engines from Russia. These engines have more than twice the thrust of a space shuttle main engine. Or, one might go to United Launch Alliance’s Rocket Builder website and purchase two basic Atlas V rocket launches. You could buy three “flight-proven” Falcon 9 launches. One might even buy a Falcon Heavy launch, which has two-thirds the lift capacity of the Space Launch System at one-twentieth the price, and you’d still have enough money left over to buy several hundred actual Ferrari sports cars.
Or, again, you could buy a single, expendable rocket engine.
Speaking of engines, SpaceX is building the Raptor rocket engine to power its Super Heavy rocket and Starship upper stage. The Raptor has slightly more power at sea level than the RS-25 and is designed for dozens of uses. According to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, it costs less than $1 million to build a Raptor engine. The company has already built a couple dozen of them on its own dime.
It’s going to cost $2 billion per SLS launch, assuming it ever flies.