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Monday, April 19, 2021

A Country Worth Fighting For?

 


Friends, as you know, the 1619 project is all about, well, blackening the name of the United States of America -- portraying us as a country founded on racism, oppression, and hatred.  Well, that's part of the American story, but it takes some really creative editing to make that the substance of the entire American story, especially over the last 150 or so years.  Here's an excerpt from an address by a black scholar who believes that blacks need to rediscover their love for, and appreciation of, America:


https://www.city-journal.org/the-case-for-black-patriotism

 

Believe it or not, I disagree with Marjorie Taylor Greene, and other conservatives, that Rep. Maxine Waters should be ejected from Congress because of her encouragement of potential riots in Minnesota.  The fact is that Waters walked a fine line between justifying "confrontational" protests and supporting illegal, violent activities.  More to the point, I'm sick and tired of the fashion in American politics for "canceling" the people's elected representatives.  You want Maxine Waters' head on a platter?  One, you won't get it.  Two, be careful what you wish for, because dozens of Republican Congressmen could meet the same fate for -- real or imagined -- violations of "civic integrity", to use the parlance of Big Tech.  No Congressman should be removed from office, or removed from his or her committee assignments, except after conviction for serious criminal offenses, in my view.

 

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-maxine-waters-expel/2021/04/19/id/1018108/ 


Finally, there's major progress being made in our vaccination campaign.  We're way ahead of the Europeans, although still behind the Israelis.  If we keep up the pace, this pandemic may shrivel up and die in time for all of us to enjoy the BEST SUMMER EVER!!!  Yay!


https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/virus-outbreak/2021/04/18/id/1018065/

23 comments:

  1. Nick,

    I agree with your assessment, if for nothing else because counter-attacks should be more than mere mimicry. In the game of confrontational posturing massive, sudden, escalations that decisively end the confrontation, and future confrontations, are much more effective. They Dems hurled Congressman Steve King from his committee positions for largely innocuous statements, and so such a counter-move is merely shadowing our opponent and continuing the, "Monkey Dance," of posturing. We should keep our peace, and when we move, it should be swift, stun our enemy, and give him pause.

    It's like these politicians don't read Sun-Tzu or Clausewitz.

    -Lee

    ReplyDelete
  2. For an economist, Loury certainly missed an important fact -- according to the Fed, in 2019, White families have the highest level of both median and mean family wealth: $188,200 and $983,400, respectively. By contrast, Black families' median and mean wealth was less than 15% that of White families, at $24,100 and $142,500, respectively. Hispanic families' median and mean wealth was $36,100 and $165,500.

    So, that 10% of $20 trillion that Blacks have access to? Try 1%. Yeah, there's lots of equality going on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Comrade Carveth

      You fail to explain WHY Blacks do not have high levels of income. Sure wish I had that White median and mean family wealth figures you mention. Maybe Bill Gates will get generous and send me a few million, and then I will have "access" to a few things I would like to have. You know, stuff like an S Class Mercedes and a mansion in some sweet location. Now that's what I would call "equality" in every sense of the word.

      You have a great day.

      Delete
  3. As for vaccinations, if the 45% of GQPers who say that they won't take the vaccine actually do, we will beat the virus. If they don't, we could be in trouble.

    As long as the virus is not squelched, it will continue to mutate. As COVID is mutating fast. The B.1.1.7 and B.1.3.5 variants had a couple of mutations, which made it more infectious. The P.1 variant out of Brazil has 13 mutations, and is more infectious than wild type.

    Most viruses, when they mutate, become weaker. The COVID mutations have become stronger. The fear is that unless the virus is stopped, it could mutate into a version that the antibodies from the vaccines doesn't recognize, and we have to go through the whole pandemic cycle again -- perhaps fighting a tougher virus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Rod

      Thanks for this information. I did not know that you had a medical degree, and I was also surprised that you were a genius in economics. You really should be in charge of The Fed and CDC simultaneously.

      You have a good day, ace.

      Delete
  4. MAXINE WATERS is a product of her CHOICES, NOT her background. Another Black woman DR. CAROL MILLER SWAIN came from a very similar background and made her choices. Check Dr. Swain out, and find out what choices she made as compared to Maxine Waters.

    ReplyDelete
  5. While Members of Congress like Waters, and those of her ilk are raising the usual stink about all of the things they are expected to raise a stink about, looks like Senator Joe Manchin is getting fed up with his own party. Maybe he will become a Republican instead of staying a DINO (Democrat In Name Only). After all DINOsaurs become extinct don't they? Glad to see his state going Red. Hope it becomes BRIGHT RED!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Speaking of the 1619 Project, I'm thinking about the 1 A.D. Project which is to celebrate the fact that my European (and Lily White, Peaches and Cream) Ancestors were slaves in the Roman Empire. In fact 99% of the slaves in The Roman Empire were White, thanks to The Emperor Augustus who started The Roman Empire Equal Opportunity Slave Employment Program in 1 A.D. It was an extremely successful program, and I am PROUD to say that my slave Ancestors built most of the Roman roads that most of the European highway system is built over. Also bridges my ancestors built can still be seen in Europe, and some are still in use. Sure glad my ancestors were not Gladiators! I thank the gods for that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Historically, a key reason that Blacks lag behind whites in terms of wealth is in home ownership. Fewer blacks own homes than whites, so there is no change to build up equity. This disparity should not be surprising given the obstacles put in the way of blacks owning homes (being charged higher interest rates for same backgrounds as whites, having lower income homes overvalued for tax purposes while homes in more affluent suburbs are undervalued, etc.).

    As far as medical knowledge, you don't have to have a medical degree to read epidemiological literature. The most knowledgeable voice on the pandemic right now is not part of the medical profession, but a sociologist - Zeynep Tufekci.

    The fact -- not speculation, but fact -- is that the variants are more infectious, and each new variant is showing a greater number of mutations. To date, the present vaccines recognize enough of the variants to combat them -- but not as effectively as they are combating the original virus (wild type). That's why it is so important to squash the virus now, before it transforms itself into a version that the present vaccines can't combat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rod,

      Thanks for the update on pandemic voices. I thought the most knowledgeable voice on the pandemic at this time, was some guy in India who worked for the railroad.

      Delete
  8. Dr.Waddy: test from Jack

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dr.Waddy from Jack: Thank you for Dr. Loury's perceptive and eloquent essay. I have been reading his work for a long time. He has guts! I am surprised that Brown has not managed to intimidate him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brown's administration has far more important things to do that worry about Dr. Loury. He is not that important.

      Delete
  10. I should have said: " I am not surprised that Brown has been unable to intimidate him".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Again, Brown doesn't care. After Loury got arrested for beating up his girlfriend, and later for cocaine, he was damaged goods for a decade. He then did some solid work in economics, and Brown hired him from BU (where he went after fleeing from Harvard).

      Brown knows Loury has far less credibility than he once had. In fact, the only card Loury has to play is his race.

      Delete
  11. Dr. Waddy et al from Jack: I am unqualified to judge Dr. Loury as an economist but I know him to be an intellectually courageous pioneer of black conservatism, published both in the journal Commentary and Conservative Chronicle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please add to that resume serial adulterer, girlfriend assaulter and drug abuser.

      Delete
    2. Rod

      I think he should get a pass on the serial adulterer as long as they never did it in the triple lotus position.

      Delete
  12. Dr. Waddy from Jack: I agree with your opinion that it should not be so politically motivated an effort to remove the elector's choice as extra electoral efforts seek to enable! Anyway, let Maxine blat! She is a fool!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dr.Waddy et al from Jack: The above criticisms of Dr. Loury are credible, given the critic. But I still find the reasoning Dr. Loury expresses in his essay to be plausible. To the critic: do you apply such standards to advocates of wokeness? Please cite examples.

    ReplyDelete
  14. DR. NICK

    I don't have any more time for this article. We need to move on, and especially since VP Harris says we need to have electric school buses. Understand?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dr. Nick

    You trust Fauci?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks, Lee! I actually think the move to censure Waters makes a lot more sense...mainly because it has a snowball's chance in hell of actually working. In other words, it's LESS hopeless than the aim of ejecting her from Congress.

    Rod, if you're suggesting that we're all entitled to an equivalent share of the wealth pie, then I can't wait to attend the ceremony where you hand over a giant check to some black family in your neighborhood...assuming that there ARE any black families in your neighborhood, of course. If not, then hop in your Prius and explore some more colorful environs for a change! Also, consider the slight possibility that black people may have a tiny bit of agency in life.

    Rod, what's your source for the idea that 45% of Republicans won't take the vaccine? (That's the Trump vaccine, FYI.)

    Now, I'm no scientist, but it defies credulity that most mutations make diseases weaker, but COVID is magically different and all its mutations will increase CNN's ratings -- er, I mean, create a deadlier and more virulent disease. Sure, there's some luck of the draw involved, but come on -- we keep moving the goalposts to scare the wits out of people. Half the adult population now has had at least one shot. We have to be approaching herd immunity soon. And if you're afraid of people from other countries bringing in nasty mutations, maybe shut that border up tight?

    Ray, Maxine Waters is ABSOLUTELY responsible for her actions, and I have no doubt that she knows exactly what she's doing. She's a lifelong provocateur, and so far it seems to have worked out nicely for her.

    Rod, as far as home ownership goes, blacks may HISTORICALLY have paid higher interest rates, but they have also historically lived in areas that offer extremely low housing prices. So what are they waiting for? I dunno. Maybe they're watching too much MSNBC and long ago imbibed the attitude that their hopes and dreams are uniformly futile because of omnipresent white supremacy?

    Rod, did you, a leftist, just criticize someone for playing the race card? And some people claim that lefties don't have a sense of humor!!! Ha!

    Jack, good point that Maxine Waters is a liability to her party and, frankly, her race. It's the Dems who should want to expel her from Congress -- not us!

    Jack, I can't believe that Rod wants to distract us with nonsense about how many affairs Dr. Loury may or may not have had, or which drugs he's taken. Who cares? His words speak for themselves.

    Do I trust Fauci? Not especially. I believe COVID is a thing, yeah, and I believe it's desirable not to get it. I'm vaccinated and glad to be vaccinated. I also think we've overreacted in countless ways to the pandemic and will be dealing with its aftershocks for decades, especially in terms of debt and bloated bureaucracy and government overreach.

    ReplyDelete