FROM FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY: Bring it, Bro!

A RANDOM THOUGHT while having to suffer once again through Nanny State safety crapola while pumping up a tire on my truck: When the Biden administration is in place, how long do you think it will take them to require warnings on each square of toilet paper?

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN:



Linked from Vodkapundit's daily Insanity Wrap.

IF YOU LIVE IN MICHIGAN, vote for John James as well as President Trump.

Watch the video.

THE DIPLOMAD: Here's why you must vote for Donald Trump.

And Republicans down-ticket everywhere you have a choice.

WELL, they tried.

Didn't work.

WHAT HAPPENED TO 'WHITE PRIVILEGE'? Another professor resigns following accusations she pretended to be non-white.

I must have not been paying attention when it was #cancelled....

WHY ANYONE SANE would waste time watching CNN is beyond me.

TWITTER CEO JACK DORSEY ADMITS: We have no proof the Hunter Biden story is false.

And -- finally -- caves. Spectacularly.

WHAT IF THE EXPERTS ARE WRONG? As they almost always are.

Paraphrased from a short walk back in time: "I'd rather be governed by politicians, who know nothing about everything than experts who know everything about nothing."

Politicians (the smart ones, if such exist) at least can tell which way the wind is blowing.

I WAS RIGHT! Jack Dorsey hires homeless man off streets of San Francisco to fill in for him at Senate hearings.

Yes, it is the Babylon Bee.

DR. FAUCI WARNS U.S. may not return to ‘normalcy’ until 2022.

U.S. warns Dr. Fauci he may not return to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases after Nov. 3rd.

THE INTELLIGENTSIA ... aren't.

AMY CONEY BARRETT has been busy since she was sworn in as the new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

THE ONLY DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN AD you need to see this year.

SAD: Austin [TX] sees spikes in violent crime, officer retirements after defund police vote.

I left forever in 1995. Even then, I could the light at the end of the tunnel was an oncoming train (wreck).

NEXT UP, broken glass. Even barefoot, it won't stop me.

THEY'RE GETTING WORRIED: In Florida, fraudster attempts to register dead Americans as Democrats.

They should be worried....

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 30, 2020:

Gee, it remains same old, same old all over again. Deaths continue to rise, at about 800/day, stable for the last 10 days. The positive test rate has declined to a stable 7% of all tests and been below 8% since mid-August.

Here's a second view, focused more on testing. The green line is the usual daily death count, which has been relatively stable at or below 1,000 per day since early June. Testing is shown by the red and blue lines. Red indicates the total number of tests performed; blue the number of positive tests. As of today, a total of 128 million tests have been performed, of which 9 million (7.02%) were positive for coronavirus. Of those 9 million, only 220,000 (2.4%) died of coronavirus (or with coronavirus as a secondary factor).

In Georgia, coronavirus cases continue to rise, hospitalizations are increasing slightly, and deaths continue to decline.

NYPD WARNING ULTRA-RICH to to brace for election chaos.

Why? The rioters are on their side....

THIS is true diversity.

POST-ELECTION 2020: Two studies say all hell to break loose.

[Y]ou can be certain that the Left won't be caught napping ... on Election Night. They've had months to prepare and are ready to do battle. The many protests, riots, looting, and violent attacks the past six months are but a prelude to the coming main event.

Not on my turf....

I NOTICED, TOO: Hell hath no fury like a female Democratic Senator scorned.

THE GREEN NEW DEAL: Not green, not new, and not a deal.

OBAMA CAMPAIGNS ... for Joe?

From American Thinker's cartoon page.

THE DIPLOMAD COMMENTS on Mike Pence's rally and Joe Biden's corruption.

ACCURACY IN PRESCIENT JOURNALISM: Man protests racial injustice and completes Christmas shopping is a single trip.

JUST A REMINDER THAT THESE ARE DEMOCRATS:

The link is here.

IF YOU LOVE COVID-19, VOTE BLUE.

Just for grins, this morning I looked up information on Red states, Blue states, and coronavirus states. The coronavirus data was from yesterday's Coronavirus Dashboard, population data was from 2019 census data, and the Red state/Blue state divide from the 270 to Win website.

States were declared Blue if 270 to Win showed them as either blue or likely blue, Red under the same criteria, and all others were declared swing states. By that criteria, there are 18 Blue states, 20 Red states, and 13 swing states (includes Washington DC).

According to the data, Blue States have 213 electoral votes, a population of 134,946,446 (40.7%), 34.7% of the confirmed coronavirus cases, and 48.2% of the deaths. Red States have 126 electoral votes, a population of 64,480,907 (19.4%), 23.2% of the confirmed coronavirus cases, and 15.5% of the deaths. Swing states have 199 electoral votes, a population of 132,392,591 (39.9%), 42,1% of the confirmed coronavirus cases, and 36.3% of the deaths.

Make of it what you will, but it looks to me like if you want to die of COVID-19, you should vote Democrat. Or move to a Blue state.

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 27, 2020:

Still not much changed from October 23rd. Daily deaths have stabilized a bit higher, now right around 800 for the last 4 days. The percentage of positive tests remains at 7% and the survival rate remains at 99.8% of confirmed cases tests. The October average number of coronavirus tests performed daily remains about 1-1.2 million.

I've seen media hysteria the last couple of days about coronavirus 'spikes' and the possible need for more lockdowns. That is utter nonsense. Here is a chart that shows data is from the 15th of March through today, showing total U.S. tests (red), confirmed cases from those tests (blue), and deaths (green). The vertical axis is logarithmic.

The steep initial rise is the early peak, combined with rapidly increasing testing. In early May, however, testing reached over 500,000/day, and began rising slowly to something just less than 1,000,000 daily today. Since early May confirmed cases are slowly becoming a smaller and smaller proportion of the total, and deaths much smaller yet.

Georgia cases are showing the same trend. Confirmed cases are rising as testing increases, but the severity is declining. Just looking at October, daily confirmed cases are up 30% from October 1st; daily deaths are down 29%; and hospitalizations are only up 3%.

WHY WOKE HISTORY is not the answer.

IN THE DEMOCRATS’ LEXICON, “rule of law,” like “democracy” means “our untrammeled power.”

THE BIG TRUMP RALLIES you're not allowed to see.

CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL: Six reasons why Leftists love masks.

RANDOM THOUGHT: Anyone who doesn't believe Medicare is a health insurance company 'cash cow' hasn't been watching television advertisements.

AFTER THANKSGIVING BANNED, Californians to hold turkey barbecues in honor of Black Lives Matter on November 26.

WELL, IT'S BETTER THAN HAVING NO BRAINS: NBC analyst says Trump supporters have lizard brains.

FORTUNATELY THERE AREN'T ENOUGH POLICE IN THE STATE TO ENFORCE THIS LUNACY: The Grinch who stole Thanksgiving.

IF TRUE, IT'LL BE A GOOD START: Trump planning to fire FBI Director Wray in second term.

But only a start....

IS IT SATIRE OR IS IT PRESCIENCE? Texas passes law banning Californians from voting after they move there.

PRESIDENT TRUMP, it's time to #CANCEL NPR.

MICHAEL RAMIREZ explains Jeffrey Toobin.

DEMOCRATS PROPOSE STOPPING COYOTES by distracting them with decoy roadrunners.

It's the Babylon Bee, of course, and the Blue Check Twitwits fell for it.

THE DIPLOMAD writes on President Trump's foreign policy.

BIDEN, FOR ONCE, WAS HONEST: "We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics."

I wouldn't have believed he could outdo (thankfully former) President Obama, but it appears I was wrong....

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Will changes to American life become permanent? Not as they are today, certainly. Quoting Hanson:

When institutions and politicians cannot accommodate radically changed circumstances, people will no longer value institutions and politicians. In their place, citizens will seek to ensure their own livelihoods, leisure, and safety in ways that are more reliable and affordable -- with their circumstances in their own hands rather than in those of distant others.

Also quoting Hanson with this warning:

And their adjustments won't always be calm or polite.

Clearly today's 'new normal' cannot stand, but neither can the 'old normal'. We've seen the Deep State behind the curtain -- it must go.

FALLING LEAVES, 2020: Week 7:

Not gonna go with the usual spread this week - here is the more-or-less usual pond view, just taken about 50 yards north of the deck from where I usually take the picture. The ground cover is mostly gone so the pond is actually visible from above.

This one is from below the deck, looking more southerly to the creek below. The far hillside is not yet visible but will be soon as the yellowed leaves fall away.

Here's the opposite side of the house, looking mostly west, where there are still some reds to be seen.

And finally, the bright yellow that we see every year from the kitchen/dining room windows.

Last week's pictures are here.

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 23, 2020:

Well, I missed the Tuesday update (again; apologies). Still, nothing much has changed. Daily deaths remain in the mid-700's range, with a possible slight uptick which is probably a result of a spike on Wednesday the 21st. The percentage of positive tests remains about 7% and the survival rate remains at 99.8% of confirmed cases. The October average number of coronavirus tests performed daily remains about 1 million.

The state of Georgia is getting behind again -- no results yet for today, but daily reported new cases remain in the 1,200 range, deaths average 30, and hospitalizations have risen from 1,250 to 1,300 (all 7-day averages).

THE DIPLOMAD comments on last night's final Presidential debate.

WASHINGTON EXAMINER chief congressional correspondent Susan Ferrechio shows CNN's media reporter Brian Stelter the door.

He bounces.

LONG AGO. LONG, LONG AGO: Are Americans tired of being called ‘racist’ yet?

IS THERE A DEMOCRAT MANIFEST DESTINY? Yes. On history's ash heap.

Read it all.

NOW THAT THE MASK IS GONE: The unapologetic bias of the American Left.

It's Victor Davis Hanson so, of course, read it all.

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: 'Struggling small business owner' in Biden ad actually a wealthy (by inheritance) technology investor.

FOLLOW THE SCIENCE: Health professionals say lockdowns were a massive mistake.

RANDOM THOUGHT: ObamaCare covers preexisting conditions only if you can afford to pay the doctor after paying ObamaCare's premiums.

I LIKE THE STREISAND EFFECT: Twitter's ban on the Biden laptop scandal nearly doubled its visibility.

THE DARK SIDE OF 'FAIRY DUST': California Gov. Newsom's gas-powered vehicle ban.

TWITTER (IN ITS INFINITE WISDOM) removes tweet from Trump COVID-19 advisor saying, ‘Masks Work? NO’.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Dr. Scott Atlas will soon be the Director of either the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Or both....

POWERING CALIFORNIA WITH WIND – A utility’s perspective.

Milton Friedman famously declared that “one of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” While California desperately needs to apply this wisdom across the policy spectrum, arguably, the gap between policy leaders’ intentions and the empirical results are the widest when it comes to the state’s global climate change policies.

With Democrats, intentions are the results. Consequences don't matter.

OH MY GOD: PragerU is ALT RIGHT propaganda! And infecting our government schools!

PragerU responds.

The original link is here.

SOME CALIFORNIANS have gotten the message.

READ MY BILL: No relief for blue city/state bailouts.

Don't call me to clean up the shit in your own stable.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE how harsh the ocean can be.

MICHIGAN GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER: Someone who ought to be impeached from office and swiftly thrown out.

ELECT JOE BIDEN: Promote Barack Obama to second-worst President in U.S. history.

A POX ON VOX'S EXCULPATORY JOURNALISM: Journalist gets well-deserved smackdown after spreading fake news about Trump quote.

IT'S MORE THAN JUST THE ELECTION: Conservatism now means defeating the establishment.

GOD, I HOPE SO. Is the 'zoom dick incident' peak 2020?

But I'm sure there's still much more insanity to come....

JOE BIDEN: The Democrat Party's "Cleanest Dirty Shirt"?

Think about it: Joe Biden was the best candidate the Dems had. To steal a line from Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Coming Down," Biden was the Dems "cleanest dirty shirt." That tells you what kind of bench they had.

Read it all. And vote accordingly.

HEH: “Who took ALL the lugnuts off the legacy media? I need to buy them a beer.”

HEARTWARMING: Amy Coney Barrett just adopted a local troubled youngster named Hunter.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: California plans to increase coronavirus infections.

USA TODAY BANNED GLENN REYNOLDS' WEEKLY COLUMN. Unfortunately they forgot that Reynolds is also Instapundit.

So he chose to self-publish.Here it is.

UPDATE: Read the comments as Glenn responds to several of the commenters.

MARK STEYN: "[T]he day of the last rusting photocopier in the woods is heading towards us very fast."

COMRADE OCASIO-CORTEZ has big plans for your dinner plate.

So eat your dinner!

IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED as the New Dark Age beckons. "It is time to act as though the future of our republic depends on what we do now. Because it does."

LET US COUNT THE WAYS ... How Big Government fleeces Americans every day.

They're called regulations and their number is uncountable.

‘BULL-CRAP’: Kansas City Mayor blasts activist lawyer’s excuses after threats to police.

Bullshit isn't a strong enough word. Liar isn't either, but it's closer to the truth.

AND YOU SERIOUSLY WANT YOUR CHILD TO TAKE A COURSE FROM THIS NIMROD? Georgetown University hires Peter Strzok to teach at foreign service school.

If you're really that stupid, be prepared to dig deep in your wallet to pay for the privilege.

NOW WE KNOW what a swamp looks like.

EXPLAINING THE REAL CANCEL CULTURE: Renaming teams is like another Indian (e.g., 'Native American') removal act.

RANDOM THOUGHT: Has anyone else noticed that Twitter's 'blue check' is simply an identifier symbol for "I am a self-important progressive activist?"

BEST TRUMP AD EVER! Scrawled on the pump at my local gas station: 'gas under Biden - $4.88; Trump - $2.02'.

The price at the pump this morning: $1.92.

FALLING LEAVES, 2020: Week Six.

Here's the usual deck view. Lots of green still, but a lot of leaves on the ground as well. This year we're seeing gold and red as compared to the usual green and gone. The next pictures are not the usuals - this time I've gone around the neighborhood.

This one is from the dam where the road crosses the small pond. It's a morning picture, so the sun is behind me and the camera is aimed toward the spring that feeds our creek.

Now on to the back road that goes to the large pond. In the summer it's a dark tunnel, but enough leaves are gone by now for some sun to peek through. Our house is uphill on the far side of the pond.

The red is a bit faded in the bright morning sun. The trees are along the edge of the 'community park' area on the large pond.

Finally, a 'backroad' picture. It's actually a road along the perimeter of the subdivision, but used only by off-road vehicles because of the severe rutting from the rains over the last couple of years. The plan is to kinda-sorta level it for a walking path ... sometime in the future.

Last week's pictures are here.

FREE SPEECH RALLY MARRED BY VIOLENCE as counterprotesters storm event and beat up pro-Trump demonstrators.

Read the comments. Even on Fox I've never seen this many pro-Trump comments, And the commenters are becoming decidedly more militant.

IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED as the New Dark Age beckons.

UNDEFEATED: Trump now 2-0 against moderators.

Soon to be 3-0....

MALLARD FILLMORE has breaking news.

BARRETT'S AWSOME NOTEPAD EDITION of PowerLine's Week in Pictures has posted. My favorite

is coupled with this quote: "The most obvious thing we learned this week is that Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s blank notepad is smarter that all the Senate Democrats put together."

Now go see them all.

I'D RATHER BE DEPLORABLE. Media bullies Amy Coney Barrett.

The media is despicable.

WHAT DOES FEEL LIKE TO BE A SUPREME COURT NOMINEE? Amy Coney Barrett answers.

HEH: After liberals called for Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D-CA] to be demoted from her perch as the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a conservative judicial group suggested a replacement: Sen. Mazie Hirono [D-HI].

Senator Hirono, the dumbest senator ever to serve in the United States Senate, has been very effective at helping President Trump confirm Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, and a near-record number of lower-court judges.

Not that we need it, but if they're willing to help....

THE DEATH STAR SUICIDE STAR IS ALMOST COMPLETE: House progressives call for ban on corporate executives in a Biden cabinet.

THE DIPLOMAD: Can't hide your lyin' Biden eyes...

Somehow I get the impression the Diplomad isn't impressed with the Vice President.

FACEBOOK BANS THE BABYLON BEE. For being too accurate.

THOUGHTS FROM THE AMMO LINE: "They hate us. They really really hate us."

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 16, 2020:

Statistically it's still Tuesday. The 7-day average of daily deaths remains below 700; the percentage of positive tests continues to drop (6.5% today); and the survival rate remains at 99.8% of confirmed cases.

Trends (U.S. and global) continue to show improvement.

In Georgia, confirmed cases are still rising slightly and deaths continue to decline (7-day rolling averages). Hospitalizations are showing a slight uptick.

"IF I WANTED TO LIVE IN AN ALTERNATE REALITY, I'd take drugs, not listen to Marxists."

By all means, go and read the whole thing.

TWO PLUS TWO really does equal five.

LET ME KNOW WHAT FLIGHT YOU'RE ON SO I CAN BE THERE TO WAVE 'GOODBYE': Bruce Springsteen says he’ll be 'on the next plane' to Australia if Trump wins reelection.

FROM AMERICA'S NEWS OF RECORD: You should absolutely NOT read the disgusting, totally false story about Joe Biden's son that we've linked to in this article.

Thank you for NOT CLICKING on the link.

PLENTY OF ROOM: Nearly 12 million square feet of vacant office space in San Francisco.

So, Nancy Pelosi and Mayor London Breed, why are San Francisco's homeless still on the street?

RANDOM LAUGH OF THE DAY: I'm now getting spam emails from moving van lines competing for my next interstate move (which isn't going to happen since I'll never move back to a blue city).

But it is telling that there are so many families moving that the big van lines are now entering the competition.

THE REAWAKENING of the black gun-rights movement.

Larry Correia is smart; Antifa is not.

AMERICA'S NEWS OF RECORD: Democrats criticize Amy Coney Barrett for constantly interrupting their campaign speeches.

A DOSE OF OPTIMISM?

We can dream.

A BRIGHT SPOT in the Barrett confirmation hearing today.

Actually there were two bright spots, the second being her back-and-forth with Sen. John Kennedy [R-LA]. In the first half, Sen. Kennedy essentially called the Democrat half of the Judiciary Committe liars; in the second, he and Barrett had a very illuminating conversation about history, the law, and the Constitution from which I learned a great deal.

If you can find it online, please watch.

CNN HEADLINE: Barrett says she owns a gun, but could fairly judge a case on gun rights.

So -- only non-gun owners can fairly judge gun rights cases?

These people are so damn stupid they must take classes....

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 13, 2020:

Back on track again, I hope, with a Tuesday-Friday update schedule.

It remains pretty much 'same old, same old'. The 7-day average of daily deaths has dropped below 700; the percentage of positive tests remains at 7%, still slowly decreasing, and the survival rate is still better than 99.8% of [all] confirmed cases.

Trends (U.S. and global) remain positive -- meaning continuing to decline.

In Georgia, the data has finally been updated to today. Confirmed cases show a slight uptick, but deaths continue to decline (7-day rolling averages). Hospitalizations have leveled out around 1,200, with new hospitalizations at about 100/day (both 7-day rolling averages).

BREAKING NEWS: Reality is immoral.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, [D(umb)-RI] renewed his conspiracy-theorist credentials by accusing Republicans (of course) of using 'dark money' to influence the Supreme Court.

Thank goodnes I wasn't watching his presentation or we would have two less televisions in the house.

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing....

GO FOR IT, CHUCKIE. Schumer says Democrats will try to block Barrett confirmation by not giving Republicans quorum.

The 'Murder Turtle' is a lot smarter than you are.

‘LISTEN UP, JACKWAGON’: Sen. Ben Sasse [R-NE] lectures Democrats on civics during Barrett hearing.

Unfortunately he did it at a Schoolhouse Rock! educational level; the Democrats are (at best) kindergarten level.

QUESTIONING HER FITNESS: Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) introduces resolution to remove Pelosi as House Speaker.

For the Democrats, a lesson yet to be learned: “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”

OF COURSE IT IS: Is the Left preparing to steal your vote?

They've been trying for years. They've never succeeded on a state or national level; they won't this time either.

THE DIPLOMAD: The crazy lives loudly within them.

SHHH! DON'T TELL THEM. Signs that Trump isn't going to win big on Nov. 3rd.

HEH. "Stay home, Biden voters. Stay safe, while you await his inevitable landslide victory."

THE WASHINGTON POST blames 'systemic racism' for the death of George Daniel. Utter bullshit.

[Side note] Also according to the Washington Post "Texas A&M University-Kingsville [is] a small, mostly Latino school known as a pipeline to the NFL." Also utter bullshit - I know, I taught there in the Electrical Engineering Department when it was Texas A&I University. My students weren't 'mostly Latino'.

Go read the whole thing - but keep your BS detector set at to high.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY [R-LA] calls it like it is.

Sen. Kennedy is a gem to be treasured.

‘LISTEN UP, JACKWAGON’: Sen. Ben Sasse [R-NE] lectures Democrats on civics during Barrett hearing.

Unfortunately he did it at a Schoolhouse Rock! educational level; the Democrats are (at best) kindergarten level.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY! Honoring an immigrant entrepreneur who risked it all to change the world.

Yes, it's satire. But as with all good satire, there is an element of truth in it....

THE TIMES, they are a'changing. Even some in the media are beginning to push back.

AND HE THINKS TRUMP WILL LOSE? There has been plenty of winning under Trump.

'Never Trump' Republicans should be kicked out of the party, and never be permitted to return.

From the comments, some principles for a real Republican party:

1. Maximum encouragement of a single national identity. The "melting pot", not the "salad bowl". You're either an American first, or a foreigner.

2. Pride in that national identity. We're Americans. We do Great Things because we are a Great People. Not plaster saints, but more on the side of the angels than the devils.

3. We support true free trade (that means the same rules going both directions) among peer states. Trade with non-peer states (that means the Third World) should be restricted, both to protect our own workers from being undercut (and thus pushed down in earning power) and their industries from not rising beyond making cheap consumer goods.

4. We support a strong national defense. We recognize that the world is a hostile place, and that a superpower cannot indulge in isolationism. However, we also recognize that our power is not adequate to solve all the world's ills. We fight for America's interests, not those of foreign lands.

5. We support laws and regulations that are few in number and clear in wording. The common man should be able to comply with both without hiring a lawyer to pick a safe way through the regulatory minefield.

6. We support leveraging the free market to drive down the cost of government services. This particularly applies to schooling, but can be applied to things such as health insurance as well.

7. We believe in personal liberty. Not "equality". Not "social justice". The freedom to excel, the liberty to do right in the manner that seems wise to you.

8. We believe in personal responsibility. This is the other side of liberty, the requirement to bear responsibility for what you have done. Harm others, and you will face punishment.

I hope to see that party, starting November 4th.

POWERLINE: How politicians lie. The same way as the media - bodly, badly, and easily.

BUT ONLY WOMYN OF A CERTAIN GENDER: Treat women equally by treating them differently.

IT'S TIME

for that one-word change to Nancy Pelosi's obsession.

IT'S GEORGIA, STUPID: Ossoff drops Second Amendment from Senate ad.

And I'm looking to add a shotgun to my collection....

KURT SCHLICHTER: the double-secret Trump handshake.

IT'S NOT 'PACKING THE COURT'; it's 'court reform'.

BUT, ... BUT CORONAVIRUS BAD! Liberal hotspot has seen four times as many deaths from drug overdoses than COVID-19.

Drugs, not so much....

POWERLINE finds another worthly candidate. I doubt Maxine Waters is beatable in CA-43 but she is so bad I'm willing to contribute to the hope. You should, too.

BALLOT SHENANIGANS: Another week.

If you're a Republican, vote on election day and vote in person. Don't give the Democrats time to find 'uncounted' ballots at the local cemetaries and homeless shelters.

BOLDLY (AND BADLY): How newspapers lie.

And easily.

I HOPE THEY'RE NOT USED: Take a guess what this massive Ruth Bader Ginsburg portrait in DC's new 'female empowerment' hotel is made of.

Or at least sterilized....

DO THEY HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON? Here's every protester who got arrested in Portland last night during their BLM anti-police march.

AMERICAN THINKER: The real cost of homelessness.

A message to LA Mayor Garcetti: this is how to get vigilantism.

AND EVENTUALLY PASSENGERS. U.S. Transportation Command to study use of SpaceX rockets to move cargo around the world.

HOW ABOUT FROM JAMAICA? Kamala Harris claims the Barrett hearings are putting lives at risk, will participate remotely.

Or India?

BOOBS! WALLA WALLA BOOBS! On Facebook!

Oh, the horrors....

FALLING LEAVES, 2020: Week Five.

Definitely some color this week, as well as significant leaf fall. The stairs down to the pond are overwhelmed with leaves, and the pond is significantly up since the hurricane/tropical storm left us with about 3-1/2 inches of rain yesterday and this morning.

The dam is now a 'yellow wall' as almost all the foliage along the back side of the dam has turned bright yellow almost as one.

This is the opposite side of the pond alongside the creek that feeds the pond. It seems to be unusually colorful this year, but we have had more than usual fall rain.

This is across the road from our house. Usually it just turns brown, then empty. This is the first year I think I've seen this much color early.

Finally, this from outside the neighborhood. It's a spectacular red, just a bit past its prime.

Last week's pictures are here.

FORGET ABOUT THE 'TAX THE RICH' SCHTICK: Billionaires are getting richer during the COVID-19 pandemic while most Americans suffer.

Yes, wage earners and small businesses are taking it in the shorts (thanks to our obscenely incompetent government mandarins), but what concerns me is the abysmal economic ignorance of what I thought was a business-oriented magazine. It seemed to me that the author thinks all those trillions of dollars are stored in Scrooge McDuck's 'money bin' rather than invested in the economy.

I have to wonder how many businesses and jobs would suddenly disappear if they hadn't made all that money?

NPR FINALLY DOES SOMETHING USEFUL: Amy Coney Barrett's opening statement for tomorrow's confirmation hearing.

THREATS, ALWAYS THREATS: Biden says 'chicanery' at polls is the only way he could lose U.S. election.

Such confidence in the Democratic message....

FROM A COMMENT below this Fox News article.

[I] do not know who wrote this, but am continuing to repost because it is so beautifully written and true, people need to hear it...

I am not voting for a man. I am voting for the principles for which this country has stood since its founding. I am voting for Constitutional government. I am voting for a strong and viable military. I am voting for a vibrant economy. I am voting for the right to keep and bear arms. I am voting for the freedom to worship. I am voting for a national recognition of the founding of our nation on Biblical principles. I am voting for the ability for anyone to rise above their circumstances and become successful. I am voting for my children and grandchildren to be able to choose their own path in life, including how and where their children are educated. I am voting for our borders to be open to everyone who enters under our law and closed to everyone who would circumvent or ignore the law. I am voting for the Electoral College to remain in place, so that a few heavily populated liberal centers do not control the elections. I am voting for a Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution rather than rewrites it. I am voting to teach history, with all its warts, not erase it or revise it. I am voting for the sanctity of life from conception to birth and after.

Let us all Make America Great Again.

Don't waste your time on the Fox News link itself; it's about Fauxcahontas.

AMERICAN GREATNESS: Eat the rich.

I'm not overly interested in 'taxing the rich' but I sure as hell am in favor of curtailing their 'charitable' (i.e., political) contributions, especially when they come embedded in the prices I pay for their products.

MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE COULD LOSE THEIR VOTE ON NOVEMBER 3RD. That’s the best-case scenario.

This is the lead of a number of connected articles which in toto seem to give a pretty good summary of the state of mail-in (including absentee) balloting in the United States. Read it all.

It also explains why I plan to vote in person on Nov. 3rd even if I have to crawl over broken glass to do it. I'm not willing to have my vote lost or stolen.

NANCY PELOSI'S OBSESSION: the "Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office."

I'd almost be willing to sign on if Pelosi would just change one word: 'Presidential' to 'Congressional'. I think it would be easy to remove a Speaker of the House 'deemed too incapacitated to carry out her responsibilities'.

CALIFORNIA'S REPARATIONS BILL: "a loud virtue signal to make up for failed responses to concrete crises."

THIS WEEK I will post PowerLine's Week in Pictures on time. Here's my favorite:

And just for grins, here's another.

Now go see the rest.

IS PRIVACY MAKING A COMEBACK? DuckDuckGo, EFF, and others just launched privacy settings for the whole internet.

TRUMP IS NOW ONE WITH COUNTLESS ESSENTIAL WORKERS: "President Trump has no reason to apologize for getting sick. He took risks to meet the obligations of his office and is now one with the millions who do the same thing, every day."

It's Victor Davis Hanson, so read it all.

THEY'RE DREAMING: CNN insists we are never going back to normal.

Well, I am. Whether they like it or not....

And if they want to remain locked in their own bubble (and leave me alone), I'm fine with that.

MYSTERIOUS GLITCH CAUSES 50,000 VOTERS IN OHIO to get wrong ballots.

And we're supposed to trust vote-by-mail?

I hope it's not necessary, but Republicans should be prepared for a legal battle....

TRUMP'S HEALTH CARE PLAN: More to look for to.

Just leave ObamaCare in place, go around it -- and let it wither on the vine.

AMERICANS TODAY ARE IN A SITUATION THEY HADN’T BARGAINED FOR, and they are rapidly losing control of their destiny.

Once whatever challenges Americans face are declared medical emergencies, it now appears they have no constitutional rights. All individual actions can now be controlled by executive fiat. If behavior that runs contrary to the objectives of America’s most powerful establishment institutions can be declared a pathology, the inconvenience of due process can be discarded. They’ll just put you in an asylum and throw away the key. They’ll lock you down. They’ll tell you where you can go, who you can see, what products you can consume, and what content you can watch.

If you want to enjoy a look at our dystopian future-to-come, buy and read Ward Moore's Caduceus Wild.

MICHAEL BARONE: Excessive risk aversion is producing a more unequal society.

He's right.

JOE BIDEN CHANNELS NANCY PELOSI: You'll have to vote for me in order to find out what I'll do as President.

JUDGE AMY CONEY BARRETT ESPOUSES 'hard-right' view of the Second Amendment.

So 'as written' is now 'hard-right'?

OUR SOCIALIST FUTURE -- facilitated by “never let a crisis go to waste” opportunism.

BEFORE THIS WEEK'S EDITION of PowerLine's Week in Pictures, here are my favorites from last week's edition.

Go see the rest.

I WONDER WHO THEY MIGHT BE: Ammo Grrrll calls out a few terrible, terrible people.

WUHAN FLU [CORONAVIRUS] UPDATE for October 9, 2020:

I see I've failed (again) in my desire to update twice a week -- the last update was October 2nd.

Nonetheless 'same old, same old' holds again. Daily deaths remain at about 700; the percentage of positive tests remains about 7% and is slowly decreasing, and the survival rate is an astonishing 99.81% of [all] confirmed cases.

Trends remain positive -- meaning continuing to decline -- albeit slowly. The same is true for global data, which I also track.

In Georgia, the data (except hospitalizations, which are still declining) hasn't been updated since October 7th. No reason has been given.

JOURNALISM: Smirks are mandatory when the target is a Republican.

IT'S EASIER to be a Bin Ladin than a conservative.

But this Bin Ladin is not the Liberals' friend.

KURT SCHLICHTER: They want you to be afraid.

What they got is 'pissed off'.

THE DIPLOMAD: Pence for President -- in 2024.

CONGRESSWOMAN IDIOT? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stamps her feet and demands to be called by her proper title.

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR says federal government should help bars and restaurants.

Pritzker is a billionaire and obviously eats well -- maybe he should spend some of his own money so I can go to McDonalds occasionally....

BIDEN VOWS TO SHARE COURT PACKING VIEWS -- after the election.

He won't. There'll be no reason after he loses.

CORONAVIRUS OBITUARY:

Seen on the Washington Times cartoon page.

FROM BAD TO WORSE: Or as Instapundit co-blogger Stephen Green puts it, "Gooder and harder".

POWERLINE'S STEVEN HAYWARD on the dumbest tweet of 2020.

From the comments:

(1) Steven, you're out on a limb picking the dumbest tweet of 2020 when we have almost 3 months left in the year....

(2) Hey Jay, pot is legal in WA, not mandatory.

ME AS WELL: I'm a Januarian.

KEITH OLBERMANN? Don't I remember him from somewhere?

MODERATOR TO KAMALA HARRIS: What will you do if Trump refuses to leave (after losing)? Harris: "Vote early and often."

INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE POLICY REPORT: Is it time for a "490 B.C. Project"?

It's a long (very long -- a 30-page pdf), detailed, defense of classic education. But Victor Davis Hanson is a co-author, so download it and when you have the time, sit down and read.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HANDLING OF HIS CORONAVIRUS DIAGNOSIS models positive masculinity.

Random thought: CNN'S Brian Stelter is the reason the Left invented gender; he certainly isn't a man.

THE DIPLOMAD: When a bomb explodes in the forest, does the mainstream media hear it?

Answer: No.

EVEN THE CORONAVIRUS has chosen sides.

Heh.

IS IT TIME to 'resist' Joe Biden? I don't know about 'resist' but I sure as hell wouldn't believe him....

ARE DEMOCRATS TESTING THE WATERS?

Postal Service investigating stolen mail at multiple central Virginia locations.

Vote-by-mail scheme just took another hit.

Was it voter fraud or a case of 'testing the system'?

I'm a believer of the "don't assume malice for that which can be explained by stupidity" theory but this stuff is testing that belief.

A TIMELESS GOOD NEWS STORY: the candy bomber.

ANTIFA MILITANTS GANG UP ON WOMAN but she prevails.

A PULITZER PRIZE that should be revoked.

HOW MUCH does the government know about you?

According to the NSA, they’re already tracking/plan to track information like internet searches, emails sent and received, websites visited, blogging activity (including posts you read and comment on), social media activity, photos viewed online, videos watched, phone call records, video calls, online purchases, legal documents, financial information, travel documents, educational records, DNA, facial recognition, cable TV shows watched and recorded, health records, and more.

Perhaps a little more than Google, Facebook, and most commercial businesses. Who learned from whom?

SOPHIE'S CHOICE: From Real Clear Defense, preserving America's air superiority.

TRUMP: Even in California.

It's almost enough for me to want to fly back to LAX, take a short ride up the 405, return to the airport, and fly back home....

YOU WON'T SEE THIS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: the Great Barrington Declaration:

As infectious disease epidemiologists and public health scientists we have grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies, and recommend an approach we call Focused Protection.

Coming from both the left and right, and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health – leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice.

Keeping these measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed.

Fortunately, our understanding of the virus is growing. We know that vulnerability to death from COVID-19 is more than a thousand-fold higher in the old and infirm than the young. Indeed, for children, COVID-19 is less dangerous than many other harms, including influenza.

As immunity builds in the population, the risk of infection to all – including the vulnerable – falls. We know that all populations will eventually reach herd immunity – i.e. the point at which the rate of new infections is stable – and that this can be assisted by (but is not dependent upon) a vaccine. Our goal should therefore be to minimize mortality and social harm until we reach herd immunity.

The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk. We call this Focused Protection.

Adopting measures to protect the vulnerable should be the central aim of public health responses to COVID-19. By way of example, nursing homes should use staff with acquired immunity and perform frequent PCR testing of other staff and all visitors. Staff rotation should be minimized. Retired people living at home should have groceries and other essentials delivered to their home. When possible, they should meet family members outside rather than inside. A comprehensive and detailed list of measures, including approaches to multi-generational households, can be implemented, and is well within the scope and capability of public health professionals.

Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal. Simple hygiene measures, such as hand washing and staying home when sick should be practiced by everyone to reduce the herd immunity threshold. Schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, should be resumed. Young low-risk adults should work normally, rather than from home. Restaurants and other businesses should open. Arts, music, sport and other cultural activities should resume. People who are more at risk may participate if they wish, while society as a whole enjoys the protection conferred upon the vulnerable by those who have built up herd immunity.

In short: Grow up. Take the usual precautions (avoid crowds; stay home if you're sick; wash your hands). Open up.

BIDEN VOICES DEMOCRAT DOGMA: Christians with certain traditional views are 'dregs of society'.

Nice of Biden to recruit more voters for the Republicans....

TOWN HALL 'PLANTS' — they’re not just for CNN anymore.

DO MASKS REALLY WORK? If they do, it appears the coronavirus isn't paying attention.

The full set of charts is here.

I HOPE HE WINS BIGLY: 4th grader sues school system over BB gun suspension.

REAL CLEAR POLITICS declares CNN the winner in a stiff competition for media bias. Personally, I think MSNBC should have been the winner.

NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE: It's never temporary.

If we have to have 60% of 'office-based employees' work at home, why don't we try it with government employees first? Or better yet, just reduce government by 40%?

THIS SHOULD GET INTERESTING: Trump authorizes full declassification of all Russia collusion, Hillary Clinton email probe documents.

SOME LOCAL FALL PICTURES: Here's some local color, taken today.

Headed out from home. The road is leaf covered, but still visible. That won't last.

Lake Blue Ridge. From near the dam, about 5 miles from home.

The first tree of Fall, at the lake. The house (barely visible at the lower left) is that of the original dam superintent. It's now abandoned, which is a pity, since it's a (formerly) gorgeous home which should have been preserved.

And finally back home. From this vantage point the road is still visible, but the houses are still hidden.

IF YOU USE THE N-WORD, 'science' proves you're a racist.

Uh, not necessarily.

ANTI-TRUMPERS and their Festival of Hatreds.

MICHAEL MANN: “A second Trump term is game over for the climate...."

I will be happy if it's 'game over' for Michael Mann. I'm reasonably certain that the climate will still be around.

PJ MEDIA'S MORNING BRIEFING: Media toddlers need a timeout.

IF A 'SOURCE' SPEAKS, don't believe a word said.

THE DEEP STATE WILL NEVER WILLINGLY GIVE UP CONTROL: Michigan issues new coronavirus restrictions after court invalidates Gretchen Whitmer’s orders.

THE POST-PANDEMIC 'NEW NORMAL' looks awfully authoritarian.

SO GO TO NORTH KOREA AND CRITICIZE KIM JONG-UN: CBS correspondent says North Korea is safer than White House.

TRUMP ADDS 'BLACK LIVES MATTER' STICKER TO SUV so media can't claim he's spreading COVID.

PAY NO ATTENTION TO MY HYPOCRISY: Sen. Gary Peters [D-MI] forces Michigan taxpayers to pay for his cadillac health insurance.

ILHAN OMAR: the GOP's secret weapon against vulnerable Democrats.

Heh.

GOODBYE, GRETCHEN: Michigan Attorney General will no longer enforce Gov. Whitmer's coronavirus restrictions.

HEH. Laughter. Lots of laughter.

I WONDER WHY: Red states are outperforming blue states economically.

If "It's the economy, stupid!" is the key to winning 2020, the Democrats are in trouble.

THEN HOW DID THEY DIE THERE? Cuomo claims coronavirus patients were not sent back to nursing homes.

IF THEY TELL YOU THEY WANT TO KILL YOU, BELIEVE THEM: Dangerous talk from stupid people.

Believe them, then stop them.

ANOTHER REASON TO PUT HER ON THE SUPREME COURT: Amy Coney Barrett could end years of gun rights gridlock within the judiciary.

TRANS TRUMP-SUPPORTING MOLE makes important discovery regarding Antifa's tactics and rules of engagement.

By now the 'important discovery' should be obvious to almost any reasonably rational individual ... and Black Lives Matter should be thoroughly pissed at being co-opted by Antifa.

The only interesting question is this: Is a 'trans woman' a male masquerading as a female or a female masquerading as a male?

GOODBYE, ESKIMO PIE. And all other Dreyer's products as well.

I won't buy identifiably 'woke' products. Thanks for telling me.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON Chris Wallace goes full Candy Crowley.

Reminder for Chris: where is Candy Crowley now?

FINALLY A WEE MOMENT OF SANITY IN AN INCREASINGLY NUTSO WORLD: Migrant caravan from Honduras got stopped in Guatemala.

NO HAM SANDWICHES WERE INDICTED: The Breonna Taylor grand jury defied the fake news narrative.

NOT REALLY A SURPRISE: Those violent white supremacists are really ... anarchists.

FOLLOW THE MY SCIENCE, DAMMIT: That time a 60s white woman berated me over social distancing in the checkout line.

TWO OCTOBER SURPRISES the Democrats can’t do anything about.

The first surprise has already ocurred: 661,000 jobs created, below the expectation of 850,000 (bad), and an unemployment rate of 7.9%, below the expected value of 8.2% (good). The second surprise is still to come (Oct. 29th), when the 3rd quarter economic growth is to be reported.

But you can be sure that whatever the outcome, it is/will be because Orange Man Bad....

THE LEFT WEST COAST IS BURNING? Blame white Christians.

It has to be systemic racism. Or systemic capitalism. Or systemic something (that only infects Republicans).

CHRIS WALLACE'S BIAS: The American Spectator takes note.

HE NIXED THE NARRATIVE: the unscientific attack on the science of Dr. Scott Atlas.

Just. Can't. Have. That.

PROUD BOYS REBUT WHITE SUPREMACY; meet with ... Black Lives Matter organizer?

THE DIPLOMAD explains 'plans' and 'bombshells'.

MSNBC'S CHRIS HAYES: Amy Coney Barrett is unqualified for the Supreme Court ... because coronavirus.

It's only a 'superspreader' event if it can be linked to a Republican....

SHE LEARNED FROM TWO OF THE BEST: Chelsea Clinton demonstrates what kind of a hideous lousy friend she is.

FEARFUL PEOPLE ARE MUCH EASIER TO CONTROL: Anthony Fauci and the CDC have been inspiring fear since 1983.

At least 1983....

I FEEL THE SAME WAY about Medicare commercials.

UNLESS THE DEMOCRATS WIN CONTROL OF CONGRESS: Americans won't live in the pod.

And even then, I doubt it.