BEST WE CAN DO IS 'NO'. Biden accuses Arizona of trespassing and demands containers plugging gaps in border wall be removed.

FALLING LEAVES 2022, WEEK 7:

I have to say at this point it almost looks like Fall is over early. Here's the usual pond view. Leaves are almost all gone, those remaining are all brown. Even the tulip magnolia in the foreground has begun to turn.

Around the fire pit, leaves have gone from yellow/gold to brown (those remaining) and the yard is strewn with leaves even after almost daily use of the leaf blower to keep the grass clear.

Even with all the leaves, the grass is still growing (to my surprise) and only the evergreens have any leaves remaining

Finally a view of the back side of the house, where last week there were still plenty of yellow/red leaves on the trees. This week they're on the ground.

Until next week....

TWITTER WORKERS are twits.

Except for the Chief Twit, who is busily working to redefine the term.

DEMOCRATS: If the midterms don't go our way, it's the voters' fault.

And open borders is the Democrats' way of buying new voters since the old ones won't do....

SEEN ON TWITTER FROM LAUREN BOEBERT:

Joe Biden now says there are 54 states.

I guess if you count the states of denial, confusion, delusion and disaster that his Regime has caused he just might be on to something.

Heh.

POWERLINE: Less is more.

Stay tuned.

‘CIVIL SERVANTS’ IN ARIZONA use their official capacity to openly campaign for Democrats.

WE CALL THEM 'DEMOCRATS'. We are ruled by crooks, incompetents, and clowns.

HERE'S THIS WEEK'S EDITION of PowerLine's Week in Pictures. Many, many good ones this week, especially of the Twitterverse meltdown, but I have a different favorite (suitable for the midterm election):

Now go see the rest.

WELL, IT WILL BE THE END OF THEIR DEMOCRACY. Another Democrat talking head equates voting for economic issues with the end of democracy.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS ALL ABOUT VIRTUE-SIGNALING, not about helping actual disadvantaged people.

It's about saying "I'm not one of them."

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT: Elon Musk hints at the future of Twitter.

ISSUES & INSIGHTS: Biden's border crisis is far worse than you think.

YOU CAN THANK THE DEMOCRATS: Energy executivess tell Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm that shuttered U.S. oil refineries won’t restart.

BEARING ARMS: Armed citizen stops attack on pregnant woman outside a Florida grocery store.

That armed citizen would have been committing a felony offense if he’d saved that woman from being assaulted in a grocery store parking lot in the state of New York....

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Our two parties have both changed, and that explains why one will win, and one lose in the midterm elections.

ELON MUSK is about to bury his talons into the Twitter bird. Twitter 'workers' are not happy.

REAL PEOPLE ARE NOTICING: Racial and ethnic ghettos are only for Democrats.

GERMANS MAY BE SLOW LEARNERS, but they are learning.

PAYPAL RECOMMITS TO SUICIDE: PayPal has reinstated its $2,500 fine for ‘misinformation.’

IT WOULD BE FUNNY IF IT WEREN'T SO SAD: Fetterman’s lines were canned, but he couldn’t read the labels.

AMERICANS TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA: You suck.

It's interesting to note that Fox News did indeed debut in 1996....

LIZ CHENEY is a prime candidate for a straitjacket in a rubber room so she won't hurt herself.

FETTERMAN BLAMES THE CLOSED CAPTIONING SYSTEM on his disastrous debate performance.

It’s hard to even know where to start with an allegation so moronic. The big thing here is that Fetterman’s biggest problem last night was not whether he could read the questions or not, but rather the answers he delivered. He was clearly having serious mental processing issues in regard to verbalizing what he wanted to say. Closed captioning had absolutely nothing to do with that unless the suggestion is that Fetterman was supposed to be able to read off answers as well.

Well, we've known for years that the Democrats 'mental capacity' is not up to par. Just to name a few off the top of my head: Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Mazie Hirono, Hank Johnson, Keith Ellison, Gavin Newsom, Raphael Warnock, and of course John Fetterman....

THE DAILY CHART(S): What border?

IT IS ABOUT TIME FOR AMERICA'S REGULATORY BODIES BE ISSUED 'CEASE AND DESIST' ORDERS: California entrepreneur who was fined $1000 for drawing informal maps without a license takes regulatory board to court.

HER PATH TO CONTINUING GRIFT IS OVER. Stacey Abrams knows she's toast.

Those canceled ad buys are being saved to fund her future lifestyle....

AMERICA'S 'MOST DANGEROUS' LAW? Illinois candidate warns of 'anarchy' after criminal justice overhaul.

I think it's fair to say it's already happening. Vigilantism is sure to come if this isn't stopped soon.

MICHAEL RAMIREZ: It's only unconstitutional if you get caught.

NO, IT ISN'T THE BABYLON BEE. Joe Biden's secret six.

They're good at snark but this is master level.

COULDN'T HAPPEN TO A BETTER ORGANIZATION: The Republican National Committee sues Google.

THE LEFT ISN'T GETTING ITS WAY: Here come the tantrums.

DEMENTIA IS STRONG IN 'THE VIEW': Hosts panic over voter focus on economy.

JEFF GOLDSTEIN: The age of boutique authoritarianism.

MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER: The quiet desperation of woke fanatics.

If only they were quiet ... desperation I can handle.

WE CAN'T HAVE HIGH STANDARDS HERE: Professor fired from NYU after students complained that the class was too hard.

Read it all and follow the links.

VOLKSWAGEN DESERVES A MEDAL. After eco-freaks glued themselves to the showroom floor, Volkswagen did what every single company being protested by assholes should: they shut off the lights, turned off the heat, allowed anybody who wanted to leave to leave, and allowed nobody to come back in.

I may keep my Eos even though its government-mandated sensor systems stink.

RULES FOR THEE BUT NOT FOR ME: Democrat mayor of Ann Arbor MI installs natural gas line in home after pushing city to phase out fossil fuels.

The last time I checked, natural gas is a fossil fuel.

SO I'M NOT ALONE IN GRIPING: Volkswagen is bringing back this old-school feature.

I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY: Pelosi insists Democrats should 'change that subject' on inflation in last-ditch effort to 'inspire' voters.

NEW YORK POST: After the Jan.6th committee debacle finishes, maybe a GOP Congress can probe some actual threats to democracy.

FALLING LEAVES 2022, WEEK 6:

Today I return (mostly) to my standard format. Here's the pond view from our back deck:

Compared to the view from 2 weeks ago, the foliage is mostly gone. We've had some high winds in the last week, and nearly all the leaves have dropped. The leaf blower has been working overtime to keep leaves clear for the grass. Here's the last red tree of the season.

It's already lost some brilliance, and leaves, in the wind. Next week I expect it to be brown (or bare).

The forest on the south side of the house is mostly protected from the wind so the leaf fall hasn't been as spectacular as around the rest of the house. These, too, should be gone by next week if the temperatures remain below average.

Now for some pictures from around the house:

It's been cold, but beautiful

This one of the fire pit was actually taken earlier in week, just before we started seeding between the barn and fire pit. From the week before the leaves went from green to brown.

Here's the view of our new lawn, which is greening slowly.

The house, taken from slightly downslope. All the low lying brush is gone so we have good views downslope toward the pond.

And finally, our neighbor's cat Wanda as we walked the dogs this morning. She frequently goes with her dogs on their walks.

Till next week....

ISN'T THAT THE IDEA? Biden warns Republicans will 'tear down' his accomplishments if they win the midterms.

Linked from Instapundit here.

JUST NOT HER COPS: Defund police socialist fumes at cops for not protecting home from feces-throwing suspect.

Maybe she should rethink her position? Nah.

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR, a gun owner is there.

THE DIPLOMAD writes on the midterm elections.

Too many variables, too much volatility, and, of course, unreliable vote counting make it very tough. We also have one of the sloppiest vote collection and tabulation systems in the world. We have no clear idea of just who is voting, and how the votes are counted. It's a disgrace.

He's right.

FINALLY: The proper way to treat woke warriors.

Then let 'em freeze in the dark....

IMPRIMIS The politicization of the Department of Justice.

BUT NOT AT MY HOUSE: SpaceX announces Starlink internet service on airplanes.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO ARIZONA: Remove shipping containers filling gaps at the border.

ARIZONA: Best we can do -- Nope.

OUR ENEMIES ARE LAUGHING AT US starter pack.

REALITY STRIKES: Tulsi Gabbard says Democrats have become 'insane'.

Wow.

WE LOVE NEW YORK: First migrants in NYC arrive at tent shelter with 500 beds, big-screen TVs, Xbox systems.

Next up, voter registration....

SO THAT'S WHY THERE'S A DIAPER SHORTAGE. Democrats are filling up their diapers over poll that indicates a Republican tidal wave in next month’s election.

IN THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM, I think Joe Biden is winning.

STACEY ABRAMS EXPLAINS: Quit having children; that way inflation won't be such a problem.

Left unsaid: We're importing our own future voters to replace yours....

ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROAD TRIP NIGHTMARE: Man spends 15 hours to travel 178 miles across Wyoming.

MICHAEL GOODWIN: Joe Biden’s Saudi state of affairs.

WELCOME TO THE WEST COAST, MESSED COAST™ REPORT, where electoral hopes spring eternal for conservatives who haven’t yet moved to Texas, Idaho, Tennessee, or Florida.

ONLY ACTIVISTS NEED APPLY; actual work not required.

WELL, WE NOW KNOW men can get pregnant.

I HOPE HE'S RIGHT: Things are much worse for they seem for Democrats.

TOWNHALL: The Left is losing what remains of its collective mind.

WE ARE ALL MINUTEMEN NOW. Don't poke the Momma bear. She has claws. Sharp claws.

HOW TO WIN: Mock them.

Read it all.

OBVIOUSLY: The Herschel Walker lesson is not what you're being told by the mainstream media.

SEX, BLACKMAIL AND VIDEOTAPES: Republican Congresscritter Lauren Boebert will be the real winner.

THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) is forced to turn over 'V-Safe' program data.

'V-Safe' is a voluntary adverse reaction (to COVID vaccination) program sponsored by the CDC. It's not obvious whether the data gathered is meaningful in any statistical sense but the non-transparency is bothersome.

FROM POWERLINE'S Week in Pictures, here's my favorite.

From my experience, I'm guessing he speaks about 100 times per year. That said, this week's selection is excellent with many, many good ones. Go see them all.

ENTHUSIASM FOR ESG (ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE) INVESTING is already starting to wane.

So, given that the progressives never give up, what will the next new name be?

AFTER THE MIDTERMS, we should add 14 days to the January 6 committee hearings....

KRUISER'S MORNING BRIEFING: Let's hope Joe Biden doesn't get the planet nuked for Christmas.

The “Biden administration” is a rudderless ship. There are consequences to installing an empty husk in the Oval Office and playing president by committee. This is an awful time in history to be waiting to see who pops out of the clown car to step up and attempt to talk Vlad out of going all boom-boom.

I'm not so sure the ship is rudderless; it seems to be heading straight for Armageddon.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH: We don't look at color, we coach football.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS ARE INSANE. They want to expand child abuse laws to include improper pronouns for LGBT kids. More here.

Or evil. Or both.

I'M ALL FOR IT. Instead of a national divorce, how about a national backlash?

Starting Nov. 8....

RANDOM THOUGHT: The progressive Left reminds me of the blind leading morons through a corn maze having no exit

JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION: Researchers say they have developed COVID strain with 80% kill rate at university in United States.

Let the lockdowns begin....

SO CAN I SUE ON BEHALF OF MY GRANDCHILDREN for the prosperity these assclowns are squandering?

Read the comments.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Biden and Democrats use midterm mass-distraction strategy to hide counterculture revolution from angry voters.

HYPOCRISY ALERT: Defund your police, not mine.

WHITHER TULSI? If the Democrats had a lick of sense, they'd keep Tulsi Gabbard and boot the progressives.

Hint: They don't.

COULDN'T HAPPEN TO A BETTER CITY: Texas votes to airlift Austin to California.

Yes, it's the Babylon Bee, but a few years back I worked on a heavy-lift airship project that could have damn near done it....

FALLING LEAVES 2022, WEEK 5:

This week, some pictures from the local area without comment.

And finally, our pond.

Regular pictures return next week.

MIKE LINDELL is sending 20,000 free pillows and blankets to hurricane Ian victims. What are the stores that cancelled him sending?

BUT, BUT ... CLIMATE CHANGE! Florida home that survived hurricane burns to the ground from EV.

'SCIENCE' IS WHAT PROGRESSIVES SAY IT IS: CDC director's sole 'parents' meeting on school reopenings featured left-wing activists.

RETURN TO THE MIDDLE: An idea so crazy it just might work.

THOMAS SOWELL via PowerLine:

Any group whose past has not provided them with as many heroes, cultural contributions, or other glories as some other group’s past now has a grievance against those who write history. Apparently a past to your liking has become an entitlement.

A past to my liking would involve billionaires....

BEST DESCRIPTION OF POLITICIANS EVER: Like ticks on the body politico.

A “DISINFORMATION EXPERT” is someone who’s an expert at disinforming you, and who intends to exercise those skills to the fullest.

See Biden administration.

NO WAY IN HELL: Trust the Justice Department on the Hunter Biden investigation?

SOME THOUGHTS on protection, life, and property.

AMERICAN THINKER: What’s fueling the record sales of guns in America?

A failure of law enforcement.

THE LOONY LEFT CONTINUES TO GIVE LOONS A BAD NAME: Liberal media explodes on Troy Aikman over 'misogynistic' comment on 'Monday Night Football'.

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS attempt to sabotage Kayleigh McEnaney event.

A pity, since both my son and daughter-in-law graduated from Texas Tech. I used to have respect for that university. No more.

NOT JUST DEMOCRATS, EITHER: Bureaucrats getting rich on insider trading.

Term limits shouldn't be just for elected officials.

GO SEE WHY: "I’m thinking of using “Bear 747” and “Bear 435” as a code words for Trump and Biden going forward."

"JOURNALIST" CALLED CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ON STATE SENATE CANDIDATE — for celebrating Columbus Day with her daughter.

If this idiot is representative of the mainstream, their depravity knows no bounds.

ZOMBUS: Marching as to war.

Dangerous buffoons head the governments of the major Western countries. Right here, once the greatest place on earth, we have leadership at both the national and local level that would prove an international embarrassment if not nearly all the other leaders around the world also prove embarrassments.

No major Western country has a leader worth admiring or, at least, about whom one can feel moderately hopeful. Canada? Australia? UK? France? NZ? All led by morons of varying degree who have bought into the Woke nonsense destroying Western Civilization. They prattle on about equity, climate change, inclusivity, open borders, "diversity is our strength," gender "identity," etc.

Read it all.

BECAUSE THE DEMOCRAT PARTY ITSELF IS A CESSPIT? Why are Democrat-run cities such cesspits of bigotry and hate?

LONG READ: How turbo-wokism broke America.

Interesting -- and somewhat depressing. If anything, it's a mission statement for a second civil war.

GUARANTEED TO BE UNEMPLOYABLE. Wharton to offer 'DEI' degree for diversity, equity, inclusion.

ILLIBERAL REFORMERS: Those who fail to heed history are condemned to repeat it.

THERE IS A TIME WHEN SHE NEEDS TO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. Ilhan Omar equates women protesting Islamic law in Iran to the abortion fight in the U.S.

That time is now.

ROUGHLY $2 TRILLION SINCE BIDEN TOOK OFFICE: Money for nothing.

SOME PARENTS, NOT SO MUCH: the kids are all right.

We had our kids over last weekend. Our granddaughter's friend and roommate is Oriental. Nary a word was said anywhere as the kids toured the town.

The only racism left in America is in Martha's Vineyard and other progressive redoubts.

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA: the vote for independence.

WHEN PROJECTION HURTS: Racist doesn't like being called a racist.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, YES. He's on something.

THANKS TO KEYLESS ENTRY: Only the government should be able to steal your car.

AMMO GRRRLL posits the DNC's official motto.

Read the comments!

YOU WON'T BELIEVE who outed John Fetterman as a lazy bum.

SPOILER: mainstream media.

YES, REAL MEN do wear white boots.

LAUREN SIMONETTI -- people are leaving Democrat states to be left alone.

Heard on on the Fox Business Channel this morning.

KURT SCHLICHTER: Me, a hypocrite?

[If] you are present in the social media world as anything but a scum-sucking communist cheese-weasel wokeoid, then you are already pretty much the antichrist. You get called racist, imperialist, Islamophobic, transphobic, sexist, ableist, fatist, a cultural appropriator, a Jesus gun nut, a semi-fascist, a full fascist, worse than fascist, a fascist fatist, and every other conceivable combination of meaningless noises. So, adding “unprincipled hypocrite of hypocrisy” is simply making the rubble bounce. I’m not sweating a couple more spittle-sprayed slurs issued from the mouths of morons.

Yes, I suppose he is. So am I....

BLACK LIVES MATTER shouldn't have skipped those math classes.

The Venn diagram clearly shows that 13% of the U.S. population (i.e., blacks) commit 52% of all crimes.

By the way, the demographics are correct: between 13.6 and 14.9 percent of the U.S. population is black or majority black.

'THERE'S NO THERE THERE': Fetterman's problems go beyond his health.

On the bright side, since he rarely reports to work, it isn't likely he can do any serious damage.

WHEN THE DETAILS SURFACE, gun control suffers.

WOMEN GET A PAY INCREASE IN THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE. From 83 cents/dollar paid to men to 83.467 cents/dollar.

Heh.

RUSSIA GETS ONE RIGHT: adds Meta [formerly Facebook] to list of 'terrorist and extremist' organisations [sic].

THAT'S BECAUSE HE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. Fetterman says stroke not 'going to have an impact' on duties if elected.

I suppose that could be considered a good thing....

BOILING POINT: Drivers fume as climate protesters block traffic: 'Move before I pull out my gun'.

And it's going to boil over unless the progressive idiots don't turn the heat down soon.

TWEET OF THE DAY: "Just a friendly reminder that Stacey Abrams is an election denier who is a threat to both democracy and buffets."

Seen here.

FALLING LEAVES 2022, WEEK 4:

The usual view of the pond, this time from our loft window:

There's still a lot of green in the pond view; the yellows and browns have already gone to ground. Mostly what you see in this picture is a better view of the pond itself.

The fire pit view is finally showing change. Much more yellows, a few browns, and the green leaves are beginning to lose their luster.

My 'bellwether' area across the road from our house has dramatically changed over the last two weeks. Almost all the trees that were showing red leaves are now bare, as are most of the taller deciduous trees. The green that remains now is mostly the evergreens. I don't expect much more change as fall progresses.

Here is the subdivision's small pond (our road actually crosses the dam). It's rather spectacular (for us) as it doesn't usually show much in the way of color each year.

Now down to the large pond, which is the one visible from our house. The first is taken is along the far side of our house, showing both the fountain and some of the brilliant yellow colors we're seeing this year. The second picture is from the common area where we've seen some rather dramatic reds.

Until next week....

SEX ISN’T ASSIGNED AT BIRTH. Sex is observed at birth.

NEW YORK TIMES: 'Homophobia cannot be ruled out' in poor box office returns for 'Bros'.

It can't be ruled in, either. Maybe, just maybe, those poor box office returns are because Americans go to the movies to be entertained, not lectured.

OH MY GOD! Fox News is actually covering the midterm elections.

With facts, not emotions, and Democrats and their allies in the media are not happy....

RANDOM THOUGHT: In woke America being happy, enjoying life and having fun are crimes against humanity.

LET THEM EAT CAKE: Another liberal elitist lets slip exactly what she thinks of the inferior, unwashed peasant class below her.

IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA to leave your electric bicycle in the rain.

WHITE MUCK BOOTS. How gauche.

THE VERY ONLINE LEFT fumes over DeSantis' white boots while visiting storm-ravaged parts of the state.

Unmentioned were First Lady Jill Biden's high heels during today's visit....

"WHERE WOKE GOES TO DIE": Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives definitive quote of his administration during teacher recruitment speech.

SO WHO IS HARRY STYLES? Harry Styles endorses Beto O’Rourke for Texas governor.

And why should I care? (That seems to be a pretty common reaction in the comments.)

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: the thinnest veneer of civilization.

As we suffer self-inflicted mass looting, random street violence, hyperinflation, a nonexistent border, unaffordable fuel, and a collapsing military, Americans will come to appreciate just how thin is the veneer of their civilization.

When stripped away, we are relearning that what lies just beneath is utterly terrifying.

Read it all.

BODYCAM FOOTAGE shows Arizona authorities opening fire on suspect as he aims gun at K9's head.

The dog (named Kiro) survived; the suspect did not. Good.

JOY REID: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' warning to looters in Ian’s aftermath is like a racist threat from ‘segregationists’.

So according to her all looters are black?

LIKE PAVLOV’S DOGS, when liberals saw a hurricane heading towards Florida, their immediate reaction was “Man-made climate change caused this hurricane!”

That fact produced no rush to deny MMCC (man-made climate change). The lack of hurricanes doesn’t disprove MMCC, one big hurricane, though, does prove it. No scientific evidence (other than the hurricane) is offered, just sheer demagoguery by psychopaths.

But, but man-made climate climate change is a 'fact'; no proof is needed.

Yeah, right.

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Confessionals are a “clergy loophole.”

If so, then aren't anonymous sources a "journalistic loophole"?

DEREK HUNTER: Democrats really do ruin everything.

Even romanic comedies.

The solution is to hit 'em where it hurts -- in the wallet. I't the only way they'll ever learn.

SHOT: Nancy Pelosi thinks we need immigrants to pick our crops.

CHASER: Not necessary; without fertilizer there are no crops to pick. See Sri Lanka.

I LEFT IEEE (INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS) YEARS AGO: On leaving professional organizations.

GAIL HERIOT agrees: "If you’re in one, I’d advise you to get out."

DESANTIS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD: Experience democracy for a change.

THANKS, JOE: Good luck getting affordable medical care with the Democrats' latest Medicare maneuver.

Thankfully I've already decided on hospice care from here on....

HILLARY CLINTON: the 'least crazy' Democrat presidential candidate in 2024?

HEH. A lot of folks are running the White house. Joe Biden just isn't one of them.

FALLING LEAVES 2022, week 3.

Again we start with the usual pond view from our deck.

The brown leaves from last week are now on the ground and the tree that had them is bare. I doubt it will survive the winter.

The fire pit area still looks pretty much normal, although the flower bed in the foreground has taken a hit. The elephant ears have already begun to yellow and we've already removed some of the leaves.

The bellwether trees are mostly gone now. This is all that's left and it'll be gone by next week.

The ferns which (in summer) dominate the terrace and attempt to overwhelm the back fence are going rapidly. Usually they extend all the way to the fence line. They'll be entirely gone in another week or so as they begin winter hibernation.

Finally, the pond and a rainbow, something I haven't seen previously. We've had higher than usual winds, presumably a result of Hurricane Ian, and the spray blown all the way onto land. As you can see the spruce is still suffering from last winter's freeze, but otherwise the deciduous trees are just now beginning to show signs of winter oncoming.

Until next Sunday, then.