U.S. EXPERTISE REQUESTED:

Linked from here.

TRUST THE FBI? Further Bureau intrigue.

Not any more....

SICK: Jihadis at the University of North Carolina.

More on Twitter/X.

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS IN [AI]NGLISH: Even Kamala's word salads can't compete.

Keep in mind that artifical intelligence is no smarter than the dumbest programmer and just as biased. But it is much faster.

I'm reminded of my experience with computers as an engineer: to err is human, to really fuck things up requires a computer.

THE MAN IN THE BLUE SUIT: There are many people who do not like the former president because he represents the biggest threat to their access to the gravy train known as Democracy, Inc.

WHACK JOB: U.S. authorities were warned repeatedly about Trump's would-be assassin.

FALLING LEAVES 2024 WEEK 2: Nothing much has changed since last week (other than the fact that the chairs have been overturned). I had expected much more change (damage?) as a result of hurricane Helene but nothing happened. We had rain -- lots of rain -- but no wind at all.

The view of Arapaho Walk to the north has also changed very little. The tree leaves are a little thinner, probably due to the rainfall, but there is very little change in color.

To the south, the view is also much the same as last week. We did have a brief moment of sunshine this morning but it didn't last long.

Finally from that brief moment of sun is this picture looking across the valley. The photo doesn't do justice to the brighnesss of the picture. You can see some patches of brown in the trees, but nothing significant yet.

Until next week then.

POWERLINE'S WEEK IN PICTURES from last week's paging all cats edition. My favorite, though, isn't a cat meme this week.

Now go see the rest.

PAPER - IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO: The IRS's direct file program is vulnerable to hackers.

YOU CAN'T INDICT ME, I'M A DEMOCRAT: New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted after campaign corruption investigation.

REP. HARRIET HAGEMAN [R-WY]: Democrats have "weaponized crazy people".

Democrats are crazy people. Rainbows and unicorns you know.

DEMOCRATS!: Get a reverse mortgage to pay your taxes.

If you're not on welfare (or are a government employee, but that's redundant), they hate you. They really, really hate you.

JUST START SHOOTING THEM. Drag racing mobs cause chaos in Philidelphia.

LAW ENFORCEMENT GROUP backing Kamala Harris exposed as a sham.

COMMENT OF THE WEEK: "Even less surprising has been the parade of diaper-filling Never Trump faux Republicans who have endorsed Kamala Harris. They've all really been Democrats since 2016, and just pretend they're still Republicans because that's what makes the useful idiot money keep rolling in."

Linked from PJ Media.

FARMING ILLEGAL ALIENS for votes and profit.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: Kamala's not black.

WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED? "[T]here’s nothing more 'relatable' than hypocrite elites who have one set of rules for themselves, and another for you.]"

EDITH WILSON SMILES: Questions abound after Jill Biden takes over cabinet meeting for a visibly tired Joe Biden.

Now we know who the real president is. I think we also know who the puppetmaster is.....

VOTE FOR KAMALA: "Surely Cheney, the IRS, Putin and Iran endorsing Kamala can’t all be wrong!"

WHATEVER WE RULE IS BY DEFINITION ETHICAL: We don't need no stinkin' ethics rules.

FALLING LEAVES 2024 begins tonight, a week or so late since leaves are already falling. This year I'll do things a bit different, with the first three photos each week always taken from the same location. That said, here are this year's first three:

This first photo is taken from the front of our barn, looking downhill toward the pond. The pond will be more visible as the leaves fall. It doesn't show in this picture, but there is already some browning of leaves in the upper reaches of the trees.

This is the road from our house to the highway. They're not particulary visible in the image, but the roses along the fence are still flowering. The trees in the upper left have already begun to yellow and fall.

Going the other way, the roses along the fence line are more visible. The smaller trees just above the forsythis have already turned red, although it's not as visible in the shade.

I'll get more pond pictures as time goes on, but it's a long walk down (and longer up!) so that won't be weekly. It's always pretty down there, and being in a valley it usually takes much longer for the leaves to change and fall.

Finally, here's one from outside the neighborhood. In bright sunlight, it's a fiery red; in the shade when this picture was taken, it's much more muted.

Until next week....

THIS ONE IS JUST PLAIN UGLY: The truth behind Planned Parenthood.

It's hard to read, but read it all.

LET'S BE CLEAR: Kamala Harris is a monster.

Read it and vote accordingly.

WE'RE NOT ANTISEMITIC; we just hate Jews.

THE ODDEST HUMAN GENETIC ADAPTATION TOOK PLACE 9,000 YEARS AGO: the chilling reason it may have happened.

I don't understand why it's 'chilling'; humankind has long been known as the earth's most dangerous predator.

TRUTH:

Linked from Fox News' cartoon site.

NOT JUST CNN; GOVERNMENT WRIT LARGE: "Morons who think they’re smart. Ignoramuses who think they know things. That’s our ruling class in a nutshell."

ESPECIALLY IN GOVERNMENT: Firing incompetent people is necessary.

Elon Musk fired 80% of Twitter staff to form 'X'; if Trump can do that well with the federal government it would just be a good beginning.

MEN MAKE BETTER WOMEN: A male actor who identifies as a woman was nominated for an Emmy for “Best Supporting Actress.”

More 'woke' lunacy....

DEREK HUNTER: Democrats are the party of violence -- and they aren't going to stop.

He's right -- and I'm sure the Trump campaign is well aware of that fact.

I WAS UNAWARE ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND DID SATIRE: Selective justice and the Trump assassination attempt.

Poorly. But he does do arrogance well....

HILLARY CHANNELS NANCY PELOSI: 'You'll have to elect Kamala to find out her policies.'

CHRISTOPHER RUFO: The cat eaters of Ohio.

Anyone looking askance at any of my cats will be met with the pointy end of an AR-15.

Linked from Instapundit here.

A LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND: Tone deaf celebrity says Springfield, OH residents must embrace 'dietary preferences' of immigrants.

To quote the immortal Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon."

MORNING GLORY: Why I am voting for Trump.

And so should you. Read it. Then read it again. And again.

NO PLAN SURVIVES FIRST CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY. 'First' should be replaced by 'any' and I have proof.

One of my cats (Percival) decided that he needed to go outside overnight and tore a hole in the porch screen door. Okay, so I decided to replace the screen, expecting that it would take a few hours over a couple of days given that I wanted to paint the back side of the door to match the (recently painted) house trim.

First contact: the new screen I bought was fabric, as was the screen it replaced, but it wasn't 'invisible' screen. Back to Home Depot.

Second contact: the strip molding holding the screen in the door broke in several places as I was pulling it out. Back to Home Depot, which didn't have the exact molding to replace the broken pieces. Neither did any other lumber dealer. So I had to use a decorative cove molding (which looks good, by the way) which had to be cut at a 45 degree angle 16 times.

Third contact: installing the screen itself required new stapling since the old moldings were stapled in. Back to Home Depot for the correct size staples.

Then it was on to sanding, filling holes, and painting the door. No visit to Home Depot was needed, luckily, since I had leftover paint from the house painting.

Fourth contact: then I discovered that the front side of the door had been painted a different color than the trim color I used for the back side. Luckily again, I still had the trim paint left over.

Finally a week later, the door has been fixed, rehung, and Percival now has other alternatives when the screen door is closed....

LUNACY: What do you call a conspiracy to assassinate without the conspiracy?

It's time to bring back mental institutions -- and prisons in some cases.

PERCIVAL'S SONG:

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble.

It's from the Song of the Witches by William Shakespere (in Macbeth) and perfectly describes Percy when he's not asleep (and growing bigger).

BOARDING. Experts reveal common mistake to avoid before boarding cruise ship.

OVERTHINKING THE 'PROBLEM': Kamala Harris’ new climate director said she is hesitant to have children because of climate change threats.

Irrational thought is apparently commonplace on the left....

WE HAVE ONE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TOO: My personal encounter with a wokescold.

But ours is just a scold....

THE SEPTEMBER 10TH PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, summed up, was Sappy and the Blob piling on Grouchy.

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

CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT: Not necessarily.

THE FEDERALIST: Twenty-five lies Kamala Harris told in her debate with Donald Trump.

THE TIMES, THEY ARE A'CHANGING? Some Gazans say 'no' to Hamas, refuse to be used as human shields.

OUTKICK: Tyreek Hill isn't an innocent angel, and the media is lying to you.

ROCK BOTTOM: How low can National Public Radio go?

GIVEN OUR MAINSTREAM MEDIA, THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD THING: Forty percent of young adults get their news from TikTok.

RANDOM THOUGHT: 2024 is what happens after the insane asylums are closed.

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR HAPPINESS IN THEIR WORLD: This is the real reason the Eco-Gorgons want to kill your dogs and cats.

WITH A CHAINSAW AND ELON MUSK: Trump admitted he didn’t drain the swamp his first term and has asked RFK Jr. to help him drain it moving forward.

NEWSMAX: Trump outlines '9 Steps' he'll use to 'drain the swamp'.

YOU TOO CAN SHOULD BE UNCLE KEVIN. This is why your blue-haired harpy-in-law is a raging Marxist.

FROM THE LAST WEEK IN PICTURES I have two favorites:

But there are many more. Go see them.

JD VANCE LIGHTS A MATCH to the tinder that is Kamala Harris' 'policies'.

NANCY IS FOLLOWING IN BIDEN'S FOOTSTEPS: Pelosi suggests '30%' of Republicans are racist, sexist, and homophobic.

Dementia ... or projection, in which case 30% is far too low.

THE LAST LEAVES OF SUMMER: Photos from around the house.

Today is absolutely gorgeous. If only this autumn day would stay forever....

My 'Falling Leaves 2024' series starts in 2 weeks. The sun is already getting lazy; rising after I do....

THE DEMOCRATS’ OPEN BORDER has started a countdown to a bloodbath.

My neighbor added to his weapons collection; I'm increasing my ammunition supply....

THEY'RE ALL HAT, NO CATTLE: Kamala is lifting Trump's agenda and the Democrats are co-opting conservative culture.

Hats are cheap; cattle are not.

RANDOM THOUGHT: 'RINO' just a deep state Republican who failed to reregister as a Democrat.

NO OFFENSE, but atheism is a really stupid philosophy.

I'm not sure that 'stupid' is relevant, but Pinsker certainly has interesting arguments. The one element I tend to agree with wholeheartedly is that our 'intelligentsia' are smug, arrogant, with an unhealthy dose of elitism, and not interested in debating any ideas (since they already know everything about everything).

FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL as Trump and Harris get set to debate.

Read it all.

ANOTHER DUMB, NEW [DEMOCRAT] RULE we nevertheless need to make them obey.

It's called 'punch back twice as hard'.

THE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY, LAST DAYS OF SUMMER:

Juniper and Percival watching summer pass by.

Percival sunbathing on the driveway.

Tuxedo enjoying the garden shade.

Percival hiding in the 'jungle'.

Pretty soon the leaves will start to fall, so our cats are out enjoying this beautiful summer day.

DOES KAMALA HARRIS have any actual beliefs?

Well, she has no values, so why should she have beliefs?

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: The media lies add up.

IT WAS ABOUT KEEPING THE EARTH FROM INFLATING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE: Biden admits the Inflation Reduction Act was actually about funding climate change efforts.

AMMO GRRRLL has thoughts about real joy.

HARSHLY: Netanyahu responds to Biden's criticism.

And correctly.

SO KAMALA LOVES VENN DIAGRAMS?

Here's one....

FROM CANCER TO BRAIN HEALTH: A new Alzheimer’s treatment emerges.

Faster, please.

FORMER CLINTON DWARF APPARATCHIK ROBERT REICH: Elon Musk should be threatened with arrest for 'disinformation'.

BROWNSTONE INSTITUTE: Why did Zuckerberg choose now to confess that Facebook bowed to government pressure?

Of all the companies in the world that would have a real handle on the state of public opinion right now, it would be Facebook. They see the scale of the support for Trump. And Trump has said on multiple occasions, including in a new book coming out in early September, that he believes Zuckerberg should be prosecuted for his role in manipulating election outcomes. What if, for example, his own internal data is showing 10 to 1 support for Trump over Kamala, completely contradicting the polls which are not credible anyway? That alone could account for his change of heart.

Linked from Hot Air.

POWERLINE'S WEEK IN PICTURES: Here's my favorite from last week's edition:

Go see the rest -- and vote to keep the government's hands off the switch.

STANFORD ACADEMICS: DEI is not working on college campuses.

The only way DEI will work is for it to DIE....

SOARING SAUSAGE SALES could indicate economic turmoil as consumers turn away from costlier meats.

As long as they leave my bacon alone....

SATIRE, or prescience?

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON looking into counties mailing out unsolicited voter registrations.

The legal clash escalates a brewing fight between Texas Republicans and some of the state’s largest counties over initiatives to proactively send registration applications to people who are eligible but unregistered to vote.

According to Paxton, counties lack the authority to send out unsolicited registration applications.

JOE ROGAN calls out DNC speech hypocrisy.

NEW PARODY AD combats Trump Derangement Syndrome with a prescription for 'Independence'.

Here's a direct link to the ad.

Independence isn't cheap, nor is it paid for by the Nanny State.

I CAN LIVE WITH A GOVERNMENT THAT'S 20% OF ITS FORMER SIZE: Musk offers to help Trump drain the swamp.

KAMALA HARRIS MAKES ECONOMICALLY ILLITERATE POST ON HOUSING COSTS. Donald Trump and Elon Musk respond.

DEMOCRATS HATE ELON MUSK because he allows you to speak.

KAMALA HARRIS SURRENDERS ON PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE RULES; the candidates microphones will remain muted when they are not speaking.

THE FEDERALIST: J.D. Vance’s D.C. suburb is only ‘hate-free’ if you agree with democrat authoritarians.

THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCE SHOULD INITIATE A 'SUICIDE' ATTACK ON HIM: Hamas leader calls for suicide attacks in Judea and Samaria.

THAT'S THE THING ABOUT TRUMP AND VANCE -- they are real people.

BLUE STATES ARE GARBAGE. Kevin O'Leary explains why.

VERY GOOD NEWS: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard have joined the Trump team.

KAMALA HARRIS WANTS YOUR KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL, and she wants them there now.

The Left hates school choice because every time a parent chooses to send their children to a non-public school, they lose the ability to indoctrinate that child forever. They can no longer secretly trans those kids or induct them into the sexual revolution at the tender age of six. They also can't teach them that 2+2=5.

AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, the Administration's Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, believes that parenting is hazardous to your health. So of course the Harris administration will there to help....

I WONDER WHY: Texas border town residents are arming up.

Not really, it's pretty obvious. Border wars are coming.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED when Don Lemon went looking for Kamala Harris voters.

He didn't find any....

KURT SCHLICHTER: What is happening in the Ukraine war should scare the hell out of us.

Translation: We ain't prepared for modern warfighting....

THE 'HIVE' is not a conspiracy.

The Hive is so powerful in controlling public opinion that it has transmuted its ideology into etiquette. “Politically correct” language, extending even to pronouns, is largely Hive-imposed. “Everyone” is no longer “he,” but “he or she”; homosexuals are “gays”; unborn children are antiseptic “fetuses,” and those who kill them are no longer abortionists, but “abortion providers.” Old words like fornicate, promiscuous, and unchaste are replaced by the bland sexually active.

Read it all.

OUT: SOCCER MOMS AND SECURITY MOMS. In: Health Moms.

I preferred soccer moms. Times change, and seemingly not for the better....

THEY ABORT THEIR OWN, so they have to conscript yours.

PITY IT WASN'T COVID AGAIN: Fauci hospitalized with West Nile virus.

SMART: Former President Donald Trump announced that he would refuse to participate in these standard intelligence briefings for candidates.

KAMALA HARRIS' EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PERSON:

Linked from Instapundit.

YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS IN 'OUR DEMOCRACY^TM ': When they tell you who they are and what they want, believe them.

EXPEL THEM ALL. Problem solved.

At all universities, not just these two.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO WINS THE PRESIDENCY, DC swamp dwellers will do what they want.

I think (hope) they'll soon be surprised; Donald Trump is much more experienced this time around.

A BIT (ACTUALLY, WAY) LATE, but still ... Newsom's humiliation:

Today is a humiliating day for Gavin Newsom. He thought it would be him accepting the nomination, but he isn’t even allowed on the Convention stage. California’s Lieutenant Governor gets to speak from the stage while Newsom is relegated to a few words from down on the Floor.

This humiliation, of course, is very well-earned. We’ve paid an incalculable price for the constant posturing and self-promoting of his shadow presidential campaign. During COVID, 40 million Californians were at the mercy of whatever he thought would get him in the headlines.

Yet if Kamala were being honest, she’d give Newsom a primetime speaking slot. No one can better convey her goal of turning America into San Francisco. In fact, just two days ago, Newsom declared California a “national model” when it comes to (of all things) retail theft.

Well deserved.

YA THINK? Liberalism is a mental illness.

Young -- and single -- hardest hit.

ET TU, JACK DANIEL’S: The company that owns Jack Daniel’s has abandoned its DEI program.

And I've moved on to a better bourbon....

AMMO GRRRLL on 'community activists':

The “community activist movement” was also filled with lazy, slothful entitled people who got up at the crack of noon, wandered hung over or still stoned into a warehouse filled with other young idiots to begin their tough day of running the occasional mimeo machine, handing out leaflets, or making a few phone calls. It shocked me how many were trust fund babies. How do I know this? Because I was in charge of them – both in Minneapolis and San Francisco.

Read it all.