NFL

Open Thread

Mark Noonan30 Comments

The Democrats sent over their farce impeachment to the Senate this evening. What really astonishes me is the mental back flips that the anti-Trump people are doing in order to justify this. One guy – he’s actually a bit famous – tried to bring up ancient English law which allowed for the impeachment of former office holders. I pointed out that ancient English law also allowed for bills of attainder – something we don’t do, because we didn’t merely copy England when we wrote our Constitution. One of the key aspects of our Constitution is that is pretty much precludes (as long as it is obeyed) political vengeance. The Founders knew this was important because one of the main factors in the downfall of both the Athenian Democracy and the Roman Republic was the pursuit of quasi-legal revenge. In our system, the defeated are supposed to go home in safety and the victors are supposed to let them go.

Of course, mercilessness is one of the main marks of our political opponents – both traditional left and Never Trump “right”. Lacking any conception of God – and those who make the most pious statements are usually the ones you find the most alienated from any sense of mercy – these people want to punish us. Not just for winning in 2016, but for so much as trying to win. This post-facto impeachment is a means of punishing not Trump, but you and I.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are rapidly discovering that holding 50 Senate seats and 221 House seats is…well…it isn’t much. Especially when your leader is 78 and a bit gaga. Senators Sinema (D-AZ) and Manchin (D-WV) have both come out strong against messing with the filibuster. I don’t put too much stock in them: they are Democrats, after all. They may merely want a price for it. But, in practical terms, busting the filibuster does nothing for either of them – especially for Manchin, set to become Energy Committee chair. Once the filibuster is broken, the Democrats need pay no attention to semi-moderate people like Manchin and Sinema. They’d feel they could peel off a couple GOPers at need (likely true, given Mitt and Murkowski). As long as the filibuster is in place, the Democrats must come hat in hand to Manchin and Sinema on every major issue – meaning they can pretty much get everything they want for their own States. Of course, this leaves out the fact that if Nancy loses 4 House Democrats, there won’t even be anything to send to the Senate to bust the filibuster over. A wise person I know on line pointed out that the filibuster might be moot if Nancy is continually stuck at 210 votes and can’t get the rest because either the Squad or the few remaining moderates won’t budge. A vigorous President could easily get around this by simply hitting the road and arguing for important and popular proposals…but other than their plan to raise the minimum wage (perennially popular even if economically dumb), they got nothing. “Call your Congressperson and demand she vote amnesty for illegals!” is not a great look. But in addition to advocating for very unpopular things, the Democrats have Joe Biden…who often seems to be unaware of where he is or what he’s supposed to do.

I’ve been calling it the 1/20 Miracle – the way cities and States are suddenly opening back up. Nothing changed. In fact, some of the places opening back up have higher cases and deaths than before. I mean, nothing changed other than who was in the White House. It was an op: a very bad flu blown out of proportion to harm Trump. The op is over, and so it is being wound down.

Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Pepsi aren’t doing Super Bowl ads this year. That has got to be devastating to the NFL. Get woke, go broke. The only football I’ve watched so far this year was part of a game on Thanksgiving (had some family over who felt they had to watch) and a bit of the end of yesterday’s Packers game where I was comforting a Cheesehead friend. I suppose I might go back to watching – but the bottom line is that the thrill is largely gone. I really didn’t miss it this year. I spent my Sunday football time writing on my books. It will never again be a “thing” where I rigorously follow and I’ve cut the emotional ties to the team I used to root for. Maybe some day some team out there will capture my imagination and I’ll become a fan again…but, I figure that is unlikely. And I assume there are likely millions like me…because Coke, Pepsi and Bud aren’t spending millions advertising. Meanwhile, Hockey went only mildly woke and it seems to have pretty much dropped it…so, I’ve got my Knights and I’ll watch them win the Cup this year.

Over at Ace – what if the Deplorables start deplatforming the Left? Sure, they can kick us off their Twitter and Facebook…but Joe Average in Dayton can kick them off heater repairs while Fred Normal in Richmond can skip towing your car with the “Coexist” bumper sticker.

Speaking of cancel culture, Miley Cyrus has got herself into SJW hot water. I’d say what it was about, but I’m going to make you click the link. You really won’t believe it.

Kavanaugh, TDS and Open Thread

Mark Noonan23 Comments

The Democrats seeded the audience for the Kavanaugh hearing with people who would deliberately try to disrupt the proceedings. The Democrat Senators all went on tirades against Kavanaugh. It was the most un-American, anti-democratic performance I’ve ever seen. I was disgusted and angered. I can only imagine the Democrats were trying to placate their base because they can’t in any way stop Kavanaugh from being confirmed. But I think what they did will turn off ever larger numbers of people.

To top it all off, one Progressive spied an anonymous lady sitting behind Kavanaugh and claimed that the position of her fingers amounted to a secret white power signal. Rather than having everyone laugh at him over it, bags of Progressives ran with it – they were seriously saying that this was the proof they needed that Trump is trying to secure white power fanatics for the Court. When it came out that she’s part Mexican and part Jewish (and descended from Jews who had to flee the Holocaust) that still didn’t stop the Progressives from claiming she’s a secret agent of white power! These people are certifiable!

OTOH, The Resistance set up a Twitter poll about Trump and 2020 and as of this time, with >214k votes cast, Trump is winning with 54% of the vote.

Bob Woodward wrote a book about Trump and made some claims some are finding unbelievable – especially General Mattis. Woodward has had a long-standing reputation as being a guy who can get White House staffers to talk. As for me, I’ve never really believed it. No White House staffer, of any President, is going to talk to Woodward unless he or she has permission to do so…and, so, will only say what is pre-approved. There’s no way a famous guy like Woodward can actually get a scoop. Its why guys like him aren’t workaday reporters…no one would go to such a person and spill it unless someone wanted it spilled. Woodward’s books have probably had some real insights into events, but to think he’s ever unearthed something in his books is absurd. My thinking is that no one who mattered in the White House spoke to Woodward – at least, not off the record. Woodward, at best, was only able to glean whatever Obama hold-overs could get…which was likely mostly second-hand stuff.

Britain’s Labour Party has a growing anti-Semitism problem. Lots of people complain about it, and their complaints are valid. Nothing, however, will be done about it. Labour’s future electoral health is based upon pleasing the rapidly growing Muslim population of Britain…Britain’s small Jewish population just won’t matter to Labour. I figure over the next decade Britain’s Jews will abandon Labour…and I wonder how long America’s Jews will continue to lend their support to the Democrats?

Liberals just don’t like America – nor the fact that the first man on the Moon was an American. They really don’t like their nation – First Man is just another symptom of it. Think about even some good movies – like, for instance, “Saving Private Ryan”. It was great – wonderfully done movie. But, still, think about it: the movie isn’t about the bravery of the troops or the magnificent victory they won: it was merely about who lived and died, who suffered and how much. We’re not supposed to be proud of the Army Rangers, but sorry for their plight. Even though most of them were double volunteers (volunteered for the Army, then volunteered for the Rangers; same thing for the Paratroopers).

Most of the real fighting in WWII wasn’t done by draftees – not in the sense of men who had to be forced into the fight. Even if they were particularly drafted, it was likely because they were told to wait for call-up as the military couldn’t take them when they presented themselves for service (the late William Manchester explained this about himself in his autobiographical “Goodbye, Darkness“). As Morrison put it, we had tough guys eager to fight against the enemy. And tough they were. And we should be proud of them. They weren’t lambs lead to slaughter, but lions who grabbed the enemy by the throat and slew them without remorse. But you can’t say that any more in the movies…it would offend liberals, and hurt ticket sales in China

Nike picked Kaepernick as their new model. Using the ridiculous tag line of “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Hate to break it to ya, Nike, but Kaepernick didn’t sacrifice his career for his cause…if was any good, he’d still be playing; and the fans would even put up with kneeling, if he could at least get better than 4-12 on the year. But to be an overpaid second-rater and then complain about America? That just pisses people off.