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Sunday, September 15, 2024

Post #6918 Social Media Digest

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Post #6917 M: Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 17); The Corrumpo Dream; George Washington's Advice: Cultivate Peace, Cherish Public Credit

 Quote of the Day

Drive thy business 
or it will drive thee.
Benjamin Franklin 

Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Fossils, Price Controls, Traffic Lights (Vol. 17)

The Corrumpo Dream

George Washington's Advice: Cultivate Peace, Cherish Public Credit

Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

The Alan Parsons Project , "Time"

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Saturday, September 14, 2024

Post #6916 J

 Pandemic Report

The  latest CDC statistics this week:





Well, we are definitely past peak summer surge, but roughly half the states remain at elevated levels (quite often this is inferred by wastewater concentrations). The latest COVID infection celebrity is NYC Mayor Eric Adams, not his first infection. A couple of related political notes: Former NY Gov. Cuomo testified on Capitol Hill about the nursing home policies in the early pandemic with overwhelmingly tragic results. He tried to shift blame to Trump, but the GOP-controlled committee found him responsible. Another item finding repeated reference is the Florida surgeon general Joseph A. Ladapo, who is advising against taking mRNA vaccines. On another related issue is Moderna is reporting disappointing sales on the vaccine update (which I have gotten) and their stock dropped something like 20%.

Other items of interest include:

  • An Austrian woman was sentenced for grossly negligent homicide 3 years ago of a neighbor who was immunocompromised 
  • 43% of Americans plan to get the COVID update shot, while 56% plan to get the flu shot. Note the risks of COVID are higher than for the flu
  • "Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine have used a cutting-edge model system to uncover the mechanism by which SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, induces new cases of diabetes, and worsens complications in people who already have it.."
  • "The results indicated that the widespread administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the selected countries within the Caribbean and Latin American regions averted between 610,000 and 2.61 million deaths between early 2021 and May 2022."
  • "New study uncovers a higher prevalence of heart scarring in young males after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination, raising concerns about long-term outcomes despite mild initial symptoms of vaccine-associated myocarditis."
  • "Molnupiravir reduces long-term COVID-19 symptoms but shows limited impact on hospitalizations."
  • "COVID-19 reduces male fertility by affecting semen quality and hormone levels."
  • "New-onset ANCA-positive small-vessel vasculitis is a rare but possible complication of COVID-19 vaccination."
  • "This edition highlights vaccine hesitancy and misinformation around MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccines as children return to school and measles cases resurge in parts of the U.S. We also examine emerging narratives around COVID-19 vaccine misinformation following the FDA approval of COVID-19 boosters and false claims linking mpox to the vaccines. "
  • "A health survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds a rise in the number of Americans believing COVID-19 vaccination misinformation, and a lower willingness to vaccinate."
  • The COVID lockdown probably aged adolescent girl brains by 4 years and guys about 1.5 years.
  • Hospitals during the earlier pandemic ran into capacity and resource issues probably resulting in nearly 20% of fatalities.
  • "[A]ntibodies can have opposite effects on viral infections in human cells. Published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, this study is the first to identify an antibody that can both assist and block the virus.."
  • Doctors are discussing "human case of bird flu in Missouri, mpox outbreak news and delays with the new COVID vaccine rollout."
  • Surgeons have been reluctant to perform surgery too soon after COVID infection, but there's some guidance a 2-week wait is sufficient.
  • Commercial real estate has been struggling during the pandemic when remote office work became a trend.
  • HHS: "COVID-19 Vaccination Public Education Campaign Saved Thousands of Lives, Billions of Dollars"
  • "The blood-retinal barrier is designed to protect our vision from infections by preventing microbial pathogens from reaching the retina where they could trigger an inflammatory response with potential vision loss. But researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have discovered the virus that causes COVID-19 can breach this protective retinal barrier with potential long-term consequences in the eye."
  • "The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can cause myocarditis, but do not appear to cause infertility, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Bell’s palsy, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) or heart attack, according to a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report examining whether COVID-19 vaccines can cause certain harms. The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine may cause TTS and Guillain-Barré syndrome, the study committee found, although there are a limited number of published studies on this vaccine, reflecting its limited use in the U.S. According to the report, administering any vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines, also may cause certain shoulder injuries: acute subacromial/subdeltoid bursitis, acute rotator cuff tendinopathy, bone injury, and axial or radial nerve injury."
  • Prosecution of COCID relief continues:

Other Notes

It looks like the readership pageviews are finally tapering down to long-term trend. I've started work on the horrible Trump/Harris  debate. These things are very time-consuming and demoralizing because both of them I personally can't stand.. Twitter/X continues on a roughly 100-300 impression rate daily. I don't really write tweets for impressions, but I've noticed if I write a Taylor Swift tweet it gets more attention than my political tweets. .It's still frustrating that some of my best tweets barely make a handful of impressions.

;Egg prices are still crazy. Some weird quirks, though. For example, it seems that a dozen eggs here private/bargain brand at Walmart or Lidl is roughly $3.77/dozen. Now I have a separate nutrition blog where I haven't posted lately, but there are some nutritionally superior specialties, in some cases based on more nutritional feed; in particular, cage-free or free range eggs:

Numerous studies have found free-range eggs or cage-free eggs to have a healthier overall nutritional profile. Benefits found include less saturated fat and cholesterol, and higher levels of protein. Free-range or cage-free eggs have also been found to have significantly more Vitamin A and Vitamin E; more omega 3s; higher levels of alpha tocopherol and alpha-linolenic acid; higher carotenoid levels; more lutein; a healthier ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids; higher bone mineral density; and more beta carotene.

They are usually significantly more expensive. So, here is a weird quirk: sometimes you can find the premium eggs at a very competitive price; maybe they' have supply issues and can't reorder or want them sell them within the fresh interval. So for instance at Lidl I found them selling 18 premium brown eggs for $4.49--which is significantly less than their 18 pack private label regular eggs. Still much more than the $1.13/dozen I was paying a month ago.

I've now had a second missing Amazon shipment for night delivery (actually, same day delivery, which is great when they deliver during daylight). I suspect the night drivers can't easily see my street number; I know sometime back I got a call for directions from an Amazon drover. In tonight's case he took a picture  and it shows a different street number/ How did he not notice it? Probably they delivered it to a neighbor's address. But when I tried to call up, their voice messages, loosely translated: our agents can't adjust anything for 3 days. Look around your neighborhood and if you can't find it after 3 days call us back. (Let me say here the service agent was more flexible, but really, dude: if you don't deliver it, your job isn't done.) I remember I just moved into the neighborhood, someone knocked on my door asking for my permission to collect their package that had been left on my porch by mistake. Amazon needs to crackdown on delivery issues. If I can, in the future I'm going to opt out of same day delivery.

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Post #6915 M: Why Weak Men and Single Women Vote Socialist; Ron Paul on Trump and Harris Ignore a Great Danger Facing America

 Quote of the Day

I not only use all the brains that I have, 
but all that I can borrow.
Woodrow Wilson  

 Why Weak Men and Single Women Vote Socialist

 A Tale of Two Zoos

 Ron Paul on Trump and Harris Ignore a Great Danger Facing America

 Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

The Alan Parsons Project, "Games People Play" 

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Friday, September 13, 2024

Post #6914 M: Political Humor; A Bridge Too Tall; How the Left Destroys Economies

 Quote of the Day

Men are alike in their promises. 
It is only in their deeds 
that they are different.
Jean Baptiste Moliere  

Political Humor

A Bridge Too Tall

How the Left Destroys Economies

Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

The Alan Parsons Project, "Damned If I Do" 

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Thursday, September 12, 2024

Post #6913 M: Kamala: $5 Trillion in New Taxes; A Common's Tragedy; January 6: The Most Deadliest Day (Trailer)

 Quote of the Day

There is only one corner of the universe 
you can be certain of improving, 
and that's your own self.
Aldous Huxley  

Kamala: $5 Trillion in New Taxes

A Common's Tragedy

January 6: The Most Deadliest Day (Trailer)

Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

The Alan Parsons Project, "I Wouldn't Want to be Like You"

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Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Post #6912 M: How bad is the national debt? ; The Island Beyond; From Brazil to the US: The Global War on Free Speech

 Quote of the Day

In shallow holes moles make fools of dragons 
Proverb  

How bad is the national debt? 

The Island Beyond

From Brazil to the US: The Global War on Free Speech

Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

The Alan Parsons Project, "To One In Paradise"

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Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Post #6911 M: Food Police; Job Openings Crash 500K; Kamala's New WEALTH Tax

 Quote of the Day

Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; 
others transform a yellow spot into the sun.
Pablo Picasso  

Food Police | Season 1, Episode 3

Job Openings Crash 500K

Kamala's New WEALTH Tax

Choose Life

Musical Interlude: Duos

Alan Parsons Project, "The Raven"

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Monday, September 9, 2024

Post #6910 M: McClanahan on Revisiting Nullification and Secession; Free and Independent States; Exposed: INSANE Car Search Operation

 Quote of the Day

We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, 
and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.
Sonia Johnson  

McClanahan on Revisiting Nullification and Secession

Free and Independent States

Exposed: INSANE Car Search Operation

Choose Life

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall

Musical Interlude: Duos

Alan Parsons Project, "[The System Of] Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether". I love, love, love this song based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe,

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Sunday, September 8, 2024

Post #6909 Rant of the Day: Trump v US, SCOTUS, and FNC Opinion

 Well, I did something I've rarely done in the history of writing essays for the blog: I dropped the first version of the essay. I had previously written about Trump v, US (i.e., Presidential immunity), I made a mistake of relying on secondary sources. Two basic things led me to read the opinion myself: first, special prosecutor Jack Smith edited some of the charges (for the election subversion case) to identify Trump as POTUS candidate v. President; second, FNC host Jesse Watters on "The Five" made comments to the effect that SCOTUS has basically thrown out Smith's charges. I was fairly sure Watters was dead wrong, but I was curious what Watters had misconstrued. So, I'll reference the decision text here.

I'm not a trained lawyer, and so they may likely disagree with my opinions. SCOTUS clearly tossed some of Trump's arguments. One of them was basically if you didn't impeach him over a charge, you couldn't charge him later. . No. 

IV A Trump asserts a far broader immunity than the limited one we have recognized. He contends that the indictment must be dismissed because the Impeachment Judgment Clause requires that impeachment and Senate conviction precede a President’s criminal prosecution...Impeachment is a political process by which Congress can remove a President who has committed “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Art. II, §4. Transforming that political process into a necessary step in the enforcement of criminal law finds little support in the text of the Constitution or the structure of our Government....The text of the Clause provides little support for such an absolute immunity. It states that an impeachment judgment “shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States.” Art. I, §3, cl. 7. It then specifies that “the Party convicted shall *nevertheless* be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.” *Ibid*. (emphasis added). The Clause both limits the consequences of an impeachment judgment and clarifies that notwithstanding such judgment, subsequent prosecution may proceed. By its own terms, the Clause does not address whether and on what conduct a President may be prosecuted if he was never impeached and convicted....James Wilson, who served on the Committee that drafted the Clause and later as a Justice of this Court, similarly concluded that [even] acquittal of impeachment charges posed no bar to subsequent prosecution....The Federalist No. 77, at 520 (explaining that the President is “at all times liable to impeachment, trial, dismission from office . . . and to the forfeiture of life and estate by subsequent prosecution”).

SCOTUS [majority] anticipated a point I [as well the prosecution] made against absolute immunity for POTUS:

 The principal dissent’s starting premise—that unlike Speech and Debate Clause immunity, no constitutional text supports Presidential immunity...True, there is no “Presidential immunity clause” in the Constitution. But there is no “ ‘separation of powers clause’ ” either. 

At the core I see Trump's criminal activities as self-serving and corrupting, a refutation of the rule of law. For example, the SCOTUS majority seems to shrug off Trump's attempts to get VP Pence to reject official  battleground state elector slates and/or accept phony Trump slates. They don't even seem to recognize that Trump and Pence had a vested interest in flipping election results, Keep in mind Trump had filed some 60-odd court cases challenging the elections, winning only one PA battle to enforce an early deadline for mailed ballot receipt There was nothing in the law or Constitution enabling Pence to reject a state-certified slate. Now, of course, the majority recognizes POTUS has no 12th amendment role in election ratification.  But clearly, the evidence of phony state electors and Trump pressuring Pence to subvert election results confirm the conspiracy. It would frustrate the interests of justice to , say, exclude evidence on grounds like confidentiality of Trump's demands on Pence. Similarly, I don't need to hear SCOTUS tell me enforcement of federal election law comes under the Executive Branch and Trump had Constitutional cover to extort state election officials into flipping election results.

Note: SCOTUS didn't suggest my trailing comments, but they seem consistent with the discussion of official vs. unofficial conduct (the former being more protected from prosecution). The majority justices flesh out a taxonomy of Presidential duties/conduct. At the core (and most protected in terms of immunity) are carrying out the Presidential Constitutionally enumerated responsibilities like Commander-in-Chief, vetoes, pardons  and foreign policy to more peripheral duties where criminal immunity may be presumptively shielded but not absolutely to "contexts in which the President, notwithstanding the prominence of his position, speaks in an unofficial capacity—perhaps as a candidate for office or party leader. To the extent that may be the case, objective analysis of “content, form, and context” will necessarily inform the inquiry."

What are Trump's 4 election subversion charges?



The first charge deals  with spreading false rumors of election fraud to provide a pretext for reversing election results., creating slates of Trump electors from battleground states Trump lost, Trump pushing Pence to reject official battleground state elector slates, The second charge deals with the conspiracy to thwart Congressional ratification of electoral college results confirming Biden's victory. The third deals with the fact Trump's mob actually delayed the ratification process. The fourth I believe refers to voters in battleground states having their votes negated by Trump's attempts to reverse certified results

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C. held proceedings this past Thursday, on special prosecutor Jack Smith's post-SCOTUS revised indictment. (basically stripped of specified privileged conversations with the Justice Department personnel, a specific reference in the majority opinion; along with replacing any references to Trump as POTUS with Trump as candidate for President engaging i unofficial, private conduct), also before a (new) grand jury, i.e., not tainted by official duties as targeted by SCOTUS. Smith submitted the same 4 charges and largely the same evidence.

Judge Chutkan has to rule whether the charges are consistent with the SCOTUS ruling; it may not happen before the election. I suspect the losing side, probably Trump, will try to appeal back to SCOTUS.

Going back to "The Five" episode triggering this rant, Watters was of the opinion that SCOTUS had all but thrown out the charges. No, what was reviewed whether POTUS enjoyed broad criminal immunity. Recall we had 2 recent precedents of sorts: Nixon's criminal behavior and Clinton's attempt to defer the federal Paula Jones case. In early 1974 a grand jury was prepared to indict Nixon on 4 counts related to Watergate: "from on or about March 21, 1973…Richard M. Nixon unlawfully, willfully and knowingly did combine, conspire, confederate and agree together and with co-conspirators…to commit bribery…obstruct justice…and obstruct a criminal investigation." [Ford's pardon preempted any trial.] Clinton's sexual harassment of Ms. Jones while governor did not involve POTUS behavior and clearly was unofficial/private from context. I don't know (suspect not) if Watters did due diligence on the details of SCOTUS' ruling. They really didn't address the details if the indictment, e.g., count 1 infringes on core Presidential conduct. Unofficial or private actions do not enjoy immunity and there may be blended official/unofficial acts which may be presumed immune but evidence and context may overcome the presumption. So in returning the case to Chutkan, she needed to review whether if conduct was personal/unofficial  and/or whether the evidence/context outweighed any presumption of immunity. I think the charges would have stuck on the original indictment, but Smith revised the indictment more consistent with the SCOTUS opinion.

Unsurprisingly for FNC, most of "The Five" hosts (like "Judge" Pirro) except maybe token libertarian Kennedy was sympathetic to  Trump arguments that the charges are completely political, banana republic victor's justice. I completely disagree. Trump's post election 2020 meltdown is unprecedented in American history. He stonewalled returning Presidential documents and classified documents he did not own.. Any other President doing the same things would have been prosecuted. In fact, other leaders of developed democratic republics have been prosecuted for behavior in office, including from France, Italy, Israel, and South Dakota. 

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Post #6908 Social Media Digest

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