I hope they've got food-tasters

The Bee is getting a little too close for comfort.

We must look to socialism, where wealth isn't created just to be distributed unevenly, but rather isn't created at all.

Bad Day for Warren

NYT endorses her... and also fourth-tier Klobuchar.

UPDATE: New Republic says it's a 'charade' that was 'undermined' by the dual endorsement. Don't you make things better if you undermine a charade? Apparently not.

Tasks for the next generation of biologists

I wish I'd had this guy for a college professor.



I often tout his books, and wish he'd write more of them.  He's a very talented popularizer.

Economic raving

Everything would be great if only the government could take over the economy and make it rational:

Last year, the S+P 500 rose by 29%, the NASDAQ by 35%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 22%. Middle-class Americans are increasingly reliant on their 401(k)s and pensions to live comfortably during retirement. Millions of other Americans depend on college-savings funds to help pay for their kids' educations. And even those without a stock portfolio benefit from a vibrant market, which generates profits that are invested in hiring, innovation and salaries while helping move money from unprofitable sectors to more profitable ones.

This chaotic churning of money turns off technocrats. Rather than taking the view that the growing economy is a messy but neutral marketplace where ingenuity and opportunity can create comfort and wealth, they see it as a giant pile of money that should be "invested" in massive, state-mandated social engineering projects. As far as I can tell, both Sanders and Warren are interested in effectively nationalizing large chunks of the health care and energy sectors.

And yet the media continue to cover the Democratic primary debates where such ideas are the currency of the realm as if they were completely normal.

Ouch

Stings:

Northam reminded everyone that Virginia is his state, his choice, and that it's not a state full of American citizens with God-given rights unless he declares it to be so.

He was frightened, however, to learn that Virginians own guns and can defend themselves if threatened by callous governments, unlike unborn babies.

Impersonal warfare

From Daniel McCarthy at the Spectator:

The outrage was hypocritical: drone strikes aerosolize wedding parties full of innocent people on a semi-regular basis, but the minute one takes out a general who had masterminded insurgency operations against US troops in a war zone, Congress suddenly has an attack of conscience. Like impeachment, this reveals more about the real character of the institution than a wise legislator would want known. Killing Soleimani, a man who deserved to die, was more controversial than ‘collateral damage’ in the form of civilian lives lost because Congress does not have the courage to question the underlying morality of the wars and prolonged occupations that are now a permanent feature of American foreign policy. What made Soleimani’s death so objectionable was that it was so unusual — so personal — when our political class likes to believe that war is now a science, to be conducted only as approved by the experts.

Impeachment all the way down

Matthew Continetti thinks this will be the first president to be impeached multiple times, a constant background noise.

Maybe Nancy Pelosi waited to send impeachment to the Senate because she was waiting for her pens to arrive....“Nothing says seriousness and sobriety like handing out souvenirs,” said Mitch McConnell.

Knock Em Stiff, Boys

A song that could hardly be more to my liking.



UPDATE: From your lips to God’s ear, Sage.

Your Vote is Unconstitutional

Originally I posted this as an update to something below, but it's really worthy of its own post. From NBC News, an argument that Trump voters are violating the law and voting for Trump is probably unconstitutional.

Steppe-in Up

Here's about 40 minutes of traditional Mongolian music from the Altai Band. I enjoy this more than The Hu, although "Wolf Totem" and "Yuve Yuve Yu" are on my regular playlist now.

Dalia al-Aqidi

This is quite a video.



She's running against Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is in the Democrat +26 5th District of Minnesota. You might think her appeal to patriotism as herself also a Muslim female refugee might be wise, as Omar is frequently criticized for her open disdain for the culture and nation that took her in and raised her to power. However, you probably wouldn't expect her to tie herself so visibly to the American military, nor to repeatedly praise "my President."

It's an interesting strategy given the terrain. We'll see if it pays off for her. In any case, you should learn her name. My guess is she'll be around.

Medieval Metal

So, listening to The Hu on YouTube brings a lot of interesting recommendations. Apocalypse Orchestra was one of them. Not sure what I think, but it seemed appropriate to share here.

Getting It Wrong

Apparently we've been mistaken about the name of a building for thousands of years.

Dutch scholars claim that the name “Parthenon” – popularised in the Roman period - originally belonged to an entirely different building, not the vast stone temple that looms over Athens and attracts millions of tourists a year.

The real Parthenon was in fact an ancient Greek treasury which contained offerings to the goddess Athena, according to the research by Utrecht University.

Today known as the Erechtheion, it is located about 100 yards from the main temple on the Acropolis, the massive rocky escarpment that rises from central Athens.

Rather than being known as the Parthenon, the big temple should be known by its original ancient Greek name, the tongue-twisting Hekatompedon.

It's hard to correct an error that old.

So That's How It Is, Eh?

Alan Dershowitz, noted scholar at Harvard Law and civil libertarian, has been demoted to "Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer" by CNBC thanks to his willingness to speak against the impeachment process.

West Virginia Swings for Fences

I read earlier this week that some West Virginia politicians were inviting most of Virginia to secede and join them.  (Well, that's how we got West Virginia to start with, actually:  it was the one act of secession from the Civil War that was allowed to stand.)  Now I see that their legislature is considering a state sanctuary bill that is really pretty aggressive:

A bill introduced in the West Virginia House would set the foundation to create a gun sanctuary state by prohibiting enforcement of past, present and future federal gun control.... The bills include a detailed definition of actions that qualify as “infringement,” including but not limited to:

* taxes and fees on firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition that would have a chilling effect on firearms ownership;
* registration and tracking schemes applied to firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition that would have a chilling effect;
* any act forbidding the possession, ownership, or use or transfer of a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition by law-abiding citizens;
* any act ordering the confiscation of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition from law-abiding citizens.

My guess is that the Feds might have let you get away with anything except the refusal to accept taxes.

Take Care of Your Own

The secret to success is conservative family values — even for liberals.

Bach on the Banjo

I'd never thought of it, but it turns out it's a match made in heaven.  There are a lot of videos out there of Bach on the Banjo, but these are quite nice- Enjoy.

Not a Bad Idea

A climate change / carbon plan that sounds like a good thing to do anyway. 

Fake News Today

BB: Somber Impeachment Ceremony Concludes with Impeachment Dancers

A Trade Deal with Mexico & Canada

This one is bigger. Axios says it’s a great deal for Democrats and organized labor and a complete rejection of Republican ideas; well, but mostly Democrats voted against it. With the China deal, this is about $2 Trillion in estimated benefit to American workers and farmers.

Interesting times.