Archive for 2019

DOES TRUMP’S EFFORT TO GET MEXICO TO REIN IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTE A RETURN OF THE BERLIN WALL? “Defenders of Trump’s action could argue that there is a distinction between locking people in completely and ‘merely’ preventing them from leaving for a specific destination (such as the US). But surely we would still condemn the Berlin Wall if the East German government had said its purpose was to block its citizens from moving to the West, but they were still free to leave for other communist nations.”

If the Berlin Wall had stopped people from going to West Germany while they were allowed to go to every other country in the world — which is the correct analogy here — then it wouldn’t have been a big deal. In addition, Trump’s effort is in part to stop Mexico from allowing (or maybe encouraging) migrants from Central America to pass through Mexico and enter America illegally. That doesn’t fit the Berlin Wall analogy at all. Which is because it’s a dumb analogy that doesn’t remotely match the facts at hand.

If this is the strongest argument against Trump’s immigration policy, then Trump’s immigration policy is safe.

HE’S AN EXCELLENT LAWYER WHO DID A HELL OF A JOB: White House Special Counsel Emmet Flood to Leave Job. “President Trump said that Emmet Flood, a lawyer who joined the White House to help with the Russia investigation, would leave the job on June 14, the Wall Street Journal reports.”

OPEN THREAD: Knock yourselves out.

WELL, YES: Morrissey hasn’t turned right: our establishment has turned insane. “Morrissey is — thankfully — still alive. But that also means the working-class autodidact from Manchester must face the heat from a metropolitan nanny culture, despite the fact that he moved all the way to the States in part to avoid London’s notoriously venomous press.”

Metropolitan nanny culture. I love that.

GOOGLE CLOUD MELTS DOWN, LEAVING MILLIONS WITHOUT SERVICES: NEST, YOUTUBE, ICLOUD, SNAPCHAT, OTHERS AFFECTED.

In Glenn’s new book, The Social Media Upheaval, he quotes Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu in The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age, and then adds:

In total, Wu reports, “Facebook managed to string together 67 unchallenged acquisitions, which seems impressive unless you consider that Amazon undertook 91 and Google got away with 214 (a few of which were conditioned). In this way, the tech industry became essentially composed of just a few giant trusts: Google for search and related industries, Facebook for social media, Amazon for online commerce.” And these new tech monsters have a one-two punch that Standard Oil lacked: not only do they control immense wealth and important industries, but their fields of operation – which give them enormous control over communications, including communications about politics – also give them direct political power that in many ways exceeds that of previous monopolies.

I’m so old, I can remember when the Internet was all about diversity and looseness, rather than intertwined monopolies.

WHY IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SUCH A CESSPIT OF VIOLENCE? Sore Loser: Rep. Gaetz’s (R-FL) Former Opponent ‘Milkshaked’ Him Following A Town Hall.

According to The Hill, 35-year-old Amanda Kondrat’yev was detained and no further incidents took place. It’s interesting to note that Kondrat’yev ran for Gaetz’s seat back in 2016.

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The event comes after Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage had a similar attack take place last week. “Milkshaking” is the new form of protest in Britain against “right wing” lawmakers. And it has apparently jumped the pond.

And it’s Media Matters approved: As a congressman is assaulted with a milkshake Media Matters applauds after complaining inciteful language is leading to violence.

Unlike those examples given of people saying things that Media Matters disagreed with, Amanda Kondrat’yev was arrested on the scene, and charged with aggravated assault. It will be left to those claiming this is not violence to explain how those charges apply when nothing objectionable took place.

It’s all fun and games at Media Matters until someone throws something at David Brock, or another lefty.

PRO-CHOICE: Men should have the right to ‘abort’ responsibility for an unborn child, Swedish political group says. “The idea, proposed by a regional branch of the youth wing of the centrist Liberal Party, would allow a potential father to legally abdicate his responsibility toward the child up to the 18th week of a woman’s pregnancy. The man would lose any rights to visit the child but also would not pay any child support he may otherwise be required to contribute.”

I don’t think this ever went anywhere. Women have reproductive rights, but men have reproductive responsibilities. Though if any US state implemented Sweden’s abortion restrictions, Hollywood would probably boycott them as Handmaid’s Tale Bible Belters.

POGO THROUGH THE POO-POO? Swedish Startup to Bring Pogo Sticks to San Francisco as E-Scooter Alternative, CBS affiliate KPIX-5 — not the Babylon Bee — reports:

The pogo sticks, he said, could be used to get around, but could also be used as a fitness product, as it counts each jump to keep riders motivated.

“We’ve been following the micro-mobility market and seen the demand. However, we also found that existing players are very generic when it comes to brand loyalty and making a statement and contributing to something beyond taking you from point A to B,” he said, emphasizing the sustainability and fitness aspect to the pogo sticks.

Mikkelsen said Cangoroo would be ready to work with city officials, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, on regulations and safety before launching the product.

“We don’t have specific details about this company but we will review any new transportation service to ensure compliance with existing laws,” SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said in a statement.

The launch of hundreds of e-scooters last year in the city by a handful of companies quickly drew the ire of residents who complained the dockless scooters were being thrown on sidewalks and blocking walkways.

Make sure your interactive San Francisco poop map is up to date before taking a spin.