Displaying posts published in

May 2020

Why China won’t reform By Peter Skurkiss

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/05/why_china_wont_reform.html

The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fears chaos and loss of control more than anything else, and this explains much of its seemingly erratic behavior. 

The matter goes back to be bargain that the CCP has struck with the Chinese people. The deal is this: the Communist Party gets complete political control over the country in return for ever-increasing standards of living. This means no elections, no demonstrations, no rule of law, and no dissent from below as to how the show is run. The CCP is an illegitimate regime and can stay in power only if it can continue to pay off economically. 

Up until now this has proven to be a win-win situation. Of course, it was always predicated in U.S. allowing China to lie and cheat on every trade agreement it ever signed and to turn a blind eye to stealing our technology. This worked for the past 25 years. But now the Chinese economy is facing strong headwinds which throw that arrangement arrangement into doubt. These include an American president who will not play the patsy to China’s predatory trade practices and its massive theft of U.S. intellectual property and the worldwide blow-back from China’s Wuhan virus.

Ocasio-Cortez exposes her profound ignorance of the subject she got an honors degree in at Boston University By Thomas Lifson

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/05/ocasiocortez_exposes_her_profound_ignorance_of_the_subject_she_got_an_honors_degree_in_at_boston_university.html

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the worst kind of ignoramus: one who thinks she is knowledgeable and pontificates on subjects she does not understand. She is becoming a 21st century Congressional version of the 1950’s comedian, “Professor Irwin Corey,” who billed himself as “the world’s foremost authority,” and parodied pompous intellectuals in his improvisational comedy, spouting nonsense.

The problem with Ocasio-Cortez is that she doesn’t understand she is parodying a cum laude of Boston University with a BA in international relations and economics, spouting nonsense about the term “human capital” – a longstanding and common expression in the discipline of economics.

Hydroxychloroquine, Me, and the Great Divide By Richard Moss, MD

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/05/hydroxychloroquine_me_and_the_great_divide.html

I took hydroxychloroquine for two years.  A long time ago as a visiting cancer surgeon in Asia, in Thailand, Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.  From 1987 to 1990.  Malaria is rife there.  I took it for prophylaxis, 400 milligrams once a week for two years.  Never had any trouble.  It was inexpensive and effective.  I started it two weeks before and was supposed to continue it through my stay and four weeks after returning.  But I stopped it after two years.  I was worried about potential side effects of which there are many, as with all drugs right down to Tylenol and aspirin.  These, however, are rare.  At a certain point, I was prepared to take my chances with mosquitoes and plasmodium, and so I stopped. 

Chloroquine, the precursor of HCQ, was invented by Bayer in 1934.  Hydroxychloroquine was developed during World War II as a safer, synthetic alternative and approved for medical use in the U.S. in 1955.  The World Health Organization considers it an essential medicine, among the safest and most effective medicines, a staple of any healthcare system.  In 2017, US doctors prescribed it 5 million times, the 128th most commonly prescribed drug in the country.  There have been hundreds of millions of prescriptions worldwide since its inception.  It is one of the cheapest and best drugs in the world and has saved millions of lives.  Doctors also prescribe it for Lupus and Rheumatoid arthritis patients who may consume it for their lifetimes with few or no ill effects. 

Protesters storm CNN building in furious Atlanta protest

https://nypost.com/2020/05/29/protesters-storm-cnn-building-in-fiery-atlanta-protest/

ATLANTA — Demonstrators marched, stopped traffic and in some cases lashed out violently at police as protests erupted Friday in dozens of U.S. cities following the killing of George Floyd after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck while taking him into custody in Minnesota. In Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and beyond, thousands of protesters carried signs that said: “He said I can’t breathe. Justice for George.” They chanted ”“No justice, no peace” and “Say his name. George Floyd.”

After hours of peaceful protest in downtown Atlanta, some demonstrators suddenly turned violent, smashing police cars, setting one on fire, spray-painting the iconic logo sign at CNN headquarters, and breaking into a restaurant. The crowd pelted officers with bottles, chanting “Quit your jobs.”

At least three officers were hurt and there were multiple arrests, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said in an emailed statement. Campos said protesters shot BB guns at officers and threw bricks, bottles and knives at them. People watched the scene from rooftops, some laughing as skirmishes broke out.

NYPD van torched, hundreds arrested as fiery protesters storm NYC By Joe Marino, Larry Celona and Craig McCarthy

https://nypost.com/2020/05/29/brass-knuckle-wielding-man-punches-nypd-sergeant-at-george-floyd-protest/

Anti-cop rage over the police-custody death of George Floyd boiled over in Brooklyn on Friday night — with an NYPD van being set on fire in Fort Greene Park and hundreds of protesters trying to surround the 88th precinct in Clinton Hill before being rebuffed by a massive police mobilization.

In all, some 200 people were arrested Friday and early Saturday in separate, heated protests in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, sources told The Post.

It was 9:30 p.m. when the empty police van was set ablaze in Fort Greene Park.

A crowd of some 3,000 protesters had converged on the Barclays Center in Prospect Heights hours earlier, with police releasing chemical mace as the demonstration grew unruly and began throwing objects at cops.

And still earlier in the day, in Lower Manhattan, at least 30 protesters were busted, including a man who allegedly punched an NYPD sergeant in the head with brass knuckles.

EU Will Use Coronavirus Pandemic Relief to Push Climate Change Agenda By Rick Moran

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/05/29/eu-will-use-coronavirus-pandemic-relief-to-push-climate-change-agenda-n458940

The European Union has discovered what Democrats in America have known for years: never let a crisis go to waste.

In that spirit, the EU is presenting a massive relief package for European economies to help them get back on their feet following the coronavirus lockdowns.

But the plan isn’t designed solely to alleviate the crisis. It’s mainly structured to advance the EU’s climate change agenda to make the world safe for windmills…or something.

Guardian:

The EU’s plan seeks to pour money into emissions-busting sectors: €91bn (£81bn) a year for home energy efficiency and green heating, €25bn of renewable energy, and €20bn for clean cars over two years, plus 2m charging points in five years. Up to €60bn will go to zero-emissions trains and the production of 1m tonnes of clean hydrogen is planned.

Why Did It Take So Long to Arrest Derek Chauvin? By Andrew C. McCarthy

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/05/why-did-it-take-so-long-to-arrest-derek-chauvin/

The claim that the prosecutor had to wait to authorize an arrest until the investigators nailed down all the evidence is nonsense.

Rich and I were still recording The McCarthy Report this afternoon when news broke that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had been arrested for the murder of George Floyd. The homicide occurred on Monday. Today is Friday. That’s why, before we heard the news, I spent several podcast minutes grousing about the fact that Chauvin had not yet been arrested.

As of this writing, the charging documents are not publicly available. Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman announced that Chauvin is being charged with third-degree murder — sometimes called “depraved heart” or “depraved indifference” homicide. Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder occurs when a person, without intent to effect the death of a person, nevertheless causes death by an act that is “eminently dangerous to others” and “evince[es] a depraved mind, without regard for human life.”

Congresswoman Valerie Plame? She rewrites the Scooter Libby scandal history as she runs for the House.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/congresswoman-valerie-plame-11590792699?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

New Mexico’s primary is on Tuesday, and of seven Democrats vying for the open House seat in Santa Fe, Valerie Plame is “considered one of the favorites,” reports the Albuquerque Journal. Ms. Plame’s campaign has spent twice as much as her nearest rival, according to data from Open Secrets.

Ms. Plame is trying to get to Congress by leveraging the notoriety of the 2003 scandal that turned her into a household name, fictionalized in a 2010 movie starring Naomi Watts. Ms. Plame’s campaign has reported out-of-state donations from Hollywood types, such as $2,000 from a Naomi Watts who’s listed in campaign-finance records as an actor from Beverly Hills, Calif.

But Ms. Plame’s campaign has bent the truth of the scandal, starting last fall in a high-octane introduction video. “I was an undercover CIA operative,” she narrated, while hot-rodding a car in the desert. “Then Dick Cheney’s chief of staff took revenge against my husband and leaked my identity. His name? Scooter Libby. Guess who pardoned him last year?” Cut to footage of President Trump, pumping a fist in satisfaction.

This is political pulp fiction. The public record shows that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was not responsible for outing Ms. Plame. The journalist who put her CIA connection into print, Bob Novak, later said the information came from Richard Armitage, then Deputy Secretary of State. A Washington Post fact-checker gave Ms. Plame’s video three disapproving Pinocchios.

Now We’ll See How the Snowflake Generation Handles the Barbarians By Rick Moran

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/05/29/now-well-see-how-the-snowflake-generation-handles-the-barbarians-n456612

“The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans,” President John F. Kennedy said at his inaugural in 1961. Today, this generation is passing that torch to invite a new generation of barbarians to burn and loot and pillage, not serve and protect.

The modern urban mayor is epitomized by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who has chosen not to crack down on the barbarians torching his city, but encourages them to keep the flames hot because “The symbolism of a building cannot outweigh the importance of life.” That laughable, sophomoric statement isn’t going to save anyone or any structure.

That building is not a “symbol.” It has value to the person who owns it. And that’s the problem with Frey and the generation of snowflakes who are moving into positions of power and responsibility. Quite simply, they don’t believe in private property. In fact, they see private property as a genuine evil. So, of course, it doesn’t matter if you burn it. It’s not worth protecting.

We saw this same attitude in Baltimore in 2015 when Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake expressed the notion that protesters should be given space to destroy.

Rioters Destroy Bar That Black Minneapolis Firefighter Bought with His Life Savings By Zachary Evans

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/rioters-destroy-bar-that-black-minneapolis-firefighter-bought-with-his-life-savings/

Rioters protesting the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, an African-American man who died after being arrested and pinned to the ground by officer Derek Chauvin, destroyed a bar owned by a black former firefighter Wednesday night.

Korboi Balla had invested his life savings in the bar and was planning to open it before the coronavirus pandemic caused mass business closures. Balla then moved the opening date to June 1, when Minnesota plans to lift restrictions on restaurants, but the bar has since been wracked and looted in the riots, CBS first reported.

CBS was filming a segment at the bar when looters entered through the back of the establishment to try to steal Balla’s safe.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Balla said in an interview. “It hurts, man. It’s not fair, it’s not right. We’ve been working so hard for this place. It’s not just for me, it’s for my family.”

Balla’s wife Tywanna said that the bar was not insured.