text:
Boycotting Various State Agencies
For John, BLUF: I wonder if the "wedding cake" theory means that this is illegal? Nothing to see here; just move along.
Hornady Won't Sell to NY State Agencies After Comptroller Threatens Banks Over Gun Business
From the Blog The Truth About Guns, by Dan Zimmerman, 27 April 2018.
Here is the lede:
We recently noted the thinly-veiled threat that New York State comptroller Thomas J. DiNapoli made when he sent a friendly letter to most of the nation's largest financial institutions. In it, he hinted — wink, wink — that it could be bad for their business if they continue to facilitate transactions that involve firearms and related products.
So, Mr Steve Hornady, president of Hornady Manufacturing Company (Ammo), is not going to associate himself, or his company, with such abuse of power. Sort of reminds one of various boycotts of products from nations that are deemed to be "in error". In this case, a refusal to sell.
Labels: Second Amendment
Showing Initiative
TRIGGER WARNING: In which I talk about how President T Jefferson colluded with the French to displace a large number of Native American tribes.
For John, BLUF: This day in history, a long time ago. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From the Instapundit, Posted by Gail Heriot, 30 April 2018.
Here is the blog post:
On this day in 1803, American Minister to France Robert Livingston, James Monroe and Barbé Marbois signed the Treaty for the Louisiana Purchase in Paris. The Americans had been authorized by President Jefferson to offer up to $10 million for New Orleans and its environs and were shocked to be offered the whole enchilada for only $15 million (cheap!). Certain that the United States would approve, Livingston took the deal. Back then, owing to the difficulty of communications, diplomats had to have more discretion that they do now. That was also true for a whole lot of other people separated by distance from their "superiors."
And, today the proposed increase in scope would have to be staffed through several Departments and independent agencies. The establishment would then say no.
Ah, for the days when the Admiral could put his telescope to his blind eye and act on his own judgement.
Labels: Diplomacy, Establishment, France, History, These United States
They're Back
For John, BLUF: Did they ever go away? Nothing to see here; just move along.
A new Clinton wave is coming this spring
Here is the sub-headline:
The Clinton family has made sporadic and often subdued appearances in the 18 months (538 days) since Hillary Clinton lost her presidential election. But we're about to see a lot more of them this spring.
From Axios And Mr Mike Allen, 30 April 2018.
I wouldn't call the tour of India subdued. Not with Mrs Clinton's comment about how many American women vote the way their husband, boss or son tells them. The hicks in the sticks didn't like that.
So, is this about money or about 2020, or about missing the adulation?
Am I going to need a Tag for Chelsea? I am resisting.
Labels: 2020, Clinton, Hillary
We Have Lost Our Mind
TRIGGER WARNING: In which the Blog Post talks to "cultural appropriation".
For John, BLUF: I was lost about how God fitted into this thing. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Quoting from the Instapundit.
IOWAHAWK EXPLAINS THINGS:
David Burge
@iowahawkblog
David Burge Retweeted Jeremy Lam
Remember: when Americans wear silk dresses it's cultural appropriation, when people in other countries wear Levis it's American cultural imperialism
Jeremy Lam
@jere_bare
My culture is NOT your goddamn prom dress. https://twitter.com/daumkeziah/status/988115815068139520 …
Better United With Differences
For John, BLUF: Here is a totally bad idea, but it will take a lot of thinking through to realize it. Nothing to see here; just move along.
It's Time For The United States To Divorce Before Things Get Dangerous
This idea of breaking up the country may seem a bit outlandish now, but you won't think so once real domestic unrest comes to your town.
From The Federalist, by Mr Jesse Kelly, 10 April 2018.
Think of this as a thought experiment.
Here is how he author introduces the idea:
"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…" — The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Divorce is hard, but it's easier than cutting the brake lines on your wife's car. It is long past time for an amicable divorce of the United States of America. There is simply no common ground with the Left anymore. We are now the couple screaming at each other all night, every night as the kids hide in their room.
We cannot come together, but we do not have to live like this. The history of the world is nations breaking up and redrawing their borders. If we want to avoid this political divide turning into a deadly one, we should do likewise.
Stop clinging to the past and acknowledge where we are as a country, not where you want us to be, not where things were when your grandpa was storming the beaches of Normandy. Where we truly are.
We are a nation hopelessly divided. We are more divided now than we have ever been in our history. And before you start screaming at me about the Civil War, keep in mind that bloody conflict was fought over one major issue. In those days, take ten families from New York and ten families from Alabama, put them all in a room, and you'd find they mostly had the same values (and bad accents).
I think the problem here is that we are not in big blocks, but are intermixed. For example, even California, Oregon and Washington State, known as Progressive bastions have big patches of Conservatives/Republicans within their own state boundaries. Thus, the idea of The State of Jefferson.
Given that we are intermixed we will see a lot of migration as people move from their homes to new homes in areas where the political and religious ideas are move simpatico. That often results in large numbers of deaths, as when the Greeks left Turkey and with the Patrician of India.
Labels: Progressives, These United States, Trump
Possible Mueller Path
For John, BLUF: Well, here is a plan. The issue is in the assumptions. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Dershowitz: Mueller's goal is to write a report in hopes Congress uses it to impeach Trump
From The Hill, by Ms Rebecca Savransky, 10 April 2018.
Here is the lede plus five:
Attorney Alan Dershowitz said he thinks special counsel Robert Mueller's goal is to produce a report in the hopes that Congress moves to impeach President Trump.
"I think that's the plan," Dershowitz told Fox News's Sean Hannity, when asked about Mueller's ultimate endgame.
Dershowitz added that he doesn't believe Trump should "plead the fifth."
"If he pleads the fifth, Mueller gives him immunity and then he has to testify and immunity doesn't cover impeachment," Dershowitz said.
Mueller is investigating Russian election interference and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Dershowitz's comments come after the FBI on Monday raided the office of Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
If this is the direction the Special Counsel investigation is going it is surely going to set a new, higher, standard with regard to political campaigns. There will be no more hiding of information from the public. We will expect to know about all peccadillos.♠
I guess no more President Bill Clintons.
Or maybe our standards will change.
♠ Will it be going too far to ask if any of the prosecutors have strayed from the straight and narrow if they go after Mr Trump or his Lawyer for trying to hid previous dalliances.
Labels: Congress, Mueller, Russiagate
Crude is the New Blue
For John, BLUF: Can't win. Nothing to see here; just move along.
'She was ASKING for it.' The Daily Beast journo blames Sarah Sanders for making Michelle Wolf BULLY her
From Twitchy, by Sam J, 29 April 2018.
As Twitchy reported, Michelle Wolf said some pretty horrible and unfunny things about Sarah Sanders at the lame White House Correspondent's Dinner last night and from we can tell from her equally lame tweets when people called her out, she's not overly sorry she bullied Trump's press secretary.
Liberals, right?
Welp, seems The Daily Beast's Marlow Stern had someone else in mind to blame for the way Wolf treated Sanders:
Marlow Stern
 @MarlowNYC
The White House purposely sent Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kellyanne Conway to the #WHCD to then feign outrage at the jokes made at their expense, so... don't fall for it
9:56 PM - 28 Apr 2018
Ever been at a T-Intersection, where both the left and right streets were One Way, toward you? I think that is where Sarah Huckabee Sanders is, vis-a-via the White House Correspondents.
God Bless you, Sarah.
Labels: Media, New Civility, Resistance, White House
At This Point, Who Do We Trust
For John, BLUF: If you repeat a lie often enough people begin to believe it, people with the power to change things. Nothing to see here; just move along.
House Report Claims DNI Clapper Engineered Dossier Release
How that might have been the act that got us the special counsel investigation.
From The Weekly Standard, by Mr Eric Felten, 27 April 2018.
Here is the lede plus one:
For example, it was quickly noted by scholars of the Steele dossier that the House document reveals (or, if one is dubious of the House Intel majority's credibility, one can say "asserts" instead) that it was President Barack Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, who helped engineer the public release of the dossier. That release may well be the essential act in producing the special counsel investigation that continues to hang over the Trump administration.
Here's what makes the dossier release essential—and no, it isn't that the release exposed credible evidence of collusion: After more than a year of investigations there is still no evidence (at least no evidence that has been made public) corroborating the dossier's significant allegations against Trump. Rather, without the publication of the dossier, President Trump would not have pressed FBI director James Comey to prove the dossier's allegations false. That pressure is central to the narrative that Trump fired Comey in an effort to obstruct the bureau's Russia investigation. That narrative led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel; the question of whether the president attempted to obstruct justice is reportedly the main issue Mueller's team is still investigating.
So how did the dossier get released? It's important to remember that, for all of its treatment as some kind of "intelligence" report, the dossier was no sort of official intelligence at all. It was Clinton-funded opposition research. The tight wraps on the dossier came not from any government prohibition on its publication, but because the many media outlets in possession of the document were hesitant to make public claims that, for all their efforts, they had been unable to verify, confirm, or corroborate.
The thing is, if you scream "Hitler" often enough you begin to believe it.♠ The end result is that you feel you must act as though the President really was the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler.
The question is, how far are folks willing to go?
From Breitbart we have this headline today: "Dershowitz: Dems 'Prepared to Eliminate Civil Liberties' to Get Trump – I'm Also Critical of GOP on This".
The first paragraph reads:
On Saturday's broadcast of the Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz stated, "Democrats and left-wingers obviously think President Trump is the devil, and they're prepared to eliminate civil liberties." He also criticized Republicans for their trying to expand criminal law and grounds for impeachment to go after the Clintons.
I immediately flash on the scene between Saint Thomas more and his son-in-law, Hugh Roper, in A Man for All Seasons. And two paragraphs down the article makes the same point.
And, the Professor finishes up:
It's always a mistake to expand the criminal law or the grounds for impeachment against your political enemies. Because it's going to come back to bite you in the rear end.
Professor Dershowitz is not wrong here.
♠ Giving rise to the expression, "Drink their own bathwater."
Labels: Civil Rights, Godwin's Law, IC, Mueller, Russiagate
For John, BLUF: How do we restore ethical credibility at DOJ? Nothing to see here; just move along.
The Elitists' Trump Excuse
His critics may be more corrupting to democracy and decency than he is.
From The Wall Street Journal, an Opinion Piece by Mr William McGurn, 23 April 2018.
Here is a bullet point from Mr McGrun which I find pointing to an especially unethical approach:
When Sally Yates was acting attorney general and President Trump issued an executive order on immigration she objected to, Ms. Yates ordered the entire Justice Department not to obey, despite a finding from the department's Office of Legal Counsel that the order was lawful. She was applauded in her insubordination by Andrew Weissmann, then a Justice attorney, who now serves on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. But it's all for a good cause, right?
I don't dispute Ms Yates' right to find something to be illegal, although the finding of the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel should have given her pause. And, if she felt something was unethical or immoral she would have been within her rights. And, every employee owes the boss a "But, Sir". It is a duty one owes to one's supervisor.
It seems that this is not what we got from Acting Attorney General Yates. It appears she decided that she should just say no to the President. Not the kind of thing one should expect from Executive Branch Civil Servants, let alone those filling appointed positions. This was just wrong. She should have just submitted her resignation.
What is equally disturbing is that DOJ Attorney Andrew Weissmann applauded the activities of Ms Yates in circumvention of a lawful Presidential Order. Having thus demonstrated an animus toward President Trump, he then failed to recuse himself from the work of the Special Counsel. Mr Weissmann's actions may not violate the ethical rules of DOJ, but I find it to be unethical in a larger sense. Why would I place any faith in Mr Weissmann's work for the Special Counsel?
Labels: Duty, Ethics, Illegal Immigration, Mueller, Sally Yates
Justice Delayed
For John, BLUF: Here is another reason to think the courts are non funzionale. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Bryon Hefner, Rosenberg's husband, pleads not guilty to multiple charges
From The Boston Globe and the keyboard of Crack Reporter Joshua Miller, 24 April 2018.
If you want to learn about the sordid details you can go to the link, where Reporter Josh Miller lays it all out in a well crafted article.
My concern is that the trial date is set for 25 March 2019. That is almost a year from now. How is that justice for Mr Hefner? How is that justice for those who claim they were his victims.
Labels: Commonwealth, Courts, General Court, Justice, Sexual Misconduct
Entering Uncharted Territory
For John, BLUF: If Donald Trump's election cannot be allowed to stand, then there are only a small number of paths left if he can't be eased out of office via impeachment. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Revolution and Worse to Come
When legal bloodhounds and baying critics fail to take out Trump, what's next? The Resistance wants Trump's head — on the chopping block.
From National Review, by Professor Victor Davis Hanson, 24 April 2018.
Here are the first two paragraphs:
n the domestic and foreign fronts, the Trump administration has prompted economic growth and restored U.S. deterrence. Polls show increased consumer confidence, and in some, Trump himself has gained ground. Yet good news is bad news to the Resistance and its strange continued efforts to stop an elected president in a way it failed to do in the 2016 election.
Indeed, the aim of the so-called Resistance to Donald J. Trump is ending Trump's presidency by any means necessary before the 2020 election. Or, barring that, it seeks to so delegitimize him that he becomes presidentially impotent. It has been only 16 months since Trump took office and, in the spirit of revolutionary fervor, almost everything has been tried to derail him. Now we are entering uncharted territory — at a time when otherwise the country is improving and the legal exposure of Trump's opponents increases daily.
I think this is a pretty fair description of the situation, and the Resistance.
Then we get a recap of recent history
First came the failed lawsuits after the election alleging voting-machine tampering. Then there was the doomed celebrity effort to convince some state electors not to follow their constitutional duty and to deny Trump the presidency — a gambit that, had it worked, would have wrecked the Constitution. Then came the pathetic congressional boycott of the inauguration and the shrill nationwide protests against the president.
Next was the sad effort to introduce articles of impeachment. After that came weird attempts to cite Trump for violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. That puerile con was followed by plans to declare him deranged and mentally unfit so that he could be removed under the 25th Amendment. From time to time, Obama holdovers in the DOJ, National Security Council, and FBI sought to leak information, or they refused to carry out presidential orders.
As the Resistance goes from one ploy to the next, it ignores its string of failed prior efforts, forgetting everything and learning nothing. State nullification is no longer neo-Confederate but an any-means-necessary progressive tool. Suing the government weekly is proof of revolutionary fides, not a waste of California's taxpayer dollars.
The event that really stands out for me is Acting Attorney General Sally Yates refusing to implement a Presidential Order with regard to Immigration. Sure, every subordinate owes the boss a "But, Sir". However, it didn't appear, from the news reports, that Ms Yates asked to meet with the President to put her position to him one-on-one. And, she didn't tender her resignation, which would have been the honorable thing to do when one feels there is an ethical or legal impediment to executing the order. No, she just told President Trump to pound sand. Not very professional Does she feel the Department of Justice is independent of the Executive Branch? Where did she go to law school? .
Here is how Professor Hanson wraps it up:
The danger to the country this time around is that the Left has so destroyed the old protocols of the opposition party that it will be hard to resurrect them when progressives return to power.
We are entering revolutionary times. The law is no longer equally applied. The media are the ministry of truth. The Democratic party is a revolutionary force. And it is all getting scary.
From this article I take it that the author thinks if Special Counsel Mueller strikes out, in the end, and especially if the Boston Globe touted Blue Tsunami doesn't happen in November, that the Progressives/Never Trumpers only have revolutionary violence remaining. The Author alludes to the French Revolution and the Committee of Public Safety. That would not be good. That would not be good because what comes next is Madame La Guillotine, or some suitable substitute.
Labels: 2016, Democrats, History, Impeachment, Mueller, Progressives, Resistance, Russiagate, Trump
California to Vote on Dividing in November
For John, BLUF: There are major cultural differences amongst the various regions of California. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Voters could decide whether to split California into three smaller states
The original article is from CBS New, 13 April 2018.
Here is how the article begins:
California voters may soon be asked to decide whether their state is too big and should broken into three, separate states. Venture capitalist Tim Draper, who pushed for a six-state proposal, now has a three-state proposal called "CAL3," according to CBS San Francisco.
Draper did not have enough signatures to get his six-state measure on the California ballot in 2016. For this new proposal, he needs 366,000 signatures. On Thursday, he announced that he has more than 600,000 signatures.
"I'm proud to announce we've collected more than enough signatures to qualify for the 2018 ballot," Draper said.
Here is The New York Times map of the proposed division of California, come the Election in November:
This would not be the first attempt to divide California. And it shouldn't appear strange to people from Massachusetts.
Labels: 2018, California, Commonwealth, History
For John, BLUF: You know the score. Nothing to see here; just move along.
JACK GOLDSMITH ON THE DEEP STATE
Jack Goldsmith, writing in the Guardian, tells us that the "deep state" is real and dangerous. His assertions carry weight for two reasons.
From the Power Line Blog, by Mr Paul Mirengoff, 22 April 2018.
You can read the Power Line Blog here, or the original Guardian article here, or you can buy the book Mr Goldsmith is flogging, Power and Constraint, here.
Labels: Deep Government
The DNC Sues
For John, BLUF: This seems like an unforced error on the part of the Democratic Party Apparatchiks. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Dear DNC: We Need To Talk About RICO
From the Pope Hat Blog, by Mr Ken White, 23 April 2018.
This relates to the Democratic National Committee lawsuit against the Trump Campaign, which was dropped last week.
Here is a key paragraph:
First, federal judges hate RICO. They hate it because it's unseriously overused by litigants without enough confidence to let their core substantive claims speak for themselves. There are three groups that use RICO indiscriminately: pro se litigants complaining that the Bureau of Indian Affairs implanted SatNav in their junk, plaintiffs' attorneys of the sort who go to court in a sports coat they keep in their glove compartment, and professional vexatious litigants. That's why many federal judges often have standard orders they issue in civil RICO cases that say, in effect, "you think you have a valid RICO claim? Fine, answer these 20 complicated questions to help me sort it out." Judges don't do that for other claims. So: when you come into court with a RICO claim, you start (at best) with the judge suspicious of your professionalism and credibility.
In the depth of my heart I wonder if this lawsuit will end up just being an embarrassment for the Democrats.
And, I wonder, as this unwinds, if President Trump will give Mr Julian Assange a pardon (and cut a deal with Teresa May to let him leave the Ecuador Embassy to travel to the States), so he can come to the US to testify.
Labels: 2018, DNC, Russiagate
Educational Collapse
For John, BLUF: Yes, some of the ten suggest a failure of leadership. Nothing to see here; just move along.
10 Things Teachers DID NOT Have to Deal With 10 Years Ago
From The Educators Room, by Educator Jeremy S. Adams, 16 April 2018.
It is a quick read and nicely organized, with ten short topics and explanations for each.
Labels: Education
Tenth Amendment Democrats (For Now)
For John, BLUF: I think of Senator Schumer as a bit of a grand stander. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren are all for state autonomy — when the GOP's in charge
Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren want states to decide their own marijuana policies. They're big federalism fans — when the GOP's running America.
From USA Today, by Law Professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds, 23 April 2018.
If hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue, then Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has delivered a whopping tribute to the constitutional doctrine of federalism.
In a series of tweets, he announced: "Today, I am formally announcing my plan to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. It's time we allow states, once and for all, to have the power to decide what works best for them. I have long believed that states should function as their own laboratories of democracy. My bill is a step in the right direction aimed at removing the barriers to state legalization efforts." —
Schumer was joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who said: "The federal government needs to get out of the business of outlawing marijuana. States should make their own decisions about enforcing marijuana laws."
Ah, the idea that the individual States are the "laboratories of democracy" meme. I think it is just political opportunism. But, when you are losing to President Trump you need to exploit your opportunities.
Here are my thoughts on Mary Jane:
It should be legal, like alcohol.
It is bad for you, but, free will and all that.
Smoking it in public is not just impolite, but perhaps bad for the health of those around you.
No Government entity is going to make money off the taxing of the sale of marijuana.
People under the age of 23, at which point the brain is pretty well formed, should be banned from using it
The Author, Professor Reynolds, the InstaPundit, wonders, further into the article, if Senators Schumer and Warren would feel the same way about guns and abortion. I doubt they would. I doubt they are all that happy with the Electoral College.
Labels: Drug War, Electoral College, Federalism, Local Government, Schumer, Taxes, Tenth Amendment, Warren
For John, BLUF: This is becoming a little like the Salam Witch Hunts. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Why is Clarence Thomas still on the Supreme Court?
From The Boston Globe, by WGBH Co-Hoast Ms Margery Eagan, 23 April 2018.
This is the #MeToo issue and the current moral panic over sexual harassment. In this case it is about US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by Ms Anita Hill. The Accusations didn't prevent Justice Thomas' confirmation back in 1991.
The OpEd is just throwing stuff at the wall. There is no suggestion that US Rep Seth Mouton introduce articles of Impeachment and that Senator E Warren lead the prosecution in the Senate. Should we have demonstrations on Boston Common until Justice Thomas sets down?
If sexual harassment is as pervasive as is being suggested we need to find a path to rehabilitation and reconciliation, lest we find ourselves with millions of otherwise qualified men out of work and living on the dole, pariahs in our society, perhaps moving toward being derelicts.
I expect better of Ms Egan. What is the path forward? Remember, this isn't just about a couple of hundred Hollywood big wigs, plus Woody Allen. We are talking about millions of unregenerated men across the fruited plain.
If you have any suggests for helping us avert a major economic and moral disaster, send them to Ms Egan, at WGBH.
Labels: Justice, SCOTUS, Sexual Misconduct
Democrat Apparatchiks Try To Control Primaries
For John, BLUF: What California has done will upset your plan for primaries. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Fearing Chaos, National Democrats Plunge Into Midterm Primary Fights
It is The Old Gray Lady and Reporter Alexander Burns, 21 April 2018.
This is about where I voted for almost thee decades; Orange Count, California. Except that now they have changed the rules and there is a common primary election, with the top two, regardless of party, going to the General Election, in November. That means that the General Election could be a Democrat vs a Republican or two Democrats or two Republicans.
Here is how the story starts:
The Democrats' message to Mai Khanh Tran was polite but unsparing. With half a dozen Democrats running for Congress in her Orange County district, they showed her a discouraging poll and argued that she could not win — and risked fracturing the party in the June primary election.
Ms. Tran pointedly replied that she was "the only qualified woman, the only immigrant and the only physician in the race."
"I said to them, frankly, let the voters decide," recalled Ms. Tran, a pediatrician.
The national Democratic Party was not chastened: On Wednesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took sides in that House race and backed Gil Cisneros, a Navy veteran and former Republican.
With their forceful intervention in Orange County, national Democrats have lunged into an impatient new phase of the 2018 primary season — one in which they are clashing more openly with candidates and local political chieftains in their drive to assemble a slate of recruits for the midterms.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the National Party arrives in our 3rd Congressional District, here in Massachusetts.
Labels: 2018, California, DNC, Primary
Do We Really Know the Facts Regarding Guns?
For John, BLUF: Yes, defensive gun use is a thing, and a big thing. Nothing to see here; just move along.
CDC, in Surveys It Never Bothered Making Public, Provides More Evidence that Plenty of Americans Innocently Defend Themselves with Guns
CDC surveys in the 1990s, never publicly reported, indicate nearly 2.5 million defensive uses of guns a year. That matches the results of Gary Kleck's controversial surveys, and it indicates more defensive than offensive uses of guns.
From Reason Magazine, by Mr Brian Doherty, 20 April 2018.
Many people who support gun control are angry that the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are not legally allowed to use money from Congress to do research whose purpose is "to advocate or promote gun control." (This is not the same as doing no research into gun violence, though it seems to discourage many potential recipients of CDC money.)
But in the 1990s, the CDC itself did look into one of the more controversial questions in gun social science: How often do innocent Americans use guns in self-defense, and how does that compare to the harms guns can cause in the hands of violent criminals?
It is free. Read the whole article.
Labels: Guns, Second Amendment, Statistics
Rules (and Common Sense) Ignored
For John, BLUF: Are there no ethics down in DC? Rules for thee, but not for me? Nothing to see here; just move along.
Judge Presses For Progress in FBI Leak Case
From the Blog Site, The Future of Capitolism, by Mr Ira Stoll, 20 April 2018.
Here is how it starts off:
A federal judge is threatening to appoint a "private prosecutor" to press a criminal investigation about FBI leaks to the press in an insider trading case.
The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation in December 2016 into the leaks. But progress has been slow, or opaque, enough that Judge P. Kevin Castel of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York issued a two-page order on April 2, 2018, raising the prospect of hiring his own lawyer.
This has nothing to do with Russiagate. But, it is a bad sign that a Federal Judge is upset about leaking by the FBI.
When I was a junior functionary in the Pentagon I thought that those who leaked information, always in the furtherance of their personal agenda, were unethical low lifes. I still lean that way. Earn it by the power of your arguments or go away.
Labels: DC, DOJ, Ethics, FBI, Financial Markets, Justice, Leaking, Russiagate
"The Fundamental Things Apply"
For John, BLUF: Who hSN'T SEEN Casablanca? Nothing to see here; just move along.
Playing it over and over again: how Casablanca was made
The story behind the movie that defines the movies is one of immigrants, timing and a "son of a bitch" director.
From The New Statesman, (UK), by Mr Tom Shone, 14 April 2018.
Just another look at Casablanca, a timeless movie.
Play it Sam, Play "As Time Goes By"
Funnily, two lines go:
Yet we get a trifle weary With Mr. Einstein's theory.
But yet it still had an important role to play just a couple of years on.
Labels: History, Hollywood, WWII
Looking at Looking at Global Warming
For John, BLUF: Color commentary rather than facts. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Climate Derp
From L'Ombre de l'Olivier, by Mr Francis Turner, 19 April 2018.
It starts:
The Wapo (Tagline – Where Journalism Dies in Darkness) has an article about how Climate Change Glowball Worming is harming Virginia, The article is risible on many levels and is pretty much a regurgitation of a PR from the Natural Resources Defense Council without querying any of the rather iffy things that the NRDC claims. Therefore it needs a good fisking to set the story straight.
It isn't a great fisking, but it is a good fisking.
I am with the author, who characterizes himself thusly:
Full disclosure I'm what is generally known as a "Lukewarmer" climate skeptic – i.e. I think the earth has warmed in the 20th century and humanity (and CO2 emissions) may be responsible for some of that warming, however I don't think future warming is likely to amount to much and is highly unlikely to be catastrophic
Labels: CAGW, Media, Press, Science
Lack of Self-Control on the Left
For John, BLUF: We need to be sensitive to anti-Semitism around us, as it is the canary in the mineshaft. Nothing to see here; just move along.
D.C. Legislator Who Said Jews Control The Weather Allegedly Donated To Anti-Semite Farrakhan's Event
From The Daily Wire, by Mr Hank Berrien, 20 April 2018.
Here are the key two paragraphs:
The Washington, D.C. council member who triggered a volume of criticism for insinuating Jews control the weather and later ditched a U.S. Holocaust Memorial tour halfway through the tour, has now been accused of making a donation to the very event at which vehement racist and anti-Semitic Louis Farrakhan made virulent anti-Semitic remarks.
Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) has been asked for details of the $500 donation he made to the Nation of Islam's Saviours' Day Event in Chicago, where Farrakhan declared "powerful Jews are my enemy," and stated Jews "were responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men."
The casual anti-semitism of the left is very bothersome.
And, this fits in with the City Journal "Delusions of Justice" article. The sub-headline was "American Jews should wake up to which side their most dangerous enemies are on." The author is Mr Joel Kotkin, on 19 April 2018.
"OUCH! David Axelrod pours ICE-COLD water on DNC's lawsuit, and the Dems WON'T like it"
Labels: Antisemitism, Progressives
"What is Truth?"
For John, BLUF: Since I moved up here to Massachusetts I have also come to have my doubts about The Boston Globe. Nothing to see here; just move along.
The Times Best-Seller List: Another Reason Americans Don't Trust the Media
The newspaper's 'fake news' about books
From National Review, by Mr Dennis Prager, 17 April 2018.
Mr Prager, a published author, starts out as follows:
About half the American people do not believe the mainstream media tell the truth. They believe the media are more interested in promoting their left-wing views than reporting the truth.
I am, I note with sadness, a member of that half.
Here is but one more example: the New York Times best-seller list.
As a writer (who, for the record, had a previous book on that list), I have long known it isn't a best-seller list, and I don't pay attention to it. But I paid attention last week to see whether my recently published book, which opened up on Amazon as the second-best-selling book in America, was on the list. It wasn't.
It isn't like all the news is fake, but one has to be careful. As with all research, one needs to include control groups, just to be sure.
In the old days,s before I retired retired I would buy the Sunday Edition of The Old Gray Lady, mostly for MoDo's column and the Book Review.
Labels: Media, Truth
For John, BLUF: The Bridge Rule is "A cheap trick now costs you later". Nothing to see here; just move along.
REPORT: Attorney for @CNN and @NYTIMES convinced judge to publicly name Sean Hannity
From Twitchy, by Greg P, 17 April 2018.
Here's a little tidbit from yesterday's Michael Cohen hearing that's pretty interesting…
According to reports from inside the courtroom, Judge Kimba Wood was ready to allow Michael Cohen to submit the name of his 3rd client — who we now know is Sean Hannity — under seal, but an attorney for CNN and the New York Times convinced her otherwise.
I just want to see other media going after CNN and The Old Gray Lady with friend of court briefs, just to keep it even.
Hat tip to the Drudge Report.
Labels: CNN, Media, Russiagate
The Beginning of the End, at Least They Hope
For John, BLUF: If you think Progressives tend to be atheists, you missed the absolute faith they have in the eventual impeachment or resignation of President Trump. Some even believe that Mrs Hillary Clinton will return as President. This is wilder than the Apocalypse of Saint John. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Please Stop Predicting the End of Trump's Presidency
Unless you can explain exactly how he gets impeached or why he resigns.
From Slate, by Mr Jim Newell, 16 April 2018.
Democrats and some concerned Republicans have been warning for months that firing special counsel Robert Mueller would be a point of no return for President Donald Trump. That speculative frontier advanced even further over the weekend, after the New Yorker's Adam Davidson declared that the Trump presidency has now entered its "end stages," following a raid on the office and hotel room of Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen. What these predictions rather conspicuously lack is any attempt to explain precisely the series of events that would be Trump's formal undoing.
In the case of Mueller's firing, Democrats, in typical Democratic Party fashion, have coalesced behind a talking point first used by a Republican in which they find some powerful, unifying value. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has been saying all along that such a move would mark "the beginning of the end" of Trump's presidency. When I asked Democratic senators last week whether firing Mueller would be an impeachable offense, they declined to answer, echoing Graham's warning about the "beginning of the end" of Trump's presidency.
Democrats say this because they don't believe that raising the specter of impeachment is politically wise, especially when they're in no position to make good on such a threat. Democrats don't control either chamber of Congress, and they're not at all sure that firing Mueller would plummet Trump's support among Republican voters and convince GOP congressmen to help impeach him. In other words, they have no idea whether firing Mueller would mark "the beginning of the end" of Trump's presidency. It could just kick his approval rating into the lower 30s until a few news cycles pass, after which the Trump presidency returns to being generally unpopular but potentially survivable.
Democrats have no idea whether firing Mueller would mark "the beginning of the end" of Trump's presidency. But forget about Mueller. The new rage is the investigation into Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, whose office and hotel room agents from the Southern District of New York raided last week. With the investigation—both investigations? All investigations?—now turning toward Trump's business and personal dealings, the public will see a fuller presentation of the Trump Organization's crookedness and shabby infrastructure.
Mr Newell references a The New Yorker article by Mr Adam Davidson, on 14 April, "Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency". Mr Davidson is apparently not a deep believer. His article doesn't mention the Second Coming of Hillary Clinton, but it is full of hope. Here is the Conclusion:
Of course Trump is raging and furious and terrified. Prosecutors are now looking at his core. Cohen was the key intermediary between the Trump family and its partners around the world; he was chief consigliere and dealmaker throughout its period of expansion into global partnerships with sketchy oligarchs. He wasn't a slick politico who showed up for a few months. He knows everything, he recorded much of it, and now prosecutors will know it, too. It seems inevitable that much will be made public. We don't know when. We don't know the precise path the next few months will take. There will be resistance and denial and counterattacks. But it seems likely that, when we look back on this week, we will see it as a turning point. We are now in the end stages of the Trump Presidency.
As Alexander Pope said:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast
Labels: Media, Mueller, Russiagate, Trump
Questions Never Asked
For John, BLUF: So here is an example of how the media is not interested in the truth, just the narrative. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Comey Claims Nobody Asked About Clinton Obstruction Before Today
The former FBI director, during his book tour, fielded plenty of questions about the behavior of President Donald Trump
From Polizette, by Ms Kathryn Blackhurst, 18 Apr 2018.
When WTOP's Joan Jones asked former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday if the "smashing of cellphones and destruction of thousands of emails" during the investigation into Hillary Clinton was "obstruction of justice," Comey said that he had never been asked that question before.
"You have raised the specter of obstruction of justice charges with the president of the United States," Jones said to Comey concerning his new book, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership." The book was released earlier this week.
"Some are asking, though, 'Why wouldn't smashing of cellphones and destruction of thousands of emails during an investigation clearly be obstruction of justice?'" Jones asked Comey.
Comey replied, "Now that's a great question. That's the first time I've been asked that."
Frankly, this says more about the Press than it does about Mr Comey.
Labels: 2016, Comey, Hillary, Media
Schumer as Sampson
For John, BLUF: The Democrats remind me of the phrase from my childhood: "You would bite off your nose to spite your face." Nothing to see here; just move along.
Schumer: Trump firing Rosenstein would spark 'constitutional crisis'
This was back on 10 April 2018. It is from The Hill, by Reporter Jordain Carney.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned President Trump on Tuesday that removing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would spark a "constitutional crisis" given the Justice Department official's role overseeing the special counsel probe.
"I'd like to make something crystal clear to the president: Mr. President, any attempt to remove Rod Rosenstein will create the exact same constitutional crisis as if you fired special counsel [Robert] Mueller," Schumer told reporters on Tuesday.
I would think the Senate Minority Leader threatening the President of the United States, a member of the other party, is, of and in itself, a Constitutional Crisis. One can only conclude that if the Democrats get their "Blue Wave" in November that Senator Schumer and his ilk will come after the President hammer and tong. It will be ugly and it will be just the playing out of a Constitutional Crisis in which the Democrats continue to dispute the results of the 2016 Election.
And think what this will mean for 2020. If the Democrats win the White House in that election, say with Joe Biden at the head of their ticket, smearing all Republicans as Racists, will there be any self-respecting Republican who will accept the outcome as fair and legitimate?
Labels: 2016, 2020, Biden, Constitution, Russiagate, Schumer, Trump
Judge Harry Stone (RIP)
For John, BLUF: I always enjoyed the show. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Harry Anderson, 'Night Court' Star, Dies at 65
From Variety, by Reporter Cynthia Littleton, 16 April 2018.
Harry Anderson, the amiable actor who presided over the NBC comedy "Night Court" for nine seasons, has died at his home in Asheville, N.C., according to a local media report. He was 65.
On Night Court he gave us all hope for justice.
Labels: Justice, RIP
R Lee Ermey, (RIP)
For John, BLUF: A great actor. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Hollywood Blacklisted R. Lee Ermey for Thought Crimes Against Barack Obama
From Breitbart, by Reporter John Note, 16 Apr 2018.
Here is the lede plus two:
Actor R. Lee Ermey, who died at 74 of pneumonia Sunday morning, was Exhibit A in the New Hollywood Blacklist. After criticizing Barack Obama in 2010, Ermey's thriving film career immediately dried up. Even after apologizing, he was ostracized, fired by GEICO insurance and never did another commercial. After disappearing completely for a few years, he managed to appear in a couple of C-grade reality shows in the last few years of his life.
Iconic and talented, Ermey was a walking-talking example of left-wing Hollywood's intolerance toward those they condemn as thought criminals.
Ermey, who was known to his friends as "Gunny," enlisted in the Marines in 1961 when he was only 17, and spent 14 months in Vietnam before earning a honorable discharge after 11 years of service.
I have never seen the movie Full Metal Jacket, but the character played by Mr Ermey is, even in the outtakes, iconic.
He voted for Senator Barack Obama for President and then two years later became disillusioned, and made the mistake of saying so publicly. And thus he was blacklisted by Hollywood.
A Marine.
Labels: Hollywood, Prejudice, RIP
DAG Rosenstein Feels He Did Right
For John, BLUF: There is still a lot to learn about DOJ in 2016. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Rosenstein Nukes Comey: Americans Don't Have All The Facts On Him
From The Daily Wire, by Mr Ryan Saavedra, 13 April 2018.
On Friday, a newly-released report revealed that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has allegedly told multiple people in private conversations that he did the right thing by firing disgraced former FBI Director James Comey, insisting that the American public does not yet have all the facts about him.
Rosenstein has reportedly told confidantes that he is prepared to be fired, saying that he is at peace with the likelihood because he knows he did the job with integrity. NBC News reports:
Rosenstein has said in recent private conversations that history will prove he did the right thing by firing Comey in May 2017, claiming that the American people do not have all the facts about what led to his decision to write the memo that led to Comey's dismissal, the sources said.
For those of you who don't trust The Daily Wire, he is a Link to the original NBC News article.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is standing on a windy corner. I wish him well.
And, I am looking forward to reading the DOJ IG Report, " A Report of Investigation of Certain Allegations Relating to Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe",which has gone to the US Congress. The public release does have redactions.
Labels: Comey, DOJ, FBI, Justice, Russiagate
Never Getting It Right
For John, BLUF: With the Feds tell the truth or take the Fifth. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Jake Tapper Falsely Claims Scooter Libby "Leaked" Noted Anti-Semite Conspiracy Theorist Valerie Plame's Name to Press; Refuses to Correct
From the Ace of Spades, on 13 April 2018.
Jake is wrong. Mr I Lewis Libby♠ didn't leak the name. Just flat out wrong.♥
Incidentally, Mr Lewis was not convicted of "burning" Ms Valerie Plsme, but of lying to the FBI.♦
O F F E N S I V E L A N G U A G E W A R N I N G
Not here, but at the link at the top.
President Trump did give Mr Lewis a full pardon on Friday the 13th.
♠ Full disclosure, while in the Pentagon for my second tour I interacted with Mr Lewis, a little.
♥ While Mr Lewis did get his law license back, it took President Trump to give him the pardon.
♦ Yes, it is OK for the Feds to lie to you, but not for you to lie to the Feds. I think that is very un-American.
Labels: CNN, Comey, DOJ, Espionage, FBI, Fifth Amendment, Justice
Whither Mueller?
For John, BLUF: This soap opera will probably go on for years. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Mueller probe at a crossroads: Four critical decisions it faces
From The San Jose Mercury, on Friday the 13th (of April), Professor Victor Davis Hanson, talks to the future of the Special Council Probe.
Here are his options for the future:
One, Mueller can wind up his investigations now. He can write a report affirming that he has found no evidence while conducting his originally assigned inquiry: Donald Trump did not collude with the Russians to throw the election hisway.
Two, Mueller might pause and await Inspector General Michael Horowitz's report concerning possible Department of Justice and FBI abuses pertaining to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court.
Three, Mueller could continue to investigate anyone close to the Trump campaign for another year. If he did that, he would confirm that his inquiry has descended into a political cause. If Mueller calibrates the release of his findings to the fall midterm elections, he will be hailed by Trump opponents as a crusading prosecutor — despite finding nothing related to collusion. A Democratic takeover of Congress would shut down congressional investigations of FBI and DOJ wrongdoing and further empower Mueller.
Four, Mueller couldbmore evenly apply his investigations of lying, obstruction of justice and collusion during the 2016 campaign. For example, in his search for instances of lying, Mueller might also re-examine the false testimonies given to investigators by McCabe and by Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin.
I think the old wine grower sums it up nicely.
Frankly, whatever Mr Mueller does after about Independence Day will influence the election adversely for the Republicans, unless he comes out and says that the Democrats (or FBI/DOJ) were trying to stage a coup against President Trump. Baring that finding it will appear to many Republicans, if the report comes out at that point or later, that Mr Mueller was colluding with Nancy and Chuck to influence the US elections in November However, those in the undecided middle will probably go with the Democrats.♠
However, the WORST possible outcome would be for Mr Mueller to dump his report, on say 1 August, and have the Republicans retain control of both houses. That would cause the Democrats to restate, more boldly, their claim of Russian collusion and interference.
I do wonder what the writer would think of my thesis of Trump as Dreyfus?
Do you think there is a sign, somewhere in the Special Prosecutor spaces, that reads: "Winning is Everything. Ethics is for Losers."
Hat tip to my Brother Lance.
♠ Baring Kim Jung-un becoming President Trump's best buddy and giving up his nuclear weapons program.
Labels: 2018, Democrats, DOJ, FBI, Mueller, Russiagate, Trump
And What Did He Do About It?
For John, BLUF: It is beginning to appear that Special Counsel Robert Mueller, appealing to the same higher morality that former FBI Director James Comey appeals to, has the ethics of an Andrew Weissmann. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Howie Carr: Come clean on FBI frame-up, Bob Mueller
Do you think the Special Counsel spaces holds a sign that reads:
Winning is Everything.
Ethics is for Losers.
From The Boston Herald and the computer of Howie Carr, Thursday, 12 April 2018.
Here is the lede plus six:
What did Bob Mueller know about the FBI's framing of four innocent men for a murder they didn't commit, and when did he know it?
This is an important question for the "special counsel," and for two days I've been emailing his press office, asking for answers about his tenure in the U.S. attorney's office here, specifically, his time as acting US attorney in 1986-87.
No response. Zip, zero, nada.
This is a major FBI scandal, perhaps the most outrageous one in American history. The FBI railroaded four men to prison for a murder the G-men knew they did not commit, and then made sure they remained in prison for upwards of 30 years.
They (or their estates, because two of them died in prison) were eventually awarded a total of $102 million in 2007 by a federal judge for false imprisonment.
The four men were Henry Tameleo, Peter Limone, Louis Greco and Joseph Salvati. They were convicted of murdering a small-time hoodlum named Teddy Deegan in a Chelsea alley in March 1965. An FBI informant named Joe Barboza committed perjury in a state trial in 1968, to settle some old scores and protect one of his old friends, another serial killer who was the brother of another serial-killing FBI informant.
The FBI knew Barboza was lying. On March 19, 1965, one of the crooked G-men in the office, who later died in a prison hospital while under indictment for a 1981 gangland hit in Tulsa, wrote a memo to J. Edgar Hoover pointing out the names of the actual murderers of Deegan.
And then there is this take. Newsmax, back on Sunday, 8 April of this year had this headline: "Alan Dershowitz Rips Special Counsel Mueller as 'a Partisan and Zealot'". And the same frame up of four innocent men comes up in the article. The reporter is Mr Eric Mack.
Ripping FBI special counsel Robert Mueller as a political "zealot," Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz reminded staunch Mueller supporters about the former FBI director's role in protecting "notorious mass murderer" Whitey Bulger as an FBI informant.
"I think Mueller is a zealot," Dershowitz told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y. ". . . I don't think he cares whether he hurts Democrats or Republicans, but he's a partisan and zealot.
"He's the guy who kept four innocent people in prison for many years in order to protect the cover of Whitey Bulger as an FBI informer. Those of us in Boston don't have such a high regard for Mueller because we remember this story. The government had to pay out tens of millions of dollars because Whitey Bulger, a notorious mass murderer, became a government informer against the mafia ...
Yes, my membership in the ACLU has lapsed, because they are doing nothing for us. They even rolled over for the raid on President Trump's personal lawyer, Mr Cohen. Not even a whimper.♠
Hat tip to the The Howie Carr Show.
♠ Blind rage against another person can be an ugly thing. Worse is a self-righteous belief that one is saving the world from pure evil.
Labels: Boston, Comey, Ethics, Justice, Mueller, Rule of Law, Russiagate
As Pure As Caesar's Wife
For John, BLUF: Maybe we are returning to a more traditional Puritanism. Or maybe we are just going to jettison all standards. Nothing to see here; just move along.
FBI sought Trump 'Access Hollywood' tape info in Cohen raid: report
From The Hill, by Ms Jacqueline Thomsen, 11 April 2018.
FBI agents who raided the office of President Trump's personal lawyer sought records related to the 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape released shortly before the 2016 election, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The agents wanted records related to the tape, in which Trump can be heard talking about grabbing and kissing women without their consent. They also were looking for any evidence that the lawyer, Michael Cohen, had tried to conceal damaging information about Trump during the election, sources briefed on the warrant told the Times.
Labels: Clinton, Russiagate, Sexual Misconduct, Trump
Lawyering Up
For John, BLUF: This is an interesting development. I wonder if the Special Counsel war gamed this? Nothing to see here; just move along.
Russian firm charged in election interference case hires attorneys
The move could be a gambit to obtain evidence from the U.S. and force a public trial without putting individuals at risk of prison.
From Politico, by Mr Josh Gerstein, 11 April 2018.
A Russian company criminally charged with interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election formally notified a federal judge Wednesday that it has retained U.S. attorneys — a move that could be a bid to gain access to evidence that special counsel Robert Mueller's office gathered in preparing the case.
Two Washington-area attorneys — Eric Dubelier and Kate Seikaly of law firm Reed Smith — filed official appearances on behalf of Concord Management and Consulting.
The firm is one of three companies and 13 individuals charged in a February grand jury indictment with using social media and various agents in the U.S. to foment political and social discord here before and after the 2016 election through a St. Petersburg-based enterprise known as the Internet Research Agency.
When the criminal case was filed, many legal experts predicted it would lie dormant indefinitely and never go to trial because none of the defendants were likely to set foot in the U.S. or in a country from which they could be readily extradited. However, no individual is required to appear on behalf of a corporate defendant, other than a lawyer for the company.
The thing about giving corporations personhood is that they, the corporation, can go to court. Here is how University of Michigan law professor David Uhlmann, a former Justice Department official puts it:
A corporation under U.S. law enjoys personhood status and is entitled to many of the same procedural protections as individuals, including the right to counsel and the right to trial by jury. A corporate criminal defendant also has the same right to obtain discovery of the case against it.
Maybe the Government will drop the case, just to avoid having to disclose what they know, including exculpatory information. It is an interesting move.
Labels: DOJ, Justice, Mueller, Russia, Russiagate
For John, BLUF: We, as a nation, are closely divided. We need to look for ways to work together. Nothing to see here; just move along.
History proves that Americans can unite even when torn in two
From The New York Post, by Salena Zito, 7 April 2018.
APPOMATTOX, VA. — On April 9, 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee strode onto the porch of a two-story brick home and stared out at a lawn filled with Union soldiers, his Confederate staff of two, and his horse Traveler.
Still wearing full military dress, Lee raised his gloved hands and punched his left fist into his right palm. The sound of leather meeting leather echoed in the unsteady silence.
Then, as Lee mounted Traveler, Major Gen. Ulysses S. Grant emerged from the house onto the porch.
Now facing each other, Grant raised his hat, as did Lee. It wasn't a salute, but clearly an acknowledgment of the moment.
As Lee turned towards the dirt road and headed east towards his troops, the 198th Pennsylvania Infantry played "Auld Lang Syne."
The Civil War was over.
The resolution wasn't perfect, but General Grant was magnanimous.
Here is the end of the article:
As the two generals waited for their treaty to be prepared in McLean's parlor, Grant introduced Lee to his staff, including Lt. Col. Ely Parker, a Seneca Indian, who later recalled their exchange.
"It's good to see one real American here today," Lee told him.
"General, we are all Americans today," Parker replied.
Grant and Lee understood that a divided nation is a toxic nation — and that moment 153 years ago should serve as a reminder for all of us, to not just look to the bad and condemn, but to look to the good and apply it to our lives today.
We need to remember, as Americans, that things have been worse, but, working as one nation we have improved our lives. We are not perfect, but we have come a long way, together.
Labels: Civil War, History, These United States
Keep Your Thoughts To Yourself
For John, BLUF: We have to do a good job of opening up space for alternative ideas, because that is how we grow. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Penn Trustee Emeritus resigns over University 'treatment of Amy Wax'
This is about Penn State Law Professor Amy Wax, who has published, with University of San Diego Law Professor Larry Alexander, an Opinion Piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer (9 August 2017), "Paying the price for breakdown of the country's bourgeois culture". This was summed up by The Daily Pennsylvanian here.
So, Professor Wax was sent to Coventry by the Penn Law School leadership.
From The Daily Pennsylvanian, by Ms Sarah Fortinsky, 9 April 2018.
Penn Trustee Emeritus and Penn Law School Overseer Paul Levy sent a letter of resignation to Penn President Amy Gutmann on April 6 over recent actions taken against Penn Law School professor Amy Wax. A copy of the letter was also sent to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
As of April 9, Levy is no longer listed as a member of Penn's Board of Trustees or a member of the Penn Law Board of Overseers.
"Preventing Wax from teaching first-year students doesn't right academic or social wrongs," Levy wrote in the letter. "Rather, you are suppressing what is crucial to the liberal educational project: open, robust and critical debate over differing views of important social issues."
I am glad to see Mr Paul Levy stand up for free speech and free thought. Maybe it will be a trend.
Labels: Free Speech, Higher Education, Tolerance
Approved Before Disapproved
For John, BLUF: Our belief in majority rule and minority rights seems to be going away. Nothing to see here; just move along.
The Hardening of Leftist Contempt
The Word of the Day is "defenestration" — "the action of throwing someone or something out of a window: death by defenestration has a venerable history."
From American Greatness, by Ms Charlotte Allen, 10 April 2018.
ast week, as former National Review writer Kevin D. Williamson was defenestrated abruptly from his brand-new post as token "conservative" columnist for the Atlantic over his hardline stance on abortion, I was going through a bit of an abrupt left-wing defenestration of my own. So, Kevin: #MeToo.
I was curtly and unexpectedly barred from covering the 19th annual White Privilege Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the Weekly Standard, even though: 1) I had signed up for a press badge at least a month in advance, carefully and honestly identifying my conservative-press affiliation (the conference has been afflicted by right-wing reporters passing themselves off as participants, but I don't do undercover); 2) I agreed in writing to an elaborate set of restrictions on my reporting, including no recording (fine—I'd just take notes); no reproduction of conference "content" such as handouts; no interviews without organizers' permission, and so forth; and 3) I was actually given a press badge at the conference, a silky lavender piece of ribbon to wear around my neck bearing the word "Press" in prominent gold letters. I (or actually the Standard) had to pay for my attendance, instead of getting in free as is often the case for media. But as I already knew, there are hardly any freebies when it comes to bashing white privilege.
We are going with "safe spaces" to the exclusion of any whose thinking is even marginally different.
Labels: Intolerance, Tolerance
The Press Morphed
For John, BLUF: Notwithstanding the way it is attacked, our local paper, The Sun, is pretty good. Nothing to see here; just move along.
The 2016 Election and the Demise of Journalistic Standards
From Imprimis, by Mr Michael Goodwin of The New York Post, from the May/June 2017 edition.
The article is adapted from a speech delivered on April 20, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar.
You have the link, so go read the article.
Labels: Bien-pensant, History, Media, MSM, The Sun
Schumer Saves the Day
For John, BLUF: I don't think President Trump should be firing anyone in Main Justice, nor anyone from the Special Counsel Office, but that doesn't mean that I hold those folks in a lot of respect. Nothing to see here; just move along.
From The Hill, by Reporter Jordain Carney, 10 April 2018.
Here is the quote from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:
"For the sake of our country, we plead with you. Don't put this country through a constitutional crisis. ... The rule of law is paramount in this country. No man, not even the president, is above it."
How is there a Constitutional Crisis unless Mr Schumer stirs one up?
Maybe Mr Schumer believes that by shouting about it he has President Trump on notice and thus prevents anything untoward from happening.
As I think about it, the idea of a cabinet or sub-cabinet official who can not be fired is an absurdity. Otherwise the President is hamstrung. A hamstrung President is no President. And, from a certain perspective, that is what the likes of Senator Schumer wishes.
But, the question of firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is just a surrogate for the question of firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who appears to have no specific mandate, but seems to be roaming far and wide, perhaps having abandoned the original "Russia Collusion" topic for a search for every possible flaw in the President and those who work with him.
I don't think I would be OK with such a wide ranging search for criminality, given the potential to start the kind of banana republic approach of going after one's predecessor. And it smacks too much of "Show me the man and I will find you the crime." Stalin era persecution. But, if I thought both sides were being examined I might at least find it balanced. Maybe, in the end, Mr Mueller will be shown to believe in Truth, Justice and the American Way. I sure hope so, but my hope is running a little thin.
Labels: DOJ, Mueller, Russiagate, Sarcasm, Schumer, Stalinism
For John, BLUF: Bring Back Bobbie Battista. Nothing to see here; just move along.
CBS execs are freaking out over looming Charlie Rose exposé
Acronym Alter: NDA is a Non Disclosure Agreement.
From Page Six, by Oli Coleman, 9 April 2018.
CBS has been using NDAs to try and suppress potential sources for an upcoming exposé about Charlie Rose's sexual misconduct. And top network execs who worked on Rose's shows are panicking that they'll be accused of turning a blind eye to his sexual misconduct.
Why yes, this is the same CBS that had Ms Stormy Daniel on "60 Minutes", encouraging her to ignore her $130,000 NDA.
I feel for these folks. They are in a tough business, made tougher by slanted political reporting.
Did they forget the Golden Rule? No, not the one about he who has the gold rules, nor the one about "Do unto others before they do unto you".
Labels: Hypocrisy, Media, MSM, Trump
Another Prosecutor Fails to Reveal Exculpatory Evidence
For John, BLUF: The thing is, if you can't convince the vast majority of the US public that you played fair, then the nation will be badly divided, and perhaps for a long time. Think l'affaire Dreyfus. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Breaking: Greitens Accuser Admits Photo Session May Have Been A "Dream"
From The Sentinel (Kansas and Missouri), 8 April 2018.
From a cut line:
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney has contrived a case against Gov. Greitens that Lewis Carroll would have been hard pressed to imagine.
There is winning at all cost and their is playing fair. Which one do you think State and Federal Prosecutors think is the the way to play the game?
The reason it matters is because we are right now playing you bet your presidency. And by "your" I don't mean Donald Trump. I mean the American voter.
Labels: DOJ, Elections, Ethics, FBI, Local Government, Mueller, Prosecutors, Russiagate, The People
Knives are the New Guns
For John, BLUF: And London. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Knife Violence on the Rise in Germany
From PJ Media, by Mr John Ellis, 30 March 2018.
While this country is embroiled in a shouting match over gun violence, Germany finds itself in an internal debate about the rise in knife violence. Unlike this country, though, many in Germany seem to be focused on finding the root cause and, hence, the solution. As The Local reports of Germany, "police statistics [show] that refugees and asylum seekers are significantly over-represented in violent crime statistics."
Titled "String of knife attacks further fuels debate over refugees and violence," the article begins by listing a series of violent knife attacks. Almost all of the attacks were done by male teenage refugees. The listed knife attacks are disturbing and the article concludes with the statement, "At least seven knife attacks were recorded last weekend alone." The article then adds, "the prevalence of asylum seekers as suspects in these crimes has given voice to those who say the government's liberal refugee policies have made the country less safe."
The thing is, the Germans seem to be asking "what changed".
Why, all of a sudden, this eruption of knifings?
Labels: Germany, Immigration, Rule of Law
We Are Doing It Wrong?
For John, BLUF: Nothing to see here; just move along.
Penetration is Rape
At least amongst humans.
From the Blog Radical Wind, a post from way back on 15 December 2013.
Here is the second paragraph:
This is a developed recap from what I've been saying in various comments here and there in the last two years or so. [A]s a radfem I've always said PIV is rape and I remember being disappointed to discover that so few radical feminists stated it clearly. How can you possibly see it otherwise? Intercourse is the very means through which men oppress us, from which we are not allowed to escape, yet some instances of or PIV and intercourse may be chosen and free? That makes no sense at all.
You ask, how does one get pregnant and the author rightly points out you don't need penetration for those aggressive little sperm to make it to the point of fertilization.♠
On the other hand, this takes the position that [some] women just aren't smart enough, or actualized enough, to understand that they are not enjoying sex, but rather are being repressed.
Here is the last paragraph:
Lastly, from a structural point of view, as a class oppressed by men, we are not in any position of freedom to negotiate what men do to us collectively and individually within the heterocage. Men, by whom we are possessed, colonised and held captive, are the sole agents and organisers of PIV. Men dominate us precisely so we can't opt out of sexual abuse by them; intercourse is the very means through which men subordinate us, the very purpose of their domination, to control human reproduction.
So, whether it is Ms Hillary Clinton or the RadFem Author of the Radical Wind Blog, we are finding women who think that large numbers of women are ignorant and can't be trusted to do anything but what they are told to do by nearby male figure authorities.♥ This forms a puzzle for those of us who grew up thinking that women were strong individuals and capable of making their own decisions.♦ Are we now left to think that women, or at least large numbers of women, need protection and guidance. I hope not. I hope Mrs Clinton is wrong.
And what are we going to do about all those animals on farms and out in the wild? Are we going to create more veterinarians, so that all animal procreation is by artificial insemination? Then how do we control the randy males of each species? This is a mess.
♠ I had a college classmate get his girlfriend (later, wife) pregnant without penetration and through her panties.
♥ Ms Clinton's formulation in India, mentioning Husbands and Sons makes it sound almost Sharia-like.
♦ I still remember Susan Sawyer being the strongest person in Fourth Grade, able to open ink bottles the rest of us couldn't cope with.
Labels: Equality, Feminism, Hillary
Raid on Trump Lawyer
For John, BLUF: I think President Putin never hoped to undermine US Elections to the degree Mr Mueller may, by accident. Nothing to see here; just move along.
F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump's Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen
From The Old Gray Lady And Reporter Matt Apuzzo, 9 April 2018.
The F.B.I. on Monday raided the office of President Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, seizing records related to several topics including payments to a pornographic-film actress.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan obtained the search warrant after receiving a referral from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to Mr. Cohen's lawyer, who called the search "completely inappropriate and unnecessary." The search does not appear to be directly related to Mr. Mueller's investigation, but likely resulted from information he had uncovered and gave to prosecutors in New York. "Today the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York executed a series of search warrants and seized the privileged communications between my client, Michael Cohen, and his clients," said Stephen Ryan, his lawyer. "I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in part, a referral by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller."
What ever happened to attorney/client privilege? Or does this mean Mr Cohen really did pay Ms Clifford out of his own pocket?
I hope the seal of the confessional is still inviolate.
Labels: 2018, DOJ, FBI, Mueller, Russiagate
New Movie on Chappaquiddick
For John, BLUF: If ticket sales are a signal, don't go see it. Nothing to see here; just move along.
NYT Op-Ed: 'Chappaquiddick' Movie Is 'Character Assassination'
From The Daily Caller and Ms Amber Athey, Media Reporter, 6 April 2018.
Here is the lede plus wo:
A New York Times contributor insisted in a Friday opinion piece that "Chappaquiddick" unfairly assassinates the character of former Senator Ted Kennedy.
The movie, which hits theaters on Friday, depicts the event surrounding the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned after Kennedy drove his car into a pond. Kennedy failed to report the incident to police for ten hours.
Neil Gabler, who is writing a biography on Ted Kennedy, chose not to address the circumstances surrounding Kopechne's death or Kennedy's involvement in The New York Times. Instead, Gabler flatly claimed that the movie is "outright character assassination."
I will cut to the chase. Unlikely to go to see the movie, which didn't need to be made. Whose interest is served by dredging this up at this point?♠
Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy did some good things in his life. He was for the F-35 Engine Second Source, which was being manufactured out of Lynn. When the Boston Busing decision came down he said it was the right thing to do and he said it to the crowd assembled to protest the decision by Federal Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr.
On the other hand, he was notorious amongst women working on Capitol Hill as one of three Senators not to get into an elevator with, alone.♥ That should say something. He colluded with the Russians during the end of President Jimmy Carter's first (and only) term. Not a good thing.
♠ Unless you subscribe to the view that you don't care what they say about you, as long as they spell the name correctly.
♥ Intel picked up from my Cousin, EE, who was at the time an Air Force Major working in the Pentagon.
Labels: Hollywood, Kennedy Seat, Russiagate, War on Women
Another Prosecutor Fails to Reveal Exculpatory Evi...
Europe and UK are Forgetting
Hitting the Acela Corridor
Hungary Goes Against Free Immigration
Separating Ourselves
Remembering America is Not Just the Cities or Just...
Fudging at the FBI
New Approach to Primaries
Looking to 2020, From Massachusetts
Beggared the Opposition
More on Firing of Kevin Williamson
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
A Good Idea Gone Bad
London on Alert
Unacceptable Views on Abortion
A Global Citizenry?
State Government and the Recent Federal Tax Cut
Sino-Russian Complications
CDC Gun Study
Senator Warren Missed the Mark
MLK (RIP)
Those Who Went Before Us
Tear Down This Monument!
The Truth?
Giving Away Your Secrets
A Dark Day in History
Young and Ignorant
Mr Comey's Book Tour
The Dearth of Experts
Doing Bad in the Name of Doing Good, in Secret
Farewell, Kevin
Don't Believe Everything You Hear
A Holy Day


text:
How We Built a Blazingly Fast & Secure Knowledge Management System Using JAMstack
Axelerant Delivery Services
Gatsby | Slack Apps | GraphQL
Gitlab CI | Renovate | Git
Netlify | Hasura | Slack
Knowledge Management Using Slack Powered By JAMstack
To address knowledge management challenges at Axelerant, we built a system that classifies and aggregates data from Slack, while remaining scalable as the amount of data and the number of users grows.
About the customer
At Axelerant, we work with agency partners to deliver digital experiences that address customers' needs. With 7+ years of experience as a fully remote team, we've partnered with the likes of Acquia, Stanford University, Scouts, Condé Nast, and Red Hat.
While our team at Axelerant uses multiple mechanisms to share information between stakeholders, Slack is perhaps the only application that every Axelerant team member uses across domains.
When it comes to solving problems and sharing knowledge internally between peers, we like to use a Q&A format within Slack. Asking a question is as easy as going to the designated channel (#internal-support in our case) and posting it there. Gradually, people with related experience contribute in the thread with their suggestions and solutions.
As of today, we have around 13,000 posts in this Slack channel, and each post has several replies as a part of the thread. This number will keep growing exponentially as our team size increases, and with this, we have started to run into a too-much-data problem.
Some of the challenges we were facing:
01. Searching 02. Tagging 03. Data Ownership
Even though Slack provides an intuitive search functionality, it isn't always easy to find relevant information. Unlike search solutions like Apache Solr or Elasticsearch which have lots of room for customization, with Slack we are limited to what's provided out of the box.
Questions posted in a Slack channel do not have any form of classification. These are usually plain text or media (images, videos), and there is no metadata related to them. Because of this, we weren't able to group questions based on the type of technology or domain.
Even though Slack does support exporting workspace data, it isn't immediately usable by the administrator or accessible to other Slack team members who have limited permissions.
When considering building a knowledge management system, we had some strong preferences, especially around security and user experience.
With JAMstack, we were able to build a collection of microservices that helped reduce the surface area of vulnerabilities and attacks. And since the application is primarily static content served over a CDN, we paired it with client-side enhancements to build a fast yet pleasing user experience.
JAMstack helped us reach our goal while keeping the application blazingly fast, secure from vulnerabilities, and cheaper in terms of development effort and infrastructure expenses.
Unlike traditional systems with JAMstack, we were able to reduce the surface area of vulnerabilities significantly by moving to a system that uses a collection of microservices accessible only to a limited set of resources.
JAMstack applications are rebuilt on-demand, converted to static files, and then served over a CDN. This cuts down the processing time on the server, need for caching mechanisms, and the latency due to the distance between where the application is hosted and where the user is accessing it from.
Easy to Scale
JAMstack applications have a minimal infrastructure footprint. Besides relying on a CDN, static files storage, and a serverless compute environment, these applications also tend to use third-party services. However, all of this infrastructure is scalable and can be availed on a pay-per-use basis.
Block Tabs
Slack Apps
Even though there's a plethora of options when it comes to static site generators, we specifically chose Gatsby because of its massive ecosystem of plugins and the community around it.
Gatsby generates static markup for the initial page loads. However, for subsequent interactions React.js kicks in and takes control, which makes for a delightful user experience. Since Gatsby is built on top of React.js and uses JavaScript tooling, it uses various libraries and tooling available in the ecosystem to improve the developer experience significantly in comparison to other solutions. Features like hot reloading of code, CSS extraction, declarative rendering, asset pipelines and a lot more come inbuilt with Gatsby, while in other solutions these are either difficult or impossible to implement.
Netlify is one of the leaders in the JAMstack infrastructure ecosystem. Besides their static site hosting, we also leveraged several other features they offer, including Functions (serverless), Identity (authentication), Preview deploys, and a few more.
To configure the project to use Netlify we just had to connect our Git repository—and that was pretty much it. We stuck to the default structure and we didn't have to make any additional changes—unlike other systems where one has to maintain many lines of YAML configuration. Since all the services on Netlify follow serverless principles, we won't need to make any changes to our application even if the amount of content or the number of users changes drastically.
Chat applications have become ubiquitous in the workplace, and Slack has been leading the race for a while now.
To help us consolidate, process and classify this information, we built a Slack app that allows users to capture and tag the message before it is passed to the JAMstack application.
Since everyone on the team uses Slack, there is no additional onboarding, infrastructure, or development required. We just built a serverless function which listens to events from Slack and uses Slack Web APIs to fetch the data and add it to our JAMstack.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


12 Head rotary chuck capper rated from 160 to 450 containers per minute – speeds depending on materials and application. Containers size range: up to 4-1/2" in Diameter; up to 6" Oval; up to 14-1/2" in Height. Cap size range: 13mm to 89mm in Diameter. Equipped with 3-1/4" wide by 144" long conveyor, screw to star wheel in feed, container body clamps, integrated rotary disc cap feeder, cap shoot, cap button transfer arm, air chuck heads set on 6-1/2" centers, turret guarding, no bottle / no cap and star wheel discharge. Mounted on B style frame with enamel coating. Change parts required to accommodate size range of container and cap.
Fully automatic, 16 head, rotary chuck style capper, capable of speeds from 200 to 500 cpm – speeds depending on materials and application. Unit is set on 5 1/2" centers, and can handle a maximum cap size of 100 mm, and containers up to 4" diameter. Worm screw to star wheel in feed / discharge, no-container / no-cap, full interlocking lexan guarding, start, stop, reset, and jog controls with e-stop.
Pneumatic Scale, Model TC450-8, automatic, 8 head rotary chuck capper rated from 24 to 240 containers per minute – depending on materials, application and machine configuration. Cap size: up to 100mm. Container Size: up to 6.25" in Diameter and 4.81x 4.81 square with proper change parts. Equipped with 98" long x 3-1/2" wide container conveyor with 30" long worm screw to star wheel container in feed and cleated cap feeder with 36" x 32" x 20" cap hopper, 100" long x 8" wide belt has 2" high cleats set on 6" centers, cap feed chute,cap pick off, no container / no cap, (8) 100mm friction chucks caps set on 7-1/2" centers to star wheel discharge and 44" long x 3-1/2" wide discharge belt conveyor. Remote control panel has A/B CPU controller with A/B touch pad controls and panelview with set-up, run switch with e-stop. Mounted on heavy duty base frame with interlock safety door guarding and statis light bar.
Automatic, 10-head rotary, chuck-style, capper capable of speeds from150 to 375 containers per minute – speeds depending on materials and application. Containers: up to 4 1/2" dia x up to 14"H. Caps: up to 70mm. Has 6" pitch, wormscrew, starwheel infeed / discharge, trans-grip arms for cap transfer and bottle gripping, 38mm cap transfer, quick changeover torkopen chucks, and no container / no cap. Mounted on a stainless steel frame with vibration isolation, height adjustable feet.
Automatic, 8-head, rotary capper with a 5-1/2" pitch, capable of speeds from 90 to 240 containers per minute – speeds depending on materials and application. Caps size range: up to 89mm (requires proper change parts). Equipped with a 108" long by 3" wide conveyor, star wheel in feed, bottle gripper finger, trans-grip cap transfer, 15" diameter transfer wheel to container and star wheel discharge. Mounted on height adjustable legs.
6 Heads – change parts available for 80mm & 110 mm. Equipped with 10′ L conveyor with worm screw to star to star discharge and cap sorter.
OAD. 120"L x 63"W x 90"H.


When reflecting on his most memorable moment of his remarkable high school lacrosse career, Rotatori did so with a touch of sadness.
When reflecting on his most memorable moment of his remarkable high school lacrosse career, Rotatori did so with a touch of sadness yet was cherishing the thrills he shared with his Grafton teammates. "It was the last circle huddle of my senior year after the loss to St. John's," the Hometeam Magazine Player of the Year said. The Indians had come oh-so-close to a Central Mass. title in that 11-10 overtime loss in the final, after Rotatori adjusted his style of play to propel his team during the postseason run. Rotatori, who finished with more than 400 points (an impressive achievement for a midfielder), only scored four goals in the playoffs but had 18 assists, many to fellow Super Teamer Tyler Reilly. He finished the season with 32 goals and 42 assists for 74 points, good for fifth among CMass scorers, all while being face-guarded in 19 of the Indians' 23 games. Rotatori, a repeat Super Teamer and All-American, led Grafton (19-4) in ground balls and faceoff win percentage. Last season, he posted a 100-point season (60 goals, 42 assists). Rotatori also earned All-State honors in soccer last fall while being coached by his father, who starred in lacrosse at UMass and for the Boston Blazers. The son of Nancy and Alan Rotatori of Grafton will enroll at Keene State College in the fall.


text:
Q: How to display text on the second activity So the first activity asks user to click on one out of the 3 buttons, each button represents a color. I have created the second activity and accepted value of the button clicked. I used a if loop to match the value of button, if the value of button matches with a color, it should display a string "You have chose (Color)". However, I am not sure about the parameters I have passed via intent object. can anyone help? and yeah, I am a noob, just started out to learn Android.
package org.example.helloandroid;

import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v4.app.Fragment;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuItem;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.Button;
import android.widget.EditText;

public class MainActivity extends ActionBarActivity {

String EXTRA_MESSAGE= null;
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

/**   if (savedInstanceState == null) {
       getSupportFragmentManager().beginTransaction()
              .add(R.id.container, new PlaceholderFragment())
             .commit();
    }

**/
}

@Override
public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {

    // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present.
    getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.main, menu);
    return true;
}

public void gotoActivity(View v) {

    Button b= (Button)v;
    String message= b.getText().toString();

        if (message=="red") {
            Intent intent = new Intent(this, ColorActivity.class);
            intent.putExtra(EXTRA_MESSAGE, "You have chose RED ");
            startActivity(intent);

        }

        if (message=="green") {
            Intent intent= new Intent(this, ColorActivity.class);
            intent.putExtra(EXTRA_MESSAGE, "You have chose GREEN!");
            startActivity(intent);

        }

        else {
            Intent intent= new Intent (this, ColorActivity.class);
            intent.putExtra(EXTRA_MESSAGE, "You have chose BLUE");
            startActivity(intent);

        }

}

}
Here is the code for second activity- ColorActivity
package org.example.helloandroid;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class ColorActivity extends Activity {

String EXTRA_MESSAGE= "message";
TextView mTextview;

@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.color_activity);
    mTextview=(TextView) findViewById(R.id.textView1);
    mTextview.setText(getIntent().getStringExtra("EXTRA_MESSAGE"));

}

}

A: Make your second activity like this:
Make sure that you set your String value EXTRA_MESSAGE to some value
    public class SecondActivity extends Activity {

    TextView mTextview;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.main_activity);
        mTextview = (TextView)findViewById(R.id.textView1);
        mTextview.setText(getIntent().getStringExtra("EXTRA_MESSAGE"));
    }
  }

A: Firstly, you haven't assigned EXTRA_MESSAGE. Change this line in MainActivity...
String EXTRA_MESSAGE= null;

...to...
String EXTRA_MESSAGE= "message";

Also, add the exact same line to your second Activity.
Second, you can't compare strings using == you have to use equals(...) method. Example...
if (message=="red")

...should be...
if (message.equals("red"))

Other than that just follow the format described by AndroidWarrior to get the extra from the Intent used to start your second Activity.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


On July 8th, Dennis Riordan, distinguished appellate attorney, will argue Edgar Steele's appeal in Portland, Oregon before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Following the hearing, attorney Wesley Hoyt and Cyndi Steele will hold a press conference in front of the Courthouse to release copies of the 2-1/2 hour video expose', "Witness to the Persecution - The Plot to Silence Edgar Steele, documenting their side of the case.
According to the appeal, the defense was unaware that Edgar's attorney was being investigated for various felonies. The Denver Post reported on June 30, 2010 that Robert McAllister was being investigated for wire fraud and money laundering. He pled guilty on May 24, 2012 and told the Post he felt he provide inadequate representation to "a client convicted earlier in the year of murder for hire." During the 2011 trial, the defense was unaware that Edgar's attorney, Robert T. McAllister, was being investigated for felonies during the Steele trial and was indicted in July 2011 by the same US Government that was prosecuting Steele. McAllister was quoted by the Denver Post, "Two months later, McAllister told a judge in Idaho that he had provided ineffective counsel to a client convicted earlier in the year of murder-for-hire. The trial occurred while McAllister was dealing with his possible disbarment. "At the time . . . I did not recognize the extent to which my mental state had deteriorated" as a result of his remorse, McAllister wrote.
The prosecution team in this case was FBI Special Agent Michael Sotka, U.S. attorney Wendy Olson, and Prosecutors Traci Whelen and Marc Hawes. Federal Judge Winmill presided over the 2011 trial.


text:
Strawbs: Of A Time
I don't believe it...
By David Quantick published 15 August 12
Folk and English psychedelia fans will rejoice as the first A&M Strawbs album – rejected by that label in 1968 – finally sees the light of day.
Recorded between All Our Own Work (with Sandy Denny) and the band's standalone Strawbs, Of A Time featured contributions from Gus Dudgeon, Tony Visconti and (in voice-over) Richard Wilson, TV's future Victor Meldrew.
Anyone familiar with the band's folkier work, or even their pop hits, will be surprised (albeit pleasantly) at Of A Time, which is a melancholy, melodic collection in the style of Pete Dello or even a less pompous Moody Blues. The orchestration and arrangements (expensive and worth it) don't drown songs like All I Need Is You or The Man Who Called Himself Jesus. Dave Cousins shows himself as a brilliant and original songwriter and there are many bonus tracks.
Best title? How Everyone But Sam Was A Hypocrite.