It’s Wednesday, August 20th, 2019…but before we begin, Mark Foster forwarded yet another of those pictures worth far more than a mere thousand words:

And since we’re on the subject of those whose intellectual capacity makes excrement appear almost Einstein-like in comparison, a brief word on the dust-up with the Jihad Squad occasioned by this bit of reality from Bill Maher:

Forgetting for the moment, like a broken clock, even Bill Maher is right on occasion, as Guy Benson notes at Townhall.com…

“Somehow this side never gets presented in the American media; it’s very odd.“

Very odd, indeed!  In fact, we’d be tempted to declare it a deliberate omission…if we didn’t want to be labeled a racist.

Now, here’s The Gouge!

First up, given the compelling argument set forth by David French and others, we were cheered today by the latest from The Donald…

Trump Assures NRA President That Universal Background Check Bill Is off the Table

…particularly in light of a recent erroneous event reported by Townhall.com‘s Beth Baumann we fully expect to see repeated:

Florida Man Lost His 2A Rights, Thanks To Red Flag Laws And Mistaken Identity

Even though it was obvious…or should have been…police had the wrong man (i.e., Carpenter never resided at the address on the injunction, the alleged drug dealer’s height (5’8″ vs. 5’11”), weight (110 lbs. vs. over 200lbs.) and hair color (black vs. bald) varied widely from his and the perp was reportedly covered in tattoos while Carpenter wasn’t), this law-abiding Florida citizen was stripped of his Constitutional right to bear arms without any hearing or court proceeding whatsoever.  And this after Mr. Carpenter, under penalty of perjury, signed a form confirming he was not the man in question.

As Ms. Baumann goes on to record…

“Here’s where things get even more ridiculous.

Carpenter’s firearms had to remain in police custody until the plaintiff can say, in court, that he’s not the man that she filed a complaint against. He’d then have to petition the court to get his firearms back…and he would have to bear the cost. Carpenter will get his day in court later this month. 

What’s happening to this man is the exact instance Second Amendment supporters have worried about. This very instance is what we’ve talked about, time and time again. What if Carpenter needed to defend himself between now and his court date? He couldn’t, because the government (seemingly deliberately!) failed him. He’s having to prove himself innocent in a country where everyone is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty.“

So don’t be sayin’ it can’t happen’, ‘cuz it just did.

Which is why we’ll never support any measure which can possibly lead to the disarming of a demonstrably law-abiding citizen prior to any due process, or which fails to include even a modicum of reasonableness. 

And never give an inch on the sanctity of the 2nd Amendment, because…

Next, courtesy of the Washington Examiner via AEI, Samuel Abrams suggests why…

The Very Liberal in America are Different

“To many, those on the extreme left appear to be more politically radical, insular, vocal and politically active than their moderate or even extremely conservative counterparts. It turns out that this is entirely correct.

In addition to a host of new studies and reports showing that liberals live in a digital bubble and have less diverse social media networks than moderates or conservatives, new data from the AEI Survey on Community and Society adds another layer to the story: Extreme liberals are notably more active on social media generally and are far more politically engaged than their moderate and even very conservative counterparts.

…In other words, extreme liberals are almost twice as likely to interact with those who share similar outlooks to themselves online compared to conservatives and centrists.

Going further, progressives are also far more dominant online when expressing their views. Forty-eight percent of very liberal Americans report posting online about their politics, such as publicly supporting causes and campaigns, compared to just 23% of moderates and 30% of very conservative Americans. Once again, very liberal Americans are twice as likely to engage digitally compared to moderates. Such behaviors can further radicalize those in these echo chambers…”

As the most Machiavellian impersonification of evil we’ve ever personally become acquainted with repeatedly observed, there are none so blind as those who will not see.

Speaking of the radicalization of the self-blinded, in the EnvironMental Moment, courtesy today of Greenwich Time, Joel Achenbach notes how…

Two mass murders a world apart share a common theme: ‘ecofascism‘

“Before the slaughter of dozens of people in Christchurch, New Zealand and El Paso, Texas this year, the accused gunmen took pains to explain their fury, including their hatred of immigrants. The statements that authorities think the men posted online share another obsession: overpopulation and environmental degradation.

The alleged Christchurch shooter, who is charged with targeting Muslims and killing 51 people in March, declared himself an “eco-fascist” and railed about immigrants’ birthrates. The statement linked to the El Paso shooter, who is charged with killing 22 people in a shopping area earlier this month, bemoans water pollution, plastic waste and an American consumer culture that is “creating a massive burden for future generations.”

The two mass shootings appear to be extreme examples of ecofascism – what Hampshire College professor emeriti Betsy Hartmann calls “the greening of hate…”

The denials of EnvironMental organizations notwithstanding…so they gainsay.

In a related item featured at FOX Business (though we haven’t the faintest clue why)…

Elton John defends royals’ private jet use amid climate change hypocrisy controversy

“…“I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week.”

John posted his concerns on his social media, defending the younger generation of royals who he says are not hypocrites for their use of private jets, even though they proclaim to be purveyors and stewards of fighting climate change. The family visited John’s estate last week aboard a private jet.

…“Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death,” John continued.

John went on to explain that the private jet allows for efficient, high-level security needed to protect the royal family from having another tragic loss. “To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight,” John explained.“

Seriously, this is news?!?  Only when a network’s more worried about its volume of site hits than its quality of content!

Sorry, but what about the billions in assets the Royal Family possesses…through no effort of its own?  And since when can’t members of the House of Windsor afford their own transportation or security?!?

Look, the issue of Elton John’s relationship with Harry’s mother is a non sequitur, as neither we nor anyone else should give a hoot in hell whether Princess Di was Elton’s BFF or cleaned his toilets.  Fact is, Sir Elton (ain’t it somethin‘ when Socialists willingly assume the trappings of the bourgeois elite when it suits their fancy?!?) clearly doesn’t understand the issue.

What we’re questioning (under the same standards Progressives like him seek to impose on the rest of us), isn’t whether Harry and Meghan should or shouldn’t travel via private jet (not to mention 4 times in 11 days!), but rather if Sir Elton should be allowed to own a private jet at all, let alone a second, third or umpteenth home in Nice!

Imagine how many workers of the world and/or penniless illegal immigrants could be fed, clothed and housed were Elton and Harry to sell off their possessions and donate their holdings to the dispossessed!!!

After all, if it was good for the Socialists of yore…

…why shouldn’t it suit the objectives of current Communists?!?

P.S.  Zhivago was the very embodiment of the contemporary Progressive metrosexual: a complete and utter wimp!!!

Which brings us, appropriately enough, to The Lighter Side:

Then there’s this string of memes forwarded by Ed Hickey:

Finally, we’ll call it a day with yet another entry in the If Ignorance is Bliss, Deliberate Denial is Nirvana segment, courtesy of New Mexico Dimocrat Deb Haaland, who made the following statement…

“It’s not surprising that Trump would side away from the folks who are the peaceful protesters working to safeguard their city from domestic terrorism.”

…either in ignorance of what just transpired in Portland…

…or in deliberate denial of the nature of the forces at work for her side.

Either way, it renders her opinion unworthy of further consideration…along with the vast majority of the remainder of her party.

Magoo