{"id":101040,"date":"2022-03-27T19:47:30","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T23:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=101040"},"modified":"2022-03-27T19:48:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T23:48:36","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-wednesday-march-23rd-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=101040","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It&#8217;s Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022&#8230;but before we begin, this cartoon from our old pal Breeze got us thinking:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/FB_IMG_1647094572315.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101002\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/FB_IMG_1647094572315.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/FB_IMG_1647094572315.jpg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/FB_IMG_1647094572315-263x300.jpg 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Do<\/em><\/span> those who cast ballots for Biden regret their choice, at least a significant majority of them?\u00a0 Our answer, if our sister is any indication, is a resounding <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">NO<\/span><\/em>, or at least they&#8217;ll never <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>admit<\/em><\/span> to having made a most egregious error.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Speaking of the illegitimate occupant of the Oval Office, as regards 46*&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-10621205\/Biden-mentions-revenge-porn-violence-against-women-event.html\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>rather disturbing assertion at a recent Violence Against Women event<\/em><\/span><\/a>&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8220;<em>How many times have you heard \u2013\u00a0I bet everybody knows somebody somewhere along the line \u2013 that in an intimate relationship, what happened was the guy takes a revealing picture of his naked friend, or whatever, in a compromising position, and then literally sends blackmails or mortifies that person \u2013 sends it out, put it online<\/em>.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Roy Wally offers the perfect response:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QsXTARPx0ho?start=158&amp;end=159&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, here&#8217;s <em>The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>First up, in a <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must-read<\/span><\/em> commentary which deserves inclusion in full courtesy of Jeff Foutch and the\u00a0<em>Manhattan Contrarian<\/em>, Francis Menton records&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1647875554903_469\" class=\"entry-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\" data-content-field=\"title\"><a id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1647875554903_486\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattancontrarian.com\/blog\/2022-3-19-what-our-betters-have-in-mind-for-us-in-the-era-of-fossil-fuel-suppression\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\">What Our Betters Have In Mind For Us In The Era Of Fossil Fuel Suppression<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nbk6.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101049\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nbk6.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nbk6.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nbk6-300x251.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>As you undoubtedly know, back in January 2021 newly-inaugurated President Biden ordered the entire federal bureaucracy into full-battle mode in the crusade to suppress production and use of fossil fuels, aka \u201ccarbon emissions\u201d (or maybe \u201cclimate pollution\u201d). <span style=\"color: #333399;\">From Biden\u2019s <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/27\/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad\/\" class=\"broken_link\">January 27, 2021 Executive Order<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span> (\u201cTackling the Climate Crisis at Home and\u00a0Abroad\u201d):<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><em>It is the policy of my Administration to organize and deploy the full capacity of its agencies to combat the climate crisis to implement a Government-wide approach that reduces climate pollution in every sector of the economy. . . . <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">And thus we have <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">every federal agency<\/span><\/em>, under orders <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>from the boss<\/em><\/span><em>\u00a0<\/em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">(<em>More importantly, a boss with who they agree <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">politically<\/span>!<\/em>)<\/span>, whether or not its statutory mission has <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">anything<\/span><\/em> to do with \u201cclimate,\u201d <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">diligently<\/span><\/em> devising schemes to outdo the other agencies in the fossil fuel suppression game.<\/span> It\u2019s <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not just<\/span><\/em> EPA scheming to force closure of perfectly good power plants, but <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">also<\/span><\/em> Interior imposing a \u201cmoratorium\u201d on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and offshore; <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and<\/span><\/em> FERC putting out new standards of review to make it impossible for any new gas pipeline to get approved; <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and<\/span><\/em> the Department of Energy imposing costly new efficiency standards on mobil homes; <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and<\/span><\/em> even the Federal Reserve promising to make life difficult for banks that lend to fossil fuel producers; <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and<\/span><\/em> the SEC imposing new and costly \u201cclimate\u201d disclosure requirements on issuers; <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and on and on<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">And now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, add the goal for both the U.S. and Europe of rapidly reducing purchases of oil and gas from Russia.<\/span> <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Surely<\/span><\/em> then the government-wide war against fossil fuels <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">must at least<\/span><\/em> be put on hold or slowed for some period.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>If you think that, you are not thinking like a true-believing climate crusader. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">On March 14, with the recent energy price spike reaching crisis levels, Biden gave <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2022\/03\/14\/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-democratic-national-committee-fundraiser\/\" class=\"broken_link\">a speech to a DNC fundraiser in Washington<\/a><\/em><\/span> where he doubled down on his fossil-fuel-suppression promises.<\/span> Actually, it was <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">worse<\/span><\/em> than that. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Biden, in his usual eloquent way, promised to end \u201cfossil fuel dependency\u201d by aggressive build-out of so-called \u201crenewables.\u201d<\/span> From the official White House transcript of the event:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Imagine where we\u2019d be right now if, in fact, Europe was in fact energy- free of fossil fuels and was \u2014 we were in a situation where \u2014 (coughs) \u2014 excuse me \u2014 where \u2014 where we \u2014 it was all renewables.<\/span> It\u2019d be a different world. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">And \u2014 and so, we have to get off the dependency on fossil fuels . . . . I mean, literally, not figuratively \u2014 meaning both here [U.S.] and there [Europe].<\/span>\u00a0 And the dependence of Europe on fossil fuels is \u2014 way exceeds any dependence we have.\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #333399;\">And so, it\u2019s not an immediate solution to the crisis, but it\u2019s all about the future if we were to change the fossil fuel dependency.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>So Biden \u2014 who appears to be <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">completely unaware<\/span><\/em> that the intermittent renewables <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">cannot<\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> replace<\/span><\/em> fossil fuels without <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">massive amounts<\/span><\/em> of battery or other storage that are <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">totally unaffordable<\/span><\/em> and <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">don\u2019t even exist<\/span><\/em> as a technological matter \u2014 <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">keeps<\/span><\/em> the government-wide fossil fuel suppression campaign going at <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">full tilt<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">If wind and solar don\u2019t work without fossil fuel backup, and we are to have an intentionally-imposed shortage of the fossil fuels courtesy of government orders, what is the result?<\/span> We have come to the place where a government command economy <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">always<\/span><\/em> leads: obviously, <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">you<\/span><\/em> must <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">rein in<\/span><\/em> your comfortable lifestyle, <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">peasant<\/span><\/em>. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Yesterday the UN\u2019s International Energy Agency came out with its \u201c<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/a-10-point-plan-to-cut-oil-use\">10 Point Plan to Cut Oil Use<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span> The key message is that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>only by your reducing your excessive consumption<\/em><\/span> can we \u201cpave the way\u201d to putting oil use on \u201ca more sustainable path\u201d:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #333399;\">In the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered by Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, the IEA\u2019s 10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use proposes 10 actions that can be taken to reduce oil demand with immediate impact \u2013 and provides recommendations for how those acti<\/span>ons can help pave the way to putting oil demand onto a more sustainable path in the longer term.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>The UN geniuses think that they have come up with ways that almost effortlessly can reduce oil consumption by some <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">2.7 million barrels per day<\/span><\/em>. (Since <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldometers.info\/oil\/\">oil consumption is currently running about 97 million barrels\/day worldwide<\/a><\/em><\/span>, this would come to <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">less than a 3% reduction<\/span><\/em>.). <span style=\"color: #333399;\">So what exactly do they have in mind?<\/span> It\u2019s a medley of great ideas from the good socialists. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Here is a sample:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul data-rte-list=\"default\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Reduce speed limits on highways by at least 10 km\/h. Your time has no value in the coming utopia.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Work from home up to three days a week where possible. Note that this will be by government order, rather than by your choice.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Car-free Sundays in cities. Did you think you were going to take your kids to the zoo on Sunday? Think again.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Make the use of public transport cheaper and incentivise micro-mobility, walking and cycling. It\u2019s bicycles for you in January from now on. Remember, it\u2019s to save the planet!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Alternate private car access to roads in large cities. This is one of my favorites. \u201cAlternative access\u201d means that use of roads by private cars will be restricted <em>\u201cto those with even number-plates some weekdays and to those with odd-numbered plates on other weekdays.\u201d<\/em> Do you have a deadline you need to meet by the 15th? Too bad, you cannot use your car that day.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">It goes on and on from there.<\/span> <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">All<\/span><\/em> items on the list constitute <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">serious reductions in your freedoms<\/span><\/em>, and to save a big <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>3% of oil use<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Oh, and by the way these reductions are only to come from the 47 million barrels\/day of oil usage (out of the total of 97 million) that occur in the \u201cadvanced economies.\u201d<\/span> After all, we wouldn\u2019t want the likes of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>China<\/em><\/span> to have to contribute to the sacrifice.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">And if you want someone to go <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">one better<\/span><\/em> than even the UN in the category of <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">insufferable condescension toward ordinary people<\/span><\/em>, try Bloomberg.<\/span> Over at <a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-03-15\/the-electric-vehicles-we-need-now-are-e-bikes\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bloomberg CityLab on March 15<\/span><\/em><\/span>,<\/a> they have a big piece calling on the federal government at this time of energy shortage to go all in on <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">promoting electric bicycles<\/span><\/em>:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><em><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Every time an e-bike or e-cargo bike is used lieu of a car, society receives a cascade of benefits.<\/span> Greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically lower, even if the car being replaced is electric. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">A two-wheeler consumes little street space and poses a negligible safety risk to other road users.<\/span> And even with the motor providing some of the muscle, the cyclist will receive a surprisingly good workout.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">You will recognize Mike Bloomberg as one of the <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">true world champions of travel by private jet<\/span><\/em>.<\/span> From the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/05\/michael-bloomberg-climate-change-emissions-private-jets-united-nations\/\" class=\"broken_link\">Daily Caller, February 5, 2021<\/a><\/em><\/span>:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><em>Bloomberg . . . took nearly <\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">1,700 trips<\/span><em> in private jets over a four year period from August 2016 to August 2020, a Business Insider analysis <\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/michael-bloomberg-private-jets-data-2020-8\"><em>claimed<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #333399;\">.<\/span> Those 1700 trips are responsible for emitting at least <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">10,000 metric tons of CO2<\/span>, Business Insider reported. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">To put the level of those emissions in perspective, a standard car emits about 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year. . . .<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>But just think, <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">you<\/span><\/em> can reduce <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">your<\/span><\/em> car\u2019s 4.6 metric tons of CO2 emissions down to maybe 2 metric tons by switching over to an electric bike under government coercion. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">It\u2019s the least <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">you<\/span><\/em> can do \u201cfor the planet.\u201d<\/span> Mike will keep his fleet of private jets, thank you.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>And Michael Bloomberg, a man who would deny <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">you<\/span><\/em> your 2nd Amendment right to defend your family with firearms while constantly protected by an armed security team, is <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">nothing<\/span><\/em> if not one of your betters.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a related item, the <em>Journal<\/em>&#8216;s reporting, &#8220;<\/strong><strong>in one of the Biden administration\u2019s most significant environmental actions to date&#8221;, &#8220;<\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/sec-to-float-mandatory-disclosure-of-climate-change-risks-emissions-11647874814?mod=djemalertNEWS\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the SEC is set to propose stringent requirements for publicly traded companies to report information on greenhouse-gas emissions and risks related to climate change<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>&#8220;.\u00a0 More regulations&#8230;which translate to higher costs&#8230;which will ultimately be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>All<\/em><\/span> to combat a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>non-existent, phantom menace<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then there&#8217;s this from <em>NRO<\/em>, in which Isaac Schorr explains&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/how-blue-state-energy-policies-are-making-america-more-dependent-on-hostile-foreign-oil\/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=breaking&amp;utm_campaign=newstrack&amp;utm_term=27097665\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #333399; text-decoration: underline;\">How Blue-State Policies Are Making America More Dependent on Hostile Foreign Oil<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69n0jk.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101042\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69n0jk.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69n0jk.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69n0jk-300x175.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>While elected Republicans continue to hammer the Biden administration for impairing domestic energy production, state-level regulations, laws, and attitudes have come under less scrutiny, even as they\u2019ve played a demonstrable role in producing and compounding the problem at hand.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">President Joe Biden promised during his campaign that he would allow \u201cno more drilling on federal lands.<\/span> No more drilling, including offshore. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period, ends, number one.\u201d<\/span> And since taking office, his administration has implemented policies, oftentimes\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/biden-administration-handicapped-domestic-energy-production-on-first-day-in-office-memos-reveal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">under the radar<\/a><\/em><\/span>, that have made life more difficult for the domestic oil and gas industry and led to increased foreign \u2014 including Russian \u2014 imports.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>In many ways, he\u2019s been following in the footsteps of blue-state Democrats, whose policies began undermining domestic energy production long before Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, ramping up pressure on already strained global markets.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>The Golden State stands out as perhaps the most glaring example of this phenomenon.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cCalifornia is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change,\u201d said California governor Jerry Brown upon signing the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act in 2018.<\/span> His successor, Gavin Newsom, has taken this commitment to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>new extremes<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>According to Rock Zierman, president of the California Independent Petroleum Association, California could, with its own supply, replace the entirety of the Russian crude oil it imports \u201cby double . . . if we just got back to where we were when Gavin Newsom started his deliberate effort to shut us down.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Zierman says that through actions official and unofficial, the Newsom administration has made the state more reliant on foreign oil and contributed to rising prices in the energy sector. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">When Newsom took office in 2019, the average price per gallon in the state was $3.23; as of this February, it stood at $4.66.<\/span> California has seen similar upticks in the amount of foreign oil it\u2019s brought to its shores. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">In 2018, the state imported around 5 million barrels of Russian crude oil.<\/span> By 2021, that number had more than tripled, per the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The Biden administration has since cut off Russian oil imports due to Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and it\u2019s <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>unclear how California will make up the resulting shortfall<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why, from&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/unicorn-farts.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101006\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/unicorn-farts.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/unicorn-farts.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/unicorn-farts-300x228.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;of course!\u00a0 Which is the solution to the otherwise insoluble problems posed by <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">each and every<\/span><\/em>\u00a0utterly unworkable policy and program Progressives promote.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s the juice: California, which sits atop a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>literal sea<\/em><\/span> of black gold, has the highest gas prices of any state, <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">including Hawaii<\/span><\/em>, whose only source is supplied by sea.\u00a0 It&#8217;s <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span><\/em> a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>shortage of oil<\/em><\/span> which is driving fuel prices, but the <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">deliberate actions<\/span><\/em> of those <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">determined to destroy<\/span><\/em> free market Capitalism and freedom itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next, courtesy of\u00a0<em>American Greatness<\/em>\u00a0via Fielding Cocke, Roger Kimball suggests&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amgreatness.com\/2022\/03\/19\/bidens-handlers-are-preparing-to-eject-him-and-kamala\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Biden\u2019s Handlers Are Preparing to Eject Him (and Kamala<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">)<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"mb-5 text-lg font-light text-center text-gray-400 lg:mx-16 md:text-xl font-byline md:mb-10\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/amgreatness.com\/2022\/03\/19\/bidens-handlers-are-preparing-to-eject-him-and-kamala\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">They must replace him, otherwise they themselves risk being replaced, which would be intolerable<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/craterin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101051\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/craterin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/craterin.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/craterin-300x222.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>I sense a disturbance in the force. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">In fact, I\u2019ve been feeling the tremors for a while.<\/span> Back in January, I wrote a column for\u00a0<i>American Greatness<\/i>\u00a0called \u201c<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/amgreatness.com\/2022\/01\/22\/the-coming-dethronement-of-joe-biden\/\">The Coming Dethronement of Joe Biden<\/a><\/em><\/span>.\u201d <span style=\"color: #800000;\">In it, I noted that Biden\u2019s appalling performance as president would sooner or later\u2014and probably sooner, given the ostentatious nature of his multifaceted failure\u2014lead to his removal as president.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">&#8230;<\/span><strong>Why do you suppose that the<i>\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0has decided, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>finally<\/em><\/span>, at this late date, to acknowledge that the story that the<i>\u00a0New York Post\u00a0<\/i>broke about Hunter\u2019s laptop <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>was true<\/em><\/span>? <span style=\"color: #800000;\">The<i>\u00a0Times<\/i>, like the rest of the fake news establishment, like virtually all of social media, buried the story, screaming loudly that of course it wasn\u2019t true, of course it was Russian disinformation, mediated somehow by that consummate Putin puppet, Donald Trump.<\/span> Fifty-one \u201cintelligence experts,\u201d <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">remember<\/span><\/em>, signed an open letter denouncing the story and pronouncing anathema upon Donald Trump. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">Presented with evidence that they were wrong, every one of that disgusting crew\u2014John Brennan, James Clapper, and the rest of the anti-Trump deep state coven\u2014<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/18\/intelligence-experts-refuse-to-apologize-for-smearing-hunter-biden-story\/\">refused to apologize<\/a><\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Many people seem to think that the reason that the story of Hunter\u2019s laptop\u2014which is just as much about Joe Biden\u2019s perfidy as it is about Hunter\u2019s perversion\u2014has emerged now is because <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>it can no longer do any serious damage<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">The election is over, Biden won\u2014at least, he was <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>declared<\/em><\/span> the winner, which is not quite the same thing, although it does mean that he gets to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>But I wonder if there isn\u2019t <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>something else<\/em><\/span> going on. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">The news is full not only of stories about the<i>\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0fessing up, sort of, about the contents of Hunter\u2019s laptop, but also of stories about how\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/latest-news\/hunter-biden-likely-to-be-indicted-says-baby-mamas-lawyer\/\">Hunter is likely to be indicted<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0for tax fraud.<\/span> In one sense, that is not news.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/spectatorworld.com\/topic\/hunter-biden-tax-investigation\/\" class=\"broken_link\">I wrote about it<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #800000;\">at the end of 2020 when Hunter announced,\u00a0<i>sotto voce<\/i>, that he had been informed that he was being investigated by the tax authorities.<\/span> But in another sense, I suspect, that news, like the revelation from the<i>\u00a0New York Times<\/i>\u00a0that, what do you know, all that stuff about Hunter\u2019s laptop was on the level, like Joe Biden\u2019s\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/spectatorworld.com\/topic\/hunter-biden-crack-induced-nudes-blackmail\/\" class=\"broken_link\">bizarre suggestion<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0a couple of days ago that \u201ceverybody knows somebody\u201d who has taken nude pictures of some lover and then used them to \u201cblackmail\u201d the person\u2014all that has a different valence now that the Biden Administration is <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">seriously underwater<\/span><\/em> and there are <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">no lifelines in evidence<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #800000;\">The issue is never the issue.<\/span> I suspect that Joe Biden is being <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">prepped for ejection<\/span><\/em>. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">Exactly <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>how<\/em><\/span> it will happen I do not yet know.<\/span> But he is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>on<\/em><\/span> the threshold, or possibly has even <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">passed<\/span><\/em> the threshold, where he could appear to govern. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">His minders understand this.<\/span> <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">They<\/span><\/em> must be the ones to replace <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">him<\/span><\/em>, otherwise <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">they themselves<\/span><\/em> risk being replaced, which would be <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>intolerable<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">As I say, it\u2019s not entirely clear yet how the defenestration will take place.<\/span> Obviously, Kamala will have to be dealt with <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">first<\/span><\/em>, and she will be. <span style=\"color: #800000;\">Look for some ground softening stories such as the\u00a0<i>Times\u00a0<\/i>just served up about the laptop.<\/span> They won\u2019t be long in coming.<\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s the juice: Biden and Harris&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nc4q.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101050\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nc4q.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nc4q.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69nc4q-300x194.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;make Lloyd and Harry&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/dumb-and-dumber-to-copy.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101052\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/dumb-and-dumber-to-copy.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/dumb-and-dumber-to-copy.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/dumb-and-dumber-to-copy-300x177.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;look like&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ndnz.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101053\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ndnz.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ndnz.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ndnz-300x193.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Moving on, we offer an octet of items guaranteed to pique the interest of inquiring Conservative minds:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(1). Jim Geraghty explains why, much as we might wish it weren&#8217;t so,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/the-morning-jolt\/why-the-russian-oligarchs-wont-defy-putin\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=MJ_20220321&amp;utm_term=Jolt-Smart\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Russian oligarchs are unlikely to EVER cross Putin<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 We can only assume&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JcqhvPNiJzo?start=169&amp;end=172&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8230;buys an awful lot of loyalty, but only as long as the supply lasts.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(2). Speaking of Mad Vlad, photos of\u00a0<\/strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/biden-goes-for-bike-ride-at-the-beach-as-ukraine-president-warns-of-third-world-war\" class=\"broken_link\">46* biking in Rehoboth Beach <\/a>at the same time<\/span>\u00a0Zelenskyy was warning the world of a potential &#8220;third world war<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><strong>\u00a0must <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>surely<\/em><\/span> have the Russian dictator quaking in his valenki.\u00a0 Then again&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/nyet.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101056\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/nyet.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/nyet.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/nyet-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8230;maybe nyet!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(3). <em>NRO<\/em>&#8216;s Brittany Bernstein tells us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/more-americans-65-and-under-died-from-alcohol-related-causes-than-covid-19-in-2020-study-finds\/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=breaking&amp;utm_campaign=newstrack&amp;utm_term=27116039\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>a study by an NIH subsidiary found more Americans 65 and under died from alcohol-related causes than Covid-19 in 2020<\/em><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Keep in mind, that&#8217;s based on hopelessly skewed figures which attribute the cause of death to WuFlu based on the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>mere presence<\/em><\/span> of the virus in the deceased, even if they were run over by a bus.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(4). <em>Best of the Web<\/em> informs us the once-Golden State is once again introducing America to an unenviable first, as\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">&#8220;<\/span><\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/crime-tourism-is-now-a-thing-in-california-11647894206?mod=djemBestOfTheWeb\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>Crime Tourism&#8221; is now a thing in California<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>\u00a0KABC-TV&#8217;s Sid Garcia\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a class=\"icon none\" style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/abc7news.com\/crime-tourism-california-hillsborough-home-burglary\/11661309\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reports<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span>\u00a0from Los Angeles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\">&#8220;<strong><em>Law enforcement agencies call it \u201ccrime tourism\u201d &#8212; groups of thieves from South America traveling to California to burglarize homes&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>They\u2019re able to easily obtain tourist visas to travel to California by applying online. Once they have a visa they land at LAX and start their crime spree<\/em><\/strong>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Couple that with Soros-sponsored D.A.&#8217;s who side with the criminals over law-abiding citizens and you&#8217;ve got one helluva problem which is rapidly growing worse.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(5). Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/republican-indiana-governor-vetoes-bill-barring-male-students-from-girls-sports-teams\/?utm_source=email&amp;utm_medium=breaking&amp;utm_campaign=newstrack&amp;utm_term=27112736\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><em>Profile in Cowardice from a Republican governor in the face of the transgender lobby<\/em><\/span><\/a>. In a related item, a group of\u00a0Disney\u00a0employees <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/disney-employees-are-walking-out-to-demand-more-lgbtq-support\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">staged a walkout Tuesday<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>, demanding Disney do more to <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">protect<\/span><\/em> LGBTQ people (from WHAT?!?) and protesting <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>the length of time<\/em><\/span> CEO\u00a0Bob Chapek\u00a0took to condemn the Parents Rights in Education bill signed by Ron DeSantis.\u00a0 Thus does life once more imitate art:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b9mba2qb9do?start=21&amp;end=23&amp;\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(6). We loved this introduction by Jim Geraghty:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><strong>&#8220;<em>Jeryl Bier has some thoughts on <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/link.nationalreview.com\/click\/27108419.272063\/aHR0cHM6Ly9wbHVyaWJ1cy5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vcC9oeXBlcmJvbGljLWRpc2NvdXJzZS1pcy1saXRlcmFsbHk_cz1y\/547fd4393b35d0210c8dec30Bf0bdc807\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the role of hyperbole in our political rhetoric<\/a><\/span>, and his recent essay is the greatest piece of writing in the history of Western Civilization.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><strong><em>Nah, I\u2019m kidding, it\u2019s just pretty good<\/em>.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(7). In an intriguing bit of analysis,\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Kevin Williamson examines\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/the-tuesday\/stuck-with-the-suburbs\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=TUE_20220322&amp;utm_term=Tuesday-Smart\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Malinvestment and Externalities in Suburbia<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>(8). Digest (if you can without vomiting!) this meaningless mumbo-jumbo of thrown-together phrases courtesy of Breeze Gould, and then consider&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ladies and Gentleman, the VP of the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/inspirational?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#inspirational<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YpQVYlhKLl\">pic.twitter.com\/YpQVYlhKLl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDailyWire\/status\/1505980636347183114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>&#8230;not only was someone actually <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">paid<\/span><\/em> to prepare them, but this blithering idiot willingly <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>repeated<\/em><\/span>\u00a0them.\u00a0 Can she truly still not have grasped how comical she comes across?!?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Which brings us, appropriately enough, to <em>The Lighter Side<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Jackson_web20220322115314.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101030\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Jackson_web20220322115314.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Jackson_web20220322115314.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Jackson_web20220322115314-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb032122dAPR20220321064503.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101011\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb032122dAPR20220321064503.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb032122dAPR20220321064503.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb032122dAPR20220321064503-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-dollar.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101012\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-dollar.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-dollar.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/biden-dollar-300x219.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kelley.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101013\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kelley.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kelley.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/kelley-300x245.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Zelensky_web20220321111100.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101014\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Zelensky_web20220321111100.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"347\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Zelensky_web20220321111100.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/MC_Zelensky_web20220321111100-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101015\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez1.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez1-300x197.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stuck.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101016\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stuck.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stuck.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/stuck-300x206.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101017\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez2.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ramirez2-300x194.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031922dAPC20220319064509.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101018\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031922dAPC20220319064509.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031922dAPC20220319064509.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/afb031922dAPC20220319064509-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb032122dAPR20220321014503.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101019\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb032122dAPR20220321014503.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb032122dAPR20220321014503.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/cb032122dAPR20220321014503-300x227.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-21-22-at-11.33-AM.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101004\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-21-22-at-11.33-AM.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-21-22-at-11.33-AM.jpeg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Image-3-21-22-at-11.33-AM-280x300.jpeg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then there&#8217;s these from Ed Hickey&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hickey.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101010\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hickey.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hickey.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Hickey-300x247.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Breeze Gould&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101028\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;and the lovely Shannon&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_2289.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101055\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_2289.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_2289.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IMG_2289-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;along with this instant classic from Balls Cotton:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101054\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"462\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-5.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/image000000-5-229x300.jpg 229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Finally, we&#8217;ll call it a wrap with yet another titillating tale torn from the pages of <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><em>The Crime Blotter<\/em><\/span>, and proof positive no good deed goes unpunished, as <em>FOX<\/em> informs us there&#8217;ll be&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/no-charges-in-shooting-of-man-saved-from-south-carolina-lake\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #800000;\">No charges for South Carolina boater who shot jet skier dead after rescuing him<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shooting.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101023\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shooting.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shooting.png 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/shooting-300x164.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>The shooting occurred near Fall Creek Landing Number 2 at Lake Keowee shortly after 2 p.m. last Tuesday, according to\u00a0Fox Carolina. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">Nathan Drew Morgan, 29, was killed by an unnamed 74-year-old man.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Morgan and a woman were in distress, having fallen off their Jet Ski into the lake, Oconee County sheriff\u2019s officials said earlier. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">The two had no life jackets and the Jet Ski was circling.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><strong style=\"color: #800000;\">The 74-year-old man and his wife on a pontoon boat drove over to help fish the pair out of the lake, the sheriff\u2019s office said. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">The couple on the boat told authorities Morgan became agitated once he got on board and started assaulting them.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Investigators were told he may have wanted to get back on the Jet Ski. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">They also believe there may have been an argument between Morgan and the woman he was with before they fell into the water.<\/span> Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told The Journal of Seneca that Morgan <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>may<\/em><\/span> have been intoxicated.<picture><\/picture><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">The woman who was with Morgan pushed him back into the lake in an attempt to defuse the situation, the sheriff\u2019s office has said.<\/span> The couple on the pontoon helped him aboard again, and the man shot him after a second encounter, saying he feared for his and his wife\u2019s lives. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">Authorities have declined to name the couple<\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>While Dean Wormer so sagely suggested to Flounder&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OQBz6x0odew\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;we&#8217;d suggest the following also holds true:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ijst.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-101021\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ijst.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ijst.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/69ijst-300x200.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Magoo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>Video of the Day<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mark Levin: He&#8217;s not always right, but he&#8217;s rarely wrong!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/awfRikhV1ds\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>Tales of The Darkside<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The late, great Christopher Hitchens predicts the nature true nature of Mad Vlad, Dubya&#8217;s incredibly naive assessment to the contrary notwithstanding.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/83OY6De6Ob4?start=274\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong>On the Lighter Side<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Another classic moment from <em>WKRP<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bDkMraO6bTA\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022&#8230;but before we begin, this cartoon from our old pal Breeze got us thinking: Do those who cast ballots for Biden regret their choice, at least a significant majority of them?\u00a0 Our answer, if our sister is any indication, is a resounding NO, or at least they&#8217;ll never admit to having [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1988,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=101040"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101094,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101040\/revisions\/101094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=101040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=101040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=101040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}