{"id":97672,"date":"2021-10-26T16:02:13","date_gmt":"2021-10-26T20:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=97672"},"modified":"2021-10-26T16:02:20","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T20:02:20","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-monday-october-25th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=97672","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Monday, October 25th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Monday, October 25th, 2021…but before we begin, a quick story of the scamdemic.\u00a0 A couple TLJ and we are very close with spent the weekend at our home, and the wife, a teacher in a D.C. area school system, shared this story of bureaucratic nonsense.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seems a high school girl…we’ll call her Suzy Q…tested positive for the WuFlu, so those sitting around her in class (teachers are required to maintain seating charts so as to facilitate contact tracing), despite having been constantly<\/em><\/span> wearing masks and<\/em><\/span> testing negative for the virus, were forced to quarantine for fourteen days<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0 This is where things turn from the sublime to the ridiculous.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seems Suzy Q’s parents and sister were all in the same high school as she, her mother working in the cafeteria and her father a teacher.\u00a0 Yet, despite<\/em><\/span> the four of them spending significant<\/em><\/span> amounts of time under the same roof sans masks<\/em><\/span>, they\u00a0weren’t<\/em><\/span> quarantined, as the health department didn’t consider her family close contacts<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0 Go figure!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The only question we have is how long Americans will allow this Kabuki theater…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

…to continue.\u00a0 It’s as Jim Geraghty wondered in a recent installment of his Morning Jolt<\/em>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“A few weekends ago,\u00a0I went to MetLife Stadium with 70,231 other people, very few of whom wore masks, for several hours. It wasn\u2019t<\/em><\/span> a super-spreader event.<\/span> Life went on<\/span><\/em>. Why is it safe for people to go to sporting events and not wear masks<\/em><\/span> but kindergarteners still need to be masked all day long<\/em><\/span>?<\/span> Unfortunately, CDC director Rochelle Walensky apparently believes fully vaccinated kids<\/em><\/span> should keep wearing masks indefinitely<\/em><\/span>.<\/span>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

The contradictions, inconsistencies and outright stupidity<\/em><\/span> evidenced in what has essentially been a political response<\/em><\/span> to the purported pandemic almost from the outset<\/em><\/span>\u00a0(such as\u00a0being forced to wear a mask while walking through a restaurant past maskless diners), are beyond count<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0 And the hypocrisy demonstrated by our “leaders” certainly hasn’t helped.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s the juice: It isn’t going to end<\/em><\/span> until we<\/em><\/span>, the American electorate, FORCE an end to it…and to those who’ve imposed these incredibly costly and ridiculous restrictions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, here’s The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, the WSJ<\/em>‘s editors offers insight into…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Confusing Mr. Biden<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

The President\u2019s town hall performance is cause for concern<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“White House handlers shield President Biden from the press as much as possible, and Thursday\u2019s town hall on CNN shows why. Even with a friendly audience and softball questions, Mr. Biden\u2019s performance revealed why so many Americans are losing confidence in his Presidency.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

One big problem is that Mr. Biden often doesn\u2019t seem to know what he\u2019s talking about<\/strong>.<\/span>..<\/p>\n

…Mr. Biden\u2019s confusion extended to foreign policy, which is supposed to be his strength.<\/span> Regarding Taiwan\u2014a crucial issue with China\u2014Mr. Biden misstated<\/em><\/span> U.S. policy. Asked \u201ccan you vow to protect Taiwan,\u201d Mr. Biden said \u201cyes.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper must have figured this was news, because he gave Mr. Biden another chance<\/em><\/span>: \u201cSo are you saying that the United States would<\/em><\/span> come to Taiwan\u2019s defense if\u2014\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Biden: \u201cYes.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Cooper: \u2014\u201cChina attacked?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Biden: \u201cYes, we have a commitment to do that<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The actual<\/em><\/span> U.S. policy toward Taiwan is \u201cstrategic ambiguity\u201d about U.S. intentions. The Taiwan Relations Act commits the U.S. to help Taiwan defend itself but does not include a NATO-like commitment to go to war to defend the island democracy.<\/span> Many people think<\/em><\/span> the U.S. should make<\/em><\/span> such a commitment explicit<\/em><\/span> (We among them!<\/em>)<\/span> so Beijing doesn\u2019t miscalculate<\/em><\/span> and invade the island. Was Mr. Biden announcing a change<\/em><\/span> in U.S. policy?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently not<\/em><\/span>, because the White House soon walked back<\/em><\/span> Mr. Biden\u2019s words. Strategic ambiguity lives, or perhaps we should say strategic confusion<\/em><\/span> in the case of Mr. Biden.<\/span> You have to wonder what the hard men in Beijing think of this performance. Does the fast White House retreat from Mr. Biden\u2019s words mean the U.S. doesn\u2019t intend to defend Taiwan?<\/span> What is<\/em><\/span> U.S. policy? Wars have started<\/em><\/span> amid such mixed signals to adversaries.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We take no pleasure in pointing this out, since the U.S. needs a President who can handle the strains of the job. Mr. Biden was never Demosthenes, and all Presidents stumble in speech.<\/span> But Mr. Biden\u2019s frequent public confusion about the major issues of the day is a reason for the growing public concern.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

On the other hand, we<\/em><\/span> take great<\/em><\/span> pleasure in pointing this out, as, in addition<\/em><\/span> to being a serial liar<\/em><\/span>, Grandpa Joe would have accurately been describing The Groper when he mistakenly said of Willy Wonka…<\/strong><\/p>\n