Boots & Sabers

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Category: Politics

Congressman Attempts to Carry Firearm on House Floor

by | 0918, 23 Jan 21 | , | 4 Comments

Given how the Capitol Police failed to keep the building secure from a few hundred weirdos, can you blame him?

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., set off the metal detector while trying to enter the chamber Thursday afternoon. The metal detectors were installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. The incident was witnessed by a reporter from the HuffPost website.

After setting off the machine, Harris was asked to step aside for further screening. At that time, an officer discovered Harris was carrying a concealed gun on his side, according to the reporter.

 

The officer sent Harris away, at which point Harris tried to get Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., to take the gun from him. Katko refused, telling Harris he didn’t have a license to carry a gun. Harris eventually left and returned less than 10 minutes later. He once again went through security and did not set off the magnetometer. He was then allowed to enter the House floor.

 

Harris, in his sixth term representing Maryland’s Eastern Shore, issued a statement through his chief of staff, Bryan Shuy.

 

“Because his and his family’s lives have been threatened by someone who has been released awaiting trial, for security reasons, the congressman never confirms whether he nor anyone else he’s with are carrying a firearm for self-defense,” the statement said. “As a matter of public record, he has a Maryland Handgun Permit. And the congressman always complies with the House metal detectors and wanding. The Congressman has never carried a firearm on the House floor.”

I think there is a wide gulf in America about the seriousness of this kind of infraction. For me, I’ve carried a gun living in two states and traveling all over the country for the better part of 25 years. My weapon is a serious tool, but as much a part of my personal accessory kit as my keys, pocket knife, and Carmex. Seeing someone else with a gun strikes neither fear nor worry in my heart. It just is.

For others, seeing or hearing of someone with a gun is a troubling thing. They assume evil intent even if there is no justification for it. They project their own fears into another person and see it reflected back at themselves. I’m not discounting it. I understand it. Which is why I take care to ensure that my weapon is concealed so that it does not create unnecessary disquiet in others.

So for me, this is a “whatever” story. For others, it’s a big deal.

Leftist Insurrectionists Riot

by | 2129, 21 Jan 21 | , , | 20 Comments

I guess we know from whence the real threat comes. Of course, we knew this for most of last year.

Left wing radicals  went on the rampage in a number of cities just hours after President Biden’s inauguration — smashing up buildings, clashing with cops and burning American flags, according to police and reports.

 

As  cities across the US were on high-alert for Trump-supporting right-wing militias, they were instead attacked by members of Antifa, who were assailing the Democratic president for not being left enough for their liking

 

Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington — the main flashpoint cities for riots last year — saw hundreds of militants trashing buildings, many expressing outright fury at Biden’s call for unity.

 

“WE DON’T WANT BIDEN — WE WANT REVENGE!” read a huge banner carried at the front of a rally in Portland, along with a threatening image of an assault rifle as well as Antifa’s logo.

Guardsmen Shoved in Corner of Garage After Being Used as Inaugural Props

by | 2048, 21 Jan 21 | , | 10 Comments

Shame.

(CNN)Thousands of National Guardsmen have been moved to a parking garage after they were told they could no longer use space within the US Capitol Complex, including areas like the cafeteria of a Senate office building, as a rest area, multiple Guardsmen told CNN.

Prior to Thursday morning, several areas throughout the Capitol Complex were designated as authorized rest areas where members of the Guard could take breaks from their shifts protecting Capitol. By Thursday morning, all those areas had been cleared out and their designations removed, the Guardsmen said.
“We honestly just feel betrayed,” one guardsman told CNN, noting that a day before, congressmen had come by for photos with the different National Guards units that came to Washington to support security around the inauguration. “After everything went seamlessly, we were deemed useless and banished to a corner of a parking garage.”
Politico was first to report on the guardsmen’s situation.

C’mon Man

by | 2011, 21 Jan 21 | | 13 Comments

I haven’t been paying too close attention – busy with living and all that… but is this the first official “C’mon man!” of the Biden presidency?

But when challenged by a reporter who suggested the target might be too low, he snapped back: “When I announced it you all said that it’s not possible. Come on. Give me a break, man.”

On the issue itself, Biden is taking an entirely national approach to the Covid health concern instead of a federal one. I expect that will be his approach on most issues. The centralization of power and money in faraway Washington continues apace.

Meanwhile, his goals are not exactly revolutionary.

She said the Trump administration was provided 36 million doses and pushed out 17 million shots, or about 500,000 per day.

‘What we are proposing is to double that to about 1 million shots per day. We have outlined this goal and objective in coordination and consultation with our health and medical experts,’ she said.

While her numbers add up, what they don’t show is that the prior administration was already on a trajectory to boost the number of shots closer to the 1 million number, with shots per day jumping over 800,000 in the last five days before the inauguration, as more vaccine came online and as states and hospitals stepped up their efforts.

If the past week’s average trajectory were maintained, total vaccination would reach just short of 97 million in the 100 days since vaccines began on December 21, which is 31 days before Biden’s 100 million target.

Vaccine Requirements

by | 0714, 21 Jan 21 | , | 7 Comments

We’re going to see a lot of this.

JANESVILLE, Wis. – A requirement forcing staff to choose between the COVID-19 vaccination and their job has forced nearly a dozen employees out of Rock Haven nursing home, according to staff member Michelle Lynch.

 

The nursing home, run by Rock County, is one of the only in South-Central Wisconsin mandating employees to get the shot or lose their jobs.

 

“If it would have been voluntarily at first, I think a lot of people would have received the vaccine,” Lynch said. “I think because it’s told it’s mandatory, a lot of people are fighting back. They don’t want to be told they have to take a vaccine that’s not FDA approved.”

First off, I do think it is the business’ prerogative to require this if the workers are in a shared space like this. It is also the employee’s prerogative to refuse and quit. Both have to act in the best interests of themselves.

I know plenty of people who are healthy, young adults who have decided to wait a while. While the vaccine is welcome, it has also not been tested long term. It is perfectly rational for a healthy 28-year-old person to make the personal risk calculation that the risk of immediate or future side effects of the vaccine is greater than their minute risk of severe harm from the virus.

Human bodies and human circumstances are infinitely complex. Healthcare is personal.

Phase 1B Preliminarily Approved

by | 0706, 21 Jan 21 | | 7 Comments

Hmmm…

MADISON, Wis. – The next phase of Wisconsin’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout just got a whole lot bigger.

 

A state vaccine advisory subcommittee voted on Wednesday morning, Jan. 20 to approve a Phase 1b plan that covers more than 1.6 million Wisconsin residents (33% of the adult population).

 

The plan, which still needs final approval from the full committee, includes all adults 65 and older, grocery workers, meat processors, transit bus drivers, teachers, daycare workers, college professors, 911 dispatchers, and state prisoners, among others.

Despite Governor Evers’ statements last week, 65+ citizens are NOT able to get the vaccine yet. It still needs final committee approval and then distribution.

At this pace, Evers’ promise of general availability by June seems optimistic.

What Didn’t Happen

by | 2103, 20 Jan 21 | , | 29 Comments

As I predicted, there wasn’t a riot.

There weren’t hordes of Trump supporters trying to storm government building around the country.

Nobody tried to interrupt the inauguration.

No violence.

Nothing.

Nada.

So I ask again… why the overwhelming armed occupation around the nation?

Wisconsin DHS Continues to Move at the Pace of Bureaucracy

by | 0731, 20 Jan 21 | | 21 Comments

Note that all they are saying is that old folks are on the list. They aren’t committing to when they might actually receive the vaccine. Their blame of the federal government is a lie since they haven’t even administered half of the doses they already have. But the main point is that they are still deciding the priority list a full six weeks AFTER the vaccine was approved. As I said in my column yesterday, these are decisions that could have been made in a thoughtful afternoon. For all of their insistence that citizens upend their lives because of the emergency, Evers’ bureaucracy moves at its own pace.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Everyone over age 65 in Wisconsin will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Monday, a group of 700,000 people that is more expansive than originally envisioned to be next in line for the shot, the state Department of Health Services said Tuesday.

 

The department also cautioned that the speed of vaccinations depends on how much vaccine the state receives from the federal government. Wisconsin receives about 70,000 doses of first-dose vaccine each week; at that pace, it could take months to vaccinate the new group.

 

“Wisconsin systems and operations are ready to vaccinate more people,” said Andrea Palm, the secretary of the state Department of Health Services, who is leaving her post on Wednesday. ”The amount of vaccine we get from the federal government will determine how quickly we can get these groups vaccinated.”

Evers Installs Lobbyist As New Health Secretary

by | 0724, 20 Jan 21 | | 2 Comments

The oxygenating churn of the swamp.

MADISON – Wisconsin’s incoming top health official isn’t saying whether she will step away from decisions affecting the health care clients she represented as a lobbyist.

 

Karen Timberlake next week will become interim health services secretary. She will replace Andrea Palm, who is stepping down to take the No. 2 post in President-elect Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services.

 

Timberlake served as Wisconsin’s health secretary from 2008 to 2011 under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and in recent years has focused on health care issues as a lobbyist with Michael Best Strategies. She shed those clients Tuesday, but in her new job will be able to make decisions that have profound effects on how they operate and their bottom lines.

Where are the vaccines?

by | 0746, 19 Jan 21 | | 9 Comments

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. It’s not often that I find myself on the same side as the editorial board for the Madison paper. Here’s s snippet:

After Governor Tony Evers failed the unemployed of Wisconsin with his inept management of unemployment claims, he is compounding Wisconsin’s misery with his failure to administer the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. What is more infuriating is that when questioned about it, Evers blusters and obfuscates with all the indignation of a career bureaucrat unacquainted with accountability.

 

[…]

 

Last week, Governor Evers admitted that his administration would be unable to begin inoculating the general public until June – over five months from now. It is a disgraceful admission of failure given with the banality of an indifferent government bureaucrat.

 

[…]

 

This subcommittee still needs to finalize Phase 1B before moving on to Phase 1C, Phase 2, etc. These are decisions that could be made in an afternoon. While Wisconsinites are suffering and being told that there is a medical crisis, Evers’ bureaucracy moves at its own pace – oblivious to the travails of the citizens it serves.

 

[…]

 

When confronted for his administration’s failures, Evers blames the federal government for not giving the state enough doses (despite having administered less than half of the doses available); blames Republicans; makes vigorous, if unsubstantiated, proclamations about the competence of his government; and refuses to accept any responsibility for his administration’s failures. However, despite his accusations and deflections, the simple truth is that Evers has failed to administer the doses Wisconsin has already been given.

 

Evers’ administration of the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine has been too slow, too bureaucratic, and too lazy. While Wisconsinites are being asked to forgo their livelihoods, upend their lives, and accept a retardation of civil rights in response to a pandemic, Governor Evers and his administration are behaving like it is just a another day at the office.

 

Andrea Palm Goes to Washington

by | 0912, 18 Jan 21 | , | 6 Comments

Goodness…. if this is the kind of “talent” that will fill the ranks of the Biden Administration, we’re in for a rocky road.

Wisconsin’s top health official is leaving for a job with the federal government under incoming President Joe Biden.

 

Andrea Palm, secretary-designee of the state Department of Health Services, has been nominated deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her last day at DHS is scheduled for Wednesday.

Peaceful Weekend

by | 0825, 18 Jan 21 | , | 33 Comments

Heh.

More than a dozen states activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed demonstrations, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6.

 

Security officials had eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as the anti-government “boogaloo” movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

 

But by Sunday evening, only small gatherings of demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside much larger crowds of law-enforcement officers and media personnel.

 

“It was a non-event today and we are glad it was,” said Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Department of General Services, the agency that protects the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg.

I believe I said that:

Is this real or is it just another effort to rile up people to support Democrats? I give three-to-one odds that we don’t see anything more than a couple of nutters.

Remember that liberals outright rioted when Trump was sworn in.

U.S. Census to Count Illegal Aliens

by | 1149, 17 Jan 21 | | 15 Comments

In other words, states like California will have more representation in Congress at the expense of states like Wisconsin.

President Donald Trump’s effort to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from being counted in the process for divvying up congressional seats was dealt another blow Wednesday when the Census Bureau’s director indefinitely halted an effort to gather data on the citizenship status of every U.S. resident.

Bureau workers laboring to comply with the Trump order were instructed to “’stand down’ and discontinue their data reviews,” Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said in a memo.

A review indicated problems with the data that would require additional work, Dillingham said.

Asking for Consistency. Finding None.

by | 1825, 16 Jan 21 | , | 3 Comments

Ouch

So answer me this, all you lofty liberals. I have always despised Donald Trump and the empty-headed movement he created, and I am here quite happy to say that the invasion of the halls of the US Congress by Trump supporters was a grotesque, evil and criminal enterprise, which I utterly condemn without the tiniest reservation.

 

But will you, even now, say that the violent putsch in Kiev, six years ago, was just as wrong?

 

No, you won’t. Because – as your failure to defend liberty shows – you have no real principles. You put them on as fancy dress when you need to pose. But in reality you will do what you have to, to get the power you want. Your outrage is phoney and selective, and I do not trust it.

Biden Plans Mask Mandate for Interstate Travel

by | 1707, 16 Jan 21 | | 5 Comments

FYI:

Biden also plans on asking the Education Department to extend the federal hiatus on student loan payments and interest on federal student loans, rejoining the Paris Climate Accords and undoing the Trump administration’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.

Biden also will issue a mask mandate on federal property and interstate travel and extend a pause on evictions and foreclosures.

I’m curious how they will implement and enforce an interstate mask mandate. The airlines are already enforcing mask wearing, so this really only applies to people driving between states. Will federal agents staff the border to enforce compliance? How long is the mandate in effect? For example, if I drive from Appleton to Des Moines, do I have to wear a mask the whole way because I cross a boarder? Or do I just have to wear it when actually crossing the border?

Oh, and Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself.

Federal Land to be Mined

by | 1630, 16 Jan 21 | | 1 Comment

The bias in this story is almost laughable.

As one of its last acts, the Trump administration has set in motion the transfer of sacred Native American lands to a pair of Anglo-Australian mining conglomerates.

 

The 2,422-acre Arizona parcel called Oak Flat is of enormous significance to the Western Apache and is now on track for destruction by what is slated to be one of the largest copper mining operations in the United States.

Steps for the controversial land transfer from the US government, which owns the land, to the miners were completed on Friday morning, when a final environmental assessment was published. The government must soon transfer title to the land.

Oh, that horrible Trump and his hate for the environment and Native Americans, amiright!?!? Oh, except:

Unbeknown to tribes and environmental groups who had long opposed mining Oak Flat, the land transfer was passed by Congress and signed by Barack Obama in December 2014 as a last-minute rider to a Department of Defense spending bill.

President Obama and a Democratic Senate helps bring this about.

What should outrage everyone is why it takes over six years for a transfer like this to take place. Glaciers and snails look with disgust at the slowness of the federal bureaucracy.

“opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making”

by | 1544, 16 Jan 21 | , | 5 Comments

In thinking about the Great Tech Oligarchy’s crackdown of speech in collusion with liberal politicians, I thought of Milton’s Areopagitica and went back to reread it. There are no new arguments under the sun because the human condition remains as constant as the stars.

Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making. Under these fantastic terrors of sect and schism, we wrong the earnest and zealous thirst after knowledge and understanding which God hath stirr’d up in this city. What some lament of, we rather should rejoyce at, should rather praise this pious forwardnes among men, to reassume the ill deputed care of their Religion into their own hands again. A little generous prudence, a little forbearance of one another, and som grain of charity might win all these diligences to joyn, and unite into one generall and brotherly search after Truth; could we but forgoe this Prelaticall tradition of crowding free consciences and Christian liberties into canons and precepts of men.

Armed Occupation

by | 1517, 16 Jan 21 | , , | 2 Comments

The onset of the new administration has all of the hallmarks of an armed occupation.

D.C. has called in 25,000 National Guard troops to guard the streets in and around the Capitol in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20. They are being joined by patrols by the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol Police and law enforcement from cities around the country.

 

There are at least 7,000 troops from dozens of states already on the ground in the nation’s capital with more to arrive in the coming days.

 

Officials have installed a massive security apparatus around the complex where the inauguration is to take place.

 

The FBI has also warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting January 16 through January 20, fuelled by supporters of Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.

 

Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington are among the states that have activated their National Guards to strengthen security.

Lockdowns Don’t Work

by | 1955, 15 Jan 21 | | 60 Comments

Except to weaken the economy and make hungry people look to government for relief.

A study evaluating COVID-19 responses around the world found that mandatory lockdown orders early in the pandemic may not provide significantly more benefits to slowing the spread of the disease than other voluntary measures, such as social distancing or travel reduction.

 

The peer reviewed study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation on January 5, and analyzed coronavirus case growth in 10 countries in early 2020.

 

The study compared cases in England, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. – all countries that implemented mandatory lockdown orders and business closures – to South Korea and Sweden, which instituted less severe, voluntary responses. It aimed to analyze the effect that less restrictive or more restrictive measures had on changing individual behavior and curbing the transmission of the virus.

 

The researchers used a mathematical model to compare countries that did and did not enact more restrictive lockdown orders, and determined that there was “no clear, significant beneficial effect of [more restrictive measures] on case growth in any country.”

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