Biden still has plans to shore up “our democracy” though SCOTUS “reform”

The New Neo Posted on by

The Supreme Court needs the Biden touch:

In Biden’s latest blatant lawfare attack on Democrats’ top political opponent, he used these examples from a routinely unanimous court as a springboard to argue for amending the U.S. Constitution so that “there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office.” The First Family’s history of evading accountability suggests the “No President Is Above the Law” pledge would presumably not affect the patriarch of the Biden family’s international influence-peddling scheme. …

Biden proposed in the pages of a publication known for smearing Republican-nominated justices and their families the enactment of “more predictable and less arbitrary” term limits for members of the high court.

“It would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come. I support a system in which the president would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service on the Supreme Court,” the Biden article argues.

The president did not explain exactly how he planned to do so. The White House’s eager endorsement of a 2023 Democrat-led bill to enact 18-year term limits and forced retirement for senior justices like John Roberts and Clarence Thomas, however, suggests the Biden administration plans to use its connections in Congress to do his bidding.

Much more at the link.

Biden – or whoever is behind this proposal – doesn’t expect this to happen prior to the 2024 election. It’s a blueprint for the next steps if the Democrats manage, by hook or by crook, to win in 2024 and to control Congress. The fact that the Supreme Court is one of the remaining institutions that isn’t wholly controlled by the left sticks in their craws. If they come to power again, that will change.

Other things will happen, too, because the left doesn’t give up; it merely postpones. There’s HR1, the federalization of relaxed voting security. There’s the push to make DC a state, as well as Puerto Rico. There’s plenty more, but those are the two that come to mind.

What’s next on the agenda for Trump?

The New Neo Posted on by

I don’t mean on Trump’s agenda. I mean on the opposition’s agenda.

From Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist:

I have a few minor quibbles with that. They actually did impeach him, twice; they didn’t just try to impeach him. They may yet put him in prison. And I don’t think “they” – that is, Democrat leaders – tried to assassinate him. I think they tried to motivate others to assassinate him, and failed to provide him with enough security, making an assassination quite possible.

So, what’s next on the agenda? The Secret Service is on record as suggesting Trump not do any more open air rallies, so if there’s another assassination attempt – successful or unsuccessful – at a rally, they can blame Trump for continuing to hold them.

Will Trump go to prison? It’s anyone’s guess.

Will the election be decided by fraud? It depends on how much of it is necessary for a Democrat win. But I have little doubt that, if they are able to “fortify” a Democrat victory in that manner, they will. There don’t seem to be any principles that would hold them back, so the problem is merely whether it is possible.

But what if Trump actually wins? Then we will almost certainly see an escalation of all the tactics from the Democrats that hampered Trump’s first term.

Maduro declares win

The New Neo Posted on by

Of course he does.

As Erdogan said: “Democracy is like a tram. You ride it until you arrive at your destination, then you step off.”

And the people of Venezuela are the losers:

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on Sunday after securing more than 50% of the vote, although the opposition contends that the results are not accurate.

The National Electoral Council said at around midnight that Maduro received 51% of the vote, while the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, had 44% support, according to The Associated Press.

Elvis Amoroso, head of the National Electoral Council, said the results were based on 80% of voting stations and represented an irreversible trend.

Despite Maduro being declared the winner of a third term, the opposition claimed victory, setting up a showdown with the government over the results.

Sound familiar? The opposition in Venezuela declared victory “without evidence,” of course. Evidence is made impossible to obtain [emphasis mine]:

The electoral authority, controlled by Maduro loyalists, did not immediately publish the results from each of the 30,000 polling booths across the country, impeding the opposition’s ability to challenge the results after alleging it only had data for about 30% of the ballot boxes.

“The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened,” González said.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado claimed González’s margin of victory was “overwhelming.” Machado said the opposition had voting results from about 40% of ballot boxes across the country and that more were expected overnight.

Officials and lawmakers in the U.S. and elsewhere expressed skepticism about the validity of Venezuela’s presidential election results after Maduro was declared the victor.

Speaking in Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has “serious concerns” about the announced outcome.

Blinken, election DENIER!

I guess it’s okay to say the left fixes elections in Venezuela. But not here.

You may have missed – as I did at the time – this previous brilliant foreign policy move from our illustrious co-presidents:

No one – not even Biden and Harris – is that stupid. One has to assume they either approved of the fraud, or didn’t care. And then there’s sort-of-president Harris’ tweet on Maduro’s win:

You can read that as a bland expression of the idea that Maduro won and that it’s the will of the Venezuelan people to give him another term. Or you can read it as implying that the people’s will was expressed and needs to be respected but perhaps is being thwarted. That latter interpretation is way too kind, I think, but Blinken’s statement certainly indicates that at least some people in the administration aren’t buying the Maduro win. But I wouldn’t sit on a hot stove till they re-impose sanctions.

I hate small Kleenex boxes

The New Neo Posted on by

Yes, yes I do.

By “small Kleenex boxes” I mean those ones that are taller than they are wide or long. They’re meant to take up less space, and I suppose they do, although the difference between those and the older variety isn’t all that great, nor is it worth it considering the drawbacks of the small boxes. And yet they seem quite popular; go figure.

Well, not with me. I try to avoid them, but I was recently staying in a fairly well-appointed airbnb that had lots of Kleenex boxes, but all of the small variety. It just about drove me crazy, because I was getting over an illness that required me to blow my nose quite a bit. What are my main beefs with those small boxes?:

(1) They lift up when you try to use them. They have no gravitas. And so you have to shake the Kleenex loose. Sometimes several come out at once.

(2) They contain very few Kleenex compared to the longer boxes – often only about sixty. When you have a cold, that’s nothing.

I finally purchased a traditional box and it was a great great relief to see it stay on the counter when I tried to extract a tissue, release only one at a time, and contain at least twice as many tissues per box as those small ostensibly cute boxes.

Republican efforts to challenge the voting rules changes and increase election integrity

The New Neo Posted on by

The topic was a favorite in 2020, and continues to be extremely important. There’s “rigging” – part of which is, of course, the MSM being a propaganda organ for the Democrats. But there’s also the use of lax rules about voting to either ballot harvest or commit outright fraud that almost certainly could not be traced if it occurs.

First, I’d like to link to some older posts of mine (and one article not by me) to refresh your memory on what the GOP tried in 2020 and the opposition they faced, for those who believe they didn’t try at all or certainly didn’t try very hard. There’s this, this, this, and this, as well as this.

I also wrote this in May of 2023:

I see a number of problems that won’t be solved [through legal action]. The first is that, because Democrats tend to control the big cities even in purple states (and some red states), and efforts such as ballot harvesting are easier in urban areas, Democrats have an advantage in that arena. The same is true for lawyers dedicated to election issues; they are far more numerous on the left. And the left has a potent weapon in accusations in court of “racism” and/or “voter suppression” against any efforts to secure the election process.

So, what’s gone on more recently? I haven’t done an exhaustive search, but here are some articles I found in a rather quick one. The first is this, which lists many states and the efforts that have gone on in each one. In summary, however, the article says “rather than filing lawsuits to block alternative voting methods, these suits take aim at what these groups consider dubious rules, such as relaxed instructions for verifying ballot signatures and outdoor ballot drop boxes.”

Another article is this:

According to the Voting Rights Lab, these laws – some expanding rights for voters and others making it more difficult to participate in the election process – are taking place in key battleground states across the U.S. that Democrats and Republicans are targeting in an effort to turn the tide in their favor.

Another list of states follows, summarizing what challenges have been mounted in each.

See also this list.

On the specific topic of poll watchers and observers – which you may recall was a big issue in 2020 – we have this:

The Republican National Committee announced in April that it, along with the Trump campaign, plans to deploy more than 100,000 volunteers and attorneys to serve as poll watchers across battleground states in the 2024 election.

“Every ballot. Every precinct. Every processing center. Every county. Every battleground state. We will be there,” the RNC declared.

Touted as the largest “election integrity program” in the nation’s history, the RNC claimed that poll watchers will ensure that “Democrat tricks from 2020 won’t work this time.”

Well, maybe.

Hezbollah rocket causes carnage at Druze soccer game in the Golan Heights

The New Neo Posted on by

I don’t know whether the soccer field was the intended target, but it’s the one that was hit:

Several Israeli civilians, including children, were reported killed on Saturday afternoon after a Hezbollah rocket hit a soccer field in northern Israel.

The rocket strike took place in Majdal Shams, a largely Druze town in Golan Height. “At least nine young Druze Israelis died an many more were in critical condition,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported. This is the deadliest Hezbollah terror attack on Israel since October 7, Israeli media reports say.

When I say I don’t know whether it was the intended target, I don’t mean to imply that Hezbollah would hesitate to target children. Au contraire. However, the Druze wouldn’t necessarily be their first choice, although they probably wouldn’t mind them as targets, either. The Druze are Arabs although not Muslims, and they are also a minority group in Lebanon itself. Their religion is an interesting one:

The Druze faith originated in Isma’ilism (a branch of Shia Islam), and was influenced by Christianity, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Zoroastrianism, Gandharan Buddhism, Manichaeism Pythagoreanism, and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology based on an esoteric interpretation of scripture, which emphasizes the role of the mind and truthfulness. Druze believe in theophany and reincarnation.

The Druze believe that at the end of the cycle of rebirth, which is achieved through successive reincarnations, the soul is united with the Cosmic Mind.

RIP.

Netanyahu is returning to Israel slightly early because of the attack.

Does getting older make you care less?

The New Neo Posted on by

[NOTE: I thought you might enjoy a reprise of this old post.]

By the time my mother reached her high 90s, she seemed to care less about everything. Part of this, I’m almost sure, is that she was experiencing a marked although mercifully slow cognitive decline. There were a few pluses, though, in addition to the negatives: she had always been a relatively anxious person, and now her general anxiety seemed almost gone.

I wondered about this, and I decided that in order to be anxious it probably helps to have a keen appreciation of time, because part of anxiety is anticipating the future. And my mother seemed to be less aware of time and the future.

She also had had so many losses of friends – after all, she had outlived nearly every single one of her contemporaries – that she became more and more philosophical or perhaps stoic on hearing of the death of some of the last ones. It’s not that it didn’t bother her, but seemingly not too much or for too long.

My mother had a thing about my hair, which is curly. She always thought it too messy, and for years and years and years every time I visited her she’d frown a little bit and ask if I could brush it and smooth it out. “No,” I’d say. “This is the way my hair is. If I brushed it more it would just get bushier.” It got to be our little dance, and as she got older and older and older it bothered me less. In the last few years it made me smile because it meant she still cared about stuff like that, which I considered a good sign.

I had often joked that I’d know things had really gotten bad if she stopped saying it. Well, a couple months before she died—during her last, more precipitous, decline—she stopped saying it. I knew what that meant, and it made me sad. What had become amusing to me was no joke at all any more.

As I’ve gotten older myself I’ve noticed that long before the stage my mother reached there is often a diminution of the intensity of the feelings of youth. Some people are happy about it because no longer are they storm-tossed by every disappointment and fear they experience. For others it can segue into too much of a flatness and even a depression. Others don’t experience it at all.

I’m not sure where I stand on this. I know I used to be more shy in social situations than I am now. But I know I can still get pretty intense about a lot of things, and even more intense about some—for example, politics.

Ah, politics! You knew that would rear its ugly head, didn’t you?

Which brings us to the first sentence of this comment by “Tonawanda” earlier today [March of 2015]:

Fast approaching the undiscovered country (age-wise) it is for me less urgent what folks like BO do, however despicable.

“BO” is, of course, Barack Obama. “The undiscovered country (age-wise)” is a reference to Hamlet’s soliloquy “To be or not to be,” in which he refers to death as “The undiscover’d country from whose bourn/No traveller returns…” (“bourn” has an archaic meaning of destination, domain, or boundary).

I’ve seen and heard a lot of comments to that effect over the years in political discussions: “I’m old, so I hardly care anymore.” People sometimes say a variant of it, which is that their children can worry about it but they don’t all that much.

I understand the sentiment and I’m not condemning it, but I find that not only do I not share it, but that I seem to care more than ever. There’s something about what Obama is doing [today you could just say “what the Democrats are doing”] to trash the rule of law and the separation of powers, as well as specific actions of his such as the pact with Iran that is likely to give them permission to have nuclear arms, or his advocacy of terrible policies such as this one, that bother me intensely. There’s something about the idea of the possible death of the American republic that fills me with a personal, bitter, and sharp despair, whether I’d be around to see the event or not.

How about you?

Watching the making of the Kamala cult in real time

The New Neo Posted on by

Once it was decided that Kamala Harris almost certainly would become the Democrats’ nominee in 2024, it’s been sadly amusing to see the MSM and the Democrats themselves fall in line. It’s not an easy job, because Harris has a great deal of history, involving baggage that requires heavy lifting. But the left is up to it.

Reports were that President Obama was not onboard. The rumors were that he thought she was unlikely to win the election and that he preferred Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona as the nominee. Of course winning (otherwise known as beating Trump) is all the Democrats seem to care about in terms of who becomes their nominee this year. Well, now even Obama as well as his wife Michelle are on the Good Ship Kamala:

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid in a video released Friday.

“Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former president told Harris on a phone call joined by his wife, according to the video.

Harris thanked the Obamas for their support and expressed gratitude for their decadeslong friendship.

“Oh my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I’m looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both. And getting out there, being on the road,” the vice president said.

Just a lovefest all around.

I have no idea how much influence those two have on voters these days. I assume that the people who care about the Obamas’ endorsement were already going to vote for Kamala anyway.

This also should put to rest two rumors: the first is that Kamala will somehow choose Obama as VP and that he would be allowed to run for that office even though barred from another run at the presidency. The second is that somehow Michelle Obama would be chosen either as VP or would take Kamala’s place as nominee. I have never thought either thing would happen; I think the Obamas prefer to wield power at this point in a hidden way, and they wield it fairly effectively – or they have until now. It may be that an even more leftist wing is now in charge, and that the Obamas have become figureheads.

Secret Service: We don’t need no steenking drones

The New Neo Posted on by

At the Butler PA rally, the Secret Service was offered drones to help with security but refused the offer:

No wonder conspiracy theories abound on the right. I don’t go as far as some, but I do believe there was a level of abysmal incompetence that smacks of purposeful neglect. And the neglect was not benign.

The title of this post is a reference to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre:

By the way, there are plenty of conspiracy theories on the left about the Trump assassination attempt. They feature a very different scenario, however: that Trump wasn’t really shot:

From the moment former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania, there have been people, usually his political opponents, who have suggested that Trump was not actually shot. Of course, there were the usual conspiracy nuts who claimed it was all made up. But there were also more mainstream figures who suggested that Trump was not hit by a bullet from the would-be assassin’s gun but rather a bit of shrapnel that came from…somewhere. …

The first theory held that a bullet had actually shattered a glass teleprompter panel, and a shard of glass then hit Trump’s ear. That theory suffered from the fact that the teleprompter panels were not hit by bullets and appeared to be intact after the shooting. But that did not stop the theorists from starting with the glass and going on from there.

In somewhat related news, the social media site Gab has this to say:

The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump appears to have used the controversial alt-right favored social media platform Gab to spread messages “in support of President Biden,” according to the platform’s founder. …

The account @epicmicrowave — which the CEO stressed he has been “unable to confirm” was definitely Crooks’ — “posted on the site nine (9) times total,” Torba tweeted just 30 minutes after getting the law enforcement request.

Perhaps.

ADDENDUM: See also this; the FBI has made it clear Trump was hit by a bullet.