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Knoxville Focus

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September 18, 2023

I love baseball. Thus far my two favorite teams, the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles have the best record in their respective leagues. The Braves represent my home town – even though their ballpark is not in Atlanta. The Cobb County Braves? But then the “New York” Giants/Jets play in New Jersey. The Orioles are a favorite from when I lived in DC which had no baseball – the Washington Senators having morphed into the Texas Rangers. So I went to Baltimore for baseball.

The Braves are a holdout, thus far resisting all pressure to change their name. However, their Triple-A team in Gwinnett is now the “Stripers” and their Class-A club in Rome has announced that it will no longer be the Braves leaving the Double-A club in Mississippi as the only one with the Braves name. Hopefully, the Braves will remain the Braves. 

The Washington Redskins after saying it would never change its name, folded under relentless pressure and became the Washington Football Club and then the Commanders. I guess they could now be called the Washington Commies. The Cleveland Indians became the Guardians. What is interesting about the name Guardians is that the last four letters are the same as the ones in Indians. Thus, Cleveland kept part of the name after all. What is even more interesting is that a Native American group is threatening to boycott the Commanders if they don’t change their name back to Redskins. And the name of the group is the Native American Guardians Association! I kid you not. In a letter to the Commanders, the group said “At this moment in history, we are formally requesting that the team revitalize its relationship with the American Indian community by (i) changing the name back to ‘The Redskins’ which recognizes America’s original inhabitants and (ii) using the team’s historic name and legacy to encourage Americans to learn about, not cancel, the history of America’s tribes and our role in the founding of this Great Nation.” The group has over 100,000 signatures on a petition to change the name.

The irony is overwhelming. The Cleveland Indians change their name to the Guardians because the cancel culture deemed “Indians” as being offensive. But Native Americans also call themselves Guardians. Is that not offensive as well? Then the Native Americans who were supposed to be offended by “Redskins” are demanding that the Commanders change their name back to Redskins or else be boycotted. You can’t make this stuff up.

Note that all the supposedly derogatory nicknames connote bravery and stature rather than scorn and derision. Yes the Atlanta Braves once had a tepee in the outfield and a mascot named Chief Nok-a-homa who did a war dance every time a Brave hit a home run. They also had a laughing Indian on their sleeves. But all that is gone. The baseball team that preceded the Braves were a minor league team called the Atlanta Crackers. So why weren’t white folks offended? What is hilarious is that the Atlanta Negro league team was known as the Black Crackers. 

What about the name Rebels? Here in East Tennessee we have the West High Rebels and the Maryville High Red Rebels. I am truly shocked that those names still exist because much of East Tennessee was pro-Union and these high schools disrespect their ancestors who wore blue. Of course, we still have the Ole Miss Rebels. When I went to the University of Georgia, the band was called the Dixie Redcoat Marching band and played Dixie after the National Anthem. I auditioned for the band having been offered 5 band scholarships out of high school. The band director acknowledged my talent but said that I could not be in his band. The football games looked like a Ku Klux Klan rally with all the confederate flags. All the tailgaters flew rebel flags. I went to all the home football games and was the only black face in the stadium not carrying a mop or a broom. At the games I had rebel flags waved in my face while the wavers yelled obscenities and showered me with debris. Is it any wonder that I hate the rebel flag? Twenty years ago I turned down an interview for a deanship at Ole Miss because of all their rebel nonsense. However, all that stuff is gone. Ole Miss’ football and basketball teams are now mostly black. Once watching a basketball game with Ole Miss versus Mississippi State, all ten players were black. At one point when Ole Miss got a rebound the announcer said “Here come the Rebels!” My feeling is that if they aren’t bothered by being called “Rebels” then why should I be offended for them? 

September 19, 2023

Its fall and bow season in Georgia. Its when I spend an inordinate amount of time in the woods. Venison is the only red meat I have eaten since 1971. I spend a good deal of time looking at deer, but only if the deer oblige. I have not killed a deer with a bow in three seasons. Its because I do not break up family units. The does have fawns with them and although the fawns are weaned I will not shoot the doe. I wait until the rut comes in November when the does chase away the fawns. I do not shoot immature bucks under 6 points. Opening day I could have shot a 4 pointer and a nice 6 pointer. I passed. Georgia allows you to take 2 bucks and I was not going to use one of my tags on the 6 pointer. However, if I still have a tag remaining in January at the end of the season, I would take that deer. The same thing happened last year. I passed on young bucks early in the season and did not see a shooter the entire season, except for a big 10 pointer 85 yards away in bow season well out of range. So here are my axioms of the hunt. If you have any, please add to the list.

As always, thank you for reading my musings. I sincerely appreciate you. 

HB’s Axioms of the Hunt

1. The wind will always be at your back (this is different from running where the wind is always in your face).

2. If by some miracle the wind is in your face and you suddenly hear a deer, the wind will shift to your back.

3. Murphy says that “if it can go wrong, it will”. Hunters know that Murphy was an optimist.

4. Deer will always pick the least assessable place to die.

5. If your gun (or bow) breaks, your 42 blade leatherman’s tool will not have a tool that fixes it.

6. When you take it go get it fixed, the repairman will say “In my 30 years I have never seen this happen.”

7. In bow season the deer will be in muzzleloader range. In muzzleloader season the deer will be in gun range. In gun season, the deer will be no where to be found.

8. If you can shoot a doe you will only see does with fawns.

9. If you can only shoot a buck, you will be overrun with does.

10. Deer calls never work. However, the best way to call a deer call is to take a leak.

11. Anyone who claims to have success grunting and rattling is lying.

12. If you see the buck of a lifetime walking down a path, you will only have a lefthanded shot (if you are righthanded and vice versa).

13. If you see the buck of a lifetime and you are bow hunting, the arrow will fall off the rest when you draw.

14. If you hunt a road where deer always cross, they will only cross when you are looking in the other direction.

15. If the outfitter has a success rate of 100%, it will be lower when you leave.

16. Animals shrink if you shoot them.

17. If you only shoot deer 8 points or better, you will only see six pointers and spikes.

18. Deer only look up if you are in a tree stand.

19. A turkey always struts one foot past the exact distance that number 6 shot can travel.

20. Camo is about as effective as a deer with a sofa painted on its side can hide in your living room.

21. Hunting clothing billed as no-scents makes no sense.

22. Buck lures only to attract hunters to buy them.

23. The only hunters who swear by grunting and rattling for bucks are the ones who sell them.

24. Primos calls if they work at all must only work on Mississippi deer and turkeys.

25. If you leave your stand at noon, the deer will walk by at 12:01.

26. The only purpose of scouting before the season is to find out where the deer were.

27. A person who looks down their nose and sneers “You kill bambi!” isn’t worth knowing.

28. If you go on a hunting trip with a group, expect to be the only one who doesn’t kill anything.

29. If you are hunting your own land without seeing anything all day and suddenly you hear something coming down a path, it will be your dog.

30. No woman is worth your time unless she thinks you look cute in camo.

31. Do I have more success stalking or still hunting? Neither.

32. Is the best time to hunt early, midday or late? No.

33. Deer will always walk down the path you are not hunting.

34. Camo only works if there are no deer around.

35. Anyone who tells you that a deer smells better than a person is obviously a European.

36. Anyone who asks you why do you own so many different caliber rifles is obviously stupid because it doesn’t make sense to own ten rifles of the same caliber.

37. Since camo wearers look like trees and grass, I guess this makes them environmentalists.

38. Most muzzleloaders were designed to hangfire only when a big deer shows up.

39. That Al Gore rather than the inventor of the Loggy Bayou climbing stand was awarded a Nobel prize is a travesty.

40. My favorite t-shirt says “Conservation through incompetence.”

41. If God didn’t want you to kill deer he wouldn’t have invented the pickup truck.

42. If God didn’t want you to hunt in the cold rain, he wouldn’t have invented GoreTex.

43. If Al Gore got the Nobel prize for inventing GoreTex, then I guess I am ok with it.

44. Since I have never seen a woman who looks like a Victoria Secret’s model, I presume that all about those women are fakes, the product of computer imaging. Similarly, videos that show bucks grunted and rattled-in are fakes.

45. Those who can smoke in a tree stand and deer will walk by even though the wind is wrong and seem to kill big deer every time are the chosen few – of which I am not one. Maybe I should start smoking.

46. A person who claims not to like venison has never eaten my cooking.

47. Jerky is not a food since it cannot be broken down by saliva and chewing. It must be swallowed whole.

48. That jerky is not a food was proven when after I tried to eat it, I gave it to my dogs – who also refused to eat it.

49. Just like when I fish I only catch small fish (I’m a small fish specialist), I only see immature deer (which I let walk).

50. Anyone who says that if you kill a trophy animal every time you hunt then it would not be fun is a fool.

51. The hunter the outfitter describes as being “the luckiest hunter I have ever seen” will always be a person in camp. That person will not be you.

52. Recurve bowhunters are snobs and are hunting’s equivalents of fly fishermen.

53. The longest week I ever spent in my life was in a camp in Alberta hunting for bear and all the other hunters shot recurves.

54. There are 6 things that every bow hunter must do in order to shoot accurately. When a trophy deer approaches you will do five of them.

55. If you believe that nonsense about buying all that expensive no scents gear so you can “Forget the Wind – Just Hunt”, let someone release your dogs one hour after you go in the woods.

56. Game cameras tell you where to hunt at 2:03 in the morning.

57. The one hour before sunup is the longest time of the hunt – much longer than the 5 hours or so that follow.

58. Nothing is more satisfying than being able to furnish your own food.

59. Sure you can kill just as many deer sitting at your kitchen table as you usually do in the woods, but coming home even empty handed to your dogs makes it all worthwhile.

60. Venison is the only red meat I eat – provided I killed it myself.

61. My dogs have always been fed a mixture of kibble and venison. Last year I only killed one deer and had to feed them lean ground chuck. They wouldn’t eat it so I gave it to a local food bank.

62. I’ve hunted plains game in South Africa, bear in Canada, elk in New Mexico, red stag in Argentina and seriously big deer near Eagle Pass, Texas. But nothing beats being at the family farm hunting on the lands of my ancestors.

You can’t make this stuff up

Former President Donald Trump offered his latest criticism of President Joe Biden on Friday, warning the “cognitively impaired” incumbent would lead the country into “World War II” if he is reelected next year.

Oops.

Then there is Joe Biden:

“We’ve seen record lows in unemployment particularly — and I’ve focused on this my whole career — particularly for African Americans and Hispanic workers and veterans, you know, the workers without high school diplomas,” 

Oops.

Biden’s White House staff did their usual when they released a revised statement: “We’ve seen record lows in unemployment particularly — and I’ve focused on this my whole career — particularly for African Americans and Hispanic workers and veterans, you know, and the workers without high school diplomas.”

The White House probably has someone employed full time just to amend and correct Biden’s gaffes. I wonder what they did with the remarks when he compared the devastation of the fires in Lahaina to a kitchen fire in his house in Delaware where he claimed he almost lost his cat and Corvette.

Of course, Biden has a long history of making racist remarks. Remember when he said that Hispanics were reluctant to get the COVID vaccine because they were afraid that they would be deported? Or that blacks were afraid of the vaccine because “They are used to being experimented on—the Tuskegee Airmen and others.” Here his addled brain mixed the Tuskegee syphilis experiment with the famed Tuskegee airmen.

Can you imagine the reaction if Trump said this?

I could list a 100 more but I’ve gone over this ground before. Biden is merely carrying on the proud democrat tradition of racism. From supporting slavery to the Ku Klux Klan, to racist southern politicians to national figures like Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson, Joe Biden is just continuing this sad tradition. What is as shameful is that the so-called legacy media has not taken him to task and has help in the pitiful excuses made for his statements. Again, the democrats and the media ran Trent Lott out of Washington for eulogizing Strom Thurman yet Biden eulogized Robert Byrd, the West Virginia senator who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and somehow he remained in the senate and is now president. Some say this is a double standard but I say it is no standard except provide cover and excuses for democrats. 

I am at a lost to explain why blacks continue to support Biden. But then Alabama blacks voted for George Wallace too.

Biden owes his nomination to James Clyburn of South Carolina. Biden had made a poor showing in the primaries until Clyburn got out the black vote in the South Carolina primary. I think that Clyburn knew that Bernie Sanders would lose to Trump and the dems only hope was Biden. I think also that Clyburn expected something from Biden and that was to nominate Michelle Childs, a black South Carolina judge, to the Supreme Court. Childs even had the backing of Lindsey Graham. But she was trashed by the left as being too moderate and too corporate. Biden caved and nominated Brown Jackson instead. Clyburn, being a good democrat has been silent and was probably placated when Childs was nominated to the DC circuit court of appeals. But I bet he was not happy with Biden’s betrayal.

That would be a natural segue into comparing the Trump impeachments with the Biden impeachment inquiry where the media claims that there is “no evidence.” But I resist relating the obvious.

I can only say “Oops.”

These two comments came to my email and both gave me permission to publish. I thank them very much for commenting and I thank you very much for reading. Enjoy!

Dr. Black, I enjoyed the subject article and, as a gasoline car guy, I really have to wonder what the underlying motivation is to outlaw internal combustion engines. Dr. Jordan Peterson states, “Climate Change is the Progressives get out of jail free card”, and I tend to believe that. Let’s face it, anything “bad” can be attributed to “climate change” via a single step (hurricanes) or multiple steps (migration, bad grades, hangnails, etc). It’s the perfect enemy, it cannot be: defined, located or defend itself! 

I recently purchased a 2023 Camry powered by a 4cyl gasoline engine that gets 40+ mpg on the highway and 30+ around town. It’s America’s most reliable car and, unlike EVs, there are parts in every small city to repair it. I drive only 3,000-5,000 miles per year and the engine is good for 300,000 miles before it needs to be rebuilt. I figure that I have another 60-100 years with this car (I’m 58 now). 

My lawnmower is a 20 year old Craftsman that runs fine and I’ve only had to repair some rust in the deck, which will eventually need to be replaced if the parts are available. Plan B is to simply purchase a brand new gasoline mower now and leave it in the box until it’s needed. My worry is that the EPA/DoE will require battery only mowers to be sold in all 50 states, since they generally follow California’s lead on all things “green”. California no longer allows the sale of gasoline powered mowers.

I often get puff piece articles on Facebook stating how great EVs are and that there are Government subsidies that I can use to potentially afford one. If EVs are so great, why aren’t people waiting in lines for them (e.g. latest iPhone or “must have” electronic gadget) and why the need for Government subsidies? Shouldn’t they be flying off the lots by themselves?

When I see folks comment on the puff piece articles  stating how great their EVs and how they drive them for mere pennies, I have to laugh. I’ve run the numbers and it simply does not make economic sense for me. EVs are rich mans’ virtue signaling toys. I don’t see grandma trading in her 2000 Buick for a $66,000 EV to save the world. They are not economically feasible – yet.  

Every current and prospective EV owner should ask themselves four simple questions: a) if not for the hysteria over “climate change” (aka greenhouse effect, hole in the ozone layer, global warming, etc.) would anyone be driving an electric vehicle today?; b) if every driver in the entire world switched to an EV tomorrow, would there still be: species extinction, hurricanes, wild fires, droughts, famines, floods, tornadoes, earth quakes, rising seas, migration, and wars?; c) if EVs are so economically viable and the  demand is so high, shouldn’t EVs be flying off the lots in a supply and demand business model without the need for the US Government provided tax incentives and other rebates?, and; d) if “climate change” is such an existential threat to mankind, why do the world’s leaders and “climate change” advocates continue to jet off to Davos, Glasco and other exotic locales, to discuss “climate change”, instead of simply meeting via ZOOM?

The typical response I get is namecalling. You know you have them stumped when they instantly resort to namecalling. 

Sincerely, CC

Another Comment

Dear Dr. Black,

I was quite disappointed while reading your article on EVs in the Knoxville Focus today. So disappointed in fact, I was inspired enough to send you an email! I believe that for ideas to be made better they must be challenged, and with argument we creep closer to the truth. So, in this email I will counter your article on EVs and explain why they are the future.

Two years ago when looking at the range on Tesla EVs, I noticed that most of their long range models fall somewhere between 300-400 miles. But as a gas car driver, range means nothing to me! We currently just drive until its empty, stop at a gas station and think nothing of it. So I started an experiment, in which I drive my tank until empty and track how many miles I get (I encourage you to do this with your own car, I always wait to fill up until the empty light comes on). Without fail, I have reset my trip odometer after every gas station fillup on my 2017 Kia Forte 5. So after two years of data what did my average in town driving range end up as? My average is around 325 miles, matching the range of EV cars already on the market today.

While I cannot argue your point about EVs being ugly since it is comes down to personal taste, I would like to give insight into why they look the way they do. For the first time in a long time, automakers are having to worry about the drag coefficient of their vehicles. With gas cars having an MPG figure and not a range figure, it was hard for consumers to really compare vehicles in a meaningful way. But with the range number being directly comparable across vehicles, they have to make sure it is a respectable number. One of the easiest ways to increase efficiency in the vehicles is through the pursuit of aerodynamics, which by having a more sleek frontal area there is less air resistance. But I am not here to give you a physics lesson, you can attend one at UT!(Does former faculty get into lectures for free?) Speaking of physics, fuel economy also goes down for gas vehicles in extreme cold and heat as well! I know that was one of your points of contention in your article.

The most exciting part of EVs for the consumer is the long term development potential they they have. The Ford Model T came out in 1908, with Fords website claiming its MPG at 13-21 MPG. According to the EPA, the average MPG of a car in 2020 was 25.4 MPG. So in the best case after 112 years of development cars have gained 12.4 MPG, worst case only 4.4 MPG. The point I am trying to make, is that the development of EV technology is at its very early stage. The current EVs now rival the range of gas cars at the beginning of their development cycle, and by the end we may see ranges of 600 miles as you said! Here is a example for the development cycle: The gas car started at zero and at its peak efficiency it got to ten, the EV started at six and one fully developed can get to fifteen.

One final point is how the EV is beneficial to the consumers wallet. Not currently, but in time we will see EVs be cheaper to their gas counterparts. Why? Electric vehicles have fewer parts, and compared to an internal combustion engine, their motors are much less complex. I have read estimates that EVs have less than half of the total parts compared to their ICE counterparts. Finally, with electric energy Americans will no longer be held by the OPEC oils cartels. We will no longer be dependent on the Middle East, and theoretically will now be able to avoid wars over resources. Would the US have spent so much time fighting in the middle east if there were no oil interests there? One can wonder…

We don’t have it figured out, we are at the start of a new journey. But I believe that in the long term, renewable energy sources will be better for America. I appreciate you for writing in an open forum and taking the time to read my rebuttal.

Thanks, Mason B.

Mason B seems to forget the replacement cost for a battery, $3,000 to $20,000 depending on the model, with life span of 8 to 12 years. The average cost of a EV $64,000 which is out of the reach for an average American. The weight of he EV is hundreds to thousands of lbs more than an internal combustion, causing more ware on our road system plus tires and breaks will need replacing faster.
Another problem is the damage to the earth by mining the minerals , using slave labor, for the batteries which is controlled by China, which also uses slave labor. The fact everything involved with production of the EV batteries are paid by companies that knowingly those funds will go to the CCP to build their military.
Those that buy the EV gives them a good feeling but they forget the costs to our country’s security, earth, roadways and people slaving to mine these minerals.

From Lottie1924

Knoxville Focus

September 11, 2023

Why are most EVs so ugly? 

Have you seen the new KIA EV SUV? It dethrones the Mustang and Teslas as the ugliest SUV. As much as I love Porsches their EV is really ugly. Its paint jobs are awful reminding me of Pepto Bismol.

Those in the EV camp are crowing that the new agreement to have additional manufacturers given access to Tesla’s charging network solves the problem of range anxiety. It does not. Charging networks do not address the problem of limited range. Until that is addressed, EVs will be no more than second car commuting vehicles. Also, the bigger the EV (SUVs) the lower the range, the heavier the batteries and the greater negative impact on the environment.

World governments’ all-in EV strategies are increasingly stupid. Outlawing the sale of gas/diesel engines before charging networks are on line, before the energy grid can handle the increased demands while severely damaging the environment in the name of saving the planet only makes sense if you follow the money. 

Lithium batteries explode and the fire is difficult to extinguish. The mandating of EVs has ignored the problem of rare earth materials in the batteries. China is seeking to dominate the market while the Biden administration is denying permits for mines in the US. How much money did Hunter get from the Chinese?

The innovation in battery technology is the use of sodium rather than lithium. They solve range anxiety with ranges in excess of 600 miles. They solve the rare earth problem being readily accessible and cheap. 

I have a close friend who has bought into the “climate change is our greatest existential threat” dogma. But he drives a gas powered Mercedes convertible that he loves and will never buy a Tesla because he dislikes Elon Musk intensely.

I have nothing against EVs. I welcome diversity to the marketplace and the expansion of choice to consumers. I just want change to be market driven rather than being forced down the throat of consumers by the zealots who occupy power in governments, banks, and investment firms. 

I admire Elon Musk for his determination to make a successful product. I have a friend who has an Audi EV. He crows about its performance. It is as fast as a Porsche turbo. I just hope he doesn’t go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds down Kingston Pike. 

I wonder why Tesla drivers don’t flick their lights since they all belong to the same cult.

EVs lose about 30 percent of their range in cold winter climates. They lose about 30 percent of their range in extreme heat. So don’t buy one if you live in Minnesota or Arizona.

There was an incongruous headline saying that Ford was cutting the price of its “popular” EV truck by $10,000. If the truck were popular then Ford would be raising the price not lowering it. 

EV trucks are a vanity item. They cannot tow or haul without losing significant range.

The Biden administration has added gas generators to the bad for the environment list. This will adversely impact all those campers who love to camp off grid using solar power and gas generators to power their rigs. 

The first cybertruck from Tesla has just been produced. It is plagued with the same manufacturing problems that characterize Teslas, namely ill fitting panels. Teslas are rightly lauded for their innovative technology so why can’t they fix their manufacturing issues?

What if we refuse to buy EVs even if the governments ban diesel and gas engines? I predict a huge growth in the used car market as consumers rebel against the dictates of the misguided left.

I am wondering how much of these harmful regulations can be reversed by another administration? Much like Biden repealed almost anything associated with Trump during the first days of his tenure, a less zealous administration can be expected to stop the green mandates once it is in office.

I still can’t figure out why the UAW funds Democrats who are intent on destroying so many jobs in the automobile industry. Can they possibly be that stupid?

Comments:

Dr. Black, I enjoyed the subject article and, as a gasoline car guy, I really have to wonder what the underlying motivation is to outlaw internal combustion engines. Dr. Jordan Peterson states, “Climate Change is the Progressives get out of jail free card”, and I tend to believe that. Let’s face it, anything “bad” can be attributed to “climate change” via a single step (hurricanes) or multiple steps (migration, bad grades, hangnails, etc). It’s the perfect enemy, it cannot be: defined, located or defend itself! 

I recently purchased a 2023 Camry powered by a 4cyl gasoline engine that gets 40+ mpg on the highway and 30+ around town. It’s America’s most reliable car and, unlike EVs, there are parts in every small city to repair it. I drive only 3,000-5,000 miles per year and the engine is good for 300,000 miles before it needs to be rebuilt. I figure that I have another 60-100 years with this car (I’m 58 now). 

My lawnmower is a 20 year old Craftsman that runs fine and I’ve only had to repair some rust in the deck, which will eventually need to be replaced if the parts are available. Plan B is to simply purchase a brand new gasoline mower now and leave it in the box until it’s needed. My worry is that the EPA/DoE will require battery only mowers to be sold in all 50 states, since they generally follow California’s lead on all things “green”. California no longer allows the sale of gasoline powered mowers.

I often get puff piece articles on Facebook stating how great EVs are and that there are Government subsidies that I can use to potentially afford one. If EVs are so great, why aren’t people waiting in lines for them (e.g. latest iPhone or “must have” electronic gadget) and why the need for Government subsidies? Shouldn’t they be flying off the lots by themselves?

When I see folks comment on the puff piece articles  stating how great their EVs and how they drive them for mere pennies, I have to laugh. I’ve run the numbers and it simply does not make economic sense for me. EVs are rich mans’ virtue signaling toys. I don’t see grandma trading in her 2000 Buick for a $66,000 EV to save the world. They are not economically feasible – yet.  

Every current and prospective EV owner should ask themselves four simple questions: a) if not for the hysteria over “climate change” (aka greenhouse effect, hole in the ozone layer, global warming, etc.) would anyone be driving an electric vehicle today?; b) if every driver in the entire world switched to an EV tomorrow, would there still be: species extinction, hurricanes, wild fires, droughts, famines, floods, tornadoes, earth quakes, rising seas, migration, and wars?; c) if EVs are so economically viable and the  demand is so high, shouldn’t EVs be flying off the lots in a supply and demand business model without the need for the US Government provided tax incentives and other rebates?, and; d) if “climate change” is such an existential threat to mankind, why do the world’s leaders and “climate change” advocates continue to jet off to Davos, Glasco and other exotic locales, to discuss “climate change”, instead of simply meeting via ZOOM?

The typical response I get is namecalling. You know you have them stumped when they instantly resort to namecalling. 

Sincerely, CC

Knoxville Focus

August 5, 2023

Brenda Russell’s “Against the Law” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FQFRlrA9Mw) brings back some unpleasant memories of growing up black in the segregated south. I knew of no one under the illusion that justice was blind. Justice was not impartial and objective. Blacks expected and received harsher punishment than whites. Whites controlled the police departments, the judges and juries. The question is why is justice still not blind?

We all know that there are racial disparities in the administration of “justice” but we must be careful not to use racial disparities as a proxy for discrimination. For example, confinement rates for blacks are greater than for whites. However, confinement rates are misleading if blacks commit more crimes than whites. If the crimes committed by blacks are more serious than those committed by whites, then black sentences should be harsher. So the question is one of ceteris paribus (all other things being equal). Discrimination occurs if blacks and whites who commit the same crime and have the same priors receive different treatment by law enforcement and by the courts. More specifically, the correct test would be to look at treatment by race within the same law enforcement unit, the same prosecutors and the same judge. If a jury trial is involved, then the same approximate jury. Of course that is not possible, so inference becomes important. Moreover, it would be important to see differences in enforcement, incarceration and sentencing when control of the government flips from white to black. It is obvious that in some areas now in the hands of “progressives” that their solution to disparate treatment is perverted. Rather than advocating for equal treatment, their solution has been to lessen the penalties of crimes committed by blacks. Not surprisingly, crimes have increased in cities with progressive DAs. Look at the explosion of car thefts and smash and grab crimes in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. 

Justice is not blind because all of its components are biased. All-white juries levy harsher punishment against blacks than whites. It was not long ago in the deep south that a white person who committed a crime against a black could expect no punishment – even in the case of murder – because the cops, judges and juries were all white. Thankfully, those times are gone. But the question remains: will the punishment today be the same for a black committing the same crime as a white? A lot depends on the juries. Each juror is biased even though the justice system assumes otherwise. However, jurors are not tested for implicit biasness. By the way, the most widely tests for implicit biases are fatally flawed and woefully unreliable.

Even the judges who administer the law are biased. When a case goes before a federal judge, it is always reported who appointed the judge. Was it Trump or Biden or Bush or Obama? This is an acknowledgement that justice is not blind and the politics of the judge will determine the outcome. More often than not, Supreme Court decisions revolve around which president appointed the justices. If justice were blind, then the opinions of justices Brown and Sotomayor would be different than how they vote. That is, even if their examples of the benefits of an unconstitutional act were true, they still should have voted against the unlawful act given their supposed fealty to the Constitution.

We all know that Donald Trump will not receive a “fair” trial in New York, Washington, DC or Atlanta, GA. The DAs, grand juries and trial juries are all biased and hate Trump. In order to get a semblance of a fair trial, Trump’s lawyers should demand that the juries be split evenly among whites and blacks and republicans and democrats. A black and or a democrat jury in those cities guarantees a guilty verdict. Trump juries with some republicans would likely result in a hung jury and a jury of Trump supporters would find him not guilty – all hearing the same evidence.

Again, blacks have never thought that justice was blind. In fact, the term “justice” is itself a misnomer. I think that most whites have always felt the same way but since “justice” was tilted in their favor they didn’t object. However, the prosecutions of Donald Trump have changed all that. Citizens see now the uneven application of the law in our system of “justice”. The two tiered justice system that has always been present in black America is now front and center. The question is whether we are finally going to do something about it?

I am suffering from Trump Fatigue Syndrome (TFS).

Trump dominates the news. When he was president 92 percent of the media coverage of him was negative. Now still 92 percent is negative. Amazingly – but not surprising – Biden has received less negative media coverage than any president on record. Who was it that said that the legacy media was the PR arm of the democrat party?

There is a new COVID virus afoot and the Biden, the CDC and the media are already starting to raise the possibility of masks and mandatory vaccinations. I thought this was the “my body my choice” crowd?

Trump has a video in which he says “The left-wing lunatics are trying very hard to bring back COVID lockdowns and mandates with all of their sudden fearmongering about the new variants that are coming.” “But to every COVID tyrant who wants to take away our freedom, hear these words: We will not comply, so don’t even think about it. We will not shut down our schools. We will not accept your lockdowns. We will not abide by your mask mandates, and we will not tolerate your vaccine mandates.” “When I’m back in the White House, I will use every available authority to cut federal funding to any school, college, airline, or public transportation system that imposes a mask mandate or a vaccine mandate.”

I guess that he forgot that he was the first to impose mandates that shut the economy down, issued mask mandates and closed the schools. Remember flattening the curve? Remember 15 days to stop the spread? That was Trump. Remember Operation Warp Speed and the rush to produce mRNA experimental vaccines that indemnified Big Pharma? That was Trump. 

I don’t blame Trump for his initial response with all the fear mongering from Fauci, the CDC and all the models predicting the end of the world. But Fauci and the CDC were lying and the models were bogus. I do blame Trump for shutting down small businesses while allowing the giants to remain open leading to thousands of small business failure. I do blame Trump for not pivoting when the evidence came in showing the folly of masks and vaccines for less vulnerable groups. Masking and vaccinating children is akin to child abuse. Those who were vulnerable – those over 70 with co-conditions – should be protected and the rest of us left alone. For the vast majority of us, COVID was a bad cold or the flu and we don’t shut down and mask for either.

Biden is now asking Congress for $35 million to fund the development of a vaccine to counter the new COVID variant. Big Pharma made billions on the old vaccines. Couldn’t they afford to pay for the new one? Of course, scientists are uncertain whether the vaccines will be effective for the new variant and history has shed doubt on the efficacy of the old ones.

There have been serious adverse effects of the previous vaccines. I have two otherwise healthy friends who almost died from the Moderna vaccine. There were adverse reactions to the Pfizer/AstraZeneca vaccine with myocarditis and pericarditis risks. It just stands to reason that if Big Pharma is indemnified then they will be less careful in the production of the drug.

It’s a wonder that the democrats do not blame Trump for rushing through the production of the vaccines and all their adverse side effects.

Trump’s first campaign was overtly racist. Remember when he advocating banning all Muslims for entering the country? He also said that a Latino judge should recuse himself because of his Mexican heritage. I also remember him being especially vocal about Mexican illegals and pointing out how many were criminals and rapists. I remarked at the time that I had not heard such a racist campaign since the days of the segregated south and that I thought George Wallace was dead.

Biden is so bad that he has made Trump look good. We tend to forget Trump’s inability to govern. He pledged to end the administrative state and reform the Civil Service. He did neither. Instead he wasted his time on efforts to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. I said this was a mistake. The two should be separate. The first effort should be repeal and then introduce an act to replace. The effort failed due to the one vote of John McCain who likely voted “no” simply because he hated Trump. Now Obamacare with all its warts is imbedded and will never be repealed.

Although he didn’t attack the administrative state, regulations fell during Trump’s presidency. The number of pages in federal register fell dramatically reducing the regulatory burdens on the American public. The reduction was 35 percent less than under Obama. Biden’s number is larger than Obama’s.

Trump also ranted and raved about NAFTA claiming that it was the worse trade deal ever. He was wrong but was trying to appeal to workers in the industrial north who had lost their jobs because of NAFTA. Studies had shown that those states most adversely affected by NAFTA actually had positive gains in employment post NAFTA. But facts don’t matter in politics. So Trump and his people worked for countless hours to replace NAFTA with USMCA – the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Rolls right off the tongue. Close scrutiny shows that there is not much difference in the two despite the rhetoric.  The main difference is that the USMCA imposes a $16 hour minimum wage on workers in factories that import to America. Apparently, Trump and his people figured that the new wage would force manufacturers to move their work to the United States rather than pay Mexicans the higher wage which was three times what they were earning. The response of the manufacturers was to realign the Mexican workforce and to pay the higher wage. There was no bump in hiring more American workers.

At least he appointed three Supreme Court justices.

I have written earlier about Biden’s cabinet being the worse and most incompetent one I have seen. Well Trump’s was the second worse. Just to refresh your memory Tom Price at HHS was forced to resign. Jeff Sessions at Justice was a disaster and lost his senate race in Alabama to an Auburn football coach. David Shulkin at VA was an embarrassment as were Ryan Zinke at Interior, Wilbur Ross at Commerce and Rex Tillerson at State. Only Betsy DeVos and Ben Carson were great but they were hated by the left: DeVos because she was a stanch advocate of school choice and Ben Carson because he was black.

To quote Gil Scott-Heron: “four more years of that?” The sad truth is that four more years of Trump will be better than four more years of Biden and his crew. 

Knoxville Focus

August 28, 2023

I am probably the last to admit it but we are in trouble as a country. We have become more polarized than at any point in our history save the Civil War. All the polls indicate that the vast majority of democrats and republicans differ on virtually every issue. Those differences are intractable with no comprise offered and none acceptable.  I have noted before that one of my good friends is gleeful over the Trump indictments. I have reminded him that what goes around comes around and when the republicans are back in power, that it will be tic for tat. It doesn’t matter to him as long as Trump keeps getting persecuted. 

Yet it bodes ill for the rest of the country. Biden’s Department of “Justice” has weaponized its components against his political adversaries. We now have a two-tiered justice system. Once it was white against black and now its Biden against the conservatives. Trump’s supporters have been raided and indicted. The January 6 “insurrection” had resulted in a seeming suspension of Habeas Corpus, incredibly long prison terms and fines while the destructive rioters of Black Lives Matter get compensation. Trump’s classified documents case is serious but is it as serious as Hilary Clinton’s email erasures and use of a non secured email account? Is it as serious as Biden’s classified documents being found in his garage, in his University of Pennsylvania center and at his beach house? Biden’s administration is harassing gun dealers, revoking their licenses. It has pressured banks to cancel the accounts of conservative groups. It has arrested abortion opponents while not prosecuting those who torch anti-abortion counseling centers. When the republicans come back into the presidency they will likely to do the same to the left. We will then spiral downward into retribution upon retribution levied on the other side.

We have lost respect for our most important institutions. Our republican form of government designed to counter the tyranny of the majority is under attack. The Supreme Court is being vilified and politicized. We have lost trust in our system of justice. The FBI and IRS are now political weapons against the opposition. Local DAs pursue political opponents on Trumped up charges with flimsy foundations. Political organizations are being labelled as hate groups and as white supremacists simply because they oppose parental rights being subordinated to local school systems indoctrinating their children.

When I was a senior in high school, the first two black students at the University of Georgia faced opposition to their admission. After the court ordered them admitted to the university, a mob gathered on campus outside the dormitory of Charlayne Hunter Gault. Hamilton Holmes lived off campus. Although the mob never physically assaulted the dorm, the university said that it could not protect them and expelled the black students “for their own safety.” The court immediately ordered them re-admitted and the governor of the state called out the national guard. When Hamilton and Charlayne returned so did the mob outside her dorm. Only this time the national guard was there and the mob soon dissipated. Rumor had it that several members of the guard which now protected Charlayne had been among the mob days before. Also, the governor went on TV and said that the ordered integration of the university marked the saddest day of his life but “in Georgia we obey the law”.

That respect for the law no longer exists. Now Joe Biden condemns Supreme Court rulings and orders his departments to find ways around them. He condemned the Dobbs decision on abortion and allows the Pentagon to pay to let service members get abortions in less restrictive states. He orders the Department of Education to find ways around the Court’s ruling on student debt. He hosts meetings to find ways to get around the Court’s ruling on affirmative action. He and his administration are openly defying the Supreme Court. This would have never happened in my generation. Imagine what would have been the consequences of openly defying the Supreme Court’s ruling on Brown v. Board of Education which ended “separate but equal” and led to the integration of the public schools. Or the voters rights legislation? Or the Civil Rights legislation? Or even the Court’s rulings on Roe versus Wade. It would have chaos and even open rebellion with blood in the streets.

I don’t wish to be an alarmist but all indications are that we are headed in that direction. With our leaders instituting a two-tiered “justice” system and openly defying Supreme Court rulings, the civility and respect for the law that has bound our country of disparate groups together is being frayed and will likely break. If the president of the United States has no respect for the rule of law then how can it be demanded of its citizens?

COVID is back in the news. Biden wants the congress to fund a new experimental drug and bypass the old restrictions on bringing it to market. I presume they will indemnify the manufacturers from liability from those who will suffer adverse reactions to the drug. Here come the mandates again. Universities which used to be operated by smart people are starting to issue mandates. Rutgers University is requiring all students to show proof of vaccination and requires masks. Morris Brown College in Atlanta is doing the same. It doesn’t matter that all the research shows that for college aged students, COVID is akin to a bad cold or the flu and seldom fatal. One New Jersey legislator has recommending that the Rutgers administration be fired. While you are at it, why not expel them from the Big “10” too. 

The question is whether Biden will attempt to bring back the mandates and the lockdowns. He said that he wanted all in the country to get the new vaccine and hinted that it might be mandated. Surely he wouldn’t dare. I think that if he did, he (or any democrat) will lose the presidential election in a landslide. This time I suspect that mandates will be met with mass civil disobedience. Last time I got the J & J vaccine because it was a single shot. I only got the shot to keep peace in the house but I drew the line on the boosters. I only wore masks when it was required by the establishment. I eventually stopped wearing masks and usually no one said anything. I gave up my Costco membership when some snarky employee there told me to cover my nose. I left the merchandise in the cart, walked out and never returned. I liked Sams better anyway.

I still went turkey hunting – an essential outdoor activity – and still drove to Georgia every other week to visit my mother. The lockdown prevented me from seeing her in her assisted living facility so we would meet at the front door and talk to each other on our phones. Although she tested positive from COVID she died from heart failure at 101. To this day, I am bitter that I couldn’t physically be with her, hold her hand and say “I love you.” I should have taken her out of the facility and taken her home to die surrounded by those who loved her.

No more mandates. No more masks. No more lockdowns. No more abdicating fundamental rights to government tyrants and bureaucrats who make up stuff on the fly. No more ignoring the research. Protect the vulnerable and leave the rest of us alone.

If we all drive electric cars (perish the thought) what happens to the gasoline tax? How will states then finance the upkeep of the roads? Mandating that the auto companies install tracking devices in cars? My insurance company wants me to have some device in my cars that track my driving. No way.

Speaking of tracking, it is obviously that my credit card purchases are being tracked. Kroger sends me coupon for the stuff I buy. Walmart has a list of everything I buy there as does Sams. When I google, ads appear that reflect by buying history. It is apparent that the merchants use my purchasing history to determine what not to carry. My favorite mustard and salsa are no longer made. Items that I like disappear. Even my favorite dishes vanish from menus.

Speaking of ads, where did all the Temu ads come from. They are the most obnoxious offensive ones I’ve seen to date.

Isn’t it interesting that the taxes from tobacco are often used by states to fund  social programs? California which banned flavored cigarettes has seen tobacco tax revenues falling. This has led to a drop in funding for some early childhood services programs. One California county recently ended a program that provided support for pregnant women and babies up to a year old. Funds for other programs supporting foster children and dental health services have been cut. California had already raised the tax on tobacco and thinking that the demand was inelastic assumed that tax revenues would increase. Instead revenues fell. Incidentally, since menthol cigarettes are most popular among blacks it’s a wonder that they were banned. Didn’t the banning constitute an aggressive hostile action toward blacks and is racist?

Am I the only one who is irritated by commentators commenting on other commentators who commentate on them commentating? The non-news shows on Fox spend most of their time commenting on what commentators on CNN and MSNBC are saying. In many cases those commentators are commenting on what is being said on Fox. The same is true on the emails I get where the writer – who obviously had no ideas that morning – is writing on what the other side has written. The two main objects of derision are the obnoxious Keith Olbermann and Jemele Hill who both were sports anchors for ESPN. Both are extremely bitter with Hill only capable of shouting “racist!”. She recently called Nikki Haley an Indian-American for calling another Indian-American (Kamala Harris) inept.

Speaking of ESPN, I was wondering how long before Sage Steele was fired by ESPN. She obviously was not in line with the leftist dogma on the network (which is owned by Disney). Well she wasn’t fired but left after her lawsuit against the network was settled. 

I can’t abide Stephen A. Smith but think that it is a tribute to him that he is so well compensated and attended an HBCU (Winston-Salem State) rather than an Ivy League school.