Kick Her When She’s Down

 

The Wuhan virus was a once-in-a-century health care catastrophe. It would have been a serious problem even had numerous state governors not overreacted and exacerbated what was already a challenging situation (to say nothing of killing elderly nursing home patients by the thousands through plainly neglectful policies).

After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too), the nation faced an historical challenge: how to begin to restore the shattered dreams and hopes of millions of people whose livelihoods had been wrecked, if not by the virus, then by the policies that followed.

It was at that moment that Black Lives Matter, an organization that professes to despise most of what I cherish about our country, our freedom and our tolerance and our optimism, chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded. It was at that moment that the thugs of Antifa, an organization founded to destroy the best things about our country, decided to join in and help tear our country apart.

Damn Black Lives Matter. Damn Antifa. And damn all the cowardly thugs who resort to violence because the stupidity of their hateful ideology can’t be defended with words.

America has work to do. The anti-American radicals can go to hell.

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  1. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    The back lash continues. Way to state it Henry.

    • #1
  2. Mark Camp Member
    Mark Camp
    @MarkCamp

    I do not agree that the Wuhan flu was even close to being a health care catastrophe.

    The government actions were a political catastrophe for the American system of government and for human rights.

    • #2
  3. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Mark Camp (View Comment):

    I do not agree that the Wuhan flu was even close to being a health care catastrophe.

    The government actions were a political catastrophe for the American system of government and for human rights.

    Who am I to quibble?

    Okay, I’ll quibble.

    First, you’ll note that I point out that, absent the policy decisions that exacerbated it, it would have been “a serious problem.” You and I are in agreement that our response made it worse. But yes, when our response is factored into it, it’s a health care catastrophe: normal medical care has been interrupted to literally millions (globally) with critical needs, America’s health care systems have been damaged financially in ways that will imperil future health care, and the follow-on effects to public health from economic, social, and medical disruption will be with us for years to come.

    It could also lead to a Democratic win in November (though I doubt it), which would be a new kind of catastrophe for America: the ascension to power of an explicitly and virulently anti-American faction.

    Arguing counterfactuals is always questionable. I can easily imagine that, had we not done something, we might have seen other states suffer the same kind of nursing home decimation that we experienced here in New York, albeit without the active encouragement of state government. We really don’t know what a laissez-faire approach might have brought; my own guess is that we’d have seen some traumatic failures of critical care capacity, and that we’d be kicking ourselves now and wondering how we allowed that to happen. I don’t agree with what we did; I’m not sure anyone knew enough to do better; I’m willing to excuse early mistakes all around, though we’re long past that point and the past couple of months have been, in my opinion, wholly indefensible by anyone who loves liberty and the dignity of a free people.

     

    • #3
  4. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    Now, if you change the word to macroscopic . . .

    • #4
  5. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    This will all be resolved once Trump is out of office.  

    • #5
  6. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    Henry Racette: damn all the cowardly thugs

    In addition, I am displeased with our leaders that fail to push back against this Marxist scourge.

    • #6
  7. Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… Member
    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio…
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Hank. I like it.  Well done.  I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.”  The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death.  There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems.  I don’t claim that these caused his death.  I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem.  I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way.  What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death?  I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    • #7
  8. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    Henry Racette: damn all the cowardly thugs

    In addition, I am displeased with our leaders that fail to push back against this Marxist scourge.

    Maybe they do not push back because they do not disagree.  Maybe they do not push back because their goals are advancing.

    • #8
  9. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    Jerry, your agnosticism on the Floyd death has come up before and been noted — and I respect it. I’ll probably start including “alleged” in further comments on it, even though I don’t share quite your degree of openmindness on the matter.

    To be perfectly fair, I should also note that the issue of police misconduct is real and needs to be addressed, and that, while the Floyd death is an “individual” instance, it doesn’t take many such instances to create a jaundiced view of law enforcement — and several such incidents occur each year. While I’m staunchly pro-law enforcement (and have a son who’s a cop), I won’t pretend that law enforcement is the only branch of government that doesn’t contain a few bad apples.

    Having said that, BLM remains duplicitous and deplorable.

    • #9
  10. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    Jerry, your agnosticism on the Floyd death has come up before and been noted — and I respect it. I’ll probably start including “alleged” in further comments on it, even though I don’t share quite your degree of openmindness on the matter.

    To be perfectly fair, I should also note that the issue of police misconduct is real and needs to be addressed, and that, while the Floyd death is an “individual” instance, it doesn’t take many such instances to create a jaundiced view of law enforcement — and several such incidents occur each year. While I’m staunchly pro-law enforcement (and have a son who’s a cop), I won’t pretend that law enforcement is the only branch of government that doesn’t contain a few bad apples.

    Having said that, BLM remains duplicitous and deplorable.

    Road Bad apples happen. I realize that white people do not feel the same amount of threatened as black people and so it’s easy for me to dismiss ‘systemic racism’ out of hand. But it is unfalsifiable, so I really can’t give it much credence. And it is being used as a blunt instrument to break windows and steal stuff, so I am even less motivated to think of it as the problem. 

    Cops, good and bad, are going to screw up and the more times you interact with them, the more likely you are to be on the receiving end of that screw-up. 

    • #10
  11. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    There needs to be a change of trial venue.  A good lawyer would argue any guilty verdict would be based to fear instead of the evidence, fear of Rodney King-like riots if the jury is hung, or worse – aquitted.

    • #11
  12. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    Jerry, your agnosticism on the Floyd death has come up before and been noted — and I respect it. I’ll probably start including “alleged” in further comments on it, even though I don’t share quite your degree of openmindness on the matter.

    To be perfectly fair, I should also note that the issue of police misconduct is real and needs to be addressed, and that, while the Floyd death is an “individual” instance, it doesn’t take many such instances to create a jaundiced view of law enforcement — and several such incidents occur each year. While I’m staunchly pro-law enforcement (and have a son who’s a cop), I won’t pretend that law enforcement is the only branch of government that doesn’t contain a few bad apples.

    Having said that, BLM remains duplicitous and deplorable.

    The more I look at the evidence and think about it, the more I convince myself Chauvin should be found not guilty.  I guess I just knocked myself out of any Federal jury pool . . .

    • #12
  13. Henry Racette Member
    Henry Racette
    @HenryRacette

    Stad (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    There needs to be a change of trial venue. A good lawyer would argue any guilty verdict would be based to fear instead of the evidence, fear of Rodney King-like riots if the jury is hung, or worse – acquitted.

    That’s an interesting idea, that a defense lawyer might argue on appeal that it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in any venue given the practical necessity of returning a guilty verdict in order to avoid a nationwide wave of violence. It’s hard to imagine that any jury won’t be aware of that danger. It almost makes finding the officer guilty a matter of national security.

    There’s been endless talk of a “second wave” of the virus. We should assume a second wave of the riots, in the unlikely (my opinion) event that the jury acquits.

    • #13
  14. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Henry Racette (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    There needs to be a change of trial venue. A good lawyer would argue any guilty verdict would be based to fear instead of the evidence, fear of Rodney King-like riots if the jury is hung, or worse – acquitted.

    That’s an interesting idea, that a defense lawyer might argue on appeal that it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in any venue given the practical necessity of returning a guilty verdict in order to avoid a nationwide wave of violence. It’s hard to imagine that any jury won’t be aware of that danger. It almost makes finding the officer guilty a matter of national security.

    There’s been endless talk of a “second wave” of the virus. We should assume a second wave of the riots, in the unlikely (my opinion) event that the jury acquits.

    Some jury, somewhere, will acquit someone the mob is convinced is guilty. 

    • #14
  15. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Stad (View Comment):

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Hank. I like it. Well done. I have a couple of follow-ups:

    Henry Racette: After weeks of near-panic and crushing economic loss brought about by a malignant microscopic organism (and no, I’m not talking about the Governor of Michigan… though her too)

    This deserves a special like.

    Henry Racette: chose to exploit an individual act of police misconduct to further the lie on which BLM is founded

    I would insert “possible” before “individual.” The evidence of cause of death is inconclusive from the autopsy report, to say the least, and I don’t think that we’ve received any new information of significance on the point.

    I am worried if my suspicions in this regard are correct, and the prosecution cannot prove that Ofc. Chauvin (or the officers combined) caused Mr. Floyd’s death. There’s a fentanyl overdose issue, and other drugs, and two serious heart problems. I don’t claim that these caused his death. I don’t know the cause, and that’s the problem. I have a very unpleasant suspicion about politically motivated machinations at the Hennepin County ME’s office, and not in the officer’s favor, but the other way. What if the ME who did the autopsy testifies that he cannot determine whether or not the actions of the officers caused Mr. Floyd’s death? I worry that there will be bedlam in the country.

    There needs to be a change of trial venue. A good lawyer would argue any guilty verdict would be based to fear instead of the evidence, fear of Rodney King-like riots if the jury is hung, or worse – aquitted.

    Yes, they need to shop judges and venue until a guilty verdict is guaranteed.

    • #15
  16. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Henry Racette (View Comment):
    That’s an interesting idea, that a defense lawyer might argue on appeal that it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in any venue given the practical necessity of returning a guilty verdict in order to avoid a nationwide wave of violence. It’s hard to imagine that any jury won’t be aware of that danger.

    If any juror can be found to have voted guilty because of either fear of being doxxed, or actually being doxxed, you have grounds for dismissal right there (IMHO).  Chauvin’s lawyer has to be thinking of post-trial, in-depth interviews with all the jurors if his client is convicted . . .

    Update:  If I was on a juror and I was threatened with doxxing if I didn’t vote a certain way, I’d consider it my duty to tell the judge.

    • #16
  17. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Stad (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):
    That’s an interesting idea, that a defense lawyer might argue on appeal that it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in any venue given the practical necessity of returning a guilty verdict in order to avoid a nationwide wave of violence. It’s hard to imagine that any jury won’t be aware of that danger.

    If any juror can be found to have voted guilty because of either fear of being doxxed, or actually being doxxed, you have grounds for dismissal right there (IMHO). Chauvin’s lawyer has to be thinking of post-trial, in-depth interviews with all the jurors if his client is convicted . . .

    Update: If I was on a juror and I was threatened with doxxing if I didn’t vote a certain way, I’d consider it my duty to tell the judge.

    Personally there is no way I will be on any jury involving a minority or woke or liberal.  I would bow out or if forced say they are innocent.  To much risk and no upside doing anything else.

    • #17
  18. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Stad (View Comment):

    Henry Racette (View Comment):
    That’s an interesting idea, that a defense lawyer might argue on appeal that it was impossible for his client to get a fair trial in any venue given the practical necessity of returning a guilty verdict in order to avoid a nationwide wave of violence. It’s hard to imagine that any jury won’t be aware of that danger.

    If any juror can be found to have voted guilty because of either fear of being doxxed, or actually being doxxed, you have grounds for dismissal right there (IMHO). Chauvin’s lawyer has to be thinking of post-trial, in-depth interviews with all the jurors if his client is convicted . . .

    Update: If I was on a juror and I was threatened with doxxing if I didn’t vote a certain way, I’d consider it my duty to tell the judge.

    I wouldn’t necessarily expect that an explicit threat would be made.  It wouldn’t necessarily be needed.

    • #18
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