Sleepless in Midland

He made Chuck Schumer cry -- Trump is that mean

That has to be one of the most incongruous images of the day, maybe the year, but the year is still young. Chuck Schumer crying. Now that was a sight to behold. Is there anything Trump can't do?

Meanwhile, with the pundits saying there was a ban on Muslims when the target was prospective terrorists, isn't that a tacit admission that terrorists are predominately Muslim?

Benjamin Ginsberg -- federal bureaucrats think we're all a bunch of idiots

There's an hour long Q and A with Benjamin Ginsberg conducted by Brian Lamb which is available for viewing at this c-span link. In it he discusses the findings of a survey he did involving government employees which is the topic of his book, What Washington Gets Wrong: The Unelected Officials Who Actually Run the Government and Their Misconceptions about the American People.

The take away from the interview is that while federal bureaucrats may be very educated, well paid, and knowledgeable in the subjects required for their jobs, they are woefully ignorant about the people they govern. In the words of Mr. Ginsberg, they think we are all a bunch of idiots. Most of them vote Democrat, too.

And yes, the bureaucrats do govern. He cites an example of an individual doing time in federal prison for whistling at a hump back whale. Seems there's a federal regulation against harassing whales, not a criminal law, a regulation promulgated by NOAA. The individual piloted a whale sighting tour, and when they spotted the whale, he whistled at it. Go straight to jail.

Meanwhile, we have Donald Trump attempting to drain the swamp. Some writers are already issuing warnings, e.g., WARNING: Trump’s EPA Secretary Will Have ‘16,000 Employees Working Against Him’. Good luck, President Trump.

10 Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

The other day I mentioned James E. Mitchell's book, "Enhanced Interrogation." And in it he listed and described EITs on pages 52 and 53. To wit:

This is a list of the techniques that finally were approved:

Attention grasp. Grasping the detainee with both hands, with one hand on each side of the collar opening, in a controlled and quick motion. In the same motion as the grasp, the detainee is drawn toward the interrogator.

Walling. The detainee is pulled forward and then quickly and firmly pushed into a flexible false wall so that his shoulder blades hit the wall. His head and neck are supported with a rolled towel to prevent whiplash.

Facial hold. The interrogator places an open palm on either side of the detainee's face with the interrogator's fingertips kept well way from the detainee's eyes.

Facial or insult slap. The interrogator's fingers are slightly spread apart, and his hand makes contact with the area between the tip of the detainee's chin and the bottom of the corresponding earlobe.

Cramped confinement. The detainee is placed in a confined space, typically a small or large box, which is usually dark. Confinement in the smaller space lasts no more than two hours, and in the larger space it lasts for up to eighteen hours.

Insects. Harmless insects can be placed in the confinement box with the detainee.

Stress positions. The detainee sits on the floor with his legs extended straight out in front of him and with his arms raised above his head, or kneels on the floor while leaning back at a 45-degree angle.

Wall standing. The detainee may stand about four to five feet from a wall with his feet spread approximately to shoulder width. His arms are stretched out in front of him, and his fingers rest on the wall to support all of his body weight. The detainee is not allowed to reposition his hands or feet.

Sleep depredation. Not to exceed eleven days at a time.

Waterboard. The detainee is bound to a bench with his feet elevated above his head. The detainees head is immobilized, and an interrogator places a cloth over the detainee's mouth and nose while pouring water onto the cloth in a controlled manner. Airflow is restricted for twenty to forty seconds, and the technique produces the sensation of drowning and suffocation.

Meanwhile, the Convention against Torture defines torture as follows:

To provide the requisite clarity for purposes of domestic law, the United States therefore conditioned its ratification upon an understanding that, in order to constitute torture, an act must be specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering and that mental pain or suffering refers to prolonged mental harm caused by or resulting from: (1) the intentional infliction or threatened infliction of severe physical pain or suffering; (2) the administration or application, or threatened administration or application, of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or the personality; (3) the threat of imminent death; or (4) the threat that another person will imminently be subjected to death, severe physical pain or suffering, or the administration or application of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or the personality.

The issue has gotten very political, but readers should decide for themselves whether they think any of those interrogation techniques constitute torture for purposes of the Convention.

Enhanced Interrogation-- watch EIT architect on CSPAN2

James Mitchell authored the book, "Enhanced Interrogation," which is an insider's view of the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA on terrorists.

He was on CSPAN the other day, and that program will be re-run Monday, 1/30/2017, from 3am til 4:30am Central on CSPAN2. If that's inconvenient, visitors who don't mind allowing CSPAN2 to plant cookies, it can be watched at this link.

I'm currently reading his book which I'll go into at a later date. But for starters, he provides some valuable lessons about EITs. First, they work. Second, they were used by the CIA not to punish, but to obtain intelligence that would prevent future attacks. So when politicians get high and mighty about EITs, it's useful to remember that the alternative might be a terrorist attack.

Set your VCR.

A single gunshot can cause hearing loss -- free the silencer from federal regs

Several years ago I participated in a few competitive handgun events in an indoor range. The noise in a confined area was deafening, even with both plugs and shooting earmuffs.

I was reminded of that recently while reading an autobiography in which the writer described the time he and his apartment neighbor had a conversation. The neighbor was wearing shooting earmuffs. His explanation was that he wanted to protect his hearing if he had to shoot an intruder. Good idea, as half baked as it was, but how would he have heard the intruder?

However, he certainly had a point. Even a single gunshot in close proximity can cause hearing loss. Shoot a gun in a household hallway, and the concussion can raise the roof. That's an exaggeration, but it could very easily damage unprotected ear drums.

In the movies they are called silencers, and they were the province of the professional killers and international spies. Currently, they are treated like fully automatic guns by the federal government, i.e., the buyer has to go through a class 3 firearms dealer, pay a hefty fee, get local law enforcement approval, and wait.

But all that might change. See Hill Republicans try to ease purchase of gun 'silencers,' as NRA-backed Trump arrives

Congressional Republicans are trying to change federal guns regulations to make buying a silencer, or suppressor, easier. But critics don’t agree with the argument that the proposed legislation is a safety measure to prevent hearing injuries.

The Hearing Protection Act, introduced earlier this week in the GOP-controlled House and Senate, if passed, would still require a background check to buy a silencer, which muffles or suppresses more than silences the sound of a shot.

However, buyers would no longer have to pay a $200 fee or wait for months after filing extensive paperwork with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

House Bill 367 and Senate bill 59 both would eliminate the fee and provide that silencers would be treated the same as long guns. The House Bill would be effective for transfers after October 22, 2015. So could silencer buyers after that date get a tax refund? Not so fast. The Senate bill is almost exactly the same except that it's effective only for transfers after January 9, 2017. And we can probably assume lawmakers aren't going to authorize rebates for taxes paid as far back as October 2015.

So I would hold off until those bills are reconciled and signed into law before shopping for a silencer. But I've already added one to my Christmas wish list.

yes, let's investigate voter fraud

Here's what thihill.com said:

President Trump on Wednesday said he will launch a "major" investigation to look into voter fraud in the country.

"I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and....even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)," the president tweeted Wednesday morning.

"Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!"

It's about time we put those annoying rumors to rest. Either there's rampant fraud, or there's just a little bit here and there. But no one except a few serious writers have actually looked.

Democrats should praise this if they believe, as they've been saying, that there's no evidence of voter fraud. They sound like President Obama did about some recent scandal when he said there was not a smidgen of evidence. All that meant was that no one could connect him to it. It was a form of hiding the lie in the truth.

Project Veritas made some surreptitious videos a few years ago showing how easy it was to get another person's ballot at polling stations. And some states make it seem as if they welcome illegal aliens to register to vote.

So bring it on. Let's put this issue to rest once and for all. And if there's a there there, then put a stop to it. Who could possibly oppose this?

Dennis Prager highlights a sharp distinction between liberalism and leftism

I had heard it referred to as "classical liberalism*." But Dennis Prager shortens it to simply "liberalism." He defines it this way in We’re in a fight over basic values:

Liberalism – which was anti-Left, pro-American, and deeply committed to the Judeo-Christian foundations of America, regarded the melting pot as the American ideal, fought for free speech for its opponents, regarded Western civilization as the greatest moral and artistic human achievement, and viewed the celebration of racial identity as racism – is now affirmed almost exclusively on the right and among a handful of people who don’t call themselves conservative.

Then there's "the left." About them, Prager says this:

The Left, however, is opposed to every one of those core principles of liberalism.

Like the Left in every other country, the Left in America sees America as essentially a racist, xenophobic, colonialist, imperialist, war-mongering, money-worshipping, moronically religious nation.

Just as in Western Europe, the Left in America seeks to erase America’s Judeo-Christian foundations. The melting pot is regarded as nothing more than an anti-black, anti-Muslim, anti-Hispanic meme. The Left suppresses free speech, wherever possible, for those who oppose it, labeling all non-Left speech “hate speech.” To cite only one example, if you think Shakespeare was the greatest playwright, or Bach the greatest composer, you are a proponent of Dead White European Males and therefore racist.

Prager contends that it won't end until either the Right or the Left vanquishes the other. That's a bit harsh, and moderates would like to see less fighting. But as we saw in the demonstrations and heard in the speeches on inauguration day, the Left doesn't lack in ferocity. He could be right about this being a second civil war.

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*There's a good definition of "classical liberalism" at mises.org. See What Is Classical Liberalism?

"Classical liberalism" is the term used to designate the ideology advocating private property, an unhampered market economy, the rule of law, constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and of the press, and international peace based on free trade. Up until around 1900, this ideology was generally known simply as liberalism. The qualifying "classical" is now usually necessary, in English-speaking countries at least (but not, for instance, in France), because liberalism has come to be associated with wide-ranging interferences with private property and the market on behalf of egalitarian goals. This version of liberalism — if such it can still be called — is sometimes designated as "social," or (erroneously) "modern" or the "new," liberalism.

Don't mess with Texas -- it's full of armed citizens

The incident happened Sunday at a San Antonio mall. San Antonio Express News is on top of it. See 8 things we know about the botched armed robbery at Rolling Oaks Mall for details.

In summary, it appears that two perps robbed a jewelry store. As they were trying to escape, two citizens attempted to hinder their exit. One of the perps shot and killed one of the citizens. The other citizen pulled out his own handgun and wounded one of the perps. That perp was captured at the scene, and the other one shot two other civilians before escaping. He was captured later in the day after he crashed a stolen car he was driving.

Police are calling the two citizens "good Samaritans."

The lesson here for potential criminals is that there are a lot of citizens with guns out there, and whether you call them "good Samaritans" or "badasses with guns," they constitute a very dangerous job hazard that didn't exist a few years ago in the path of a career criminal.

Now, where's the video?

It takes Australian Nick Adams to teach us the exceptionalism that is the United States

Last week C-span2 broadcast a very inspirational speech presented by Nick Adams. Click here to watch it and hear him proclaim that the world is a better place because of the United States.

Here's something he said I had not heard before: More African Americans have come to the U.S. voluntarily than were brought as slaves. That's interesting. It's something Americans who were subjected to the racial strife of the past few years might like to know. It also raises a curiosity about voting patterns of the descendants of those two groups.

Adams is not content to simply preach about the good that is the U.S. He's trying to get that message into the schools with his FLAG project:

The university has become the seat of anti-Americanism in America, and is the most anti-America mainstream institution. They advocate and take actions that are anti-American in their effect, if not their intent. This includes airbrushing, or rewriting history, and prioritizing change and diversity at the expense of greatness in curriculum choices.

Modern universities should be the first line of defense of liberal Western civilization and freedom of speech- of which America is the pinnacle- but a moral compass disappeared from most campuses a long time ago.

Turning that around is a tall order. But when asked what it would mean to make America great again, many Americans might say fixing that problem could be second only to turning around the main stream media.

In any event, for a patriotic booster shot, watch Nick Adams on C-SPAN.

Hypocrisy alert -- Democrats feigned outrage over alleged Valarie Plame outing by a Republican but go silent when one of their own does it

I started reading James E. Mitchell's book, Enhanced Interrogation -- you can tell by the title what it's about. And I got p*ssed off before even getting through the preface. No, I'm not p*ssed because Mitchell was involved in the process. It's because Diane Feinstein or her staff outed Mitchell to the media.

Recall how Democrats made such a huge deal over the possibility that a Republican had outed Valarie Plame as a CIA operations officer. Based on the press coverage one would have thought some evil Republican was out to destroy reputations, careers, and lives. They were wrong, and it became a non-story once the real leaker turned out to be someone they didn't want to ruin.

However, outing Mitchell really could have been a life ending leak considering that ISIS called for his beheading. Luckily he survived. And apparently either he is currently well hidden or the threat has subsided.

But the double standard is breathtaking. Little wonder that so many people find it so easy to ignore Democrats' outrage these days, whatever the outrage of the day happens to be.

Free markets work -- generic Epipen now available 2 for $100

Who can forget the screaming from the media when Mylan Labs raised the price of a two pack EpiPen to around $600? The anguish was enough to tempt a person to invest in funeral homes.

But the free market actually does work. And while the heavily regulated pharmaceutical industry isn't really a symbol of free markets, in this case a generic version of the EpiPen had already been approved. It took the big Mylan price hike to unleash it. According to USAToday, CVS targets EpiPen with cheaper, generic version:

CVS Health Thursday that it would start selling the generic version of a competitor to pharmaceutical giant Mylan's EpiPen, an injection for people having severe allergy reactions. The move comes amid public consternation over multiple price increases that left the brand-name allergic-reaction treatment EpiPen with a list price of more than $600, up from about $100 in 2009.

CVS says the generic based off Impax Laboratories’ Adrenaclick treatment will sell for $109.99 per two-pack before potential discounts, or about one-third the initial $300 list price of the generic version of the EpiPen that Mylan announced after criticism about pricing.

If you bought stock in funeral homes, hold on, there will be other scares. There always are.

I agree with Trump -- Border Adjustment Tax is complicated

Some are saying that a border adjustment tax is just the thing we need, even going so far as saying it will pay for The Wall. See Yes, Trump can make Mexico pay for the border wall. Here’s how. There Marc A. Thiessen makes it sound simple enough. To wit:

The House Republicans’ plan would lower the corporate tax from 35 percent to 20 percent and apply the tax based on the location of consumption rather than the location of production. It would do this through a “border adjustment” that exempts exports while taxing imports. Under the plan, all imports coming into the United States would be subject to the 20 percent tax, but exports would have the tax refunded — making them tax-free.

Easy money, right? Here's a more thorough explanation at the Tax Foundation Blog:

Standard economic theory states that a border adjustment ends up in a wash for both exporters and importers because prices adjust to leave the trade balance unchanged. Specifically, the value of the domestic currency adjusts upward. Standard supply and demand shows why both the import tax and the export exemption work together to push the value of the domestic currency up.

The first piece is the import tax. An import tax would raise the cost of imports and reduce domestic demand for them. When Americans demand fewer imports they also provide foreigners with fewer U.S. dollars. This reduces their supply, makes them more difficult to get, and pushes up the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies.

The second piece is the export subsidy. By itself, an export subsidy would allow U.S. producers to drop their prices in foreign markets. This would increase the demand for our exports. In order to purchase those exports, foreigners will need more U.S. dollars. This drives up demand for U.S. dollars in order to purchase those exports. This increases the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies.

Separately, an import tax and an export subsidy only result in partial adjustments to the value of the U.S. dollar and would impact either exporters or importers. However, the impact of both of these policies together is a full offset of each.

It sounds like a very delicate balancing act. And if it doesn't work as predicted, proponents can simply say it needs more time.

I agree with Trump -- it's complicated. I miss the good old days when they were talking about tax simplification.

Eye opener in the morning paper -- businesses kicked in 100 grand to get tax hike on local residents

The voters in Midland, Texas, weren't sold. The effort failed to get enough votes for the tax hike to pass. But this effort by these companies to get it passed was an eye opener. See Stewart Doreen's article at Oil companies donate $100,000 for tax ratification election.

To it's credit, the Midland Reporter Telegram reported a list of recipients of this money which included the newspaper itself. They came out all right on the deal. So did former city councilman and mayoral candidate John James' company.

Our ATM burglars are so dumb they can't skim, have to resort to brute force to hack ATM customers

First, let's note that it's wrong to steal, whether it's hi-tech hacking of ATMs or brute force. The return on investment is poor, and the retirement plan is dismal. That said, let's see what they are up to.

Not too long ago there was a rash of ATM burglaries involving skimming. At least that involved a little cunning, intelligence, and tech savvy. But the act has devolved to pure brute force. Picture that graphic of the stooped over Neanderthal progressing to the erect homo sapiens. But the image for this particular criminal endeavor went the opposite direction.

Explained here, via city of Midland, Texas, media release.

Suspect stealing withdrawn money from parked vehicles in Midland, Odessa

Midland and Odessa Police Departments are warning residents of a recent motor vehicle burglary trend that has reached the Permian Basin.

Officers have received several reports of motor vehicle burglaries that occur shortly after the victims visit a bank. Detectives believe that the suspect is waiting in his vehicle in the parking lots of various banks and following victims who have just withdrawn money to their next destination. If they park at another business, the suspect burglarizes their vehicle in the parking lot and attempts to steal the money envelope. The suspect has not followed the victim back to his or her residence in any of the reported burglaries so far.

The male suspect reportedly drives a black Kia Sportage, which is a compact SUV. The banks that have been targeted so far have been located along major roadways in both Midland and Odessa. Similar crimes have been reported in the Dallas and Houston areas previous to the trend reaching Midland.

Residents visiting a bank are encouraged to place any money envelopes out of sight and to always keep the envelope and money with them at all times. Unlike the ongoing trend of criminals burglarizing unlocked vehicles, this suspect is brazenly breaking car windows in the middle of the day to reach the envelope. Residents walking back to their vehicles after withdrawing money should always be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.

If you have any information on the suspect in this case, please contact the Midland Crime Stoppers at 432-694-TIPS(8477) or Odessa Crime Stoppers at 432-333-TIPS(8477).

That's a very conspicuous criminal endeavor. Migrating from town to town, constantly on the move, the public on the lookout -- it's hard to imagine that won't get caught soon. Then they'll graduate to the Texas Department of Corrections where they'll be schooled on new opportunities.

Updated 1/19/17 -- New media release tells us the police have arrested two individuals and are looking for a third.

Belief that extraterrestrial beings exist on earth may be a substitute for religion

Not everyone believes that humans might possess a "God gene" or "religious gene." But it's a compelling theory, i.e., a gene that predisposes us to believe in a supreme being and that pushes us toward spirituality. If it's valid, then some have it and some don't. And some may have a mutated version.

My own extrapolation of the theory is that a mutated form of the gene compels some people to believe that extraterrestrials are living amongst us and possibly even rule the country or maybe even the whole planet. Everyday religions are just too bourgeois for believers, there has to be something exceptional for them.

Maybe we think those people are just crazy. But as anyone knows who tried, telling them that does not get the desired result.

What brings this up now is possible support for the theory from, of all things, a movie review. The movie is "Arrival," a recent movie about visitors from outer space. See Close encounters with first-contact movies. Here's the pertinent part:

First-contact movies are a philosophical exercise masquerading as an entertainment, and one with profound spiritual implications. They’re a by-product of a culture that has been secularizing with growing speed for over a century, but they touch on every kind of theological idea and heresy, flirting with Gnosticism and imagining the aliens as both devils and gods – or even God. When made with intelligence and skill, you can feel the spiritual yearning in every shot, the desire for an answer even if – absent any actual aliens – we’re really just asking ourselves the question.

To the best of my knowledge there aren't any churches yet for worshiping extraterrestrials, unless it's the movie theater. But that's the beauty of the religion -- it doesn't require worship, penance, tithing, or anything but belief. In fact, apparently it doesn't even require belief, unless it's in your genes.

The cop-as-pigs painting would be more suitable in the Obama library than in Congress

Oh how I wish I had thought of this, but no. It's Michelle Malkin's idea, or at least she's the one getting credit for it.

Now that the hideous on again, off again, cop-as-pig painting has been removed from the walls of the Congressional tunnel, hopefully for the last time, Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO), who is so proud of it, has an easy out. He'll probably want to hang it in his office as a reminder of the fire on which he wants to pour gasoline.

But he needs to give it up. Donate it to the Obama library. President Obama probably got more mileage out of racial friction than any other living politician, with John Lewis running a close second. Visitors to his library need a reminder of that.

And this whole episode is a good reminder of why we celebrate that great peace maker Martin Luther King, Jr. Happy MLK day, everyone!

Ann Coulter takes apart fake hate crimes -- offers tips to the hoaxers

There's a satirical article at Vdare.com which eviscerates the perps in some of those recent fake hate crimes. See Ann Coulter: Tips For Hate Crime Hoaxers.

Ms. Coulter acknowledges that in a country the size of the U.S., there is bound to be someone who actually does some of the things the hate crime hoaxers accuse them of. But given that those occurrences are so rare, she undertakes to give some much needed advice to the purveyors of the fake hate crime charges. To wit:

Hate Crime Hoaxer Tip No. 1: Don’t invent hate crimes that could form the opening of a Harlequin Romance.

Liberal girls always seem to be imagining strong, rough, Heathcliff-type white men demanding that they disrobe or become “sex slaves.

Hate Crime Hoaxer Tip No. 2: Don’t accuse white men of throwing things at you—even if it allows you to issue inspirational quotes, suitable for framing, like: “It’s going to take more than a brick to break me!”

... throwing things at people never really caught on with white men over the age of 6.

Hate Crime Hoaxer Tip No. 3: Don’t post your tale of victimology on Facebook if your father may read it, worry about you and call the police.

Hate crime hoaxers, I don’t think I need to tell you this, but you do NOT want a police investigation. ... A brick might not break you, but a police investigation will.

Well, it's all tongue in cheek, but it's a clever way to make a point that the hate crimes we keep hearing about more often than not turn out to be fake news.

Why Americans are sour on immigration -- too many in other countries don't understand free markets

We have enough problems already. We don't need more people prone to rioting. OK, not every immigrant is ready to riot, but the face of things at the old country don't look so good.

I'm talking here about the recent deregulation of gasoline prices in Mexico. In a free market prices will fluctuate with supply and demand. With a central economic planning committee setting prices, the market doesn't really get to correct itself when shortages occur.

So when we see items like this, it's troubling. Protests ignited by gasoline price hikes continue to roil Mexico. Excerpt:

More than a week after the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto deregulated gasoline prices, which instantly rose as much as 20%, Mexico is engulfed in a nationwide rebellion.

Four people have been killed and more than 1,500 arrested while looting, staging road blockades and marching in protests such as the weekend demonstrations in Rosarito and along the border.

The price hike, which many believe will lead to higher prices for food and household goods, is opposed by 99% of Mexicans, according to a recent poll, and has drawn the condemnation of business groups, truckers unions, leaders of the political opposition and even the Catholic Church.

What's worrisome about this is the prospect that immigrants from Mexico bring their politics to the U.S.

And Democrats struggle to understand why Trump's promise of a wall was so popular among his supporters.

Meanwhile, is Mexico another Venezuela but with drug cartels? We'll see.

Saudi joke -- did you hear the one about the ...

I'm reading Lawrence Wright's "The Terror Years," and on page 120 he tells a Saudi joke.

Mr. Wright lived and worked in Jeddah beginning in January of 2003. He got a job with the Saudi Gazette -- an English language addition of a Saudi newspaper -- where he was supposed to teach new hires how to be newspaper reporters. And the chapter titled "The Kingdom of Silence" consists of anecdotes from his stint at that newspaper. Here's an exchange he relayed in his book:

"Don't you guys ever tell jokes?" I asked one Saudi friend.
"Of course," he said. "We're very funny."
"So tell me a Saudi joke."
He thought for a moment and finally offered this:

A Somali, an Egyptian, and a Saudi are asked:
"What is your opinion of eating meat?"
The Somali said, "What is eating?"
The Egyptian said, "What is meat?"
And the Saudi said, "What's an opinion?"

Well, maybe you had to be there.

In any event, "The Terror Years," drawn from his work researching "The Looming Tower," is an engaging book.

Theory of Belief Echoes explains why anti-Trump forces are so quick to spread fake news

The most recent publication of "fake news" was debunked so quickly it was all over before many of us had heard the first account. This particular fake news involved alleged sleazy behavior on behalf of Donald Trump. See Hours Before Trump's Press Conference CNN And BuzzFeed Hit 'Fake News' Bottom and Buzzfeed’s Trump report takes ‘fake news’ to a new level for rebuttals.

If Buzzfeed editors knew it was fake, or at least questionable, why did they publish it?

Here's a possible explanation -- they knew and took advantage of the theory of "Belief Echoes." The theory is described in Belief echoes: The persistent effects of corrected misinformation. Here's an excerpt from the abstract:

However, through a series of experiments, I find that exposure to a piece of negative political information persists in shaping attitudes even after the information has been successfully discredited. A correction—even when it is fully believed—does not eliminate the effects of misinformation on attitudes. These lingering attitudinal effects, which I call "belief echoes," are created even when the misinformation is corrected immediately, arguably the gold standard of journalistic fact-checking.

In other words, fake news can shape attitudes even after it's been proven fake. No wonder some partisans are so eager to publish it.

Individual Reparations Account not such a bad idea if donors can withdraw money if race relations sour

Michael Eric Dyson is the latest person to try to sell the unpopular idea of race reparations, but he puts a creative spin on it. See Michael Eric Dyson Calls for Whites to Have an I.R.A. – ‘Individual Reparations Account’.

He's not actually talking about a managed account into which deposits are made and from which money is withdrawn for causes benefiting black individuals. But that wouldn't be a bad idea. There would always be conflicts about who should get the money, but anything that would improve inner city schools would seem to be a worthy cause.

This managed type IRAs would be voluntary, so that those people with sufficient black guilt could contribute as much as they wanted. Maybe they could receive recyclable grocery bags, bumper stickers, or some other token so that their fellow citizens could be made aware that they've assuaged their guilt with generosity.

But to be fair, there should be strings attached. For example, if a white owned store is trashed during a Black Lives Matter riot then the store owners would be made whole from that fund.

After all the natural tendency to want to help one another has its limits. If they feel they are being used, then forget it.

My heart goes out to the perps' grandma in the Chicago torture case

Some news crew caught up with a grandmother of two of the perps in that horrendous racial, anti-Trump, torture case that happened in the Hell Hole of Chicago. She gamely tried to explain that she tried her best in raising those delinquents. See EXCLUSIVE - 'They were not raised like that': Grandmother of two black sisters who helped torture a white special needs teen apologizes to the victim as judge denies them bail, saying they're a 'danger to society'. Excerpt:

The grandmother of two sisters charged in the torture of a special needs teenager has apologized to the victim.

Priscilla Covington, 65, told DailyMail.com: ‘I am so sorry, I am so sorry. I apologize on behalf of my family to his, that’s all I can say.’

Brittany Covington, 18, and Tanishia Covington, 24, have been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery and hate crime for torturing the victim along with alleged accomplices Jordan Hill, 18, and Tesfaye Cooper, 18.

The grandmother, who brought up Brittany from infancy, added: ‘My girl was not raised liked that.’ ...

Her grandmother told the AP on Friday: ‘I'm so upset, my head is about to bust open.

‘I don't know if someone influenced her. ... She had her ups and down. [She] was a good person. I'm so confused.’

Forget it, Jake. It's not even Chinatown, it's Chicago.

Doing her best wasn't good enough, but it was all she could do. And it proves a theory. Peer pressure and a violent culture can replace any moral code a parent or grand parent tries to instill in the future criminal. By the way, there's a dog that didn't bark -- absolutely no mention of the parents.

This isn't to say I'm unsympathetic to the actual victim. But the unintended recipient of the societal outrage is that poor grandma.

Son of Obamacare

Obama wouldn't mind it so much if Republicans replaced Obamacare so long as they kept the name Obamacare.

Obama almost hints at that in President Obama Says 'Obamacare' Will Survive Beyond His Presidency. Excerpt:

"It may be called something else. And as I said, I don't mind. If in fact the Republicans make some modifications, some of which I may have been seeking previously, but they wouldn't cooperate because they didn't want to -- make the system work, and relabel it as Trumpcare, I'm fine with that," he said in an exclusive interview on “This Week” Sunday.

Don't believe it. He's trying too hard to feign insouciance. He has demonstrated such a great degree of narcissism that it isn't conceivable that he would be fine with it.

Meanwhile, as to the suggestion that Republicans wouldn't cooperate with him before, that's hogwash. Back before Obamacare became the law of the land several Republicans put forth better plans for reforming healthcare insurance. I took on the unrealistic task of summarizing those competing plans on this blog. But I got burned out after just two. I felt bad about not completing the task, but it wouldn't have made any difference as Democrats rammed Obamacare down our throats in spite of offers for improvement.

Now it's Democrats' turn to cooperate. They will, won't they? Hmm, maybe not, especially in the face of this: Obama urges Dems to fight GOP on ObamaCare.

Welcome back, Churchill sculpture

Barack Obama has done a lot of things to antagonize friends of the U.S., and getting rid of the sculpture of Winston Churchill certainly didn't do much to enhance our friendship with Britain.

So it's nice to hear Donald Trump will bring it back to the White House. Source: Winston Churchill bust set for Oval Office return by Donald Trump.

For what it's worth, that article is dated 1/7/17, however, it reads as if it was written last November. In any event, trying to undo some of the things Obama did is a worthwhile goal. Although, undoing the damage done to Israel may not be as effortless.

Early predictions about marijuana use and impaired driving turned out to be true

In July of 2014 Angela Hawken appeared on C-SPAN, and I wrote about it on these pages. See Angela Hawken on C-Span re marijuana legalization.

She talked about the results of her research, and one noteworthy observation was of the complicated relationship between alcohol and marijuana. She said driving while stoned on marijuana is probably not as bad as driving drunk. However, driving after using alcohol and marijuana is worse than driving under the influence of either one alone.

Two and a half years later we see some real world results of the state experiments with marijuana legalization. See States that enact medical marijuana laws see dips in fatal car crashes. Excerpt.

When examining 19 states that had medical marijuana laws on the books by 2014, researchers found that their average rate of traffic deaths fell 11 percent after the laws were enacted. The happy side-effect wasn’t uniform, however; only seven states saw significant reductions, while two states saw increases. Nevertheless, the authors of the new report in the American Journal of Public Health argue that the data bucks the common criticism that more pot access should increase car crashes and injuries.

Drops in traffic deaths may, in part, be explained by people swapping alcohol for pot, leading to reduced drunk driving, the study’s authors speculated. To back that up, the authors note that the lives spared tended to belong to younger people, particularly 25- to 44-year-olds—an age group frequently involved in alcohol-related traffic deaths.

More research is needed. But this study seems to support Ms. Hawken's predictions.

In any event, this is a big win for the federalist theory of allowing states to make their own laws so that those that work can be copied by the other states.

How can Trump defeat a bureaucracy weaponized against him?

Yesterday Instapundit addressed an issue we talked about in November. That's a bloated federal bureaucracy that is hell bent on making Trump look ineffectual or evil, take your pick. His supporters understand that, but his election came as a surprise to most of us, and it's not clear how long that support will last when we consider all the firepower there is lined up against him.

Back to the bureaucracy, Ira Stoll had an interesting item posted at reason.com last month titled Trump Versus the Bureaucracy in which he outlined some ways they can work against Trump. To wit:

They can leak to the press. It's not a coincidence that The New York Times is suddenly running full-page ads promoting its acceptance of confidential news leaks. These ads did not appear immediately after President Obama was elected.

The bureaucrats can just work more slowly. That's not a full-fledged strike like the air traffic controllers during the Reagan administration, but more, instead, appearing to work while quietly doing whatever is possible to undercut the administration's policy initiatives.

They can try to capture their political appointees by explaining, in great sophisticated detail, why Trump's policies would never work, and why the political appointees would be much better off instead continuing the policies of the previous administration.

If the Trump appointees get fed up with any of that and attempt to fire the bureaucrats, good luck to them. It's not The Apprentice, where Trump could say "you're fired." Civil service protections, "whistleblower" rules, union grievance procedures, and anti-discrimination laws mean that in government, such clashes are often time-consuming and more trouble than they are worth.

That last point is important -- civil service protection will be a plug in the tub.

However, there is one thing Trump can do: revoke the executive order that allows federal employee unions.

Previously on these pages: Would Trump have the courage to bust government employee unions?.

Term limits long overdue -- revolving door will have to be propped open

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Representative Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) have introduced a proposal for a constitutional amendment that would establish term limits for Senators (two terms) and Representatives (three terms). This is a much needed change that most Americans would appreciate. And as Michael van der Galien says, if Donald Trump was serious when he said he wanted term limits, he needs to jump on this now.

Senators and Representatives will oppose it, for the most part, although last year 48 lawmakers signed a pledge supporting term limits. (That total included only one Democrat.)

It will be an uphill battle as most of the elected officials are in the best job they've ever had.  And they'll fight tooth and nail to hang onto them.

Then there's the revolving door issue. As Tim Carney said on Tuesday:

At 12:01 today, a few dozen men and women will become former congressmen and former senators. If you know how Washington works, you know that "former lawmaker" can safely be translated as "lobbyist."

That has been a reliable retirement job for those leaving office. But term limits will make it a buyer's market with the lobby firms able to pick from a much larger field of less experienced former law makers. That means that while in office they will be angling for positions on committees that receive the most intensive lobbying to give them a better shot at their next job.

Be that as it may, term limits will offer voters and taxpayers better representation than the lifetime office holders can provide.

And before you know it, we'll be wanting term limits on bureaucrats, too. We're that deplorable.

More cold water on the Russia hacking story

Yesterday on these pages we noted that cyber expert John McAfee cast some serious doubt on the reports that Russia was involved in hacking the U.S. election. He's got some company.

Bloomberg.com has this: U.S. Intelligence Got the Wrong Cyber Bear in which Leonid Bershidsky comes just shy of calling the claims "fake news."

As part of his support of the theory he cites wordfence.com which contains this article, Election Hack Report FAQ: What You Need to Know which contains, among other things, this brief but conclusive summary:

Does the report prove that Russia Hacked the 2016 US Election?

No it does not. What Wordfence revealed on Friday is that the PHP malware sample that the US government provided is:

-An old version of malware. The sample was version 3.1.0 and the current version is 3.1.7 with 4.1.1 beta also available.
-Freely available to anyone who wants it.
-The authors claim they are Ukrainian, not Russian.
-The malware is an administrative tool used by hackers to upload files, view files on a hacked website, download database contents and so on. It is used as one step in a series of steps that would occur during an attack.

Wordfence also analyzed the IP addresses available and demonstrated that they are in 61 countries, belong to over 380 organizations and many of those organizations are well known website hosting providers from where many attacks originate. There is nothing in the IP data that points to Russia specifically.

In other words, it could have been the Russians. Or maybe not. The available evidence is inconclusive.

BTW, does anyone notice the similarity between the claims about intelligence agency consensus in the hacking case and claims of scientific community consensus on global warming? If the msm had been more responsible during the 2016 campaign and the warnings about global warning their customers might be less suspicious of their reports.

Our first explorers on Mars may live in Igloos

It's amazing what smart people come up with when they're trying to solve a problem. The NASA folks have been bouncing ideas around about how to house astronauts who go to Mars. And they came up with an intriguing idea -- igloos.

Actually, they aren't the igloos we might imagine, although they are in the shape of a dome. The structures have thick layers of ice in the walls that would shield the inhabitants from radiation. Brilliant, huh? See A New Home on Mars: NASA Langley’s Icy Concept for Living on the Red Planet which describes the “Mars Ice Dome” concept.

Last week I shared my excitement about the National Geographic channel mini-series, "Mars." The characters spent a whole episode trying to find water, so this ice house raised a significant question -- where did they get the water?  Turns out it's not such a hurdle after all if the reports about huge underground frozen lakes are accurate.

John McAfee throws cold water on theory that Russia was responsible for hacking

To believe the Obama administration's claim that Russia hacked certain individuals and institutions in order to influence the election one would have to believe that Russia wanted to get caught.

Security expert John McAfee made some cogent points in 'It's a FALLACY' John McAfee shuts down 'manipulative' FBI claims of Russian hacking. Here's the meat:

“When the FBI or when any other agency says the Russians did it or the Chinese did something or the Iranians did something – that's a fallacy,” said McAfee.

“Any hacker capable of breaking into something is extraordinarily capable of hiding their tracks. If I were the Chinese and I wanted to make it look like the Russians did it I would use Russian language within the code.

He makes it sound so easy. But he's probably right. However, that doesn't rule out the possibility that Russia really did do it and wanted everyone to know it. It's entirely possible Putin orchestrated the hacks not to influence the election but to demonstrate how capable Russia is and how weak and ineffectual the U.S. is. In that case, mission accomplished.