The Russian Revolution 100 years ago today

Here it is November 7 and it’s the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution – that is, the Russian Revolution – and there is going to be a celebration in Melbourne, and no doubt everywhere else across the West (but certainly not in Russia). Of course, for most of us, the only part worth celebrating is that we do not live in a communist state. Not for all these fools trying to get us there. Already discussed last month since the October Revolution was how the Russians remembered it, as did all communists. The question that really comes out of this is the absence of sense in supporting these regimes. Since we know that some people do not learn from history, we are forever in danger of falling into some leftist trap.

Socialism is a form of sadism. This story from Venezuela defies any sense of humanity: VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT EATS EMPANADA ON LIVE TV WHILE ADDRESSING STARVING NATION. Not an ounce of sympathy or sense of shame in the massive pain inflicted on his nation. All socialist leaders are the same, however they may portray themselves before they find their way to power. And it’s not just some ratbags off on their own, but try to find in any part of the mainstream media a full-scale discussion of the horrors of communism. We know it, and they know it too, but next time it will be better. Or maybe the time after that. Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn should be constant reminders that these people are everywhere. And let us not forget the most recent addition to the lists of clueless far left political leaders, Jacinda Ardern.

IDIOTIC IDEAS: Picked up by Baldrick in the comments and much appreciated: from the ABC’s Big Ideas series – Legacy of the Russian Revolution. Here’s the text:

The Russian Revolution is one of the determined attempts ever to build a better and more equal world. Extreme inequality was what fuelled that revolution. Analysing the reasons for its failures is important if we are to face the same question today, a century later. Once again, issues of inequality loom large. Big Ideas looks at the Russian Revolution – in the context of thousands of years of human history.

The Legacy of the Russian Revolution – Annual lecture of the Independent Scholars Association of Australia.

Okay stupidoes, compare the capitalist West in 1917 with the capitalist West today. You known, in places like the US, Australia, Canada, Europe etc etc. How are we going building a better and more equal world? I don’t despair in seeing things like this but am in fact infuriated by such base stupidity and ignorance. The ABC is filled with fools of the most debased kind, absolutely without a clue about what gives them their freedoms and their prosperity. Where are their programs on the 60-100 million deaths at the hands of communists never mind a bit of something on Venezuela or Cuba or North Korea right now? Worse than just stupid but actually complicit in evil. If they can support such communist horrors, the blood is on their own hands and nothing they might say about hoping for a better world will wash it away.

More of a miracle than ever

A year after his surprise election, 65 percent say Trump’s achieved little (POLL). The video just takes you down memory lane from a year ago and is compulsory viewing even as long as it is. I guarantee that you will all (except for LIQ) enjoy it from end to end. But the poll, alas, is an accurate reflection among even the people I know.

  • Fifty-five percent say he’s not delivering on his major campaign promises, up sharply from 41 percent in April, at his 100-day mark.
  • Views of Trump as a “strong leader” have plummeted by 13 percentage points, from 53 percent at 100 days to 40 percent today — lower than the worst rating on this question for either of his two predecessors throughout their two terms in office.
  • As the president travels in Asia, a remarkable 67 percent of Americans don’t trust him to act responsibly in handling the situation involving North Korea — up 5 points from September. Also relevant to his travels, a majority, 53 percent, now says America’s leadership in the world has gotten weaker under Trump.
  • Two-thirds (65 percent) also now say he’s accomplished anywhere from “not much” to “little or nothing” as president — up from 56 percent who said so after his first 100 days, and sharply contradicting the president’s own claims to be highly productive.
  • Again two-thirds (66 percent) say Trump lacks the personality and temperament it takes to serve effectively as president, and essentially as many (65 percent) say he’s not honest and trustworthy.
  • Scores also are negative (if somewhat less broadly so) on some of his campaign hallmarks: Sixty-two percent of Americans say he doesn’t understand their problems, 58 percent reject the idea that he’s “good at making political deals” and 55 percent say he has not brought needed change to Washington.

The magic of stupidity and ingratitude never lets you down. Nevertheless, an election is not about approval in any absolute sense but a contest against another human who have their own policies and peculiarities, and in this case against a Democrat who will need to appeal to the Bernie Sanders wing of the party. Barring catastrophe, from 2020 it will be four more years of the best governance we have seen in a long long time.

And if you would like to indulge a bit more in a shameful wallowing in schadenfreude you can watch more or less the same as the first video but with Batman thrown in for his expert commentary:

And if that’s not enough, here’s CBS:

And a quick round-up of all of the most anguished reactions:

A once-in-a-lifetime moment for us all, and for them the first of a series of Groundhog’s Day elections! You have to wonder whether these people will ever grow up. For me, it was equivalent to what the Israelites must have experienced when they saw the Red Sea part right before their very eyes.

Managed trade is not free trade

I don’t think I am reading this chart wrong. It’s from The Australian in its front page story today: Free-trade rollback to hit jobs, pay. And there are all the benefits, such as the rise in real wages, which was an aggregate rise of 7.4 percent over a period of 34 years, that is, from 1986 through to the projected level in 2020. That is, around 0.2% per annum, which is a rounding error.

Let me just contrast this with Donald Trump today in Tokyo: Trump Slams Unfair Trade With Japan, Defends TPP Pullout.

President Donald Trump told a gathering of business leaders in Tokyo that Japan has an unfair advantage on trade and that he intends to fix that imbalance by making it easier to do business in the U.S.

“For the last many decades, Japan has been winning. You do know that,” he said Monday. “Right now our trade with Japan is not fair and it isn’t open.”

Trump laid out his complaints about how Japan treats the U.S. unfairly in his eyes, noting that few American cars are sold in Japan and making a plea for Japanese automakers to build more in the U.S.

“Try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over. That’s not too much to ask,” Trump said. “Is that rude to ask?”

As for the TPP, PDT added this.

“TPP was not the right idea,” Trump said on Monday. “I’m sure some of you in this room disagree, but ultimately I’ll be proven right.”

Trump said he envisions easing trade restrictions in another way, outside the TPP framework, but offered few details beyond saying that he personally had the power to speed business deals that had been hung up in the past.

He cited the Keystone and Dakota pipelines that he been held up under the Obama administration. “In my first week, I approved both,” Trump said.

Trump also took credit for recent record stock market highs and an addition 2 million workers in the workforce, saying: “I’ve reduced regulations terrifically if I do say so myself.”

Free trade is easy if you really want it. Just cut all trade barriers in your own home market and watch all the benefits roll in. What benefits are they? I will leave that to others.

“No one – no dictator, no regime and no nation – should underestimate, ever, American resolve”

Recognise this:

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

Compare that with this:

The U.S. ‘will never yield’

‘No one – no dictator, no regime and no nation – should underestimate, ever, American resolve.’

The first is from JFK’s inaugural. The second is from PDT’s speech yesterday as he landed in Tokyo. You need to be of a certain age to notice, but not only is Donald Trump the true successor of Ronald Reagan, he is the true successor of JFK as well.

Democrat political murders

A comment at Instapundit on MY HOW MEDIA QUICKLY FORGET DEMOCRAT VIOLENCE AGAINST REPUBLICANS

In 1865 a Democrat shot and killed Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.

In 1881 a left wing radical Democrat shot James Garfield, President of the United States who later died from the wound.

In 1963 a radical left wing Democrat socialist shot and killed John F. Kennedy, President of the United States.

1968 Radical Leftist Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan convicted of assaination of Robert F. Kennedy.

1969 Radical Leftist Bill Ayers, Obama’s BBF co-founded the Weather Underground, that conducted a campaign of bombing of public buildings (including police stations, the U.S. Capitol Building, and the Pentagon. Case against him dismissed for government misconduct, he is very open in admitting the bombings) during the 1960s and 1970s. Ayers was quoted as saying that “After the revolution” “We” would have to kill (Nazi death camp style) approx., 25 million “conservatives” to safe guard the revolution. Ayers was fundraiser for Obama who hosted events for Obama in his living room which Obama attended.

1975 a left wing radical Democrat fired shots at Gerald Ford, President of the United States.

In 1983 a registered Democrat shot and wounded Ronald Reagan, President of the United States.

In 1984 James Hubert, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 22 people in a McDonalds restaurant.

In 1986 Patrick Sherrill, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 15 people in an Oklahoma post office.

In 1990 James Pough, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 10 people at a GMAC office.

In 1991 George Hennard, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 23 people in a Luby’s cafeteria in Killeen, TX.

In 1995 James Daniel Simpson, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 5 coworkers in a Texas laboratory.

April 20, 1999 – Columbine School shootings thirteen premeditated murders by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebolt, too young to vote but both from families who were progressive liberals and registered Democrats.

In 1999 Larry Ashbrook, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 8 people at a church service.

In 2001 a left wing radical Democrat fired shots at the White House in a failed attempt to kill George W. Bush, President of the US.

In 2003 Douglas Williams, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 7 people at a Lockheed Martin plant.

April 16, 2007 – VA Tech shootings thirty-two premeditated murders by Cho Seung-Hui, a registered Democrat who had written hate mail to President George W. Bush.

November 5, 2009 – Fort Hood shootings thirteen premeditated murders by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim and a registered Democrat.

In 2010 a mentally ill registered Democrat named Jared Lee Loughner, shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed 6 others.

February 2010: Joe Stack flew his small plane into an IRS building in Austin, Texas. The media immediately suggested that the anti-tax rhetoric of the Tea Party led to the attack. In fact, Stack’s suicide note quoted the Communist Manifesto.

February 2010: a professor at the University of Alabama, Amy Bishop, shot and killed three colleagues at a faculty meeting. But Bishop was a lifelong Democrat and Obama donor.

March 2010: John Patrick Bedell shot two Pentagon security officers at close range. Bedell turned out to be a registered Democrat and 9/11 Truther.

May 2010: New York authorities disarmed a massive car bomb in Times Square. Mayor Bloomberg immediately speculated that the bomber was someone upset about the president’s new health-care law. In fact, the perp was Faisal Shahzad, an Islamic extremist.

August 2010: Amidst the debate over the Ground Zero Mosque, Michael Enright stabbed a Muslim cab driver in the neck. It was immediately dubbed an “anti-Muslim stabbing,” with “rising Islamophobia” on the political right to blame. Enright, a left-leaning art student, had worked with a firm that produced a pro-mosque statement.

September 2010: James Lee, 43, took three hostages at the Discovery Channel’s headquarters in Maryland. Surely a “climate-change denier”. Oops: He was a left wing environmentalist who viewed humans as parasites on the Earth.

In 2011 a registered Democrat named James Holmes, went into a movie theater and shot and killed 12 people.

January 2011: Jared Lee Loughner went on a rampage in Tucson, Ariz. Again the media knew just who to blame: the Tea Party and its extremist rhetoric. In fact, Loughner was mostly apolitical — a conspiracy theorist who, to date, has been judged too mentally incompetent to stand trial.

In 2012 Andrew Engeldinger, a disgruntled Democrat, shot and killed 7 people in Minneapolis.

July 20, 2012 Aurora, CO. Century Theater shootings twelve premeditated murders by James Holmes, a registered Democrat, Occupy Wall Street participant, and a progressive liberal who had been a staff worker on the Obama election campaign.

December 14, 2012 – Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings twenty-seven premeditated murders by Adam Lanza, a registered Democrat whose Facebook rants showed he despised Christians and who’s diary showed he chose the “Gun Free Zone” because he knew no one could stop him from killing for at least a half hour.

Aug. 15, 2012 Floyd Lee Corkins II, gay, liberal Democrat gained access to the Family Research Council building by telling Security Guard Johnson that he was interested in an internship. When Johnson asked to see Corkins’s identification, Corkins pulled a gun fired three shots, striking Johnson in the left forearm but was arrested. Police found a “hate list” list published by the Southern Poverty Law Center in his pocket of three other organizations he planned to visit and kill “as many people as possible” and “smear Chick Fil A in the victims faces” after he killed them.

Sept 2013, an angry Democrat named Aaron Alexis shot 12 at the Washington Navy Shipyard in Washington, D.C. using a shotgun.

2015 Vester Flanagan – racist paranoid psychotic Black gay liberal Killed 2 news reporters on live camera. “I’ve been a human powder keg for a while … just waiting to go BOOM!!!!” ABC quoted him saying. Flanagan also, ABC said, praised Virginia Tech mass shooter Seung Hui Cho, who killed 32, and the Columbine school shooters, Eric Harris and Dylann Klebold.

Dec 2, 2015 In CA., U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farook and Pakistan national Tashfeen Malik killed 14 and wounded 21 in an ISIS inspired killing spree at a Christmas party. Ms. Tashfeen Malik, who had a six month child, met her husband on an on line dating web site. On the dating site Rizwan Farook described his political allegiance as “very liberal”. Ms. Farook dedicated her life to ISIS as they were driving to attack site to kill the people that had thrown her a baby shower.

Feb 25, 2016 Denver Co. Martin Wirth, Occupy Denver far left activist and former Green Party candidate for state Senate opened fire on three Deputy Sheriff’s who were attempting to evict him from his property which he defaulted on in 2013. He killed one Deputy and wounded two others. He was killed in return fire.

June 12, 2016 (Ramadan month) Omar Mateen of Port Saint Lucie, Florida, Iranian American citizen, Registered Democrat, licensed security guard, came to the attention of federal authorities twice prior to being identified as the gunman in the Orlando nightclub mass shooting. Mateen traveled overseas to receive terrorist training and spent some time on the federal terrorist watch list (twice) in 2014, killed 53 people, wounded 50, screaming Allah Akbar, called 9-1-1 and posted to social media just prior to and during the attack pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ISIS claimed credit for the attack. Killed at the scene by SWAT three hours later. His wife’s location has been “lost” by the FBI since the incident.

June 2016: Leland Yee, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors and CA State Senator, lifelong advocate for gun control sentenced to prison for international arms trafficking, he and associates planned on bringing boat loads of assault weapons for cash heavy gang members from the Philippines along with other misc., criminal corruption charges from bribe taking.

09/23/16 Arcan Cetin, 20, a Turkish Moslem Hillary supporter (weirdly enough) who put “we win I vote for Hillary Clinton” on his face book page, walked into a mall in Burlington Washington and killed five people with a rifle. Cetin also praised Allah and ISIS leader Abu Baki Baghdadi and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khammenei on his face book page, the comment under it says, “My main dude, Abu bakr al big daddy.” Cetin’s blogs also feature posts about serial killer Ted Bundy and Area 51. Court records show Cetin has been charged with domestic violence three times against his step father as well as DUI and at the time of the killings was under court order not to possess a gun.

10/13/2016 Two Boston police seriously wounded by body armor wearing Kirk Figueroa on a domestic call. A Democrat, was inspired by the words of the Obamas, backed BLM and defended Islam. Figureoa who called himself (among other alias) Muhummed Isa Al Mahdi reported an Islamic “rebirth” into the Nation of Islam while visiting Africa and being guided by Allah.

12/21/2016 Greenville Mississippi authorities have arrested Andrew McClinton a black male and congregation member, in the arson burning of an African-American church spray-painted with the words, “Vote Trump.” McClinton is a Clinton supporter and Democrat.

06/14/2017 Dem. James T. Hodgkinson 66 of Illinois Bernie Sanders supporter stocked and shot four people at a Republican softball game in WA DC. He was angry about President Trumps election and tracked the dates and times for the baseball game.

11/04/2017 Senator Rand Paul was assaulted at his home by registered democrat Kelsey Cooper a Bowling Green anesthesiologist. Cooper was arrested shortly after the assault. Senator Rand Paul was on the DC baseball field when the Bernie Sanders supporter shot four people on 06/14/17.

For those interested, this was the article in which the above comment appeared.

MY HOW MEDIA QUICKLY FORGET DEMOCRAT VIOLENCE AGAINST REPUBLICANS: I just scanned the two articles linked by Glenn and Stephen regarding the physical assault on Senator Rand Paul. It appears media need a reminder. Senator Rand Paul was on the baseball field the day Democrat terrorist James Hodgkinson launched his terror attack. That would be June 14, 2017. (bumped)

NBC News doesn’t mention the June 2017 attack and Senator Paul’s presence on the field. The Daily Caller article doesn’t mention it (Glenn’s post) nor does The Hill report (Stephen’s post).

Mentioning Hodgkinson strikes me as appropriate. Rand Paul was there and he survived the terror attack.

IT CONTINUES: The Washington Post mentions Steve Scalise but fails to mention that Paul was on the field when Scalise was wounded.

FINALLY: The UPI mentioned it.

Paul, Kentucky’s junior senator since 2011, was present at the congressional baseball practice shooting in June that seriously injured U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana.

He began practicing ophthalmology in 1993 in Bowling Green, Kentucky,

Paul, 54, was a presidential candidate in 2016.

THE TRULY BURIED HEADLINE: “Republican 2016 Presidential Candidate Who Survived Assassination Attempt By Bernie Sanders Supporter Is Physically Assaulted By Angry Kentucky Democrat.”

Harassment has come a long way

This, before Bill, Harvey, Kevin and assorted other Democrats was what harassment was about. From Anita Hill’s testimony about Clarence Thomas:

Hill alleged lurid details about her time with Thomas at the Department of Education: “He spoke about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape scenes… On several occasions, Thomas told me graphically of his own sexual prowess.” Hill also said that the following incident occurred later after they had both moved to new jobs at the EEOC: “Thomas was drinking a Coke in his office, he got up from the table at which we were working, went over to his desk to get the Coke, looked at the can and asked, ‘Who has put pubic hair on my Coke?'”

What I recall but cannot find confirmed is that they worked together in an area that dealt with film pornography. Would love to see it confirmed, firstly because this kind of conversation would be normal in such an environment but also because of the evidence how the record can be wiped clean with almost no ability to check things out from digital sources.

 

 

 

A brutal reminder of macroeconomic incompetence

The GFC was over with in 2009 and now we are at the end of 2017. So what are we to make of this, other than they have no clue what’s gone wrong:Brutal reminder of GFC still here, Treasury says, as retail stung by poor sales.

Treasury secretary John Fraser has slammed politicians for being out of touch with the struggles of everyday Australians and blamed “extraordinary political instability” for a lack of consistent policy settings that could push the economy forward.

Mr Fraser made his comments as retail figures released on Friday showed yet another month of downbeat results, with a fall in food, clothing and department store sales.

Rising energy prices and the weakest wage growth in Australian history are slugging consumers, driving anxiety among businesses in the lead-up to the crucial Christmas trading period.

In a speech at the Australian National University before the dismal data was [were] released, Mr Fraser said the country was still struggling with “the brutal reminder of the global financial crisis,” which took longer than expected to recover from and had led to a “perplexing weakness” in the economy.

The actual perplexing weakness is in the economic theories that have been used to analyse what’s gone wrong and then work out what to do to fix things.

The GFC was a worse-than-usual downturn that would have blown over in about a year, were it not for all of the Keynesian so-called “stimuli”. It is the fantastic amount of our national savings that have been blown by governments on building the education revolution, pink batts, the NBN, green energy and pretty well every other government spending program over the past decade. Obvious as the day is long, yet there is no one in Treasury who seems to understand why their road to recovery has been a road to ruin.

Politics makes strange bedfellows specially on the left

Having personally moved left to right over the course of my political life, I can see that it is possible. But also having seen that absolutely none of my friends from those earlier times has done the same, it is also not common. But having been there among the left and discovered, to put it mildly, that socialists offer zero solutions to any actual real world problems, it remains the great mystery why political attitudes remain so frozen on the left. Same with these murderous jihadists who arrive in the US from Uzbekistan and appear to believe they are morally justified in killing people so that the US and the rest of the West can become just like home.

Anyway, I am following down three stories suggested by Max because they are interesting examples of the times in which we live. First this:

TWITTER Employee Deactivates President’s Account… 

A Twitter customer support worker who was on his or her last day on the job deactivated President Donald Trump’s account for a few minutes Thursday evening, the social media company reported.

Folks – LIQ – even if you shut your eyes and ears he is still President. Is it really all that bad?

Republicans Release Tax Plan…
DETAILS…
GREAT AGAIN: American Dream is back…
82% ‘achieved’ or ‘on way to achieving’…

President announces company’s return to USA…
My Policies Are Creating Jobs…

 

Would Hillary really have been better? Would you like to live in a Venezuelan version of America or one modelled on Uzbekistan?

And then we have this: Elizabeth Warren: “Yes” The Democratic Primary Was Rigged For Clinton. Everyone knew, but they don’t even care if everyone knows they are corrupt to their very being. And all this revealed by Donna Brazile who fed the questions to Hillary during the Presidential debates. Ethically debased, but for a higher purpose: political power and personal wealth for them while everyone else does what they can to get by.

And if that’s not enough, there is more also noted by Max: “A Shocking Truth”: Donna Brazile Accuses Clinton Campaign Of “Rigging” Primary. Even Bernie Sanders people think that’s OK. Do they have any morals at all?

Meanwhile this is the latest news from the Korean Peninsula.

KIM GO BOOM: SKorea spy agency sees signs of new missile test…
PYONGYANG RATTLED BY ‘NUCLEAR STRIKE DRILL’…
Defector Warns Ready to ‘Press Button’…

Doesn’t this at least make you think help may be on the way: Trump Departing on 10-Day Asia Trip. And if not that, perhaps this:


Japan buzz on arrival of Ivanka…
Set for speech…

All-female police squad protects…

You certainly wouldn’t want an all-female police squad for Bill and Harvey which reminds me of this, all brought to you by Democrats:

Man Describes Sex Relationship With Spacey at 14… 
‘He tried to rape me’…
‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ Staff Talk ‘Predatory’ Behavior…
ADVOCATE: Why Name Was Redacted In ’01 Story…
Kevin Seeking Treatment…
MOTHER JONES Investigates David Corn; ‘Uninvited Touching’…
DUSTIN HOFFMAN FACES ANOTHER ACCUSER…
HBO Star Tells NYPD Weinstein Raped Her Twice…
Harvey photographed with massive prescription drug haul…

Maybe it’s been ever thus but no one in the old days ever found out.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Blockchain economy

And this from InstapunditInstapundit. Those last three named persons are all at RMIT.

SO JUST WHAT IS THIS BLOCKCHAIN THING, ANYWAY?: Jeff Tucker explains how Blockchain Technology could be the answer to a problem that has bedeviled property rights since antiquity – a problem that is the source of the cynical expression, “possession is nine tenths of the law.”

If that intrigues you, here’s Chris Berg, Jason Potts, and Sinclair Davidson with a beginner’s guide to the Blockchain Economy.

I also notice that to write “blockchain” I am being alerted to a spelling error. That will not continue for very long, I predict.