VDH: Biden as Paradox

Victor Davis Hanson

His weaknesses are his strength, and he’s not running for the presidency.

   "It is now conventional punditry that should Joe Biden win in November, his vice president, in 1944-style, will sooner rather than later become president.
   "Biden, to reboot and secure the identity-politics base, thought he had to discriminate by sex and race in advance by selecting his vice president. But given recent poor performances, Biden’s promise to select a woman or minority or both on the ticket is a wink-and-nod admission that she or he will soon be the real president while on the ballot as vice president.
   "In 2019–20, Biden had moved hard left to get nominated and more or less renounced all his previous old-style liberal voting record, such as tough sentencing of drug dealers, opposition to court-mandated school busing, opposition to illegal immigration, and support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His contrition over his most recent offensive putdown (“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black”), alongside the nationwide protesting and rioting, will make it even more likely that Biden will select a progressive with the sort of agendas that went nowhere even in liberal Democrat primaries, and will stay nowhere after the rioting.
   "Yet Biden apparently believes that his dilemmas and personal foibles will soon be turned upside down, and that his weakness somehow will be seen as strength. A limp Biden in seclusion believes he is far more effective than fighting Joe Biden on the stump. And in a strange way, he could be sort of right.
   "Indeed, the subtext of the Biden candidacy is becoming something along the following Ten Biden Jiujutsu Commandments: . . ."

Millennial brutality: A list of the buildings damaged, looted in Minneapolis and St. Paul: June 1

Bring Me The News  "The civil unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul has left a trail of burned out buildings, smashed windows, and looted stores across the Twin Cities.
"Here are the reports of damage or looting that have come in since Wednesday evening. This story will be updated as more reports come in.
"We've also created a list of fundraisers for damaged businesses. See here.
The list will be updated as more reports come in.
Here is just one example

Charles Stotts took me inside Town Talk Diner, which he has owned on Lake Street for four years. It's destroyed.

Town Talk Diner & Gastropub

Millennial brutality

Piles of Bricks Mysteriously Appearing at Riot Hotspots Across US Have People Demanding Answers

News Punch  . . . "A Texas journalist called local government and revealed the city of Dallas was claiming ownership of the bricks, thus triggering a whole new round of speculation – smoking gun, or official incompetence?" . . .
What about the other cities?

. . . "Another “researcher” has claimed to have uncovered a connection between the bricks appearing on sidewalks in Frisco, Texas and Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates. The bricks were said to be delivered by a corporation called AcmeBrick, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company on whose board Gates sat until recently." . . .
. . . "But according to the Frisco Police Department, the offending bricks were part of a “planned HOA construction project,” explaining they’d been removed “with permission” to be “returned at a later time.' ”

https://twitter.com/SonOfAssata

Dominate? How about the Democrat domination of our streets. our press, and our police?.

Biden Says He Wants Cops Who Have Someone Running At Them With a Knife To ‘Shoot Them In The Leg’  Lawsuits ensue.   However:

Biden Confused: “The Act Of Protesting Should Never Be Overshadowed By The Reason We’re Protesting”  WZ replied, "Huh?"

But Biden is the choice of the left, not this guy:

‘It’s Unacceptable’: Richmond Police Chief Gets Emotional While Talking About Fire Set To Home With Child Inside
NBC12 Newsroom  . . . "Chief Smith says last night protesters set fire to a few buildings, including a multi-family residence that was occupied by a child in the 300 block of West Broad Street.
"As fire crews were arriving, Smith says protesters blocked the engine from reaching the fire.
"“When you take a legitimate issue and hijack it for unknown reasons, that is unacceptable to me, it’s unacceptable to the Richmond Police Department, unacceptable to the city of Richmond,” said Smith." . . .

Remember this in Minnesota?

The blame actually goes to Soros. He funds Black Lives Matter and the Antifa.  "If a politically naive person watched nearly a week’s worth of protests and general mayhem on MSNBC and CNN like I did, they might arrive at a logical conclusion: It’s all Trumps’ fault. Over and over again I heard guest ‘analysts’ as well as host ‘journalists’ say the rioting was due to Trump’s ‘systemic racism.’ They even said the president fanned the flames of violence.
"We can expect Maxine Waters to shrilly blame Trump for anything negative including bad weather. Don Lemon blamed Trump so hard that he almost got emotional over it. I actually expect him to cry—that’s how earnest he became while in the throes of his Trump Derangement Syndrome.
"The blame actually goes to Soros. He funds Black Lives Matter and the Antifa. Even those on the left complained that 80% of the rioters were ‘imported from out of town’ and incited violence. Palettes of bricks were left in handy locations to be thrown through windows. Protests are legal and to be expected in this instance but rioting, violence and looting are crimes.
"President Trump talked about designated Antifa as a terrorist organization by executive order. Antifa individuals who commit acts of violence should be arrested and held accountable. The real terrorist organization includes George Soros, Bill Gates, and the globalist cabal. They all want to destroy America in order to bring about globalism."

Ben Garrison

Antifa: has our education system and entertainment media spawned this virus?

Rich Terrell

Language advisory:
Trump declared Antifa a terrorist organization, and Democrats are worried

"On Sunday, President Trump took aim at Antifa, which apparently has driven the violent side of the protests ripping through America's Democrat-run cities.  With full-throated support from Attorney General Barr, Trump is designating Antifa as a terrorist organization.  This is an extremely important announcement because Antifa is more than just a terrorist group.  It is, in fact, the paramilitary arm of the Democrat Party." . . .

. . . "Many people believe that George Soros is funding Antifa and pulling its strings.  While he may be funding the organization, its radical ties put it squarely within the new Democrat party.  Indeed, the moment Minnesota A.G. Keith Ellison's son heard about Trump's announcement, he proudly declared fealty to the group:

Jeremiah Ellison@jeremiah4north

I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA

. . . "Kurt Schlichter argues compellingly that, if Bill Barr is able to put pressure on Antifa (as he has promised to do), Barr can end that vile organization's existence. Just as importantly, prosecuting Antifa will force Democrat politicians out into the open, as they defend their street fighters:. . . "

"Trump's decision to turn federal law enforcement on Antifa is a disaster for Democrats.  No wonder Susan Rice is already trying to blame the Russians for the riots.  Expect to see a lot more deflecting from Democrats in the coming months." . . .

A Warning to Rioters and Antifa Members Threatening to Come to the Suburbs

You don’t. Each home will be different, each resident will have different approaches, and each home may have more than one or two gun wielders inside. The goal isn’t non-violent control of the situation now. It’s not about tear gas and high-pressure hoses now. Now it’s deadly force. You can’t just wash a bullet wound out and keep going. Even if they don’t have guns, they’re not going to stop hitting you with a heavy object or stop stabbing and slashing at you with cutlery until you’ve either been chased out or you stop moving. Understand. The chances of you dying are incredibly high.

Will Democrats still promote gun control after this? TD

Trump is right, antifa are terrorists; they always were

Historian Norman Davies wrote of the term “anti-fascism” that it “gave the false impression that principled democrats believing in the rule of law and freedom of speech could rub along fine with the dictators of the proletariat.” That is the same lie that sustains the antifa movement today, and it is betrayed by the violence of its adherents. 

Liberals Raise Bail Money For Rioters And Looters Despite Horrific Beatings, No Money Raised For Businesses Destroyed

I regret not censoring so much foul language, but I do want you all to see these people as they are. TD

Barstool Sports Employees Raise Bail Money For Rioters And Looters Despite Horrific Beatings, No Money Raised For Businesses Destroyed
"American cities are up in flames as rioters loot businesses (many of which are owned by black people), attack and kill police and business owners, and burn down government buildings and police stations. Meanwhile, celebrities are encouraging this by donating to a bail fund that will help many of these lawless thugs get out of jail."

Justin Timberlake

✔@jtimberlake

Please join me in supporting the Minneapolis protestors by donating to the @mnfreedomfund. The freedom fund is combatting the harms of incarceration by paying bail for low income individuals who cannot otherwise afford: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org

chrissy teigen
@chrissyteigen
Anyhow fuck trump and keep going. be safe, stay hydrated, wear your mask and again, fuck Donald Trump.

"She posts that sitting in her safe, well fortified mansion, knowing the violence will never reach her. Unfortunately I expect nothing less from Hollywood elites like her. However, Barstool Sports isn’t an inherently political company, so why are their employees like Ellie Schnitt and Maria Ciuffo openly supporting this?

Of course, Sally Kohn makes her appearance                     '

This indicates to me that Kohn is not too sympathetic to businesses that are being destroyed by rioters:
Far-left commentator Sally Kohn somehow thinks state governments ordering nonessential businesses to close means they aren’t forcing businesses to lay off their workforces.
Really.
Sinclair’s Eric Bolling wrecked her on Twitter for it.

Are People Allowed to Use Deadly Force to Defend Property?

Reason via The Volokh Conspiracy

It depends, whether as to looting or other threats to property.

"I touched on this briefly in my looting/shooting post, but I thought I'd elaborate a bit more (especially since the commenters seemed to be interested in both the legal and moral aspects of this question). Note that this is, as usual, not specific legal advice, but just a general layout of how various American courts deal with the matter; many of the rules, as you'll see, vary sharply among states, and often turn on specific factual details. (I say "you" below for clarity and convenience—I hope none of you has to actually do any of this.)

"[1.] In all states, you can use deadly force to defend yourself against death, serious bodily injury (which can include broken bones and perhaps even lost teeth), rape, or kidnapping, so long as (a) your fear is reasonable and (b) the danger is imminent (requirements that also apply to the doctrines I discuss below). For instance, you should be able to use deadly force against someone who is trying to burn down your home, since that threatens you with death or serious bodily harm. You should be able to do the same against someone who is trying to burn down your business, though with possible limitations involving the duty to retreat in the minority of states that recognize such a duty.

"But in nearly all states, you can't generally use deadly force merely to defend your property. (Texas appears to be an exception, allowing use of deadly force when there's no other way to protect or recapture property even in situations involving simple theft or criminal mischief, though only at night,  Tex. Penal Code § 9.42; see, e.g., McFadden v. State (Tex. Ct. App. 2018).) That's where we get the conventional formulation that you can't use deadly force just to defend property." . . . Keep reading

Savage Beating During Dallas Riot Illustrates Why We Defend Second Amendment

Bearing Arms  "Gun control activists don’t really see the point of guns, at least for the most part. Quite a few will work to curtail your ability to purchase a gun but have no qualms about owning them themselves. It’s different when they buy guns, after all, because they’re all good and pure and stuff.
"However, they will often question you about why you have a gun, whether you’re carrying at the moment or whether it’s your AR-15 at home in the safe.

“Why do you think you need something like that?” they ask.

"Well, because stuff like this can happen (some might find the following video disturbing):

A mob of rioters just murdered a man in cold blood in Dallas. He was defending his store. pic.twitter.com/1b28ezTUiY

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 31, 2020

"I’ve personally seen this video, which comes from a riot in Dallas over the weekend, from a couple of different angles. This was reportedly a man who was trying to protect his business from looters, and we see how that worked out for him.  Some reports claim he had some kind of a bladed weapon, like a machete, but all seem to agree that he didn’t have a firearm.

"It’s my understanding that, despite appearances to the contrary, the individual pictured here survived." . . .

How America Can Stand for Peace While Demanding Justice

Heritage

"Key takeaways:

• The promise of the Declaration of Independence that we are all created equal applies to people of every race. This is not about politics—it is about morality.
• Individually, we can make a difference by promoting peace and prosperity for all people, knowing life is better for everyone when we as Americans succeed together.
• It will take courage to speak up, but it is the only way we can overcome racism and the problems plaguing our nation.

. . . "The arrest of fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on Friday on charges of manslaughter and third-degree murder is a welcome step, but it is just a Band-Aid.

"Chauvin is seen on cellphone video kneeling on Floyd’s neck as Floyd lay on the pavement handcuffed and helpless. Other officers with Chauvin did nothing as they watched Floyd die, and should face justice for their inexcusable inaction.

"During my 70 years on this Earth I have lived through the civil rights movement, I have seen the highs and lows of this country, I have seen America’s goodness, and I have seen its hatred." . . .

Son of Minnesota’s attorney general: 'I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA'

Fox  "The son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison tweeted on Sunday that he is declaring his support for Antifa after President Trump said that his administration would be declaring it a "Terrorist Organization."

"Jeremiah Ellison, who is a member of the Minneapolis City Council, noted in the tweet that he believes "white power" terrorists are actually the ones engaging in the looting, arson and other riot activities as violent sects hijack some of the protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd last Monday.

" 'I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA," Ellison said. "Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned businesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist THE ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US!"

Trump says Biden staffers are working to ‘get the Anarchists out of jail’  . . . "At least 13 members of the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s staff have donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which opposes suspects from having to post cash bail to avoid being locked up before trial, according to a report on Saturday.
"Protests and violent riots have been taking place in Minneapolis – and cities around the country – since George Floyd died after a police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes even as he pleaded: “I can’t breathe.”
"A Biden campaign spokesman, Andrew Bates, told Reuters that the former vice president opposes the institution of cash bail as a “modern day debtors’ prison.' ”

The President Has the Constitutional Power to Restore Order. He Must Act.

What has happened over the last few nights in major cities of the United States is unacceptable. It has gotten worse because of federal and state passivity.

Andrew C. McCarthy

"Law enforcement is a vital response to any riotous uprising. Indeed, I believe the failure to enforce the laws without apology from the start of the upheaval last week has fueled its ferocity. It would be naïve to claim that much of the violence, which is being incited and coordinated by radical groups, might not have happened anyway — these groups are always on a hair-trigger, pouncing on any opportunity to make mayhem. But how badly things get out of control has a lot to do with the resolve of state and federal law enforcement. The laws do not enforce themselves.
"Progressive dogma notwithstanding, rioting spearheaded by radicals and anarchists does not exhaust itself if governments just give them time and space to get their yah-yahs out. Passivity, conveying the message that the laws will not be enforced, is provocative. It increases the appetite for rioting, which is only sated once the sociopaths have run out of things to burn and loot.
"That said, law enforcement on its own is inadequate to restore order once order has been lost. Police and prosecutorial offices simply do not have the resources to quell widespread seditionist violence. Consequently, other provisions of law must be considered." . . .

This is not the "greatest generation" More like vicious and pathetic.

It's time for Trump to come out and take command  "President Trump, who put in a stellar leadership performance with the coronavirus crisis — recognizing the danger, rendering aid with record speed, deregulating, leading on the cure, bringing in many players, and (unlike the blue-city and blue-state satraps) moving to close the operation as the curve flattened.  It was Trump's classic "hotel manager" crisis management at its best.

"But something's gone wrong with his strange silence and ineffectual tweets with this crisis.  I'm not the only one who's noticed — the Daily Wire has an impressive wrap-up of this worrisome development here.

"Its premise is quite twisted.  One racial incident in a solid blue city with all blue players, and suddenly Trump's the one being blamed.  It had to be unnerving for him and maybe easy to dismiss since it was all so meritless; it was blue-city awfulness at its worst.  The left hammered on.  The entire media establishment and Hollywood chi chi crowd stayed with this line and stepped up their encouragement of protests, painting him with the racism narrative.  He seems to be on the defensive.

"Now the protests have became a vehicle for criminals, using color of race, for some kind of national "devil's nights."  It's the Detroitification of America, a neglected, miserable place, except going for multiple nights, with global markets and all the world watching.

"This is not a good look for Trump." . . .

Trump declared Antifa a terrorist organization, and Democrats are worried

Rioters Hurt 50 Secret Service Agents. Lincoln Memorial Vandalized, Church Burned, American Flags Burned
. . . "As captured on video, an American flag was also stolen off the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House, during the riot and was burned in the street." . . .

"Bernard B. Kerik "Is there anyone that truly believes that this was not an organized event? How much do you think it would cost for communications and travel and manpower for an event like this. Who’s money is behind it?' "