Mom's Law of Supply Chain

Several decades ago, my mom told me that there were very few imported cars in the US because of serious concerns over getting parts if a breakdown happened.  ("Getting parts" is the equivalent of "supply chain" for those of you who don't understand reality.)  That was the result of WWII, of course.

That decades-old wisdom illustrated Law One of Supply Chains:  NEVER endanger your supply of critical parts or whole goods.  Pat Buchanan raised the issue back in '92.  Trump brought it up again.  It's not just about your microwave, either:  it's about weapons, supplies, and materials for war.

Denninger reminds us that supply chain laws have not changed a bit since WWII, no matter the propaganda from such as Club for Growth or the US Chamber of Commerce.

If the US gets into a shooting war with any country which counts Red China as an ally....or a country which (regardless of allies) has the capacity to sink cargo ships.......

...You immediately will have no semi-conductor anything, zero lithium batteries for anything at all from electric cars to cellphones, 75% or better of the pharmaceuticals in common use will disappear instantly, finding tires will be nearly impossible, automotive and machine parts, specifically wear parts such as bearings will all become unobtanium and more. Even something as simple as a circuit breaker for your house will not be able to be sourced. ALL of the large transformers used to distribute electrical power in the United States, never mind nearly all of the switchgear, are made overseas in whole or part and thus if they fail, whether due to natural or man-made cause they cannot be replaced in such an event either. Within a few months spares for critical parts that are considered wear items and thus must be replaced on a schedule will run out in our energy generation and distribution system and failures will begin to occur with impact from local areas to entire regions.

Your local gas station and supermarket cash register (never mind most modern refrigerators, HVAC systems and similar) all have chips in them that are only made overseas; there is no replacement available made in the United States. Your much-vaunted heat pump that is so "green" has a defrost control board in it without which it will not function -- if you bypass it (which you can in some cases) once the temperatures get below about 40 degrees outside the unit will fail or be destroyed without it, and there won't be a replacement available at any cost. Even the contactor (relay) in that outdoor unit has no US supply and without it the unit doesn't work. Your gas furnace has an ignitor and control board without which you have no heat, they do fail and, again, there is no US supply. We did this to ourselves with our decades-long stupidity offshoring everything and by doing so made it possible for any nation that can sink even a single container ship to break the United States economy and perhaps even a few million people's survival within minutes....

Denninger didn't mention car and truck chips, but he could have.  On the other hand, who's going to drive anyplace when there's nothing to purchase anywhere?

YOUR Assignment:  in 1000 words or less, tell us whether Red China's sudden lockdown of Shanghai and other industrial-production cities is (or is not) war against the US.  Be sure to document your response.

"Hundreds", Not "Thousands" of Pro-Aborts in Madistan

Weather was perfect for demonstrations, and the Capitol Cops in Madison were muttering about "thousands" of pro-abort demonstrators showing up yesterday (5/14.)

Didn't happen.

There were hundreds.

You know the crowd was small because of the pictures.  Also:  there was ZERO coverage by the Milwaukee TeeeeVeeee stations; if there had been a really significant crowd in Madistan, Milwaukee nooz outlets would have run the story.

(The Channel 3000 pic showed a lot of women who don't have to worry about men's hands being 'on their bodies.')

While the Democrat Party wants the Roe Reverse to be an issue in the Fall elections, it will NOT motivate a lot of people.  Just look at the pictures.

Abbott: 'The White House Lied About Us'

 If you think that the Biden Regime is fighting against U.S. citizens, you're right.  Here's an update on the baby-formula situation.

First off, remember that the Regime knew about the problem in February.  This didn't sneak up on "mind-reader Joe" just last week.

Then recall that a White House 'adviser' flat-out lied about contamination at the Abbott plant in Sturgis, MI--which was peremptorily shut down by FDA and remains shut down to this day.  They lied again in a presser last week.

Abbott isn't taking this lying down, to their credit.

...A comprehensive investigation by Abbott, FDA and CDC found no evidence that our formulas caused infant illnesses....

There were two different contaminants found in a NON-production area of the plant.  After genetic sequencing of the microbes at the plant AND in the homes of the affected children....

 ...Genetic sequencing on the two available samples from ill infants did not match strains of Cronobacter in our plant. Samples from ill infants did not match each other, meaning there was no connection between the two cases. [6/11]

In all four cases, the state, FDA, and/or CDC tested samples of the Abbott formula that was used by the child. In all four cases, all unopened containers tested negative. [7/11]

Open containers from the homes of the infants were also tested in three of the four cases; two of the three tested negative. The one positive was from an open container from the home of the infant, and it tested positive for two different strains of Cronobacter sakazakii… [8/11]

…one of which matched the strain that caused the infant’s infection, and the other matched a strain found on a bottle of distilled water in the home used to mix the formula. Again, neither strain matched strains found in our plant. [9/11]...

The putrid stench of "ambulance-chasing lawyer" is wafting through the air, isn't it?

Finally, even though the investigation totally cleared Abbott, the plant remains closed at the orders of Biden's FDA.

And all Biden🤡 suggests is "Call your doctor."

Stolen elections have consequences.

Fr. Rutler on Moral Education

Another brief citation from Fr. Rutler's book The Seven Wonders of the World (Ignatius, 1993), this about moral education......or lack thereof.

When moral acts are only subjective functions and moral truths are only objective perceptions, moral laws at best will be attempts to coordinate multiple opinions.  [Ed.:  see the upcoming State-level battles over abortion.]  When that happens, opinion polls and legislatures and State courts replace the Church as moral teacher.  Our generation has seen the collapse of the criminal misinformation of Marxism, but, in the practical atheism of any materialist culture, Etienne Gilson's caution is profound:  "If we do not want to awaken some morning on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, then we ought all to be interested in not letting the liberal State believe that it can indefinitely persist in educating children in view of nothing."  The Berlin Wall has fallen, but the fictitious Wall of Separation between Church and State still is conjured as an excuse for education in moral slavery."

Moral slavery follows from practical atheism, sweetened by the taste of false prosperity--the spoonful of sugar to make the poison go down.

O tempora, O mores!

$58BN for a "Stalemate" in Ukraine?

Yes, it's $58 BILLION.  We already coughed up $18BN or so and except for Rand Paul's standing in the breach (temporarily) we'll ship another $40 BILLION soon.  A chunk of that will pay the salaries, benefits, and pensions of Ukraine's bureaucrats.

(How's your grocery bill looking?  That last fill-up at BP cost you....what....about $60.00?  Checked the price of automobiles lately?)

So what do we get for that?

...There was a critical point made last week by Defense Intel Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, that not a single media outlet or politician discussed.  During his briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Berrier was asked “can Ukraine win” the conflict against Russia? Lt. General Berrier replied:

 “That is a difficult predication to make. I think where the assessment is at, is a prolonged stalemate should no factor change on either side. In other words, the Russians continue to do what they’re doing, and we continue to do what we are doing for the Ukranians.” ...

$58 BILLION and counting buys you a stalemate!

WAR-WAR Hannity didn't mention that, did he?  Nor did any Democrat, nor Republican politician.

Nor did the MSM.

They want you to be like a mushroom.  Kept in the dark and covered with poop.

True Dat

 

Pelosi: "Some Pigs Are More Equal..."

Pelosi, who likes to fly home and back using Air Force Gulfstream-5's, thought she'd spread the perks around a bit--to Congressmen and their staffers.

...the House Chief Administrative Officer announc[ed] a new "House Drinks storefront" in the Rayburn House Office Building where lawmakers and staff can buy beverages, wine and liquor....

Oh, HELL no, that's not all!

...multiple members of Congress confirmed to Just the News that the Chief Administrative Officer has also decided to provide all lawmakers, staff and Capitol Police officers with free VIP memberships to Peloton gyms....

(Ashli Babbitt.  Say her name, CapCop bitchezzzz.) 

Diesel fuel will be rationed soon.  Gasoline prices highest ever in US.  Baby formula not available.  Overall cost-of-living up 11% or so since last year.  Nuclear war rumbles in the background, Taiwan likely to be part of Red China this year, and the Federal Debt is UNPAYABLE.

Biden, Nancy and the Democrat Horde eat the substance out of America.

MKE Downtown Becomes the OK Corral

Wow.

Two people were shot outside of the Fiserv Forum after the Bucks game.

Then three more were shot on Water Street.

Then SEVENTEEN more were ALSO shot on Water Street.

No fatalities, mostly because 'gangsta style' aiming doesn't work well.

You could go to Chicago for some (comparatively) peaceful bar-hopping.

Biden Bureaucrats vs. Your Babies

Why are we not surprised that bureaucrats can't get out of their own way?

The Biden administration knew about the baby formula shortage as early as February, the director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, told CNN’s “New Day” on Friday morning.

Deese said the administration is working around the clock to tackle the issue from every angle possible, noting the administration is trying to give retailers “more flexibility on the types of formulas that they can sell.”...

What that actually means is 'allowing sale of European formula' in the US.  See, European stuff is the same as US stuff--but FDA doesn't approve the f*n labeling, so your baby can starve.  FDA says so.

 ...Kaitlan Collins then asked Deese what his response to Republican criticism that the administration didn’t act fast enough is.

“The administration has been on this from the get-go. A lot of this emanated from a plant in Michigan that was producing formula that didn’t meet safety standards,” Deese said....

Really?  Abbott insists that the formula was clean, but grants that there was 'some contamination' in OTHER areas of the building.  Deese's statement may result in litigation.

In sum:  it's been NINETY DAYS since FDA shut down the Abbott plant.  They've had NINETY DAYS to 'fix' their bureaucratic bullshit regarding European imports.

And they have failed.  

Then they're surprised when "America First", "Trump 2024" and "MAGA" signs pop up all over the land.

"ESG" in Sri Lanka Gets Results

"Environmentally Sustainable" laws put into place by Sri Lankan government got results!!

But not the results the rulers wanted.

[In] Sri Lanka...protesters angry at the soaring prices of everyday commodities including food, have burned down homes belonging to 38 politicians as the crisis-hit country plunged further into chaos, with the government ordering troops to "shoot on sight."

Police in the island nation said Tuesday that in addition to the destroyed homes, 75 others have been damaged as angry Sri Lankans continue to defy a nationwide curfew to protest against what they say is the government's mishandling of the country's worst economic crisis since 1948.

"Shoot on sight" orders don't mean much to people who are starving to death, ya'know.

The "use manure as fertilizer" gambit reduced the rice crop by about 40%.  That's bad in a country where rice is a staple, not an option.  But it gets worse!!  That "use manure" law also reduced the country's leading export:  tea.  So there were less revenues from export of tea; therefore the Sri Lankan bureaucrats could not  purchase rice on the open market.

The same Green Asshattery is going to be pushed in the US by the Bai-Den bunch.

How do you like your grass soup?

Credible Story from Ukraine?

This is a story from a Ukrainian source.

Ukrainian officials reported on Friday that Russian forces had forcibly deported more than 210,000 children since Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched his special military operation more than two months ago.

According to Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova, the children were among the 1.2 million Ukrainian nations [sic] who were deported against their will and warned that Moscow was working to make them Russian citizens, Reuters reported.  --quoted at Weasel Zippers

Smell test, anyone?

Musk Looks at the Teeth of the TwitterHorse

A few of you will recognize the genesis of the headline.

Anyhow.

...Musk learned on Friday morning that fake or spam accounts on Twitter make up less than five percent of users.

The more spambots on the site, the worse its market value is. The less, the higher because it means more advertising capability. No business wants to advertise on Twitter if nearly 30 percent of the eyes that will see it are fake. If Musk is going to spend $44 billion on something, he wants to make sure that every detail about the site is correct and that he knows what he’s getting into.

Do you check your bag of food at the drive-thru before you drive away? Musk is just checking his bag.

Indeed, Musk assured everyone that he’s still committed to the purchase no matter what and this pause is just temporary while the numbers are sorted out....

The reporting here is wrong.

Musk did not 'learn' that spambots were 5%.  He was told that by Twitter management, but he does not trust them--so he's asking for definitive proof.

Bannon has been yelling for Musk to back out of the deal, thus collapsing Twitter's share value--and then moving in again and buying it at a bargain price.  Wouldn't surprise me for a second if this is the vehicle Musk is using to batter down the price of Twitter.

It would be a crying shame if Dorsey (et.al.) saw their share-value drop by 50%, wouldn't it?

Paulie-Boy Ryan Cries About Trump

Paul Ryan, who was House Budget Chair, Joint Finance Chair, and SPEAKER, didn't do one damn thing about Federal spending.  Not One.  Damn.  Thing.

In fact, for the last 6 years or so of his Little Boy in Big-Boy Pants act in the Capitol, he didn't even bother with a budget--it was all continuing resolutions, thus not "fixable".

Now he blubbers and cries that Trump didn't want to take on entitlements.

...Paul Ryan served in Congress for 20 years. During that time, there was a four-year span (2003 – 2007) that Republicans held the House, the Senate, and the White House, which were all led by Paul Ryan’s type of Republicans: House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and President George W. Bush.

They were able to push through tax cuts, of course, but when it came to spending cuts, somehow all those GOPe budget hawks just couldn’t find any scissors to slash the funding for toxic recipients such as NPR or the National Endowment for the Arts.

Yet Ryan has the audacity to condemn Trump for not cutting Medicare?!

Paul Ryan also served as Speaker of the House for four years during the Obama presidency. Under the Constitution, he and his fellow House Republicans had the power of the purse and could choose not to fund Obama’s spending priorities. He chose not to use that power.

Again, Ryan has the audacity to condemn Trump for not cutting Medicare?!

And by the way, where is Ryan’s condemnation of Barack Obama? Just kidding. ...

This piece of crap, "Janesville Boy" also left Janesville as soon as he could, having quit Congress.  Yah, he's quite a crybaby.

Who's Demonstrating? Evers Keeps It Secret

There may--or may not--be several thousand demonstrators in Madistan this weekend over the Roe decision.

But you'll never know who they are.

...On Saturday, an even larger rally is expected to bring out 20,000 to 30,000 people, again at the State Street area of the Capitol, Litzkow said. Police are expected in larger than usual numbers between 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

“Expect traffic delays in the downtown area,” the Capitol Police officer warned.

Another rally is scheduled for Sunday at and near the Capitol.

Litzkow referred Empower Wisconsin’s questions to the Department of Administration.

A Department of Administration spokeswoman said she would provide the names of the groups and individuals on the permits and other information, but then advised Empower Wisconsin to file an open records request (a process that can take months to complete with the Evers administration). She did not respond to a follow-up email.

A Madison Police Department spokeswoman did not respond to multiple messages....

Given the notably small crowds demonstrating in front of SCOTUS' members houses and at the Fed courthouse in Milwaukee last weekend, the Madistan events may turn out to be just a zit on the butt of an elephant.

What's far more interesting is the Evers secrecy.  We know that the babykiller crowd are all allies of Evers, which is the best reason for him to keep it a secret, and that's most likely why the silence.

Panic Over Michel's Election Board Promise

This is fun to watch.  Tim Michels wants to fire the entire Election Board and its senior staffers and start over again.

That put a Lefty Lawyer/Election Board Democrat Election Machine member into a panic.

...Democratic chairwoman of the Wisconsin Elections Commission Ann Jacobs said Michels' plan demonstrates he does not understand how elections are run in Wisconsin.

"This is craziness - it demonstrates a total lack of understanding how elections work. There would be no guidance for elections at all? And no staff? Just an empty office? Who will administer registrations? the Wisvote database?" Jacobs said in a tweet. ...

Frankly, Annie, given the outright lawbreaking pushed by you and your ultra-Lefty staffers out there, the State would be better off without you.  The State would be better off with 1,000 monkeys typing novels in that office, Annie.

Do you REALLY want to talk about the 'voter database', Annie??  Really?  The one with "voters" having birthdays at the beginning of the last century?  The one with 4900 voters having ZIP Code of "99999"?

We're not done, Annie.  Following the end of Evers and Kaul--this Fall--there will be criminal investigations and LOTS of prosecutions for the frauds in Milwaukee, Dane, Racine, Kenosha, and Brown Counties.  

It's no wonder that you've instructed the local press (including the TeeeeVeeeee outlets) to totally ignore 2000 Mules.  You don't want to make it too easy for juries to send your pals to prison.

GE: 'No CT Diagnosis for YOU!!'

One of the things that happens when you "offshore" production....

General Electric (GE) Healthcare said on Wednesday a shortage of medical dye caused by a Chinese coronavirus lockdown of its production plant in Shanghai, China, has affected not only hospitals in the U.S. and Germany but also in other regions of the world, Reuters reported....

... Some of the largest hospitals in the U.S. prepared this week to endure critical shortages of medical dye normally sourced from GE Healthcare’s Shanghai factory....

 ...GE Healthcare has been suffering from a shortage of its Shanghai-produced medical dye products since at least mid-April. The medical equipment company issued a letter to customers April 19 in which it revealed it was “rationing orders for its iohexol products after a COVID-19 [Chinese coronavirus] lockdown temporarily shut down its production facility for iodinated contrast media in Shanghai, China.”...

CT scans are used to detect cancer, among other things.

Another issue on which Donald Trump was absolutely correct:  bring manufacturing back to US shores. 

Not to worry, though!!  The Chamber of Commerce thinks China is the perfect place for critical-needs manufacturing.

The United States Chamber of Commerce is hyping job-killing free trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as the “answer” to China’s economic dominance worldwide, lobbying President Joe Biden to cut U.S. tariffs across the board....

The concept of "FAIR Trade" never enters the alleged minds at the Chamber, but that's exactly what Trump was driving at when he instituted the tariffs.  See, FAIR Trade would keep jobs in the US, even with the horrific burdens in place due to EPA, OSHA, and taxes.   Also those silly Fair Labor Standards requirements, and healthcare, and pensions, and stuff like that.

How d'ya like that chip shortage?  Feeling OK about not getting your cancer diagnosis on time?

That's what the Chamber of Commerce wants for you, peasant.  STFU and take it.

"How Many Mouths They Feed....."

We think this .........woman......is not too self-reflective.

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) claimed that abortion and inflation “reinforce each other.”

According to Porter, abortion was important because with the high prices of groceries, housing and gas, “people need to be in charge of how many mouths they’re going to have to feed.”...

There are 2,700,000+ Federal employees in 732 agencies being paid a total of $215+++BILLION/year in salaries.

Looks like we haven't been "in charge" for quite some time, Katie.  How about you resign and relieve us of the burden YOU place on us?

 

Who's Paying Off Mark Levin?

This is not the first WAR WAR WAR whoop from Levin.   Kinda makes you wonder why, eh?  Yes, he's a fanatic on defending Israel, but this war (seemingly) has little to do with that state.  Or does it?

(He also doesn't understand the meaning of the title "Utopia" by Thomas More--so he went on an anti-Catholic rant a few years back.  Claims he's a 'scholar.'  OK, Mark.)

McConnell's Challenge to Himself

Here we have the old snake on the record:

“I think we’d all agree the most important thing going on in the world right now is the war in Ukraine,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky...

He said that while hiding behind the Capitol Police and a Marine company down the street, of course.

If it is THAT damned important, Mitchie-Poo, then take an M-4 from the local Marines, get on a jet, and go fight the damned war.

Leave the rest of the country out of it.

Baby Formula for Illegals, Not for Americans

Wonder if Bishop Seitz of El Paso can explain this....

Seems that Biden is shipping pallets of baby food to "welcome centers" for illegals at the border in Texas.

How very generous of him!!  While American (citizen) babies can starve--or just get very sick--the invaders get fed.

HT:  AOSHQ