The Islamic Terrorism Virus

It's too bad COVID can't distinguish between good and evil and kill only evil people, because even during a worldwide pandemic, Islamic terrorism doesn't let up.

How is this for gall?  "Paris -- Several Arab countries are condemning French President Emmanuel Macron after he said he would propose legislation to tackle Islamist separatism and paid tribute to history teacher Samuel Paty, who was murdered after showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class. Macron has previously called Islam a 'religion in crisis.'" 

Samuel Paty wasn't just murdered; he was beheaded.

And just today: "Woman Beheaded, 2 Others Killed by Man Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ in French Church.
A violent attack took place in the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption basilica, right in the center of the city of Nice in the South of France on Thursday around 9 AM, when, according to Reuters, a knife-wielding attacker was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' as he beheaded a woman and killed two other people."

How about condemning these brutal killers instead of boycotting France, which is the victim here? I hope Macron stands fast and doesn't cave in or, worse, apologize.

City of Brotherly Hate

Speaking of criminal behavior, isn't it amazing how quickly these mobs always manage to organize, loot, and destroy? With their organizational skills, it's a shame they can't work as COVID testers and contact tracers instead of domestic terrorists.

"Rather than going directly after the police, last night the mobs appeared to concentrate far more on looting and property destruction. As the local CBS News outlet reports, some retail stores in the city are describing the scene as a 'total loss' for their businesses. Storefronts are smashed, shelves are emptied of easily portable goods and fires continue to break out." 

And of course, they're not spreading the virus as they go.

They Should Tire of Hospital & Morgue Restrictions Instead!

Hmmm .. this criminal behavior sure sounds familiar, doesn't it? The virus is only going to keep spreading if these protests continue.

New protests loom as Europeans tire of virus restrictions

"Protesters set trash bins afire and police responded with hydrant sprays in downtown Rome Tuesday night, part of a day of public outpouring of anger against virus-fighting measures like evening shutdowns for restaurants and bars and the closures of gyms and theaters — a sign of growing discontent across Europe with renewed coronavirus restrictions.

Pedestrians and motorists returning home from work in Rome were taken by surprise when protesters, some of them hooded and members of an extreme-right political group, set afire to trash bins in Piazza del Popolo, overturned parked motor scooters and mopeds and hurled smoke bombs, state TV reported. Police vans unleashed torrents of water to disperse them." (As seen in the Vox newsletter.)

A Warm-Hearted Artist

In an exhibition called "Becoming a Witness",  you can see Sophia Soll's portraits of Holocaust survivors.  "'People usually say that's kind of scary or unsettling to see these colors within human anatomy and I say that's what makes my paintings so human,' Soll said. 'I'm focusing and exaggerating these human qualities."

You have to see these paintings.  She's extremely talented -- and only 17 years old!

The Real Donald Trump

What we saw at the debate last night was what we saw in 2016 when Trump outlasted 16 other candidates on the debate stage, experienced politicians like Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. He outlasted Biden last night, too, finally using the presidential tone we've heard before, as well as the  knowledge, wit, and charm we've come to expect. I was very impressed.

I was reading VodkaPundit Stephen Green's always-entertaining and informative Drunkblogging page, as well as the the Townhall Media livetweet thread at Hot Air. Go there to see what you missed.

This was a great line by Trump to Biden:  “I ran because of you, If I thought you did a good job, I never would have run.”  Well, we need him again now, to protect us from the 'fundamental transformation' that the Democrats have in store for us.

Memo to President Trump

Dear President Trump:  Here's some last minute advice for what it's worth.

Don't talk about Hunter Biden. You're not running against him. 

Don't use the phrases "Sleepy Joe" or "China Joe" when talking about Joe Biden.

Stop attacking Dr. Fauci and all other doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists. They know more than you do. 

Don't trust or rely on Scott Atlas for your information. 

Remember that you're the President. Speak more seriously and presidentially, as befits your office, at least for these last few weeks when it really counts.

Lots 'o Links

You can end this tumultuous week by reading the posts at Maggie's Farm, Larwyn's Linx, Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness, and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing. 

Here's what the left is posting over at the Daily Kos' Abbreviated Pundit Roundup.

Troyern, which means to be sad, grieve, or mourn, is the word discussed in Harold Ticktin's latest Yiddish Vinkl column.   "In 1903, Sholem Aleichem wrote: 'Yidishe mayses lozn zikh oys, tsum maynstn, troyerik' / 'Jewish stories end, for the most part, on a sad note.' (cambridge.org)"

There's a great app for readers called Refind, which you can download from the app store. Refind scans the entire web and picks what makes you smarter. Go deep where you want to expand your knowledge. And keep up with what matters to you with 10 personalized picks every day. Read more about it here at Medium.  

One of the Refind picks yesterday was Dan Goodspeed's Dan's COVID charts, in which he "takes normalized COVID data and tries to present it in useful, interesting ways", with colorful visualizations.
Wait till you see this shocking chart called cases since June by state partisanship.

A Catchy Handwashing Tune

Peat & Diesel - Thats the way we wash them 2 from NHS Western Isles on Vimeo.

Per the BBC: "NHS Western Isles has enlisted the help of local band Peat & Diesel to get a hand hygiene message stuck in islanders' heads. The tongue-in-cheek tune, and an accompanying video, have also been made to lift spirits following a Covid-19 outbreak on the isles." 

I wish this was ours, rather than the unmemorable and forgettable COVID-prevention commercial we have here.

Lots 'o Links

It's time for Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #66; Maggie's Farm; Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing; and Larwyn's Linx.  (Isn't "Insanity Wrap" a perfect name?)

In his Yiddish Vinkl column, Harold Ticktin discusses the word dergreykht, which means achievement and success.  "'Tsu sakh, vos me dergreykht in lebn, geyt aroys fun di kinder-yorn /Much of what is achieved in life goes from childhood.' (from a poem by Michael Felsenbaum in Yiddish Daily Forward, Jan. 24, 2014; see bit.ly/3cv9DS6)" Very true!

A Shonda: Hasidim Behaving Like Rioters

Sounds like some cooler heads might be prevailing:

NY Board of Rabbis: Violent Chasidic Protests ‘Shameful’

"The New York Board of Rabbis on Thursday called this week’s protests by Borough Park Chasidim against the state’s and the city’s coronavirus restrictions 'shameful' and asked the Jewish community to follow the health guidelines.

On Wednesday night, Haredi reporter Jacob Kornbluh and video photographer Berish Getz were attacked by a crowd of an estimated 500 Chasidim at a protest led by radio personality and community activist Heshy Tischler (Haredi Reporters Kornbluh, Getz, Assaulted, Called ‘Moysers’ by Chasidim in Protest Led by Heshy Tischler)."

It IS shameful. It not only provides haters with another excuse for more antisemitism, but to see Jews attacking other Jews and behaving more like Black Lives Matters rioters than learned men is appalling for all Jews.

But more than that, their refusal (and the refusal of too many non-Jews) to follow common sense public health requirements, wear masks, stop huge superspreader gatherings, and get their kids vaccinated (remember the measles epidemic?)  shows extreme selfishness. Most other people are making sacrifices during this crisis, so why can't they? I understand their dismay with DeBlasio & Cuomo, who seem to have excused BLM while scapegoating Jewish communities, but still, we have to put out these COVID outbreaks before they get out of control...again.

Afraid of Contact Tracing?

I can't get this news out of my mind:

"White House declines offers from CDC to help with contact tracing

The White House has declined offers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help investigate the outbreak surrounding President Donald Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis, according to a federal health official.

The offer by the CDC to engage with such efforts as running contact tracing occurred almost immediately after the President made public he had contracted coronavirus. Despite the concerns expressed by those at the CDC, including agency Director Dr. Robert Redfield, officials at the White House turned down the CDC's offer to help, the official said. 

The offer was repeated in a phone call Monday, according to the source. USA Today first reported the rebuffed offer."

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I just can't understand this at all. Contact tracing is used not only in COVID cases but also to help control outbreaks of diseases such as TB and Ebola. Why wouldn’t you ask for all the help you can get to get to the bottom of this?  Why wouldn’t you want to find out how this started? What are they afraid of? Unless Trump is afraid that HE is the source, and that will be the end of his candidacy.  But why doesn’t the staff contact the CDC themselves and get that help? They're sabotaging themselves at their own peril. It makes no sense to me at all.

Dying To Win

All I could think of while watching Trump's return to the White House tonight was MacArthur's famous "I Have Returned" photo in the Philippines - and that's not a compliment.

Obviously he learned nothing from this normally life-altering medical crisis, as the world saw when he removed his mask . I felt physically ill myself when I saw that. The criticism from CNN is well-justified.

Walter Reed is a renowned medical center, but his doctors didn't acquit themselves very well. Also, whoever gave him the go-ahead to make that drive yesterday (on the same day as the memorial for the 200,000+ dead from COVID) made a dreadful decision. What were they thinking?

I realize he wants to win re-election, but how is he going to do that if he relapses or dies from COVID-19?

Don't Get Well Soon!

Isn't it pretty sad when Trump receives get well wishes from foreign leaders including even Kim Jong Un but gets death wishes from his own fellow Americans?

Out of an Abundance of Stupidity

I've heard a lot of anti-Trump sentiment since his COVID diagnosis, namely the opinion that he please hurry and die from the disease. But one of the most ridiculous remarks was from Michael Moore and others, who are sure that Trump is faking his illness to get out of the next debate. That would mean that Walter Reed Medical Center is conspiring with the President in a massive deception. How clever!

President Trump's Wake-up Call

Like Boris Johnson and the President of Brazil, President & Mrs Trump have tested positive for COVID. This comes on the heels of close aide Hope Hicks' own positive result. I wouldn't wish this virus on anyone, but you can bet Melania must have said, "You idiot! Haven't I told you to wear a mask?!"

What a nightmare scenario this is. Sometimes a person has to be frightened into changing his behavior. The only silver lining for Americans is that, hopefully, this convinces him that the coronavirus is not a hoax, is not like the flu, and that it will not miraculously just disappear. Moreover, it will convince him to learn from the experience, to fight the national pandemic aggressively, to advocate for masks and social distancing, and to admit he was wrong.

In the meantime, I'm glad he has a good VP like Mike Pence.

Prayers for the Trump family and his aides & associates, and may they all recover and learn enough from it to begin to heal the rest of America.

Lots 'o Links

Hurry up and visit Stephen Green's Insanity Wrap #62; Larwyn's Linx (and check out this old Trump group photo); Liz Sheld's Morning Greatness; and Stephen Kruiser's Morning Briefing. 

Your Yiddish lesson of the day from Harold Ticktin's Yiddish Vinkl:  The word is loyb, which means praise. "Hoykh loyb (high praise) from Jane Fonda who in a recent interview said of Ava Gardner “She was a mensch, a true mensch, and she was a babe.” (See Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, Sept. 2)"