The Anthony Wake Up Call

 I recall sitting in an audience while Cedric the Entertainer did a piece on the attitude difference between black folks and white folks. In his skit he discussed a hypothetical scenario of a movie theatre seat (or perhaps a concert). In this situation a white couple was supposedly in the wrong seat and was confronted by the rightful seat holders. 

"Oh I'm sorry!" The white person would say as they readily gave up their seat.

Then the scenario changed. This time a black person (or couple) was in the wrong seat. And the attitude was "I wish a [n-word would] ask me to move".

I'm probably mistaken as to the details of the skit. It's been a very long time. The point he and I am making is that there is this attitude of confrontation that permeates black culture. He knew it, the audience knew it and Anthony followed it and commited a murder but now has thrown his entire life away.

I did not follow this trial like I did Michael Brown, Trayvon or Sean Bell. The major reason for this was because unlike those cases, it was very clear from the outset that Anthony was guilty. The only question was "of what" and what the defense would try to do to establish self-defense.

To the latter, I saw a video a few days ago where the defense strategy was laid out. First they sought to discredit the "friend" that Anthony had in the tent. On the stand he lied and said he wasn't close with Anthony. Defense then showed him pictures of he and Anthony in various personal situations. This clearly undermined the witness and established a narrative that Anthony was not randomly "invading" a tent. He, in fact knew one person there and that person could have intervened  and de-escalated the situation.  The second thing the defense tried was to establish reasonable doubt by suggesting that Anthony did not purposely stab Metcalf. They suggested that Metcalf was lurching forward to assault Anthony (the shove) and in the process fell onto the knife and impaled himself.

Honestly, absent the rest of the witness testimony as well as Anthony's own admission, this COULD have established reasonable doubt. Yes Anthony had the knife, but he took it out at the time that Metcalf had lunged on him and therefore the stabbing was entirely accidental and due to Metcalf's assault.

This failed for various reasons.

Firstly, expert testimony showed that the extent of the stabbing, having cut through the sternum meant that the force required was more than the force that would be present from a leaning person.

Secondly the testimony that Anthony gave upon his arrest sunk him. There is a reason you are advised that you do not need to speak and that anything you say can and WILL be used against you. 

Anthony, in his haste to claim self-defense said that "he put his hands on me." He didn't say he was punched or otherwise in fear for his life or limb. He simply said "he put his hands on me." He also undermined his defense. If it had been the case that Metcalf had fallen on his knife, he would and could have said so.  Instead he said, to the police that the stabbing wasn't "alleged". This negates any latter claim of "he fell on my knife".

You don't get to stab someone to death for "putting his hands on me".

Anthony talked to much for his own good and his sense of entitlement made him confident in his own ignorance.

Thirdly, multiple witnesses said that Anthony said "touch me and find out". This is clear intent to do harm. It is claimed that Anthony let a previous "touch" go and that the second "touch" was what precipitated the deadly force. 

Again, you cannot kill someone who pushes you.  You might brandish the weapon, but without clear danger of life and limb, knife to the heart is not self-defense.

Furthermore, multiple witnesses said that Metcalf said he's not fighting at a track meet. Showing he had no intentions of fighting. His intent, from what we know, was to only see Anthony removed from the tent. AND it is likely, though we'll never know, that if Anthony's friend had spoken up and said that Anthony was there with him, the entire situation would not have occured.

So one person was enforcing a known "etiquette" at the request of the school track coach. The other was breaking said etiquette and

"Wished a [n word] would."

Unfortunately a few black folks have gone on international media (the WWW) and shown their entire buttocks to the world. They are claiming not only that it's OK to stab someone to death for what would at best be "simple" assault, they are justifying and proving the "stereotype" that black people are more violent than the rest of the population.

These same people will be personally filled with rage if a white person clutches their purse or other belongings when they are around. They will be enraged when Asians refuse to get into the same elevator as them. Like they are supposed to know that this particular negro, won't be "the one".

You can't be out in the street justifying murder one day and be mad about people stereotyping the next day. 

As for Anthony, real soon now he's going to be sitting in a cell thinking about his actions that day:

I wish a [n-word] didn't.

Defense Investing?

 This morning I saw a video with PBD where they were discussing the actions taken by the Trump admin this term. One of the things that struck me was the discussion of the "quiet" things Trump has apparently been doing. Of late there has been a lot of talk about how corrupt the Trump admin is because his sons and business people around him have been "making money" on various things. But perhaps it isn't what it seems. Maybe yes, they are making money but it's in areas that have been abandoned by "The Market" as the guest is claiming.  In other words maybe it's not [all] corruption but rather stuff we don't see.

Relevant portion is at timestamp 9:05

Garvey's Ghost TV 5-20-2026: The MAGA-AIPAC Party Now

 Rumble: 

Bitchute: 

What Happens To Others (Redistricting)

 It has been interesting watching the redistricting game play out. When I went to run the Sham I saw a lot of signs against the VA redistricting. It passed anyway. Dems thought it was too funny that they could effectively silence half the state (in terms of votes) without consequence. Why? Because they did it in the north east.

I had not paid attention to it, but I had no idea that New England had zero Republican districts. Yes the northeast is blue but it's not that blue. You drive through  upstate NY and the like and that is very clear. Thing is Republicans have been so thoroughly cucked and docile that Dems got away with it. Con Inc. is literally a con. But I digress.

Trump, for all his faults, is a fighter. No doubt he saw the bullshit and said WTF people!? Suddenly everyone is paying attention to the lunacy passing as districts. Then the folks in Louisiana went total stupid and outright made a racist district. You cannot have a country that says "equal under the law" and also say "make this black district".  You cannot have law that says no discrimination based on race and then make an explicitly black district.

What you do is flood a district with your people and just take it over. See England.

So that district had to fall and collatoral damage? "Black" districts all over the country. Of course if the so called black leadership in the DNC were smart, they would have seen this potential outcome and petitioned Louisiana to cease and desist and keep the one district they have therefore keeping eyes off the other ones.

But alas, they are not that bright. Something about time preferences I believe.

Instead the usual, "If it hurts a white man, we're for it" mentality continued and black Democrats are gonna lose seats left-right and center. Well actually just left. Which brings us to another point.

Since the ruling and the scramble to change maps, a lot of comentators, mostly white left ones, have made bold claims about how black people will be unrepresented in Congress due to the changes. Like Tim Scott doesn't exist. Like Byron Donald's doesn't exist. Like any number of black state wide and local officials don't exist who represent largely white districts.

They don't count because as many of these commentators have insinuated. Black Republicans aren't people.  Black people who don't ride the donkey have no legitimate concerns and deserve no representation. After all such black people are "the black face of white supremacy".

Of course this is racist claptrap but none will be called on it because it is normalized.

But it gets better, VA having had it's illegal map tossed by the state supreme court, has resulted in Democrats openly threatening to change the rules/laws in order to retire the VA supreme court.

Because they didn't get their way.

I said in a video that one of the biggest problem with Democrats is that they think that whatever they want/like is Democracy defined and anyone opposed to what they want, for whatever reason is a fascist (among other things). Getting the fascist justifies whatever means they can imagine. Expand the court. Fire the justices, End the electoral college, Change the voting process. Whatever gets them the outcome they want, they will try to do.

In a sane country, these blatant urges to dictatorships by Dems would go punished harshly at the voting booth. But that won't happen.

COVID Coup V2?

Ahhh... $5.19/gal gasoline.

Back to 2022 sans the medical battery, demands to take experimental medical treatments and divulge personal medical information to my employer. And of course the firings for asserting long held rights, which turned out to be as worthless as the paper they were written on.

These are the things, among others that spawned the rally cry: Lets Go Brandon.

Turns out being told that inflation you're seeing is either not happening or the fault of Putin is a way to lose an election that would be in the near term memory of those running things currently but apparently not. Or maybe something else is afoot. What follows could certainly be considered a conspiracy theory but I would not think it too implausible.

Back in 2020 Democrats, among others, figured out that they could use COVID to oust Trump from the oval office. By maximizing the pain and blaming it on the Trump admin, they figured that the public, particularly those independent voters who put Trump over the top, would defect. 

In addition Trump had people in his circle who, not only had personal reasons to maintain the pandemic, but also had in mind to cripple Trump. We know who they are. All of this worked and Trump was sent packing with the thought that he could not return.

Fast forward to present day and Trump is back in office and cannot run again.  His window of action closes if the Republicans lose the House. Not that Republicans are on his side. They were not during his first term and they are running the clock on this term. This brings us to Iran. 

Lets not forget that Trump had campaigned in part on "no new wars" and "ending involvement in ones already in progress".(1) (2). And yet here we are in a conflict in Iran that has McCain thumbing up in his grave.

What would cause Trump to go against his campaign promise? And why this particular conflict given the implications for blowing up oil prices and therefore gasoline and diesel? Knowing full well it would also blow up food prices and anything else that has to be shipped? My theory? COVID 2.0.

We know that DC is Dem land. We know from the Times expose on the 2020 elections that [establishment] Republicans are in the Dem pockets (or whomever they are now a front for). So is it possible that the people in the admin pushed Trump into this nonsense, having him think that this would be quick?

No way all the possible ways this could go sideways have not been gamed multiple times. 

Perhaps the point was to get what "the swamp" wants in terms of a war where munitions get depleted which means a hefty pay day for weapons manufacturers to re-up. We already know people are making money on the market moving announcements in regards to the war. In addition by tanking the economy,  public sentiment would turn against Trump and gift the Dems with a house win (This scenario is now highly contested given the recent SCOTUS ruling.).

This also puts Vance in a tough spot of being the No2 during this war, and lets be clear, congressional approval or not, that's what it is.

Now there are a lot of people on the right who pooh pooh the falling popularity of Trump. I will remind those people that it was independents, not MAGA that put  Trump over the top. These individuals are not loyal to party. Insulting them is a very bad idea. Just because they may have regrets about Trump does not mean they support Dems or Harris in particular. They simply see [yet] another politician going back on his word. And none of them are buying the "Iran as existential threat" narrative being trotted out. Maybe to Israel but the last they checked Israel is not a US state.

So to close, I'm just proposing that like 2020, various parties are allied in neutralizing Trump domestically while executing foreign aims. Trump fell for it last time so it's not beyond possibilty.

The End of The Classic Car?

 Totally different vibe today. 

I recently got my 1997 Z3 2.8 5sp back from the mechanic for major suspension work and some cosmetic work.  As you can see from the year, this car will soon be 30 years old.  Same engine, Same head gasket! same tranny. 1 clutch and over 200k miles. A couple of water pumps, injectors and catalytic converters. Fuel pump, Idle control valves, PCV system. It's been maintained but clearly not the car I purchased back in 2006.

I also have a 2018 530e that I replaced a 2004 645ci 6 speed (sniff...wiping tears). It's not a bad car but it's not a manual 6 series. It certainly makes my Z3 seem downright primitive. I bought it cause I had to replace the 6 due to reliability issues (just under 300k miles) and changed life circumstances.  Driving in to work I realized there was practically no way I could own this vehicle as long as I had owned the Z3. 

As a matter of fact, I thought that by the time this electric 5 series gets to the age of my Z3 it will be in parts. Over the weekend I watched a video of an old EV that Rich Rebuilds bought. The car supposedly would go 60 miles on a charge when new. It ran out of juice at around mile 10 or so.

When they got it into the shop and scanned the computer the battery had all of 30% usable charge. Essentially about as much range as my 530e (~16  miles in warm weather, 9 in sub freezing). They were considering purchasing a replacement battery. One that would give them 120 miles was a 5 figure purchase. 

5 figures.

I could put a replacement engine in my Z3 for 4 figures with labour. And go further than that. This brings me to the point of this post. Are we moving in the direction of cars becoming disposable products like cell phones?

A lot of EVs are totalled out because the battery is toast. The rest of the car is fine but the battery costs are ridiculously high. Yes, a replacement engine on a modern car is going to cost a lot of money too but that's not nearly as bad a deal. Besides, ICE cars do not "lose range" with the potential of leaving the driver stuck in the middle of nowhere due to a battery deciding to give up the ghost due to a bad cell.

What's a 2012 Tesla going to go for and work 30 years from now? Will there even be any on the market? Will there be a market for after market batteries? I know there are replacement batteries for the BMW i3 being sold in China. But as far as I know, this market is non-existent in the US.

Say my 530e battery decides to die. It's 4 figures to replace. The residual value of the car may be such that the battery is worth half the vehicle value. As  said on that video I referenced, "you could buy a...." Becomes a real convo that really doesn't exist for ICE vehicles in the same way. My Z3 is valuable to me because it is a manual transmission with roof that disappears. I don't hold my 530e in the same esteem. It is, indeed, a means of transportation and that is all.  I've never owned a vehicle that I was so detached from.

Would I even WANT my 530e in 30 years? Well actually, I'll probably either not be on earth then or not be able to drive so it probably wont matter. But think of all the old cars that people used to lust after and put money aside (or at risk) to obtain when they had the chance (a '87 635CSI manual in my case)? Who's going to be like, yeah I ALWAYS wanted a Tesla Model X when they are 15-20 years old?

Most likely it's going to be like laptops and phones. Latest and greatest, a few that are older, and a whole lot of obsolete models that have no appeal whatsoever, not even the joy of "rowing your own".

Or perhaps fodder for Rich Rebuilds  and Hoovie to monetize.

NYC: Your Money Is Our Money

 Mamdani announced that in order to deal with the NYC budget property taxes would have to increase 10%.

Lol

He said it was Hochul's fault because she declined to raise taxes on "the wealthy". 

I certainly wish that I could just demand my employer give me a 10% raise so that I don't have to trim my budget.

But it goes to show that for these neo-socialists, your money belongs to them. Your property belongs to them. 

You would think that if the NYC government has so much debt that they would zero out the entire city budget and start from scratch. Start with absolute essential services: Police, Transit, Sanitation. Then any city owned and operated hospitals. Then perhaps DOT.

After that, what's left is apportioned by impact on operating the city. That means a whole lot of pet projects that have been bloating the government get axed. Of course there would be a lot of complaining by those who leach off the taxpayers but so be it. If what they do is so important then the public will freely pay out of pocket for whatever they do.

They'll eventually figure out they can't tax their way out of the systemic problem. The only question is how much damage will be done before they realize it.

Oh and, a large portion of that shortfall? Blowing money on illegal aliens.  Didn't have to happen but you know, Orange man bad.