David Strom has no evidence for his speculation; I've been wondering the same thing

please come back, oh puleeeze?

Will the DNC Riots Be Canceled?

The best possible thing for Trump’s chances would be if we got a repeat of the Chicago riots of ‘68 at the DNC convention next week, but the crazies have been ominously silent about their plans. Strom wonders whether their financial backers are instructing them to cool it, for now, and that seems depressingly likely.

This is all speculation on my part, and one of the main organizers of the riots is saying that the plans are moving forward. No doubt he and the true believers would be all in on the death and destruction no matter who the Democrat nominee is, but that doesn't mean that the people funding the buses that get people to the rallies remain so. 

….

If there are riots at the DNC, it will obviously be a huge problem for the Democrats, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for anything like what we have seen this summer. Much of what we saw was organic, of course, but much of it was organized by agitators, and many of the people are professional protesters who get their money through shady, leftist third parties. I would be surprised if those third parties won't be pressured to stand down. 

It's not just the Iranians, after all, who fund these insane protests. A lot of the money flows from the government to nonprofits that aid the rioters. If the Democrats really want these protests to simmer down they can exert a lot of pressure on their ideological partners. They can't control them per se, but they have influence. 

This is all speculation on my part, and obviously, I have no direct line to the thinking of the people who do this sort of thing. Perhaps I am being too cynical, but next week, let's watch and see if the dog doesn't bark when expected. 

Is it too late to start a GoFundMe transportation fund?

In the tank

Pending on North Street

808 North Street, listed July 24th at $9.995 million,is reported as pending.

The house sold new in 1997 for $4.250 million, $11.3 in 2000, $11,368,580 in 2005, and then came a cropper. Listed at $12,490 million in 2008, it couldn;t find a buyer until 2020, when the current owners got it for $5.3.

That’s obviously paid off.

These clueless morons don't even have the excuse that they're pretending to be "journalists"

‘Is That A Trick Question’: Kamala Harris Rally-Goers Struggle To Explain Her Policies

In a segment that aired Monday morning, Newsmax reporter Mike Carter confronted Harris supporters about the vice president’s record and their reasons for backing her.

Lots of fine examples here:

Carter asked one woman where Harris stands on fracking, an issue she has come under fire for appearing to flip-flop on.

“She actually used to support it. Has evolved her, um …” the female supporter told Carter.

“I thought she used to be against it,” Carter said.

“I mean, I’m sorry. Did I say that? She used to be against it in her previous campaign, right?” she responded.

Here’s another:

“What can be unburdened by what has been?” Carter asked one man, referencing a phrase frequently uttered by the vice president.

“Is that a trick question?” he responded.

And this one is an absolute classic:

“What’s the most important policy issue that she holds that is important to you?” Carter asked two attendees who were first spotted wearing COVID-era face masks.

Following a lengthy pause, the male supporter — no longer wearing his face mask — told the Newsmax reporter, “I would say freedom.” He later clarified that he was referring Harris’s pro-abortion stance because “we’re all born to mothers.”

He supports abortion because his mother gave birth to him; If only she had exercised her freedom not to do that.

Perhaps these P&Z commissioners should advocate for 8-30g projects next door to their own homes

Mason Street condo proposal questioned by P&Z’s Dennis Yeskey and Peter Lowe because of “social equity” concerns

Commissioner Dennis Yeskey shared concern about having two buildings – one with mostly the affordable units and one with mostly luxury condos – but noted there was no regulatory or legal support to deny the application on those grounds.

“You have these token couple units thrown between the buildings, but there’s basically an affordable housing rental building and a high end luxury condo building,” Yeskey said.

“We’re still on a slippery slope with 8-30g’s,” Yeskey said, giving some examples including a recent application that proposes all luxury units and a payment in lieu to Greenwich’s housing authority.

“The next one might be remote – ‘We’re going to build this building here but put the affordable units in Port Chester.”

He said it was an issue of equity.

Commissioner Peter Lowe said Mr. Yeskey’s concern was worthy.

“Does it pass the smell test?” he asked. “Is paying lip service through a cross-over units satisfy the spirit of the 8-30g regulation? That is worthy of consideration.”

“The appearance of this is there is a tokenism and potential for a slippery slope. I’ve felt this from the beginning as well.”

Mr. Yeskey lives on Londonderry Drive in a 5,524 sq.ft., 5-bedroom home on 2 acres, while Mr. Lowe owns a more modest home on Indian Field Road; neither has 8-30g neighbors, and I don’t imagine they want any. A planning and zoning commission is probably a necessary evil in a crowded town like Greenwich, but when its members leave the traditional concerns of zoning and start preaching about “social justice”, I reach for my revolver.*

*Said about :culture”, not by Goering, as I’d supposed, but by playwright Hanns Johst — I’ve never heard of him, nor have you, I’ll wager.

(A little) real estate news to report this morning

686 Lake Avenue, corner of Clapboard, has sold for $2.850 million on an asking price of $3.0. It’s interesting to see that the same house was on the market for 230 days back in 2005, starting at $3.1 million and ending at $2.995 before expiring. Unrealistic pricing will do that.

round hill

And there’s a contract reported for 88 Round Hill Road. Asking price was $2.595, but it went in just 12 days, so that price may have to be adjusted upwards. 3,343 sq. ft. on an acre in the RA-2 zone, so expansion may be limited, but so what? Not everyone’s family size or ego demands a 10,000 sq. ft. sprawl.

I like it, and so, apparently, did at least two would-be buyers.

In fact, it's this Twitchy writer who's clueless if she doesn't understand that there are no journalists left, only political activists

Just like those who are insisting that the “reporters” (not) covering Kampallawalla “do their job”. They are doing their job, exactly as their masters dictate.

Dimwit tries to dunk on DeSantis’s call for timely vote-counting by posting a non sequitur and succeeds only in revealing his deep, profound ignorance.

Amy Curtis, Twitchy:

Journalists literally have one job: to investigate and report facts. 

It's not that hard of a concept. In theory.

But for Florida journalist AG Gancarski, who lives in Florida, the basic concept of property insurance rates confounds him.

“Absolute doorknob” — love it, will use it myself, going forward.

Well this is weird: the Cackle™ has now been officially renamed "JOY", and the flying monkeys of the press have rushed to conform.

Legal Insurrection has the tail:

Media Parrots Harris Campaign’s Ridiculous Claim That it’s All About ‘Joy’

“it is no accident that joy — a battle-tested version of it — has become the backbone of Ms. Harris’s campaign in recent days”

If you’ve been following news about the election, you have probably heard the word ‘joy’ repeated over and over. This is not a coincidence. It’s a talking point from the Harris campaign, and the media is doing their very best to play along.

“Joy” is apparently the new hope and change, and the use of the term is not even close to subtle.

You can see it used in this report from Axios:

Harris vs. Trump: America’s mood-swing election

This election is about more than two very different ideologies. It’s about two very different moods: joy vs. rage.

Why it matters: The conflicting rhetoric reflects the conflicting calculations of how to win in 2024 — and how Americans are really feeling about the state of the nation.

Former President Trump sees fear as the primary motivator — fear of illegal immigration, crime, inflation, a declining America. He believes swing voters will embrace his darker view and demand protection, even if they don’t love his style.

Vice President Harris sees hope (or conflict exhaustion) as the primary motivator — hope to move beyond Trump and fighting, hope in a rising/rebounding America. She believes voters are tired of doom-and-gloom.

The New York Times is downright comical in this piece:

Harris Used to Worry About Laughing. Now Joy Is Fueling Her Campaign.

There was a time, early in her vice presidency, when Kamala Harris, aware of reams of conservative news coverage criticizing her laughter, privately wondered to confidants whether she should laugh, or show a sense of humor, at all.

They reassured her that she should, according to two people familiar with the discussions at the time. Still, Ms. Harris proceeded gingerly, embarking on a run of tightly controlled appearances. She focused on issues like abortion rights and worked to bolster her foreign policy chops. She took emotionally resonant trips during which she carefully honed her image. Along the way, laughter never really left her.

I couldn’t possibly hate the lickspittles of the press any more than I do already, but I’m still astonished at how these arrogant morons still claim some sort of moral and intellectual superiority to the masses they’ve been instructed to manipulate.

That’s not sad, it’s pathetic.

Ignore the dismal economy.
Ignore the open borders.
Ignore the crime in your city.
Just think of "JOY" when you think of Kamala!

[Could it be any more obvious?] pic.twitter.com/arkL3h4Yww

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) August 8, 2024

Well, they WANTED to be there, honest. (Updated)

I didn’t understand this picture at first glance, but then I read the caption and, like the blind man, I could see, as I picked up my hammer and saw.

UPDATE: Article here debunking this story and, to me, it’s persuasive; others may disagree, but I do try to be fair, occasionally.

Historical preservation: sometimes, it can’t be done

A letter to the editor from one Andrew R. Melillo, Greenwich explaining the rationale for razing the former home of Ernest Thompson Seaton at 608 Lake Avenue. Not every house can be saved, and Mr. Melillo details why this one is in that category. He also points out that the house was on the market for a long time (2007-2008, with an asking price that started at $2.650 and had dropped to $2.350 when it expired in 2008, and again for 63 days this year), and yet no one stepped up to buy it and preserve it. “Put your money where your mouth is” is advice rarely followed when the preservation of private land and old houses are concerned.

And although he doesn’t mention it, the significance of this 1923 house rests on who (briefly) lived there, not the structure itself; that’s probably sufficient reason to preserve some homes, but perhaps not this one.

“Little Peequo” A House Lost to Neglect: Lessons to Current and Future Homeowners

In a letter to this publication titled, Concern for Pending Demolition of ‘Little Peequo,’ the Seton Family House on Lake Ave, dated July 31, 2024, there were concerns which were raised about the proposed demolition of this early 20th century home in the heart of mid-country Greenwich.

These concerns may be valid in the general context of historic preservation, yet they fall short as to what has been taking place on the property with its new owner.

….

The author raises several concerns about how they “…implore you to quickly act,” to “…help preserve this history before it is destroyed forever.” Unfortunately, one cannot stop a house’s demolition simply because one would like it to be stopped – it is private property. “Little Peequo,” that early 20th-century home of the once vast and many Seton Family properties in town has a lot of history attached to it.

Part of its history is that during the past few decades, the previous owner has allowed the house to be neglected – resulting in this charming little house being brought into to a total state of dilapidation.

The new owner, with careful time and consideration alongside experts, looked at the house and determined that it would be an extremely challenging economic (millions of dollars) venture to attempt to restore the house. There are structural issues, asbestos, decay, termites, and black mold among many other areas of concern – yet the new owner realizing the historical significance and unique character of the house has made themselves extremely amenable to the preservation of unique artifacts of the house, such as: various wood and plaster carvings, exterior carvings, and a poem.

Through the diligent and careful coordination of many interested parties, including Seton Family descendants, the new owner has allowed access to the property to the Greenwich Historical Society for them to photograph and craft a final report on the home. In addition, the new owner has allowed the only willing party to safely extract the various unique artifacts of the home and donate them to an appropriate local organization to keep the Seton Family memory alive and Mr. Seton’s naturalist legacy at the forefront of every day life. The new owner should be commended for their efforts to allow all of this to take place when they had no legal obligation or reason to do so whatsoever.

Let it not be forgotten that this is private property and private property held in fee simple by owners to do with it according to their own proper use and behoof. This house could have easily been demolished without a single word or one ounce of cooperation from the new owner to salvage anything from this very badly neglected home – the opposite took place. Furthermore, this house had been on the market for some time and anyone interested in preserving and keeping the home could have been able to purchase the property – they did not. The previous owner could have been legal protections on the property [sic] – they did not. The age and uniqueness of a home, without proper legal restrictions placed upon the property, does not give any citizen or organization the right to interfere or prevent the demolition of it. Let this be a lesson to current property owners who may have similar concerns.

The onus to preserve history is not just on a new owner, but also the responsibility of previous owners who were custodians during their time of ownership – in the case of “Little Peequo” the previous owner decided to allow the house to fall into such a state of disrepair that any new owner, after careful review by structural engineers, would not have been able to salvage it. This house will be removed from the Greenwich landscape, however, pieces of it will live on in perpetuity, and its final photographs and report by the Historical Society will be available for any interested party to cherish and review indefinitely into the future. The new owner of the property allowed these last bits of history to be salvaged, they did not have to do this and the citizens of Greenwich should be thankful this was allowed by the owner to take place.

Mr. Melillo is Secretary of the Historic District Commission, Vice Chairman of the Greenwich Preservation Trust and Past Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut of Ancient, Free, & Accepted Masons.