Van Morrison: 'Those who are shutting down our economy haven't missed a paycheck'
Iconic singer Van Morrison is known the world over for his instantly recognizable stellar vocals. And those among his biggest fans — in this case those who lean left politically — know something else about the veteran crooner: He has an attitude and doesn't scare easily.
So it's quite a thing to witness Morrison rip into coronavirus lockdowns, then watch leftists castigate Morrison's stance — then see the singer come back for more.
What's the background?
Morrison and fellow music superstar Eric Clapton have made a number of headlines over anti-lockdown songs. Back in September, a health minister in Northern Ireland labeled Morrison's anti-lockdown songs "dangerous." Morrison's tunes "Born to Be Free," "As I Walked Out," and "No More Lockdown" reportedly target the U.K. government for using COVID-19 lockdowns to "enslave" the people.
Clapton noted late last month that he and Morrison were releasing a new anti-lockdown song, "Stand and Deliver" — penned by Morrison and recorded by Clapton — and the guitarist took a lot of grief from the left over it.
But despite the ever-looming specter of cancel culture , Morrison just won't shut up.
On Monday the singer took to Twitter to blast politicians who suffer no economic hardships due to coronavirus lockdowns since they always stay employed as long as they're in office:
Remember, those who are shutting down our economy haven't missed a paycheck since lockdown began. We are not in this together.— Van Morrison (@Van Morrison)1608565250.0
"Remember, those who are shutting down our economy haven't missed a paycheck since lockdown began," Morrison tweeted to his nearly 66,000 followers before adding a mocking zinger. "We are not in this together."
Earlier Monday he also tweeted, "10 months on and the @niexecutive still hasn't presented the science for the Northern Ireland lockdown."
How did folks react?
While it appears that the majority of fans lauded Morrison's stance ("You're spot on Van," one commenter replied. "We can't stand for this anymore."), others — whose ultimate loyalties are to their leftist causes — blasted Morrison:
- "You're dead to me," one user wrote.
- "From he who hath not had to worry about pay checks for decades!" another commenter said.
- "I am a massive fan, but you're testing me with this bulls**t, you're in the wrong side of this argument, and you much like the people you refer to are not worried about a paycheck either, whilst huge numbers of people worry about nothing else," another user noted.
Far-left singer-songwriter David Crosby predictably skewered both Morrison and Clapton for their anti-lockdown stance:
Dumb ...childish ....masks and lockdown are how you beat this ...proof is already there ...New Zealand for instanc… https://t.co/VTqIs72dHs— David Crosby (@David Crosby)1608581407.0
Specifically regarding Morrison, Crosby added the following:
Talented ....makes good records. ...but ....yeah that’s what my friends who know him say ...but then ...lots of peo… https://t.co/KeeDx5jims— David Crosby (@David Crosby)1608581584.0
The media also is in lockstep against what the Morrison/Clapton collaboration hath wrought, as Consequence of Sound titled its piece, "Eric Clapton and Van Morrison Share Awful Anti-Lockdown Song 'Stand and Deliver'"; Variety said, "Van Morrison and Eric Clapton Strike the Wrong Note About COVID-19," and the Los Angeles Times took it a step further: "Eric Clapton's anti-lockdown protest song by Van Morrison is totally worth protesting."
Here's "Stand and Deliver":
Stand and Deliver by Eric Clapton - Music from The state51 Conspiracy youtu.be
(H/T: The Daily Wire)
Oregon State Police declare unlawful assembly as anti-lockdown protesters storm Capitol building, try to disrupt special session
Oregon State Police declared an anti-lockdown protest at the Capitol in Salem to be an unlawful assembly on Monday, after demonstrators stormed the building as lawmakers met for a special legislative session.
Protesters broke doors and some pushed their way into the locked building, leading to arrests.
What are the details?
Fox News reported that the "Reopen Oregon" protest occurred during a single-day session where legislators met to vote on coronavirus-related measures after Gov. Kate Brown (D) issued an extension of Oregon's state of emergency from Jan. 2 to March 3.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting:
The Oregon State Police declared an unlawful assembly as a growing number of protesters pushed their way through the Capitol doors chanting, "let us in" and "arrest Kate Brown." Police officers donned gas masks as they squared off with protesters, some of whom carried firearms and bear spray, and many of whom were not wearing masks. Among the protesters were members of Patriot Prayer, a far-right group based in Vancouver, Washington, that attracts white supremacists and has engaged in violence.
Footage taken by OPB shows protesters breaking a pair of glass doors to the Capitol in an apparent attempt to enter.
Anti-lockdown protestors break door of Capitol building https://t.co/UW06w6T127— Sergio Olmos (@Sergio Olmos)1608586807.0
Some demonstrators were able to make their way inside.
The San Francisco Gate reported that according to police:
While entering the building, protestors used chemical agents and bear spray against officers. At least two people were arrested after a smaller group of protestors were successful in entering a portion of the Capitol building. Outside protesters banged their fists against the doors chanting, "Let us in."
KGW-TV reported that the bills set for consideration during the special session included "a proposed eviction moratorium that includes $200 million in relief for landlords and tenants, a restaurant relief package that includes a provision legalizing cocktails to-go, a bill that would protect schools from some coronavirus-related lawsuits and a measure that would transfer $600 million in to the state's emergency fund for COVID-19 and wildfire-response and recovery."
Police forming riot line https://t.co/ORFoUMp5ZN— Sergio Olmos (@Sergio Olmos)1608587216.0
Anti-lockdown gym owner to 'petty tyrant' NJ governor: 'The only way you'll ever close these doors is when you close my casket'
Ian Smith, co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, New Jersey — who's been battling far-left Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy over coronavirus shutdowns since the spring and said he's racked up over $1 million in fines — has a new message for Murphy and other state officials.
What did Smith say?
"We have been open against unconstitutional shut down orders since May," Smith wrote in a now-viral Instagram post over the weekend. "Not once have we flinched, and the petty tyrant of New Jersey governor Murphy has tried everything he could possibly think of to ruin us. Over seven months later we will open our doors every single day."
He added: "No government official will ever tell me that I am not able to provide for my family. I do not answer to public servants – no matter what threats or punishments they impose. I am a free man. I do not ask for permission. I do not ask for forgiveness. You work for us. The only way you'll ever close these doors is when you close my casket."
The post comes with video in which Smith is seen holding up pieces of paper — which he presents to the camera and then discards one by one, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-style — that send the same overall message.
"We have had our business license stripped," the messages Smith holds aloft say. "We have had our doors locked and barricaded. We have been arrested and have over 60 citations."
Smith's silent message adds that on the day of the recording, Atilis passed 84,000 visits — but the gym won't require masks and "never will." The clip ends with four printed words: "No science. No shutdown."
Just after Smith walks out of camera frame, someone is heard hollering, "F*** you, Murphy!"
Content warning: Language:
What did Murphy have to say?
When contacted about Smith's new message, Murphy's office told TMZ it had "nothing to add."
Anything else?
Smith emphasized on numerous occasions that his gym uses safety protocols, including proper sanitation and social distancing to mitigate the risk of spreading the coronavirus.
He told Fox News that he disputes the effectiveness of lockdown policies adopted across the nation put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus and is saddened by harms inflicted on businesses.
"What's happening to the middle class and small businesses in America is nothing short of a complete tragedy, and I would go so far as to call it criminal," Smith said. "You're putting people out of business for good."
SNL's Pete Davidson mocks demonstrators who supported lockdown-defying Mac's Public House as Holocaust deniers
"Saturday Night Live" cast member Pete Davidson over the weekend mocked protesters who rallied last week outside Staten Island's lockdown-defying Mac's Public House as Holocaust deniers.
What are the details?
During the show's "Weekend Update" segment, Davidson — a Staten Island native — guested as himself and answered questions from host Colin Jost about the protesters who hit the streets Wednesday night to back the establishment shuttered by lockdown orders banning indoor dining.
The owners of Mac's Public House decided two weeks ago that their bar would become an "autonomous zone" in an attempt to skirt the coronavirus lockdown orders from far-left New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Tuesday night, law enforcement shut down the business and arrested Danny Presti, the bar's co-owner, for defying those orders. He was arrested again after midnight Sunday for allegedly hitting a sheriff's deputy with his car, but Presti insisted he did "nothing wrong."
As for last week's demonstration, Davidson told Jost, "I saw the protest. People were outside the bar shouting about freedom, taunting the cops, chanting that they should arrest the governor. But it's Staten Island, so I assumed that it was just like a typical last call."
"Are you against these protests?" Jost asked.
"I mean, kind of," Davidson answered. "But I'm also just happy I'm no longer the first thing people think of when they say, 'What's the worst thing about Staten Island?'"
Davidson also quipped that "one guy at the protest even gave a speech where he literally compared not being able to drink indoors to being Jewish during the Holocaust — which must have been awkward for the people there who had to suddenly pretend they believed in the Holocaust."
Cost then asked, "So I take it that you found these protests frustrating."
"Yeah, man," Davidson replied, "they're makin' us look like babies ... you know it's bad when even people in Boston are like, 'Ah, drink at home, you queers!'"
Davidson ended the segment by giving a shout-out regarding Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, whom the mainstream media declared the winner of last month's election over President Donald Trump: "Biden won! Get over it!"
Weekend Update: Pete Davidson on Staten Island COVID-19 Protests - SNL youtu.be
Anything else?
Davidson is no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year he said he was forced to apologize for making fun of U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) in 2018 for losing an eye in Afghanistan and said that he regretted the fame the congressman gained from the dust-up.
Crenshaw, not surprisingly, fired right back on a "Fox & Friends" appearance: "I can't get out of Pete Davidson's head. He's been ... thinking about me a lot for the past year as he builds this comedy routine apparently. I'm not so sure his jokes always land, but it is what it is."
And last year Davidson was booed on SNL for comparing the Catholic Church to rapper R. Kelly, who was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse.
Unhinged leftist 'teacher' absolutely flips out on peaceful anti-lockdown protesters in Oregon: 'F*** all of you!'
You might say Oregon has been the unofficial epicenter of protests in 2020, with leftist groups such as Antifa and Black Lives Matter on a near-nightly basis occupying the streets of Portland and physically attacking local police and federal officers, destroying businesses, torching buildings, and intimidating anyone who gets in their way.
We also saw what happened when conservatives descended on Portland at the end of August and staged their own car rally protest in support of President Donald Trump: A "100% Antifa" militant appeared to ambush a pro-police activist and fatally shot him before taking off into the night.
Now what?
Well, there was a protest of a different sort in over the weekend in Bend, Oregon — about three hours southeast of Portland — and these demonstrators were protesting against governmental coronavirus lockdowns.
As has been typical of protests involving conservatives and Trump supporters, the anti-lockdown gathering at the intersection of Northwest Greenwood Avenue and Northwest Wall Street was peaceful.
That is, until a self-proclaimed "teacher" stopped her Subaru and absolutely flipped out on demonstrators holding their signs on the sidewalk. Fortunately a cellphone camera was rolling and caught the glorious moment for all of you to enjoy.
What did she scream?
Wearing a headband with her COVID-19 mask dangling below her chin, the ponytailed leftist lets loose on protesters: "Bitch! Kill yourself!"
Oh, it's already clear where this is headed.
"I'm a f***ing teacher! I work in schools!" she screams before re-educating her listeners with what one might characterize as social studies for the new millennium. "F*** you! F*** you! I am a teacher! I teach students!"
All the while the protesters simply turn up their own volume — and some simply laugh at the lunacy-filled moment.
"Our families are dying!" she hollers, her voice cracking as it pitches upward into Mariah Carey territory.
In another odd moment she appears to welcome the attention of those recording her antics, maniacally waving and yelling "hi" to the cameras:
She then hollers "F*** all of you!" — as if the point needed underscoring — before finally making her left turn (pun not intended ... or maybe it is) away from demonstrators as they chant "USA! USA! USA!"
Here's the clip, which was posted to Twitter on Sunday. Content warning: Profanity:
Bend Oregon peaceful rally to keep businesses open. This crazy lady is a teacher there. She needs to be fired. Sh… https://t.co/NlBYwNWXsA— 🇺🇸🦅M💥A💥G💥A🦅🇺🇲 (@🇺🇸🦅M💥A💥G💥A🦅🇺🇲)1607300364.0
Anything else?
According to the Associated Press, the demographics of Bend have shifted from Republican in the 1990s to Democrat at present as more people from left-leaning areas of California moved in.
The growth of registered Democrats "could be a reflection of the political party affiliation of the new residents, rather than longtime locals shifting their party affiliation," economist Damon Runberg told the AP.
www.theblaze.com
thefederalist.com
freebeacon.com