News of the Week for Dec. 12th, 2021
- Riots & Revolution
- Corona Virus
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Riots & Revolution
Black Supremacy? BLM Tells Followers Not to Shop in White Stores
‘Tis the season to be racist! Black Lives Matter is dreaming of a black Christmas! They want their followers to boycott “white” companies this Christmas season.
Corona Virus
France: 400 Investigations Into Fake COVID-19 Health Passes
France’s interior minister says the country has opened 400 investigations into networks providing fake COVID-19 health passes.
Gun Rights
A host on “The View” gets it all wrong on the Second Amendment
In the latest instance of Hollywood elites lecturing the rest of us, “The View” co-host Joy Behar just advocated for “tweaking” the Second Amendments because the Founding Fathers didn’t have AR-15s.
Nevada Supreme Court Finds Gun Makers Not Liable for Las Vegas Massacre
Somehow it seems newsworthy when the law, as written, is applied as written and intended. The Nevada Supreme Court has found that a group of gun manufacturers and retailers are not liable in the Las Vegas shooting that took place at a music festival in October of 2017.
The Paradox of the 2020 Gun-Sales Spike
In a City Journal piece over the summer, I cast some doubt on the idea that 2020’s massive homicide spike — a 30 percent increase — had been driven by strong gun sales. America has so many guns that even a really strong year for sales doesn’t boost the supply that much, and most crime guns tend to be fairly old anyway.
In response to Texas abortion ban, Newsom calls for similar restrictions on assault weapons
After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a Texas state law that bans most abortions there, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’ll push for a new California law that deters the manufacture and sale of assault rifles in the state.
Hide the Decline
Environment &
“Green Energy”
Citi to Expect Clients to Have “Credible” Plan to Reduce Carbon
Citigroup Inc. will eventually expect borrowers to have a credible plan for measuring and reducing their carbon footprint as part of the bank’s pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions.
Mandatory food recycling to begin in California
Banana peels, chicken bones and leftover veggies soon won’t be allowed in most California trash bins under a mandatory food recycling program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
A Power Struggle Over Cobalt Rattles the Clean Energy Revolution
I thought I’d posted on this topic earlier. The Times has been running a series on global demand for cobalt, to supply manufacturers of electric vehicles with, apparently, the most basic mineral needed in the industry. Behold green neoimperialism.
Rhode Island Schools Are Failing, Yet Progressive Coalition Wants To Spend $2.5 Billion On “Decarbonizing” Education
“In 29 schools, students scored below 5% on math or English, and sometimes both.” Decarbonizing effort could cost $2.5 billion according to Cornell University researchers consulted on the proposal.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Swiss Approve Use of Suicide Pod
Some time ago, the Australian ghoul and suicide promoter Philip Nitschke, invented a machine for use in making oneself dead. He calls it the “Sarco Suicide Pod,” a futuristic gizmo the suicidal person enters. Once the lid is closed, the despairing person answers a few questions and then pushes a button to be killed by nitrogen overdose in about 30 seconds. Efficient death that supposedly feels good.
War & Terror
China Seeks First Military Base on Africa’s Atlantic Coast, U.S. Intelligence Finds
Alarmed officials at the White House and Pentagon urge Equatorial Guinea to rebuff Beijing’s overtures
China’s New Moon Landing Schedule Escalates Race With U.S.
The space rivalry between the U.S. and China is suddenly heating up after a top Chinese scientist said his nation may be able to send astronauts to the moon for the first time by 2030.
China’s Communist Party Mocks U.S. Democracy Ahead of Biden Summit
Senior CCP official: U.S. political system not a “real democracy”…”Chinese people don’t like and don’t want such democracy.”
Three Potential Crises Unfold on the World Stage
A potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chinese pressure on Taiwan and shaky Iran nuclear talks represent a perilous moment for President Biden
Kerry declares the end of the Monroe Doctrine era
Kerry makes announcement to Organization of American States, says states in Western hemisphere must be equals
Infamy at 80
Eighty years ago today, out of the clear blue sky of an Oahu Sunday morning, the navy of the Empire of Japan launched a pre-emptive surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in what was then the territory of Hawaii. The attack commenced at 7:48 a.m. local time, which was mid-day on the East Coast. Before Pearl Harbor’s defenses could be roused — there had been a party the night before, as nobody expected trouble — Japanese planes descended raining bombs; 2,335 Americans were killed in a war in which they thought their country was still neutral. The dead were mostly sailors, half of them on the USS Arizona, one of four battleships sunk that morning. The Imperial Japanese Navy lost 64 men. It was, as Franklin D. Roosevelt branded it, “a day that will live in infamy.” The infamy lives on.
How American Technology Aids China’s Global Ambitions
US technology has enabled China to build and successfully test an advanced nuclear-able hypersonic missile that could… evade US missile-defense systems, and succeed in striking the US mainland.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 will create a UFO reverse engineering program
I’ll bet you a box of donuts that you didn’t see that headline coming, did you? And yet this isn’t some piece of satire, but actual news from the United States Congress. For quite a while now, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been stalled in the Senate as some of the members battled over various pet amendments they wanted to see included or rejected. But on Monday night, the Senate used a couple of procedural maneuvers to shelve those questions and pass a version of the NDAA to send to the House. There will likely be a bit more horse-trading going on, but the bill is expected to be sent to the President in short order.
NATO, Ukraine autonomy pose diplomatic challenges for Biden
President Joe Biden said this week the U.S. would take a more direct role in diplomacy to address Vladimir Putin’s security concerns over Ukraine, part of a broader effort to dissuade the Russian leader from a destabilizing invasion of its western neighbor.
Ukraine Commanders Say a Russian Invasion Would Overwhelm Them
If Russia opts for an invasion, Ukraine’s generals say, they would have no hope of repelling it without a major infusion of military help from the West.
French Police Arrest Jihadists Plotting Christmas Stabbing Attack
“Islamist literature and Islamic State propaganda was found during the arrests.”
China Committing Cultural Genocide against Tibetan Children
In illegally occupied Tibet, China is separating children from their families in boarding schools for the purposes of indoctrination in communism, to make them think of themselves as “Chinese” instead of Tibetan, and for the purpose of severing their attachment to Buddhist culture.
China’s New Hypersonic Aircraft Is Based on a Rejected NASA Design
And it can go faster than five times the speed of sound. A team of researchers in China has built and tested a prototype hypersonic flight engine based on a design that was scrapped by NASA over 20 years ago, according to a report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
New Caledonia considers breaking away from France… toward China?
For the third time in four years, voters in the South Pacific island nation of New Caledonia will be going to the polls this weekend to consider a referendum that would declare their independence from France. They have been a republic of France for more than 170 years, first annexed in 1853, but recent generations of the island’s original natives have been increasingly pushing for autonomy. This anticolonialism movement has been closely watched by foreign policy analysts, particularly coming at a time when China is seeking to forge new ties and expand its sphere of influence in the region, both politically and militarily. But despite having come close to voting for independence during the previous two votes, there is no assurance that it will happen this time. The traditionally pro-independence groups that have supported the measure say they are refusing to participate this time, citing French interference and the effects that the pandemic has had on their efforts.
China Vows To Open Fire on US Troops That Come to Taiwan’s Aid
China’s military “will heavily attack U.S. troops who come to Taiwan’s rescue” if a war between China and Taiwan breaks out, a possibility that is increasingly likely as the Communist regime readies its war machine on Taiwan’s borders.
U.S. Universities Cooperating With Institutions Tied To China’s Military, Nuclear Weapons Program
Beijing “exploited the expertise of Chinese students … conducting research in the United States to accelerate China’s economic and military modernization.”
California Governor Calls for S.B. 8-Style Legislation Targeting Firearms
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling largely precluding pre-enforcement challenge of the Texas abortion law, Governor Newsom calls for similar action on guns.
FPC Response to Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Threats Following Supreme Court Ruling in Texas S.B. 8 Case
?Our brief in Jackson v. Whole Woman’s Health predicted that tyrants like Gavin Newsom would use the Texas model against fundamental human rights including the freedom of speech and the right to keep and bear arms. We built FPC Law (FPCLaw.org), the nation’s first and largest public interest legal team focused on the right to keep and bear arms, to be the leader in the Second Amendment litigation and research space, capable of quickly responding to policy changes like those Newsom proposed. Just as FPC secured a trial judgment against the State of California’s unconstitutional ban on so-called “assault weapons” in our Miller v. Bonta case before Judge Roger T. Benitez, we are prepared to litigate these important issues in state courts and then up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
National
Former Senator and Presidential Candidate Bob Dole Passes Away at 98
Longtime Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, 98, passed away on Sunday. He announced in February he received treatment for stage 4 lung cancer.
Big Tech Censors Science: Twitter Slaps Warning Label On American Heart Association Abstract
Twitter lackeys know more about heart health than the American Heart Association. Wrap your mind around that one.
How “Science” Went Woke
“Believe in science.” You’ve probably seen that common—and silly—trope on left-wing political lawn signs. But what does it mean?
Social-Emotional Learning: The Insidious Teaching Tool You’ve Never Heard Of
By now, many Americans are aware of critical race theory, which makes race the focus of all aspects of American life. The philosophy categorizes individuals into groups of oppressors and victims, and is currently making its way through the political sphere, the military, and of course, education. But less well known is its ideological cousin, social-emotional learning. The program seeks to indoctrinate kids into leftist ideology by reinforcing a series of critical race theory-based morals and values.
Kindergarten teacher uses “Remi the Respectful Reindeer” to teach pronoun madness to little kids
Kindergarten teacher using “the respectful reindeer” to teach pronouns
David Perdue Ignites Potential GOP Civil War in Georgia Governor’s Race
If Brian Kemp wants a chance to defeat Stacey Abrams again, he’ll first need to get past former Sen. David Perdue.
It’s official. Republicans will control the Virginia House.
It took a month, but the victory of Republican Karen Greenhalgh in her race for the Virginia House of Delegates has officially been confirmed. Greenhalgh defeated incumbent Democrat Alex Askew by 115 votes. Askew gained only 12 votes in the recount process.
NY Times: How woke politics ruins everything, even little libraries
There are two types of people in the world, people who love books and everyone else. Maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement but there’s certainly something to the idea that people who love reading have something significant in common that people who don’t love it do not. There are areas of interest ranging from news to non-fiction to entire fictional worlds to discuss with people who share the love of reading.
Politico Poll: 40 Percent of Hispanics Find “Latinx” Offensive
A new Politico poll shows that just 2 percent of Latinos refer to themselves as “Latinx,” the gender-neutral replacement for “Latino/Latina” that has taken root in many elite progressive circles over the course of the past few years. By contrast, 68 percent use “Hispanic,” and 21 percent use the gendered “Latino/Latina” to describe their ethnic identity.
Is “KAX17” performing de-anonymization Attacks against Tor Users?
Two years ago in December 2019, I first wrote about a particular and unusual malicious actor on the tor network. This blog post is about how that actor expanded their visibility into the tor network during the last two years after their removal by the tor directory authorities in October 2019 and why this particular actor is more concerning than the usual malicious tor relay group.
“Grifters in our midst”: Watch out for the rabble-rousers in the Freedom Caucus, says Dan Crenshaw
What’s gotten into him? Back in August he truthbombed a “stop the steal” heckler at a fundraiser, assuring him there was no way to commit election fraud on the scale needed to provide Biden’s margin of victory over Trump. Now here he is calling out the Marjorie Taylor Greene wing of the House GOP for being grifters. Why does Crenshaw want to scrap with populist trolls, knowing that Trump’s on their side and they’re eager to find primary challengers for their critics?
Over 500 STEM Professionals Sign Open Letter Challenging the Gutting of US K-12 Math Education
Many signers are left-supporting professors, who are now beginning taste the toxicity of the fruits of the Woke Tree.
Chicago Public Schools’ New ‘Gender Equity’ Restroom Policy Ignores Biology, Invades Students’ Privacy
Chicago Public Schools are now requiring schools in the district to ensure all restrooms are “gender-neutral,” erasing single-sex spaces for males and females alike.
Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue will be melted down by city’s African American history museum
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that once provoked a deadly weekend of violence in Charlottesville will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public artwork, following a vote by city lawmakers early Tuesday morning.
Daunte Wright Shooting Trial: BLM Protester Charged With Trying to Intimidate Judge
The complaint accuses rice of going to an apartment he believed Judge Regina Chu lived in and demanded she live stream the trial.
Proposed 2022 California Ballot Initiative Makes “High-Quality” Education a Constitutional Right
Constitutional Right to a High-Quality Public Education Act would amend the constitution to assert that all students have the right to education that “provides them with the skills necessary to fully participate in the economy, our democracy, and our society.”
Critical Race Trove From California District Tells Students How To Use Witchcraft On People Who Say “All Lives Matter”
Critical race theory has been fully institutionalized at the California high school district that tried to reeducate me six years ago when I first pushed back.
SCOTUS to hear argument that could allow vouchers in religious schools
Today will mark the final oral arguments at the Supreme Court for this session. They will be hearing arguments in what the Free Beacon calls “the biggest Supreme Court case that nobody is talking about.” The case in question is Carson v. Makin and it could have a broad impact on private school eduction around the country. The plaintiffs in the case are two families from Maine who wish to allow the state’s school voucher system to be applied to Catholic schools. The Biden administration will today attempt to have the case thrown out on a technicality, mostly because previous rulings suggest that the plaintiffs could prevail.
The Conventional Wisdom on Hispanic Voters Was Completely Wrong
For years, we heard that Republicans couldn’t be tough-minded on immigration and win Hispanics, and yet here we are with these stunning numbers from a new WSJ poll
GOP Rep. Crenshaw blasts Freedom Caucus as “grifters,” “performance artists”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) took aim at some of his House Republican colleagues last weekend, labeling members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus “performance artists” and “grifters.”
Man in Custody for Allegedly Torching Christmas Tree Outside Fox News in Midtown
New York City first responders extinguished a huge Christmas tree fire outside the Fox News building in midtown Manhattan early Wednesday.
There’s No War on Christmas, Huh?
“Christmas Tree Catches Fire”
Wisconsin Conservative Group Finds “No Evidence Of Widespread Fraud” In 2020 Election
A 10-month-long review of Wisconsin’s 2020 election conducted by a conservative group in the state found no signs of widespread or significant election fraud, according to a new report of its findings, further disproving continued baseless allegations of election fraud as the battleground state undergoes a contentious partisan election audit.
Record homicides in city after city
With three weeks still to go in 2021, at least 12 major U.S. cities have broken their annual homicide records. Two other cities are on the verge of doing so.
Teachers shouldn’t have to pass a political test
What are the characteristics of a good teacher? Many would cite qualities such as mastery of the relevant subjects and high academic standards. Others might stress a positive attitude and engaging classroom manner.
POLL: 38% of Americans Have Positive View of Socialism
No one should have a positive view of socialism.
Daunte Wright Shooting Trial Day 1: Defense Scores on State Witness
As with Judge Walmsley in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting trial, Judge Chu appears disinclined to define the critical legal issue in this trial.
“Critical Race Theory” Becomes Issue During Supreme Court Argument In Maine School Funding Case
Justice Alito: If Maine refuses to fund students to attend schools that teach white supremacy, “would you say the same thing about a school that teaches critical race theory?”
Showing “20 Shocking China Facts You Don’t Know” Video in Class Led to Firing of Minnesota Teacher,
though an arbitrator reduced this to a 40-day suspension.
Large California school districts eliminate “D” and “F” grades
Bad report cards could soon be a thing of the past in California as some of the state”s largest school districts are dropping “D” and “F” grades.
Munich redux? Biden to push Ukraine into Donbas “autonomy”
Will this be Peace In Our Time, 2021 edition? Joe Biden plans to tell Ukraine to grant “autonomy” to its occupied Donbas territory as the price of getting Vladimir Putin to de-escalate, the Associated Press reports. Kyiv will have to “accept some of the facts on the ground,” according to administration officials
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 will create a UFO reverse engineering program
I’ll bet you a box of donuts that you didn’t see that headline coming, did you? And yet this isn’t some piece of satire, but actual news from the United States Congress. For quite a while now, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has been stalled in the Senate as some of the members battled over various pet amendments they wanted to see included or rejected. But on Monday night, the Senate used a couple of procedural maneuvers to shelve those questions and pass a version of the NDAA to send to the House. There will likely be a bit more horse-trading going on, but the bill is expected to be sent to the President in short order.
Christmas tree arson suspect released without bail
Yesterday morning, somebody set fire to the huge Christmas tree that had been erected outside of the building that’s home to Fox News in New York City. The tree was completely destroyed, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. But the police quickly had a suspect in custody along with plenty of evidence to suspect they had the correct person. 49-year-old Craig Tamanaha, a homeless person with a long rap sheet, was arraigned on a variety of charges including arson, reckless endangerment, and criminal trespass. But because this had taken place in New York City, Tamanaha was immediately released without bail and put back out on the streets, where he promptly put on a bizarre performance for reporters seeking a comment from him.
NY Governor’s Race Has Been Scrambled Again
In a surprise announcement, New York attorney general Letitia James has dropped out of the primary contest for governor. James, a progressive favorite looking to become the state’s first elected black governor, will run for reelection instead and bide her time seeking a higher office. James had been a leading figure in toppling Andrew Cuomo, issuing scathing reports on the governor over sexual harassment, the fatal policy of sending Covid patients back to nursing homes, and the coverups of both. In recent polls, James was below 20 percent of the vote, around half the support of Governor Kathy Hochul, but it is still early.
Trump-backed Perdue says he wouldn’t have certified Georgia 2020 results
Georgia gubernatorial candidate David Perdue wouldn’t have signed the certification of the state’s 2020 election results if he had been governor at the time, the former Senate Republican told Axios.
Customs and Border Protection To Host “Unconscious Bias” Seminar During Immigration Crisis
Amid an immigration crisis, Customs and Border Protection this month is offering a seminar on “unconscious bias” for all staff.
Steven Spielberg Explains He Didn’t Use English Subtitles In West Side Story Because It Would Give “The English Power Over The Spanish”
Director Steven Spielberg recently explained why he chose not to use English subtitles for Spanish speaking parts in his new adaptation of West Side Story.
Newly Flush Amtrak Can’t Make the Trains Run on Time
You couldn’t make it up. Reacting to the passage of the infrastructure bill last month, the head of Amtrak, Bill Flynn, gushed that the infusion of cash would be “absolutely transformational and more funding than we’ve had in our 50 year history combined.”
Many more Democrats in Nevada are switching to Republican than vice versa
The numbers in this analysis are small, with fewer than 2,000 votes shifting left to right versus fewer than 800 shifting from right to left over the last three months. But no one knows Nevada politics like Jon Ralston does and he thinks it’s significant as a possible sign of a wider trend.
Ideologically-based teacher screening becomes widespread
Increasingly, school districts are asking candidates for teaching positions questions about “cultural competency,” race, and “equity” during the application and interview process. Education Week has the details. They aren’t pretty.
Daunte Wright Shooting Trial Day 2: Prosecution Spends Entire Day On Irrelevant Sympathy Evidence
Judge denies defense request for mistrial.
Yale Psychiatry Students Triggered by Lecture Expressing Surprise There Are “Artisanal Coffee Shops” In Rural Ohio
“The language Dr. Satel used in her presentation was dehumanizing, demeaning, and classist toward individuals living in rural Ohio and for rural populations in general.”
Ghislaine Maxwell trial suddenly cut short Thursday after lawyer falls ill
The judge said the trial will resume Friday morning
Supreme Court leaves Texas law in place — with a twist
The good news for the pro-life movement: The Supreme Court didn’t issue a temporary injunction suspending Texas’ abortion law. The law remains in effect, subject to other rulings, such as the decision made late yesterday in a Texas district court that enjoins its civil-court enforcement provisions.
Bloodbath: GOP leads by 10 on generic ballot in new CNBC poll
Remember that it’s generally uncommon for Republicans to lead on the generic ballot, more uncommon for them to lead big, and really uncommon for them to lead big far in advance of the next election. In red-wave cycles, generic ballot polling is typically competitive until the final months before the election, when Republicans begin to break away. That’s what happened in 2014. The GOP did lead big a year before the 2010 midterms, but (a) that was at a moment when the backlash to ObamaCare was in full swing and (b) they went on to win 63 seats in the House the following year.
The Emerging Democratic Minority
Bit of a needle-scratch sound to this, considering it comes from Ruy Teixeira (in his Substack newsletter The Liberal Patriot)
LAPD union head warns tourists to stay away from the city: “We can’t guarantee your safety”
The head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s union has a message for tourists planning a trip to the city this holiday season – don’t do it. Don’t go to Los Angeles. That’s quite a message coming from the second-largest city in the United States. The rising crime rate running rampant across the country is hitting Los Angeles especially hard.
Teammate of Trans Swimmer Speaks Out
A male swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania has been smashing female records after being allowed to compete as a woman. Lia Thomas, who swam for the men’s team as recently as 2019, back when he was going by Will, identified as transgender and was moved into the women’s team.
Daunte Wright Shooting Trial Day 3: Still No Apparent Evidence Of Manslaughter
Spends another day in plodding, pointless testimony. Prosecution seems to be stalling for time, but why?
Newly Confirmed Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Unhinged Rants
“And you know what I’ll do? I’ll call the police and make an allegation. And we’ll see how that works with you.”
Scientists Take a Stand Against “Woke Math”
Saying two plus two equals four may now be problematic. One of the key aspects of the left-wing cultural revolution that’s taken over America’s most powerful institutions is how it injects its politics and ideology into literally everything. That includes science, and now math.
Mockery Ensues After USA Today Publishes Ludicrous Article Asking “Is Math Racist?”
USA Today changed the headline after well-deserved mockery.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Hates “Dark Money,” Except When It Goes To Democrats Like Sheldon Whitehouse
“…you can’t allow the American people to be ignorant of what’s going on around them by letting politics be secret,” Whitehouse said while at the same time being secretive about the pervasive influence of dark money on Democratic politicians including his own election campaigns.
Yep, Microsoft is Redesigning Notepad in Windows 11 Too
After completely screwing up Paint with a horrible Dark Mode-averse update, Microsoft is going after Notepad in Windows 11 too.
Right-wing activists are openly ‘weaponizing’ Twitter’s new private media policy
Twitter acknowledged on Friday that a new policy it unveiled this week to protect users from harassment is being abused by malicious actors — days after journalists, left-wing activists and self-described “sedition hunters” reported their accounts had been locked for sharing publicly available images of anti-maskers, anti-vaccine protesters and suspected Capitol insurrectionists.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Drag queen story hour, cooked books, and vaccine mandates.
Economy & Taxes
Apple’s Tim Cook signed $275 bln deal with Chinese officials to placate China – The Information
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) Chief Executive Tim Cook signed an agreement with Chinese officials, estimated to be worth about $275 billion, to placate threats that would have hobbled its devices and services in the country, The Information reported on Tuesday, citing interviews and internal Apple documents.
Cargo Ship Crisis Continues with Nearly 100 Vessels Still Stuck off L.A. Coast
Port officials are proclaiming the situation “the new normal”.
Surprise! Flooding the Economy with Cash Payments Causes Inflation
“Inflation may linger in the U.S. because of the initial coronavirus assistance programs, researcher finds,” reads the headline of this Market Watch story today. In the United States, inflation — once transitory and now lingering — spiked 6.2 percent over the last year. In the euro zone, consumer prices were up 4.1 percent during that time. In Japan, it was 0.1 percent. Why? According to Hyun-Song Shin, head of research at the Bank for International Settlements, it’s in part because the United States relied on generous unemployment benefits and populist stimulus checks rather than saving existing jobs
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On Monday the Nevada Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by nine parents claiming the state Legislature is not meeting its constitutional requirement to adequately fund K-12 public education, according to the morning paper and the online Nevada Independent.
CPI Report: Inflation Rises 6.8% in the Last Year, Highest in 39 Years
BIDEN BOOM! That is also six months straight of inflation over 5%.
Inflation hit 39-year high in November
Also breaking: the spin cycle at the White House. A few days ago, CNN reported that Biden’s aides had begun “productive” meetings with media outlets to shape economic reporting more favorably to Joe Biden. Well, Americans don’t need a weatherman to know which way the economic winds are blowing
Inflation Is Now the No. 1 Issue
Today’s inflation report found prices rose 6.8 percent in November, making the fastest rate of inflation since 1982. Even before these new numbers were released, the latest Monmouth University poll found that in an open-ended survey question — meaning the pollster asked the question but did not provide multiple-choice answers — 29 percent of Americans said that inflation or rising prices was their biggest concern. This far outpaces Covid — which was named by just 18 percent of respondents — or any other single issue as the top worry in the country.
Inflation — from WIN to DIN
And just like that, we’re back at the Volcker era — except there’s no Volcker in sight
Victory: California Eliminates Unconstitutional Law Criminalizing Teaching Trade Skills
Repeal is a win for free speech rights of apprentices and students alike
The Stealth Gas-Heating Tax
The House methane “fee” is a tax on consumers who use natural gas.
International
The end of the apartheid alibi
During the local election campaign Ferial Haffajee wrote about the sad state of her part (and every part) of Johannesburg: litter everywhere, potholes, street lights and traffic lights that don’t work, irregular water, irregular power, uncollected rubbish and all the rest of it. When she recited this lament to the ANC she was angrily accused of “nostalgia for the white city”.
Olympic Boycott Highlights Corporate Capitulation to Beijing
Washington’s diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics is now official. There’s ample reason to question whether the Biden administration has gone far enough to push back against what’s sure to be a Chinese Communist Party propaganda event and to ensure that U.S. athletes and journalists are not subjected to Beijing’s hostage-diplomacy tactics. This is a debate that’ll play out for the next three months, but what’s most immediately obvious is where this leaves corporate sponsors of the 2022 games.
EU Scrooges Wind Up With Eggnog on Their Faces After Trying to Ban the Word ‘Christmas’
Christian names such as Mary or John were also in line to be banned.
New Zealand to ban cigarettes for future generations
New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, in a bid to eventually phase out smoking.
More than 800 new political prisoners in communist Cuba over the past year
2021 is a banner year for the communist Castro dictatorship as it added 805 new political prisoners — including minors — to its gulags over the past 12 months.. This is socialism in action.
Socialism Destroyed His Homeland. Here’s a Venezuelan’s Warning for America.
Venezuela used to be a thriving and prosperous Latin American nation. Its citizens enjoyed a quality of life, and immigrants flocked there to better their situation. All of that changed abruptly when socialism took over the Venezuelan government.
American Farmers Are Having Trouble Getting Their Goods Out of the Country
We’re familiar with the supply chain crisis that has gripped our economy. Ships remain stuck in the ocean waiting to unload their cargo as the Biden administration puts bandaids on a gaping wound and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg plays Mr. Mom, posts stupid (and possibly illegal) memes, and worries about racist bridges.
Tor’s main site blocked in Russia as censorship widens
The Tor Project’s main website, torproject.org, is actively blocked by Russia’s largest internet service providers, and sources from the country claim that the government is getting ready to conduct an extensive block of the project.
Bioethicists OK Human Extinction to Eliminate Suffering
These days, anti-humanism is as thick as molasses among the intelligentsia. That includes an ongoing conversation in bioethics whether — all things considered — human extinction would be a fine thing because of the suffering that never coming into existence would avoid. Example: A few months ago, Oxford professor Roger Crisp opined that we might not want to stop a huge asteroid from hitting the Earth. From “Would extinction be so bad?”
Opinion
“Go Build Your Own”
“If you don’t like Twitter,” goes the popular refrain, “don’t try to control it with the government, go and build your own.” I agree with this. That’s exactly what disgruntled consumers should do. But it is too much to ask that, if and when they do, they aren’t mocked for it?
Why Are “Summer Books” So Politicized?
Nearly every college assigns a “summer book” for incoming students to read. This goes back a long time — I recall that as a freshman in 1969, I was expected to have read Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination. It had nothing to do with current events, much less any ideological position.
A Principled Statement of Opposition to Critical Race Theory: An Excerpt from “Cynical Theories”
Last year, Helen Pluckrose and I dedicated most of our time to writing a book about how “activist scholarship” has risen to prominence and created societal conditions that threaten to rip our societies apart. Our goal was to document and explain these academic developments as fairly as possible while still making clear how they have equipped a certain kind of social critique, commentary, and activists with the philosophy of postmodernism.
The political impact of reversing Roe, two views
In this post, I speculated about the likely political fallout in 2022 of a decision by the Supreme Court that year to overturn Roe v. Wade. I suggested that such a decision would energize Democrats (who likely will be in need of it) and might help swing a Senate seat or two in their favor. This, in turn, might enable Democrats to maintain control of the Senate. I concluded, however, that this scenario — a reaction to overturning Roe that causes Dems to hold the Senate — is unlikely.
Go Long on Democrat Panic Buttons
The Wall Street Journal has started its own new polling project, using a bipartisan team of well-known pollsters. And their first report this morning has nothing but bad news for President Biden and Democrats
The Left’s War With Biological Reality
As the Supreme Court determines whether to preserve the Court-created “right to abortion” under Roe v. Wade, those on the feminist Left have gone into full-blown panic mode. Women’s rights, they insist, will implode without granting women the ability to abort their children; only that ability can equalize the natural inequalities of biology, by which women are saddled with the burden of childbearing and child rearing.
Correcting Maine’s Error
In Carson v. Makin, the Supreme Court has a chance to reaffirm that the Constitution does not permit discrimination against faith-based schools.
Finding the Right Tactics in the War for Education
For a long time, we have known that we’re in a war over education with the Left, which insists on complete control so it can sculpt young minds to accept “progressivism.” But the Left has been winning that war because our tactics have been defective. I’m reminded of the American Revolution in the South in 1780-’81, when patriot forces were routed until General Nathaniel Greene was put in command and came up with tactics that turned the tables on Cornwallis.
Don’t let Bill de Blasio silence parents critical of city education
On his way out the door, Mayor Bill de Blasio is trying to sneak in a final blow to public-school families: a rule allowing the Department of Education to discipline and remove elected parents from Community Education Councils (our school-board equivalent) if they criticize the school district they are meant to hold accountable.
