2021!

2,021 posts in 2021.

Wow.

There will be no “On This Day” post tomorrow. I’m done for the year.

See you in 2022.

30 December, 1922

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is officially founded.

In post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (divided in 1936 into the Georgian, Azerbaijan and Armenian republics). Also known as the Soviet Union, the new communist state was the successor to the Russian Empire and the first country in the world to be based on Marxist socialism.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917 and subsequent three-year Russian Civil War, the Bolshevik Party under Vladimir Lenin dominated the soviet forces, a coalition of workers’ and soldiers’ committees that called for the establishment of a socialist state in the former Russian Empire

Battleswarm Blog Respects Paul Krugman as Much as I Do

In other words, not at all.

Paul Krugman Is Always Wrong: Inflation Edition « Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog

If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, one recurring theme is that Nobel-prize winning leftwing economist and pundit Paul Krugman is always wrong. Back in the day, Larry Kudlow made a career pointing out Krugman’s errors, and you may remember such Krugman howlers as “the Internet is no more important than a fax machine” and “markets will never recover from Trump.”

Lately he’s been in the news for dismissing the idea that inflation is a problem.

Paul Krugman, May 7: “[Treasury secretary] Janet Yellen and I believe that the Fed can contain any inflationary risks.”

Paul Krugman, June 21: “For those paying closer attention to the flow of new information, inflation panic is, you know, so last week.”

Paul Krugman, July 23: “Overheating is still possible, and the Fed should keep its eye on that possibility. But the big numbers aren’t as scary as they seem.”

Paul Krugman, August 12: “Anxiety about the inflationary impact of public investment just doesn’t make sense if you work through the numbers.”

Paul Krugman, September 10: “Companies aren’t acting as if they expect lots of future inflation, where they can hike wages without losing competitive advantage. They’re acting, instead, as if they see current inflation as a blip.”

Paul Krugman, November 11: “So yes, that was an ugly inflation report, and we hope that future reports will look better. But people making knee-jerk comparisons with the 1970s and screaming about stagflation are looking at the wrong history. When you look at the right history, it tells you not to panic.”

The New York Times, this morning:

Inflation jumped to the highest level in nearly 40 years, fresh data released on Friday showed, as supply chain disruptions, rapid consumer demand and rising housing costs combined to fuel the strongest inflationary burst in a generation (emphasis added).

I am always amazed that anyone listens to Krugman. If I’m in an internet discussion and someone quotes him, I just tell the person to stop right there. There’s no point in continuing an argument if Krugman is your source, because I havef no respect for him at all.

Look, this is just complete idiocy:

Proving that some of the most basic facts of economic life for ordinary people elude some Nobel-prize winning economists, Krugman dismisses the idea that inflation hurts the poor worse than the rich.

Aside from priorities, is this even true? Is there any good reason to believe that inflation hits low-income households especially hard? 1/ https://t.co/72hxWaL5zW

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 11, 2021

Read the whole thing.

Facebook’s Actions Don’t Support Their Leaders’ Words

Meta's soon-to-be CTO: "If your democracy can’t tolerate the speech of people, I’m not sure what kind of democracy it is." (reclaimthenet.org)

I totally agree. I guess these words don’t apply to Facebook itself, though.

He contradicted the anti-free speech stance of his company by saying: “I don’t feel comfortable at all saying they don’t have a voice because I don’t like what they said.”

Bosworth added: “If your democracy can’t tolerate the speech of people, I’m not sure what kind of democracy it is. [Facebook is] a fundamentally democratic technology.”

The statement is particularly jarring considering the constant censorship of thought the platform engages in, under the guise of censoring “misinformation.”

It will be wonderful to see his company take actions that go along with these words. I won’t hold my breath, though.

The Only Thing Wrong With This Is the Number of Zeros

They should be forced to pay more than this.

Virginia Hospital Found In Contempt Of Court, Subject To $10k Per Day Fines After Denying Patient Ivermectin | The Daily Wire

Family trying to get docs to give mom Ivermectin. She’s in the hospital with the China virus and not doing well. The docs wouldn’t do it. The family got a court order. And the hospital still has not given mom the medicine.

$10,000/day isn’t enough. Several people here need to have their licenses to practice medicine taken away. Or thrown in jail. Either one.

Chris Davies and his father Donald have been fighting for their mother and wife Kathy Davies’ right to try the drug Ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment at Fauquier Health hospital in Warrenton, Virginia, for the past few weeks. But the hospital — where Chris happens to work as a radiologic technologist — had put his mother through a series of legal hoops seemingly designed to block the treatment from being given to her.

On Monday, December 13, Virginia’s 20th Judicial Court found Fauquier Health in contempt of court after refusing to comply with previous orders and ruled that by 9:00 p.m. Eastern time tonight, Kathy Davies must be given the dose of Ivermectin as prescribed by a doctor retained by the Davies family. Additionally — if the hospital did not comply — the state had the right to fine the hospital $10,000 per day. That order would have been applied retroactively from December 9 onwards. The court also ordered that the Davies family be given police escort if necessary to administer the drug to their mother.

The judge has clearly lost patience. Good. If the woman dies, these people need to be punished. Hard.

Doesn’t This Mean It’s Not a Mandate?

New York Won’t Force Counties to Comply With Mask Mandate – PJ Media

News: @GovKathyHochul says that NY will NOT be forcing counties to comply with the mask mandate going into effect today. Some county executives say they will not.

“ I do hope that the businesses will enforce this. And individuals will understand how important it is.”

— Morgan Mckay (@morganfmckay) December 13, 2021

I wonder if this is just bowing to reality. As I pointed out previously, several counties have already indicated they weren’t going to enforce it.

More Censorship From Big Tech

I’m going to keep calling these when I see them. You need to understand how much Twitter and Facebook hate you.

Facebook bans former professor Dolores Cahill over Covid stance (reclaimthenet.org)

Want some irony here?

Cahill retired from her position at UCD amid, but seemingly not because of, backlash from her comments about the virus and its vaccines.

The school dismissed calls to fire her because of the principles of academic freedom.

Her employer wouldn’t muzzle her, but Facebook has no problems doing so.

I Don’t Know if I Have Much to Say About This Yet

2024 Election: Potential Republican presidential candidates - Deseret News

Obviously, former President Donald Trump (R-USA) is the Elephant in the room. He’s just hated in suburbia, though. I’d prefer to see a candidate who can maintain the Trump coalition, and expand into suburbia. It’s very possible that such a candidate does not exist.

Right now my #1 is Nikki Haley, and my #2 would be Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) is also interesting.

And what to you know. I just named the top four candidates from the article.

Read for yourself.

A Win for Team Biden on the Mandates

Not their mandate, but it still shows SCOTUS is willing to consider the idea.

BREAKING: Supreme Court Denies Bid To Prevent Enforcement Of New York Vaccine Mandate For Health Care Workers | The Daily Wire

On Monday, the United States Supreme Court rejected two emergency bids seeking to prevent enforcement of the state of New York’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in the Empire State.

CNBC was one of the first outlets to report on the breaking news:

The legal challenge was filed by a group of 20 doctors and nurses who argued that the state’s vaccine mandate violates the First Amendment to the Constitution because it fails to include a religious exemption.

The request for an injunction had been presented to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is assigned to handle cases from New York.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito — three of the court’s six-member conservative majority — said in the order that they would have granted the bid to block the mandate.

There’s a tug of war here. Anti-mandaters are winning, but they’re not running away with it.

It Figures

Jim Clyburn Says Democrats Will ‘Get Around’ Filibuster To Pass Progressive Voting Expansion | The Daily Wire

There’s nothing less democratic than the Democrats’ proposals to overhaul voting in America, so it makes sense they’d work to “get around” other traditional democratic principles to pass it.

For the record, again, I am not opposed to filibuster reform. And I think it will eventually disappear. It’s really just a matter of which party eventually does it. My money is on the Democrats, but I really wouldn’t be surprised either way. I know that whenever it happens, the opposition party and media will hyperventilate about it for weeks.

However, “getting around” things bothers me.

Clyburn made the comments to “Axios on HBO,” telling the program that passing the Democrats’ desired legislation “may require some jiu-jitsu, but that’s not beyond the Senate to do that.”

“They’ll come up with some way to get around it,” Clyburn added. “We had better come up with some way to get around it, because this democracy is teetering on collapse.”

He doesn’t get the irony of his statement. Democracy is teetering on collapse, and yet we have to “get around” the rules in the Senate to “fix” it.

I’ve Lost Track of the Score Here

And it doesn’t really matter. SCOTUS will have the final say. But the lower courts have been overwhelmingly against the mandates, and that does not bode well for Team Biden’s chances before the Supreme Court

Court Denies Biden’s Emergency Motion For Stay Pending Appeal Of Vaccine Mandate Case | The Daily Wire

A federal court denied Democrat President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice on Monday from being able to stop a temporary block on vaccine mandates on healthcare workers.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said in a statement: “The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Department of Justice’s motion for stay pending appeal in our lawsuit against the vaccine mandate on healthcare workers, meaning our injunction will stay in place.”

The statement included the court order, which stated: “Appellants’ Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal is denied.”

NEW this morning: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Department of Justice's motion for stay pending appeal in our lawsuit against the vaccine mandate on healthcare workers, meaning our injunction will stay in place.

See the order --> pic.twitter.com/L7ClJgonzR

— Attorney General Eric Schmitt (@AGEricSchmitt) December 13, 2021

Sometimes Reality Becomes Too Hard to Deny

You’d have to be a masochist to voluntarily live in most big west coast cities at this point, but a couple are worse than others, San Francisco is definitely one.

Leftism Is Destroying San Francisco, AP Concedes – PJ Media

San Francisco was once a world-class city but has over many decades become a bastion of crime and a literal toilet. Conservatives have pointed out how San Francisco’s notoriously left-wing culture has destroyed the city, and now the Associated Press has finally caught on.

“Caitlin Foster fell in love with San Francisco’s people and beauty and moved to the city a dozen years ago,” the AP reported on Saturday. “But after repeatedly clearing away used needles, other drug paraphernalia and human feces outside the bar she manages, and too many encounters with armed people in crisis, her affection for the city has soured.”

It makes me physically nauseous to read about things like this.

But even liberals have their breaking point when it comes to getting what they vote for. Residents are starting to wake up to the fact their city is in decline and are reportedly “losing patience.”

The pandemic emptied parts of San Francisco and highlighted some of its drawbacks: human and dog feces smeared across sidewalks, home and vehicle break-ins, overflowing trash cans, and a laissez-faire approach by officials to brazen drug dealing. Parents despaired as public schools stayed closed for most of last year as nearby districts welcomed children back to the classroom.

Gross.

In a Just World, He Would

Biden Says He’d Be Willing To Lose Presidency Over Disastrous Afghanistan Withdrawal | The Daily Wire

In a just world, there are already about a dozen things in not quite a year, that would cost him the White House.

“You mean, you’re willing to lose your presidency?” Braver asked, seemingly shocked.

“My presidency, that’s right,” Biden trumpeted. “Because I’m gonna stick with it. There’s certain things that are just, like for example Afghanistan. Well, I’ve been against that war in Afghanistan from the very beginning. We were spending $300 million a week in Afghanistan, over 20 years. Now, everybody says, ‘You could have gotten out without anybody being hurt.’ No one’s come up with a way to ever indicate to me how that happens. … And so, there are certain things that are just so important.”

He’s not totally wrong on Afghanistan. His predecessor was in favor of getting out also. But there’s a difference between an organized withdrawal and completely abandoning your allies and the troops. He should lose his job over this.

He Deserves It

Elon Musk Named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ | The Daily Wire

Elon Musk (@elonmusk) is TIME's 2021 Person of the Year #TIMEPOY https://t.co/8Y5BhIldNs pic.twitter.com/B6h6rndjIh

— TIME (@TIME) December 13, 2021

This Is a Reasonable Stance

Sen. Marshall: I support the vaccines, but not the mandates | One America News Network (oann.com)

GOP Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recognize natural immunity when combating the coronavirus pandemic. Marshall voiced his support for COVID-19 booster shots, but said he believes not everyone needs one.

“The messaging coming out of the White House has to acknowledge natural immunity and be honest with America,” stated Marshall.

We keep being told to believe the science. And yet the people telling us that don’t recognize natural immunity, which has been shown in every single test to be at least as affective as the best vaccine.

They don’t want to talk about natural immunity though because the vaccines are all about power. Natural immunity is all about freedom.

“If you’ve had the virus, that needs to be acknowledged and then a decision made with the patient and the doctor, deciding if they should get the booster or not. Maybe check their level of antibodies. Take into account what their healthcare situation is,” said Marshall.

Make no mistake: Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates are not about public health or science. If they were, we’d recognize the 92% of Americans who have already built up immunity to this virus between vaccines and natural immunity. They are about control. pic.twitter.com/TGpIBI2f0W

— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) December 3, 2021

I Have a Hard Time Believing It’s Only $130,000

Jussie Smollett faces $130k lawsuit from City of Chicago and separate filing from Osundairo siblings | Daily Mail Online

The Chicago Police Department came to the conclusion after more than two dozen cops spent weeks investigating the bogus story, logging 1,836 overtime hours in the process, a July 2019 legal filing said.

Leicester 1-0 Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp's men dealt a HUGE blow in the Premier League title race as super-sub Ademola Lookman downs the Reds after Mohamed Salah earlier missed a penalty, and other top stories from December 29, 2021.

The city was faced with a $130,106.15 overtime tab and has since confirmed that it will press ahead with its lawsuit against Smollett to reclaim the cash. Their chances of a win or settlement are now all but guaranteed in the wake of the star's conviction.

The Nigerian brothers will be suing Smollett also. His troubles aren’t over. I couldn’t be happier.

If You Let Them Have the Power Over You, You’ll Be Taking Boosters Every Few Months for the Rest of Your Life

Fauci On If Further Boosters Become ‘Necessary’: ‘Have To Deal With It When That Occurs’ | The Daily Wire

Dr. Anthony Fauci tells @GStephanopoulos that it’s “tough to tell” now whether yearly boosters will be expected.

“If it becomes necessary to get yet another boost, then we'll just have to deal with it when that occurs.” https://t.co/KFbPnqf5tO pic.twitter.com/GJRy81CBgq

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 12, 2021

It won’t be “necessary”. Vaccinations are not “necessary”. They’re just being forced down our throats, err…into our arms. They’ll do the same forever unless you give them the finger and tell them that enough is enough.

2004!

This is my 2004th post in 2021.

Why is that number significant?

Prior to 2021, I had done 1002 posts total. I did twice as many posts this year, as I had done in all prior years combined.

My new goal for this year is 2021. You know, since it’s 2021. I have a little more than two days left to get those 17 more posts. Once I do, I’ll take the rest of the year off and see you on the flipside.

Happy New Year in advance.

Titleist Goes Into Full Biden Protection Mode

Yes, you read that right. Titleist. Golf balls.

Titleist Blocks ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ On Golf Balls, Allows Numerous Vulgar Messages | The Daily Wire

This isn’t even a case of “what would they do if it were Trump”. We know.

Titleist has blocked golfers from writing “Let’s Go Brandon!” on personalized golf balls, but vulgar messages such as “Kill Trump” are apparently hunky-dory.

Daily Wire reported last week that the giant golf company blocks customers from putting the anti-President Joe Biden statement on golf balls, but Fox News followed up, finding out that all sorts of derogatory messages can indeed be put on personalized golf balls, despite Titleist’s policies.

“Certain political and vulgar messages that Fox News Digital tested on the website did not receive the same error message including ‘F Trump,’ ‘ACAB,’ ‘Antifa,’ ‘Kill Cops,’ ‘Impeach Trump’ and ‘Kill Trump.'”

“Kill Trump” gets the thumbs up from Titleist, but “Let’s Go Brandon” is forbidden.

Clowns.

Do Let the Door Hit You on the Way Out

‘I Want To Try Something New’: Chris Wallace Is Leaving ‘Fox News Sunday,’ Effective Immediately | The Daily Wire

I lost all respect for Mr. Wallace after that “debate” he “moderated” between then candidate Joe Biden (D-USA) and President Donald Trump (R-USA). That was a complete fiasco. He was nearly totally unable to control the debate. and what little control he did exert was done to make Trump look bad. His questions were of the “Mr. President, have you stopped beating your wife” variety to Trump and of the “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream” to Biden.

Good riddance.

Fox News' Chris Wallace: "After 18 years, I have decided to leave Fox. I want to try something new, to go beyond politics, to all of the things I'm interested in." pic.twitter.com/vgMF8Ktdnr

— The Recount (@therecount) December 12, 2021

You won’t be missed.

That Will Definitely Improve the Education for Your Kid

LA School District Fires Hundreds of Employees For Refusing shot – PJ Media

The Los Angeles Unified School District isn’t fooling around when it comes to enforcing its vaccine mandate. The school board voted to fire 496 employees who refused to be vaccinated. They also voted to enact a policy in which any student 12 years old and older beginning the January term who hadn’t been vaccinated will not be allowed on campus and will be forced to take an online independent study program.

Currently, there are about 34,000 students who are not in compliance with the mandate.

“We care deeply about all of our employees,” interim superintendent Megan K. Reilly said in a statement. “Parting ways with individuals who choose not to be vaccinated is an extremely difficult, but necessary decision to ensure the safety of all in our school communities.”

but don’t worry. Your kid will still be getting the finest education money can buy. You’ll just be buying less of it for the same money.

When You Get To the Corner of ”Riots Are Bad Blvd” and ”Freedom of Speech Way”, Turn Right

An article by a leftist who has realized the left doesn’t represent him anymore.

The Turn - Tablet Magazine

You are not “a supporter of free speech” if you oppose free speech for people who disagree with you. You are not “for the people” if you pit most of them against each other based on the color of their skin, or force them out of their jobs because of personal choices related to their bodies. You are not “serious about economic inequality” when you happily order from Amazon without caring much for the devastating impact your purchases have on the small businesses that increasingly are either subjugated by Jeff Bezos’ behemoth or crushed by it altogether. You are not “for science” if you refuse to consider hypotheses that don’t conform to your political convictions and then try to ban critical thought and inquiry from the internet. You are not an “anti-racist” if you label—and sort!—people by race. You are not “against conformism” when you scare people out of voicing dissenting opinions.

There’s a little there of someone trying to stay on the left, but more than a good start.

But, having been there before, I have one important thing to tell you: If the left is going to make it “right wing” to simply be decent, then it’s OK to be right.

Truth.

This Is Why You Want Omicron

New study suggests natural immunity is more protective over time than COVID-19 vaccine | Just The News

Those with natural immunity, according to the study, had a 10.5 per 100,000 infection rate four to six months following recovery, compared to a 69.2 per 100,000 case rate among the vaccinated.

Among the vaccinated, 0.9% of all cases were severe, compared to 0.5% among the recovered.

Protection against the virus drops over time in both groups, but is more pronounced among the vaccinated.

Case rates were the absolute lowest in the group of individuals who recovered from infection and later got the shot.

Instagram will still ban you if you talk about this, but natural immunity is a thing. And it’s a big thing. It’s better than being vaccinated.

Having natural immunity and the vaccination offers the most protection. But you’ll have to keep getting poked every six months.

This Means Less Than You Think

CDC: About 75 Percent of Omicron Cases Are in Fully Vaccinated People › American Greatness (amgreatness.com)

But what it does mean is that your vaccination offers no significant protection against getting this variant of the virus. It may offer you some protection against the virus affecting you seriously. Of course, the Omicron variant doesn’t appear to have serious effects in any case.

The Omicron variant has been detected in at least 19 states in the U.S., and is striking mainly fully vaccinated people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Forty-three people in 19 states have tested positive for omicron, according to remarks made to the Associated Press by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75 percent of those cases are in people who are fully vaccinated, and one person has been hospitalized. One-third of those individuals had traveled internationally; one-third had received a booster. The cases so far have been “mild,” she said.

I still think you should be rushing out to get Omicron. Seems like the best way to stay healthy in the future.

R.I.P. Coach Madden

NFL Hall of Fame coach, broadcasting icon John Madden dies at 85 (espn.com)

Thanks, Coach pic.twitter.com/wnv8W1pIjJ

— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) December 29, 2021

Well said.

"People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?'' he said when was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "I'm a coach, always been a coach.''

Rest well, coach. You’ve earned it.

 

R.I.P. Harry Reid

BREAKING: Democrat Harry Reid, Former Senate Majority Leader, Dies At 82 | The Daily Wire

BREAKING: Harry Reid, probably the most important elected official in Nevada history, has died at 82.

My condolences to his family and friends.

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) December 29, 2021

Well said.

Two Grim Milestones

According to Wikipedia, which gets their data from the official sources (i.e., not Johns Hopkins, which is what the media uses), we reached 771,151 deaths from the China virus in the United States last Thursday (December 23). That means 386,792 deaths from this virus have occurred since January 20, 2021, the day that President Joe Biden (D-USA) took office.

That is more than the 384,359 deaths that had occurred prior to President Biden taking office.

It’s his virus now. He owns it. And he was dealt a much better hand than former President Trump (R-USA). He already had the vaccine when he came into office. He already had effective treatments. And the pandemic was already in its second year. Few last more than two. This one appears destined to do so.

But wait, there’s more. 422,691 cases were reported on Monday, December 27th.  That shatters the previous record of 371,409 from August 13th.

And he has no plan to make things better. Only more of the same. Which hasn’t worked.

Great job, Joe.

28 December, 1975

The “Hail Mary” pass is born!

Dallas beats Minnesota on a Staubach-Pearson miracle pass.

The term "Hail Mary" was used by Staubach when the quarterback spoke with sportswriters following the game. Staubach reminisced to the Dallas Morning News in 2010 about how his pass got its name.
"I was kidding around with the writers," Staubach said. "Then they asked the question. I said, 'I got knocked down on the play...I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.'"

I Hope the Judge Laughs at Them

Journalist Andy Ngô is sued for sharing riot videos on Twitter (reclaimthenet.org)

Are these videos he took without the permission of the people in them? That can sometimes be problematic.

Or maybe these are someone else’s videos that he stole and posted?

Umm…neither. Although the second is closer.

Two photographers from Portland Oregon have filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against journalist and author Andy Ngô. The photographers claim that Ngô shared their videos of protests in Portland on his Twitter account.

He shared their videos. Maybe he did steal them.

The suit claims that Ngô “has made a practice of illegally copying and uploading plaintiffs’ videos onto his own Twitter account.”

Well, that certainly sounds like it. I think I’m ready to agree with the plaintiffs. Ngo shouldn’t have done this.

But, there’s more.

“The plaintiffs shared their videos publicly on Twitter, a platform designed for exactly their purpose, and Mr. Ngô commented on this publicly posted content using Twitter platform tools, not somehow surreptitiously downloading and uploading the clips as the plaintiffs falsely claim,” Dhillon said in a statement.

So, they created the videos, uploaded them, and shared them on Twitter. Then Ngo re-Tweeted their videos.

Ummm…that’s kind of what Twitter is for.

The complaint appears to be somewhat contradictory, in that it expresses that using a standard Twitter feature to share videos in a way that credits the original tweeter is causing them harassment but also that sharing their videos themselves is copyright infringement.

Yeah, I no longer have any sympathy for the video uploaders.

I Hope They Lose a Lot More

These are horrible people and they did a horrible thing and I hope they pay a horrible price for it.

School Board Association That Wrote Letter Comparing Parents To Domestic Terrorists Has Lost $1 Million | The Daily Wire

The Washington Examiner reported that the National School Boards Association “is looking at a shortfall of at least $1.1 million,” following the fallout from its disastrous letter, which saw numerous state board associations cut ties with the national organization. The dues payments from those states totaled about $1.1 million, leading to the shortfall.

In a “Time Line of Concerns Raised by Members,” published by the NSBA, the national association names 12 states that officially withdrew membership from the NSBA as of October 31: Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

I hope more states leave and this costs them a lot more money. $1.1 million is a drop in the bucket.

Vive La Resistance! (Encore)

New York Mask Mandate Meets Resistance, Won’t Be Enforced in Several Counties – PJ Media

“A violation of any provision of this measure is subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation,” Hochul said in a statement. She also added that “local health departments are being asked to enforce these requirements.”

But local governments were essentially blindsided by the announcement, and several counties with Republican executives are refusing to enforce the mandate, citing a variety of reasons, including a lack of guidance from the state on enforcement.

Republican Rockland County Executive Ed Day said that the mandate will not be enforced in his county. “My decision would be to move the people from the health department who are vaccinating children and others right now with a life-saving vaccine, move them to go walk around to different places to figure out whether people are masking up or not. That would be utterly reckless on my part and I will not do that,” Day said.

Madison, Niagara, Rensselaer and Nassau counties are joining Rockland in not enforcing the mandate.

We need more of this.

The Democrats’ War on Women’s Sports

OutKick Exclusive: Second Female Penn Swimmer Steps Forward, Describes Teammates In Tears – OutKick

The second Penn swimmer to come forward was at the University of Akron Zippy Invitational where she watched Lia Thomas beat fellow teammate Anna Kalandadze by 38 seconds in the 1650 freestyle. OutKick’s source described Penn swimmers on the Akron pool deck as upset and crying, knowing they were going to be demolished by Thomas.

“They feel so discouraged because no matter how much work they put in it, they’re going to lose. Usually, they can get behind the blocks and know they out-trained all their competitors and they’re going to win and give it all they’ve got,” the source said.

“Now they’re having to go behind the blocks knowing no matter what, they do not have the chance to win. I think that it’s really getting to everyone.”

After just five meets and the Akron Invitational, Thomas has not just destroyed opponents. The Penn freestyle records are being rewritten by a swimmer who was second-team All-Ivy league in 2018-19 — as a male.

This is going to be the death of women’s sports. Don’t believe me? Let’s go straight to the source, Lia “herself”.

OutKick’s source said that after the 200 freestyle, Thomas could be overheard bragging.

“That was so easy, I was cruising,” Lia Thomas allegedly said.

According to OutKick’s source, Thomas was unhappy with her time after the 500 race, but while standing in front of teammates, made sure to mention, “At least I’m still No. 1 in the country.”

“Well, obviously she’s No. 1 in the country because she’s at a clear physical advantage after having gone through male puberty and getting to train with testosterone for years,” OutKick’s source said. “Of course you’re No. 1 in the country when you’re beating a bunch of females. That’s not something to brag about.”

This is disgusting.

Another Reason to Stay Off Twitter

Twitter will now ban users that repeatedly claim vaccinated people can spread Covid (reclaimthenet.org)

This is a true statement. Twitter will now ban you for making a factually accurate statement.

One of the most notable changes to this “COVID-19 misleading information policy” we noticed is related to claims about whether vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus. The policy now states that Twitter will label tweets with “corrective information” and give users a strike if they:

• Claim that “the vaccines will cause you to be sick, spread the virus, or would be more harmful than getting COVID-19”
• Post what Twitter describes as “false or misleading claims that people who have received the vaccine can spread or shed the virus (or symptoms, or immunity) to unvaccinated people”

Actually there are several true statements there. There’s ample evidence that the vaccine poses more risk to young boys than the disease does.

And as I noted earlier:

This means Twitter users could now be sanctioned for sharing or discussing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) admission that “vaccinated people can still become infected and have the potential to spread the virus to others.”

Get off this horrible platform now.

#ThisIsCNN

This was one of Chris Cuomos’s producers at CNN. Horrific abuse. https://t.co/ns77NibHj7

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 11, 2021

I Have Two Problems With This

Facebook says it's not liable for false "fact checks" used to censor, because they're “protected opinion" (reclaimthenet.org)

Wait, what?

Back up. Let’s start at the beginning.

John Stossel, a libertarian journalist and author, filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the platform defamed him through a “fact check” label. Facebook added a “misleading” label on a video he posted.

Stossel was censored on Facebook and his work was undermined by the “fact check” that he alleged was defaming his character by falsely accusing him of lying.

Hmm. Okay. And how did Facebook respond? Ah, here’s the part I have trouble with.

In recent court filings, Facebook’s attorneys argued that the “fact check” on the video was an “opinion” and not an actual fact.

Libel law protects opinions from defamatory liability.

We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.

“The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion,” Facebook’s lawyers wrote in the court filings.

So, if they’re “protected opinion” doesn’t that mean they’re not actually fact checks?

And if they’re saying that “protected opinion” is free speech, doesn’t that kind of hurt their argument for censoring Stossel in the first place? If their fact check is “protected opinion”, how in the world does that tag not apply to Stossel’s post?

Just a thought.

Facebook wants the ability to allow fact checkers to accuse their users of lying and censor and ban users based on those “fact checks,” but not to have any liability for accusing those users of lying.

Well, I don’t know if that’s legal, but it’s certainly not just.

Yes. Yes, It Is.

Colorado's Democratic governor: I'm not mandating masks. The COVID emergency is over. – HotAir

The emergency is over. You know, public health [officials] don’t get to tell people what to wear; that’s just not their job. Public health [officials] would say to always wear a mask because it decreases flu and decreases [other airborne illnesses]. But that’s not something that you require; you don’t tell people what to wear. You don’t tell people to wear a jacket when they go out in winter and force them to [wear it]. If they get frostbite, it’s their own darn fault. If you haven’t been vaccinated, that’s your choice. I respect that. But it’s your fault when you’re in the hospital with COVID.

This is all true. And you’d be an idiot to deny it.

Of course, this is from HotAir, and it’s by AllahPundit, so he makes some attempt to deny it.

See above comment as to what constitutes idiocy.

Ariana Was Right, Too!

FLASHBACK: Ariana Grande Called Smollett Incident ‘Really F****** Sick’ | The Daily Wire

She tweeted, “what happened to jussie makes me really f****** sick to my stomach. i can’t believe s*** like this is really still happening everyday. what kind of world? sending all of the healing energy/love i possibly can and hoping for change. what can we do ? tell me & i’m there.”

That Tweet is gone now. I wonder why. It’s still true that this whole thing makes her really f****** sick to her stomach, isn’t it? It does for me. And I agree with this 100%. I also can’t believe s*** like this is still happening everyday. I also hope she’s still sending all of the healing energy/love she possibly can and hoping for change.

Frankly, I think this is pretty much a perfect Tweet. Not sure why she would delete it.

Maxine’s Dedication Has Paid Off

I’m so glad she was dedicated to finding the culprits here and bringing them to justice. Without her tireless efforts, we might never have gotten to the truth.

Maxine Waters In 2019: ‘Dedicated To Finding Jussie Smollett’s ‘Culprits’ And ‘Bringing Them To Justice’ | The Daily Wire

Jussie is my friend - a very talented & beautiful human being. It is so hurtful that homophobic haters would dare hurt someone so loving and giving. I'm dedicated to finding the culprits and bringing them to justice. Jussie did not deserve to be harmed by anyone!

— Maxine Waters (@RepMaxineWaters) January 30, 2019

Thank you, Maxine for your tireless efforts in bringing the culprit to justice. We will forever be in your debt.

 

Nancy Was Right Too

Nancy Pelosi In 2019: Smollett Incident ‘An Affront To Our Humanity’ | The Daily Wire

She was absolutely correct. People that fake hate crimes are deliberately trying to rip apart the fabric of our society. I’m sure Nancy is happy today, knowing that America has been served and justice has been done.

Hello @SpeakerPelosi, it appears you've deleted this tweet....care to explain why? #JussieSmollett #JussieHoax pic.twitter.com/MKjqbK8hqI

— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) February 18, 2019

Petey Was Right

Just not how he thought.

FLASHBACK: Buttigieg in 2019: Smollett Incident ‘Horrible Attack’ | The Daily Wire

It was horrible, but thankfully we have justice today.

While the struggle for basic hate crime legislation continues here in Indiana, this horrible attack calls all Americans to stand against hatred and violence in all its forms. https://t.co/AfXJt8DpOf

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 29, 2019

I call upon Mayor Pete to stand against hatred and violence in all its forms, particularly hate crime hoaxes.

Pretty Sure That He Would Know Best

Kyle Rittenhouse Body Guard Weighs In on Lefty Claims That the Kid Is a 'Racist' – PJ Media

T.C. Willis shadowed Rittenhouse throughout the trial and is disgusted by the mischaracterizations of the now-18-year-old by people who have no idea why he was found not guilty for the Kenosha shootings. He told a Knoxville TV reporter that people need to inform themselves “so at least when you do go into a debate you can debate efficiently and effectively.” The lead security professional also said that “most people are driven by their emotions, I’m not saying don’t have any, but don’t be driven alone by those.”

Yeah, but he’s just another whitey standing up for whitey, right? Err…no.

[T]he fact that he’s black and protecting a man the Left has reflexively labeled a “white supremacist” or “racist” put “a different perspective [on things] and I guess being black, obviously, for someone that was being called a racist for over a year and a half … no, they are definitely not racist.”

Huh.

I’ll resist the urge to comment further.

Build Back Better Back to the Drawing Board

BREAKING: Joe Manchin Just Killed the Build Back Better Act – PJ Media

After months of negotiations failed to achieve an adequate compromise, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) declared on Sunday that there’s no way he can support Joe Biden’s big government socialist agenda, known as the Build Back Better Act.

Manchin said on Fox News Sunday that he worked hard to reach an acceptable compromise.

According to Manchin, the legislation being pursued by Democrats was just too much on top of historic inflation, the national debt, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve done everything humanly possible,” he said. “When you have these things coming at you the way they are right now … I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.”

“This is a no,” he added. “I have tried everything I know to do.”

Related: CNN Analyst Says Manchin Should Leave the Democrat Party

With the U.S. Senate split 50-50, Joe Biden needed every single Democrat to back the legislation. With Joe Manchin officially declaring he cannot support the bill, The Build Back Better Act is, at least for now, dead.

“I’ve done everything humanly possible.”

“This is a no.”

“I’ve tried everything I know to do.”

Manchin wants to be a good Democrat. I’m sure he generally wishes he could vote for the bill. But it has too many problems, too many things in it that are unacceptable to him.

Boeing Does Something Right

It’s been a rough couple of years for Boeing. But they stand up against the vax mandate.

Boeing Suspends COVID Shot Mandate For Staffers (lifezette.com)

Boeing has announced that it has suspended it’s COVID-19 shot mandate for its employees.

While Boeing told all staffers two months ago that they needed to get the COVID-19 jab or be fired, they have since told KOMO that they are suspending this mandate.

“Boeing is committed to maintaining a safe working environment for our employees, and advancing the health and safety of our global workforce,” a Boeing spokesperson said. “As such, we continue to encourage our employees to get vaccinated and get a booster if they have not done so. Meanwhile, after careful review, Boeing has suspended its vaccination requirement in line with a federal court’s decision prohibiting enforcement of the federal contractor executive order and a number of state laws.”

This is the right approach to take. Encourage, but don’t penalize.

22 December, 1932

The Mummy strikes!

The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff, is released.

It Was Never About Healthcare. It Was All About Power.

if it had been about healthcare, there would have been a way found for these people to keep their jobs.

Who Could Have Seen This Coming? Hospitals That Laid Off Unvaccinated Staff Now 'Overwhelmed' – PJ Media

ABC News reports:

In central Massachusetts, the UMass Memorial Health System is, once again, completely overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

“We, right now, have more patients in the hospital, overall, than we have had at either of the two peaks previously. You come in one day and you say this is the worst we’ve ever seen it and you come back the next day and it’s even worse. This is very concerning, what’s going on right now,” UMass Memorial Health Care President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson told during an interview ABC News Wednesday.

Shocking, considering the high vaccination rate in Massachusetts.

According to Dickson, many of the hospitals in the UMass Memorial health care system are currently at-capacity.

“You can’t imagine how exhausted caregivers are right now,” Dickson said. “The biggest challenge for us right now is that our people are extremely, extremely fatigued. This is their third surge over the course of about 20 months, and that’s really taking a toll on them.”

How could this stressful situation have happened? Reading further down in the article, we see:

In addition, compounding its woes, UMass Memorial Health was forced to fire 200 employees last week after they refused to get vaccinated.

I have no further comment.

In Fairness to Joe, He Probably Thinks It’s True

President Biden Tells Embellished Amtrak Tale For The Sixth Time In Less Than A Year (lifezette.com)

Speaking in Kansas City, Missouri, President Biden said, “I remember one day as vice president, the government keeps fastidious records of how many miles you travel on government planes. And so there’s a big headline, ‘Biden travels,’ I forget what it was, ‘a million miles on Air Force Two’ and so on and so forth.” He continued, “And I was getting on the train to go home. I was going home to see my mom who was sick. And one of the conductors I’ve known for years walked up and grins, he said, ‘Joey baby,’ grabbed my cheek. Not a joke. And I thought that he was going to get shot. True story.”

Luckily, no action was taken as Biden added, “I said, ‘No, no, it’s OK. We’ve known each other.’ He says, ‘Joey. Big deal. A million miles’ — or whatever it was — ‘a million miles on Air Force Two. Come on, Joey, do you know how many miles you traveled on Amtrak?’ I said no.” He would then reveal, “36 years, 119 days a year back and forth, then as vice presidents we figure you’ve done X number of trips and that adds up to 1,200,000 miles on Amtrak.’”

Only one problem. Well, two, actually.

The conductor in question retired 15 years before Clueless Joe became VP. And died before this “million miles” mark was announced.

But in all fairness to Joe, he probably really thinks this is true.

He probably thinks inflation is not a problem and neither is China, too.

You voted for this.

#IToldYouSo

Trump Was a Jerk as a President, but His Policies Were Exactly What America Needed

Really, for all his faults (and yes, he has a lot of them), probably the best President of my lifetime. Definitely in the top two.

Nationwide Poll: Voters Miss Trump’s Policies, Think Economy Is Heading In Wrong Direction | The Daily Wire

Voters were asked, “Regardless of how you may feel personally about each man, would you rather continue pursuing Joe Biden’s policies and proposals or return to Donald Trump’s policies and proposals?” According to the survey, 46% said they somewhat or strongly wanted to continue Biden’s policies while 48% said that they somewhat or strongly wanted to return to Trump’s policies.

When asked, “Specifically, would you say that the economy is going in the right direction or headed in the wrong direction?” a whopping 61% of voters said it was going in the “wrong direction.”

That just means that 39% of the country is either crazy or lying or both. Because the economy is absolutely going in the wrong direction. That’s an empirical fact.

Some Great Jussie Tweets

‘Jussie Smollett Can Rest Knowing That His Attacker Has Been Convicted’: Social Media Erupts Following Verdict | The Daily Wire

I’m going to give Ben Shapiro a stand up triple for this one. Not quite a home run, but only because the Babylon Bee does better.

Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted.

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 9, 2021

Megyn Kelly goes for the jugulasr.

Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims.
As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too.

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) December 9, 2021

And my personal favorite:

Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attacker https://t.co/FSgTn67Slr

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) December 9, 2021

This Might Actually Be a Good Thing

I rarely compliment Democrats, so don’t miss this one.

Progressive Senators Introduce Bill To End ‘Ridiculous’ Airline Fees | The Daily Wire

Democratic have lawmakers introduced a bill to end “ridiculous” airline fees.

The Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act — sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) — argues that fees for baggage, seating, and cancellation are “not reasonable and proportional to the costs of the services actually provided.”

A press release from Markey’s office explained:

Too often, airlines blindside travelers with exorbitant charges at checkout caused by unexpected fees for basic aviation services. This price gouging has grown exponentially as a business practice over the last decade. In 2019 — the last full year before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted air travel — airlines worldwide collected $109.5 billion in ancillary fee revenue, up nearly fivefold from $22.6 billion in 2010. That same year, U.S. domestic airlines collected $5.8 billion in baggage and $2.8 billion in ticket reservation fees alon

Now let’s be honest with ourselves here, because the Democrats certainly won’t be. I don’t expect this to lower the price of flying by one cent. Airlines aren’t using these “ridiculous” fees to drive up prices. They’re using them to stay profitable. Price wars have set the allowed prices for certain flights to lower than the actual costs. Airlines have to make up these costs somehow, so now they charge extra for things they didn’t use to.

If they stop having these extra fees, the costs will once again be bundled into the ticket costs, and those will all go up.

But at least we won’t be surprised anymore when our $99 flight ends up costing us $300. And that will be a good thing.

So, one cheer for the Democrats.

Yay.

I Guess Crime Doesn’t Pay After All

Jussie Smollett Declared Guilty on 5 of 6 Counts – PJ Media

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Actually, I don’t give a rip about Jussie Smollett per se. I just hate hate crime hoaxers. I want them to pay.

Jussie Smollett was found guilty by a jury of his peers of five felony counts out of the six brought against him by the state of Illinois for faking an anti-gay, racist hate crime against himself. Smollett’s outrageous lies alarmed the city of Chicago and the world, and he’s finally facing the music. Smollett hired two brothers to wear red hats and attack him on a city street in the middle of a polar vortex while shouting racial slurs and screaming “This is MAGA country!” in order to make people believe he was attacked by white Trump supporters.

The charges were for disorderly conduct and lying to the police. The next step for Smollett is sentencing, which could send him to prison, but that probably isn’t likely. What’s absolutely sure is that we can stop calling it an “alleged” race hoax. It happened. Twelve people decided that Smollett hoaxed the world.

I disagree with Megan here. I think that prison is likely. However, it might be better for all of us if he doesn’t go to prison. He’ll get a 3 year sentence. Under most current laws, you serve 3 years for every 2, so it’s actually a 2 year sentence. And you get half time off for good behavior, usually. And I’m sure Jussie will be a model incarcerated citizen, so he’ll serve just 1 year.

At the end of that year, he’ll return to society, ready to be an activist again, and the people that amazingly still believe in him, will now think of him as a martyr for the cause, and his visibility and marketability will go up.

So, for the cost of him bring imprisoned for a year, we’ll get saddled with him on TV shouting and whining about something, for the rest of his life.

Yay.

But as Megan says, at least we can strip the “alleged” from his title and call Jussie what he is, a hate crime hoaxer.

And a jerk.

And They Should Be

Full disclosure: both of my daughters have had the China Virus vaccines. They’re a bit older, though, 15 and 18 now. And female. If I had an 8 year old son, no way in Hell would I allow him to be vaccinated.

New Survey: Many Parents Hesitant About Vaccinating Kids Against COVID | The Daily Wire

Around 29% of parents with kids ages 5 to 11 said their kid is vaccinated or they are going to be “right away.” However, “about a third of parents of children ages 5 to 11 say they want to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others before getting their younger child vaccinated. About three in ten parents say they will definitely not get their younger child vaccinated, and a further 7% say they will only do so if their school requires it,” the KFF report stated.

I wouldn’t even do it if my school required it. I’m a firm “no” on vaccinations for younger children, particularly boys. The data doesn’t support it, and there’s almost as much risk of serious side effects as there is of preventing getting the virus. No. No. NO. A thousand times NO.

The Death of Women’s Sports, Cont’d

This isn’t even happening in slow motion. It’s real time, right before our eyes.

UPenn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas continues dominant season with more record-breaking wins (nypost.com)

A 22-year-old transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania continued her dominant performance this season — setting numerous pool, meet and program records at a three-day event in Ohio last weekend.

Lia Thomas blew away her competition Friday night in the 500-yard freestyle preliminaries and finals at the Zippy Invitational at the University of Akron, according to results posted by the school.

In the finals, Thomas notched a winning time of 4:34.06 — good enough for a new Ivy League record.

The swimmer continued smashing records on Saturday with a nearly 7-second victory in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.93 — representing the fastest finish in the country, the school said.

Over the weekend, Thomas also set a new program, meet and pool record in the 1650-yard freestyle. She finished that race in 15:59.71 — more than 38 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, teammate Anna Kalandadze

I’ve always suspected that Lia was not entirely supported by her teammates, and I was correct.

‘Secretly Everyone Just Knows It’s The Wrong Thing To Do’: Teammate Of U Penn Transgender Swimmer Sounds Off | The Daily Wire

Thomas’ participation in women’s athletics has drawn the ire of many who see Thomas’ massive victories as unfair. As reported by OutKick, this includes one of Thomas’ female teammates.

According to OutKick, the teammate fears that she will not be able to find employment after college if she shares her honest opinion, choosing instead to remain anonymous as she revealed friction within the team due to Thomas’ presence.

“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this. Our coach [Mike Schnur] just really likes winning. He’s like most coaches. I think secretly everyone just knows it’s the wrong thing to do,” the female Penn swimmer said during a phone interview.

“When the whole team is together, we have to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, go Lia, that’s great, you’re amazing.’ It’s very fake,” she added.

Sure, no one wants to look like they’re intolerant. But these girls compete to win. They don’t want to lose to someone who is cheating, who has an unfair advantage. Even if that person is on their own team.

All of you supporters of this, what will you say when the 2024 Olympics rolls around and some Communist country bring an entire “women’s team” full of “transgendered females” and they dominate every single sport? While our American women athletes get Silvers and Bronze medals.

It will happen.

Maybe not in 2024, but this isn’t decades away. It’s going to happen. Soon.

“The Ivy League is not a fast league for swimming, so that’s why it’s particularly ridiculous that we could potentially have an NCAA champion. That’s unheard of coming from the Ivy League,” Thomas’ teammate explained.

“On paper, if Lia Thomas gets back down to Will Thomas’ best times, those numbers are female world records. Faster than all the times Katie Ledecky went in college. Faster than any other Olympian you can think of. His times in three events are [female] world records.”

Soon.

Well, That Kind of Stretches the Definition of ”Fact Check” Doesn’t It?

BOMBSHELL: In court filing, Facebook admits ‘fact checks’ are nothing more than opinion – Watts Up With That?

In its response to Stossel’s defamation claim, Facebook responds on Page 2, Line 8 in the court document (download it below) that Facebook cannot be sued for defamation (which is making a false and harmful assertion) because its ‘fact checks’ are mere statements of opinion rather than factual assertions.
Opinions are not subject to defamation claims, while false assertions of fact can be subject to defamation. The quote in Facebook’s complaint is,

“The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion.”

Read the whole thing. I don’t see how they can continue to call them “fact checks”. I also thinks this puts their ability to censor posts based on “misinformation” in jeopardy.

And What Makes It Even Worse Is That They Got Away With It

Why the Russiagate Scandal Outranks the Rest | RealClearPolitics

We’ll never learn the full truth. I’m not even sure that anyone will go to prison. Certainly the people that need to be locked up for a very long time won’t.

Russiagate is the biggest scandal in American history.

Agreed.

Russiagate began with a kernel of truth: Someone – probably Russians, though we still don’t know for sure – hacked the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s private server. Fearful of what might be released, the Clinton campaign tried to discredit any damaging material by raising dark questions about its source. (Joe Biden executed this same strategy to great effect when he falsely described the evidence of corruption found on his son Hunter’s laptop as “Russian disinformation.”)

In response, the Clinton campaign financed an absurd collection of conspiracy theories involving peeing prostitutes and billion-dollar bribes, the so-called Steele dossier. Its importance cannot be overstated – it was the dossier that linked the Trump campaign to the hacking. No dossier, no collusion theory.

And that was just the beginning.

Over the next few months and years, current and former officials illegally fed misleading classified material and partisan anonymous quotes to the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News and other sympathetic press outlets to advance the narrative. Brennan and former National Director of Intelligence James Clapper became a constant presence on cable news, using the top-secret authority of their previous positions to assure the public that collusion was real – although in sworn testimony, Clapper admitted he had not seen such evidence.

Congressional Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff – who falsely claimed to have seen “more than circumstantial evidence” of Trump/Russia collusion – amplified the smears.

Schiff in particular should be ejected from Congress if not thrown in prison for his part in this. He lied repeatedly to the American public in order to lawlessly take down a President.

Leading peddlers of the hoax – including Brennan, Clapper, Pelosi, Schiff and Sullivan – have paid no price for their actions. To date, no one has conducted probing interviews with Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama about their roles in the scandal.

Engineered by broad swaths of the government and media, the effort to paint a sitting president as a foreign agent alone makes Russiagate the worst scandal in American history. But it is this second, still ongoing  phase – this willful effort to deny  what happened, this refusal to hold the  perpetrators accountable – that presents the most serious danger to our nation.

If truth and justice don’t matter, what does?

Good question.

I’ve excerpted a lot, but read the whole thing anyway.

Even Men Know This

Memo to Woke: Women Don’t Want Men in Restroom Stall Next to Them (dailysignal.com)

This article was written by a woman, but even men know this. Heck, men don’t want men in the restroom stall next to them. We’re smelly. We make weird noises. We’re terrible at cleaning up after ourselves. You take your life into your own hands when you step into a public restroom that has been used or is being used by a man.

And those are our good qualities.

Students attending Chicago public schools can now use whatever restroom they want. The change is being made in an effort to be more “inclusive” and “equitable,” according to Camie Pratt, chief Title IX officer for Chicago Public Schools.

“All restrooms are open for use by anyone who feels comfortable,” Pratt said in a recent video announcing the change.

Pratt says the change is being made in an effort to comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX protections against discrimination, but there are serious concerns about how the policy will affect students.

Why would you think this could possibly be a good idea? Do I need to refer you to my series on Loudoun County, Virginia?

Idiots.

Did I Call It, or Did I Call It?

Why yes, I believe I did.

Here We Go Again: Pfizer CEO Says Jab #4 May Be Needed “Faster” (lifezette.com)

Pfizer CEO Bourla said that the company’s early analysis in expediting jab number four was based on a synthetic, lab-created clone of the variation and that further evidence from testing against the genuine virus is required. According to Bourla, the real-world findings will be more accurate and will be available in the following two weeks.

“When we see real-world data, [it] will determine if the omicron is well covered by the third dose and for how long. And the second point, I think we will need a fourth dose.”

And a fifth, and a sixth. It will never end until we rise up with one voice and say “ENOUGH!”

This Is a Big Problem for Team Biden

Michigan Gov Whitmer: Biden Vaccine Mandate ‘A Problem For All Of Us’ | The Daily Wire

No way would a prominent Democrat governor be coming out against the President’s mandate unless the polling on it was just awful.

“We’re an employer too, the state of Michigan is,” Whitmer said. “I know if that mandate happens, we’re going to lose state employees. That’s why I haven’t proposed a mandate at the state level. Some states have. We have not, we’re waiting to see what happens in court.”

“But we have a lot of the same concerns that you just voiced, and it’s going to be a problem for all of us,” she added.

If it’s one thing the Democrats know how to do it’s to speak with one voice. And Whitmer is as left as you can get. If the Biden administration has lost her, they’re in deep trouble on this mandate.

I think more and more people are realizing that it’s doomed.

This Could Be Huge

Could be.

Could.

Rumble CEO says the platform is preparing to compete with Amazon and Microsoft (reclaimthenet.org)

The Rumble CEO told Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo that the purpose of the upcoming merger with CF Acquisition and raising about $400 million is to protect the company’s independence, expand its presence internationally – and build a robust infrastructure and a cloud services business that will be able to compete with Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure.

It’s unlikely they will be able to unseat the big players here. But there’s certainly potential from people who have been unfairly shut down from these sites, Parler, for example.

And if they do a good enough job, and enough people get forced to them and up liking it, who knows?

Is Omicron the Variant We’ve Been Waiting For?

So far it seems to be exceptionally mild, and exceptionally contagious. That is a winning combination if you’re trying to achieve natural immunity.

Omicron 'May Signal the End of COVID-19' According to Healthcare CEO – PJ Media

Richard Friedland, head honcho of Netcare Ltd also said, “I actually think there is a silver lining here and this may signal the end of COVID-19, with it attenuating itself to such an extent that it’s highly contagious, but doesn’t cause severe disease.”

“That’s what happened with Spanish flu,” he reminded people in a statement on Wednesday.

This is exactly what happened with the Spanish Flu, and tat this point it appears our only way out of this stupid thing. That is if governments don’t keep scaring us from getting the virus. Herd immunity isn’t coming from a vaccine we have to renew every six months. Herd immunity is coming from people actually getting the disease.

And How Many Shots Will We Need to Neutralize the Next Variant? And the One After That?

Pfizer: Two Shots Plus Booster Neutralizes Omicron Variant In Lab Studies | The Daily Wire

“The data very clearly indicate the value of a third dose,” BioNTech CEO and co-founder Uger Sahin said during a briefing discussing the results, according to Time.

“With the data now coming on the Omicron variant, it is very clear that our vaccine for the Omicron variant should be a three-dose vaccine. The best [strategy] now to ensure protection would be to get a booster shot, thereby improving levels of antibodies, [and] improving levels of T cells, which are correlated with better protection against the currently circulating Delta [variant] and which we believe will also translate to better protection against the Omicron variant,” he said.

Just tell me when the ride is over. I want to get off.

Maybe You Should Be Less Accommodating and More Strong

Joe Biden does his best Neville Chamberlin.

Biden: I’m Working To Find ‘Any Accommodations’ I Can For Russia So They Don’t Invade Ukraine | The Daily Wire

He starts out strong:

“In the meeting with Putin, I was very straightforward. There were no minced words,” Biden claimed. “It was polite, but I made it very clear: If, in fact, he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences — severe consequences — and economic consequences like none he’s ever seen or ever have been seen, in terms of being imposed.”

“His immediate response was he understood that. And I indicated that I knew he would respond. But beyond that, if, in fact, we would probably also be required to reinforce our — our presence in NATO countries to reassure particularly those on the eastern front,” he added. “In addition to that, I made it clear that we would provide the defensive capability to the Ukrainians as well.”

But then he fades:

Biden said that he would not put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine to stop a Russian invasion of the country, saying, “that is not on the table.”

“We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO Allies, if they were to attack under Article Five. It’s a sacred obligation,” Biden added. “That obligation does not extend to NATO — I mean, to Ukraine. But it would depend upon what the rest of the NATO countries are willing to do as well. But the idea the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia from invading Ukraine is not on — in the cards right now. But what will happen is: There will be severe consequences.”

Putin respects strength. A show of strength and determination will force him to back down. Threatening to take his candy away isn’t going to do anything.

Can Someone Tell This Man to Shut Up? He’s Done Enough Damage Already

Fauci Tells CNN It’s ‘A Matter Of When, Not If’ Definition Of ‘Fully Vaccinated’ Changes | The Daily Wire

CNN's Kate Bouldon talks Fauci into agreeing the definition of being "fully vaccinated" should be updated to mean having had a booster: “My own personal opinion, Kate, is what you said is correct. It’s going to be a matter of when, not if.” pic.twitter.com/pebLUDdEfT

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 8, 2021

It will never be enough. There will always be another variant, and another shot, and another reason to mask and to hide indoors.

Or we can just stop listening to clowns like this guy and go back to living our lives.

WHO Knows if Vax Mandates Are a Good Idea

WHO warns against vaccine mandates | One America News Network (oann.com)

The World Health Organization announced its hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The organization’s European director, Dr. Hans Kluge, made the WHO’s stance known on a recent video presser. Dr. Kluge said such a sweeping move should only be used as a last resort.

“…Is to not mandate vaccination if you haven’t reached out first to the communities,” he stated. “Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted.”

Although he claims vaccine mandates are effective in some cases, Dr. Kluge said they should not be used as a blanket policy to fight the virus. Context, the doctor stressed, is an important factor to consider before implementing such a measure. Dr. Kluge also warned governments against creating two classes of citizens based on vaccination status.

“Ultimately, mandates should never contribute to increasing social inequalities in access to health and social services,” he stated. “Any measure that may restrict a right or movement of a person, such as lockdowns or mandates, also needs to assure that mental health and wellbeing is cared for.”

Follow the science!

Yay! We’re #1!

We beat out da Jews!

New Study Finds that Christianity Is the #1 Religion Targeted in Hate Crimes – PJ Media

Pretty sure that historically Judaism takes the “grand prize”. And that’s true even if you exclude the Holocaust. No religion has suffered more over time than they.

And they’re still currently #2.

Hate crimes against Christianity and its followers in Europe — formerly and for centuries the guardian and disseminator of Christ’s teachings — are at an all-time high. According to a recent report, at least a quarter of all hate crimes registered in Europe in 2020 were anti-Christian in nature — representing a 70% increase in comparison to 2019. Christianity is, furthermore, the religion most targeted in hate crimes, with Judaism a close second.

Worse, the true number of hate crimes against Christians is likely even higher. As the Nov. 16, 2021 report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) explains (boldface in original):

24 states report data on hate crimes committed due to racism or xenophobia, 20 on LGBT groups, 16 states on anti-Semitism, and 14 on incidents against Muslims, but only 11 countries report data on hate crimes against Christians, and this obviously distorts the statistics significantly. Furthermore, of the 136 civil society organisations that provided descriptive data, only 8 organisations (!) consistently reported incidents against Christians. Both of these findings put the reality of the situation into a different perspective, which indicates that the actual number of hate crimes against Christians is probably way higher.  When comparing the numbers of incidents from last year to the number of this year, we can see an increase of almost 70%. What is also striking, is the fact that of the 4,008 descriptive cases [of 2020], 980 are hate crimes against Christians, almost 25%, more than against any other religious group.

How does that compare against hate crimes against Islam?

Indeed, whereas 980 hate crimes were anti-Christian in nature, 850 were anti-Semitic and only 254 anti-Islamic. But as the report explained, the true numbers are probably significantly higher — for whereas the majority of racial, anti-Islamic, or anti-homosexual attacks are reported as such, a great number of anti-Christian attacks are not. Even so and despite this discrepancy, attacks on Christians are still greater than against any other religious group.

Hmm. Interesting.

20 December, 1990

The first website on the World Wide Web goes online:

Remember This the Next Time Democrats Claim Something About Republican ”Tax Cuts for the Rich”

Publications - Measuring the Effects of the Republicans’ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Personal Income Taxes | Heartland Institute

According to data from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service comparing outcomes from 2017 to 2018—the first year the tax reform law went into effect—the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced average effective income tax rates for filers in every one of the IRS’s income brackets, with the largest benefits going to lower- and middle-income households. (See Table 1 by clicking "Download the PDF" at the top of this page.)

For example, after accounting for all tax deductions and credits, filers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $40,000 to $50,000 received an average tax cut of 18.2 percent.[4]

The IRS data further show that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act appeared to have a strong upward effect on economic mobility. The number of filers with an adjusted gross income of $1 to $25,000 decreased by more than 2 million in just one year, while the number of households reporting incomes higher than $25,000 increased in every income bracket.[5]

The most significant increase occurred in the $100,000 to $200,000 bracket, which included more than 1 million additional filers in 2018 than it did in 2017.

Huh. Imagine that. Of course, that was predicted by anyone who actually studied the bill.

The available evidence is clear: Based on tax data from 2017 and 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced taxes for the vast majority of filers, led to substantial improvements in upward economic mobility, and disproportionately benefited working- and middle-class households, many of which experienced tax cuts topping 18 percent to 20 percent.

Yes, I noticed it right away on my own tax return, as did my wife. “Why are our taxes so much lower this year?” she asked. “Because of the Trump tax cuts”, I responded.

She voted for him in 2020 after not having voted for him in 2016.

The IOC Needs to Start Making Some Very Strong Threats to China, and Back Them Up

IOC Cannot Provide ‘Absolute Certainty’ On Peng Shuai Situation | The Daily Wire

Now, the IOC appears to be walking back their previous statements on Peng’s situation.

“We can’t provide you with absolute certainty on anything,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said according to ESPN. “All we can do is do the best we can in the process that we believe is in the best interests of the well-being of the athlete.”

Adams’ comment came on Tuesday at the IOC’s first press conference since the Women’s Tennis Association suspended all tournaments in China — including in Hong Kong — last week. The committee has been subject to criticism regarding their handling of Peng’s situation, with Human Rights Watch accusing the IOC of “collaboration with Chinese authorities on tennis star Peng Shuai’s reappearance.”

I expect more from the IOC. Well, no, I don’t, really. They’ve failed too many times in the past to have high expectations. But the world expects and deserves better.