BUT PLASTIC-STRAW BANS LET BUSYBODIES FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES: International researchers estimate that as much as 73 percent of the garbage in the Atlantic Ocean originates from Chinese merchant vessels, Canada’s National Post reported on Tuesday.

UNRAVELING: Ilhan Omar just abandoned her big denial.

For months, Rep. Ilhan Omar denied that her marriage was effectively over despite The Post’s reporting that she’d been named as the “other woman” in a divorce suit. She and her husband even put on a show of maintaining a common domicile.

But all that’s out the window now that the congresswoman has filed for divorce from husband Ahmed Hirsi, with whom she has three minor children, citing “an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage relationship.”

The two married in a religious ceremony in 2002, separated in 2008, then married legally in 2018. But August brought the divorce filing from Dr. Beth Mynett in Washington, DC, civil court — alleging that her political-consultant husband Tim Mynett had told her he was leaving her for Omar.

Omar’s lawyers now blame the breakup of her marriage on the media and her political opponents, conveniently overlooking the alleged infidelity that plainly came first.

All this is a matter of public concern because of a possible violation of federal ethics rules and election laws: Omar’s campaign has paid Tim Mynett’s firm $230,000, including $70,000 after his wife sued for divorce.

She’s quite a piece of work.

WINNING: Democrats are wrong. Middle-class incomes surging – thanks to Trump policies.

FLASHBACK: T. Coddington Van Voorhees VII: Together, I Shall Ride You To Victory. Van Voorhees, or “Cods” as we called him in Skull & Bones, has many cousins in the GOP, though they are, for the most part, unhappy at the moment.

NEW YORK SUN: Democracy Dies in Darkness, Indeed. “Talk about Democracy dying in darkness. It’s looking more and more as if the Democrats really are going to try to overturn the 2016 election based on testimony from an unnamed individual they won’t let the Americans see. That’s what we take from a bombshell report that House Democrats are considering masking the whistleblower when he testifies before the impeachment caucus.”

They’ve learned from the Christine Blasey Ford debacle — don’t tell a story that can be checked.

NO. NEXT QUESTION? Does state government deserve more of your money?

Colorado:

Do you look forward to an annual tax refund check? Or do you want to donate your tax refund to the state government? That is just what Proposition CC is asking you to do – forever.

It says “without raising taxes” and technically, there is no tax rate increase but the government will keep more of your money which means you will pay more in taxes and have less in your bank account to spend on things that you or your family might need.

The politicians hope that you don’t remember that when Referendum C passed in 2005, it was to go to education and highways. Funny how, now, Proposition CC is to go for basically the same things.

So where did that money go? Who knows. As the non-partisan state staff will tell you, it is impossible to know how the money was spent. What we do know is that education and highway funding did not increase by the amount of increased revenue to the state. Why? Because politicians can change the rules by just passing a bill – and they do every budget cycle.

As Bill Whittle has noted, government doesn’t collect taxes in order to perform services — it performs services in order to justify taxes. And like any slacker it will do the least while collecting the most.

YOU NEED A GENERATOR WHEN YOU LIVE IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY: PG&E blackouts may affect some 600,000 customers amid high fire danger: Thirty counties, including much of Bay Area, in potentially affected area. “South Bay officials said they had been preparing for possible shutoffs for months, though they urged residents to do the same by stocking up on needed food, water, and medicine.” Some of my California friends tell me their water companies are warning them that they may not be able to keep pressure up during the outage.

I guess the Water Bob isn’t just for hurricane-threatened Gulf Coast folks.

STUART BROTMAN: Looking at Facial Recognition Software Through A Wide-Angle Lens.

WHY BOTHER, WHEN THE WORLD ENDS IN 2031? Company behind Dove and Ben & Jerry’s plans to cut use of plastic in half by 2025.

They’re certainly in no rush.

THIS IS LOVELY: Clarence Thomas Opens Up About Finding God in ‘One of the Darkest Periods of My Life.’

POLL: Most Don’t See More Women Leaders As Better for Society.

Voters aren’t convinced that more women political leaders are the way to go, perhaps in part because most think men and women have more common interests than not.

Only 33% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it would be better for society if women held more political positions than men. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 12% think it would be worse for society. A plurality (45%) thinks it would have no impact.

Sorry, Liz.

TODAY IN SUPREME COURT HISTORY | October 8, 1888: Chief Justice Melville Fuller takes the judicial oath.

THIS IS ONLY ON FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF DAYS:

The Vampires! Bundle, curated by bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson:

Now here’s a bunch of books you can sink your teeth into! The Vampires! StoryBundle abounds with the blood-sucking best! Thirteen page-turners across the spectrum of vampire fiction, and all of them with fangs!

If you like Vampire Suspense or Mystery, you’ll enjoy Brother Blood and Sister Death by Bill Ransom. Human-vampire fraternal twins with dangerous sibling issues run from near-fatal mistakes in the city to sequester themselves outside a rural fishing town. This is a special sneak-preview release for this bundle, not available elsewhere until December! And Running from the Night by Ramón Terrell. An action-packed ride filled with diverse and fun characters, immortal societies existing alongside our own, with a pinch of romantic tension. In You Suck by David Wood, Dunn Kelly seldom has a problem covering for his alcoholic father, the only Special Populations detective on the police force, but when teen pop star Delilah Idaho sees a wrinkle on her forehead, Dunn’s world is turned upside-down.

Read more about the TEN other books in the bundle here, and make sure to click on each cover for a synopsis, reviews and preview of each book!

IS IT TO BE A GLOBAL HIT?  Rough Music.

YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT PANCAKEGATE????  Whistlegate roundup.

WAIT IS THIS FROM HER BROTHER OR THE OTHER GUY? THIS WOMAN’S LOVE LIFE WOULD BE BANNED BY AMAZON WHO TAKES DOWN INCEST-PORN:  Omar seeks divorce & casts blame.

But hey, she’s a representative.  I’m not sure what she is representative of. Perhaps anti-Semites on the make.

OH DEAR LORD. LITERALLY:  Report: Communist China Replacing Ten Commandments With Quotes by President Xi.

NEWS SOMEONE COULD HAVE USED, BUT WHICH ARE MUCH TOO LATE NOW:  Ancient DNA puts Black Death’s origin in Russian region.

BUT BUT BUT THIS TIME IT WAS GOING TO WORK!  How progressive policies have crippled Connecticut’s job growth.

SURE. OTOH ASKING FOR ID TO EXERCISE THE FRANCHISE AND PROVE YOU’RE A CITIZEN? RACIIISSSSS:  You have 1 year to get a Real ID or you can’t fly: Here’s how to do it.

It’s the internal consistency and careful reasoning that means the left has science on their side, and you’re a Hater McHatey when you oppose them!

IT’S NOT THE WORDS.  IT’S THE FACT THAT YOU THINK SOCIALISM IS THE CURE FOR AN UNPROVEN PROBLEM AND KEEP TRYING TO STAMPEDE US INTO IT. WHILE NONE OF THE PEOPLE DOING THE STAMPEDING ACT LIKE IT’S REAL. THAT’S FOR STARTERS:  Salon: Don’t Use Science Words To Lecture About Dangers Of Climate Change.  For continuing, it’s the fact that those of us who do understand the “science words” (They’re called scientific terms, morons) know you’re talking nonsense.

OKAY, FIRST, THIS IS NOT FROM THE BABYLON BEE. SECOND… WHO PUTS PANCAKES IN THEIR POCKET? THIRD… SERIOUSLY? YOU’RE NOW INTERVIEWING DISTANT, AGED RELATIVES?  Donald Trump stole pancakes and forgot a relative was dead while visiting family, cousin claims.

It’s pancake-gate.  Impeachable offense!!!!  Reee!

Also, seriously, Newsweek, since when is this “public interest” of any sort, even supposing it were real or made any sense?  I’m starting to think the people who bought you for $1 overpaid.

WHAT REAL RESISTANCE LOOKS LIKE. AND WHAT IT COSTS:  Hong Kongers Bravely Defy Face Mask Ban.