HMM: China demonstrates most powerful quantum computer.

SOCIETY-WIDE, WE HAVE A SURFEIT OF OVERLY BURDENSOME “CAUTION RULES:” NASCAR’s Caution Rules Do Not Work at Road America.

THEY’RE UP CLOSER TO 70% WHERE I LIVE: Gas Prices Have Increased 40% Under Democrat Joe Biden, Analysts Issue Warning About Future Prices.

A FRIEND ON THE OPPOSITION TO CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN SCHOOLS: “We aren’t trying to prevent schools from teaching about racism. We are trying to prevent schools from engaging in it.”

BELATED HOLIDAY WISHES: Happy Heinlein’s Birthday, everyone!

IRS RELENTS. GRUDGINGLY: BREAKING: IRS Drops Anti-Christian Witch Hunt, for Now….

“Dear Applicant,” the form letter reads. “We’re pleased to tell you we determined you’re exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3).” The IRS sent the letter to the Texas-based group Christians Engaged along with its law firm, First Liberty Institute. First Liberty provided a copy of the letter to PJ Media.

The letter did not mention the previous denial and it did not offer an explanation or an apology.

SHALL NOT NOT BE INFRINGED: Cuomo’s New Anti-Gun-Crime Law Is a Shameless Gun Grab.

AT HELEN’S PAGE: The Clockwork Tree Conspiracy. Free on kindle unlimited.

TONY KATZ: Did Rep. Cori Bush Violate Her Oath of Office? “Considering Speaker Pelosi’s willingness to excuse the anti-Semitism of fellow Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, I can only assume that Bush’s comments will not be given a second thought. But they should be. Americans should note the hate she spews, and the lies she tells.”

GOOD WITH A NICE CHIANTI: Potential of faba beans, rich in protein, has been unlocked.

FORTUNATELY HIS TIME IS ALMOST UP: De Blasio Is Turning New York City Into a Toilet — Literally.

K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: The Big Question: Can U.S. Schools Recover From the Pandemic? I’m not sure that “getting everyone on computers” for their education will help the public schools endure.

And the public schools and teachers’ unions didn’t just reveal themselves as nonessential during the pandemic. They proclaimed themselves nonessential by opposing reopening.

FASTER, PLEASE: Engineered cells successfully treat cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.

THERE REALLY IS NOTHING IT CAN’T DO: Did Caffeine Create The Enlightenment?

OF COURSE, MOST COVID INFECTIONS ARE MILD ANYWAY: COVID-19 infections in vaccinated people are milder, study shows.

VODKAPUNDIT PRESENTS YOUR DAILY INSANITY WRAP: Teaching Hate and Revenge: High School CRT Teacher Reveals the Horrible Truth About CRT.

Plus:

• The tweet collection Twitter doesn’t want you to see
• Justice comes for Brian Stelter’s former BFF
• If a Fauci wears a mask in the forest, does anyone care?

So much more at the link, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.

NOT THE LEGACY HE WANTED BUT THE ONE HE DESERVES: Bill de Blasio Will Be Replaced by a Cop or a Vigilante.

SIDE EFFECTS: Benefits of Pfizer, Moderna vaccines ‘outweigh’ risk of rare heart inflammation.

USEFUL IDIOTS? FELLOW TRAVELERS? ON THE PAYROLL? YOU MAKE THE CALL! Twitter restricts account of expert who mocked China leader.

A New Zealand academic says Twitter temporarily restricted her account after she mocked Chinese President Xi Jinping.

University of Canterbury Professor Anne-Marie Brady is an expert on China’s attempts to exert political influence around the world and has been an outspoken critic of its ruling Communist Party. Last week, she sent tweets poking fun at the party’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

She said two of those tweets were temporarily marked “unavailable” by Twitter and her account was temporarily restricted over the weekend, before it was restored on Monday.

Twitter did not say what prompted its actions.

Edward Lucas, a columnist for The Times newspaper in Britain, wrote that it probably resulted from an online campaign of complaints by Communist Party agents which would have triggered an automatic response from Twitter while it investigated.

“After I had stoked a furor on Twitter and sent umpteen complaints, her account was restored,” Lucas wrote. “Less prominent victims of Chinese censorship would have scantier chances of redress.”

Indeed.

HAITI IS ALWAYS A BASKET CASE, BUT NOW THERE’S NOT EVEN A BASKET: Haiti’s president assassinated. “It is with deep sorrow that the Government of Haiti can confirm that President Moise has been assassinated. The attack occurred at the Presidential Palace at around 1:00am on July 7th. Although details are still emerging, at this time it can be confirmed that this was a highly coordinated attack by a highly trained and heavily armed group.”

Will we see Haitan “boat people” heading to Florida — or nearby areas like Turks & Caicos — again? I don’t think the Dominican Republic will want to take in refugees.

IT IS UNWISE TO ASK DIFFICULT QUESTIONS, COMRADE: If New COVID-19 Variants Need to Be Taken Very Seriously, Why Isn’t Biden Closing the Border?

THE FASCISM ISN’T EVEN CREEPING ANYMORE: Facebook Will Now Ban Criticism of “Concepts, Institutions, Ideas, Practices, or Beliefs” When They Risk “Harm, Intimidation, or Discrimination” Against Religious, National, or Other Groups.

FORMER VIRGINIA GOV. DOUG WILDER COMING IN HOT: Gov. Wilder: Virginia Dems Have Condemned Themselves.

More from Wilder here.

The People Deserve Answers
As I related to WRVA’s Jeff Katz in a recent interview, I have been the beneficiary of much that has been done to eliminate the effects of racism in our state and nation.

Sacrifices beyond compare and description were made by those, mostly unnamed, unknown, regardless of race, to promote equality of opportunity and enhance possibilities.

The statewide election this year in Virginia presents questions which require answers from those seeking to lead.

Two years ago, Terry McAuliffe called for all three persons occupying the offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, and Atty. General to resign.

Governor Northam had been shown pictured in his school’s yearbook in “blackface” and subsequent revelations by A.G. Mark Herring acknowledged appearing in “blackface” in 1985.

The media ran the story of two women accusing Lt. Gov. Fairfax of sexual assault, denied by Fairfax, but former Governor, McAuliffe, within minutes thereafter, proclaimed the accusations to be credible.

Today, McAuliffe is asking people to vote for that A.G. who served as his attorney general, and seeks the continuing support of Northam.

No reasons have been given to the voters as to Terry’s change of mind.

Nor has any reason been made why McAuliffe felt compelled to violate Virginia’s long standing precedent by choosing to run again, against persons who had far more experience than he, as he had never held elected office of any kind when he ran.

All of the candidates he opposed except one, were Black, including two women, whom he felt not qualified to be given the chance that he had been given.

At last report, Northam has withdrawn his apology for “blackface.”

Is what Northam and Herring did…alright by any standard?

Is McAuliffe going to tell the voters of the “credible” evidence that he has relative to Fairfax?

Or does this suggest that if you’re a Black person in Virginia, if you’ve got to think about who you are going to vote for then “you ain’t Black.”

Stay tuned.

Ouch.

UPDATE: First link was bad before. Fixed now. Sorry!

ANNALS OF LEFTIST AUTOPHAGY: Clay Travis: When woke collides with woke, you get the ESPN mess. “I guarantee Jimmy Pitaro is on the phone at ESPN right now. He’s underneath his desk. He’s got his helmet on. There are woke Woj bombs landing everywhere. The whole place is in a uproar. And he’s like, ‘Find me a transgender CEO. I don’t care where they are, I don’t care where they live right now, I need them in charge of ESPN right now. I’m gonna become the CFO.'”

SPACE… WELL, MARTIAN AIRSPACE: Mars Helicopter Sets Records in Most Challenging Flight Yet.