Archive for 2021
November 25, 2021
IF YOU HAVE TO ASK, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER:
JONATHAN TURLEY: What Elephant? The Media Again Buries A Hunter Biden Scandal on Foreign Deals During the Biden Vice Presidency.
They knew that Biden was corrupt and incompetent and on the Chinese payroll when they installed him as president. But the ‘cabal’ only cared about replacing Trump. What were they doing that made Trump such a desperate threat?
CAN LIBERALS SURVIVE PROGRESSIVISM?
In Waukesha, Wis., six people were killed and at least 60 injured when Darrell Brooks drove his Ford Escape through a Christmas parade, according to the police. Brooks already had a lengthy rap sheet and had reportedly run over a woman with the same S.U.V. early this month. But, as The Times reported, he had been “quickly freed from jail on bond after prosecutors requested what they now say was an inappropriately low bail.”
What happened in Waukesha on Sunday is among the consequences of easy bail. And bail reform — that is, reducing or eliminating cash bail for a variety of offenses — has been a cause of the left for years. . . .
This is not social science. It’s common sense. It’s the basis on which the United States was able to make its streets far safer from around 1995 to 2015, when crime rates kept going down — above all to the benefit of the very minority communities that progressives claim to champion.
The Democratic Party has since thrown that legacy away. Joe Biden disavowed his 1994 crime bill. Last year’s protests often devolved into naked criminality, to which many progressives, including those in the news media, closed their eyes, notoriously including those “fiery but mostly peaceful protests” in Kenosha, Wis. Opportunities for thoughtful police and justice-system reform were squandered in the rush to defame, defund, diminish or abolish.
Yep. Right after George Floyd’s death, we looked like we had a national consensus on the need for criminal justice reform. The left immediately proceeded to do things that — predictably — made sure that wouldn’t happen. If you assume that people usually intend the natural and predictable consequences of their actions, what does that tell us about the left’s commitment to criminal justice reform?
Flashback: House Dems Unanimously Block Resolution Condemning Violence and Rioting. “House Democrats unanimously blocked a resolution condemning acts of violence and rioting—including the ‘deliberate targeting of law enforcement officers’—in the wake of George Floyd’s death.”
WHICH IS WEIRD BECAUSE THERE WAS ALMOST NO FLU LAST YEAR: CDC warns of rising flu infection rates among young people.
Better lock everyhing down, just to be safe.
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: All-new Fire HD 10 tablet, 10.1″, 1080p Full HD, 32 GB, latest model (2021 release), Black. #CommissionEarned
GET WOKE, GO BROKE: Salvation Army’s Donors Withdraw Support in Response to Racial ‘Wokeness’ Initiative.
FOR THE LAST DECADE, ARTIST AND COLLECTOR THOMAS SAUVIN RECOVERED DISCARDED NEGATIVES FROM A RECYCLING PLANT OUTSIDE BEIJING: “His Beijing Silvermine archive, one of the largest archival projects in China, now encompasses over 850000 anonymous photographs spanning the period from 1985 to 2005, thus allowing the reconstruction of a large part of the history of popular analogue photography in the country. This unceasingly evolving archive provides a visual platform for cross-cultural interactions, while impacting on our collective memory of the recent past.”
ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Did the British Kill Glenn Miller? (Video.)
DOUBTFUL. THE GOVERNMENT SETS HIGH STANDARDS FOR US, BUT MUCH LOWER ONES FOR ITSELF. Can Waukesha victims sue for Darrell Brooks being out on the streets? Experts weigh in. His release was undoubtedly grossly negligent, but the government gets a lot of leeway in doing a crappy job. If it didn’t, it might go broke.
And prosecutors and judges get absolute immunity because don’t ask stupid questions prole.
LEFTIST HISTORY MYTHS DEBUNKED AGAIN: Down the 1619 Project’s Memory Hole.
The history of the American Revolution isn’t the only thing the New York Times is revising through its 1619 Project. The “paper of record” has also taken to quietly altering the published text of the project itself after one of its claims came under intense criticism. . . . Whatever the exact occasion for the changes, the Times did not disclose its edits or how they obscured one of the most controversial claims in the entire 1619 Project. They simply made the problematic passages disappear, hoping that nobody would notice.
Airbrushing is an established leftist technique.
IT’S SCROLLED DOWN, so don’t miss the special Thanksgiving open thread. There’ll also be the usual one tonight.
KEVIN DOWNEY JR: Happy Thanksgiving! 14 Things Conservatives Can Be Grateful For.
BLESSINGS TO ALL ON THANKSGIVING: Thanksgiving is uniquely America’s holiday because, contrary to the 1619 Project ideologues, the Pilgrims came to the New World for religious freedom and the opportunities inherent in a wholly new start. This little band of adventurers displayed incredible courage when they set out on their Atlantic crossing.
Many Instapundit readers are already familiar with the description of their departure from those they left behind in the Netherlands. Even if you have previously read it, however, I believe this heartfelt account is worth re-reading every year on this day, so here it is. Then check out Glenn’s post below on the myths surrounding the Native Americans and the land.
And allow me to add: One of the things I am especially thankful for today is the opportunity to hear from so many Instapundeers on a regular basis. Regardless of whether we agree on any particular issue, this blog has the best readership, by far.
TOP SELLER: The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America’s Soul. #CommissionEarned
THE POWER LINE MID-WEEK IN PICTURES: Special Thanksgiving Holiday Edition.
Related: James Lileks flashes back to Coca-Cola’s mid-century Thanksgiving-themed ads and provides several scanned examples: “It’s not that Coke necessarily believed in any of this, although I’m sure the bottlers did. Coke was thankful for the things you liked, and if you have a different set of preferences, or the culture insists that you should have a different set, or the zeitgeist of the ad industry wants to elevate another set, then Coke will be thankful for those things, too. Any commercial historian who wants to chart these things will probably see that Coke pulled back on the Churchy Stuff before the culture did, in the same way advertisers in 1940 and 1941 went all in on defense-and-preparedness ads before the culture mobilized post-Pearl But back then I think they were good at sniffing the wind. Now I think they believe it’s their job to set up the fans.”
DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE: Old Dominion University professor stepping down after controversial comments on pedophilia.
No rush, though:
An Old Dominion University (ODU) professor is stepping down at the end of their contract in May 2022, following their controversial comments on pedophilia.
The controversy stems from an interview where Dr. Allyn Walker, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, argued for the use of the term “minor-attracted people” — or MAPs — to describe people attracted to children.
After the controversy erupted, earlier in November, the university announced Walker had been placed on administrative leave.
Earlier: Transgender Professor At Old Dominion University Rebrands Pedophiles As ‘Minor-Attracted Persons.’
BLACK FRIDAY DEAL: Greenworks G-MAX 40V Cordless String Trimmer and Leaf Blower Combo Pack, 2.0Ah Battery and Charger Included STBA40B210, Green/Black. #CommissionEarned