DAVID LAT ON the latest in the Dan Markel murder case.
Archive for 2022
April 24, 2022
ELECTION: All Eyes on France. “All of the pre-election surveys show Macron with a comfortable 10-point lead over Le Pen, but if the election comes out this way it will be a major narrowing from the last election in 2017, which Macron won over Le Pen by a 66 – 33% margin. In other words, while 2017 was a landslide, this election shows the shift in momentum in French opinion. The media and the establishment are very nervous about the election tomorrow, despite Macron’s consistent lead in the polls. The media and the establishment are still suffering PTSD from Brexit and Trump. A Le Pen win can’t be ruled out. The biggest question mark is whether turnout by the young, which skewed sharply to Le Pen in the first round, will be higher than the survey models expect. The establishment is nearly hysterical in warnings about how Le Pen is a Putin puppet, and Macron has even been trying to learn rap music to relate to the youts of Paris.”
According to The Hill, “the U.S. establishment” is all-in for Macron, which is enough to make me think favorably of Le Pen at this juncture.
NOTHING SEEMS TO BE WORKING WELL: Greyhound passengers were stranded at a hotel due to “scheduling” issue.
The bus was scheduled to leave Wednesday night, but Greyhound said there was a mix-up with drivers, and the bus did not leave until Thursday night.
A spokesperson said people were stranded at the Red Roof Inn on Papermill Drive because of a scheduling issue.
“Red Roof Inn couldn’t give them a room because they didn’t have evidence that Greyhound would pay for it, then Greyhound quit answering the texts from the passengers,” said Richardson. . . . Richardson, who lives in Knoxville, volunteered his time to help. He made sure they got hot meals from Waffle House and Buddy’s Bar-b-que.
Good for him, but how pathetic for Greyhound.
ROGER KIMBALL: Who Is Running This Show, Anyway? Things boil down to a question of “Who rules”? Is it the people or a hive of bureaucratic would-be experts? “The Biden Administration is the intermittently smiling, if vacant and dozy, face of this project. The reality of this enterprise is more widely felt than understood.”
OH, IT’S MORE THAN CONCEIVABLE: Then: Florida couple say they recorded Gingrich’s call.
Flashback: Unreal: Chuck Schumer Says Intelligence Community May “Get Back At” Trump For Tweet. “Appearing on ‘The Rachel Maddow Show,’ Schumer said, ‘Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday to get back at you. So, even for a practical, supposedly hard-nosed businessman, he is being really dumb to do this.'”
K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: Orange County school board member harasses parent handing out info in carpool line.
A school board member on the Orange County Board of Education North Carolina was caught on video harassing parents who were handing out information cards about issues in the district to parents in a carpool line.
Board member Hillary Mackenzie was videoed hurling insults at a parent for giving out cards to the website OCS Truth.
* * * * * * * *
Gretchen indicated Mackenzie had been videoing them from the moment she got out of her car. The video posted by the OCS parents only shows what happened after the parents also began taking video and said that Mackenzie “toned down her comments significantly” once she realized they were recording her.
Mackenzie also called out to parents driving by that what was being handed out was “propaganda” and called it “misinformation,” adding that parents should “call the school board if you have questions.”
Mackenzie can be seen videoing the parent with her cell phone as the parent hands out the cards.
While marching down the carpool line, Mackenzie yells out that “disinformation is fascism.”
Throughout the video, Mackenzie insults the parent, calling her a “fascist” and asking why the parent thinks being called that name is “insulting.” Later, the parent asks aloud why doing research for themselves and sharing information is a fascist act. Mackenzie didn’t answer.
At one point, Mackenzie yells out to the parent, “why are you a fascist, Gretchen?” The parent replies, “Why do you like to call names, Hillary? Is that what you teach your children?”
No law enforcement officer had been on-site at the carpool line prior to Mackenzie showing up, and the parents say that Mackenzie was the one who called one in but then “ran off as she saw him from a distance showing up.”
Video at link.
Related: Union Head Randi Weingarten Says Parents Are Stoking the Flames of War.
On a recent podcast, the AFT President suggested the current trend of parental interest and parental rights activism is “propaganda” and intimated that parents fighting for their liberties is akin to stoking warfare.
“This notion – we’ve been very lucky in America, and we in some ways live in a bubble for a long time…this is propaganda. This is misinformation. This is the way in which wars start. This is the way in which hatred starts.”
What will it take for Democrats to learn the lessons of Virginia and Florida? Well, perhaps this: GOP Rep. Carl: ‘On the Verge’ of Giving House Republicans the Largest Majority They’ve Had in 100 Years. “And this is Jerry’s opinion — the moms. This is what turned out in Virginia. That’s the reason we keep pointing at Virginia. This is going to happen again.”
But don’t get cocky. As Glenn has written, “If you want to win, donate and volunteer. Winning takes work, and commenting on Internet blogs, even this one, doesn’t count.”
MADE IN THE USA: New Balance Men’s 990 V5 Sneaker. #Commissionearned
HOW LIKELY IS IT TO HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT? White House Report Card: Is Biden this bad on purpose? “This week’s White House Report Card finds President Joe Biden stumbling through yet another bad week dotted with defeats, sinking polls, confusing announcements, and the continued implosion in the office of his even more unpopular vice president, Kamala Harris. The cherry on top was Friday’s near 1,000-point drop of the Dow Jones and rising mortgage rates to nearly 6%, double where they were at Christmas.”
QUESTION ASKED: What’s With All the Food Processing Plants Blowing Up Lately?
IF YOU ENJOYED JOHN’S GUEST POST ON MY BLOG, REMEMBER HE LIKES EATING AND HAVING A PLACE TO LIVE:
So, these are my favorites of his:
Under a Graveyard Sky (Black Tide Rising Book 1)
#CommissionEarned
And yes, he’s writing more. Don’t poke the writer.
THE ATLANTIC: Jon Stewart’s new show takes the clown nose off, ‘he’s not even trying to be funny.’
There’s long been a criticism of Jon Stewart during his heyday on the Daily Show he would raise serious topics and usually attempt to skewer the right but then if you pointed out he hadn’t treated the issue very fairly he’d retreat into the role of comedian. Hey guys, I’m just doing jokes. This clown nose on, clown nose off act served him well for many years and helped make him a big star.
A few weeks ago I pointed out that Stewart’s new show seemed less humorous and more dishonest than his old one. And it appears I wasn’t the only person who noticed the change because ratings for the show dropped substantially over just a few months. Then yesterday the Atlantic published a piece titled “What Happened to Jon Stewart?” which does actually try to answer the question of why his show isn’t so funny or compelling as it used to be even for fans. And though the author doesn’t use this language, his conclusion is that Stewart has more or less taken his clown nose off and the results are a show that’s not funny or thought provoking.
Of course, there’s another reason why Stewart isn’t very funny these days:
JON GABRIEL: DeSantis Understands the Best Defense Is a Good Offense.
Some Republican thinkers insist that even this isn’t quite the hill to die on, there is no slippery slope, and we need to demonstrate our acceptance and goodwill to progressives. Why aren’t we focusing on economic issues? Besides, doesn’t Jessica look adorable in her sundress? The Florida GOP enacted the bill they wanted, beat Disney, so let’s move on. Punishing them by ending Reedy Creek is just churlish.
If Gov. DeSantis was satisfied with playing defense, this would be correct. Instead, he has chosen offense.
Defeating Woke, Inc., is the goal, not a single win on a small issue. He showed Disney that pro forma DEI press releases have a cost. When you wrongly call the governor, statehouse, and a majority of Florida voters anti-gay and transphobic, there will be a price to pay. When you promise to work to overturn the people’s will and defeat their representatives, pushback will follow. The horrible punishment? Being treated like any other company.
This message wasn’t only delivered to Disney. MLB can pull an all-star game from Georgia; do that south of the border and maybe you don’t get that new ballpark in Miami. Huge multinational corporations can ridicule red-state residents all they want, but they might want to diversify their stock portfolio first. Disney stock has fallen 30 percent in the past six months. The next would-be woke CEO might decide it’s wiser not to spout off*.
Read the whole thing.
* QED: Exxon bans gay pride, BLM flags from flying over corporate headquarters.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: The Best Sandwich Spreads.
WE HAD FREE TICKETS, AND I FOUND IT HILARIOUS: ‘Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ Lets Cage Be the Cage We Love.
SO I STOLE A GUEST POST. KIND OF. WITH PERMISSION: Principles Are A Grand Thing – A Guest Post – by John Ringo.
I TELL YOU THREE TIMES: Three Times Is…
LOOK, NEITHER HE NOR I ARE OPTIMISTS, BUT WE’RE SEEING THE SAME THINGS: Slip-Slidin’ Away: The Progressive Left Now Gets Thrashed on Every Issue, Everywhere . [VIDEO]
NOW IT’S GONE, GONE, GONE: CNN+ Implodes As Everyone Knew It Would.
ABOLISH THE CDC. SALT THE EARTH: Fauci Power Trip: Judges Have No Authority Over CDC.
IF YOU CAN AT ALL, CONSIDER HOMESCHOOLING: AFT Randi Weingarten Calls Parents Warmongers.
If you can AT ALL consider homeschooling. Seriously.
WE WON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN: Philadelphia Ending Indoor Mask Mandate Only Days After Implementation.
MOST DEMOCRATS HAVE THE FUNCTIONAL IQ OF MOLDY CHEESE: Rasmussen Poll: Most Democrats Still Believe Russia Stole 2016 Election From Hillary.
Which explains their politics.
Also, I apologize to moldy cheese.