TO BE FAIR, OUR GOVERNMENT IS A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY: Chinese spies hacked the Commerce Secretary’s email.
Archive for 2023
July 12, 2023
OPEN THREAD: Thank God it’s Hump Day, only 5 more working days until Monday.
SPEED LIMITS ARE WHITE SUPREMACY:
City Councilor Kendra Lara was driving double the speed limit before crashing into a Jamaica Plain house, according to police documents. https://t.co/A00CaRJ4A8
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) July 13, 2023
ROGER KIMBALL: Milan Kundera’s ‘transcendental buffoonery.’
I was just leaving France when I got the news that that the Czech novelist Milan Kundera had died, aged ninety-four. He had emigrated to Paris in 1975, when he was forty-six, a refugee from the crackdown in Prague following the Russian obliteration of the Prague Spring in 1968. He died in his adopted city on July 11, full of honors but also, or so it seems to me, largely forgotten.
I had not been following Kundera’s work for many years. But there was a moment, in the 1980s, when he was the talk of the posh, intellectual literary town. I wrote a longish essay about him for the New Criterion in 1986. I draw on that work here.
Kundera was in his late thirties when he published his first novel, The Joke, in Prague in 1967. The book traces the fortunes and amours of a young student, Ludvik, after his exasperatingly patriotic girlfriend decides to show the authorities a postcard he had written her as a joke: “Optimism is the opium of the people! A healthy atmosphere stinks of stupidity! Long live Trotsky! Ludvik.” As a result of this whimsy, Ludvik finds himself expelled from the Communist Party and the university, and is eventually conscripted to work in the mines for several years.
The Soviets and their satellite states really perfected cancel culture:
SLOW BOAT TO AFRICA: Why you might not get your stolen car back in New Jersey.
Well, it turns out this is going to be a much more interesting investigation that your average shipboard incident. Unbeknownst to me, it seems New Jersey law enforcement authorities can’t wait to crawl through the rubble thanks to activity that’s been heating up in the state over the course of the past year.
Stolen vehicles – no bigs, happens everywhere lately, right?
Yeah, but for some reason, NJ stolen cars wind up in West Africa.
Maybe take an Uber out to dinner if you live in NJ? Restaurant valet services seem to be a favorite target in some areas. Toss the kiddo the keys, and an hour later, woosh. “95 percent of those cars were destined to West Africa,” said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Steve Sapp.
Not Albania?
ROD LOOKS AMAZING FOR 78, AND HIS SISTER LOOKS PRETTY GOOD FOR 94: Sir Rod Stewart, 78, surprises fans by bringing his sister Mary, 94, on stage as he closes his UK tour in Edinburgh. It’s a long-lived family: “His older brothers Don and Bob died last year at the ages of 94 and 88 respectively.”
JAMES LILEKS: “This was an occasion for the two-minute hate session on Twitter the other day:”
Why? Because it is important to trash the happy things — at least the happy things regarded as such by people who are irritatingly ordinary. The people who would not, for example, bed-rot. The people who, ugh, do things. Now, I don’t think that all of the people who are attracted to this ship are industrious go-getters who want five days of high-octane activities; maybe some are. Bring the kids. They’ll be amazed. Time of their life, even if they barely remember it. Others just want a spot on the deck, lots of food, a nice view, and some fun. A party atmosphere enlivens the vacation.
Thirty bars! Well that says it all! Yes, it does; that’s how the cruise line pays for this. But I’m sure it has a huge movie theater, evening shows, comedy clubs, a blues club, a nice little piano bar tucked away somewhere that’s sedate and civilized.
I’ve been on a similar-sized ship in this class. Behold the press and crush of humanity:
Read the whole thing.
WRAY CLAIMS NO FBI CENSORSHIP AS GOPERS PRODUCE SUPPRESSED POSTS: FBI Director Christopher Wray tangled with a bunch of Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee today.
FBI assaults on the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans was just one of a bunch of issues on which Wray repeatedly hid behind the “ongoing investigation” and “continuing litigation” evasions.
I sat through it all so you didn’t have to.
AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD: California Closes Gyms For Two Weeks To Slow The Spread Of Fascism.
GREAT MOMENTS IN OBFUSCATION: Christopher Wray ‘Not Sure’ There Were FBI Assets at Capitol on Jan. 6.
Biggs called him out for obfuscating: “You and I both know that we’re talking different things here, and please don’t distract here because we’re focusing on those who were there in an undercover capacity on January 6. How many were there?”
Wray played dumb: “Again, I’m not sure that I can give you the number as I sit here. I’m not sure there were undercover agents on the scene.”
“I find that kind of a remarkable statement, Director,” Biggs claimed. “At this point, you don’t know whether there were undercover federal agents, FBI agents, in the crowd or in the Capitol on January 6?”
Wray then changed his tune and claimed he couldn’t say how many there were because of ongoing legal cases.
“I say that because I want to be very careful. There have been a number of court filings related to some of these topics, and I want to make sure that I stick with what’s in them,” he claimed.
“I understand that, but I thought I heard you say you didn’t know whether there were FBI agents or informants or human sources in the Capitol or in the vicinity on January 6. Did I misunderstand you?”
“I referred very specifically to FBI agents,” said Wray.
“And so are you acknowledging then there were undercover agents?” Biggs demanded.
“As I sit here right now, I do not believe there were undercover agents on the scene,” said Wray.
“Did you have any assets present that day?” Biggs shot back.
“In the crowd, when it comes to what you’re calling assets or what we would call confidential human sources, that’s a place where, again, I want to be careful, as I said in response to an earlier question. There are court filings that I think speak to this that I’m happy to make sure we get to you, assuming they’re not under seal, and that can better answer the question,” said Wray.
Wray is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He claims at once that he doesn’t know the number of agents involved in the Jan. 6 protest, doesn’t believe there were any agents, and that he can’t talk about how many agents were there because of ongoing court cases. Which is it?
But this is all just failure theater by the GOP House. Wray knows nothing will happen to him.
UPDATE (FROM GLENN): “Smells like a coverup.” Ya think?
VITAMIN D UPDATE: Daily Vitamin D Consumption May Reduce Cancer Mortality.
EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY, MACRON EDITION: Riot Fears Cast A Shadow Over France’s Bastille Day Celebrations.
WITH REASON, IT’S A CLOWN SHOW: Gallup: Americans’ Confidence In Higher Education Hits All-Time Low.
Let’s not go there. It is a silly place.
THE DOG WON’T EAT THE DOG FOOD: If you are selling electric vehicles and your name isn’t Tesla, good luck getting your car off the lot.
THIS SHOULD BE FUN: GOP Field Braces for Tucker Carlson Iowa Inquisition.
Carlson is out at Fox News, half a dozen candidates have entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination since his exit, and whether they like it or not, six White House hopefuls will sit down Friday with the opinionated commentator described by one GOP campaign official as a “fast-talking, new age populist.”
Granted anonymity to speak freely, the aide wasn’t offering an endearing assessment. RealClearPolitics spoke to multiple campaigns scheduled to attend the Des Moines forum. Some love Carlson and see the sit-down as a friendly media opportunity. Others loathe him and still remember how he laid waste to numerous pols on his primetime show.
One by one, Carlson will grill Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Regardless of any private hesitation they may harbor, each of the campaigns who spoke with RCP ahead of the event say they take Carlson seriously. Most have spent considerable time preparing. And for good reason.
In Carlson, the candidates will confront a firebrand with a loyal audience but without sympathy for old-guard GOP orthodoxies. Campaigns have scoured his old Fox News monologues, read his private text messages made public because of litigation, and reviewed clips from his new Twitter show. “Am I preparing for this differently than I would for other interviews?” asked a senior operative, scouring the material. “Yeah, of course. I’d be f______ stupid not to. I’d get fired if I didn’t.”
To paraphrase the late Roger Ailes regarding Democrats and Fox News, if GOP candidates can’t handle Tucker, how can they handle the Taliban and the CCP? (Not to mention the DC swamp.)
DEMOCRACY DIES IN TONE POLICING JOURNALISTS: White House warns reporter Simon Ateba about his press-room outbursts.
Escalating its feud with an assertive reporter, the White House on Tuesday issued a formal warning to Simon Ateba that he is at risk of losing his entry pass if he continues to disrupt daily press briefings.
The warning — a first for President Biden’s press office — followed run-ins between press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the journalist from Cameroon who has interrupted her briefings to demand that he be recognized to ask a question.
Jean-Pierre has declined to call on Ateba for months and has repeatedly admonished him for speaking out of turn. Ateba, the owner and White House correspondent of a news site called Today News Africa, has portrayed himself as a victim of “racism and discrimination” by the administration.
In an unsigned letter, the White House press office told Ateba that he was at risk of losing his “hard” pass — the credential that enables reporters to enter the White House grounds at will — if he continues to disrupt briefings.
No word yet if Ateba will be yet another journalist that Biden locks in a closet:
● Joe Biden Snaps at Another Female Reporter.
● Biden Snaps At Reporter For Asking About Bombshell New York Post Reports, Does Not Deny.
● President Wise Guy: “Joe Biden is playing hard to get. He’s involved in an unrequited love affair: The media adore him, but he hates them.”
● ‘Classy:’ Joe Biden Snaps At Reporter After Being Asked About Hunter’s Paternity Test.
● Bullying Biden Yells at Fox’s Doocy: ‘Ask the Right Questions!’
● Biden Accused of Sexism After Remarks to Female Moderator.
● Biden Explodes When Confronted On Lying About Charlottesville. Video Proves Biden Wrong.
And these classics from the Obama era:
● VP Biden’s Office Apologizes For Locking Reporter In Storage Closet During Fundraiser.
● Vengeance: Biden’s Office Seeks Investigation Into Unfriendly Journalist.
And of course, ground zero, from 1988: Why Joe Biden’s First Campaign for President Collapsed After Just 3 Months.
And regarding the other big film opening on the 21st: Woke ‘Barbie’ Bait and Switch in the Works?
CDR SALAMANDER: NATO, Ukraine & Lifeboat Ethics. “You don’t need to be an international lawyer to understand that if Ukraine were to join NATO in the middle of a war, then congrats – most of Europe and North America are at war. As history tells us, when Europe and North America goes to war, eventually the world joins in.”
GUITARS ACROSS THE WATER: Rick Beato interviews Dan and Mick from That Pedal Show (Video):
I AM BECOME DEATH, THE DESTROYER OF BRANDS: Dylan Mulvaney takes trip to Peru to ‘feel safe’ after Bud Light disaster: ‘I feel very safe’ outside of USA. In the TikTok video, Mulvaney also claimed to have done ‘shaman ceremonies.’
The latter isn’t all that surprising, to be honest: The Return of Paganism.
Related: Former Anheuser-Busch executive ‘shocked’ by company’s losses: Mulvaney partnership ‘was a mistake.’
Axios reported Modelo Especial overtook Bud Light as the top beer seller in the United States in May.
[Anson Frericks, the former president of operations] said Anheuser-Bush needs a CEO that can come up with a clear vision for the company and the brand.
“[Bud Light] was the largest brand in the U.S. because it was remarkably apolitical. It was always about sports, it was always about music, it was about bringing people together. That’s why it was a mistake that they did this campaign in the first place because they were unable to come out,” he said.
No, they certainly came out (including serving as a sponsor of Toronto’s Pride Parade last month), but this was compounded by former exec Alissa Heinerscheid insulting Bud Light’s customer base. As Ed Morrissey wrote in May:
[T]he problem here isn’t so much Mulvaney as it is Alissa Heinerscheid and the execs at Bud and A-B. If not for her derogatory comments about Bud Light’s consumer base, the one-off can for Mulvaney may have passed with only a mild and short-lived impact. Other brands have gone farther in choosing trans endorsers; David wrote yesterday about Smirnoff and its massive parent Diageo, for instance, and Nike actually paid Mulvaney to endorse its line of sports bras with a ridiculous video that all but mocked the athleticism and skills of legitimate female athletes. Why didn’t those brands take the same kind of damage, at least thus far?
Because their execs didn’t go out of their way to insult the people who buy their product. This one-minute clip will likely get at least five lectures in the Death of Bud Light Harvard Business case study.
Exit quote: “In sixty-four seconds, Heinerscheid demolishes her career at A-B as well as any impression that the beermaker knows or cares anything about the people who buy its industrial-level lagers:”
SKYNET . . . DOESN’T REACT AS YOU’D EXPECT: One thing humanoid robots don’t have yet include[s] a conscience, and the emotions that shape humanity: relief, forgiveness, guilt, grief, pleasure, disappointment, and hurt.
PROFESSOR CARRINGTON, CALL YOUR OFFICE:
EARTH-DIRECTED CME (UPDATED): A magnetic filament in the sun’s southern hemisphere erupted on July 11th (movie #1) and hurled a CME toward Earth (movie #2). According to a NASA model, most of the CME will sail south of our planet, but not all. The northern flank will likely strike our planet’s magnetic field during the late hours of July 14th possibly causing a G1-class geomagnetic storm. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
A HYPERACTIVE SUNSPOT: New sunspot AR3372 is seething with activity. In the last 24 hours alone it has produced eight M-class solar flares (graph) To the extreme ultraviolet telescopes onboard NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, it looks like the northeastern limb of the sun is on fire.
The rat-a-tat-tat of solar flares from AR3372 is causing a rolling series of shortwave radio blackouts around all longitudes of our planet. Ham radio operators, mariners and aviators may have noticed loss of signal below 30 MHz on multiple occasions since July 11th. In addition, episodes of sudden ionization in the atmosphere are doppler-shifting the frequency of time-standard radio stations such as Canada’s CHU and America’s WWV (data).
If current trends continue, we should expect more strong M-class flares during the next 24 hours with a chance of X-flares as well. This sunspot will become even more geoeffective in the days ahead as it continues to turn toward Earth.
Stay tuned.