Author Archive: Glenn Reynolds
December 5, 2024
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD ON IMMIGRATION: “That a majority of Americans now favor mass deportation of illegal immigrants is the natural and inevitable result of one of the most sustained acts of political incompetence and humanitarian malpractice in the history of the American presidency.”
Plus: “The openness of the American political system to populist revolt is a feature, not a bug. The country badly needed a reset.”
THE RISE OF The “Bluegoisie.” “They haven’t learned anything because they can’t learn anything. Learning would threaten their careers, reputations and relationships. Learning would require them to abandon the hubris that defines them. They’ll never do that.”
ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE’S AWFUL: Black male students more likely to say no to female president: poll.
THE WICKED FLEE WHEN NO MAN PURSUETH:
So, they're all guilty. Got it. https://t.co/zSJQ2ZjIz9
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) December 4, 2024
HMM: Police appear to be closing in on name of gunman who shot CEO. “Bullet casings found at the scene had the words ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on them, police sources said.”
I asked GrokAI if those words had significance, and it reported:
The phrase “deny, defend, depose” refers to a political or legal strategy sometimes observed in response to allegations or scandals, particularly against public officials or prominent figures. Here’s what each component typically means:
Deny – Initially, the accused or their representatives outright deny any wrongdoing or involvement in the alleged activities. This step is often about damage control, where the denial aims to cast doubt on the accusations themselves.
Defend – After the initial denial, if evidence starts to mount or public pressure increases, the strategy shifts to defending the actions. This might involve explaining away the behavior, claiming it was within the law or ethical bounds, or arguing that there was a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the facts.
Depose – If the situation escalates to the point where the accusations can no longer be effectively denied or defended, this could lead to the person being deposed from their position. This might happen through resignation, impeachment, or being voted out. “Depose” here implies a removal from office or position of power.
This sequence outlines a common progression in how entities or individuals might respond to scandals or allegations:
First, they deny the accusations to maintain innocence and control narrative damage.
Then, they might transition into defending their actions if denial becomes untenable, trying to justify or minimize the impact.
Finally, if the situation worsens, the individual might be forced out or choose to step down to prevent further damage to themselves or their associated organizations.
This pattern isn’t universal and doesn’t apply to all cases, but it has been observed enough times in political, corporate, and other high-profile scenarios to give it a sort of colloquial recognition in discussing crisis management or political maneuvering.
Claude responded something similar, except that it said “Depose: This refers to the process of taking sworn testimony from a witness or party to a lawsuit before the actual trial. During a deposition, the person being deposed (the deponent) answers questions under oath, and their testimony can be used later in court proceedings. This phrase is commonly used in legal contexts to describe the typical response of a defendant when facing a lawsuit or legal challenge. It outlines the standard progression of how a defendant might respond to legal accusations: first denying the claims, then mounting a legal defense, and potentially providing sworn testimony during the legal process.”
Obviously the shooter meant for the bullets to be found. Sounds like he might be a disappointed litigant.
When I gave Grok more context, including a link to the story above, I got this answer:
Yes, in the context where “deny, defend, depose” are found written on unfired bullets at the scene of Brian Thompson’s shooting, the meaning could shift to take on a more symbolic or message-driven interpretation:
Deny: Here, “deny” might reflect a critique or accusation of denial of insurance claims or services, which is a common grievance against insurance companies. It could be suggesting that the CEO or the company he led was involved in denying rightful claims to individuals.
Defend: This could imply the defense of the company’s practices or policies, possibly seen as aggressive or unethical by critics. It might be a commentary on how insurance companies defend their decisions against claimants or in legal battles.
Depose: In this context, “depose” might not just refer to removal from office but could also symbolize being brought down or metaphorically assassinated for one’s actions or policies. It might imply that the act of killing was a form of ultimate retribution or judgment against the CEO for the broader implications of his role or the decisions made by his company.
The presence of these words on bullets at the scene of a targeted assassination could be interpreted as a deliberate message from the shooter, suggesting a motive linked to dissatisfaction or grievances against the insurance industry or specifically against UnitedHealthcare’s practices. This act could be seen as an extreme form of protest or revenge, where the shooter is symbolically or literally ‘deposing’ the CEO through murder, with the words serving as a chilling manifesto or commentary on corporate malfeasance.
The choice of unfired bullets might also add another layer of symbolism, perhaps indicating that the message itself was the intent, rather than the bullets being used in the act, or it could be seen as bullets left for others to ‘pick up’ the fight against the perceived injustices.
Nothing here that many of us couldn’t have come up with on our own, but interesting.
IT’S A SCAM.
There is no genuine credential called "disinformation expert" — as if someone is a floating arbiter of truth and falsity. It was invented in 2017 to disguise the new industry of online political censorship as apolitical science.
Anyone calling themselves this is a fraud: https://t.co/hYDCUsNamM
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 4, 2024
ABOLISHING IT WOULD BE A CHANGE. University Of Michigan Weighs Changes To Its Diversity Program.
I’M BEGINNING TO LOSE CONFIDENCE IN THE “PUBLIC HEALTH” COMMUNITY:
I believe I can successfully translate this garbled message from Hotez:
"You may have won the presidency, and Biden has to go and you get to move in…
…just remember who controls all those "biological threat reduction facilities" around the world, Trump!
Like that one in…
— Brian Cates – Political Columnist & Pundit (@drawandstrike) December 4, 2024
VERY SUSPICIOUS, TO SAY THE LEAST.
If you took 28 days to count 210K votes — YOU CHEATED. https://t.co/u1YkkUeawm
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) December 4, 2024
FEMA BEING FEMA. HAS ANYBODY HEARD ANYTHING FROM NC GOV. ROY COOPER?
We've finally gotten an answer from FEMA as to why only 37 RVs have been delivered so far.
It's because "there are a lot of mountains" according to this #FEMA rep 🤡🌎#WNC #helene #recovery #ClownWorld #rural #appalachia pic.twitter.com/1fyH4iVQvy
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) December 4, 2024
GEORGE KORDA: National news media won’t get out of steamroller’s way.
National news media outlets today are like the security guard in the movie “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,” who stands, screaming, as toward him creeps an Austin-driven steamroller. Eventually, the guard is squished. The scene parodies every movie or TV show in which a person in danger, wide-eyed and shrieking, is still as danger approaches, leaving the audience thinking, “Why not get out of the way?”
In this scenario, Americans are the steamroller, the hapless security guard is the national news media, now at historically low levels of public confidence, according to Gallup: “Americans continue to register record-low trust in the mass media, with 31% expressing a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of confidence in the media to report the news ‘fully, accurately and fairly,’ similar to last year’s 32%.” In the mid-1970s, confidence was at 70%.
Media organizations have become less trusted as they have become more politically and ideologically partisan. No sentient being can spend time watching or reading MSNBC, FOX News, CNN, The New York Times, the three major networks, the Washington Post, and other major outlets, and not see that they’re becoming more like social media rather than news reporting organizations, with attendant biases.
However, when I said to someone in the news business, “News coverage without objectivity is propaganda,” the response was, “You need to explain that more fully.” He suggested that was too undefined a standard.
Is it, now?
Related:
This is it now pic.twitter.com/CRfOSkLbYO
— Andy Kaczynski (@KFILE) December 4, 2024
December 4, 2024
OPEN THREAD: Please don’t stop the music.
ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.
Super weird how our enemies keep trying to take out the people who are also hated by our intelligence community https://t.co/9Sm5iZOSFa
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) December 4, 2024
YES.
Daniel Penny not only deserves to walk free but should be praised by NYC leaders.
You want to encourage bravery like that.
Instead, they punish him and send a clear message to others not to step in when a maniac threatens to k*ll innocent people.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 4, 2024
NO SECRETS ANYMORE:
X user @rtwlz explains how he found where the ass*ssin who m*rdered the United Healthcare CEO likely fled using Citi Bike data.
"I've been scraping Citi Bike data for the past few weeks… only 1 of [the rides] was headed northbound through Central Park"pic.twitter.com/JDkzjGGJkw
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 5, 2024
TRUMP SELECTS NEW NASA ADMINISTRATOR. “President-elect Donald Trump has selected Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who has commanded two SpaceX commercial spaceflights, as his choice to be the next administrator of NASA.”
A friend comments: “I heard him speak at the ISDC last year. Right attitudes, and has had experience with the DoD procurement system. But he will need a strong Deputy Administrator who knows the internal politics of NASA very well and knows where the bodies are buried.” I have a few potential names in mind, but we’ll see.
HMM: Security Camera Captures Targeted Murder of United Healthcare CEO On a New York Sidewalk. “What’s also unusual — and a fact most corporate media accounts have missed — is the fact that the shooter used a suppressed pistol in the shooting. Watch the video in the tweet embedded above. The shooter racks the slide of the handgun after each round is fired. At one point the killer has to knock the slide back into battery with the heel of his support hand. That seems to be the result of the use of either a home-made (3D printed?) silencer or something like a ‘solvent trap’ like the kind sold through sketchy outlets like wish.com. The shooter also didn’t seem to know that most semi-automatic handguns require the use of a booster or Nielson device in order to cycle correctly. The killer was clearly aware of the issue as he cycled the gun without hesitation.”
PHARMACIES ARE CLOSING EVERYWHERE, BUT NEW BANK BRANCHES ARE CONSTANTLY BEING BUILT: Millions Left Without Pharmacies As Closures Surge. I’d like that to be because people are getting richer and healthier, but I’m skeptical that that’s it.
WELL.
Pete Hegseth’s mother: “He’s got a big heart, he’s very smart. He’s the most faithful patriot of this country… he has fought and almost died for his country. He's a good dad, he's an amazing son and father- that's the Pete I want people to know." pic.twitter.com/hCq3JOvzv1
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 4, 2024
Related:
This is very true. You cannot manufacture that kind of deep loyalty: Pete has clearly earned it https://t.co/tb0gCmxaSv
— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) December 4, 2024