WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Colo. Dem Moves to Ban ‘Hate Speech’ and ‘Fake News’ on Social Media.
The bill’s sponsor, Kerry Donovan, is running next year against Republican congresswoman (and social media darling) Lauren Boebert, so this looks like a sad attempt to shut her up beforehand.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: Happy Texas Independence Day! Will Woke History Cancel the Alamo? “As we hit the 185th anniversary of Texas Independence and the fall of the Alamo, then the rise of Texas, we have a problem. Some are revising the story to put slavery front and center, when it was not. It was an issue, but not the primary issue. The Texas State Historical Association’s chief historian wants us to forget the Alamo and view its defenders — and their supporters now — as racists. Walter Buenger, PhD and TSHA chief historian, recently slammed the Alamo as an insignificant battle then and a monument to white supremacy now. The facts don’t support that at all. ”
Proud Texan Bryan Preston is filling in today while Kruiser shakes off a birthday hangover.
(Bumped.)
CLEVER: Hackers exploit websites to give them excellent SEO before deploying malware. “Cyberattackers have turned to search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to deploy malware payloads to as many victims as possible.”
PRIVACY: Facebook Is Betting That Users Secretly Like Targeted Advertising.
Facebook recently launched an ad campaign to defend personalized advertising against Apple’s new privacy measures. The campaign, called “Good Ideas Deserve to Be Found,” touts targeted ads as a boon for small businesses. Here’s one of the ads, which I found amusing, if perhaps not exactly in the way that Facebook intended.
The ad push comes ahead of a change in Apple’s policies that could dramatically affect Facebook and other app makers’ ability to track iOS users for advertising purposes. Starting this spring, iPhone users will see a pop-up when they open an app that tracks them, giving them the option to opt out. Previously, that option was buried in settings panels that few users ever open; now, it will be unmissable.
Facebook and the makers of other data-hungry mobile apps are afraid that many people — perhaps even most people — will opt out. Hence the ad campaign, which comes after Facebook has already run full-page newspaper ads decrying the changes and has reportedly been eyeing an antitrust lawsuit.
Facebook’s desperation is understandable: Tracking iPhone users is a huge part of its business.
Well, we’ll see, but opting in is always a bigger chore than being opted out by default.
Besides, Apple’s popup notification might just educate users who are still unaware of shabby and intrusive tracking practices.
EVERYTHING IS RACIST: LA Teachers Union Cries ‘Structural Racism’ Over School Reopening Plan.
IT’S GOOD TO BE THE NOMENKLATURA: Ex-Michigan health director cashed out $155,506 in hush money deal with Whitmer administration.
The separation deal between Michigan Governor Whitmer’s people and health department director Robert Gordon had a two-side confidentiality clause.
Detroit News laid out the backroom negotiations done with taxpayer money. A four-page agreement was signed on February 22nd: Robert Gordon gets nine months salary and healthcare benefits, and in return Gordon promised not to pursue any legal claims against the state.
The decision by both parties not to talk about details had a stated reasoning to it: “In response to any inquiries from prospective employers, employer will state that employee voluntarily resigned,” according to the agreement.
The parties involved assert such secret dealings are standard legal practice. But not everyone in the state’s political sphere is satisfied with this explanation. One such person is state representative Matt Hall. He’s questioning as to why taxpayers are secluded from knowing what’s going on, even though it’s their money on the line in this situation. “The people of Michigan deserve to know what was going on here.”
You’ll get nothing and like it.
TYLER O’NEIL: The SPLC’s Horrifying Plan for Your Children’s Schools.
NOT THE BEE. SERIOUSLY, NOT THE BEE: Covid is being blamed for an increase in avalanche deaths.
I DO NOT LIKE IT, SAM-I-AM: Digital Book Burning Comes for Dr. Seuss — on His Birthday.
Related: Joe Biden Cancels Dr. Seuss.
Of course, PJ Media/Townhall VIP supporters got the heads-up last week.
I HAD BEEN ASSURED THAT VOTER FRAUD WAS A MYTH: Texas judge and three others arrested on 150 counts of voter fraud.
VODKAPUNDIT PRESENTS YOUR DAILY INSANITY WRAP: Hillary Finally Finds a Victim of Sexual Harassment Who Deserves Answers.
Insanity Wrap needs to know: Remember all those victims of Bill Clinton’s sexual predations?
Answer: Neither does Hillary, but that won’t stop her from trying to take the moral high ground once the wine kicks in.
Before we get to the sordid details, a quick preview of today’s Wrap.
- Public health officials concerned because we’re getting better
- John Brennan ought to be embarrassed for being a commie
- Is “Cuomosexual” still a thing, and why was it ever a thing?
Bonus Sanity: Star Parker says what needs saying on reparations.
And so much more at the link, you’d have to be crazy to miss it.
THE NEW ANTI-RACISM LOOKS AN AWFUL LOT LIKE THE OLD RACISM: Cartoon Network’s ‘Anti-Racist’ PSA Tells Americans to ‘See Color.’
VICTORIA TAFT: Newsom ‘Plan’ to Re-Open California Schools Involves Billions in Bribes. “In a news conference on Monday, Newsom pointed to billions of dollars coming to the state from the CARES Act passed by Congress. Newsom also expressed hope that California would get a chunk of the $1.9 trillion that includes special ‘blue state bailouts’ to reward states responsible for the most onerous shutdowns and draconian regulations in response to COVID.”
CONSERVING CONSERVATISM OR WHATEVER: Leaked Twitter Messages Reveal Lincoln Project Paid $1.5M to Firm Linked to ex-Obama Staffer Bill Burton.
SPOILER: BIDEN WON’T CHANGE PLANS. Democrats Sound Alarm On Biden Immigration Plan: ‘Will Be Catastrophic For Our Party, For Our Country.’
SPACE: Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket is delayed for years. What went wrong?
During a meeting in December 2011 with then-NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver, Bezos discussed an orbital rocket capable of challenging SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster. As Christian Davenport recounts in his book The Space Barons, Bezos told Garver at the time, “I want to tell you about my big rocket.”
The “big rocket” at the time—which would become known publicly as New Glenn more than half a decade later—was not quite so big as New Glenn is envisioned today. Rather than being powered by seven BE-4 engines and towering nearly as tall as NASA’s famed Saturn V rocket, Bezos originally envisioned a more modest-sized rocket comparable to the Falcon 9 or United Launch Alliance’s single-stick Delta IV. In some iterations, New Glenn had just three main engines.
This would have represented a more incremental step for a launch company that has yet to put a gram of material into orbit. But instead of offering a waypoint between New Shepard and a massive orbital rocket, Bezos ultimately opted to jump right to the massive, 313-foot-tall version. “It’s like if NASA had gone straight from Alan Shepard to the Saturn V rocket, but then also had to make the Saturn V reusable,” one former Blue Origin employee said.
Instead of crawl-walk-run, Bezos asked his engineering team to begin sprinting toward the launch pad.
The SpaceX formula of taking smaller steps but iterating rapidly is paying off much better than Blue Origin’s attempt to take shortcuts.
IT’S PAST TIME TO THROW THIS PARTICULAR BASTARD OUT: Gavin Newsom Ignores His Own COVID Shutdown Rules AGAIN at California Restaurant.
MY LATEST FOR PJ MEDIA/TOWNHALL VIP SUPPORTERS: You Didn’t Think Google’s ‘Incognito’ Mode Really Protected Your Privacy, Did You? “Google’s Chrome might not remember your activity locally, on your computer or on your smartphone, but it seems that Google’s servers remember everything.”
Don’t forget that VODKAPUNDIT discount code if you’ve been thinking of joining.
SPOILER ALERT: YOU’RE PROBABLY A HATE GROUP. SPLC Urges Biden, Big Tech to Block ‘Online Funding’ for ‘Hate Groups’ to Fight Domestic Terrorism.
JOANNE JACOBS: Teacher slams ‘rich, white parents.’ “All the rich white parents suddenly concerned about mental health can take a seat.”
“Suddenly” after kids spent a year locked down at home while even teachers with vaccinations refuse to go back to school.
REFILL THE SWAMP: Top Biden aides cashed in advising major corporations.
Biden has leaned on veterans of the Obama and Clinton administrations to staff his White House. Many of these longtime Democratic policy operatives have passed through Washington’s so-called “revolving door,” cashing in via work with private-sector companies before returning to control the highest levers of government.
And despite interludes consulting for major defense industry, Silicon Valley, or federal contracting companies, these so-called “reverse revolvers” don’t ever appear on official lobbying registries. Such firms now have old friends in high places.
“Large corporations like to have real interpersonal ties to people within the government whom they call and chat with on a basis of a real personal relationship and past collaboration,” said the Revolving Door Project’s Jeff Hauser.
I’m sure they do.
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