Education For Citizenship

For John, BLUF:  The autahor, a University President, has written off K-12 Public Educztion as a place where future voters learn about democracy.  That is sad.  There was a day when most people didn't go to college and public schools had the responsibility of Civics education, and stepped up.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Universities Are Shunning Their Responsibility to Democracy

Here is the sub-headline:

Institutions of higher education have remained, at best, bit players in the project of educating the citizenry.

From The Atlantic, by Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels, 3 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

was born in canada, and my sense of national identity, like that of many Canadians, was formed in direct relation—perhaps in opposition—to the great colossus to the south. We were a country that aspired not to the lofty abstractions of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” but to the more prosaic benefits of “peace, order, and good government.”  I have always been proud of Canada’s basic values—but I have also envied the grandeur of the American experiment, even in the face of its shortcomings and contradictions.

When I first came to the United States, in the mid-2000s, I expected, perhaps naively, that this country would be a bastion of civic learning.  Surely the stewards of the world’s first modern democracy would understand the need to cultivate an understanding of both its majesty and its mechanics—the Enlightenment ideas that animate it and the institutions that make it work.  But when my children enrolled in high school in Philadelphia, they received only a weak introduction to any of this.  That modest exposure, however, was far more elaborate than what many other children across the country receive.  Two years ago, during a seminar at Johns Hopkins University, I asked my students if any of them had learned about core democratic ideas and institutions in high school.  Only a smattering of hands went up—and those few were at half-mast.

The dearth of civic education is corrosive. According to an Associated Press–GfK survey, from 1984 to 2014, the share of American adults who said that staying informed about current affairs and public issues was “not an obligation that a citizen owes to the country” more than tripled, from 6 to 20 percent.  Over roughly the same period, according to Cambridge University’s Centre for the Future of Democracy, dissatisfaction with democracy among young people has risen precipitously, particularly in the United States.

For decades, elementary and secondary schools have borne the responsibility of educating about citizenship.  But in an era when funding is limited and partisans on all sides are quick to detect the merest whiff of agendas they dislike, civics and social-studies classes are among the first to shrivel.  A majority of principals and other school leaders surveyed in 2018 by Education Week believed that students were not getting enough civics education.  Often, there is little they can do.

Another sign of the times.  Back in the day, when I was in Eighth Grade, one of our year long classes was called Core.  It was about being a grownup and grownup responsibilities.  For example, we had to research and do a report on three different future careers.  (I did Aeronautical Engineer and Army Armor Officer and one other, which I can't remember.)  We studied the US Constitution.  We wrote a town charter for a mythical town in which we lived  We learned civics.

Today, apparently not so much.

Who fixes this?  Our School Superintendent?  Our School Committee?  The General Court?  The Troika of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden?

I think it is on the voters of Lowell.  Vote wisely on Tuesday, but vote, so those elected know you are paying at least a little attention.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Work Force

For John, BLUF:  This is a study of not everybody, but of those in the prime working demographic.  People who should be out in the labor force.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

New Report Shows Growth of the Welfare State Has Fueled Long-Term Declines in the Labor Force

Here is the sub-headline:

Policies should incentivize employment; not discourage it.

From Foundation for Economic Eduction (FEE), by Journalist Brad Polumbo, 28 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

A massive labor shortage continues to grip the nation and hold back our economic recovery.  With countless pandemic and policy factors influencing the shortage, there’s a heated debate over what’s keeping so many workers out of the labor force.  But a new study confirms that the growth of the welfare state is playing a massive role—and that this trend began long before the pandemic.

Published by experts on the Republican side of the Senate Joint Economic Committee, the analysis reports, “the U.S. has witnessed an unprecedented rise in disconnected prime-age workers over time.”  As shown in the graph below, the men’s labor force participation rate has fallen from more than 97 percent in 1955 to 89 percent prior to the pandemic, while the women’s labor force participation rate has declined in recent decades as well.

This is not good news for the economy.  But, few are talking about it.  We need more people working, so that the Democrats in Washington, DC, can collect more taxes, to pay for their plans.  Or, we could remove disincentives in the work force and use the extra Federal taxes to pay down our towering Federal debt.

The alternative future is this:

We are better off with people working.  Work is a virtue, as Commentator Lawrence Kudlow tells us.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Paybacks Can Be Fun

For John, BLUF:  Atlanta loses $100 million in revenue when Major League Baseball pulls the All Star Game, but then the Braves go to the World Series.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Braves Fans Rejoice as MLB Backpedals

From PJ Media, by Reporter Chris Queen, 27 October 2021, 11:00 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

The Atlanta Braves are in the World Series — and won the first game Tuesday night — which is the perfect opportunity for us to thumb our noses at Major League Baseball.  If you need a refresher as to why Braves fans everywhere have a beef with MLB, let’s hop in the Wayback Machine and take a look.

You may remember back in the spring when Georgia passed its voting rights bill, which extended voting opportunities while tightening security.  The Left actually pounced, the way they accuse conservatives of doing, mischaracterizing the law as one that would disenfranchise minorities.

Major League Baseball virtue-signaled in a big way, moving the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta’s beautiful ballpark to Colorado.  MLB commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement at the time:

“Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views,” Manfred said in his statement.  “I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.

“Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.  In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States.  We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process.  Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.”

The move cost businesses in Cobb County, the location of Atlanta’s Truist Park and the Battery, a business and entertainment area that surrounds the park, an estimated $100 million.  A group of businesspeople sued MLB.  Yet the game stayed in Colorado.

Yes, it is fun when some high level poobah finds his pious inanity is paid back by fate.

Later in the article Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledges that Major League Baseball is 30 different markets, each unique:

“It’s important to understand that we have 30 markets around the country,” Manfred added.  “They aren’t all the same.  …  The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’  For me, that’s kind of the end of the story.  In that market, we’re taking into account the Native American community.”

E plurabis unum.  Out of many, one.  We should celebrate our diversity.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Cities Struggle

For John, BLUF:  This year, an off year for elections, sees some interesting sociology playing out, and perhaps not going the way the Bien-pensant expected.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Emerging Metropolitan Majority?

Here is the sub-headline:

A multiethnic, moderate coalition of New Yorkers wants order and opportunity.

From City Journal, by Writer Michael Hendrix, 28 September 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York, vowed recently that he would “create an environment for growth”—starting with public safety.  “The prerequisite to prosperity is safety,” Adams declared.  This week, he rolled out a plan to convert hotels to housing in order to tackle the city’s cost-of-living and homelessness crises.

With these moves, Adams follows the preferences of those he seeks to represent.  New Yorkers are deeply concerned about the cost of living and crime, according to a new survey of America’s 20 fastest-growing metros conducted by the Manhattan Institute and Echelon Insights.  Roughly three in four New Yorkers say that they are concerned about the cost of housing, high taxes, and public safety and crime rates.  Homelessness was not far behind, with 71 percent expressing concern.  These proportions exceed those for concern about Covid-19, jobs, schooling, or traffic—though New Yorkers are worried about those, too—and far surpassed the level of concern in other cities, especially those in the Sun Belt.

New Yorkers were more concerned about taxes than were residents of any other city. This past year, New York City earned the distinction of having the highest state and local top income-tax rates in the country. Jobs are also a larger concern in New York than they are in the rest of the country.  The city’s labor market has fallen harder and recovered slower than nearly anywhere else in America.  If New York City’s recovery had kept pace with the country’s, New York would have 375,000 more jobs than it has today.  Unsurprisingly, nearly half of city adults say good jobs are hard to find, and two-thirds cite future job prospects as a key factor in deciding whether they want to stay put.

Housing costs remain a major concern in Gotham.  Large majorities of New Yorkers support making it easier to build more homes to keep up with demand, including with faster permitting, more transit-oriented development, and more backyard apartments.  Notably, not everyone views more housing as a driver of more affordable housing;  if asked to choose, more people support an approach that subsidizes new housing rather than removes barriers to building it, though many expressed uncertainty.

More than half of New Yorkers are concerned about the quality of their local schools and school curricula—again, a bigger share than in any other city we surveyed.  Sixty-two percent support encouraging more charter schools, with even more (72 percent) favoring greater choice in schooling.  A majority (58 percent) also supports removing lessons based on critical race theory from public school curricula, a hot-button topic that has sparked tensions between school administrators and parents.

There are links at the original web site.

On 2 November New York City will hold an election for City Mayor.  .

My Wound Clinic Doctor is originally from New York and he sees New York City as going through cycles of Progressiveism and cycles of law and order.  We must be due for a cycle of law and order.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Trouble in San Francisco

For John, BLUF:  The homeless problem and the lack of prosecution of petty crimes is creating a downward spiral, one Speaker Nancy Pelosi isn't likely to reverse.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

San Francisco residents don't 'feel safe,' turn to private security amid crime spree

From The Blaze, by Reporter Chris Pandolfo, 25 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

With crime spiraling out of control in their city, residents of San Francisco's Marina District have turned to private security to patrol the streets and protect their families, with some saying they don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods.

"We don't feel safe in our neighborhood," resident Kate Lyons told KPIX-TV.  "And we have an alarm, we have cameras on our property, but we want the extra security of having someone have eyes on our place."

Lyons and 150 other residents in the Marina District have hired the services of patrol special officer Alan Byard, who provides a measure of added security by patrolling the streets amid a surge in car break-ins and home burglaries.

"It's a nice area down here, people are afraid of what's been going on," Byard told KPIX.  "They want a safe place to raise their kids.  In the last year, I've had 10 of my clients move out of the city."

The article managed to mention San Francisco Mayor London Breed, however, it skipped over the likely villan, District Attorney Chesa Boudin.  I guess there is the role of Mr George Soros.

Can San Francisco come back?  And what paths for recovery are available?  My suspicion is it won't involve Socialism.  Not even European style Socialism.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Naughty Words

For John, BLUF:  We should try to be civil.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Byron York's Daily Memo: Biden, Brandon, and F-word politics

From The Washington Examiner, by Correspondent Byron York, 25 October 2021, 06:43 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

BIDEN, BRANDON, AND F-WORD POLITICS.  Recently the Washington Post published a news article, "Biden's critics hurl increasingly vulgar taunts," exploring what the paper says is a growing phenomenon of people around the country directing raw insults at the president.  As an example, the paper pointed to President Joe Biden's recent visit to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where a woman stood on the street with a sign that said, "F--- Joe Biden."  At other times

, Biden detractors say simply, "FJB," which stands for you know what.

The Post also noted the "Let's go Brandon" phenomenon.  If anyone doesn't know what that is, it stemmed from an NBC sportscast of an October race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama in which a crowd chanted, "F--- Joe Biden."  The chants were clearly audible while NBC was interviewing NASCAR driver Brandon Brown.  Trying to smooth things over and make it appear to viewers that all was well, the reporter said, "You can hear the chants from the crowd, 'Let's go Brandon!'"  So then, as fast as things happen on the internet, people began saying, "Let's go Brandon" as a snarky — and clean — way to say, "F--- Joe Biden."

All this derision directed toward the president has disturbed some in the media.  Biden "is increasingly becoming an object of hatred to many Trump supporters," the Washington Post reported.  Conceding that "boos, jeers and insults are nothing new for politicians," the paper nevertheless declared that "The current eruption of anti-Biden signs and changes, however, is on another level, far more vulgar and widespread."

To which anyone who was awake from

Yes, the vugarism directed toward President Biden leaves me cold, although the evolution to "Let's go Brandon" is a big improvement.

The idea that this is new is a sign of ignorance or propaganda.  Does anyone remember President Trump?  Does anyone remember the vulgar way Tea Party members were characterized?.

And, it has spread overseas.  It showed up in Romelast weekend.

Clever is good, and fun.  Vulgar is a sign of lack of respect and dignity and creativity.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Diversity in Unity

For John, BLUF:  The linked blog post is about the fact that we are a diverse nation and there is no one answer to all problems for all People.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

IT’S ALL RELATIVE

From the Blog According to Hoyt, by Blogger Sarah Hooyt, 22 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus five:

It’s all relative. For instance one of my relatives asked me how I planned to survive if I wouldn’t take the vaccine, and I didn’t snort giggle.  Well, not audibly.  Because she lives in another country and I know how terrified they are.

Then there was the friend skedaddling from NYC to whom I said I was likewise skedaddling from Prison-Colorado and he — audibly!  Rude! — snort giggled, because he said compared to NYC Colorado looked wide open and free.

And that’s part of what I want you guys to realize.  It’s important.

It’s all relative.

There are two important assumptions not to make: Don’t assume the rest of the country is like your little corner of it.  AND don’t assume that the US is just bending over for this.  Not relative to the rest of the world.

Oh, yeah as a third assumption not to make (should I come in again?) don’t assume that the rest of the world is taking it lying down.  Just more than the US from those I know in the rest of the world. And there’s a reason for that.  And it’s important.

Yes, there are folks out there who think the Government (pick your level) has moved beyond the level of believability to the level of "Do as you are told."  We have gone from persuaision to direction.

I thought this was an important paragraph:

Actually that’s the big difference between us and the rest of the world.  The anglosphere is a small caveat either (and I’d like to know how big the resistance actually IS in Australia.  There are leaks around the edges) as they are somewhere between say Europe and us.

Getting vaccination is a decision.  I got vaccinationed as soon as I could, based on my health situation and the situation of those around me.  You should make a thoughtful decision based on your circumstances.  However, while your friends may shun you for not getting the jab, your Government should not be bullying you.  If they can't sell you on the value of the Vaccination they should go back and examine the trail of arguements they are using.

Sadly, President Joe Biden seems to follow the old Navy axiom, "If it doesn't fit, don't forvce it.  You need a bigger hammer."

Remember, Tuesday is election day, not just in Maine and New York City and New Jersey and Virginia, but also here in Lowell.  Send a message to the politicians and the Civil Servants and vote.  If the number of voters goes up then folks in Government wonder why and become more alert and responsive.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Right to Food?

For John, BLUF:  Meanwhile, up in Maine, they are voting on adding a "right" to their constitution.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Residents of this state will vote on constitutional ‘right to food’

From The New York Post, by the Associated Press, 25 October 2021, 3:38pm .

Here is the lede plus two:

Depending on whom you ask, Maine’s proposed “right to food” constitutional amendment would simply put people in charge of how and what they eat — or would endanger animals and food supplies, and turn urban neighborhoods into cattle pastures.

For supporters, the language is short and to the point, ensuring the right to grow vegetables and raise livestock in an era when corporatization threatens local ownership of the food supply, a constitutional experiment that has never been tried in any state.

For opponents and skeptics, it’s deceptively vague, representing a threat to food safety and animal welfare, and could embolden residents to raise cows in their backyards in cities like Portland and Bangor.

This is food for thought.  .

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The National Pastime

For John, BLUF:  Payback can be satisfying.  Georgia hsd the All Star Game snatched from its hands as people pushed the Agenda of the Progressive Democrats.  Now what?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Georgia Gets Last Laugh Over Woke MLB

From PJ Media, by Reporter A J Kaufman, 24 October 2021, 1:12 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus four:

The Atlanta Braves are headed back to baseball’s World Series for the first time since 1999 — and since sports and politics so often mix, it’s a slap in the face to President Joe Biden, woke Democrats, and Major League Baseball’s clueless leadership.

As the 2021 season got underway nearly seven months ago, pro baseball’s ignorant commissioner caved to Twitter mobs and an uninformed White House’s pleas that the All-Star Game be moved out of Atlanta as part of a specious campaign to slander Georgia’s voting law.

Moments after the Braves finished off the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday night, Gov. Brian Kemp rightly castigated MLB and the conspiracy theorist he defeated in 2018 for the snub:

While Stacey Abrams and the MLB stole the All-Star Game from hardworking Georgians, the Braves earned their trip to the World Series this season and are bringing it home to Georgia.

Back in April, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred caved to partisan politics and progressive hysteria within mere hours by relocating the Midsummer Classic, plus the sport’s annual draft, due to the state’s innocuous new election laws.

Is there any shame out there?

Does anyone recognize irony?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wait! What?

For John, BLUF:  The bruhaha surreounding the events of 6 Janauary 2021 suggest the kind of mindless activites of the French Revolution or Europe Post-WWI.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Garland confirms no one who participated in January 6th has been charged with insurrection

From The New Neo, by Herself, 22 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

Or rather, he sort of confirms it:

But, when asked by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) if any of the individuals who have been arrested for participating in the riot have been charged with “insurrection,” Garland told him “I don’t believe so.”

“Has any defendant involved in the January 6th events been charged with insurrection?” Gohmert asked.

“I don’t believe so,” Garland responded.

First off, if Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) suggests anything, one needs to pause and examine alternative answers  It is possible that Representative Schiff holds the record in Congress for being on the wrong side of any given issue.

It appears to me that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is using the 6 January events as part of her campaign to elect Democrats, by tying Republicans to this myth of an Insurrection on that day.  And, it continues her total distain for President Donald J Trump.  I expect she is disappointed in Attorney General Merrick Garland for not coming up with anybody who can be charged with insurrection.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Real Equality

For John, BLUF:  I Found this lawsuiot to be interesting in that it seems to turn the tools used to reverse segregation in schools seen as implementing new forms of segregation.  Are we not able, are we never able, to see ourselves as one People?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Lawsuit Targets Massachusetts Public School System for Racial Segregation, Censoring Students

From The Daily Signal, by Writer Mary Margaret Olohan, 22 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus five:

A Massachusetts public school system is actively promoting racially segregated student groups and a “bias reporting program” that encourages students to report instances of their peers’ biases to school officials for disciplinary action, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.

Parents Defending Education filed the lawsuit against the Boston-area Wellesley Public Schools Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts—a lawsuit that specifically targets both the racially segregated student groups and the school’s speech policies.

“Nearly seven decades of Supreme Court precedent have made two things clear,” said the lawsuit. “Public schools cannot segregate students by race, and students do not abandon their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate.  [Wellesley Public Schools] is flouting both of these principles.”

The school system has held “multiple racially segregated events for students,” the Parents Defending Education lawsuit said, describing how the school district’s equity director lamented that the school did not keep a list of students sorted by race and ordered white students not to come to certain events.

Not only did the school host these racially segregated events, the lawsuit said, it also refused to host a Jewish students’ affinity group or to fly Israeli or Thin Blue Line flags “as a gesture of viewpoint diversity” when parents complained about Black Lives Matter flags at various schools.

The lawsuit also alleges that Wellesley Public Schools displayed “similar disregard for students’ First Amendment rights” through a policy that punishes “biased” student speech, including “any student speech that is ‘offensive,’ has an ‘impact’ on others, ‘treats another person differently,’ or ‘demonstrates conscious or unconscious bias.”

This story was also covered by Breitbart, with an emplhasis on the phrase "affinity groups".

At issue under the allegations of racial segregation are WPS’s “‘affinity group’ meetings that are open to some students, but closed to others, based solely on the races and ethnicities of the students involved.”  The lawsuit notes that “A racial affinity group is commonly defined as ‘a group of people sharing a common race who gather with the intention of finding connection, support, and inspiration.'”  However, these groups also “by definition, exclude individuals of certain racial groups,” according to the filing.

This sort of advocacy for racial segregation has become more commonplace with the recent push for Critical Race Theory in K-12 schools.

This idea of "affinity groups" seems, on the surfacee, to run counter to decades of legislation and Supreme Court rullngs on segregation.  I still remember remember the idea, from Brown v Board of Education, that "separate but equal is inherently unequal."

On the other hand, we have evidence that students perform better when they see teachers and paraprofessionals who are of the wame race or ethnic group.  Is there scientific evidence that affinity groups actually enhance educational performance.  There should be little doubt that at least some communities in our Commonwealth need a hand up in the area of education.

I am looking forward to how this all plays out.  I hope science is part of the process.  Good science.

Hat tip to my Wife.

Regards  —  Cliff

The American Revolution

For John, BLUF:  Sometime history is in front of us and we don't even notice.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

1777 – American Revolutionary War:  American defenders of Fort Mercer on the Delaware River repulse repeated Hessian attacks in the Battle of Red Bank.

From Wikipedia.

Here is the lede:

The Battle of Red Bank (October 22, 1777) was a battle fought during the American Revolutionary War in which a British and Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the left bank (or New Jersey side) of the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia, but was decisively defeated by a far inferior force of Colonial defenders.  Although the British did take Fort Mercer a month later, the victory supplied a sorely-needed morale boost to the American cause, delayed British plans to consolidate gains in Philadelphia, and relieved pressure on General George Washington's army to the north of the city.

As a child I must have visited Fort Mercer a dozen times with my Father, and Brothers.  A beautiful location, on the Deleware River, it never impressed me as a war memorial.

Yet, an important part of our history.

Ansd we went to Valley Forge, Washington's Crossing, Bowman's Tower and Hopewell Village.

Regards  —  Cliff

OUTRAGE!

For John, BLUF:  I have moved a lot in the Air Force, but have never encountered anything like what is covered in this story.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

A storage company auctioned everything that belonged to an Air Force sergeant while he was deployed overseas

From The Boston Globe, by Reporter Shelley Murphy, 21 October 2021, 8:26 am.

Here is the lede plus five:

Two days before his deployment to the Middle East in 2019, Air Force Technical Sergeant Charles Cornacchio was in uniform when movers came to his home at Hanscom Air Force Base to pack up his belongings and take them to a storage facility.

After the truck was loaded, the company — Father & Son Moving & Storage of Billerica — demanded more than double the price it initially quoted, according to Cornacchio.  But he said he agreed to pay because he felt his property was “pretty much being held hostage” and he needed to resolve things quickly before leaving the country hours later.  He said he paid $2,190 for moving costs and six months’ storage.

As the 18-wheeler drove away, Cornacchio said, he remembered thinking, “Man that’s everything I own, but my dog.”

Soon, all of it would be gone.

Five months after storing Cornacchio’s property in two vaults at its Billerica facility, Father & Son sold it at auction to the highest bidder, according to court filings.

The unauthorized sale triggered a lawsuit against the company last year filed by the Justice Department for violating a law that prohibits storage companies from selling the possessions of military members on active duty, unless they obtain an order from a federal judge.  Last month, Father & Son agreed to pay $60,000 to Cornacchio, along with a $5,000 fine to the government, to settle the allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

The faction of the Company, Father & Son Moving & Storage of Billerica, was dispicable.

If nothing else, where is hteir patriotism, their sense of respect for those serving overseas for them?

They should be shunned.

Regards  —  Cliff

Learning the Truth

For John, BLUF:  Our news sources seem to be a bit of a mess.  While we may trust this or that source, in the end they are all a bit questionable.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Sign of the Times

Here is the sub-headline:

When the media’s credibility collapsed, the New York Times led the way

From The Spectator World, by Writer Batya Ungar-Sargon, 18 October 2021, 7:45 pm.

Here is the lede plus four:

The New York Times entered the digital era under duress.  In 2011, the Times erected a paywall in what it called a ‘subscription-first business model’.  The gamble was that readers would want to pay for quality journalism. It was a risk, and at first it didn’t seem to be paying off: after a challenging 2014, the company shed 100 people from the newsroom in buyouts and layoffs. A.G. Sulzberger, who was getting ready to replace his father as publisher, commissioned an in-house report, its title ‘Innovation’. The report made it very clear who was to blame.  A journalist’s job, the report said, no longer ended with choosing, reporting and publishing the news.  To compensate for the ‘steady decline’ in advertising revenue due to digitization, ‘the wall dividing the newsroom and business side’ had to come down. The ‘hard work of growing our audience falls squarely on the newsroom’, the report said, so the Times should be ‘encouraging reporters and editors to promote their stories’.

Of course, journalists have always been aware who their readers are and have catered to them, consciously and unconsciously.  But it was something else entirely to suggest that journalists should be collaborating with their audience to produce ‘user-generated content’, as the report put it.  ‘Innovation’ presaged a new direction for the paper of record: become digital-first or perish.

The Times invested in new subscription services like NYT Cooking and NYT Games, and introduced live events, conferences and foreign trips.  The paper hired an ad agency to work in-house and began allowing brands to sponsor specific lines of reporting.  Journalists were asked to accompany advertisers to conferences and were pushed to collaborate more closely with the business side, something many of the old-school editors were loath to do.  The executive editor at the time, Jill Abramson, resisted strenuously.  She was given the boot.

And then came Trump.

This is all very sad.  And, it seems, we are breaking down regionally with regard to who we trust to tell us the truth.  I am embedded in the coastal news milieu, although I have lost my deep faith in The Old Gray Lady, The Wash Post and The Boston Globe, those symbols of Coastal Elite Progressivism.  I would say Russiagate was important to this and the Hunter Biden Laptop sealed the deal.  They no longer trust me, and thus I no longer trust them.

One wonders how it will all sort out in the long run.

In the mean time, it is incumbent upon the Citizenry to review a number of news sources and to not get captured by any one of them.  We need to be testing for the truth.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Bottle Neck at Terminal island

For John, BLUF:  Our economy is built upon the idea of just in time delivery.  It saves lots of money, but it depends upon things, and people, showing up on time.  Now it is breaking down.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Driving a hard bargain: Haulage firms offer $100,000 salaries and $15,000 bonuses to lure 80,000 truckers and ease supply crisis as empty shipping containers are dumped in streets because California port is full

Here is the sub-headline:

• Trucking companies are offering lucrative incentives to attract more Americans to the trucking industry, where 80,000 jobs need to be filled this year
• One company is offering a $15,000 signup bonus, while others promise six-figure salaries
• But near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, transportation execs say the problem isn't a lack of drivers - it's mass congestion caused by empty containers
• Steamships are refusing to take back empty containers, and charging trucking companies a per diem to store them
• That is driving some small businesses to close as the logistical situation at the ports worsens
• Head of the California Trucking Association has called for a state of emergency to be imposed
• It all ties into the supply chain chaos that's left cargo ships queueing for weeks to unload goods to trucking companies, which are unable to efficiently move them

From The Daily Mail, by Reporter Michelle Thompson, 21 October 2021, 12:28 EDT.

Here is the lede plus four:

Haulage companies are offering six-figure salaries and $15,000 sign-on bonuses while struggling to attract 80,000 new drivers who are needed to relieve the nation’s supply crisis.

But industry experts said more drivers won’t alleviate the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach backlog, where an empty shipping container fiasco is preventing trucks from moving product to consumers.

Facing an exodus of 600,000 retiring truckers by 2028, the transportation industry is desperate to recruit more people and estimates that 80,000 new hires are needed this year to offset attrition and clear a backed-up supply chain.

‘I can tell you that pretty much every single one of our members – no matter what part of the industry they’re in – is looking for drivers,’ Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of government affairs at the California Trucking Association, told DailyMail.com.

‘They are raising pay across the board, introducing things like signing and retention bonuses, trying to provide more local driving opportunities so that the drivers can be home with their families at night, but it's been a real struggle for several years.’

Some may think this is goinhg to just work itself out, over time.  However, how much time?  I think we can see the Christmas Season going down the tubes.

Maybe not, but the pain of it would be strong.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Financing Gain of Function Research

For John, BLUF:  This is a topic that has been going back and forth for quite some time now.  I am hoping this this will be bring us to a conclusion.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

NIH Corrects Claims by Collins, Fauci that U.S. Had Not Funded Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan

From The Tennessee Star, by Reporter Cooper Moran, 21 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Wednesday sent a letter to Representative James Comer (R-KY-01), correcting claims that the U.S. had not funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

The assertions, made by NIH Director Francis Collins and NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, detail that EcoHealth Alliance violated certain terms and conditions of the grant.

“EcoHealth failed to report this finding right away, as was required by the terms of the grant.  EcoHealth is being notified that they have five days from today to submit to NIH any and all unpublished data from the experiments and work conducted under this award,” the letter stated.

This seemed a while in coming, but it is the kind of revelation that says the basic institutional Federal Government is accountable, at least to some degree.  That is good for Democracy.

The NIH, in its letter did say that the COVID-19 virus is not connected to the EcoHealth studies.

Regards  —  Cliff

Progressives Hurting Democrats?

For John, BLUF:  The question is, is it true that Progressive Policies hurt Democratic Party Candidates?  I think that from the viewpoint of President Biden, who believes he represents "Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow," it is all good.  We may get a clue on 2 November, when Virginia votes for a new Governor.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Deutsch:  ‘The AOCs of the World or the Far-Left Are Suicide for the Democrats’

From Breitbaart, by Mr Trent Baker, 18 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

MSNBC contributor Donny Deutsch on Monday issued a warning to members of the Democratic Party about the far-left wing of the party, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

On “Morning Joe,” Deutsch said that the far-left wing is “suicide” for the Democratic Party.  He called on the party to “get some new faces” closer to the center because the socialists pulling the party to the left could spell “disaster.”

Host Joe Scarborough stated, “All I have heard over the past year — it’s been remarkable — is I am going to grip my teeth and vote for Joe Biden because Donald Trump is a fascist, and he is a threat to the American way of life.  But, if I had any excuse to vote against the Democrats, I would do it because they are so progressive and so wildly out of step with mainstream America.”

First off, it appears former Congressman Joe Scarborough doesn't understand fascism.  Understandable, because weither does the AntiFa movement, which is, aside from the "nationalism" part, very fascist.

Secondly, I would like to follow the dictate of Napoleon Bonaparte, who said:  "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."  Alas, 2022 is not promised to the Republicans.  We need to garner what fortitude we have and go after the Democrafts  We need to follow a course that promises to unbind the economy and let the People return to normal.  Getting the economy back to a relatively normal, unguided by the hand of Government, will work magic on the Nation.

Hat tip to my Wife.

Regards  —  Cliff

Specialization May Be Over

For John, BLUF:  Our economy works, and works well, normally, because the system apportions work to those with skills and a reasonable price.  We tend not to pay attention to race, creed or other factors.  However, that seems to be slipping out of favor.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Women and Trans collective disturbed to find 'cisgenger men' installing new radiators

JOHN SEXTON Oct 18, 2021 7:33 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus one:

Oberlin College is the pricey liberal arts school which lost a massive defamation lawsuit filed by Gibson’s Bakery back in 2019.  Oberlin has a fancy house called Baldwin Cottage which was built in 1886 and which is currently home to the Women and Trans Collective.  The school’s website describes the collective as “a close-knit community that provides women and transgendered persons with a safe space for discussion, communal living, and personal development.”  Basically it’s a special dorm that has living space for about 30 people.

The student paper, the Oberlin Review, reported last week that the school decided to upgrade the radiators in Baldwin Cottage but, to the dismay of some residents, they sent “cisgender men” to do the work.  [emphasis added]

Very nice looking house.  It reminds me of 9 West Butterworth Street, Wenonah, NJ, 08090.

Is this the beginning of some brave new world, where is is segregation now and forever?  Are the people assigned to Baldwin Cottage prepared to do it all themselves?  Plumbing, electoral, HVAC, painting, paving, food deliver?  This is definitely a step away from capitalism, which takes advantage of the division of labor.  Now the residents have to do it all themselves, or find tailored businesses, which hire only people of certain persuasions or orientations.

Should the State or Federal Governments sponsor programs to allow people of certain persuations or orientations to live in certain parts of a State, City or Town?  So they feel safe?  Is there some limit to this ever-expanding taxonomy of gender differences?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wokeness v Democracy

For John, BLUF:  The Author, Ms Bari Weiss, knows of what she speaks.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

We Got Here Because of Cowardice. We Get Out With Courage

Here is the sub-headline:

Say no to the Woke Revolution

From Commentary Magazine, by Writer Bari Weiss, November 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

A lot of people want to convince you that you need a Ph.D. or a law degree or dozens of hours of free time to read dense texts about critical theory to understand the woke movement and its worldview.  You do not.  You simply need to believe your own eyes and ears. Let me offer the briefest overview of the core beliefs of the Woke Revolution, which are abundantly clear to anyone willing to look past the hashtags and the jargon.

And now you need to go to the article.

"Wokeness" is allowing a group of bullies to shut dow the free speech of many other citizens.  It filters a bunch of bad stuff, but also truths,  Truths free men and women, even if in jest, should feel free to speak,  No freedom to speakmeans no free elections, which means no democracy.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Colin L Powell, RIP

For John, BLUF:  As a colonel on the Joint Staff I workeded for Chairman Powell, several levels down.  Subsequently, I was assigned to the National War College as the first Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair, and have the autographed photo to prove it.  It was an honor serving under and representing Chairman Powell.

---

Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle

From CNN, by Reporter Devan Cole, 18 October 2021, 1:33 PM ET.

Here is the lede plus one:

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, has died from complications from Covid-19, his family said on Facebook.  He was 84.

"General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19," the Powell family wrote on Facebook, noting he was fully vaccinated.

Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response, as well as Parkinson's, Peggy Cifrino, Powell's longtime chief of staff, confirmed to CNN.  Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.

"We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American," the family said.

Yes, we have lost a great American.

I have seen a number of internet postings attesting to the integrity and leadership of this fine officer.

Hat tip to David Maxwell, Colonel, USA (retired).

Regards  —  Cliff

In Plain Words

For John, BLUF:  NBC Sports Reporter Kelli Stavast put her spin on what the crowd was shouting at Talladega Superspeedway, after Driver Brandon Brown's Saturday, 2 October 2021 victory.  It goes international.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Canada Bans Public Employees from Using 'Let's Go Brandon'

From VodkaPundit, by Columnist Stephen Green, 18 October 2021, 10:28 AM ET.

Here is the lede plus one:

“Let’s Go Brandon” has made its way north of the border, where Canadian officials have banned its use by government workers.

In a notice written late last week, a [REDACTED] official (see photo below) warned that “the use of the wording ‘Let’s Go Brandon” and any variation thereof under any circumstances is banned.”

I assume that means also no Allons Brandon.

I wonder what Sir Ernest Gowers would have thought?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Bad Turn of Events

For John, BLUF:  This is a bad turn of events.  When the people lose faith, they become less supportive of the incumbent government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Biden 2020 win ‘tainted,’ 56% say it was a cheater’s paradise

From The Washington Examiner, by Columnists Paul Bedard, 11 October 2021, 01:07 PM.

Here is the lede plus one:

A growing number of likely voters believe that cheating tainted President Joe Biden’s 2020 win over former President Donald Trump, and even more feel that a key Democratic election reform scheme will increase fraud.

In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, 56% of respondents said, "It’s likely that cheating affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, including 41% who say it’s ‘very likely.’”

To get the caveat out of the way, yes, Candidate Joe Biden won the electotal collage and thus is our President.  No doubt.

However, If the People are beginning to lose faith in the 2020 Election, how much faith will they have in other aspects of the Federal Government.  For example, will they trust the Federal Government with regard to COVID-19?  I think this is a problem.  I don't think the bien pensant grasp this problem.  The 2022 Midterm elections will prove if this is true.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Policing School Committee Meetings

For John, BLUF:  It appeaars that the Biden Administration, for some reason, has decided the back the hand, with Federal power, of petty tyrants running local school committees.  Not everywhere, and not even most places, but too many places.  This is a mistake.  If we strangle democracy at the lowest level, what happens about that?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

School board meetings show only that freedom is messy

From The Wshington Exminer, by Reporter Salena Zito, 10 October 2021, 12:01 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

Eighty years ago, dairy farmer Jim Edgerton stood up at a town hall meeting in his hometown of Arlington, Vermont, to voice his disagreement with the town councilors’ decision to build a new school.  Edgerton was the only person at the meeting or in town who objected to the proposed building.

His opposition was mostly unremarkable, but he held his ground nonetheless.  No one would have known about it had not Norman Rockwell, a newcomer in town, been there.

As he watched Edgerton exercise his freedom of speech, the famous illustrator of Americana could not stop thinking about the State of the Union address President Franklin D. Roosevelt had delivered on Jan. 6, 1941, in which he warned that the values and liberties the public took for granted were under attack.  Rockwell would go on to illustrate that moment, making Roosevelt’s words relatable by depicting them in use in small-town America.

It is inconceivable that the federal government today wants to squash that freedom through vague rules and intimidation.  Garland seems to be making the calculation that the Jim Edgertons of this world will cower under the concern the government is watching them.

Wikipedia says it is in the public domain.

The local School Board or School Committee is the first rung of Democracy.  This last week, in Chicago, 98 people were shot and 10 died.  This is pretty normal.  Shouldn't the FBI be out there trying to save Black Lives in Chicago, rather than doing the work of the local police in policing School Committee meetings across the Fruited Plain?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

"Bird Dogging" the Boston Marathon

For John, BLUF:  This is about Democrat Rennaissance Woman Krysten Sinema, Senator, College Prof, Marathoner, and the shrill way the Democratic Party is going about trying to force her to conform to the desires of President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Far-left activists plan to ‘bird-dog’ Sinema during Boston Marathon over opposition to Biden spending plan

From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Kate Scanlon, 11 October 2021, 11:07 AM.

Here is the lede plus three:

Completing a marathon is hard enough.  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will also have to grapple with a group of far-left activists hounding her on Monday at the Boston Marathon.

It's not clear whether the Arizona Democrat will be competing or watching the race.  Sinema, known as a passionate athlete, qualified for the Boston Marathon but broke her foot at a different marathon earlier this year.  A spokesperson for her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the nature of her participation in Monday’s event.

Either way, activists from the Green New Deal Network plan to confront Sinema over her objections to President Joe Biden’s proposed $3.5 trillion social spending package.

According to the Boston Globe, the Green New Deal Network, a coalition of 15 national organizations, said its activists plan on “bird-dogging” Sinema, a protesting tactic in which activists confront a politician at an unexpected time or place.  They're mad at her objections to the size of the spending bill, which has yet to be written.  Activists plan to confront her with signs reading, “Senator Sinema:  Pass the Full Deal,” “Senator Sinema:  Stop Running.  Start Listening,” and “Senator Sinema:  Stop Running From Us.”

The Boston Marathon was an iconic event, but is now being reduced to another political stage.

is there no neutral ground where we can meet and enjoy ourselves?  Is there no gathering where the enjoyment of friends and family is allowed a few hours of joy?  Frankly, this seems more like driving the opposition from the field than reasoned discourse.  It is about power, as in Europe, after WWI, and we know how that turned out.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

You and Your Local School Committee

For John, BLUF:  The people involved in public education, from teachers to School Committee Members are becoming an isolated clerisy, not subject to the will of the voters.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Florida Mom Calls for ‘Mass Exodus’ from Public Schools on Heels of Merrick Garland’s Crusade Against Anti-CRT Parents

Here is the sub-headline:

A Florida mother has called for parents to lead a “mass exodus” from public schools in the wake of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement that the FBI will investigate “intimidation” and “threats of violence” at school board meetings across the country.

From Breitbart, by Reporter Nick Gilbertson, 8 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus four:

Florida Mother Quisha King spoke during the panel “Fighting Indoctrination on a National Scale” at the Family Research Council’s “Pray Vote Stand Summit” in Virginia on October 7.

“You’re at home trying to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for your kids, and the FBI could be knocking at your door because you might have said the wrong thing at a school board meeting,” King stated.

“I really think at this point the only thing to do is have a mass exodus from the public school system – that’s it,” King said.  The crowd responded to King’s suggestion with resounding applause as some audience members even stood up to cheer.

King added that a message will truly be sent when school districts lose funding once children are taken out of their schools.

To be clear, I do not favor parents doing a wholesale withdrawal of their students from public schools.  On the other hand, I fully support the right of Parents to pick the best education modality they see fit.

However, the issue isn't how you choose to educate your child.  After all, this isn't Germany.  The issue is the right of Voters (and even resident aliens) to speak before a School Committe, or a City Council.  If the Citizenry feels intimidated, then we face tyranny.  Yes, these presentations can be heated, but the presenters, if voters, have the ability to vote the rascals out.  Yes, physical threats are verboten, as is violence, but forceful argument is part of the process.  Just ask President Joseph Biden.

UPDATE:  As I went to sleep I reviewed this in my mind and decided I needed to point out that I have never thought of our Lowell School Committee as one of those closed mind clerisy types.  Mistakes?  Yes.  But, they have been an open group, by and large, and have listened to some inane questions by me and others and responded in a respectful manner.  Kudos to them.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

"Whatayatalk?"

For John, BLUF:  "Ya gotta know the territory."  My thanks to Mr Robert Meredith Wilson.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Both parties' ignorance of electoral reality has led to our present political discontents

From The Washington Examiner, by Michael Barone, 5 October 2021, 09:56 AM.

Here is the lede plus one:

Here’s a jarring thought:  Most political analysts and most political strategists for our two political parties have been operating off flawed data and flawed assumptions.  The result has been one political surprise after another and the election of the two most unsatisfactory presidents, in the minds of many voters, since Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan in the 1850s.

The flawed data have been apparent for some years, since a June 9, 2016, column by the New York Times election analyst Nate Cohn.  As he recently reprised in a Twitter thread, his argument was that there are more noncollege white people in the electorate than most analysts, relying on exit polls, believed.

There are links and other data at the original aarticle.

The point is, the political experts don't know the data.  As a result, they are chasing what they think are the voters, but are n0t really the voters.  The entire short article is well worth reading.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

A New Party?

For John, BLUF:  The two primary parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are such a shambles that folks are always being tempted to form a new, clean, respectable, third party.  It workeed once, in 1854, when the Republican Party was formed.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Andrew Yang says he officially left the Democratic Party

From Axios, by Reporter Oriana Gonzalez, 4 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

Andrew Yang announced on Monday that he changed his voter registration from "Democrat" to "Independent," calling the move a "strangely emotional experience."

What he's saying: While Yang said he has identified as a Democrat for years and has "dozens of friends and confidantes who are entrenched in the Democratic Party," he is "confident that no longer being a Democrat is the right thing."

• "My goal is to do as much as I can to advance our society. There are phenomenal public servants doing great work every day — but our system is stuck. It is stuck in part because polarization is getting worse than ever," Yang said.
• He said he has always been at odds with the Democratic Party: "I’m not very ideological. I’m practical. Making partisan arguments — particularly expressing what I often see as performative sentiment — is sometimes uncomfortable for me."
• "I’m actually more comfortable trying to fix the system than being a part of it."

The big picture: Yang's announcement comes a day before his book, "Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy," is set to be released.

I think the odds are against a third party at this time, but Mr Yang is a surprising character and he might be able to pull this off, especially given that the Democratic Party has lurched so far to its Progressive side that it has thrown some of its active legislators off to the side.

We will see how Mr Yang does in his race for Mayor of New York City.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Take That, Texas!

For John, BLUF:  there are positive reasons for doing things.  Doing it for spite is not a positive reason.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Pandemic-Era Voting Reforms Made Permanent In Senate Bill

From State House News Service, by Reporter Chris Lisinski, 30 September 2021, 4:38 PM.

Here is the lede:

Just more than two months before COVID-era voting provisions are set to expire, the Senate will debate an elections reform bill next week that would make mail-in voting and expanded early voting permanent options and align Massachusetts with more than 20 other states that allow same-day voter registration, a change that might meet resistance from the governor.

I found this interesting extract at MASSterList:

Senate leadership unveiled the bill last week, heralding it as a way to push back against more restrictive laws passed in other parts of the country.

"Take that, Texas!"  Massachusetts will make its voting a little less secure just to spite you.

I would be a lot more impressed with Beacon Hill if they passed an ID to Vote bill.  Yes, we should make voting easy for our Citizen, but 3we should be sure the voters are Citizens.♠ 

Hat tip to the MASSterLisgt.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  An example of what we should be doing is providing convenient polling places.  For exapple, Lowell's District 4, the Bow Tie district, because of configurtion, could use three polling locations, at least one north of the Merrimack River.

Violence Against Politicians

For John, BLUF:  Is AntiFa a global organization, like Communism, or is it a bunch of individual organiations, each doing its own thing?  In other worse, does the AntiFa in Portland pretty much agree wiht the AntiFa in Germany?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Far-Left Antifa Extremists Threaten to Kill 53 Populist German Politicians

Here is the sub-headline:

Antifa far-left extremists have called for the murder of 53 members of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), publishing their home addresses on a well-known far-left web platform.

from Breitbaart, by Reporter Chris Tomlinson, 2 October 2021.

Here is the lede plus two:

The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) confirmed the existence of the posts, which were made on Indymedia, the far-left web platform which has been used in the past to post credit for far-left attacks and other calls for violence against the AfD.

The BKA confirmed to German magazine Focus that several posts made on September 13th had called for violence against the populist party, with one saying: “Let’s kill the AfD pigs with explosives.”

A Google search cache seen by Breitbart London confirms the existence of the posts on Indymedia, but the articles have been either deleted or moved, as a message states “access denied” when attempting to view the page.

I know the Democrats lost the Congressional Baseball Game this year, a charity event, but this seems like a bit of an extreme reaction.

Mr James Hodgkinson, of Belleville, Illinois, the shooter on 14 June 2017, was a one off.♠  That said, it is the worst act of terrorism against Congress since the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party shot up Congress on 1 March 1954, wounding five CongressCritters.

Isn't it time for Progressives to come out and condemn this kind of AntiFa talk?  Killing Politicians is not necessarily a value free action.  Others will likely be hurt.  Are we so obsessed with the "right" that we see it as a free fire zone?  I hope not. Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  It is interesting to me that the vaunted Wikipedia does not hve an entry for Mr Hodgkinson, although they do mention him in their entry for the Congressional Baseball shooting itself.  Why?  I wonder.  Is it because Mr Hodgkinson was a "Bernie Bro"?  Is it because it flows counter to the theme that the problem is terrorism on the right?

A Red Flag

For John, BLUF:  We, as a nation, are filing in our efforts to have our People vaccinated against COVID-19.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

First Workers, Now Blacks:  Democrats’ Betrayals For Big Business Are Piling Up, But Can Republicans Seize It?

Here is the sub-headline:

Now roughly 72 percent of black New York City residents aged 18-44 are banned -- banned -- from entering dining establishments.

From The Federalist, by Christopher Bedford, 1 October 2021.

Picking up on the subheadline:

At a practical level, fighting the virus, I can almost imagine the value of the mandate, except it suggests an underlying problem.  Our Federal Government is not able to sell the solution.  Over the last year and a half they have squandered their reputation.

Worse, the President is a cranky old man who will not tolerate anyone thinking differently from him.  That is not just a bad personality trait. It will work against the success of our Democracy.

And, quoting The Federalist, “Now roughly 72 percent of black New York City residents aged 18-44 are banned -- banned -- from entering dining establishments.”  That sounds like a problem unsolved.  Why are we unable to reach out to our Black Brothers and Sisters and help them see value in Vaccinations?  Or, are the Unvaccinated right and we are wrong and the Vax is bad and we are stupid.  If it was 32% it would be one thing, but it is 72% who haven’t had the jab.  This should be a big red flag and should be causing the Federal Government to rethink its approach.  Alas, ’tint happening.  I think the House Speaker is just as stubborn as the President.  Stubborn leaders are not leaders.  They are dictators..

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff