Don't give to the Red Cross

That's the gist of this series of tweets from Pro Publica.  I scrolled through some of their feed and, boy, they do not like the Red Cross.

I vaguely remembered that the Red Cross was accused of driving trucks around in circles after Hurricane Sandy just for visibility purposes.  Found that story.

The NY Times wins!

Hit and Run: "Decision Dismissing Sarah Palin's Libel Suit Is an Embarrassment to the Times - The ruling shows how carelessly the paper peddled nonsense about Republican rhetoric and mass murder."

Although it seems correct as a matter of law, the decision should not be interpreted as a vindication of the Times. To the contrary, the details described in U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff's ruling highlight the journalistic malpractice, magical thinking, and blinkered tribalism that led to this stupid and embarrassing mistake.

As far as I can tell, the judge's ruling was that because the Times said "oopsie!" relatively quickly, there wasn't actual malice.  One can't help to wonder if the subject of attack had been a non-Republican, the editorial staff would have taken an extra 30 seconds to consult Google.

Related - The Newseum is going under.  Good.

Virtue signaling is a hell of a drug

Hot Air: "‘Free Speech Comedy Show’ Canceled After Venue’s Locks Smashed."

Et, tu, Canada?  Land of tolerance and apology?

I've heard this song before

Legal Insurrection: "Obamacare Causes New York’s Largest Hospital Network to Leave Insurance Market" - “It has become increasingly clear that continuing the CareConnect health plan is financially unsustainable.”

Nothingburger on stilts

Is collusion with Russia back in vogue already?  The NY Times, naturally, spilled a thousand useless words to tell us everything that Trump didn't do: "Democrats' Russia story hits another dead end."  "A Russian immigrant who didn’t work for Trump had a vision of making Donald Trump look good (and making himself a lot of money) via a business deal with the Russians, which Trump’s people never followed up on. It’s like a joke with no punch line."

If it's a day ending in a "y", time to fire someone

Hot Air: "Report: Trump “Livid” With Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson."

I never thought Rex Tillerson would last very long: as the former CEO of Exxon, this captain of industry is the very epitome of discipline and goal-oriented management.  His boss, not so much.  Tillerson won't stick around to be insulted by the likes of Trump for a six-figure salary.

Shut up, they explained. Part 1002 - Boston Bugaloo

Andrew Sullivan wrote this: "The Boston Rally Exposed the Left’s Intolerance of Free Speech."  "If their intent was to prove how parts of the left and Boston’s mayor and police department now oppose freedom of speech if they disagree with it, well, they succeeded beyond their wildest imagination."

Let's all be victims!

Hot Air: "Is ‘Identity Liberalism’ Killing The Democratic Party?"  I might have to get Mark Lilla's book.

Newspaper defends First Amendment

Hot Air: "After Months Of Op-Eds Questioning Free Speech, NY Times Publishes A Solid Defense."

Note that this wasn't on the famously dumb editorial page, but in the Book Review.

Western Massachusetts update

The winner of the three-quarters of a billion dollar Powerball jackpot bought her ticket in Chicopee, which is two towns over from me.  So close...so close.

Good for her but, man, she came out to claim her prize awfully quick, clearly before talking to a lawyer, a financial adviser, or security specialists.

You know what you did!

Free Beacon: "USC’s Mascot Criticized for Having Name Similar to Robert E. Lee’s Horse."

Shut up, they explained - Part: I lost count

This gem appeared in the Washington "Democracy Dies in Darkness" Post.  The author is a kook professor from Skidmore College: "When ‘free speech’ becomes a political weapon - Maybe liberals shouldn't be free-speech absolutists after all."

Why does this urge to stifle First Amendment rights always - always - come from the Left?  The easy answer is that they suck at debating so they want to shut down conversation.  I think another explanation is that it's a cheap way to assert power among those who have none.  All you need to do is be offended and now you can claim the power of censorship, like a real dictator.

Extra - From Ace.

More - And Twitchy.  "Democracy dies from dumbasses."

Big fat phony Joss Whedon

I dislike Joss Whedon who wasted no time after Trump's election crying or throwing a hissy-fit or whatever un-masculine kind of action verb you'd like to use.  At the time he was upset about Betsy DeVos who was "declaring a war on children."  Well, not Joss Whedon's children who are safely cloistered in private school.

Imagine my delight that the super-feminist told his now-ex-wife that, gosh darn it, he loves women so much he just couldn't help but have a bunch of affairs.  Ace: "Shock: Superfeminist Walking Pussyhat Joss Whedon Was Cheating on His Wife With Adoring Female Fans, Ex-Wife Says in Blogpost."

Don't worry folks: at least his private jet runs on the green energy of refined condescension.

Boston today

I really like this sign:

Hat tip: This Reddit thread.

Never let a crisis go to waste

Writing in the NY Times (naturally) a UCLA professor says it's time for the government to put some curbs on free speech.  Charles C.W. Cooke agrees: "Yes, let's rethink free speech."

The United States did not fight two global conflicts and a bloody civil war to permit the Bill of Rights to flourish. Nor did countless Americans expend their time, blood, and energy to allow unpopular people to speak without the vigorous superintendence of whoever temporarily commands the public’s support. On the contrary: Those battles were fought for one reason, and one reason only: To permit Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump to shape our society as they in their eternal prudence see fit. If that dream is finally to be realized, the ACLU must dismount its high horse and get the hell out of the way.

Emphasis added.  I'm sold on this argument: since Republicans control all levels of the government, it's time to put some constraints on this harmful rhetoric of the Left.  For the public good.

Triggered in NYC

Shot: "How To Know You’re In a Mass Hysteria Bubble."

Chaser: "MTA will remake tiles that look like Confederate flags in station."

So much for those cooler heads

It's come to this: "John Henry says Red Sox will lead effort to change name of Yawkey Way."  Because he was a big racist.

Let's not stop there, though: "Rename Faneuil Hall? That's the request of one Boston coalition."

Can cooler heads prevail in Boston?

Hot Air: "Boston Approves Permit For ‘Free Speech’ Rally."  Here's what the organizers said on their Facebook page:

While we maintain that every individual is entitled to their freedom of speech and defend that basic human right, we will not be offering our platform to racism or bigotry. We denounce the politics of supremacy and violence. We denounce the actions, activities, and tactics of the so-called Antifa movement. We denounce the normalization of political violence…

We are a coalition of libertarians, progressives, conservatives, and independents and we welcome all individuals and organizations from any political affiliations that are willing to peaceably engage in open dialogue about the threats to, and importance of, free speech and civil liberties.

Boston mayor Marty Walsh had been trying to block the rally but now he's appealing for calm and reason.  Maybe we can talk to each other instead of yelling past each other.

Save free expression

Katherine Mangu-Ward on Hit and Run: "'No Free Speech for Fascists' Is a Truly Terrible Idea - The ACLU is right: Do you really want Donald Trump deciding who gets free speech?"  Don't cut down the forest to get to the Devil.

It's an explanation of sorts

John Podhoretz: "Explaining Trump's Charlottesville behavior."

There's a scene in Annie Hall where Alvy Singer is recalling his elementary school classmates and one Ivan Ackerman: "Always the wrong answer...always."  That's how I feel every time Trump says or tweets something: it's always wrong or at least tone-deaf then you smack yourself in the head in frustration and disbelief.

Identity politics killed the Left

I think I know a Columbia humanities professor who is going to be shunned at the next faculty mixer.  In this great article in the Wall Street Journal, Mark Lilia explains how liberals have lost a sense of common cause: "The Liberal Crackup - Liberals should reject the divisive, zero-sum politics of identity and find their way back to a unifying vision of the common good."

As a teacher, I am increasingly struck by a difference between my conservative and progressive students. Contrary to the stereotype, the conservatives are far more likely to connect their engagements to a set of political ideas and principles. Young people on the left are much more inclined to say that they are engaged in politics as an X, concerned about other Xs and those issues touching on X-ness. And they are less and less comfortable with debate.

What does this bifurcation and compartmentalization mean for the political Left?  There is no call to collective action:

Every advance of liberal identity consciousness has marked a retreat of liberal political consciousness. There can be no liberal politics without a sense of We—of what we are as citizens and what we owe each other. If liberals hope ever to recapture America’s imagination and become a dominant force across the country, it will not be enough to beat the Republicans at flattering the vanity of the mythical Joe Sixpack. They must offer a vision of our common destiny based on one thing that all Americans, of every background, share.

Wrapping up, Professor Lilia writes: "Black Lives Matter is a textbook example of how not to build solidarity."  Uh-oh.

This is so sweet, so very sweet

Via Twitchy:

The New York Times is claiming the Palin case should be dismissed because it is unreasonable to assume the Editors read the New York Times. https://t.co/QyuRd9HFmd

— Lee Doren (@LDoren) August 10, 2017

"Bill shared these great tips to help my backswing"

Washington Free Beacon: "Justice Officials Sent Talking Points to FBI on Lynch Tarmac Meeting With Bill Clinton - Flurry of emails between Justice, FBI and White House came just days before Comey cleared Hillary Clinton in email scandal."

The golf tips were heavily redacted, of course.

A founding member of OPEC

Even with depressed oil prices, how can an oil-rich country go flat broke?  It ran out of other people's money.

The Paper of Record

WashPost: "New York Times guilty of large screw-up on climate-change story."  "That correction, which sits at the foot of the story, dutifully straightens out the record. Yet given the magnitude of the screw-up, it should sit atop the story, surrounded by red flashing lights and perhaps an audio track to instruct readers: Warning: This story once peddled a faulty and damaging premise."

You'll be surprised to learn that the premise the New York Times promoted just happened to fit the narrative that Trump's Administration was suppressing information on climate change.

Because everything is political now

Want to watch a football game?  Tough nuts.  Hot Air: "Skip Bayless: If Black NFL Players Sat Out Week One To Protest Colin Kaepernick’s Treatment, It Would Really Have An Impact."

Do it.  It worked out gangbusters for the University of Missouri.

Doubleplusungoodthoughtcrime

Ace: "Evil Monopoly Google Fires Engineer for Questioning Monopoly's Ideological Conformity."

Google: "We support diversity here!"
Rogue employee: "I have a contrary thought."
Google: "Not ideological diversity.  Pack your stuff, Hitler."

The nuthouse of North Korea

Hit and Run: "Americans Increasingly Open to War With North Korea, Even As Distrust of Trump Hits Record Highs."  What?  OMG.

The Atlantic magazine (which I recently badmouthed for their Trump obsession) actually had a really good cover story about how the options to deal with North Korea are all bad.

People who don't watch football vow to not watch football

MSN Sports: "Fans launch petition to boycott NFL if Kaepernick remains unsigned."

A group of fans who believe Colin Kaepernick is being blackballed by the NFL have launched a petition threatening to boycott the league if he isn't signed to a roster this season.
The Change.org petition, titled #NoKaepernickNoNFL, has received more than 31,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.

We'll miss you hippies.  Years ago, I bet a co-worker that the NFL would never allow Michael Vick to play after what he did to those dogs.  This guy's rationale was that Vick was good enough that teams would overlook his transgressions.  (He won a Coke).  Maybe Vick got a second chance because he was willing to put his past behind him for a bigger goal.  I sense that the NFL teams think that Colin can't give himself over to the team.

Culture is crazy

I laughed at this Imgur post: "The hotel I'm staying at in Brazil has a remote that comes with an immediate soccer-watching button."

This option was enjoyed by the Germans in 2014.

It's "satire"

The Onion: "76 Million Baby Boomers Abscond To Fiji After Draining Nation’s Social Security, Medicare Accounts."

According to sources, the entirety of Medicare and Social Security was slowly siphoned off as the post-war generation built trust by assuring the other 240 million Americans that they would collect their share eventually. However, since decamping, observers say the baby boomers have spent the funds on opulent lifestyles in the tropics where they intend to live out the rest of their days relaxing in comfort, all at the expense of the children and grandchildren they reportedly claimed to be concerned about.

Ha ha ha (sob).

I *love* it when liberals have to play by their own rules

Splinter: "Slate's Biggest Enemies Are Donald Trump and Its Staff Trying to Unionize."

Slate has been a solidly liberal voice online for the past two decades. So when its staff decided to form a union earlier this year, they didn’t expect a drawn-out labor fight. Yet Slate management has put up stiff resistance to the effort for months, using rhetoric that anyone familiar with attempts to weaken organized labor will recognize. 

The site’s management declined to voluntarily recognize a union in March, after more than 90 percent of editorial staff signed cards signaling their intent to join the Writers Guild of America-East. Higher-ups, including the site’s editor-in-chief and the company’s chairman, have since tried to dissuade them from unionizing at all, according to internal emails obtained by Splinter.

It's almost like they're comfortable telling everybody else how to run their business.

Trump's in Barney...Barney Rubble...TROUBLE!

Fox News: "Mueller reportedly impanels grand jury in Russia probe."

Hot Air thinks that since Mueller has crossed the "red line" into investigating finances, Trump might fire him.  And then there's another rumor, probably true, that Mueller want to know more about Trump "I love it!" Jr's meeting with the Russian lawyer.

I don't know.  Since it's obvious that nothing stays secret in Washington, it seems unlikely to me that the hottest, juiciest, most Presidency-ending gossip would not have leaked out by now.

Lock 'em up!

Daily Caller: "Liberal Writer Questions Whether White Men Should Be Allowed To Vote."

This low-wattage article elides one fact why this scenario would never happen: then white men would be the victims.

Update: Appears to be a hoax.  A damn plausible one, IMO.

Another Obamacare success story

Hot Air: "Molina Healthcare Pulling Out Of Two States, Raising Premiums 55% In Remaining States."

It was all going so well for Molina until it wasn’t. Now the low-cost provider is cutting staff, pulling out of at least two states and jacking up premiums by 55% in the remainder. Even without the possibility of cost-sharing reduction payments being cut off by the Trump administration, Molina would still be requesting a 30% increase in premiums. There’s no way to spin that as a success story.

I'm starting to think we're never going to see that $2500 in savings.

It's not a law, it's a notion

Hit and Run: "By Propping Up Obamacare With Illegal Payments, Trump Is Eroding the Rule of Law
- The president is using unconstitutional insurer subsidies as negotiating leverage."  What's the point of having a "law" if the executive branch can just ignore statutory deadlines and spend money at will?