The Year 2022 in Review

From arguably the best channel on all of Youtube: Ordinary Things.  Let's all look back on a year of uprisings from Sri Lanka to China to Iran.  Also, I finally learned who Andrew Tate is.

Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone and see you in 2023!

Um, yeah, don't be a Viking

I'm just finishing up "Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings," an excellent book about the rise and fall of the Vikings.

So imagine my surprise to see this opinion piece: "Viking virtues can help defeat woke enemies of America."

Uh, yeah, so about that.  There's been a fair amount of favorable fictionalization of the Vikings both in television and in professional sports.  And, yes, they were ahead of their time in naval technology and exploration.  But they were bad.  Any kind of atrocity you could assign to an invading military force was committed by the Vikings including - ahem - "contributing to the DNA" of England and Ireland.  For hundreds of years, they either pillaged and killed or took a sizable ransom to go away.

Fun fact to balance off this heavy post: Viking helmets did not have horns.  Just a complete myth.

Oh, we know the (D)ifference

NY Post: "George Santos takes the cake, but why does Joe Biden get a pass for his lies?"

Related - American Spectator: "Release Pelosi’s Tax Returns."  

Today's top headline

NY Post: "Biden signs $1.7T spending bill after it’s flown 1,500 miles to St. Croix." 

This should buy us a day without climate change sermonizing. 

Electric slide

Reason: "Free Market Think Tank Names Georgia Electric Vehicle Plant the 'Worst Economic Development Deal of 2022' - Rivian, an electric truck manufacturer that hopes to compete with Tesla, received a lucrative deal to build a new factory in Georgia despite concerns about its finances."

Check out the hysterical xenophobe

Red State: "Joe Biden's Words Come Back to Bite Him as U.S. Ramps up Travel Restrictions on China."

Fix the border

Hot Air: "Supreme Court leaves Title 42 in place for now and Gorsuch is right."

Gorsuch is the ghost of Antonin Scalia here, who firmly believed that the Supreme Court was not some kind of "super-legislative" branch when Congress wouldn't do its job.  Better to keep shipping illegals to Democrat cities until they care about the border. 

Extra - The Corner: "Neil Gorsuch Gets It Right on Title 42." - "Those who argue that the Supreme Court should serve as a policy-making arm of the Right are adopting the same philosophy that they decried when liberals were doing it."  Yup.

Back to the bunker

Fox News: "Biden has granted only seven formal sit-down interviews with journalists in 2022 - Joe and Jill Biden's most recent interview was with Drew Barrymore."

Yes, that was a hard-hitting interview, complete with a round of "The Newlywed Game."

Over the past five days, Biden has spent 40 minutes at a children's hospital and now he's on vacation again. 

The minimum wage is zero

Fox Business: "McDonald's unveils first automated location, social media worried it will cut 'millions' of jobs."

Covid had a role in this.  The other day, I ordered from Dunkin' Donuts on my phone and picked it up on the way to work.  Human interaction was nil. 

Maybe try a pro-American movie with a strong male lead

Just spitballing here, Hollywood.  Breitbart: "Hollywood Lost More Than $500 Billion in Market Value in 2022." 

Merry Christmas, everyone

Shut up, they explained

Reason: "5 Infuriating Ways People Got the First Amendment Wrong in 2022 - As free speech becomes an increasingly important part of the culture war, people won't stop misinterpreting—and outright violating—the First Amendment."

Joe doesn't remember what he said yesterday

Not the Bee: "President Biden laments our politics have "gotten so angry, so mean" and I'm sure it's because of all you semi-fascist domestic extremists." 

Well, that's good news

THE HOES ARE STILL ALIVE pic.twitter.com/EN5I88wOwt

— erin alyce (@herooine) December 20, 2022

Gulp

Marketwatch: "FTX co-founder Gary Wang, ex-Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison plead guilty to federal charges." 

Can't believe "do not come" didn't work

Hot Air: "Kamala jumps on the bandwagon as she blames Republicans for the Biden border crisis."

Honestly, though, what else is she going to say?  The only solution is to keep sending busloads of illegals to New York City and Washington D.C.

Extra - NY Post editorial: "Mayor Eric Adams is 100% correct: New York’s migrant nightmare CAN’T continue." 

Plausible!

Babylon Bee: "Musk Hides 5 Golden Tickets In Teslas To Find One Worthy Of Taking Over Twitter." 

Mystery in Amherst remains unsolved

College Fix: "Here are 14 times campus hate crimes turned out to be hoaxes in 2022."

This gives me the opportunity to remind everybody about the terrible hate crime that occurred at the University of Massachusetts in September 2021, a crime that remains unsolved to this day.

At the time, it made national news: "UMass Investigating 'Blatantly Racist' Emails Sent To Black Student Organizations" and Umass officials sprang into action:

Dear Campus Community,

The anti-Black racist incidents that have occurred on our campus this semester, described in an email from Vice Chancellor Nefertiti Walker last week, are contemptible and cowardly. We will not be intimidated by the hateful acts of craven individuals who hide in anonymity. We stand with our students who have been victimized, and we will continually strive for a more equitable community grounded in the principles of dignity and respect.

I want to share with you today that we have secured the services of Stroz Friedberg Digital Forensics, a leading national firm in cyber security, to assist us in our investigation of the source of the racist emails that were sent to members of Black student organizations.

Emphasis in original.  Unfortunately, after spending what I assume was thousands of taxpayer funds to track down the perpetrators of this hate crime that definitely happened, nobody has ever been caught.  And if memory serves, Umass hired a different forensic group to find the perpetrators but no dice.

This leads to three potential conclusions: 1) the hate mail senders effectively hid their identity by using VPNs and spoofing Eastern European servers or something, 2) the investigators never found any evidence that the emails were sent at all or 3) they found the emails were sent by somebody in the Umass community.

The fact that this once-national story has been allowed to quietly fade away without any follow-up from the Umass front office says a lot.

The green scam

American Institute for Economic Research: "Green Energy is the Modern “Broken Window”."

Oh, now it's a problem

Fox News: "Eric Adams warns of NYC service cuts to prioritize migrants as Title 42 expires: 'This can't continue'."

Adams asserted that "New York City has managed this crisis entirely on its own," and the city's requests from the state and federal government for funding and other assistance "have been mostly ignored." 

I forget: who are the state and federal authorities that can provide funding to New York?  You should name and shame them, Mayor Adams.

Extra - Legal Insurrection: "El Paso Border Patrol Facility Over Capacity as Agents Feel ‘Completely Defeated’ Days Before Title 42 Expires." 

Reminder: Joe Biden has never visited the southern border.

The Left hates free speech, continued

Daily Caller: "‘Take Aim’: Adam Schiff Threatens Big Tech Unless They Censor More Content." 

I'm not even mad, that was amazing

The Other McCain: "The dumbest play in NFL history." 

I thought I'd seen in all in the NFL. 

Makin' stuff up...again

Red State: "Biden Makes up a Story About Awarding a Purple Heart, and It Gets Much Worse From There."

If we had a real press, he’d be lambasted for it, but we don’t so we get shrugs at what has become a continual stream of blatant lies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a president (certainly not in my lifetime) who makes up so many personal stories, and you’d never know it without following conservative accounts on social media because none of the legacy outlets are going to tell you. They’re too busy quizzing Biden on what his favorite flavor of ice cream is.

This is entirely true: Biden has to work in a family story into every speech.  Half the time it's some made-up story and 100% of the time, it's a tiresome trope to feign relatability. 

Tell us again about how you had a discussion around the kitchen table every time the price of gas went up a nickel, Joey.

This is genius

Hey big spender

Reason: "November's $249 Billion Federal Budget Deficit Set a Record. Now, Congress Is Preparing To Spend Even More."  

Go build your own Twitter

Federalist: "The Left-Wing Journalists Elon Musk Suspended From Twitter Got What They Deserved." - "Hypocritical reporters who long thought of Twitter as their own personal fiefdom are getting a little comeuppance. Good."  

By all accounts, Musk is only imposing a temporary ban because these "journalists" doxxed his family.  This is somehow less of a threat than using the wrong pronouns. 

Update - Just like that: "Musk lifts Twitter suspensions of journalists: ‘People have spoken’."

The (Leftist) colleges hate free speech

NY Post: "After a 15-year decline, more colleges have become hostile to free speech." - "While it may come as no surprise at this point, a new analysis spotlights just how hostile to free speech our system of higher education has become — and it’s getting worse." 

Fulfill your obligations, California

Hot Air: "California "reparations" hearings go as you would expect."

Pay up, California.  Live up to your own standards.

Democracy dying in pinkslips

Shot: "WaPo busted for stealth-editing article after getting busted for lying about Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss."

Chaser: "Washington Post Announces Layoffs, and Coddled Socialist Staffers Do Not React Well."

Hangover: "WaPo Town Hall Goes Off the Rails As Publisher Refuses to Take Questions."

Learn to code.  

I don't mean to celebrate the loss of anybody's job but the modern American journalist is an amalgam of liberal insularity, smug self-importance, and marginal talent.  Not one of them blinked twice when they advocated for policies that affected the livelihood of the hardhat set.

The #1 streaming movie in America now

It's "Home Alone."  This always makes me laugh:

Guess who's coming home for Christmas!

Red State: "Crypto Fraud and Democrat Megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried Has Been Arrested in the Bahamas." 

"Bake me a cake" part 2

Reason: "A Likely Win for Free Speech."

Last week, the Supreme Court heard argument in 303 Creative v. Elenis, the latest wedding vendor case–this time concerning a web designer who does not wish to design sites for same-sex weddings. The wedding vendor cases typically present a conflict between free speech, including religiously-motivated speech, and equality in the marketplace for goods and services. Based on last week's argument, it seems the Court is ready to rule in favor of free speech this time...

The Masterpiece Cakeshop case was ruled on more narrow technical grounds than this case and the author notes: "The Court will have a hard time avoiding a broader ruling in 303 Creative—though some of the justices may try."  Sonia Sotomayor in particular will employ her usual practice of twisting the law to meet her personal beliefs.  Otherwise, from what I've read from the court transcripts, it seems like it's heading towards a solid victory for the First Amendment.

Good.

"It's OK because they're insured"

Moonbattery: "Shoplifting Drives Up Prices at Walmart"

This is insanity:

Just one month ago, the chief financial officer at Walmart’s biggest rival, Target, also revealed that shoplifting at its stores had jumped more than 50 percent year on year, leading to more than $400 million in losses in 2022 alone.

It's my belief that the future of retail is Amazon delivering everything to Amazon lockers.  Until then: "New York City store locks up Spam in plastic case amid crime spike."

The thoroughly revamped loss-prevention regime at the Port Authority Duane Reade has finally created something of beauty, a sort of Jeff Koons homage. pic.twitter.com/gtlpzY2l9G

— willy 🌜💧 (@willystaley) July 28, 2022

Somehow we survived the death of democracy in darkness

NY Magazine: "Just What Did the Times Walkout Change?"

Nothing and nobody cared.

They allow cellphones in classrooms?

NY Post: "50 shell-shocked teachers, staff flee chaotic Florida school district."

I read this article and couldn't believe they allow cellphones in classrooms.

The Left hates free speech, Twitter edition

Real Clear Politics: "Dem Attacks on Musk Prove Their Support for Free Speech Is Dead." - "When Elon Musk reached an agreement to acquire Twitter for $44 billion in October, the deal was met with a wave of outrage from the left. Democrats spanning the nation condemned the acquisition, claiming that it was “dangerous” for America. Now, we’re starting to figure out why."

The debate shifted from "it's a private company, they can do what they want!" to "we need to investigate Elon Musk and regulate Twitter" so fast, I got whiplash. 

Extra - Neo: "The Twitter files: leftism requires censorship." 

In the title of this post I wrote that leftism requires censorship. It cannot stand on its own and must stifle criticism or having its failures pointed out.

Censorship is the Left's go-to move. 

Accurate, so very accurate

Babylon Bee: "Disinformation Down 92% As NYT Writers Go On Strike." 

The Committee just wants to date her

Hot Air: "AOC under investigation by House Ethics Committee."  There will be no charges because you can't prove that America's dumbest Congressperson had criminal intent.  That would require brains. 

Kids in cages? What kids in cages?

Breitbart: "Joe Biden Can’t Find Time to Inspect Border After Vacationing 271 Days in 2 Years: ‘There Are More Important Things’."

It's true.  Joe Biden was very busy today doing...nothing:

Don't worry: he'll be heading off to Delaware tomorrow to rest up from a hard week of exactly one public event.

Democracy dies with white male shark experts

Fox News: "‘Shark Week’ blasted for ‘overwhelmingly’ featuring ‘White men' as shark experts in Washington Post report."

I was worried the mainstream media would beclown themselves again but they've earned a Pulitzer with this groundbreaking expose.

Trust in media running on empty

Shot: "How Corrupt is a Corrupt Media? - The media has ceased to exist, and the public plods on by assuming as true whatever the media suppresses and as false whatever the media covers."

Chaser: "Media Tailspin Continues As Trust Hits Record Lows: I&I/TIPP Poll."

We're merely three days away from the New York Times strike.  Will Joe Biden ask Congress to intervene to avoid this national disaster?  Democracy is dying in darkness!

Oh no

Don Surber: "Bidenomics leads to NYT strike." - "Barring some miracle, the staff of the New York Times will go on strike for 24 hours on Thursday. Its elitist readers may be denied their sanitized version of the world."

It's hard to believe that, when I was younger, I subscribed to the NY Times and Rolling Stone and the Atlantic.

These people are certifiably crazy

Fox News: "Mother frets her own daughter is 'bad for the earth' in Washington Post analysis piece - Environmentalist claimed having 'a single child' was right decision because of climate change." 

Confirming what we knew

NY Post: "Hunter Biden laptop bombshell: Twitter invented reason to censor Post’s reporting."

Once you adopt the position that censorship is justified against a political opponent, where does it stop?  Is it kosher for mail carriers to destroy mail-in ballots if they know the political leaning of the voter?  How about shutting down Fox News?

Scratch a liberal and find a tyrant.

Shockingly accurate

Babylon Bee: "Man Reads Tweet He Disagrees With, Dies." 

Oh that's (D)ifferent

Hot Air: "Time: Denying election results legit is not election denying."

Red State: "Media Pounces on GOP After Inconvenient Truths About Hakeem Jeffries Are Pointed Out."

The media doesn't even try to hide its bias anymore.  Noted fascist Jamie Raskin will testify. 

What happens when you graduate at the bottom of your law school class

The Corner: "Thus Far, the Constitution Has Held Up Against President Biden’s Executive Despotism."

Since August, President Joe Biden, that ertswhile restorer of our norms, has: (1) issued an executive order that he knew full well was illegal; (2) altered that illegal executive order in an attempt to avoid judicial review; and (3) asked the courts to allow him to proceed with his illegal executive order, so that, by the time it is inevitably struck down, the case has been rendered moot.

"YOLO, let's see what unconstitutional overreach I can do before someone stops me" isn't much of a governing style.