Monday, February 28, 2022

Beach Report 2/28/22

Sunny, a little above 40, with a slight north wind. Not a bad way to bad way to end February
Not the best day for fossils, 10 teeth, a drums tooth, a crab claw and a somewhat mysterious bone.


The Oyster Shell Game

Three, count 'em, three articles about oyster shell in the Bay new today. The first two take opposite sides on the ever controversial proposal to dredge massive amounts of oyster shell from Man-o-War Shoals (and other sites in the upper Bay to obtain shell for oyster restoration projects. First in the Frederick News Post from Robert Newberry of Chestertown, Say yes to oyster shell dredging and recycling in the Chesapeake Bay

It has been more than 25 years of delays for final approval of a cost effective and environmentally sound initiative to help restore the bay’s natural oyster population. This dredging will not only enhance an ongoing rebound of the bay’s oyster population. It will also increase the capacity of the oyster population to naturally and effectively reduce the impact of pollution by filtering the waters of the bay.

The reasons for this delay on final approval of this initiative are simple and frustrating. It is the result of tyranny of the loud by some environmental organizations. They ignore the reality that professionals at government regulatory agencies (including the U.S. EPA and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources), as well as independent third-party research organizations, have reported there will not be adverse impacts from oyster shell dredging in the Man-O-War Shoal.

Despite these fact-based reports, some environmental groups oppose this initiative. Why have they consistently ignored these facts? Could it be that they rely on gloom-and-doom reports on the health of the bay to solicit contributions for a large staff, paid lobbyists, a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, extensive real estate holdings and monies in offshore bank accounts? Do they really have the best interests of the Bay as their true mission? We don’t know.

Second, taking the other side, at the Balmer Sun, Chris Dollar on the outdoors: Legislation to dredge Chesapeake Bay reefs a bad idea

Three years ago exactly to the day, I wrote that Maryland’s plan to excavate buried oyster shells from Man O War shoal, the largest remaining relic oyster reef in the upper Chesapeake, was short-sighted and ill-conceived. (Actually, I first wrote about efforts to allow dredging on Man O War at least twelve years ago).

Also in that 2019 column, I opined that there were things Governor Larry Hogan’s natural resource agency had done to earn my support, but strip-mining Man O War shoal wasn’t one of them. Not even close.

Fast-forward to the 2022 General Assembly session where a group of legislators have introduced a bill (H593) that, as currently written, would allow the state to strip-mine potentially many millions of bushels of oyster shell from dozens of other reefs in the Chesapeake Bay. These include popular fishing spots such as Belvedere Shoal, Tea Kettle, Seven Foot knoll, Gales Lumps, and Nine Foot Knoll.

Some supporters of the bill — and of this habitat-wrecking practice writ large — argue it would help accelerate efforts to reboot the state’s wild oyster fishery. To say I’m dubious is an insult to dubious. You cannot convince me that cutting massive swaths into established bay reefs, the number of which are so few as it is already, is not counter-intuitive to restoration best practices.

Moreover, strafing these oyster bars would likely accelerate the erosion of that bar’s natural relief, what I call its three-dimensionality. This key feature is what makes oyster reefs a magnet for crabs, rockfish, white perch, catfish, and spot — all of which attracts anglers.

Carving up places like Man O War Shoal or Belvedere Shoal could also negatively impact the commercial crab fleet, which routinely set pots near or on these prime areas. Disrupting critical fish and crab habitat could lead to fewer crabs caught, and those effects could be felt down the line by scores of seafood dealers and restaurants that cater to crab-loving (and -paying) customers. Is that worth the risk, given the challenges Maryland’s crab fishery already faces?

I'm inclined to oppose. The evidence that restoration efforts work on any reasonable economic scale is lacking. That might be because as soon as restored areas have enough oysters to make it work, waterman either come in and steal them at night, or DNR and the legislature permit them to be harvested. It's hard for a population increase in such a case. My solution, expressed many time here, would be a 5-10 moratorium on wild oyster harvest (permit and encourage aquaculture), and find out once and for all if oysters are really capable of thriving in the modern Chesapeake Bay.

And finally, if you do go with dredging shell, the good news is that there's more to take!  Tim Wheeler at the Bay Journal reports a Trove of oyster shells discovered in Potomac River. 

The “great shellfish bay,” as the Chesapeake was known in earlier times, now suffers a severe shortage of both oysters and their shells. Historically, Bay oysters grew on great reefs made of older shell, and those shells are now in demand both for aqua-culture and oyster restoration projects.

Nautical charts of the Potomac show about 30 “lumps” or knolls in a 10-mile stretch above the U.S. 301 bridge. That prompted speculation, as underwater hills in the Upper Bay mark one-time oyster reefs now smothered under thick layers of silt and sand.

Last summer, fisheries scientists sampled nearly half of the submerged knolls in the upper Potomac. They hit the jackpot, sort of. Every haul of the dredge came up full of shells — but no live oysters.

On that murky February morning, Springer, a waterman who oysters down-river, likewise struck paydirt when he dropped hand tongs over the side of his skiff where the GPS showed a lump.

“Hear that?” he said, as the tongs’ steel jaws produced clinking sounds from beneath the water. “There’s plenty of shell here.”

After repeated tries under tricky conditions, Springer finally pulled some aboard, festooned with bits of brown grass and encrusted with dead barnacles.

Chris Judy, shellfish division director for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, estimates that the 13 lumps he helped sample last summer contain 750,000 bushels of shell. If other lumps are similar, he said the total could be 1 million bushels.

The discovery of such an extensive shell deposit raises questions about how the river has changed over time. The water where the shells are located is practically fresh, with salinity levels that periodically dip too low for oysters to survive for long, much less reproduce. When did oysters flourish there, when did they die out, and why?

Probably when white men mostly cleared the forests  for tobacco and other crops, decreasing water use by trees, and increasing the erosion of sediment.

The Wombat has a double stuffed Rule 5 Double Scoop Sunday: W*ng D*ng Sw**t P**nt*ng running at The Other McCain.

Politics is Just One Damn Thing After Another

 A pretty big day to start the week.  Ashe Schow at Da Wire notices that Poll: Biden’s First Year In Office Was A Failure, Most Say. John Solomon at JTN, Ahead of State of Union, confidence in Biden plummets while GOP fortunes rise, "President’s approval falls to new low of 37%, poll finds." I think we're nearing a bottom; I would guess that most of those 37% can't be budged. But, as Jordan Boyd at Da Fed points out Biden’s Approval Sinks Further As Russia-Ukraine Crisis Heightens. Maybe that can do it. Breitbart has a Poll: Strong Majority Now Think Joe Biden Is Mentally Unfit to Serve, even Stuffinevelopes acknowledges it, Stephanopoulos: Majority of Americans ‘Question the President’s Mental Capacity. Greg Wilson at WaEx thinks Biden dooms Democrats as SOTU and midterm elections loom, new poll shows. At Da Blaze, Top po​llster​ for Democrats advises party to declare COVID crisis over because 'they risk paying dearly for it' in midterm elections , which is why they're running away from it. 'Pete Bog' at Aces explains Why Inflation Is Likely Here To Stay: Part 1. Thad McCotter at Am Great considers The Democratic Party: A Short-Term Prognosis "Politically, they have little choice but for their disparate factions to come together, stick with their progressive agenda, recast their communications, and hope to cut their losses." Don't get cocky, son. 

Emily Brooks at WaEx reports Donald Trump wins CPAC straw poll, with Ron DeSantis clear favorite alternative. Miranda Devine at NYPo, thinks It’s Lady and the Trump for 2024 presidential election "And, as preposterous as it sounds, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs. Hillary Clinton is the matchup to watch, according to former Democratic strategist Dick Morris." Both engender the same revulsion among Republicans and independents as Trump does among Democrats and independents. At the Guardian, Republicans fear Michelle Obama presidential run, ex-Trump aide says. I think she's too content to be the queen in exile. The Peacock screeches There are signs Republicans want to move on from 2020. Trump may not allow it. Ed Erler at Am Great, Why They Can’t Make Trump Go Away "Post-mortem of a failed hit." It may have failed, but it wounded him.

At Mediaite, Bill Barr Reportedly Burns His Bridges in Scathing Tell All, Sounds Off on Trump’s ‘Erratic Personal Behavior’ and Blames Him for Jan. 6. Virginia Kruta at Da Wire, Bill Barr’s Book Torches Trump, Blames Him For January 6. WSJ (cited at Haut Hair), Bill Barr: The election wasn't rigged and it's time to move on from Trump. He asked the DOJ and they told him it wasn't. I don't trust them. Althouse reads the WSJ, "Former Attorney General William Barr writes in a new book that former President Donald Trump has 'shown he has neither the temperament nor persuasive powers to provide the kind of positive leadership that is needed'..."

A 600-page book called "One Damn Thing After Another"? It sounds like a caption for a New Yorker cartoon. But it's really perfect, isn't it? This isn't a book to be read — what political book is? — but a thing to wave around as the author/"author" appears on TV. Steel yourself for Barr appearances on shows advising Republics to pick someone less old and less divisive than Trump. Or just don't watch the shows. That's my approach.

Bob is an old establishment Republican, and Trump taking the party away from them was an offense. His complaint has a grain of truth, but only a grain. At News Busters, Vox Mourns 'Imperiled' New York Investigation of Trump "Vox senior politics correspondent Andrew Prokop is rather upset. Why? Because as he wrote, "Donald Trump may be about to escape legal peril yet again." Trump must be the cleanest businessman/politician in the world to have evaded the witch hunt so far. 

Front Page, Beating Republicans By Disqualifying Them, "Democrats look to Iran and Barack Obama for how to deal with their opponents." At Independence Inst, Can pro-Trump congressmen be disqualified as ‘insurrectionists?’, Renee Parsons at Am Think, Democrats are using the 14th Amendment to threaten Republican candidates. It won't pass legal muster, but it doesn't need to, it's designed as a smear campaign. Paul Bradford at Am Great  considers The Fantasy of Anti-Democratic Threats, "The elite rhetoric about “democracy” is just a ploy to dupe middle Americans into accepting permanent leftist rule."

Also at Am Great the redoubtable Julie Kelly reports on the sad case of The Suicide of a January 6 Defendant: ‘They Broke Him’ "Matthew Perna was failed by the country he loved."

Matthew Perna did nothing wrong on January 6, 2021.

The Pennsylvania man walked through an open door on the Senate side of the building shortly before 3 p.m. that afternoon. Capitol police, shown in surveillance video, stood by as hundreds of Americans entered the Capitol. Wearing a “Make America Great Again” sweatshirt, Perna, 37, left after about 20 minutes.

Less than two weeks later, Perna was ensnared in what the former top U.S. prosecutor called a “shock and awe” campaign to round up Trump supporters and deter them from demonstrating at Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. After he discovered his image on the FBI’s most wanted list for January 6, Perna immediately contacted his local FBI office and voluntarily submitted to questioning; on January 18, six FBI agents arrested Perna at his home.

His life from that point turned into a nightmare. Perna was indicted by a grand jury in February 2021 on four counts including obstruction of an official proceeding and trespassing misdemeanors. Despite his nonviolent participation in the events of that day—he did not assault anyone, carry a weapon, or vandalize property—Biden’s Justice Department and local news media nonetheless made his life pure hell.

Whenever his hometown paper, the Sharon Herald, published an article on its social media account about Perna, the majority of replies were “horrible and brutal,” his aunt, Geri Perna, told me on the phone Sunday. After more than a year of legal and public torture, Perna saw no way out.

On Friday night, Matthew Perna hung himself in his garage.

Dustin Siggins at Haut Hair (what, a new writer?) says Youngkin put constituents ahead of politics on mask mandate policy. Phil Klein at NR, CDC Discovers New Masking Science Right in Time for Biden’s State of the Union Breaking911@Breaking911 "NEW: Congress drops mask mandate ahead of Biden’s State of The Union speech on Tuesday “Mask wear is now an individual choice option,” the Capitol Attending Physician said." At ET, CDC Drastically Alters Key Measure That Influences Mask Mandates Across US "The dramatic switch comes because the CDC switched from only using COVID-19 cases as a factor and are taking into account other metrics, including hospitalizations." Twitchy, Christina Pushaw adds ironic context to NY Gov. Kathy Hochul’s tweet about evaluating CDC’s new mask guidance "You tweeted this from Florida, where kids can breathe freely." At NYPo, Adams to scrap NYC vaccine passports, school mask rules barring spike in cases. But, keeping the crisis in Ukraine in mind, Federal Government Warns Americans to Mask, Social Distance While Sheltering From Nuclear Explosions. Stacey Lennox at PJ Media, Democrats Will Try to Retcon Their Response to COVID-19 With a New Narrative–Don't Let Them. Sundance at CTH, It Always Starts With a Cultural Shift – The Totalitarian Left Begin Backing Toward the COVID Exits, which like Andrea Widburg at Am Think, features MUST-SEE VIDEO: SNL shows the Democrats are running from COVID.


From Leslie Eastman at LI, CDC Quietly Revises Booster Recommendations for Young Men, "CDC recommends males ages 12- to 39-years-old wait eight weeks between the first and second doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines to “decrease the small, but potential risk of myocarditis.” Yes, the second doses should have been spaced further apart, but fear of declining immunity overcame the science. Jim Dillon at Am Think on California versus Free Speech on COVID. You can't speak freely! This is an emergency!

At  PM, a Survey: 84 percent of voters believe parents should be allowed to see children's curriculum plans, "According to the survey, 68 percent believe most public schools have lowered standards rather than demanding more from students." Michael Ginsberg at Da Caller, Texas Teachers Unions Spend Big In Republican Primaries For State Legislature, mostly to defend CRT and the gender nonsense they promulgate. Michael Cutler at Front Page, Critical Thinking Must Replace Critical Race Theory. James Macpherson at Spectator AU wonders Will ‘woke’ survive the war? Once can always hope not, but 
It’s early days, of course, but so far, the West’s mythical land of prancing unicorns looks bulletproof.

Even as rockets rained down on Ukraine, Western elites worried about how the war would affect LGBTQ people, as if Putin might have developed queer-seeking missiles.

Others voiced concern that grandparents huddled in bomb shelters beneath the pockmarked streets of Kiev might not be social distancing.

The New York Times lamented that few of the Ukrainians fleeing for their lives were wearing masks. They probably weren’t triple-boosted either. And God forbid any of them were shot dead without first using a QR-code to check out.

Meanwhile, former US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed dismay at what he called the ‘emissions consequences’ of war in Europe. He would presumably be far more comfortable with the Russian invasion had their tanks first met strict European emission standards.

Kerry said he hoped Vladimir Putin would ‘stay on track’ with fighting climate change while fighting the Ukrainians. We can only hope the Russian army will sort the plastics from the metal bomb casings when they get around to removing corpses from the battlefield.

Politico (cited at Haut Hair, because their play book isn't permanent), considers The politics of the Jackson pick. Politic? I'm shocked, shocked. KT at Haut Hair citea Clyburn: Ketanji Brown Jackson must receive bipartisan vote in pursuit of a more perfect union. I think the time for that is past. They'll be enough defectors to make it a safe vote, but no more. From Da Caller, Sen. Klobuchar Pushes Back On Claims That Biden’s SCOTUS Nominee Is ‘Far Left’ ‘I Find Those Words Offensive’. When was the last time a Democrat called a Republican nominee Far Right? Oh yeah. And RNC CHAIR MCDANIEL: Ketanji Brown Jackson Will Rubber-Stamp Biden’s Far-Left Agenda. Isn't that the point? Erin HAWLEY: Supreme Court Nominations And The Battle For Our Democracy. At NR, cited at Haut Hair, Kevin Williamson comes out Against Judge Jackson. "Judge Jackson is well qualified for the position, judged by her résumé and by the fact that she has spent eight years on the federal bench (though less than a year in her current position on the Court of Appeals) without exhibiting any obvious misbehavior — except in one thing: She does not believe in the rule of law. . . .And that should be — should be — disqualifying."  I would have more sympathy for him if he hadn't opposed Trump's re-election. Remember, elections have consequences. Jonathon Turley atop Da Hill, Wink-and-a-nod nomination: Who really is Ketanji Brown Jackson? Wow, I expected he would tow the liberal line on this one. George Neumayr at Am Spec is Reading the Tea Leaves on Ketanji Brown Jackson
Foes of religious freedom and supporters of abortion cheer her nomination. As expected for any Democrat nominee. Ian Huyett at Am Mind worries about The Court-Packing Coup. He expects the Democrats to try to pack the court. If so, they better get cracking; the midterms are coming right up, and they're unlikely to keep enough power to do so. 

Monday Morning Stimulus

 Also featuring, Kristen Louelle, the Rule 5 and Palm Sunday subject this week:


The Wombat has a double stuffed Rule 5 Double Scoop Sunday: W*ng D*ng Sw**t P**nt*ng and running at The Other McCain.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Maryland, My Maryland

 Da Sun, Maryland lawmakers rescind school mask mandate

Maryland lawmakers voted Friday to rescind a statewide emergency regulation that had mandated the use of face masks in schools since August.

The General Assembly’s joint administrative, executive and legislative review committee gave the final approval in a 17-1 vote Friday to lift the mandate at the request of the State Board of Education and Maryland Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury. Local counties and school boards may shift to a mask-optional policy as early as Tuesday, or continue to maintain masking until a later date.

“We can’t mask our kids forever,” Choudhury said after citing the availability of vaccines, rapid testing and improving health metrics. “This is the time to do it.”

The State Board of Education voted Tuesday to rescind the regulation, which recently was expanded to include “offramps” that would allow school systems to lift masking requirements if they reached specific health metrics.

Less than an hour after the hearing adjourned, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated masking guidelines that say healthy people, including students in schools, can safely take a break from wearing masks in counties where the coronavirus poses a low or medium threat to hospitals.

At least four school systems — Anne Arundel, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery — already have qualified to lift their masking requirements under the state regulation’s new “offramps,” Maryland State Department of Education officials said this week. Face coverings are optional in Anne Arundel, Carroll and Frederick county schools; Howard County schools announced that they would make masks optional next week.

Baltimore County school leaders said masks will become optional on Tues. March 1, according to a tweet from the school system.

Time to drop the mask mandates, all of them. WuFlu is effectively over for now in Maryland: 


Linked as Blog of the Day at Pirate's Cove in If All You See….

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

The Hon. Lydia Kay Griggsby
Da Sun, Judge strikes down new map of Baltimore County Council districts, saying it would disadvantage Black voters

Baltimore County officials are reviewing their options after a federal judge blocked the county from using its newly drawn map of County Council districts, saying the boundaries would diminish Black voters’ opportunity to elect their chosen candidates.

U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby ordered the county Tuesday to adopt a new redistricting map that either includes two “reasonably compact” majority-Black districts or an additional district that meets the requirement of the federal Voting Rights Act and in which Black voters “otherwise have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice.”

She said the new boundaries must be adopted by the county in two weeks — “on or before March 8.”

The County Council had voted unanimously to approve the new map late last year.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. on Thursday expressed renewed concern about a map. In December he’d urged council to incorporate community concerns, saying he hoped to see a map “that reflects the changes in the county’s demographics over the past 10 years.”

“I’ve consistently shared my concerns regarding the council’s proposed map — a concern now affirmed by the court,” Olszewski said Thursday in a written statement. “I urge the County Council to take every opportunity to support greater minority representation.”

Democratic Council Chair Julian Jones said via a text message Wednesday that officials were reviewing the decision and their options.

“Although the judge’s decision is not what I expected, our legal team will review the judge’s decision and explore our options,” wrote Jones, who became the first African American person to chair the council when he was elevated to the role in 2019. “Once we fully understand our options, we will then decide on a course of action.”

Jones also said he believed the county could ask the judge to reconsider her order or appeal it to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, but no such decision has been made. He has represented the 4th District, which includes Woodlawn, Randallstown and parts of Owings Mills and Reisterstown, for the past seven years.

Remember, this is a strictly blue on blue fight. Republicans don't have enough presence in Baltimore or Baltimore County to affect any policies.

Why are Democrats such racists? 

That War in Ukraine

Well, I make no pretense at this being a "smart military blog," so please take whatever I have with a grain or two of salt. But it looks like the Ukrainians are going to, at the very least, give Putin a bloody nose. This is yesterday's but it appears true today as well, from Stacy McCain, UKRAINE: Kyiv Survives Another Day

The good news is that the Ukrainian capital did not fall to the Russian invaders Friday night, but it is becoming a battle in earnest:

Street fighting has broken out in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as Russian forces advanced on the city and Ukrainian officials urged residents to take shelter.
. . .
Civilized nations do not do this to their neighbors, obviously. There has been talk of a negotiated ceasefire, but Putin appears to be offering unacceptable conditions, so that the offer to negotiate is just a pretext to shift blame to the Ukrainians. Putin is talking like a madman

Stacy sings the praises of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's duly elected President,  "What a Real President Looks Like." Either way it goes, he’ll be a historic figure. I'll say, from stand-up comedian to President of a country of 44 million, to a resistance leader. Stacy also counts  The Blessings of St. Javelin

This image of a saint wielding an FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile has become an iconic symbol of the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. When you see video of destroyed Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers, chances are it was a Javelin that did the damage.

The Javelin is quite a sophisticated weapon, so much so that a single missile costs more than $80,000. It is a “fire-and-forget” weapon; once the target is acquired through the sighting system, the missile locks onto the target and as soon as it is fired, the crew can run for cover or change their position. However, because of the missile’s “soft launch” technology, the location of the Javelin crew is not revealed to the enemy forces, who may not even know what hit them, much less where it came from. Besides which, when one of your tanks gets blown up by an armor-piercing missile, your first thought is probably, “Let’s get the hell out of here,” rather than attempting to mount a counterattack.

You’ve seen news about the Russians being “bogged down” because of “unexpectedly” strong Ukrainian opposition? St. Javelin, baby!
. . .
Basically, if the crew gets a good “lock” on the target, this sucker will hit it at a range of two miles or more. When President Zelensky says he needs “ammunition” to defend his country, it’s more Javelins he needs the most urgently, and the Biden administration will have to answer for why it didn’t supply Ukraine more of these weapons in the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion. By the way, some of my conservative friends have noted that in Ukraine’s war against Russia, liberals have finally discovered a “nationalism” they can endorse.

 Juanita Broaddrick@atensnut "The Javelin missiles that are doing the damage and holding off Russian troops were provided to Ukraine by the Trump Administration"

Sure, anyone could see that Putin is a maniacal killer, a former KGB agent who is deluded with thoughts of a new day for the old Soviet Union, even before he invaded Ukraine. It must have been a huge surprise to find the kind of unwavering resolve coming from Ukrainians that has slowed his path to Kyiv and seizing control of Ukraine. The question is, is Vladimir Putin descending into mental decline now?

It is very unusual for someone like Rubio, privy to classified information, to be saying something so damning against a world leader without offering more context. Rubio is the vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a go-to person in Republican foreign policy discussions. Has he heard something in a closed session meeting from a spy or infiltrator that provides some evidence of the possibility of Putin’s mental decline? Perhaps we’ll learn more when the time is deemed appropriate.

"Those Ukraine girls really knock me out"

Or maybe he has received a fatal cancer diagnosis, and is determined to go as far as he can in restoring the Russian imperial legacy before he dies. Either way, a danger. 

At Insty, GOOD: Ukrainian “go f*** yourself” soldiers may be alive. But a reminder that early war reports are often wrong. And WELL: Putin Puts Nuclear Deterrent on ‘Special Alert.’ Related: West unleashes SWIFT bans, more crushing penalties on Russia. 

“The United States and European nations agreed Saturday to impose the most potentially crippling financial penalties yet on Russia over its unrelenting invasion of Ukraine, going after the central bank reserves that underpin the Russian economy and severing some Russian banks from a vital global financial network. . . . The central bank restrictions target access to the more than $600 billion in reserves that the Kremlin has at its disposal, and are meant to block Russia’s ability to support the ruble as it plunges in value amid tightening Western sanctions. U.S. officials said Saturday’s steps were framed to send the ruble into ‘free fall’ and promote soaring inflation in the Russian economy.”

If they’re as good at that as they have been with inflation in the U.S. economy, they should succeed admirably.

Also: Police detain anti-war protesters in Russia.

We should not have to tolerate Putin's behavior for the sake of oil, trimming our sanctions to protect his oil trade. Frack like crazy, and restart the Keystone XL pipeline, and supply Europe energy if needed. It would be good for our economy too. 

Insty, SO I DON’T KNOW IF THIS STORY IS TRUE:

Chechen general Magomed Tushayev, the president’s right-hand man, killed near Kiev. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine have assured that shortly after 8:30 p.m. they have “neutralized” the Chechen general, Magomed Tushayev. Apparently, he could have been killed near Kiev, in the area known as Hostome. Tushayev He was in charge of the 141 motorized regiment of the so-called Kadyrov guard: one of the most elite units in Chechnya and whose contingent would be made up of about 400 men. Magomed Tushayev, was known as one of the Lords of war and its loss is a severe blow to the Chechen contingent that was moved to Kiev to support the Russian army in the capture of the Ukrainian capital.”

Or this one, NYPo, Who is the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’? Story of Ukrainian ace pilot goes viral

Unconfirmed reports of an ace Ukrainian fighter pilot have gone viral, with social media users dubbing the fighter the “Ghost of Kyiv.”

Supposedly downing as many as six Russian planes in the first day of combat, the Ghost of Kyiv — and their MiG-29 Fulcrum — quickly became a folk hero in a war breathlessly watched online.

At Marca,  Former Ukraine president confirms the 'Ghost of Kyiv' is real. He would, wouldn't he. I hope it's true. 

Ever the contrarian, sundance at CTH countenances skepticism in The First Casualty of War Is the Truth – The Current Western Propaganda for Ukraine Is Epic in Scale

When we shared yesterday that all interested observers should be very wary of the information from media sources around Ukraine, there was a reason for that. Question everything. Take nothing at face value.

If you have never experienced the propaganda push surrounding war, the totality of the inbound bullsh*t can be destabilizing, overwhelming and unnerving. It’s one of the reasons why CTH doesn’t share immediate information. Everyone has an agenda.

Did You Ever Wonder Why Corals Live in the Tropics?

It's because they like warm water, despite the hype that "global warming" is going to kill them. A new paper, cited at WUWT shows that coral growth rates slow during cool eras, and accelerate in warmer ones: One New Coral Reef Study Wipes Out Four Climate Alarm Narratives In One Fell Swoop

Corals thrive in multiple-degrees-warmer-than-today waters and their growth is stunted in cooler environments.

The warnings peddled by climate alarmists often characterize Earth’s 500 billion corals as critically endangered by modern global warming.

But the science itself says corals have been and continue thriving in the Current Warm Period – just as they have in past warm periods.

Within the span of a few pages, one study (Long et al., 2022) squelches at least 4 false climate alarm narratives.

Scientists have determined:
  1. Coral reefs “develop rapidly in the warm period” (Roman, Medieval), and “coral reefs develop slowly in the cold period” (Little Ice Age, the Dark Ages Cold Period). Why? Because “warm periods are conducive to coral growth.”
  2. Coral reef growth rates have rapidly accelerated in the last 300 years, or since the industrial revolution commenced.
  3. Sea levels were 2 meters higher than they are today ~4,000 years ago, and still about 1 meter higher than today 1,000 years ago, or during the Medieval Warm Period. Lower sea levels produce a “decline in the coral reef development rate”.
  4. The South China Sea surface temperatures were “3 to 6°C higher than today” from about 5,000 to 4,000 years ago; coral reefs developed rapidly in that warmth.

How much attention will an iconoclastic study like this receive? None, probably. Studies that don’t advance the climate alarm narrative are usually dismissed and ignored.

Of course, corals can be killed by a high enough temperature, or in some cases, shocked into expelling their algal symbionts, the classic "coral bleaching" event by a rapid warming event. But in most cases, the corals, after a brief setback, acquire new symbionts and simply go on building reefs.

The Wombat has a double stuffed Rule 5 Double Scoop Sunday: W*ng D*ng Sw**t P**nt*ng running at The Other McCain.

Emptying the Bilge Today

OK, I'm going to try to pump the bilge, and clear the debris off the decks today and start fresh this week. Pick up a shovel and dig in. 

WaPoo whines  Post-ABC poll finds a deeply pessimistic nation, worried about the economy and Biden’s leadership, The president’s approval rating hits a new low, as voters indicate more trust in Republicans than Democrats as they approach November’s midterm elections." Fresh in from Insty, Paul Bedard at WaEx has the White House Report Card: Looking like America chose wrongly. Mike Miller at Red State, Biden Says He's Made Everything Awesome, but Americans Have a 'Psychological' Issue With Being Happy. From sundance at CTH, Very Disturbing, Joe Biden Claims Inflation Is an Imaginary American Psychosis That Does Not Exist in Reality. He's going to try and sell us a bridge or two on Tuesday. Spencer Brown at Town Hall remembers This Biden Quote on Ukraine From 2019 that Is Coming Back to Bite Him. "Imagine what he can do in another year," Biden said. "Imagine what can happen in Ukraine." ADNAmerican has a Hahvahd poll,  62% say Putin would not invade Ukraine if Trump were president. Though we can't know for sure, I think that's probably true. Landon Mion at Town Hall is amused at  Bill Maher Ripping Rashida Tlaib Over Rebuttal to Biden's SOTU: 'It's Like Sacking Your Own Quarterback'

At WaEx a report that Facebook locks GOP candidate's page days ahead of primary: 'This is interference'. Yes it is. Break up the social media monopolies. 

Prather told the Washington Examiner the ban resulted from a months-old comment discussing the events of Jan 6. A commentator, who Prather confirmed tends to "spam" his page and "comments nonstop," called the events of the day an "insurrection."

Prather responded by pointing out that even the FBI didn't classify the event as an insurrection, further accusing the commentator of using "victimhood" in her favor.

As a result, Facebook banned him for "bullying."

Bacon's Rebellion reports on more election hanky-panky in Virginia, Dominion’s Meddling In Governor’s Race More Despicable than Originally Thought

SDNY, New York City Man Convicted Of Threatening To Kill U.S. Senator Joe Manchin And Fox News Hosts Laura Ingraham And Greg Gutfeld. I'm going to guess he's not a Trump voter.

At Da Wire, Federal Judge Compares January 6 Riot To War In Ukraine During Sentencing Of Man Who Stole Pelosi’s Lectern. Judge Reggie Walton. A lot of people seem unhinged about this, but it's too bad when a federal judge goes crazy from the bench. But 75 days in jail seems to be an appropriate sentence for that level of stupidity. ET reports he sentenced a Woman Who Broadcast Jan. 6 Live on Facebook to 45 Days in Jail, $5,000 Fine. At Am Great, the redoubtable Julie Kelly is still on the case, On the Eve of the Show Trials, "The first trial of a January 6 defendant is set to begin next week. But jury trials should expose the government’s weak case against most of them." NewsMax reports Roger Stone Sues Lawmakers Probing Jan. 6 Riot. I don't know if it's justifiable or not, but a warning the lawfare can work both ways is useful. Paul Bedard hears of a Group that seeks to make Jan. 6 arrests key to elections. I don't think it's going to work.

Matt Braynard’s “Look Ahead America” is hoping to create a small citizen-journalist army that will film its questioning of candidates about those held, some for months.

“We encourage all of our fellow Americans to ask candidates for federal office the following question: What are you going to do about the patriots who are being politically persecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol Protest?” he said.

Insty sends DISPATCHES FROM THE HOUSE OF STEPHANOPOULOS:  The View Lies About Justice Thomas’s Wife Being ‘Part of the Insurrection.’ 

“The claim that Ginni was ‘very involved in’ the January 6 riot has been debunked for a while now. Even PolitiFact found the claims ‘false.’ ‘There’s no evidence that Thomas was involved in organizing the events that unfolded on Jan. 6,’ they wrote. ‘She has not been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the attack and rumors that she helped organize busing for Trump supporters that day have not been supported.’”

Madeleine Hubbard at JTN, Whitmer kidnapping case defendant alleges informants 'repeatedly' pressured him to participate, "Informants saw Fox's "chronic marijuana use" over the course of four months, and the agents would still pressure him." Busted, down on Bourbon Street, Set up, like a bowlin' pin, Knocked down, it gets to wearin' thin, They just won't let you be.

Regarding the pick of Katenji Brown Jackson to replace Breyer on the Supreme Court, WaPoo is hoping to provoke confirmation battle in Biden nominates Katenji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

More immediately, the nomination will kick off a Senate fight that is likely to be bitter, if recent confirmation battles are any indication. Liberal and civil rights groups are ready to tout Jackson’s qualifications and temperament and push back against any attacks they see as racist or sexist. Republicans and conservatives, meanwhile, have been drawing up plans to dismiss any Biden nominee as radical and outside the mainstream.

And,  Inside Biden’s pick of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, "While the White House sought to portray a deliberative process, few in Washington expected the president to choose anyone other than the appellate court judge." Nick Arama at Red State,  Biden Announces His Supreme Court Pick, and Lindsey Graham Is Mad and Fox reports Biden Supreme Court pick shows 'radical left' won, Graham says, promising 'respectful but interesting' hearing, "Graham, Clyburn had wanted Biden to pick Judge Michelle Childs of South Carolina". Althouse reads and cites NYT, "In the end, Biden went with the safe choice. That might sound like an odd thing to say, considering that [Ketanji Brown] Jackson is poised to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court...". Sundance, Joe Biden Nominates DC Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson As Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Here Is the Backstory. AllahPundit at Haut Hair, Biden makes Jackson's SCOTUS nomination official. Are we sure she has 50 votes?. After considering the Senate, he concludes she does. I concur. Insty is concerned about THE COLLEGE OF CLERKS: “Today’s nomination of Judge Jackson makes me wonder if any future Justice will be selected without having previously clerked on the Supreme Court. Justice Sotomayor was the last Justice nominated without such a clerkship, though Justice Thomas and Justice Alito also did not clerk for a Justice. The Pope (at least in modern times) must come from the College of Cardinals. That may work well for the Church, but I’m not sure it’s a great model for picking Justices.”

And let the vetting (hard but fair) begin! Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair (VI) wonders Will Ketanji Brown Jackson face ethics issues during confirmation?  "For one thing, she has quite recent ties to a left-wing Democratic public relations firm. Further, one of her university board memberships could result in calls for her to recuse herself from a major, closely-watched case that the court will hear this fall." (Asian students suing Hahvahd for discrimination). Wa Free Bee, Biden’s Supreme Court Pick Faces Array of Ethics Questions, "A conflict of interest could trigger recusal from landmark affirmative action case."   At Da Blaze, Chris Pandolfo notes Biden's pick for Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, once argued judicial system is 'unfair' to sex offenders ""In the current climate of fear, hatred, and revenge associated with the release of convicted sex criminals, courts must be especially atten­tive to legislative enactments that 'use[ ] public health and safety rhetoric to justify procedures that are, in essence, punishment and detention.'" Are we sure she wasn't talking about Jan. 6 defendants? Aaron Kliegman at JTN, Biden SCOTUS nominee went beyond call of duty to defend terror suspects, Ketanji Brown Jackson's defense of Gitmo detainees and criticism of U.S. government likely to be spotlighted in confirmation process. Also at Da Blaze, Key Biden adviser working on Supreme Court nomination sits on BLM board, promotes critical race theory.

In Masking fever, with the SOTU coming up fast, the CDC rushes to get the good news out. WaPoo, CDC’s new approach to covid means most Americans can go without masks and What you need to know about the CDC’s new coronavirus guidance and Len Wen opines The CDC’s new mask guidelines finally got it right. AllahPundit is pissed, New CDC guidance: If you're among the 70% who live in one of these counties, go ahead and unmask "Ed cynically — and correctly — pointed out this morning that the rules are only changing now because Democratic governors need scientific cover from Team Biden to justify their decisions to drop mandates." Of, NPR sides with the mask Karens, It's safe to unmask in many places, says the CDC. These experts aren't quite ready

Althouse,"The minute they hand you that vaccine passport, every right that you have is transformed into a privilege contingent upon your obedience to arbitrary government dictates. It will make you a slave." Vaccines are great, mandates are unAmerican. He's a nut, but nut's sometimes contain meat. 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, quoted in "A Kennedy’s Crusade Against Covid Vaccines Anguishes Family and Friends/Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has risen to become a major figure in the vaccine resistance movement. Those close to him say it’s 'heartbreaking'" (NYT).

Jazz Shaw, Judge rules race-based admission standards at VA high school discriminate against Asians. Well, obviously it does. 

This dispute highlights one of the glaring bits of hypocrisy that shows up in progressive circles that is rarely mentioned in the media. They claim to be fighting racism and supporting minority communities, but they don’t consider Asian-Americans to really be “minorities” in the same way as Black and Hispanic people. Therefore, if a new policy has a distinctly negative impact on Asian-American families, it doesn’t matter to them so long as there is a net benefit to the minorities they actually care about.

WaPoo crows, Va. Gov. Youngkin stirred the GOP base on critical race theory — but not the General Assembly

Insty, from his NYPo gig details How today’s elites manipulate America’s working class. But sometime the people don't buy what they are selling, at News Busters, Audiences Reject Woke Television: Many Leftist Shows Cancelled in 2022. Kind of like swinging a dead cat in Washington DC and hitting a politician. It's hard not to. They're almost all leftist shows. 

On the Canada front, leading to the American convoy, PM reports Convoy supporters' bank accounts still frozen, "An estimate by the Department of Finance said that as many as 210 accounts containing $7.8 million were affected by the freeze." At PJ Media, Megan Fox wonders Did Trudeau Create a Dangerous Run on Canadian Banks by Freezing Protesters' Bank Accounts? Why would you trust a bank that would allow the government to freeze your account over an opinion? Also from PM, Woman trampled by police horses at freedom protest says she is moving to Florida. Full blooded Mohawk. From Town Hall, Kurt Schlichter warns Trudeau’s Canadian Fascism Is a Bigger Threat to America Than Putin. "Canada is right next door, and this is a dress rehearsal for the kind of tyranny our own garbage ruling class would love to inflict here. "

At Human Events, Horsepower of America: Frontline Truckers Group Leads the Way in U.S. Trucker Convoy. "Frontline Truckers says the crowd that will arrive in just under two weeks could range anywhere from 2-6 million.   Each separate trucker convoy has its own route and destination.  All are united in patriotic purpose." That's larger than the Russian army that invaded Ukraine, by a lot. Wouldn't that be the schitz? WJ has the Video: Trucker Convoy Swells in Size as It Rolls East Toward Washington, DC. At CTH, sundance has a Ground Report, People’s Convoy Now Approximately 15 Miles of Truckers. Tim Graham (at Creators), finds the press Allergic To The 'So-Called Freedom Convoy'

Hey, I made it. Now if I just don't run out of tags.

Palm Sunday

 Another ergonomic post featuring this week's Rule 5 winner, Kristen Louelle:


Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has a double stuffed Rule 5 Double Scoop Sunday: W*ng D*ng Sw**t P**nt*ng running at The Other McCain.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Crime Wave Affects L.A. Woman

Breitbart, Man Arrested After Targeting Actress Alexandra Daddario’s House with Gun

A man has been arrested after targeting White Lotus and Baywatch star Alexandra Daddario’s house with a loaded gun. The gunman went to the actress’ house, where he stood outside and began screaming, according to a report by TMZ.

Los Angeles police rushed to Daddario’s house, where they found Colorado man David Adam Cako standing outside. When Cako refused to leave, he was detained by police while officers searched his vehicle, where they found a loaded handgun.

The 24-year-old was then arrested for possession of a concealed firearm. Cako has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

 Sounds like a random crazy. 

It remains unclear if Daddario or her fiancé producer Andrew Form — whom she got engaged to in December — was at the house at the time of the incident.

The police arrived at the star’s home after receiving a 911 call for help, reports the Los Angeles Times. The LAPD said that around 11 a.m., someone called to report a man knocking at the door of Daddario’s residence.

The incident comes after the actress’ success in the hit HBO series White Lotus.

 Back in 2016, Alexandra was a Rule 5 choice.

Daddario is simply the latest victim of the crime wave sweeping the Democrat-controlled city of Los Angeles.

Last week, rapper Kodak Black was shot in the leg outside of an afterparty hosted by singer Justin Bieber in Los Angeles.

Earlier this month, fashion mogul, model, and tattoo icon Kat Von D’s Los Angeles home was burglarized by an intruder who said he wanted to use the bathroom.

In November, television host and actor Terrence Jenkins — better known as Terrence J — narrowly escaped an armed follow-home robbery attempt in which a gunman shot at him.

My younger brother and his wife still live in LA, in a neighborhood worthy of robbery, and I do fear for them. Break ins happen everywhere, to some extent or another, but the level of crime developing in the Democrat led cities is getting to be dangerous, and there's little evidence of improvement in the works.

The Wombat has a double stuffed Rule 5 Double Scoop Sunday: W*ng D*ng Sw**t P**nt*ng and running at The Other McCain.

Some Saturday Politics

Trying to get back on track today. It may or may not happen.

Biden's and the Democrats polls continue to drag bottom. Marist, "Majorities of Americans think Biden’s first year in office has been a failure (56%), he is not fulfilling campaign promises (54%), and he is doing more to divide the nation (52%) than to unite it. Americans are more than four times as likely to consider Biden’s first year to be a major failure (36%) than a major success (8%)." John Sexton at Haut Hair, Two new polls give Biden 'rock-bottom numbers'. Make that three. Fox, Biden's foreign affairs approval plummets to 40%: Gallup poll. But just wait until he tells us what a success his Ukraine policy has been at the SOTU this week!

CNBC has the sads, Fed’s favorite inflation gauge up 5.2% for biggest annual gain since 1983. Not found, the word "Biden." At the TampaFreep, Democrats Ask Biden To Tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve Again. Why not greenlight the Keystone Pipeline and fracking on US lands again? As Kevin Downey at PJ Media notes It's the End of the World as We Know It and I Blame Joe. Meanwhile, LA Times is providing covering fire for their ex-Senator, Where’s the love? Here’s why Kamala Harris’ California poll numbers stink. John Sexton again, Democratic moderates have a game plan for surviving the midterms.  ". . . the actual contents may not matter much. The point of this plan is to signal that moderate Dems have rejected all of the issues that have gotten the party in trouble lately, from defunding the police to mask mandates to inflation" In other words, lie like a rug. Also, Jamelle Bouie says House moderates are the Democratic party's real problem, but his readers aren't buying it.   But here's one, from the Western Journal, Democratic Legislator Announces She's Flipping to the Republican Party After Having a Realization: 'It Was in My Heart' “One of the things was that I am just totally pro-life, and I am about capitalism, and I am for funding the police. And so those things are what made me make my final decision,” From The Morning Rant at Ace's, Beto Attempts The “Trust Me I’m Lying” Strategy Regarding Guns.

Athena Thorne at PJ Media, hears Sen. Rick Scott Unveils 11-Point Plan to Rescue America, and It Is Glorious. Nothing there I disagree with, but, will he really implement it or just run on it? NYT, cited at Haut Hair, whines Courting GOP's mainstream and extreme, McCarthy plots rise to Speaker. "Plots?" Politico wish casts a Hard pivot toward Trump proves costly for red-state ally, "Utah Sen. Mike Lee faces a groundswell of opposition. His relationship with Donald Trump is at the center of it." "Groundswell" could mean two or three disgruntled Democrat reporters. KT at Haut Hair reports Republican Senator Jim Inhofe to announce early retirement, setting up a special election in Oklahoma. It should be a safe seat. Arron Kliegman at JTN, At this year's CPAC, the anti-establishment is the establishment, "With a growing base united against the left, Republicans look to 2024 with Trump in the driver's seat."  At 1945, Donald Trump Vs. Hillary Clinton In 2024? Why It Could Happen. Just say no. As the stomach turns from Paul Bedard at WaEx, Cheney rising: Second to Trump with all 2024 voters. Mike LaChance at Li reports Voting Data in Texas Suggests the Hispanic Shift to the GOP is Real, "Republicans are winning on the issues that matter most to Hispanic voters and are well-positioned to capitalize on Democrats’ extremely unpopular policies”

Kaelen Deese at WaEx, North Carolina GOP asks Supreme Court to block new congressional maps

The North Carolina Supreme Court recently found that the Legislature's version of the districts for the state's 14 U.S. House seats was unconstitutionally gerrymandered, prompting GOP lawmakers to redraw the map. A trial court Wednesday found that the changes were not sufficient and created an outside panel of experts to draw a replacement map.

Tim Moore, the Republican House speaker, announced the emergency appeal Friday and said he rejected the idea that the state court could reserve that power.

"The United States Constitution is clear — state legislatures, not state judges, are responsible for setting the rules governing elections,” Moore said in a press release. “By striking the General Assembly’s congressional map and redrawing their own, with the help of Democrat partisans, the courts have, once again, violated the separation of powers."

From Star News,  Lawsuit Alleges Michigan Secretary of State Allowed Facebook to Sway 2020 Election. That was the point, after all. Meanwhile, TNP reports on how Mark Zuckerberg’s Election Interference Chief Now Runs Joe Biden’s White House Tech Team. At WaEx Dave Drucker   Nigel Farage tells CPAC to stop complaining about 'stolen election'. Try winning the next one. But that's hard if they're still allowed to cheat with abandon. 

Apparently my jubilation over the demise of NYC Trump probe was premature; WaPoo Bragg taps new attorney to head Trump investigation after two lead prosecutors quit. Some interesting speculation at The New Reform Club regarding The Manhattan District Attorney’s Trump Probe:

Pomerantz and Dunne know they have, at best, a weak case. Perhaps, they have no case at all. They are consummate legal professionals and are wholly unwilling to make knowingly false representations before the judge—who has oversight over the grand jury and who has lawful authority to extend the grand jury’s term. If so, why the resignations? Perhaps because Bragg has told them: “Do whatever is necessary to extend the life of the grand jury, and swear out whatever certification you must before the judge—Do it or you are fired.” So, instead of being fired, Pomerantz and Dunne resigned.

Pomerantz and Dunne are bound by ethics rules in regard to grand jury testimony secrecy. But, apparently, someone is talking to the media. This is how we will know who wants the grand jury probe terminated and who wants its life extended. If Bragg shops around for new prosecutors and they decide to restart the investigatory process before a newly impanelled grand jury, then that likely means that Bragg wants—and has always wanted—the investigations to go forward. Otherwise, it was Bragg who was for closing the investigation down.

In the mask wars, Anxious finds CDC loosens masking guidance. Is it because the "science changed" (really, the data show infections sharply declining), or does Joe Biden want to claim victory over WuFlu before SOTU? Both could be true. Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Science changing? CDC to finally "loosen" mask guidelines ... after Dem governors bail. Sundance at CTH, CDC Expected to Drop Mask Guidance That Nobody Pays Attention To. Ace, The CDC To Relax Masking Rules -- Just Before Brandon's State of the Union. Breitbart, Rand Paul to Force a Vote on Bill to End Mask Mandates on Planes: ‘Science Isn’t Changing, but the Polls Sure Are’   At WaEx, Target lifts mask requirement for employees and shoppers, but think of all the Karens! AllahPundit  Surprised at a Major gap between households with and without kids in support for school mask mandates. People with kids see the futility of school mask mandates. CBS 1, North Carolina Gov. Cooper (D) vetoes ‘Free the Smiles Act.’ Twitchy finds it amusing ‘Interesting timing’: AMA and NEA push back on the CDC’s new relaxed mask guidance because of course they do. Kavita Patel M.D.@kavitapmd "And Just Like That...within minutes our map went from this. . . . 

. . . .to this"

I'm convinced, we're done until and unless a new variant comes around. But Dr. Wu at the Slantic hopes We Might Not Need Annual COVID Shots "The vaccines will need an update at some point. But not every variant of concern will warrant one." Ace, CDC: Gee, Maybe Young Men Might Be At Risk for Myocarditis From Covid Vaccinations Like Those Conspiracy Theorists We Pressured Internet Monopolies To Deplatform Accurately Claimed, "I could swear this was a Conspiracy Theory That Would Get You Deplatformed just last week.". MN Sun, Exclusive: Minnesota Health System Denying Kidney Transplant to Unvaccinated Woman. and at Behind the Black, Today’s blacklisted American: 9-year-old boy denied kidney transplant because donor hasn’t gotten COVID jab. Comply or die. Also at Behind the Black, Pushback: Federal court grants injunction against United Airlines COVID shot mandate

And a good segue into education, Brandon Morse at Red State, has Hidden Footage Shows Angry Texas Teacher Saying Conservative Christians 'Need to Get COVID and Die'. Gabe Kaminsky at Da Wire, San Francisco School Board Members Who Were Recalled Blame ‘White Supremacy’ and Ace, Recalled San Francisco School Board Member: I Hope the Asians Who Voted Me Out of Office Are Happy They're Advancing the White Supremacist Cause. Arcamax, Schools in Rochester, Minnesota, monitor parents' social media posts and have twice contacted critics' employers. I'll bet it's pretty wide spread. KHOU Houston, 3 Aldine ISD aides fired after video shows them watching boy with autism being attacked by student. Also from Gabe Kaminsky, California School Officials Arrested For Allegedly Not Reporting Three Sexual Assault Cases. At Am Spec, Scott McKay claims Our Teacher Shortage Is a Sign of a Dead Educational System, "Time to start funding education options with a pulse — like, say, parents and children themselves." At City Journal, Chris Rufo stokes The Fight for Curriculum Transparency, "Parents have the right to know what public schools are teaching their children."

CBS 6 in Virginia is unhappy that the Youngkin report finds 'inherently divisive concepts' in Virginia schools. CRT under various guises. From the Wa Free Bee, Federal Judge Rules Virginia School’s Race-Driven Admissions Policies Unconstitutional. Good. 

Fox, LA DA George Gascon knew about trans child molester Hannah Tubbs jail calls before sentencing, deputy DA says, "California trans child molester Hannah Tubbs, 26, was sentenced to 2 years in a juvenile facility." Stacy McCain, Re: ‘Hannah’ Tubbs

When this case started making headlines — and it’s 24/7, rotating with Ukraine, as the top story on Fox News — I didn’t want to write about it because what is more absurd than a child molester claiming to be transgender so he can get leniency from a liberal California DA? The whole thing struck me as so inherently silly that there wasn’t much opportunity to make jokes about it. Like, it’s already a joke, what can I possibly say about it? But then I learned that this case was more serious than what I’d thought at first. This creep, James “Hannah” Tubbs, is a career criminal who committed a heinous assault:. . .
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors issued a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Mr Tubbs . . .
The suspect had a conviction in the state for Assault With A Deadly Weapon in Kern County, California, and was previously alleged to have sexually assaulted a minor in a case that has never been brought to prosecution.
In 2019, Mr Tubbs came to the attention of Los Angeles County after he was arrested on suspicion of Battery in Idaho and his DNA was entered into a crime database.
During his time on the run, Mr Tubbs amassed a lengthy criminal record, which includes Assault With a Deadly Weapon convictions and Drug Possession and probation violations in Idaho and Washington, where he also has a pending misdemeanor case.
OMG, he assaulted a 10-year-old girl in a public restroom?

Have I mentioned lately that you can purchase a 7-horsepower wood chipper from Amazon for $619 through our associates program, which pays me a modest commission on all products purchased through our affiliated links, at no cost to you? Because perhaps you can think of a good use for a wood chipper, and once you’re done with that job, maybe take a look at Los Angeles DA George Gascon as the next job.

Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair, Texas moves to prosecute trans medical procedures on children as child abuse. It's bound to provoke outrage from the left, but it's true. Transgender madness verges on the silly at Front Page, The Bitty Bug Transgender Circus, "A miniature, knitted prosthetic penis arrives to save your female toddler from being misgendered," but what do they have for males? At Am Spec, Woke Witches: Feminist Film Teaches Teens That Masculinity Is Cursed, "“The Craft: Legacy” is basically Man-Hating 101." So kind like a fictionalized "The View?" 4 witches hating men?

That's enough, I still have two small digital bins to organize, ingest and regurgitate, the Supreme Court nomination and Jan 6. fallout, but neither of them are pressing, and this should give you something to chew on for now. 

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.