Flotsam and Jetsam - Random Stuff

Today's wrack line is like yesterday's beach, windswept and mostly bare. But let's see what little bits washed up. Insty wonders WHOSE SIDE IS BLINKEN ON? NEVER MIND, I KNOW: Mark R. Levin @marklevinshow, "MUST READ!  THE DIABOLICAL BLINKEN PLAN EXPOSED! It is crystal clear now that Blinken is exploiting the war against Israel to destroy the existing state of Israel by using pressure, threats, blackmail, leaks, the media, diplomatic backstabbing, the Arab states, the EU, and the UN.  Read the Blinken memo I have included in this post." Not my favorite Fox pundit, he tends to be a little hyperbolic, but generally on the right track. 

John Kass also wonders Where’s Hunter? Key Players Missing from U.S. China Summit. Has he finally become too hot to bring to dinner? 

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn announces a #Bidenomics Update: Alexa, Find Me a 'New Job' as Amazon announces layoffs in its Alexa division.

Althouse catches the WaPoo grousing that Hispanic media outlet Univision gave Trump a fair shake in an interview, "This was Mexican-style news coverage, a repudiation of the concept of separation of business and news." ""What I saw there was batting practice, someone dropping balls for him to hit out of the park. I think it was an embarrassment." 

Of course, it must be terrifying to Democrats to see Trump protected within the largest Spanish-language media company.

By the way, if Trump used "Mexican-style" as a pejorative, he'd be reviled.

 Rick Moran at PJM claims A Flood of Retirements in Congress Threatens to Upend the 2024 Election

According to Politico, out of the last 15 elections, the party with the fewest retirements has won 10 of them. Even with a partisan lean of 10, a district with a retired incumbent is still considered "in play" by the opposing party.
. . .
Currently, there are 27 Democrats not running for re-election while only 9 Republicans are declining to run. Some of those candidates are running for another office such as governor and senator. But why those 34 retirements are significant is because the cycle hasn't hit its historic peak of announced retirements yet.

Hat Hair's KT bears the ominous news that  Election Offices are Stocking up on Naloxone. Junkies being paid to vote? No: Fentanyl laced letters and ballots:

The letters were sent this month to vote centers or government buildings in six states: Georgia, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, and Kansas. Some were intercepted before they arrived, but others were delivered, prompting evacuations and briefly delaying vote counts in local elections. The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating.

Some of the letters featured an antifascist symbol, a progress pride flag and a pentagram. While the symbols have sometimes been associated with leftist politics, they also have been used by conservative figures to label and stereotype the left. The sender’s political leanings were unclear.

Well, I suppose it could be false flag, but that's mostly a leftist tactic.

Jeff Charles at RedState, Stacey Abrams' Brother-in-Law Arrested for Human Trafficking. The man married to her sister, the judge. "Jimmie Gardner, the brother-in-law of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, was arrested on allegations of human trafficking, according to Tampa authorities. Tampa police said they arrested the 57-year-old Friday for allegedly attempting to engage in sexual acts with a 16-year-old girl." That QAnon conspiracy theory that the government is being run by a pedophile network? 

Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw, Here Comes (Almost) All of the J6 Video. Democrats Won't Be Happy

Proof Jan 6th Was An Inside Job

Capitol Police Uncuff January 6th Protestor

He takes the handcuffs and then he gets a fist bump... #J6footage #jan6 #J6 pic.twitter.com/XiB0pWtBDh

— Eleven (@mr11now) November 17, 2023

So, does this show the release of an embedded fed after a staged arrest, or a legit protestor being released? Since they seem to know the ID's of everybody in the building that day, it would be interesting to find out. At Twitchy, Dem Rep. Raskin Tells Wolf Blitzer Why Feds Didn't Want Speaker Johnson to Release All 1/6 Footage. Tom Elliott@tomselliott @RepRaskin: “@SpeakerJohnson‘s release of 1/5 footage a “security risk”: “The reason why the Capitol police have opposed releasing 10s of thousands of hours from … every part of the Capitol, is because it’s like giving a diagram to future insurrectionists & terrorists”" So tape is being withheld for that reason, but the Capitol is pretty well documented. I doubt Osama's heirs are combing through the J6 tapes for weak spots. Nick Arama at RedState notes Mike Lee Isn't Done With Liz Cheney Yet. He Had a Great Question for Her About Those FBI Agents and J6 "Shouldn't the J6 committee have been demanding answers to this question?" Lee wrote, linking a story about how the FBI had lost count of how many informants they had at the Capitol on Jan. 6; they had to do an audit to figure it out, according to an ex-official."

John Sexton at Hat Hair sees Politico has Fresh Concern About DNC Convention Security After Clash at DNC Headquarters. It would be a shame if Democrat voters ruined the DNC convention, again. 

Hat Hair's Capt. Ed cites Elon Musk: Get Ready for My 'Thermonuclear' Lawsuit against Media Matters "Media Matters had reported that the “pro-Nazi” content (presumably not related to the actual genocidal-Nazi Hamas terrorists) had organically appeared adjacent to IBM’s ads and those of other sponsors. Musk claims that Media Matters deliberately posted the “pro-Nazi” content and manipulated a false account to generate that random juxtaposition, which amounts to fraud." When you have FY money, you might as well use it. At Insty, HOW AMERICAN COLLEGES GAVE BIRTH TO CANCEL CULTURE:“In 2010, FIRE saw 19 attempts to get professors punished. But then came an explosion. From 2014 to mid-2023, we know of more than 1,000 attempts to get professors fired, punished, or otherwise silenced. About two thirds of these attempts are successful, resulting in consequences from investigation to termination. But even unsuccessful attempts matter, because they are more than sufficient in chilling speech [….]

From Hat Hair, again, There They Go Again: Pro-Hamas Protestors Rush U of Michigan Administrative Office, KT reports ASU Shuts Down Pro-Palestinian Event on Campus Featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Yale BALLERINAS Forced to Apologize for Raising Money for Men Would Have Sliced Their Achilles Tendons. Twitchy says OOF! The Nation Steps on All the Rakes Trying to Blame Israel for 'Outing' Queer Palestinians. Insty, WELCOME TO THE CRAZY YEARS: Visegrád 24@visegrad24, "We have reached a point where the far-left hates J.K Rowling but loves Osama bin Laden." Florida’s Voice@FLVoiceNews, "WATCH: Lawmakers file to revoke financial aid and scholarships from Florida university students who support Hamas at school Filed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) and Rep. John Temple).

At Insty, HOW AMERICAN COLLEGES GAVE BIRTH TO CANCEL CULTURE, “In 2010, FIRE saw 19 attempts to get professors punished. But then came an explosion. From 2014 to mid-2023, we know of more than 1,000 attempts to get professors fired, punished, or otherwise silenced. About two thirds of these attempts are successful, resulting in consequences from investigation to termination. But even unsuccessful attempts matter, because they are more than sufficient in chilling speech [….]"

PJM's Matt Margolis says Oof! Bud Light Paid Dylan Mulvaney Six Figures to Destroy Its Brand. Insty comments "THE SIMPLEST WAY TO EXPLAIN THE BEHAVIOR OF ANY BUREAUCRATIC ORGANIZATION IS TO ASSUME THAT IT IS CONTROLLED BY A CABAL OF ITS ENEMIES."

John Sexton reads the NYT so you don't have to. NY Times: Pandemic Learning Loss is the 'Most Damaging Disruption' in the History of American Education. Thanks Weingarten, thanks, Fauci!

These learning losses will remain unaddressed when the federal money runs out in 2024. Economists are predicting that this generation, with such a significant educational gap, will experience diminished lifetime earnings and become a significant drag on the economy. But education administrators and elected officials who should be mobilizing the country against this threat are not.